The DC Black Theatre & Arts Festival

proudly presents

Ted Johnson's

Five men estranged from their respective families live together in a group home for disabled veterans. The men are confined to a life of pain and depression, when change comes. This change comes in the form of a kind spirit, unassuming and gentle, but present. After being touched by this spirit, these men life change forever.

Broadway Star Chester Gregory Brings The Legendary Jackie Wilson Back To Life!

A tribute to the life and music of the two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, The Eve of Jackie takes audiences on an intimate journey back to September 28, 1975—the final complete performance that left audiences with memories of the heart and soul that is Jackie Wilson. Award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter Chester Gregory captures the essence of Wilson with “such physical and vocal dexterity that it’s almost impossible to imagine that anyone else could do it” (The New York Times).

Celebrated singer Jackie Wilson, dubbed "Mr. Excitement," the Detroit-born showman with the four-octave range recorded more than 50 hit singles from the late 1950s to late '60s, including Lonely Teardrops, Doggin' Around and Higher and Higher. The Eve of Jackie is an intimate look at the music and troubled personal life of Jackie Wilson. A tragic heart attack (while on stage) cut short his career and left him semi-comatose for the nine years before his death in 1984. Wilson was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The show stars Broadway performer Chester Gregory.

NAACP Theater Award Winner Chester Gregory was born and raised in Gary, Indiana where at young age he fell in love with performing. Influenced by the entertainers of his childhood, he found his own unique voice and style. Chester studied and refined his skills in singing and acting at Emerson Visual and Performing Arts School, and Columbia College, graduating with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Through dedication and hard work he built his passion for the arts into a career, making a name for himself when he burst onto the theater scene as Jackie Wilson in original production of "The Jackie Wilson Story" for which he received major acclaim such as, The Jeff, AUDELCO, BTAA and Black Excellence Awards. His first ever review in The New York Times begins: "There is essentially one reason - and it's a very good one - to see "The Jackie Wilson Story," and that is the star, Chester Gregory."