A Theatrical Poetry Night
Monday, May 14 at 7:30 pm
Pay What You Wish ($10 recommended, no minimum)
Presented by Trinity Rep and Tell Your Truth
At this dynamic spoken word poetry showcase, five local storytellers will share work exploring collective memories, heritage, growth, change, and rebirth. Presented to complement the lyrical language of La Tempestad — The Tempest, Voices in Verse continues both Trinity Rep and Tell Your Truth RI’s missions of celebrating local artists’ voices. La Tempestad cast member Rudy Cabrera (aka “Rudacious”) is joined by Navah The Buddaphliii, Marleny Luna, Jermaine L. Pearson and Valerie Tutson for this one-night only event.
Click here to get tickets. This event is Pay What You Wish!
About Tell Your Truth
Tell Your Truth is a BIPOC-led 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting Rhode Island’s artistic community. Founded by nationally-acclaimed poet Damont Combs and four other visionary board members, the organization has grown to a diverse and passionate nine-member board. Tell Your Truth is committed to fostering creative expression through innovative workshops and seminars focused on youth education, mental health, and emotional well-being in both educational and workplace settings. Learn more at tellyourtruthri.com
About The Performers
Navah The Buddaphliii
Navah The Buddaphliii, previously known as Crystal Beck, is a distinguished poet and performer with over 20 years of experience in the literary arts, headquartered in Greater Boston. As the author of “Black Cocaine and Colorless Butterflies,” she has made notable contributions to the poetry community, performing at local venues and prestigious theaters. She has been recognized by the City of Boston and the Atlanta poetry community. With over 30 years of experience as a spoken word artist, Navah is dedicated to fostering poetry, art, and activism through her work and by leading abstract writing workshops in colleges, inspiring and collaborating with poets around the globe to ensure the vitality of the literary arts for future generations.
Rudy Cabrera (Rudacious)
Rudy Cabrera (aka “Rudacious”) is an actor, poet, and storyteller from Providence, RI. Rudy began acting at age 17 and has since appeared in a variety of stage productions, ranging from classical to contemporary to bilingual projects. Most recently, Rudy graced the Providence Performing Arts Center’s stage for Trinity Rep’s 2024 production of A Christmas Carol, and you can currently catch him in La Tempestad — The Tempest. On camera, Rudy played Dimitrius in the Boston-based web series “The Pineapple Diaries” and Jason Myers in the award-winning hip-hop horror short film, Deep Redd.
As a poet, Rudy has performed nationally in poetry slams, representing the Lizard Lounge team in Cambridge, MA. In 2013, his team made the top 8 in the country. A two-time winner at the 2024 Motif Awards, Rudy has dominated the stages of countless schools, fundraisers, conferences, and random hole-in-the wall dive bars.
“I’m just a lover of language. I seek both the wittyess of language to entertain and the purpose of language to create the emotion or message I want the audience to have! It’s really about connecting words with people!”
Marleny Luna
Marleny Luna is Dominican American actress, spoken word poet, model, published author, and Rhode Island College graduate. She has been recognized on numerous occasions by state officials not just for her contribution to the arts and the Latino community, but for being a role model to our youth, for her commitment to financial literacy, and her involvement in education.
Marleny has made a name for herself domestically and internationally with her captivating energy, whether on stage or on screen. She is also the author of En Voz Alta, a compilation of bilingual poems about the Latino experience in the USA.Her work continues to be presented, studied and reviewed in many classrooms across New England and abroad at various academic levels.
Marleny was one of the 50 women featured on the book Remarkable Latina Women of Rhode Island by Nancy Patiño, released in September 2023. Marleny is aware of her gifts and talents with words and language and emphasizes the power in telling our stories—while simultaneously inspiring, entertaining and educating about our experiences and journeys.
Jermaine L. Pearson
Jermaine L. Pearson, also known as Jermaine from Chicago, is an avid writer, actor, singer, preacher, and spoken word artist who can be seen around the country using his artistry and platform to advocate for social justice issues. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Jermaine received his BA in public relations from Columbia College Chicago. Previous roles include Rev/Pap in Fat Ham (Wilbury Theatre Group), The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol (The Hanover Theatre), The Voice of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors (Artistree), the understudy for Sweeney Todd and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Trinity Rep), Evan in Sweat (The Gamm Theatre), the understudy for Troy in Fences (Nashville Repertory Theatre), Mister in The Color Purple (Roxy Regional Theater), and Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun (Barker Playhouse). Follow him on his artistic journey, IG: Jermaine_From_Chicago.
Valerie Tutson
Valerie Tutson has traveled the world teaching, gathering, and sharing stories and songs. Her repertoire includes folktales, personal and historical stories with an emphasis on Black traditions, and first-person Bible stories. She works in schools, libraries, festivals, churches, conferences, businesses, and universities. She believes in the power of storytelling to help us heal ourselves and our communities.
Valerie is a founding member and director of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers and FUNDA FEST: A Celebration of Black Storytelling. Valerie also creates spaces for people to learn storytelling skills. She has been actively involved in the Arts and Health Commission Steering Committee and partnership between the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and The Rhode Island Department of Health.
Valerie graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in a self-designed major, “storytelling as a communications art,” and a master’s degree in theatre. Valerie earned an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island College. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts from Trinity Rep. Facebook: Valerie Tutson. Email: vtutson@yahoo.com
