DeAsia Paige is an award-winning culture journalist. She resides in Atlanta and works for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she reports on the intersection of arts, culture and underrepresented communities.DeAsia is the author of the 2020 memoir “The College Diaries: How a Budding Black Feminist Found Her Voice.” In 2023, she co-produced and co-wrote “The South Got Something to Say,” a documentary celebrating Atlanta’s role in the evolution of hip-hop. Previously, DeAsia worked at the Belleville News-Democrat as an East St. Louis reporter and developed a strong relationship with people in the community—writing about the issues and cultural stories that matter to them.

Kathryn Bentley specializes in developing creative works and building community utilizing inclusive theater practices. Committed to community-engaged arts collaborations, she strives to create compassionate artistic experiences, using theater to lift social consciousness. As the Founder and Curator of The Alaiyo Collective and the Co-Founder/Artistic Director of Action Arts Collaborative, she has over 40 years of experience as an actor, director and teaching artist. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Directing and completed a 20-year career as a university professor. She has performance and directing credits with companies such as Tesseract Theatre Company, Metro Theater Company, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Playhouse and Blackberry Productions. She is a Regional Arts Commission (RAC) Community Arts Training Institute Fellow and a member of their faculty and advisory board. She was one of the premiere recipients of the RAC Artist Fellowship and is a recipient of the Outstanding Working Artist St. Louis Visionary Award. Kathryn is a Certified Diversity FaciliTrainer and Cultural Sensitivity Specialist.

Antwoinette L. Ayers is a storyteller, filmmaker, and community leader from East St. Louis. Her passion for storytelling was ignited in high school when a teacher cast her in a lead role. She is an alumna of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and the founder of Haus of Ayers, a multimedia brand dedicated to amplifying untold narratives. In 2017, she wrote and produced The Wardrobe Keeper, a monologue series directed by DeAndre Knowles, launching her career in film. She has since worked as an associate producer, writer, and director on Black Girl Bleu, Her Eminent Reign, and That’s What She Said: St. Clair Women’s Stories. In 2021, she led a visual tribute honoring seven trailblazing women, followed by her 2022 live monologue performance, I Am H.E.R., at the Grandel Theatre. As an Illinois Humanities Speaker and CEO of Visual Movements, Antwoinette is dedicated to storytelling, cultural preservation, and community impact. Her guiding principle: “I owe God a R.O.I.”—Return On Investment. Learn more: www.hausofayers.com

Carolyn Ivy Carter is so grateful to be returning to Shakespeare for the 4th time! She is passionate about working with her students at COCA and community members all over St Louis. Some of her favorite credits include Production Manager at COCA! Stage Manager at The Rep STL (The Brother’s Size, Athena), Production Manager at Music as the Message, Stage Manager at Opera Theatre of St Louis (New Works Collective), Stage Manager at Shakespeare Festival St Louis (Shakespeare in the Streets: The Games Afoot, In The Ville, Love at the Rivers Edge). BFA in Stage Management from The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. Grateful to be Mom to Joy-Anna and Piper. Revelation 7:12

Emily Birnstein is glad to be back with Shakespeare Festival again! She last worked on Dress the Part in 2020. She has worked in theatre for 12 years, most recently as Assistant Stage Manager for Hadestown at COCA, and spent 3 years working for Royal Caribbean as stage staff. Thanks to her family and to Nick. I love you 3000!