SHANNON HARRIS
SAG-AFTRA /AEA
ECHOES screens at
Columbia University Film Festival in May!
I play Taylor in Columbia University MFA Film Directing Candidate Roku Long's short film ECHOES, which screens at CUFF next month! Read about the film below, and click HERE for screening details. (Images reposted from CUFF IG page.)
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grist won Diversity in Cannes Best Micro Short!
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It's been an eventful (Women's History) month for both of my short films grist and THREE birds!
grist won Best Micro Short in the 2022 Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase! Beyond that, I was nominated for Best Actress for my performance in grist at the 2023 Black Film Festival of New Orleans; and THREE birds was an official selection at the 23rd African American Women in Cinema Virtual Film Festival. Tremendous thanks to festivals who hosted us and granted these honors and (always) to my THREE birds and grist teams! Likewise, congrats to my teams and fellow filmmakers, nominees, and award winners. 🎉 |
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New headshot added to my actor reel!
... which showcases my work from Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, Marvel's Luke Cage, and Happy!, along with clips from my short films grist and THREE birds.
You might recognize familiar faces including Jon Voight, Hisham Tawfiq, Harry Lennix, Christopher Meloni, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Enjoy!
(To whom it concerns ... Content warning: Sexual situation and language.)
You might recognize familiar faces including Jon Voight, Hisham Tawfiq, Harry Lennix, Christopher Meloni, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Enjoy!
(To whom it concerns ... Content warning: Sexual situation and language.)
#Welcome2023
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grist #streamingNOW alongside THREE birds
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My second short film, grist, joins my first short THREE birds on Reel Women's Network! There are two ways to rent one or both films: ➡️grist as an individual 3-day rental for $1.99 ➡️grist bundled with THREE birds together as a 3-day rental for $2.99 These Premium Content offers are available for a limited time. THREE birds is also available in RWN's Subscription Pool. Pay monthly subscription fee to access it and other content from RWN's filmmakers and content creators. Happy viewing! 🍿 |
Raves for Her Portmanteau & #yourstruly!
Pictured l to r: #yourstruly (Shannon Harris) as Iniabasi Ekpeyong; Mattilyn Rochester Kravitz as Abasiama Ufot; and Jennean Farmer as Adiaha Ufot. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Critics and audiences** raved about Her Portmanteau, which closed on Sunday 10/30! Check out some highlights below.
"powerful and important play....Superbly written by Mfoniso Udofia, exceptionally directed by Laiona Michelle, and with a stellar cast"
- BroadwayWorld
"Harris’s is a complete performance that covers and conveys the huge range of emotion, hauteur, and need Ini has to express."
- Princeton Info
"The play has layers of social commentary fed through Iniabasi’s poetic way of speaking and Harris’ excellent portrayal."
- New Jersey Stage
** Audience feedback video reposted from George Street Playhouse IG page.
"powerful and important play....Superbly written by Mfoniso Udofia, exceptionally directed by Laiona Michelle, and with a stellar cast"
- BroadwayWorld
"Harris’s is a complete performance that covers and conveys the huge range of emotion, hauteur, and need Ini has to express."
- Princeton Info
"The play has layers of social commentary fed through Iniabasi’s poetic way of speaking and Harris’ excellent portrayal."
- New Jersey Stage
** Audience feedback video reposted from George Street Playhouse IG page.
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Photo by T. Charles Erickson (visual reposted from George Street Playhouse social media)
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Previews for Her Portmanteau start on Tuesday 10/11!
"Her Portmanteau" cast and director (l to r: (yours truly) Shannon Harris (Iniabasi); director Laiona Michelle; Mattilyn Rochester Kravitz (Abasiama); and Jennean Farmer (Adiaha))
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Her Portmanteau is playing at George Street Playhouse from 10/11-30! Check out the Jersey Arts segment (to the left) for cast and director reflection and a BTS peek at our rehearsal. You don’t want to miss it! I promise. Click HERE for details & tickets. Use discount code CAST10 for 10% off of tickets. "Iniabasi lands at JFK International Airport on the coldest day of the year, having come from Nigeria to meet her mother and her sister for the first time in more than two decades. Carrying only one suitcase, a faded portmanteau, she and her family find themselves now reunited, but not reconciled in America. As mother and daughters confront one another for the first time in twenty years, navigating heartbreak spread across two continents, they soon discover how love, forgiveness, and hope can ease the baggage, both literal and figurative, we carry." ** ** Play summary from George Street Playhouse FB post |
#gristfilm #encorepresentation at
2022 Mott Haven Film Festival!
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Save the date for "grist" encore presentation at this year's Mott Haven Film Festival!
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✨ Eventful September! 🍂
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Click HERE to read my latest newsletter with updates about
my eventful September - including details regarding my upcoming gig as Iniabasi in Her Portmanteau at George Street Playhouse!
🍂
Subscribe if you haven't already!
my eventful September - including details regarding my upcoming gig as Iniabasi in Her Portmanteau at George Street Playhouse!
🍂
Subscribe if you haven't already!
grist & THREE birds interviews on
We are Moving Stories!
Read interviews with #yourstruly about grist and THREE birds on We are Moving Stories! Then watch the films (again?) online and on Roku.
grist is screening with Pan African Film Festival-Virtual until 5/22/22. THREE birds is streaming on Reel Women's Network. It's also available on GenreTV and URBN-TV on Roku.
grist is screening with Pan African Film Festival-Virtual until 5/22/22. THREE birds is streaming on Reel Women's Network. It's also available on GenreTV and URBN-TV on Roku.
Co-lead in CU Grad Film School Short!
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Dassa wrap on the fab 4-day shoot (5/14-17) for Roku Long’s Columbia University Grad Film School short! 🎬 I had a blast working with her bad ass women-led team - rounded out with producer Alexis Stodghill and DP Gianna Badiali - which included “making music” with my dope fellow lead Edith Lee. Roku: thanks for having me aboard. Congrats and kudos all! 🎉 |
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grist LA Premiere at 30th Anniversary PAFF!
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grist made its LA premiere at the 30th annual Pan African Film Festival in April!
It was an honor and a thrill to be included in the festival among esteemed peers and to be present for the first of two screenings of the film in Mini Shorts Block 2. Tremendous thanks to #PAFF30 for including us and for family and friends who attended the screening and/or kicked it afterward. 
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THREE birds & grist are NYWIFT Online Shorts Festival Category Winners!
Both #gristfilm and #threebirdsfilm are category winners in the 5th Annual New York Women in Film & Television Online Shorts Festival!
grist won Best Cast and THREE birds won Best Comedy!
Both films are also STILL eligible for the Audience Choice Award. Go to iWoman TV to set up a FREE account to watch both till the end of this month (March 2022).
The film with the most views will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize, so I need your help to win!
grist is listed under Dramedy & THREE birds under Comedy.
THREE birds & grist at NYWIFT Online Shorts Festival and Happy Closing Into the Breeches!
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My films THREE birds and grist have been selected as part of New York Women in Film & Television’s 5th Annual Online Shorts Festival! Go to iWoman TV to watch and help me win the Audience Choice Award. (grist is listed under Dramedy & THREE birds under Comedy.) The film with the most views will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize, so I need your help to win! This wonderful news came on the heels of the closing of my recent stage gig as Ida Green in Into the Breeches, which was a well-reviewed joy, honor, and thrill! |
Catch me as Ida Green in
"Into the Breeches!"
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I’m playing Ida Green in “Into the Breeches” at Florida Repertory Theatre! If you find yourself in Fort Myers FL - or wanna make a special trip 😉 - we open this Friday February 11th and run through Saturday March 5th. Click HERE for details and ticket info!
#hello2022
Happy NEW year! 🥳 Check out my end-of-year newsletter and subscribe if you haven't already.
What NEW (and/or continued) GOOD thing(s) are you claiming for 2022?
What NEW (and/or continued) GOOD thing(s) are you claiming for 2022?
grist #OpeningNightShort at 2021 CineOdyssey!
Photo c/o Creating Exposure (@creatingexposure on IG)
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'Twas an honor, a thrill, and a blast to travel to Charlotte, NC to witness grist open the 5th annual CineOdyssey Film Festival on Thursday November 18th!
The film screened prior to the beautiful opening night feature "Queen of Glory" in the first ever rooftop film screening at The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.
The film screened prior to the beautiful opening night feature "Queen of Glory" in the first ever rooftop film screening at The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture.
grist is "lead in short" at 2021 CineOdyssey!
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On Thursday, November 18th grist will be the "lead in short" at 2021 CineOdyssey Film Festival, which runs from November 18-20th.
The film will screen in person prior to the Opening Night feature Queen of Glory. Click HERE for tickets.
To date, grist is an official selection for nine film festivals including MVAAFF Virtual.
Along with THIS BronxNet TV segment about day 2 of MHFF 2021, enjoy THIS post on my IG page that includes real time video of our MHFF Award wins!
The film will screen in person prior to the Opening Night feature Queen of Glory. Click HERE for tickets.
To date, grist is an official selection for nine film festivals including MVAAFF Virtual.
Along with THIS BronxNet TV segment about day 2 of MHFF 2021, enjoy THIS post on my IG page that includes real time video of our MHFF Award wins!
grist wins two MHFF 2021 Awards! ... and mo' laurels
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grist won TWO of the four awards for which it was nominated at Mott Haven Film Festival 2021: Best Narrative and Best Actor (Stephen Cofield, Jr.)!
grist is also an official selection of Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival-Virtual and CineOdyssey Film Festival. Both grist and THREE birds screened at Newark Short Film Awards. Follow Tricoastal Productions on IG | FB | Twitter | LI for screening and other updates. Click HERE for my Hip Hop Film Festival "Stories from the Culture" profile where I share about what being a black woman storyteller and HHFF mean to me! |
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THREE birds review
from film scholar Dr. Marilyn Jimenez!
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“Even at this early stage in her career, Harris’ directing style demonstrates close attention to visual/aural design [that] links her to a long tradition of Black writing and filmmaking.” Click HERE to read THREE birds review from film scholar and fellow Barnard College alum Dr. Marilyn Jimenez! Both THREE birds and grist screened in person at Newark Short Film Awards on Saturday October 9th. (Be sure to check out the “About” section of Dr. Jimenez’s blog where she explains the vantage point, framework, and purpose of her reviews.) |
grist nominated for four
Mott Haven Film Festival 2021 Awards!
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grist is nominated for four awards for Mott Haven Film Festival 2021 - Best Narrative, Director, Original Screenplay, and Acting (Stephen Cofield, Jr.)!
We received the news shortly after learning that grist is an official selection for MHFF - along with New Faces New Voices Fall 2021 Edition. Both grist and my first film THREE birds are official selections for Afrikana Independent Film Festival 2021! Follow Tricoastal Productions on IG | FB | Twitter | LI for screening and other updates. Click HERE to watch August 29th HHFF 2021 Uptown, baby joint screening talkback. |
Screenshots c/o MHFF IG page
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grist Joint Screening at HHFF 2021!
... and more laurels
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Uptown, baby: Three short conversation pieces from Harlem and Washington Heights-based filmmakers! grist will make its world and NYC premiere in a joint Hip Hop Film Festival 2021 screening with web series pilot A Bittersweet Picture: Part 1 (dir. Kenny Allen) and short film Use Your Key (dir. Cory Davis)! Click HERE to purchase tix for the August 29th 3-4:30pm ET screening block, which includes Q &A! I'm also thrilled to announce that grist is an official selection for 2021 Imagine This Women's International Film Festival and Coney Island Film Festival! Stay tuned for details regarding screening dates and times. |
grist World & NYC Premiere!
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My second short, grist, which I wrote, produced, directed, and play the lead in a two hander with Stephen Cofield, Jr., will World and NYC Premiere at Hip Hop Film Festival 2021! Check out the film poster (to the right) and trailer below and stay tuned for updates! 
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grist Cast & Crew Screening
I'm so grateful to the 60+ cast, crew, family, friends, and colleagues who attended the Zoom Cast & Crew (& invited guests) Screening of my new microshort film grist on April 29th!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I opened the evening with my first film THREE birds.
Stay tuned for updates on both films.
Yes that's me on The Blacklist
My episode of The Blacklist aired on Friday 1/22/21!
Check it out. S8. E3. "16 Ounces" The Blacklist - NBC.com
Check it out. S8. E3. "16 Ounces" The Blacklist - NBC.com
Short #2 is #InDeCan #Dassawrap
Except for clapper shot by yours truly, photos taken by Co-Executive Producer and Assistant Director James S. Washington (bottom right)
I shot my second short film (title TBA) , which I wrote, produced, directed, and in which I play the lead role (again) on Saturday December 5, 2020.
Huge thanks and congrats to my small but mighty 7-member team! Stay tuned for updates.
Resourceful. Resilient. Relentless.
THREE birds is an official selection for #ReelSisters2020!
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Q & A'ing with fellow #ReelSisters2020 directors Brittany Clemons & Chelsea Odufu with moderator Esther Duran.
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THREE birds is an official selection for the Love + Activism-themed 2020 Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series.
I had a fab time choppin' it up with fellow #ReelSisters2020 directors Brittany Clemons and Chelsea Odufu with moderator Esther Duran the Trading Places Screening and Q & A block on November 1st.
"Good ink" from the alma mater!
Click HERE or the pic to read the full article.
THREE birds streaming on RWN!
My short film THREE birds is available on Reel Women's Network -
a new streaming platform dedicated to women content creators!
Click HERE to subscribe to access the film and other RWN content.
a new streaming platform dedicated to women content creators!
Click HERE to subscribe to access the film and other RWN content.
Check out my reels!
Check out my first (!!) acting and voiceover character reels below!
(Actor reel edited by Ryan Metcalf)
Voiceover character reel, edited by Christian T. Kelley-Madera, features characters from The Once and Future Nerd:
Ren (Pirate Queen); Prof. Sharon Contee (Academic & Nelson's mother);
Rev. Mildred (Provincial Clergywoman & Nia's mother); and villager (ensemble).
Ren (Pirate Queen); Prof. Sharon Contee (Academic & Nelson's mother);
Rev. Mildred (Provincial Clergywoman & Nia's mother); and villager (ensemble).
THREE birds on BARS
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Delightful and deep nearly THREE-hour convo with AJ Throwback and Ramsey Brown on their radio show BARS on Saturday 10/3. I went to junior high school with both of them and HS with AJ in DC.
Click HERE to watch and listen! (Self-correction: ~2:11 mark, I played Hermione and Paulina in The Winter's Tale (not AMSND).) 
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An Evening of Shorts w/ Filmmaker Q & A
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Another fun screening and Q & A tonight! Congrats to Glass Flower Films' Petol Weekes and The My Take Show's Pam Kuma - we did it! Huge thanks to friends & colleagues - and special thanks to Carole Lowe of Reel Women's Network - for joining us and for their great comments and questions.
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#threebirdsfilm #meetup #watchparty
#threebirdsfilm #watchparty 7/21/2020
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I had the loveliest time discussing my short #threebirdsfilm with this intimate, engaged audience! My friend Bethany hosted via her GTBN Meetup group, and all who attended made insightful observations and comments and asked great questions. #heartful #grateful #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #representationmatters |
Back to the (virtual) classroom with brilliant kiddos!
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Fab time facilitating a virtual storytelling “mini-residency” via Google Meet with 3-5th graders for the last three Thursday afternoons! As always I was inspired and impressed by how well students absorbed the lessons. Beyond that, I witnessed first-hand their resilience in adapting to virtual learning; and my already tremendous respect for teachers - and parents double-dutying - grew even more. Thanks TLP for the opportunity, administrators and teachers for your partnership, and students for your focus and commitment. Congrats again to today’s graduates and HBD you-know-who! 🎉 |
Yours truly waiting to join final Google Meet session on 6/25/2020 :)
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#stayhomeifyoucan #honeyouractingskills
Screenshot of April 29th Drama Workshop on Zoom
Fab time facilitating a drama workshop for
Park Avenue Christian Church! Thank you Rev. Jeanette Zaragoza for the invitation and to all who participated in this fun and productive session!
Sonnets for Shakespeare's Birthday - and Charity!
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On April 23, 2020 - Shakespeare's 456th birthday - it was an honor and a blast to read Sonnet 106 to support The Actors Fund in the first #LinkedInShakespeare Sonnet Marathon produced by Say Things Better! I cannot thank and congratulate Lila Smith and her team enough for pulling off this epic feat! Check out my recorded segment from the event's livestream, to the right. ====> =====> |
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THREE birds pays it forward!
A global pandemic wasn’t going to keep me from THREE birds screening and Q & A with high school student filmmakers in The Matthew S. Hisiger Film Foundation’s Evening Film Club.
Indeed, we rescheduled (from 4/1 to 4/15) and rerouted (from in-person in Westchester to Zoom) to make it happen! Even better: a handful of THREE birds cast and crew were able to join us.
Thank you Dale Hisiger and Betty Garcia for the invitation; your students for their attention and great questions; and my team for your contributions and support throughout this "flight."
Indeed, we rescheduled (from 4/1 to 4/15) and rerouted (from in-person in Westchester to Zoom) to make it happen! Even better: a handful of THREE birds cast and crew were able to join us.
Thank you Dale Hisiger and Betty Garcia for the invitation; your students for their attention and great questions; and my team for your contributions and support throughout this "flight."
For the latest updates, follow and like my production company Tricoastal Productions
Instagram and Facebook pages!
Instagram and Facebook pages!
Screenshot of Evening Film Club Zoom videoconference on 4/15/2020.
Check out THREE birds film trailer below!
THREE birds flies home!
On February 26th, THREE birds returned to my alma mater and shoot location Barnard College! The film was the opener for "Career Insights: The Entertainment Industry," a panel on which I and four other alum shared our industry experience with a full house of current students.
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Yours truly with fellow Barnard alum (l to r) moderator Laura Burns and fellow panelists Reni Calister, Lily Kaplan, and Lauren Yee in the Ella Weed Room at Milbank Hall on 2/26/20!
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 Filmmaker photo of yours truly at New Filmmakers NY Screening on 1/15/20!
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THREE birds screened at NewFilmmakers NY on January 15th! |
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THREE birds World Premiere at BAFF!
THREE birds made its World & NYC Premiere at
Big Apple Film Festival (Fall 2019 Edition) on Wednesday, November 20th.
Poster designed by Carpe Diem Graphics
Soar!
As of September 2019, my first narrative short film THREE birds, which I wrote, produced,
directed, and in which I lead the diverse cast, is complete and under consideration
at numerous national and international film festivals.
Image reposted from Tricoastal Productions Instagram page
Yes, that's me in the season 2 finale of the SyFy series Happy!
THAT'S A WRAP!
I wrapped principal photography on my first short film* on Saturday March 23rd.
*I wrote, produced, directed, and play the lead role in the film.
Tremendous thanks to the **VILLAGE** that contributed to this milestone!
To view more production stills, click HERE for Sneak Peek! album on my Facebook actor page.
Photos credit: yours truly (upper right corner) and Celeste Harris (Set Photographer)
TOAFN Spring 2019 Release Dates!
I contributed to this chapter as a writer and voice actor.
THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD
Book 2 – Myth Made Flesh
Chapter 5 – “An Impregnable Missive”
Click HERE to listen to Part 1
Click HERE to listen to Part 2
Click HERE to listen to Part 3
Click HERE to listen to Part 4
Visit TOAFN Website for details!
I contributed to this chapter as a writer and voice actor.
THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD
Book 2 – Myth Made Flesh
Chapter 5 – “An Impregnable Missive”
Click HERE to listen to Part 1
Click HERE to listen to Part 2
Click HERE to listen to Part 3
Click HERE to listen to Part 4
Visit TOAFN Website for details!
Photo credit: LaRue Stanley
Yes, that's me as Gwen McIver in Marvel's LUKE CAGE!
Click HERE for my photos from the Kingston, Jamaica location shoot!
Photo credit: Amy Lee Pearsall
COMPELLED SPEECH
Written by Mac Rogers
Directed by Illana Stein
Wide Eyed Productions
#FirstAmendmentProject
Cherry Lane Theatre
November 1st-3rd
Introducing Red Ren the Ruthless on TOAFN
The Once and Future Nerd Book 2 Chapter 4
~ my debut as pirate queen Red Ren the Ruthless and a writer on the series ~
Click links below for each part of the chapter. Enjoy!
Click HERE to listen to Part 1.
Click HERE to listen to Part 2.
Click HERE to listen to Part 3.
Click HERE to listen to Part 4 (conclusion of this chapter).
Fan art of Red Ren the Ruthless from Twitter
Photo by yours truly
MACBETH
May 4th thru 6th
Columbia University
++++++++
I played Lady Macbeth, a Witch,
and, yes, I dramaturged
MACBETH
directed by Jeffrey Page
at
Columbia University's Nash Building
"Fail not our feast."
Illustration by Scott McKowen
Reviews for Connie in
RED VELVET
at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey:
"The show is directed to the point of perfection by the theatre's Artistic Director, Bonnie J. Monte... This is a production that must be seen."
"The stellar cast of Red Velvet brings the story to life with some of the finest acting you will see on a New Jersey stage."
- BroadwayWorld.com
"The cast is superb... Even minor roles are standouts [including] Shannon Harris as the black servant Connie"
- CentralJersey.com
"Also deserving of praise is Shannon Harris as Connie, a Jamaican-born servant"
-NJArts.net
"Shannon Harris ... really sparkles"
- nj arts maven
"Others who impress include Shannon Harris as the black maid who stands by silently…until she speaks up"
- Scene on Stage
"a stand-out performance from newcomer, Shannon Harris"
-NorthJersey.com
"a canny Shannon Harris"
- app.com
Past performance reviews:
"Once a professional team was developed, they held auditions for a third actor and picked Ms. Harris, as it was unanimous that her talent stood out from the rest."
- The Southampton Press
- The Southampton Press
Photo credit: Arthur Provenz
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