AAPEX Presents BILLIE'S BLUES 3/19 (NYC) — Hershell Norwood , Juliette Fairley , Liliane Klein , Zeretha Jenkins — AAPEX

Friday, March 14, 2008

AAPEX Presents BILLIE'S BLUES 3/19 (NYC)

Below are the bios of the actors who will be reading

Hershell Norwood's

BILLIE'S BLUES TONIGHT

AT MAMA'S JAM

at the

Players Club

16 Gramercy Park South

at

1 pm on Wednesday, March 19.

The reading is free, so please join us!


Hershell Norwood (playwright) has an M.F.A in acting from Brandeis and is currently working to complete doctoral degree in history/theory and acting/directing from Texas Tech University. His interests feature playwriting and developing a Black Aesthetic Theory for theatre. He spent growing years in the metropolitan New York and New England areas and currently resides with his wife and grand children in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Thierry Saintine, (director) recipient of a BA in Theatre and Speech from City College, author of My Heart's Talking (book of poetry) which won him the Lowell Fellowship Award, Diamond Lovers (screenplay) and BitterSoul (stage play), Mr. Saintine is currently pre-producing Diamond Lovers which will begin production this summer under his newly founded Struglife Productions.


Juliette Fairley was discovered by Spike Lee in 2007 when she was hired to play a principal role in Mayor of New York (M.O.N.Y), a TV pilot commissioned by NBC in March 2007, produced by Tom Fontana with Barry Levinson (Oz, The Jury). Prior to booking her breakthrough role, Juliette hosted Cha Ching Money Makers, a tv show that aired on the Discovery Channel. She played a principal role in a re-enactment Segment for A&E TV's Watching the Detectives, airing in April 2008 and appears in a McDonald's TV commercial on Spanish television. Miss Fairley recently wrapped a lead role in the stage play Mulatto's Dilemma, which was a semi finalist in the 2008 Strawberry One Act Festival. View press clippings and her show reels at http://www.juliettefairley.info/ and at http://www.imdb.com/.



Ken Dashow (Jack Hearald) is a fish-monger from Brooklyn who has actually fooled people into letting him act, write, and direct His play, “The Wingding Doodle Club,” is in discussions for an Off-B’way run after its successful debut at the N.Y. Fringe Festival. Ken can be heard each afternoon, 4-8 PM, on Q104.3, “New York’s Classic Rock,” where he practices his day job of spinning mounds of sounds platters-that-matter. You can also find-out other junk about him at http://www.dashow.com/, and http://www.q1043.com/.


Zeretha Jenkins (Mama Sadie) Multi-talented as an actress, author/playwright and producer, Zeretha Jenkins has acted in TV, film and theatrical projects including: American Adoption, Who’s the Man, NYPD Blue, Law and Order, The Rape of Leila Meshki, Dancin’ on Moonlight; and various commercials/videos: Dove’s Fresh Take with Alicia Keys; I Apologize with Anita Baker; Pfizer; MasterCard. Her book, Walking By Faith: An Afro-American Trilogy, is a collection of dramatic works. Her plays -- Trial of the Race and Illusion in Blue, were presented at the prestigious National Black Theatre Festival. As producer, she currently has two projects in development. For more information, visit: http://www.walkingbyfaithonline.com/ and http://www.efs-enterprises.com/.


Jermaine Small (John Levy) is a proud Howard University alumnus, originally from Atlanta, Ga. He has performed in numerous productions, ranging from TopDog Underdog to Black Eagles. He would like to thank God, AAPEX, his family, and friends.


Liliane Klein (Katie Rose) NYC: Me and My Girl (McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Musicals Tonight!), I Wanna Be Rosie (La Mama, E.T.C.), The Greeks (MET, IMUA!), Narrative Intervention (Here, IMUA!), Do I Hear $5 (St. Clements). Regional: Fat Pig (Speakeasy, *Elliot Norton and IRNE Award Nominee), A Streetcar Named Desire (Foothills), Love's Labours Lost (CFS), Cyrano de Bergerac (CFS), As You Like It (CFS), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Ivoryton), Dido (001 Gallery, Scratch Theatre), Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Broadhollow,) Nunsense (Acting Up Theatre Co.). National Tours: Titanic (Candlewood), Scrooge (NYSO), Cyrano De Bergerac (NTAE), The Little Prince (NTPA), Tikki Tikki Tembo & Friends (StorySalad). Liliane plays Terry the Turtle on Kid Fitness (PBS). Recording: Stage Stars GYPSY (Mama Rose). Training: Boston University (BFA). Member: AEA, SAG, CFS, NJ Rep, The Players. http://www.angelfire.com/folk/lilianeklein -- www.myspace.com/lilianeklein

Arlene Love (Narrator) Among Arlene's many theatre credits: Nominated Best Actress in a Full Length Production off-off Broadway by Spotlight On for Lunch at Armageddon by Richard Lay. Appeared as a nun and as a prison inmate on One Life to Live and as the evil maid in the Nicole Kidman film,Fur. Studied with Anthony Vincent Bova. A proponent of The Eric Morris System. AEA SAG AFTRA.

Jimmy Gary Jr (Bobby Tucker) is a former NFL football player and Graduate of West Virginia University. He has appeared in "LAW & Order", "Rescue Me", "All My Children" and a number of independent films. He has just completed filming "A Long Road to Nowhere" a feature film that will make its way into the public eye in 2009. He is freelancing with agents Karen Goldberg & Associates and The Krasny Office.

T. Bankole. The last twelve years T. Bankole has been involved in producing and directing film, documentaries, and made for television projects. In 2000 Bankolé co-produced and acted as assistant director on a film entitled Conversation Piece with partial monies given by Miramax films, In 2002 Bankolé produced and directed a made for television pilot for Vh1 entitled Verses, which involved Wyclef John as a co-producer, He was also involved with a Japanese film production entitled Collogue of Our Lives which premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. He has also produced and directed a numerous amount of plays that he secured, and controlled funding for under the auspices of the New Federal Theater, ran by Woodie King Jr. Noted actor Armon Assante and Italian legend Marrio Fratti were involved with a production of his entitled Parallel Lives. He has had the opportunity to work with great names, from actors, such as Ruby Dee to Dave Chappell and Aretha Franklin to John Legend. Over the years Bankolé has built great relationships with music video directors, producers and industry insiders, he is associate producer for The national Black theatre c/o NFT, http://www.newfederaltheatre.org/.

We would love to thank our sponsors:


AAPEX (The African American Playwrights Exchange) was founded January 1, 2007 by dramaturg Jaz Dorsey to preserve, present & promote new works by African American playwrights and new works by any playwright which deepens our awareness of and connection to our African American heritage. Visit us at http://www.africanamericanplaywrightsexchange.blogspot.com/ AAPEX is a program of TRU (Theater Resources Unlimited).

S.O.A.P.I.F.F (Southern Appalachian International Film Festival), A film festival held in the majestic mountains of East Tennessee every October that celebrates the beauty and history of the Appalachian mountains. For more information go to http://www.soapiff.com/ and also on
www.myspace.com/soapiff or contact Mark Compton at 423-743-soap.

TRU (Theater Resources Unlimited) was organized in 1992 to provide information and a variety of entertainment-related services and resources that strengthen the capacity of producing organizations, individuals producers, self-producing artists and other theater professionals. TRU produces monthly seminars on a wide range of subjects important to theatrical producers and directors. In 1996, TRU served as the umbrella organization for a co-production by member companies as a part of the first annual NY Fringe Festival. The organization has expanded its production efforts by creating the TRU VOICES Annual New Plays and New Musicals Reading Series in which TRU underwrites developmental readings of new works. Shows developed through the series that have gone on to off-Broadway productions include The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Nor'mal, Pied a Terre and Taxi to Jannah. TRU is ciurrently the associate producer with Animated Theatreworks for Missives by Garret Jon Groenveld, a play from the 2006 TRU series that is opening March 20th at 59E59 Street Theaters.

Donations to this project are welcome and can be made by contacting Jaz Dorsey at jazmn47@aol.com.

Program provided by Ginna Bellamy 423-367-2584 www.myspace.com/themusicchic or at ginnabell2000@yahoo.com

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