TIFFANY YVONNE COX - (MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACTRESS)
Tiffany is a founding member of UPROOTED Theatre. She grew up as a military brat and is now based out of Chicago. Tiffany graduated from Catawba College with a BFA in Musical Theatre and Minors in Spanish and Dance. She has completed acting internships at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in California. Tiffany has been seen on stage at The Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Renaissance Theaterworks, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Children’s Theatre, MPAACT Theatre, Provision Theatre, the Griffin Theatre Company, and several other regional theatres. Some of her favorite roles include Ernestine in UPROOTED’s production of Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Sharron Allen in Letters Home, Addaperle in The Wiz, and Silvia in Two Gentleman of Verona the musical. Tiffany is a lead teacher for UPROOTED Theatre’s educational programming and director of UPROOTED’s Angel program.
MARTI GOBEL - (PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ACTRESS)
Marti is a founding member of UPROOTED Theatre. She recently appeared in the short film Spare Change as well as the web-series Getting’ Grown, both directed by award winning director Aaron Greer. Stage credits include: Milwaukee Shakespeare (Henry IV, 2), Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (Well, Around the World in 80 days, Broken and Entered), Renaissance Theaterworks (The Persians, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, El Nagular-Nov.2011, Neat-2012 ), FirstStage Children's Theatre (The Neverendingstory), The Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Trouble in Mind, Blithe Spirit, Yankee Tavern), Forward Theatre (In the Next Room) and UPROOTED Theatre (Beauty's Daughter, A Streetcar Named Desire, Yellowman, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Pink Champagne, Trouble In Mind) The Greenhouse Theatre Center in Chicago (Beauty’s Daughter), Evergreen Theatre in Memphis (Beauty’s Daughter) and an ongoing role as the Civil Rights suffragist, Ida B. Wells for the Kenosha Civil War Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Marti was the founding Artistic Director of Centre of Attention Production in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. She earned her BA in Performance Theatre (Philosophy, minor) from UW-Whitewater and completed an Acting Internship at Milwaukee Repertory Theater (2008-2009). Marti is a lead teacher at FirstStage Theatre Academy in Milwaukee as well as a lead teacher and program designer for UPROOTED Theatre’s educational programming. Marti actively engages in public speaking opportunities and advocacy campaigns to encourage diversity in the arts.
LAURA LYNN MACDONALD - (LITERARY MANAGER, EDUCATION/ OUTREACH COORDINATOR)
Laura Lynn is an award winning screenwriter, filmmaker and playwright. She wrote the screenplay for Mattress World (Blue Damen Pictures) which won Best Short Family Film at the 2010 Illinois International Film Festival and was featured at the 2011 Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival. Laura Lynn’s plays have been produced and developed at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, American Theater Company, Gorilla Repertory Theater in Central Park, Route 66 Theatre Company, American Blues Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Pink Banana Theatre Company and TITAN Teatregrüppe in Oslo, Norway. In January 2012, Laura Lynn’s adaptation of Ibsen’s PEER GYNT will be produced by Kentucky Repertory Theatre. She is currently writing the book for a jazz age musical about the Irish gangster who started The Cotton Club and an adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn titled: THROUGH THE EYES OF JIM. This production will be co-written with Marti Gobel for UPROOTED Theatre’s 2012 Educational programming. During the 2008-2009 season, Laura Lynn served as the Literary Assistant at Milwaukee Repertory Theater where she worked dramaturgically on the productions, taught playwriting classes and wrote the educational touring show, D’TENSION, featuring Tiffany Yvonne Cox. In addition to her work with UPROOTED, Laura Lynn teaches playwriting and dramaturgs new works for Ensemble Free Theatre Norway during their residency at The Greenhouse Theatre Center in Chicago. (www.lauralynnmacdonald.com)
DENNIS F. JOHNSON - (PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER , CASTING DIRECTOR)
Dennis is a founding member of UPROOTED Theatre. Beginning his life as an actor/dancer, he appeared in Skylight Opera Theatre’s production of HELLO DOLLY! Dennis soon discovered his true passion was for directing. For the past decade he’s actively pursued his directing career, Assistant Directing with notable regional directors: Anne Marie Cammarato, David Frank, and his mentor, Angela Iannone. Dennis has directed several skits for Bunny Gumbo Theatre and Assistant Directed at American Players Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and First Stage Milwaukee. Dennis has had the honor of directing his fellow co-founders in several UPROOTED productions, including: CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY in collaboration with Renaissance Theatreworks, the Milwaukee, Memphis and Chicago productions of BEAUTY’S DAUGHTER, the world premier of Neil Haven’s PINK CHAMPAGNE with Milwaukee Gay Arts Center at Tenth Street Theatre, and UPROOTED’s staged readings of YELLOWMAN at Cafe’ Carpe, and I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY A YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA at The Hamilton Fine Arts Center.
