Post on 24-Oct-2014
The Baltimore Times, October 30 - November 5, 2009 (www.baltimoretimesonline.com) Positive stories about positive people!Page 12
More public computers at the Central Library
Maryland native stars in ‘Girls Night: The Musical’
Baltimore, Md.—The Enoch Pratt Free
Library opened a new Computer Com-
mons in the Central Library Main Hall
on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. This
new section will provide 26 additional
public computers for patrons.
The Computer Commons, located
across from the Circulation Desk, has
hour long timeslots. Currently, the Pratt
Library provides more than 500 public
computers system wide and offers free
wireless internet access at most
branches.
Computer technology at the Central
Library is made possible by the generos-
ity of the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff
Family Charitable Funds and Bank of
America Charitable Foundation.
Nationwide, 60 percent of people who
visit a public library do so primarily to
use computers and access the Internet.
And with 40 percent of Baltimore City
households lacking internet access at
home, the Pratt’s more than 500 public
computers are often the only way for
visitors to go online.
“Everyday our patrons line-up outside
at all Pratt locations eager to use our
public computers,” said Carla D. Hay-
den, Chief Executive Officer of the
Enoch Pratt Free Library. “During these
difficult economic times, some of our
patrons have even told us they have
given up internet access at home and
now depend on us. We are very commit-
ted to our mission of offering free access
to all our patrons, from the very
youngest to seniors. We’re hoping these
additional computers will make a differ-
ence for patrons seeking anything from
personal enrichment to career develop-
ment.”
The Central Library will also begin of-
fering free computer classes this winter.
Like the Pratt Center for Technology
Training at the Orleans Street Branch
and the Southeast Anchor Library, pa-
trons can register for free basic com-
puter classes.
For more information about the Pratt’s
computer services, visit our website at
www.prattlibrary.org.
The recently opened Computer Commons at the Enoch Pratt Central Library isequipped with 26 new computers to accomodate more patrons. The Central Library will also begin offering free computer classes this winter.
Courtesy photo
By Zaina Adamu
Anita suffers from depression. Al-
though she finds it difficult to stabilize
the chemical imbalances in her brain,
she manages to be the one female among
her group of friends who is most secure
with herself.
Native of Frederick, Maryland Justine
Hall successfully plays Anita’s character
and is effective in bringing her tempera-
ment to new heights. In Girls Night: The
Musical, an off-Broadway premiere of
the UK play bearing the same name,
Hall blends comedy with weighty sub-
ject matters to create a distinctive tone in
this humorous production.
Earlier this year, Entertainment Events
Productions presented Girls Night to the
United States. The musical captures the
essence of female bonding through satirical
scenes and vivid staging. In musical five
women in their 30s and 40s are followed as
they relive their younger years and share
their deepest secrets all while singing clas-
sic female anthems— including Cindy
Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,”
Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Patti
Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.”
Girls Night writer Louise Roche and
director Jack Randle infuse hilarity with
heartache in this “laugh out loud” show
by exploring women’s issues like mar-
riage and mental illness. “We talk about
things all women can identify with,”
said Hall. “No matter where you come
from or your age, all women can relate.”
Hall began her career at an early age—
first as a singer at the Weinburg Center
for the Arts in Frederick, then as an ac-
tress at the now-defunct Harlequin Din-
ner Theatre in Rockville, MD. She
attended Frederick High School, where
she acclimatized to professional acting
and singing, and landed her first profes-
sional job as Betsey in Big River. Later
she played Michelle in Dream Girls.
When Hall moved to New York three
years ago, she came across an audition for
Girls Night and decided to try out for therole. Hall remembers feeling a sense of
happiness when she received the phone call
to play as a lead character. “I was really ex-
cited. I had no idea that attending the audi-
tion for the play would bring me
off-Broadway, which is the biggest thing,”
said Hall. “I was just happy I would be
working as an actress and a singer.”
She also admits taking the role has al-
lowed her to appreciate the entertainment
business. “You learn how to be an artist.
It’s given me the chance to see how it has
to be to survive as an actor,” she said.
Hall’s most substantial incentive for
playing Anita is the extreme amount of
fun she has when she performs, which
she says bounces off into the audience.
“The best part of the musical is the audi-
ence’s interaction, says Hall. “They party
along right with us.”
Since its first run in 2003, Girls Night has
received exceptional reviews and has been
compared to hit shows like “Sex and the
City” and “Desperate Housewives.”
Girls Night: The Musical will be at The
Lyric Opera House on November 5, 2009.
Maryland native Justine Hall playsAnita in Girls Night: The Musical.
Courtesy Photo