Off Book is a fresh, new theatre podcast made with black theatre artists’ interests & issues in mind. Hosted by a theatre journalist, an actress, & a playwright, it’s proven to be an interesting journey.
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HOSTS
Donja Love for Off Book | Photo by D.P. Jolly
Donja R. Love is an Afro-Queer playwright, poet, and filmmaker from Philadelphia. He’s the recipient of the 2018 Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, the 2017 Princess Grace Playwriting Fellow, a Eugene O’ Neill 2017 National Playwrights Conference finalist, The Lark’s 2016 Van Lier New Voices Playwriting Fellow, The Playwrights Realm’s 2016-2017 Writing Fellow, the 2016 Arch and Bruce Brown Playwriting Award recipient, and the 2011 Philadelphia Adult Grand Slam Poetry Champion. His work has been developed at Manhattan Theatre Club, Rising Circle Theatre, The Lark, and The Playwrights Realm. He’s the co-founder of The Each-Other Project, an organization that helps build community and provides visibility, through art and advocacy, for LGBTQ People of Color. Select stage-plays include: a trilogy which explores Queer Love* during pivotal moments in Black History, The Love* Plays (Sugar in Our Wounds, which has a 2018 World Premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club; Fireflies; In The Middle), and soft. Select film work: Modern Day Black Gay (web series), and Once A Star (short film). Training: Juilliard, Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program.
Amber Iman for Off Book | Photo by D.P. Jolly
Amber Iman‘s Broadway credits include Shuffle Along and Soul Doctor. Most recently, she played Peggy Schuyler & Maria Reynolds in the first national tour of Hamilton. She’s performed off-Broadway in A Civil War Christmas and RENT. She received a Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical & the Emery Battis Award for Acting Excellence for her role as Aldonza in Man Of La Mancha (Shakespeare Theatre, DC). Amber is a graduate of Howard University (2016 James Butcher Alumni Award) and a proud founding member of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. She’s performed her one-woman show in LA & NYC and is currently writing her first short film. Amber lives in NYC and is single and ready to mingle. Visit her at www.amberiman.com
Drew Shade for Off Book | Photo by D.P. Jolly
Drew Shade has a burning passion that lies in the arts. Originally from Fort Wayne, IN, he resides in the heart of Harlem, helping to lead the way in building a more diverse and knowledgeable audience in the theatre world. He is the Founder & Editorial Director of Broadway Black, a digital platform dedicated to highlighting the achievements and successes of African-American theatre artists on and off the Broadway stage. Broadway Black has taken the theatre industry by storm & has been excelled by the likes of Ben Vereen, Jennifer Hudson, & Misty Copeland just to name a few. However, Shade feels the greatest achievement has been using his experience and knowledge of the industry to create a community celebrating his own. Recently awarded The Mountaintop Award by Actors Equity Association & BOLDNYC for being a trailblazer. “There is no greater joy than fueling & inspiring those who once thought the theatre was a foreign place to which they were not welcome,” he says. He lives the life of the Broadway Black slogan, and shows what can happen “When The Theatre Goes Dark.” Find out more about him at DrewShade.com