 Sharon Hope |
We recently completed our most satisfying and successful Bold Journeys Tour over Presidents Weekend, February 17 - 19. The snow and rain held up so travel from Louisville to Campbellsville and Elizabethtown went smoothly.
The BJ Tour started at the Ursuline School of the Performing Arts where 1000 students watched Sharon Hope perform her one-woman show, Mrs. Reader, about a West Indian psychic who survives spousal abuse. Sharon fielded questions from the students for about twenty minutes after her performance. During her talk, Sharon told the students that her inspiration for writing Mrs. Reader came from experiences of some her friends and relatives, and also from watching the street dynamics of her neighborhood in Brooklyn. Sharon stressed that her reason for performing and writing Mrs. Reader is to make young girls aware of the early signs of abuse. “They make the mistake of thinking that being slapped around by boyfriends is just play-wrestling, but it escalates, and if they marry the guy they feel trapped.”
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“Cool Dude” Grenoldo Frazier and the “Blues Queen“ Betty Matthews.photo: Pat Hagedorn
While Sharon and I were at Ursuline, the rest of the BJ company traveled to Campbellsville’s Hamilton Auditorium where they– director Sue Lawless and performers Grenoldo Frazier and “Miss” Betty Matthews-- began crash rehearsals of
Juneteenth Cotton Club Revue. It was a gamble pulling folks from New York, Louisville, and Wilmington, North Carolina to come together in 36 hours with a show, but they all are extraordinary professionals who worked diligently on their own and came together to present a super show. The sponsor, Central Kentucky Arts Series, was very pleased at the turnout of new audiences.
With the first performance under their belt, Grenoldo and Miss Betty really “turned it out” for the Elizabethtown audience at the beautifully refurbished Historic State Theater. They performed in the intimate 200-seat Plum Alley Theater which is the perfect venue for a cabaret.
While the weather was kind during the tour it beat furious rain and snow on the artists returning to New York! Was that a sign to stay and do more, more, more?
Lorna Littleway
P.S. Thank you to board members Pat Hagedorn and Janet Rockafellar for welcoming BJ company members into their homes. It was a refreshing break from the road.
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