Singer Woods to share 'roots' in DuBois

Marking the ongoing celebration of Black History Month, African-American actress Renn Woods -- who has starred in movies, television shows and theater performances -- will perform this afternoon in DuBois College House. The show consists of excerpts from her one-woman show, Roots of an Empress Like Me, which is based on her experiences working on Alex Haley's 1977 television miniseries Roots. "I have some very unique experiences from this project, Roots," Woods said. "I haven't really talked about them." Woods' show was first performed in June 1996 in Los Angeles, when a young black playwright named Kenneth Richardson read her original script and asked if she wanted to perform it. Sponsored by the Music Center in Los Angeles, the show was a hit. "We did it," Woods said. "It was wonderful. People loved it." The show moved to the Lyceum Theater in downtown San Diego in December 1996, where Woods added a five-piece band and three background singers. The six-week run sold out. The rigors of performing took their tolls, but Woods said she would not give up. "I had this play that I really liked and I wanted to do it again," she said. "It occurred to me that the way to do this was to do it as a full-blown musical" so that others could "share the load." Woods hopes to hold a workshop at the Wilma Theater on Broad Street, followed in the future by a full performance there. Roots of an Empress Like Me is the latest edition to Woods' career, which began at the age of 12 when she moved to L.A. as part of a singing group. Her other roles have included appearances in television series such as NYPD Blue and The Jeffersons as well as made-for-television movies. Her movie credits include the cult classic Car Wash and Hair. She has also starred in theater productions and has recorded her own albums. This afternoon's performance at DuBois is Woods' third visit to Penn. Last year, she attended the August Wilson play, Jitney, directed by Walter Dallas at the Annenberg Theater. And last month she attended a jazz performance in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Calling the performance the "highlight" of this month's commemoration, African-American Resource Center staff member Afi Roberson said, "We're really excited that she's coming -- she's a great performer." The performance is sponsored by the African-American Resource Center, the Afro-American Studies Program and the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture.