BWW Stage Mag PASS OVER - Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Stage Mag
 

PASS OVER

 
by
Antoinette Nwandu
 
 

directed by

Tim Rhoze

 

featuring

Tyrone Norwood, Jr. 

Tyshaun Meekie

Tiemen Godwaldt

 

 

Content Advisory

"Pass Over" contains strong language, sound effect gunshots, flashing lights, and the use of theatrical haze. May not be suitable for people under 17. 

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DIRECTOR'S NOTE:

Author, playwright, and activist James Baldwin remarked that, “The role of art is a form of confession and a means of exploring and revealing uncomfortable truths about oneself and society. Art should disturb the peace, challenge assumptions, and force the audience to confront difficult realities.” I add that art has the power to unite the severed, bring light to the darkness, and create dialogue after the silence. HANDS UP! I CAN’T BREATHE! DON’T SHOOT! All recognizable “slogans”, more so, recognizable pleads that resonate and haunt us as much today as they did in 1870, 1938, '43, '59, '65, '76...and now 2025. Playwright Anoinette Nuwandu nurtures the conversations that take place after witnessing Pass Over. This play is not hyperbole; the words and the rhythms Nuwandu has skillfully crafted are essential to telling us the story of Moses and Kitch. There is an absolute mindfulness on her part to use each word, each phrase, every moment of silence to uplift the narrative and give power to that story. It takes Theatre of the Absurd and reimagines it, making this genre of theatre accessible to today’s audience, both young and older. Now, I’ll let the work speak for itself.

 

Artistic Director

Tim Rhoze

Cast

Tyrone Norwood, Jr.
Kitch
Tyshaun Meekie
Moses
Tiemen Godwaldt
Mister/Ossifer

Creative Team

Tim Rhoze

Producing Artistic Director, Director, Set Designer

Antoinette Nwandu

Playwright

Rebecca Lynn Dose

Stage Manager

Eldridge Shannon III

Assistant Stage Manager

Shane Rogers

Technical Director/Set Builder

Rick Sims

Sound Designer

Kate Parker-Barrows

Costume Designer/Props

Brenden Marble

Lighting Designer

Sarah Kaiser-Amaral

Muralist

Scott Westerman

Fight Choreographer

Bria Walker-Rhoze

Artistic Associate

John Olson

Press Representative

Meet the Company

Tyrone Norwood, Jr.

Kitch
Tyrone Norwood, Jr. - Kitch Ty Norwood, Jr. is a dynamic actor and DePaul University MFA graduate from The Theatre School, where he honed his craft through intensive classical and contemporary training. He starred in the award-winning short film Sheet Music, earning recognition for his emotional depth and screen presence. Ty is passionate about storytelling that bridges cultures and highlights shared human experiences. Off-screen, he finds inspiration through travel, exploring different cultures, and spending quality time with his fiancée. Committed to growth and authenticity, Ty brings heart, discipline, and a spirit of connection to every role he embraces. This is his first professional theater performance!

Tyshaun Meekie

Moses
Tyshaun Meekie - Moses Tyshaun Meekie (Moses) is honored to return to the stage in Pass Over. Recent credits include Ah, Wilderness (Nat Miller), Killing of a Gentleman Defender (Denny), Christian McBride: The Movement Revisited (Martin Luther King Jr.), and The Royale (Jay). Tyshaun earned his BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is proudly represented by DDO Artists Agency. He sends deep gratitude to Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre for giving him his first professional opportunity and for nurturing Black stories.

Tiemen Godwaldt

Mister/Ossifer
Tiemen Godwaldt - Mister/Ossifer Tiemen is delighted to return to the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theater for its production of Pass Over. The son of two theater professors, he found acting at a young age and has grown a steadfast and deep love for the art. He would hone his skill at Northwestern College where he graduated with a BA in Theatre. Tiemen was last seen at The Fleetwood-Jourdain in its production of This Bitter Earth, where he portrayed Neil. Some of his favorite roles have been Prior Walter in Angels in America, Doug in Gruesome Playground Injuries, and David O’Selznick in Moonlight and Magnolias. When not auditioning or rehearsing, Tiemen can be found writing at home with his partner, Monica, and their family of cats.

Tim Rhoze

Producing Artistic Director, Director, Set Designer
Tim Rhoze has been the Producing Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre since 2010. His directing credits include: THE BALDWIN|GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE, THE LIGHT, AMERICAN SON, HOME, TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES 1992, THE MEETING, FIRES IN THE MIRROR, BLACK BALLERINA (co-writer), NUTCRACKER(ISH), CROWNS, HAVING OUR SAY, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, WOZA ALBERT!, GOING TO ST. IVES, SINGLE BLACK FEMALE, A SONG FOR CORETTA, YELLOWMAN, SWEET, LADY DAY AT EMERSON BAR & GRILL, BEAR COUNTRY, NOBODY, FENCES, THE PIANO LESSON, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, K2, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, et. al.; PASSING STRANGE at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater. Tim was the co-creator and the director of FJT’s recent THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE and was also the writer/director of WHY NOT ME? A SAMMY DAVIS JR. STORY, and MAYA’S LAST POEM, both produced at FJT; and BLACK BALLERINA, produced at FJT and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was co-writer and director of A HOME ON THE LAKE, co-produced with the Piven Theatre Workshop.

Antoinette Nwandu

Playwright
Antoinette Nwandu is a playwright who also writes for film & tv. Her play Pass Over (LCT3; Steppenwolf) was a NYT Critic’s Pick and won a Lucille Lortel Award and a Jeff Award for Best Play. A filmed version of Pass Over—directed by Spike Lee—premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and at SXSW, and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Her play Breach: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate premiered at Victory Gardens. And her play Tuvalu, or The Saddest Song was due to premiere at The Vineyard Theater during the Spring 2020 season. Antoinette is under commission from The Denver Center, Ars Nova & Audible. Antoinette’s writing has won the Whiting Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, the Cullman Prize, the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, the Sky Cooper Prize, and spots on the 2016 and 2017 Kilroys lists. She is a MacDowell Fellow, a Dramatists Guild Fellow, and an Ars Nova Play Group alum, and her work has been developed & supported by The Sundance Theatre Lab, Space on Ryder Farm, Ignition Fest, The Cherry Lane Mentor Project, Page73, PlayPenn, Southern Rep, The Flea, Naked Angels, Fire This Time, and The Movement Theater Company. In film & tv, Antoinette wrote for Season 2 of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (Netflix), and is adapting the short story “Wash Clean the Bones” for Amazon Studios from the collection Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires.

Rebecca Lynn Dose

Stage Manager
Rebecca Lynn Dose is thrilled to be working on her first show with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre! Rebecca is a freelance stage manager, working with several companies throughout the city including Lifeline Theatre and the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University. Her resident work includes stage managing with Blue Man Group Chicago, Chicago Humanities, and Magik Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. Rebecca is based in Chicago and is always looking for opportunities to work with new collaborators; interested parties can inquire at www.rebeccalynndose.com

Eldridge Shannon III

Assistant Stage Manager

Shane Rogers

Technical Director/Set Builder
This is Shane’s third season with Fleetwood-Jourdain. He has worked in professional theatre as an actor and/or stage technician for over 25 years at places including: the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon; the Classical Theatre Company in Houston, TX; Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, and Plan-B Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah; Shadowland Stages and Bard College in the Hudson Valley in New York.

Rick Sims

Sound Designer
Rick has composed and designed sound for numerous Chicago-area theaters, including Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, Congo Square, Writers, Chicago Children's Theatre, Court, and American Blues. Regional credits include Arena Stage and Roundhouse Theatre in Washington D.C., Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, South Coast Rep in Southern California, The Getty, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, 2nd Stage and Playwrights Horizons in New York City, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Portland Playhouse. He is an artistic associate of Lookingglass, an artistic affiliate with American Blues. He composed the music for The Thanksgiving Play at 2nd Stage Theatre on Broadway. Sims won a Jeff Award for sound design for Lookingglass' Moby Dick, Frankenstein, and Hephaestus, and a BTA award for Congo Squares Brothers In the Dust. Sims also wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Lookingglass Hillbilly Antigone.

Kate Parker-Barrows

Costume Designer/Props
Kate is delighted to be back costuming for Pass Over. Kate has previously costumed Until the Flood and For Colored Girls. She works for Niles West High School, costuming their yearly productions.

Brenden Marble

Lighting Designer
Brenden Marble- He/Him (Lighting Designer) Is excited to be designing his first show with Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre. After studying theater design at Eastern Michigan University, the Detroit MI native moved to Chicago to start living their dream of becoming a lighting designer! Recent credits include At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen(The Story Theatre) We Always Bounce Black(Second City Chicago) Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea(Pegasus Theatre) Native Son(Lifeline Theatre) An Educated Guess(Definition Theatre), Liaisons(Chicago Tap Theatre), Black By Popular Demand(Second City Chicago), A Hit Dog Will Holler (Artemisia Theatre), Fairview(Definition Theater), and Dance Like There Are Black People Watching(Second City Chicago) Even though his career is just beginning, he knows this is something he wants to do for the rest of his life. Website: www.brendenmarble.com

Sarah Kaiser-Amaral

Muralist
Chicago-based visual artist, Sarah Kaiser-Amaral has been driven at an early age by an inexplicable force to make art. Honing her painting and drawing technique since her childhood, she has blended her passion for painting with her teaching career, and inspires her students. She runs her own business, the Figurative Art League, out of her studio at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston, IL. She has also been on the faculty of the Evanston Art Center since 2010. Sarah’s evolution as an artist began after earning an MFA at the University of Chicago in 2003. Ever since, she has been exploring and pushing the boundaries of painting in her work.

Scott Westerman

Fight Choreographer

Bria Walker-Rhoze

Artistic Associate
Bria Walker-Rhoze is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. She is currently an Associate Professor of Acting at Carnegie Mellon University and is the Artistic Associate at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre (FJT). She has performed at various theatres such as City Theatre, The Rep at St. Louis, Triad Stage, and Pittsburgh Public Theatre’s Playtime Series (to name a few.) Selected directing credits: Obama-ology, co-director of Crowns (FJT), Fury (Parker Theatre), staged reading Off With Her Maidenhead (The Pitch series for Merry-Go-Round Playhouse). Selected writing credits: co-writer of The Baldwin|Giovanni Experience (FJT), Crossroad (City Theatre Spotlight Series), Chant (The Monologue Project). MFA - Denver Center for the Performing Arts (National Theatre Conservatory); BFA - Wright State University. www.briawalker-rhoze.com

John Olson

Press Representative
provides marketing and public relations services to a variety of theaters and arts organizations in the Chicago area. He followed a career as an account manager and media planner in Chicago and Milwaukee advertising agencies by moving into arts marketing and publicity in 2010. He worked at ComedySportz Chicago as Marketing Director and Raven Theatre as Director of Marketing and Press before founding John Olson Communications in 2017. Additionally. John has served as Associate Editor for The Sondheim Review and Chicago reviewer for TalkinBroadway.com.
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