JOAN THOMAS-MELLO

choreographer & artistic director of Children's Dance Ensemble of New Bedford

is founder and artistic director of the New Bedford based childrens dance company, Kids on the Move, Joan Thomas-Mello is a dancer, choreographer and teacher who has taught dance, choreographed and produced performances with hundreds of New Bedford school children. She received her formal dance training at the School of the Hartford Ballet, where she earned her teachers certification in dance education. Further studies have included American Dance Festival, Duke University; Ramon de los Reyes Spanish Dance Company of Boston; and La China in Madrid, Spain. From 1987 to 1997, Ms. Thomas-Mello was an instructor for the School of the New Bedford Ballet, and director of its childrens program from 1991-1997.

ZEZINHO SEMEDO

dancer & lead choreographer of Cabo Dance Project

Zezinho Semedo is a choreographer, performer and instructor of contemporary African dance. As a young person, he was raised performing the traditional folk dances of the Cape Verde Islands, and received classical training at the Cape Verde School of Ballet. Zezinho subsequently became immersed in the world of contemporary African dance expressions, and founded the Renato Cardoso Company of Cape Verde. In 1991, Zezinho co-founded Raiz de Polon, also based in Cape Verde. In addition to choreography, producing and performing, Zezinho taught numerous workshops and classes in Portugal and Cape Verde. In 1994, Zezinho joined the Clara Andermatt and Paulo Robeiro companies, touring Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands. In 1997, Zezinho was the choreographer for Ate ao Fim (Portugal) and facilitated workshops, Curso International de Danca in Centro Cultural de Belem. In 1998, he was lead dancer and co-producer of History of Doubt, Clara Andermatt, choreographer, Clara Andermatt Company. He danced in the world tour of History of Doubt, performing in Portugal, Germany, USA, Brasil, Canada, Holland and Italy. Zezinho is lead dance artist with Culture Park's Cabo Dance Project, where he facilitates dance workshops for young people and adults.

JOSE MONTEIRO

choreographer /dancer

Jose Monteiro is a choreographer and performer who began dancing the traditional folk dances of the Cape Verde Islands as a young boy. In Cape Verde, he apprenticed with the Raiz de Polon, Cape Verde Islands, eventually joining the company as dancer and then choreographer. He studied choreography and dance with Ramon Oller and the Ramon Oller Company, Spain. Jose performed with the Clara Andermatt Company world tour of History of Doubt. He has composed numerous pieces in the contemporary African dance tradition, including, while in Spain, Adam & Eve from Santiago, and Sio di Terrero Matcho. Jose's current work in progress is Azul de Venus.

SYLVIA ANN SOARES actor

Other credits: Session 9 . American Playhouse: Three Sovereigns for Sarah (Tituba), Baretta, Kojak, Police Story, Good Times, Hardy Boys, Dr.Hospital, Delvecchio Public Theater (Black Terror); Imamu Baraka Slaveship; LA Shakespeare Festival (Lady Capulet), as an original member worked with Adrian Hall / Trinity Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum; founding member of Garrick Players (DC) performing mainstage/schools and State Department Tour/Germany, Brown Summer Theatre, Rites and Reasons Created: The Madame/Gentleman Caller in Woodie King, Jr Black Quartet; title role in Sister Son/ji (Negro Ensemble Company). National Tours: No Place To Be Somebody, The River Niger (NEC).Has played opposite Lou Gosset, Jr., Roger Mosely, Vanessa Redgrave and others.

CCRI; 93/Brown.

 

PAULO A. PEREIRA playwright . Amarelo

was born and raised in New Bedford, MA. He graduated from Bishop Stang High School and earned a degree in Theater Arts and Computer Science from MIT in Cambridge, MA. He was involved in numerous productions, on- and off-campus, as an actor, a director, a producer, and a playwright. Amarelo, his first full-length play, opened in New York City in 1998. More recently, he co-produced the first-ever MIT Theater Arts Alumni production. For the last eight years, Paulo has worked as a customer support engineer for Teloquent Communications in Billerica, MA, which is also where he currently resides with his wife Leah (and, very soon, their first child).

 

TOM GRADY playwright

Tom's first play, American Cocktail, won 1st prize in the Clauder PlaywritingCompetition and was produced by Actors Stock Company in Dallas (1993) and Trinity Repertory Company, RI (1994). The Dramatist Guild of New York produced Global Village in New York for its New Playwrights Initiative. The play was selected from Playwrights Horizons' Script Library. Actors Stock Company's production won the Dallas Theatre Critics Forum Award for Outstanding New Play as well as a Top Ten Production by the DallasMorning News. His one-act, Opposing Roses, won the CODAC Award for Playwriting Excellence. I Love You Virus, which premiered as a reading in New Bedford at Culture*Park's Short Plays Marathon (9/03) won Boston's New Acts Playwriting Slam and was selected for Ashland Oregon's 2004 New Play Festivval, Actors Theatre 2004 Quickies Festival in Santa Rosa, CA, and the Boston Theatre Marathon. His one-woman play, Mind the Gap, was showcased at the Brooklyn Working Artists' Coalition last November, and will be produced later this month for Cuchipinoy Productions in New York, as well as the Midtown International Festival in July. He has received commissions from Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre and Turnip theatre. He recently served as story consultant to David Henry Hwang for his Tony-nominated book for Flower Drum Song. He has directed theatre on the Cape, Boston and Providence, and has been in residence at Byrdcliffe, Palenville and Yaddo artist colonies. He has also written three screenplays. Tom holds a BA in film from Syracuse University's Newhouse School, and an MA in English from the University of San Diego. He is a Professor of English at Bristol Community College, and lives in Fairhaven, MA.

DAVID ELIET playwright

David Eliet was one of the founders of The Trinity Rep Conservatory and the founding artistic director of The Perishable Theatre in Providence Rhode Island. He has written over a dozen plays for The Perishable Theatre's touring program for young audience. Three of these plays have been published by Anchorage Press, and his play, THE SUN'S MUSICIANS won a Kennedy Center New Visions/New Voices Award. From 1990-1995, David was the Director of Education for The Cleveland Play House where he established their highly successful theatre for young audiences. He then moved onto Circle In The Square in New York City where he created the Suitcase Theatre for children. His plays for young audiences and teenagers have been produced across the country. Two plays for teenagers published by Baker's Plays in Boston have also been published in translation in Holland. His script SEAGIRL, based on a Chinese folk tale, will be presented next season by the Mikado Children's Theatre in Taiwan. David was recently awarded an Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship.

 

CHRISTOPHER PERROTTI actor

Ishmael et al has been acting within the New England theatre scene since 1987. He has performed with the Cumberland Company, Perishable Theatre, Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, Rhode Island Theatre Ensemble, Westerley Shakespeare, among others. Some favorite roles include: Cyrano, in Cyrano de Bergerac; Valmont, in Dangerous Liasons; and the Douglass, in Henry IV part I. Chris can be seen in Providence as Caliban in The Tempest with the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, and will be on tour with Culture*Park's The Everlasting Itch in Fall/Spring 2001-2002.