Shades of Black Theatre Festival came together in 2006 when Shawn Whitsell was apart of a theatre company called Dream 7 Productions. They booked the Darkhorse Theater at the same time as production company Sista Style and Robin’s Nest, which were all owned and operated by black artists. They thought it was a unique coincidence and decided that they were going to help each other promote each other’s shows. That idea grew into some events and workshops and eventually turned into a festival. Its purpose is to provide an outlet to uplift the voices of Black artists.