MPAACT’s 32nd Season – A Season of Revivals
Winter 2024 Revival
Tad in 5th City
Adapted from the Works of Orron Kenyetta
Directed by: Carla Stillwell
We are located at: The Greenhouse Theatre Center
2257 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
Box Office: (773) 404-7336
Running: January 19 – March 3, 2024
All Show Times: All Thursday - Saturdays 8pm
All Sundays 3pm
Mainstage: $22 - $50 single tickets. Group tickets available.
Ticket Link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36644/production/1176151?performanceId=11344364
About MPAACT
MPAACT was founded in 1991 by a group of like-minded individuals who shared an artistic vision and who wanted to develop, nurture, and sustain Afrikan Centered Theatre, which is grounded in the many cultures and traditions of the African continent and its Diaspora. With a vision focused on creating new work and collaborative art, MPAACT produces and educates with the goal of increasing understanding and appreciation of Afrikan Centered Theatre and its interrelated disciplines, including not only main stage and standing productions but also a playwright's laboratory, original music, a publishing company (Sakhu Publications), an arts education program, and many workshops and master classes.
About the Playwright
Orron Kenyetta (Poet/Writer) has been performing for years as a spoken word artist at open mics and feature performances across the country. Venues have varied from the intimate (Hot House) to the celebrated (House of Blues) with every age variance and race/gender factor represented. The acts or shows have been with the most notable names in the genre of poetry/spoken word. These names include Sam Greenlee, Haki Mathubuti, and The Last Poets and a host of other honorable artists. Kenyetta has been teaching since 1995. He has worked in the Chicago Public Schools through various NFP’s most recently with FORUM as a prevention specialist, with a concentration in troubled youth, teaching the use of poetry for the intervention and prevention of drug use and gang activity.
About the Play
After the assassination of Dr. King on April 4, 1968, violence erupted on Chicago's west side, consuming a 28-block stretch of West Madison Street. This traumatic moment changed the landscape of the city and an entire generation. That generation of young men and women “watched the genesis of the ghetto sphere" evolve. The ghetto of many of today's rappers’ imaginations grew out of this reality. Told through the eyes of 10-year-old Tad Brown, Tad in 5th City illuminates his daily life in the aftermath of those riots, chronicling Tad's journey as he navigates a post-rioting city amidst the effects of gang violence, poverty, and addiction.
About the Director
Carla Stillwell is an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and has been an arts-in-education teacher for three decades. She began her professional career as an actor in Chicago's storefront theatre community and quickly became inundated with the anti-black sentiments of the scene. She found herself cast in a show with an Afrikan Centered theatre company that was new to Chicago called MPAACT, which she made her artistic home for 22-seasons. In that time, she became a resident playwright and went on to spend my last 10 years with the company as the artistic director until 2018. In 2019 Ms. Stillwell founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop, and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Carla spent 20 years working with Victory Gardens Theatre, Steppenwolf, MPAACT Theatre, C.A.P.E and ETA Creative Arts Foundation in grades k-12 teaching all aspects of the making, performance and production of the theatrical discipline. In 2021 she joined the adjunct staff at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Most recently, she has been hired as the Managing Director of Collaboraction Theatre for Social Change where our mission of working to engage people in empathy, thought, dialogue and action on critical social issues where she recently won a Regional Emmy for my work as the producer on The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, a collaboration between Collaboraction and NBCUniversal/Chicago.
The Players
Reason Dailey Lewis: Reason is a 6th grader most recently seen in Sydney Miller’s production of Bessie Coleman: Airplane Adventures at the South Shore Cultural Center.
Kendall Mallett: Kendall Mallett is a trained actor and storyteller out of Chicago, IL who enjoys bringing his characters to life for the world to see. Kendall has spent time studying at Acting Studio Chicago and is always eager to learn more. Kendall recently performed in a stage reading of Coronary Artery with Perceptions Theater and is now working on ideas and ways to combine acting with his love of poetry.
Cat Evans: Cat Evans is a two-time Jeff Nominated Chicago based Actor. They received their BFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University. Notable works: Joan and the Fire (Trap Door), Laughing Song (Theatre Y), Medea Material (Trap Door), The Crucible (Edge of the Wood). www.catrinaevans.com
Tamarus Harvell: Tamarus is an MPAACT company member. He was last seen in MPAACT Theatre's production of Ezekiel's Wheel, which was nominated for a Black Excellence Award for best production. He has worked with several theatre companies in Chicago including Black Ensemble, Raven Theatre and The Gift Theatre. He has starred in several short films that have premiered in different festivals across the United States, including Chicago's Black Harvest Film Festival. He is currently represented by Big Mouth Talent Inc.
Kandice Robins: Kandice Robins was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. Her TV credits include The Chi (Showtime) and Chicago Fire (NBC). Her theater credits include Definition Theatre’s Fairview (Jeff Recommended) and F.O.P. with Collaboraction Theatre. She is represented by Stewart Talent.
Jelani Julyus: Recently, he originated the role of Larry in Stage Left’s world premiere of “In the Back/On the Floor” and was blessed to perform as the understudy for Guy in Remy Bumppo’s production of “Blues for an Alabama Sky.” Jelani trained at Black Box Acting Studio, where he completed The ACADEMY. Jelani Julyus is represented by 10 Management, and you can follow him @jelanijulyus on Instagram or at www.jelanijulyus.com.
Darren Jones: Darren won the 2023 Outstanding Actor Award for his role as Baba in the MPAACT production of EZEKIEL’S WHEEL. Recent Chicago credits include THE TRIAL IN THE DELTA: THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL (NBC/Collaboraction)-which is a double Emmy Award winning production for 2022; 2023; AMERICAN SON (Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre); RICHARD III (Promethean Theatre): WELLESLEY GIRL (Compass Theatre); HAMLET (Invictus Theatre); AMERICAN SON (Beverley Arts Center); LABYRINTH (Broken Nose Theatre); KING LEAR (Redtwist Theatre);EZEKIEL’S WHEEL, ONE 4 THE ROAD, NEVER THE MILK AND HONEY (MPAACT); CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, THE HEAVENS ARE HUNG IN BLACK (Shattered Globe Theatre Company), where he is an Artistic Associate. Television credits include CHICAGO PD (NBC), CHICAGO FIRE (NBC). Movie credits include HYDE PARK, CHI-RAQ, HOOD, MO' MONEY. He has done commercials for WALGREENS, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, ANHEUSER BUSCH, STATE FARM, NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE, RIVERS CASINO and METLIFE along with training and industrial films for CAREERBUILDER, ACCENTURE AND SEARS AUTO CENTER. Darren is represented by Lily's Talent Agency.