New Heritage Theatre Group (NHTG), the oldest Black non-profit theater company in New York City, originated in 1964 under the name New Heritage Repertory Theatre by the late Roger Furman, a revered playwright, director, actor and lecturer, who began his career in the 1940s with the American Negro Theatre in Harlem. NHTG mission is to preserve and sustain the arts as a development tool to improve and transform the Harlem community. Founder and Executive Producer, VOZA RIVERS Executive Artistic Director, Jamal Joseph International Producer, Katsuya Abe NHTG 's divisions: NEW HERITAGE FILMS New Heritage Films explores issues of the African diaspora through film. Annually, we produce features documentaries and films in the Harlem community from emerging and established filmmakers. IMPACT Repertory Theatre IMPACT Repertory Theatre, the youth division of NHTG, was established in 1997 by Jamal Joseph, a U.S. writer, director, producer, poet, activist, and educator to insure that the legacy of the company lives on. IMPACT was OSCAR and GRAMMY nominated for their song Raise It Up from the movie August Rush starring Robin Williams. THEATER The Roger Furman Reading Series works with emerging and established playwrights on early drafts of their scripts with the goal of producing their work in front of a live audience. The series also provides a vehicle for celebrity artists associated with the company to return and perform in Harlem.