Staff, Crew, Actors, Directors, & Playwrights
Jen Pan
Intimacy Director OTF'23
Jen Pan (she/they) is a Ypsilanti-based fight and intimacy director with training from the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), Dueling Arts International (DAI), and Intimacy Directors & Coordinators (IDC). They are also a co-founder of Theatrica Gladiatoria, a year-round academy in SE Michigan for stage and film combat (www.fightglad.com).
John Sloan lll
Co-Executive Producer & Producing Artistic Director
John Sloan III is a Detroit based arts professional and community organizer. Sloan is the lead organizer for Black Lives Matter Detroit, and Director of Operations, The Detroit Safety Team. BFA, Musical Theatre Performance, The University of Michigan. Sloan spent over fourteen years working in New York, LA, several regional theatres, and on the national tour of Disney’s The Lion King. He is the Founding CEO/Artistic Director of GhostLight Productions, and Producing Artistic Director of The Obsidian Theatre Festival, a Detroit based festival focusing on Black stories, now in its 3rd year. He serves as the Film Producer for the Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival. Recent Composer and Lyricist credits include Hastings Street and #24viralmonologues. Recent Director Credits: Gem of the Ocean, Detroit Repertory Theatre. Latest: Passing Strange, Detroit Public Theatre and Flint Rep, New Works Festival 2023.
Kelli Crump
Director — “We Own Everything”
Kelli Crump holds an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory, is a graduate of Central Michigan University, and
has studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She is a recipient of the NAPAT Classical Acting Award and the VASTA Vocal
Excellence Award presented by KCACTF.
Khalia Damali
Actor/Musician (title pending) OTF'23
Khalia Damali is a multitalented artist hailing from Detroit's Eastside. She fuses her life experiences and training from WMU’s BFA Acting program, to play roles from Shakespeare to Katori Hall. Khalia believes storytelling is a form of liberation and aims to inspire others to live and love out loud.
Lindsey Sigler
Production Manager
Lindsey holds a BFA in stage management from UNCSA and a MS in camp admin. She has spent her career stage managing for numerous companies up and down the east coast, serving as a camp director, teaching technical theatre, and judging and leading workshops for numerous high school theatre festivals. She is thrilled to be returning to OTF this season!
Jessica Annunziata
General Management Assistant
Jessica Annunziata is a recent graduate of the MFA Acting program at Wayne State University. She is honored to be a part of the Obsidian family and the Detroit theatre scene. Recent credits include Orlando at WSU and 2320: A Sci-fi Musical at Planet Ant.
Joshua Cashman
Managing Director
Joshua (he/him/his) is thrilled to be affiliated with the Obsidian Theatre Festival and GhostLight Productions Inc. He wants to thank Sloan and the entire OTF team for allowing him this opportunity. Special thanks to Lauren for all the love, support and encouragement. Proud Union member.
Kamia Hicks
Actor "Color Blind" OTF'23
Kamia Hicks is a native Detroiter that was reintroduced to the acting circuit in 2015. Her acting credits include Road to Resurrection, Mamas Gotta Plan, Perilous Times, The Conference, The Gift and Game Play. Kamia's love for acting was instilled in her as child when she was cast in her first inspirational musical Godspell. Kamia continues to showcase her talents in plays that uplift and inspire people.
Kenikki Jones-Jones
Director of Film Production
Kennikki Jones-Jones is an award winning Filmmaker from Detroit who obtained her BFA in Acting from Wayne State University and her MFA in Motion Picture Productions from Florida State University. Her short film Knock Knock garnered many accolades due to its “ability to blend humor with such a distressing topic, combined with the excellent delivery. “ Kennikki’s passion lives for both the stage and screen. Her work as a Producer comes from her love for building a family of creators who all have a strong desire to tell stories as a means to communicate valuable lessons.
Kyle Dupree
Teaching Artist
Kyle is a yogi/performing artist living in Astoria, NY. He has performed in Broadway tours such as Chicago and Mamma Mia. Regionally: An American in Paris, Newsies, Shrek the Musical, La Cage aux Folles, and Cinderella. Kyle earned his 200 hr yoga certification in Dharamshala, India.
LaRaisha Dionne
Playwright
LaRaisha Dionne is a second year MFA acting candidate in the Theatre & Dance department at Wayne State. A professional actress, singer, writer, and arts administrator from Wilmington, North Carolina; she graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Musical Theater in 2008. She is the winner of the 2022 Irene Ryan Acting Award in the Midwest Region’s Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.
Lori Minor
Playwright
Lori Sinclair Minor is based in NY. Her works include The Coping Mechanism, Blind Faith, 60-Fly and The Free Experience. Her work has been presented/produced with The Bechdel Group, New Life Productions, Blackboard Plays, Vintage Soul Productions, New African Grove Theater Company and NBTF.
Jezar Riches
Actor — Papa Jennings Is Gone: “Aggie”
Actress, singer, director, writer, rap artist, and producer, Jezar Riches is practically limitless in her ability to create orginal content and captivate audiences. Having won mutiple awards in the "Best Actress " category for varied performances, Jezar also achieved recognition for, "HALT- The Motion Picture" in the "Best Screenplay" and "Best Feature Film" sections. The success of "Halt" continues as it is featured on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Google Play.
Kenneth Kellogg
Guest/ Teaching Artist
Praised for his "commanding stage presence" and "rich, resonant bass,” Kenneth Kellogg was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Music has been a part of his life since grade school. Nurtured in the public school system by amazing music teachers, he participated in choirs throughout the city and began formal training at the Duke Ellington School of the Performing and Visual Arts as a Vocal and Visual Arts student.
Linda Rabin Hammell
Actor "Color Blind" OTF'23
Alighting in Michigan after living in Philly PA, Cambridge MA, Los Angeles, Anchorage AK, Seattle WA, and St. Paul MN, Linda has worked on dozens of stages throughout the greater Detroit area and has appeared in a growing handful of indie film features and shorts. She's honored and thrilled to join the Obsidian team and to help however she can to advance its important mission.