About the Event

Presented by the Artist Partner Programs

Monday, March 29, 2020 • 5:30PM EDT

Revelations by Black Women in the Arts is a series of powerful conversations by Black woman scholars, performers, educators and leaders delves into the essence of being a Black female artist in a society ill-equipped to receive and make room for them. Whether they move along the margins or at the center of their fields, these extraordinary women will share their artistry, scholarship, vision and creativity throughout Spring 2021. These conversations will be centered around their highs and lows, victories and losses, and will be moderated by dancer, choreographer and scholar Ronya-Lee Anderson M.F.A. dance ‘20 and current Ph.D. candidate in the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.

Honor Native Lands

Before we begin, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on and acknowledge the Indigenous roots of the land that you’re on.

The Artist Partner Programs at The Clarice believes that artists can be catalysts for community change, leadership and empowerment, and we have chosen to begin the effort of building bridges across cultures by acknowledging what has been buried by honoring the truth.

We are standing on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway People, who were among the first in the Western Hemisphere to encounter European colonists. And we honor the enslaved who assisted with the creation of this University. We pay respects to these and other elders, past and present. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, immigration, and settlement that bring us together here today.

About The Artists

Ronya-Lee Anderson

Artist Links: Web

Ronya-Lee LaVaune Anderson is a dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter and educator. She holds a Master’s of Divinity from Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. A former member of the Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble, Clancy Works, Carla Perlo’s Carla and Company, Erica Rebollar Dance Co., Liz Lerman’s Dance Exchange and most recently, Dance Place’s Marvin Gaye Project, for which she also serves as Rehearsal Director, Ronya-Lee has performed both nationally and internationally. She has led residencies at Duke University (Durham, NC); Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Arkansas); Mercyhurst University (Erie, PA) and Prince George’s Community College (Landover, MD). Her work has been commissioned by Duke University, Prince George's Community College, Joy of Motion, DanceEthos, Dance For All Youth Company in South Africa, as well as churches, schools and community organizations throughout the United States.

A 2013 recipient of a Bates Dance Festival Teaching Fellowship, a 2014 Sacred Dance Facilitator at Music and Liturgical Arts Week in Lake Junaluska, NC, and a 2015 Main Presenter at the Sacred Dance Guild’s biannual conference, Ronya-Lee travels extensively teaching, dancing, and choreographing. She serves as Artistic Director for Dancing by the Power: Movement Matters; her company that combines art, spoken word, live music, dance and fashion in performance. With the ukulele as her songwriting companion, Ronya-Lee is also a genre- bending singer-songwriter, using her dance and choreography experience to create a unique live experience. She is currently working on her debut album, The Light Sessions.

Ageyiwaa Asante

Artist Links: Next Play Exchange • Instagram • Vimeo

Agyeiwaa Asante is a Ghanaian- American theatre artist based in Maryland. Her plays include, SWIRL (Kennedy Center’s Page-to-Stage Festival 2017, Watermelon One- Act Festival- Best Production 2019), HELP WANTED (Silver Spring One Act Festival, Elemental Women Productions) and DAINTY (BOLD NYC’s 2020 Festival). Most recently she was commissioned for UMD’s NextNow Festival and Single Carrot Theatre and is the 2020 recipient of The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation’s Ollie Award for emerging playwrights. Agyeiwaa is the current Casting Director at Round House Theatre. B.A. in Theatre from the University of Maryland. She will be earning her MFA in playwriting at UCSD in the Fall.

Caroline Clay

Artist Links: Web • Instagram • Twitter • SoundCloud • IMDb

Caroline Clay (She, Her, Hers) is a proud native Washingtonian, and a 35 year veteran of Broadway stage, film, and television. She specializes in the devising of solo work and content creation for the working actor. As a voice/dialect coach and acting teacher, she has taught and conducted workshops worldwide: including the National Theatre of Ghana, Health Alliance of Romania, Academy of Dramatic Art, Signature Theatre, University of Maryland, Howard, Georgetown, Case-Western, and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, of which she is also an alum. Best known for her recurring role as “CeCe” on Season 16 of Grey’s Anatomy, she has also served as dialect coach for Katori Hall’s P-Valley on Starz!, and the feature, Flint Strong. Her next role will be in the upcoming feature, Alice, starring KeKe Palmer. Clay is the winner of the NAACP 2020 Best Actress in a Theatrical Production Award for her performance in Skeleton Crew at The Geffen Playhouse.

Paige Hernandez

Artist Links: Web • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • YouTube

Paige Hernandez, a Baltimore native, is a multidisciplinary artist who is critically acclaimed as a performer, director, choreographer and playwright. Paige is most notably known for her effective fusion of theatre, hip-hop, dance and education. She has nearly twenty years of experience in arts administration, arts education, creating new works, producing and performing.

As an arts educator, Paige has taught throughout the country, to all ages, in several art disciplines. To date, she has reached more than 10,000 students, from pre-k through college, in several hundred residencies, workshops and performances around the world. She takes great pride in her professional development for educators which include keynote presentations for Disney, The Wharton Center at MSU, The Smith Center in Las Vegas and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. She has been recognized in several organizations including the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts and Arena Stage where she was awarded the Thomas Fichandler award for exceptional promise in theater education. The Huffington Post named Paige a “classroom hero” because of her outstanding arts integration work with STEM initiatives. During the 2020 pandemic, Paige created and produced PAIGE AND FRIENDS a three episode digital series that focuses on self-care for elementary age students.

Paige is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and has performed on many stages throughout the country including DC: Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Fulton Theatre (PA), Ohio Theatre (NY), Manship Theatre(LA), Paramount Theatre (TX), Cleveland Playhouse (OH), The Wharton Center (MI) and many others.

As a playwright, she has collaborated with the Lincoln Center and has been commissioned by several companies including the National New Play Network, the Smithsonian, The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse, the Glimmerglass Festival and the University of Maryland. Paige was named a “Top Theatre Worker You Should Know” by American Theatre Magazine, “40 under 40” by the Washingtonian Magazine, a “Rising Leader of Color” by Theatre Communications Group and a “Citizen Artist” by the Kennedy Center.

As an award-winning dancer, Paige’s choreography has been seen all over the world including Bahrain, Singapore, India, Jamaica and Bermuda. In the States, Paige’s choreography has been seen at Imagination Stage (MD), The Kennedy Center (DC), Playhouse Square (OH), Alliance Theatre (GA) and Woolly Mammoth Theatre (DC) among others. She received an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council as well as four Helen Hayes nominations for choreography, directing and performance.

As a critically acclaimed director, Paige’s direction has been seen throughout the country including The Kennedy Center (DC), Smith Center (NV) Glimmerglass Festival (NY), Santa Fe Opera (NM) and several universities. She directed all three of the world premieres of the Queens Girl Trilogy by Caleen Sinnette Jennings. Paige was recently recognized by the Wall Street Journal for her direction of Proof at Everyman Theatre in Maryland where she is also Associate Artistic Director.

With her company B-FLY ENTERTAINMENT, Paige tours internationally with her original works for multicultural and multigenerational hip hop audiences. These works include Liner Notes, The Nayika Project, 7th Street Echo, All the Way Live! Havana Hop, PAIGE IN FULL and her hip hopera, Stomping Grounds.

Coming Up: Artist Talk & 2021-22 Season Preview • Living Earth Show, Sarah Hennies & Terry Berlier

Throughout the Spring 2021 semester, visiting artists Andy Meyerson and Travis Andrews of Living Earth Show, composer Sarah Hennies and sculptor Terry Berlier will work with University of Maryland students to create sound and sculptural elements to be integrated into The Clarice’s commission for 2021-22 A Kind of Ache. Preview this open-source artmaking collaboration and learn more about their special creative process that weaves music, sculpture and LGBTQ+ issues into one artistic experience.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 • 5:30PM EDT

Coming Up: NextLOOK

In partnership with Joe's Movement Emporium, NextLOOK supports the development of new music, plays, dance and other experiences by regionally-based performing artists. These artists are mentored by seasoned arts administrators from The Clarice and Joe’s Movement Emporium to construct innovative methods of deepening the audience’s involvement in their creative process. By removing logistical barriers of cost and space and providing a sounding board for artists creating new work, NextLOOK invests in the regional arts ecology and creates an accessible, exploratory environment that connects intriguing artists with adventurous audiences.

Friday, April 30 • Alina Collins Maldonado: No Salgas Con El Pelo Mojado

Friday, May 21 • Sinclair Ogaga Emoghene, Pablo Regis & Kate Spanos: Performing Otherness (Ainihi e Alteridade)

Our Team: The Clarice Management

Erica Bondarev Rapach, Acting Executive Director–The Clarice

Shafali Jalota, Assistant to the Executive Director

Artist Partner Programs

Tyler Clifford, Assistant Artistic Administrator

Yarina Conners, Artistic Administrator

Connie Dai, Graduate Assistant

Lauren Floyd, Graduate Assistant

Jane Hirshberg, Assistant Director–Campus and Community Engagement

Jeannette-Marie Lewis, Graduate Assistant

Katie McCarthy, Graduate Assistant

Tariq Darrell O'Meally, Guest Curator & BlackLight Summit Producer

Jennifer Osborn, Rental Partnership Coordinator

Megan Pagado Wells, Associate Director of Programming

Richard Scerbo, Director–National Orchestral Institute + Festival

Austin Sposato, Artist Services Coordinator

Facilities Management

Bill Brandwein, Operations & Facilities Manager

Finance & Administration

Jacqueline Howard, Director of Finance & Administration

Matthew Fenlon, IT Coordinator

Jacquelyn Gutrick, Finance & Administration Specialist

Gal Kohav, Graduate Assistant

Fernando Merchan, Business Manager

LeeAnn Serrant, Human Resources Coordinator

Oznur Tuluoglu, Graduate Assistant

Kimberly Turner, HR Business Services Specialist

Guest Experience

Sara Gordon, Manager of Guest Experience

Kristen Olsen, Senior Guest Experience Coordinator

Paige Cook, Guest Experience Coordinator

Liana Stiegler Orndorff, Guest Experience Coordinator

Production

Ryan Knapp, Director of Operations

Carrie Barton, Lighting Coordinator

Lisa Burgess, Costume & Crafts Coordinator

Susan Chiang, Costume Shop Coordinator

Ann Chismar, Scenic Charge Coordinator

Jennifer Daszczyszak, Costume Shop Manager

Michael Driggers, Assistant Technical Director

Sandy Everett, Technical Coordinator

Reuven Goren, Scene Shop Coordinator

Timothy Jones, Prop Shop Manager

Devin Kinch, Projections Coordinator

Tessa Lew, Costume Draper & Tailor

Jennifer McDonald, Production Coordinator

James O'Connell, Assistant Manager of Audio

Mark Rapach, Technical Director

Jeffrey Reckeweg, Technology Shop Manager

Beth Ribar, Production Coordinator

Kat Rother, Production Coordinator

Kara Wharton, Production Manager

Our Team: College of Arts & Humanities

Bonnie Thornton Dill, Dean

Development

Laura Brown, Assistant Dean for Development

Susan Berkun, Assistant Director of Institutional Giving

Norah Quinn McCormick, Assistant Director of Development

Angela Smith, Development Coordinator

Marketing & Communications

Monique Everette, Assistant Dean for Marketing & Communications

Rika Dixon White, Director of Marketing & Guest Experience

David Andrews, Photographer & Videographer

Zach Bryant, Graduate Assistant

Deja Collins, Graduate Assistant

Roxene Edwards, Digital Experience Coordinator

Piama Habibullah, Assistant Director–Creative Strategy

Carlos Howard, Marketing Communications Coordinator–Artist Partner Programs

Mary Loutsch, Marketing Assistant

Heather Markle, Creative Coordinator

Charlene Prosser, Graphic Designer

Sarah Snyder, Assistant Director–Communications