FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 13, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 75
Cambria Heights playwright lays
groundwork for after-school nonprofi t
BY NAEISHA ROSE
nrose@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Cambria Heights’ native, Dara Bragg,
a playwright, director and producer will
be combining her arts seminar and arts
award, Success in the Arts and Success in
the Arts Awards, into a non-profi t.
Her goal is to open the Success in the
Arts aft er-school program in 2021, according
to the playwright and director whose
work spans 20 years and includes over 100
plays through four production companies.
“I want to have my own performing arts
aft er-school program,” said Bragg. “I want
to bring Off -Broadway to Queens.”
In 2011, she created Success in the Arts,
a roundtable where established entertainers
like Kim Wayans of “In Living Color”
and Kiki Haynes of “Tyler Perry’s For
Better or Worse” fame share their knowledge
of Hollywood with up-and-coming
artists, according to the director.
“I just wanted to bring in some entertainment
insiders and even celebrities to
talk to them about their success and let
them know it wasn’t an overnight success,”
said Bragg. “It’s not like these reality
shows where people get instant fame.
Th ese people have gone through blood,
sweat and tears to get to where they were.”
Other panelists for her sessions included
A&R executive Conrad Dimanche of
rapper Sean “P. Diddy “ Combs’ Bad Boy
Records, Julito McCullum of the “Wire”
and Lawrence Saint-Victor of “Th e Bold
and the Beautiful” and “Guiding Light.”
“Everybody that I had there would come
off the panel and interact with the people,”
said Bragg. “Th at’s what I wanted to
see because some celebrities are not like
that. Not every celebrity has a great rapport
with people, sometimes they can be
standoffi sh.”
In 2017, Bragg introduced the Success
in the Arts Awards to recognize unsung
independent artists.
“Th e award show is to highlight and
honor these independent artists who have
talent and they haven’t really been appreciated,”
said Bragg. “Th ey might not getting
an Oscar, or a BET Award or a
Golden Globes award, but they are getting
a SITA Award.”
Bragg has plans for another seminar in
late January and her third awards showcase
in late September.
Through her production companies
Babb Filmworks & Theatrical
Productions, Lady B. Productions,
Deekyshaeel Entertainment, and Destined
Creativity Productions, she has staged several
plays and intends to restage her 2016
hit play “Why Me??” with the backing of
Councilman Donovan Richards in Far
Rockaway in February 2019.
She also plans on restaging “A
Woman’s Worth” in mid-March and
“DELIVERANCE” in late play, and introducing
the new play “So…Addicted” in
late April, with exact times, dates and
locations to be announced in the upcoming
weeks.
What Bragg is most looking forward for
is getting her non-profi t off the ground.
“It’s going to have all the diff erent performing
arts,” said Bragg. “Singing, dancing,
acting, all of that is going to be a part
of it.”
Photo courtesy of Dara Bragg
buzz
link
