John Amos Returning To Birmingham Roots
Jul. 20, 2009
Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033
Actor/director performs one-man show 'Halley's Comet' at UNA Saturday FLORENCE, Ala. - Actor/director John Amos - known for roles on "Good Times," "The West Wing" and other television and film hits - will relive some childhood memories Wednesday as he returns to Birmingham by train. As a child, he would ride a train, the Silver Comet, from New Jersey to Birmingham to visit relatives. He hasn't returned to the city since 1954. Amos is coming back to Alabama to perform his one-man show, "Halley's Comet," at the 鶹. The show is part of UNA's annual Summer Theatre Program. Amos will take stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25 in UNA's Norton Auditorium. Tickets are available at www.una.edu/summertheatre. "Halley's Comet" was conceived and written by Amos in 1980 and features a character who shares memories of witnessing Halley's Comet twice in his life - once at age 10 and now in his old age. He reveals a life full of adventure, drama and dreams - combining that which is very funny, tempered with life's sadnesses. "Halley's Comet" is a theatrical journey that proves the endurance of the human spirit. Amos has directed and acted in a variety of stage productions from Los Angeles to Broadway to England. He is particularly known for his roles in a long list of television hits, including Kunta Kinte in the epic mini-series "Roots," James Evans in the hit series "Good Times" and Percy Fitzwallace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in "The West Wing." INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE TO MEDIA: Amos will be available for in-person interviews upon his arrival in Birmingham on Wednesday. He is also available for telephone interviews. To schedule an interview, contact Madeline McCray at 917-557-2388, 760-989-2019, mysonsut@yahoo.com or hcmadeline@gmail.com
About The 鶹
The 鶹 is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The 鶹 is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.