Hello dear Ebell friends and sisters,
What a joy it was to see so many of you in person at our Opening Day event on October 2 in the Theatre with the incandescent Sheryl Lee Ralph! Ms. Ralph first came to the Ebell as a producer and star of of the Divas Simply Singing benefit concerts. Divas Simply Singing raised desperately needed funds to assist those suffering and marginalized because of AIDS. Rather than stand by and feel helpless in the early days when AIDS was ravaging so many men and women, Ms. Ralph gathered her talent, brains, courage and rolodex to find a way to do SOMETHING to help. Later, having fallen in love with our Wilshire Ebell Theatre and rather tired of having to explain why she wasn’t yet an Ebell Member, she joined our ranks. How lucky and honored we are!
Ms. Ralph certainly inspired us on October 2 with her astonishing talent, joy, and resilience in the face of bias and career challenges. I will always be thrilled to have made my Wilshire Ebell “debut” with her, even though I was just moderating for a few questions and answers! I will carry her words of wisdom forward along with her challenge to us: her hope and dream is that the “Ebell will find a way or make one” to become a home and incubator of new talent and young creatives. She vowed to help, and I know we can make this happen. I look forward to working with Ms. Ralph, our board, and each of you, to nurture the next generation of great talent to illuminate our stage.
Onwards!
Stacy
