Red Summer at Center for Performing Arts Governors State University

Reginald Lawrence practices his craft under the name Shepsu Aakhu. As such, he is a playwright, director, scenic designer, photographer, musician and Executive Director for MPAACT. As a playwright in residence with MPAACT, Shepsu has developed several critically acclaimed works in the Playwright's Laboratory, among them are: Feral, Warm on the Coolin' Board, Speaking in Tongues The Chronicles of Babel, Ghosts of Atwood, Ten Square, Trouble the Water, Relevant Hearsay, SOST, Kiwi Black, Kosi Dasa, Fascia, The Glow of Reflected Light, The Abesha Conspiracy; Beneath A Dark Sky, Piece-Meal Clan, and Otherworld Lovers. Shepsu is also a four-time nominee for the Joseph Jefferson citation in multiple categories. In 2012 he was awarded the Joseph Jefferson citation for outstanding new work (Speaking in Tongues/Babel). In 2003 the play Kiwi Black was nominated in the same category. Shepsu was awarded two Joseph Jefferson citations for original music in 2002 and 2003 for Kosi Dasa and Kiwi Black respectively. Shepsu is a two time recipient Theodore Ward Prize for Playwriting- Ten Square (2008-9) and Kiwi Black (2001-2002). He is a six time nominee for best Original Work (Aldridge Award) by the BTAA of Chicago. Shepsu received the Ira Aldridge Award in 1999 for The Abesha Conspiracy and 2007 for Trouble the Water. Shepsu Aakhu was awarded the prestigious Artistic Fellowship in Scriptworks by the Illinois Arts Council in 2004. Other projects currently in development include the plays: Starting Over, By Association, Never the Milk and Honey, Port Chicago; and A Thousand Negative Confessions.

Andrew White is a founding member of Lookingglass Theatre Company, where he served as Artistic Director from 1990–92, and most recently from 2010–16. He currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement in the company’s Department of Curiosity. As a Lookingglass ensemble member and performer, he has participated as an actor, writer or director in more than forty Lookingglass productions, most recently appearing in Treasure Island. He wrote the book and lyrics for Lookingglass’ 2012 production of Eastland: A New Musical, received a Jeff Award for his 2004 adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 (which was presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Company this season as part of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults program), and wrote and directed Of One Blood for Lookingglass in 1989. Andy has worked in corporate, non-profit, and classroom environments, structuring and facilitating conversations with participants around organizational and community issues since 1990. He has worked in Lookingglass Outreach and Education programs with students of all ages: developing and implementing arts-integrated units in elementary and high schools; facilitating faculty workshops in schools across the Chicagoland area; and working with teenagers across the city to use theater as a means of engaging their peers in dialogue about community issues, from HIV to racism. He has taught in various Lookingglass outreach programs and residencies, and in 2007 co-founded Mosaic Experience, a company which uses an arts-based approach to dialogue about diversity.

A Chicago-based freelance director, specializing in developing and directing new work, Andrea most recently directed Thirst at Strawdog Theatre, and the world premieres of The Greatest Theatrical Event…EVER! at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Shepsu Aahku’s Black and Blue for MPAACT. Andrea was formerly Resident Director at Victory Gardens Theater, where she directed 11 productions, including 7 world premieres, and helped to develop and launch the The Ignition Festival of New Plays. In addition to directing around Chicago and the U.S., her experience includes literary management, research and production dramaturgy, directing at new works festivals; serving as thesis play advisor for MFA playwrights at Carnegie Mellon University and directing at NNPN’s MFA Playwrights Workshops at the Kennedy Center. A teacher at Columbia College Chicago, Andrea’s courses have included Directing, Collaboration, African American Scene Study, Text Analysis, Dramaturgy, Acting and New Play Development. She was also facilitator of the Theodore Ward Award for African American Playwriting.

Shawn Wallace’s musical styles range from Gospel to Jazz to Hip-Hop and beyond. As keyboardist, he has worked with luminary artists such as Common, Ice Cube, Bobby Brown, Dwele, Johnny Gill, Jon B., Bilal, Estelle, Julie Dexter, Rene Neufville, Rakim, Eric Roberson, Maggie Brown, Ugochi and Cherisse Scott. He is currently featured as keyboardist in the underground concert television hit, Clubbin’ TV, hosted by DJ Fink on NBC-HD. A native of Chicago's far Southwest side, Shawn studied Music Theory and Composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently serves as Musical Director for two New Thought congregations: The Emmaus Center and the Namaste Center for Spiritual Living-Chicago. Shawn has worked for several years as a Teaching Artist throughout Chicago schools teaching Record Production and Theatre Tech to youth from 6th through 12th grades. His independent film score credits include; Severed Ties (Showcase Productions/Lions Gate Films), Puzzle Love (Storybox Productions) and Son of America (Tanskin Productions/N’Spire Entertainment INC). Commercial credits include work for Jet Magazine, Mississippi Rick’s and Arby’s. The versatile artist is currently completing a film documentary, You’ll Be A Man (Testuvaman Filmworks) to be released in 2011and is also working as Musical Arranger and Musical Director on Charleston Olio by Ifa Bayeza, co-author of Some Sing, Some Cry with Ntozake Shange. Specialties: Record Production/Engineering/Editing, Music Composition/Arranging, Keyboards, Vocals/Vocal Coaching,Live Sound, Art Education