ACT UP! is a one of a kind event where the best playrights, screenwriters and the hottest actors and actresses come together for live reads and networking with influential producers, directors and investors to foster growth, opportunity and hopefully... better scripts and theatrical productions.
ACT UP! has spawned a thriving community that blends the film world with the theatre world.
Over the past two years, ACT UP! has grown into a vibrant, inclusive and diverse community of writers, actors, producers, directors, crew, etc. As we enter into 2023, we will see the expansion of the monthly ACT UP! series into additional major markets and egress markets, and the expansion of the screenwriter's competition to include an intensive writer's lab.
RUN OF SHOW
The ACT UP! monthly series takes place each month
ACTOR'S DEN
Writers meet with actors and actresses to prepare for the live read portion of the evening. Writers can pull from the event actor pool or bring their own team to present the live read to the audience.
LIVE READS
The writer, using the actors from the Actor's Den, presents 5 pages of their script to an audience of fellow writers, producers, directors and investors. After each reading, a discussion with the writer and celebrity guest takes place.
NETWORK
Have some drinks and meet everyone in the room while jamming to golden age Hip Hop. The person next to you could lead to your next gig, be an investor or a new resource.
ACT UP! IS NOW AT THE AMERICAN NEGRO THEATER AT THE SCHOMBURG
The American Negro Theatre (ANT), which was founded on June 5, 1940, in the basement of the 135th Street Branch of The New York Public Library. Founded by playwright Abram Hill and actor Frederick O’Neal, and other actors in Harlem, the ANT was formed in the tradition of the Federal Theatre Project, a New Deal program discontinued by Congress in 1939.
The ANT sought to push the boundaries of Black theatre, experimenting with modernist theatrical tropes, and producing ambitious, original works by Black playwrights. Ultimately, the American Negro Theatre became one of the most influential Black theater organizations of the 1940s, and ignited the careers of a number of famous black actors including Harry Belafonte, Alice Childress, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Earle Hyman
REACH
All ACT UP! events are livestreamed to the HARLEM FILM HOUSE's massive internal network and secondary influencer network for a reach of over 2 million via all social media channels with a primary concentration on Facebook & Instagram
ACT UP! is powered by
FINAL DRAFT and BACKSTAGE
PARTNER WITH US
Interested in partnering with us? Contact us at the email address below.
actup@harlemfilmhouse.org
ACT UP! & The Hip Hop Film Festival brands are owned and produced exclusively by HARLEM FILM HOUSE, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to filmmakers and movie lovers from the culture. Visit our parent site at harlemfilmhouse.org
Credits:
copyright Harlem Film House