By Jay Whipple
Trend Magazine Online™
The Mother of the National Black Theatre Festival!
Re-published from a previous edition with 2022 updates...
< Below are the contents of my interview reproduced from the 2011
National Black Theatre Festival the late Ms. Sylvia Sprinkle-
Hamlin.Trend Magazine Online™
The Mother of the National Black Theatre Festival!
Re-published from a previous edition with 2022 updates...
I must admit that I was a bit nervous about this interview and the process of landing the appointment. This was the first person that I have interviewed in quite some time that I did not know personally and I had no idea of what to expect. I was able to contact Ms. Hamlin as a result of a tip from Ms. Connie Smith, also a Winston-Salem native and proprietor of Triad City Tours which conducts area Black History Tours. I have known and have been working with her for over a decade with Queen City Tourssm and Travel. I was getting a bit dissuaded after sending several emails for over three weeks without a response. With my interview deadline rapidly approaching, I decided to just pick up the phone and call over to the office of the National Black Theatre Festival.
I was
quite surprised when the gentleman that answered the phone stated that
his name was Larente’ Hamlin. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I
thought, is this a coincidence? Turns out he is indeed the stepson of
Ms. Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, my target for this
interview. At first he was a bit reluctant to furnish me with his
mother’s email – which I can understand – but was
willing to confirm that the address that I had obtained from Ms.
Smith was indeed correct. I gave him a brief overview and
purpose for my wanting to get in contact with Ms. Hamlin
– this article – and he was nice enough to furnish me with
his email address to forward my previous correspondence to his mother.
The next thing you know, Walla, a quick response from Ms.
Hamlin! Persistence pays!
I was given a time of 3PM to call Ms.
Hamlin on Monday June 20, 2011; her phone rang
at precisely that time. I did not want to miss out on this much
anticipated opportunity. I was quite relieved to find her very cordial,
friendly, and honest about her role as the Executive
Producer of the highly acclaimed and esteemed National
Black Theatre Festival which is a biennial week-long event that
has been taking place since 1989. This event was the
brainchild of the late Larry Leon Hamlin (1948 –
2007) who also founded the North Carolina Black Repertory
Company in 1979 which was the first
professional organization of its kind in North
Carolina. 
He was a graduate of the prestigious Johnson and Wales
University in Providence, RI, and their company
produces area Black theatre to include the
highly-acclaimed MLK Birthday Celebration in
February – Black History Month
– and the Black Nativity play in
December; both in Winston-Salem, NC. I
have attended the annual MLK celebration and it is well
worth the trip up from Charlotte, NC. I must admit that
I had known about the National Black Theatre Festival
for quite some time but like other folks in Charlotte, I
had been procrastinating. Not this year, I will be there with bells on to
rub elbows with some of the invited celebrities and other theatre
attendees. I can’t wait.
Q (Jay): What is your official title?A (Hamlin): I am the Executive Producer of the National Black Theatre Festival
Q (Jay): How long have you held this position?
A (Hamlin): I have been the Executive Producer of the National Black Theatre Festival since 2007
Q (Jay): Where were you born?
A (Hamlin): I was born right here in Winston-Salem
Q (Jay): How did you and Mr. Hamlin meet?
A (Hamlin): It was at a social event in 1979 which was a dinner for professionals. I was there selling cosmetics and he was there selling his company. We got married in 1981.
