Recap – Dessert & Wine Screening of Men Always Leave at Royal Cheesecake & Varieties

I had the opportunity to attend a special night of Dessert & Wine with a Preview Screening of Men Always Leave-Limited Series hosted by Royal Cheesecakes and Varieties Bakery in Brier Creek Commons.  The event included light hors d’oeuvres including meatballs, veggies, popcorn, wine, Strawberry Dream Cupcakes and the famous Chicken & Waffle Cheesecake.  As always Ken & Tamara, RCV owners and chefs, delighted us with their dessert features and hospitality.  If you have not stopped by RCV’s new location, check them out!  They have a wide assortment of desserts including my favorite, the Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake.

After enjoying the light bites prepared by Ken and Tamara, Naima Yetunde Ince-Griffiths passionately performed the poem that inspired the 13-episode series, Men Always Leave.  It was admirable to see how Naima not only successfully managed to develop the poem into a one-act stage play but also create the limited series, in which she also acts and directs.  In a country where we constantly hear how we have a shortage of women directors, it was an honor to meet Naima and see the fruits of her creativity and labor as a poet, playwright and director, a true triple-threat.

After Naima’s spoken performance, the main event commenced and included a preview screening of Men Always Leave, a limited series and collaboration by N.Y.I Productions with QHFILMS and Cammel’s Photography.  The pilot episode features a young woman harboring an unspeakable secret.  Her first love is also keeping secrets of his own which becomes a threat to their future.  To see the episode, visit Men Always Leave Pilot Episode 1 – Maya’s Secret.

I will not give you any more details of the episode because you have to watch it.  The one episode left me in suspense, so I am patiently awaiting the remaining episodes.  It was eye-opening to see the amount of intense labor that it took N.Y.I Productions, Cammel’s Photography, and QHFILMS to realize the production.  I have great admiration for Naima, the actors and other collaborators who collectively worked to bring this project into fruition.

After the preview, Naima, Cammels Williams Hurse, Quentin J. Hammonds and actor Joshua Henderson had a question and answer session with the audience.  Beginning in February, Naima will launch webisodes entitled “NYISPEAKS” where she will share her process as a writer, director and will also document her steps as she writes a new stage play.  Stay tuned for many great things to come from this group of talented individuals.  I encourage you to view the pilot on YouTube, here,and witness the local talent that we have in North Carolina!