West Coast Premiere of SUPERNATURAL: THE PLAY, Opens at Chromolume Theatre, 7/13

The Supernatural Project presents SUPERNATURAL: The Play opening Sunday, July 13, 2014 at Chromolume Theatre at the Attic. Directed by Audrey Kelley, the play is written and produced by Candace O. Kelley, Audrey Kelley, and Gilda Rogers and stars Tanya Alexander, Peres Owino, Sita Young, Marlynne Frierson Cooley, Quidana Bosman, Virtic Emil Brown, and Zuri Alexander

Tickets are $25.00 with a half price special on Sunday, August 31st for the Labor Day weekend performance. Tickets may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/supernaturalplay or by calling 323-960-7738. There are opening night Swag Gift bags for the audience and a 15 minute talkback follows each performance. Performances are Sundays at 6PM. Chromolume Theatre at the Attic is located at 5429 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016. Ample parking is available with wheelchair/handicap access for theatre and bathroom.

The Plot:

SUPERNATURAL: The Play takes you front and center to a natural hair meetup where women share how their hair journeys have shaped who they are today. If you haven't heard, women of color around the world are meeting and talking about natural hair. They are doing it fabulously in droves through hair workshops, hair makeover experiences, hair lectures, hair product tests, and so much more. You name it, and women are coming together to celebrate their natural hair. When they meet, they bare themselves by sharing their stories and exchanging information. Simply Google "natural hair meetup" and your search engine's results will be explosive.

The Creative Team:

Candace O. Kelley (Playwright, Producer) is a five-time Emmy nominated writer, TV reporter, and documentarian. Over the past four years she has collected a myriad of hair stories that helped shaped the play SUPERNATURAL. A leader in the natural hair field, she has produced dozens of natural hair signature events to sold-out audiences. Her book Coif Cuisine: Natural Hair Recipes and Side Dishes for the Natural Hair & Now was released in 2011 and her book The Little Black Book for Curly Girls just kicked of a book tour in Arizona in May 2014. Her online magazine Journey has a huge fan base and she continues to teach Natural Hair workshops as founder of Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions, a natural hair care line that can be found in select Whole Foods. A documentarian, she wrote and produced the film Missing. The piece sheds light on what happens when children grow up without a father. She is also the co-writer and producer of the film Kosher about an Orthodox Jewish man who became a Pentecostal pastor of an African-American church in Manalapan, NJ.

Audrey Kelley (Playwright, Producer, Director) studied sketch comedy writing at Second City in Los Angeles and stand-up comedy with Judy Carter. She was selected for an Internship in Writing and Development with Tri Destined Studios in Los Angeles, working closely with Gregory Anderson and ND Brown. Original written works include: I'd Never Say This in Public (one-woman show), Little Dates (a webisode in collaboration with Asia Winston), and several sketch comedy skits and stand-up comedy pieces. She wrote, produced, and directed Audrey & Dre, a webisode starring Zuri Alexander and Andrew Chen which was recently picked up for distribution. Audrey resides in Los Angeles.

Gilda Rogers (Playwright, Producer) is an award winning producer, journalist, and historian who often speaks about the topic of hair history. She is the executive producer of the popular weekly television show Frank Talk that airs on Brookdale Television on Comcast and Verizon FiOS Cable stations. In that role, Gilda has showcased an array of stories that inspire, inform, and entertain. A documentarian, she wrote and produced A Man and His Music chronicling the life of Ralph Gatta, a Red Bank, NJ, native and jazz historian, known as "Johnny Jazz." She is also part of the creative team for the documentary Kosher. Gilda's work has appeared on AOL Black Voices and the PBS affiliated station NJN.

The Actors:

Tanya Alexander (Kee Kee). Tanya Alexander, originally from St. Louis, MO, is a high school valedictorian and Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa college graduate of St. Louis University. She has directed, choreographed, and produced numerous live events, music videos, stage plays, one-person shows, dance concerts, poetry slams, talent shows, and visual arts showcases. A diverse performer and avid supporter of live theatre, Tanya has appeared on stage, television, and film in countless productions including Law & Order: SVU, The Shield, The Wiz National Tour, the Tony-award winning Clybourne Park, and the recently released Tombraider video game. For her dedication to the community and youth activism, she was honored with the keys to the city of her hometown, Jennings, MO, and received proclamation honors from the Mayor of St. Louis. She won a Hollywood Black Film Festival Award for Best Video for her spoken word piece 1 Out of 10 and continues to perform in cafes, lounges, theatres, and film with her heartfelt and poignant poetry. Her second EP, INSIDE, will be released this year. An NAACP Theatre Award winner and developing philanthropist, Tanya lives by the self-written credo: "Of the Strong & Trustworthy a Champion is Found. My Life, My Way, Unbound..." You can find out more about Tanya and her upcoming projects at www.TanyaAlexander.net.

Peres Owino (Dr. Jenkins). This Kenyan born Actress/Comedian/Writer has starred in numerous plays, playing three of theater's most coveted roles, Hamlet, Lysistrata, and Lady Macbeth. An LA Ovation Award nominee, her recent acting credits include the plays Red Noses directed by Tony Award Winner Dominique Serrand, Break the Whip, directed by Oscar Winner Tim Robbins, a co-starring appearance on FX's Terriers, and this summer she appears in the feature film Default. Her writing credits include her play Cut which premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA and her novel, On the Verge. Peres is currently directing the documentary African versus African Americans due out 2014 and can be found performing standup in clubs across LA.

Sita Young (Hannah). Sita Young was born and raised in Greenwich Village. She began working professionally as a child and teenager in New York before moving to Los Angeles to attend California Institute of the Arts. She is currently living in LA and has begun to write and produce her own films through her production company One Then Never. TV: Ghost Whisperer, Children's Hospital, Good Luck Charlie, The Real Husbands of Hollywood, Days of our Lives. Film: The Go-Getter, Black Velvet, Drive-Thru. LA Stage: Neighbors (Meldoy), Matrix Theater; Blood Brothers (Linda), The Whitefire; and Juno and the Paycock (Mary), Odyssey Theater.

Marlynne Frierson Cooley (Constance). Marlynne has over a decade of theater experience. A Cleveland, Ohio native. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in broadcasting and a post graduate in theater from the University of Akron. After spending many years as a professional actor some of her recent acting credits include The Obama Effect (film), The Chief (film), Sprit Town (film), and Manifesto (film, just recently shown in the 2014 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles), The Beating (Hollywood Theater Fringe Festival), Harriett Tubman one woman school tours, touring plays, classical plays, Diversity Theater for corporations, and other well-known works. She is a loving wife and Mother.

Quidana Bosman (Niecey). Quidana was born and raised in Washington, DC, and developed a love for the stage at a very young age. One of her first portrayals was Harriet Tubman, leading the Underground Railroad, in elementary school. Those were big shoes to fill, but that was an example of the required strength and perseverance to succeed! Quidana attended School Without Walls Magnet High School where her love for theater, film, and music was further cultivated and developed through hands-on learning experiences. After moving to Atlanta she was introduced to the jazz scene and had the pleasure of performing with recording artist Sax Man Dwan Bosman. She was also able to grow her love for theater as the Associate Director of Group Sales for the Tony Award winning Alliance Theater. During her time at the Alliance she made significant contributions in marketing with launching of Bring It On the Musical to Broadway, as well as contributed to the success of Stephen King's new musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. Quidana recently relocated to Los Angeles where she happily resides with her husband and four boys! Yes, four. During her short time here in LA she has had the pleasure of performing with Damon Berry and the Movement and now is totally thrilled to be a part of this cast and production!

Virtic Emil Brown (Bertina). Virtic is a proud new member of The New American Theatre Company. Some of her theater credits include The Human Spirit (Grandmother, Ivy, Blind Woman), The Sun Also Rises (Dr. Johnson), David McGaw's Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), and a rap musical based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night called Club 12 (Maria). Some film and television credits are Jacob Stone, Open Session, Without a Trace, The Shield, My 2 Black Girlfriends, and All That. She has produced the films Will Unplugged, Redemption, Mission in Kosovo, and Minutes 'till Tomorrow. Her directing debut was On Tour and was featured in Italy's Venice International Film Festival library (2013).

Zuri Alexander (Doris). Zuri performed in theater professionally around New York City, playing lead roles in classical works such as A Doll's House and Miss Julie, as well as contemporary roles such as Coretta Scott King in the New York City tour of King & Coretta. She has toured with TheaterWorks/USA and has studied and performed with The Negro Ensemble Company and The Chautauqua Theater Company. Other works include: House MD (FOX), The New Dating Story (TLC), Diary of a City Priest (PBS), Reality TV Stardom (Independent short), The Christmas Story (AFI short film), Audrey & Dre (webisode), Upright Citizens Brigade (improv), Ted Lange's Lady Patriot (Hudson Theatre), The SAG-AFTRA Radio Plays, The Human Spirit (The Odyssey), etc. Voice-over includes various pedestrian voices on the XBOX 360 video games Saints Row: The Third, Saints Row 3.5 and 4.0. Zuri is a member of The Fierce Backbone Theater Company and the Ensemble Studio Theatre Company in Los Angeles. MFA (Acting) Rutgers University.

Where and When:

SUPERNATURAL: The Play opens Sunday, July 13, and runs through Sunday, September 28. Shows are Sundays at 6PM with a half-price special over Labor Day weekend. Tickets may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/supernaturalplay or by calling 323-960-7738. There may also be tickets available at the box office the day of each performance, however advance reservations are recommended.

Chromolume Theatre at the Attic is located at 5429 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016. Parking and wheelchair/handicap access are available.