Beverly Smith-Dawson

Beverly Smith-Dawsonis a published writer, director, and now Founder and Artistic Producer of Stormy Weather Productions. After experiencing an early “career crisis,” she left hospital administration to return to school. Although her initial interest was playwriting, she majored in directing to learn all aspects of theater, and subsequently earned an M.F.A. at Yale School of Drama. She has been a Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis, an Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage in D.C., and was the Assistant Director for the Broadway and Lithuanian productions of A Walk in the Woods. She must thank Steve Dawson, Dorothy Hazzard, Bert Hart, Celeste A-Re, Charlotte Gibson, Kenny Kindler Hunt & Howe, and Eva Robinson (my mom) and family. Beverly was born and reared in Phoenix, Arizona, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. 

Ed DuRanté

Ed DuRante graduated from NYU's Graduate Film Program where he was awarded the Graduate/Professional Opportunity Fellowship, NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program where he received the ASCAP Foundation Yip Harburg Scholarship and Yale University. His work has been produced by Talking Drum Theatre Co. Theatre for the New City and Playwrights Horizons where he was an original member of the Black Playwrights Unit. His play "Homeboys" is part of the literary anthology "Patchwork of Dreams." He directed the webseries "Wire" for Eyestudio.Net. and has written, produced and directed several short films including "America", which was a Wasserman Award Finalist and the recipient of awards for Editing, Acting and Production Design. He was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Filmmaking. Presently, he is in post-production with his first feature film, the Black black comedy "Jake Gets Paid." He was recently commissioned by London's Theatre Royal Stratford East to write the musical adaptation of "A Clockwork Orange" with composer Fred Carl.

Lynn Martin

Lynn Martin is a native of Washington, DC. After receiving her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University, she attended Columbia University and received her MFA. She was invited to study at Juilliard by John Guare as a part of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program (taught by Mr. Guare and Terrence McNally). Her plays have been produced at Arena Stage, Lincoln Center, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Playwrights Horizons and George Street Playhouse. She was the recipient of many fellowships and awards including the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Van Lier Fellowship, and an ABC/Disney Daytime Writing Fellowship. She is still trying to recover from years of writing for daytime television, where she won 4 Emmy Awards. Ms. Martin currently resides in New York with her husband and two beautiful daughters. (As of 2013)

Kia Corthron

KIA CORTHRON's A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick premiered at Playwrights Horizons in spring 2010. Other plays include Moot the Messenger; Light Raise the Roof; Snapshot Silhouette; Slide Glide the Slippery Slope; The Venus de Milo Is Armed; Breath, Boom; Force Continuum; Splash Hatch on the E Going Down; Seeking the Genesis; Digging Eleven; Life by Asphyxiation; Wake Up Lou Riser; Come Down Burning; Cage Rhythm. Awards include the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Creative Arts Residency, McKnight National Residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts, Barbara Barondess MacLean Foundation Award, AT&T On Stage Award, Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award, Mark Taper Forum's Fadiman Award, NEA/TCG, Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, New Professional Theatre Playwriting Award, Callaway Award, Connections Contest winner, and in television a Writers Guild Outstanding Drama Series Award and Edgar Allan Poe Award for The Wire.