Sophina Brown Presents

Starring

Esau Pritchett Abdul Salaam El Razzac Montae Russell

Jon Chaffin Ciera Payton and

Ella Joyce

Directed by

Michele Shay

Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design

John Iacovelli Mylette Nora Derek Jones

Sound Design Sound Technician Original Music

Kevin Novinsky Leo Stella Dwight Andrews Hair/Wigs Make-Up Design Fight Director Gayla Belay-Iyamu Shelia Dorn BjØrn Johnson

Production Stage Manager Stage Manager Assistant Producer David Blackwell Jill Johnson-Bokelberg Dana Hunt Set Construction Props Masters Wardrobe Supervisor Will Lidderdale Ina Shumaker & Bruce Dickinson Crystal Williams PR/Marketing Graphic Design Social Media

Shanae Sharon George Bush Gil Jackson

"King Hedley II" is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL

FRENCH, INC.

CAST

(In Order of Appearance)

King Hedley II..............................................................*Esau Prichett

Ruby…...............................................................................*Ella Joyce

Mister...............................................................................Jon Chaffin

Elmore.....................................................................*Montae Russell

Tonya.............................................................................Ciera Payton

Stool Pigeon...............................................*Abdul Salaam El Razzac

STANDBY

*Darryl Alan Reed

Standbys never substitute for listed performers unless a specific announcement

is made at the time of the performance.

*Actors appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association

SETTING

Pittsburgh, the Hill District, 1985

RUNNING TIME Approximately 3 hours

There will be one 15 minute intermission.

THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO

AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION OR

DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS ON ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE

INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR'S

RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT

WWW.SAMUELFRENCH.COM/WHITEPAPER

January 19th– February 12th, 2017 at The Matrix Theatre

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

AUGUST WILSON (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) authored

Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s

Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two

Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. These

works explore the heritage and experience of African-

Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the

twentieth century. His plays have been produced at regional theaters across the

country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Mr. Wilson

made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I

Learned. Mr. Wilson’s works garnered many awards including Pulitzer Prizes for

Fences (1987); and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great

Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as eight New York Drama Critics Circle

Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The

Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, and Radio Golf.

Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985

Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for

his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included

the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X,

The Homecoming and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr.

Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including Rockefeller and

Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz

Award, was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by the President of the

United States, and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and

universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie

Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American

Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the

theater located at 245 West 52nd Street - The August Wilson Theatre.

Additionally, Mr. Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Theater Hall of

Fame in 2007.Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is

immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen

Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero.

WHO’S WHO

JON CHAFFIN (Mister) A native of Stone Mountain, GA., Jon is

the youngest of three children. His love for the arts came at

an early age when his parents exposed him to the theatre,

museums, jazz, the blues, and soul; all of which he infuses in

his work today. Jon currently stars as Warlock on Tyler Perry's

The Haves and Haves Nots, now in it’s fourth season. King

Hedley II marks Jon’s introduction to the August Wilson play cannon and his

return to the stage, where he began his career. Some of Jon’s TV credits include:

Army Wives, 96 Minutes, Altered and House of Payne.

ELLA JOYCE (Ruby) Theatre: Crumbs From The Table Of Joy-

JEFF Award for Best Supporting Actress at The Goodman

Theater, South Coast Rep, world premiere Second Stage;

world premiere of Two Trains Running directed by Lloyd

Richards at Yale Rep, Old Globe, Huntington Theatre, Seattle

Rep; world premiere of King Hedley II (Tonya) at the O’Reilly

Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Seattle Rep, Huntington; Fences at The National Black

Theatre Festival Barefoot In The Park; Checkmates at The International Bermuda

Arts Festival; Bossa Nova as a Beinecke Fellow at Yale Rep School of Drama.

Television: Roc, My Wife & Kids, The Jamie Foxx Show, Seinfeld, Eve, Being Mary

Jane. Film: Tyler Perry‘s Temptation, Nina, Set It Off, Selma, Lord Selma. More

info at www.EllaJoyce.com and for Ella’s trademarked weekly exercise classes

visit www.Funkacize.com.

CIERA PAYTON (Tonya) Ciera Payton is an accomplished

actor, writer, social activist and entrepreneur hailing from

the city of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Ciera

relocated to North Carolina where she graduated with a

B.F.A. from the North Carolina School of the Arts. With an

unwavering dedication to the arts, she created the Michael’s

Daughter Project, an annual theater and media arts summer camp for at-risk

youth. In 2016 she launched her vegan cosmetic line Sincerely Cosmetics.

Ciera’s passion for storytelling has landed her numerous theater, film and TV

credits, which include: USA Network’s Graceland, Bad Teacher and recently

NCIS. Visit www.cierapayton.com for more.

ESAU PRITCHETT (King Hedley II) Esau Pritchett was born in

Saginaw, MI. He earned a Performing Arts BA from Oakland

University. Esau has been performing in the regional

theatre circuit, as well as TV and film for the past decade.

He has performed numerous roles from Shakespeare's

canon, as well as contemporary works and new plays. His

last August Wilson experience was playing Troy Maxon in Fences at the Long

Wharf Theatre. Esau can be currently seen as Royal Day on HBO's The Night Of,

and in Netflix's upcoming Marvel Series, Iron Fist, as Shannon.

ABDUL SALAAM EL RAZZAC (Stool Pigeon) Abdul Salaam El

Razzac is an alumnus of The Karamu Theatre in Cleveland,

Ohio and a founding member of The Penumbra Theater in

St. Paul, Minnesota. Regionally he has performed at The

Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arizona

Theater Co., Seattle Rep, among others. He has received the

N.A.A.C.P. Image Award and the L.A. Drama Critics Award for his performance as

Toledo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and the Image Award for his role as Spencer

in Etta Jenks. He has numerous television and film credits including Frank’s

Place, where he received an Emmy nomination, Pretty Woman, Glory, and

Malcolm X.

MONTAE RUSSELL (Elmore) Film/TV: Fifteen seasons ER as

Paramedic Zadro. The Player’s Club, Laurel Avenue, Lily in

Winter, One Life to Live, most recently Rizzoli/Isles,

Shameless. Stage credits range from Broadway’s King

Hedley II as Mister, Few Good Men, Prelude to a Kiss, to Joe

Turner’s Come and Gone, Fences (Kennedy Center), NY

Public’s East Texas Hotlinks, Cleveland Playhouse’s African-American The Glass

Menagerie. He performed all 10 August Wilson plays. Other regional credits

include Thurgood (150+ performances). LA performances: District Merchants

(SCR), NAACP nominated Charlie Parker in BIRD LIVES, The Road Weeps (LATC),

Jitney (SCR/Pasadena). He has a MFA from Mason Gross School of Arts and is a

member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.

DARRYL ALAN REED (Standby) Darryl Alan Reed is a Chicago

native who has worked in all aspects of the entertainment

industry. His television appearances include: Martin, Rizzoli

& Isles, NCIS, and American Tragedy: OJ Simpson Miniseries.

His film credits include: Sweet and Lowdown, The American

President, Christmas in Compton, and (500) Days of Summer.

Darryl has also been seen and heard on many national television and radio

commercials. Mr. Reed has received numerous awards for his theatrical work,

including: the road weeps, the well runs dry-NAACP, Best Supporting Actor,

Jitney-Ovation and NAACP, Best Ensemble Award, Vivisections from the Blown

Mind-Black Theater Alliance and Gay Chicago Magazine, Best Actor Award, and

The Ties That Bind-Joseph Jefferson Award, Actor in a Supporting Role.

SOPHINA BROWN (Producer) Sophina is an actress thrilled to be producing her

first August Wilson play. Broadway and National Tours: Disney's The Lion King,

Fame: The Musical. Recent theatre credits include: Steve Martin's Meteor

Shower (Long Wharf Theatre), Good People (La Mirada Theatre-LA Ovation

Award Nomination), No Strings (Freud Playhouse), Betrayal (Matrix Theatre).

Film: Because I Said So. TV credits include: recurring and guest star roles on The

Good Wife, Castle, NCIS, NCIS: LA, Bones, Scream, Ravenswood, Law and Order:

SVU, Chappelle's Show, Strangers with Candy, as well as series regular roles on

Shark and NUMB3RS. She is a graduate of The University of Michigan's B.F.A.

Theatre program.

MICHELE SHAY (Director) Michele Shay is an award-winning actress, director and

producer, perhaps best known for her Tony Award-nominated performance as

Louise in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. She has also played Aunt Ester in Gem

of the Ocean in productions directed by Kenny Leon, Phylicia Rashad and Ruben

Santiago-Hudson; and Mame Wilks in the World premiere of Radio Golf directed

by Timothy Douglas at Yale Rep. She has played on and off broadway, regional

theater, television and most recently acting in German as Elfrieda in Branden

Jacobs-Jenkins play War opposite Charlayne Woodard at LCT3 in New York. She

directed seven plays in The American Century Cycle including: Fences, Gem of

the Ocean, Seven Guitars, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson as well

as Two Trains Running and King Hedley II for the NY Public Radio recordings of

August Wilson’s American Century Cycle at The Greene Space. Other shows

include: Fighting for the Title with Delores Burgess, Everyday Diva with Elisa

Perry, Da Kink in My Hair, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Blue Stockings by Jessica

Swale and Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. A CMU graduate, Ms. Shay is a Fox

Grant recipient researching performance, healing and the human energy

system. She teaches acting at NYU’s New Studio-Tisch School of the Arts.

JOHN IACOVELLI (Scenic Designer) Broadway: Peter Pan (Emmy Award), The

Twilight of the Golds. National Tour: Camelot. Regional: Fences at the Long

Wharf Theatre and The McCarter Theatre, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma

Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Taper and Gem of the Ocean at Seattle Rep. For

Center Theatre Group: Waiting for Godot, Temptation, and Endgame. For the

Matrix Theatre Company: Stick Fly, Neighbors, We are Proud to Present..., The

Mountaintop, All My Sons. Over 300 productions—Geffen Playhouse, South

Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Denver Center.

International: A Slight Ache in Barcelona, Casablanca in Beijing, and Oedipus at

Colonus in Delphi. Film: Production Designer on Ruby in Paradise; Art Director on

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. TV: The Old Settler, Babylon 5, Ed, Resurrection Blvd.,

Lincoln Heights. MFA: NYU Tisch. Awards: LADCC for Career Achievement.

Website: www.iacovelli.com

MYLETTE NORA (Costume Designer) NAACP Theatre Award for best costumes,

listed in honors edition of The Cambridge Registry of Who’s Who Among

Executive and Professional Women. Works worldwide in television, film and

stage. Was seen nightly on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and now weekly on

Jay Leno's Garage. Inspired the famed artist Synthia St. James in her world-

renowned painting Ensemble which graced the cover of the bestselling novel

Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan. Mylette’s designer doggie wear can be

found at www.FromTheHeartDoggieWear.com, and heirloom dolls, My Mind's

Eye.

DEREK JONES (Lighting Designer) Derek is designing at The Matrix Theatre for

the first time. After moving to Los Angeles from Washington, DC, he has been

actively designing with local performance groups including: Long Beach City

College, Sierra Madre Playhouse, Pepperdine University, Rockwell Table and

Stage, and REDCAT. Highlights outside of LA include New York Fashion Week,

Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, and the Capital Fringe

Festival. Derek has an MFA in Lighting Design from Indiana University and a BA

in Theatre and a BS in Physics from The George Washington University. He is the

lighting design professor at Long Beach City College.

www.derekjonesdesignarts.com

KEVIN NOVINSKY (Sound Designer) Kevin Novinsky is a New York City-based

sound designer and engineer and graduate of NYU Steinhardt's Music

Technology program. This is his first time designing a show in the Los Angeles

area; many thanks to Michele and the production team for making it happen.

Recent design credits include: Gloria (Tisch ETW), A Dog Story (Asst; Off-

Broadway), Hedda (Gabler) (Wandering Bark), All Shook Up (Friends Seminary),

and contributions to Brooklynite (Off-Broadway). Recent engineering credits

include: A Life (Off-Broadway), the immersive musical The Bad Years (Brooklyn)

and Men on Boats (Off-Broadway). Upcoming: See Reverse (Broken Box Mime

Theater) and Into the Woods (Friends Seminary).

LEO STELLA (Sound Technician) Leo is a Master Audio Engineer with over 15

years of experience. His exceptional work illumined award-winning productions

of A Raisin in the Sun directed by Phylicia Rashad, The Gospel at Colonus, Paul

Robeson, Into the Woods, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, and Fraternity,

among others. He has also brought his expertise to television, including MTV’s

Killer Karaoke, AMC’s Talking Dead, and Game Show Network’s Idiotest. Born in

Lima, Peru and raised in Los Angeles from the age of 9, Leo holds a B.A. in Digital

Media Arts from Cal State Dominguez Hills.

DWIGHT ANDREWS (Music Composer) Dwight Andrews, Ph.D., is an associate

professor of music theory and African American music at Emory University and a

Detroit native. He has been recognized for his collaborations with playwright

August Wilson having served as musical director for the Broadway production of

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, and the Broadway

revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

GAYLA BELAY-IYAMU (Wig Designer & Hair Stylist) is a world-renowned celebrity

hair stylist and image-maker, who has worked in film, television, theatre, video

and print for over 30 years. Gayla approaches her work with a refreshing sense

of originality. Her technical avant-garde versatility and creative ability have

made her a talent in high demand in the industry. Gayla has served as head

stylist for many productions and had the pleasure of working with celebrities

such as: Robin Givens, Kandi Burruss, Rumer Willis, LisaRaye McCoy, Kristy

Swanson, Christina DeRosa, Lamman Rucker, Christian Keyes, Jennifer Holliday,

and Billie D. Williams among others. Gayla is also a master trainer and mentors

young stylists as she believes in sharing her talents with the next generation.

SHELIA DORN (Make Up Designer) Artistic designs in Hair, Beauty and FX

Makeup. Her recent theatre credits include: Siamese Sex Show, Drama Queens,

Heartbreak Hotel, The story of Alice, Letters from Zora, Hattie: What I need

youto Know, Painting in Red and Girl Most Likely. She is also known for her work

in Video, Television and Film. Shelia has been blessed with many talents, which

led to the birth of Three Yvision companies, Yvision Artistry: Showcasing Hair &

Makeup, Yvision Elite: Helping create families in the Reproductive field, Yvision

Entertainment: Developing & Producing Unsigned Artist. Shelia‘s life devotion is

to God and her two children Alfred Jackson and Sha'Leah.

BRUCE DICKINSON & INA SHUMAKER (Props Masters) Began their collaboration

over 10 years ago designing props and set pieces for the Open Fist Theatre

Company in Hollywood. Specializing in creating realistic fake foods and period

set dressings, some of their favorite past shows include: James Joyce’s The

Dead, Into the Woods, B. Franklin and The Mountaintop. Thank you Sophina and

John for including us on this wonderful adventure.

CRYSTAL WILLIAMS (Wardrobe Supervisor) Crystal Williams, a recent costume

design graduate from San Diego State University, is delighted to be wardrobe

supervising for August Wilson's King Hedley II. She has been privileged to work

with the likes of Blair Underwood, Rutina Wesley, and Marsha Stephanie Blake

on various theatrical projects. While keeping one foot in theatre, she has been

able to manifest her passion by assisting with styling celebrity clients in the

fashion entertainment industry.

GEORGE BUSH (Graphic Designer) George has over 10 years of professional

graphic design experience. Working with clients such as: The Los Angeles

Urban League Young Professionals, The Los Angeles Women's Theatre

Festival, US Navy - Naval Supply Systems, Black Public Relations Society -

Los Angeles, NINE Events, among others www.bushnation.net.

SHANAE SHARON (PR & Marketing) Shanae has nearly a decade of experience

working in corporate, entertainment and lifestyle marketing, public relations,

social media and events. She is the owner of Pristine Prestige PR. She has a

Marketing Certificate from UCLA, a BA in Theatre Arts/Political Science from the

University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Educational Theatre from NYU. She

founded a community/school based integrated arts program, Empowered Young

Artists. Additionally, she freelances as a stage director and grant writer. Shanae

is currently an ACTIVATE fellow/arts education advocate with Arts for LA.

BJØRN JOHNSON (Fight Director) Bjorn is one of seven Fight Directors fully

trained by the famed B.H. Barry. Broadway: Cyrano the Musical, City of Angels,

Macbeth. Off Broadway: Aven’u Boys, ‘Tis Pitty She’s a Whore, Public Theater,

2nd Stage, Fool for Love, Three Musketeers; Great Expectations, Frankenstein,

Cyrano de Bergerac, Bus Stop, and in the Grand Opera; Metropolitan Opera,

Boston Opera, Chautauqua Opera. He’s choreographed at Juilliard, NYU Tisch,

Circle-In-The-Square, Rutgers, Yale and in LA at Road Theater’s acclaimed The

Play About the Baby. He’s a director, teacher, acting coach and theatre, film and

television actor. He recently appeared on Modern Family, starred in the film,

Parallel Chords, www.facebook.com/parallelchordsfilm/, and will appear as

Vanya in Edgemar Theatre’s Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike.

DAVID BLACKWELL (Production Stage Manager) David Blackwell historically

became the youngest stage manager on Broadway at age 16! His work on

original Broadway and national tour productions includes: A Raisin in the Sun,

Dreamgirls, Sweet Charity, The Wiz, Timbuktu, Showboat, Sophisticated Ladies,

Beauty and the Beast. In 1988 David moved into his television career as key

stage manager/guest director for A Different World, Fresh Prince of Bel Air,

Sister, Sister. He brings to every project approached the gifts of a culturally rich

childhood and the invaluable professional and ethical lessons learned from his

phenomenal parents the beloved Mr. Charles and Mrs. Frances Butler Blackwell.

JILL JOHNSON-BOKKELBERG (Stage Manager) Jill Johnson-Bokelberg, New Yorker

and graduate of Parsons School of Design moved to Los Angeles in 2008. She

found her passion towards the theater while Parent Volunteering at the Debbie

Allen Dance Academy. "I Love the creative process. It's truly amazing to witness

a concept such as the written word transpose to a form of reality. It's the

passion of the director, team, and the blood and breath of the actors that make

this creation possible. Besides, I just love watching David Blackwell performing

his Mastery..."

DANA HUNT (Assistant Producer) Dana is thrilled to assistant produce August Wilson's King Hedley II. She knows the deep level of empathy, compassion, healing and empowerment that the magic of story brings and has committed her life to it. Filled with a great love for art and the California coast, Dana enjoys living in Los Angeles telling simple vivid stories of great depth, freshness and authenticity. She is an honors graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and her television credits: include Grey's Anatomy, American Crime Story, and Mi Casa, Mi Casa. www.danahunt.net

QUOTES FROM & ABOUT AUGUST WILSON

“Every night I would sit in the theatre and (Ruby) would say, ‘If it’s a boy, I’m

going to name him King.’ And I would always think, ‘Why would you want to put

that legacy on a kid? – What if he was named King – what would his life be like

36 years later?’”

—August Wilson about Seven Guitars

“It’s August’s language – the rhythm of hurt, the rhythm of pain, the rhythm of

ecstasy, the rhythm of family – which sets him apart and is why we call him the

heavyweight champion.”

—Marion McClinton

“...And now the only duty our young men seem ready to imagine is to their

maleness with its reckless display of braggadocio, its bright intelligence, its bold

and foolish embrace of hate and happen- stance. If we are not our brother’s

keeper, then we are still our brother’s witness. We are co-conspirators in his

story and in his future.”

—August Wilson, introduction to Speak My Name by Don Bolton.

“MISTER: Why you save all them newspapers? What you gonna do with them?

STOOL PIGEON: See I know what went on. I ain’t saying what goes on – what

went on. You got to know that. How you gonna get on the other side of the

valley if you don’t know that?”

-August Wilson, King Hedley II, p. 28.

SPECIAL THANKS!

ARNELL POWELL

HAROLD WHEELER

JOE STERN

KAREN PERRY

DIANA CASTLE

LATIFA HOLDER

GREGOIRE ALESSANDRINI

GIFT JOY ENTERTAINMENT

SCREENLAND STUDIOS

THE SET SHOP

SAFEER HUSSAIN NAWAZ

RUSSELL ANDREWS

OLIVER BOKELBERG

JANELLE SCUDERI