Venida Evans

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BLUE BLOODS

Venida Evans- Blue Bloods from PH Entertainment Group on Vimeo.

 

GIRLS

Woman. from Ray’s oral history of the Brooklyn project
When she appeared: Season 6, Episode 8, “What Will We Do This Time About Adam?“Who she was: A longtime Brooklyn resident (Venida Evans) 2017

After Hermie’s (Colin Quinn) death, Ray decided to record his own oral history project about Brooklyn and what it was like before gentrification. So then they let the old Black woman in Brooklyn speak.

 

MARCH! 

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March! (2010) 

 

MASTER OF NONE 

Master of None is an American comedy-drama television series created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang that originally aired on Netflix from 2015 to 2021. The critically acclaimed series explores the romantic, professional, and personal experiences of its characters through a cinematic and nuanced lens.

The show’s structure and focus evolved over its three seasons.
Seasons 1 and 2: The series follows Dev Shah (played by Aziz Ansari), a 30-something actor in New York trying to navigate his life and career. He struggles with finding what he wants in life, covering topics like modern romance, the challenges faced by immigrants and their children, and cultural commentary. Season 2 notably includes a storyline set in Italy, where Dev explores his interests and relationships.
Season 3: Titled Moments in Love, this season is a stylistic departure from the first two. It shifts focus to Denise (played by Lena Waithe), a lesbian novelist, and her relationship with her wife Alicia (Naomi Ackie). The story explores themes of love, grief, and their experiences with IVF.

Cast and characters
Aziz Ansari as Dev Shah (seasons 1–2; recurring season 3), a commercial actor and the protagonist of the first two seasons.
Lena Waithe as Denise (all seasons), Dev’s lesbian friend. She becomes the focus of the third season.
Naomi Ackie as Alicia (season 3), Denise’s wife in Moments in Love.
Eric Wareheim as Arnold Baumheiser (seasons 1–2), Dev’s “token white friend”.
Noël Wells as Rachel Silva (season 1), Dev’s primary love interest in the first season.
Alessandra Mastronardi as Francesca (season 2), an Italian woman Dev falls for.
Shoukath and Fatima Ansari, Aziz Ansari’s real-life parents, appear as Dev’s parents.

Master of None has received widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards.
Primetime Emmy Awards: The series won three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the “Thanksgiving” episode, co-written by Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe.


Golden Globe Awards: Aziz Ansari won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
AFI Awards: The series was named a TV Program of the Year by the American Film Institute in both 2016 and 2018.
Peabody Award: It received a Peabody Award for its innovative and perceptive take on millennials and first-generation immigrants. 

 

“Master of None”: “Thanksgiving”

Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe added to TV’s memorable canon of Thanksgiving episodes with this funny, heartwarming installment that followed their characters, Dev and Denise, over holiday dinners with Denise’s mother (Angela Bassett), grandmother (Venida Evans), and aunt (Kym Whitley).

 

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iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia.

Here's a summary of his background and achievements:

Early Life and Family:
Born on November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.
His family has a strong musical background; his grandfather and father were founding members of the Shields Brothers Gospel Quartet of Ohio, and his mother was part of the Turner Gospel Singers.
He is a cousin of boxing promoter Don King.
Education:
Graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1970.
Holds both a BFA (1975) and MFA (1995) from Ohio University.

Career and Contributions
Theatre Professional:
Actor: Has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional productions. His television credits include The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and the ITV series Special Needs. He has also appeared in commercials and films.
Director and Stage Manager: Has extensive professional credits in these roles, including projects at Lincoln Center, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Negro Ensemble Company, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Assistant Director: Served as assistant to Lloyd Richards and assistant director for the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis's play A Last Dance With Sybil starring Ruby Dee and Earl Hyman.

Educator:
Professor: He is a Professor of Acting, Directing, Black Theatre, Black Studies, and Stage Management. He has taught at various institutions, including Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University (as artist-in-residence), and SUNY Potsdam.
Workshops and Programs: Conducted workshops for Joseph Papp's Playwriting in the Schools Program (PITS) at The Public Theatre for six seasons and represented the United States at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England, in 1988.
Artistic Activist and Historian:

Iforcolor.org: Creator and archivist for the Black History website Iforcolor.org, dedicated to preserving and sharing information about African Americans and artists of color. He also maintains the "Black Theatre/African American Voices" website on Facebook.
Project1VOICE Liaison: Serves as the Project1VOICE Liaison for the state of Ohio, directing "One Play One Day" events in Cleveland since 2011.

Awards and Recognition:
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors' Equity Association and Actors' Equity Foundation).
AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award: Received in 2017.
Tony Award Nominee: Nominated for the "Excellence in Theatre Education Award" in 2015 and 2017.
Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund: Received in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Outstanding Professor Awards: Has received two of these and three "Educational Program of the Year" awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
Dale Ricardo Shields is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black theatre history and culture.