Cast & Creatives Set for WHY DREAM IN INGLEWOOD? Project

An artistic director, experienced actors, enthusiastic neophytes and even a violinist...these are the diverse players assembled for Why Dream in Inglewood?, a City of Inglewood Inglewood Growing Artists Performed Projects (IGAPP) initiative awarded to playwright Henry Ong. The IGAPP exposes Inglewood audiences to the practices of contemporary artists and supports the work and growth of artists. Ong's six-hour adaptation of the Chinese classic, "Dream of the Red Chamber," debuts Acts I & II on Saturday, April 22 at 10:30 am at the Edward Vincent Jr Park Amphitheater, 714 Warren Lane in Inglewood. Performances are free.

To stage his six hour adaptation of the novel, Director Kila Kitu and Playwright Ong have assembled a core group of 14 actors to portray some of the play's more than 70 roles, drawn from the novel's 30 main characters and more than 400 minor ones. The actors (in alphabetical order) are:

Joe Luis Cedillo, Chicano writer-director-dramaturg and actor, attended Cal State Northridge and University of Iowa's Playwrights' Workshop. His plays, ON PAINTED SKIN and COLUMPIO were Kennedy Center ACTF National Latino Playwriting Award runners up. His Playwright-Director credits include: 69 PORTRAITS OF CHE, TEXTBOOKS & FENCES, and 7, 8IGHT, 9. His site-specific plays include ASCENSION (Watt's Village Theatre Company Meet Me@Metro), THE PARTY (Chalk Rep at The La Brea Tar Pits), and CRUISING CON LA VIRGEN (Moving Arts Car Plays for Radar LA). He served as Production Dramaturg/Literary Manager for Houston's Alley Theatre, Associate Artistic Director for El Teatro Campesino, and is currently Associate Artistic Director for Texas State's Black and Latino Playwrights' Conference.

Lee Chen, who is from China, performed with Chairman Mao's propaganda performing troop throughout her childhood. Since arriving in the U.S., she has appeared in over 50 theatre and dance productions such as "The Joy Luck Club," "M" Butterfly," "The Waiting Room," "One Servant to Two Masters," "Angry Women," Beijing Opera, Japanese Butoh and Balinese Kecak in Chicago, Honolulu and Los Angeles. Her film and TV credits include "Veep," "NCIS: Los Angeles,""Girl Meets World," "Southland," "Love Arcadia," and "Midlife." She won the Best Supporting Actress for the Short film "Dancing for You" in California Women's Film Festival last July. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2011738/ http://www.leechenactress.weebly.com https://www.youtube.com/leechennorman

Juanita Chase de Lamont is an international actress/writer/producer. Her recent credits include: Playing House (USA); Every 28 Hours (Watts Village Theatre, Cal State); and The Snapple Hippie (YouTube). Juanita also teaches life-applicable improv workshops nationally and internationally to people of all backgrounds and professions. She volunteers with More Than NO, an anti-rape campaign aimed at championing consent-culture through artistic activism, as well as teaches theatre to children in a domestic abuse shelter.

Kori Denise Barrios is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She has been in numerous plays and speaking competitions for over 25 years, including winning Long Beach's Greatest Storyteller competition (Spring 2013). Currently a member of the Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC), she received her training in acting from Frederick Ponzlov and studies voice over with Anne Ganguzza.

Kristopher Dowling, a recent graduate from CSUN with a classical background, is new to the acting field and is very excited to work with the talented cast of Dream.

Taylor Hawthorne graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Southern California and has continued her studies at the Richard Lawson Studios. Her previous acting credits include THE FROGS by Aristophanes, the world premiere of HIT by Alice Tuan, and independent short films, LANGUAGE OF LOVE and SURREAL LOUNGE.

Zoë Kim, an Actor/Filmmaker and a South Korea native, studied Theatre at University of Washington. Her Los Angeles theatre credits include Amanda in "4000 MILES" and Kim in "FOLLOW." She will also be performing in "KING'S LANGUAGE" at the upcoming Hollywood Fringe Festival (http://hff17.com/4503). She received the Emerging Filmmaker award at the DisOrient Asian American film festival in 2016. WWW.ZOE-KIM.COM

Kila Kitu is a successful director, author, producer and audiobook narrator. She recently produced The 24 Hours Plays, based on a nationwide movement in Los Angeles. Acting credits include: E.R. (NBC), Frasier (NBC), The Shield (F/x), Tree (EST-LA), Black Women: State of the Union (BWSOTU), Playing Juliet/Casting Othello (Folger Shakespeare),Merchant of Venice (Washington Shakespeare Company). Directing/Producing credits include: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Playing Juliet/Casting Othello, As You Like It , Pericles, Measure for Measure, The Colored Museum. Kila's Kids of Color series includes three titles: Kiki Gets a Village, When Daddy Snores and Butterfly Pigtails & Longstockings. www.KilaKitu.org

Bianca Lemaire, a Detroit native, began acting at the age of 12 with the Mosaic Theatre. She has trained with the RSC and performed at the Kennedy Center and the World Festival of Theatre in Denmark. After graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy, she studied at Carnegie Mellon University and USC. Los Angeles Theatre Credits: Winfield in SWARM CELL, Bulrusher in BULRUSHER, Maggie in ANATOMY OF GAZELLAS, and Razi in CIRCUS UGLY. Film/TV Credits: "Kingdom," "Filth to Ashes," "We Four Queens," and "Embers." Bianca is a host volunteer for the community service organization, THE DO GOOD BUS and a songwriter for the existential rock and soul band KULA.

Bruce Lemon, Jr, artistic director of Watts Village Theater Company, acts, directs and writes. Born and raised in Watts, he is also an educator, and earned an MFA from The New School for Drama in Acting. Since then he's worked with numerous companies on the east coast, including the Award winning Flea Theater as a member of The Bats and touring with the McCarter Theater Education Department, before returning and diving into LA theatre with the LA Opera, Son of Semele, Company of Angels, Mutineer, Illyrian Players, and The Vagrancy. Acting credits include: RIOT/REBELLION and FOLLOW, for which he won the 2014 Broadway World LA award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. He is a Princess Grace Award winner and an associate artist at Cornerstone Theater Company, Inner City Arts, and an Illyrian Player.

Lydia Look, a multiple award winning actress and writer, is the voice behind CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND and RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS (the audiobook sequels to Kevin Kwan's "Crazy Rich Asians"). Her favorite roles include creating Disney channel's beloved movie of the week, WENDY WU: HOMECOMING WARRIOR, and playing Ning in 7 LETTERS, which was Singapore's 88th Academy Award Foreign Film entry in 2015. As Agatha Mao in Checkpoint Theatre's THE WAY WE GO, she was nominated for Best Actress in 2016's M1Theatre Life Awards. http://www.imdb.me/lydialook.

Robert Paterno is a Teaching Artist/Actor originally from Houston, Texas. He received his Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University, and his MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University. His credits include: LA - Celebration Theatre, Company of Angels, Drive Theatre, Shakespeare Orange County, SacRed Fools Theatre, Speakeasy Society, Theatricum Botanicum, Hudson Theatre (LA Weekly Best Ensemble & Revival - Last Days of Judas Iscariot). REGIONAL - Stagewest, Great River Shakespeare. TV/FILM: Vampire Diaries (recurring), Days of Our Lives. He works as a Teaching Artist with The Unusual Suspects, Pasadena Playhouse, and Theatricum Botanicum; and as a Forensic Science teacher with Johns Hopkins' Center For Talented Youth.

Tamika Simpkins is an actress, editor, writer or producer on several films and new media projects. Regional Theatre credits include: DOUBT (International City Theatre), DEATH AND THE KING'S HORSEMAN (Lantern Theatre). Local Theatre credits include: DIE, MOMMIE, DIE (Celebration Theatre), BLACK WOMEN STATE OF THE UNION (Company of Angels & Skylight Theatre Company), THE WIGGLE ROOM, and CHASING MONSTERS (Company of Angels). Film/TV: The Wire, Life in Pieces, The Shield, Southland, Shameless, Dirty 30 (Lionsgate), Saving Lincoln. Stand-up: The Comedy Store (Hollywood). tamikars.com.

Krystal Torres, new to the acting scene, studied at the prestigious William Esper Studio in New York City and currently resides in Los Angeles

Dream-the story of two cousins during the era of the Ching Dynasty whose destinies are intertwined with the supernatural while grounded in realism-will be presented in four acts over three weekends on Saturdays in April and May at the Edward Vincent Jr Park Amphitheater, 714 Warren Lane in Inglewood. All performances are free. In order to view the entire play, the public may select performances from the following schedule:

Saturday, April 22, 10:30 am Act I and Act II (with one intermission)

[Act II starts at 12:30pm.]

Saturday, May 20, 10:30 am Act III and Act IV (with one intermission)

[Act IV starts at 12:30pm.]

Saturday, May 27, 10:30 am Acts I, II, III, IV (with three intermissions)

[Act II starts at 12:30pm; Act III at 2:30pm, Act IV at 4:30pm]

For More information about the project go to WHY DREAM IN INGLEWOOD:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=why%20dream%20in%20inglewood

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