Baltimore 8th Grader in Virtual Production with Chicago Troupe

Naomi Reid, an 8th grader at Reid Academy (home school) in Baltimore, is lost in a video game that goes terribly wrong! She is part of the cast of Tellin’ Tales Theatre presents Six Stories Up in Defiance – a Video Game Musical. She is the only member of the cast who does not live in the Chicago area where Tellin’ Tales Theatre is based. The show was pre-recorded and runs Virtually from November 12 – November 21 on Vimeo. Running time is approximately 60 minutes. Tickets are available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/six-stories-up-in-defiance-tickets-80307

What makes the Six Stories Up productions unique is that six middle school students and six adult mentors write and star in a play following a different theme each year. The students tap into their own lives and experiences for inspiration. The cast includes members with and without disabilities. Since its inception in 1996 marking 2021 as its 25th anniversary, Tellin’ Tales Theatre has worked to shatter the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the power of personal storytelling.

Naomi Reid and her adult mentor Kim D. Smith of Chicago worked together virtually on their vignette which was later combined with five others and fashioned into a full production by Tekki Lomnicki, artistic director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre, and program director/ensemble member Stephen Donart. Original music, innovative sets and costumes were added.

Reid has been a member of The Growing Griots Literacy Learning Program, a youth storytelling group, since 2018. She is currently participating in an apprenticeship through the Maryland Arts Council with Griot Janice Curtis Greene. She happily joined the cast of Six Stories Up in Defiance to gain more experience with storytelling and writing, community building and artistic expression.

The cast for Six Stories Up in Defiance – a Video Game Musical includes middle school apprentices Henry Kephart (Oak Park, IL), Ashley Kruzel (Long Grove, IL), Jordyn Norberg (Highland Park, IL), Paloma Sagel-Vidal (Chicago), Tiernan Tijalli (Glencoe, IL), Naomi Reid (Baltimore, MD) and adult mentors Tekki Lomnicki (Chicago), Stephen Donart (Chicago), Nadia Stodder (Glenview, IL), Mary Hobein (Woodridge, IL), Kim D. Smith (Chicago) and Robert Teverbaugh (Chicago).

About Tellin’ Tales Theatre:

Founded in 1996, Tellin’ Tales Theatre was conceived by Tekki Lomnicki, Michael Blackwell, and Nancy Neven Shelton to promote and support a society where people of all abilities are accepted and equal, regardless of perceived ability. The mission of Tellin’ Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of sharing personal narratives. For more information, please visit www.tellintales.org.