AND YOU CAN GET YOUR TICKETS RIGHT NOW. THAT’S RIGHT, TWO LOCAL PERFORMANCE COMPANIES ARE COLLABORATING TO BRING A POWERFUL BLACK HISTORY PRODUCTION HERE. IT IS ENTITLED A REQUIEM FOR FOUR LITTLE GIRLS AND FEATURES TALENT FROM THE POINT COMPANY AND TECHNIQUE CONSERVATORY, AND ALSO THE ELISE JANELLE PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE. THERE WILL BE TWO PERFORMANCES. THE VERY FIRST WEEKEND OF MARCH FOR WHICH TICKETS ARE ON SALE RIGHT NOW. SO JOINING US NOW IS RENITA WEBB. SHE IS THE OFFICE MANAGER FOR THE POINT. GOOD MORNING TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS. GOOD MORNING. I’M EXCITED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING. SO THE STORY THAT YOU ARE RETELLING, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS FOR YOUR FIRST BLACK HISTORY PRODUCTION? ELON. WELL, YOU KNOW, THE VOICES OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SO IMPORTANT, AND THESE WERE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS WHO WERE SILENCED BEFORE THEIR REAL TIME, AND THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THE IMPACT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE ON THIS WORLD. AND WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE EVERY SINGLE DAY IN OUR CONSERVATORY, LITTLE GIRLS AND BIGGER LITTLE GIRLS WHO COME IN TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH THE ARTS, THROUGH DANCE, THROUGH ACTING, THROUGH SINGING, JUST IN SO MANY WAYS. AND THEY NOT ONLY DO IT AT OUR CONSERVATORY, THEY DO IT IN THEIR SCHOOLS, IN THEIR COMMUNITY. AND THEY TOO ARE VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD IN THIS WORLD. SO WE HONOR THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US, AND WE HOPE TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS WORLD IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. IT’S SUCH A POWERFUL STORY. TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS OF ADAPTING THIS STORY FOR THE STAGE, AND HOW ARE YOUR PERFORMERS PREPARING FOR THIS? WELL, THEY HAVE BEEN IN REHEARSALS FOR MONTHS, ACTUALLY. THEY’VE BEEN WORKING ON BITS AND PIECES OF THIS PRODUCTION SINCE WE STARTED OUR SEASON BACK IN SEPTEMBER, AND WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT TRACKS AT OUR CONSERVATORY. WE HAVE OUR TECHNIQUE CONSERVATORY TRACK, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR COMPANY, TEER WORKS, WHICH CONSISTS OF OUR PETITES APPRENTICE POINT TWO AND WHAT WE CALL BIG COMPANY, OUR COMPANY COMPANY AND THESE YOUNG LADIES HAVE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY LEE THEY COME IN MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. THEY ARE LEARNING FROM MULTIPLE CHOREOGRAPHERS AND NOT ONLY ARE WE HONORING THOSE FOUR LITTLE GIRLS, BUT SO MANY OTHER BLACK HISTORY FIGURES, PARTICULARLY WOMEN WHO HAVE AFFECTED OUR PAST SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A GLORIOUS FUTURE TO COME. AND WE ALSO HEAR YOU HAVE A GUEST PERFORMER TELL US MORE. OH MY GOODNESS, WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED THAN TO HAVE JACKIE SHELDON GREENE OUR 2018 AND 2021 NORTH CAROLINA POET LAUREATE. SHE IS GOING TO BE PERFORMING ONE OF HER LATEST PIECES, AND WE GOT SOME SURPRISES FOR YOU TO GO ALONG WITH THAT WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE AND THOSE POWERFUL WORDS. GREAT. THAT DOES SOUND REALLY IMPACTFUL FOR THOSE GETTING TO VISIT. THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO THIS EVENT. SO WHAT IS THE LASTING MESSAGE THAT YOU’RE HOPING PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM THIS PERFORMANCE WITH? WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM THIS PERFORMANCE WITH THE REMINDER OF HOW MANY IMPORTANT. PITT. UM YMPC TACTFUL EXPERIENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS. BLACK WOMEN N BLACK GIRLS AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE IN GENERAL HAVE MADE TO OUR COUNTRY AND OUR WORLD. AND THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE OLDER. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SO SEASONED IN ORDER TO MAKE AN IMPACT. OUR PERFORMERS RANGE FROM THE AGES OF FIVE AND BEYOND, AND THEY NOT ONLY INCLUDE OUR COMPANY MEMBERS FROM THE POINTE, BUT THEY ALSO INCLUDE SOME AMAZING MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. YOU MAY SEE SOME FACES YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO SEE, AND SOME FACES THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS BECAUSE WE HAVE TAKEN PERFORMERS FROM OUR CONSERVATORY NOT ONLY TO STAGES LOCALLY, BUT BROADWAY AND CRUISE SHIPS AND BEYOND. THEY ARE DOING AMAZING THINGS, AND WE KNOW THIS GROUP OF PERFORMERS ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE NEXT. NOW YOUR PERFORMERS, RENITA, THEY’RE OF ALL AGES. BUT I’M CURIOUS WHAT THE AUDIENCE AGE YOU THINK WOULD BE BEST SUITED FOR THIS PRODUCTION. I KNOW IT IS A PRETTY HEAVY TOPIC, BUT YOU’RE DOING IT IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAY. WE ARE. THIS IS A PERFORMANCE FOR ALL AGES. NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN LIFE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH WHAT YOU SEE. UM, THERE’S SOME PIECES THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, BUT THEY’RE STILL SO ARTFULLY DONE, JUST ARTISTICALLY DONE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO APPRECIATE IT. YOU MAY WANT TO BRING SOME TISSUE EVERY NOW AND AGAIN. IT MAY TOUCH YOUR SPIRIT, BUT IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT’S INAPPROPRIATE. AND EVERYONE WILL ENJOY THIS FABULOUS PRODUCTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THIS MORNING AND GOOD LUCK. WE WANT TO LET FOLKS KNOW TICKETS ARE ON SALE RIGHT NOW FOR A REQUIEM FOR FOUR LITTLE GIRLS. THOSE PERFORMANCES WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 2ND AND MARCH 3RD. BOTH WILL BE HELD AT THE VAN -- THEATER AT THE GREENSBORO CULTURAL CENTER. ADVANCE TICKETS ARE $20, BUT YOU CAN PAY AT THE DOOR AND WE’LL HAVE