Jeffery D. Cook

Jeffery D. Cook began his theatre career as an improviser while he was still in the United States Air Force, and this led him to pursue theatre education once he left the military. A graduate of the University of West Florida Jeff has been teaching theatre for 18 years. As a high school theatre teacher he has authored several award winning short plays for local and state competitions. He especially enjoys writing fictional plays based on actual events or people. A committed learner, Mr. Cook has studied at the Globe Theatre and just last summer he was awarded a scholarship which allowed him to study at the Scottish Universities International Summer School at the University of Edinburgh. He is currently persuing is MFA in playwriting from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Jeff has been married to his wife, Janet, for 32 years and they have two children and three grandchildren. His passions include travel, books, his corgis and spoiling his grandchildren, along with theatre, of course.

Willie E. Jones, III

Willie E. Jones III is a senior at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Training Program. He’s received additional training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (L.A. campus). As an actor he has performed on stages such as the Tampa Theatre and Morsani Hall. Notably, he has had the pleasure of performing on The Globe stage in London in the title role of Julius Caesar. As a playwright, he has received playwriting training from Marshall Botvinick at Appalachian State University. Willie has had multiple plays produced and read across the country in places ranging from high school to prison. A play he wrote received a staged reading produced by the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco. He is a co-founder of the Quarantine Bakeoff Playwriting Competition, a co-founder of the MN Black Theatre Circle, Executive Producer of the "Blackness Is..." Theatre Arts Festival, and is the Artistic Director of Stage Door Theatre.