WONDER- Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival

So, late last year I had the pleasure of filming a short film called, Wonder! I just learned that the film has now got into its first film festival. The film is now apart of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival which is a huge deal because the festival is also an Oscars Qualifier! The producers of the film are still waiting to hear back from a few other festivals in which it was submitted.

What is the film about you may ask? Well, first I should mention that this short film is intended to be a TV short which the producers hope to turn into a series. It is a wonderful coming of age story that revolves around young people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. In the film I play a small but pivotal role of the drag queen! I can’t really give out too many other details about the film but just know that I can’t wait for people to see this! If you happen to be in the Martha’s Vineyard area this summer, the festival is from August 5-10th! And to learn more about Wonder and some of the other film project that the producers of Real Talk Film is working on, check out their website at the link HERE.

Stay tuned for more news on this short film!

The New BlackFest Reading Series

So, I’ve been in the thick of audition season in recent months. I’ve had a ton of auditions and callbacks for theater as well as TV projects which was very exciting and is keeping me still energized for what lies ahead. But something I am very excited about is an opportunity to be apart of the New BlackFest Reading Series that is taking place this Saturday! I will be joining an incredible cast to read 20 min. excerpts of new plays by 3 African American playwrights. The playwrights are Nambi Kelly, Sandra Daley and Nathan James and is being directed by Russell G. Jones!

The reading is taking place this Saturday, April 6th at 8pm! For tickets please click here. More information can be found below! I hope to see you there!

Saturday, April 6th

Our Dinner Playreading Series Returns!

Get ready to excite your senses as Weeksville Heritage Center hosts New Black Fest for a staged reading of three plays with a menu developed by Chef Omar Tate based on the plays.

Playreading: 8PM

Hoochie Mama by Nambi E. Kelley

Watermelon Tropes, A One-Act Play by Sandra A. Daley- Sharif

Conveyor Belt by Nathan James

Following the playreading, participate in a Community Conversation with playwrights, actors, director, Russell G. Jones, and panelist, A.J. Muhammad, librarian from the Schomburg Center of Research in Black Culture - moderated by NBF Founder, playwright and screenwriter, Keith Josef Adkins.

Ticket Prices:

$10 - Playreading

MANIFEST and New SAG-AFTRA Member

I am so excited to announce that I am finally a SAG-AFTRA member! I had been toiling around with the idea of joining the union for a few years. The hesitation came with the hefty initiation fee ($3,000!! Yikes!!)! But ultimately I knew that it was time, especially with the growing desire I had to do more TV and film and where I wanted my career to go. And my first job as a SAG-AFTRA member? The new NBC hit show, Manifest which is the No. 1 new show of the season with the premiere drawing over 23 million viewers!

I obviously can’t talk about my role or give away any plot points but I can say that I had an incredible experience on set. Everyone couldn’t have been nicer and it was just exciting to see everything come together. This is now my 2nd network television show after my appearance on Gotham. I can’t wait for everyone to see it! Stay tuned for when my episode will air. In the meantime, here’s a selfie of me in my honey wagon waiting to go on set! And be sure to watch Manifest every Monday night at 10 PM right after The Voice on NBC!

UPDATE: I appeared in episode 8 of the 1st season of Manifest which aired on Monday, November 19th! Unfortunately, one of my scenes was cut but you can still catch me as the Security Guard on the episode. The episode titled, Point of No Return, can be streamed on Hulu and nbc.com.

GOTHAM, Season 4!!

So, almost 2 moths ago, I had the great fortune of getting cast in a small part on Episode 411 of Gotham! It was my very first network TV appearance and I was a fan of the show so to say that I was excited would be an understatement. Everyone on set was so friendly and it was just cool to play around this Gotham world even if it was just for a day. This is also my very first booking through my new manager, King N Queen Management. They have been an absolute God-send to me and I can't thank them and Bowling Miscia Casting for the opportunity!

So be sure to catch the episode of Gotham airing this Thursday at 8pm! You can also find it online on Hulu and fox.com the following day! Here's a snap of me in my dressing room preparing for show. Great way to close out 2017!

Next Up: WIG OUT at Studio Theatre

So recently I was cast in Oscar Winner (Best Adapted Screenplay, Moonlight), Tarell Alvin McCraney's play, Wig Out! And last week, I had the great honor of being apart of a 3 day workshop for Wig Out at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. It had been nearly 10 years since this work premiered Off-Broadway in New York and McCraney thought it was best to make a few tweaks and updates to the script with this all new cast. The project is also being directed by the brilliant Kent Gash!

I will be playing the role of Rey Rey, Mother of the House of Light. The play itself is set in the underground Ball scene and deals with issues of gender roles, sexual orientation, sexual identity, race, and class. It is without a doubt the most challenging role that I have ever taken on and I am so excited to dive in! To even be apart of the reading was such a great learning experience and to listen to both McCraney and Gash speak was a lesson in black excellence, itself! You can find a little selfie that I took while in the lobby as well as a group shot of the phenomenal cast of the reading with Tarell Alvin McCraney and director Kent Gash down below. 

The show opens on July 16th and runs until August 6th, with a possible extension until August 27th! Go to www.studiotheatre.org to purchase your tickets today!! And if you are in the DC area please be sure to catch this incredible show this summer!

The Path Season 2!!

So last summer I had the great fortune of being cast in a small part for the season premiere of the 2nd season of "The Path" on Hulu! Even though it was a small part, it was the highest profile gig that I've EVER booked! As if that weren't enough, I had the great honor to film 2 scenes with the show's lead, Aaron Paul (Emmy winner- Breaking Bad)!! He couldn't have been nicer and the entire process felt like a dream. I learned so much simply by watching him work and how he conducted himself on set.

I don't want to give away too many details as you have to watch the episode. I also had the opportunity to play a role that I don't normally get to play: a regular construction guy. It may seem odd but in the past, I've played roles that are more flashy as I am a character actor. But this was a welcome treat and a role I was excited to take on. Another added bonus was that I got to work with a great actor from Philadelphia named Ian Bedford! Ian and I both worked at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival YEARS ago. Back then, I was an acting intern and he was playing Henry V, I believe. It's always surreal to cross path with actors that you hadn't seen in years and then have the great fortune of working together, especially on a project like this! 

 A HUGE thank you must go out to Calleri Casting for the incredible opportunity! Here's hoping the  rest of the New Year brings on more TV and film bookings! And don't forget to check me out on the the Path streaming now on Hulu!

WASHER/DRYER OPENING NIGHT!!!

So, last night was the Off-Broadway premiere of Washer/ Dryer for the Ma-Yi Theater Co. Nandita Shenoy is the writer and star of this show and it is directed by Benjamin Kamine. It is a hilarious 90 minute farce that follows a newly married young couple that has eloped in Las Vegas and are trying to figure out how to live in a studio apartment in a co-op building on the Upper East Side. I play Sam, Sonya's best friend who can be a bit harsh but also very loving who is helping her out with this crazy situation. I am having a blast in this role and it is the first time I have done comedy in over 10 years!!

We played to a sold out house last night and the audience seemed thoroughly entertained. To read a full review on the show, just click HERE.

Here are some snaps of my friends and I enjoying the after party that was held at OBAO in Hells Kitchen in NYC.

You have until February 20th to come and see Washer/ Dryer at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row on 42nd St. For Tickets click HERE !

WASHER/DRYER for the MA-YI THEATER CO.

It's been a while but I'm back! And I am so excited to share that I will be returning to the New York stage this winter! I will be performing in the New York premiere of the new play, "Washer/Dryer," written by Nandita Shenoy for the Ma Yi- Theater Co. It is an incredibly funny play and I am so excited to begin work on this multi-ethnic production.  Here is how press notes describe the show:

Washer/Dryer is a hilarious new farce that examines the pressures of modern-day marriage against the backdrop of New York City.  Sonya and Michael’s recent elopement in Vegas seemed like a dream come true for both of them until they try living together in Sonya’s Manhattan studio apartment. As they discover that they haven’t been entirely honest with each other or themselves, their secrets come home to roost along with an intrusive mother, the co-op’s strict Board president, a harsh best friend, and a fabulous washer-dryer. Mayhem ensues as the couple is forced to re-evaluate their relationship and decide whether all really is fair in love and real estate.

I will be playing the role of Sam, the best friend of Sonya. Let's just say Sam comes in like a tornado in this play and it is going to be a wild ride! If you would like to see this show (which, why wouldn't you!?!) then you can purchase  tickets using this link HERE! If you purchase before Dec. 25th, you will get 25% off your ticket price. I think that's a pretty good Christmas gift. But then again, I'm biased. 

So be sure to check me out in the Off-Broadway premiere of "Washer/Dryer" at the Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row, January 26- February 21, 2016!

Hack My Life on TruTV!

So about two months ago, I had the pleasure of shooting a little skit for the television show, Hack My Life for TruTV that filmed here in New York City. It was a very fun shoot in which I play a regular pedestrian opposite a Criss Angel-type of magician as he performs a trick or a "Hack" on me. It was just a featured role but it was so much fun to be on set and everyone was so nice! I could get used to this set life! I don't have an exact date on when my particular episode airs but keep your eyes peeled as the new season of Hack My Life premieres tonight, August 18th at 9pm/8C!!

Below are some behind the scenes snapshots from my episode. 

Here's hoping for more TV and Film gigs this upcoming season!

The Riverboat Exploit @ The National Black Theatre

I am very excited to be apart of the staged reading of The Riverboat Exploit by Fredi Walker-Browne, best known to audiences as the original Joanne in RENT! This is a play written and directed by Walker-Browne and it is being presented at the National Black Theatre in Harlem on Monday, July 13th at 7:30pm as part of the their "Keep Soul Alive" Reading Series.

I will be playing the role of Lee Ivy in this racially charged piece that takes place in the early 1900s after black slaves have been free. It is sure to be a very invigorating night of theater that explores the racial tension that took place then and what still occurs today. The reading is free and open to the public! 

New Representation and New Opportunities

I am very happy to announce that I will now be working with Emerging Talent, LLC.  They will be representing me for their theatrical division so I am very excited about that! Also, I just finished work on my first voice-over gig. I was contacted out of the blue by film director, Gustavius Smith to portray the voice of Langston Hughes in his upcoming documentary called, Playing the Numbers. This film focuses on the numbers game that begin during the Harlem Renaissance era. It is a pre-cursor to the lottery system that we all know today but it goes in depth to the individuals who started this system and the effects that it had on the community in Harlem at the time. 

It was such a pleasure working on this film and to do my first voice-over gig for such an important subject matter. No word yet on when this documentary will be released. But as soon as I know I will certainly post that information here. 

On Camera Classes @ The Acting Studio

Lately, I have been learning more about acting in front of the camera. I recently started taking acting classes at the Acting Studio. The class is taught by Victor Verhaeghe, an accomplished actor  who has appeared on such shows as Boardwalk Empire, Blue bloods, Person of Interest, and Allegiance, just to name a few. I'm learning a great deal and am learning more and more that less is more. It is, at first, weird seeing yourself on camera, hearing how your voice sounds, see all the weird things that you naturally do (Tame the eyebrows, Jamyl). But it's also so great to feel the progression and to learn more of the differences between acting on camera vs. acting on stage.

The class is taught with a Meisner perspective, so it is very much about listening and responding truthfully in the moment. The class meets over the course of 8 weeks and we go through TV and film Sides, commercial auditions, learning about what our character types are and how to best sell that product to the appropriate markets, and then we get to show our work in front a casting director. Needless to say, it is invaluable. It is such a treat and I recommend anyone interested in a career in TV and Film to take this class at the Acting Studio on 54th!

Of Ebony Embers Tour

I am so honored to do another season of this incredible show, "Of Ebony Embers," written by Akin Babatunde for the Core Ensemble Co. In this piece, I play 4 significant figures of the Harlem Renaissance era: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, and visual artist Aaron Douglass. I am also joined onsatge by 3 wonderful musicians who play jazz music of that era or inspired by that era. I've been touring this piece through colleges and universities across the country for about a month now. We've had the pleasure of going to New Orleans, Key West, California, and Texas. I am so pleased that is has been received very well. We have received a standing ovation in nearly every single city that we've visited. 

I had the pleasure of being interviewed at one of the tour stops by the Victoria Advocate. To read that article, just click the link here.

The tour will continue through the end of February. Tour dates in February are as followed:

2/6 Worcester State University

2/9 Motlow Community College

2/10 Brescia University

2/12 Waynesburg University

2/17 Bismarck State University

2/19 Kirkwood Community College/ Ellsworth Community College

2/23 Concordia Univerity in Irvine, CA

2/26 Cloud County Community College in Kansas City

2/28 University of Maryland

Hope to see you in one of these cities!

'The Death of Bessie Smith'- Best of NY Theater 2014!

Early last year, I had the distinct honor of being apart of a production that helped to shed light on the number of hospital closures that were occurring in New York. The hospital closures directly affected those in low income neighborhoods as well as those where 75% of the neighborhoods were minorities. So, to bring attention to this issue and to directly help save one of the hospitals that were being affected by this, Interfaith Medical Center in Bedstuy, Brookyln, the company put on a production of Edward Albee's "The Death of Bessie Smith." 

This production was incredibly special not only for the cause that we were supporting but also because this was the first time that this show was being produced in New York in over 46 years! When Jonathan Solari, the director of 'Bessie Smith,' asked me to be apart of it, I had no idea the magnitude that this show would have. And we certainly did not expect that it would make a few "Best of" theater lists for 2014. I was so honored to be apart of the production and I am happy to say that since we performed at Interfaith Medical Center, the hospital that was close to shutting its doors early 2014, remains open to the public. This has certainly been one of my greatest accomplishments as an artist. I am so happy for everyone involved in making this production happen. From the cast and crew, to the hospital workers, to the incredible audience that came from all five boroughs to see this production, all I can say is thank you!

To read one of the best of lists that we made for 2014, click the link here.

Of Ebony Embers

I am excited to announce that beginning in January, I will be returning to the Core Ensemble Co. to reprise my roles in "Of Ebony Embers." I toured with this show last year and was very honored to be be invited back. I will be on tour for roughly 7 weeks this winter, performing at various colleges throughout the country. In this piece, I play 4 significant male figures from the Harlem Renaissance era: Aaron Douglass, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, and Langston Hughes.

I am the solo actor in the piece that is also accompanied by a 3 piece chamber ensemble. The music intertwines with the text as they play various blues, jazz, and chamber music relating to the period. The exact dates of my performances will be released at a later time. 

For more information on "Of Ebony Embers" or to find out more about the Core Ensemble Co. please click on the link HERE.

CAIN @ The HollyShorts Film Festival

I am so pleased to announce that the short film that I co-starred in , CAIN, has been accepted in the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles!! It just had a successful showing at the Columbia University Film Festival 2014, also known as CUFF 2014, this past spring. In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned a bit of the back story. I play Alpha Human, the leader of a new species that is searching for my missing son. It is a story that deals with issue of societal upheaval and prejudices through the vice of Humans vs. Neanderthals. 

Congrats to the entire CAIN team! To find out more information on this film check out the director's website HERE. The film will be screened on Sunday, August 17th at 2:30pm at the TCL Chinese Theaters. For tickets  to see CAIN at the Hollyshorts Film Festival just click HERE!

Still from CAIN

Photo Zi Yan

The Anthem Closing and Future Goals

The Off-Broadway musical, The Anthem, closed abruptly on Sunday June 22nd. You can read more about the closing here. It was definitely sad to see our show end so soon especially when we received great reviews and wonderful audiences coming to see the show. There are rumors that it may have a 2nd life but no one really knows. But that is not the reason why I am writing this blog.

I am writing this, hopefully, to encourage any artists out there who may be going after your dreams to still go after your dreams but to also solidify a plan. When The Anthem ended, the news came so fast that it was a shock to the system. I needed some time to get over the heartbreak and anger and frustration that came with hearing this sudden news. I needed to mourn. But once the mourning process was over, I come up with a list of things that I wish to accomplish within a year's time.

1. I want to become a SAG member

2. I want to write and perform a one man show

3. I want to write, create, and star in a web series.

I am currently working on all of those things at the moment. Those are just some of my goals but they are the goals that I am focusing on at the moment. It's always nice to have a plan or at least set goals for yourself. This business is so unpredictable and there are so many things that are beyond our control. But if we can work on creating our own work and make an effort each day in accomplishing our goals then at least we can be happy with that, regardless of the outcome. 

The Anthem Off-Broadway Premiere

We officially opened The Anthem, as scheduled on May 29th! It was a huge success and I am so grateful for the entire creative team and this wonderful cast for all of their hard work in making this show happen. As mentioned in previous blogs, this is a brand new sci-fi musical inspired by the classic novella, The Anthem, by Ayn Rand. In this story set in the not too distant future, we follow Prometheus (Jason Gotay from Broadway's Spideman Turn Off the Dark) as he rebels against the system in a world where everything from what you eat to who can mate with is governed by the State known as, The Grid. I play the Executioner who is basically the First Citizen's (Wicked's Jenna Leigh Green) right hand man who is there to protect her and execute anyone who goes against her. 

I am having a ball to say the least. I have 2 huge fight scenes, a very sexy song called, "The Palace of Mating," and I do it all while wearing a leather harness, black booty shorts and spike black platform boots. Needless to say, you just have to witness it in the flesh. If you're in New York and want to see an original, funny musical full of singing, dancing, aerial work, acrobatics, and even figure skating (yes, I said figure skating) then you need to come to the Lynn Redgrave Theatre on 45 Bleecker St. The show runs until July 6th!!

For tickets and more info on the show, just click HERE!

Cast of The Anthem

Photo: Matthew Blank/ Playbill

The Anthem: Performances begin May 21st

I am very excited to announce that performances for the Off Broadway show, The Anthem, begin this week. We were scheduled to begin performances on Tuesday but due to the technical issues of our show, previews were pushed back a day. The show is still scheduled to open on May 29th. I am looking forward to sharing our show with an audience. The cast and crew have worked incredibly hard and I can truly say that this one of the most talented (and attractive) group of people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. 

The talented cast features Jason Gotay (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark), Jenna Leigh Green (Wicked), Randy Jones (Original Member of the Village People), and Remy Zaken (Spring Awakening). I play the Executioner and lets just say my costume is a little revealing. The show is based off of Ayn Rand's classic novella, "The Anthem."  It is very much in the vain of Xanadu or Starlight Express. We have put in a lot of hard work and everyone should see this show. 

For tickets and show info, please visit http://www.theanthemmusical.com

It's gonna be a wild ride!

The cast of The Anthem

Photo: Matthew Blank/ Playbill

CAIN Premiere at Lincoln Center

This past fall, I had the pleasure of shooting a short film titled, CAIN, directed by Zijian Yan and produced by Columbia University's Film Dept. And finally the premiere is here!! CAIN will be apart of the Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) presented at Lincoln Center on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014. It will be presented in Program C at 2pm on May 3rd. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets can click the link here. 

In the film, I play Alpha Human, the leader of a pack of humans who are trying to track down my missing son. The film also deals with issues of racial discrimination, prejudice, and societal upheaval through the vice of Humans vs. Neanderthals. The film was shot over the course of a week in upstate New York.

Below is an interview with Miroslav Macala, the producer, and Zi Yan, the director talking about the process and inspiration behind the film! You may even catch a glimpse of me at 1:27!

Cain from CUFF 2014 on Vimeo.