Marsha Estell is a Chicago based playwright, actor, and educator. She is a Resident playwright alumna at Chicago Dramatists, 3Arts Fellow, and recipient of the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for Playwriting. Big butt girls and other fantasies...the remix, enjoyed a 5-city tour. including Los Angeles, and New York City. Other plays by Marsha: Heat received its world premiere at Chicago Dramatists, nominated for a Joseph Jefferson award for new work, productions followed at Bloomington Playwrights Project, ETA Creative Arts, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, and Etta Grace theatre. TV credits: Chicago PD (NBC) Proven Innocent (Fox),South Side (Comedy Central), and Electric Dreams (Amazon). She teaches Playwriting at Chicago Dramatist, and was a guest instructor at the University of Minnesota. Currently, she is adapting her 10-minute play “Black Girl in Bathtub” into a short film. More information can be found at www.marshaestell.com

Sarah Norat-Phillips is a founding member of Ujima Theatre Company. She recently returned to active company membership following the passing of our visionary director, Lorna C. Hill. Sarah is currently serving as the Interim Artistic Director. After she completed her studies at Buffalo State College, Sarah trained professionally under Ms. Hill and actively worked as an actress, singer, director and producer with Ujima company throughout its first 19 years. She has performed in dozens of Ujima productions including the original productions of “...And Bid Him Sing”,”Yalla Bitch”,”Opportunity Please Knock!” as well as “for colored girls…”, “Wedding Band,” “Purlie Victorious,” and, “Ladies In Waiting.” A multiple Buffalo ARTIE Award nominee and winner, Sarah is also an experienced and critically acclaimed director having helmed many successful Ujima productions including, “Two Trains Running” by August Wilson, “The Island”, by Athol Fugard during her tenure.