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Edye Evans Hyde (Sadie) can currently be seen as Miss Lucy every Saturday Morning in the Children’s Museum’s Come On Over (WOTV4). A Grand Award nominee, her theatrical performances have included principal roles in Fences, Dream Girls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Smokey Joe’s Café, Little Shop of Horrors, Blues For an Alabama Sky, Nunsense, Barnum (with) Peter Scolari, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ragtime, and most recently Actors’ production of Intimate Apparel. Edye has been teaching and performing jazz, blues and pop music for over 20 years in West Michigan, Los Angeles and Asia. Edye has shared the stage with world-renowned blues singer Linda Hopkins, pop singer Michael Bolton, actress Connie Stevens, the late Ray Charles and Cuban trumpet player, Arturo Sandoval. Edye has also appeared with The Grand Rapids Symphony and The West Shore Symphony. Edye also has recorded two very popular Jazz CDs, Girl Talk and Lady With a Song. "I was drawn to this play for so many reasons. The Delany sisters left us a real account of American history. It is tangible and truthful. You can see and feel it. When their lives unfold on stage, you are drawn to the honesty and non-biased stories that we have forgotten or were never taught. The stories are not "pretty" yet there is a joy and hope in their life that many people do not get to experience. I have always thought it would have been wonderful to sit with my grand parents and talk to them about my history. The Delanys’ story reminds us that we have come a long way as a country... but we have a lot more to do in terms of equality." |
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Cheryl LaMar (Bessie) has been a fixture on the Grand Rapids theatre scene for many years and has appeared in numerous productions for Civic Theatre, including You Can’t Take it With You, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1940’s Radio Hour, and The Uninvited. In her many years with Robeson Players, Cheryl appeared in over a dozen plays. She has been in productions with Actors’ Theatre, Circle Theatre, Opera Grand Rapids, and has also appeared in locally produced feature films, advertisements and training films. She is a member of the KMR Diversity Theatre and has won a GIANT award for her local theatre work. Cheryl is also a professional storyteller specializing in children’s folk and fairytales. She has a recurring role in Grand Rapids Children’s Museum’s television series Come on Over. Cheryl is retired from the Grand Rapids Public Library. She would like to thank Momma and Daddy, her Shero Sandy, and her dear friend Cedric for taking a chance on me. "I love the story of Bessie and Sadie. To be so blessed, to live so long, and to be able to tell the story. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of this. By telling their story I realize the struggle continues. More than 100 years have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted, but equal opportunity is still not a reality for many African-Americans, and other people of color. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others like them have found it necessary to seek and secure the rights that should be theirs as American citizens. Great changes have occurred as a result of their efforts: yet, there is still much to be done." |
