The Renaissance Guild

Jenelva Carter, Secretary, Historian, ActOne Co-Program Manager
Jenelva Carter is a recent theatre arts graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word. During her collegiate years, she worked as an assistant director/and writer for Oral Roberts University’s community theatre troupe Harvest, as stage manager for the productions of Oklahoma! and Pygmalion (Reader’s Theatre), and as props master for TRG’s first season. Her recent acting credits include: Beneatha Younger in A Raisin in the Sun, Young Annabelle/Linda in The Magic Act, Beauty/Amiga Gringa in In the Blood and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the spring of 2004 her first one-act play Lorraine’s Stranger was chosen for TRG’s ActOne Series. In her spare time she enjoys singing karaoke (at top of her lungs!), playing the violin and salsa dancing (ole!). In the future she plans to continue acting and directing.

Martha Elizabeth Saenz Buchanan, M.Ed.
Martha has an unyielding passion for theatre, has enjoyed over twenty-eight years performing in different venues throughout San Antonio, and firmly believes that God-given talent, ambition, and determination should not be ignored, or dismissed, but should be encouraged and mentored. She is a proactive mother, creative writer, effervescent actress, tireless volunteer, and deeply involved in the San Antonio community. Recently, she has started her first year of UIL Adjudicator for one-act plays, and is looking forward to offering constructive criticism to the next generation of San Antonio performers. In her work with the renaissance guild, Martha hopes to increase community support and funding resources as well as encourage overall participation in upcoming TRG productions.

Scharlette Donald
Scharlette, a San Antonio native, became involved in with the Renaissance Guild in the summer of 2007 when she worked as a light board operator for Steel Magnolia’s. “I had always had a faint desire to be in theatre but working on Steel Magnolia’s magnified it greatly”, she says. The following year, Miss Donald was able to perform in Act One Series volume XI and XII. She continued to work as a board operator for both lights and sound even until TRG’s current 8th season. After many months of voluntary commitment she applied to be a board member and was accepted.

As a board member, Scharlette works with Tony Campbell in community and audience development. She is primarily responsible for working on promoting The Renaissance Guild through social networking venues such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.

When asked what inspires her to work with the Renaissance Guild she says; “I was impressed by TRG’s commitment to promoting diverse roles for African Americans.“In a world where people are saying there are not enough good roles for African Americans’ here is TRG bringing taking roles originally intended for Non-African American actors and making hits out of them”. Like the old saying goes “If you can’t beat them, join them”.

Tony Campbell Development Director
Eric Platt
Scharlette Donald Development Committee
Danielle King, Treasurer/Founder
Paul Riddle, Jr., President/Publicity Director/Founder

Board Members
Standing-Jenelva Carter & Danielle King
Kneeling-Tony Campbell & Paul Riddle, Jr.

Photo by Scott Smith

Advisory Board
Gertrude Baker
Cathie Fry
Chris Sampayo
Ann Turner
Darrell Pittman
Antoinette F. Winstead
Sharon Renee’ Shepherd

The Renaissance Guild Founders:
Paul Riddle, Jr., Danielle King, Latrelle Bright (standing).

Photo by Mark Greenberg

Paul Riddle Jr.
Paul is a co-Founder and President of the Renaissance Guild (TRG).
He is a military brat and has been an active member of Mt. Zion First Baptist Church since the age of five. He graduated from Sam Houston High School and later graduated from the University Of Texas At San Antonio with a degree in Biology. Paul is currently employed as an Advisor IV for the Department of Human Services for over twenty one years as well as a part-time commission salesperson at Sears Ingram Park Mall for over twenty-nine years. (Anyone in need of lawn and garden equipment should visit Paul. Tell your friends!)

Paul began his acting career about seventeen years ago with his church theatre group founded by Kathy Hornsby. He continued acting with Hornsby Theatre Group for several years. Some of Paul’s onstage appearances include The Gin Game, A Soldier’s Play, The Stye of the Blind Pig, Ceremonies and Dark Old Men, To Be Young Gifted and Black, The Colored Museum, A Raisin in the Sun, The Piano Lesson, and Fences. Paul received a best actor Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of Troy in Fences.
More recently he appeared in the Renaissance Guild’s premiere play Betrayal, as well as Spell #7, Blessed Assurance and From the Wilderness into the Promised Land. His credits also include the S.T.A.G.E production of Blessed Assurance in Bulverde, TX, also winning Bulverde’s Best Actor award for the 2002 – 2003 season. He co-produced The Left Hand Singing, Riff Raff, A Raisin in the Sun (2006 winner of 6 ATAC awards), Fences, Steel Magnolias, Blues For An Alabama Sky, Dearly Departed, Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine, Dearly Departed and ActOne Series, Volumes II through XIV.

Paul is happy that TRG is in their new venue The Little Carver Civic Center. He continues to be thankful to God, the community, family and friends for their love and support

Danielle King
This Christian woman is a co-Founder, Treasurer, and ActOne Co-Program Manager for TRG, and has been acting (a fool) all her natural born life. Born in Los Angeles, California, her family moved to Seguin, Texas when she was eight. She attended school in Seguin and while in High School, she was cast in the lead for the children’s show, The Velveteen Rabbit. After hearing the sound of the children’s laughter and applause, she was hooked! Things have pretty much been the same ever since.

She recently completed a 14-year career in Corporate America, is the past instructor of Theatre Arts and Music at Walker Intermediate School, is currently employed by TWC, and is pursuing her dream of being a professional entertainer. She recently started her own Entertainment company-*Drama Child Productions*.

She has won several Alamo Theatre Arts Council Globe Awards, including two in 2008 for Best Actress in a Drama for Blues for An Alabama Sky (with TRG), and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Nuncrackers(with Church Street). In 2007 she won ATAC Awards for her roles in Harlequin’s Proposals for Best Actress-Comedy; and Best Supporting Actress-Comedy in TRG’s Steel Magnolias.

Her upcoming summer performances includes: Rumors, by Neil Simon (with TRG), and Hair Spray the musical (with the Woodlawn Theatre). Other recent performances includes: Crimes of the Heart: the musical Crowns (The San Pedro Playhouse); Hollywood and Time, by the late, great, Sterling Houston; her annual performance Black and Blue: 400 Years of Struggle & Transcendence; Cameoland, a musical; Spell #7 and Betrayal.

Off stage and behind the scene, she has Co-produced and assisted with numerous TRG productions, including: Dearly Departed, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Steel Magnolias, Fences, Godspell, and numberous ActOne Series.

Co-founding TRG with Latrelle and Paul has been a “dream come true.” Not only in acting and performing, but also in bringing opportunities and encouragement to others as they pursue their destinies. This one of the greatest things TRG can do to give back to the supportive San Antonio community. There is still a massive amount of untapped talent in this area that must be seen, heard, and experienced. Bring it on!

Latrelle Bright is a co-founder, past president and past artistic director (January 2001 through August 2005) of The Renaissance Guild (TRG), and has been involved in theatre since the age of ten. She studied theatre at the Boston Conservatory of Music and the US International University in San Diego before settling in at Florida State University from which she received a B.S. degree in Communications (Media Production) with a minor in Theatre. Starting from scratch is nothing new to her. While a student at FSU she co-founded a black theatre troupe on campus -The Black Players Guild. She has been active in the San Antonio theatre community for the past seven years by serving in a number of capacities for various theatre groups, on the Board of Directors and as Judge Coordinator for the Alamo Theatre Arts Council, Drama Director at Holy Spirit School, Drama Director at Antonian High School and a Producer Level member of the San Antonio Theatre Coalition. She has directed numerous plays for The Renaissance Guild, Jump-Start Performance Company, Playwright Festivals and special events.

Under Ms. Bright’s artistic direction, TRG produced the following plays in her four season tenure:

2001-2002
Betrayal by Harold Pinter
Bee-Luther-Hatchee by Thomas Gibbons
Godspell by Stephen Schwartz

2002-2003
Spell #7 by Ntozake Shange
The Left Hand Singing by Barbara Lebow
Riff Raff by Laurence Fishburne

2003-2004
The Magic Act by Laurence Klavan
In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

2004-2005
Frankenstein by Victor Gialanella
Somebody Else’s Life by Antoinette Winstead
Lysistrata by Aristophanes

In addition to the three MainStage productions each year, Ms. Bright also developed the ReadersTheatre Series, the ActOne Series which features the works of local and unpublished playwright’s and the Drama Workshops for kids which she facilitated in cooperation with the Carver Cultural Community Center.

Ms. Bright resigned from her positions of president and artistic director at the end of season four to pursue her MFA in Directing at The University of Memphis. She is grateful to her family for their support and understanding but particularly her mother for teaching her “to pray as though everything depended on God, and to work as though everything depended on herself!”

She hopes that TRG will continue playing an integral role in San Antonio’s growth as a viable performing arts community.

Check out Latrelle’s web site

Co-Founders Danielle King & Paul Riddle, Jr.
Photo by Scott Smith