Summer Job Training for Youth

Summer Job Training for Youth is connected to the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, which includes a new 150 seat flexible studio theater space within the current facility. This space is described as supporting additional original plays, cabaret style performances, other events, and additional opportunities to support the Black Playwrights Initiative. The program is part of a broader environment that also includes a performing arts education center, a film and technology center, affordable artists’ lofts, a restaurant, a literary café, and retail opportunities as part of the Free to BE Village.

The Black Ensemble Theater was founded in 1976, and in 2011 it celebrated the grand opening of the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center as its first permanent home. The theater’s mission is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects on society through the utilization of theater arts and community engagement. The Black Ensemble Theater is described as a leader and innovator in the arts community, recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the country and for producing excellent theater and award-winning educational outreach programs. Jackie Taylor, founder of the Black Ensemble Theater, is described as an actress, producer, and playwright.

The Free to BE Village, which surrounds the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, is described as an immersive performing arts hub that dismantles bias by cultivating cross-cultural understandings and interpersonal connections. It is also described as an experiential, community-building project and a neighborhood revitalization strategy in collaboration with local community partners, businesses, cultural institutions, and civic leaders. The Black Ensemble Theater is described as the only theater in the nation whose mission is to eradicate racism.

Last updated July 30, 2026.