Gem of the Ocean Cast

Taijee (He/Him/Accepts Any) is a first year grad student in here at U of L! He is originally from Lonoke, Arkansas but is a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas! He is a performer, playwright, and director that emphasizes creating for marginalized groups. Taijee received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors and Master of Arts in Teaching from Southern Arkansas University in the years of 2019 and 2023 respectively. He recently U of L credit was as Vera/Evil Gabbi in She Kills Monsters! His recent credits include: The Color Purple (Harpo), Black Nativity (Joseph), and an all black casting of Next to Normal (Director).

Tajleed Hardy is a 3rd Year MFA student at the University of Louisville, where he is working to receive his degree in Performance and his certificate in African American Theatre. He has worked as an actor all over Hampton Roads, Virginia. He has performed in shows such as Fences, Ruined, The Amen Corner, and A Soldier's Play. He has also performed professionally at the Virginia Stage Company in The Tempest, The Wiz, and The Comedy of Errors. Tajleed is a New Orleans, Louisiana native. He has lived in Norfolk, Virginia, for five years. He is a graduate of Norfolk State University, where he received his BA in Drama and Theatre. Tajleed graduated summa cum laude with a 3.79 GPA. Tajleed was also part of the award-winning NSU Theatre Company, where he won Best Supporting Actor, Outstanding Leadership, and Sustained Academic Excellence. He performed at the University of Louisville in their productions of Split Second in the role of Parker, Afromemory in the role of John and Blood of the Root in the role of Justin, Fairview in the role of Dayton. He performed in Louisville, Kentucky, this summer in Kentucky Shakespeare’s season. He most recently has self-produced The Island by Athol Fugard.

Nyazia Martin is an actress, dancer, and teacher. Her most recent professional stage work include: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night Dream as Hermia, Shakespeare’s MacBeth as Witch 3, Commonwealth Theatre Center's August: Osage County as Karen Weston, and Matthew McLachlan’s The Murder Play with Jack & Melissa as Melissa. Nyazia was born and in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated summa cum laude from Belmont University (2016), where she received her B.F.A. with an emphasis in Performance. After graduating, Nyazia spent four years in Nashville working in professional theatre before deciding to continue her education at the University of Louisville. While at UofL, Nyazia has been in several productions. A few of her most memorable include, Afromemory (2021), Blood at the Root (2022), two Theatre for Young Audiences shows with the UofL Repertory Company (2023), Fairview (2023), The Old Settler (2023). Aunt Ester is a gem of a role if you’ll excuse my pun. Nyazia will forever be grateful for the opportunity to step into Ester Tyler's shoes. She hopes you enjoy the show.

Krystal Waller is a 2nd year MFA student at the University of Louisville. Most recently, she performed as “Lou Bessie” in UofL’s production of John Henry Redwood’s The Old Settler. She has been entertaining audiences since the age of 4, where she began as a dancer. Some of her previous roles include: “Jasmine” in Fairview, “Nan” in Gloria, “Nancy” in Oliver!, and “Mayzie La Bird” in Seussical. Krystal received her B.A. in Africana Studies with a minor in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in April of 2020. She is committed to centering and uplifting Black stories and voices through her theatrical work. Krystal is grateful to her family for their unwavering support of her acting career and academic journey. Up next, you can catch Krystal all summer long where she will make her Shakespearean debut performing in Kentucky Shakespeare’s 64th Summer Festival in the Park.

Robert is a veteran of the Louisville theatre scene, having worked with Actors’ Theater of Louisville, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, The Necessary Theatre, Bunbury Theatre, Stage One Family Theatre, Louisville Orchestra, and Theatre 502. Throughout his professional career, he has explored a spectrum of opportunities in dance, theatre, and opera, performing with Ballet Arizona, Göteborgs Operan Balett, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Louisville Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, The New York City Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. He has worked in the industry as a choreographer, stager, director, print model, aerialist, film actor, and, as an arts educator.

MichaelJoseph Barber began using theatre career at Jackson State University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts. While he is drawn to other aspects of performance, MichaelJoseph is currently training to better his skills as an actor. He believes to be an artist; you must respect your true self. Joseph is honored for the opportunity to tell the story of Gem of the Ocean.

Nicholas Wills is a Third-Year graduate student at UofL. While originally from Los Angeles, Nick spent most of his youth growing up in Fayetteville, Georgia. After graduating High School, he moved down to Alabama where he attended Troy University. Going off the advice of a few of his professors, Nick decided to join the theatre department and soon realized that he had found the performative calling he had been searching for in his life. He graduated Cum Laude from Troy, earning a B.S. in Communication Studies. His goal is to inspire and help others to find their own calling, and to support the development of Fine Arts Programs for youth around the world.