11/09/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EEfjDEn5J/
A legacy built nearly 50 years ago found new life through the next generation as Slater Vance, son of actress Angela Bassett, helped revive Yale University's Heritage Theater Ensemble, the school's first Black student theater group.
Bassett helped establish the ensemble in 1979 while studying at Yale, creating a space where Black students could share their stories, express their creativity, and celebrate their culture through theater.
Decades later, Vance and fellow students continued that mission, bringing renewed energy to the organization and creating opportunities for a new generation of Black performers.
The revival highlighted how spaces built by one generation could continue inspiring the next, keeping Black creativity, storytelling, and artistic expression alive on campus.
