(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Actor LeLand Gantt will present his autobiographical one-man show, Rhapsody in Black, on the Main Stage at the Grunin Center on Thursday, February 1. Tickets are $7. Showtime is 11:00am. Written and performed by Gantt, Rhapsody in Black explores LeLand's personal journey to understand and eventually transcend racism in America.
Rhapsody in Black follows his life story from an underprivileged childhood in the ghettos of McKeesport, Pennsylvania to teenage experiments with crime and drugs to scholastic achievement and an acting career that lands adult LeLand in situations where he is virtually the only African-American in the room. His efforts to cope with the psychological effects of consistently being marked “The Other” are recounted in remarkable and exquisitely moving detail, guaranteed to leave lasting impressions.
Charming, self-deprecatingly funny and linguistically awesome, LeLand Gantt imbues every word that falls from his mouth with all the passion and poignancy of a preacher speaking the Gospel. This is partly because he’s confronting heavy subjects, but mostly because he believes so firmly in his message that it’s impossible for it to emerge any other way. In his own words, “Objective truth strikes a chord.”
Gantt first unveiled Rhapsody in Black at the WorkShop Theater Company’s Sundays@Six reading series in March 2013. Subsequently, it was developed at The Actors Studio and with Estelle Parsons as Directorial Consultant, Rhapsody garnered both Best Director and Best Storyteller awards at the United Solo Festival in 2014.
Please note that this show explores the topic of racism, and includes sensitive and difficult situations and language.
For tickets, please visit grunincenter.org or call the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500. The Grunin Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Ocean County College in Toms River, New Jersey.
For nearly 60 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.
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