Staff, Crew, Actors, Directors, & Playwrights
Ebiyemi Kweli
Stage Manager
Ebiyemi Kweli, a Detroit native started assisting theatre artists at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. From there she has gone on to have a hand in the production of the African World Festival, Black Women Rock and Salt City. She is currently a senior at the University of Michigan Dearborn with a double major of French and Secondary Education.
Gayle Martin
Actor — Metaphor in 3 acts: “Steward”
Papa Jennings Is Gone: “May”
Gayle E. Martin is a native Ann Arboright. She is a graduate from the University of Michigan where she earned her BFA degree. She has been an Instructor of Dance for 39 years, and in Voice for 5 at Washtenaw Community College. She has been blessed and honored to be performing onstage, whether it be dance, singing, or acting since the age of 3. She also teaches at Children's Creative Center where she has directed and choreographed a children's musical every summer for the last 19 years
Henri Franklin
Male character in “Wild Horses”
Henri Franklin is a Detroit native and graduate of Wayne State University’s Theatre program. Some of his professional credits include Chicago P.D., Days of Our Lives, BMF(Starz) and numerous plays and commercials. He is honored to be back to perform with OTF once again and looks forward to doing work that will inspire lives for the better.changes lives for the better. You can follow his journey at www.henrifranklin.com and @henrifranklin on social media platforms
Jarrett Robertson
Director of Photography
Jarrett Robertson, born in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, searches his urban environment to find the true heartbeat of the city. As he encounters the hidden voices within this metropolis, his goal is to make films that uncover intimate truths about this society. His ability to capture the grittiness of any given moment is clearly reflected in the keen observations of his candid stories. Jarrett’s track record for successful films ranges from fictional narratives and documentaries, to music videos and experimental art.
Erika Franklin
Actor — “Erin”
Erika L. Franklin is a Detroit native who grew up loving the theatre arts! Off the stage you can find her on the set of many independent film projects or at the bedside nursing her patients back to health. Aside from her love of storytelling she loves being a loving wife to her husband and a caring mother to her children.
Garlia Cornelia Jones
Senior Creative Producer
Garlia is a writer, producer, photographer and mother from Detroit, MI. In 2008, Garlia founded Blackboard Plays, a monthly series devoted to Black Playwrights. She is one of the founding producers of Harlem9, OBIE Award winners for, “48Hours in…™Harlem”. Her Essays and articles have appeared in "The New York Times", "The Washington Post”, "Salon.com" and “American Theatre”. Her work as a playwrights has been supported by the cell, The Fire This Time Festival and #24viralmonologues. She was a guest artist at Wayne State University 2020-2021. She worked on an MA in African American and African Diaspora studies at Indiana University before coming to New York for her MFA in Playwrighting which she earned at The New School for Drama. Garlia is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Producing Director of PAAL, where she also received one of their first childcare grants in 2019. Finally, Garlia was a Line Producer at The Public Theater (“Socrates”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, (filmed for Great Performances on PBS), “Mojada”, “for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enough, “Coal Country”, “The Visitor”). She was also the Line Producer for Mobile Unit’s Summer of Joy, Shakespeare: Call and Response - August 2021. Garlia was the Co-Creative Producer of #ToBeBlack, released on Juneteenth 2020 and Co-Producer of “Forward Together” a Virtual event, in support of The Public. During the Fall of 2020, Garlia was the co-developer and Curator of the #Saytheirnames projection installation. In April 2022, Garlia was promoted to the first ever Director of Innovation and New Media at The Public. Garlia is the Creative Producer for the Obsidian Theatre Festival in Detroit, MI. Finally, she is the Executive Producer of the Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival (#BMPFest), a festival focused on the stories of Black families from Black artists with families
Germono Toussaint
Playwright "The Last Gatekeeper" OTF'23
Germono Toussaint (he/him/his) is a composer, arranger, playwright, and producer. He is one of the founding playwrights of the Obie award-winning The Fire This Time Festival, the Founding Artistic Director of A Mile In My Shoes, Inc., and owner of Brown Liquor Music, LLC.
Jasmin Richardson
Teaching Artist
Jasmin Richardson (Director). She made her directorial debut with Kirsten Childs poignant piece Bubbly Black Girl Sheds her Chameleon Skin. Followed by The New Black Leading Lady, a collection of songs from musical comedies starring black women. Her mission in storytelling is to empower women of color by highlighting the many facets of womanhood.
Eric Jones
Playwright/Lyricist
I am a playwright, Lyricist & a screenwriter who has write for musical theatre & film for 20 years, I won Best Short Screenplay at National Black Film Festival in 2020 for The Knowledge & my musical Liberators was a finalist at The 2018 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. I’m very honored for White Man’s Burden to be selected as a senifinalist.
Forrest Hejkal
Musician/Actor — “Scott Williams”
Forrest Hejkal is an intermittently local actor, director, designer, producer, and technical director. He has been seen (semi-) recently onstage as John Lennon in Mazel Tov, John Lennon (Theatre Nova), Alan Strang in Equus (Ellipsis Theatre), and Roland in Constellations (Theatre Nova). When not working on a production, he can be found in a canoe, a sauna, or down a dusty trail.
Gayle Martin
Actor — Metaphor in 3 Acts: “Steward”
Papa Jennings Is Gone: “May”
Gayle E. Martin is a native Ann Arboright. She is a graduate from the University of Michigan where she earned her BFA degree. She has been an Instructor of Dance for 39 years, and in Voice for 5 at Washtenaw Community College. She has been blessed and honored to be performing onstage, whether it be dance, singing, or acting since the age of 3. She also teaches at Children's Creative Center where she has directed and choreographed a children's musical every summer for the last 19 years.
Hallie Bard
Actor — “Jenny”
Hallie is a Mother, actor, reiki master, doula, and overall magical creatrix who is honored to quilt together an artistic life in her home state of Michigan. Recent credits include world premieres of Birthday Candles at the Detroit Public Theatre and Asking Strangers... at The Detroit Repertory Theatre.
