February 21, 2007

Maxine Maxwell to perform "Echoes of the Past" Saturday, Feb. 24

(St. Mary's City, MD) Feb. 20, 2006 - Maxine Maxwell, teacher and actor, performs "Echoes of the Past" on Saturday, February 24, at 8 p.m. in St. Mary's Hall on the campus of St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). The performance allows the audience to see the lives of black women throughout time. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Shaun Grahe at stgrahe@smcm.edu.

"Echoes of the Past" is a performance that shows the lives of five African American women who exude strength and courage. The performance allows the audience to see what it has been like to be a black woman over the last 150 years. Women spotlighted in this production include Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells and Elizabeth Eckford (one of the Little Rock Nine).

Megan Hickman, SMCM Programs Board Multicultural Chair, says "For someone of such a small stature, Maxine Maxwell, in her performance of 'Echoes of the Past,' has an enormous stage presence. This is by far the most emotionally driven performance I have seen in a long time. One minute she is bringing tears to my eyes, and before I know it one of Maxine's characters would has me laughing hysterically! A must-see performance!"

Maxine Maxwell is from St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts she began teaching theatre workshops and served as a producer in the New York area. Maxwell is currently on the roster of the New York Foundation for the Arts, Young Audiences, and Arts Connection in the New York area. She has been seen in productions of "Funnyhouse of A Negro," "The Trojan Woman Of Euripides," and the national tour of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide... When The Rainbow Is Enuf."

St. Mary's College of Maryland is ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Kiplinger's. With roots going back to 1840, SMCM is the state's only public honors college, offering the academic excellence of a top private college with the openness and affordability of public education.