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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Sheryl Lee Ralph Will Inspire at the Palace

Waterbury native and award-winning actress, singer, activist, and author Sheryl Lee Ralph returns to her hometown for an inspirational speaking engagement and book signing at the Palace Theater in Waterbury on Friday, Aug. 3, from 6 to 9 pm.

Tickets for the event, which is presented by Stardom Productions, are $35 and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org, or in person at the Palace Theater Box Office, 100 East Main St., Waterbury.

Staged in the Palace’s orchestra lobby, the event will feature a motivational speaking program and musical performance by Ralph, as well as entertainment by world-renowned pianist Philip Weatherspoon and ACTjamsproduction.com’s mix master Al “DJ ACT” Taylor. In addition to performing, Ralph will also sign copies of her book "Redefining DIVA," an enthusiastic memoir chronicling her role as one of Broadway’s original DREAMGIRLS, as well as her longtime Hollywood career, various humanitarian projects and inspirational message regarding the redefinition and embracement of the label “D.I.V.A.” (Divinely Inspired Victoriously Anointed).

An acclaimed veteran of film, television and the Broadway stage, Ralph’s award-winning body of work includes creating and originating the role of “Deena Jones” in Broadway’s landmark musical DREAMGIRLS, which earned her both a Tony and Drama Desk Award Nomination for “Best Actress.”

On television, she has starred in her own series “New Attitude,” the George Foreman series “George,” the hit comedy “Designing Women,” and the number-one rated series “Moesha.” Ralph’s extensive film credits includeSister Act II, The Flintstones, The Mighty Quinn with Denzel Washington,Mistress with Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy'sDistinguished Gentleman, and her Independent Spirit Award-winning “Best Supporting Actress” performance inTo Sleep with Anger.

As a national speaker, Ralph consistently creates a contagious, positive energy with her spontaneous humor and quick wit, which has made her a much sought-after speaker, guest-host and celebrity expert. Proceeds from her Palace Theater appearance will benefit the DIVA foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Ralph in 1990 that focuses on generating resources and producing events that raise awareness and educate people around the world affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.sherylleeralph.com.
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Lauren Yarger with playwright Alfred Uhry at the Mark Twain House. Photo: Jacques Lamarre)

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced
numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the 2000 Vermont
Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.”

Yarger trained for three years in the Broadway
League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Three-Day Training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway
run.

She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill
Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She writes reviews of Broadway and off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/. She
is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), CT Press Club's award winner of first place for web editing and second place in feature writing for the web in 2012.

She is a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com and is a theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer. She previously served as Connecticut theater editor
for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web. Yarger is a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly and freelances for other sites. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle.

She is a freelance writer and playwright and member of The Drama Desk, The Outer Critics Circle, The American Theater Critics Association and The League of Professional Theatre Women. She served as a judge for the SDX Awards presented
by the Society of Professional Journalists. She also is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle (awards committee).

A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts,
the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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