MYESHA-TIARA

Artistic Director

​

Hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and now resides in South Shore, Chicago. She is an actress, director and content creator. Myesha developed the idea of Perceptions Theatre in undergrad when she saw the lack of support that minority theatre students were receiving  in her department and she decided she wanted to become the change she wanted to see. In 2019 she made Perceptions Theatre into an official business then covid hit. She didn't allow that to stop her dreams and passion for creating a safe space for African American artists and a training ground for them and other artists of color. Some of her Chicago credits include: Court Theatre (For Colored Girls...), The Gift (Hamlet), Theatre at the Center (Steel Magnolias), MPACCT (Swamp Baby) B-Side Productions (Broke AF & Rap Mom), Artemisia (Every Waiting Heart, & What About The Children?), and The Artistic Home (The Wedding Band), she has also been featured in the Academy Award winning film 12 Years A Slave. She is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent, Inc.

JERLUANE 'JAY' JENKINS

Executive Director

​

Jerluane (Jay) Jenkins is a playwright and actor in Chicago and recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. While pursuing her Bachelor's in Theatre and Performance it became clear that opportunities in theatre were scarce for students of color. With this information and years of living in Chicago in mind Jerluane makes a conscious effort tell the stories of people who are often unheard. Her goal is to build up her community from the inside. 

TAMARUS HARVELL

Production Manager 

​

Coming Soon...

KENNETH BELL

Literary Manager ​

​

Kenneth Bell is a Chicago native and graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana with a degree in Political Science. He is also a local Chicago slam poet and musician and some of his work can be seen and heard on several social media platforms.

MARIAH GAMBLE

Marketing Director​

​

Mariah Gamble is thrilled to make her professional non-performing theater debut as the Marketing Director of Perceptions Theatre Company. After graduating with a B.A. in Theater from Temple University in 2018, she is eager to bring fresh ideas on distributing inclusive art to all corners of Chicago. Her experience in both social media and music marketing for film competitions, event productions, and music artists provides her with the experience and insight needed to excel in this position. Working as a professional actor herself also enables her to use empathy for how artists want their work to be seen to the public. One of the most exciting aspects of the company for Mariah is its existence on the South Side. Born and raised in Chatham, Chicago, she has seen a plethora of untold stories simply by walking the streets—a man singing loudly at the bus stop, children playing on the sidewalks, sirens followed by the rush of an emergency vehicle. To her, the South Side means rich history and freedom to be ourselves in our own element—love in community. That is why she’s chosen to work with this company. Perceptions gives its audience multiple perspectives from their variety of employees, and the backgrounds that come with them. Mariah is hugely excited to be a part of a team that brings local representation to the stage, to the screen, to your socials, your billboards, and beyond.

JAMISE WRIGHT

Casting Director​

​

Chicago native Jamise “Slim” Wright has appeared in film, theater, and television. More recently in Her Story Theater’s SIDE SHOWS as the bereaved mother in HSTs MONGER, where she received rave reviews. She has been seen in Chicago Fire’s winter finale episode, “The One Hundred”, “Windy City” an indie film directed by Gunjan Badjatya, “Dearly You Come To Me”, “Illumination” and the theater production of Just RANTing The Blues where she played the role of death. Jamise has showcased her improvisational skills with the Second City Workshop and is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. She is currently represented by The Stewart Talent Agency. 

ANTWON FUNCHES

Resident Graphic Designer ​

​

 Antwon Funches is a Chicago based theatre, music, and visual artist who centers Black, urban narratives and experiences. Antwon Funches entertains and educates from a humanistic, Nichiren Buddhist perspective.

JABARU KHALIQ

Resident Headshot Photographer

​

Coming Soon...

HOPE GUNDLAH

Grant Writer

​

Hope Campbell Gundlah is a Chicago-based playwright and actor.  While growing up in Massachusetts, she began working as an improv actor at an immersive, interactive experience called 5Wits. She came to the University of Chicago to study English and Theatre. As a student, she also worked as a Dramaturgy Research Fellow at Court Theatre, and spent several years teaching youth improv and devising at The Revival. She graduated from UChicago in 2020. Hope has acted with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Underscore Theatre Company (Moby Dick - A Musical), and Possibilities Theatre Company (Smokefall). Her own plays include The Poet in White (2020 Olga & Paul Menn Playwriting Award), New Bedford (featured in Accidental Shakespeare Company’s 2020 “Star-Crossed Lovers Fest”), The Interns, and Take Me Dancing (2016 Sherwood Collins Playwriting Award), all of which can be found on New Play Exchange. Outside of theatre, she works at Growing Home, Inc., a nonprofit urban farm that provides job training programs and organic food access to South Side communities.