WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

My Person of the Week is a strong, intelligent and successful woman. She’s an entrepreneur, playwright, screenwriter, author, director, poet, humanitarian, and producer. Most importantly, she’s a God-fearing woman. 

She’s also made history as the first playwright to receive a residency at the historic Hudson Theatre in California – something playwrights dream of. Every Monday for the next eight months, she’s allowed to showcase her productions at the historic theatre, something that’s never been done before. What a success story for one of Winston-Salem’s own. 

But, like most of us, she made some bad choices on her journey to becoming successful and a serious woman of God. She wasn’t ashamed to share one of those bad choices. “I dated a drug dealer,” she said. I immediately asked if she knew in advance that he was a drug dealer and she replied, “Yes! I knew he was dealing drugs, but I was an entirely different woman then than I am now. I didn’t know the things I know now, and I wasn’t as spiritually in touch as I am now. I made a lot of the same mistakes that many women do,” she said. She didn’t make any excuses for her past. “It all made me who I am today.” During our interview, I met a woman who has an uncompromising relationship with God. 

Peachanda DuBose is a retired hairstylist. She had a very successful salon and produced some of the most talked about fashion shows in Winston-Salem, shows that could easily give New York Fashion Week some serious competition. After 20 years, Peachanda lost her passion to be a hairstylist, but her passion for writing and stage production remained. 

In 2007, she released her first volume of poetry entitled, “Reflections of Me.” DuBose said that she always admired film and stage director Tyler Perry because of his tenacity. Early in Perry’s career, he sold DVDs out of the trunk of his car. DuBose had that same determination, so she self-distributed “Reflections” independently in North Carolina. In 2009, she wrote her first play called “Surrender.” She tapped into her past relationship with a drug dealer and used it as inspiration. The play was about a former drug dealer and his road to redemption. “Most of my plays are spiritually based and inspiring. It’s always about everyday life and situations we all go through,” she said. 

With the success of “Surrender,” Peachanda found her true passion. She’s written, directed and self-produced over 15 productions, including the award winning “Ferguson, the Musical.” In 2018, it was nominated for three NAACP Theatre Awards and won Best Choreography. “Ferguson” starred 70’s and 80’s TV and movie star Ernest Harden Jr. Harden played the character Marcus on the hit TV show “The Jeffersons,” in seasons 3 and 4. He also had a role in the blockbuster movie “White Men Can’t Jump,” which starred Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. “Ferguson” won two Stiletto Awards and Best Playwright and Best Musical from the National Association of Women in the Arts. Peachanda said “Ferguson” was inspired by all of the black people who were unjustifiably killed by law enforcement. “I want to keep Ferguson alive to continue the awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement.” Peachanda is the winner of 17 awards for her writing and nominated for 16. 

DuBose gives back to her peers as well, with The Peach Theatre Awards Cruise. It’s an international annual cruise honoring her peers in various areas in entertainment. Because of that, she was honored with the NAACP Image Award, Hometown Champion, for outstanding community service. She also honors the actors in her own productions with The Mayan Industry Awards and her annual Pioneer Awards honors unsung celebrities who have paved the way in the entertainment industry. The 2019 recipients of Peachanda’s Pioneer Award are the 80’s and 90’s iconic group Full Force. The group is known for hits such as “Unfaithful,” “Ain’t My Type of Hype,” “Alice” and more. They also wrote and produced the 80’s and 90’s hits, “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “All Cried Out” and “Head To Toe” by Lisa Lisa and The Cult Jam, and appeared in the hit movie “House Party.” 

She said Winston-Salem has been extremely good to her. “It’s where it all began. But for me to get to the next level, I knew moving to Los Angeles would give me better writing opportunities,” she said. The move to Los Angeles has definitely paid off for the entrepreneur, playwright, screenwriter, author, director, poet, humanitarian, and producer. 

My Person of the Week, Peachanda DuBose, is a true Renaissance woman. For tickets and info on Peachanda’s “Residency,” beginning Jan. 6, go to: Mayan.ticketbud.com/Residency. You can also find her on Facebook @Peachanda DuBose, IG 2peachandadubose and peachandawrites@gmail.com.