Helen “Olaketi” Shute-Pettaway was bitten by the theatre bug as a child in Cleveland, Ohio. The love affair began there at Karamu House while taking classes in dance and acting. She received her professional training at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. In Nashville, she has worked with Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Mockingbird Theatre, Nashville Childrens Theatre, American Negro Playwright Theatre, and Amun­Ra among others. She is currently Theatre Director for The Village Cultural Arts Center. She also serves as Theatre Director for Healing Waters Productions. Some favorite Shakespearean roles include Olivia in The Tempest, Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Nurse in Romeo and Juliet. An important work, which is very special to her, is We Say of Ourselves, a two-woman project with Denice Hicks. Theatre is magic and is an absolute necessity in her life. She feels blessed to be able to share it with others.