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ZOTTO ぞっと

THE ARTISTS

MEET THE VOICES OF ZOTTO

in order of appearance

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Kevin Quinn Marchman as the "Main Character" 

Kevin Quinn Marchman is a co-founder of the Black Actors Guild and Current Director of Education.  In this capacity it is his supreme joy to develop curriculum with local artists and students to create a thriving ecosystem where all players contribute. 

 

As an actor, he has recently been featured in Domininque Morisseau's Skeleton Crew at Curious Theatre, and Shakespeare in the Parking Lot with DCPA Education.  He also proudly made his Directorial film debut with Huerfano in collaboration with Colorado College in Summer 2020. 

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James Brunt as "FUJIN - the Wind God" 

James Brunt is an actor born and raised in Denver, Colorado most known for pushing the boundaries of what we know about theater with immersive productions in obscure settings and hard hitting concepts that make his audience truly reflect on their views of the world. Playing roles from a cleaver weilding beet butcher, to a zainey detective on the hunt for answers, he loves to create anything that will make his heart beat faster and blood boil up.

 

He recently received the 2019 True West award for breakout actors for his challenging portrayal of taxi driver, Bobby, in Mosque with The Black Actors Guild. Other works recognized were his productions with The Band of Toughs and Control Group Productions. When Brunt isn't taking the stage, he still finds ways to enlighten his audiences by performing oringial slam poetry. He is also an educator of the arts, teaching improv to the youth of Denver with the Black Actors Guild. 

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Margaret Ozaki Graves as the "Letter Writer" and "Obachan"

Margaret Ozaki Graves is recognized for a "voice that is crystal clear and very well produced" (Opus Colorado). Margaret enjoys mentoring in the arts as a cultural consultant, arts administrator, teaching artist and professional performer. She has been active in opera, musical theatre and concert work for over a decade and is thrilled to be lending her voice to ZOTTO. Previous JA-NE collaborations include AI: [LOVE], Portraits of Courage/Stories of Courage, CBCA’s Awards Luncheon, Virtual Pilgrimage to Manzanar, Nikkei Block Party, Matcha and Mindfulness Virtual Workshop for Denver Arts and Venues’ KINTSUGI: The Art of Healing, and serving as cultural consultant for Central City Opera’s 2019 production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY. Raised in Golden, CO, Margaret grew up performing koto/shamisen player (certifications from the Miyagi School) and taiko drumming with One World Taiko and Mirai Daiko. For more, check out her website.   

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Sheryl Renee as "Ella Fitzgerald" 

The dynamic versatility of Colorado's Sheryl Renee, comes from a literal lifetime in and around the entertainment business. An audience favorite, Sheryl moves effortlessly between music genres, artistic avenues, and her entrepreneurial pursuits.
 

Known as the "Lady with the Golden Voice", Sheryl's God-given gift of song has led to wonderful opportunities. Her career highlight, remains performing the national anthem for President Barack Obama. A recording session vocal and voiceover producer, Sheryl has been featured on countless CD's, TV and radio commercials, and projects, including her year long run on her talk radio program "making A Way on KUHS Denver.  www.sherylrenee.com

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Matthew Ryan Durgin as "Albert S. Humphrey" 

Also known under the moniker TM-Censor (see below), Matthew Ryan Durgin occasionally lends his voice acting, among other talents, to the arts. Though not extensively known for theater, he brings his experiences/roles as a musical performer and DJ as well as his dadaist beliefs in art as inspiration for his performances. Much like his music and other auditory works, he believes in a 'intentional aleatory' philosophy to acting; praising the flaws and accidents that make an experience organic.

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VISUAL ARTISTS

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CASEY KAWAGUCHI

As you move throughout Denver you might get the feeling you're being watched - by a Japanese warrior woman, almost always in red, white and black. She peeks around columns under highways and peers down from RiNo warehouse walls. Don't be alarmed; her creator Casey Kawaguchi a self taught street artist who works entirely freehand and has been evolving his nameless character for over a decade, says the battle is with him. You can find Kawaguchi's work captured in depth in the documentary short film "Mastery PT.1 & PT.2". Which has followed Kawaguchi over three and a half years of his journey.

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AKEMI TSUTSUI - KUNITAKE

Akemi Tsutsui-Kunitake is a yonsei artist based in Denver, Colorado. Her work has themes of whimsicality, adventure and magic with a Japanese cultural lens. Her illustrations are inspired by Japanese folklore, Western occult symbolism and fairytales. Many of her works depict magical or witchy women, but she is open to other subject matter for commissioned illustrations or tattoo designs.

Aside from illustration, Akemi is a dedicated karate athlete and instructor at her family’s dojo. With over twenty years of karate experience, she is current member of the USA Karate team member for kata and views both her art and karate within the same vein of intention setting and energy manifestation. She enjoys paleo home cooking, travel and occasionally writes for local newsletters and magazines.

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JOLYON YATES

Born in England, Jolyon Yates studied art & graphics there and in Japan.  He has done artwork for advertisements, films, video games, magazines, comics, posters and dvd booklets, and written articles for movie magazines. Clients have included IBM, T-Mobile and Qwest.   He drew the NYT best seller Ninjago comics for Papercutz , the WWE Superstars 'Last Man Standing!' book for SuperGenius and assisted Zach Howard on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book.

He is currently working on a Jumanji comic, stories for Pop Culture Classroom, covers for books on the films of John Carpenter, kaiju and Paul Naschy, and illustrations for the Arrow box set of the Gamera series. 

CHOREOGRAPHER & DANCE ENSEMBLE

NU WORLD CONTEMPORARY DANSE THEATRE 

Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre is a 501(C)(3) contemporary dance company that focuses on using movement as a tool to connect communities and create an environment for healing through the power of art.  

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Bashir Page-Sanders, a native of Baltimore, Maryland began his classical dance training at the Community College of Baltimore County- Essex under the direction of Vanessa Jackson and Sheena Black as well as the Morton Street Dance Center. Bashir went on to train at The Ailey School and PHILADANCO's Training Program. Bashir was a dance major at the University of The Arts in Philadelphia, PA before attending the Eugene Lang College- The New School for Liberal Arts to pursue his B.A. degree. Bashir has danced with Full Circle Dance Company, PHILADANCO's 2nd Company (DANCO 2), Genesis Dance Company, Keen Dance Theatre, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 and the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. He has also served as the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Youth Ensemble Director, presenting work at the International Association of Blacks in Dance in both 2016 and 2017 and has been grateful to receive the Leni Wylliams Award for Innovation and Choreography from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. 

Christopher Page-Sanders, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, received his formal dance training from the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and from the University of Missouri- Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. He currently serves as founder and co-artistic director of the Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre with his husband, Bashir Page-Sanders. For seven years, he danced as a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (Denver, CO) of which he also assisted Cleo Parker Robinson in the creation of many current works. As an artist, he has had the pleasure of re-staging and assisting to re-stage works by DeeAnna Hiett, Sabrina Madison-Cannon and Rodni Williams. He has also danced with other dance and theatre companies such as Wylliams\Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Owen\Cox Dance Group, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre and The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company to name a few. He has been commissioned to choreograph works most recently on Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, COCADance, Davis Contemporary Dance Company, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. 

 

He serves as the resident choreographer for the musicals at the Center of Creative Arts and East Central College, but has also had the pleasure of teaching and  choreographing for other educational institutions across the nation. He has served on faculty at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Center of Creative Arts, Best Talent Center, Metro Theatre Company ArtsIntersection, East Harlem Scholars Academy II. His choreography has been presented on the national level twice at the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference. In 2013, he was blessed to recieve the Leni Wylliams award for Innovation and Choreography from Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. To his mentors and ancestors on their shoulders, I Dance! Peace and Blessings; Love, Light and Art!

MUSIC ARTISTS & SOUND DESIGN

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TM-CENSOR - SOUND DESIGN 
One of the founding members and engineers of the CFW Family (RAVEDAD RECORDS), producer Matthew Ryan Durgin hails from Boulder, Colorado and is mostly known for his work on the banjo in the psychedelic folk grass scene along the Rocky Mountains with the band Pioneer Mother.  As TM-Censor, however, he creates calm, lush alien landscapes as well as nightmare scenes by bending and blurring the lines of art and experimentation.  Drawing from experiences in Iraq, living with spectrum disorders, and generally a neuro-atypical approach to life, his discography finds consistency in its sonic inconsistency. 

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THE PLAYGROUND ENSEMBLE 
The Playground Ensemble promotes the music of our time through performance, new music commissions, education, and community outreach. Our goal is to provide stimulating performances, expand common perceptions of both contemporary music and the chamber ensemble, and nurture a community around this music that we love.

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