Alex Morris (Doaker) With ANW:(Resident Artist) Peter Quince, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Soaphead Church/Daddy, The Bluest Eye; Ben Jonson/Barman, The Book of Will; Joseph Barlow, Radio Golf; Eli, Gem of The Ocean. Other Theatres: Matrix Theater: Two Trains Running and All My Sons. Other roles: Entire August Wilson canon; Hoke, Driving Miss Daisy; Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra; T-Bone, T-Bone and Weasel; Lucien P. Smith, Boys Next Door; among many others. Film/TV: Carl Webber’s The Family Business, Abbott Elementary, Baskets, Malcolm in the Middle, Magnum P.I., Wishbone, Powder, Blind Fury, Sunrise in Heaven, and many more. Awards: 5-time NAACP Theater Award winner as an actor, producer, and director. Ovation Award winner. Special thanks to my extraordinary wife and partner of 28 years, Vanessa, and to Kamilah Alex Jr. and Alex III for their love and support.
Kai A. Ealy (Boy Willie)With ANW: Kai is ecstatic for his debut with ANW! Other Theatres: He recently moved to LA from Chicago, where he worked at The Court Theatre (The Island, Oedipus Rex, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn’s The Adventures of Augie March, and Gospel at Colonus, which toured to The Getty Center LA), The Goodman Theatre (Toni Stone), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Schiller’s Mary Stuart), TimeLine Theatre (Kill Move Paradise & Cardboard Piano), eta Creative Arts (Migration), Steppenwolf Theatre (True West), Pegasus Theatre Chicago’s 30th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, and UCCS TheatreWorks (A Raisin in the Sun). Film/TV: Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, 61st Street, The 4400, Ordinary Joe. Represented by DPN Talent (Commercial), DDO LA (TV/Film), and WE GROUP Talent NY (Management).
Evan Lewis Smith (Lymon) With ANW: Idmon, Argonautika; Citizen Barlow, Gem of the Ocean; Othello u/s, Othello. Other Theatres: Wynn, Blacktop Sky; Aaron, Titus Andronicus; Oberon, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Bertram, All’s Well that Ends Well; Proteus, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Othello, Othello; Macduff, Macbeth; Adam Canning, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. Education/Training: MFA in Acting, University of Southern California.
Nija Okoro (Berniece) With ANW: Nija is thrilled to make her ANW debut. Other Theatres: Blues for an Alabama Sky, directed by Phylicia Rashad (Mark Taper Forum), the National Broadway Tour of Jitney directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Mark Taper Forum), The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew López (Geffen Playhouse), Zoey’s Perfect Wedding by Matthew López (Denver Center), Two Trains Running (Matrix Theatre), An Octoroon (Chautauqua), Bossa Nova (Sundance Theatre Lab), and The Mountaintop (Cape May Stage). Film/TV: 911 Lone Star, The Deuce, Animal Kingdom, Hail Mary, Southland, ER, Insecure, Start Up, and Monday Mornings, Hollywood Stargirl, The Stay, Rebroken, and The Black Emperor of Broadway. Nija has received five LA Drama Circle Awards and an Ovation Award, among others. Education/Training: Juilliard.
Madison Keffer (Maretha) With ANW: King Lear, King Lear (Summer with Shakespeare). Other Theatres: Juror #8, Incompetent Jurors; Myself, The Circumstances Given. Film/TV: Sophie, Unread Truths. Education/Training: California School of the Arts SGV, Summer With Shakespeare at A Noise Within.
Jernard Burks (Avery) With ANW: Debut. Other Theatres: Off Broadway: Panche, Orestes. Regional Theatre: Oedipus, Fences, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Film/TV: The Hangover, Dolemite Is My Name, Four Brothers, Starsky & Hutch, Imperial Dreams, Devil in a Blue Dress, Preacher’s Wife, and many others. Jernard can be seen this fall in How to Die Alone and Matlock. Education/Training: Graduate of Kansas Wesleyan University, Studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts NYC, Upright Citizens Brigade.
Gerald C. Rivers(Wining Boy) With ANW: Gerald C. Rivers is excited to be making his return to the ANW Stage after a wonderful run with King Hedley II. Other Theatres: Gerald is a classically trained Shakespearean actor with a decades-long history at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. He has worked with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, The Academy Theatre, Jomandi, The Hippodrome, Tony Plana’s East LA Classic Theatre, Gary Marshall’s Falcon Theatre, and he was recently invited to perform at the International Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem. He is also an incredible Voice Over Artist, voicing popular classic video games like M. Bison in Street Fighter, Jax in Mortal Kombat, EXdeath in Final Fantasy and dozens more. He is best known as the Voice of MLK. A master West African drummer who loves working with kids. He is grateful for this opportunity. Peace.
LeShay Tomlinson Boyce(Grace) With ANW: Debut. Other Theatres: This Land, Company of Angels Theater Company, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (U/S), Mark Taper Forum. Hellcab and Seven Redneck Cheerleaders, Elephant Theater Company. This Land, Mark Taper Forum Workshop. LeShay was nominated for the NAACP Theater Award for Best Supporting Actress in the play Insurrection Holding History by Robert O’Hara. On the Chicago stage, LeShay originated the role of Lenora in Knock Me a Kiss at the Victory Gardens Theater. She also won the Black Theater Alliance Award for “Best Featured Actress” for this production. Film/TV: Recurring roles on From Scratch (Netflix), Truth Be Told (Apple TV), House of Payne, Shook (Disney), S.W.A.T. (CBS), Bosch (Amazon), All Rise (OWN), Insecure (HBO), Doubt (CBS), and the video HipHopera Trapped in the Closet. IG: @leshaytboyce.
Gregg T. Daniel (Director) With ANW: Director, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, Radio Golf, Seven Guitars, and Gem of the Ocean. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Other Theatres: West Coast revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s TWILIGHT: Los Angeles, 1992 at The Mark Taper Forum. Denver Center for the Performing Arts, world premiere of Beaufield Berry’s In The Upper Room. Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill and Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop at Garry Marshall Theatre. West Coast premieres of Mfoniso Udofia’s Her Portmanteau at Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm’s Br’er Cotton for Lower Depth Theatre. Rogue Machine Theatre, francisca da silveira’s Can I Touch It, Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs, and L.A. premiere of Greg Kalleres’ Honky. Revival of Alice Childress’ Wedding Band, A Love/Hate Story for Antaeus Theatre Company. Gregg is a Founding Member/Artistic Director of Lower Depth Theatre. https://www.lower-depth.com/
Tesshi Nakagawa (Set Designer) With ANW: Set Design, Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Other Theatres: Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Tesshi Nakagawa has established a distinguished career as a Scenic Designer/Art Director in the Theater, Film, and Commercial industries. His theatrical designs have been featured at numerous prestigious venues across the Los Angeles area, including Pasadena Playhouse, Boston Court Performing Arts Center, South Coast Repertory, Lewis Family Playhouse, Sierra Madre Playhouse, East West Players, Antaeus Theater Company, Los Angeles Theater Center, and International City Theater. He is currently an adjunct professor at East Los Angeles College. Graduate of UCLA. For more information, visit www.tesshi.com.
Alethia R. Moore-Del Monaco (Costume Designer) With ANW: Stitcher: Sweeney Todd, King Hedley II, Misalliance, and The Skin of Our Teeth. Other Theatres: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Center Theatre Group, Pacific Symphony Opera, Arizona Opera, Creede Repertory, Coho Theatre, Marshall Theatre, Shakespeare Orange County, Kapow Entertainment, ABC Studios (General Hospital), and Norwegian Cruise Line. Education/Training: MFA in Costume Design at University of California, Irvine. BA in Costume Design at Southern Oregon University.
Brandon Baruch(Lighting Designer) With ANW: Lighting Design, King Hedley II, Radio Golf. Other Theatres: Brandon is an Ovation Award-winning lighting designer specializing in theater, opera, dance, and immersive performance. His design work has been seen at Center Theatre Group (Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre), The Wallis, El Portal Theatre, REDCAT, The Ford Amphitheatre, Getty Villa, 5 Star Theatricals, Musical Theatre West, Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Chicago Opera Theater, Apollo Theater Chicago, New York City Center, Jerry Orbach Theater, and across Southern California, regionally, internationally, and off-Broadway. Brandon frequently collaborates with interdisciplinary artist Derek Fordjour to design commissioned theater pieces which accompany Fordjour’s gallery installations. Brandon also designs Liquid Light Flight, an annual, sustainable, solar-powered trapeze and aerial arts festival at Wild Arts Collective in New Paltz, NY. www.brandonbaruch.com
Jeff Gardner (Sound Designer) With ANW: Sound Design: King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, The Bluest Eye, Radio Golf, Anna in The Tropics, Seven Guitars, The Winter’s Tale, Buried Child, Noises Off, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Raisin in the Sun, The Madwoman of Chaillot; Ensemble in The Tempest ‘93. Other Theatres: Inherit The Wind and The Sound Inside for Pasadena Playhouse; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe for the Mark Taper Forum. He has designed and performed throughout the country, including Williamstown Theatre Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Baltimore Center Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre D.C., The Studio Theatre, Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Geffen Playhouse, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, and Antaeus Theatre Company, as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. jeffthomasgardner.net
Stephen Taylor (Properties Designer) With ANW: Much Ado About Nothing, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Book of Will, The Bluest Eye, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sweeney Todd, King Hedley II, Misalliance. Other Theatres: Stephen is a member of the House Theatre of Chicago, where he has been both an actor and a playwright. He has also worked at Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and the Neo-Futurarium. Education/Training: BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University. Love to Lauren and Oliver.
Maritri Garrett(Music Director) Maritri Garrett is a remarkable independent artist whose music reflects the depth of her diverse musical background. As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and educator, her songs tell honest stories of life, love, and loss, offering healing and solace to all who listen. Maritri holds a unique blend of academic achievements, including a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Fisk University, a Bachelor of Science in Composition, and a Master of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from Howard University. Her skillful versatility with instruments like the piano, guitar, bass, cello, and percussion sets her apart. Having performed with and opened for musical legends like Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, Maritri continues to captivate audiences with her emotionally powerful compositions and soulful performances.
Shelia Dorn (Wig and Make-up Designer) With ANW: King Hedley II, The Bluest Eye, Radio Golf, The Book of Will, Anna in the Tropics, All’s Well That Ends Well, Seven Guitars, and Gem of the Ocean. Other Theatres: Jelly’s Last Jam, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, Fat Ham, Black Cypress Bayou, Mountain Top, The Great Jheri Curl Debate, Mommie & Clyde, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lion King, The Direction Home, The Producers, Lady Day, Our West Side Story, Shooting Star, Two Trains Running, Drama Queens, Letters from Zora, I Go Somewhere, Heartbreak Hotel, Siamese Sex Show, The Story of Alice, Hattie, Painting in Red, Dunbar Hotel, and Girl Most Likely. Shelia, Hair/Makeup Designer at Amazing Grace Conservatory, donates her talents to aspiring artists aged 7-18.
Joyce Guy (Choreographer) With ANW: Choreography: King Hedley II, Much Ado About Nothing, Gem of the Ocean, A Raisin in the Sun. Won the 2023 LA Drama Critics Circle and LA Theatre Bite Awards for ANW’s Much Ado About Nothing. Film/TV: Moneyball, The Santa Clause, General Hospital, Clickbait, S.W.A.T, Bosch: Legacy, to name a few. Choreographed Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs at Rogue Machine Theatre. Was nominated for an Ovation, Stage Raw, and NAACP Award. She won the NAACP Award for Best Choreography Local for Les Blancs. Joyce has studied West African dance for over 30 years. She is the director/producer of Dancing Like Home, a documentary film about dance from Casamance, Senegal, West Africa. Education/Training: B.S. from Hampton University.
Andrea Odinov (Dialect Coach) With ANW: Dialect Coach: Misalliance, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, A Christmas Carol, Radio Golf, The Book of Will, Gem of the Ocean, Animal Farm, Seven Guitars. Other Theatres: The Geffen Playhouse, The Odyssey Theatre, Rogue Theatre Machine, Ghost Road Theatre Company, Antaeus Theatre Company, The Road Theatre Company, Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, The Group Rep, 24th St. Theatre, Sea Glass Theatre Company, and Long Beach Playhouse. Andrea is a Clinical Asst. Professor of Voice and Speech at Loyola Marymount University, a Lead Trainer of Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and member of VASTA, SAG-AFTRA, and AEA. Education/Training: MFA – University of CA at Irvine.
Lanae Wilks (Stage Manager) With ANW: Debut. Other Theatres: Center of New Performances, Geffen Playhouse, IAMA Theatre Company, Boston Court Pasadena, Children's Roundabout. Education/Training: B.S in Theatre Design/Technology, Frostburg State University; MFA in Stage Management, California Institute of the Arts.
Bryan Tiglio(Assistant Stage Manager) With ANW: Carpenter, The Skin of Our Teeth, Misalliance, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd; Stage Crew, The Book of Will, Much Ado About Nothing; Production Intern, A Christmas Carol, Radio Golf, Animal Farm. Other Theatres: Pasadena City College: Stage Manager, The Winter’s Tale, Paradise Lost, Shh The Library Musical, The Mousetrap, Shakespeare In Hollywood. Education/Training: AA - Theatre Arts, Pasadena City College. Currently attending Cal State Long Beach to obtain a BA in Technical Theatre! He is very excited to ASM his first show here at A Noise Within.
Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad (Resident Dramaturg) With ANW: Dramaturg: The Skin of Our Teeth, Misalliance, King Hedley II, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Bluest Eye, The Book of Will, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Much Ado About Nothing, Radio Golf, Animal Farm, Metamorphoses, All’s Well That Ends Well, Argonautika, Othello; Educator and Consultant since 2011. Other Theatres: Dramaturg: Inherit the Wind, Pasadena Playhouse State Theater; Dramaturg, Measure Still for Measure, Boston Court Theater; Consultant, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. Dr. Johnson-Haddad has taught Shakespeare, Drama, and Literature at Howard University, UCLA, Vassar College, and Yale University. She is a frequent speaker at Los Angeles Opera, the Shakespeare Club of Pomona Valley, and elsewhere. Education/Training: Ph.D. Renaissance Studies, Yale University; B.A. Comparative Literature, Princeton University. mirandadramaqueen.com
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott (Producing Artistic Director) With ANW: Under her leadership, ANW has produced more than 175 works, and she has directed 50 productions, including Animal Farm, Sweeney Todd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Book of Will, An Iliad, Metamorphoses, Argonautika, A Christmas Carol, Man of La Mancha, Noises Off, Henry V, A Tale of Two Cities, King Lear, The Imaginary Invalid, Six Characters in Search of an Author, A Flea in Her Ear, Julius Caesar, The Threepenny Opera, The Tempest, The Dance of Death, Come Back, Little Sheba, Tartuffe, Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Education/Training: MFA—American Conservatory Theatre. In 2012, Ms. Rodriguez-Elliott (along with her husband, Geoff) received ACT’s inaugural “Contributions to the Field” Award. Ms. Rodriguez-Elliott is the winner of multiple LADCC Awards including the “Milton Katselas Award for Career and Special Achievement in Direction.”
Geoff Elliott (Producing Artistic Director) With ANW: Old Major and Boxer, Animal Farm; Director/Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Director/John Heminges, The Book of Will. Director: The Winter’s Tale, A Christmas Carol, Noises Off, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia, All My Sons, Endgame, Eurydice, The Playboy of the Western World, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew. Actor: The Poet, An Iliad; Dodge, Buried Child; Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha; Midas and others, Metamorphoses; King Lear, King Lear. Other Theatres: South Coast Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, California Repertory. Education/Training: MFA—American Conservatory Theatre. Mr. Elliott is a recipient of multiple LADCC, BackStage, Garland, Robby, Drama-Logue, and LA Weekly awards, as well as the “Margaret Hartford Award for Distinguished Achievement” for ANW.
Douglas Love-Ramos (Managing Director) Most recently served as Managing Director of Orlando Shakespeare. Douglas previously served as CEO/Producing Director of Walden Playhouse for film studio Walden Media and Producing Director of FamilyStage San Francisco at the historic Orpheum Theater. He annually staged the education centerpiece program Rock Odyssey for Miami’s Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. His stage adaptation of Marlo Thomas’s Free To Be...You And Me was published by Rogers and Hammerstein Theatre Library. Douglas is the creator and executive producer of award-winning television series, including Out of the Box for Disney and Jammin’ Animals for HBO. He is the author of more than 30 books published by HarperCollins, Disney Press, World Book Encyclopedia, and others. He built two theaters and a children’s museum, and created the arts education product World Book’s Dramatic Learning, used by 11 million classroom students worldwide.