About ABCT
Our Story
From a young man in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward to a theater and acting school that has trained more than 1,500 students, the Anthony Bean Community Theater has spent 26 seasons putting Black stories, and the artists of every generation who tell them, at the center of the stage.
- 26Seasons
- 104+Productions
- 1,500+Students trained
- 50,000+Lives touched
On stage: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, 2006
A Welcome from Our Founder
Welcome to the family.
I grew up in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, and I have given more than fifty years of my life to Black theater. In the spring of 2000, I opened the doors of the Anthony Bean Community Theater & Acting School with one belief: our stories deserve a stage, and every generation deserves a place to learn how to tell them.
Twenty-six seasons later, that belief has filled our stage with the work of August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin, with original musicals written for and with our young people, and with the voices of more than 1,500 students of every age who have trained in our classes. Some of them are now on television, in film and on stages across the country. All of them are ABCT Kids.
As you explore this website, here is what you will find:
- Now Playing & Box OfficeWhat is on our stage right now and how to get your tickets.
- Past ProductionsTwenty-six seasons of plays, musicals, youth shows and television, with the original posters and photos.
- Acting Classes & The Bean MethodTraining for adults and young people, built on the method I have taught for decades.
- ABCT Kids & Summer CampOur youth performing arts programs, where many of our young artists take the stage for the first time.
- ABCT Teen Talk TVOur teens in the interviewer’s chair, putting real questions to New Orleans leaders on My54.
- Support ABCTWays you can help keep this work going for the next generation.
Whether you are an actor ready to train, a parent looking for a place for your child, or a neighbor who loves a good show, there is a seat for you here. ABCT is more than a theater. It’s culture.
Come see us.
Anthony BeanFounder & Artistic Director
The Company on Stage
Most of our seasons are carried by grown folks: seasoned New Orleans actors in August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin and new work, alongside the young artists coming up behind them.
- Gem of the Ocean, 2007
- The Mountaintop, 2013
- A Christmas Carol, 2014
- The Old Settler, 2006
- For Colored Girls, 2012
- Fences, 2015
- The Member of the Wedding, 2009
- The Amen Corner, 2012
What We Stand For
Mission
To train artists and develop voices, creating work that reflects the truth, history and lived experience of our communities.
Vision
To sustain Black American theater as a living cultural tradition, passed from one generation to the next.
Values
- Discipline
- Cultural truth
- Excellence
- Community
- Authorship
From the Seventh Ward to Center Stage
- Roots
A Seventh Ward upbringing
Anthony Bean grows up in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, the neighborhood that shapes his voice and his commitment to community.
- 1973
The Ethiopian Theater
He co-founds the Ethiopian Theater, beginning a lifetime of producing Black theater.
- 1985
Los Angeles
He moves to Los Angeles, and later returns home to New Orleans to build something lasting.
- 2000
ABCT opens its doors
In the spring of 2000, he founds the Anthony Bean Community Theater & Acting School: a year-round theater company and acting school, open to adults and children.
- 2001
Season 1: Steal Away
The first season opens with Steal Away, followed that year by August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Simply Irma.
- 2004
King Hedley II sweeps the Ambies
Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress at the New Orleans Ambie Awards.
- 2010
Ten years, and a day in his name
ABCT celebrates its 10th anniversary season, and the New Orleans City Council proclaims Anthony Bean Day.
- 2014
The August Wilson Century Cycle, complete
ABCT finishes staging all ten of August Wilson’s plays and receives a Big Easy Special Recognition Award.
- 2017
Lifetime Achievement
Anthony Bean receives the Big Easy Entertainment Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in Theater. The August Wilson American Century Cycle Award follows in 2018.
- 2020
Twenty years, and a pause
ABCT marks its 20th anniversary as the pandemic darkens stages everywhere. Southern University at New Orleans honors Mr. Bean with its Living Legends Award.
- 2022
ABCT Teen Talk TV goes on the air
Teens host their own talk show on My54 WUPL-TV, taking on mental health, justice, careers and culture.
- 2025
Twenty-five years
The 25th anniversary season brings 504: The Hip-Hop Musical to the Orpheum Theater for one night only, on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
- 2026
The story continues
The world premiere of ON DA BLOCK! with more than 75 young performers, and a full season of ABCT Teen Talk TV.
How We Train
The Bean Method
Every class at ABCT is built on the Bean Method, the actor-training system Anthony Bean developed over decades of Black theater. It puts truth before performance, roots the work in culture, and builds character from the inside out.
- Truthbefore performance
- Cultureas foundation
- Disciplineover impulse
- Characterfrom the inside out
Our Kids Are Shaking Up the Industry
They learned their craft on our stage. Now they work in film, television, theater and beyond, and they still call themselves ABCT Kids.
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From Mr. Bean’s acting class to Broadway & Hollywood
Wendell Pierce
Award-winning actor, director and entrepreneur
-
Edward Buckles Jr.
Filmmaker
HBO Original Katrina Babies, Tribeca Festival 2022 Albert Maysles Award
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Jeremiah Craft
Actor
Netflix Girls5eva, Marvel’s Luke Cage
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Joshua Williams
Actor
Prime Video Them, Netflix Mudbound
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Jade Radford
Actor
HBO Original The Gilded Age, Orange Is the New Black
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Raiyon Hunter
Casting Director
Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis
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Tyler Nowell Felix
Actor
Off-Broadway Dungeons & Dragons
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Stephen Edmond
Actor
The face of Zapp’s Kettle Potato Chips
The People Who Carry the Work
- Anthony BeanFounder & Artistic Director
- Ateja LewisAssistant Director & Acting Coach
- Elise FelixDirector of Operations
- Gail GlapionBoard President
- Michelle Brisco LongProduction Stage Manager
- Real WashingtonChoreographer
- Tyler Nowell FelixYouth Program Director
- Will Williams Jr.Lead Actor
- Gwen FoxworthLead Actress
- Jordan BatesYouth Coordinator
2026 Board of Directors
- Gail GlapionPresident & Chair · former New Orleans School Board Member
- Ateja LewisVice President & Vice-Chair · New Orleans public school teacher
- Walter DixsonSecretary · College administrator
- Elise FelixTreasurer · Program coordinator & nonprofit administrator
- Christ Bernard Fontenot Jr.Director, Legal & Governance · Licensed attorney
Our volunteer board brings expertise in education, law, finance, nonprofit administration and public service.
Honored for the Work
- 2025The Giving Gracefully AwardThe OMBI Group · Mothers of NFL Players
- 2024Celeste Seymour Judell Arts AwardWYES
- 2023Outstanding Contributions to Black TheatreNew Orleans City Council
- 2023Outstanding Community ServiceAshé Cultural Arts Center
- 2020Living Legends AwardSouthern University at New Orleans
- 2018August Wilson American Century Cycle AwardPittsburgh Post-Gazette & August Wilson House
- 2017Lifetime Achievement Award in TheaterBig Easy Entertainment Awards
- 2012Trailblazer AwardSouthern Black Theatre Festival
- 2010Community Arts AwardNew Orleans Arts Council
- 2010Anthony Bean DayNew Orleans City Council
Be Part of the Story
Take a class. See a show. Support the next generation.
Enroll in acting classes, bring your family to a performance, or help ABCT continue to train young artists in New Orleans.