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Cast and Crew Black Excellence

Please silence all devices and refrain from taking photos during the performance.

Written & Performed by:
Spencer Hodges, Kaleb Jackson, Wanjiku Kairu,
Terrance Lamonte, Jr., Daryn Robinson,
& Brittani Yawn

Directed By: Anthony LeBlanc
Assistant Director: Julia Morales

Stage Manager: Devonte E. Washington
Music Director: Tilliski Ramey

Choreographers: Adonis Holmes & Adisa Williams
Lighting Designer: Brenden Marble
Wardrobe Stylist: Chelsey Carter-Sanders

Producer: Jeremy Smith

Additional Writing by:  The Casts of The Second City

Second City is a professional production employing members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional Actors and Stage Managers.

The Ensemble

SPENCER HODGES

SPENCER HODGES (Ensemble) is an actress, writer, and improviser from NC who is happy to call Chicago a second home. You can catch her performing around town at LSI, iO, The Annoyance, and Second City with her teams Mortal Enemies, The Mermaids, Lil Sluggers, and Hell Mash. Elon University grad.

KALEB JACKSON

KALEB JACKSON (Ensemble) is a Chicago-based performer who is part of the Queerbait improv team and the Jewish Comedy Project. They are honored to be understudying this year’s Black Excellence Show, especially since they usually spend their nights watching documentaries or reading self-help books—exciting right?… For business inquiries,  kalejohnjackson@gmail.com. 

WANJIKU KAIRU

WANJIKU KAIRU (Ensemble) is a comedy writer, producer and singer and is thrilled to get black to her roots with this talented cast. Off stage, Wanjiku works with a wide range of producers in short films, commercials and print ads. She produces her musical comedy webseries Models, as well as comedy shorts RuPaul’s Space Race, and Girl Meets God. Wanjiku can also be found understudying for the latest e.t.c show, Oh the Places You’ll Glow. She is so thankful to the Black Excellence cast and crew for their hard work throughout the production process.

TERRANCE LAMONTE, JR.

TERRANCE LAMONTE, JR. (Ensemble) (he/him/muppet) is thrilled to be part of the Black Excellence Sketch Revue! A Chicago West Side native, Terrance has graced Mainstages in the US from ComedySportz-Chicago, Laugh Out Loud, The Annoyance Theater to international stage with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, NL. At The Second City, he has served as an understudy for numerous productions, including Best Decision You’ve Ever Made, Algorithm Nation and the Static Quo, and Dream Freaks Fall from Space. When not performing, you can find him streaming on Twitch (@tsregor), IG (@tsregor), teaching throughout the city, and trying to fund his website: terrrancelamontejr.meM.A.D s/o to my family for material, my brilliant partner for strength, this beautiful Black community of friends and colleagues, After School Matters ’11, and UIUC Improv 4eva.

DARYN ROBINSON

DARYN ROBINSON (Ensemble) is a writer/comedian originally from Washington, D.C. She recently performed in The Second City’s long-running and award-winning show She The People, and understudied for The Second City e.t.c. and Touring Company. Daryn also improvises with Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical (Baby Wants Candy) and Improvised Jane Austen (iO Theater), and co-produces the Chicago Reader Award-winning variety show My Best Friend is Black (Lincoln Lodge). A proud graduate of Northwestern University (MFA ‘23), Daryn contributes jokes to The Onion and is represented by DDO Artists Agency. Love to my parents and Michael! IG: @daryn_2dream. 

Brittani Yawn

BRITTANI YAWN

BRITTANI YAWN (Ensemble) (she/her) is a performer and writer originally from Cleveland, OH and has earned her BA in Theatre from Miami University. She has toured with The Second City’s Touring Company and is an alum of The Second City Bob Curry Fellowship (2021). Some of her credits include Oh! The Places You’ll Glow! (The Second City, ETC), Poison (The Plagiarists), The Suffrage Plays (Artemisia Theatre), and The Ridiculous Darkness (Sideshow Theatre Company). She has also performed with Hell in a Handbag Productions, the Annoyance, and iO, among others. Brittani is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent. Follow her on IG @no_l1mits 


Production &
Creative Teams

ANTHONY LEBLANC(Director, he/him) works at Nickelodeon/Paramount doing talent development and as an on-set acting coach on such hit shows as The Reboot of All That and The Really Loud House. He acted as Interim Executive Producer of The Second City in 2020. Previously, LeBlanc served as an Artistic Director for The Second City Inc., as well as a part-time faculty member at Columbia College Chicago. Anthony is a Second City alum who wrote and performed in two original Chicago Mainstage revues, Taming of the Flu and the Jeff Award-nominated America: All Better!. He has been a teacher and resident director for Second City, directing several resident stage and theatrical productions in Chicago and Washington, D.C., including The Winner … of Our Discontent (Chicago Mainstage), Soul Brother, Where Art Thou? (The Second City e.t.c.), Generation Gap at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Helen Hayes-nominated Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains) at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. And Independently including The Magic Negro and Other Blackity Blackness as Told by an African-American Man Who Also Happens to be Black at The Alliance Theatre in AtlantaA native of Beaumont, Texas, Anthony holds a degree in Computer Science and Physics from Loyola University New OrleansAnthony is an autistic Blerd dedicated to promoting Neurodiversity and DEI in comedy.

TILLISKI RAMEY (Music Director/Sound Design) (He/Him/His) has music directed for three revues with the Second City in the e.t.c. Theater along with their Touring Company. He also plays at the Chicago Magic Lounge, iO, ComedySportz, and performed at The Annoyance. Thanks to Mom, Jenna, family and pettiness. Hear more of his music as Cissy Spaceship on Spotify/Apple Music/Tidal or wherever else you stream music.

DEVONTE E. WASHINGTON (Stage Manager) is a Chicago native built up his skills in Backstage production.  He has molded his skills by learning the aspects of designing and building shows from scratch he found his home in Theater. His Talents have been used with many events, venues and shows throughout the city. Getting better with every show he wants to continue to get better at what he does while continuously learning more and more .This will be his second time working on the Black Excellence Show and He is excited for you to see this show. 

JULIA MORALES (Assistant Director) is a performer, writer, director, teacher, and mentor originally from Houston, Texas. She attended the University of Houston – School of Theatre & Dance and graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Jules first studied improv comedy in Houston and later moved to New York in 2008 after receiving the NBC Diversity Scholarship to study both sketch and improv comedy. She later moved to Chicago in 2015 while performing with the Second City Theatricals on the Norwegian Cruise Line. She was a 2018 Bob Curry Fellow and was later cast as an ensemble member of the Second City Green Co Touring Company. She is a Second City alum having completed two Mainstage revues, Do the Right Thing, No Worries If Not and Don’t Quit Your Daydream. Jules performs, directs, and teaches at the Annoyance Theater and performs at various theaters in the Chicago community. She is also an adjunct teacher and director at The Theatre School at DePaul University Comedy Studies program. In 2020, she founded a nonprofit organization called the Stepping Stone Theater which celebrates diversity in the comedy community. Jules is a master movie buff, a self care enthusiast, and an avid traveler. Follow her journey on IG @callmejules.

JEREMY SMITH (Producer) is honored and grateful to work on this production. He’s had the pleasure of producing many shows here at The Second City including shows on The Second City Mainstage, e.tc., and Up Comedy Club. He’s also produced shows at Chicago Shakespeare and The Goodman, as well as many regional theaters across the country. Thank you for supporting these wonderful artists and have a great time!

ADONIS HOLMES (Choreographer)  (he/him/his) is a Writer, Performer, and Comedian out of Chicago. Adonis graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelors in Psychology and Anthropology. Having produced, directed, and written several shows in the Champaign-Urbana community, he started taking improv classes and regularly performing at the iO Theater. Adonis has been featured in several sketch shows throughout the city, including Chicago Sketch Fest and the Best of Annoyance sketch show, along with being a principal writer and performer for Second City’s Dance Like There are Black People Watching, and Black by Popular Demand. Currently, Adonis is a member of Devil’s Daughter Improv, the independent improv team The Mermaids, a 2022 Bob Curry Fellow, and serves as Director and Co-creator of the all-Black improv show, Satirical Race Theory. Adonis also served as the Co-Artistic Director of the iO Theater, and is a National Leaders of Color Fellow curated by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF).

ADISA “DI” WILLIAMS (Choreographer) (she/her/hers) is a performer and choreographer hailing from the sunny island of Kingston, Jamaica! (Bap bap). A current Mainstage cast member (112), she has been performing comedy & dance on stages from LA, to Seattle to Chicago for the past decade. She enjoys training in jazz, funk, house and all styles. Her favorite dance crew is: Quick Crew, & favorite choreographers are Sienna Lalau & Parris Goebel.

BRENDEN MARBLE (he/him, Lighting Designer) Is excited to be coming back to Second City! After studying theater design at Eastern Michigan University, the Detroit MI native moved to Chicago to start living their dream of becoming a lighting designer! Recent credits include A Hit Dog Will Holler (Artemisia Theatre), Fairview (Definition Theater), Currents (Chicago Fringe Opera), and Dance Like There Are Black People Watching (Second City Chicago). Even though his career is just beginning, he knows this is something he wants to do for the rest of his life. 

CHELSEY CARTER (Stylist), native to Saint Louis MO, moved to Chicago in 2006 in efforts of pursuing her dreams to become a well-known designer. She applied and was accepted to The Art Institute – Chicago. Chelsey focuses on the abstract for inspiration for her designs. Her brand, Alex Carter which she launched in 2015, is unisex, catering to customers who are risk-taking and statement-making. Her goal is to exude sensuality in her clothing without having to bare it all. One of her biggest role models is her grandmother, who embodies everything she strives to be as a woman and feeds her drive as a designer. Her jackets can be seen on SZA and Chance the Rapper, and she has sold to Erykah Badu. She has been featured in Vogue Italia and many other magazines such as VerluxeSunTimes and Tribune. The Alex Carter brand is known for creating everyday clothes for not so everyday people. 


Understudies

JUSTIN FULLERTON

To Be Announced

ASYA MEADOWS

ASYA MEADOWS (understudy Spencer Hodges roles) is an actor, writer, producer, and performer from Chicago’s west suburbs. They’ve trained at Actors Studio Chicago, Vagabond School of the Arts, and Logan Square Improv. In 2024, Asya was an OTV Hall Recipient and featured in What Happened to Dorothy Bell?, a Fantastic Fest selection. They’ve performed with the improv team Satirical Race Theory, won Improvised Survivor at IO Theater, and recently Recipient of Bob curry Fellowship 24/25. Off-stage, Asya enjoys learning ASL and Spanish, Italian food, reality TV, and cherishes their family and
community.

SABRINA ODIGIE

SABRINA ODIGIE (understudy Daryn Robinson roles) Sabrina has trained and performed at numerous famous comedic institutions across the country, including The iO Theater, The Second City Chicago, Upright Citizens Brigade, The Pit, and The Annoyance. A graduate of the Second City Director’s Program, she also Assistant Directed the hit show Dance Like There Are Black People Watching (2023), the 2022 Bob Curry Fellowship, and 4-time Jeff-nominated ‘Do The Right Thing, No Worries If Not’ (2022) at Second City. You can follow her on IG at @sillygalbribi

TAKAHANA SAVOLAINEN

TAKAHANA SAVOLAINEN (understudy Wanjiku Kairu roles) (They/She) is a co-producer of the Spades Table, a multi-disciplinary artist, and a Chicago native. They can be seen in shows around the city including: Improvised Housewives, Shamilton, Baby Wants Candy, and the 2025 Bob Curry Fellowship Revue. In their free time they enjoy watering their plants and snuggling their cat, Joni.

JASON TOLLIVER

JASON TOLLIVER (understudy Terrance Lamonte, Jr. roles) was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. Jason has studied and performed all over Chicago including Second City, Annoynace theater, and IO.  Jason is also an ensemble member at Comedy Sportz and Revival Theater.  Jason is a graduate of Norfolk State University, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

UNDERSTUDY

TO BE ANNOUNCED

UNDERSTUDY

TO BE ANNOUNCED

UNDERSTUDY

TO BE ANNOUNCED


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