PlayMakers Rep's Production of August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned, Starring Samuel Ray Gates, Is a Gift to Triangle Theatergoers

PlayMakers Rep's Production of August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned, Starring Samuel Ray Gates, Is a Gift to Triangle Theatergoers

I would listen for two hours to someone reading August Wilson (1945-2005) aloud while sitting in a chair. But to see his writings performed in a one-person play, as if the actor were August Wilson himself? That is a real gift…

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Postcards from Ireland Featured Three Superb Singers and a Fiddle-Playing Sprite
Arts, Published, Music Melissa Rooney Arts, Published, Music Melissa Rooney

Postcards from Ireland Featured Three Superb Singers and a Fiddle-Playing Sprite

For the Durham Performing Arts Center's Wednesday, March 16th, presentation of Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland, my fellow audience members -- who did not have to wear masks after showing vaccination cards and photo IDs at the door -- ranged from 8 to 80 years old and reflected not only the diversity of Durham, NC, but the diverse population that has come to appreciate traditional Irish music and its modern influence.

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DPAC's March 20th STEM-Based Wow in the World Pop-Up Party: Laboratory of Bad Ideas LIVE! Interactive Variety Show Was Entertaining and Educational
Arts, Education, Children, Published Melissa Rooney Arts, Education, Children, Published Melissa Rooney

DPAC's March 20th STEM-Based Wow in the World Pop-Up Party: Laboratory of Bad Ideas LIVE! Interactive Variety Show Was Entertaining and Educational

The Sunday, March 20th, performance of the Wow in the World Pop-Up Party: Laboratory of Bad Ideas at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) is the first children's-theater show that I've attended since I first heard the words "Covid Nineteen." From the well-dressed young families running down Blackwell Street and the lack of parking, it looked like it was going to be sold out…

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Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly at Playmaker’s Rep is Thought Provoking and Entertaining
Arts, Relationships, Published Melissa Rooney Arts, Relationships, Published Melissa Rooney

Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly at Playmaker’s Rep is Thought Provoking and Entertaining

Stick fly is perhaps Lydia R. Diamond’s most well-known play among New York audiences, thanks to its 2011-12 Broadway Season produced by singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. But how does this play about an affluent African American family on Martha’s Vineyard stand up 10 years later, during a pandemic, and in the state of North Carolina? Quite well, going by Playmaker’s Repertory Company’s current production…

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Fifth Grade Poetry Lesson: Imitating the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Fifth Grade Poetry Lesson: Imitating the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

#TheLoveSongOfJAlfredPrufrock was my 10YO’s and my literary lesson today (‘Wellness Wednesday’ for virtual public school). It just kinda happened because, as we were leaving the house this AM, K said, "Let us go then, you and I." I have been using this phrase for years to signal to the kids that we are finally leaving. It’s probably my favorite stanza, though I’m adding “Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our visit”…

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