NANA
Aziza Barnes
Author
Aziza Barnes is blk & alive. Z's play BLKS was the winner of the 2020 Antonyo Award for Best Play, and nominated for Best Play by the Lucille Lortel Awards. Z's play NANA, commissioned by Williamstown, was workshopped at Sundance Theater Labs in 2020. Z's latest commission is with CTG's Not A Moment, But A Movement cohort. Z is thrilled to be a part of Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival.
Rad Pereiera (they/them)
Director
Rad Pereira (they/them) is an (im)migrant cultural worker building consciousness between healing justice, system change, reindigenization and queer futures currently based between Lenapehoking (Brooklyn) and Haudenosaunee territory (Hudson Valley). As a community artist they created The (Im)Migrant Hustle and produced Bang Bang Gun Amok I + II at Abrons Art Center, Media Tools for Liberation with JackNY, and facilitated Decolonization Rave and Cosmic Commons with You Are Here. They are a 2017 NYC Public Artist in Residence with Department of Cultural Affairs and Children’s Services working with LGBQTIA foster youth; As an actor and director, Rad has contributed to stories at 20th Century Studios, AMC, HBO, CBS, NBC, MTV, National Black Theatre, MITU350, The Public Theater, La Mama etc., Shakespeare Theatre in DC, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The Bushwick Starr, Target Margin, Poetic Theater, Ars Nova, New Ohio, Sesame Street, Theatre 167 and various online media platforms. Rad has spoken and consulted at the Queens Museum, Rio de Janeiro Museum, Instituto Republica, PSU Art + Social Practice, SITI Company Thought Center, United Nations, A Blade of Grass, Superblue, Broadway Advocacy Coalition, The 8th Floor, Working Woman of Color Conference, Dance/NYC Symposium, and Culture/Shift. Their work in performance, education and social practice has been experienced on stages, screens, stoops and sidewalks all over Turtle Island through the support of many communities, institutions, and groups. Their book Meeting the Moment: Socially Engaged Performance, 1965-2020, By Those Who Lived It is available through New Village Press. They are Director of Engagement & Impact at NY Stage & Film. They are building a Native led food sovereignty and peace building land project called Iron Path Farms.
Al Parker (they/them)
Dramaturg
Al Parker (they/them) is a dramaturg, producer, and audience services manager based in New York City. Their work grows from a place of service and is invested in expanding the boundaries of intersectional storytelling, blurring the lines between what is and what could be. They are a proud member of National Queer Theater’s Artistic Collective and Theater in Asylum’s Curation Team. As an arts administrator, Al is the Associate Artistic Director of The Parsnip Ship and an alum of the Ars Nova Emerging Leaders Group. Recently, they have collaborated with Playwrights Horizons, MCC, Colt Coeur, and the Civilians. Originally from South Dakota, they completed their studies in Dramatic Literature and Creative Writing at New York University.
Joseph distl (he/they)
Joseph Distl (he/they) is a queer Puerto Rican theater artist from Queens. They advocate for diversity and representation for marginalized communities. Using their background in research and theatre they push to create intersectional conversations on gender, sexuality, and race. Joseph would like to open a mental health facility for queer youth to receive affordable alternative methods of therapy. Their goal is to produce unconventional theater for unconventional audiences. Recent credits include playing Grizz in ¡Oso Fabuloso & The BearBacks! (INTAR) and stage managing THIS AND THAT (The Chocolate Factory Theater & Bushwick Starr).
Alex Lugo (they/she)
Alex Lugo (they/she) is deeply honored to be a part of BTB! Currently: Hadestown National Tour (Swing, Eurydice u/s, Fate u/s, Assistant Dance Captain). For those they love. www.alexmarialugo.com
B Alexander (they/them)
B Alexander (they/them) is an actor, model, comedian, known for Dreamer in the Falls, The David Project, and more. Originally from Washington, DC, B brings some of the East Coast swag to the West. After receiving their BA in Communications & Media from Denison University, they spent years traveling the United States, studying acting in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. They started their Hollywood career acting in commercials, plays, and musicals.
When B was 5 years old, B watched their aunt do runway shows and wanted to do the same thing. B's goal of walking a runway came to fruition in 2010, when they first walked in the Butch Voices LA fashion show. B went on to model in New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area for several brands and pursued additional runway opportunities through the What is Butch Campaign, which gave B the opportunity to participate in the first ever Queer Fashion Week. In 2016, B also participated in Rainbow Fashion Week, walking for Jag & Co at the Haus of Jag show. Today, B performs as a comedian, an actor, a voiceover artist, and more.
Becca Blackwell (they/them)
Becca Blackwell (they/them). Trans, non-binary. They are recurring on Sort Of (HBO MAX), have a nice supporting in Bros (upcoming Billy Eichner/Judd Apatow), and were shortlisted for a Tony nom this year for Is This A Room. A very beloved actor whose credits also include Ramy, High Maintenance, and Shameless.
Ianne Fields Stewart (she/they)
Ianne Fields Stewart (she/they) is a black, queer, lesbian, and nonbinary transfeminine New York-based storyteller working at the intersection of theatre and activism. Ianne was personally requested by Sara Ramirez (Grey's Anatomy) to play their love interest in the 3-Time Emmy-Nominated web series The Feels. Film/TV Credits include: Dash & Lily (Roberta), The Bold Type (Chloe Blair), and Pose (Pretty Bartender).
J Riley jr. (she/they)
J Riley Jr (she/they) is thrilled to be apart of the Breaking the Binary Festival. Regional Theatre: SUFFS at The Public Theatre, Feel The Spirit at Shotgun Players, Trevor: The Musical at Writers Theatre, The Scottsboro Boys at Porchlight Music Theatre, Junie B Jones at Emerald City Theatre. Film: Work in Progress. Additional Credits: J received a BFA in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Women & Gender Studies from Columbia College Chicago. IG: @jayaerileyjr
Lily Dominique (she/they)
Lily Dominique (she/they) is thrilled to debut in Aziza’s Barnes’ NANA, playing the character of Gina. A recent graduate of Pace Performing Arts’ Acting program, Lily works behind the scenes as an independent painter and on-stage as a vocalist for both familial and gala events. Homegrown in Chicago, her artistic fervor was borne through spoken slam poetry and theatre work within Young Chicago Authors and Collaboraction. She has recently appeared as Harper in Venus and What Else Is Nocturnal through The Blank Theatre Company.
Mele Sabú (they/them)
Mele Sabú (they/them) is a Puerto Rican non-binary actor based in New York City. They hold a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where they studied at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and Stonestreet Film/TV Studio. They are a former student of Anthony Abeson. Their performances include Talk To Me on IGTV, Mambo Sauce (Roundabout Theater, The New Group), Nana (Sundance Theater Lab, Williamstown Theater), The Beautiful Land That I Seek (New York Theater Workshop), and Dream Hou$e (Ars Nova’s ANT Fest). They are interested in the relationship between art and activism through work that uplifts the Black, disabled, LGBTQ communities.
Mia Sterbini (they/she)
Mia Sterbini (they/she) is a cultural worker, actor, and organizer currently based in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn) working at the intersection of black & queer radical imagination, through the lens of embodied liberatory practice, transformative justice & storytelling. Some of their previous creative direction & collaboration include work with You Are Here, Broadway Advocacy Coalition, SistersPGH, 1Hood Media, Black Young & Educated, PAAR, and a number of other networks. They serve as the co-founder of the Radical Youth Collective. They are a recent BFA Acting Graduate of Point Park University.
Zainab Barry (she/they)
Zainab Barry (she/they) was born and raised in the DMV and received a BA in theatre from James Madison University. Recent credits include Patience (Second Stage); A Christmas Carol (American Shakespeare Center); Before the Meeting (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Intimate Apparel, Parade, and Equus (James Madison University). Instagram: @zainabou