America's most uncoordinated childhood ballet and tap student before discovering that her talents were music and writing, Marakay Rogers finally traded in her violin for law school when she realized that she might make more money in law than she did performing with the Potomac Symphony and in orchestra pits around the mid-Atlantic. She has never recovered from being chewed out by Terrence Mann in public for hanging up her bow.
A graduate of Wilson College (PA), Marakay is also a writer, film reviewer and interviewer for the Wilkes-Barre (PA) Independent Gazette, science-fiction publications, and other news outlets. She's also taught college-level communications, writing, and English literature classes, has received multiple writing awards, and is listed in Marquis' "Who's Who in America". In her free time, Marakay practices law and often gets it right.
 BWW Reviews: BMOP Presents Reza Vali's TOWARD THAT ENDLESS PLAIN
May 25, 2013
Iranian composer Vali's concerto for Persian ney and orchestra debuts on CD with two of his Persian folk song cycles. Soloists Khosrow Soltani and Janna Baty, with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project directed by Gil Rose, highlight the compositions.
 BWW Reviews: Ruhl's EURYDICE Brings Back Theatre of the Seventh Sister
May 23, 2013
Director Gary Smith puts Theatre of the Seventh Sister back on stage with a production of Sarah Ruhl's charming absurdist take on the Orpheus myth.
 BWW Reviews: CATS Take Over The Stage at Dutch Apple
May 20, 2013
Director/choreographer Amy McCleary puts on a lavish production of one of the world's most popular musicals
 BWW Reviews: GREASE is Slick Work at Gettysburg Community Theatre
May 17, 2013
Director Chad-Alan Carr and co-choreographer Bridgid Wills bring GCT a striking production of the ever-popular show
 BWW Reviews: Energetic HAPPY DAYS at Allenberry Playhouse
May 17, 2013
HAPPY DAYS, about to go into repertory with THE FULL MONTY, is a perfectly decent excuse to spend a day or an evening at Allenberry.
 BWW Reviews: A FEW GOOD MEN Brings Two Great Hours at York Little Theatre
May 15, 2013
Director Stephen Hoke offers a production of Sorkin's 2012 revised version of the play that hits a number of high notes. And the audience can handle that truth
 BWW Reviews: Tempesta di Mare's GREAT BOOKS Program is One for the Books
May 13, 2013
Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone save their audience some reading time by letting them enjoy the musical versions of several literary classics.
 BWW Interviews: Jessica Humphrey of Dutch Apple's CATS
May 11, 2013
She's a singer, a ballet dancer, and though only recently out of college she's been everything from a spirit in the Temple of Wisdom to a dame at sea. Jessica Humphrey talks about opera, CATS, and the current state of arts education.
 BWW Reviews: 2013 FULTON FOLLIES Brings Back the Variety Show for a Cause
May 6, 2013
The fourth annual auction and show grossed over $100,000 while entertaining the audience with local talents
 BWW Reviews: Piffaro Goes BACK BEFORE BACH at 2013 Philadelphia Bach Festival
May 6, 2013
The fourth concert of the 3013 Bach Festival presented the forerunners of J.S. Bach -- Praetorius, Lassus, Melchior Franck and Bach's own family.
 BWW Reviews: EPAC Presents a Rollicking, Raunchy AVENUE Q
May 3, 2013
Director Edward Fernandez and a well-trained cast of puppets and puppeteers bring the hit musical to hysterical life on the EPAC stage
 BWW Reviews: NOAH Entertains in a Very Big Way at Sight and Sound
May 1, 2013
If your taste runs to musical extravaganzas of giant proportions, nothing is bigger than Noah's Ark at Sight And Sound Theatre. It's wholesome, it's huge in all ways, and there's even an adorable dog.
 BWW Reviews: Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Time Travel at PIFA to Swinging Sixties Spy Movie Music
April 30, 2013
The PIFA time travel theme took the Philly Pops to the birth of the James Bond film franchise... and beyond
 BWW Reviews: DREAMGIRLS at the Fulton Theatre - A Dream of a Show
April 27, 2013
Director Marc Robin dazzles audiences at the Fulton with the story of Deena Jones and the Dreams
 BWW Reviews: A Visually Stunning MAGIC FLUTE at Opera Philadelphia
April 25, 2013
The Diane Paulus/Canadian Opera production now at Opera Philadelphia dazzles the eye, if not always the ear
 BWW Interviews: Sally Struthers to Visit 'Mother's' Totem Pole Playhouse in May
April 25, 2013
Sally Struthers of 'All in the Family' and 'Five Easy Pieces' fame comes to Totem Pole Playhouse in May, kicking off the summer season with SIMPLY SALLY STRUTHERS.
 BWW Reviews: MOON OVER THE BREWERY Shines on Oyster Mill Playhouse
April 23, 2013
Oyster Mill presents a romantic comedy of mail carriers, encyclopedias, and an invisible Jay Gatsby, directed by Craig Stouffer
 BWW Reviews: IN THE NEXT ROOM at Open Stage of Harrisburg Shines Light on History
April 22, 2013
Open Stage and Don Alsedek present Sarah Ruhl's thought-provoking, woman-centered tale of the unfortunate history of female sexuality
 BWW Reviews: A Riveting CABARET at York Little Theatre
April 20, 2013
Aaron Dalton directs an intense production of the Donmar/1998 revival version of the classic, with Chad-Alan Carr as a stellar Cumming-inspired Emcee
 BWW Reviews: Villanova's SALOME - A Stunning Performance of an Underperformed Classic
April 13, 2013
David Cregan directs a new translation of Wilde's classic in a performance that is literally 'up in the air'
 BWW Interviews: The Circus Performers of PIPPIN, Part 2 - Viktoria Grimmy
April 12, 2013
The fifth generation circus performer talks about PIPPIN, family tradition, and what makes a proper circus
 BWW Reviews: Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia Celebrates the Fall of the Berlin Wall at PIFA
April 11, 2013
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Conductor Laureate Ignat Solzhenitsyn, the Mendelssohn Club, and the Center for Emerging Visual Art paid tribute to one of the great events of modern history during the PIFA celebrations in a well-received performance of musical, vocal, and visual art
 BWW Reviews: VAINGLORIOUS is Glorious Performance Art
April 11, 2013
Meet Napoleon, Beethoven, and Madame de Stael in person at Applied Mechanics' PIFA offering commemorating the coronation of Napoleon. Wear your comfortable shoes and prepare to be invited for a drink before the Congress of Vienna hits.
 BWW Reviews: Bernstein's MASS at Penn State a Monumental Undertaking and a Giant Performance
April 9, 2013
The fiftieth anniversary of the College of Arts and Architecture was celebrated in style with a major production of the celebrated (and sometimes excoriated) 'theatre piece'
 BWW Interviews: The Circus Performers Of PIPPIN, Part I - Orion Griffiths
April 4, 2013
The veteran English circus performer (and Sardine) reflecs on growing up in the circus and running away to join the theatre
 BWW Reviews: Vote For A CANDIDATE FOR MURDER at Allenberry Resort and Playhouse
April 4, 2013
Allenberry's 2012-2013 Murder Mystery Weekend offering taps America's political vein, though it never goes for the jugular, just for laughs. Nonetheless, it could be a killer weekend getaway.
 BWW Reviews: BRIGADOON at Dutch Apple is a Great Escape
April 2, 2013
Director Vince Legaretta and choreographer Kerry Lambert create a music and dance spectacle you may see once in a hundred years
 BWW Reviews: ANGELS IN AMERICA: PERESTROIKA at EPAC - The Great Work Concludes
April 1, 2013
Part Two of ANGELS IN AMERICA comes to EPAC with director Ed Fernandez and the same cast as Part One -- and it's still worth the time to be there.
 BWW Reviews: World Premiere of Michael Daugherty's REFLECTIONS ON THE MISSISSIPPI
March 30, 2013
On March 24, Philadelphia Orchestra principal tubist Carol Jantsch and the Grammy-nominated Temple University Symphony Orchestra presented the world premiere of Daugherty's new concerto to a receptive and enthusiastic audience
 BWW Interviews: Rachel Bay Jones, PIPPIN's Catherine, On Being Unconventional
March 29, 2013
The Broadway veteran talks Catherine, Anna, and her other roles -- on stage and in life
 BWW Reviews: A RAISIN IN THE SUN at the Arden Is a Dream Not Deferred
March 27, 2013
Walter Dallas, former director of Freedom Theatre, brings a perfectly staged production of Hansberry's American classic to the Arden.
|
Drama Desk Award Winners - MATILDA, VANYA AND SONIA, PIPPIN, VIRGINIA WOOLF & More!
STAGE TUBE: MATILDA Cast Performs on The View!
TV: See the Cast of Paper Mill's THE LITTLE MERMAID Fly!
CHUCK Star Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez Set to Lead FIRST DATE
Paris SUNDAY IN THE PARK Now Available For Download
VIDEO: Joss Whedon Chats THE AVENGERS 2 on LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON
Rihanna for River Island Summer Collection Lands May 25th
Exclusive InDepth InterView Audra McDonald Talks GO BACK HOME Album & PBS Special, MARLENE DIETRICH'S ABC, Upcoming Projects & More
Donkey Kong Country Returns is Back and Optimized for Portable Play
BWW Blog: Leah Edwards - Practice. Perform. Repeat
BWW Reviews: Millepied, Wheeldon and Martins - A Mixed Bag for City Ballet
Jay Leno Hosts Magical Evening to Celebrate Partnership for Cancer Care