The Magnolia Ballet Part 1 at Williamston Theatre

Gary Anderson is Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of the Plowshares Theatre Company. Mr. Anderson is a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Black Seed, a first-ever national strategic plan to create impact for Black theater institutions. A 2016 Kresge Artist Fellow, he is a noted expert in Black Theatre. Throughout his career he has worked with such well known playwrights as Charles “Oyamo” Gordon, Ron Milner, and August Wilson, producer Woodie King, Jr. and actresses Denise Nicholas, Ella Joyce and Stephanie Mills. As a director, Mr. Anderson has worked in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Houston. Among his awards are: Alain Locke Cultural Arts Award from The Friends of African and African American Art, Detroit Institute of Arts; Publisher’s Award for Excellence - Between the Lines’ Oscar Wilde Awards; the 2002 Michiganian of the Year Award from The Detroit News; and The Lawrence DeVine Award for Outstanding Contribution from The Detroit Free Press. Mr. Anderson has served on the board of several local and national theatre organizations including CultureSource (Michigan) from 2007-2012, Black Theatre Network (BTN) from 1990-1994 and 2018-present, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) from 2000-2006 and the National Conference on African American Theatre (NCAAT) from 1991-1992.

Jennifer graduated with a MFA in Scenic and Costume Design from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England, and a BFA from College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. Selected Scenic Designs: "9 Parts of Desire" (Williamston Theatre), "Ripper" (Penny Seats Theatre), "Northern Aggression" (Tipping Point Theatre), "Don't Dress for Dinner" (Tipping Point Theatre), "Invasive Species (Tipping Point Theatre), "Mad as a Hater" (Roustabout Theatre), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (The Performance Network), "Glengarry Glen Ross" (The Ringwald Theatre), Failure: A Love Story" (Planet Ant Theatre), "Detroit the Musical" (Ant Hall), and "The Scullery Maid" (The Jewish Ensemble Theatre).

Becca was an apprentice at the Williamston Theatre during Season 14 in 2019-2020 and designed lights for their production of "The Cake". She graduated with a BA in Entertainment Design & Technology with focuses in stage management and lighting design from Eastern Michigan University. While at EMU, some of Becca’s favorite shows she worked on were "Macbeth", "Harvey", "Detroit ’67", and "Much Ado About Nothing". Before joining the Williamston Theatre family, Becca was working with Ballet Chelsea on their production of "Five Dancing Princesses". She has branched out from her live theatre roots to give touring concerts a try and spent the fall of 2021 touring with country artist Brett Eldredge as a lighting technician.

Krista is a costume designer and recent graduate from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors degree in Entertainment Design & Technology. After taking a single technical theatre class, Krista found her passion in the entertainment industry. During her studies she acquired a love for costume and character design. She enjoys designing costumes for all kinds of plays, novels or TV characters. She has recently designed for "Pass Over" by Antoinette Nwandu, and "Hastings Street" by John Sloan III. She also has participated in workshops and offered costume consulting to local theaters. Along with costume design, creating unique characters from stories or imaginative worlds has become an important part of her life as a designer. Credits include: "Comedy of Errors" (2021), "Pass Over" (2022), and "Hastings Street" (2022).

Brian is a Detroit native who holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Sound Recording Technology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. While pursuing his degree Brian also served as a sound and lighting technician at Interlochen Center for the Arts where he gained his technical experience from not only working at Interlochen but also working as a stagehand with national tour stops such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker and many more. Prior to his technical career Brian grew up as a musician which cultivated him to play in several churches, bands, and orchestras as a percussionist and a keyboardist. He graduated from the Detroit School of Arts which sparked his craft in the arts. Before joining the Wayne State he served as a technical coordinator at Bethesda Christian Church and also while at Bethesda he also worked at PSAV at the Renaissance Center as a audio visual technician. Brian was the Sound Designer for Williamston Theatre's production of "Tracy Jones". His love for Detroit and the arts is what keeps him striving to cultivate the community.

Michelle started her professional theatre career in 2005 at the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, MI. She entered the BoarsHead team as an intern and left as a Technical Director/Production Manager and Property and Sound Designer. The skills she acquired during these years aided her in helping to create Stormfield Theatre where she worked as the Technical Director and Sound and Property Designer. It was during this time at Stormfield that she accepted the invitation to work at the Williamston Theatre. Michelle’s first show at the Williamston Theatre was as the Property Designer for "Five Course Love" earning her the People’s Choice Award for best property design. She has designed properties, sound, and worked as Technical Director for the Williamston Theatre for over a decade. Michelle has also worked in Door County, WI at the Peninsula Players Theatre as their Production Manager. She has designed properties for several regional theatres including, City Lit Theatre, First Folio Theatre, Performance Network, Tipping Point Theatre, Peppermint Creek Theatre and Lansing Community College. Michelle has been nominated for multiple property and sound design awards, most notably winning a Thespie, Pulsar, and Wilde award all in the 2019 season for her property design work.

Alexis Black is a movement specialist, fight and intimacy director, and educator. She is an Assistant Professor of Movement at Michigan State University, certified intimacy director with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, and certified in the Michael Chekhov physical acting method and the Margolis Method. She has served as a fight or intimacy director regionally, internationally, Off-Broadway and assisted on Broadway. She has led intimacy for the stage workshops at universities across the U.S. and co-authored "Supporting Staged Intimacy: A Practical Guide for Theatre Creatives, Managers and Crew" for Routledge Publications (November 2022).

Marsae is a creator, performer,and educator devoted to producing art that engages, educates, and empowers audiences and artists. She is a graduate fellow at the University of Michigan pursuing a Master of Fine Arts. Her current research explores the impacts of water on the mind, body, and spirit of women of the African Diasporic performers.