Riley Charles is a 6th grade student at Woodward Academy. Riley is excited about her first stage appearance with the Horizon Theatre in How Black Mother’s Say I Love You. Riley has been dancing with Eagles Landing Dance Academy since she was four years old. Participating in the Alliance Summer Camps for over three years, she found a love for acting. Riley has participated in school performances of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, as an Oompa Loompa, and this past school year she had the honor of being cast as Glenda the Good Witch, in the school’s production of Oz. She has been accepted into the Honors Theatre Program at Woodward Academy. As a dancer, Riley has participated in various recitals and performances. Most recently she performed with at the renown choreographer, Jimmy Locust, at the Locust Contemporary Dance Works Festival in New York City. In addition, she performed as a dancer with The Axam Dance Theatre Experience at the Southwest Arts Center during Fulton County Arts and Culture Dance Week 2018. In addition to Theatre, she was accepted into the Honors Dance Program at Woodward Academy. She is having a blast right now, with a great love for the arts. In addition to the arts, Riley loves to read, sing and is called a social butterfly by her teachers. She made the A honor roll through out her 5th grade school term and is looking forward to 6th grade. Riley is so particularly thrilled to be a part of this play that connects to her in a personal way. This production has sparked conversations about the migration decision and journey that her father and grand-mother have undertaken in moving from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States … and that in many ways mirrors the journey in the play. This has served to deepen her understanding of the characters, herself, her family relationships and her Caribbean heritage. She is honored (and a little bit awed) to be working with such a great cast of actors, and one of Atlanta’s own directors, Thomas Jones and thanks them for giving her this opportunity to participate in a story that is so close to her own.
