She is bright-eyed and disarmingly warm, her hair in long, honey-colored locs.
Traveling by bus, their little troupe would go from New York to Seattle and perform along the way.
The old building had stories in its walls.
DOING THE WORKScenes from a rehearsal for Kristen Adele Calhoun’s playBlood Work,staged by the National Black Theatre in June.
You could feel it when you walked in, Lythcott says.
But we had been limiting our artistic ambition based on this space our whole tenure.
She was very honest about how stressful the work was, Lythcott says.
UPTOWN EXPRESSThe women behind Ray Harlem: entrepreneur Dasha Zhukova (in Prada), NBT CEO Sade Lythcott (in Rabanne), and architect Frida Escobedo (in Bottega Veneta). Sittings Editor: Tabitha Simmons.
And so it would be nothing I would ever choose.
All the same, it also felt important to stay close.
With Teers death, however, Lythcott slowly understood what she had the unique potentialor dutyto do.
ON THE UPEscobedo on the roof of Ray Harlem, due to be completed in December.
So she stayed onand turned her attention almost immediately to redeveloping.
Harlems stoops and storefronts sparked something in architect Escobedo.
How can we extend that kind of energy upwards?
So in early 2019, Lythcott and Zhukova went out to dinner.
We go into this conversation about our mothers, and her mothers journey to this country.
Both of our mothers started out as biologists, Lythcott says.
From that conversation I understood and appreciated the incredible legacy that Sade is carrying on, adds Zhukova.
All she was looking for was a partner.
With Zhukova onboard, the next big step for NBTs new building was finding the right architect.
I found her very thoughtful about community and about people.
But I thought she really prioritized it.
(Escobedo divides her time between New York and Mexico City.)
How can we extend that kind of energy upwards?
It was an exciting moment, committing to each other as creative partnersbut a risky proposition too.
Frida had never built anything in New York yet.
Dasha had never built anything in New York yet.Ihad never built anything in New York yet, Lythcott says.
She had the funny impression that people were waiting for us to fail.
We always had each others back, Lythcott says.
When we didnt know something, we always just raised our hand and asked the question.
Escobedo, who delights in working with clay and brick, was all too happy to oblige.
As Zhukova puts it, The building feels contextual to the neighboring buildings.
It does not feel like a stark change or break.)
For the moment, Lythcott and Zhukova are still ironing out how renters and theatergoers will interact.
Will NBTs community have access to Rays communal rooftop kitchen?
What will a productions opening night look like for residents?
The thing that we are very clear about is that we want to be in collaboration, Lythcott says.
ON THE UPEscobedo on the roof of Ray Harlem, due to be completed in December.
NBT has been incredibly productive since vacating its old building, largely working out of Lythcotts basement.
It really allowed us to dream differently and ask different questions, Lythcott says.
The campaign includes construction, operating and capital reserves, Lythcott says.
Theyre at $50 million so far.)
Theres no way to put the genie back in the bottle, Lythcott says.
If we cant see it, we cant be it, Lythcott says.
