Emerging Voices Project for New Artists to Start May 11
May 3, 2017
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
Beginning on Thursday, May 11, Spotlight UB, the University of Baltimore's ongoing live performance series, will present its roster of writers and performers who will present creative projects as part of this year's Emerging Voices Project.
EVP was established to feature the work of UB community members, and produce it on stage for workshop ad creative guidance. Audience members are encouraged to offer constructive feedback to the artist, who will use their invaluable commentary to hone their vision. Spotlight UB is dedicated to providing quality performance programming to the University and surrounding Baltimore communities, as well as to developing the talents of local writers, performers, and artists. All EVP sessions are free and open to the public, and are held on the fifth floor of the UB Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
EVP 2017 begins on Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m., with a staged reading of a new play, The Uninvited Guest, by Victoria Kennedy, a 2016 alumna of UB's Creative Writing & Publishing Arts M.F.A. program. Kennedy adapted the script from the eponymous short story in her fiction collection Where Love Goes. The Uninvited Guest utilizes the setting of a contentious dinner party to foment observations about the intersection of class and race in Baltimore. Kennedy is the founder of Zora's Den, a writing group for black women writers. Her novel, Sometimes Love…, is forthcoming from Brown Girls Books. This reading will be held in the Wright Theater.
EVP's second event will be a performance by The Whole Dog, an improv group formed by students in ARTS 297: Improvisation taught by Bruce Nelson. This course, which is part of Performance Studies: Baltimore, teaches students creativity and performance technique through the art of improv. Nelson is a company member with Everyman Theatre and is emblematic of the Performance Studies specialization's commitment to using working artists from Baltimore to teach UB students. The Whole Dog will take the stage on Monday, May 15 at 11 a.m. in the Wright Theater.
Also on May 15, Spotlight UB will co-sponsor the release party for the third issue of Skelter, a literary journal that exclusively features creative writing by UB students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Skelter is edited and designed by undergraduate students enrolled in ENGL 401: Publication and Performance, taught by Kyle Meikle. The release party will feature readings from contributing authors, and will be held in the Bogomolny Room at 6:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Author, editor, and faculty member Betsy Boyd will continue the series on Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. with a reading from her fiction. Boyd teaches journalism and fiction to both undergraduate and graduate students at UB. She is the editor of "My Real Life Modern Family," a non-fiction series published by Baltimore Fishbowl, and is formerly the editor-in-chief of Baltimore STYLE magazine. Her fiction has garnered her a number of accolades, including a Maryland State Arts Council Award, a James Michener Fellowship, and a Pushcart Prize. Boyd will read in the Wright Theater.
The Emerging Voices Project's final event for 2017 will be a staged reading of Black Maggies II, a play by Sharea Harris, taking place on Thursday, May 25. This is a direct sequel to Black Maggies, Harris's first installment into a universe where balance is maintained by a secret network of black women practitioners of magic. Harris, who staged Black Maggies during last year's EVP, graduated from the Creative Writing & Publishing Arts M.F.A. program in 2016 when she published her poetry collection, Dictionary. In addition to being an artist and performer, she is an adjunct writing professor and consultant at UB. Black Maggies II will be performed in the Wright Theater.
Reduced rate parking is available on Spotlight UB event nights at the UB Maryland Avenue Garage, located on Maryland Avenue between Biddle and Chase streets, or the Fitzgerald Garage on Oliver Street; a voucher will be provided at the box office, and the UB shuttle is available to transport patrons between the venue and the garage.
Complete details about the Spotlight UB 2017 season are available here. For more information, send an e-mail to spotlightub@ubalt.edu.