Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 30, 2015, edition 1 / Page 68
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Daniel Beaty is returning to the National Black Theatre Festival with another one-man tour de force, "Mr. Joy." Back in 2005, the NBTF helped to put the talented playwright/ actor/singer/poet/author/producer on the map. His "Emergence See!" (since renamed "Emergency") was that years festivals breakout hit. The play went on to a sold-out extended Off-Broadway run at The Public Theater and earned Beaty Obie and AUDELCO awards. He returned to the NBTF four years later with another powerful solo show, "Through the Night," for which he earned another AUDELCO and Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations. Beaty again uses his trademark fusion of comedy, poetry, music and multi-character transformation to make "Mr. Joy" a magical stage journey. The tide character is a Chinese American immigrant whose shoe repair business has been a staple in a Harlem community for 25 years. As the play opens, an event has occurred that has jarred the neighborhood, inspiring nine of Mr. Joy s customers to reflect on the shop-owner's impact. Beaty plays all of the characters, including 11-year-old Clarissa - a budding shoe designer - and "gangsta granny" Bessie. Some of characters from "Emergency" re-emerge in "Mr. Joy," which debuted in May 2012. An iteration of the play starring actress Tangela Large debuted earlier this year. New York-based Daniel Beaty Productions is presenting the play, which is directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Beaty's star has grown bright since his appearance at the NBTF lOyears ago. The Yale alumnus has performed his original works throughout the U.S., Europe and Africa and has shared stages with the likes of Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Jill Scott, Sonia Sanchez, MC Lyte, Mos Def, Tracy Chapman, Deepak Chopra and Phylicia Rashad. "Knock Knock," his spoken word piece about an absentee father, became a viral hit after he delivered it on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam." He has since adapted it into a children's book, "Knock Knock: My Dads Dream for Me." He is also the author of "Transforming Pain to Power in which he writes about growing up with a father and older brother who were addicted to drugs. His other stage credits include "Resurrection," which won the coveted New American Play Award from the Edgerton Foundation in 2008; "Breath & Imagination - The Story of Roland Hayes," an ensemble musical about the famed tenor that debuted in 2013; "The Tallest Tree in the Forest," his one man celebration of Paul Robeson; and "Far But Close," which is billed as a "spoken word ballet." Beaty is also an educator, sharing his gifts with others as a member of the New Dramatists and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. ? Daniel Beaty made his NBTF debut 10 years ago. i t | Mr. Joy I SECCA's I McChesney Scott I Dunn Auditorium I Thurs, Aug. 6 8 p.m. I Fri. Aug. 7 8 p.m. I Sat. Aug. 8 3 p.m. I Sat. Aug. 8 8 p.m. I $41 I ZRattie clitnstof i Hattie Winston began building her impressive career more than 40 years ago. The Mississippi native and Howard University alumna got her big break on the stage. She appeared on Broadway in "The Tap Dance Kid," 'The Me Nobody Knows," 'Two Gentlemen of Verona" and "I Love My Wife." She made a name for herself on television in the mid-1970s when she landed the role of Valerie the Librarian on the popular PBS children's program "The Electric Company." In the '80s and '90s, she was a regular on the CBS series "Nurse," the acclaimed show "Homefront," and on "Becker" on which she played Margaret for six seasons. Winston is also a singer and voice actress who voiced Lucy Carmichae! on the cartoon dassic "Rugrats." She is new a cast member of "The Soul Man," the TV Land hit starring Cedric the Entertainer. Winston's film credits include "Clara's Heart," "Jackie Brown," "The Battle of Shaker Heights" and 'True Crime." Winston is married to Harold Wheeler, a well known music director best known from "Dancing with the Stars," whose work will be saluted after the Opening Night Gala during the "Black Stars of the Great White Way" performance.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 30, 2015, edition 1
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