Howard L. Craft is a father, husband, playwright, poet, essayist and arts educator. He is the author of two books of poems, Across The Blue Chasm (Big Drum Press 2000), and Raising the Sky (Jacar Press 2016). His poetry also appears in Home is Where: An Anthology of African-American Poets from the Carolinas, edited by Kwame Dawes. His essays have appeared in The Paris Review and have been included in The Routledge Companion to African American Theatre (Routledge Press 2019). He is the author of several plays including: Freight: The Five Incarnations of Able Green, a New York Times Critic Pick for March 2015; Calypso and the Midnight Marauders, Orange Light, and The Jade City Chronicles Volume 1: The Super Spectacular Badass Herald M. F. Jones. He is the creator of the first African-American super hero radio serial: The Jade City Pharaoh. Craft is a recipient of the North Carolina Playwriting Fellowship, and a two winner of the NCCU New Play Project. As an arts educator Craft works as a creative writing instructor for Mike Wiley Productions and is the current Piller Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for the Writing for the Stage and Screen program. Craft lives in Durham with wife, young son and Beagle, Shazam.

Asabi was most recently nominated as Best Director by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for her direction of Best of Enemies, Dr. Asabi is an Associate Professor of Theatre and Chair at NCCU, She has received Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival directing awards (2014 & 2016) and NCCU College of Liberal Arts Awards in Outstanding Teaching, Scholarship, and Playwriting. A graduate of North Carolina A&T State and Wake Forest University, Asabi earned her PhD at Regent University in Communication and Theatre. As a performer, director, playwright and stage manager, Asabi aspires to immerse herself in nearly every aspect of theatre. She has directed many shows, and authored God Spoke My Name: Maya Angelou; Reaching for God with Dirty Hands and Tainted Blood and Distorted Beauty. Among many stage credits, she has performed in Four Queens No Trumps and Intimate Apparel. She co-directed Soul Rhythm; Sistah’s Voices at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa and The Mis-Education of Hip Hop in Florence, Italy. She is a production manager with the NC Black Repertory Company, and is directing Black Nativity this December for the Justice Theatre Project. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Arthur M. Reese received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Virginia. He has set the mood for the past 23 years as Technical Director for the National Black Theater Festival. He has designed for, among others, Dr. Maya Angelou, John Amos, Samuel L. Jackson, and the Negro Ensemble Company. Reese has done technical work for many stars including Sidney Poitier, Debbie Allen, Oprah, Queen Latifah, Malcolm Jamal Warner and Denzel Washington. Reese won the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 African American Image Makers award for Best Lighting Design at ETA Theatre. Co-Author and director of By a Black Hand, he is currently the Technical Director for NCCU Department of Theatre and has recently completed a textbook, The African Diaspora of Theatre.

is very pleased to have designed scenery for Dreamgirls, The Best of Enemies, Blues for An Alabama Sky and Hurt Village for the Department of Theatre here at NCCU. Tab graduated in 2014 with an MFA in Theatre Design from UNC Greensboro after twenty years of freelancing as a designer, performer, and technician in various corners of the local film and theatre industries. Their scenic design has appeared at several NC theaters, including CFRT in Fayetteville, the Temple Theatre in Sanford, and the Drama Center in Greensboro. You can see more of Tab’s work at www.thisrobotdreams.com

From Nassau, Bahamas, Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor and newest addition to the NCCU Theatre Department, teaching Acting and Diction classes, and recently directing the musical Dreamgirls. She currently serves as editor of the ENCORE Journal for the National Association for Dramatic and Speech Arts (NADSA). Before joining the NCCU Theatre family, she taught acting, history and costume design at Jackson State University; where she was recognized for excellence in Creative Research and as Humanities Teacher of the Year in 2016-17. She earned her PhD from Texas Tech University with a focus in Acting/Directing and Arts Administration, her MA in theatre from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and a BA in Music from Florida Memorial University in Miami Florida. She enjoys integrating theatre and music to bring about social change. Her research extends to drama through ethnography, as demonstrated in her one-woman show, I Used to Sing for my Mother/Hoping she Would Love me/She Bought me a Mango Tree Instead. She works toward improving actor training with hopes that her work inspires collaborative, critical thinkers and artists who laugh a little too loud.

Hailing from Clayton, NC, Maretha is a junior Theatre major with a concentration in Technical Design at NCCU, Her interests in technical theatre began in her sophomore year in high school. Maretha stays busy working behind the scenes and following her passion. She wants to thank her family, professors and mentors for their support. She is proud to be designing for this production of The House of George.

Pamela is a native of Durham, North Carolina. She received a B.A. in Theatre, a B.S. in Textiles & Apparel and a M.A. in Textiles & Apparel from NCCU). Pamela is employed as costume designer for the NCCU Department of Theatre. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UNC at Chapel Hill. She serves as costumer for Throne Life Media’s annual production of Black Nativity and several Hillside High School productions. Pamela’s design credits also include the educational video Crafting Freedom with the Apprend Foundation, JACKIE O with Long Leaf Opera, and BANGIN’ performed with Walltown Children’s Theatre. Pamela has her own clothing line, Pamela Bond Designs.

Shatera is from Fayetteville, NC. She is a Junior, Theatre major concentrating in General Theatre. Shatera looks forward to opening up her own talent agency.