The Light
By Loy A. Webb
Directed by Mariah Burks
Runtime: 70 minutes
No intermission or late entry. Once the performance begins, bathrooms will be closed to audience members (it is used in the performance).
Cast and Crew
Mariah Burks*..................Genesis
Robert Grant III..................Rashad
Stage management by Cam Henderson
Technical direction, lighting, and sound design by Nathan Nelson
*Appearing through an Agreement between Soft Belly Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
What You'll Find in this Program
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Cast Breakdown and Bios
A Message From Our Artistic Director
Director's Note
Special Thanks and Sponsors
Past Soft Belly Productions
A Note from the Director
This country is approaching 250 years and a reckoning is ever present. Be it on a global scale or at your own family dinner table. The human race has been tasked with questioning and discovering how we navigate a reckoning. Loy A. Webb offers up both a micro and macro lens of what it means to fight for and maintain ones freedom, resilience and joy.
Genesis and Rashad are the mirrors to those Black women who have felt unheard, never believed, misunderstood, and to the Black men who have been taken for granted and to anyone who is amid their own sojourn of learning and unlearning their own life systems. I would be remiss to not say how integral it is that this play will also be performed on Juneteenth/Freedom Day, A play written by a Black woman about Black people in a space that is a Black owned business. Let this be a show of freedom, resilience and joy in real time. Lean forward and enjoy show!
~Mariah Burks, Director
Mariah Burks
Genesis
Mariah Burks (GENESIS): she/ her is a Cleveland, OH native. ACTING: Dobama-The Comeuppance (Ursula), Little Women (Meg), Airness (Nina); 1st National Equity Tour of Clue: Live On Stage (The Cook/Singing Telegram Girl); Cleveland Play House- Antigone(Antigone); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Logainne) and more. DIRECTING: Talespinner Children’s Theatre-Everything I Feel; Near West Theatre- Ain’t Misbehvain’; Dobama-Marilyn Bianchi Kids Playwriting Festival 2023 and more. An alumni of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program; Alumni of Bowling Green State University’s Musical Theatre Program. Mariah was the recipient of the National Irene Ryan Acting Award at the Kennedy Center(ACTF) in Washington, DC. Other regional and local theatre work includes: Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theatre) and RAGTIME (Cain Park). Rob, you have my heart. Thank you Soft Belly for this amazing collaboration! IG:@magical_mariahb & @mrraremoments (Riah And Rob Experience Moments)
Robert Grant III
Rashad
Rob is a Cleveland-based actor born and raised in the city he loves. His stage credits include Haunted at Cleveland Public Theater and The Hobbit at Dobama Theatre. On screen, he has appeared in national commercials for Nationwide and Ford, and you can stream his film work in Eenie Meanie, now on Hulu and Disney+. Cleveland made him and he’s proud to keep telling stories here. He would also like to give a heartfelt thank you to his beautiful love, Mariah, whose constant love and encouragement mean the world to him.
Cam Henderson
Stage Management
Camille is a Northeast Ohio based stage manager and actress excited to be working with Soft Belly Theatre for the first time. Returning to the stage management after working on Cleveland Playhouse’s “A Christmas Story” , “Primary Trust” and “Tartuffe”, Camille is no stranger to the theatre scene in Northeast Ohio, with credits including the world premiere of George Brant’s “Rust: A Story of Steel and Grit” at Dobama Theatre. You may have also seen her work on other productions such as Dobama Theatre’s “Hot Wing King”, “Significant Other”, & “Little Women”, not forgetting her work down in Akron, OH. Akron credits include Akron Civic Theatre’s production of “Pride and Prejudice”, and Ohio Shakespeare Festival’s “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby”, “The Woman in Black”, and her acting debut as Bofur in “The Hobbit” as well as her performance as the Hostess and Queen in Theatre On Tap's production of "The Canterbury Tales".
“Welcome to the neighborhood!”
That was the first ever sentence Nathan and I heard when we moved to Larchmere three years ago. Since then, this street and community has been a revolving door of Cleveland artists with all sorts of mediums. The businesses on Larchmere have heart and the supportive environment they offer made starting Soft Belly Theatre possible when we first moved here. So it was only right that we collaborate with our neighbors and friends at Sha’Ran Studios and Academy Tavern to kick off our first show of the 2026 season. Because that is the Soft Bellied way: uplift the community that supports us so we can in turn support them.
Soft Belly Theatre is a 501(c)3 nonprofit theatre company whose sole aim is to empower local talent and small businesses through accessible art. We are Cleveland’s own “pop-up theatre” which means that since we are not tied down to a brick and mortar space, we can perform anywhere at any time. This allows us to utilize spaces that you might not categorize as a “theater” and collaborate with businesses that are interested in supporting the arts. The only way we are able to do this is through generous donors and patrons such as yourself! With your help, we can ensure that our actors and creative team are paid equitably and that we can continue supporting local businesses by renting out their spaces and exposing their services to a wider audience.
Please consider making a donation today and keeping Cleveland theatre accessible, diverse, and supportive of the community it represents.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
With Soft-Bellied Gratitude,
Meredith Nelson
Soft Belly History
We are proud to be celebrating our 3rd season of local, accessible, pop- up theatre in Cleveland. Take a look at some of our other work from previous seasons.
A special thanks to the following individuals for helping make our Soft Belly mission a reality
- Patti and Charles Nelson
The Academy Tavern on Larchmere
The Larchmere Community Association
CLE Urban Winery
If you or someone you know has has been a victim of sexual assault or abuse, The Cleveland Rape Crisis center supports survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promotes healing and prevention, and advocates for social change.
