WHAT:

Erica Watson – Watch your skinny backs Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho and John Leguizamo –ERICA WATSON is coming to claim her crown as Queen of the theater/standup hybrid show with the Los Angeles Premiere of FAT BITCH! After workshops in NYC and Chicago, this new solo show written and performed by Watson will run April 29- May 1, 2011 at Greenway Court Theater.

“Fat Bitch!” offers a humorous and honest glimpse at the American “fat and sassy” black woman stereotypes that continue to influence modern day images of black women. Written and performed by Watson as a hybrid of theater and stand-up comedy, “Fat Bitch!” responds to how black women and their bodies have always been subjected to sexualized admiration and ridicule. Through personal vignettes, anecdotes and video clips, as well as drawing upon iconic images including “Mammy” and “Hottentot Venus,” Watson illustrates how media images have impacted herself-esteem as she touches on PETA’s “Save the Whales” campaign aimed at overweight women, the “war on obesity,” and the controversy surrounding President Obama’s nomination of a plus-sized black woman for Surgeon General.

Watson who is a commentator for the TV Guide Network, Oxygen and BET graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Film and TV (1998), and a MA in Media Management (2005).

Influenced by the quick wit of Whoopi Goldberg, the blunt comedic observations of Wanda Sykes, and the larger-than-life confidence of Mo’Nique, Watson (who is in the film “Precious” with Mo’Nique, as well as 2006’s “Dirty Laundry” with Loretta Devine) creates a universal point of view yet offers a new voice in comedy. “Fat Bitch!” has been workshopped at New York’s “The Tank;” first during the Black Comedy Experiment in March 2008, then in May 2009, October 2009 and The Laurie Beechman Theater in February 2010 and at The Chicago Center for the Performing Arts in November 2009 and curated atThe Brooklyn Museum October 2010 for Target First Saturdays.

“Fat Bitch!” is being presented by Columbia College Chicago and Producer/Director Steve Pink. Proceeds will benefit the Columbia College Chicago Alumni Scholarship Fund. Detailed bios are below.

WHERE:

Greenway Court Theater 544 North Fairfax Avenue Los Angeles , CA 90036
FREE parking in the lot just north of the theater!

WHEN:

Opens Friday, April 29, 2011, 8 p.m.
Closes on Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday Performance is at 5:00pm
Three shows only – 8 p.m. on April 29, 20, May 1.

Via EPR Network
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