THE CAST
In alphabetical order

YVETTE CASON (Mama Euralie) Pasadena Playhouse: Ray Charles Live, Play On! (Ovation Award) Sisterella (NAACP Theatre Award). Broadway: Play On!, Dreamgirls. Regional Theatre: Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Into the Woods, Ain't Misbehavin, And the World Goes Round, St. Louis Woman, Thunder Knocking on the Door, Stevie Wants to Play the Blues. Williamstown Theatre Festival, San Jose Repertory Theatre, New York City Center, Sacramento Music Circus, CLO South Bay, La Mirada Theatre. Television: Hannah Montana, Notes from the Underbelly, ER, Alias, Boston Public, Judging Amy, The Parkers, The District, King of Queens. Film: Dreamgirls (with Beyonce and Jamie Foxx). Education: Berklee College of Music, Boston Massachusetts.Yvette wishes to thank her family and friends for their continuous love and support.

BRIAN CHANDLER (Armand/Daniel’s Father) Brian is thrilled to be part of Once On This Island. Broadway credits include: The Lion King, Timon Of Athens. National Tours: Dreamgirls, Big River, Streamers, Bubblin? Brown Sugar. Off-Broadway/Regional: Annie 2, Five Guys named Mo, Black Eagles, A Soldier’s Play, and King Lear. Television Credits include: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Phil Of The Future, The Guiding Light, Another World and As The World Turns. Brian would like to thank God, his family, and friends for their support.

BRYAN TERRELL CLARK (Papa Ge) is happy to make his debut with Reprise. He was recently seen in the Alliances' production of Sophisticated Ladies, and Billy Porter's project Being Alive. He also played Corey in Fences at the Pasadena Playhouse, opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Additional theater credits include: His Girl Friday and In the Red and Brown Water at the Guthrie Theater; Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, The King Stag, and numerous other shows at the Yale Rep. Bryan has shared the stage and studio with many musicians including Kenny Latimore and Chante Moore, Jill Scott, Maxwell, Al Green, Neyo, Gladys Knight, Chakah Khan, Patti LaBelle, Destiny's Child, and Stevie Wonder. Television: CBS' The Unit. Bryan is a Graduate of the Yale School of Drama. He dedicates this performance to God, and his great grandmother Vicki Clark, Rest in Peace.

VANITA HARBOUR (Andrea) Vanita is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful production of Once On This Island at Reprise. Vanita made her Broadway debut as Ti Moune in Islandand also performed in the National tour. She holds a degree in theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. Some of her stage credits include: Dreamgirls, Blues In The Night, Nomathemba, and Billy Porter’s Being Alive. Vanita had long-running roles on One Life To Live and General Hospital. Special thanks to Billy, Allan, and Ezra.

LEDISI (Asaka) Singer/songwriter Ledisi (pronounced led-duh-see and means "to bring forth") is a galvanizing, all-natural wonder. Ledisi hails originally from New Orleans, grew up in Oakland, and wherever she goes, she wows and astounds. Her first solo album, Soulsinger, received critical acclaim. In 2002, she released her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue. Lost & Found is her third release, but the first with Verve Music Group, a major historical label. Ledisi played a pivotal role with inspired characters and musical transitions during the composing of music for Oprah Winfrey's Tony-winning stage adaptation of The Color Purple. She also understudied Tony Kushner/George C. Wolfe's Off-Broadway production Caroline, or Change. This year Ledisi, received two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album, a BET Award nomination, and made her film debut in George Clooney’s Leatherheads. She will release a Christmas album this September and is thrilled to be a part of Once on This Island for Reprise Theatre Company. Please check out her websites: www.ledisi.com, www.myspace.com/ledisi, and www.youtube.com/ledheadtv

DARINA LITTLETON (Little Ti Moune) has always been involved in the arts. She was first introduced to dance at the tender age of two. She began studying tap, jazz, and hip hop with the renowned Paul and Arlene Kennedy at Universal Dance Designs, better known as the Kennedy Tap Company. Darina has also been studying all styles of dance, performing around the community with her mother’s group the Fantasia Dance Ensemble. Along with dance, she has taken acting classes and done various productions and musicals including The Music Man starring Eric McCormack and Kristin Chenoweth and she has also been a part of both church and school choirs. Throughout Darina’s dance career, she has had the opportunity to perform in numerous competitions, award shows, marathons, and made various television appearances. This instruction allowed Darina to win competitions and scholarships, including a few for college. Darina has also had the opportunity to take master classes from some of the best, including: Savion Glover, Fayard Nicholas, Debbie Allen, Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, Dianne Walker, and many more. Darina also taught jazz and hip hop at elementary schools in the community. She currently studies at UC Irvine as a dance major and plans to pursue dancing, singing, and acting as a career.

KRISTOLYN LLOYD (Ti Moune) Kristolyn was born and raised in a small suburb called Spring, TX, right outside of Houston. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007, where she studied acting and musical theatre and received a Bachelors Degree in Drama. A few of her young list of credits there include: Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Leocadia in Hello Again, and Hymien in As You Like It directed by Di Trevis. She has resided in L.A. since August 2007 and is proud to announce that this is her Los Angeles stage debut! Kristolyn is a regular performer at the Upright Cabaret here in Los Angeles and recently finished work-shopping a new musical at the Kirk Douglas Theatre with Matt Sax and Eric Rosen. Before that, she was working with Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis (the creators of the Tony Award-winning musical Urinetown) on their new musical Yeast Nation. Kristolyn would like to give thanks to God for this opportunity and also to her amazing parents for financing her dream, and, of course, for their love and support. She would also like to thank Jeremy, Erin, Jacoby, Markus, Lisa, Deuce, Stone Manners, Billy Porter, and Amy Lieberman.

JESSE NAGER (Daniel) Jesse is very excited to be making his West Coast debut with Reprise. Broadway: Mary Poppins, Good Vibrations, Mamma Mia. Off-Broadway: Fame and 42nd St. Regional credits include: Stephen Sondheim's Being Alive (PTC), Waiting for the Moon, A Little Princess, and shows at North Shore Music Theater, St. Louis' MUNY, Kansas City Starlight Theater, Atlanta's Fox Theater, and many more. He has sung at Madison Square Garden with both Mariah Carey and Shania Twain. Jesse is a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices. Jesse is also the founder and artistic director of the Broadway Boys, a group of tenors from various Broadway shows who add elements of Pop/Gospel/Funk to traditional Broadway repertoire: www.bwayboys.com. The Broadway Boys just ended a tour that played Orlando, New York City, Philadelphia, Westport, CT, and ended on Rosie O'Donnell's R Family Cruise, all directed by Billy Porter. Jesse graduated with his B.F.A. in musical theater from the University of Michigan. Thank you, Billy, for continuing to believe in me and to Rob and Keith for sharing the world with me.

LESLIE ODOM, JR. (Agwe/Dance Captain) Spent 3 seasons as fingerprint specialist Joseph Kayle on the CBS hit drama CSI: Miami and was one of the stars of the Fox pilot Supreme Courtships. Other television credits include: guest and recurring roles on Vanished, Big Day, Threshold, Gilmore Girls, Close to Home, The Big House, and The Bill Engvall Show. Selected theater credits include Rent (Broadway), Jersey Boys (La Jolla Playhouse), and the world premiere Stephen Sondheim revue Being Alive (Westport Country and Phila. Theater Co.), directed by the incomparable Billy Porter. The show featured an all African American cast with new vocal arrangements by Porter, Michael McElroy, and James Sampliner. Leslie graduated from Carnegie Mellon's esteemed School of Drama with Honors and is a Princess Grace Award winner for Acting. He is repped by Bauman, Redanty, and Shaul and Joan Sittenfield Management.

LANCE ROBERTS (Ton Ton Julian) was last seen at Reprise as Cole in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This native of Harlem just celebrated 25 years on the Los Angeles stage. Highlights include original casts of Cats, I Love You, You’re Perfect…Now Change, Forbidden Hollywood, Get Happy, and The All Night Strut. The last six years, he has scared over 8 million people as Jafar in Disney's Aladdin. In NY, he was Whizzer in March of the Falsettos, Lloyd in the revival of The Me Nobody Knows, one of five leads in Radio City’s America, Forbidden Hollywood, and The First. Nationally, he has starred in Ragtime, Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Honk, I’m Not Rappoport, Driving Miss Daisy, Five Guys Named Moe, Antony and Cleopatra, Brigadoon, and Sweet and Hot. Regionally, he has worked at The Mark Taper Forum, LATC, La Jolla Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Sacramento Music Circus, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizon, Berkshire Theatre Festival, McCarter, Asolo, Karamu, GeVa, Musical Theatre West, Fullerton CLO, San Gabriel CLO, La Mirada, Hollywood Bowl, San Diego Rep and many others. Recent TV credits include Numb3rs, Zoey 101, Girlfriends, Related, Strong Medicine, Will & Grace and some classics now on DVD. Look for him in the upcoming feature, Leaving Barstow, directed by Peter Paige.

NITA WHITAKER (Erzulie) Classically trained, though she began singing in her Louisiana church, Nita Whitaker has a unique style that blends pop, gospel, soul, and classical training into what she calls "soulful pop" on her new CD titled LifeStories. Theater credits include: Ragtime (Sarah u/s), Me and Mrs. Jones (Lead Mrs. Jones, Philadelphia), Sweeney Todd (Joanna u/s, Reprise), A New Brain (Homeless Woman, Reprise), and Ten Commandments (Lead Zipporah, opposite Val Kilmer). A former Miss Louisiana and Female Grand Champion on Star Search, Nita has taken her southern charm and vibrant and dynamic stage presence into every setting; winning her audiences whether on stage, screen, or television. She was guest artist at The Freedom Awards in Memphis honoring Oprah Winfrey and sang duets with Andrea Bocelli during his 2006 winter tour and with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti in 2007. In 2008, Nita performed with the Belle Canto Symphony singing Porgy and Bess. Often she performs with Multi-Grammy winner David Foster and has released two other independent CD's entitled Nita Whitaker and One Voice. For more information on Nita, go to www.nitawhitaker.com