Shavonne Coleman (she/they) is a fabulist, facilitator, teaching/performing artist, playwright, director, and community cultivator from Detroit, MI. Shavonne has a Bachelor's degree in Theatre from Grand Valley State University (2007) and an M.F.A. from Eastern Michigan University for Applied Drama/Theatre for the Young (2017). She has performed as a storyteller and actor in many spaces ranging from applied theatre (devised, community, educational theatre) to professional roles in theatre and short films. Her most recent role was as LuLu in Between Riverside and Crazy at the Detroit Repertory Theatre. Shavonne has directed Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Ed Shockley, The Incredible Jungle Journey of Fenda Maria by Jack Stokes, and Butt Naked by Gloria Bond Clunie, among other productions. She’s used her passion and deep belief in the power of theatre as a catalyst for social change while directing ReACT! (GVSU) and Theatre for Dialogue (UT), both interpersonal violence prevention ensembles using Forum Theatre. Also, in recent years she has integrated drama and theatre techniques into inclusive teaching and learning educational development. At UT, Coleman created and produced a faculty and staff storytelling event entitled Came to Listen and started Theatre of F.A.Q., a theatre ensemble that uses devising and interactive theatre techniques for New Faculty Orientation. Shavonne is currently finishing a chapter of a soon-to-be-published TYA play Anthology entitled Every Great Dream while starting the process of writing and editing the anthology for the TYA BIPOC Superhero Project. In addition, she is excited to be a playwright commissioned by Eastern Michigan University and Spinning Dot Theatre to develop a new play entitled Cause Play. Ms. Coleman is also in an innovative and community-engaged development process for a show commissioned by Seattle Children’s Theatre entitled Your Name is a Song, an adaption of a book with the same title by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow.