Erica Faye Watson: Born and raised in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, with a BA and MA from Columbia College Chicago, Erica Watson is an actor, stand-up comedian at clubs around the country, and film/television/theater director.  She currently hosts a dating podcast called "Get in The Game" and stars in the short film “BlacKorea”. She has appeared in the Oscar nominated film “Precious,” as well as “ChiRaq,” “Top Five,” and “Side Effects" and “Dirty Laundry.”  Erica's had guest-star roles on Showtime's "The Chi" and Fox's "Empire". She has also been featured on TLC’s,The Dr. Phil Show, The Oxygen Network, The WE Channel, (BET), MSG-TV, The TV Guide Network and is a recurring correspondent for ABC7's “Windy City Live,” and WCIU's “The Jam.”

Tina Fakhrid-Deen is a playwright, author, LGBTQ family activist, and professor whose writing and research interests include critical race and feminist theory, hip-hop culture, and urban education. Tina is the author of Let’s Get This Straight: The Ultimate Handbook for Youth with LGBTQ Parents. Her play, Powerless Gods, was produced at Oakton Community College in spring 2018. Powerless Gods was a semi-finalist for the Bay Area Playwriting Festival (2019) and O’Neill Playwriting Conference (2016/2018). Tina’s second play, Dandelions, is being commissioned for Theater on the Lake: In the Works Program. Her third play, Pulled Punches, was developed through the Women’s Theatre Alliance of Chicago in 2019 and the world premiere of Pulled Punches is slated for April 2020 with MPAACT at the Greenhouse Theater. Tina is a VONA, Kimbilio and MacDowell Fellow.

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