"TYT 5" Program

Sacred Fools Theater Company presents...

TYT 5

written by Byron Coolie & Sidney Edwards
based on the comedy and life experiences of Byron Coolie
directed by Sidney Edwards

starring BYRON COOLIE

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Stage Manager: Anna Kupershmidt

Associate Producer: Bruno Oliver

Sound Designer: Derek A. Graham

Promotional Video Director: Jaime Robledo

Publicity: Scott Golden

Key Art: Michelle Hanzelova

This production is presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule.

Produced for Sacred Fools by Scott Leggett

Special Thanks:
Andrew Blandina
Aaron Branch
Paris Edwards
Mason Greer
Groundlings School
Rashaad Hall
Cymere Lasean
Natalie Orsi
Keyala Marshall
Cj Merriman
Tosin Morohunfola
Danyele Thomas
Terry Tocantins
Our Family and Friends!

The director is an Associate member of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union..

This production is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

This production is supported, in part, by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

This production is supported, in part, by a grant from Council District 13, City of Los Angeles.

Our educational projects are supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.

Fools at the Fringe 2024!

Check out our other two Fringe shows:

A LIVE INTERACTIVE FAKE CONCERT COMEDY EVENT!!! When was the last time the climate crisis made you laugh? The tatistics are terrifying, but describing a slow-moving disaster in half-degrees-Celsius, inches of coastline, or insect migration can feel abstract. What if we tried something new? More Info

A comedy inspired by the horrifying realities of our justice system. We follow a wrongfully convicted man in prison and his relationship with the former, guilt-ridden juror who put him away. It'll make you think. About what? That's undefined as of now. Check back after reviews come out. More Info

Get your tickets now!

CAST & CREW

Byron Coolie | Writer/Performer

Byron Coolie (he/him) is an actor, writer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He holds an MFA in Performance from the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. Originally from New Orleans, Byron lived in nine different cities before coming to LA, including Chicago and New York.

Byron was the 2013 recipient of the Shawn T. Smith Best Characterization Award for his work in his original production, Schizophrenia at Elizabeth City State University in NC.

Some of Byron's favorite stage credits include "Mercutio" in Romeo and Juliet (Kentucky Shakespeare Festival), "Benvolio" in Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), "character" in Orphan of Chao (Nanyang Academy in Singapore), Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Winter's Tale (Kentucky Shakespeare Festival), "Ora" in Amiri Baraka's The Toilet (Haven Theatre), and "Malik" in Kingdom (Broken Nose Theatre).

Byron's television credits include Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Smoketown (series regular). His first feature film, Wages of Sin (starring Danny Trejo), will premiere in 2024.

In 2023, Byron wrote and directed two short films: Do Not Disturb, a film that addresses healing and addiction to social media; and TOBI (also starring Byron), a film tackling black generational trauma and abuse. Byron is passionate about telling honest tales rooted in black culture.

Sidney Edwards | Writer/Director

Sidney Edwards (she/her) is an actress (AEA), singer, dancer, and improv artist based in Los Angeles, California. She is also a director and associate member of the Stage Director's and Choreographer's Foundation (SDCF). Sidney has a BFA in Musical Theater from William Peace University, an MFA in Acting from the University of Louisville, and a graduate certificate in African American theatre from the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY.

You can see Sidney in her first feature film Rebel/Rebel, now available on Amazon Prime.

One of her proudest accomplishments is being awarded a Distinguished Actor award at the 2018 Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival for her thesis performance as "Ida B. Wells" in Miss Ida B. Wells. Sidney was also honored to perform at the 2017 National Black Theatre Festival in Kristen Greenidge's Baltimore, directed by Nefertiti Burton. She was the recipient of the annual Warren Oates award for her outstanding work and promise as an MFA student.

Some of her favorite roles include "The Universal Flow" in Freight: The 5 Incarnations of Abel Green (The Fountain Theatre), "Amneris" in Aida (Karamu House), "Sally Bowles" in Cabaret (Leggett Theatre), and "Squeak" in The Color Purple (The Justice Theatre Project).

Sidney is passionate about arts education and has worked as a teaching artist for Geffen Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, and the legendary Karamu House Theater. Sidney has served as Theater Faculty at Baldwin Wallace and The University of Louisville, where she was the Director of the African American Theater Program.

Scott Leggett | Producer

Scott Leggett (he/him) is a Fringe veteran, having won Best Two-Person Play, along with Nedra Gallegos for Ronnie Larsen's If I'm Good. He performed multiple characters in Burglars of Hamm's critically acclaimed production of Resa Fantastiskt Mystisk, which won Top of Fringe in 2017. He was Monster in Cookie and the Monster at the HFF '15, which won Best Ensemble. He earned praise playing Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle opposite French Stewart in the critically acclaimed Pasadena Playhouse production of Stoneface: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Buster Keaton. At Sacred Fools, he played the titular character in Watson: The Last Great Tale of the Legendary Sherlock Holmes as well as its sequel. He studied theater at Penn State University and has appeared in several films, commercials and TV shows. Scott is also an accomplished director, having staged the hugely successful adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere at Sacred Fools. He also directed The Poe Show, which won Best Comedy at the HFF '15, and Skullduggery: The Musical Prequel to Hamlet. He currently serves as the Producing Director / Interim Artistic Director for Sacred Fools.