Actress, Playwright, Daughter of Activist Hosea Williams and Rep. Juanita Williams
Elisabeth Omilami, who has been in more than 40 films including “We Are Marshall,” “The List,” “Comeback Dad,” and “A Time to Kill,” is taking on the compelling role of Miss Emma Glenn in Dominion Entertainment Group, LLC’s (DEG) production of “A Lesson Before Dying” this summer in Decatur, Georgia. It is her character from which the drama derives its name, as an innocent young black man who is condemned to death learns how to die with dignity at the request of his grandmother.
Omilami has been seen in the Academy Award Winning films, “Ray” and “The Blind Side.” An Atlanta native and graduate of Hampton University’s theater department, she enjoys taking on roles that explore nuances of black culture.
“I’m honored to play family matriarch. Emma represents so much of the good that black women bring to this world. Pride. Strength. Love,” Omilami said. “She’s an archetype society can never forget.”
The cast alongside Omilami includes: Enoch King as the main character, Grant Wiggins; Simeon Daise, as Jefferson; Lee Buechele, as Sheriff Sam Guidry; Brittany Smith, as Vivian Baptiste; Trevor Goble, as Paul Bonin; and Kerwin Thompson, as Reverend Moses Ambrose.
This is Omilami’s first production with DEG, which is known for its annual holiday hit “Black Nativity” and has been developing musicians, playwrights, directors, filmmakers and artisans since its founding in 2015. Outside of the theater, Omilami has worked with her parents, world-renowned Civil Rights Activist Rev. Hosea Williams and State Representative Juanita T. Williams, and their organization Hosea Helps, formerly Hosea Feed The Hungry and Homeless. Her husband, Afemo Omilami, is COO of Hosea Helps and is also an acclaimed actor. They have two children – Awodele and Juanita – and four grandchildren.
Tickets for “A Lesson Before Dying” are on sale now from $10 for children to $30 for adults. Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center, a state-of-the-art, 500-seat theater in the historic Candler Road district of Decatur, is proud to be home to the play. For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2907574.
ELISABETH OMILAMI:
An actress and human rights activist, Elisabeth Omilami is a graduate of Hampton University’s theater department and has written several plays. She has been in more than 40 films and served as CEO of Hosea Helps, helping meet basic needs of the working poor and homeless. She is the wife of Afemo Omilami, actor and COO of Hosea Helps, with whom she has two children and four grandchildren. To learn more, visit www.4hosea.org.
