Ralonda Simmons is shown at Off-Center’s season-opening launch party in September, where audiences got a first taste of “How I Got Over: Journeys in Verse” – five celebrated slam poets weaving an interconnected story about womanhood, self-discovery and adversity. Photo by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter. Photo by Nicholas Renaud.

MEET RALONDA SIMMONS
How I Got Over: Journeys in Verse

• Hometown: Inland Empire, Calif. (presently living near Denver)
• Fun fact about you: I’ve lived in four states; I’ve also studied abroad in Ghana while earning my bachelor’s degree.
• A favorite quote:
  “I like to keep my cake and it eat it, too
  but I’m the one who baked it.
  So who the f— are you?”
  – Jenee Elise
• Why is the voice of the female poet important in today’s society?
  The female voice, especially those who belong to women of color, is often marginalized. By using our voices, we can have a hand in breaking the things that have tried and failed to break us. By using our voices, we inspire other women to do the same. That’s why I do what I do.
• How does it feel to perform your own writing in front of a live audience?
  Very nerve-wracking, but people who interact with us being in the audience goes a long way. Someone usually reacts verbally, which feeds my performance because of the commonality.
• What do you hope audiences take away from How I Got Over … ? I want them to know that they have all they need to succeed and thrive is already in their possession and not to let anyone tell them differently.
• Describe How I Got Over in two sentences: It is a labor of love that pulls from ancestral and present-day wisdom. It is a celebration of survival for those who’ve come before and those who will come after us
• How would you encourage people to see this show? Come to this show, and get your spirit fed.
• What was your favorite part of developing this show? I love how my words work with those of my castmates to weave a common human thread that can touch our audience. I love the idea of an audience member hearing our words and using them to find what gets them over and past their own pains. I love the idea that our words can heal.

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

How I Got Over: Journeys in Verse: Ticket Information

• Remaining performances: 8 p.m. Friday, March 25; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26
• Tickets: 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
• Also: Purchase in person at The Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex lobby.

Previous coverage of How I Got Over: Journeys in Verse
​Suzi Q. Smith: Opening doors that had been slammed shut
Bianca Mikahn: ‘Enthralled with all the power that is woman’

Previous 2015-16 ‘Meet the Cast’ profiles
Meet Adeoye of Lookingglass Alice and All the Way
Meet Kevin Berntson of The Nest
Meet J. Paul Boehmer of As You Like It
Meet Molly Brennan of Lookingglass Alice
Meet Courtney Capek of A Christmas Carol
Meet Todd Cerveris of All the Way
Meet Brian D. Coats of The Nest
Meet Tad Cooley of Tribes
Meet Paul DeBoy of All the Way
Meet Allen Dorsey of A Christmas Carol
Meet Kevin Douglas of Lookingglass Alice
Meet Napoleon M. Douglas of A Christmas Carol
Meet Brian Dykstra of The Nest
Meet Isabel Ellison of Tribes
Meet Mariana Fernandez of FADE
Meet Kate Finch of Tribes
Meet Ella Galaty of A Christmas Carol
Meet Mike Hartman of All the Way
Meet Ben Heil of A Christmas Carol
Meet Carolyn Holding of As You Like It
Meet Drew Horwitz of As You Like It
Meet Maurice Jones of As You Like It
Meet Geoffrey Kent of As You Like It and All the Way
Meet Emily Kron of As You Like It
Meet Nick LaMedica of As You Like It
Meet Victoria Mack of The Nest
Meet Andrew Pastides of Tribes
Meet Shannan Steele of A Christmas Carol
Meet Carly Street of The Nest
Meet Samuel Taylor of Lookingglass Alice
Meet Lindsey Noel Whiting of Lookingglass Alice
Meet Jake Williamson  of A Christmas Carol
Meet Matt Zambrano of As You Like It