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The Ensemble Theatre Act One Young Professionals Celebrate the Creative Journey with 7th Annual Poetry Showcase

A night of drama infused poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month

HOUSTON (April 9, 2018) –- The Ensemble Theatre’s Act One Young Professionals celebrate National Poetry Month with their 7th Annual Poetry Event entitled: Drama-try[Tree]: A Dramatic Night of Poetry, Saturday, April 21, 2018, 7:00 p.m. in the theatre’s Performance Centre space.

This year’s showcase features award winning and emerging Houston Area poets. Their individual styles of performance poetry will allow audiences to experience the dramatics of spoken word art.

“What better place to showcase Houston spoken word talent than The Ensemble Theatre,” says Andrea Browne, Act One Young Professionals Steering Committee Chair. “We are bridging a gap by supporting other art forms outside of theatre and by introducing younger audiences to The Ensemble as one of Houston’s premiere cultural arts institutions."

Drama-try: A Dramatic Night of Poetry
The Ensemble Theatre – Performance Centre
3535 Main St. (Fannin and Berry St. Entrance)
Saturday, April 21, 2018, 7:00PM

Tickets Available Online: http://EnsembleHouston.com/ActOne/index.html
Box Office: 713-520-0055
Tickets: $15 in advance and $20 at the door

There will be a pre-show cocktail hour with vendor tables, and opportunities for attendees to interact with the poets.

The show will be hosted by Houston area poet and actor Joseph “Joe P” Palmore who is also a second-generation actor at The Ensemble Theatre where his father performed for several years. The four feature poets in the lineup include spoken word artists: Raie Crawford; Sunny CeLight (Cecily Jones); Kodak (Joshua Kaskin); and Self the Poet (Andre Burell).

Joe P (Joseph Palmore) has had the creative pleasure of exploring and establishing himself as a Poet, Stage Actor, Playwright, Director and Educator in Houston. For over 10 years, he has been dedicated to continually developing his craft, as well as helping others to find their purpose through the creative arts. Joe P has performed with such theatres as The Ensemble Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, 4th Wall Theatre Co, AD Players, and The Alley Theatre. He has also worked with Young Audiences of Houston, LINKS, and The World Youth Foundation, impacting the lives of youth and creating platforms for adult artists. Under his own umbrella, ACTing Up Studios, Joe P has combined poetic and theatrical influences for students of the art to begin to shape themselves into true performance artists and life leaders. Recently, he was awarded Congressional Recognition with the “Leadership in Action” award for his services to youth.

His career in poetry has seasoned since his first introduction to the art in 2006. He has featured on numerous stages across the United States, including a Season 4 performance on the nationally televised Lexus Verses and Flow on TV One. He is currently co-host of Houston’s longest running poetry show, The Poetry Lounge.

Raie Crawford is a Wiley College Alumna from Houston, Texas. As the 2017-2018 Houston VIP Slam Champion and Houston Performance Poet of the Year, Raie is ranked within the top 20 among the Women of the World Poetry Slam (2014-2015/2017-2018) and top 25 within the rankings of the Individual World Poetry Slam (2017-2018). Raie has performed as a poet within every corner of Houston, as a guest speaker at several HBCUs around the country, and as the keynote speaker at the Women of Solidarity Conferencein New York.

Sunny CeLight (Cecily Jones) is a Tennessee native who now resides in Missouri City, Texas. She was charismatic but too shy to perform in front of audiences as a young child. She overcame her fear in 2016 and performed in her first open mic night. She has made her name known by her performances at multiple open mics, church events, and banquets, and is looking to take her spoken word talents to the next level with her own productions. SUNNY CeLIGHT is a member of Queens of Persia Chapter #333 of the Order of
Eastern Star where she has served as the Worthy Matron since 2007 and enjoys leading and participating in a number of community service projects.

Kodak (Joshua Kaskin) is an elite nationally ranked poet who began writing spoken word at the age of 17 while attending Eisenhower High School. At 21 Kodak continued his artistry when joining the Houston Poetry SLAM Team. He has traveled and performed with a list of other Houston area poets including: SELF the POET, Black Bluez, Rain The Poet, Se7en, Joe P, and others. He has been entertaining and writing for five years, I also an actor, signer, and emcee.

Self the Poet (Andre Burell) is a nationally acclaimed poet from Houston. He has travelled the U.S. with poetry slam teams while completing his studies at Texas Southern University. His National Poetry Slam team was ranked among the top 25 in the nation. He has worked collaboratively with other Houston area poets and continues to perfect his craft while exploring his other talents as a rap artists and songwriter.

Act One was created to unite The Ensemble Theatre’s growing community of young artists and professionals with an increasing interest in how they can contribute to sustaining the institution. Act One members are recognized as the next generation of leaders who will support the theatre’s annual membership campaign, as well as, providing volunteer and fundraising support.

Host Committee Members include: Teneshia Hudspeth-Babalola, Stephen Brown, Andrea Browne, Kerri Carmouche, Mark Martin, Stephen Martin, Justin Mason, Carl McGowan, Christian Menefee, Henry Mosley, Robert Ross, Ray Shackleford, Tiffany Thomas, and Pamela Ulmer.

The Ensemble Theatre's 2017-2018 Season is sponsored in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the official airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre. Celebrating the Creative Journey is generously funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.

The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community. In addition to being the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres that owns and operates its facility with an in-house production team.

The Ensemble Theatre produces a main stage season of six contemporary and classic works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The theatre’s Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, Artist-in-Residence experiences and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre; and the Young Performers Program offers intensive summer training for children ages 6 to 17 encompassing instruction in all disciplines of the theatre arts.

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