Cast and Crew Bios – What Are You? 2024
Nicolette Emanuelle is a multi-disciplinary performance artist based in St. Louis, MO. Their work spans circus arts, acting, producing, music performance, and music composition. Nicolette uses their diverse skill set to create meaningful, collaborative projects that explore identity, culture, and belonging. Their most recent project, What Are You?, is an exploration of racial identity, drawing from their experiences growing up as a Lumbee in the South.
Nicolette began their artistic journey as a classically trained cellist and self-taught singer/songwriter on piano. Over time, they incorporated circus arts and burlesque into their repertoire. By combining elements from their varied artistic background, Nicolette creates productions that use absurdity and humor to address social justice themes.
Nicolette started their 7 Stages journey in 2013 as a musician in The Navigator, under the direction of notable musician/composer Klimchak. Since then, Nicolette has been involved in several productions and served as a teaching artist until their departure from Atlanta in 2021.
Now back in Atlanta, Nicolette is grateful to 7 Stages Theatre for producing What Are You? and helping to elevate this important story.
“This show is highly collaborative and would not be the show it is without the stories and interviews from the people who lived it. A sincere thank you to everyone who gave their words, thoughts and feelings to this production. One of the most meaningful ways we can fight inequity is to exist as ourselves and let others know us.”
Meredith Gordon (he/him) was raised in Cleveland, Tennessee by African-American parents in a traditional Southern Christian environment. As a child, he often faced questions about his identity, including whether he was “black enough.”
He now performs professionally as an actor and hospital clown and works with Clowns Without Borders, USA. He performed in the previous versions of “What Are You”, a film version in 2020 during Covid and in 2022 on the Atlanta beltline.
Meredith is a 2019 recipient of the Tanne Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements by artists. In 2023, he was selected to be an artist in Emory’s Arts and Social Justice Fellows Program.
“Too much of my existence is based on what you thought of me.”
Website and Blog at SqueezeTheClown.com
Instagram – @meredithcgordon, Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/meredith.gordon.33
Jacquelyn (Jacque) Pritz is a dance artist and project manager. She recently launched Catching Mangoes Dance Company with the goal to share and uplift hyphenated American stories by creating meaningful artistic experiences with audiences. Her choreography is autoethnographic, often examining her personal identity and life experiences as a Filipino-American woman, embodying her research on themes surrounding culture and identity, and connecting with people through the spirit of kapwa.
Currently, Jacque is a Sr. Program Coordinator at Emory College of Arts & Sciences and freelances as a project manager around the city. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion in the arts is underscored by her recognition as a 2022 South Arts National Leader of Color fellow. This Fall, Jacque is participating in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Culture and Community Design Program.
Monica Martelly – Born in Haiti, Monica is a vibrant and passionate purple-haired performer. They’ve been dancing since the age of 6 and haven’t stopped since! They specialize in aerial hoop, dance trapeze, and a variety of dance styles. Combining their breadth of knowledge and expertise, Monica has created some truly unique and unprecedented aerial acts that combine their love of aerial arts with their treasured Haitian culture and heritage. Some of their other recent accomplishments include performing professionally with The Crux Collective in Atlanta, competing at VIVA Fest in Las Vegas, training at Aloft’s JOLT Summer Intensive in Chicago, and most recently participating in the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival! They are plant-based in Atlanta with their two cats and loving partner.
Arthur McDonald – I am a martial artist, fashion designer, and musician that loves to make art and creativity is my expression. I’m the son of a Jamaican father of African, Chinese, and Indian ancestry, and of a mother of African, Native American, and Scottish ancestry. Our short-form answer to “what are we” has always been maintained as being black. Though when one wants details, I usually ask them to sit down first. I have some experience with acting on camera (The Gift, 2000), fight choreography, and acting for stage (Dante’s Inferno, 7 Stages, 2015).
Kai Lewis is a multifaceted performance artist with specialities in dance/theatre/voice, educator, and collaborator from Atlanta. She is an alum of 7 Stages’ Youth Creates program, Moving in the Spirit, and obtained her degree in Vocal Performance from Columbia College Chicago. As a performance artist, she always enjoys being back in the space and is honored to support this amazing cast as stage manager.
Alisha Simmons is a Caribbean-American theatremaker, arts administrator, and educator from Atlanta, Georgia. Their work prioritizes Black queer imagination as praxis and the power of community-based devised performance. Alisha received a B.A in Theater and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Wesleyan University. Recent credits include 7 Stages, The Tank NYC, The Public Theater, Oddfellows Playhouse, Olin Memorial Library, and the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts.
Instagram: @alishaasimmons
Lexi McKay is a biracial woman whose main focus is as a stage manager around Atlanta. She has her B.F.A in production design from Savannah College of Art and Design and is working on her M.F.A in stage management from The University of Alabama. She has worked on the last two renditions of this production and is excited to be back in a dramaturgical role. Previous work: Hamilton (Broadway Tour), Toni Stone (The Alliance Theater), The Odyssey (Dallas Theater Center).
Gryffin Thomas is an upcoming English major at Georgia State University who self-identifies as a poet, photographer, singer/songwriter, and absolute drama queen who keeps finding himself coming back to the stage. He’s been involved in numerous high school plays and the Youth Creates productions “Dream Theory” and “The Glitter Effect” as an actor, a composer, and a general standby techie. He is honored to be a part of this production and would like to thank his Mom, Dad, and brother for their everlasting support and his boyfriend for always being willing to hear him rant about his current projects.
Aubrey Salm is a Tennessee native who recently moved to Georgia to pursue the arts. Adopted by two women, the concept of identity, culture, and humanity has always affected her as an African-American woman raised in a white family. Growing up exposed to movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the oldies radio station, she is inspired by the classics in her works as a visual artist. She earned her B.A. in video and film production from Middle Tennessee State University and is enthusiastic to delve into the Atlanta theater scene with her first-ever production in the great state of Georgia!
Aileen Loy – Atlanta-based multi-disciplinary artist and performer Aileen Loy’s activism has always informed her work. Her art assemblages, with showings in galleries in Atlanta, Prague, and The Mutter Museum, and custom pieces for shows like Doom Patrol and The Originals, challenge the majority culture view of normalcy. Her gravelly low voice and earnest performances as lead singer of bands in Europe and the US, have likewise surprised and challenged the audience’s complacent views of gender and live performance. Her productions of Katherine Dunne’s Geek Love in New York and Unidentified Human Remains in Nashville with their unsettling subjects and high production values insist on the right for non-traditional voices to be part of public conversation.
Josef “Wuzii” Anwuzia is a Nigerian-American saxophonist, music producer, and photographer with a deep passion for sound and a commitment to artistic integrity. Hailing from Chicago and having lived in Maryland, Wuzii brings a unique perspective to every creative endeavor. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Wuzii has spent the past nine years establishing a reputation as a skilled music producer and recording engineer in the Chicago scene. Known for a meticulous approach to crafting soundscapes, Wuzii holds both the art and the artist to the highest standard, believing in the power of authentic and meaningful creation. Beyond music, Wuzii is a dedicated photographer and has experience in videography, using these visual arts to further explore and express the world through a different lens. Whether capturing a perfect frame or composing a soulful track, Wuzii seeks to leave a lasting impression by honoring the art form in every project.
Dr. L. Nyrobi N. Moss is an award-winning costume designer with more than 30 years of experience in theatre and entertainment. In addition to serving as the Chair on the Board of Directors, Nyrobi has been a collaborating teaching artist with 7 Stages for more than 20 years.
Previous 7 Stages’ productions designed by Nyrobi include Angry Fags, Waiting for Godot, REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN, White Woman in Progress, The Doctor, The Devil & My Dad, HAIR, My Left Breast, and The Little Prince. Nyrobi’s costume design work has appeared in theatres regionally and nationally across Atlanta, DC, Orlando, New York, Virginia, Las Vegas, and Dallas, as well as internationally in Holland, West Africa, South Africa, and Dubai. In addition to costume design, Nyrobi is a Certified Relationship Specialist, and Business Consultant for non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, artists, start-ups, and small businesses.
Olubajo Sonubi is a 13 year veteran of the performance arts, director, producer, former actor and casting director primarily in T.V./Film. He loves storytelling in almost every form, his favorite genre is Sci-fi, and he has long held a desire to play a random witness on the show Law and Order. Olubajo Sonubi has served as an instructor in the Film, Media & Theatre Department at GSU for the past 4 years.
