Darrian Marshall ’20
Ferrum College senior Darrian Marshall’s The Empowerment Concert: Trilogy will occur this Friday and Saturday, October 4 and 5, 2019. Both performances will begin at 8 p.m. at Hart International Plaza on Ferrum College’s campus. The events are free and open to the public. Please note that performances contain content that is not suitable for children.
More about The Empowerment Concert: Trilogy Producer and Co-Creator Darrian Marshall ’20:
Senior Darrian Marshall ’20 from Gloucester, VA, enrolled at Ferrum College with a goal to impact his college community and he hasn’t disappointed. As a musical theatre major, Marshall developed The Empowerment Concert, a live performance that debuted in January 2018, filled with music, dance, energy, emotion, and hope. A second concert was performed in January 2019. In April 2019, Marshall’s co-creation production team persuaded him to put on one last big concert for his senior year, and The Empowerment Concert: Trilogy was born. “Looking back at the very first concert, I really enjoyed myself because it was when I became myself,” said Marshall. “I loved the feeling of embracing who I was so much I wanted to do another show, which I did the very next year. I have moved mountains and learned lessons, and I own one of the most respected performances on campus. This is the significance of my last farewell to Ferrum College.”
Find more details about Marshall’s October 4 & 5 concert here.
Read more about Darrian Marshall ’20 here.
Meet some of the Ferrum College students that make The Empowerment Concert: Trilogy possible, below.
Natasha Shelton ’20
Natasha Shelton ’20, Master of Operations
First-generation college student Natasha Shelton ’20 from Richmond, VA, is master of operations for the concert. She is set to graduate this May with a degree in health science and health and human performance. She plans to become a physician assistant and personal trainer. This is Shelton’s first show. “This show has impacted me in such a positive way,” Shelton said. “Working with this group of people showed me that people come from all walks of life; there are beautiful and talented individuals everywhere. And together, we shine brighter than ever.”
Mia Brower ’21
Mia Brower ’21, Dance Captain
Mia Brower ’21, a junior from Kernersville, NC, is serving as dance captain. She is majoring in social work and plans to become a Hospice service provider. When Marshall approached Brower to dance for his first concert, she instantly felt such an experience would be necessary. “I’ve been dancing with Darrian and Autum for three years now and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This show has impacted me in indescribable ways: my confidence level has increased and I’ve learned the true meaning of hard work, commitment, and sacrifice,” said Brower. “Performing in these concerts has been the highlight of my time here at Ferrum College.”
Autum Murray-Burns ’20
Autum Murray-Burns ’20, Dance Captain
Autum Murray-Burns ’20 is a Ferrum College senior majoring in computer information systems and minoring in business. After she graduates in May 2020, she will begin working in programming. Murray-Burns has performed in the previous two concerts and is serving as dance captain for the third. “I never thought of myself as a dancer,” said Murray-Burns. “But this is my third year dancing with Darrian and Mia. This show has impacted my life: it’s brought me confidence. I am no longer afraid to be me. I express my feelings and encourage others to do the same. This show is more than just a concert; it’s a movement, a way for people to express themselves and stand up for what they want.”
Chenell Rogers ’21
Chenell Rogers ’21, Opening Performer
Chenell Rogers ’21 from Richmond, VA, is a junior and an opening performer for the concert. She is majoring in business administration with a focus on management. She plans to be a dance coordinator and own a dance studio. Rogers performed in the second concert and loved every second. “I will never forget my first solo performance on stage,” said Rogers. “I learned from Darrian: don’t expect people to understand your grind when God didn’t give them your vision. Darrian’s vision helped encourage me to believe in mine.”
Jonathan Taylor ’21
Jonathan Taylor ’21, Opening Guitarist
Jonathan Taylor ’21 is the opening guitarist for the concert. He is a junior majoring in health and human performance at Ferrum College and plans to become a physical education teacher and a team chaplain.
Lechelle Smith ’20
Lechelle Smith ’20, Production Manager
Lechelle Smith ’20 is a Ferrum College senior majoring in musical theatre. She is the production manager for the concert. “I am so grateful for this opportunity,” said Smith. “I have been blessed to watch and work beside Darrian for three years now. I’ve seen his image come to life. He lets nothing stop him and that inspires me daily.”
Mel Ballard ’22
Mel Ballard ’22, Lighting Director
Mel Ballard ’22 is a sophomore from Prince George’s County, MD. Ballard is majoring in cybersecurity and minoring in psychology, with a career goal to work in the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit. He is serving as the concert’s lighting director. “Recently meeting and working with Darrian and the crew enlightened me on what it truly means to be yourself. Different people coming from different backgrounds made my experience worthwhile,” said Ballard.
Ivori Bradley ’20
Ivori Bradley ’20, Host
Ivori Bradley ’20, a first generation college student from Lynchburg, VA, is one of the concert’s hosts. Bradley will earn her degree in social work in May 2020 and plans to be a social worker in a children’s hospital following graduation. “This concert is an inspiration because everyone is allowed to be themselves while adding their own flavor,” said Bradley. “Darrian is a great motivational leader. He has taught me to always believe in myself, no matter what.”
Tazz Rodgers ’21
Tazz Rodgers ’21, Master of Technology
Tazz Rodgers ’21 is a junior majoring in business management and minoring in ecotourism. He is the master of technology for the concert. “This show has impacted me in so many ways. Among many other things, this show has taught me patience. The atmosphere created by this team is simply amazing,” said Rodgers.
Kintwon Pettiford ’22
Kintwon Pettiford ’22, Photographer
Kintwon Pettiford ’22, a sophomore from Hillsborough, NC, is majoring in elementary education at Ferrum College. He is the concert’s photographer. “This concert had empowered me in many ways. It’s allowed me to know that it is okay with being yourself and do what you love best,” said Pettiford.
Camille Mangum ’21
Camille Mangum ’21, Master of Tech
Camille Mangum ’21, a junior from Danville, VA, is a pre-med major with a career goal of becoming a pediatrician. She is the concert’s master of technology. “This show has impacted me since I first saw it my freshman year,” said Mangum. “I’ve meet lifelong friends as well as learned some lifelong lessons and my confidence level has grown. Let’s make our mark at Ferrum College last a lifetime!”
Lia White ’20
Lia White ’20, Host
Lia White ’20, of Baltimore, MD, is a senior majoring in criminal justice and psychology. After graduation in May 2020, she will go on to law school for business law. Her career goal is to work for the FBI one day. White is serving as the concert’s host. “This concert has inspired me because I have grown in the past few years just like my classmates. We’ve all gained confidence.”
Set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, three sisters, each with unique life circumstances including spinsterhood, a failed career, and the possibility of jail time, await their grandfather’s death in the local hospital. Through hilarious yet touching twists and turns, the sisters escape their pasts and make strides toward their futures. A New York Times review remarked: “While this play overflows with infectious high spirits, it is also, unmistakably, the tale of a very troubled family. Such is Miss Henley’s prodigious talent that she can serve us pain as though it were a piece of cake.”
The play, which won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, has been described by the New York Post as having “heart, wit, and a surprisingly zany passion that must carry all before it…it would certainly be a crime for anyone interested in the theatre not to see this play.”
Learn more about Ferrum College Theatre Arts here.
More about Beth Henley: Henley’s plays have been translated into over ten languages. Broadway productions include Crimes of the Heart and The Wake of Jamey Foster. Off-Broadway productions include: The Miss Firecracker Contest; Am I Blue; The Lucky Spot; The Debutante Ball; Abundance; Impossible Marriage; and Family Week. Her additional works have premiered at the McCarter Theatre and South Coast Repertory Theatre (Ridiculous Fraud); the Geffen Theatre (The Jacksonian, 2012); and Studio Theatre (Laugh, 2015). Awards include: the Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play (Crimes of the Heart); American Theatre Wing 1998 Award for Distinguished Achievement in Playwriting and Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist (Crimes of the Heart and Ridiculous Fraud); Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award (2000); New York Stage and Film Honoree (2007); and ATHE Career Achievement Award (2010). Henley hails from Jackson, Mississippi; serves as a theatre arts presidential professor at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; and is a member of The Fellowship of Southern Writers, the Dramatist Guild and the Academy of Arts and Science.
Ferrum, VA, February 25, 2019 — Former Broadway star Brad Bass spent a month working with Ferrum College’s theatre arts students to choreograph upcoming performances of Pippin, the story of a young prince in search of true happiness and fulfillment. Performances will be in Schoolfield Hall’s Sale Theatre on campus, 305 State Route 602, Ferrum, on March 13, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m. and on March 16 at 2 p.m.
Bass is now a musical theatre artist in residence at Averett University and is on faculty at Orbit Arts Academy. Ferrum College theatre arts students and Bass worked every weekend for the past month to choreograph Pippin.
“We are overjoyed to have Brad Bass share his experience with our students,” said Giuseppe Ritorto, assistant professor of dramatic and theatre arts and musical theatre at Ferrum College. “He brings a warmth and joy to this process of directing that can only be found in someone who shares a love of teaching the theatrical skills to the next generation of performers.”
Theatre arts students have gained a new perspective through Bass’s presence on campus. “Outside of rehearsal, students have loved picking his brain about his time on Broadway in Wicked and Memphis,” Ritorto remarked. “Brad has been more than happy to indulge them.”
Brought to life by Roger O. Hirson’s book and set to music with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Pippin is the winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, and has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Ticket cost for Pippin is $5 for non-Ferrum College students and senior citizens, and $15 for adults. To reserve tickets, visit here.
Please note: this production occasionally contains strong language and adult situations that may be unsuitable for children.
Click here for a list of upcoming theatre arts performances, and here to read more about the theatre arts program at Ferrum College.
About the photograph: Brad Bass worked with theatre arts students to choreograph Pippin.
More about Bass: Brad Bass was born and raised on a tobacco farm in Ringgold, Virginia. After high school he moved to New York City, where he trained at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He joined the Chicago production of Wicked and not long after, made his Broadway debut in the production. His other Broadway credits include the original casts of Memphis and Jersey Boys. He was in the feature film Memphis, and sang on the original cast albums of Memphis and Andrew Lippa’s A Little Princess. Bass has performed on Good Morning America, CBS Morning Show, The View, and the Tony Awards. After performing for 14 years, he realized that teaching and writing were his new creative passions. He obtained faculty positions at Averett University and Orbit Arts Academy and received a master’s in creative writing with a focus in libretto from Goddard College. He is co-writing three musicals: The Collins Boy, The Gathering of Waters, and Learning to Fly. Bass was also commissioned to write the music and lyrics for a new film adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, entitled Gretel + Hansel.
Darrian Marshall, a junior majoring in musical theatre, will display his own production, The Empowerment Concert, on January 19 in Schoolfield Hall’s Sale Theatre, on the Ferrum College campus. The event will begin at 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Tickets are not necessary. Please note that this performance contains content that is not suitable for children.
Darrian Marshall ’20
Hailing from Gloucester, VA, Marshall’s passion for theatre arts began when he performed in The Wiz, an African American remake of The Wizard of Oz, at the tender age of 13. Since his freshman year at Ferrum College, Marshall has participated in every theatre arts production on campus. His inspiration for The Empowerment Concert originated from the Black Power Movement along with pop culture influences.
Marshall wishes to express sincere appreciation to the Concert’s production team and dancers, to include: dance captains Mia Brower; Autumn Murray-Burns; and Tamiah Palmer; dancers Laura Aylor; Jenise Venible; Ellie Eckrote; and Jay Moy; executive producer Precious Leonard; director of sound Marie Mance; concert host Jasmine Williams; and vocalists Lacey Matthews and Lechelle Smith.
While at Ferrum College, Marshall intends to audition for professional theatre companies in hope of landing a career in theatre after graduation in May 2020. Marshall also plans to perform for Universal Orlando Entertainment in Florida. “No matter where I’m at or where I’m going, I will always perform at 100 percent from my heart, while inspiring and empowering the hearts all around me,” said Marshall.
Find more details about Marshall’s upcoming performance here.
Commissioned and originally produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2016, It Can’t Happen Here is a cautionary dark satire about the fragility of democracy and how fascism can take hold even in the land of liberty that follows the ascent of a demagogue who becomes president of the United States by promising to return the country to greatness. Witnessing the new president’s tyranny from the sidelines is a liberal, middle-class newspaper editor from Vermont who trusts the system will fix itself—until he ends up in a prison camp. Sinclair Lewis’ eerily prescient 1935 novel gets a fresh update in this adaptation that examines what brings a citizenry to the point of sacrificing its own freedom and how a courageous few can prevail to overcome the fall. (http://www.dramatists.com)
***This play contains strong adult language, material and violence and is not intended for children.***
The scene is the Kit Kat Klub, a nightclub in Berlin, as the 1920s are drawing to a close. The Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to the show and assures them that, whatever their troubles, they will forget them at the Cabaret. Cliff, a young American writer, meets Ernst, a German who surprises Cliff by putting his briefcase among Cliff’s luggage at the German border. Musical numbers include Willkommen, Cabaret, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, The Money Song and Two Ladies. When we revisit the Klub at the end, much is changed, and show ends with a stark foreshadowing of things to come.
Cabaret contains very strong adult language and situations and is not intended for children under 17. For more information, contact Giuseppe Ritorto at gritorto@ferrum.edu.
