RENEGADE THEATRE COMPANY
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Artistic Staff

Darius J. Manuel
Founder/Executive Artistic Director
djmrenegadeco@gmail.com

With a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Darius has a decade of experience as a Director, Performer and Teaching Artist. Darius has directed/choreographed shows, taught classes, private lessons, specialty workshops, and camp programs while influencing children and young artists at various organizations across South Florida including: Area Stage Company, Dillard Center for the Arts, Broward Center for the Arts, Parkway Middle School of the Arts and the Florida Children’s Theatre where he won the 2016 BroadwayWorld Award for Best Director of a Musical and Best Choreographer for his production of Carrie the Musical. Select directing credits include: Ragtime, Annie, Legally Blonde, Matilda, Bring It On (Florida Children’s Theatre); Spring Awakening (Area Stage Company); Next to Normal (University of the Arts). As a performer, his work is acclaimed locally, regionally and nationally. South Florida audiences recognize him from Tarzan (Terk) and Memphis (Gator) with Slow Burn Theatre Company and The Wiz (Lion) with Broward Stage Door. He won the 2019 National Society of Arts and Letters – Florida East Coast Drama Competition and went on to place at the National level. He graced stages in Philadelphia, performing Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), Marie Christine (Paris), A Chorus Line (Richie) and starred in Philadelphia’s Mainstreet Musical Festival. He also appeared in the 2016 Broadway National Tour of “Elf the Musical”. "My voice does far more than just sing…” Here by the kindness of strangers and faith from loved ones.  IG: @legallydarius
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Nayomi Braaf
Managing Director/Founding Member
nbrenegadeco@gmail.com

Having a lifetime full of passion for the Performing Arts and holding a BFA in Musical Theatre from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Nayomi Braaf has had a seat at a variety of artistic tables. Nayomi has worked with the City of Sunrise Leisure Services Theatre Camp since 2014 where she gained experience Directing, Choreographing and Music Directing. There, she developed a program called “Squad”. This program allows both students and staff to be exposed to stage combat, improv, ensemble singing, costume and set design. Nayomi took her program into various public schools, both Elementary and Middle, that don’t have access to the Performing Arts. Nayomi has also music directed at Parkway Middle School of the Arts, taught private voice lessons at “All That Jazz” while still holding an extensive performing resume. Polka Dots: The Cool Kids Musical at the Limelight Performing Arts Center in PA, Spring Awakening at Area Stage Co.; Dreamgirls In Concert at the Miramar Performing Arts Center, Little Shop of Horrors and Avenue Q at MNM Theatre Co..; Disaster, Memphis and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert at Slow Burn Theatre Co.; the Festival of New Musicals at Goodspeed Opera House and was a featured performer at the Bushnell with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Currently working towards her Masters of Fine Arts in Arts Administration, she has devoted her life to the Performing Arts and Arts Education. “I see a place for students to grow and learn their art, without a fear of expenses or exclusion based on their race or background. A place that's safe and creates the world's next best leaders and performers to change the world and how people see it.” 

Maya Burton
Director of Education & Outreach
mbrenegadeco@gmail.com

Maya Burton is an actor, writer, producer, director, and teaching artist from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In 2016 she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of Arts in Seattle, Washington. Since then, she has acted on stage with many companies in Seattle including Seattle Shakespeare Company, Taproot Theater, Washington Ensemble Theatre and Strawberry Workshop Theatre. Maya has also performed in several Educational Touring productions and has performed for more than 50,000 students all over Washington State. Maya has done Musical Theater tours with The 5th Avenue Theater & Storybook Theatre and Shakespearean tours with Seattle Shakespeare Co & Off Road Shakespeare Co. Maya is also the creator, co-producer and co-writer of the play series called Raisins in a Glass of Milk. Every year a new one act play is created out of honest and anonymous interviews with Artist of Color.   When she is not producing her original play series or acting she is teaching the power of theater to students in Washington state and South Florida. In Seattle Maya has taught and directed with Youth Theater Northwest, East Side Prep School and Off Road Shakespeare Co. In Florida she has worked with Florida Children's Theater since 2011 as a Summer Stage counselor, director, and music director. She is thrilled to add her skill set to The Renegade Team and to join the revolution. 
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Professional Support Staff

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  Yu'Seph Cornish
   Costume Design/Production Assistant
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Vickie Anderson
Dance Specialist/Teaching Artist
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  Andre Russell
   Creative Design/Teaching Artist

Company  Core Values ​

Artistic Excellence and Aesthetic Beauty.
This drives every aspect of our work, onstage, in the offices, the classroom, rehearsal room and beyond. RTC’s priority is a commitment to the highest craft: to employ talented, professionally trained South Florida actors/artists to both perform on our stages and to work as Teaching Artists that help train young actors in a “working actor-centered” environment; to provide expert production quality and production value; to attain the highest standards of production. Our commitment to craft drives our scholarly approach to the works we produce and our passionate investigation both of the text and of the craft of innovative storytelling itself. 

Progressiveness, Audacity and Risk.
RTC re-envisions both classic and contemporary works, to make them both appealing and appalling for our diverse audiences. We seek to reinvent the epic scope of what can happen on a stage, by exploring what is universal and timeless in human experience. Risk is inherent in every creative process. We believe thoughtful risk-taking is not only appropriate but healthy and necessary for RTC’s success. We embrace “color-conscious casting” and we understand the importance of representation in the classroom, in the board room and on the stage. RTC is not meek. We strive to challenge audiences, actors, and conventions. RTC’s productions are progressive, thought-provoking and dynamic. Every performance aims to feel new, visceral, and unexpected. RTC aspires to thrill the senses. 

Arts Education and Professional-Level Training.
We have a commitment to this diverse community and education and training. We believe that live theatre offers unique opportunities for learning for children, teens and adults. We seek to be a thriving and progressive part of the growth and expansion and reach of arts education and training for children, teens and young adults in the South Florida area with our strong Conservatory-Style Training Program and thus proving to be an integral asset to the cultural life of this region. We strive to work with local artists, to partner with local institutions and organizations and to engage our audiences, especially the youth, in the development of our work.

Commitment to Community.
A deep respect for all of the people who make RTC happen – students, actors, staff, donors, volunteers, board members and audience members – informs everything that we do. Respect for community means respecting our social, political, economical and racial differences and embracing this diverse voice both onstage and off, hearing the needs of our community and developing ways to respond effectively. RTC is committed to engaging the diverse community in South Florida by being active in school outreaches, by ensuring that our casts, staff, audience and board reflect the demographics of our community and, above all, by making great theatre available to everyone. We are committed to maintaining accessible ticket pricing and to offering some “pay-what-you-can” performances. RTC also belongs to a community of current working theatre artists. We are deeply committed to fostering collaboration and exchange in our community between other arts organizations, schools, and educational institutions that align with our core values.

Resourcefulness and Responsible Management.
The administrative structure of Renegade Theatre Company is a lean machine. We are a vision- driven, actor-centric non-profit theater, which requires that we make efficient and effective creative use of resources. We strive to be flexible and dynamic, continually adapting and improving our management strategies and always ensuring that our decisions are fiscally responsible and essential to RTC’s healthy operations.

Unwavering Loyalty and Familyhood.
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RTC is built on relationships, and those relationships are built on loyalty. Actors, stage managers, designers, volunteers and board members are all part of the RTC family. This artistic community is something very special. RTC is deeply committed to continuing to expand its artistic family and revitalizing the voice of anyone who has ever felt like or been seen as the underdog.

Board of Directors

Claudine Carter Pereira
Chairman
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Nikillia Lewis 
Vice-Chairman

Holly Jones
Secretary

Humphrey S. Braaf
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Jameelah Bailey


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  • Home
  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • The Team
  • Education
    • Auditions
    • What's Next
    • Get Involved
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • The Revolution 2020
  • Contact