Stage, Screen Vets Loretta Devine, Jasmine Guy to Light Up Aggieland for Town & Gown

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (April 2, 2019) – Longtime stars of screen and stage Loretta Devine and Jasmine Guy will join North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and community friends for its first Town & Gown celebration, Friday, April 26, 2019.

Devine and Guy will be guests of honor at an invitation-only dinner and public performance of “Ain’t Misbehavin’ The FATS WALLER Musical Show,” performed by North Carolina A&T students.

The North Carolina A&T Town & Gown was created to recognize and celebrate the relationship between the university and the surrounding Piedmont Triad community, which N.C. A&T has served for nearly 130 years. It provides an opportunity to showcase the artistic talents of N.C. A&T students while bringing in university constituents and supporters, including business leaders, elected officials and prominent community members.

Devine is equally at home on the stage and screen, having embodied some of the most memorable roles in theater, television and film. More than 30 years ago, she first captured national attention in her role as Lorrell, one of the three original “Dreamgirls.” She followed that performance with her portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse’s critically acclaimed production of “Big Deal.”

Her work in George C. Wolfe’s “Colored Museum” and “Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill” cemented her status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.

For her work on “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife,” Devine won NAACP Image Awards for best supporting actress. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best actress for “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” and she has been featured in the Academy Award-winning films “Crash” and “Dreamgirls.”

On the small screen, Divine flexed her acting chops on OWN’s “Love Is …,” ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” NBC’s “The Carmichael Show,” BET’s “Being Mary Jane,” Disney Channel’s “Doc McStuffins,” ABC’s “Boston Public,” and NBC’s “A Different World.” Up next is Netflix’s “Family Reunion.”

Best known for her iconic portrayal of Whitley Gilbert on the groundbreaking “A Different World,” Guy has a career in television that spans more than 30 years. Her television credits include BET’S “The Quad,” SyFy’s “Superstition,” the CW’s “Vampire Diaries” and Nickelodeon’s “K.C. Undercover,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and the CBS miniseries “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “Queen.”

In film, Guy has most recently been seen in the Oscar-nominated short, “My Nephew Emmett” – directed by N.C. A&T alumnus Kevin Wilson – and HBO’s short film, “Irreconcilable.” Other film credits include “October Baby,” Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights,” and “Diamond Men.”

Her Broadway work extends from appearances with The Alvin Ailey Repertory Company to “Grease,” “Leader of the Pack,” “The Wiz” and “Chicago.” In Atlanta, she starred in the Alliance Theatre production of Pearl Cleage’s “The Nacerima Society,” Theatrical Outfit’s production of Sam Shepard’s “Fool for Love,” and True Colors Theatre productions of “Miss Evers’ Boys,” “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” and “Broke-ology.”

As a director, she has been at the helm of productions of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” “Brownie Points,” and the Martin Luther King Jr. opera, “I Dream.”

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” features the songs of singer, jazz musician, composer and entertainer Fats Waller in a celebration of some of the best American music ever written. The Tony Award-winning revue is the perfect tribute to one of the most prolific musicians of the 20th century.

With 30 tunes including “T Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean to Me,” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” this show is sure to have audience members tapping their toes, snapping their fingers and singing along.

The show runs Wednesday, April 24 – Sunday, April 28. The Town & Gown performance featuring Devine and Guy as guests is Friday, April 26. All performances will be at Harrison Auditorium at N.C. A&T. Tickets are now available for the Town & Gown performance at the ticket office at Brown Hall on campus or online.

• Thursday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, April 26, 8 p.m., Town and Gown Performance
• Saturday, April 27, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, April 28, 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.