"Love Defined" by Gale Whiting

"Love Defined" by Gale Whiting
Fri, Aug 08, 7pm
Sat, Aug 09, 7pm
Sun, Aug 10, 2pm

Cité des Arts (109 Vine St., Lafayette, LA)

Lafayette artist Gale Whiting brings four iconic African American singers—Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan—to life in her original play, Love Defined.

CAST/CREW
Gale Whiting – Bille, Ella, Dinah, Sarah
Josiah Price - Narrator
Gina Baronne – Director

Ticket Available at:
https://www.citedesarts.org/events/love-defined-by-gale-whiting-2025-08-08-19-00

Lafayette artist Gale Whiting brings four iconic African American singers—Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan—to life in her original play, Love Defined. The play will debut August 8-10, 2025, at Cité des Arts, offering a unique, heartfelt tribute to the legendary artists and their contributions to music across genres. Written and produced by Lafayette Artist Gale Whiting, Love Defined is a one-woman show that celebrates the timeless legacy of these artists. Through her portrayal of each of them, Whiting honors their musical gifts and their groundbreaking impact on jazz, blues, pop, and swing music through the decades.
“I consider them timeless and iconic because they broke color barriers,” says Whiting, who performs under the stage name of Gale Leslie. “Moreover, they transformed their respective eras, infusing jazz, blues, pop, and swing.”
Whiting plays all four singers, with each representing a different facet of love. Holiday is portrayed as “love desired,” Fitzgerald as “love enamored,” Washington as “love inspired,” and Vaughan as “love required.” According to Whiting, these portrayals exemplify the title of the play, highlighting the complex and diverse expressions of love.
“We will take the audience back in time,” Whiting says. “The songs, the poetic portrayals of these performers, and their beauty will fill the audience with joy and an appreciation of this art form.”
Whiting’s creative career has spanned more than five decades, beginning with her passion for music. She is a singer, writer, playwright, songwriter, poet, and actress, having served in choirs for 30 years. Her love for singing, her first and favorite artistic expression, has always been at the core of her work.
“I grew up listening to various genres of music. These phenomenal women sang such beautiful songs. I knew that I needed to tell their stories,” Whiting says. “This journey was a labor of love for me.”

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