Shows & Events

Dominique Morisseau (Playwright) is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre) and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages). She is also the TONY nominated book writer on the new Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations (Imperial Theatre). Dominique is alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab, Williamstown Theatre Festival and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. She most recently served as Co-Producer on the Showtime series “Shameless” (3 seasons). Additional awards include: Spirit of Detroit Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-Cooper Prize, TEER Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Audelco Awards, NBFT August Wilson Playwriting Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, OBIE Award (2), Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, Variety’s Women of Impact for 2017-18, and a recent MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow.

Dawn Monique Williams† (Director & Associate Artistic Director) joined the Aurora team in August 2019. A native of Oakland, CA, Dawn was previously the Artistic Associate at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she directed Merry Wives of Windsor in 2017. Her recent directing credits include Aurora’s Bull in a China Shop, Earthrise at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, TiJean and His Brothers, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Secretaries (Willamette Week’s Top 10 Portland Theatre Productions of 2018), Romeo & Juliet, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Lynn Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Stark. She’s directed a range of plays including the English language premiere of Gracia Morales’ NN12, Othello, Twelfth Night, In the Blood, Steel Magnolias, Children of Eden, The 25th Annual Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, Burial at Thebes, Medea, Antigone Project, and La Ronde; international directing credits include Edinburgh Festival Fringe productions of Scapin the Cheat, Anna Bella Eema, and The Tempest. Dawn was a 2016 Princess Grace Theatre Fellowship recipient, was awarded a TCG Leadership U residency grant, funded by the Mellon Foundation, and was a former Killian Directing Fellow at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She is an alum of the Drama League Directors Project and holds an MA in Dramatic Literature and an MFA in Directing. Dawn is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. 

Michael J. Asberry* (Corn) is back in the familiar Aurora confines, where he previously appeared in The Incrementalist, The Bluest Eye, Exit Strategy and Satellites. Michael arrives on the heels of his most recent performance in August Wilson's Two Trains Running with Marin Theatre Company. Regional and National Theatre credits include Cal Shakes; Orlando Shakes (Orlando, FL);  Sacramento Theatre Company; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; San Francisco Mime Troupe; American Conservatory Theatre;  Center REPertory Company; Capital Stage; Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR); Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; TheatreWorks; and the 6th Street Playhouse. Film appearances include A Christmas Mystery; San Andreas; FreeByrd; and Mr. Incredible and Pals. Television credits: Chance; Trauma, and Nash Bridges. Michael has voiceover spots with Pixar Animation, Pine Sol and Clorox, and appears as characters in the video games Watchdogs 2 and Battlefield Vietnam. He's currently featured in a television commercial for Toyota. Social media handles are: michaeljasberry (Instagram) and Michael J. Asberry (Facebook). (he/him)

Rolanda D. Bell (Silver) Born and raised in Oakland, California and former student of Michael Torres, Laney College, Rolanda’s resume continues to grow. From the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to present she has worked with numerous theater company’s throughout the Bay Area and is very excited to make her Aurora debut. Her theater Credits include: African American Shakes (Cinderella), Shotgun Players (Beardo & Passing Strange) Bay Area Children’s Theater (Judy Moody and Stink & Last Stop on Market Street), SFBATCO (I Too Sing, America), multiple works with Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Magic Theatre, Cal Shakes, B8 Theater, Killing My Lobster Company, guest actress with Sonoma State University (Bulrusher), and founding company member of Oakland Theater Project previously known as Ubuntu Theater Project. Rolanda is now a member of SAG-AFTRA and represented by JE Talent. You can also see her work in Netflix Original film All Day And A Night, Blindspotting Original Film on STARZ as well as deleted scenes of Pixar’s animation film LIGHTYEAR (Izzy).

Kenny Scott (P-Sam) is an actor based in Oakland, California. He attended Morgan State University, and was a member of the Laney College Fusion Theatre Project (Más, The Late Wedding, and In The Wound). Recent credits include productions with Quantum Dragon Theatre (Ageless), The New Conservatory Theatre Center (Mystery of Love and Sex), The Forum (Sarafael), Idiot String (Port Stories), Crowded Fire (SUBVERiTas, Inked Baby), ZSpace (The Institute for Counterfeit Memory), Cal Shakes (Lear) and Marin Theatre Company (Two Trains Running). A company member with the Oakland Theatre Project (Hamlet, Mother Courage) as well as Shotgun Players (The Claim, The Light). He is excited to be making his Aurora Theatre Debut! (he/him)

Anna Marie Sharpe* (Pumpkin) is very happy to make her return to Aurora Theatre in Paradise Blue. Sharpe is an actor and teaching artist in the Bay Area. She was recently in the production of A Christmas Carol (American Conservatory Theatre) as Annabelle. Other credits include The Incrementalist (Aurora Theatre Company), the filmed production of [hieroglyph] (San Francisco Playhouse), and understudying School Girls (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Sharpe made her film debut in the award winning short film, “The Best Time.” She received her B.A. from UC Berkeley where she double majored in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. She is grateful for Quinn, Lucian, and Mia for their love and support. IG: @_amarie3 (she/her)

Titus VanHook* (Blue) is thrilled to be making his Aurora Theatre Company debut. His works include television, voice over, commercial and stage acting. Born and raised in Oakland, he matriculated to Pomona College (Southern California) where he began his acting career. Since then, he relocated to the state of New York where has been in numerous regional productions. His most recent credits include Twelfth Night with the Classical Theatre of Harlem, Topdog/Underdog at Columbia University, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Chautauqua Institute, and The Winter’s Tale at African American Shakespeare Company. Titus holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University. He would like to send his deepest gratitude to his loved ones for their love and support. (he/him)