MISSION & VISION
DC Black Broadway creates culturally authentic theatrical experiences that entertain, educate, and unite our community. Through original productions, arts education, and artist development, we build pathways for people of all ages to grow from audience members to performers, leaders, and creators, ensuring that Black theater and DMV culture continue to thrive for generations.
Our vision is to become the nation's premier Black community theater and performing arts organization, where every generation has a place to learn, perform, create, and lead, while preserving the culture, stories, and artistic legacy of Washington, DC and the DMV.
We don't just produce theater. We develop people, preserve culture, and build legacy.
Dr. Lovail M.
Long, Sr.
CEO |President |Playwright
Dr. Lovail M. Long, Sr. is a storyteller, playwright, producer, and founder of DC Black Broadway, a premier theater production company based in Washington, D.C. Above all, he is a visionary: someone who believes deeply in the power of second chances and speaks for those who have been counted out yet keep rising, rebuilding, and reclaiming their stories. Raised by a single mother, Dr. Long is living proof that broken homes can still produce whole men. A man who once despised reading and writing, he discovered an unexpected passion for playwriting, and with it, a new purpose. Today, that purpose lives fully in DC Black Broadway, a company known for reimagining classic American stories through a distinctly Black cultural lens. Under Dr. Long's leadership, the company keeps breaking new ground, amplifying Black voices, honoring hometown heroes, and staging stories in ways audiences have never seen before. His breakout production, The Giz, is a colorful, Go-Go-inspired reimagining of The Wizard of Oz that has entertained thousands since debuting in 2018, when it made history as the first stage play presented at The Theater at MGM National Harbor. Through The Giz and the productions that followed, Dr. Long has helped build a new theatrical language, one that fuses D.C.'s Go-Go culture with storytelling, music, movement, and community pride. Under his leadership, DC Black Broadway has earned two of the city's highest artistic honors: the 35th and 37th Annual Mayor's Arts Awards for Excellence in the Performing Arts and Excellence in the Creative Industries. Dr. Long has also been recognized across the capital, from Ben's Chili Bowl's Wall of Fame to the Preservation of Go-Go Award from The Go-Go Awards. Dr. Long remains committed to carrying the mantle of the greats before him: preserving D.C.'s culture, elevating the craft of storytelling, and making sure Black narratives are told with authenticity, pride, and power. He works to create opportunities for the overlooked, open doors for emerging artists, and show what's possible when faith, purpose, and perseverance meet. In 2020, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and the President's Award from Breakthrough Bible College & Theological Seminary, presented by Dr. Anthony T. Mays, Ph.D., officially becoming Dr. Lovail M. Long, Sr. His is not just a story of personal transformation. It's a testament to redemption, faith, vision, and the undeniable power of a second chance.
Angelique
Long
Co-Founder | President of Operations | Playwright | Set Design
Angelique Long is a visionary, playwright, set designer, and the driving operational force behind some of Washington, D.C.'s most powerful theatrical stories. As Co-Founder and President of Operations for DC Black Broadway, her role reaches far beyond the title. She shapes the vision, crafts the stories, designs the worlds, and builds the foundation every production stands on. Alongside her husband, Dr. Lovail M. Long, Sr., Angelique has helped grow DC Black Broadway from a bold idea into an award-winning cultural institution, one celebrated for honoring Black stories, preserving D.C.'s rich culture, and opening doors for artists who deserve to be seen. Her leadership has been central to that growth every step of the way. Her creativity touches every part of the work. As a playwright, she turns real lives and hard truths into stories that illuminate the beauty of the Black experience. As a set designer, she turns bare stages into fully realized worlds audiences can step inside. As Vice President of Operations, she runs the structure, strategy, and countless moving parts that turn creative vision into finished production. She is the one who sees what needs to happen and makes sure it happens: bringing order to the vision, strength to the process, and purpose to every detail. Her leadership rests on excellence, wisdom, faith, and an unshakable belief in what people are capable of. In 2022, Angelique received the President's Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in recognition of her service and the impact of her work. The honor speaks to what drives her: a genuine desire to empower others, strengthen communities, and create opportunities well beyond herself. That same spirit led her to found M.A.G.I.C., Manifesting Abundance Genuinely and Intentionally through Connections. More than an empowerment initiative, M.A.G.I.C. reflects her belief that women grow more powerful when they connect, encourage one another, and claim space for their gifts. Through it, she inspires women of every age to recognize their worth, pursue their purpose, and build lives of intention and abundance. Angelique doesn't just support great visions. She makes them real. A storyteller, a builder, and a creative leader, she measures success not only by what she accomplishes, but by what she awakens in others. She is a guiding light. A groundbreaker. The woman who brings vision to life. She is Angelique Long.
OUR TEAM
Melanie Burwell
Artistic Director
John Dominguez
Director/Actor
Saudia Jenkins
Director/Choreographer
Angela Gilliam
Stage Manager
Kathleen Crosby - Brooks
Assistant Stage Manager/Production Assistant
Jaden Gatlin
Facilities Supervisor/Stage Crew
Quwanna Stubbs
Human Resources/Coordinator
Carla Smith
Project Coordinator
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Kim G. Harris
Production Assistant/Actress
Lisa Bell
Videographer/ Documentarist
OUR PARTNERS AND AFFILIATES
Warren Morris
Public Relations (PR)
The Town Hall Education
Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC)
