Mission
To enlighten the mind by way of the Arts through the African-American experience.
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History
Stage Aurora Theatrical Company, Inc., theatre that enlightens, launched its Mainstage of Theatre, Dance, and Music in 2000 under the leadership of Darryl Reuben Hall. Stage Aurora began as an opportunity to provide the underserved community of Jacksonville’s Northside with professional theatre reflecting the Black experience. We aim to build bridges of understanding between cultures in relation to the human experience.

Stage Aurora works have performed nationally in various states. In New York City, Stage Aurora is quickly making its mark with original productions The Dinner (2015 Midtown International Theatre Festival), and Drawn from the Water (St. James Presbyterian Church/ Harlem and Renew Queens in Astoria, NY), having received some support from the Dramatists Guild Fund, Actor's Equity Association, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the Queens Council on the Arts. Also, Darryl Reuben Hall's Frat House (Atlanta Black Theatre Festival).

The Main Stage has produced 200+ productions including Pulitzer Prize Winners The Color Purple, Fences, Driving Miss Daisy, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Piano Lesson; and Tony Award Winners For Colored Girls Who..., Dreamgirls, The Wiz, and A Raisin in the Sun. Other favorites include Steel Magnolias, Crowns, Miss Ever's Boys, Mama, I Want to Sing, and Disney's High School Musical.

Original works include Dinner with Booker T. (Premiered in the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC); Sinner Man by Roumel Reaux, Trent Armand Kendall's Louis and Ella, Noble Lee Lester's Apostasy 360, Alzheimer's and Darryl Reuben Hall's Frat House, The Dinner, Harlem of the South, A Very Merry Jacksonville Christmas, and the upcoming Drawn from the Water. Children's include Brown vs. The Board of Education; FRIENDS: James, Mary, and George, SONG AND DANCE, and Field Trip Safari.

Critical success abounds: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun ‘was both splendid and captivating', Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity 'All color and life and unbelievable, this is a miraculous spectacle of Biblical and artistic proportions'; Tom Stolz’s Mahalia as ‘an exceptional masterpiece’, and Darryl Reuben Hall’s Frat House 'Impressively choreographed, energetic, and lots of fun.'

Local, Statewide, and National recognition is seen through a variety of awards: State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs' Diversity and Inclusion Award, Rosetta LeNoire Award Nomination for Diversity from Actors' Equity Association; the Onyx Award, Individual Arts Award from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, among others.  

National celebrities who've graced our stage at Stage Aurora include: Ella Joyce, Tony Award Winner Melba Moore, T'Keyah Crystal Keymah, Daniel Beaty, Kim Coles among Artistic Associates: Angela Robinson (Tyler Perry's The Haves and The Have Nots, Broadway’s The Color Purple), Sondra Bonitto (Broadway’s Ragtime), Jannie Jones (Broadway’s The Full Monty), Roumel Reaux (Broadway’s The Wiz),  and Natasha Yvette Williams (Broadway's The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess).

Goals

- To produce theatrical works that best exemplify Black and Faith-based Theatre
- To serve underserved communities and diverse audiences
- To collaborate and share with existing theatrical organizations both locally and nationally.*To develop a multicultural audience that best exemplifies the standards of Stage Aurora as an institution of the essence of the human experience.
- To serve as an establishment and foundation for the creation and growth of new works of new artists, writers, directors, musicians, lyricists combined with new ideas and concepts exploring creativity and innovations in theatrical production.

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Our mission is 'to enlighten the mind by way of the Arts through faith-based works and the African-American experience'.
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We have produced 200+ productions since our founding years. Among the productions are Pulitzer Prize Winners Driving Miss Daisy, To Kill A Mockingbird, Fences, The Piano Lesson,and the Tony Award Winners The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, The Wiz, and A Raisin in the Sun. Other classics include Crowns, Miss Evers' Boys, Mama, I Want to Sing, Disney's High School Musical, and a community favorite Darryl Reuben Hall’s Frat House.Critics have praised our works as Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun ‘was both splendid and captivating’, Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity“All color and life and unbelievable, this is a miraculous spectacle of Biblical and artistic proportions”; Tom Stolz’s Mahaliaas ‘an exceptional masterpiece’, and Darryl Reuben Hall’s Frat House “impressively choreographed, energetic, and lots of fun, 5-Stars!

Sources of funding have included, but not limited to, Actors' Equity Association, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Queens Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, matching gift support from Open Society Institute, Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, City of Jacksonville, Harlem Community Development Corporation, Jacksonville Children’s Commission, Florida Humanities Council, PNC Bank, Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, IMS Engineers, Jaguars Foundation, and the Delores Weaver Fund.

Our Children Outreach continues with the Annual Performing Arts Summer Institute, Aurora Lecture Series, 100 Youth Voices, and the Schools Matinee Series.

Join us as we strive to produce ‘Theatre that Enlightens’ in Florida and New York!