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Actor, director, author and event co-chair Ted Lange, known to many as Isaac on “The Love Boat,” said the event draws performers from all over the nation.

“That’s the beauty of what we do here: if you can’t get to New York, if you can’t get to Florida, if you can’t get to the Midwest, California, it all comes here,” he said.

This will be the second festival held without founder and guiding force Larry Leon Hamlin, who died in 2007 at age 58.

"It cannot be denied that Larry Leon Hamlin helped to put this city on the map," Winston-Salem Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke said.

The Black Theatre Festival's been held very other year since 1989. This year will also mark the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, the associated organization that was also founded by Hamlin.

The festival is a big boost for the city's economy. Some 60,000 people are expected to return this year.

Officials say the festival has helped raise people's awareness about Winston-Salem.

"I think what it says to them is that Winston-Salem is a city that embraces its cultural diversity, and is looking to be an inclusive city," Mayor Alan Joines said.

The festival runs from Aug. 3 through Aug. 8.

For more information about events and tickets, visit the festival's Web site.