Leslie Lewis Sword
Performer, Writer, and Co-Creator Website
Leslie Lewis Sword has performed MIRACLE IN RWANDA over 100 times. Her work has been nominated for an Amnesty International Freedom Expression Award, an Audele award for best solo performance, and honored by numerous prestigious festivals.

Leslie made her New York debut as Dorothy Dandridge in a solo show at the National Black Theater of Harlem, under the creative direction of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer.

Other credits include co-starring with Billy Zane in the short film Starving Hysterical Naked, a biopic about the Beat Generation Writers. She graduated from Harvard University, and received her MFA in acting from UCLA's Department of Theater. Leslie and her husband have adopted two children from Rwanda, and she divides her time between NYC, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.

Edward Vilga
Director & Co-Creator Website
Edward Vilga directs and co-created MIRACLE IN RWANDA with Leslie Lewis Sword. Recent credits include writing and directing the feature film DEAD BROKE (released by Warner Brothers DVD, starring Paul Sorvino, Jill Hennessy, John Glover, Tony Roberts, and Justin Theroux). Vilga has had five books published, including a best-selling line of books and DVDs about accessible yoga that have has been translated into a dozen languages. His most recent book is about the spiritual lessons from his beloved dog, (www.TheYogaOfBelle.com)

Mr. Vilga’s visual art includes a series of Rwanda canvases that have received several awards and gallery shows. He is a Yale graduate.

Schele WilliamsDirector
Close to the Sun, Dramatist Guild NYC, The Man In My Head NYMTF, Piece NAMT, Emergence-See! The Public Theater (assistant dir), Piece TheaterWorks Palo Alto Ben Vareen Concert Tour; Cam Jamsen 2005-2007 National Tour (Dir/ Chor); Aida Ogunquit Playhouse ME, Piece. As an actress Schele was Seasons of Love Soloist in Rent on Broadway and in the original cast of Disney's Aida as Nehebka and Aida Standby.

Immaculée Ilibagiza  Website
Immaculée is a remarkable and inspiring young woman. In 1994, her life was savagely and permanently disrupted during the Rwanda Genocide that left over a million Rwandans dead. Her own family was brutally murdered during the three-month slaughter.

Miraculously, Immaculée managed to survive. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently and cramped together in an undiscovered extra bathroom in a local pastor's home. Her terror escalated as hundreds of machete-wielding killers searched the house repeatedly for her without success, determined to find and butcher her.

During her confinement, Immaculée moved beyond intense fear and rage, to find a deeper connection to God than she ever thought possible. Drawing from Immaculée's own accounts of this incredible journey, MIRACLE IN RWANDA dramatizes the power of faith to guide one towards inner peace even in the most unendurable and unimaginable circumstances.

In 2006, Imaculée's book LEFT TO TELL debuted at #8 on the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a sought-after speaker, often appearing with Wayne Dyer in his PBS specials. With her family, she makes her home in New York City.

Carl Nelson  Producer
Carl Nelson's expertise for creating synergies that reflect humanity and the arts is well-known in society and entertainment circles the world over. From intimate book-signings to full-scale performances, he is known for producing quality events that have heart. He has produced events nationally for The Southern Christian Leadership Council, The Congressional Black Caucus, The Dance Theatre Of Harlem, The Hair Fashion Group Against Domestic Violence, and Lotus Music and Dance. For the fifth year in a row, he is currently producing "Drums Along The Hudson," a Native American Festival which attracts over 10,000 people in New York City. He is excited to be producing the play MIRACLE IN RWANDA which is his first Off-Broadway venture.

FAISON FIREHOUSE
Production Partner Website
Faison Firehouse was founded by George Faison. A widely respected director, choreographer and author, George Faison has the distinction of being the first African American choreographer to receive the coveted Tony award for The WIZ, the most successful African American theatrical production in the history of the American theater. George Faison has been a driving force in the theater as well as film, video, television, concert dance and concert staging for more than thirty years. He has staged concert appearances and music videos for performers at the pinnacle of American popular music, including ASHFORD & SIMPSON; NATALIE COLE; BETTY CARTER; EARTH, WIND & FIRE; GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS; ROBERTA FLACK; ARETHA FRANKLIN; STEPHANIE MILLS; MELBA MOORE; DIONNE WARWICK; CAMEO; GLENN JONES; AL B. SURE; TONY TERRY and STEVIE WONDER, to name a few.

Tamer Hassan  Associate Producer
Tamer is thrilled to be working on this project, as his first in the world of theatre production. He entered the film and theatre industry a year ago, working on many NYC film projects, from major studio pictures to smaller independent films. Previous to this, he produced the latest DVD in Edward Vilga's instructional yoga series, YOGA FOR SUITS, which will be released internationally this summer. Prior to theatre and film, he served as an officer and a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, including multiple tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

THE PRODUCTION:
Drawing from Leslie Lewis Sword's friendship with Immaculée, she and Edward Vilga developed this piece first through workshopping it in New York City in the fall of 2006. The first full performance of MIRACLE IN RWANDA took place on February 8, 2007 in Naples Florida, at TheatreZone (Artistic Director Mark Danni). MIRACLE IN RWANDA received an acclaimed production at the Ohio Theater in Soho NYC in April of 2007 that lead to its current WORLD TOUR.