The Justice Theater Project's Performance of Mark St. Germain's Best of Enemies Is Transformative

The Justice Theater Project's Performance of Mark St. Germain's Best of Enemies Is Transformative

As a young, Afro-Latina woman, Yamila Monge said that she wants the production to demonstrate appreciation for the difficult trailblazing of the previous generation and their glowing, though generally not well-known, examples of the healing transformation that can occur when even the most heated adversaries agree to work together and listen to one another…

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Come From Away at DPAC Tells the True Story of the Stranding of 7000 Airline Passengers in Gander, Newfoundland, After 9/11

Come From Away at DPAC Tells the True Story of the Stranding of 7000 Airline Passengers in Gander, Newfoundland, After 9/11

I was a little wary about seeing the Durham Performing Arts Center's presentation of Come from Away, playing through Sunday, Jan. 22nd, as part of WRAL Greatest Hits of Broadway at DPAC. This 2013 Sheridan College Canadian Music Theatre Project, 2017 Broadway, and 2019 West End musical, written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, is based on the emergency landing of 38 airplanes (with 7,000 total passengers) in the Newfoundland town of Gander (population: 11,880) after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

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Zalman  Raffael's  Elegant  Reinterpretation  of  The  Nutcracker  Sparkles
Inspiration, Relationships, Community, Published, Music Melissa Rooney Inspiration, Relationships, Community, Published, Music Melissa Rooney

Zalman  Raffael's  Elegant  Reinterpretation  of  The  Nutcracker  Sparkles

Not feeling that Christmas Spirit as much this year as in the past? Going to see the Carolina Ballet artistic director Zalman Raffael's reinterpretation of The Nutcracker, inspired by the Raleigh, NC-based ballet's previous productions by George Balanchine and Carolina Ballet's founding artistic director Robert Weiss, will change that. Last night, I saw The Nutcracker at the Durham Performing Arts Center, with my 12-year-old son, who had never seen the holiday staple and -- except for the melody of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (which I couldn't stop humming since we got the tickets) -- knew very little about it…

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After  Seeing  JTP's  Black  Nativity  in  Concert,  All This  Reviewer  Can  Say  Is,  "Wowwie  Wow  Wow!"
Published, Arts, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Community, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

After  Seeing  JTP's  Black  Nativity  in  Concert,  All This  Reviewer  Can  Say  Is,  "Wowwie  Wow  Wow!"

I had the privilege of going to The Justice Theater Project's 2022 production of Langston Hughes' Black Nativity: A Gospel Christmas Musical Experience in Concerton Sunday, Dec 11th, at the Mount Calvary United Church of Christ in Durham; and can I just say: Wowwie Wow Wow...

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Playing Possum a No Win
Published, Children, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney Published, Children, Relationships, Community Melissa Rooney

Playing Possum a No Win

Three weeks ago, my son spotted a tiny opossum outside our house. The next day, he found the opossum in our garage. An Internet search suggested it was about 13 weeks old – too young for weaning. We put the little guy in a newspaper-lined box with fruit, cat-food and water. Over the next few days, our neighbors and we had rounded up 5 littermates…

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Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods Might Be Too Much of a Good Thing for Some Young Theatergoers
Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Children Melissa Rooney Published, Arts, Relationships, Community, Children Melissa Rooney

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods Might Be Too Much of a Good Thing for Some Young Theatergoers

As the sun set and the odd bat or two flew across the clearing above the historic Forest Hills (outdoor amphi-) Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, it was clear that director Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski and the folks at Stone Soup Theatre Co had chosen the perfect venue for their production of Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's 1987 Broadway and 1990 West End musical, with a book by James Lapine…

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Paperhand Puppet Intervention's 2022 Summer Show, The Meanwhile Clock and Other Impossible Dances, Is Like a Pilgrimage to a Corroboree

Paperhand Puppet Intervention's 2022 Summer Show, The Meanwhile Clock and Other Impossible Dances, Is Like a Pilgrimage to a Corroboree

Going to a Paperhand Puppet Intervention performance is like pilgrimaging to a Australian aboriginal corroboree, where magical ceremonies teach ancestral truths, pulling everyone present into the community. And it's all the more impactful when it occurs in a ruins-like amphitheater in a forest in the heat of a late-summer sunset…

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Four-Wheeled Litmus Test

Four-Wheeled Litmus Test

… Pedestrians in Northern Virginia and DC stopped to tell us they liked the van. In New Jersey, drivers in one suburb would smile and wave, while those in an immediately adjacent suburb would grimace with condescension. Massachusetts residents were generally unimpressed; my brother-in-law thought the van looked stupid, and his teenage son preferred it wasn’t parked in front of their house…

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Who Pays for Schools?

Who Pays for Schools?

This article was published by the News and Observer on July 21, 2010. In 2017, Orange County lost the ability to charge impact fees on new development; notably, Chatham County still charges school impact fees. A NC Senate bill enabling NC cities and counties to collect impact fees on new development for schools and other required infrastructure was filed in March 2021, but it appears to have gone nowhere since then (no surprise).

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Hurricanes, (Re)Construction, Rip Tides, and Drowning- When Will We Learn?

Hurricanes, (Re)Construction, Rip Tides, and Drowning- When Will We Learn?

In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we…

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Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium

Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium

As promised via post-it note on the Florida Oceanographic Society's "Pledge" board, I am sharing my article about their Coastal Center in Stuart, Florida, where my family (12-50 years) spent an entire day and still didn't venture along the ~50-acres of Nature Trails in this barrier island ecosystem. If you’re visiting the east coast of Florida, you must put this stop on your list. And those who work for nonprofit organizations could learn a lot from the level of very visible volunteerism created by the leaders of the Florida Oceanographic Society. Building community for a common cause is the epitome of public outreach.

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A Blueprint for Finding & Using Arts Funding (and the encouragement it brings)

A Blueprint for Finding & Using Arts Funding (and the encouragement it brings)

My webpage redesign is finally complete, and I LOVE it! As promised, I am typing up a summary of how I obtained grant funding to bring this about, so that other local artists (literary and otherwise) can follow suit and get their own webpages, search-engine-optimized and all.

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At least 5 Mass Shootings over the Weekend !!??

At least 5 Mass Shootings over the Weekend !!??

If it’s mental health and not guns (as the incessant debate goes), then why isn’t our country providing universal coverage of mental health services for all – including therapy (not just drugs)? Texas governor Greg Abbott said that “the Uvalde school shooter had a “mental health challenge” and the state needed to “do a better job with mental health” — yet in April he slashed $211 million from the department that oversees mental health programs.” …

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Hamilton at DPAC Is Not Just a Must-See Musical, It Is a Cultural Phenomenon!
Arts, Published, Community, Music Melissa Rooney Arts, Published, Community, Music Melissa Rooney

Hamilton at DPAC Is Not Just a Must-See Musical, It Is a Cultural Phenomenon!

Regardless of the acting team, the next time Hamilton comes to Durham, you should take your (older) kids for a special night out, including dinner (there are many affordable options). This is the article I wrote for the Triangle Review about my experience going to Hamilton the last time they came to Durham (in 2022).

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Joshua Thompson and Symoné Spencer Win 2022 Triangle Rising Stars Acting Honors

Joshua Thompson and Symoné Spencer Win 2022 Triangle Rising Stars Acting Honors

When I was given the opportunity to review this year's in-person Triangle Rising Stars Showcase and Awards program on Wednesday, May 11th, at the Durham Performing Arts Center, I knew immediately that I had to go. American Idol Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken hosted the event, which featured performances by 2021 TRS Best Actor Joshua Messmore and 2021 TRS Best Actress and 2021 Jimmy® Awards best-actress-award winner Elena Holder.

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To Those Who Message(d) Me Privately This Week

To Those Who Message(d) Me Privately This Week

After questioning the secretive and non-inclusive proceedings of a racially-based political action committee via Facebook, members of that organization attacked and ultimately removed me from the group. This article is in response to that experience.

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