Port Townsend’s Key City Public Theatre is proud to announce it will kick-off it’s 60th Anniversary Season with the Northwest Premiere of the critically-acclaimed, nationally-touring, one-woman play “Spirit Awakening”, written, directed, and performed by Akuyoe Graham, at the KCPT Playhouse this February 9, 10, 16, 17.
Capturing how Ms. Graham evolved as a human being and performer, an immigrant and a woman, this mythic story is effused with power and strength, sensitivity and emotion as the supremely skilled Graham creates 12 distinct personalities that segue into one another with seamless brilliance as her life takes her from Africa to London to Spanish Harlem and eventually Hollywood. Each step provokes new levels of personal assessment, raising complex questions of split loyalties and the difficulties of rediscovering one’s roots, unimpeded by dogma. One film/theatre critic described her as “a mystic in the theatre, a sage on the screen”.
Born in Ghana, West Africa, Graham is a graduate of the famed High School of the Performing Arts in New York City, and went on the study with Uta Hagen, Herbert Berghof and Sanford Meisner. She was one of the first actors of African descent to integrate Broadway’s Circle Repertory Company, where she worked with such notables as Lanford Wilson, Harry Belafonte and William Hurt. Graham has performed in such classics as Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labors Lost”, Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Ariel Dofman’s “Widows” for Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum.
In feature films, she has appeared opposite Marisa Tomei in “Danika”, New Regency’s “Goodbye Lover”, Randa Haines’ “The Doctor”, the multi film festival recognized “Ben & Ara”, and Universal’s 1999 cult classic hit “American Pie”. In television, she has appeared on such shows as “General Hospital”, “City of Angels”, “Picket Fences”, “Chicago Hope”, “Taken Away”, and the 2017 ABC Mini-Series “When We Rise” as well as numerous TV commercials.
Akuyoe Graham’s pride and joy has been performing “Spirit Awakening”, which she tours nationally, and its theme of self-realization and spiritual healing has garnered interest from audiences across the country, both young and old. While presenting this Northwest Premiere on the Olympic Peninsula, co-produced by Cindy and Joseph Daccurso’s HEARTISTIC Productions in partnership with the Key City Public Theatre (Denise Winters, Executive Artistic Director), Ms. Graham is also currently in development transforming the play into a feature film. Akuyoe Graham is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and is represented by Ultimate Talent Group (cindyagent@yahoo.com). Key City Public Theatre’s season sponsors are Aldrich’s Market, Edensaw Wood, Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar, and SOS Printing.
Fridays Feb. 9 & 16, Saturdays Feb. 10 & 17 evening performances are at 7:00pm, with Saturday matinees at 2:30pm. A question-and-answer session with writer-director-actor Akuyoe Graham will follow each performance. For more information and tickets ($25. for each performance), please contact the KCPT Box Office (419 Washington Street, Port Townsend) at: 360-385-5278 or www.keycitypublictheatre.org.