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