Producer Joseph Stern

Scrapsby Geraldine Inoa

Ensemble(in alphabetical order)

Stan MayerTyrin Niles

Ashlee OliviaDamon Rutledge

Ahkei TogunDenise Yolén

Set Design John Iacovelli

Lighting Design Brian Gale & Zo Haynes

Sound Design Jeff Gardner

Costume Design Wendell C Carmichael

Props Master David Saewert

Fight Choreography Ahmed Best

Rigger Ian O’Connor

Stage Manager Rita Cofield

Associate Producer Gabrieal Griego

PublicityLucy Pollack

Casting Jami Rudofsky

Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb

SCRAPS had it’s world premiere production at The Flea Theatre as part of it’s 2018/2019 Season

Ensemble

Stan Mayer CopTyrin Niles Jean-Baptiste DelacroixAshlee Olivia Adriana DouglasDamon Rutledge Sebastian WinthropAhkei Togun Calvin YoungDenise Yolén Aisha Douglas

UnderstudiesMichael Neely Jr. Jean-Baptiste DelacroixMario Peoples Sebastian WinthropChibuikem Uche Calvin Young

TimePrologue and Act One:

Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend 2014.

Act Two:Fourth of July weekend. Three years later.

SettingThe corner of Myrtle and Tompkins Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NewYork.

_________Running time is approximately 90 minutes.

There will be no intermission.

Stan Mayer (Cop)is making his Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. Stan is an actor, playwright, and director. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, in a past life Stan was a US Marine infantryman and Intelligence Officer in special operations, serving five tours of duty in Iraq

and Afghanistan. Stan likes theater better. Recent works include performing in Sam Shepard’s early play Back Bog Beast Bait and co-writing the play Carry Me Home, with Cecilia Fairchild, which will premier in LA this fall.

Tyrin Niles (Jean-Baptiste Delacroix) is making his Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. Tyrin was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been seen throughout various television shows, as well as, roles in multiple films over the last decade. While Tyrin was in Atlanta, he had exceptional training with the popular actor Greg Allan-Williams. While being a part

of his Masterclass, Tyrin had acquired many skills and techniques that have propelled his acting career. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Tyrin began studying with Joshua Bitton where he spent two years training the Meisner program. Tyrin just completed a feature role in a film called Ant, directed by Misha Meyer, where it was seen in various festivals, including the Toronto film festival, the Florida Film Festival, and the LA Shorts Film Festival. He was also in a Sundance film called Burden that went on to win the Sundance ’18 Audience Award. Tyrin landed the recurring role in the hit show American Soul which airs on BET. Tyrin Niles has also been a part of the Tyler Perry Studios television show called Meet The Browns, where he played a recurring role. Tyrin Niles currently resides in Los Angeles California.

Ashlee Olivia (Adriana Douglas) is making her Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. Awarded Best Supporting Actress by the NAACP, the Phylicia Rashaad Award at the BTAAs and Little Miss Photogenic in one of L.A.’s local beauty pageants—Miss Olivia has always been bit by the performance bug.

Traveling to Chicago from L.A. she earned her BFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and has also worked with Mpaact, Chicago Shakespeare and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Back in L.A., Ashlee developed a strong relationship with the Robey Theatre Company and has appeared in some of their award winning

productions, namely, The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel, Knock Me A Kiss, and her personal favorite, Anna Lucasta, all directed by Mr. Ben Guillory. Ashlee’s one-woman show, Eartha’s Kit debuted in 2015 and has also graced a stage in L.A.’s Fringe Festival in 2017 directed by the wonderful Mrs. Kellie Dantzler Davis, musical direction by Miss Cydney Wayne Davis and Costumes by the amazing Melanie Denise. Fun Fact: Ashlee did a one night only 1st run on of her Eartha show entitled Mama Eartha directed by Mr. Dwain Perry at Mpaact in Chicago as apart of their Solo Jams Series in 2013. She dedicates everything she does onstage and on-screen to her mother, her sister and her father, André Sylvester Jones.

Damon Rutledge (Sebastian Winthrop) is making his Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. A Los Angeles native and 6 year Navy veteran, Damon left the military to pursue his dreams of acting. Since returning to California he has captivated audiences with his portrayals of Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin

in the Sun, Troy Maxson in Fences (Long Beach Playhouse) and a U/S role alongside Philicia Rashad in Head of Passes at the Mark Taper Forum. In addition to acting he has also earned his Masters Degree from Pepperdine University and is currently finishing up his Doctorate from USC. Forever humbled by any opportunity to step onstage Damon wishes to thank his family , friends and especially his wife for their continued support on this fantastic journey.

Ahkei Togun (Calvin Young) is making his Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. Originally from Richmond, Virginia is a soon to be graduate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).Excited to be taking on the role of Calvin for his West Coast professional debut.

Denise Yolén (Aisha Douglas) is making her Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. Denise was born in Queens New York, and raised in South Florida, Denise has been described as “Funny, passionate, a solid writer and a great storyteller.” Denise honed her skills at the Tisch School

of the Arts at New York University. Most recently she was featured in the film, Sankofa City, a science fiction film in which she portrayed a woman connecting the roots of her past, present, and future. The film premiered at the Pan African Film Festival. She was also

featured in 1 Chance, where she portrayed the fiancé of a prized boxer who has been diagnosed with a life-altering disease. The film was an official selection at The National Black Film Festival, The DC Black Film Festival, and The Everybody Digital Film Festival. She most recently wrote and co- starred in her very first feature film, entitled Sundays In July, a frank exploration of two modern lovers at different stages of their relationship. The pulse of New York thrives in all of her artistic endeavors; ultimately authenticity is key.

Michael Neely (Jean-Baptiste Delacroix US) As the changing of the guards take place, Michael A Neely is becoming a new face of the millennials. He is best known for his role as Thomas “Georgia Tom” Dorsey in the stage play It Don’t Just Shake Off written and directed by McKinley Johnson. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Michael is no stranger to the spotlight.

At the age of three after seeing the movie Leap of Faith,

Michael knew every line verbatim which sparked an interest in acting out various characters, after which Michael had the opportunity to perform in various plays in church and school. His people personality comical style kept a smile on people faces. He was known for imitating people from James Brown, Steve Martin, Mr. Brown, Jim Carey, Ray Charles to President Obama just to name a few. Michael’s style landed him as one of the main dancers for Complete Praise Dancers who travelled and performed for the South African Consulate, AIDs Foundation, Bobby Jones Show, weddings, parties, in other states as well. His passion to uplift people was demonstrated in his performances. As his desire grew even stronger for acting, Michael decided in 2014 to pursue it further by attending Second City school in Chicago, Illinois. He has kept busy while attending Second City doing improv to, standup comedy, and an extra on the TV series Empire. Michael is currently a student at The American Academy for Dramatic arts. He has appeared on the reality show The Proposal as a contestant but was called back to become the Bachelor. He has also appeared in Feet Ain’t Tired. Michael has his own production company called Man Production and his pursuit of happiness is to make somebody else happy.

Mario Peoples (Sebastian Winthrop US) is an American actor originally from Detroit, Michigan. His first acting role was portraying himself as a basketball master for the kid T.V. show Johnny Rockfit. He then went on to perform with Cirque DuSoleil’s Zumanity for 4 years as an actor/dancer. It was here that Mario

discovered his passion for acting and set out to pursue a career. Since then Mario has starred in lead roles as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, Darren Lemming in Richard Greenburg’s, Take Me Out, Captain Davenport in A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller and most recent as Rodeny in Bess Wohl’s Small Mouth Sounds. Mario hopes to inspire kids from his home neighborhood in Detroit’s inner city to follow their dreams and to be great in this world despite the odds and obstacles of their given circumstances.

Chibuikem Uche (Calvin Young US) is an East Coast native, who recently moved to LA following his graduation from the University of Connecticut. Scraps is the first theater production he has been a part of since relocating. He is thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to go to work with such

a talented cast and crew. Theatrically he is represented by Media Artists Group and Zero Gravity Management, where he is currently pursuing film/TV opportunities. Keep up with him on IG: @chib.uche

Geraldine Inoa (Playwright) Geraldine Inoa is a writer for theater and television. She is a story editor for AMC’s The Walking Dead. Her play Scraps had its world premiere production at the Flea Theater in New York during the 2018/19 season, marking her professional debut. Her play Reckoning: Furies From A New Queer Nation was recently selected to be a part of Victory Gardens Theater’s Ignition Festival of New Plays in Chicago. As a playwright, she is an alumnus of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group and the inaugural recipient of The Shonda Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission. She is a L. Arnold Weissberg New Play Award finalist, a P73 Playwriting Fellowship finalist, and a twice-named Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist. Her work has been developed at the Atlantic Theater Company and the Labyrinth Theater Company. She holds a B.A. from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She resides in Los Angeles with her dog Alfred.

Stevie Walker-Webb (Director) is making his Matrix Theatre Company debut with Scraps. He is an Obie award-winning director, performing artist and cultural worker, a former 2050 Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop (named in celebration of the Census Bureau’s projection that by the year 2050, there will be no single racial or ethnic majority in the U.S.) and recipient of the Princess Grace Award for theater. Off- Broadway: Jordan E. Cooper’s Ain’t No Mo’ at the Public Theater; upcoming: Fairview at Woolly Mammoth and One In Two with the New Group in New York City. He is the founding artistic director of the Jubilee Theatre in Waco, Texas, holds an MFA from the New School, a BS in Sociology from the University of North Texas, and is an Emerge- NYC alumnus.

Joseph Stern (Producer) is a veteran of theatre film, and television. In the last 40 years he has produced more than 45 plays and over 300 episodes of television, as well as numerous long form specials and films. No producer has been honored as much in Los Angeles theatre. His productions at the Matrix Theatre and other venues have garnered more awards than any other 99-seat house, including numerous Ovations, L.A. Weekly (39), Drama-Logue and Backstage Garland (130) and L.A. Drama Critics Circle awards (44). Most recently, his multi-ethnic production of Arthur Miller’ALL MY SONS received numerous awards including LA Drama Critics and an NAACP for Best Ensemble. 2011’s Neighbors was the the recipient of multiple LADCC and BackStage awards, and was nominated for four Ovations, including Best Play. The play also enjoyed a successful run at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. In 2010 his production of Stick Fly went on to win the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for production, as well as L.A. Weekly, BackStage and Ovation awards for writing and ensemble. A new production recently opened on Broadway. LADCC awards include consecutive Outstanding Production Awards for The Tavern (1993), The Seagull (1994), The Homecoming (1995), Outstanding Ensemble for Mad Forrest (1996), and 4 LADCC awards for The Water Children (1998). The Birthday Party (2001) was named Best Revival Production by the L.A. Weekly, and received numerous nominations and awards, including 5 LADCC nominations. The Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody received 8 NAACP Awards. His world premiere production of Orphans moved to the Steppenwolf and then onto Off-Broadway before becoming a feature film. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Margaret Harford Award given by the LADCC and the Drama-Logue Publisher/Critics Award for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement. He was further honored,

along with August Wilson, at the Ovation Awards, receiving the first James A. Dolittle Award for Leadership in Los Angeles theatre. He served as Executive Producer for the first three seasons of Law & Order, as well as producing the pilot, which earned him two of his six Emmy nominations, and two Golden Globe nominations. His groundbreaking CBS special Other Mothers, about alternative lifestyles, was honored with seven Emmy nominations and received three. Mr. Stern’s feature film work includes Dad, for Steven Spielberg, which starred JackLemmon, Ted Danson, and Olympia Dukakis. In 2004, Mr. Stern produced Our America for Showtime. It went on to receive four Emmy nominations and won the coveted Humanitas Award. Mr. Stern was the Executive Producer for the six-year run of the hit CBS series Judging Amy.

Gabrieal Griego (Associate Producer) is delighted to be a part of this production alongside such wonderful people. In addition to associate producing theater she is also a producer, director, playwright, and designer. Her recent designs include sound design for The William Inge Theater Festival’s 2019 Tribute to Octavio Solis w/directors Chuma Gault, Marc Valdez, & Juliette Carrillo and award winning play BLISS (or Emily Post is Dead!) w/director Darin Anthony. Projection designs include Newsies w/ director Jane McEneaney, Martians – An Evening With Ray Bradbury w/director Jeff Rack, & award nominated 26 Pebbles w/dir Jules Aaron. Lighting designs include Ovation Recommended Synesthsia w/director Cate Caplin, award nominated The Woman in Black, which she also directed, & workshop production of Murray Mednick’s Girl on a Bed w/director Guy Zimmerman. Recent directing work includes Jihan Crowther’s Lions for new works program MADlab & Deb Heitt’s Escape Room Thingy for the workshop program Season’s Readings, both with Moving Arts, as well having directed several Hollywood Fringe Festival gems over the years. Gabrieal very much enjoys puppeteering for powerhouse Leslie K. Gray, past productions include Maudit, En La Noche, and multiple appearances at The Skirball’s yearly Puppet Festival, and she is looking forward to upcoming project Seberang Lautan/Across the Sea, A Performance Piece with Puppetry and Javanese Song that will take place in both Los Angeles and Indonesia which celebrates the story Indonesian singer/songwriter Peni Candra Rini. Gabrieal enjoys, above all else, creating all types of art with badass life- partner Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski.

John Iacovelli (Scenic Designer) is the resident designer for the Matrix Theatre Company, where he has designed productions of The

Mountaintop, Stickfly, All My Sons, We Are Proud to Present. . ., Neighbors, and the visiting productions of King Hedley II and Two Trains Running produced by Sofina Brown. He has designed in the smaller theatres of Los Angeles for 30 years. He won the prime time Emmy Award for the broadcast of his sets for Broadway’s “ Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan” and he has designed at many major theatres across the US. He received the career achievement award from the LADCC and the distinguished achievement Award in Scene Design and Technology from the US Institute of Theatre Technology. He holds an MFA from the NYU Tisch school of the Arts. Iacovelli.com is his website.

Brian Gale (Co-Lighting Designer) Gods of Comedy – McCarter Theater & Old Globe, Hostage, Bronco Billy - Skylight Theater, All My Sons, Two Trains Running - Matrix Theater, El Nino, Mexican Day, 100 Aprils - Rogue Machine, The Things We Do, Punk Rock - Odyssey, God Of Carnage, Carrie the Musical - La Mirada, Red, Disgraced - San Diego Rep, Little Shop of Horrors - Cleveland Playhouse, Sleepless In Seattle: The Musical, Intimate Apparel, The Heiress - Pasadena Playhouse. Emperor’s Nightingale, Frederick, Witches, Mrs Nelson, Goldilocks – Lewis Family Playhouse. Waiting For Godot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Harps’ and Angels - The Mark Taper Forum.

Lighting and Projection for LA Opera’s complete Ring Cycle. 24 years with the Walt Disney Company Theme Parks, Shows and Special Events worldwide. Mr. Gale is a member of IATSE USA Local 829.

Zo Haynes (Co-Lighting Designer) Savage Love, Cowboy Mouth—The Broadwater Theatre; Fun Home, Shakespeare in Love, King Charles III, Pierrot Lunaire— Playhouse on the Square; An Octoroon, Metamorphoses, Race, Fuddy Meers, The Clean House—Georgia Southern University; Peter and the Starcatcher, Disgraced, Hand to God, Bridges of Madison County, The Other Place, Carrie the Musical, The Country House, Ripchord, Pinkalicious, Pageant, Dearly Departed—The Circuit Playhouse

Jeff Gardner (Sound Design) Design credits include Cry It Out (Ovation Award- Best Production, 2018), Dry Land for Echo Theater Company (Ovation Award- Best Production, 2016), Trevor for Circle X Theatre (Ovation Award- Best Production, 2015) and The Recommendation for IAMA Theatre (Ovation Award- Best

Production,2014). He has designed and performed throughout the country including The Geffen Playhouse, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, A Noise Within, Rogue Machine Theatre, Sacred Fools, Skylight Theatre, The Colony Theatre, Odyssey Theatre, Boston Court Pasadena, The Wallis Annenberg Center, The Shakespeare Theatre, Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival and is a member of The Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale. Jeff can also be seen at L.A. Theatre Works where he regularly performs live sound effects. His work has received multiple awards and nominations including the 2017 Ovation Award for Sound Design, Large Theatre. Online: jeffthomasgardner.net

Wendell C. Carmichael (Costume Designer) Theatre credits: Ragtime, Men on Boats, Greenwood 1964, The Mountaintop, Our Town, The Wizard of Oz, WINK, Fool for Love, In the Heights, Happy Ending, American Saga: Gunshot Medley, Jews, Christians and Screwing Stalin, Vol. 1: A Post Racial America, Violet, Her Portmeanu, Native Son, A Walk in theWoods, Cabaret, West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief, The Crucible, An Octoroon, Br’er Cotton, Ball Yards, Waiting for the Parade, The Good War. 2018 Stage Raw winner – Costume Design, three-time L.A. Ovation Award nominee, 2017 Orange County’s Best Costume Designs, 2015 NAACP Theatre Award winner 2019 Nominee. Member of Local 768, the Theatrical Wardrobe Union/ LA Opera.

David Saewert (Props Master) As resident Props Master and Department Manager at South Coast Repertory Theater, David has done over 200 shows for SCR including: Amadeus, Once, The Tempest, Moby Dick, Chinglish, Sweeney Todd as well as several world premiers: Vietgone, Office Hour, Cambodian Rock Band. Other theater credits: A Midsummers Night’s Dream (UCI), The Winters Tale (UCI), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (The Chance), Big Fish (The Chance), The Little Foxes (Antaeus), Harvey (Laguna Playhouse), Joy Wheel (Ruskin Group Theatre). Proud member IATSE and servers as a trustee on the Orange County School Board.

Ahmed Best (Fight Choreography) MFA: American Film Institute. Ovation Award, LACC Award, Stage Raw Award winner. Fight Choreography: Brain Problems (Ammunition Theater Company) Gloria ( Echo Theater Company) Dry Land (Echo Theater Co.)

Unbound (IAMA Theater Co.) Good Grief (Center Theater Group) Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Center Theater Group) Blueberry Toast (Echo Theatre Co.) Backyard (Echo Theatre Co.) Fugue (Echo Theater Co.) Film: Eat Me, Choke (winner Best Action Choreography, the Nova Fest)

Ian Connor (Rigger) was raised in a theater family. “Born in a trunk” as the old timer’s used to say, his parents were working at San Diego’s Old Globe at the time of his birth and moved often to follow work. His mother Sara was one of the pioneers the Regional Theater movement and he started working in his teens, building scenery and rigging. Theaters he worked for include Hartford Stage, McCarter Theatre. The Goodman, Milwaukee Rep, GeVa, The Free Street Theater, St. Nicholas Theater, Wisdom Bridge, Indiana Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse and Theater Company of Boston.

He designed Special Effects for the Wizard of Oz-including Broadway, AC/DC, Casinos, New York’s Public Theater including Mother Courage with Meryl Streep, and the George Lucas Super live Adventure in Japan. Feature Film special effects credits include: Starship Troopers, Broken Arrow, Chain Reaction, Hancock, The X-Files

Movie, Star Trek: Insurrection, Memoirs of a Geisha, S.W.A.T. and many more. TV credits as Special Effects Supervisor include over 30 series and pilots along with numerous commercials and music videos. Ian has been asked to give lectures and presentations for the Visual Effects Society, Gnomon School of Visual Effects, IATSE and others. He has served as a special effects consultant for Sony Pictures in Moscow, Russia and taught special effects master classes in Kiev, Ukraine. His work has been featured in Cinefex, American Cinematographer, The New York Times, The LA Times, Movie Magic, PBS Nova: “Special Effects Titanic and Beyond”, Cinefantastique & the french publication Dixieme Planete:”Effets Speciaux”. He resides in the Hollywood Hills with his wife and business partner Sherry and their Borzoi dogs: Diego, Quinn & Mila.

Rita Cofield (Stage Manager) has stage managed all over town for over 20 years. She has worked with Actor’s Co-op, Inkwell Theater Company, A Noise Within, Theatre 40, Antaeus, Academy of New Musical Theater, and gives her time to The Watts Village Theater Company playing the role of stage manager, artistic curator,

and special projects manager. She has toured as the Production Manager for several Urban Theater productions, including Redemption of a Dogg starring Snoop Dog. She has directed the world premiere of MADAME PRESIDENT at the historical El Portal, and the world premier of What I Never Told You at this years Fringe Festival at The Complex. She has added historic preservation to her current endeavors and is a candidate for the Masters in Heritage Conservation. Rita is well-rounded in the art of working behind-the-scenes and aspires to bring historical narratives to life. She is pleased to be working with a group of people who welcome the challenge of turning ordinary and underrepresented stories into extraordinary works of art.

Jami Rudofsky (Casting Director) has been casting Theatre, Film, and Television in Los Angeles for eons. Casting for intimate theatre is challenging in a town focused on Television and Film but it is also the most gratifying and nourishing work Jami does. She is honored to help create beautiful work to be shared with our community. Thank you to every single actor in this town who comes out to audition for theatre. Thank you to Joe Stern for continuing to give me the honor of casting great groundbreaking shows. Thank you to Gabrieal for keeping on track, Geraldine for writing such an important piece and Steven for your amazing artistic vision and hugs. Jami’s casting credits and work as an acting teacher can be found by way of google. Lastly, to my little man Theo, thank you for inspiring me every day!

Ivor Pyres (Matrix Theatre Technical Director) Ivor likes what he does and has been doing it for the last 47 years. singing, acting, writing songs, producing, creating building, painting, lighting etc, as with many in this business. No need to take anymore space he wants you to appreciate this production creativity as evolutionary. Think hard change the future.

Production Staff

Producer - Joseph SternAssociate Producer - Gabrieal Griego

Stage Manager - Rita CofieldFront of House/Assistant Stage Managers -

Andrea Fiorentini & Christian Kelly Technical Director - Ivor Pyres

Resident Photographer - I.C. Rapport Graphic Design - Rita Valencia

Publicity - Lucy Pollack

Special ThanksIan O’Connor, Ben Guillory, Brian Longhofer,

Erin Pettigrew, Taonga Leslie, Angela Kang, Heidi Leavitt & Spencer Gale

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