Debuting Artist: Rashad Holland

I’ve been acting all my life, starting in the church as a child (thanks to my loving mother) and throughout high school and college and starting in my first professional production of “Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts in 2018 produced by The Firehouse Theater Company at The John Hand Theater. I most recently appeared in The Aurora Fox Arts Center 2022-2023 season’s showings of “Toni Stone” by Lynda R. Diamond and “The Jedi Handbook” by Stephen Massicott. In addition to my theatrical endeavors I also work to help train medical staff and first responders as a crisis actor with the help of LODO Media & Entertainment.

Outside of theatre I like to explore photography and making music, and my dog Remi also gets a lot of my time and attention.

After my last show “Toni Stone” I was invited by Sydney to audition for “SWEAT” and “The Book of Will”. That was my first introduction to OpenStage and I’m so thankful for the opportunity.

Meeting my cast mates and working on the fight have been the most fun and exciting aspects of rehearsal thus far.

Chris has been through a lot in his life. And we witness a major shift in his identity throughout the play so it’s important for me to show that in a real and grounded way. Who he is before and after prison are two vastly different individuals and that has to be accurately represented.

It’s hard to pick a favorite but I did instantly fall in love with the set design when I first saw it.

“SWEAT” is an important show because it’s uncomfortably raw and this show does a phenomenal job of illustrating the underlying and overarching nuances of living in the American midwest in the early 2000’s. “SWEAT” highlights that in numerous ways, from race relations to union solidarity and the acceptance/rejection of peers and people who surround us daily and what’s most potent in this show is how in mere seconds your life and the lives of the people around you can be instantly changed forever. 

That is such a difficult question to answer, I enjoy every role that I get to being to life. However last year  I got to play a kid named James in the show “The Jedi Handbook”. James loved Star Wars and would often imagine himself as Darth Vader and his friend as Luke Skywalker. The show itself was incredibly fun and I had a blast using my lightsaber. That was definitely one of my favorite roles.

“Fences” by August Wilson

For my next project I’ll be helping to put on “Gem of the Ocean” by August Wilson at the Aurora Fox Arts Center sometime this year. And my swarm show would probably be “Fences” by August Wilson or “Six Degrees of Separation” by John Guare.