Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Givens Welcomes the Color Purple to Its Stage a STAFF REPORT The Color Purple electrifi ed the big screen when it fi rst opened. It brought Whoopie Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey huge accolades, but more than that, it became a part of the American fabric. On Thursday, Jan. 27, local residents will have the opportunity to revisit the soul-stirring story of Celie, as the musical, The Color Purple, comes to the stage of the Givens Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The Color Purple is a soul-stirring musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving fi lm by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who fi nds her unique voice in the world. Nominated for 11 Tony® Awards, The Color Purple is a landmark theatrical event, a celebration of love, and a Broadway phenomenon. The Grammy-nominated musical features jazz, gospel and blues. For those not familiar with the story, Celie is a poor woman caught up in an abusive relationship, although the musical really isn’t about abuse. “The novel is not about fi ghting or abusing in any way,” said Alice Walker, the author. “It’s about helping people see that we are just human beings here. We’re really trying to live lives that are fulfi lling and happy.” The director of the musical, Gary Griffi n, echoes Walker’s thoughts. COMMUNITY NEWS a STAFF REPORT The Community Development Department is seeking qualifi ed applicants to submit proposals for funding in the areas of housing, human and professional services. The funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The application deadline is Jan. 31 and proposed projects must be consistent with the Cumberland County Community Development’s 2010 Consolidated Plan. Under human services, Community Development is seeking to provide funding for new or existing programs that offer services to low and moderate- income residents such as homeless prevention assistance; job skills training or retention; healthcare; and aid to the disabled. Professional services listed in the request for proposal include a N.C. licensed appraiser and certifi ed housing counselors. Details can be found on the county’s website at www.co.cumberland.nc.us/ communitydev or in the Community Development offi ce at 245 Person Street. For more information, call 910-323-6112 or e-mail tavery@co.cumberland.nc.us. Fencing Lessons Available for Children of National Guard, Reserve Soldiers Children aged 7 years through the 12th grade with a parent in the National Guard or Military Reserves who are deployed overseas or severely injured are eligible for free fencing classes for up to 6 months through the Our Military Kids grant program. According to Our Military Kids, fencing programs, including programs and classes at the All-American Fencing Academy are open for eligible children to participate in. The grant will pay for up to 6 months of instructional program (24 classes) and can include practice and competition equipment. That’s approximately a $720 value. The nonprofi t organization Our Military Kids has awarded more than 25,000 grants and more than $10 million to children of deployed National Guard and Military Reserves. According to ourmilitarykids.org, Our Military Kids was founded in 2004 shortly after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to help National Guard and Military Reserve children, who do not live on or near military bases where there is ready access to support services. Eligible families apply for a grant and within days of receiving the application, a packet is sent to the child thanking them for their service to their country and notifying them of the award. Required documents from the military parent include a copy of the military WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM parent’s deployment orders or a referral letter from a case manager for severely injured soldiers. Applicants must also submit one of the following to establish the child’s dependency on the military parent: a photocopy of the child’s military dependent ID card or a copy of Form 1172, Application for uniformed services identifi cation or a copy of the child’s birth certifi cate if the deployed service member is the biological parent of the child. Lastly, the application must be accompanied by a letter from the organization providing the activity or service. The family does not have to pay back the grant and children are eligible for two grants per deployment. All children in the family may apply for a grant. Grant awards cannot exceed $500 per child. For more information about the Our Military Kids grant program, please contact Our Military Kids at 703-734-6654, toll-free at 866-691-6654, omkinquiry@ourmilitarykids.org or visit www.ourmilitarykids.org. Sharyn McCrumb Author Visit Rescheduled Author Sharyn McCrumb will discuss her newest novel, Devil Amongst the Lawyers, as part of the monthly author series presented by the Friends of the Library on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane. Devil Amongst the Lawyers is the story of a pretty young school teacher charged with murder in 1930s Appalachia. The national press uses it as an excuse to sell newspapers and to demonize the region, raising issues that go far beyond the fate of one defendant. McCrumb is an award-winning Appalachian writer, best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, which weave together the legends, natural wonders and contemporary issues of Appalachia. Her novels include New York Times Best Sellers She Walks These Hills and The Rosewood Casket, which deal with the issue of the vanishing wilderness; The Ballad of Frankie Silver, the story of the fi rst woman hanged for murder in the state of North Carolina; The Songcatcher, a genealogy in music; Ghost Riders, an account of the Civil War in the Appalachians; and St. Dale and Once Around the Track, a story of a group of ordinary people who go on a pilgrimage in honor of racing legend Dale Earnhardt, and fi nd a miracle. This program is free and open to the public. McCrumb’s visit, which was originally scheduled for January, had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather. For more information, visit www.cumberland.lib.nc.us. JAN. 26 - FEB. 1, 2011 UCW 13 COMMUNITY NEWS Community Development Seeks Funding Proposals “It’s a strong, powerfully, emotionally gripping story, a big story, a story of the triumph of the human spirit. All things that make a good musical,” said Griffi n. “Celie was a great protagonist, and although my life in no way mirrored hers, in the same way that every person has to overcome adversity in life and deal with obstacles and hardships, it spoke to me that she was able to pick herself up and move forward day after day,” said Scott Sanders, the show’s producer. It took eight years for Sanders to bring the show to the stage. Many fought against the idea because they could not see how the story could be dealt with in a musical settting. In her book, A Memory Book of the Broadway Musical, Lisa Funderburg noted, “What Scott Sanders knew — and what kept him going through the eight years it took to secure permissions, backing and a creative team that could produce a show that honored the material — was that music is a way to express emotions that transcend words, and that the message, the heartbeat of Walker’s story (much of it rooted in her own family history), sang.” The Color Purple is capturing the hearts of young and old, and uniting audiences in a community of joy. Richard Corliss, of Time Magazine, described the show as “A soaring, epic tale. It made a joyful noise in my heart.” The curtain will rise on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets range in price from $15 to $40 for adults; $12 for childrenor students; $5 for students at UNC- Pembroke; $15 for faculty and staff. For more information, visit the Givens website at www.uncp.edu/gpac/broadway.