2005-2006 Theatre Season: Bully for You and Speak For Yourself

After I had done Big River I was ready for my next role. I was really seeking one that challenged me like playing Jim did. However, those roles are few and far between for African-American actors. In May and June of 2005 I had several auditions lined up. Nothing came of them. My Theatre Alliance audtion was in June and I've allways got multiple call backs in the past. The audition went well. Very well in fact. The best I've done at these auditions in nine years. I didn't get one call back! That summer I was teaching drama at Congreso again for the third staright summer. I loved that program and the students. That fall I was layed off from Green Tree School where I was an drama instructor and I began teaching at DCIU High School in Media PA. This was another school for children with behaviorial problems. That school was a long comute. I had to leave my house at 5 am! In September of 2005 I had an audition for Side by Side for this theatre company in Media. I was called back but wasn't cast. Also that month I auditioned for Dream Girls at the Prince Theatre in Philly. I had done this show before at the Ritz so I felt I had an edge. I had four call backs up aginst stiff New York competition. I didn't get cast.

In October I auditioned for Amaryllis Theatre Companie's out reach show called "Bully For You". I did "Main Streamed" with them last year and they really liked me and wanted me to do the show. The show was about Bullying in schools and I played Mr. Raymond. The cast included Sara Doherty (who I was in Main Streamed last year), Josh Sauerman (who I was in Big River with last year) and Josh Totora. This was the only show I did for the 2005 and 2006 theatre season. It toured on and off for year. It was a tough year for African American actors. Alot of theatre companies who normally did at least one black show didn't include them in their season. At this time I was also getting in to real estate. I wanted to quit teaching drama act full time and raise enough money to start my own theatre company. However, supporting my family was allways my main concern. My friend Chris Yustin from my Tom Sawyer tour had partnered with me in this endeavor. In November of 2005 we bought our first property. 6336 Baynton Street. The house I grew up in. We bought from my parents who were going through a divorce. They sold it to us for $88,000 it appraised at $146,000! Not too shabby for our first home. We got our company incorporated, Cutting Edge Funding Group, LLC in December of 2005. In January of 2006 Shavonne and I found out we were pregnant with my daughter Michaela! I had left the DCIU High School and was now teaching drama to 5 year olds at Wissahickon Charter School near my house. In the summer of 2006 I was cast again in Holcomb Theatre Out Reach production of Speak For Your Self. It was show geared towards 8-12 year olds about the dangers of smoking. I hestitant at first because I had done the show in 2003 but it had a horrible scipt. But Rachel Wolf the director assured me the script was revised and I went in for the audtion and I was cast. The cast included my buddy Miranda Thompson, Rachel Cevoli and Andy Petrowski. This show toured from October of 2006 to January of 2007. My next show would be Purlie at the Ritz Theatre. The fourth show I would do there...