Join us for our first Sunday Celebration featuring Valerie Stephens who will be sharing the words of Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and Peggy Lee. She will be joined by special guest Alexandria Danielle King who will be sharing her piece Toni Morrison and Me.
About the Sunday Celebration Series
The monthly celebrations will feature a mix of artists who all specialize in creating interactive experiences with their audiences.
Valerie Stephens is a multi-talented performing artist known for work in music, theater, storytelling and production. Valerie is also known for her commitment to Nina Simone’s Legacy having created a series celebratory concerts. The most recent is Nina Simone & Hip Hop. For her artistic work and community commitment Valerie has received a Brother Thomas Fellowship with an unrestricted award of $15,000. She has also received a Bridge Award in Arts, a Boston City Council Resolution for her community arts programming and performances, a Get Konnected! Boston Legends & Pioneers Award, a NAACP Image Award, an Urban Music Award in Blues and Citations of Appreciation from Boston, New Bedford and Springfield.
Valerie has created a number of concerts: WOMEN OF THE VILLAGE celebrating the female commonality in English, Spanish and Xhosa. SWEET & SALTY: DRESSED TO THE NINES is a tribute to classic Blues Women. She has produced a concert series dedicated to the musical icon Dr. Nina Simone and her commitment to social justice.
As an actor, Valerie, was cast in numerous productions and toured nationally for nine years, as lead actor with Underground Railway Theater. After 15 years, she returned to the stage in Company One’s controversial production of NEIGHBORS in the character role of Mammy Crow. She created a solo performance piece, The Mammy Diaries. In 2018, Valerie returned once again to stage in the Marblehead Little Theater’s production of Letters from War in the lead role as Mae, a 75 year old woman suffering from the Alzheimer’s disease.
As an Arts Educator, Valerie Stephens has worked for numerous schools and community-based arts organizations. Using history, art and self expression, she has developed integrated, interactive curriculum and productions. She has taught creative dramatics and improvisational theater techniques for Wheelock Family Theater, Springfield Museum of Natural History, the Children’s AIDS Project, Raw Arts of Lynn, MA, Germaine Lawrence School for Girls and Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center. She has served as Artistic Consultant & Teaching Artist for Wang Theater Performing Arts program. Valerie served as Director of Cultural Programming and Community Partnerships for the International House of Blues Foundation where she wrote and directed the interactive production The History of the Blues. She has conducted workshops entitled STORYTELLING AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL for teachers, and education specialists.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Alexandria Danielle King is an actor, writer, educator, dancer, director and nature enthusiast. She received her BA in Drama from Tufts University and advanced theatre training from The Moscow Arts Theatre School. She believes that performance art is a divine tool for revealing and examining the condition of the heart. Her previous credits include: Regenional: The Bluest Eye (The Huntington Theatre). Off Broadway: Pipeline (WAM & The Nora Theatre), A Christmas Carol In Harlem (Classical Theatre of Harlem), Antigone (Classical Theatre of Harlem), Detroit ‘67 (New Horizon Theatre), The Girls of Summer (The Layon Gray Experience,LLC), The Revolutionists, (The Nora Theatre), Broken City: Wall St. (Pop Up Theatrics), Arabian Nights (The Underground Railway Theatre), Shockheaded Peter (Company One), Splendor (Company One), Midsummer Nights’s Dream (Roxbury Repertory Theater), Black Nativity (The National Center of Afro-American Artists). Film: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Compelling Pictures), Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart (Film Posse), Red Monster (Beyond Measure Productions), Clear History (HBO). Education: B.A. in Drama (Tufts University), Advanced Theatre Training (Moscow Arts Theatre School, Billie Holiday Theatre & Stella Adler BASI). Other: Nominations (Berkshire Theatre Critics, Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards). Website: www.AlexandriaDanielleKing.com Instagram: @DIVINELOVEHEALS
Janie E. Howland (Scenic Designer) has been a member of the New Rep family for 25 years and is thrilled to return! Recent designs include: Color Purple (Umbrella Stage), Rooted (Lyric Stage Company), Greater Boston New Works Festival (Moonbox), Urban Nutcracker (year 7, City Ballet of Boston), English (Speakeasy Stage), Turn of the Screw (New England Conservatory), 3 Decembers (Berkshire Opera Festival), Paradise Blue (Gloucester Stage). Venues include: NYC Dance Alliance, Lynn Redgrave Theatre (NY), InterAct Theatre (PA), Mass MOCA, Reagle Players, ASP, Odyssey Opera, Weston Playhouse (VT), Umbrella Stage, North Shore Music Theatre, Central Square Theatre, Ohio Star Theatre(OH), Company One, Merrimack Rep, Seacoast Rep, NJ Shakespeare Festival (NJ). 4 time Elliot Norton Award winner, 4 time IRNE Award winner; adjunct faculty at BSU, Emerson and Wellesley College. Founder of the Prop Co-Op. USA Local 829. www.janiehowland.com
◊ member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
º member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829
