IT GOES UNSAID
FULL PROGRAM
written by
Rhonney Greene, Teresa Michelle Lasley, and Derek Lee
McPhatter
Spoken Word by Qelsi Qualls
Creative Consultant:
Will Castillo
starring:
Carolyn Barrett
Michelle Fawn
Rhonney Greene
Teresa Michelle Lasley
Indio Melendez
Elijah Moreland
Hattie Mae Williams
DC Black Theatre Fest Production Team
Stage Manager: Allyson
Lewis
Assistant Stage Manager / Intern: Tobias
Lucas
Set Props: Timi
Gray
Costume Designer: Rhonney
Greene
Multimedia Editing: Shanteria
Kemp, SK Pictures
Videography: Takuya
Katsumura, Maya Workman, Rhonney Greene, and Kendra
McCloud
Flyer Design: Julian
Streete, Jstreet Branding
Marketing and Promotion: Lauren
Cooper, Derek Lee McPhatter
Music: Craig
Harris, Nina Simone, Courtlan Green
Special Thank You’s from Under the Spell Productions:
Adriel Hilton, Ph.D., Irmgard Immel,
Ph.D., Dionna McPhatter, Brenda Miller, Aymar Jean Christian, Ph.D., Shay
Stevens and all of our donors, fans and supporters! Thank you very much!
The Scenes
Dissention
Music by
Craig Harris
The need for racial/ethnic classification explored in
movement, text, and image.
Final(ly) Protest
Spoken word introduction to the characters and context.
Nicole Foxx
(played by Michelle Fawn)
A model on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Jeremiah Thompson
(played by Rhonney Greene)
A seasoned entertainment executive losing control of his
professional dreams.
Alicia Renee Garnett
(played by Carolyn Barrett)
A dark and lovely business queen reflects on her success.
Da Ryder
Music by
Courtlan Green
(played by Indio Melendez)
An up and coming Latino hip-hop star alienated by his sudden
fame.
Four Women
Music by Nina
Simone
(featuring
Hattie Mae Williams)
A historical reflection of women of African descent in the
USA through dance.
Rachel Marie LaCroix
(played by Teresa Michelle Lasley)
A young woman of Creole heritage facing Hurricane Katrina’s
aftermath alone.
Kevin Thompson
(played by
Elijah Moreland)
A poet, intellectual, and aspiring politician trying to get
his message to the people.
Final(ly) Protest
(Reprise)
RHONNEY
GREENE
Rhonney co-founded Under the Spell
Productions with Teresa Michelle Lasley and serves as Artistic Director of the
company. Directing credits include the world premiere of Fantasy Girl (a jukebox musical by Lyanisha Gonzalez) and It Goes Unsaid, Under the Spell’s
signature show, which has been performed at UCLA’s Raw Performing Arts Series,
The Poet’s Den (Harlem) and London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. He also
co-created and directed Under the Spell’s first web-series, She’s Out of
Order. His acting experience includes a
starring role in the equity musical showcase, Dance Bojangles Dance. He has worked on numerous commercial film
and television programs as a costume designer and set costumer, including The
Avengers, Nurse Jackie, The
Haves and Have Nots, Elementary,
and The Manchurian Candidate, to name
a few.
TERESA
MICHELLE LASLEY
Teresa is an actress, writer,
educator and arts professional. She co-founded Under the Spell Productions in
2005 and serves as Executive Director of the Company, leading to awards from
the Harlem Arts Alliance and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, productions in
New York City, Los Angeles and London and recent success at the DC Black
Theater Festival. She co-created and starred in Under the Spell’s She’s Out of
Order web-series. She has also worked with Lincoln Center Theatre and the
Signature Theater, among others. She is also an educator in Maryland’s public
school system.
CAROLYN
BARRETT
North
Carolina native, Carolyn Barrett received her training in the
United Kingdom, where she studied Performing Arts and Musical Theatre and Post-Graduate
Screen Acting/Film. Carolyn recently completed work on various
commercial and industrial projects. She will be making her directorial
debut later this year and is collaborating on several upcoming projects as a
performer and a writer!! Other credits include- Brooklyn Brothers
Beat the Best, State of Play, The Wire, And My Name Ain't Peaches in
NY, It Goes Unsaid-NY,LA, and London Cast. She was also honored
as Best Actress at the Paul Robeson Awards.
Carolyn is
a Romans 8:28 kind of girl, so she'd like to thank God for this and
every opportunity to walk in this dream...wide awake! Carolyn would like to
thank the beautiful and talented cast and crew for each and every day that
they dedicated and sacrificed to make this happen. She would also like to thank
her wonderful family for loving her without limits and encouraging her every
step of the way. Love ya like cooked food! Last, but certainly not least,
thank you doesn't fully capture the gratitude she feels for her awesome husband
who makes being his rib such an amazing experience!!
For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
MICHELLE
FAWN
Michelle Fawn is a graduate of
Spelman College where she majored in Theater & Pre-Medicine. Acting is her
strongest passion; has performed both on stage and in front of the camera,
currently in a show at Bway comedy club(NYC) and filming the second season
of a web series. She is very excited to be a part of this thought provoking
beautifully written piece!
INDIO
MELENDEZ
Indio Melendez, an actor and writer,
was born and raised in New York City. He was the recipient of the “2008
H.O.L.A. Award” for ensemble cast in Dona Flor Y Sus Dos Marido. Other
notable performances include his portrayal of Miguel in The Vieques at the
Spanish Repertory Theater, for which he was recognized with a “2001 Latin Ace
Award” Nomination. His one man show, Manchild
Dilemma, earned Indio a “2007 Premios Sin Limites Award Nomination”. Indio holds
a Bachelor of the Arts with a concentration in Social work from Lehman College.
One of his highest honors was serving his country as a Desert Storm Veteran.
Indio would like to thank: first and
foremost the Creator for all of his blessings! Ache’ to his family for their
love and support; his agent and manager for getting him the gigs; his acting
coach, Dudley Findlay Jr., for his guidance; Rosa Hyde and Paul Kaar for the
love the support and inspirations; And finally, his two children, Ramell and
Ralphy for keeping him on his toes.
ELIJAH
MORELAND
Elijah hails from the windy city of
Chicago, Illinois, spent 6 years training and acting in New York and now
resides in Baltimore with his wife and daughter. After an adventurous 5
years as an officer for the U.S. Navy, moving him everywhere from Baltimore to
Bosnia, he changed course and began his acting career. Elijah is a 2009
graduate of New York’s illustrious William Esper Studio. In 2008 he made his
big screen debut opposite Shia LaBeouf in “Eagle Eye. His career
continues to heat up with appearances on NBC’s “Deception”, USA’s “Royal
Pains”, ABC’s “One Life to Live” and two new movies set to release in 2015:
“1:30 Train” opposite Captain America’s Chris Evans and a role as an army
infantry soldier in the indie feature “Cigarette Soup”, directed by Damian
Voerge.
HATTIE
MAE WILLIAMS
Hattie Mae Williams is
the artistic director of the Tattooed Ballerinas, a modern dance company
performing in various venues since 2003, based in New York City. She graduated
from the Fordham University/ Alvin Ailey B.F.A program in 2003 and was also
awarded the National Alliance for Excellence in Choreography and the National Endowment
for the Arts award in Modern dance. among the choreographers she has performed
with are The Kevin Wynn Collection, Francesca Harper, Avila/Weeks, Joanna
Mendel-Shaw "Dancing with Horses," and MTV Viacom "The
Backyardigans." For more info go to www.thetattooedballerinas.net.
DEREK
LEE MCPHATTER (co-writer)
Derek’s plays have been
presented/supported Harlem Stage,
the Bowery Poetry Club, Harlem9,
Horse Trade Theater Group,
Brooklyn's Jack Theater,
and The Fire This Time Festival,
with two plays published by Indie Theater
Now. He frequently collaborates with Rhonney Greene and Teresa
Michelle Lasley as part of the Under the Spell Productions team, co-creating It
Goes Unsaid and the She’s Out of Order.
Derek’s television portfolio has led
to semifinalist placement in the 2015 Disney Writing Program and a 2012
Fellowship in the Guy Hanks and Marvin Miller Screenwriting Program at the
University of Southern California. For several years, he worked at Harlem's Apollo Theater,
developing new arts and entertainment programs. He splits his time between
Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Visit derekleemcphatter.com for more.
MORE ABOUT THE SHOW
It Goes Unsaid follows six characters of African descent struggling with the ‘color complex’ through a blend of drama, dance, spoken word, film, and photography.
It Goes Unsaid is a multifaceted theatrical exploration of a dirty little secret in the African Diaspora – an unhealthy preoccupation with skin color. We journey with each character as they work through insecurities, self-hatred, and other challenges rooted in how it feels to be dark or light, black or mixed, and the countless shades in between.
This performance piece was originally commissioned by University of California, Los Angeles, for the Raw Performing Arts Series in 2006. Following the premiere, the show was mounted in New York City in 2007 (with Obie-award winning producer Bryan E. Glover) and at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2008 (sponsored by the United States Embassy). It Goes Unsaid has become the signature show for the company, an engaging catalyst for conversations on race, gender, hip-hop culture, the media, and other timely issues.
ABOUT UNDER THE SPELL PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Under the Spell Productions, Inc., was co-founded in 2005 by Teresa Michelle Lasley and Rhonney Greene, both natives of the Washington DC Metropolitan area. Under the Spell’s mission is to develop and produce a variety of new and proven works, supporting creative expression primarily through theatre, as well as music, film and dance. The company’s programming focuses on common threads in our humanity, the plight of women today and throughout history, and seeks to engage diverse artists and multicultural, non-traditional audiences.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015, Under the Spell Productions, Inc., is a federally incorporated non-profit organization. This is Under the Spell’s second presentation in the DC Black Theatre Fest, building on the success of Lauren Cooper’s roughdraftofmylife in 2012.
Other Under the Spell programs include She’s Out of Order, a webseries co-created by Rhonney Greene, Teresa Michelle Lasley and Derek Lee McPhatter which was an official selection at the 2015 Los Angeles Webfest, taking home the LA Webfest Outstanding Guest Actress Award for episode three’s guest star, LaJune. The company has also helped co-produce The Fire This Time Festival in New York, which received its first Obie award a few months ago.
PLEASE FIND US
ON FACEBOOK @ Under The Spell Productions!
