Just before the curtain closed on Black History Month, the Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD) celebrated with a medley of song-and-dance representing Black excellence.
The Black Artists in Music (BAM!) concert series held its second-annual Atlanta show last week, closing with enthusiastic applause at its sold-out performance.
BAM! opened at SCADShow with a wave gold metallics sprinkled in front of the audience, as singers and dancers took their places onstage. More than a dozen students joined an ensemble of musicians in an ode to 1960s soul performances.
“I just wanted it to be a big old celebration: a celebration of Black music, Black people, Black songs,” said BAM! Director and Creative Producer Mike Evariste, a Tony-nominated producer and actor.
Credit: Nick Berryman
Credit: Nick Berryman
For 2025’s “music in film” theme, Evariste pulled Anika Noni Rose, who starred as Disney’s first Black princess in “Princess and the Frog,” into the production. He also recruited Avery Wilson, who played the Scarecrow in Broadway’s 2024 revival of “The Wiz.”
“I think it’s beautiful [for] everyone in the audience to see their idol, Princess Tiana, on stage,” Evariste said.
Rose captivated the audience with her version of “Strange Fruit.” She told UATL she was honored to be asked to give her musical interpretation of the song.
“It is important that we don’t forget what we have come through, so that our eyes can be open, so that we can be aware, so that we can cut that type of ugliness off at the past and teach children ... to recognize when something is egregiously inhumane and wrong,” she said.
“When I’m doing that song, it is important for me that the audience hears the words and understands the words more than anything else,” Rose later said. “I want them to hear the story that I’m putting forth, because I feel like I owe it to that song and those words.”
SCAD held open auditions for singers, dancers, musicians and spoken word artists during the fall semester. Evariste also tapped celebrity performers with connections to Broadway and could bring their professional experience into an academic setting.
“I always thought it was important to highlight and show Black people in many different facets,” he said. “We’re not just rappers. We’re not just good dancers. ... No, Black people do everything.”
SCAD first developed BAM! in 2022 in Savannah. Due to the ongoing support of the concert series and its growing popularity, the school increased the number of shows and then expanded it to Atlanta.
“After that first number, that’s when I knew: OK, we’ve tapped into something here. It was standing ovation after standing ovation,” Evariste said. “By the end of the night, it was just everyone on their feet, and it was the best inaugural experience I’ve ever had, honestly, and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger.”
SCAD alumni were also part of the showcase, including singers Kiki Richardson, Candice Glover and Terrance Williams Jr. and dancer Talia Hollis. SCAD professor Isaiah Johnson also performed with the cast as a special guest.
Credit: Allison Smith
Credit: Allison Smith
The director said he selected the show’s songs and specifically arranged them to center Black history in entertainment.
Starting with Black films from the early 20th century, he chose key songs from the films’ soundtracks in order to show how Black Americans have historically used their pain to construct platforms of creativity. He wanted that arc displayed throughout the production.
“That’s where our artform and creativity is birthed,” Evariste asserted. “That’s the foundation. I think that’s why it’s so rooted that we could turn anything into magic. It’s something very spiritual.”
Credit: Allison Smith
Credit: Allison Smith
The cast also pulled songs from Destiny’s Child, Al Green and Maxwell. Snippets from “Ray,” “Sister Act 2” and “The Lion King” soundtracks were performed.
Credit: Allison Smith
Credit: Allison Smith
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” regarded as the Black national anthem, brought the audience to their feet.
The crowd cheered when a segment dedicated to Michael Jackson began with “Billie Jean” before the number morphed into “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Smooth Criminal.”
In a perfect performance transition, Wilson energetically reminded the crowd “You Can’t Win” as he channeled his Broadway portrayal of the Scarecrow from “The Wiz.”
“It doesn’t matter about an age, or your year, or profession or whatever,” Wilson told UATL. “Everybody needs to be inspired because everybody wants to be seen and heard and respected and loved.”
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