THE CAST
KAMAL ANGELO BOLDEN (TONY)
Kamal Angelo Bolden was recently seen as “Black Man/Actor 2” in the world premiere of We Are Proud to Present... at Victory Gardens Theater. Since leaving Nashville for Chicago three years ago, Kamal has originated the roles of “Jackie Robinson” in the Chicago Children's Theatre's world premiere of Jackie and Me, and “Chad Deity” in Victory Gardens Theatre's world premiere of the Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. He has also worked with Court Theatre (Home), Actors Theatre of Louisville (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) and won a Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best Leading Actor for his work in Athol Fugard’s The Island at Remy Bumppo Theatre. Kamal has appeared in many independent films, commercials, and television shows. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration-Entrepreneurship from Bradley University.
PHILLIP JAMES BRANNON (JESSE)
Phillip James Brannon just recently moved to NYC after beginning his career in Chicago and receiving his BFA in Acting from The Theatre School of DePaul University. Chicago credits: Goodman Theatre: Joan Dark (Linz, Austria, in conjunction with the Linz ’09 Festival),The Ballad of Emmett Till, The Cook, Oedipus Complex, A Christmas Carol; Steppenwolf Theatre Company: the world premiere of The March, The Brother/Sister Plays; Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Touchstone in As you Like It, Amadeus, Macbeth, Richard III; Court Theatre: Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus; Congo Square Theatre Company: Elmina’s Kitchen; Remy Bumppo Theatre Company: An Immigrant Class; InFusion Theatre Company: The Last Supper. Regional credits: the world premiere of Robert O'Hara's BootyCandy at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington D.C., Phillip will reprise his role in BootyCandy in 2013 at The Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia; Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Harriet Jacobs; Firebelly Productions: Of Mice and Men, Waiting for Godot (Washington D.C., in conjunction with The Int'l School in Prague). Film: Contagion.
J. NICOLE BROOKS (NINA)
is a native daughter of Chicago, and Immediate Family marks her return to the stage. Previous acting credits include Studs Terkel’s RACE dir. by David Schwimmer, Mary Stuart dir. by JoAnne Akalitis and Cider House Rules dir. by David Cromer. Brooks is an ensemble member at the Lookingglass Theatre. Scribe credits: Black Diamond The Years The Locusts Have Eaten, Fedra, Shotgun Harriet and Midway Liquors. Directing credits: Black Diamond, and Mr.Rickey Calls A Meeting (Lookingglass Theatre). Trophies: TCG Fox Fellowship Resident Actor, American Theatre Wing Tony Award, LA Ovation Best Supporting Actress, & BTAA Best Actress. Proud member of ITI-Worldwide & Actors Equity. Musings on life & Tom Foolery can be found at Closed Captioning For The Jive Impaired href="http://doctaslick.blogspot.com">doctaslick.blogspot.com. Twitter handle @doctaslick
SHANÈSIA DAVIS (EVY)
Shanèsia Davis, a proud member of Actors Equity, is honored to be a part of Immediate Family. Most recent credits include Congo Square Theatres World Premiere of Brothers of the Dust where she garnered both BTAA and BEA awards for her portrayal as Mayetta .Other theatrical productions include: The Steppenwolf as Amanda in The Glass Menagerie,Girl on Yacht One Arm, Inez Our Lady of 121st St. Queen Cymbeline Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Hannah Drowning Crow (BTAA nom), Amy Jacques Garvey world premiere Black Star Line, Kaliman/ Lottie The Ties That Bind Watermelon Rinds (Jeff nom. BTAA nom)/ Missy May /woman #1 Spunk, The Visit and From the Mississippi Delta Goodman Theatre; Kanika Permanent Collection, Shelita Burns Bee-Luther-Hatchee Northlight among others, Brenda Comfortable Shoes Royal George(BTAA nom); Othello, Fuente Ovejuna Court Theatre among others. Regional credits include Nella Gees Bend Cleveland Playhouse, Salamina The Syringa Tree and Ruth A Raisin in The Sun KC Repertory; Esther Mills Intimate Apparel World Premiere Southcoast Repertory ( NAACP Image Award nom.)/Centerstage Baltimore; Desdemona/Mercutio Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet, Ophelia Hamlet San Diego Rep.; Missy May/ Woman # 1 Spunk Penumbra Theatre among others. She recently appeared in the ABC police drama "Detroit 187". Other film and television credits include: "Damaged Goods"," Morning Due" (Cannes Film Festival) "The Weatherman", "Uncle Nino", "The Last Word" ( Life Sentence), "Chicago Cab" (Hell Cab), "With Honors", "Early Edition"(series regular, Marissa), "Missing Persons", "Gabriel’s Fire", "Making a Case for Murder: the Howard Beach Story". Her extensive voice-overs include: McDonald’s, Allstate, Charmin, Pampers to name a few. Shanèsia teaches theatre at The Theatre School, DePaul University and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) DTM. This for my other hearts: Nambi, Tatum and my family who makes me whole.
PATRICK SARB (KRISTIAN)
Patrick Sarb most recently appeared in Short Shakespeare: Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Chicago credits include Fiddler on the Roof at Marriott Lincolnshire, Animal Crackers and The Beard of Avon at the Goodman, Grey Gardens at Northlight, Unlock’d at Ravinia, Winesburg, Ohio at Steppenwolf, Tintypes at American Theatre Company, Big River at Appletree, Undone and Xena Lives! at About Face, All’s Well That Ends Well, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Taming of the Shrew with Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre, and Sondheim’s Saturday Night at Pegasus Players. Regionally he appeared in the Las Vegas and Broadway companies of Mamma Mia! He is a graduate of Northwestern University.
CYNDA WILLIAMS (RONNIE)
Cynda began a professional life of acting and singing after relocating to New York from her native Chicago. Her debut film MO' BETTER BLUES directed by Spike Lee, was a critical and commercial success. Blessed with a role that also required singing, her song HARLEM BLUES went #1 on the R&B charts. That film opened the door to her next performance in Carl Franklin's ONE FALSE MOVE - the true icebreaker for Cynda's career. This break out independent film appeared on many Best Film lists and Cynda was nominated for the coveted Spirit Award. Cynda has since appeared in numerous films including: Stewart Wade’s TRU LOVED, John Nolte’s BEAUTIFUL LOSER, Salvador Litvak's WHEN DO WE EAT, Billy Wirth's MACARTHUR PARK, P.J. Castellante's RELAX...IT'S JUST SEX, Darin Scott's CAUGHT UP and Wesley Strick's THE TIE THAT BINDS. She has also performed memorable quality television roles including: BET's HIDDEN BLESSINGS, LIFETIME'S THE COURAGE TO LOVE, HBO's DOROTHY DANDRIDGE, Oprah Winfrey's ABC miniseries, THE WEDDING and PBS' TALES OF THE CITY. Cynda also sings and acts on stage. She most recently appeared in THE TALENTED TENTH, LANGSTON IS MY MAN, HOPE RUNS ETERNAL and TWILIGHT IN LOS ANGELES, 1992, MAKE EM’ LAUGH and MAKE EM’ LAUGH A CHRISTMAS CABARET.
Writing screenplays, musicals, and plays have also been a part of Cynda’s creative endeavors. She looks forward to bringing her creations to life with the commercial production of these works. Cynda has recently returned from several years in Singapore and presently resides near Dallas, Texas. She continues to sing, and accept quality roles in film, television and theatre.
GREG MATTHEW ANDERSON (U/S KRISTIAN)
is an Artistic Associate at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company where credits include Power, The Best Man, The Philadelphia Story, Bronte, On the Verge, The Marriage of Figaro, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Night and Day, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Chesapeake. He has appeared onstage at Northlight (Sense and Sensibility), the Goodman Theatre (Rock 'N Roll), Court Theatre (Arcadia), American Theater Company (Oklahoma!), IO Theater (A Moment Alone), as well as at Next, Noble Fool, and Actors Revolution Theatre. Television: The Chicago Code (Fox), Detroit 187 (ABC), the pilots Matadors (ABC/Sony) and Underemployed (MTV), as well as a recurring role on the short-lived The Playboy Club (NBC). Greg is a graduate of Duke University's Department of Theater Studies.
MATEO SMITH (U/S JESSE AND TONY)
hails from the small Southern town of McComb, Mississippi. Mateo was introduced to the theatre and to acting in high school. He reluctantly joined McComb High School’s Competitive Forensics team while “secretly” practicing his trumpet in the auditorium. Upon graduating in 1998, Mateo attended William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS where he earned his BFA in Theatre. While at William Carey, Mateo was a member of the nationally ranked William Carey College Forensics Team. In 2001 Mateo garnered 1st Place Awards at the Pi Kappa Delta and American Forensics Association National Championship Tournament for his Prose Interpretation of Max Lucado’s “The Touch of God.” In the spring of 2002 Mateo returned to the national competition to win the 1st Place Award for his Program Oral Interpretation of the effects of Drug Abuse on the African-American family. In his final semester at William Carey, Mateo travelled with his cast to perform at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in a production of And David Danced which was selected by the KC/ACTF showcase selection committee. After graduation, Mateo was off to Abingdon, VA to begin his professional career at the historic Barter Theatre. While at Barter, Mateo enjoyed roles in such plays as The Tempest, The Importance of Being Earnest, To Kill a Mockingbird, South Pacific, and 1776, to name a few. In 2003, Mateo would join Theatre IV in Richmond, VA and spend 2 years on tour with Theatre for Young Audiences. He enjoyed wonderful roles ranging from Ebenezer Scrooge, Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard III, Shere Khan, and many others. In the fall of 2005, Mateo began studies at The Theatre School of DePaul University in Chicago, IL. After completing his MFA in Acting at DePaul, Mateo joined the Chicago Theatre family, working with companies such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, MPAACT (Ma’at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre), and Victory Gardens Theatre Company among others. When not involved in artistic endeavors, Mateo enjoys lounging on the sofa with his 3lb Chihuahua “Mr. Belvediere” and toying with new recipes in his kitchen.
KIMM BEAVERS (U/S EVY, NINA, & RONNIE)
was last seen in the world premiere of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man at Court Theater and The Trip at ETA Theater (BTA award, Best Ensemble). Film Credits: Lost Ones, Molly’s Gift, Love Shorts, & Til Death Do Us Part. Voiceover/Television/Print: Sprint, Coca Cola, Whirlpool, Walgreens, JC Penny. As a poet, Kimm is strongest when writing about love, self awareness, or spiritual growth and has performed at Clear Channel’s Big Jam Slow Jam as well as opened for Sonia Sanchez and KRS 1. She has produced a spoken word album Prose & Cons of a Love Affair and a chat book A Peace Of My Soul. Kimm got her B.A. in Speech and Theater Arts at Clark Atlanta University. Always excited to share the stage with great performers, Kimm believes the best way to grow is to surround yourself with people you can learn from and evolve with.
