LET´S jam for the arts!
Suggested donation $20- SAT MAY 18 - 8PM to 12AM
THYMELE ARTS - 5481 Santa Monica BLVD., LA, CA 90029
Join us for an incredible night of art, music, laughs and libations as we prepare to launch Collaborative Artists Bloc 2019 SEASON!
In DROP THE MIC: A monologue jam, talented Los Angeles writers and actors share personal monologues in this fundraising event with a provocative theme: "Fact or Fiction."
Some of the artists will perform their favorite pieces from a play, film or television show, while others will be inspired to create brand new pieces based on a real life events.
Hosted by funny and talented women Lorene Chesley and Candice Renee, you will be sure to have a rocking good time for a great cause.!
THE HOSTS
lorene chesley
A native of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, Lorene grew up studying ballet and tap at The Davis Center, singing lessons with Ms. Dawn Reynolds and Okinawan Karate at the Murray Studio.
However, as soon as Lorene played the Evil Stepmother in Cinderella, she knew acting was what she wanted to do with her life.
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Lorene continued to follow her dream by attending Temple University and earning her BA in Theater and Communications (2005). She wanted to delve deeper into her craft, so she obtained her Masters of Fine Arts from the prestigious University of California San Diego (2009).
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After graduating from UCSD, Lorene relocated to Los Angeles and booked roles on Shameless, Perception and most recently The Fosters.
candice renee
Candice Renée is an L.A. native who did a lot of growing up in NYC. She got her start in theatre at 12 yrs old. She can soon be seen in the 3rd season of Black Jesus on Adult Swim.
She was recently seen in the feature film, BODIED, produced by Eminem and frequently stars in commercials and voice overs.
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Candice is also a sketch comedian who produces content with comic group 'onewordnocapscomedy' and co-stars in webseries, "Dirty 30's". She is also excited to be returning to the stage in Steel Magnolias this month.
THE TALENT
steve harper
STEVE HARPER is an actor, writer and producer.
Steve won a 2016 Best Actor award at L.A.’s Genre Celebration Festival for his work in SEND ME: an original web series about time traveling black people (creator and executive producer). The series premiered on BET.com received a 2016 Emmy Nomination for series lead Tracie Thoms. It’s now on YouTube.
Steve’s theatre work includes appearances at The American Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Guthrie, The Kennedy Center, The L.A. Theatre Center, The Williamstown Theatre Festival and The Contemporary American Theatre Festival.
Television and film work includes Law & Order: SVU, The Arsenio Hall Show, 90210, the comedy feature Broadway’s Finest, and the animated film Chico and Rita. He will be seen in the new web series Head Space.
Also a writer, Steve’s credits include Tell Me Your Secrets (TNT – premieres summer of 2019), American Crime (ABC), and Covert Affairs (USA). He’s written more than 20 plays that have been seen in theatres across the country, including The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway (American Airlines Theatre), Chicago’s American Theatre Company and Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre (NJ). Workshops: Classical Theater of Harlem, New York Theatre Workshop, NY Stage and Film. Steveis a graduate of Yale, The A.R.T. Institute at Harvard and the Juilliard playwriting program. www.harpercreates.com
liz jenkins
Currently you can find Liz tossing around jokes in a recurring role opposite Tracee Ellis-Ross and Anthony Anderson on the ABC hit comedy Black-ish.
In the past few years alone Liz has worked with Pamela Adlon (BETTER THINGS premiering Feb 28th), Viola Davis, (twice on HTGAWM) Sarah Paulson (AHS), Evan Peters (AHS), Raven Symone (Raven's Home) and Shemar Moore (SWAT). Liz's first job on screen was opposite Michael Cudlitz in the NBC drama Southland.
She was cast by John Frank Levey (the legendary casting director for E.R.) who has since cast her in nearly all of his projects, most recently Shameless. Other television credits include: Modern Family, How To Get Away With Murder, NCIS: Los Angeles, Revenge, Criminal Minds, Medium, Torchwood, Major Crimes, Scorpion and Seal Team.
liz femi
Liz will recurr in Ryan Murphy's Ratched, starring Sarah Paulsen (also executive producer), Sharon Stone, Cynthia Nixon, and Corey Stoll (Coming to Netflix in 2020). The story, written by Evan Romansky, is a prequel to Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Liz currently recurs as "Liz," an ambitious writer’s assistant on Love, Netflix project co-produced with Judd Apatow. Last season, she faced off David Duchovny as a grief-stricken maid in Aquarius, disapproved of patriarchy as a feminist skeptic in the Netflix feature, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, placated Amy Poehler as polite social worker on Parks and Recreation, side-stepped her bosses' self-denial in Nick Kroll’s The Kroll Show and in Kay Ogun's (This is Us, Queen Sugar) Imitation, an adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie's short story.
An avid storyteller, Liz created and performed a one-person play called Take Me To The Poorhouse, a comedy about a middle-class Nigerian third grader who dreams of becoming poor in order to win the love of a poor classmate. It made Ms. Magazine's “Top 10 Shows at the Hollywood Fringe Festival," won “Best of Fringe, Best International Show,” a “Duende Distinction,” and “NAACP Theatre Award” nomination.
Born in the UK, raised in Nigeria and the U.S., Liz’s work is enhanced by her international background. She studied at the UR International Theatre Program and holds an an M Ed. in Education and an MFA in Acting from Harvard University. Her theatre credits include playing 14 characters in Nilaja Sun’s critically acclaimed, No Child at Weston Playhouse, and the world premiere of Danai Gurira’s award-winning play, Eclipsed, alongside Uzo Aduba, which garnered a Helen Hayes award for Best Ensemble.
Outside of tv, film, and theatre, Liz enjoys collaborating on experimental projects, such as Steve Harper’s (Covert Affairs) Send Me, a science fiction web series about a comic bookstore owner who sends people back to slavery via time travel.
stay tuned for more artists tba!!
MILDERD LANGFORD
Mildred Marie Langford is excited, once again, to be back with the wonderful CAB Collective.
She was last seen working with the ensemble in last year's co-production of American Saga - Gunshot Medley: Part 1 in the role of Betty.
Mildred was recently at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in the remount production of Nambi E. Kelley's stirring adaptation of Native Son and in the new series Commune on Youtube at Commune the Series, which she co-wrote and co-executive produced with an uber-talented group of artists (IG - @communetheseries).
Other notable credits include the short films Grow Up, Concrete Rose, Your Beautiful Baby, Six Hour Pass and Lot Lizards; the rom-com feature film Analysis Paralysis; Amber Sharp's new pilot Dimensional Shift and t.v shows Magic Funhouse, Chicago MED (dir. Eriq La Salle), Masters of Sex and BOSS.
LARRY POWELL
Larry Powell is a writer, actor and producer born and raised in South Central LA.
As an actor he’s originated and premiered roles in some of the most exciting new plays in America including The Christians by Lucas Hnath, The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, Father Comes Home From The Wars by Suzan Lori Parks, Seared by Theresa Rebeck, Brokeology by Nathan Louis Jackson, Curve of Departure by Rachel Bonds, and While I Yet Live by Billy Porter to name a few.
He is a two-time Ovation Award nominee, Three time NAACP Theatre Award Nominee, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Award Nominee, two-time LA Drama Critics Circle Award Winner, as well as an Audelco and Audie award nominee.
You can check him out as Lawrence in the movie The Browsing Effect (Now Available on streaming services). Larry is also a published playwright and professional screenwriter.
He most recently finished writing on an upcoming feature film project and his play Lost Dog will premiere in Los Angeles very soon. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama where he studied Acting and Writing.
Dionna michelle daniel
Dionna Michelle Daniel is a playwright, actress, and vocalist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
She is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Creative Writing. Daniel's works address social and political issues surrounding the African-American experience.
Her plays include GUNSHOT MEDLEY: Parts 1 & 2 and ​​Rain, River, Ocean. Daniel currently serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Fountain Theater.
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As an advocate for arts education, she has led acting and writing workshops at Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, A Place Called Home, Great Books Summer Program, and Authoring Action Organization.
Other accomplishments include: 2017-2018 Core Apprentice at The Playwright's Center, 2018 Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Diversity Fellow.
gerardo navarro
Gerardo Navarro is a senior at Grand Arts High. He has participated in school productions including The Laramie Project, Noises Off, Inherit the Wind, Once on This Island and most recently HAIRSPRAY.
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Navarro placed second in the August Wilson Monologue Competition’s Los Angeles Regional Finals hosted by Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum on March 5th. He then went on to compete in Nationals and brought home 1st Place. The August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) National Finals where held at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway on Monday, May 7, 2018. Representing Los Angeles and the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Navarro performed a monologue from “King Hedley II”. The program is designed to inspire and educate Los Angeles youth using monologues from August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle,” a 10-play cycle that details the complexity of the African American experience in the 20th century.
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This fall, he will be continuing his studies at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. He is honored and humbled to participate in this event.
monti washington
Monti Washington is an actor, writer, model and motivational speaker. Because of his upbringing as a foster child, Monti was determined to break the stigma and stereotype of what children in foster care are depicted as and decided to follow his dream as an actor and motivational speaker.
For nearly 10 years, Monti has had the pleasure of starring in independent films, as well as being featured in numerous commercials, and being awarded the opportunity to speak at more than 120 venues (including colleges and conferences) across the nation.
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Monti has appeared on a number of television stations including CBS, BOUNCE TV, and Spike TV, and stars in a recurring role as Terrence Abrams in BET’s newest drama series titled Games People Play.
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Monti obtained two college degrees, became a state basketball champion, award winning poet, Mcdonalds All- American nominee, a nationally recognized actor, and co-founder of Truality.org, a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring youth to be TRU The Real U.
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