“Talking And Working While A Black Professional” & A Mama Juggs Workshop

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Anita Woodley, the creator of Mama Juggs, will perform a stand-up comedy routine about race and ethnicity in New York’s Times Square on June 1, 2012 as part of the NCORE 2012 Entertainment Showcase. 

Anita will share her personal experiences about the theme: “Talking and Working As A Black Professional.” This year’s showcase is part of the 25th annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, the nation’s largest conference on race – this year featuring a keynote address by Van Jones.
Anita Shontel Woodley also returns to the New York area to also perform her solo show at Time Squares Marriott Marquis on June 1 from 2:45-4:15 p.m. for attendees of the 2012 National Conference for Race and Ethnicity (NCORE).

Since 1988, the Annual National Conference for Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE®) serves as a multicultural forum that “addresses the resurgence of racist incidents in higher education.” The organizers say the conference “promotes “discussion, critical dialogue, and exchange of information as institutions search for effective strategies to enhance access, social development, education, positive communication, and cross-cultural understanding in culturally diverse settings.”
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5/18 – A Tribute to Mothers & Men Who Love them in the Triangle!

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Mama Juggs will honor Mothers in Durham with a performance on Friday, May 18, 2012 7:30pm at Health Touch NC LLC, in Durham, NC. Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets, 24/7 Ticket Hotline 1-800-838-3006 or Online, Click Here. 10% of the proceeds will benefit the Tigerlily Foundation for Breast Survivors 15-40 years old.


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(May/June) Origin Magazine Feature Article – Anita On Body Image

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Mama Juggs
Jason (Woei-Ping) Chen

Loving my body wasn’t easy growing up. At 16, my breasts were nowhere to be found, which puzzled me. All the women in my family had breasts that pushed into the alphabet – D, DD, G. One aunt even wore a twin bed sheet held together with safety pins as a bra. I tried everything to catch up: stuffing my bra, pinching them, and wearing two small bras. Still no staggering growth. Ten years later, I got the D cup breasts I desired when I became a source of food for my only son. My great-grandma Suga Babe created a song for me called “Titty Milk, Titty Jugg” as a teaching tool. She’d sing, “Don’t shoot him in the eye and nose with your milk, you gon’ kill him …” I laughed at and despised that song back then. Now that my great-grandma is deceased, I share her song with others through a solo performance called “Mama Juggs” that shows us how to love our breasts from puberty to old age. Today I love my breasts unconditionally because of my great-grandma’s songs that provide a privileged peek into our emotionally-gritty relationship with our breasts. Visit Mama Juggs at mamajuggs.com

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Atlanta 5/13 — Last Show — Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Mama Juggs

4 shows down and now just 1 more to go!

ATLANTA PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE & INFORMATION:
Sun. 5/13 at 12:30 PM

Where: The Mask Center, 1083 Austin Ave. NE, #008, Atlanta, GA 30307

Tickets: $13 at the door/day of the show, CASH ONLY

Coming Sat & Sun to see Mama Juggs in the Atlanta Fringe with more than 5 folks? Get a pass in & save!  CLICK HERE TO BUY PASSES

You don’t wanna miss Mama Juggs! The award winning dramatic one-woman show about breast health and real women issues from puberty to old age is told through spirituals and intriguing stories.

May 10-13th
THURSDAY-SUNDAY (Atlanta)
VENUE: The Mask Center
1083 Austin Ave. NE, #008, Atlanta, GA 30307
5 Performances: 
Thursday, 5/10 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, 5/11 at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 5/12 at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, 5/13 at 12:30 p.m.
TICKETS: $13 cash, per single show, ONLY available at the door or the day of the show
$45 for a pass to see all 5 shows, buy multi-show pass online (click here)
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AJC Front Page — Fringe festival comes to Atlanta

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Mama Juggs

AccessAtlanta.com

Fringe festival comes to Atlanta

 By Gracie Bonds Staples 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

12:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, 2012What promises to be one of Atlanta’s biggest theatrical samplers begins Thursday at nearly a half dozen venues across the metro area.The first annual Atlanta Fringe Festival, which runs through Saturday, will feature some 27 eclectic shows from artists across Atlanta and the country. About 2,500 people are expected to attend.

Diana Brown, the festival’s executive director, said the idea for Fringe was born eight years ago but didn’t come into fruition until 2010 when the Little 5 Points Business Association began looking for a festival that would be a spring compliment its annual Halloween fest.

The association wanted the event held at Little Five Points. The Twinhead Theatre, which Brown represented, thought it would have a bigger impact if it were spread out across the city.

When the two couldn’t agree, Brown and Twinhead moved ahead, offering underground, underrepresented theater artists a platform to perform without the expense of putting on a show.

“We handle the logistics and all the marketing because that’s where the obstacles really are for a lot of theater artists,” Brown said. “Plus it’s a safe place for artists to try something new without worry about failing and still make a little money.”

All shows are original and include everything from dance to comedy to drama. Some of it is wacky like Twinhead’s own “F#%k, F#%k, Goose! Stories for Children (Not for Children),” a raunchy comedy inspired by the origins of classic fairy tales and fables. And some of the performances are serious, like “Mama Juggs,” a one-woman show on breast health by Anita Woodley, a 36-year-old NPR producer.

Woodley, who has gained international attention for her show, said friends encouraged her to write the play when she sang a song about breastfeeding that her great-grandmother sang to her as she struggled to breastfeed her newborn son.

Though she hesitated at first, she completed the play in 2009, performed it for the first time in her living room, then in other people’s homes and eventually at local theater companies.

Last week, she took questions from her home in Chapel Hill, N.C., where she lives with her husband and now 9-year-old son.

Q: So why not just write a book?

A: There’s something about performing that reminds me of Christmas and Thanksgiving, when we talked about family gatherings. Its capturing that and exposing people to our rich culture and the way we tell stories and what we do behind closed doors. I think I will write a book someday but there’s nothing like performing and seeing people’s reaction.

Q: Since breast health is such a serious issue, why take it to a Fringe Fest, known for the absurd?

A: The fringe fest brings a different crowd of people. I do regular theater all the time. Last summer, I went to off-Broadway New York, Chicago. I performed in Vermont in a barn, in Cameroon, Africa, and I’m currently performing monthly shows at a wellness center in Durham (N.C.).

Q: What is your mission and why this is so important to you?

A: My goal is to help people, to empower them to check on their own health and not wait until they’re sick but to maintain it. Also as African-Americans, I think it’s important to keep our tradition of storytelling alive.

Q: You’re a full-time wife, mother and award-winning journalist. How do you juggle it all?

A: I do so with the support of my husband of 16 years, son, a flexible supervisor and staying healthy. My health is definitely my wealth and without it, I can’t perform, write or consistently deliver quality work as a journalist and performer. My greatest hope is to eventually sustain myself full-time as a working artist.

Q: What’s been the most surprising thing you’ve learned either about yourself or people in general through the show?

A: That I do not need to wear a padded bra. Once while doing a radio interview at home, I was telling the listeners to believe in themselves and that their bodies are perfect as they are. Then I looked down and saw two inches of Victoria Secret bra padding. That bra is now part of the “Mama Juggs” set and I never wear push-up bras! Since “Mama Juggs” is a true story, I refuse to live untruthfully and the growth around my body image is benefiting my audience.

The Atlanta Fringe Festival

5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.  Saturday and 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday.  $10 for a single ticket; $45-$220 passes. For detail listing of venues and shows: http://atlantafringe.org/home/schedule/show-schedule-by-date/; 404-637-8871.

“Mama Juggs”

8 p.m. Thursday; 6:30 p.m. Friday; 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday; and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. $10. The Mask Center, 1083 Austin Ave. N.E., #008, Atlanta, 30307. www.atlantafringe.org.Find this article at:

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May 10-13th – Debut at the Inaugural Atlanta Fringe Festival

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Former CNN Producer Brings Breast Health Show 

To Inaugural Atlanta Fringe Festival

 One-Woman Show Confronts Cancer And Body Image Through Humor, Candor

Inspired by true stories from the playwright’s life, Mama Juggs is an intimate performance about women’s health and living with breast cancer. Anita Shontel Woodley, an award-winning journalist – formerly with CNN – will return to Atlanta for the first-ever Atlanta Fringe Festival, where she’ll perform five shows between May 10 and May 13. Each show will feature fresh improvisation, creating five new experiences of comedy and straight talk.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Dates: 
Thursday 5/10 at 8:00 PM,  Friday 5/11 at 6:30 PM, 
Saturday 5/12 at 5:00 PM and 11:00 PM; Sunday 5/13 at 12:30 PM
 
Where:
The Mask Center | 1083 Austin Ave. NE, #008, Atlanta, GA 30307
 
Tickets:
$13 per show, cash only available at the door or box office
Coming Sat & Sun to see Mama Juggs in the Atlanta Fringe with more than 5 folks? Get a pass in & save!  
CLICK HERE TO BUY PASSES 
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4/19/12 – Grant Award Ceremony For A New Project

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Mama Juggs

On April 19th, Anita Shontel Woodley was honored as 1 of 15 artists in North Carolina to receive the 2012 Durham Arts Council’s Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist Grant. She is the only recipient representing the drama category this year. The grant will fund her new play about the men in her family’s struggles to fit into society. This production will debut in Los Angeles, C.A., Durham, N.C., and Oakland, C.A,

See Anita’s Acceptance Speech at the Emerging Artist Awards Ceremony

Past recipients include the first Piedmont Laureate and author of six books of poetry, Jaki Shelton Green; six-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Nnenna Freelon; painter and Guggenheim Fellow, Beverly McIver; and violinist and Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Nicholas Kitchen.

Contact, Anita Woodley 919.914.0104  or  mamajuggsshow[at]gmail.com  

Princess Dragon Productions  * P.O. Box 9821 * Chapel Hill, NC 27515
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GOOD FRIDAY – Local Play, Mama Juggs, To Honor N.C.’s First Piedmont Laureate – Jaki Shelton Green

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Mama Juggs

One-Woman Breast Health Show Confronts Women’s Body Image

Through Straight Talk And Song

Inspired by true stories from the playwright’s life, Mama Juggs is an intimate performance about women’s health and living with breast cancer. For April – National Poetry Month – Mama Juggs will play in honor of celebrated poet and activist, Jaki Shelton Green. The show will be held at Health Touch NC in Durham on Friday, April 6th at 7:30 p.m. Ten percent of the proceeds will benefit the ,the medical fund of Jaki Shelton Green

Jaki Shelton Green uses poetry to heal and empower disenfranchised populations, including women, children, the incarcerated and the mentally and physically ill. Her poem, “Bring Me Your Breasts,” was performed throughout 2002 in commemoration of breast cancer survivors. Immediately following Mama Juggs, solo performer ,will orally interpret selected poems from Green’s oeuvre.

Mama Juggs channels the voices of proud African-American women within her family as they struggle with bra stuffing, breastfeeding and last stage breast cancer – all in the context of the social and economic adversity of the Oakland projects. Woodley wrestles with these issues through a diversity of theatrical styles, including a cappella negro spirituals, comedy, straight talk, improvisation, and audience interactions.

Actress/playwright Anita Shontel Woodley, based in Chapel Hill, is an award-winning journalist for WUNC-FM’s The Story with Dick Gordon. She plays three different characters in Mama Juggs (Grandma Suga Babe, Mable-Ree, and Anita) without the help of costume changes or scene breaks. This performance is sponsored by the T! riangle Association of Black Journalists.

Mama Juggs has been warmly received by audiences across the U.S. Written as a promise to her mother – who died of breast cancer before 50 – it seeks to challenge cultural taboos and stereotypes surrounding breast health and body image. By raising both money and social consciousness, it’s designed to contribute to the winnable campaign against breast cancer.

Contact: Anita Shontel Woodley | mamajuggsshow@gmail.com | 919-914-0104
To view the trailer and for more information, visit www.mamajuggs.com

WHEN: Friday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. (Good Friday)
WHERE: Health Touch NC LLC (inside community center) | 3500 Westgate Dr, Suite 504, Durham, N.C. 27707 (near Southsquare, off 15-501) | 919-490-4656 | healthtouchnc.com
TICKETS: $15 – $35 (pay what fits your budget) |1-800-838-3006 |http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/237066

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REVIEW: Washington Times Columnist on the “Mama Juggs” Show

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Mama Juggs

REVIEW

Taking breast cancer awareness from Appalachia to Africa with “Mama Juggs”

Humor and poignancy deliver the message of Anita Woodley's one-woman show on breast cancer and three generations of women.Photo: Teenage Anita in “Mama Juggs” – Jason Woei Ping Chen

Sunday, March 25, 2012 - Appalachian Chronicles by Lisa King

WYTHE COUNTY, Va., March 25, 2012 — Recently Southwest Virginia residents were afforded a rare treat when multi-award winning actor and artist Anita Woodley brought “Mama Juggs,” her one woman show on breast cancer awareness, to town.

Anita, who is also a producer, director, writer, journalist, and healer, has a powerful message, one delivered in a way impossible to dismiss. It is kind and embracing but never pretentious. Her message stays with women long after the show ends.

Every community, no matter how small, no matter how far off the beaten path, needs a voice for social responsibility. In this neck of the woods that person is LindaLeigh “Lala” Irvin Portner. As part of her never-ending effort to empower and educate women, she arranged this memorable performance to honor of local cancer survivor Vicki Macallister.

The sole performer Anita is currently the award winning national producer for public radio’s “The Story with Dick Gordon,” but that is just one of her many accomplishments. Her awards range from The Harry Chapin Foundation for Hunger and Poverty to an Emmy with CNN for exceptional coverage of the 9/11 disaster.

Just recently it was announced that Anita is one of fifteen artists to receive the 2012 Ella Gountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant by the Durham, North Carolina Arts Council. The grant will go to fund her new play in which she will portray the men in her family.

Tapping the Roots of Her Family

Raised in the housing projects of Oakland, Calif., Anita hit the ground running and has never let her humble beginnings hold her back. On the contrary, she has “tapped” these roots to create an award winning one woman show that even the most hesitant of women will admit that they were inspired by her performance to more closely monitor their own health.

Rather than quote statistics, Anita calls on three generations of strong black women in her family to convey common breast issues from ages seventeen to one hundred. It’s at times humorous, touching, and heart breaking, but always relevant.

Her teenage character, “Anita” wrestles with body image by stuffing her bra, convinced it will open up a whole new world to her in the process. The forty-something character, “Mable-Ree,” is perhaps the most compelling, dealing with a recent mastectomy. In addition to the trauma of losing a breast, she shares the issues left in its wake such as the daily cleansing of the scar and the two-inch hole left as a result of the surgery.

She shares her observations about growing up, which she sums up with one simple sentence: “Being grown ain’t about s**t.”

The one hundred-year-old character “Suga Babe” shares wisdom in her own unique way as well: “It take many women with titties to make the world go ’round.”

The characters reflect what women go through in the course of a lifetime. They speak to women boldly and unapologetically in a way that is both familiar and thought- provoking.

All three characters call for audience participation, done in a way that is as comfortable as talking to a close friend or family member. This serves to pull everyone in closer to the message without it being imposed. The contrast in Anita and her audiences’ background was soon erased, giving way to the power of her performance and the universal issues that all women face in the course of their lives.

Her Goal Is to Educate Everyone

Anita gave her first performance in 2009 and quickly realized she had a message for the masses, regardless of where they lived. That’s when she decided to use part of the money she had raised with her show for an ancestral pilgrimage to Cameroon, Africa. While there she did twenty-one shows in three months, and the welcome she received was overwhelming.

She traced her roots to the Tikar people of central Africa, where it was discovered she was the first African American  to come back to meet her ancestors. Because of this, she was honored with a traditional naming ceremony and given the tribal name “Bekang,” which means to go and come back.

Anita’s philosophy is to go where the message moves her, whether it is in a community center in Appalachia or a grass hut in Cameroon. What’s most important to her is to meet and educate as many people as possible while championing the fight against breast cancer.

The show was conceived as a promise to her mother, who died of breast cancer at age forty-seven, to challenge cultural taboos and stereotypes surrounding breast health and body image. Anita’s show attacks breast cancer on two fronts; by raising funds as well as awareness she makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing battle against breast cancer.

For information on booking shows please go to www.mamajuggs.com

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April Show To Honor N.C.’s First Piedmont Laureate – Jaki Shelton Green

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Mama Juggs will honor Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina’s First Piedmont Poet Laureate and Activist with a performance on April 6, 2012 7:30pm at Health Touch NC LLC, in Durham, NC.  Solo performer Anita Woodley will orally interpret selected poems from Jaki’s life work immediately following the Mama Juggs show.

Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets, 24/7 Ticket Hotline: 1-800-838-3006 or Online, Click Here

 See the NC poet Jaki Shelton Green living her poetry at a reading!

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BLOGGER ARTICLE: The Savvy Sister – Meet Mama Juggs!

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Mama Juggs

The Savvy Sister: Small Changes for Healthier Living

Meet Mama Juggs!

I love Twitter.  It’s where you meet the coolest chicks on the planet! (you know who you are)  One day, as I was tweeting, I noticed one of the chicks I follow also follows Mama Juggs.  I was obviously intrigued by the name.  So I checked out her web site, and I’m so glad I did.

Photo by Jason (Woei-Ping) Chen

Anita Shontel Woodley is the one woman wonder that makes up The Mama Juggs Show.  The show deals specifically with various aspects of breast health.  I spent over an hour on her website and I was so fascinated and amazed at what Anita has created I wanted to share it with everyone. (but first I had to get this cool t-shirt, which my teen-aged daughter immediately swiped from me…my replacement is on its way…)

Here’s a little bit about The Mama Juggs Show and the amazing woman behind it:

SS: Anita, what is your background?

MJ: I was born in Berkeley, California and raised in East Oakland, CA. I am a Radio Journalist/Producer, Certified Priestess/Rev./Intuitive Healer, and Natural Hair Care Specialist.

SS:  Why the involvement with breast health?

MJ:    In 1994, when my mother learned that she had breast cancer, I got involved immediately. At the time I was a college student at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, and was an active member at the Women’s Center. I published articles about my mother’s breast cancer journey and documented the ups and downs of her treatment on VHS tape. Although I was a first year journalism student I went behind the scenes at her doctor’s appointment to capture video of her true essence which remained powerful despite her illness.

photo by Jason (Woei-Ping) Chen

SS: How did you come up with the concept for The Mama Juggs Show?

MJ:  The idea was born at a gathering of artists in Pittsboro, North Carolina. We were all asked to bring a poem, song or anything to share and I brought a piece of paper with the lyrics to a song that my great-grandma Suga Babe would sing about everything I was doing wrong while breast feeding. They loved it! Afterwards an artist named Bud Rudesill encouraged me to write a play about the song my great-grandma called “Titty Milk, Titty Jugg.” But there was one problem, I was not an actress. But as fate would have it, I awoke the next morning and wrote the whole play in 4 hours! I jotted down every story I could remember being told about breasts in my family and there were too many to keep in the show. Seven months later, I rented a theater because the number of people who wanted to see the play exceeded what my friends backyard  Everyone really liked the show. It is still amazing to me that Mama Juggs has received ovations from Cameroon, Africa to Off-Broadway New York. I still get excited reminiscing about all the people and places Mama Juggs has touched.

SS:  Who would you say is your target audience?

MJ:  Anyone looking to adopt another way of thinking when it comes to women’s breast health and our true issues is the audience I want to reach.  My message is especially meant for those touched in some way by breast cancer, so they can learn others ways to handle the illness. The groups includes men as well. People from ages 6 to 95 have shared with me that they’ve found something in Mama Juggs that they can cling to. It is a show that allows you to witness authenticity and power among everyday women.

SS:  How long have you been performing The Mama Juggs Show?

MJ:  The show opened on June 20, 2009 in Durham, North Carolina. This is the third year the Mama Juggs show has been running.

SS:  What is your current schedule for performances?

MJ:  May 9-13th, I will perform five show in the first-ever Atlanta Fringe Festival. I used to work in Atlanta, Georgia as an Associate Producer for CNN, so I feel as if I am coming full circle by performing there.
Currently, I am performing monthly shows in Durham, North Carolina at the Health Touch NC LLC Wellness Center for Alternative Health. I donate 10% of proceeds go to grassroots breast cancer organizations throughout the world.

I also have several talks, panel, and conference showings of Mama Juggs on the horizon, including a June 1, 2012 performance at the Nations Largest Race and Ethnicity Conference (NCORE) in New York, NY. And on April 28, 2012 I will also present Mama Juggs at the Piedmont Health Services and SIckle Cell Agency Women’s Conference in Greensboro, NC.

Lastly, private shows of Mama Juggs are performed in small living rooms, beauty shops and community centers throughout the country. Folks hire me to entertain a minimum of 25 of their friends and family. On March 10, 2012 I was invited to Wytheville, VA to perform in honor of a local breast cancer survivor and she attended the show. Her community also came out to show their support for her brave fight against breast cancer. That was a priceless show, one I shall never forget!

photo by Jason (Woei-Ping) Chen

SS:  What information do you hope women take away from The Mama Juggs Show?

MJ:  I hope women take away that they can live an exciting life meaningful what they are going through. Women are not their illness or circumstances. There is hope and a way to cope that can benefit you if you look within yourself to find what works best for you. By going within for strength and allowing your community to support you on your journey, you become stronger. Through the example of the real women in Mama Juggs,women are encouraged to do the home breast exams, have their loved ones check their breasts, have a mammogram yearly, and be aware of what they put on and in their bodies.

My goal would be that Mama Juggs will continue to serve as a fitting tribute to breast cancer survivors nationwide. I’d like Mama Juggs to provide a subtle, yet bold new view on how to educate the public about breast cancer disparities and women’s issues that affect us all as people. When I am on stage I feel as if I am already seeing this dream realized because I see the hope springing up in the audiences eyes. The best part is after the show when someone whispers to me, “I am going to get my titties checked come Monday!” My goal is also to perform Mama Juggs as long as I am able to in hopes that it becomes a common thread in the fabric of breast cancer education. Bringing humor and perspective to women’s issues surrounding breast health from puberty to old age.

SS:  Wow! I couldn’t agree more with your message!  It sounds like you are really making a difference.  How can we find out more about you and get a killer Mama Juggs t-shirt (like I did!)

MJ:  You can stay up on all things happening with Mama Juggs on the website.
There you will find a reviews, show calendar, video of the my mama behind the scenes at the doctor, an electronic info packet, video/pictures of my performance in Africa, and ways to book a live Mama Juggs performance in your area.

You can find Mama Juggs Merchandise that I created from my dreams on my website at this link

Like Mama Juggs on Facebook

Follow Mama Juggs on Twitter @mamajuggsshow

Thanks Anita! Your message is so important and you’ve created a way to teach us and entertain at the same time.  I am very excited to see you when the show comes to Atlanta in May! I will be wearing my Mama Juggs t-shirt, of course!

I will be sure to post after the show to share my Mama Juggs experience!

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3/16 – Women’s History Month Wellness Center Show!

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Mama Juggs

CLICK THE FLYER TO BUY TICKETS

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Next Show: 3/10/12 at 7:30pm – Southwest Virginia Today Newspaper

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Published: March 02, 2012

A personal performance in Wytheville

By SWVA Staff

Photo Credit: Jason B. Chen

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

Lindaleigh Portner and Vickie “Mack” Coble have been friends as long as they can remember. To honor Coble, who has breast cancer and liver disease, Portner is planning a fitting tribute.

She has arranged for actress/playwright Anita Shontel Woodley to bring her one-woman play, “Mama Juggs,” to the Hedgefield Community Room in Wytheville on Saturday, March 10, for a 7:30 p.m. show. Portner is using her “rainy day money” to back the performance and pay for Woodley’s overnight stay.

Woodley uses inspiration from true stories in her life for the performance. She confronts issues of women’s breast health and body image from puberty to maturity to old age.

“So many times people do things in memory of a loved one,” Portner said earlier this week. “I wanted to do something for Vickie while she’s still living. This is going to be a celebration and done in her honor.”

According to Portner, she first met Woodley on Facebook several years ago and did a radio interview with her at the University of North Carolina on another issue. Portner also saw a posting of Woodley’s “Mama Juggs” performances and ordered a CD.

“Oh, I loved it,” Portner said. “It’s a show you’ll never forget. We’re going to have a ball.”

Portner also noted it took two years for Woodley to arrange the Wytheville performance.

In a phone interview this week, Woodley said, “I can’t wait. I’m so excited about coming to Wytheville. This is such an honor.”

Based in Chapel Hill, N.C., Woodley is an actress, writer, director, visual artist and journalist. She has won numerous awards from the Harry Chapin Foundation for Hunger & Poverty and an Emmy with CNN News for exceptional coverage on Sept. 11, 2001.

Woodley said she wrote “Mama Juggs” as a promise to her mother, who died of breast cancer at age 47, to challenge cultural taboos and stereotypes surrounding breast health and body image. In 2010, she was invited to bring her play to the University of Yaoundé’ in Cameroon, Africa.

Seating for the Wytheville performance is limited. Some tickets are still available by calling Portner at 228-5242.

Advance tickets are $15 and $20 at the door. Reserved seating is $25 in advance and $35 at the door.

Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or wquesenberry@wythenews.com.

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3/9/2012 – Art in a Bag Lecture Series: The Making of Mama Juggs

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Mama Juggs

Acting will be the topic of discussion for the Alamance County Arts Council’s next Art in a Bag series on Friday, March 9 from noon to 1 p.m. The featured speaker at this lunch and learn lecture will be Anita Shontel Woodley, who is an actress, writer, director, improve performer, visual artists and journalist.

Woodley is the creator of Mama Juggs, and the 100 Living Rooms Breast Cancer Awareness Project touring now through the United States. The performance won Best of the Best award at the MALI Women’s Film & Performance Arts Conference in Austin, Texas in 2011.

Also Woodley has won several awards as national producer for WUNC’s The Story With Dick Gordon, a syndicated first-person narrative program featured on over 100 stations.

The Art in the Bag talk will be held at the Captain White House. Bring a bag lunch to enjoy while you listen to the lecture. The Arts Council will provide drinks and a dessert. Please make a reservation at 336-226-4495 since seating is limited. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Sponsorship by The Triangle Association of Black Journalists

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Mama Juggs

We’re proud to announce that The Triangle Association of Black Journalists (TABJ) is now the sponsor of the Mama Juggs shows at Durham’s Health Touch NC LLC. Monthly shows at the wellness center will benefit the community by spreading breast health awareness through dramatic performance art in North Carolina. Ten percent of the proceeds will support various breast cancer organizations and health care/well-being in the US, as well as the rainforest of Cameroon, Africa.

Contact, Anita Woodley 919.914.0104  or  mamajuggsshow[at]gmail.com  
Princess Dragon Productions  * P.O. Box 9821 * Chapel Hill, NC 27515
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2/24 Mama Juggs – Wellness Center Breast Health Show

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Mama Juggs
$15 (Advanced)
$20 (Door)
$25-$35 (Reserved Seating)
 Call the 24/7 Ticket Hotline: 1-800-838-3006 
***10% of the proceeds will benefit Breast Cancer Action
Get Directions to Health Touch
 
 
 
Contact, Anita Woodley 919.914.0104  or  mamajuggsshow[at]gmail.com  
Princess Dragon Productions  * P.O. Box 9821 * Chapel Hill, NC 27515
 
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Public Radio National Interview

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Mama Juggs

MAMA JUGGS

LISTEN NOW!

Download

June 5, 2011 (Original Broadcast) & July 5, 2011 (Rebroadcast)

Anita Woodley and her one-woman play, “Mama Juggs.” The story revolves around Anita, her family members, and breasts. In the play, a teenaged Anita struggles with puberty. A grown-up Anita learns to breastfeed her son. Anita’s great-grandmother dispenses advice through song, and Anita’s mother, Mabel-Marie, is diagnosed with breast cancer. Anita has performed in Los Angeles and off-Broadway. Last weekend, she won the Grand Prize at the M.A.L.I. Women’s conference in Austin, Texas. Photo: Bud Rudesill. 

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Contact, Anita Woodley 919.914.0104  or  mamajuggsshow[at]gmail.com  
Princess Dragon Productions  * P.O. Box 9821 * Chapel Hill, NC 27515

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