Gabe Moses (he/him) is a multi-faceted theatre and art maker. He is a graduate of DeSales University’s theatre program. As a theatre artist, he thrives on being able to use his platforms to amplify black and brown voices. Gabe has been seen at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in their productions of Ragtime, Crazy For You, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Julius Caesar (WillPower Tour). Gabe also serves as a committee member of PSF's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism Working Group. As a director, Gabe has recently directed a play reading of Twang by Cris Eli Black for The Makers’ Ensemble Short Play Festival and TJ Young’s Dark Skinned Pavement for the Palm Beach Dramaworks New Play Festival. He has previously directed and choreographed his original piece, run 4 ur lyfe, centered around police brutality and being a black man in America. www.gabemoses.com; @gabejmoses.
Read moreTimotheus "Moe" G. Peay
Iamwe ThePhilosopher, born, Timotheus "Moe" G. Peay, in Norristown PA, has been singing since the age of three. He has sang on many stages including the Gospel Music Workshop of America and The White House for President Bill Clinton. Timotheus joined the drama team in high school and developed a great passion for acting as well. He has written and performed in many stage plays, musicals, and productions, including Porgy and Bess, and, Your Arms are Too Short to Box With God. In 2015 Timotheus was blessed to be a part of the cast as well as assistant music director of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity which won the 2016 Barrymore Award for Best Ensemble in a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Music Direction. Timotheus has also been blessed to share the stage with, and, learn from some very talented, and, highly respected artists over the years such as R&B legend Stephanie Mills, and, Gospel Super Star Bee Bee Winans. Since 2011, Timotheus has been privileged to be a part of various productions with Irving Street Rep out of Newark, NJ. Timotheus has had the position of the Music Director and Production Coordinator at the former Tabernacle International Deliverance Church(now Tabernacle Harvest Church) performing for over 1000 people every Sunday. He is currently soliciting investors as he prepares to film his first written movie, and, to record his solo project. His sound is what he calls Inspirational Soul which mixes his spirituality with his life experiences. He likes his art to be complex enough to be intriguing; yet, simple enough to be enjoyable, and, to be relatable.
Read moreRae Venna →
Rae Venna is a Washington DC-based actor who was most recently seen in The Hub Theatre’s productions of American Spies and Other Homegrown Fables and The Burn. Film credits include Chocolate Cake (Agastar Video & Multi Media), Prosperity Creek (Zack Walsh Productions), and Living With A Ghost (Alex Rice Productions). Outside of acting, Rae is a video game content creator, former small business owner, and published model. She is also an advocate for Pacific Cultural International as the 2018 Pacific Miss Asian American. Through all her endeavors, Rae strives to create more opportunities and representation for minorities. She hopes to inspire other minority women in pursuing leadership positions.
www.raevenna.com
Read moreMaya Carter | (they/them/Maya)
Maya is a multi-hyphenate artist + cultivator of joy; living and working on the unceded land of the Lenni Lenape and Canarsie People. As an artist educator, they seek to decolonize access to artistic practice. Maya also facilitates the development of new plays and devised work in various capacities, including: Direction, Dramaturgy, Choreography, and Writing. Maya's generative work is an examination of the queer utopian ideal as it relates to the bodies + hearts of Black queer folk who grew up/out of/through trauma in Faith Communities. An excerpt of their play, How We'll Get Over was commissioned for the Poetic License Festival in March of 2020. Recent projects include: The Incomplete Collection with Linked Dance Theater, and We Are Only Dead If We Are Forgotten with Long Wharf Theatre. Maya is delighted to return to Elevate Theatre Company and journey through Nikki Brake-Sillá's poignant work with friends, old and new.
Read moreMatthew Armstead
Matthew Armstead practices cultural organizing, which brings together arts and activism, just as they interweave blackness, queerness, faith, doubt, and curiosity. Matthew weaves together community organizing, popular education, and physical theatre techniques to create performances that engage audiences as active participants. Recent performance credits include: Pirate Queen & Visions (Philly Fringe); Myth Seeds (self-produced); and Inspira: The Power of the Spiritual (Theatre for Transformation). Matthew has a M.F.A. with Pig Iron Theatre Company, and a B.A. in Theater and Women's Studies from Swarthmore College.
Read moreCassidy Dermott →
Cassidy is a Brooklyn-based actor and writer. She holds a BA in Theatre & Dance from Dickinson College, a certificate in physical theatre from the Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia, and studied classical theatre at the Pearl Conservatory in New York City. She’s performed on regional stages, off-Broadway, in workshops, under circus tents and in fringe festivals throughout the Mid Atlantic. Most recently she appeared with Big Apple Circus and is a lead voice-actor for the animated TV program, Treasure Trekkers. Cassidy has authored and produced several original musicals (book and lyrics) and holds a certificate in creative writing from Wesleyan University. www.cassidydermott.com