UPCOMING & RECENT EVENTS
North Carolina Opera presents
Gershwin PORGY & BESS
April 14 and April 16, 2023
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Martin Marietta Center for Performing Arts
Conducted by James Meena, Directed by Dennis Robinson, Jr.
Welcome to Catfish Row, a neighborhood deep in the heart and the heat of Charleston. After a roll of the dice leaves the beautiful Bess
abandoned and alone, she finds acceptance and love in an unlikely source. Hope and happiness are high under the summer sun, but out on the horizon, a storm is brewing…
Featuring Nicole Cabell, Kenneth Overton, Victor Ryan Robertson, and Michelle Johnson
Performed in English with English supertitles. Company Premiere!
Carly will be singing the role of Lily in this production. Get tickets here!
This performance is a coproduction between NC Opera and Opera Carolina.
Listen to Tamara Kissane's THE NEW COLOSSUS streaming on your favorite podcast platforms!
"Anton Chekhov's roundelay of love, art, and misery in late-19th-century Russia is so resilient to interpretation that someone is always coming along to rough it up again...The six 20-minute episodes form a full-length drama, available at Apple Podcasts or the play's website. With original music by Skylar Gudasz, who just dropped her album Cinema, it features a great local cast, including Edith Snow, Carly P. Jones, and Susannah Hough.
It's a decidedly unhinged American version that makes free with the source material and contains (as the content warning says): "Explicit language, lust and sexual situations, gunfire, death, dysfunctional conversations, illness, bad theatre, anti-patriotism, drinking, and arm-wrestling."
Curated Conversations with The Black On Black Project
"On episode 11 of Curated Conversations we chat with the owner of Durham-based Empower Dance Studio Nicole Oxendine and artist, performer and arts administrator
Carly Prentis Jones about their career paths, how they use the arts to impact the community and how their respective organizations are pivoting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Watch the whole interview here at The Black on Black Project!
"The Bulldog Ensemble Theater production of Howard Craft’s Orange Light delivers not only an emotional tribute to the people who perished in the 1991 Imperial Foods fire in Hamlet, North Carolina but also a piercing indictment of how the aftermath was handled by those who had the power to affect change."
Read more of the review from RDU on Stage: "Carly P. Jones also delivers a heartbreaking performance as Wilma’s best friend, Laverne. And although not a musical, both Jones and Schafer are impressive vocally in their poignant, soulful solo numbers."
Check out the in-depth IndyWeek article about this powerful work by Howard Craft. More to come about future developments!
Listen to the NPR, WUNC interview about Orange Light: "Bulldog Ensemble Theater is the home of “Orange Light,” a new fictional play inspired by the 1991 tragedy by poet and playwright Howard L. Craft. The production features music — but is not a musical — movement, drama and an all-female cast. Seven actresses portray 20 different roles on stage.
Craft commissioned recording artist and singer/songwriter Rissi Palmer to create original songs for “Orange Light.” Host Frank Stasio learns more about this production in a conversation with Craft, Palmer, and two featured actresses: Carly Prentis Jones and Lakeisha Coffey. These artists talk about the collaborative effort behind this production and about why this nearly 30-year-old tragedy is still very relevant today."
I love being a part of telling stories that are to create change, to give a voice to the voiceless. And that is exactly what Howard does through this play. - Carly Prentis Jones
North Carolina Theatre presents: IN THE HEIGHTS
Directed by Michael Balderrama
October 16-22nd, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
Carly has been cast as "Camila Rosario" in this incredible show. Learn more here about the full cast!
Background: This was the first successful musical that Lin Manuel Miranda wrote before his success with Hamilton. “In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.”
Hear more about Camila Rosario and the show in Carly's interview with Triangle Arts & Entertainment!
TICKETS:
More information about the show and tickets can be found on North Carolina Theatre's website.
I was a guest on an episode of the podcast Hustle Over Entitlement. The podcast features the stories of trailblazers and risk takers. Take a listen on the Hustle Over Entitlement site or on: iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play
Thank you to hosts, Gabriella and Camille, for inviting me to be a part of this inspiring podcast! Check out what they have to say about this episode here:
About Carly Prentis Jones
Carly Prentis Jones is a theatre artist, singer, arts advocate, and cultural activist dedicated to elevating social consciousness through the arts. A proud Raleigh native, she has graced stages across the region, showcasing her versatility in opera, musical theatre, and both classic and contemporary works. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Black Music History, along with a minor in Arts Management from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Beyond the stage, Carly is the President + CEO of Artspace in Raleigh, NC, a nonprofit visual arts organization committed to inspiring positive community impact through art. Artspace provides vital resources to artists, including studio space, artist residencies, and exhibition opportunities, while ensuring the broader community has access to year-round exhibitions and arts education for all ages.
Carly has had an extensive career in arts administration, including serving as the Senior Director for Artists and Organizations at the North Carolina Arts Council, where she supported artists and nonprofit arts organizations across the state. She has also worked with numerous arts organizations throughout the Triangle and serves on the governing board of Arts North Carolina, the state’s leading arts advocacy organization.
Carly’s passion for creativity and justice extends into large-scale social movements. She has collaborated with the NC National Organization for Women, The Black on Black Project, Bull City Black Theatre Festival, The Justice Theater Project, Artists United, Voices for Justice, and numerous other advocacy and arts organizations. She played a key role as a Steering + Planning Committee member and emcee for the Women's March on Raleigh and **Co-Directed the New Leaders Council of NC from 2018-2020, a progressive leadership fellowship.
At the heart of Carly’s work is the belief that art and social justice are powerful forces for change. She thrives at the intersection of these two passions, using the arts to amplify diverse perspectives, foster empathy, and bridge divides across communities.