ASK A BLACK WOMAN- Hit Digital Series Premiers at Hollywood Fringe Festival

What happens when a Black Woman specifically welcomes people of different races to ask her any question they want, on the streets of Los Angeles? Shanara did this on her "Ask A Black Woman" YouTube and podcast series for the past two years. In this solo show, Shanara takes you one helluva ride, responding to some of the questions people asked, via reenactments and spoken word. Be open to this raw account from a Black Woman's perspective. Ask A Black Woman infuses Shanara's mastery of spoken word with dramatization, to articulate her points of view. Shanara imparts the raw and seemingly taboo parts of her life, to illustrate how she has arrived at her unique perspectives.

Black Women are typically regarded as angry, loud, ghetto and a host of other pejoratives that are inaccurate, demeaning, dehumanizing and disrespectful. Media continues the narrative in programming and rarely seeks to uncover the complexities of how they navigate in this world, survive and dare to thrive. This show is necessary for reconciliation to begin, for all who open themselves to this edutainment experience.

Shanara Sanders (producer, writer and performer) "Ask A Black Woman" is produced by MouthPeace Entertainment. Shanara stormed onto the Los Angeles Theater Center stage as a singing Royal Translator, in 60 shows of Disney's Aladdin, Dual Language Edition. She originally gained popularity as "The MouthPeace" in her hometown Chicago, (due to her stage credits, voiceovers and radio personality roles). She has won four grants to finance her music projects. Her signature style balances singing and spoken word with obvious hip hop and jazz undertones, but her pen has stretched to gospel, country and even jingles.

Fourscore and two years ago, Shanara was approached by an Iranian American colleague at her day job with questions specific to her African American background. This dialogue gave Shanara the idea to rock an "Ask A Black Woman" laminated sign on the streets of Los Angeles approaching people of all backgrounds. They asked questions that sparked necessary dialogue at the dawn of a tense social climate, stemming from the current presidential administration. These conversations were filmed for a year and released at www.YouTube.com/ShanaraStar.

Shanara continued the conversation in an "Ask A Black Woman Roundtable", with three other Black Women in November 2017. They filmed their responses to questions that people of other backgrounds proposed to them. Next, Shanara released the "Ask A Black Woman Podcast" in February 2018, to primarily interview Black Women who were using their platforms to expand the Black Woman's narrative in a truthful light. She also added podcast episodes that were happening concurrently in her real life (of living Black in America), as well as addressing the culture topic of the day.

Claudia Duran (Director) has shared her love of theater throughout the Los Angeles community. She has directed at LATC as part of Patas Arriba Encuentro de Las Americas, Ensemble Theater LA Short Play Fest, Teatro Frida Kahlo Play Festival, and Co-founder of Chicanas Cholas y Chisme Play Festival at Casa0101.

Sunday, June 9 at 2:30pm, Wednesday, June 19 at 7pm, Thursday, June 27 at 8:30pm. STUDIO C: 6448 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038. ADMISSION: $15 - http://AskaBlackWoman.show. Ages 18+

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