Actique, A Global Performance Circle, Launches as a Keystone Creative Experiment of the Alma Film Festival
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Atlanta, GA — The Actique, A Global Performance Circle, officially launches as an ongoing, interdisciplinary performance experiment designed to explore new approaches to storytelling, embodiment, and shared humanity through global collaboration.
Developed over several months of collective exploration, Actique brings together actors from varied cultural lineages, geographic histories, and artistic paths. The ensemble reflects a wide range of lived experiences—spanning continents, disciplines, and generations—intentionally assembled to examine how difference, when placed in genuine creative dialogue, can unlock new performance languages and deeper human connection.
“We’ve been working together for several months now, and we’ve learned a great deal from one another,” said Anthony R. Page, creator of the Actiqueand Festival Director of the Alma Film Festival. “We intentionally brought together people with different backgrounds, different levels of experience, and different cultural perspectives as part of a creative experiment—to see whether we could discover new ways of storytelling and new ways of sharing humanity. This is not a one-off project. It’s an ongoing exploration, and one of the keystone programs within the Alma Film Festival.”
The Inaugural Actique Cohort
The initial Actique cohort is composed of performers whose artistic practices are informed as much by cultural memory and personal journey as by formal training:
- Angel L. Henderson, whose path into acting emerged through community, service, and self-discovery, bringing a grounded emotional intelligence shaped by years of working closely with people navigating real-life systems and transitions.
- Ms. Cheryl Booker, a veteran of Atlanta’s community theater ecosystem, whose decades-long commitment to storytelling reflects a life lived in devotion to craft, resilience, and the sustaining power of narrative.
- Noelle Wright, whose international upbringing and global mobility inform a performance sensibility rooted in curiosity, adaptability, and an expansive understanding of identity beyond borders.
- Déja Green (Ess), a multidisciplinary artist whose work moves fluidly between performance, poetry, and cultural entrepreneurship, carrying a philosophy of freedom, movement, and full self-expression.
- Tuanminh Do, whose lived experience at the intersection of Vietnamese and European heritage shapes a minimalist, presence-driven approach to performance grounded in observation and intentionality.
- Emily Anne Goes, a first-generation Filipino-American artist whose creative practice draws from ancestral traditions and a conscious reclaiming of cultural memory often absent from formal performance training.
- Chike Ohanwe, a Finnish-Nigerian performer whose career across stage, screen, and music reflects a commitment to instinct-led artistry and the courage required to navigate spaces where representation is still emerging.
- Tabe A. Wesley, a Cameroonian storyteller and educator whose work across Africa centers authorship, self-determination, and the importance of telling stories from one’s own cultural and creative truth.
Together, the cohort forms a collective not bound by uniformity, but by shared curiosity—each performer contributing a distinct perspective that challenges, deepens, and expands the group’s creative inquiry.
Leadership & Global Stewardship
Actique is guided by a leadership group that serves as Board Members of the Global Experiment, stewarding its vision and long-term evolution:
- Ciara A. Shaw, Director of Actique, whose work as an actress, playwright, and educator grounds the circle in cultural truth-telling, embodied practice, and intentional exploration.
- Chike Ohanwe, whose cross-cultural career brings a global lens to performance, risk-taking, and instinct-based creation.
- Tabe A. Wesley, whose commitment to creative infrastructure and artistic sovereignty informs Actique’s global outlook and ethical foundation.
In addition, Shate L. Hayes serves as a key stakeholder in the program and has been instrumental in helping lay the foundation for a strong, sustainable platform. Her strategic insight and early-stage support have played a critical role in shaping Actique’s structural integrity and long-term vision.
Together with Page, this collective ensures that Actique remains rooted in integrity, artistic rigor, and a commitment to expanding global performance vocabularies beyond inherited conventions.
A Living, Expanding Framework
Actique is designed as a living framework—one that will continue to evolve as new performers are invited into the circle. The work prioritizes process over product, cultural exchange over imitation, and depth over spectacle, while remaining firmly grounded in performance excellence and human truth.
The first public debut of the Actique will take place in Atlanta in Fall 2026, offering audiences an early encounter with this collaborative laboratory. As the Alma Film Festival continues to grow across multiple cities and global contexts, Actique will expand alongside it—deepening its impact with each festival cycle and welcoming new artists into the conversation.
Positioned at the intersection of performance, cultural inquiry, and global exchange, this Global Performance Circle reflects the Alma Film Festival’s broader commitment to experimentation, inclusion, and the necessity of something new.
For updates on Actique, upcoming performances, and future cohorts, visit www.almafilmfestival.com
More On Our Initial Cohort of Actors
Angel L. Henderson – Actor, Director & Producer
Angel L. Henderson, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, has spent the last decade making consistent strides in Atlanta’s vibrant theatre and film community, earning recognition for her versatility and dedication to the craft.
Her recent stage work includes standout performances in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, as well as Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias. Expanding her artistry beyond acting, Angel celebrated her directorial debut with Virgil’s Café, staged as part of The Blue Series: Bridges & Boundaries. Her growing passion for filmmaking has also led her to Eyeam Cinema’s 11Eleven11 Project—an immersive program designed to train participants in every stage of film production, from concept to completion.
On screen, Angel’s upcoming projects include the feature Holiday Heist, where she stars in the lead role of Hope, and Mighty Bonkers Goes to Camp, where she brings humor and heart to her role as Camp Counselor Melanie. She will also play the lead role of Tommy in the original stage adaptation of Wine in the Wilderness, the first of many projects she plans to develop through her newly formed production company.
Dedicated to growth, Angel continues to sharpen her skills through acting classes, workshops, and training with industry specialists. Whether on stage, on screen, or behind the camera, she is committed to telling powerful stories and inspiring audiences through her artistry.
Ms. Cheryl Evette Booker – Actor, Writer, Producer & Director
Ms. Cheryl Evette Booker, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is a celebrated stage actress whose performances have illuminated many of Metropolitan Atlanta’s premier theatrical troupes. She has brought depth and power to iconic roles such as Rose Maxson in August Wilson’s Fences—a performance that earned her a nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role while the production won Best Ensemble at the Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Awards. Her stage credits also include unforgettable portrayals of Lena Younger (“Mama”) in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Sister Margaret Alexander in James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, and Sister Mary Theresa in Sister Act: A Divine Musical.
Expanding her artistry beyond acting, Ms. Cheryl has embraced writing, producing, and directing. She co-produced and co-starred as Ouiser in Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias, and went on to create her own “sold out” one-woman show, Vessels of Honor, in which she embodies five extraordinary women whose stories have shaped our world.
Guided by her unwavering faith, Ms. Cheryl lives by the scripture: “…write the vision and make it plain…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3, KJV). With every performance and project, she continues to inspire, uplift, and leave a profound impact on audiences.
Chike Ohanwe – Actor & Singer
Chike Ohanwe is a Finnish-Nigerian actor and singer based in Finland whose career bridges cinema, music, and cultural history. He made his film debut in 2010 as the male lead in If You Love (Jos Rakastat), the first musical ever adapted into film in Finland. In 2020, Chike made history by becoming the first person of color to win a Jussi Award—the Finnish equivalent of the Oscar—for his acclaimed performance in the film Aurora. His prominence in the Finnish film industry continued when he co-hosted the nationally televised Jussi Gala in 2022.
As a musician, Chike spent over a decade touring internationally with rapper Signmark, the first deaf artist in the world signed to a major record label. Together, they performed across the globe, from Oslo to Paris, Shanghai to New York, breaking barriers and uniting audiences through music.
Currently, Chike is focused on his solo career as an R&B/Pop artist, with his debut album set for release in 2026. Whether on screen or on stage, he continues to push boundaries while amplifying diverse voices and stories to audiences worldwide.
Emily Anne Goes, born and raised in East Side San Jose, CA, is a Filipino (Pangasinan) New York-based performer and pathfinder. NYU Tisch New Studio on Broadway Grad.
Her recent performing credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Peterborough Players), Performing Filipina (Lianah Sta. Ana), In the Heights (Gateway Playhouse), Stuy or Die (Jason Wang), Payanam alMuhajir (Tuânminh A Đỗ, University Settlement). With her husband and creative partner, Tuânminh A Đỗ, she has co-created short films under Bai-Ka Productions, including the award-winning Lời Ru, the visual-dance poem What That Means to Me, and Olivia, which honors the daily life of a Filipina-American mother.
As community-based artist, Emily was in Residence at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club and NYSCA Folk Art Apprentice of Kinding Sindaw Heritage Foundation, where she was in service to asserting and preserving Filipino indigenous traditions and reflecting on the resilience and resistance against centuries of colonization under Spanish rule. Her work with Kinding Sindaw included producing the "In Honor of the Ancestors" Exhibit at La MaMa Galleria and performing across the borough of Queens, NY. She is also a member of the Malaya Movement, advocating for human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines.
Dedicated to nurturing spaces that honor ancestral histories and healing pathways forward, she serves as the Director of Operations at The CRAFT Institute, founded by Dr. Monica White Ndounou. With CRAFT, she builds for global initiatives including the Writers Retreat for Black Screenwriters, Black Theatre Day, and The International Black Theatre Summit, which most recently convened in Accra, Ghana. She also produced Britton & The Sting’s World Water Day summit and concert at Gramercy Theatre. Previously, she was the Operations Manager for Broadway Advocacy Coalition, and served as the Programmatic Committee Chair for their annual Arts in Action Festival, where organizations and individuals working at the intersections of arts and advocacy focus NYC’s attention on the many ways the “justice” system is failing and demonstrate the role that art can play in reimagining what is possible. She was also a part of the ArtEquity BIPOC Leadership Cohort 2024.
She is also the founder of Nourish and Nurture, a queer space inspired by Mia Birdsong’s How We Show Up. The monthly gathering centers food, conversation, and intentional community around themes of emotional awareness and collective care.
Emily is proudly represented by Anthony Leones and Infin8 Artists. @anthonyleonestalentmanager @infin8artists. With love and power, always, to her family. @emilyagoes
Déja Denise Green
Déja Denise Green is a New York City-based actor and voice artist whose work spans stage, screen, and sound. A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she brings depth, presence, and intentionality to every performance.
On stage, she has originated roles in the Off-Broadway production She’s Got Harlem on Her Mind (2023), the world premiere revival of Eulalie Spence’s 100-year-old play, which was named the best play of 2023 by Theater Scene and covered by The New York Times and The New Yorker.
On screen, she has appeared in short films (including one streaming on Amazon), national commercials, and has voiced global campaigns.
Her performance career has also taken her into large-scale televised events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade singing behind the likes of Brandy Norwood and later returning as a Wednesday Addams and a featured dancer for Bishop Briggs in Netflix’s first float.
Guided by a love of fluid, nuanced storytelling, Déja seeks to illuminate the multicolored facets of humanity—inviting audiences to feel seen, stretched, and transformed through story.
Noelle Wright
Noelle began acting at age seven in the production Goody and went on to train and perform with the Jamaica Musical Theatre Company, appearing in both acting and dance roles, including her final JMTC performance as Meg in The Phantom of the Opera. She later appeared in The Power of Love, performing opposite Charles Hyatt, Oliver Samuels, and Leonie Forbes.
After pursuing further studies in New Mexico, Noelle transitioned to screen work, becoming a presenter on Air Jamaica’s award-winning in-flight magazine show Island Stylee, at times serving as a substitute host. She continued this work during a brief period living in London before returning to Jamaica in 2004.
Upon her return, Noelle balanced theatre and on-screen projects, including hosting pilot features for BET and the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival. Her stage work during this period included Reality Check, followed by numerous acclaimed productions. From 2006 to 2012, she was a member of the national cast of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, performed annually for V-Day.
Her subsequent theatre credits include After Mrs. Rochester (dir. Brian Heap), Aliens Among Us (Tallawah Festival Best New Play), Love Games by Patrick Brown, and White Witch, for which she won the 2011 Actor Boy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later appeared in Vibes and In the Red & Brown Water, which received the Actor Boy Award for Best Tragedy.
In addition to her stage and screen work, Noelle is a highly sought-after voice-over artist. Her on-screen credits include the feature film Destiny and short films such as Masterminds (Kurt Wright), The Quiet Noise, and Kendal (Gabrielle Blackwood).
With a passion for bringing characters to life, Tabe A. Wesley has honed his craft across stage and screen, bringing Cameroonian stories and perspectives to wider audiences. On stage, he has delivered compelling performances in Nkuma, a socially charged drama exploring generational tensions; And Palm Wine Will Flow, a celebration of community and tradition; and Red Marks, a thought-provoking piece examining the scars of history.
His film career reflects the same versatility. He brought nuance to UNiB, a contemporary tale of youth and identity; delivered intensity in Bitter Roots, a drama exploring family conflict; and embodied layered characters in Storm Inside the Wall (SITW) and Sludge, both of which pushed the boundaries of Cameroonian independent cinema. In This Thing Called Love, Wesley shifted seamlessly into romance, showcasing his ability to balance lighthearted charm with emotional depth.
Beyond his work as an actor, Wesley is the founder of High Creative Film Academy, a training and mentorship hub in Cameroon dedicated to nurturing emerging talent in acting, directing, and film production. The academy provides aspiring creatives with hands-on workshops, professional guidance, and opportunities to engage with the growing Cameroonian and African film industry.
Guided by a keen eye for detail and a dedication to truth in performance, Wesley continues to captivate audiences—while building pathways for the next generation of African storytellers to shine on the global stage.
Tuânminh A Đỗ
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