| June 10, 2002 |
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QUEEN PUBLICITY 550 W. REGENT STREET, #341 Telephone: (310) 674-1776 / Facsimile
(310) 674-1776 NEWS |
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AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS, ADILAH BARNES PRESENTS HISTORICAL ONE-WOMAN SHOW, "I AM THAT I AM:Woman, Black" AT "BLACK THEATER DAY" - the 16TH ANNUAL BLACK THEATRE NETWORK CONFERENCE JULY 22ND SHEEHAN HOTEL, SAN FRANCISCO July 22-24, 2002 Featuring Student Quest Auditions 25th Anniversary Alumni Showcase Bay Area Black Theatre Companies performances "Black Greenroom" - Bay Area Black Theatre Economic Empowerment Brainstorm Session (San Francisco, Calif.) - As part of the 25th Anniversary Alumni Showcase of California-based African American Drama Company (AADC) members and alumni, award-winning television, stage and motion picture actor Adilah Barnes will perform an excerpt from her one-woman show, I AM THAT I AM: Woman, Black. "Black Theatre Day" and the 16th Annual Black Theatre Network Conference is sponsored by the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2002 at the Sheehan Hotel, 620 Sutter Street in San Francisco (415) 775-6500. Actor James Avery is the keynote speaker for the banquet (July 23rd) and AADC's coordinator, Phillip E. Walker is Master of Ceremonies. "Black Theatre Day" features AADC members and alumni who will each perform 12-minute showcases of their touring productions. Theatergoers are in for a mesmerizing journey as Barnes presents an excerpt from her nationally touring, one-woman production I AM THAT I AM: Woman, Black. "Described as a whirlwind trip through time, beginning in the years of slavery and leading up to recent years," (The Daily Kent Stage, Kent State University), "Barnes lifts off the pages the life and times of these women, instead of reading it in literature" (Iowa Daily News). When performed in its entirety, using different costumes and minimal props, Barnes transforms herself into seven great African American women in history. With raised arms to the ceiling as if invoking a God, a spotlight picks her out on stage. She speaks, "I Am That I Am Woman: Black. Come Journey with me as I take us back. The times of so many are long gone. But the rewards of their efforts live on and on." I AM THAT I AM: Woman, Black was conceived by Barnes in 1990 and has toured throughout the United States in over 30 states. In 2000, Barnes received international acclaim in the Rotterdam Fabrikaat Festival in Holland. States Wallace Baine of the Santa Cruz Sentinel "She's all over, playing everyone!" A seasoned actor of stage, motion pictures and television, Barnes most recently starred as "Etta" in the May 5th CBS-Hallmark made-for-tv movie, Little John, opposite Ving Rhames, Gloria Reuben and Patty Duke. She also appears in Sandra Bullock's Castle Rock movie thriller Murder By Numbers and co-starred in the award-winning, Erin Brockovich. Television audiences best know Barnes as the character of "Anne Marie" on ABC's Roseanne, for five seasons as well as her guest starring roles on CBS' Family Law and The Agency, WB's Gilmore Girls and UPN's Roswell. As a private acting teacher, Barnes has coached some of Hollywood's hottest stars including Toni Braxton (for Kingdom Come and soon-to-air Play'd, June 26, 2002 VH-1) Jada Pinkett-Smith (for Set It Off);) Benjamin Bratt, D.C. Curry (for Grace Under Fire) Kym Whitley and others. Barnes is the founder of the Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival of which actors Danny Glover and Hattie Winston co-chair and she authors a soon to be released book, On My Own Terms: One Actor's Journey (scheduled to be released late 2002). Admission to the 16th Annual Black Theatre Network (BTN) Conference is $250.00 (for July 22-24), $150.00 for students, and $100.00 (for one single day). The African American Drama Company's 25th Anniversary Showcase is funded by the California Arts Council. For additional information, please contact Queen Publicity at (310) 674-1776. Local Contact: Phillip E. Walker, Coordinator Black Theatre Network 2002 Conference (415) 333-2232 or DRAMART@aol.com
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