Erie Theatre Company Presents Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Roberson

ERIE, Pa. - May 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Erie Theater Company is proud to present Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, written by Lanie Robertson with one performance featuring Angela Watson Modeste on June 4, 2015, 7:30 PM at Erie’s Union Station Brewery Ballroom.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is set in a dive bar on the Southside of Philadelphia in 1959 during one of her last performances before her untimely death.  The play recounts events in the life of Billie Holiday in an intimate setting through song and narrative. It originally premiered in 1986 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, under the direction of Woodie King, Jr., and has since received numerous national revivals featuring Reenie Upchurch, Lonette McKee, Ernestine Jackson, and S. Epatha Merkerson as Billie Holiday.  The latest Broadway revival starring Audra McDonald received critical acclaim before closing on October 5, 2014.

Angela Watson Modeste (Billie Holiday), native of Houston Texas, studied at Texas Christian University as a vocal major in Fort Worth, Texas and made a name for her self performing and acting at local venues. She later moved to New York to pursue her career and was discovered by World Renowned drummer Victor Jones. From there Angela began to sing and work with Victor and artists like Wynton Marsalis, Aaron Diehl, Davell Crawford, Jean Carne, Jessica Simpson, TKA K7, Gamble and Huff, Florence and the Machine, and most recently Josh Groban.  Angela has been seen in New York in such houses as Lincoln Center, The Zinc Bar, Minton’s Playhouse, and Lenox Lounge, featured on Sirius XM broadcasts as a soloist, and on television, including: Disney’s ABC Special, The Today Show, Rachel Ray, and Saturday Night Live. Angela recorded her first album Love Anthology in 2009 and is currently recording her second album.

Erie Theater Company (ETCo) is Erie, PA's newest theatrical entity continuing its inaugural season with Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, following its debut run of A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry in Fall 2014. Led by founders Dominique Denman, Executive Artistic Director, and Kellie Turner, Chief Creative Officer, ETCo seeks to provide artists the opportunity to develop and perform in a venue that offers diverse, interesting favorites, and new works to the wide variety of theatergoers of Erie and the surrounding areas.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grillwill hold one performance on Thursday, June 4, 2015, 7:30 PM at Erie’s Union Station Brewery Ballroom, located at 123 W. 14th St., Erie, PA 16501.  Tickets are $20 at the venue and advance tickets are $15 by calling 646 406-1546 or online via SmartTix.com at https://tix.smarttix.com/Modules/Sales/SalesMainTabsPage....=.

For more information, visit http://www.erietheaterco.org.