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Billie Holiday Theatre and Film Event

Presented by Metro Nashville Parks Theatre Department & The African American Playwrights' Exchange at Z. Alexander Looby Theatre at Looby Branch of the Nashville Public Library

September 19, 2011

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In an evening which brings together Nashville's film and theatre communities in one exciting event, The African American Playwrights' Exchange in partnership with the Metro Nashville Parks Theatre Department's NEW PLAY READING SERIES and Film Nashville invite you to join them for AN EVENING WITH BILLIE HOLIDAY. The evening will be hosted by Helen "Olaketi" Shute-Pettaway, one of the six artists honored in this year's FIRST NIGHT ceremonies for her outstanding contribution to Nashville Theatre over the past 25 years.

Partnering with FilmNashville, the evening will kick off with a screening of the 2003 documentary ME & MY OLD VOICE: BILLIE HOLIDAY IN HER OWN WORDS by Nashville filmmaker Peter Neff.

Special Guest Artist Perlie Dunn will follow with her rendition of "Strange Fruit", the Billie Holiday signature song which was recognized by Time Magazine in 1999 as the most important song of the 20th Century.

Then our audience will get in on the ground floor of an exciting new award winning play about the life of "Lady Day" when Courtney McClellan directs a cast of Nashville's finest actors in a staged reading of BILLIE'S BLUES by Oregon playwright Hershelll Norwood.

Narrated by the enchanting Elan Crawford, the cast features Vilia Steele as Bille Holiday and includes Dr. Dara Talibah, Jonah Kraut, Max Desir, Dominique Howse and Julie Ness. Jonah Kraut pulls double duty as musical director. Due to language and some of Billlie's personal issues, the reading is recommended for mature audiences.

AN EVENING WITH BILLIE HOLIDAY is honored to inaugurate the Metro Parks Theatre Debarment's New Play Reading Series. a unique and innovative project conceived by Parks Artistic Director Carolyn German to showcase our city's outstanding acting and playwrighting community.

Attached is our flyer for the event thanking our sponsors for their support. Please show YOUR support by passing this flyer on to others!

Come to Nashville and Go to the Theatre!