Michelle Dillard is an actor, voice over artist, playwright, speaker, coach, author, and director. She holds a BA in Corporate Communication, an MA in Theatre from Fontbonne University, and a graduate of the Creative Artist Institute (CAT) through the Regional Arts Commission, Outstanding Actress in a Drama nominee (Theatre Circle Awards).

She has had the pleasure of gracing the stage of several theatre companies in and out of the St. Louis area, The Black Repertory Theatre (Milk Like Sugar), Tesseract Theatre (Facing, Honor Student, Helvetica), The Repertory Theatre (Every 28 Hours), That Uppity Theatre (Climate Change, Becoming Emily), Call to Conscience Theater Co. (The Annie Malone Story), Fontbonne University (Trojan Women, Principal, Principle), Solid Lines Production (Kimchee and Chitlins) DC Shorts International Film Festival (As Good as it Gets) to name a few. Michelle has also enjoyed lending her talents to several staged readings, voice overs, commercials, industrials, and short film.

Alex Jay was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She is an alumna of the University of Missouri- St. Louis. There, she received her Bachelors Degree in Theater and Communications. She has acted in a host of plays and musicals throughout the region. She is elated at any opportunity to grow in her craft.

Victor Mendez is a St. Louis native and Washington University alumnus with a B.A. in Performing Arts and a B.S. in Philosophy, Neuroscience and Psychology. He is thrilled to be returning to Shakespeare in the Streets, especially with a new script from Mariah Richardson. Victor’s previous works include Tomás and the Library Lady (The Rep STL), WiseWrite in 2020 & 2021, Love at the River’s Edge (St. Louis Shakespeare Festival), Gremlins – A Live Parody!  (Cherokee Street TC), The Night of the Iguana (Tennessee Williams Festival), and exhibitions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England. He sends his love and thanks to his family and friends for their unwavering support.

Tylan has worked cast and crew for numerous college productions for STLCC- Florissant Valley: Twelfth Night (2018),               The Other Room (2019) and A Streetcar Named Desire (2019). This will be his first debut role in production for the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. He has worked on a variety of productions ranging in various genres. He is excited to have the opportunity to be a part of a socio-political show that illuminates the beautiful history of St. Louis City. He would like to thank everyone who has always encouraged him to follow his dreams and passions. It has been extraordinary to work alongside all of the talented artists involved in this production!

Carl Overly, Jr is a full time artist living in St. Louis. He was most recently seen as Cornwall in St Louis Shakespeare Festival King Lear and Big Dave’s in COCA’s Billy Elliot.  Credits include Coach in Metro Theater Company’s production of “Ghost” and Wolf in St Louis Black Repertory Theater production of “Two Trains Running”.  His directing credits include MotherFu&@$er with the Hat (R-S Theatrics), Anansi the Spider (The Black Rep touring company), Baby Black Jesus (Q Collective) and Assistant Director for We are the Levisons at The New Jewish Theater. Carl is a teaching artist with Prison Performing Arts and COCA. Carl is a part of the EMC Program. He will next be seen in “It is Magic” in October with Midnight Theater Company.

#representationmatters–

A native of St. Louis, Missouri. Mariah received her BA in Communications from the University of New Mexico and an MFA from Smith College in Playwriting. Mariah is the playwright of the plays: all that…, Sistahs Indeed!, Delilah’s Wish, ¡Soy Yo!, Idris Elba is James Bond, Chasing the White Rabbit, Queen of the Ville: The Annie Malone Story, Functional: The Theloneous Monk Story, Love at the Rivers’ Edge, and, Suffer the Children: A Madeline Delilah Story. She directed Milk Like Sugar at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and is currently busy being the playwright for SITS 2021:The Ville and developing another Madeline Delilah project; Bold, Brave, Curious! for Metro Theater Company. A production of Suffer the Children opens at CCOCA at the end of March 2021. She continues to seek funding for Madeline Delilah: Extraordinarily Ordinary children’s TV show. Mariah is writer/director/producer of 4 short films; 5 of Cups, The Prince, Beautiful Hands, and Lies We Tell Ourselves. Beautiful Hands and Lies We Tell Ourselves both screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival. She is the director for the soon to be released Honorable, a short film about an imagined conversation between Malcolm X and Mohammed Ali.

Hey all, I’m thrilled to be a part of this venture: directing “Shakespeare in the Streets – The Ville” production.  Being a life-long resident of The Ville allows me to draw on so many memories and moments in my community.  I remember passing Poro College where my father attended Lincoln Law School.  My mother was Nursery Supervisor at Homer G. Phillips (HGP) Hospital and resided at the HGP Nurses Home before she married my father after meeting him on a blind date.  They stayed together for 56 years, ’til death did they part.  (My mom died 17 years later at the age of 103.)

I’m a retired Drama School Educator with St Louis Public Schools and have written, produced and directed more plays than I can recall.  After teaching Middle School students Shakespeare for eight years, my greatest joy was having an 8th grade class retool and produce “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream”.  They entitled it, “A Mid-Afternoon’s Daydream” and the premise?  The Athens High School football captain and the head cheerleader were dating but now feuding.  A group of Drama students were determined to get them back together.

I’ve had the privilege of performing on the MainStage twice with Shakespeare Festival – St Louis; been nominated three times for a Kevin Kline Award; worked with some of the finest theatre companies in St Louis: The Kutana Players, Unity Theatre Ensemble, Metro Theatre (Circus) Company, That Uppity Theatre Company, Upstream Theatre Company, The St Louis Black Repertory Company; developed an improvisational Theatre Company called JustUs; made a couple of movies here in St Louis

And now, I look forward to directing Mariah Richardson’s tale about The Ville and I believe you will be awakened to St Louis history that has here-to-for been placed on the back of a very high shelf for far too long.

St Louis native, Tre’von Griffith (better known by stage name Tre G) is an independent artist, creative and music director. He is thrilled to be returning to St. Louis Shakespeare Festival after serving as music director for Cymbeline (TourCo 2020).

He has been apart of the creative team of productions at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, COCA, St. Louis Black Rep, Metro Theater Company, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, STAGES St. Louis, TLT Productions and companies in Europe and China.

In 2020, Tre G formed WerQFest, St. Louis’ first arts & culture festival celebrating and highlighting black queerness.
GO! Magazine by St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Tre G “2016 Rising Star” and has also landed a spot in DELUX Magazine’s Emerging 30 Under 30. Tre G received his master’s degree in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music campus in Valencia, Spain. @treg_music

Carolyn is overjoyed to be back at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival as the Stage Manager for this season’s Shakespeare in the Streets’ “The Ville: Avengence!”. This is her 2nd season with the Festival and is so grateful to be back in another St. Louis neighborhood. She is a graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. Some of her other favorite credits include Stage Manager for the Imaginary Theatre Company season at the Repertory Theatre St Louis, Stage Manager for The New Jewish’s I Now Pronounce, and Production Coordinator for The Conservatory’s 50th Anniversary. Member of AEA.

Sam Hayes is a freelance theatre artist in the St. Louis area.  Most recently, they have worked on various productions with SLPL’s Storytime Theatre as assistant director, actor, and costume designer. Throughout the pandemic, they worked with Over Due Theatre Company on virtual projects which led to directing for the Tetrad Festival. They also work as the Assistant Costume Shop Manager at Stages St. Louis, and have taught acting classes for all ages at the Stages Academy. Before moving to St. Louis, they traveled the states working on costumes for Florida Repertory Theatre, Bigfork Summer Playhouse, Berkshire Theatre Group, and Southern Arena Theatre.  They received a BFA in Performance as well as a BFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Southern Mississippi.