Join us for this brilliant spoken word drama, written and performed by LaTonia Phipps.  Directed by Ruby Dee Award winner, Libya Pugh, Phipps delivers a tour de force performance telling the story of a young woman, Tia Lite, on the road to self-discovery. The play is told through the eyes of 12 characters, including the inquisitive and sassy Tia, a 10 year-old girl who, while watching her mother die of cancer, manages to bring a sense of light to the world falling down around her. The remaining characters all serve as matriarchs for the impressible Tia, providing her with the tools she needs to complete her journey.

Accompanied by African Drummer Arthur Toombs Jr., the audience is taken on a voyage into Ghana, West Africa, through Kingston, Jamaica and finally Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, exploring the Afro-Latin Diaspora. With a little Brooklyn flavor, Fishing in Brooklyn takes the audience back to the days when everything was simplewhen you were in 'los brazos de tu Madre,' your mother’s arms.

LaTonia Phipps - Actress, Spoken Word Poet, Playwright- LaTonia Phipps a graduate of The Eugene O’Neil National Theater Institute and  received an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. She was last seen in The Colored Museum, by George C. Wolfe at The Crossroads Theater as woman 1; in Wait Until Dark, by Fredrick Knott at The Ivoryton Playhouse as Suzy Hendrix; and  in Dirty Little Black Girls by Ione Lyold at Dixon Place Theater as Chinara. Her playwright work  includes Fishing in Brooklyn. an autobiographical solo performance about a young Afro-Latina’s journey to find her way back home,  and She Who Struggles , a full length play that re-imagines a young Assasta Shakur in modern day gentrified Harlem, NY in love with a white woman. A monologue from She Who Struggles was recently published on The Good Ear Review, a website dedicated to emerging playwrights.

She is also currently serving as a Teaching Artist for Opening Act (non-profit organization providing theater for at risk teens) where she uses acting and apoken word poetry as tools to help students deepen a  connection to theater. To view more of Phipps’ work,  follow her on Facebook and join her group (To Be Young Gifted and Blessed) or email her ms.latoniaphipps@gmail.com She wishes to thank the FIB team and all of those who have supported this project.

Libya Pugh-Director - Libya Pugh received a BFA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MFA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Libya lived in Chicago for seven years where she was a co-founding ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre and served as artistic associate of Chicago Dramatist. She originated the role of Claudia in the premiere adaptation of The Bluest Eye by Lydia Diamond at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and New Victory, New York. Heidi Weiss at the Chicago Sun Times named Libya one of Chicago’s 8 elite actresses of 2002. She was also nominated for a Jeff Award for Colored Girls and won the Ruby Dee Award (2002) for best actress for Piano Lesson. Some of her New York theatre credit include a tour with Ain’t Suppose To Die A Natural Death, The Odyssey at The Looking Glass Theatre, Doubt at Peterborough Players in New Hampshire where she received New Hampshire best actress nominee award and Caroline, Or Change at Centerstage in Baltimore. She has also been seen and heard in numerous voiceovers, commercials and independent films.

Tuck Thompson – Stage Manger Tuck Thompson is a Jane-of-all-trades. As the founder/designer of TwistedKickZ Shoe Company, she specialized in creating custom footwear and accessory designs, all while keeping the style and personality of each customer in mind. Currently pursuing her BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Strategic & Entrepreneurial Management, she finds many blessings as continual Stage Manager for Rivers of Honey and is newly on board with Fishing In Brooklyn. FYI Tuck will also be assisting LaTonia Phipps during the run of Fishing In Brooklyn playing the role of Yemaya.

Arthur Toombs, Jr – Drummer - Arthur Toombs, Jr. played his first drum over 25 years ago. Born in Camilla Georgia, when his family moved to New York he was exposed to Afro-Cuban rhythms. Arthur trained under lead drummer David Copper, Sr. at the legendary Bernice Johnson Dance Theater of the Arts in New York. His dynamic and powerful drumming style landed him performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and legendary jazz club Birdland in New York with vocalist and actress Valerie Pettiford. He hwent on to drum in Off Broadway productions, including History of the Word,Ghost, The Colored Museum, and Little Rock 9, heading to Broadway in 2010. Arthur has performed with revered drummers, percussionists, musical directors and composers including Baba Olatungi, Chef Bey, Roger Squitero, and Ron Abel. Arthur is currently lead drummer at Movement of the Children Dance Center in Queens, New York.

Yoleidy Rosario – Lighting Designer & Producer - Yoleidy Rosario is an Afro-Dominican raised in the Bronx, NY. She is a playwright, poet, actor, director and skilled lighting designer. Her goal is to achieve what she calls the “The Complete Artist” by utilizing her creative skills and unique talents for her personal fulfillment as well as for the pleasure and education of her surrounding communities. She graduated from Dickinson College a BB in Theater Arts and a minor in English. At Dickson she directed The Dutchman by Amiri Baraka, The Conduct of Life by Maria Irene Fornes, and Tango of Roses written by herself. She designed lighting for the Dance Pill, choreographed by Shamus Hunter, which was presented by the Dickinson Theater Group in the DTG Concert of Spring of 2009, and designed sound for scene six during the production of Machinal written by Sophie Treadwell and directed by Karen Kirkham. She is Founder and President of Wryterz Blockk Theater Groupwhose mission is to to incorporate different styles of art that will help inner city kids manifest a complete artist. For more visit https://sites.google.com/site/yoleidyrosario/