2 Little People Productions
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Cast and Crew Bios
LyaNisha R. Gonzalez (PLAYWRIGHT, DRU) is a graduate of The New School For Drama (formerly known as The Actor's Studio Drama School) and Spelman College. She hails from the suburbs of New Jersey and founded 2 Little People Productions in 2006. She is a passionate actress/writer and is in the process of turning her play Fantasy, Girl into a sitcom. Recent acting credits include, Fantasy, Girl, Anton in Show Business, Extraordinary (Radio Play), and Histories (Radio Play). Author of numerous short stories, plays, and screenplays, LyaNisha credits her talent to her family and God above for constantly blessing her.
Garrett Bantom (TERRENCE) would like to thank God for another opportunity to perform. Garrett is from Philadelphia but has come to really enjoy calling NY home. He has been seen most recently in London performing with Under the Spell's production of It Goes Unsaid. Garrett is excited about the Fringe Festival and about working with Ms. Gonzalez. Peace and Blessings to his Family for their constant support. Garrett is a proud member of Actor's Equity.
Franck Juste (JEVON) has been performing since his 13th birthday, and professionally for the past year. Also a spoken word poet, Frankie has a lot of artist hats to wear. He's recently been in a production of Amiri Baraka's Slave Ship as well as The Great Goodness of Life this past spring. A Brooklyn native, Frankie is no stranger to the stage. From street corners to b'way " if a nickle bag is sold in the park" he wants in. Aside from acting he also works with children as a teaching artist. Frankie would like to thank Allyson (the battery in my back), Moms (keeping me grounded), Pops (keeping me lifted), Shirley, Herman, Jojo and the whole family. The New Afrikanz! And any friends and family I've got and those I've to get. If he left anyone out blame it on the head not the heart!
Traci Tolmaire (ALISHA/CHOREOGRAPHER) is an actor, dancer, and singer from Chicago. She has appeared in numerous theatrical productions including the 365 Days/365 Plays series, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Darker Face of the Earth, Trouble in Mind, Breath Boom, A Raisin in the Sun, and an original production entitled Fantasy, Girl also written and produced by LyaNisha Gonzalez. Recently, she finished shooting the short film Native New Yorker and PR, a televsion pilot. Traci currently resides in New York where she continues to build her career as a
performing artist on stage and screen.
Stephanie Rankin (DR. REESE/PASTOR) was immersed in the arts at a very young age, so when she decided to pursue theatre, it came as no surprise. A native of Nashville, TN she has appeared in a plethora of stage productions including: Womyn With Wings, Euripides: Trojan Women, The Vagina Monologues, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. Stephanie currently can also be seen in the Off Broadway musical “No Apologies”. Performing is, was, and will be one of Stephanie's true passions and she considers the opportunity to pursue it, as a blessing and gift.
Uhura Hawkins (MRS. EVANS) is happy to be making her first appearance in the FringeNYC Festival and would also like to thank 2 Little People Productions for this opportunity. Uhura was last seen as Linda in "Thank God for Jesus" and as Sade in "The Committment". Film credits include: Cotton, Pariah, and American Gangster. Uhura would like to thank her family, friends, and the ELBC for their love and support.
Reginald Ferguson (POP-POP), a native New Yorker, is the "New Kid on The Block." In addition to acting, Reg is a stand-up comedian and can be seen regularly at Gotham Comedy Club and New York Comedy Club. His last theatrical performance was in the role of David Keaton in “The Exonerated.” His recent movie performance was in the role of Lucifer in the independent film "The Creation." His recent television credits include “Guiding Light (CBS-TV).” You can hear him in various radio spots for Verizon FiOS. In addition, he can also be heard as a reader of books and magazines for the Jewish Braille Institute. Legit representation would be a much appreciated way of letting Reg know that he’s on the right path.
Brenda Crawley's (GRANDMA) most recent theatre credits include, Woman They Walk Among Us, Spoon Theatre. Other credits include Thirty in Clowning Around with Hudson County One Act Festival, Grandmother in An Evening With the Family with the Václav Havel Festival, Nurse in Antigone with Goldmine Theatre, Gina in Deaf Heaven a reading at the Abingdon Theatre and the Lamaze Mother in Five Days With Dylan with Aching Dogs Theatre. Film credits include, Secrets in the House of Myrrh, NYU thesis film, An American Dream NYU thesis film, Proof of Birth Columbia thesis film. Brenda is currently studying at T. Schreiber Studio with Pamela Scott.
JoJo Shaffer (ENSEMBLE/ALISHA-US) was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. In 2003, she moved to New York City to further her acting career. She has been cast in the hit FX series "Rescue Me," as well as in Indie films, "In The Name of Love" and "Day Night Day Night." JoJo is currently working on a feature film and lives in Brooklyn.
Shanaan Speed (ENSEMBLE/DR. REESE-US) is thrilled to be among this marvelous cast. Her years of performing profound roles such as, Winnie the Pooh, Big Bird, Santaland’s Elf, and of course Speedy the Clown, has finally prepared her for the role of the Splendid Egg 1/Ensemble in this fine play. She recently completed her M.A. in Special Education at New Jersey City University.
Carrie Lynette Stringfellow (ENSEMBLE) is performing for the first time in the Fringe Festival and is very excited to be working with such a wonderful group of people. Some of her favorite roles are Puck in A Mid Summer Night's Dream and Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. She thanks both her family and friends for their endless love and support.
CREW
Lisa-Erika James (DIRECTOR), is the Founder and Artistic Director, To Be Continued...Creating Young Leaders through the Arts! 501c3 A non-profit Arts and Education Organization
An award-winning educator and director, Lisa-Erika James has spent over 16 years inspiring and teaching young people theatre, and over a decade in the director’s chair. James has spent the past six years as Executive Producer of the To Be Continued... Creating Young Leader’s through the Arts! Annual fundraiser at the famous Hue-Man Bookstore in Harlem. She is the founder of TBC a non-profit arts and education organization which creates young leaders through the arts. Recently, Mathew Knowles the president of her board of directors personally donated over $10,000.00 to the organization to give it a kick-start. Ms. James was the Associate Director of Education at Lincoln Center Theater in 2002 then she made the decision to teach full-time and has teaching licenses in Drama, Spanish, Elementary Education and English Language Arts. James served as the Drama Teacher at Urban Science Academy Middle School in the South Bronx for three years and then moved on to teach Drama in New York city high schools.
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, James began performing at the age of 8. She studied acting at the University of Toledo, and upon graduation moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a professional actress. Once she moved to New York her one woman show: “Your Race and Mine” was produced by Ellen Stewart at La Mama, Etc…As a dancer, James is trained in the following techniques: Katherine Dunham, Haitian Folkloric, Afro-Cuban, and West African. Ms. James has choreographed numerous theatre and dance performances.
In her career as a director, James has had the honor of working for illustrious directors namely George C. Wolfe, Marion McClinton, Mark Brokaw in theater and in film; Woody Allen, Spike Lee, and Barbra Streisand. Ms. James has directed over 35 shows, including “Eggs and the Rebound Guy”,” Hambone,” “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide…” and “On the Hills of Black America.” Her work in film includes casting teenage extras for Spike Lee’s film “Clockers” and extras casting for Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway.” In 2003, James was featured in the NY Times for TBC’s workshop with Russell Simmons around the Rockefeller Drug Laws. In addition, 12 TBC Workshops were successfully completed in 2006 with the Brooklyn Public Library’s Teen Edge Program including the Flatbush, DeKalb and Brownsville Branches. James has taught the TBC workshops abroad in Portmore, Jamaica in the summers of 2004- 2005.As a teacher and an administrator Ms. James has taught her transformational theatre techniques to children ages seven to 18 and has conducted many adult acting workshops. Awarded a Van Lier fellowship in directing from Second Stage Theatre in 1998-1999, Ms. James was also nominated for the Essence Award for Community Service, Theatre and Education. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at both Dartmouth and Vassar College.
Ms. James is also an accomplished public speaker and moderator on the arts, education and community activism. She has run panel discussions for groups such as WERISE, a women’s arts organization, Lincoln Center Theater and Russell Simmons’ Tony Award winning “Def Poetry Jam.”
Ms. James is the first African-American woman to receive a Masters in Fine Arts degree from Columbia University’s theatre directing program---trained by Anne Bogart--- and also holds a Masters in Educational Theatre from New York University. James is fluent in Spanish, has researched Afro-Cuban folklore and culture in Havana, Cuba and has extensively studied Afro-Caribbean dance. She has incorporated these cultural and movement studies into the teaching methods of To Be Continued… James is represented by Ron Gwiazda at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City and is a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union.
Eugene Hughes (STAGE MANAGER) recently graduated from NYU with a B.S. Degree in Digital Communications and Media, where he directed and performed the voice of Macbeth in the SCPS McGhee Division’s Digital film short entitled: “A Virtual Study of Macbeth” written by Karrie Meyers, adapted from the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Gene has recently performed as a police captain in the independent production “Outlawz” for the Black Phoenix Inc. Company. He will also direct the indie pilot “Heart and Soul” for Black Phoenix Inc., a combination of “LA Law” meets “SoulFood”. Gene would like to thank his Director Lisa-Erika James and the Playwright/Actress/Producer, LyaNisha Gonzalez for bringing him on board. A special thanks goes out to the talented cast and crew, and last but not least, a very special thanks to his wonderful daughter Nya Nicole Hughes; she is more than the apple of his eye.
