Ariana DeBose Adds Second Concert at Theatre Raleigh

Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 26 for a second performance by Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose on Aug. 26 at Theatre Raleigh Arts Center.

DeBose's one-night-only performance was announced Monday, July 24 and tickets sold out for that 8 p.m. concert in less than two hours. DeBose, who won an Academy Award for her performance in "West Side Story," agreed to add a second performance at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26. Tickets will cost $100-$200 and can be purchased at https://theatreraleigh.com/.

The concerts are a fundraiser for the Raleigh nonprofit professional theater and community arts organization at a time when regional theaters across the country are struggling to survive post-pandemic.

DeBose has deep ties to the Raleigh area's performing arts community. She grew up in Wake Forest and graduated from West Millbrook Middle School and Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. Starting in sixth grade, she trained as a dancer at CC & Co. Dance Complex in North Raleigh.

In 2012, DeBose made her Broadway debut in "Bring it On: The Musical." In 2015, she was part of the original ensemble cast for "Hamilton" in both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions as well as the Emmy Award-winning film version. She was nominated for a Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her role in "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical." She is best known for her groundbreaking performance in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," which earned her an Oscar for best supporting actress in 2022, as well as a British Academy Film Award, a Critics' Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was the first openly queer Afro Latina to win an Academy Award.

“I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to come back to the Raleigh area to support Theatre Raleigh," DeBose said. "Now more than ever, supporting arts organizations on local levels is paramount to promoting societal empathy, compassion and stimulating creativity. If I am anything, I am living proof that the arts works. Arts education works. Providing performance opportunities for young people and aspiring artists can set them on paths they never dreamed they would find. It’s a privilege to be able to come home, perform and raise funds for an entity committed to offering the highest level of theater entertainment that the area can provide. I hope you’ll join me August 26th and support local theater in your area!”

At the concerts, DeBose will share stories and songs from her career under the direction of Benjamin Rauhala, a longtime collaborator and one of Broadway's most trusted music directors.

Theatre Raleigh Arts Center is located at 6638 Old Wake Forest Road, between Atlantic Ave and Capital Blvd. For more information, go to theatreraleigh.com.

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