Substitute while the actions of the article are loading
In a surprise move, comedian Dave Chapel announced that the student theater at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest Washington would not be named after him.
Chappelle, one of the school’s most famous alumni, was in town Monday night for a dedication ceremony.
Instead, it will be called the Theater of Artistic Freedom and Expression.
The dedication was initially postponed last November after critics described the comedian’s high-profile Netflix special program, The Closer, as transphobic. Ellington students also expressed concern. Chapelle told audiences on Monday that while he felt the reaction to him was nuanced and unrelated to his work, he did not want a theater named after him to distract students focusing on the importance of his art.
During the dispute last year, Duke Ellington principal Sandi Logan said she had formal and informal meetings with students to discuss Chappelle’s comments, including a month-long meeting with an advisory committee of student leaders that included gender and Sexuality Alliance.
The Duke Ellington School is postponing the name of the Dave Chapel Theater until April
“Continuing the event … without first addressing the issues and concerns of members of the Ellington community, would be a missed opportunity for a moment of learning,” the school said in a statement.
Founded in 1974 with a mission to provide free, first-class art education to children in the nation’s capital, Duke Ellington attracts students from across the city and is one of the few art schools in the area to teach mostly black students.
Chappelle, who promised to donate $ 100,000 to the school theater, said last October that naming the theater after him was “the most significant honor of my life.”
“I missed school. I would hide there when I missed an hour. Who would have thought that one day this theater would be named after me? Chappelle said in a speech to donors to raise money for Ellington ahead of the screening of “The Closer” at the Angelika Pop-Up Theater in Union Market. “But I understand it, because sometimes when you love things, they reciprocate. I loved this school too. ”
Add Comment