Join us for our DAILY SCRIPT READ presenting local screenwriters’ work read by local actors followed by a discussion.
The Daily Reads have been organized by Andrea Lyman, Naheem Garcia, and David J. Curtis.
Script reads will take place from 12:00 - 1:00PM EST online via Zoom.
THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
LOIS P. ROACH
SHE/HER/HERS
Lois Roach is a writer, award-winning producer and stage director. Her screenplay, Waking Up, was a semifinalist for the 2021 New York Women in Film & Television Writers Lab. She is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre Studies at Wellesley College.
Lois has produced a series of programs for the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, which address the role of women in the 2020 U.S. Election; the impact of racism on the health care response to Covid-19; and the importance of Juneteenth for Boston's Black community and its allies in the antislavery movement.
Her play Living On... is under agreement with Concord Theatricals and has been performed around the country. Other plays, Mothers of Gods, Mothers of War and The Emancipation of Mandy and Miz Ellie, were premiered at the Boston Center for Arts.
Company One Theatre established The Lois Roach Theatre Community Award, which has been presented to individuals in recognition of outstanding commitment to the Boston theatre community. Past awardees include Boston Arts Academy, playwright Lydia R. Diamond and ArtsEmerson founder Rob Orchard.
As the former Director of Public Affairs for WBZ-TV and Radio, Lois won an Emmy award for spots written and produced about AIDS. She was the coordinating producer for public service campaigns such as Stop the Violence and Time to Care. For 16 years, she was a live event producer with First Night Boston.
She is currently part of the “co-lateral” Resident Artists team at the New Rep Theatre.
ABOUT THE SCRIPT
LENA AND LEONARD
World War II brings them together, and life tries to keep them apart. Lena and Leonard manage to stay connected and marry when he returns home from the war. But Boston can be a powder keg for a young Black couple. They accepted the challenges of war, but can they survive a riot and each other?
ACTORS READING
Andrea Lyman
Ashley Almar
Carmen Dillon
Daniel Callahan
David J. Curtis
Ezra Stevens
Joshua Olumide
Justin Davis
Lashmi Vizcaino
Maria Wilkins
Naheem Garcia
Odis Spencer, Jr.
FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
TORIN HARRIS
SHE/HER/HERS
My name is Torin and I’m a rising junior studying International Relations and Film & TV at Boston University. I grew up around different areas around Boston, but recently moved to Virginia. In the future, my goal is to make social-issue documentaries abroad in order to combine my love of languages with filmmaking. After being in a documentary about having queer parents and a multiracial family when I was much younger, I’ve been inspired to document others who sometimes fall at the edges of society. At the moment, I’m interning abroad at a production studio in Paris, but can’t wait to return to Boston in the fall.
Instagram: @torinscamera
ABOUT THE SCRIPTS
NOT WAVING, BUT DROWNING
A Black teenage lifeguard is confronted with the power of her community as she tackles a chaotic day at the pool.
Trigger warning: police brutality
ACTORS READING
Ashley Hernandez
Doctor Mikael Powell
Janine Robinson
Lashmi Vizcaino
Meichelle Ferguson
Willington Vuelto
MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
JOHN OLUWOLE ADEKOJE
HE/HIM/HIS
John's awards include being a national award winner of The Kennedy Center's ACTF Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award for the play Street Hawker; as well as a recipient of The Roxbury International Film Festival's Emerging local Filmmaker award for the documentary "Street Soldiers", which also showed at the Pan African Film Festival in Cannes, France, and The World Film Festival-Montreal, as well as the BronzeLens Film Festival in Atlanta. John has received the Brother Thomas Fellowship Award and he is a playwriting Fellow at the Huntington Theater Company. Most recently, he was awarded the Emerging Filmmaker Award for Knockaround Kids, his narrative feature, at the Roxbury International Film Festival which all showed at the Urbanworld Film festival in NY. Knockaround kids can be found on Tubi, Amazon prime, Google Play, Apple and other film platforms. John Adekoje is the co director and director of photography for the digital version of Hype Man (Company One/American Repertory Theatre) as well as the writer, director and projection/art designer for the Triggered Life Project (Portland Playhouse) John Oluwole ADEkoje, teaches film production and theatre at Boston Arts Academy.
ABOUT THE SCRIPT
YE! A JAGUN STORY AKA JAGUN CODES
Set in the distant Afro-surrealist future, YE! finds the AJUMOSE under attack at the hands of the sinister IKU brand - a gang of
highly sophisticated bots on a mission to hijack their ancestral powers. Desperate and determined, the AJUMOSE recruit STELLAR
--a woman with deep pain and greater resilience--to lead and protect their sacred mission. In order to fulfill her destiny and preserve the league, STELLAR must overcome her own searing vengeance and confront her violent past.
ACTORS READING
Ashley Hernandez
Andrea Lyman
Arthur Williams
Dina Jean
Nerissa Williams Scott
Parmie Polk
Rahman Oladigbolu
Seine Young
Sharon Squires
TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
DAVID J. CURTIS
HE/HIM/HIS
Born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Boston, MA, David has been blessed to work in television, film and stage since 2004. David J. Curtis is a director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. Some of David’s production credits include co-directing/producing the upcoming short film, “Plus 1s,” acting/producing the full-length psychological thriller “By the Water’s Edge,” (both making the film festival rounds) and many other music videos, promotional and educational videos. A proud SAG/AFTRA member, some of David J. Curtis’ film and television credits include principal roles in Dexter: New Blood, Whiskey Floats, Julia, Kevin Can F- - - Himself, Don’t Look Up, R.I.P.D., The Maiden Heist, Edge of Darkness and many more. With over 20 theatre productions under his belt, his most memorable stage credits include “When January Feels like Summer,” “Brokeology,” “A Soldier's Play,” “The Crucible,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and “Mama, I Want to Sing,” He has also been featured in many national and regional television commercials and industrial/educational videos. In addition to acting, David is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer, and sound engineer with many credits to his name.
ABOUT THE SCRIPT
LOVE OF A LIFETIME
A man has found not just a love, but the love of a lifetime. He must come out of darkness and into the light to face that lifetime.
ACTORS READING
Jackie Davis
Joshua Olumide
Liz Eng
Naheem Garcia
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
KEVIN MCLEMORE
HE/HIM/HIS
Kevin McLemore is best known as a “Motivator” that just happens to be a Master Level Fitness, A Professional, Author, Social Activist, Podcast host, screenwriter, and entrepreneur. By reputation, Kevin Constantly is reinventing himself to his environment and consistently delivering his message to both young and old, to believe that anything in life is possible, if you have great vision and willingness to put in the hard work. Kevin McLemore heart is in his faith, family and his commitment to a cause greater than his own, to travel the world speaking to young people “Reach one, teach one” that’s what his Grandfather Joe taught him, his dream to be that “One Voice” that will encourage you to dream big and live an extraordinary life. Kevin believes that one random act of kindness each day will leave an impression that one day will change the world #findOnethousandreasons2BKind2someone.
McLemore’s Screenplays are an extension as to how he views the creative writing process for film, but an added layer to mindset for his next books that will be released this year are “Dating with a full deck” 57’ and I can, the truth about the business of Fitness,” “Know on can to this one thing alone, Lesson in life on how to get sh—T (stuff) done” and The Worlds not ready for you, which he has also illustrated.
YouTube: RMK Productions and network
Instagram: @pkmclemore
Website: www.rmkproductions.org
ABOUT THE SCRIPT
THE DEAL
ACTORS READING
Chris Everett
Christoper James
Daniel Callahan
David J. Curtis
Deanna Bemur
Denise Lopes
John Brownlie
Joshua Olumide
Justin Davis
Naheem Garcia
Odis Spencer
THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2023
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ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER
RISE-HOME STORIES PROJECT
MINE is a part of the Rise-Home Stories project, a groundbreaking collaboration that aims to reimagine the past, present, and future of our communities by transforming the stories we tell about them. In 2018, our group of multimedia storytellers and housing, land, and racial justice advocates came together and began a unique co-creative process. We’ve created a suite of five multimedia narrative projects, including MINE, that speak to the power of abundance and collective action in the face of increasingly toxic narratives of scarcity and individualism while planting a long-term vision for a just future.
Individual bios and headshots for the whole team can be found on the "About" page on our website.
@risehomestories | @beauvoda
www.risehomestories.com
risehomestories@gmail.com
ABOUT THE SCRIPT
MINE - EPISODE TWO: "ONCE IN A BLUE MOON”
When the sudden disappearance of water -- their main life source -- threatens to upend a vibrant utopia, an intrepid teen named Blaze must save their community before it’s too late.
ACTORS READING
Anjie Parker
Christopher James
Daren Paul
Gilda James
John Brownlie
Judith Nelson Dilday
Trinidad Tamkissoon
ABOUT the stars
ANJIE PARKER
SHE/HER/HERS
Anjie Parker is a stage, film, and voice actress whose most recent performances have been Mrs. Muller in the Firehouse Center for the Arts production of Doubt, A Parable (2023), and a webtoon dub of The Raven King as Rie (2023) with VPG Studios.
Recently, Parker has been cast in her first feature, an upcoming horror film from Siacon Productions, Sins of the Devil playing the role of Janet.
Parker is training in the techniques of Meisner and Chekhov from Scott Fielding at his school The Michael Chekhov Studio in Boston. She also receives training from Brian Mckeever from SoundTrack Recording Studios. She has been an actor in the South Shore for over 10 years, and she is constantly sharpening her skills in both voice and acting.
Instagram: @nifty_lemons
ANDREA LYMAN
SHE/HER/HERS
Andrea Lyman is thrilled to be volunteering at RoxFilm Festival on their 25th Anniversary, Silver Celebration. She can be seen in the premiere of film PLUS 1’s on Friday, June 23 and then later through the online screenings Andrea Lyman and in the Daily Reads and on the panel of The Business Of Acting. I love serving on the RoxFilm Festival Board meeting and planning all year. Andrea is a Director of The Secret Society Of Black Creatives Actors Forum and the New England Local President of SAG-AFTRA. She can be seen playing the role of a journalist in the MAX-TV series JULIA and as Pamela in the upcoming feature film UGLY SWEATER and during the holiday season playing a lawyer in A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS. Andrea has her own solo musical show BROADWAY LADY. She works in commercials, TV, films, stage and many virtual projects.
ARTHUR WILLIAMS III
HE/HIM/HIS
Arthur Williams III is a native of Boston, MA who got his start in the arts at the age of (5) years old singing, acapella at the Playhouse In The Park concert. In High School he was trained as a classical 1st and 2nd tenor singer and toured La Coruna, Spain and parts of the US.
Later, he studied dance and theater at Emerson College in Boston and went on to become A professional dancer, gymnast. and later worked for the NFL as a Gymnast and principle dancer/actor with Boston Youth Theater.
As a stage play actor and director he is currently listed with Playwrite’s Platform and has started as Richard in “Blues to Mr. Charlie”; “I’d Rather Be Lucky than Good”; “FENCES” and Lucius in “Jesus Hopped The A Train”.
More recently he has had principal and lead roles in Indie movies and web series such as “Streets Run Red”; “Curveball” and “Sella’s Kitchen”. Currently, he is represented by Model club Inc., and was nominated for Actor of the year in the DASH Awards 2019…and is honored to work with the Roxbury International Film Festival once again.
ASHLEY ALMAR
SHE/HER/HERS
Ashley is a current theatre performance major at Rhode Island College, she holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of York and Bachelors in Communications from Rhode Island College. She is also a proud Army Combat Veteran. Her theatre credits include Amy in The Opposite of Hot Chocolate with Academy Players of RI. Bianca in Othello with the CCRI Players, Lucentio in Shrew with the CCRI Players, Lucy in Nothing is the End of the World with RIC Theatre and Joan in Small Mouth Sounds with RIC Theatre. Ashley’s will next take on the role of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra with the CCRI Players in August.
ASHLEY HERNANDEZ
CARMEN DILLON
Union member of SAG/AFTRA
Listed with Boston Casting
CHRIS EVERETT
SHE/HER/HERS
Chris Everett (she/her) is an actor, singer, writer, and voiceover artist based in Boston. She is thrilled to participate in the 25th Annual RoxFilm Fest and the Daily Reads for 2 years in a row. Chris is the lead singer for the blues, funk & soul band, Umami. Recent theater credits include, ONWARD: Votes for Women (Birch Tree Productions), SHRIKE (Fresh Ink Theatre Co.) the debut performances of, can i touch it? (Company One), at the Strand Theater in 2022, and Confidential Informant (TC Squared) in 2023. Television credits include, Kevin Can F*** Himself (AMC), SMILF (SHOWTIME), and Castle Rock (Hulu). Film credits include Don’t Look Up, I Care A Lot (Netflix), About Fate, Godmothered (Disney+), TED, R.I.P.D., and The Good House.
CHRISTOPHER JAMES
HE/HIM/HIS
Chris grew up in California and made his first appearance on stage in his third-grade class’s performance of “The Elves and the Shoemaker” where he played the Shoemaker. Chris did not pursue acting, instead choosing the Navy, where he was detailed as ‘Escort’ for the “1973 Miss California Beauty Pageant” in San Francisco, California. Later he was again singled-out for a Navy enlistment photo shoot, that ran in 1984-85. After serving 25 years in the service, later pursuing a master’s in social work at the University of Connecticut, Chris studied “Stage and Theater Acting” under Michael Bradford. Working as a member of Professor Bradford’s ensemble, and preforming play’s such as “Black like my Sole is Black”, by Michael Bradford, Chris might have stayed in theater. However, upon exiting the Navy, Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” had drawn him in to work as Chiewetel Ejiofor’s stand-in. It has been voice over, stand-in, background work and commercial’s ever since. Currently Chris is serving as SAG/AFTRA convention delegate for 2021-2023, and in the running for 2023-2025.
DANIEL CALLAHAN
HE/HIM/HIS
Daniel Callahan is a multi-disciplinary artist and performer. Merging a plethora of mediums including film, painting, photography and performance Daniel seeks to create immersive experiences incorporating story, ritual and the human form to explore aspects of resilience and mysticism. A graduate of the UPenn School of Design, and Emerson College, where he received an MFA in Film and Video, Daniel and his work have been featured at the Museum of Fine Art, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Queens Museum, The New Orleans Museum of Art and publications such as Believer Magazine, The Smithsonian Press, and Words Beats & Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture. www.danielcallahan.com
Instagram: @danielpcallahan
Facebook: /danielcallahanart
DARREN PAUL
A Dallas, TX native and recent Boston resident whose work has been primarily onstage, but looking forward to more on-camera opportunities. Credits include: JESUS, NOAH(Sight & Sound Theatres), Passing Strange, Memphis, Hot Mikado (Theatre Three), Smile, Smile Again, Original Man (Ochre House Theatre), The Color Purple, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues (Jubilee Theatre).
Instagram: @mistadpmc
DAVID J. CURTIS
HE/HIM/HIS
Born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Boston, MA, David has been blessed to work in television, film and stage since 2004. David J. Curtis is a director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. Some of David’s production credits include co-directing/producing the upcoming short film, “Plus 1s,” acting/producing the full-length psychological thriller “By the Water’s Edge,” (both making the film festival rounds) and many other music videos, promotional and educational videos. A proud SAG/AFTRA member, some of David J. Curtis’ film and television credits include principal roles in Dexter: New Blood, Whiskey Floats, Julia, Kevin Can F- - - Himself, Don’t Look Up, R.I.P.D., The Maiden Heist, Edge of Darkness and many more. With over 20 theatre productions under his belt, his most memorable stage credits include “When January Feels like Summer,” “Brokeology,” “A Soldier's Play,” “The Crucible,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and “Mama, I Want to Sing,” He has also been featured in many national and regional television commercials and industrial/educational videos. In addition to acting, David is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer, and sound engineer with many credits to his name.
DEANNA BEMUR
Deannah Blemur (she/her) is a Haitian-American performing artist and entrepreneur. As the president of Holos Multimedia, she aims to provide resources that will support artists across the globe and elevate black and indigenous artists of color to secure generational wealth. She was last seen in June 2022 at the Mission Hill Arts Festival. In March 2022, she performed at the Master Playwriting Class Showcase, hosted by Hibernian Hall. In 2020, she embodied six different characters in the play, Broken, Healed, and Holding On, which Gloucester Stage Company hosted. In 2019, she began training under the direction of Jacqui Parker at Our Place Theatre, and that year, she also studied with Michelle Baxter and performed at Pine Manor College as "Ruth Younger" in A Raisin in the Sun. She is extremely grateful to have discovered her passion for acting in 2018 while studying under the late Stephen Sorkin, and will forever cherish the experience.
Connect with her @dripp_theartist | dripptheartist.com | dripptheartist@gmail.com
Holos Multimedia | @holosmultimedia
We integrate The Holistic Theory of Art into our services and empower creatives with mind, body, and soul balance.
DroppLiiT | @droppliit
DroppLiiT is a free and dynamic social media networking platform that helps artists connect, collaborate, and flourish professionally.
Harmunii Arts & Wellness | @harmuniiaw
A multidisciplinary creative sanctuary that utilizes innovative technology to offer high-quality sound healing and production services.
DENISE LOPES
DENISE DOS SANTOS NEVES LOPES is an ESL teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems and a Master’s Degree in Education. She was born in the Cabo Verde Islands, West Coast of Africa, and immigrated to the United States when she was 14 years old. She is the mother of two beautiful children and speaks five different languages. Denise is a published author and a spoken words poet. Her first book is tilted “Dena’s Poems: Healing Through Poetry”. She is also the Vice- President and Events Manager for the nonprofit organization names Our Children, Our Future, Inc.
Instagram: @CRIOLA_DE_SONCENT_DENA
DINA JEAN
SHE/HER/HERS
A Sag-Aftra member who started acting in 2020 and been in recent films and TV shows such as Don't Look Up, I wanna Dance with somebody, The Holdovers, Madame Web, Thug, Julia, Kevin Go F*** Yourself, and the Finest Kind.
Dina was born in Haiti and was raised in Boston, Ma. When she is not filming, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Facebook - Dina Jean
DOCTOR MIKAEL POWELL
HE/HIM/HIS
Doctor Powell is a New England actor and commercial print model, a long-time member of SAG/AFTRA, and is represented by Maggie Inc., in Boston, MA.
Principle leads in film & TV include, Dr. Smith in “The Duet of Florence Price & Amy Beach” Half the History, ER Surgeon in “Scenes from the Apocalypse” R.NALL, and Mr. Balman, the Milkman in “Gerbert” CBN, but his favorite role was as a featured player (Groomsman) in “Love Hurts” by director Bud Yorkin (All in the Family, Sanford and Son) in which he was closely sequestered with Cloris Leachman, Jeff Daniels, John Mahoney and Judith Ivy in Waxahachie, Texas for five days.
Principal roles in theater include Jimmy in “A Taste of Honey”, Archie in “The Little Tommy Parker Celebrated Colored Minstrel Show”, and in the workshop ensemble of “Prometheus Bound”, directed by Richard Schechner (creator of Dionysus in 69 – a performance study). Doctor Powell has appeared in several commercials and many, many industrial films and print projects.
He has extensive and on-going training in Method Acting in person at Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, Los Angeles, and has just completed 18 months of twice-weekly Online Advanced Method Acting training with Rachel Bailit from the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute at Boston Casting. Currently Doctor Powell is also in improvisational training at Providence Improv Guild, and he attends various local acting workshops.
EZRA REY STEVENS
HE/HIM/HIS
Ezra Stevens is a God fearing, Family oriented individual who Grew up in Cambridge Massachusetts, Ezra enjoy's every area of Acting, from comedy, Drama, and Action. He is a Phoenix on the rise, A classmate and professor from Emerson college pushed Ezra out of his comfort zone. Ezra has also done various, Plays, short films, feature films, and commercials. Ezra has had the opportunity to work with, various directors, and some awesome Actors. Theatre Plays such as, "A Soldier's Play", "To Kill A Mockingbird", "Othello", and "M*A*S*H" just to name a few. Ezra Appreciate's every opportunities given. Ezra Rey Stevens ’ film and television credit's include "come on in", "lighter than air", "Alone in the Woods", and Don't look up".
Tiktok: Ezra_1_a_stevens
Instagram: ezradstevens_elrey
GILDA JAMES
SHE/HER/HERS
Born in Queens, grew up in Connecticut, later moving to Italy then Florida, and finally Massachusetts in 2015. Married, one daughter, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Gilda started acting very young, inspired by her mother’s involvement with community fashion shows. Later she was modeling at the Naval Submarine Base in Connecticut. Then, swimwear in Florida, and Informal Ware in Alabama. Trained for runway photography, and dramatic modeling for TV commercials, at the Alabama Talent Agency.
At the University of Connecticut, she worked with Michael Bradford, the Professor of Theater Arts. Her brother, Harry Thomas, also helped in her acting career, with her fist movie “Amistad”. The Amistad Movie gave her the opportunity to meet the director, Steven Spielberg and many other actors. From this first movie she was able join the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artiste (SAG/AFTRA). It created more opportunities to work as a stand-in for the Providence Pilot and the movies Proud Mary and The Sleep Over.
She has appeared on TV with Gale King, Talk Shows with John Fahey and Martin Olsen, and heard on radio station 980 WCAP with Dorcas Valentine for Senior Voices. Working to expand within the SAG/AFTRA, she ran for union office. Still working as an actor and union board member on the 2019 SAG/AFTRA Board, she was re elected this past year for 2021. She is further involved in her community as an active Poll worker, and volunteer at the Lowell Senior Center’s Age Friendly Group and Board member for Lowell Council on Aging.
JACKIE DAVIS
JANINE ROBINSON
SHE/HER/HERS
Janine Robinson is an actor/writer and producer. As a writer of short stories, she produced her first film CHEERS, A Barstool Story, under her logo "Anai Sa Film", and is currently working on her first television series "The Access Road".
She is known for her role as the Administrative Nurse in the film Patriots Day, and Prosecutor in the film Assassin Behind The Glass, which she also produced.
Janine is also a poet and self-published her first book of poetry "Walk With Me", (Poetic expressions of Life's journey) in 2012.
JOHN BROWNLIE
HE/HIM/HIS
John, a British expat, trained and developed his craft in the UK. Training first in a Performing Arts High School then moving into amateur theatre, where he stage managed for East Lynne and Blithe Spirit, and did tech for Dial M for Murder and Little Voice. John took to the stage in The Magistrate, Naked Justice, Our Day Out, and Much Ado About Nothing.
Brownlie attended Bretton Hall (Leeds University) to continue his education in acting. There he devised, wrote, and performed in several productions across a variety of genres and styles. Graduating with a BA (Hons) in Acting he formed Daft Mattress, where he co-wrote, directed, performed and toured with several productions. Arriving with his wife in Taiwan 2013 John became a long-standing member at the Lab Space, where he continued to develop his skills and train in Meisner, Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and classical, to name a few. Brownlie performed in Sylvia, Wait Until Dark, the Taipei 24-hour theatre festivals, male swing for The Diary of Anne Frank, Tape and White Rabbit Red Rabbit. In front of the camera John was a finalist in the 2021 World Monologue Games, played the lead in What Comes Next and 2018’s award-winning short film Portraits. In 2019 he founded Taipei Shorts, working with expats and Taiwanese to create a bilingual theatre company which produced over 20 unique short plays. Since moving to the US last Spring, he has been involved with Mass Arts, NERC, HCE Players, and acted in several short films.
JOSHUA OLUMIDE
HE/HIM/HIS
Joshua Olumide is an actor from Framingham, Massachusetts. He made his debut on the big screen in the film “Detroit” where he worked with Academy Award winning director, Kathryn Bigelow. Since then, he’s appeared in a variety of theatre, film and t.v. productions. Joshua hopes to create a sense of harmony through his work. When we follow what brings us the most joy, purely for the joy of doing it, we come to realize our own divinity.
Instagram: @josholumide_
JUDITH NELSON DILDAY
Judith Nelson Dilday’s credits include 20th Century Blues (The Burlington Players), The Audacity: Women Speak (Sleeping Weasel), Slam Boston (Open Theatre Project ), (Top Eye Open (Hibernian Hall), The Crucible (Franklin Performing Arts Company), Bold Moves (Hibernian Hall) ,The Women of August Wilson (Our Place Theatre ), Healing Waters (Our Place Theater), and Black Nativity (National Center of Afro-American Artists). Ms. Dilday is a Boston-based retired judge.
JUSTIN DAVIS
Justin D. Davis (he/him) is elated to be a part of RoxFilm Festival this year. Born and raised in Providence, RI and now based in Boston, Justin D. Davis is a multi-disciplinary artist with a passion for acting. He recently appeared as a backup dancer in the highly acclaimed film, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". He is also a singer-songwriter, whose music can be found via his personal website, as well as a dancer with a wide array of styles that he trained, performed, and competed in along the east coast.
Instagram: @justindaviscreates
LASHMI VIZCAINO
Lashmi Vizcaíno is a Latina artist based in Boston with experience in acting, modeling and podcasting. She graduated the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2021 with two degrees, a BA in Communication and Spanish, with a focus on Multimedia Digital Communication. Her love for acting started on stage at 8 years old at the Wheelock Family Theatre where she took the lead role as Wendy in Peter Pan, and transitioned into various student films, recently including As Above, So Below and Plus 1s; and prominent Films and TV productions including Dexter: New Blood and Hocus Pocus 2. She has over 10 years of training with industry professionals from Boston, New York and Los Angeles, including where she will soon graduate from the Baron Brown Studio in Santa Monica, CA. She aspires to be a professional working actor and producer in L.A., and to use her platform to amplify the voices of the Black and Latiné communities. Currently she is rebranding her podcast, Love on Ya Brain, which centers around mental health in the Black and Latinx communities, so be sure to stay tuned later this summer! In her free time, Lashmi loves to cook (currently into asian cuisines), journal, play dress up and be a dog mom to 3 year old Apollo.
Instagram: @lashmivizcaino | @loybpodcast
YouTube channel: @lashmivizcaino
Love on Ya Brain on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
LIZ ENG
Liz Eng (SAG-AFTRA member) is thrilled and grateful for this opportunity to participate in Roxbury International Film Festival's 25th Anniversary Daily Reads! Thank you David J. Curtis, Andrea Lyman, and Naheem Garcia for organizing and leading this!
Instagram: @LifeOfLizEng
MARIA WILKINS
SHE/HER/HERS
Maria Wilkins is a proud citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation. She started as a voice-over talent but quickly fell in love with on camera work which has kept her busy since 2013. Maria has begun to expand onto the stage and has appeared in readings by the Native Theatre Thursdays program in conjunction with American Indian Community House/The Eagle Project in NYC.
Website: http://maggieagency.com/
MEICHELLE VARONE
Meichelle was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts and as a multidisciplinary artist she enjoys writing, acting, singing, and painting. Her favorite pass times are gardening, traveling, and volunteering to teach the next generation.
NAHEEM GARCIA
Naheem Garcia arrived in Boston from Cuba in 1968. He is the Founder and Lead Teaching Artist for NG Edutainment, an arts education program, founded in Boston Massachusetts. He has been a teaching artist for the Huntington Theatre Company for over 27 years and recently joined the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T) as a teaching artist, doing pre-show presentations in several Cambridge and Boston Public Schools, for their production of 1776. Naheem is a long time teaching faculty member for Boston Casting. He is the Speaker in Residence for the METCO Program at Sharon High School in Sharon, MA; leads acting workshops with the Boston Police Department’s youth program, “Acting Up With the 5-0”; and has served as a teaching artist at Salva Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a member of AFTRA-SAG New England and has appeared in several prominent Hollywood feature films, TV, and local and national commercials. Naheem’s most recent principal roles are, Tire Town (Zandaya Coleman); Money Games ( Co-starring as Professor Gardner); HOLDOVERS ( Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston); I Just Wanna Dance With Somebody; Hocus Pocus 2 (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy); Somebody (The Whitney Houston Story. Feature); Chili (Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer/ Apple TV)
NERISSA WILLIAMS SCOTT
SHE/HER/HERS
Mrs. Williams Scott – CEO/Lead Creative Producer of That Child Got Talent Entertainment, Boston, Ma (tcgtentertainment.com) is a graduate of Hampton University, where she received a Bachelor of Art degree in Fine and Performing Arts. A true Theatre Baby for life! She is also a graduate of Emerson College, where she has received her Master of Fine Art degree in Film Production ‘15. Her career experience includes over thirty years working towards the position of Producer, Creative Producer, UPM and Line Producer. She is currently in production for the feature film “Urban Ed” where she is the producer. She is currently in development for three additional films, “Dill”, “A Private Experience”, and “What About Us.” Over the past ten years she has produced and served as production manager for a variety of Live events, Theatre productions, Fashion films, TV series, Documentaries/series, Narrative features & shorts and Music videos. She was awarded the LEF Foundation Fellowship to attend the Flaherty Seminar in upstate New York in 2018. She has recently been awarded the LEF Pre-Production Grant for producing the experimental feature film, “Paradise” with director Gabby Sumney. She has been awarded the Mass. Cultural Council Artist Recovery Award. She was recently invited to apply for the Sundance Narrative Producer’s Fellowship. She has been invited to participate in the Producer’s Guild of America’s Creates Program. She has made it to the final rounds of Creative Capital. She sits on the BOD for The Secret Society of Black Creatives, Women in Film and Video New England. Her most prized position is serving as the Chair for the BOD for Sarah’s Hope Charitable and Educational Foundation. As CEO of That Child Got Talent Entertainment, Nerissa has created a company that is a bridge for young women of color to gain employment in the film and live event entertainment industry while serving the greater community. Her favorite quote, “We lay poise for the women whom we provide an opportunity to wow the world with brilliance!”
Instagram: @tcgt_entertainment
Facebook: Tcgt Entrtnment
Twitter: @TcgtEnt
ODIS SPENCER
HE/HIM/HIS
Odis grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He went to Brookline High School and became a member Of the Dramatics Society. By the time he finished his freshman year, he realized that he wanted to be an actor. Odis then went to Ithaca College to study acting and directing. He studied acting with Oscar Nominated actor Richard Jenkins Aka Ron Parady. He graduated with honors and received his BFA in Acting and Direction. Two years out of college, Odis became a member of AFTRA, AEA and SAG. He worked on local and national commercials during the early part of his acting career. He also performed in radio plays on WGBH Radio. Odis can be seen In the TV series “Spenser for Hire” with Robert Urich - Seasons One and Two, “Here Comes the Boom” with Kevin James, “Defending Jacob” With Chris Evans on Apple TV Plus as the school principal and on Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up” With Meryl Streep as the Chief Justice. Odis also played Professor Leon in a Short film “Miles of Summer” by Sam Zilic, and Oswald in “Magpie Optical” a film by Madeline Kotary. Most recently he was in a commercial for Point32Healthcare.
PARMIE POLK
SHE/HER/HERS
Parmie is an aspiring actor. She made her local theatrical debut in the workshop Performance of Bar Girl of Jamaica, by Robert Johnson Jr. and appeared in The National Theater’s Landmark Production of JB Priestley’s Classic Thriller “An Inspector Calls”, Directed by Stephen Daldry and presented by Arts Emerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. She was honored to play the role of (Mama) in “A Raisin In The Sun”, presented by Pine Manor College Performing Arts (2019). An avid theater-goer, Parmie has been a member of the Arts Emerson Play Reading Book Club since it began in November 2014 and has attended dozens of plays through it and the Huntington Community Membership Initiative. She has also attended and participated in many Staged Readings. Parmie is excited for this opportunity to volunteer and participate in the 2023 Daily Script Reads for the Roxbury International Film Festival’s 25th Anniversary.
RAHMAN OLADIGBOLU
HE/HIM/HIS
Rahman Oladigbolu was coming out of a seven-year illness when he moved to Massachusetts to start a new life. He started as a production assistant on films, television, and experimental short films. As a liberal arts/psychology student and a peer tutor/teacher’s assistant, Rahman sought further film training under the private tutelage of film professor Howard Phillips at the Center for Digital Imaging and Animation school, CDIA, an affiliate of Boston University. He published a memoir of his long-term illness, On Holy Pilgrimage: A Long Journey For Freedom, which details his transformative experience of coming to America against all odds to learn filmmaking.
While furthering his education at Harvard University, and working as a mental health assistant with teenagers and young adults with autism, Rahman wrote and produced his first feature film Soul Sisters. The film tells the story of friendship between a Nigerian young woman faced with unexpected challenges as an undocumented immigrant in the United States and an African American young woman searching for her identity as a black woman in America.
Soul Sisters went ahead to win the “Best Emerging Filmmaker Award” at the Roxbury International Film Festival, “Best Film by an African Abroad” at the African Movie Academy Award (AMAA), and “The Artist Award” at the American Islamic Congress, a multicultural and inter-faith organization. It has been screened at film festivals and cultural institutes around the world, including the Cannes’ Pan-African Film festival.
The stories of Rahman’s college friends became his second feature film, Theory of Conflict.
Facebook: Rahman A. Oladigbolu
SEINE YOUNG
SHE/HER/HERS
Seine is a stage actress who has been featured in plays such as The Colored Museum as Lala and Mama, The Crucible as Mary Warren and most recently Clue: On Stage as Mrs.White. She has also made it to finals in the August Wilson monologue competition and the Next Narrative monologue competition. This summer she will be working on a production of Twelfth Night and in the fall, she will be moving to New York to pursue her BFA in Acting at Pace University!
Instagram: @seinesation
SHARON SQUIRES
SHE/HER/HERS
Sharon is a graduate of The National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York. Roles include: (Juliet) in "Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet", Nora Theatre Company. ( u/s Elizabeth Keckley) "A Civil War Christmas", The Huntington Theatre Company. (Volumnia) "Coriolanus", Praxis Stage. (Mrs. Settergren & Carnival Manager) "Pippi Longstocking", Wheelock Family Theatre. (Demeter/Damascus) stage reading "And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi", Front Porch Arts Collective. (Lucretia/Francis/Shirley) "Onward: Votes for Women"(03/2020), Birch Tree Productions. (Ross) "Macbeth", Repertory/Bouwerie Lane Theatre, NY.
TRINIDAD TAMKISSOON
WILLINGTON VUELTO
HE/HIM/HIS
Willington is an Artist Born and Raised in New York City. During his Youth he’s performed at Lincoln Center , The Delacorte, National theatre of Scotland, and much more. He now Organizes community events with the center for teen empowerment and the Boston Community Action Team where he uses his art to creatively engage people. He hope one day To play miles morales in a Hollywood movie.
YouTube: @SirWillington
