"Billie! Backstage with Lady Day" at Invisible Theatre.
Featured on the March 9th, 2023 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:
- Meet Synthia L. Hardy, the creator and star of the biographical play Billie! Backstage with Lady Day. It’s a deep dive into Billie Holiday’s life story and her music. Invisible Theater Synthia L. Hardy to Tucson for two performances of Billie! Backstage with Lady Day, on Saturday March 18th at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, March 19th at 2:00 pm at the Berger Performing Arts Center.
- A University of Arizona Africana Studies professor just updated a 30-year-old book of recipes representing the local Black community. Africana students at the University of Arizona were assigned to find some of the original contributors, conduct interviews, and gather community stories old and new. Tony Perkins has a conversation with UA Professor Tani Sanchez about the cookbook Meals and Memoirs II: Recipes and Recollections of African Americans in Tucson Arizona.
- This February, an era of classic Hollywood ended with the passing of Ricou Browning at age 93. He was a champion swimmer who was most famous for portraying “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” in 3 films for Universal in the 1950s. Mark talks with Tom Weaver, who along with David Schechter and Steve Kronenberg co-wrote “The Creature Chronicles: Exploring the Black Lagoon Trilogy.
- And, a poem of feline love called "Vivian", read by local performing artist, author and educator Rick Wamer from his new collection Long Shadow Days / Grief Walking.
ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT airs Fridays at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm, and Saturdays at 5:00 pm, on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM.
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
