Episode 85 with Donald Lacy, Jr.
June 30th, 2021
Comedic Lightness of Being
Award winning comedian, Donald Lacy Jr. talks with Holly about the craft, his daughter's tragic death, and the wisdom of his mentors. See Don live! at the Comedy Edge on July 3rd! Click here for tickets.
Donald Lacy, Jr.
Donald E. Lacy, Jr. is a writer, director, actor, comedian, radio talk show host, and activist. In 2018 Steve Sturla and The Studio City Film Festival created the Donald E. Lacy, Jr. Social Justice Award, given to filmmakers whose films address social issues. On May 19th 2019, CNN aired The Redemption Project with Van Jones documenting Donald’s anti violence activism in Oakland and his journey to forgive the 1 man convicted of his daughter’s murder. In 2017 he received Legacy award from Theater Bay Area for his art and activism. As a comedian he was inducted into the Bay Area Blues society Hall of Fame in 2013. He also appeared on BET’S Comic View and HBO’S Def Jam. A San Francisco State alumnus, with B. A. Degrees in Theater Arts, (with a film minor), and Black Studies. His T.V./Film acting credits include: About Cherry with James Franco, The Other Barrio, NBC show Trauma, "Jack", "Blood In, Blood Out", "L.A. Heat", "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" on ABC, and "Wolf" on CBS.
Stage Credits include: ColorStruck at Theater for the New City in New York that premiered in 2019 and returned by popular demand in 2020. ColorStruck the last live theater show during the pandemic on March 15, 2020. In 2019 the World Premiere of Candlestick at ACT’s Costume Shop. Casa De Spirits written and directed by Roger Guenveur Smith in 2018. Donald portrayed Wynton in The Royale at the Aurora Theater in 2017. In 2016 he appeared as Gabriel in August Wilson’s Fences at California Shakespeare Theater. A 25 city tour with The Miles Davis Experience for Columbia Records which he wrote. Follow Don on Instagram>
Holly Shaw, CHT is a performance coach, creativity researcher and stand up comedian and has spent a lifetime in film, T.V. and on professional stages all over the world as an actor, dancer, and director. She has helped hundreds of artists, from Emmy award winning and Grammy nominated artists to world class choreographers overcome their anxiety, stage fright, impostor syndrome, and creative blocks so that they can create original work and totally crush it on stage again and again without feeling like they're selling out or losing their sanity.
In 2016, Shaw wrote and published, The Creative Formula which has become an Amazon bestseller and in 2020 published her second book, Making Art In The Middle of Madness which has become a #1 New Release. The Performers & Creators Lab podcast was named one of 2019's most outstanding podcasts by Databird Research. She teaches regularly at the Screen Actors Guild Conservatories in L.A. and SF and produces The Comedy Edge showcase in Oakland, CA where she lives with her son. Follow her on Instagram to stay up to date: @hollyshawspritely
Dan Cantrell is an Emmy award winning composer and multi-instrumentalist known for his innovative film scoring approach, and his virtuosic abilities on the accordion, piano and musical saw. “Hauntingly beautiful…quirky and energetic” says the San Francisco Bay Guardian. His extensive scoring catalogue spans a wide range of emotion and style.
Dan’s compositions for film and television have earned him numerous awards including an Emmy Award for KQED’s Home-Front,a Golden Gate award for the soundtrack to the documentary Divided Loyalties, and an Annie nomination for his work on three seasons of Cartoon Network’s the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.
His Orchestral music was recently featured by the Oakland Symphony, and his chamber music was performed at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the arts, and in Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. Dan also recently composed a suite of choral music performed by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir as part of their yearly concert series. Visit bellowhead.com
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