Release Date: February 7, 2005

MONMOUTH, Ill. — As part of the observance of Black History Month at Monmouth College, critically-acclaimed playwright Shepsu Aakhu will give a reading from one of his works on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in The Underground in the college’s Grier Hall.

Aakhu, a.k.a. Reginald Lawrence, is the executive director of Chicago’s Ma’at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre (MPAACT). He was a founding member of the organization, which has made several performances at Monmouth College in the past few years.

He also serves as MPAACT’s playwright-in-residence.

Among his critically-acclaimed works are “The Glow of Reflected Light” (which was produced on the main stage of Plowshares Theatre Co.) and “The Abesha Conspiracy” (which was honored with the 1999 Ira Aldridge Award for Best Original Stageplay).

Originally a classroom artist with the Chicago Arts Partnership in Education (CAPE), Lawrence has since worked in curriculum development, professional development and educational policy in the Chicago area and throughout the Midwest.

A future Black History Month event at Monmouth will be held on Feb. 21, when Knox College students Quadir Bruce and Roberto Vargas present “The Energy of the Drums,” a recital of African drumming. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in Scotland Yard in the college’s Stockdale Center.

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