PERFORMING ARTIST
Sing, Speak, Move, Be

Born into a life of music, Olisa began performing in public at the age of three. A singer by birth Olisa began exploring theatre in 2003. Since then she has studied and experimented with the combination of her mediums of artistic expression. She believes that artists and art are vital to the state of culture and society and hopes to share her soul through performance.

Olisa is a board member of www.TheConciliationProject.org (TCP) (501c3) whose mission"...to promote through active and challenging dramatic works, open and honest dialogue about racism in America in order to repair its damaging legacy. Olisa is currently developing, in conjunction with TCP, of performance lectures on institutionalized racism, stereotyping, diversity and inclusivity. These performance lectures will promote honest dialogue and racial healing.

EDUCATOR/TEACHING ARTIST
Performance

Master of Fine Arts-
Theatre Pedagogy

Olisa has experience teaching students of all ages, from infancy to adulthood. Her teaching, of any subject, incorporates principles of community and shared responsibility.

Focus:
Voice and Speech
Performance- Acting/Directing

Specializations:
Ritual Poetic Drama Within the African Continnuum

Archetypes for the Actor/Singer

Poetic Texts

Black Theatre

Intercultural communications/ issues of Diversity and Racism

International Phonetic Alphabet

Hip-Hop Shakespeare

COMPOSER/SONGWRITER
Songs/Plays/Musicals that move

Hip-Hop Soul with a funk folk twist that stays rockin'.

WORKS IN PROCESS

"Honestly Speaking"
-A Feminist Musical

"The Buzzard and the Monkey: 21st century ghetto children"
- a ritual play

"Tongue"
-a retelling of the Medea story

Goddess in the Temple/Demon in the Well"
-A concert play

ACTOR
Theatre, Film , Voiceover

Virginia Commonwealth University
Bachelor of Fine Arts-
Performance
Master of Fine Arts-
Theatre Pedagogy


some favorite roles...

"Billie Holiday"
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson,

"Rose"
Fences by August Wilson,

"Lady in Blue"
For Colored Girls who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange,

"Nell"
Ain't Misbehavin

"Anita"
West Side Story

Singer / Spoken Word / emCee

a mic controller
ready to rock
steady like a clock
prone to cause shock
blowin scales
rippin riffs
blessed with the gift to spit

Olisa also known as Spyc-E in the hip hop community in Seattle, Washington, USA, has been rockin the mic for almost 20 years. She has participated in and won emcee battles, and represents women in hip hop wherever she is. She has performed both nationally and internationally.