Di Shawn J. Gandy
Di Shawn J. Gandy is a talented playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter passionate about storytelling through theatre, film, and television. His plays have earned recognition, including an NJACT Perry Award nomination, selection to the Black Theatre and Arts Festival in Washington, D.C., and finalist status in the ITC Competition 2024 for his play An American Tree. Di Shawn co-founded Behind The Veil Productions, an award-nominated theater production company in New Jersey, with his wife, Dawn Monique. Di Shawn’s directing credits include Resistance (Official Selection, 30th Black Harvest Film Festival), Love And The Game (award-winning indie film), and The Old Settler (praised as meticulously directed by Broadway World). As an actor, he’s worked with theater groups in New York and New Jersey and appeared in indie films. Di Shawn has trained at New Federal Theater, George Street Playhouse Education, and Actor’s Approach Acting Academy. A multifaceted individual, hes also a pastor, musician, songwriter, and public speaker, residing in the Greater New York Area.
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An American Tree
Blurb
In “An American Tree” set in 1889 Alabama, the Bonner family’s legacy is threatened by revelation. Sophronia, a mulatto woman, and her husband Squire, both formerly enslaved, carry the weight of their past. But Sophronia guards the family’s darkest secrets, vowing to take them to her grave. The homecoming of their son Willie George and a mysterious letter threaten to expose the truth. As past and present collide, the family faces a heart-wrenching choice: preserve their fragile unity or confront the untold truth.