Arden Cabaret Series to Welcome Joilet Harris

Arden Cabaret Series, in its inaugural season at the Arden Theatre Company, presents vocalist, actress and multifaceted entertainer Joilet Harris. Her cabaret, FROM ME TO YOU WITH LOVE is on stage Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13, 2016, at 8pm in the Arden's 100-seat Studio Theatre at the Hamilton Family Arts Center, 62 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

Joilet Harris is a Philadelphia treasure. At the Arden, her searing portrait of Lena Younger in the Arden's production of A Raisin in the Sun and her Barrymore award-winning turn as Caroline Thibodeaux in Caroline, or Change rank among the great performances in our company's history. Throughout her 30 year career, Joilet consistently proves that she is a powerful and dynamic presence on stage as well as on television, with roles on The Wire, Do No Harm and Law & Order: SVU. Joilet has also toured the world as a vocalist, most recently playing Ella Fitzgerald in Ella, The Ella Fitzgerald Story. She has appeared on many Philadelphia stages including the Walnut Street Theatre, Act 2 Playhouse, People's Light and Theatre Company and Delaware Theatre Company. She most recently starred as Gloria in the Broadway-bound Because of Winn Dixie and has also appeared as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business... and in Ain't Misbehavin' and It Ain't Nothin But the Blues. In addition to her many talents, Harris is a founding and former board member of The Philadelphia Black Theatre Festival, and is an active member of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church where she serves as a soloist choir member and assistant choir director.

FROM ME TO YOU WITH LOVE features love-themed songs from the 1920's to today and is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Songs include an eclectic mix - from 1920's flapper songs to today's Jill Scott and Adele. Half ballads and half not, artists and songs like Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and Etta James's At Last will be featured. Harris says the Natalie Cole songs will honor the late singer, who died last month.

Harris enjoys getting inspiration from her audience members during cabaret performances in the form of audience participation. During FROM ME TO YOU WITH LOVE, Harris will ask audience members to read quotes about love that they are given as they enter the space. The quotes will help guide her song selection and the order they are sung. She may even ask an audience member to sing a duet with her.