Meet the festival producers
SHELLI BOONE
Shelli Boone has been working in Hollywood for over twenty years, and she is currently recurring on BET’s “All The Queen’s Men” as Eva Marcille’s long lost sister Toni. She has also recurred on CW’s hit show “All American:Homecoming”, “All American” and CBS’ second season of “Why Women Kill”. She has guest starred on popular shows such as “All Rise”, “CSI:Vegas”, “The Rookie”, “NCIS:LA”, “Dear White People”, “Entourage”, “Castle”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Private Practice”, “Mr. Box Office” and Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.” She was also a series regular on FOX’s primetime drama soap “Saints and Sinners”. A regular on the film festival circuit, she played twins in the Lionsgate horror release “Holla”, garnering her a Best Actress nom in the Chicago Film Festival. She was also proud to have starred in the short film “Wedlocked”, focused on gay marriage rights, featured in over fifty festivals around the globe.
A lover of comedy, Shelli starred alongside Kevin Hart in the underground cult classic “Something Like a Business” and played Stacey Dash’s bestie in “House Arrest”. She recently appeared on Netflix’s Emmy nominated sketch comedy show “I Think You Should Leave Now”, putting her improvisation skills to good use. She played a hilarious version of Nicole Richie in the parody “A Week in London” and also won a Best Actress award in the LAWebFest for her lead role in the series “Sistah Did What”.
Shelli is also an accomplished singer, and she was nominated for an NAACP Best Actress Award for her stage portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in “Dorothy and Otto”. She also embodied the vivacious Josephine Baker in “When Divas Were Divas” which toured both nationally and in Europe. She has produced her own stage productions, “Out West: Women of the Plains” and “The Cell Block Seven”, which premiered in Washington, DC and went on to earn another NAACP nomination for Best Ensemble. Shelli most recently was awarded a performing arts grant from Los Angeles County and mounted the world premiere of her second one-woman show “W.I.G.” - a tribute to the hair she wears. This show will be touring the country in 2026.
Shelli has appeared in over twenty national and international commercials and modeled in print campaigns for Anheuser-Busch and Milkbone. She has voiced radio spots McDonald’s, HBO and Chevrolet, and currently voices characters for Wondery’s podcasts. Shelli is constantly committed to improving her craft and has trained with some of the best in the business including Margie Haber, Aaron Speiser, Larry Moss, Annie Grindlay, Wendy Davis and Kim Gillingham. She is also an alum of UCB and Groundlings. She has expanded this love of the craft by coaching actors herself - her clients have landed major roles in features and television.
Shelli is also the Artistic Director of the Willie Agee Playhouse in Inglewood, bringing quality programming to a community that might otherwise be underserved. She is proud of the productions and workshops she has developed right in her own backyard. Her faith, family and friends are her biggest sources of inspiration to continue to thrive as an entertainer and creator.
Paris Crayton III
Paris Crayton III is an award-winning playwright, director, educator, and solo performance artist whose work celebrates the resilience, humor, and humanity of Black communities. A versatile storyteller working across theatre, film, and live performance, Crayton has written more than fifty plays, twenty-one of which have been professionally produced throughout the United States. His acclaimed solo performances have toured internationally, introducing audiences around the world to his unique blend of theatrical storytelling, social commentary, and deeply personal narratives.
Named one of ArtsATL's "30 Under 30" and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Artist to Watch," Crayton was also recognized by Creative Loafing as Atlanta's Best Local Playwright. His work has been praised for its emotional honesty, unforgettable characters, and commitment to amplifying voices too often absent from the American stage. His plays have been produced, developed, or recognized by organizations including The Lark, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Aurora Theatre, Working Title Playwrights, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Atlanta Black Theatre Festival, Indianapolis Fringe Festival, and numerous other theatres, universities, and festivals across the country.
Known for blending intimate character studies with urgent social questions, Crayton explores themes of family, memory, faith, identity, and the enduring strength of community. His plays include Welcome to the Blue Swan, Brothers of Affliction, Only Some of God's Children (Mississippi Magnolias), Chasing Gods, and Sugarcoat, Missouri. Whether examining a neighborhood bar, a fractured family, or a small Black town fighting to define itself beyond the headlines, his work seeks to honor ordinary people living extraordinary emotional lives.
As a director, Crayton holds a certificate in directing from Yale, where he further developed his collaborative and artist-centered approach to storytelling. Passionate about cultivating the next generation of theatre artists, he has served as an adjunct professor at DeSales University, Drew University, and the University of Kansas, teaching playwriting, performance, and storytelling to emerging artists.
Whether writing, directing, teaching, or performing, Crayton's mission remains the same: to create work that sparks conversation, builds empathy, and preserves the stories of communities too often pushed to the margins. Through every project, he reminds audiences that every person, every neighborhood, and every voice deserves to be seen, heard, and remembered.