Voza Rivers


Voza Rivers is a leading African-American theater, music, and events producer and documentary filmmaker, born in Harlem, New York.
Rivers is the Executive Producer and founding member of the New Heritage Theatre Group and Executive Producer and Co-Founder of IMPACT Repertory Theatre, the Oscar-nominated youth division of New Heritage Theatre Group led by U.S. director, activist and educator Jamal Joseph. He has produced and co-produced theater, music, and television projects, film festivals, and music tributes in the United States, Japan, South Africa, and the UK including producing Mbongeni Ngema's Tony- and Grammy-nominated South African plays Asinimali! and Sarafina!. The series of groundbreaking South African plays produced by Rivers and the New Heritage Theatre Group in the 1980s educated Harlemites about the apartheid struggle. Films produced by Rivers include A-Alike, Lifted and The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America.
As a music producer Rivers has produced music events and concerts featuring world-renowned artists in the United States, South Africa and Japan.A partial listing of artists Rivers has produced for includes: Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Ruby Dee, Luther Vandross, James Brown, The Count Basie Orchestra, Ray Charles, Ashford and Simpson, Boy George, George Benson, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Isaac Hayes, Little Jimmy Scott, Celia Cruz, Miriam Makeba, and Chaka Khan.
Voza Rivers is the First Vice President of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, and the Executive Producer of "HARLEM WEEK" which began in 1974 as a one-day tribute to Harlem and has evolved over 40 years into a month-long celebration of the community's economic, political and cultural history attracting over 2 million attendees from all over the world., Rivers also serves as the executive producer of Gertrude Jeannette's The H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players.

In popular culture

On October 20, 2015 Voza Rivers along with the Congressman Charles Rangel announced October 20 as Lupita Nyong'o Day in Harlem, NY after Nyong'o visited to take part in an event produced by Rivers which was an open discussion between Nyong'o and image Activist Michaela Angela Davis at MIST Harlem

Awards and recognition