Bowie State University presents:
Senior Capstone
Monday, May 15, 2023, 7:30pm
Fine and Performing Arts Center, Black Box Theatre, Bowie State University, in person.
Contact: Elena Velasco, Email: evelasco@bowiestate.edu, Phone: 3018603750
Harris & Harris Productions presents:
Born to Swing, The Jazz Musical
by Adrienne Lillette Harris
featuring MzChele Harris
Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 6:30pm
Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.
The musical BORN TO SWING tells the story of the 85-year career of renowned concert pianist, composer/arranger, entertainer and philanthropist Lillette Harris (later known as Lillette Jenkins). It also tells how she and her husband, Actor & Comedian Bud Harris, in 1945 were the first Blacks to own Lillette’s Rhythm Club, a Nightclub, Casino, and Hotel in Sparks-Reno Nevada during the racially charged Jim Crow era. While performing concerts around the world she also entertained the troops for four years in the USO during World War II. She later recorded five separate jazz and gospel albums that are still selling. Films, TV, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows as Musical Director are also part of her legendary career.
Lillette has shared the stage with music legends who were friends like Nat “King” Cole, who after recording the song “Lillette” dedicated it in her honor. Just to name a few she also shared the stage with greats like Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, and Duke Ellington who nicknamed her “Queen of the Keys.” BORN TO SWING is penned by her daughter, Publicist & Producer Adrienne Lillette Harris, as a love letter to her mother who died from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 96 in 2020. Adrienne remarks: “In spite of her diagnosis, my mother could play the piano for up to three days before she passed away.” Lillette spent her final years in Columbia, Md with her two daughters and family.
Song Stylist and Actress MzChele Harris is cast as Lillette’s alter ego in the play and narrates the story brilliantly through visuals, music and dance. She is accompanied by some of the best musicians and dancers that Maryland has to offer. Don’t miss this awesome tribute!
BORN TO SWING debuts Mother’s Day weekend Saturday, May 13th at 6:30 p.m., at the Bowie Performing Arts Center, where it will be taped for later broadcast.
Lillette’s Foundation for the Arts Inc. will be making a donation from the musical to the National Alzheimer’s Association in the name of Lillette.
Tickets: $45 – $65. Click here.
Prince George’s Community College presents:
Ladies of Laughter: Funny and Fabulous
Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Audience warning: This event is recommended for ages 18+.
Location: Prince George’s Community College, In Person.
Center for Performing Arts, 301 Largo Road Largo, MD 20774
Since it first began at a YWCA in 1998, the Ladies of Laughter has steadily become known as the “career-builder” for women in comedy. Tonight’s show includes three national Ladies of Laughter Winners: Jane Condon, Jocelyn Chia and Leighann Lord.
Its international competition and tour has visited historic theatres and legendary venues like Madison Square Garden and Caesars, and has included major comedic talent, including Amy Schumer, Michelle Buteau, “Big Bang Theory” star Melissa Ruach, and countless other notable women in comedy.
Jane Condon has two boys, otherwise, everything’s fine. Since she’s from a blue-collar town in Massachusetts, she likes to make fun of her current posh address in Greenwich, CT. She loves to tell stories about her adventures (mostly survival tales) with her boys. Condon was named one of 10 Comedy Best Bets in Back Stage’s annual comedy issue (2001). She has appeared on ABC-TV’s “The View” and Lifetime TV’s “Girls’ Night Out” and FOX-TV’s series finale of “24. She won Audience Favorite (NY) on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Last May 2011, Jane was the commencement speaker at Wellesley College (her alma mater) and at the University of New Haven graduation.
Jocelyn Chia is a New York-based standup comedian originally from Singapore. She is the 2016 Ladies of Laughter Newcomer Winner at Turning Stone Resort Casino. Having lived much of her life in Asia, she brings a unique perspective to her experiences in the United States, which she draws from to entertain audiences with hilarious anecdotes and humorous observations. A lawyer-turned-comedian, she is the winner of the Gotham Comedy Club’s Funniest Lawyer Competition, the first runner-up of the She-Devil Comedy Festival, and has been a guest comedian on the Howard Stern Channel of Sirius XM. She is also a two-time winner of the
Moth Storyslams and enjoys weaving storytelling into her stand-up.
Leighann Lord is smart, sexy, savvy, and funny, Leighann Lord’s “heads-up humor” is stand-up comedy at its finest. Inspired by the brilliance of George Carlin, the smooth jazz style of Franklyn Ajaye, and the elegance of Rita Rudner, Leighann has crafted her own unique brand of Thinking Cap Comedy. It is no wonder she received the NYC Black Comedy Award for “The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic.” And for two consecutive years, Leighann was Harlem Week’s official comedian. (The only other comedian in Harlem Week’s history to earn that distinction was Richard Pryor.) Leighann has performed around the world. In London, she appeared at The
Comedy Store, and on the BBC show Blouse and Skirt (think Politically Incorrect meets BET). In The Netherlands, she was a guest on the popular late night talk show Raymann is Late! and The Comedy Factory. A festival favorite, Leighann has been featured in the Trinidad, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax, Boston, Detroit and NYC Underground Comedy Festivals. She also entertained U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as troops helping the Haitian earthquake relief effort (Operation Unified Response). This year, she was featured in Showtime’s “Funny Women of A Certain
Age.”
Tickets: $45 + $4.75, click here.
Arts on Stage presents:
Peter and the Wolf
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 10:15am and 12:00 noon
Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.
“Peter and The Wolf” will tickle, intrigue, and delight young audiences while also offering a splendid introduction to theatre, classical music and value clarification themes. When Peter visits his grandfather for the summer, creative solutions are needed to provide a happy ending to a riveting story. This extraordinary musical presents young and family audiences with a precious moment of theatre they will long remember. THE MUSIC: A different instrument and melody (or “leitmotif”) represents each character of the play, creating an excellent link to understanding all types of music. THE STORY: A true adventure about a spirited young boy who meets the challenge of danger with courage, creativity and leadership. THE CELEBRATION: The value of love, friendship and caring. The lessons of greed, arrogance and prejudice. There is innocence and wisdom, youth and maturity, conflict resolution, moral development, and beauty in the natural order of life!
Tickets: $9. Click here.
Drama Kids of Bowie and DKI Acting Academy present
12th Annual Spring Production
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 1:00pm
Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.
Join Drama Kids of Bowie and DKI Acting Academy as they perform three original productions: PIRATE JOE, BIG MYSTERY AT THE BIG TOP, and THE TRIUMPH OF TREVOR TRUELOVE!
Featuring casts from the following Drama Kids Class Locations: Glenn Dale ES, Tulip Grove ES, and Samuel Ogle MS.
Tickets: $25.00. Click here.
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