This summer, Winston-Salem turns into a full-on theater town as the International Black Theatre Festival, long known as the National Black Theatre Festival, returns July 27 through August 1. The biennial gathering packs downtown and the Benton Convention Center with a week of mainstage productions, staged readings, workshops, panels and community events. National and international companies share the bill with North Carolina troupes, and organizers expect downtown to hum from morning workshops to late-night poetry sessions.
What's on stage and around town
The festival’s slate stretches from mainstage productions and film screenings to youth showcases, staged readings and an International Vendors Market, with more than 120 performances spread across multiple venues over six days, according to Visit Winston-Salem. This year marks the formal rebrand from the National Black Theatre Festival to the International Black Theatre Festival, reflecting the global mix of companies on the schedule. Daily workshops, panels and networking sessions are lined up for playwrights, directors and producers, with many events designed to serve both general audiences and industry insiders. Expect a blend of ticketed shows and free community programming woven through the week.
Organizers and where it happens
The North Carolina Black Repertory Company produces the festival and has done so since creating it in 1989, according to the organization’s IBTF media guide. The IBTF Box Office sits at 419 N. Spruce Street, while the Opening Night Gala and several ticketed events are slated for the Benton Convention Center. NC Black Rep’s media materials also outline a satellite box office and a credentialing process for journalists and reviewers looking to cover the action.
Tickets, venues and access
Mainstage tickets and the full schedule went live earlier this summer and are available through the festival website and the box office, according to Visit Winston-Salem. Organizers note that some collegiate and youth performances offer reduced pricing, and many shows will run at the same time in different downtown theaters. With so much overlapping programming, festivalgoers are urged to plan ahead, expect heavy foot traffic around the Benton Convention Center and the festival core and consider public transit or nearby parking decks.
A brief history
Larry Leon Hamlin founded the North Carolina Black Repertory Company in 1979 and launched the inaugural festival in 1989 as a national reunion of Black theatre companies, the company’s founder page recounts. That first gathering drew national attention and has since been described as “one of the most historic and culturally significant events” in Black theatre history. NC Black Rep notes that over the decades, the biennial festival has grown into both an economic driver and a cultural anchor for Winston-Salem.
Who's headlining this year
Actors Angela Robinson and Peter Parros are serving as celebrity co-chairs for the 2026 festival, according to a festival press release reported by Black PR Wire. Local coverage adds that the lineup blends national ensembles with North Carolina companies and that panels and community events are scheduled throughout the week. For a closer look at the local angle and on-the-ground expectations, see coverage from WCNC.
Why it matters to North Carolina
National outlets place the IBTF within a broader wave of summer Black cultural programming and highlight its pull for artists and visitors, according to Forbes. Closer to home, coverage emphasizes that the festival doubles as a networking hub where playwrights, directors and producers forge connections that feed future productions and tours, per Triangle Tribune.
All of that translates into a busy week on the streets. Theatres, bars and restaurants typically fill up for both daytime panels and nighttime shows. If you are planning a visit, build in extra time to move between venues and keep an eye on official festival channels for the latest on showtimes and venue maps.
