D. Marq will be tremendously missed. To learn more about his legacy, visit his Facebook fan page.

D. Marq during our 2011 tour of Running: AMOK. He was behind the keys at our show at Germano’s in Baltimore, MD.

(l to r: Greg Bryant, Derrick Marquis, Will Henderson) Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman

Cast, band and playwright of Running: AMOK

Join us for the first CREATIVE’S CONVERSATION on Saturday, October 27, 2012 in Washington DC.

The topic will be “Living the Artist Life While Parenting” with break-out conversations led by talented multi-tasking mamas making art while raising babies.

A conversation forum for ALL CREATIVES who are new parents, soon-to-be parents, planning-to-be parents down the road, empty nesters or parents to school-aged children. Let’s talk!

A space of comfort, fellowship & inspiration, normalizing the reality of work/life balance for artists.

Featuring an excerpt from the play “Running: AMOK“.

RSVP here

Liberated Muse.com is an online artist community that supports the networking and collaborative efforts between artists. Started in 2008, the site became the home-base for information pertaining to the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest and other DC-area events produced through Liberated Muse Productions. Liberated Muse Productions has produced the last two seasons of Running: AMOK.

If you missed the show, click below to listen.

Creating an Arts Scene for All: Liberated Muse.

(l to r: Top row:Colie Williams, Quineice, Lyn Artope, Nia Simmons, Deja Belle, Khadijah Ali-Coleman, bottom row: Greg Bryant, Derrick Marquis Smith, Will Henderson)

Thank you for attending a show in our 2011 Spring Season run. Over 150 people saw our show– from our early Spring preview in March at the Oxon Hill Public Library in Oxon Hill, MD to one of the shows during our Spring run at The Corner Store in Washington, DC, Germano’s Traittoria in Baltimore, MD and The Bonifant Theatre in Silver Spring, MD.

Spring 2011 Preview at Oxon Hill Public Library (l to r: Quineice, Deja Belle, Colie Williams, Rayona L. Young) Photo by William Honablew

Special Thanks to all of you who have spread the word about our show on Twitter, Facebook and your personal blogs.

Cabaret at Germano’s in Baltimore, MD (l to r: Quineice, Deja Belle, Colie Williams, Rayona L. Young) Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman

We would like to come back later this year and are currently inviting interested individuals and businesses to consider sponsoring our production. This year’s production was generously sponsored by Onli Studios in Chicago, Illinois, Tracey George of T.G.A.P. of South Carolina and Thomas and Valarie Ashley of the Washington DC metro area. In-kind donations in the form of rehearsal space and other items were provided by Karen Minors, author of “It Is What It Is” and The PG County Public Library System. Please contact us at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com if you would like to become a sponsor. Sponsorship packages for our upcoming season start as low as $100 and include a pair of free tickets, inclusion in media and invites to cast-related functions, including our cast party.

Scenes from Running: AMOK (photos by Leo Wilson, Jr.)

Scenes from Running: AMOK (photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

Colie Williams greets audience after show at The Bonifant Theatre

We are interested in traveling, so if you have a venue within the US that would like to bring us to perform the show, please contact us at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com

Thank you for helping us have a successful Spring Season!

Princess of Controversy with playwright Khadijah Ali-Coleman at the Thursday, May 19 Bonifant Theatre show of Running: AMOK

The 2011 Spring Season of Running: AMOK ends today with its final show at The Bonifant Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. The first two shows of Running: AMOK at The Bonifant were enjoyed by a host of local celebrities, including popular actress/rapper Princess of Controversy, producer DJ Monty, and singer Angela “Anonamas” Ballard who played “Lyn” in last year’s production of Running: AMOK.

Scene from Thursday, May 19 show at the Bonifant Theatre

Nia Simmons who plays "Lyn" this season and Angela "Anonamas" Ballard who played "Lyn" in Running: AMOK in 2010

Audience members tweeted during the show last night. One guest, @Honablew tweeted, “@runningamokdc I saw you guys last year. This is fresh and new. AWESOME”

DJ Monty (@DJMontySound) tweeted, “Kudos to the cast of the show! The ladies were stupendous and the live band was the icing on the cake for sure!”

Colie Williams who plays "Mama Belle" greets audience members after the Thursday, May 19 show at The Bonifant Theatre

Special thanks to Turtel Onli of Onli Studios for sponsoring our ticket give-aways and to Tracy George of TGAP and Thomas and Valarie Ashley for co-sponsoring early production costs.

You can buy tickets to our remaining show tonight by visiting our online space HERE. If you would like to sponsor our production or book our show for later this year, email us at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com.

Cast, band and playwright of Running: AMOK

The cast of Running: AMOK performed during a sold out show at The Corner Store located in Washington DC’s Eastern Market area.

Ticket winner Liz Dixon, Blogger Cashawn Thompson of Dirty, Pretty Thangs and Rayona L. Young who played "Nina"

The audience was packed with Washington DC mover & shakers, including blogger Cashawn Thompson, author of the blog Pretty, Dirty Thangs which was recently nominated for a Black Weblog Award; DC Urban Examiner Tiffany Beard who has conducted Q & A sessions with all of the members of the Running: AMOK cast since April; CEO of ThinkBrownINK, publicist Natasha Brown; Vocalist Dionne Kirby who was part of the 2010 cast of Running: AMOK; and dancer and motivational speaker Daphne Charles who was one of the founding members of the theater group The Saartjie Project.

Running: AMOK promotional photos (Photo collage by Khadijah Ali-Coleman)

After the show, audience member @JDSuperstar tweeted on Twitter “…highly recommend checking out running:amok…men especially!” while one of our ticket give-away winners, @misslovelyliz tweeted, “…Excellent show…”

If you missed our DC show last night, you can still purchase tickets to one of our last three shows this week that will take place Thursday, May 19 to Saturday, May 21 at the Bonifant Theatre in Silver Spring, MD.

The characters from left to right: Mama Belle, Nina, Camille, Benny and LaShell. (not pictured: Lyn played by Nia Simmons) Photo by Khadijah Ali-Coleman

Special thanks to Ben “Hook” Dawson for coordinating ticket collection and the staff of The Corner Store for your tremendous work last night in helping to produce the show and thanks to our sponsors, including Onli Studios for making our ticket give-away possible.

Colie Williams as "Mama Belle" with (l to r) Rayona L. Young as "Nina", Deja Belle as "Camille" and Quineice as "LeShell"

See more photos HERE

Running: AMOK Artist Q&A- Quineice

And, the cast of Running: AMOK would like to extend a thank you to DC Urban Arts Examiner Tiffany Beard for her series this past month on the play and weekly Q & A features on the cast. Finishing up the series is this Q & A with returning cast member Quineice who plays LESHELL WOODS in the play. Here is a snippet of the Q & A, but be sure to visit Tiffany Beard’s Examiner page for all of the articles on the talented Running: AMOK cast.

Tiffany Beard- How did you start working with Liberated Muse and Khadijah Ali-Coleman?

Quineice- I met Khadijah about nine years ago when we were in the short-lived band Phreaknahdo. We have been friends since then, so I was excited when she launched Liberated Muse.

T- I am also a member of Liberated Muse, so I understand how exciting it is. Are you heavily involved with some of those happenings?

Q- Liberated Muse is a great networking resource for artists. I have had the opportunity to participate in many events; such as promotional events surrounding the release of the anthology Liberated Muse Volume I:How I Freed My Soul.

T- Were you born with the artistic bug?

Q- I have been singing all of my life. I come from a musical family, so I dabble on many musical instruments. As for acting; I didn’t really begin honing my acting chops until recently. I had given up the idea of becoming a recording artist and decided to audition for a production of Dreamgirls given by a theater company in Baltimore.

T- Considering that Dreamgirls is a musical, I don’t think you gave up your dream, completely. How did your audition affect your artistic path?

Q- I portrayed the character “Michelle” (the one they snuck into the group) all of the singing, dancing, costumes and music caused me to catch the “acting bug”. I went on the portray “Dorothy” in The Wiz, “Ronette” in Little Shop of Horrors and now “Leshell” in the original production Running:Amok.

T- As busy as you are with your art, is it easy having the arts as an income stream for you?

Q- I have to work to supplement the income that I receive as an artist. Unfortunately, I have not been able to quit my day job, because I have a family to support. Performing is something that I am passionate about, and if I could still eat and keep a roof over my head I would perform for free for the rest of my life. However, that is not my reality.

BUY TICKETS NOW TO DC SHOW

The cast of Running: AMOK will be performing two songs from the stage play tomorrow at the DC Commission on the Arts event “Teen Perspectives” which will take place at 7pm at Eastern Market in Washington DC. Check out the flyer above for full details.

OUR SPRING SEASON STARTS IN LESS THAN FOUR DAYS!

This Sunday is fast approaching and we are gearing up for our cabaret performance that will take place at 7pm at Germano’s Traittoria in Baltimore, MD. For just $10 for our show ($10 online, $15 at the door), you will enjoy our cabaret performance of songs from the play while you can dine on the delicious Italian cuisine served at Germano’s. Buy your tickets today by clicking HERE.

EXAMINER.COM FEATURES OUR OWN COLIE WILLIAMS

Continuing her month-long Q & A series on the cast of Running: AMOK, DC Urban Arts Examiner Tiffany Beard features Colie Williams this week. Colie, a trained actress and successful professional recording artist, plays the hilarious “Mama Belle” in Running: AMOK. Check out some of the interview below.

Tiffany Beard-How did you find yourself as a budding artist with a love for singing/acting?

CW- Ialways loved to sing. My Daddy was a professional Doo-Wop Singer, and my house was filled with lots of music. My junior high school chorus teachers gave me several solos, and one in particular encouraged me to study voice, so I auditioned for Music&Art in Manhattan and began studying voice and theater.

TB- That is an awesome legacy to have. How did you start working with Liberated Muse and Khadijah Ali-Coleman?

CW- Khadijah and I met at Andy Shallal’s -the owner of Bus Boys and Poets restaurant Mimi’s American Bistro. We worked there together. I caught up with Khadijah through Liberated Muse. When I heard she was having auditions I definitely wanted to try out. Khadijah is a powerful, talented sister. I am excited to work with her and to be a part of this production.

TB-Khadijah is a great person to know, no matter where you meet her. Working with her sounds like a great thing. Apart from Running: AMOK, what are your artistic passions at this point?

CW- My ultimate passion is to use my creativity to help fight against injustice and bring attention to those folks in our community who are doing things to elevate the community.

TB- I love it when the arts can be used to change the world we live in.

CW-I love to express myself through writing, songwriting, acting as well as singing. I love the way music takes me higher, and I love that I can touch people with my voice.

READ MORE OF THE INTERVIEW HERE

Special thanks to all of you who attended our night out this week at JoJo’s Restaurant on U Street in Washington, DC. Thanks to cast member Colie Williams for bringing the cast in to perform some cover songs and original music in this fun, social promotion of the play. Colie performs each Wednesday at JoJo’s with the band Ol Soul for a New Day. Click on the photo below to view more photos from our Wednesday at JoJo’s on our Facebook page.

l to r: Khadijah Ali-Coleman, Deja Belle, Quineice, Colie Williams

We hope that you purchased your tickets to the show. Click here to get your tickets online for our Baltimore or Washington DC shows.

Click here to purchase tickets to our Silver Spring, MD show at the Bonifant Theatre.

Check us out behind-the-scenes as we get our show just right for you!