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Lena Waithe is backing the showing of ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ in Baltimore, a play that she considers a cultural skirmish. Liza Jessie Peterson, who not only plays but also writes the character, has her performance at Baltimore Center Stage until 9 November. It also includes an interesting post-performance dialogue with Derrick Adams, the creator. Waithe emphasizes not only the power of the community for the production but also gives a discount code and encourages the public to confront what she calls ‘art with a pulse and a purpose’—where nobody is just a passive spectator.
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Lena Waithe, the actress and producer, who has such a strong impact on the theatre experience, indirectly invites the attractiveness of the play to the Baltimore audience. She is very cool about it when she tells the world about the production like ‘The Peculiar Patriot,’ which is today already attracting the audience at the Baltimore Center Stage. Waithe does not merely classify it as a drama; she is putting it in the center of the unavoidable cultural moment—’a tour de force’ that drives people wild for real.
Not only the post but also the alluring video of Waithe accompanied it. It was a promise of her gratitude for being in the city of Baltimore. ‘We are very much grateful and blessed to be in Baltimore, to be with Derrick Adams, and to be with the entire community,’ she said. It was really a great place to visit where the people could share their understanding. ‘Where people can relate with your hardship, your struggle, even your happy part… it is just another dimension of what we have listened to, experienced, and felt.’
The ‘unmatched’ story by Liza Jessie Peterson play continues until 9th November, however, Waithe is not going to lose it and is actively supporting the community with the code ‘Lena20’ that offers discounted tickets. It is quite obvious that she through her speaker wants the people to fall in love and those who enrich the area with their culture through their presence, should come along. She even calls a person, who is not from Baltimore, as ‘gifting a ticket’ to a neighbor who will indeed experience this ‘moment of urgency.’
It wasn’t long before the post received quite a personal and supportive response from the community. One user was overly thrilled with the celebrity sighting and exclaimed, ‘Omg Mama KoKo!!! She was my professor at Coppin State! I love her so much!’ The comment, which is very much like a 70th birthday event invitation, shows how the event is becoming so personal for the people living right next to the venue. Bringing up a beloved teacher who is part of the event adds warmth and a feeling of pride in the locality to the marketing.
Another user simply stated, ‘Love this for our city! #eastbalt,’ which very well captured the mood of the place that the production was creating. It was the same with the comments praising the collaborators and telling who they were. One person said, ‘I love this dot. Grateful to @derrickadamsny for his vision,’ another assured, ‘@derrickadamsny is really doing it! 👏🏽’ Such comments reflect that it is the project creators who have the audience’s gratitude.
The buzz was so palpable, that one user has already remarked, ‘I can’t wait to experience this.’ The other person gave a beautifully positive breakdown of his visit saying only, ‘The resort was a dream come true for me!!! I’m very thankful!’ This person’s feedback surely supports Waithe’s claim of the show being a powerful event that cuts through and touches different layers like aftertaste, impressions, etc.
Through her promotional efforts, Lena Waithe is not only doing typical show business. It’s a no-holds-barred engagement with community dialogue and watching space. In her campaign, ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ becomes not only an Asher entertainment but an indomitable presence part of the contemporary discourse. The aspirational and collective ownership seeding around the productions seem to be the fruits of her labor. The audience’s reaction indicates that Baltimore is already on the move to do what she her powerful calling asks: to ‘make our voices heard, to make our presence felt.’ This is more than just a show; it is a gathering, and Lena Waithe makes sure that the audience is made up of and filled with the very people for whom the production was created.
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In a recent podcast episode, Waithe also paid homage to Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine as true Hollywood icons.
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