Raúl Santiago Sebazco was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in
New York City
from the age of three. He graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts in Film & Theater Direction from NYU. He is one of the founding directors
of the world-famous Nuyorican Poets’ Café on
Third Street
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. At the Nuyorican he directed various productions including Tato Laviera’s musical “Piñones” and Miguel Piñero’s “The Guntower” which he also staged at the Public Theater in 1979.
Mr. Sebazco later founded the “Poets Theater Ensemble” street youth theater group with the objective to teach reading and writing through poetic recitation and plays. He was later invited to work out of the legendary Mobilization for Youth House where he wrote and directed plays for The Poets’ Theater such as “On the Corner”, “A Man and A Wife”, “Encounter” and co-wrote “The Crime” with one of his brilliant students, Glenn Wright. “The Crime” can be found published in “The Nuyorican Poets Café Festival Anthology” by Simon and Schuster.
Mr. Sebazco also wrote and directed the musical “Burning” which was produced by The Poets’ Theater Ensemble at the Nuyorican Poets Café in 1980. This production was “historic ” due to it being the first-ever staging of ” Break dancing” and “Rap” for a theatrical audience with the actual street youths who created this now international artistic expression. The Poets’ Theater Ensemble received many awards including funding through the New York State Council on the Arts.
Mr. Sebazco later lived and worked in Paris, France, for five years where he formed “Le Petit Teatre de la Clef” and directed with much success productions of Moliere and contemporary authors. He also directed a major production of renowned scholar and author Fernand Shwarz’s “The Twelve Hours of Night” in French at the “Nouvelle Acrople Theater” in
Paris
. Mr. Sebazco later returned to
New York
from
Europe
and wrote under contract for Warner/Chappel Records. Two of Mr. Sebazco’s songs were recorded by major recording artists at Sony and EMI Records under this contract.
Presently, Mr. Sebazco is directing a musical romantic comedy that he wrote titled “Promised Moon” at the Herbert Berghof Studio Theater
Greenwich Village
,
Manhattan
. As well, he is also directing three 30 min. dramatic pieces he wrote: “Cleopatra” starring British actress Shalonne Lee, “Jack Johnson” with Jimmy Gary and “An
Iraq
War Story” with Clinton Bloomfield. This theatrical evening of dramatic pieces will be staged by a major
New York
off-Broadway producer in 2006.
Shalonne Lee is a classically trained actress from London, the UK.
A graduate of the renowned Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Ms. Lee has appeared extensively on the London stage and the fringe Theatre scene in plays such as ‘The Man of Mode’ as Belinda; as Lady Mac Beth in ‘Ghost Dance’; in 'Franziska' as Karaminka, and as Ebony in 'The East End of Chicago', among others.
Ms. Lee has also lent her marvelous voice to the BBC’s Children’s Radio, as a story teller, and has appeared on British television networks BBC TV, Thames Television in such dramas as 'Doctors' and 'The Bill' and as a special guest on
ITV's 'Tonight' with Trevor MacDonald', one of England's most popular celebrity interviewers and hosts.
Ms. Lee presently resides in the United States, while spending time here in New York, in Hollywood, and, of course, at home in England doing stage, film, television, and commercial work. Since coming to the US in November of 2004, in pursuit of a career in the US, Ms. Lee has completed work on a new film ‘Blood of a Champion’ scheduled to be released in the US this year. Ms. Lee was also delighted to land a guest starring role in the hit TV show, "LAW & ORDER – SVU".
Her current stage role here in the US is CLEOPATRA in 'THE TWILIGHT OF KHEMET' written by the noted American poet, painter and playwright, Raul Santiago Sebazco, as one of a trio of short plays to be produced for this year's off-Broadway theatre season.
We are delighted that Ms. Lee has consented to lend her considerable talents to our organization, appearing as Cleopatra in a shortened version of her new play, and, as time and her busy schedule permit, Ms. Lee will also make an appearance in a new series of Creative Writing Workshops in connection with our current Educational Workshop Series for Schools. Welcome aboard, Ms. Lee!
Students at PS752Q
