Debbie Allen

Entertainer Debbie Allen to Speak at Illinois Wesleyan’s Soul Food Dinner

Feb. 5, 2003

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—In honor of Black History Month, Debbie Allen, actress, director, dancer, choreographer, and producer, will be the keynote speaker at Illinois Wesleyan University’s annual Soul Food Dinner on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Shirk Performance Gym, 302 Emerson St., Bloomington.

Dinner will be served at 5 p.m., and Allen will be available to the media at 5:30 p.m. in the North Classroom of the Shirk Center. The program, which includes music, dancing, and poetry, will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets, which will go on sale Feb. 10, are $5 for students, faculty, and staff and their families for the dinner and speech, and for those only attending the speech, tickets are free of charge. There will be a $10 cost for the general public attending the dinner and speech and a $5 cost for the speaker’s presentation only. To purchase or reserve tickets, call (309) 556-2663 and leave your name, telephone number, whether you will attend the dinner, speaker, or both, and the number of tickets you would like to purchase. Tickets also will be available at the door.

Sponsored by the Issues and Programming Commission of Illinois Wesleyan’s Student Senate, the Soul Food Dinner is one of several scheduled events taking place during Black History Month.

Allen, considered by the entertainment industry to be one of the most respected and versatile entertainers of today, has had a very diverse and successful career.

Allen has appeared in several Broadway musicals, including Guys and Dolls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Sweet Charity (revival, 1986), West Side Story (revival, 1980), and Purlie (1972). Allen was also the choreographer for the Broadway musical Carrie (1998), the television series Fame (1982-87), and the Academy Awards (1991-94).

Dubbed “Miss Versatile” by her high school class, Allen also directed the television series A Different World (1988-92) as well as episodes of Family Ties and Fame, pilot and first episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990), and the made-for-television movie Stompin’ at the Savoy (1992). She has appeared in numerous films, including Fame (1980) and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling, with actor/comedian Richard Pryor. Her latest film work was the DreamWorks production Amistad (1997), which she co-produced.
Other events scheduled for the celebration include:

• Monday, Feb. 3, Black History Game Show, sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta, 7 p.m., Multicultural Center, 1405 Park St., Bloomington

• Wednesday, Feb. 5, Black History Month Chapel, Dr. Peter Nash, 11 a.m., Evelyn Chapel, 1301 Park St., Bloomington

• Friday, Feb. 7, Darryl Morris, acoustic guitarist, 8 p.m., Hansen Student Center, 300 Beecher St., Bloomington

• Saturday, Feb. 8, Titan Film Series, Barbershop, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., Hansen Student Center

• Wednesday, Feb. 12, Founders’ Day Convocation, Dr. William Julius Wilson, “The Growing Pressure for Policy Relevant Scholarship,” 11 a.m., Westbrook Auditorium, Presser Hall, 1210 Park St., Bloomington

• Thursday, Feb. 13, Black Student Union Meeting, 8 p.m., Multicultural Center

• Sunday, Feb. 16, movie, The Language You Cry In, Introduction by Professor Paul Bushnell, 7 p.m., Beckman Auditorium of The Ames Library, 1 Ames Plaza, Bloomington

• Thursday., Feb. 20, Higher Learning Book Club Discussion, “The Miseducation of the Negro,” by Carter G. Woodson, 8 p.m., Hansen Student Center

• Friday, Feb. 21, Harlem Nite, 8 p.m., Hansen Student Center

• Saturday, Feb. 22, Harlem Lyricist Cypha, 10 p.m., Underground, Memorial Center

• Wednesday, Feb. 26, Chapel: A Festival of African-American Music, 11 a.m., Evelyn Chapel

• Thursday, Feb. 27, Black Student Union Meeting, 8 p.m., Multicultural Center

• Friday, Feb. 28, Minority Alumni Network, Black History Month Celebration, 6 p.m., Harambee House, Chicago

For additional information, please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at 556-3412.