[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Janora McDuffie’s solo show, Earth, Wind & Car Fire, directed by Joseph Megel and produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson, heads to the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025.
About Earth, Wind & Car Fire
In Earth, Wind & Car Fire, Janora McDuffie takes us on a captivating journey of self-discovery and transformation. From embracing her sexuality and navigating the complexities of race to redefining personal expectations, this 60-minute solo show is a celebration of life’s twists, turns, and triumphs. Come with Janora on this entertaining and soulful joyride and oversharing adventure.
The Earth, Wind & Car Fire Team
Janora McDuffie is an actress, voiceover artist, speaker and host who brings authenticity and heart to every stage. Whether on screen, behind the mic, or in front of a live audience, she has built a dynamic and multifaceted career in entertainment.
Janora has appeared in hit television shows including NCIS, This Is Us, Truth Be Told, and Grey’s Anatomy. Her voice has been featured in popular video games, ad campaigns and most notably, around the world as the Live Announcer for the 94th Academy Awards.
As a host, her most meaningful work was No More Down Low TV, an award-winning web series amplifying the voices of out and proud LGBTQ+ people of color. Her passion for storytelling and advocacy extends to the podium where she has delivered multiple keynotes—including UNC-Chapel Hill’s 2023 Lavender Graduation as well as a TEDx talk.
Janora first performed Earth, Wind and Car Fire as a staged reading for the 25th Anniversary Black Queer Conference in April 2025. She is honored to continue this in-progress work, celebrating the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and art—bringing her voice, her story, and her full self to the stage.
Learn More at janoramcduffie.com
Joseph Megel is artist in residence in Performance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he directs The Process Series: New Works in Development. Mr. Megel has spent the last 25 years focusing on the direction and development of new works for theatre and film. He is co-artistic director of StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance, Associate artistic director of the Teatro Latino/a Series, and continues to serve as co-executive director of Harland’s Creek Productions, producer of premieres of new plays, developmental producer of screenplays and readings and producer of short films. Previously, he served as artistic director of Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and Theatre of N.O.T.E. and Words Across Cultures in Los Angeles.
Director, Developer, Jessica Lynn Johnson is a published playwright, recipient of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST AWARD, Advisory Board Member of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, co-executive producer of the Joshua Tree Solo Theatre Festival, and founder and CEO of Soaring Solo Studios International. Jessica has aided in the development, direction and producing of over 175 solo shows (and still going strong)! As a performer, Jessica has “edu-tained” international audiences touring her own one-person shows ZE and OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE for over 15 years. Jessica’s projects have taken home awards such as TOP OF FRINGE, HFF ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, TVOLUTION BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE, LARRY CORNWALL AWARD FOR MUSICAL EXCELLENCE and several other accolades! Jessica was also awarded the LAWTF Rainbow Award in 2024 and was nominated for the Female Director of Distinction in Theatre by Girl Trip LLC at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival and Best Director of a Play by Broadway World 2023. http://www.SoaringSoloStudios.com
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