Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph to perform for World AIDS Week

On Thursday, Nov. 29, Broadway and television actor Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform her one-woman show, "Sometimes I Cry," at 7 p.m. in Wright Auditorium. Written and performed by Ralph, the show focuses on the "lives, loves and losses of women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS," according to a Web site advertising the event. The show is sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity, Student Health Services and the Pitt County Health Department.

"Sometimes I Cry" chronicles the lives of different women from diverse backgrounds and cultures and how they struggle against the effects of HIV/AIDS. Ralph expresses and explores these stories through word, movement and song, playing the role of each character and allowing the audience to understand the unique difficulties each woman faces.

Catherine Adams, program specialist for the Office of Institutional Diversity, believes that the one-woman show will be a unique and engaging way for the ECU campus and Greenville community to become more aware of the disease.

"Many people receive information in different formats, like films or lectures, but we thought Ralph's show would be an entertaining and thought-provoking way to educate the campus and community at large," said Adams.

"We hope that viewers will get a sense of the various stories and testimonies behind AIDS, not only those infected but those coping with the effects of the disease."

Ralph is an award-winning writer and actor of film, television and the Broadway stage. She earned her first Tony award by originating and creating the role of Deena Jones in the musical "Dreamgirls." She is probably most-known from her television role as "Dee" on the hit TV series "Moesha" and in her writing and directing of the award-winning short film "Secrets," a finalist in the HBO Film Short Competition.

Ralph is also a committed advocate in raising global awareness regarding information about HIV/AIDS. She was the first recipient of the Red Ribbon Leadership Award from the National HIV/AIDS Partnership and serves as the spokesperson for the National Minority AIDS Council and Board Member of the Black AIDS Institute.

Tickets are available at the Central Ticket Office on the main floor of Mendenhall Student Center or by calling 328-4788 (ECU-ARTS).

Tickets are $5 for students, $12 for faculty/staff and $15 for the general public.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.