:: JOIN US FOR A STAGED READING OF
INDIA NICOLE BURTON’S NEW PLAY “ THE LIGHT POST“

:: June 18th, 2022 @7pm
:: Notre Dame College-Regina Auditorium ::
1857 S. Green Rd. | South Euclid, OH 44121

“The Light Post follows the story of the McClain Family, through the vantage point of Randi McClain, a lesbian Black woman, who is questioning her identity as a Queer, Black woman in the world and her relationships with predominately white women. At the same time, she Is dealing with the patriarch of the family, Kevin McClain, who is losing his mind and the family bar, in an attempt to get him to sell his bar to white business owners. Mr. McClain can not seem to part ways with the bar primarily because he believes the spirit of his dead grandson (Cecile), who was murdered by police, lives in the jukebox he inherited from his father. Things start to climax when a mysterious women wanders into The Light Post ( Bar), on the night of one of the biggest snow storms in Riverdale Michigan’s history.”

This reading is FREE but donations are welcome!
Please email tickets@ensemble-theatre.org to reserve a seat!
You will receive a confirmation email when you spot is reserved.

As part of Ensemble’s mission, our Stagewrights Unit fosters the development of new works for the stage.
Staged readings offer playwrights the platform to have their work presented to an audience with local artists.
We encourage audiences to participate in survey questions provided by the playwright as well as a post show talkbacks
(when offered/available) following the readings. Audiences are fundamental to our work!

:: Content Advisory :: STRONG LANGUAGE & THEMES.
:: Reading Run Time :: 1 hr 30min. There will be no intermission

:: MEET THE ARTISTS ::

India Nicole Burton (Playwright) is an actress, director, playwright, devisor and producer. She is a native of Akron, OH and graduated from The University of Akron in 2011 with a BA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis on performance. Upon graduating, India founded Ma’Sue Productions, an African American theatre company located in Akron, Ohio. She has directed, produced, and performed in several of Ma’Sue’s plays and was co-artistic director until 2015. India recently ended a virtual national tour of American Dreams by Leila Buck in 2020, where she played the role of Briana Coffman. She originated this character when it had its world premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre in 2018. India’s directing credits include for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (Heads Up Productions), The Laramie Project (Heads Up Productions), Daybreak’s Children (Ma’Sue Productions), A Happening on Imperial (Ma’Sue Productions) Fire on the Water (Cleveland Public Theatre, co-directed; Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation (in development at Cleveland Public Theatre), “inside out” by Francisca Da Silveira (Company One, as part of their C1: Inauguration project) Welcome to the Taj Mahal ( Motel) By Riti Sachdeva, The Playwrights Center ( Workshop). India’s assistant directing credits include the 2014 production of The Color Purple at Karamu House, A brownsville song (b-side for tray) at Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre’s Barbecue and Good at Heart, featured in BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival. India is a board member for New World Performance Lab, a two-year recipient of the NNPN Producer in Residence program for Cleveland Public Theatre and a 2021 recipient of the NNPN Bridge Program grant. She was also a cast member of American Dreams, which was nominated for a Drama League Award in 2021. India is currently receiving her MFA in playwriting from The University of Nebraska’s Creative writing program. She is also the recipient of The National New Play Networks Rolling World Premiere for her play Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation. Her 10 minute play Trade Flowers for Salt had its world premiere as part of Ensemble’s In Our Own Words series just this past March!

Jeannine Gaskin (Director) Jeannine Gaskin is a Cleveland based actress and director. She directed India Burton's short play "Trade Flowers for Salt" at Ensemble Theatre for the In Our Own Words Our Stories Our Voices Series. She directed “Devised Blues: Uncut & Funky” at Baldwin - Wallace University and co-directed “Until the Flood” by Dael Orlandersmith at Malone University with Craig Joseph & Lynn Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel” with Sarah May also at Ensemble Theatre. Jeannine is excited to be returning to Ensemble to direct the staged reading of India Burton's next great play "The Light Post".

Sydney Smith (Randi) is extremely excited to be involved in her first production with Ensemble Theatre! She will be playing Randi in tonight’s production. She is a graduate from Kent State University with a BA in Theatre. She was last seen on stage in Panther Women: Army for the Liberation (Women 6) . Some of her other credits include Toxic Avenger (Black Dudette), 1776 (Dr. Josiah Bartlett), Hairspray (Ensemble/ Motormouth u/s), Harriet Tubman Visits a Therapist (Harriet Tubman), and For Colored Girls… (Lady In Orange). She would like to thank this extremely talented cast and crew for making this such a great experience and her family and friends for their constant support.

Greg White (Kevin “Pops” McClain) is an actor and director who has been performing in the Cleveland area for a decades. He was last seen as Chuttes & Ladders in Water by the Spoonful, as Mr Macon in East of Eden, and the title character in Jelly Belly in at Ensemble. Before that, he played two characters at Cleveland Public Theatre in Lisa Langford's The Art of Longing. He played the role of Willy Loman twice in Death of a Salesman at Ensemble Theatre and then at True North Theater. Greg has also directed at Ensemble: Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. In 2015, he was recognized as Best Actor in Scene Magazine for his performance of Thurgood Marshall in Thurgood and for Superior Achievement by the Cleveland Critics Circle for his performance of Chris Christopherson in Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie, both for Ensemble Theatre. He most recently finished the run of Sunset Baby as Kenyatta at Dobama. Greg received his training at the Ohio University's School of Theatre.

Drew Pope (Steven “Steely” McClain) is a graduate from the B.F.A. Acting and Directing program from Baldwin Wallace University and currently teaches Drama at Dike School of the Arts. He has toured with Great Lakes Theatre for Macbeth and he has also portrayed Tom Robinson in TKAM, Doc Gibbs in Our Town, George Armstrong in Intimate Apparel, Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, P-Sam in Paradise Blue, Jimmy Jones in “Greenwood: An American Dream Destroyed”, and Bill Wynnfield in Enemy of the People. All love to my family and friends, and to those that support me, thank you.

Samantha Cocco (Sarah Brantley) is working with Ensemble Theatre for the first time since 2017! 2022 marks her fifth year on Cleveland stages and screens, including two appearances at Playhouse Square in 2019. Favorite roles include Melissa in Love Letters, Phyllis in Double Indemnity, and Sunny Jacobs in The Exonerated. Recent shows include The Exonerated at Beck, Bedroom Culture at CPT, and the NEOMFA festival and Log Cabin at convergence-continuum. By day she is the Administrator for the Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University; by night and weekend an avid kayaker and cyclist and dog connoisseur. Thank you for supporting local theater.

Tyler Whidden (Bradley Brantley) is a Cleveland-based playwright, director and actor. His plays include Dancing with NED, Kingsbury, and Occupation: Dad. As an educator and artist, Tyler's focus is on the creation and promotion of new work. Tyler has taught playwriting and theater at Ohio University, College of Wooster, Columbia College, and Southern New Hampshire University. Tyler is proud to enter his 13th straight season of working with Ensemble who have long been championing the work of Cleveland artists. You can find him at TylerJCWhidden.com and New Play Exchange.