Creative Team
April Yvette Thompson (Executive Producer/Playwright/Actor) is a writer, actor and Tony-winning producer, working across media. Last seen in the revival of The Exonerated (dir. Bob Balaban) with Stockard Channing, Delroy Lindo & Roger Waters; she also starred in the smash Broadway hit, Clybourne Park, (Pulitzer & Tony for Best Play). Her Off-Broadway credits include Medea, King Lear and Macbeth. April’s Film/TV credits include The Exonerated, Accidental Husband, Blue Caprice, Backwards, Law & Order, Third Watch, Dave Chapelle et, al.
As SimonSays Entertainment Director of Development, April develops indie features, including Mother of George (2013 Sundance Dramatic Competition) which sold to Ossciloscope Labs and Blue Caprice (2013 Sundance NEXT category for Innovative Storytelling) sold to Sundance Select/IFC Films. Blue Caprice opened the New Directors/New Films festival at Museum of Modern Art March 23, 2013. Mother of George and Blue Caprice will open in Theatres nationwide, Fall 2013. April was consulting producer on Gun Hill Road (2011 Sundance Grand Jury nominee) available on ITunes, Amazon and Netflix. She produced the longest-running Broadway production of Porgy & Bess (Tony for Best Musical Revival) starring Audra MacDonald (Best Actress Tony).
April is developing her second play in The Miami Trilogy, Good Bread Alley, with support from NYSF, NYTW, Arsht, 651 Arts and Harlem Stage. Her first play, Liberty City (co-written w/Jessica Blank) was nominated for Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Lortel & AUDELCO awards. Education: Vassar College & Rutgers University. AprilYvetteThompson.com SimonSaysEntertainment.com
Ron Simons (Executive Producer) Founder and President, Ron Simons, is a two-time Tony Award-winning producer and actor. Ron leads the strategic planning/development of Theatre and Film projects including the critically acclaimed films: Night Catches Us, Gun Hill Road, Blue Caprice and Mother of George (all premiered at Sundance). He also produced the Broadway productions of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (currently on Broadway), Porgy & Bess (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk, New Drama Critics and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play), Streetcar Named Desire and an investor in August Wilson’s Radio Golf on Broadway. Off-Broadway projects include Bedlam’s St. Joan and Bedlam’s Hamlet (currently running).
As an actor, Ron has appeared on stage, in film and television. He and fellow cast members won the London Stage Award for Acting Excellence for the play Boy Steals Train which he co-developed. He has performed in numerous regional theaters including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Featival and the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Film and television credits include Blue Caprice, Night Catches Us, 27 Dresses, Mystery Team , Phoebe in Wonderland, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, As the World Turns and Nowhere Man.
Ron’s corporate experience includes positions as Software Engineer having developed systems at Hewlett-Packard, IBM and later, as a Knowledge Engineer, he developed Artificial Intelligence systems for F500 companies such as GM, Chrysler and Morton Thiokol. He is a former Marketing Executive at the Microsoft Corporation having managed multi-million dollar marketing campaigns for the Microsoft Mail family of products.
Ron is a recipient of the Heritage Award from Columbia College’s Black Alumni Council, 150 Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Washington, and is a Johnson & Johnson Leadership Award Fellow, IFP Cannes’ Producer’s Network Fellow and a Sundance Producers’ Summit Fellow. He holds a BA from Columbia College, an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MFA from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program.
Jessica Blank (Director/Dramaturg) is an actor, writer and director who has appeared in film, television, and theater. She appeared regularly on the 2012 CBS series MADE IN JERSEY. Other TV credits include The Bronx is Burning; Bored to Death, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Rescue Me, Guiding Light, and One Life to Live.Her film acting credits include The Namesake (dir. Mira Nair), The Exonerated (dir. Bob Balaban, for Court TV), You’re Nobody till Somebody Kills You (prod. Spike Lee), and the indies Undermind and On the Road With Judas (Sundance 2007), as well as the Sundance Filmmakers Lab. She has acted in theaters throughout New York City, both Off- and Off-Off Broadway; and internationally at the Dublin Theater Festival.
With her husband Erik Jensen, Jessica is author of The Exonerated, a play based on interviews they conducted with over 40 exonerated death row inmates. Jessica and Erik's LA production of The Exonerated at Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang Theater was nominated for five Ovation Awards and 3 NAACP Awards; it won the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play and has toured universities nationwide. Bob Balaban's production of The Exonerated (New York: Culture Project; London: Riverside Studios) ran for over 600 performances Off-Broadway, toured nationally, was made into a movie for Court TV starring Brian Dennehey, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn, and Susan Sarandon, and played to sold-out houses in Dublin, Edinburgh and London. The Exonerated won the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Fringe First, and Herald Angel Awards, and was nominated for the Hull-Warriner Award and the John Gassner Award. It has also received awards from Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Death Penalty Focus. The Exonerated was listed by Time Magazine and the New York Times as one of the best plays of 2002, and has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Living Justice, Jessica and Erik’s book on the making of The Exonerated, was published in 2005 by Simon and Schuster.
Their second documentary play, Aftermath, based on interviews they conducted with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan, opened New York Theater Workshop’s 2009-10 Off-Broadway season, with Jessica directing. Aftermath was a New York Times Critics’ Pick and was nominated for two Drama League Awards. Aftermath is touring nationally and internationally throughout 2011-12. Liberty City, which Jessica co-wrote with April Yvette Thompson and directed, was produced Off-Broadway by New York Theater Workshop, and in Miami by the Adrienne Arsht Center. Liberty City was nominated for Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards.
Jessica’s first novel, Almost Home, was published by Hyperion in 2007, and was optioned for feature film, with Jessica and Erik adapting and Richard LaGravenese attached to direct. Her second novel, Karma For Beginners was published by Hyperion in 2009 and is being developed for television by Fox Television Studios, with Jessica and Erik attached to adapt. Her third novel is forthcoming in 2014 from Penguin.
With Erik Jensen, Jessica currently has television projects in development with Fox TV Studios, 20th Century TV Studios, Radical Media, Virgin Produced, and Cary Brokaw/Avenue Pictures. They are at work on a play based on the writings of rock critic Lester Bangs, in conjunction with the Lester Bangs estate. Jessica’s writing has been published in magazines and journals including The Believer, The Dramatist, Anothermagazine, and Theatre History Studies.
Heather Arnson (Production Stage Manager/Associate Producer) Selected PSM credits: National: Julius Caesar and Comedy of Errors (The Acting Company), Menopause the Musical; New York: The Fall of the House of Usher (composer Sarah Hirsch), Damascus Square (54 Below), Caucasian Chalk Circle (Atlantic Theater), The Hamilton Mixtape (NYS&F), Man of Rock (NYMF), An Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (Soho Rep.), Tape (Barrow Street), Pins & Needles (The Foundry), Anais Nin (Theatre Row); Los Angeles: Eddie Izzard (The Coronet), Los Angeles Outer Critics Circle Awards (The Coronet), L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards (LATC), Menopause the Musical (The Coronet), Gatsby In Hollywood (The Met Theatre). Selected Directing credits: National: America Amerique (Staff Director – The JENA Company); New York: Craig’s Wife by George Kelly (Drama League), The Tie That Binds by Rebecca Sue Haber (Gallery Players), Borne to the Ocean by Jonathan Payne; Soul of a Poet, Girl Meets Boy, and You Stole My Script all by Isaac Shapiro, The Permanent Night (Barrow Street Theatre: NY Fringe), Your Title Goes Here by Heather Arnson (Theatre Row); Los Angeles: Elizabeth: Almost By Chance A Woman by Dario Fo (The Ruby) and WASP by Steve Martin (The MET Theatre). SDCF Observership 2009-2011. Newington-Crosby Fellowship. Master’s work at NYU Gallatin. B.A. UCLA - Theatre. Proud member of AEA. Heather is honored to be working with this fabulous team on Good Bread Alley. Thank you to Chris for his continuous love and support.
Justin Ellington (Musical Director/ Gullah Music Composer) is a composer/producer based in New York. As a composer he has worked with Tony Award winning directors and designers, and as a producer Ellington has shared the studio with many GRAMMY Award winning recording artists; and in 2004 Mr. Ellington had joined the GRAMMY Award winning production company Bangladesh Productions.
Bangladesh has contributed music production on albums which have sold more than 30 million copies. Artistic collaborations include Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Nicki Minaj.
As a director of musical theater at the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta , Justin shared the stage with the likes of Broadway stars Sahr Ngaujah(Fela), Saycon Sengbloh(Wicked, Hair, Fela), and Kenan Thompson(Saturday Night Live, Fat Albert)
Recently Justin traded the studio for a lecture hall, where he served as a guest lecturer/resident musician at Princeton University. The program involved collaborating with students on an innovative approach and project known as Dramatizing History, which involved the creation of developing original theatrical works based in social history. These included adaptations using contemporary forms to create new stories or more conventional forms to explore unlikely historical relationships or minor historical events. Student musicians, creative writers and performers performed the resulting presentation along with team with Ellington and his theater partner & award winning playwright, Will Power.
Enildo Rasúa (Afro Cuban Music Composer) was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, the very cradle of son and salsa. Raised in surroundings where music and culture played an important role, it is hardly surprising that he began his musical studies at the tender age of 6, with classes in violin and musical theory, and would later obtain his Intermediate Level of Music qualification. His high grades meant a recommendation to study high school in the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte. He finished his musical studies in the very well-known Universidad de las Artes de Cuba (I.S.A.), where he graduated in Symphonic Percussion, Pedagogy and Popular Music, and where he was also a professor. During an intense pedagogic career, he has given classes to musicians as famous as Ramsés Araya (Chucho Valdés), Julio Barreto (Gonzalo Rubalcaba) and Raúl Pineda (Grupo Síntesis). From the mid-80s and in the 90s, he combined teaching in Havana’s most important professional music schools with the practice of his abilities as solo and accompanist percussionist in the RTV Orquesta Nacional. He was also a frequent collaborator in the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and in the Orquesta de la Ópera. As a drummer he formed part of the Cabaret Tropicana and has worked with Clave and Guaguancó, Rumbambéo, Barrarrá (Franco Haitian Folklore) and El Goyo.
Due to his deep knowledge of the musical syllabus, between 1986 and 1989 he was repeatedly asked to collaborate with the Asesoría Nacional de Percusión de Cuba, for which he carried out pedagogic inspections and gave methodology classes. He also took part in the design of new percussion teaching programmes in Cuba at both Intermediate and Bachelor Level of Music. In 1995 he relocated to Barcelona, Spain, where he further consolidated his career teaching in important professional centres and collaborating with a number of Spanish and French universities. He ended up founding his own school in Barcelona. The rapid growth of his talent did not pass unnoticed in the musical world, and he was invited to take part in the World Percussion Encounters in Barcelona, along with such famous Flamenco artists as Carles Benavent (Paco de Lucía Quartet) and the guitarist Chicuelo. He also collaborated with Joaquín Cortés’s Ballet Flamenco company and with the Gelabert-Azzopard contemporary dance company. His constant striving to further investigate and better himself has led him to carry out in- depth research projects and to publish numerous didactic works including The Soul of rumba book, where most of transcribed solos about Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Thanks to his great talent, his perseverance has been crowned with the creation of the innovative “The Third Hand” technique, where three drumsticks are used to play percussion and drum set instruments at the same time.
Yesenia Fernandez Selier (Choreographer & Translator) Cuban born performer and cultural critic, Yesenia Fernandez Selier holds a B.A. in Psychology from Havana University and M.A. in Latin American Studies from NYU. Yesenia’s is the recipient of fellowships from the Latin American Social Science Council (CLACSO) and the CUNY Caribbean Exchange Program of Hunter College. She has also been recognized for her work preserving Latino heritage by the “Save Latin America” organization in New Jersey. She has conducted workshops and performances at a variety of venues, including El Museo del Barrio, The Caribbean Cultural Center, The Philadelphia Art Museum, NYU, Dartmouth College Mary Washington University, as well as working along side artists such as Cuban superstar percussionist, Pedro Martinez, choreographer Sita Frederick’s and Jadele McPherson’s. Yesenia’s choreographic pieces “ Rumbalsa”, “ Path” , “I cover the Waterfront” use Afro Cuban dances as an archived of the African Diaspora. Yesenia has developedseveral cultural projects in NYC for the education and preservation of the Afro Cuban Legacy.
Imani e Wilson (Ethnomusicologist/ Gullah Culture Dramaturg) While her studies have encompassed all genres of artistic expression-- Imani received a B.A. in literature at Columbia University, an M.A. in African Arts and Aesthetics at the University of London and undertook coursework toward a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology-- an interest in Africa, and a global concept of the continent, its diaspora and related cultures, has defined Imani Wilson’s creative life. In her work as an independent scholar and writer, Imani has conducted extensive research on global African arts, culture and religion in Morocco, Egypt, Cuba, Brasil, Angola, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, Holland and the Indian state of Gujarat. A lifelong student of music performance, Imani plays the piano in the classical, jazz and gospel idioms, the batá drums of the Cuban Lucumi tradition, the amadinda of Uganda, the Brasilian berimbau, the kora, a Mande harp. She has performed widely as a vocalist and is currently a member of the celebrated Mass Choir of the Greater Allen Cathedral. Imani is also a sought-after sound designer and collagist; her soundscapes were featured in a NEA funded art installation. In 2012, Imani served as associate producer on World Class Brass, a radio documentary commissioned by BBC Radio 2, which featured include her interviews and research on brass traditions of Trinidad and Tobago and African-America. Imani has taught music at Wesleyan University and in the New York and New Orleans public schools, and worked as a museum educator for the Horniman Museum, London. Her publications include cover stories and features in Ebony, Art International, Vibe and Essence magazines as well as anthologized creative non-fiction and poetry. Imani authored the text of Portrait of A New Angola, a photographic essay published by Skira/Rizzoli.
Jadele McPherson (Choral Lead & Afro Cuban Language Dramaturgy)
Theater: Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Clara, Panther Cub and Ensemble in Party People, (Dir.Liesl Tommy); Joy/Stepsister, Chorus Leader (US), Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (Dir.Bill Rauch); Winter Grace (US), As You Like It (Dir.Jessica Thebus); IréIroso: FourMirrorWomen (Actor/Playwright), Midnight Project Series, Black Swan Theater. New York: WaterRain (La MaMa E.T.C.); UNIVERSES Harlem Stage (NY); Bambula (Hostos Center for the Arts, NY); Rumba/Oriki Omi Odara (El Fogón Center for the Arts, Bronx, NY). Regional: UNIVERSES Eastside Arts Alliance; Sandy Pérez y Su Ladé Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Black Monks of Mississippi, Mucircus; Dancing Graves; Mi Corazon Negro; Stalwart Originality: New Traditions in Black Performance and She Be Hip-Hop (Ethel M. Barber Theatre, Northwestern University).
Teaching: Jadele McPherson has worked in arts education as a youth worker and educator for over a decade with minority and underprivileged youth throughout the country. McPherson began this work as a student when she mentored students K-12 in after-school arts and Oboe in Lawrence, MA (1999-2001). In Chicago McPherson worked with numerous institutions to build their curiculum and youth programs based in Afro-Caribbean performance, anthropology and social justice including The Chicago History Museum (then Chicago Historical Society 2002-2003), After School Matters, Ray of Hope Center for the Arts (2007-2009), Kuumba Lynx (2009), and Africaribe (2008). McPherson continues developing performance/social science curricula for youth in New York City where she currently resides with institutions such as Sing for Hope (2011-12), Town Hall (2012), Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics (NYU, 2011-present) and the Upper Manhattan Classical Theater (UMCT, 2013).
Producers:
Bliss Griffin (Producer) is a classically trained New York actor. Her most recent credits include Paula (Loose Knit, John Doe Theatre Co.) and Cecily Cardew (The Importance of Being Earnest, Take Wing & Soar Productions). When she's not on stage, Bliss freelances as a social media specialist, focusing specifically on arts and entertainment. She's thrilled to bring her social media skills and to learn the world of production with the Good Bread Alley team. Learn more about Bliss at facebook.com/BlissGriffinNYC
Marisol Miranda (Actor/Producer) is founding member of the New York Independent Film Collective (www.nyifc.com). Marisol’s recent film and stage credits include: Somewhere in the Middle, in which she serves as co-producer and lead actor, Jr. & the Saint, Sure Thing, Andy and Precipice to name a few. Producing credits include: Scenes of Love and Hate and A Collection of Scenes (Theatre Row).
A graduate of the William Esper Studio, Marisol studied acting under the direction of Bill Esper, Terry Knickerbocker and David Newer. She earned her Bachelor’s in Communications from New York University and is also a classically trained pianist and ballet dancer. Learn more about Marisol at facebook.com/MarisolMiranda
Rosalind Murphy (Producer/ Marketing Consultant) specializes in Integrated Marketing, Branded Entertainment and Partnership Development. Rosalind is a strategist of media, promotions and digital marketing with a unique set of skills, experiences and partnerships to build business for multicultural markets and media properties. She brings years of success creating strategic partnerships by customizing multi-channel programs that build brands to engage, entertain and empower.
Prior to working as an independent consultant, Rosalind ‘s experience includes a 6-year tenure with Microsoft as an Executive Engagement Manager. While at Microsoft she launched the successful quarterly Women Executive Forum and received the Microsoft Diversity Inclusion Award for developing innovative programs targeting women executives. Rosalind also worked at Film Life, Inc as Director of Marketing Communications , where she lead marketing, media planning, promotion and advertising sales management for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Black Cinema Café New York.
Rosalind’s involvement in the community and professional organization has been wonderful doorway for her creative passion. She sits on the board of directors of New York Women in Film and TV and La Casa de Pedro in Newark, NJ. She is also a member of the Women’s Association of New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Montclair Art Museum and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She received the 2002 MBA of the Year award from New York Chapter of National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA). Rosalind is a graduate of Old Dominion University with B.S. in Financial Management and Rutgers University with MBA in International Business and Consultancy Management. Learn more about Roz at facebook.com/RozSMurphy
Shawlini Manjunath (Associate Producer) initially worked as an assistant to the founder and president, Ron Simons, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where his feature film Gun Hill Roadpremiered. In June of 2013, Shawlini began working as a Producing Associate. As an actress, Shawlini has appeared in Sex in the City 2, Nickelodeon’s Team Umizoomi, Lifetime’s Sherri, and various national commercials. Her corporate background includes work in publishing and human resources for Random House and as a publicist for an entertainment and fashion PR firm, Laforce and Stevens.
Shawlini received her BA in Journalism (specifically Public Relations) from the University of Georgia. She is a member of New York Women in Film and Television and the New York Junior League. She also runs an after-school performing arts program at the Beacon Center in East Harlem.
Heui Song Son (Associate Producer) has been working as a freelancing filmmaker since 2013 in New York. She was born in Seoul, Korea. While she was studying Philosophy at University of Seoul, her passion into films developed. She moved to NY to expose herself to a broad world. Currently she is finishing up her B.F.A. degree and freelancing as a videographer and an editor.
As SimonSays Entertainment Director of Development, April develops indie features, including Mother of George (2013 Sundance Dramatic Competition) which sold to Ossciloscope Labs and Blue Caprice (2013 Sundance NEXT category for Innovative Storytelling) sold to Sundance Select/IFC Films. Blue Caprice opened the New Directors/New Films festival at Museum of Modern Art March 23, 2013. Mother of George and Blue Caprice will open in Theatres nationwide, Fall 2013. April was consulting producer on Gun Hill Road (2011 Sundance Grand Jury nominee) available on ITunes, Amazon and Netflix. She produced the longest-running Broadway production of Porgy & Bess (Tony for Best Musical Revival) starring Audra MacDonald (Best Actress Tony).
April is developing her second play in The Miami Trilogy, Good Bread Alley, with support from NYSF, NYTW, Arsht, 651 Arts and Harlem Stage. Her first play, Liberty City (co-written w/Jessica Blank) was nominated for Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Lortel & AUDELCO awards. Education: Vassar College & Rutgers University. AprilYvetteThompson.com SimonSaysEntertainment.com
Ron Simons (Executive Producer) Founder and President, Ron Simons, is a two-time Tony Award-winning producer and actor. Ron leads the strategic planning/development of Theatre and Film projects including the critically acclaimed films: Night Catches Us, Gun Hill Road, Blue Caprice and Mother of George (all premiered at Sundance). He also produced the Broadway productions of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (currently on Broadway), Porgy & Bess (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk, New Drama Critics and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play), Streetcar Named Desire and an investor in August Wilson’s Radio Golf on Broadway. Off-Broadway projects include Bedlam’s St. Joan and Bedlam’s Hamlet (currently running).
As an actor, Ron has appeared on stage, in film and television. He and fellow cast members won the London Stage Award for Acting Excellence for the play Boy Steals Train which he co-developed. He has performed in numerous regional theaters including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Featival and the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Film and television credits include Blue Caprice, Night Catches Us, 27 Dresses, Mystery Team , Phoebe in Wonderland, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, As the World Turns and Nowhere Man.
Ron’s corporate experience includes positions as Software Engineer having developed systems at Hewlett-Packard, IBM and later, as a Knowledge Engineer, he developed Artificial Intelligence systems for F500 companies such as GM, Chrysler and Morton Thiokol. He is a former Marketing Executive at the Microsoft Corporation having managed multi-million dollar marketing campaigns for the Microsoft Mail family of products.
Ron is a recipient of the Heritage Award from Columbia College’s Black Alumni Council, 150 Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Washington, and is a Johnson & Johnson Leadership Award Fellow, IFP Cannes’ Producer’s Network Fellow and a Sundance Producers’ Summit Fellow. He holds a BA from Columbia College, an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MFA from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program.
Jessica Blank (Director/Dramaturg) is an actor, writer and director who has appeared in film, television, and theater. She appeared regularly on the 2012 CBS series MADE IN JERSEY. Other TV credits include The Bronx is Burning; Bored to Death, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Rescue Me, Guiding Light, and One Life to Live.Her film acting credits include The Namesake (dir. Mira Nair), The Exonerated (dir. Bob Balaban, for Court TV), You’re Nobody till Somebody Kills You (prod. Spike Lee), and the indies Undermind and On the Road With Judas (Sundance 2007), as well as the Sundance Filmmakers Lab. She has acted in theaters throughout New York City, both Off- and Off-Off Broadway; and internationally at the Dublin Theater Festival.
With her husband Erik Jensen, Jessica is author of The Exonerated, a play based on interviews they conducted with over 40 exonerated death row inmates. Jessica and Erik's LA production of The Exonerated at Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang Theater was nominated for five Ovation Awards and 3 NAACP Awards; it won the Ovation for Best World Premiere Play and has toured universities nationwide. Bob Balaban's production of The Exonerated (New York: Culture Project; London: Riverside Studios) ran for over 600 performances Off-Broadway, toured nationally, was made into a movie for Court TV starring Brian Dennehey, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn, and Susan Sarandon, and played to sold-out houses in Dublin, Edinburgh and London. The Exonerated won the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Fringe First, and Herald Angel Awards, and was nominated for the Hull-Warriner Award and the John Gassner Award. It has also received awards from Amnesty International, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Death Penalty Focus. The Exonerated was listed by Time Magazine and the New York Times as one of the best plays of 2002, and has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Living Justice, Jessica and Erik’s book on the making of The Exonerated, was published in 2005 by Simon and Schuster.
Their second documentary play, Aftermath, based on interviews they conducted with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan, opened New York Theater Workshop’s 2009-10 Off-Broadway season, with Jessica directing. Aftermath was a New York Times Critics’ Pick and was nominated for two Drama League Awards. Aftermath is touring nationally and internationally throughout 2011-12. Liberty City, which Jessica co-wrote with April Yvette Thompson and directed, was produced Off-Broadway by New York Theater Workshop, and in Miami by the Adrienne Arsht Center. Liberty City was nominated for Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards.
Jessica’s first novel, Almost Home, was published by Hyperion in 2007, and was optioned for feature film, with Jessica and Erik adapting and Richard LaGravenese attached to direct. Her second novel, Karma For Beginners was published by Hyperion in 2009 and is being developed for television by Fox Television Studios, with Jessica and Erik attached to adapt. Her third novel is forthcoming in 2014 from Penguin.
With Erik Jensen, Jessica currently has television projects in development with Fox TV Studios, 20th Century TV Studios, Radical Media, Virgin Produced, and Cary Brokaw/Avenue Pictures. They are at work on a play based on the writings of rock critic Lester Bangs, in conjunction with the Lester Bangs estate. Jessica’s writing has been published in magazines and journals including The Believer, The Dramatist, Anothermagazine, and Theatre History Studies.
Heather Arnson (Production Stage Manager/Associate Producer) Selected PSM credits: National: Julius Caesar and Comedy of Errors (The Acting Company), Menopause the Musical; New York: The Fall of the House of Usher (composer Sarah Hirsch), Damascus Square (54 Below), Caucasian Chalk Circle (Atlantic Theater), The Hamilton Mixtape (NYS&F), Man of Rock (NYMF), An Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney (Soho Rep.), Tape (Barrow Street), Pins & Needles (The Foundry), Anais Nin (Theatre Row); Los Angeles: Eddie Izzard (The Coronet), Los Angeles Outer Critics Circle Awards (The Coronet), L.A. Weekly Theatre Awards (LATC), Menopause the Musical (The Coronet), Gatsby In Hollywood (The Met Theatre). Selected Directing credits: National: America Amerique (Staff Director – The JENA Company); New York: Craig’s Wife by George Kelly (Drama League), The Tie That Binds by Rebecca Sue Haber (Gallery Players), Borne to the Ocean by Jonathan Payne; Soul of a Poet, Girl Meets Boy, and You Stole My Script all by Isaac Shapiro, The Permanent Night (Barrow Street Theatre: NY Fringe), Your Title Goes Here by Heather Arnson (Theatre Row); Los Angeles: Elizabeth: Almost By Chance A Woman by Dario Fo (The Ruby) and WASP by Steve Martin (The MET Theatre). SDCF Observership 2009-2011. Newington-Crosby Fellowship. Master’s work at NYU Gallatin. B.A. UCLA - Theatre. Proud member of AEA. Heather is honored to be working with this fabulous team on Good Bread Alley. Thank you to Chris for his continuous love and support.
Justin Ellington (Musical Director/ Gullah Music Composer) is a composer/producer based in New York. As a composer he has worked with Tony Award winning directors and designers, and as a producer Ellington has shared the studio with many GRAMMY Award winning recording artists; and in 2004 Mr. Ellington had joined the GRAMMY Award winning production company Bangladesh Productions.
Bangladesh has contributed music production on albums which have sold more than 30 million copies. Artistic collaborations include Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Nicki Minaj.
As a director of musical theater at the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta , Justin shared the stage with the likes of Broadway stars Sahr Ngaujah(Fela), Saycon Sengbloh(Wicked, Hair, Fela), and Kenan Thompson(Saturday Night Live, Fat Albert)
Recently Justin traded the studio for a lecture hall, where he served as a guest lecturer/resident musician at Princeton University. The program involved collaborating with students on an innovative approach and project known as Dramatizing History, which involved the creation of developing original theatrical works based in social history. These included adaptations using contemporary forms to create new stories or more conventional forms to explore unlikely historical relationships or minor historical events. Student musicians, creative writers and performers performed the resulting presentation along with team with Ellington and his theater partner & award winning playwright, Will Power.
Enildo Rasúa (Afro Cuban Music Composer) was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, the very cradle of son and salsa. Raised in surroundings where music and culture played an important role, it is hardly surprising that he began his musical studies at the tender age of 6, with classes in violin and musical theory, and would later obtain his Intermediate Level of Music qualification. His high grades meant a recommendation to study high school in the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte. He finished his musical studies in the very well-known Universidad de las Artes de Cuba (I.S.A.), where he graduated in Symphonic Percussion, Pedagogy and Popular Music, and where he was also a professor. During an intense pedagogic career, he has given classes to musicians as famous as Ramsés Araya (Chucho Valdés), Julio Barreto (Gonzalo Rubalcaba) and Raúl Pineda (Grupo Síntesis). From the mid-80s and in the 90s, he combined teaching in Havana’s most important professional music schools with the practice of his abilities as solo and accompanist percussionist in the RTV Orquesta Nacional. He was also a frequent collaborator in the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and in the Orquesta de la Ópera. As a drummer he formed part of the Cabaret Tropicana and has worked with Clave and Guaguancó, Rumbambéo, Barrarrá (Franco Haitian Folklore) and El Goyo.
Due to his deep knowledge of the musical syllabus, between 1986 and 1989 he was repeatedly asked to collaborate with the Asesoría Nacional de Percusión de Cuba, for which he carried out pedagogic inspections and gave methodology classes. He also took part in the design of new percussion teaching programmes in Cuba at both Intermediate and Bachelor Level of Music. In 1995 he relocated to Barcelona, Spain, where he further consolidated his career teaching in important professional centres and collaborating with a number of Spanish and French universities. He ended up founding his own school in Barcelona. The rapid growth of his talent did not pass unnoticed in the musical world, and he was invited to take part in the World Percussion Encounters in Barcelona, along with such famous Flamenco artists as Carles Benavent (Paco de Lucía Quartet) and the guitarist Chicuelo. He also collaborated with Joaquín Cortés’s Ballet Flamenco company and with the Gelabert-Azzopard contemporary dance company. His constant striving to further investigate and better himself has led him to carry out in- depth research projects and to publish numerous didactic works including The Soul of rumba book, where most of transcribed solos about Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Thanks to his great talent, his perseverance has been crowned with the creation of the innovative “The Third Hand” technique, where three drumsticks are used to play percussion and drum set instruments at the same time.
Yesenia Fernandez Selier (Choreographer & Translator) Cuban born performer and cultural critic, Yesenia Fernandez Selier holds a B.A. in Psychology from Havana University and M.A. in Latin American Studies from NYU. Yesenia’s is the recipient of fellowships from the Latin American Social Science Council (CLACSO) and the CUNY Caribbean Exchange Program of Hunter College. She has also been recognized for her work preserving Latino heritage by the “Save Latin America” organization in New Jersey. She has conducted workshops and performances at a variety of venues, including El Museo del Barrio, The Caribbean Cultural Center, The Philadelphia Art Museum, NYU, Dartmouth College Mary Washington University, as well as working along side artists such as Cuban superstar percussionist, Pedro Martinez, choreographer Sita Frederick’s and Jadele McPherson’s. Yesenia’s choreographic pieces “ Rumbalsa”, “ Path” , “I cover the Waterfront” use Afro Cuban dances as an archived of the African Diaspora. Yesenia has developedseveral cultural projects in NYC for the education and preservation of the Afro Cuban Legacy.
Imani e Wilson (Ethnomusicologist/ Gullah Culture Dramaturg) While her studies have encompassed all genres of artistic expression-- Imani received a B.A. in literature at Columbia University, an M.A. in African Arts and Aesthetics at the University of London and undertook coursework toward a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology-- an interest in Africa, and a global concept of the continent, its diaspora and related cultures, has defined Imani Wilson’s creative life. In her work as an independent scholar and writer, Imani has conducted extensive research on global African arts, culture and religion in Morocco, Egypt, Cuba, Brasil, Angola, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, Holland and the Indian state of Gujarat. A lifelong student of music performance, Imani plays the piano in the classical, jazz and gospel idioms, the batá drums of the Cuban Lucumi tradition, the amadinda of Uganda, the Brasilian berimbau, the kora, a Mande harp. She has performed widely as a vocalist and is currently a member of the celebrated Mass Choir of the Greater Allen Cathedral. Imani is also a sought-after sound designer and collagist; her soundscapes were featured in a NEA funded art installation. In 2012, Imani served as associate producer on World Class Brass, a radio documentary commissioned by BBC Radio 2, which featured include her interviews and research on brass traditions of Trinidad and Tobago and African-America. Imani has taught music at Wesleyan University and in the New York and New Orleans public schools, and worked as a museum educator for the Horniman Museum, London. Her publications include cover stories and features in Ebony, Art International, Vibe and Essence magazines as well as anthologized creative non-fiction and poetry. Imani authored the text of Portrait of A New Angola, a photographic essay published by Skira/Rizzoli.
Jadele McPherson (Choral Lead & Afro Cuban Language Dramaturgy)
Theater: Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Clara, Panther Cub and Ensemble in Party People, (Dir.Liesl Tommy); Joy/Stepsister, Chorus Leader (US), Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (Dir.Bill Rauch); Winter Grace (US), As You Like It (Dir.Jessica Thebus); IréIroso: FourMirrorWomen (Actor/Playwright), Midnight Project Series, Black Swan Theater. New York: WaterRain (La MaMa E.T.C.); UNIVERSES Harlem Stage (NY); Bambula (Hostos Center for the Arts, NY); Rumba/Oriki Omi Odara (El Fogón Center for the Arts, Bronx, NY). Regional: UNIVERSES Eastside Arts Alliance; Sandy Pérez y Su Ladé Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Black Monks of Mississippi, Mucircus; Dancing Graves; Mi Corazon Negro; Stalwart Originality: New Traditions in Black Performance and She Be Hip-Hop (Ethel M. Barber Theatre, Northwestern University).
Teaching: Jadele McPherson has worked in arts education as a youth worker and educator for over a decade with minority and underprivileged youth throughout the country. McPherson began this work as a student when she mentored students K-12 in after-school arts and Oboe in Lawrence, MA (1999-2001). In Chicago McPherson worked with numerous institutions to build their curiculum and youth programs based in Afro-Caribbean performance, anthropology and social justice including The Chicago History Museum (then Chicago Historical Society 2002-2003), After School Matters, Ray of Hope Center for the Arts (2007-2009), Kuumba Lynx (2009), and Africaribe (2008). McPherson continues developing performance/social science curricula for youth in New York City where she currently resides with institutions such as Sing for Hope (2011-12), Town Hall (2012), Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics (NYU, 2011-present) and the Upper Manhattan Classical Theater (UMCT, 2013).
Producers:
Bliss Griffin (Producer) is a classically trained New York actor. Her most recent credits include Paula (Loose Knit, John Doe Theatre Co.) and Cecily Cardew (The Importance of Being Earnest, Take Wing & Soar Productions). When she's not on stage, Bliss freelances as a social media specialist, focusing specifically on arts and entertainment. She's thrilled to bring her social media skills and to learn the world of production with the Good Bread Alley team. Learn more about Bliss at facebook.com/BlissGriffinNYC
Marisol Miranda (Actor/Producer) is founding member of the New York Independent Film Collective (www.nyifc.com). Marisol’s recent film and stage credits include: Somewhere in the Middle, in which she serves as co-producer and lead actor, Jr. & the Saint, Sure Thing, Andy and Precipice to name a few. Producing credits include: Scenes of Love and Hate and A Collection of Scenes (Theatre Row).
A graduate of the William Esper Studio, Marisol studied acting under the direction of Bill Esper, Terry Knickerbocker and David Newer. She earned her Bachelor’s in Communications from New York University and is also a classically trained pianist and ballet dancer. Learn more about Marisol at facebook.com/MarisolMiranda
Rosalind Murphy (Producer/ Marketing Consultant) specializes in Integrated Marketing, Branded Entertainment and Partnership Development. Rosalind is a strategist of media, promotions and digital marketing with a unique set of skills, experiences and partnerships to build business for multicultural markets and media properties. She brings years of success creating strategic partnerships by customizing multi-channel programs that build brands to engage, entertain and empower.
Prior to working as an independent consultant, Rosalind ‘s experience includes a 6-year tenure with Microsoft as an Executive Engagement Manager. While at Microsoft she launched the successful quarterly Women Executive Forum and received the Microsoft Diversity Inclusion Award for developing innovative programs targeting women executives. Rosalind also worked at Film Life, Inc as Director of Marketing Communications , where she lead marketing, media planning, promotion and advertising sales management for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Black Cinema Café New York.
Rosalind’s involvement in the community and professional organization has been wonderful doorway for her creative passion. She sits on the board of directors of New York Women in Film and TV and La Casa de Pedro in Newark, NJ. She is also a member of the Women’s Association of New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Montclair Art Museum and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She received the 2002 MBA of the Year award from New York Chapter of National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA). Rosalind is a graduate of Old Dominion University with B.S. in Financial Management and Rutgers University with MBA in International Business and Consultancy Management. Learn more about Roz at facebook.com/RozSMurphy
Shawlini Manjunath (Associate Producer) initially worked as an assistant to the founder and president, Ron Simons, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where his feature film Gun Hill Roadpremiered. In June of 2013, Shawlini began working as a Producing Associate. As an actress, Shawlini has appeared in Sex in the City 2, Nickelodeon’s Team Umizoomi, Lifetime’s Sherri, and various national commercials. Her corporate background includes work in publishing and human resources for Random House and as a publicist for an entertainment and fashion PR firm, Laforce and Stevens.
Shawlini received her BA in Journalism (specifically Public Relations) from the University of Georgia. She is a member of New York Women in Film and Television and the New York Junior League. She also runs an after-school performing arts program at the Beacon Center in East Harlem.
Heui Song Son (Associate Producer) has been working as a freelancing filmmaker since 2013 in New York. She was born in Seoul, Korea. While she was studying Philosophy at University of Seoul, her passion into films developed. She moved to NY to expose herself to a broad world. Currently she is finishing up her B.F.A. degree and freelancing as a videographer and an editor.