Stage credits include the original productions of Del Shores' Cheatin', Daddy's Dyin' Who's Got the Will?, Sordid Lives and Southern Baptist Sissies. He is featured in the movie versions of Sordid Lives and Daddy’s Dyin other films include Madhouse, For Heavens Sake and The Stray. On TV he’s worked on Arrested Development, Alias and is recurring on HBO’s Big Love. He is a principal member of the L.A. Mad Dogs, one of the industry's busiest voice-over groups (Crash, Shop Girl, Madagascar, etc., etc.). An ex-Texan, he plays “General Sam Houston” as the host of the Texas History Museum’s Texas Hall of Heroes at the State Capitol in Austin. He has produced and performed in 33 hour-long radio dramas for the Autry Museum of Western Heritage for PBS. Newell performed as Neil Young's opening act “Dan Clear” for 84 shows in 1983-84. He and his wife Rosemary have one shitload of kids and Grandkids.

The multi-Emmy nominated Burke will tackle three roles in the production, playing the mothers to sons who are each coming to terms with and questioning their faith and sexuality. 

Burke was last seen on Broadway in Steel Magnolias, playing the role of beauty salon owner “Truvy.”  Before that she made her debut on The Great White Way starring in Thoroughly Modern Millie as “Mrs. Meers.”

Delta Burke is best known for her portrayal as Suzanne Sugarbaker in CBS' "Designing Women" (1986), which ran for five seasons and for which she received two Emmy nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. When a teenager Burke represented Florida in the Miss America Pageant, and won a talent scholarship, which she used to attend a two-year study program at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She got her first television role within a month of her arrival in Los Angeles. She starred in the TV movie The Seekers (1979) (TV) and the series "The Chisholms" (1980). She had the leading role in "Filthy Rich" (1982) and a starring role in HBO's first weekly series, "1st & Ten" (1984). Through her own production company, Perseverance, Inc., Delta produced and starred in the ABC television series "Delta" (1992). She actually sang in the series and dyed her dark hair blonde for the role. She was reunited with "Designing Women" (1986) creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason when she starred in and produced "Women of the House" (1995), in which she reprised her role as Suzanne Sugarbaker. Much of Delta's time now is spent designing clothing and managing her New York company, Delta Burke Design, which is becoming very successful. She is married to actor Gerald McRaney.

Anthony hails from St. Louis, MO, and has studied jazz, hip-hop, street dance and theatre at the University of MO-Columbia, Minnesota Dance Theatre and has over 15 years of dance and choreography experience. He has performed in a variety of stage, video and television productions. His credits include Prince’s CD-ROM The Beautiful Experience, Glam Slam’s Erotic City Cabaret and Richard Simmons' Blast Off! fitness video series. He has choreographed for Horst’s Aveda Congress, Girbaud Jeans and a variety of song, dance, special events and theatrical production, Tony Jarris's Tell Veronica, Del Shores' Southern Baptist Sissies. He currently is in production with a new musical and Special Events Cabaret, Creation Temptation (www.creationtemptation.com) and has been employed as a dancer for seven years with The Wayne Foster Orchestra and teaches his unique Hip-Hop-Jazz dance choreography at 24 Hour Fitness- West Hollywood. He is a “constant creator” who continues to deliver energetic and innovative performances!

Emerson has relocated from Dallas, Texas to join the cast of Southern Baptist Sissies.  He appeared previously in the role of Benny with the Uptown Players in Dallas.  His other theatre work throughout Texas includes productions with the Dallas Theater Center, Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, Dallas Children’s Theater, Casa Manana, Granbury Opera House, Lyric Stage, WaterTower Theatre, Classical Acting Company and others.  His most recent roles include: Jonathan in the Regional Premiere of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s King David, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Ponyboy in The Outsiders, Joseph in Joseph…Dreamcoat, Eric in An Inspector Calls, and Hans Brinker in Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.  He received a 2004 Column Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for the role of Dickon in The Secret Garden.  Emerson graduated Phi Betta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Baylor University.  He would like to thank Del for this incredible opportunity to be a part of creating art that encourages understanding.

Rich is a native of New York City and has been acting since the age of six.  He pursued his dream from this young age by appearing in local stage productions and school plays.  He then attended an acting intensive at Carnegie Mellon and graduated from The University of Florida with a BFA in drama.  While in Florida Rich received accolades for several of his stage performances including Lost in Yonkers and A Streetcar Named Desire, both at The Hippodrome State Theatre.  After college he returned to New York City and began to work in television, booking roles on Saturday Night Live and All My Children.  He began to study with renowned acting teacher Susan Batson and his work with her led to a string of blazing performances in Off-Broadway productions, including a suicidal heroin addict in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie, a schizophrenic in Paved Roads and a terminally ill AIDS patient in Equal Time.  Upon returning from an acclaimed run of The House of Yes at The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, Rich decided to move to Los Angeles.  His stage credits here include The Blank Theatre Company’s Young Playwrights Festival and The Gangbusters Theatre Company’s Balm in Gilead.  Recent TV appearances include American Dreams and Strong Medicine, and he has completed several independent films.  He would like to thank Del for this opportunity and for giving a voice to those who have none. 

Ted was born in Indiana and raised in South Carolina.  He grew up on a surfboard and turned pro and 16.  Shortly after, he injured his ankle and during recover time, he found theatre.  Two years later he found himself at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU where ballet and tap replaced Bali and Australia.  After graduating with the NYU Outstanding Actor Award, he moved to L.A.  Through a mutual friend he ended up on the set of Ned & Stacey where he met Del Shores (who was a producer on the series), and a friendship started.  Soon after, he appeared in a national Levi’s “Nice Pants” ad campaign.  He has starred in numerous musicals and plays.  TV credits include Crossing Jordan, Sliders and Hyperion Bay.  His film credits include: Must Love Dogs, The Ring 2, After Sunset, Chasers and Blood Money.  Ted played “T.J.” in the last L.A. production of Sissies, is thrilled to be back.

Her Feature Film work includes: Domino (directed by Tony Scott), The Pledge (directed by Sean Penn), The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, The Journey of August King, Sordid Lives, and most recently Our Very Own which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival.  On Television, she was ‘Opal McHone’ in the CBS series Christy and later reprised the role for PAX’s special event movies. She has numerous guest-star appearances including ER, Frasier, CSI, The X Files, City of Angels, King of the Hill, Close to Home, Gilmore Girls, Numbers and most recently as “Patty the daytime hooker” on the break-out new hit series My Name is Earl.  TV movies include Cagney and Lacey: Together Again and Prison of Secrets.

New York theatre credits include the Broadway production of Sir Peter Hall's The Merchant of Venice (with Dustin Hoffman) and extensive work in the off-Broadway companies Playwrights Horizons, The Signature Theatre Company, and Manhattan Punch Line where she was an artist in residence with the comedy troupe for three years.

In Los Angeles, Dickey has worked closely with writer/director Del Shores in productions of Daddy’s Dyin' Who’s Got the Will?, Sordid Lives, Southern Baptist Sissies, and most recently The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife.  Other LA stage work includes The Women with Theatre Neo, Conquest of the South Pole with the Odyssey Ensemble and The Body at the Matrix

Her performance as "Velma" in Horton Foote's Laura Dennis earned her a Dramalogue Award for Outstanding Performance.  Dale has appeared in Regional Theatres across the country. Most notably: Paper Mill Playhouse (To Kill a Mockingbird, with George Grizzard), and The Clarence Brown Theatre (starring opposite David Keith in The Rainmaker). Dale was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Update:  Dale just wrapped two indie films one is a German film "Nothing But Ghosts" - based on the book by Judith Herman.  It was filmed in the in Austin Nevada - about a group of Europeans that get stranded in the desert - Dale minds an old saloon hotel that ghosts inhabit.  The second, "The Yellow Wallpaper," is loosely based on a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  It was filmed in Georgia, and is a period piece.  Dale plays Jenny - the older sister to Juliet Landau's character.

Emmy nominated actor, LESLIE JORDAN stepped off a Greyhound bus in 1982 from the hills of Tennessee, said “hello” to Hollywood and has never looked back. With hundreds of television shows, films and commercials to his credit, he has become a familiar face on the entertainment scene.  Audiences will recognize him from his performance as “Brother Boy” in the feature film Sordid Lives .  In addition to numerous guest-starring appearances on television, he can be seen in recurring roles on Boston Legal, Will and Grace, and Reba.  He is starring in the ABC Family movie Chasing Christmas, which will air this holiday season.  On stage, Mr. Jordan won the Ovation Award, The Garland Award and The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his portrayal of “Preston ‘Peanut’ Leroy” in Southern Baptist Sissies.  His autobiographical one-man show, Like a Dog on Linoleum, ran for six months at the Elephant Asylum in Los Angeles, at the Bailiwick Theater in Chicago, and this spring will be returning to the 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta, where it ran to sold out houses this past summer.  Mr. Jordan has also enjoyed considerable success as a writer. His play Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies That Have Plagued My Life Thus Far ran to sold-out houses in Los Angeles and had a successful seven-month run Off-Broadway in New York.  His screenplay Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel won the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival's Production Grant Award, and is currently being distributed by Northern Arts Entertainment.

Levi performs the song Stained Glass Window at the end of each performance of Southern Baptist Sissies... a song he co-wrote with Del Shores.  Levi’s new CD, “One Of The Ones”, is an intimate collection of songs regarding the intricacies of human relationships. Framed by nothing but a piano and his voice, these songs are carried by lyrics that are naked, vulnerable, and instantly relatable.

Check out his website for more information and to sample his music... www.levikreis.com

T. Ashanti received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Southern California.  He has performed in numerous theatrical productions throughout Los Angeles and London.  His favorite roles include: “Feste the Clown” in The Twelfth Night, “Belize” in Angels in America: Perestrokia, “Guy Smith” in In the Boom Boom Room, “Duke Vincentio” in Measure for Measure and “Othello” in Othello the Moor.  In addition to acting, Ashanti is a gifted dancer, writer, clothing designer and stylist.  Ashanti would like to thank his mom for all of her love and guidance, his family, friends and the wonderful cast for all of their support.

David was last seen in the critically acclaimed play, Eat Me for which he was nominated for an L.A. Weekly award. New York credits include: Down Hearted Blues with Jenifer Holiday at the Chelsea Playhouse, The Heidi Chronicles at the Gloria Maddox Theatre, The Witness at the Chernuchin Theatre, The Life of Ben Caldwell at the Shomberg. Film/TV include: As the World Turns, official 2003 selection: Tom Clay Jesus. He would like to thank Del for his support and generosity as well as the opportunity to work with this wonderful cast.

Scott hails from a small town in Kentucky called Somerset.  He is a "REAL LIFE SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSY!"  He attended acting school in New York at the New Actors' Workshop, where he studied for two years with Mike Nichols and Paul Sills.  When he moved to LA eleven years ago, a former teacher at his acting school gave him a list of people to contact.  One of them was a guy by the name of Del Shores.  They talked several times about a play that Del was writing about four boys growing up gay in the Southern Baptist church.  You probably see where this is going by now. 

Scott is extremely proud to be a part of this production as he realizes its importance.  He is also very proud that his beautiful husband, Anthony, is a part of this production as the choreographer and an Ikette.

Ann most recently appeared as “Betty” in Defying Gravity for The Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, CA, where she for which she received a Robby nomination. Previously, she appeared in a 10-month run of Del Shores’ play, Southern Baptist Sissies, both in Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas. Her portrayal of “Odette Annette Barnett” garnered her a Robby Award, a Maddy award, as well as the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a nomination for The Ovation Award.

L.A. theatre-goers have also enjoyed her in other award-winning productions such as BD (for which she received a Drama-Logue award and the Robby Award for Best Actress in a Drama), How the Other Half Loves, Steel Magnolias, The Glass Menagerie, Daughters of the Lone Star State and another Del Shores’ comedy hit Sordid Lives in which Ann played “LaVonda Dupree”, a role she reprised in the award winning film also starring Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke and Beau Bridges. It has achieved an enormous following in Palm Springs bordering on cult-status. Some of Ann’s other film credits include: Father of the Bride II, The Fantastics, It Takes Two, Soulman, and The Jagged Edge. TV guest appearances include: Las Vegas, Sex, Love & Secrets, JAG, Passions, and Mad TV. You can look for some of her movies-of-the-week on the Lifetime Network: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story, She’s No Angel, and Willing To Kill – The Texas Cheerleader Story.

Joe Pat is thrilled to be back “in church” with Del!  He created the dual roles of “Brother Chaffey” and “Houston” in the original 2000 production of Southern Baptist Sissies (as well as musical-directed the show).  He also collaborated with Del on the award-winning play The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife (2003 Ovation Nominee), composing the show’s songs, co-writing the lyrics and appearing onstage as the pianist.

Joe wrote the songs to the cult hit musical Judy’s Scary Little Christmas (another Ovation Award winner) which has enjoyed sold-out engagements in Los Angeles, Portland, Des Moines and Chicago.  The original cast album was recorded a few months ago.

Joe wrote the music and lyrics for Leslie Jordan’s off-Broadway show Hysterical Blindness & Other Southern Tragedies, which ran for seven months at the Soho Playhouse in NYC, then played in L.A., Richmond and Fort Worth (in a production Joe also directed).  Joe Pat wrote the book, music and lyrics for the satirical musical The Grave White Way (2001 Ovation Nominee), at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood.  Other L.A. songwriting credits include She’s a Handful, In Sherwood and Plum Pink Pedicure.  He has written songs for several films in development at Warner Brothers, and was the head writer/songwriter for the NPR comedy broadcast Propaganda Radio. 

Joe’s current musical Fools For Broadway (for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics) is currently being workshopped by the acclaimed Directors Company in New York.  His numerous original songs have been sung by many Broadway vets, including John Raitt, Loretta Devine, Jason Graae, Davis Gaines, Ken Page, Harry Groener, Stephen Schwartz, Sharon McNight, Billy Porter, Susan Egan, Mary Bond Davis, Valarie Pettiford, Gregory Jbara and Billy Barnes.  Joe is a member of ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild.