Film
As project director on an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant project to reinterpret Historic Sotterley Plantation, I will be producing, writing, and directing a short film introducing visitors to the site, as well as collaborating on docent and audio tour scripts. I served as grant writer for this $70,000 project.
In spring of 2009, I received a PNC Legacy Project grant, administered by the Maryland Humanities Council, to produce, write, and direct an hour-long film on the desegregation of Great Mills High School. With All Deliberate Speed: One High School's Story premiered at Great Mills in June, 2009 and the event, which included a post-show panel discussion, was attended by 175 people. Subsequently, the film has been shown on local TV stations, DVDs have been distributed, free of charge to schools and regional libraries, and I have presented the film for organizations, including the St. Mary's County Public Schools and Asbury Solomons Senior Center. I was awarded a 2010 Historic Preservation Service Award for my work on the film by the St. Mary's County Commissioners.
With Brenda Coates, I co-wrote, directed, and produced the short video Jr. Boggs And The Dangers of Second-Hand Smoke. The video was funded by a grant from the St. Mary's Health Department Smoking Cessation Program.
Directing/Choreography
In 2010 I provided original choreography for the musical Cabaret for the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies at St. Mary's College.
For the Theater, Film, and Media Studies Department 2007-8 Season, I choreographed and performed original work and served as director of "Dancing on the Earth" a student/faculty dance concert. The theme of this production was human's relationship to the natural environment, and one evening's performance was presented as a benefit for The St. Mary's River Watershed Association.
Playwriting
The Cocoonery, a full length drama inspired by events and stories from the Civil War and reconstruction era in St. Mary's County, Maryland, was produced by SMCM Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Studies in April, 2006. Nationally renowned actor and director Thomas W. Jones, II was guest director. I received a 2007 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Playwriting based on the script, and it was selected for the 2008 Last Frontier Theatre Festival Conference Play Lab in Valdez, Alaska.
Community Outreach
The Great Mill High School Oral History/Theatre Project involved a year-long foray into a St. Mary's County public school, working with teachers and guiding students in the collection of oral history and collaborative writing as we explore the topic of desegregation/integration. The project was conducted under the auspices of Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions, and was made possible by grants from The Boeing Company, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Hampton Inn/Lott Enterprises, Walk Lightly in Peace Inc., and DynCorp Technical Range Services Inc.
Project Coordinator, “Remember the Past, Look to the Future: African-American Schools during a Century of Segregation” a grant project sponsored by the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions in cooperation with Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum Exhibit Services and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. This project was supported by funds from a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Board member of Historic Sotterley Inc. Foundation
Past president and current board member of Unifed Committee for Afro-American Contributions
Under the auspices of the Educational Studies Program, and in collaboration with professors Jeff Coleman and Terell Lasane, I designed an intensive two-day workshop “Creating Community: Acceptance, Equity, and Respect in the Multicultural Classroom” This work was supported by funding from a STEP, Standards-Based Education grant, and was implemented spring 2002.
One-day versions of this workshop were offered as part of the 2003 and 2004 “Education that is Multicultural In-service Day” by the St. Mary's County Public Schools.
