Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe showcases Victoria Byrd

Every year, Sarasota’s Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe gives some of its young performers a chance to showcase their talents with one-night solo shows that they put together themselves.

The Young Artist Program is now in its fourth season, and on Monday the second installment features Victoria Byrd in a piece titled “When I Think of Home …” The show takes the audience on a personal journey through the different music genres that have influenced Byrd as a performing artist, from her early days studying opera to songs from The Great American Songbook and to some her favorite numbers from stage musicals.

Byrd is young, but she’s already an accomplished performer. At WBTT, she has been in the cast of “Harry and Lena” and this summer’s production of “How I Got Over: A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson.” She was Maruerita in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s memorable production of “West Side Story” and she has played Dorothy in “The Wiz,” Ti Moune in “Once on This Island,” Little Inez in “Hairspray,” Hermia in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Helen in “Trojan Women.” She is a student at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

This is the second program in the Young Artist Program for this season. The third and last is scheduled for March 20, featuring Michael Mendez.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1646 10th Way, Sarasota. $25 general admission; $100 VIP. 941-366-1505, westcoastblacktheatretroupe.org.

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe showcases Victoria Byrd."