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Creative Team

Creative Team

Ashley Obinwanne (Book Writer, Co-Director) is a Black lesbian writer and filmmaker who was born in New York and raised in Nigeria. She enjoys writing grounded, character-driven, dramas and dramedies about interconnected groups of people, especially women. She has written, directed, and produced several short films, a one-act play, and the web series Lavender Collective. She is a graduate of the Writers Guild Foundation’s Support Staff Training Program. She resides in Los Angeles, and has worked on shows at Apple TV+ and CBS.

Parker Lemal-Brown (Lyricist, Co-Director) is a transmasculine writer and consultant. Parker wrote on the musical series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies for Paramount Plus and worked in the writers’ room for Bridgerton Season 3 on Netflix. He has worked at Shondaland, NBC, ABC, eOne, and Amazon, including Transparent: The Musicale Finale. Parker is currently a writing coach, a creative executive at Roadmap Writers, and a featured speaker at Cambridge Innovation Center. He is pursuing a Masters in Communication Science at University of Amsterdam in Fall 2024.

Erika Ito (Composer) is a Japanese composer who has worked on a variety of video games, films, and musicals. She is best known for composing for the popular PS4 game Let It Die, which has been downloaded over 7 million times worldwide. Erika holds degrees from both Berklee College of Music and Amsterdam Conservatory, and also studied musical theater songwriting at NMI. In 2022 and 2023, respectively, she premiered her musicals Mother Russia and Camouflage Can’t Hide Me at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Her musical Tomorrow, by the Sea won the Kennedy Center's Musical Theatre Award in 2024. Erika is currently based in Tokyo and loves collaborating with writers and lyricists from diverse backgrounds around the world.

Starring

Bryana Sinclair (Phoenix) is an actress who was born and raised in Norfolk, VA. She is elated to make her musical theater debut as Phoenix in Better off with You. She took a unique approach into the arts by receiving a B.S in Sociology from Old Dominion University and applying what she learned in that field to her acting. She starred in Channel 43, a short film that premiered at Black Film Festival Atlanta in 2023. She was also the lead in the short film, Maze, which was made as a part of Dr Dre’s: Beats Black Creators program.

Antione Gardner (Noah) is a versatile artist from Chicago who excels in songwriting, singing, and acting. Antione’s acting credits include a role in the BET+ original movie, The Final Say, and background roles on Chicago Fire and Abbott Elementary. He has done gospel music for over eight years and has been featured on numerous records. Antione’s diverse talents and dedication to his craft make him a valuable asset in entertainment.

Starring

Monique C. Aldred (Margaret) is an actor, singer, and playwright who was raised in San Diego. Her theatre acting credits include Much Ado about Nothing, Pygmalion, and Avenue Q. Her film acting credits include On the Market, Conviction, and White. Her playwriting credits include Perseus & Anemone, produced by The Shattered Glass Project in Seattle, WA, and Black Magic for Reals, produced by Affirmation Theatre Company in NYC. She has studied at The Groundlings School and is currently in the Advanced Scene Study class at the Anthony Gilardi Acting Studio.

Rick Larimore (Robert) is an actor who has appeared in Licorice Pizza and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He is also a musician, writer, and an aspiring stand-up comic. He hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and currently lives in Burbank with his husband of 26 years, who is also named Rick.

Crew & Additional Cast

Emma Cones (Choreographer, Grace) is an actress and dancer who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was classically trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and now participates in heels and pole dancing workshops across Los Angeles. Emma completed the Yale Summer Conservatory for Actors in 2022, and has also trained at the Ivanna Chubbuck Studio, The Robey Theater, and Groundlings. Emma has been featured in several ad campaigns, including one for the LA LGBT Center. She is currently signed with 216 Talent Agency and Dream Team Talent LA.

Brianna Jordahl (Production Designer) is a filmmaker and creative based in Los Angeles, California. Originally from a sleepy Wisconsin farm town of 5,000 people, she made the leap to LA in 2019. She worked on projects for Netflix, Amazon, CBS, ABC, and The CW while she was at Wonderland Sound and Vision. Most recently, she has enjoyed production designing for short films and music videos (Jade Patteri, Yungatita). Brianna also writes, directs, and produces short films and music videos with a cohort of local LA filmmakers. She is pursuing episodic directing.

Cannon H. Grandison (Dancer, Stagehand) is a Chicago-born unscripted television writer and editor. Cannon has produced on a variety of TV shows including ABC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”, Nickelodeon’s “Top Elf”, and VH1’s “Surreal Life.” As an actress, Cannon has also starred in the short films “New Sneaks, Who Dis?” and “See It Through” written and directed by Ashley Obinwanne. When Cannon is not creating engaging television or collaborating in a short film, she finds enjoyment in her fitness practice.

Crew & Additional Cast

Cyan Grandison (Dancer, Stagehand) is honored to be a part of “Better off with You” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. She is a versatile actress who is originally from Chicago, IL. She received formal acting training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, Anthony Meindl’s Acting Workshop, Margie Haber Acting Studio, and The Creative Forces Acting Studio. Cyan’s acting credits include the short films “To The Victims”, “Recall”, and “See It Through”-- the latter of which was written and directed by Ashley Obinwanne. When she isn't acting, Cyan works as a docu-series and reality TV producer here in Hollywood.

Sohany Singh (Stagehand) is a writer/director physically based in Los Angeles and emotionally based in New York. While working under Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, she assisted the showrunners on the final seasons of Love Victor and This is Us, while simultaneously kickstarting the first season of How I Met Your Father. In addition, she also saw through post production of Amazon's I Want You Back and pre-production of Turtles All the Way Down with the showrunners. She was then promoted to Writers Assistant on season two of HIMYF. She is currently working as the Script Coordinator on the Disney+ Goosebumps series. Sohany has also been in post for her indie half hour pilot, which she shot last Spring in NY.

Alex Vasallo (Dancer) - Originally hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Alex Vasallo has embraced the West Coast as her creative playground. Growing up, she’s always had a passion for performing, whether it be singing, dancing, or acting. She currently takes several heels dance classes in Los Angeles to hone her skills and express her love of dance. Beyond the stage, Alex also loves working behind the camera and is a skilled video editor at HipHopDX.