ENGLEWOOD — Poet Harold Green is out to inspire and spread love, he said, which will happen at his first “Flowers for the Living Holiday Show” Saturday.
“The whole basis behind ‘Flowers for the Living’ is to be able to spread love and positive energy to those still living,” the Englewood native said.
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Some may remember him as the spoken word artist who performed for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s swearing-in ceremony in 2015. He said he’s been performing and putting on large-scale productions since his days as a college student at Grambling State University in Louisiana, a part of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities circle.
Green’s latest production will take place at the Promontory in Hyde Park at 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $15, or $25 for a VIP package. The show will run until 11 p.m., and doors open at 8:30 p.m.
The event is a toy and coat drive, with the goal of collecting at least 100 coats and 100 toys. Green has partnered with eight organizations and shelters to help distribute the items this year. Attendees are encouraged to bring a toy or coat to the event.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger is hosting. For tickets visit www.promontorychicago.com.
“I’m excited to have him on board,” Green said. “He’s a good friend of mine and I love his bravery and his work in the community.”
The event will bring together a choir, African dancers, tap dancers, live painters and more. With Green being the creator of the show, he will of course perform his poetry, but with a twist, he said.
Harold Green will hold his “Flowers for the Living Holiday Show" Saturday. [Photo provided by Harold Green]
“What will end up happening is the singers will sing some of my favorite holiday songs, infused with my original poetry,” Green said.
“Flowers for the Living” started as a YouTube series for Green, but then he started doing live performances at the Promontory a year ago, he said.
“The response and the demand has grown so much,” he said, adding that they’re averaging 500 guests per show with people traveling from places like Ohio, Atlanta and Texas to see him.
Since performing at Emanuel’s inauguration ceremony last year, Green said more people have reached out to him about speaking engagements and performances.
“I love doing schools, I love traveling to colleges and I do corporate events, just different things,” he said. “There has been a lot of forward motion so I’m excited about things on the horizon.”
He said he has been passionate about production since college. Because he’s a natural leader, the shows allow him to put people in positions to excel, he said.
People always leave his “Flowers for the Living” show inspired and ready to spread love, Green said.
“I’m creating love bombs to go out into this world and blow up and that’s huge,” he said. “As an artist that’s so needed. To know that’s working and people leave the show affected, then go out and affect others, that’s a huge deal.”
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