The Collection

Gallery

These photographs and videos span Dr. Collins' productions on stage, among them The Central Park Five, the guest performers of In Celebration of the Arts, the dedication of the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium, and student visual art.

Productions

On Stage

Alvin Waddles leads a quartet of grand piano, saxophone, drums, and guitar in a single spotlight on a magenta-lit stage.
Alvin Waddles leading the band, In Celebration 2019.
Denzel Washington and Pauletta Washington applaud on stage as Dr. Evelyn Collins speaks into a microphone.
Denzel and Pauletta Washington join Dr. Collins on stage.
Black-and-white group portrait of thirteen company members dressed in black, posed around wooden boxes against a dark backdrop.
Harlem Ensemble Company, founded by Dr. Evelyn Collins.
Young actors in khaki military uniforms and street clothes play a scene beside cots with white pillows.
A drama scene from Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play.
Printed program poster for In Celebration of the Arts 2019, with portraits of guest performers and details of the renaming of the Wood Auditorium in honor of Phylicia Rashad.
The printed program poster from In Celebration of the Arts 2019.
Directed by Dr. Evelyn Collins

The Central Park Five

Five performers dressed in white raise their hands on a magenta-lit stage beneath a suspended wooden figure, with the orchestra in silhouette below.
The Central Park Five, an opera directed by Dr. Evelyn Collins.
Members of the company gather in a close circle on a dim stage before a green-lit backdrop, beside a large rock set piece.
The company gathers on the set of The Central Park Five.
Dr. Evelyn Collins smiles beside Richard Wesley, who wears a cream jacket and straw hat, in front of a wood-paneled wall.
Dr. Evelyn Collins with Richard Wesley.
Dr. Evelyn Collins smiles between two young men, one in a straw fedora, glasses and wooden bow tie, the other in a red shirt, in front of a brick wall and a potted palm.
Dr. Evelyn Collins at The Central Park Five.
Dr. Evelyn Collins and a young man in a striped shirt and gray cardigan pose cheek to cheek in front of a brick wall.
Dr. Evelyn Collins at The Central Park Five.
Dr. Evelyn Collins stands beside a tall man in a black suit in a brightly lit lobby with a brick wall and potted palms.
Dr. Evelyn Collins at The Central Park Five.
Videos on YouTube

On Film

Each link opens the video on YouTube.

In Celebration of the Arts

Guest Performers

Portrait of Lillias White, guest performer at In Celebration of the Arts.
Lillias White
Portrait of Dormeshia, guest performer at In Celebration of the Arts.
Dormeshia
A Named Stage

The Phylicia Rashad Auditorium Dedication

Pianist Alvin Waddles and saxophonist Patience Higgins perform at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Alvin Waddles and Patience Higgins.
Natasha Yvette Williams sings at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Natasha Yvette Williams.
Antonio Watts sings at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Antonio Watts.
Priscilla Baskerville sings beside the grand piano at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Priscilla Baskerville.
Geoffrey Owens performs at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Geoffrey Owens.
Eve Sotto performs with a jazz combo at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Eve Sotto.
Stanley Wayne Mathis and Mamie Duncan-Gibbs perform a duet at the Phylicia Rashad Auditorium dedication.
Stanley Wayne Mathis and Mamie Duncan-Gibbs.
Phylicia Rashad stands behind a seated Dr. Evelyn Collins in an office hung with framed awards and proclamations.
Dr. Evelyn Collins with Phylicia Rashad.
Image Makers

Visual Arts

Watercolor-style portrait of a painter holding a brush and palette before a floral canvas on an easel.
Painter at her easel, watercolor-style portrait.
Watercolor-style portrait of a trumpeter in a patterned jacket playing against a warm, glowing background.
Trumpeter, watercolor-style portrait.
Watercolor-style painting of a singer in a green dress performing into a handheld microphone.
Vocalist in green, watercolor-style painting.
The Next Generation

Young Artists

A young girl in a royal blue choir robe sings at center as robed singers with hand fans perform around her, in front of a set piece of tall window frames.
A gospel scene from the stage musical Raisin.
Young performers dressed in black stand in still rows on a stage lit by a violet backdrop, with a grand piano at the stage edge.
An ensemble holds a quiet tableau under violet light.
A youth string ensemble of violinists and cellists performs at music stands before a purple backdrop.
A young string ensemble in concert.

On video: The Lion King, Jr., presented by the Denzel Washington School of the Arts in 2021 (opens on YouTube). More performances are in On Film.

Looking Ahead

The Facility

Concept rendering of the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts at dusk: a glass-fronted building with the Detroit skyline behind it, a faceted black sculpture in a plaza full of guests, and banners reading Create, Educate, Inspire.
Concept rendering of the Onyx Center for the Performing Arts.
Color concept floor plan showing a 150-seat black box theatre, dance studio, recording studio, costume lab, offices, and lobby with donor recognition wall.
Concept floor plan for the Center's planned home.
Architectural concept floor plan with a color-coded legend and a room summary totaling approximately 12,800 square feet.
Concept floor plan with room summary for the Center's planned home.