What do you want to highlight about theater and black participation in the Arts?

My goal is to make sure everybody has an opportunity to have their story told.  If you are in theatre, its important to be engaged even though it may not be a story that you’re familiar with. We need to tell stories through a diversity of perspectives, that’s what helps us connect..   The Black experience has a rich culture to share and its encouraging when we get to share a piece of that through storytelling . We pass so much to the next generation through storytelling. We need to continue to encourage people to use theater as a way to participate in moving society forward.

-Written By Brandon Bornes

Cast of the Raisin in the Sun which played at Theatreworks in Colorado Springs

Voyage Denver Excerpt

How did you get to where you are today?

I have been acting since high school and lived in New York for a few years after college, where I attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy’s Conservatory program. I returned to Colorado Springs in 1995 and was able to find work as an actor. It was not enough to make a living at the time, so I also worked for an audio and web conferencing company. I spent 20 years working there and acting when possible in town. I was laid off by the company in October 2017. I was approached by Drew Martorella, Executive Director of UCCS Presents, and he asked if I would be interested in joining Theatreworks as Artistic Producer while the search continued for an Artistic Director. It was perfect timing and an opportunity to start a new career in a field that I love. I had an opportunity to use my corporate experience in a new environment and help out an organization that was very dear to me.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

As an actor in NYC, the struggle was real. I was working three jobs to pay rent and bills, which left little or no time to audition. It was difficult to find paying work as an actor that would allow me to not work one of my other jobs for a period of time. I came to the realization that being a working actor was a job, and that wasn’t what I wanted acting to be in my life at that time. I felt I had failed, but my mom wisely told me that it wasn’t a failure but more of a coming of age, a part of figuring out what I wanted in life…

-Excerpt By voyagedenver.com

Cast of the Raisin in the Sun which played at Theatreworks in Colorado Springs