Review: “Born for This” is all heart and no grit Detroit holds an important place in American musical history, not only because of Motown, but also because of the long list of gospel music singers who emerged from the motor city. Singing families such as the Staple Singers, Clark Sisters, Hawkins Family and the Winans shaped the sound of gospel…
"I only write if I get really bothered by something and I wouldn’t let it go. Writing a play is a way for me to write my way through whatever is bothering me." --Lee Nowell Troy Anthony Davis was executed on September 21, 2011 after a lifelong battle trying to prove his innocence. Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail was…
Recently, I spent about a month calling artistic directors, dancers, choreographers, and producers across the country asking them the same question: How do you define dance, theater, and dance/theater? It's no marvel that everyone I spoke to gave me a different answer. Some said art has no definition. Others said that theater is more narrative based and dance is more…
I spent the past two weeks at the O'Neill Theatre Center in New London, Conn. at the National Critics Institute-- the only writing workshop for early and mid-career theatre critics. In a cottage in New England I pondered about the state of theatre, the state of journalism, writing about people of color, how to incorporate dining content into theatre journalism,…
I had the opportunity to meet playwright/novelist Pearl Cleage for the first time while I was a contractor for the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. At the time, I was helping the theatre re-imagine its community engagement programs, and Pearl was hosting a series called "Page to Stage with Pearl Cleage." "Page to Stage" was a pre-show talk Pearl conducted with…
I interviewed actress, singer, and comedian Rain Pryor, daughter of famed comedian Richard Pryor, about her one-woman show Fried Chicken and Latkes. Here's a taste of our conversation: ArtsATL: Do you remember your first school play? Rain Pryor: The first school play I ever did was Winnie the Pooh and I played the ass Eeyore, because — this should be…