zAmya theater project


Maren Ward, Creative Director & Actor Maren Ward directed and help create Act Before Midnight – the original zAmya theater production – as well as the 2005 roadshow. Maren is a founding member of Bedlam Theatre with which she has worked as a performer, director and administrator since 1996. Her most recent project with the company was conceiving and directing West Bank Story, an original musical about Minneapolis’ West Bank neighborhood, developed in collaboration with neighborhood residents past and present. Since 1998, she has been a “facilitator of collaboration” for the Barebones Productions Halloween Show, a spectacular community-created pageant of puppetry, live music, drama, dance and fire artistry. She has also worked with Bright Eye Productions, Frank Theater, Heart of the Beast, Open Eye Figure Theater and 10,000 Things. Maren has a B.A. in Theater Arts from Macalester College, and trained at the Moscow Theater Arts School. She is the recipient of a 2005 Arts Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. In Spring 2007, Maren will teach a collaborative theater class at the University of Minnesota.	Josef Evans, Playwright Josef Evans is a playwright and national director of Theater Corps, a nonprofit program dedicated to social and environmental change through the arts. His work has been produced nationally by a number of companies, including the St. Louis Black Repertory Theater, Playwright’s Theater of New Jersey, Illusion Theater, and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (Seattle). He is an associate artist of Bedlam Theatre and in June 2000 was named a finalist for a Master Artist fellowship at Harvard University’s Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue. In addition to a B.A. in Theater from the University of Notre Dame, Josef has studied extensively in community-based art making, including a residency with the Los Angeles Poverty Department, a company comprised primarily of homeless artists.


Larry Brown Hello, I’m Larry. I was born and raised in West Memphis, Arkansas. I’m 5’10’’ and 205 lbs. I like sports, theater, cooking and fishing. I have a good sense of humor and I have much love for other people. I am a former Board member of Catholic Charities.	Crystal Spring Crystal Spring is studying theater at the U of M and is interning with the theater department at Central High School. She loves riding bike, being creative and living in Minneapolis. Her favorite thing about working with zAmya is the connection and joy that come from listening to each other’s stories. Hearing and telling stories is a top priority for her. Crystal’s favorite past time is wearing clothes that make people laugh.

Donald (aka Big Daddy) Donald was born in St. Louis and attended community college for culinary arts. He likes slow cars and fast women. He plans to some day to open up an institute for disadvantaged youth.	Edmund Surratt Edmund was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and has been in Minneapolis since July 2005. He is a participant in the Salvation Army Soldier classes and hopes to become an officer some day. A former drug addict/alcoholic, Edmund has a passion for working with other addicts and homeless programs around the Twin Cities.

Ed Mandell Ed is a Twin Cites native and attended Stillwater Senior High. He is a veteran Twin Cities radio announcer, and a local and national broadcasting stringer/producer. Ed is also a musician and singer, and does freelance voice work.	Kristi Ternes Kristi Ternes is a local actor, designer, and filmmaker. She is a member of the Bedlam Theatre company and has worked on numerous productions with them since 2001. She has created and designed several works for the stage, including the puppet show, Autotomy, which was named “best play without a human being” in the City Pages Best of the Twin Cities 2004.

Marcya I am a student studying to be a Physician’s assistant and being an actor would be my second choice. I enjoy singing, dancing, roller skating and traveling.	Corey A. Walton Corey is an actor/writer from Central Illinois. He has acted in numerous productions in the Illinois and the Twin Cities areas including The Actor’s Nightmare, The Zora Neale Hurston Story and Fences. He wrote, produced, directed and starred in his one-man play Si Mismo at the Checkered Raven Gallery in Peoria, IL. Corey recently completed work on two independent film projects in Wisconsin and Minneapolis.

Sona Sona was born in Cambodia. He and his family moved a lot. He has lived the past four and a half years in Minneapolis with his aunt. Sona is an active person who finds school exciting, enjoys meeting new people, and loves to run around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. He is very involved at school and in his community. He likes to travel around the world and wants to learn as many languages as possible. After high school, Sona plans to attend UW Stout majoring in Hospitality Travel and Tourism and minoring in Fashion Design.	Melissa Wilson Melissa does volunteer work at Two Rivers Art Gallery and volunteers doing childcare and housework for family members. She is a dancer, a singer and is learning to play guitar. She loves to travel and is going to Europe in a couple years. She was previously a Board member for the Upper Midwest American Indian Center.