MOVIE REVIEW
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The Gazette’s Guide to
Arts & Entertainment
A TOUGH, TRUE TALE
SEAL team tragedy the focus of brutal, but honorable action film. Page B-4 www.gazette.net
Father of the detective story and master of the short story, Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on Jan. 19, 1809, and died in Baltimore on Oct. 7, 1849. FROM CHRISTOPHER DAVIS
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Thursday, January 16, 2014
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Master of macabre Actor brings comic, interactive take on Poe stories to arts center n
BY
VIRGINIA TERHUNE STAFF WRITER
No doubt many people have read the macabre tales of Edgar Allan Poe, but how many readers get a chance to act them out and have a good laugh, too? Actor Christopher Davis
plans to afford his audiences that opportunity this weekend at the Greenbelt Arts Center. Father of the detective story and a master storyteller, Poe was born Jan. 19, 1809, in Boston and died in Baltimore on Oct. 7, 1849. An entertainer who specializes in historical and literary subjects, Davis is marking Poe’s birthday with interactive shows about his stories on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the center. For the last three years, Davis has also brought his brand of
improvisation to Dickens’ tale, “A Christmas Carol,” at the center. “I’d like to make this a yearly thing,” he said about the Poe show. Known as the Renaissance Man, Davis has presented characters from Shakespeare and has also performed a standup comedy routine for 12 years at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville in Anne Arundel County.
See MASTER, Page B-5
POE’S BIRTHDAY BASH n When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday n Where: Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway, Greenbelt n Tickets: $17 for general; $14 for students, seniors, military; $12 for children n For information: 301-441-8770, greenbeltartscenter.org
HARRIS’ “THE COMMENTARY” DEALS WITH RACISM, SEXISM
Far Left: “The Royalty of Sojourner’s Truth,” mixed media on canvas and wood. “Girls, Gangsters, and Guns — America’s Obsession,” mixed media on canvas and wood. BILL HARRIS
THE COMMENTARY BY WILL C. FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER
W
ashington, D.C., native Bill Harris, who has a new exhibit at the Brentwood Arts Exchange in Riverdale, started his career as a teacher, but enjoyed art his entire life. “My parents were the first to give me lessons at a young age,” Harris said. “From there, I went to high school and there was a tracking system
in D.C.” Harris said he was smart enough to get into the second track, which was for college-bound students. “After many years of academics, I went over to the art department at Howard University and I liked it ever since,” Harris said. “I moved to the art department after a year of academic courses. They loaded me down with academics, you know? I was having none of that. It was too tough. I had always enjoyed art, so I decided to move to the art department and that was that.” After teaching for several years and spending
time learning the art of woodworking, Harris went back to Howard to get his master’s degree in fine arts with an emphasis in printmaking and drawing. For 15 years, Harris was a member of the Washington Printmakers Gallery, but he started merging his love of printmaking and woodworking into mixedmedia art. “I’ve always wanted to do woodworking,”
n When: To March 8 n Where: Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood n For information: 301-277-2863; arts.pgparks.com
See WOOD, Page B-5
Small print n
Laurel author makes science fun with children’s books BY
CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER
MARK E. TOMASSONI
Author Mark Tomassoni works with a co-writer and two illustrators to produce his series of nanotechnology books for children.
In the ongoing effort to encourage young people to choose a career in a STEM field — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — Laurel-based author Mark E. Tomassoni is doing his part through a series of illustrated children’s books and ebooks. “[The goal] is to have young people become more aware of the elements of science and maybe become interested,” Tomassoni said. “How do we get more young folks involved in
Laurel resident Mark Tomassoni.
n Tomassoni’s entire series is available on amazon. com. For more information about the author or his books, visit nanobots forkids.com
the sciences and show all the potential there?” Tomassoni’s books — a series of 11 released in 2013 and available on Amazon — focus specifically on nanotechnology, still a relatively new scien-
tific field. The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology defines the science as the “engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.” “There’s a tremendous effort to really become much more intelligent about things that are happening inside the atoms and molecules that make up the world,” Tomassoni said. “We’re learning more and more about what’s going on inside cells and atoms … in the not-too-distant future, there will be actual computers that will be running at the molecular level … science is happening very fast … right in front of our eyes.” Tomassoni, who has a bachelor’s
See AUTHOR, Page B-5