ABOUT CHARLES
Charles Reese is a seasoned Actor, Writer, Speaker, and CEO of Teeth and Eyes Communications, where he serves as Cultural Architect for Public Engagement to curate entertainment programs that inspire and educate.
The Washington, D.C. native received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications & Theatre Arts from Morehouse College. He also holds a Certificate of Completion in Theatre Performance/Management from the Burt Reynolds Theatre Institute under the tutelage of the late Master Theatre Director/Producer, Jose Quintero in association with Florida State University.
Reese is known in theatrical circles for his critically acclaimed Off-Broadway performance in James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire by the late playwright, Howard B. Simon and produced at the Tony Award-winning Woodie King Jr’s New Federal Theatre. Critic David DeWitt of The New York Times called the play, “…funny, thrilling, and wise, buoyed by the passionate performance of Charles Reese in the title role.”
Additional Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits: In Dahomey (New Federal Theatre); Freedom Fighters & Friends (Arena Stage); Julie Hebert's St. Joan and the Dancing Sickness (Open Fist Theatre); and Myla Churchill's Griot Trio (Aaron Davis Hall). Television credits include a recurring role on the soap-opera series, A House Divided (Amazon Prime Video/ALLBLK). He was also in WHO...a micro web comedy, Law & Order, Between the Lines, Grapevine, In the Heat of the Night (episodes). Film credits: 40, On the Low, and Road Lawyers and Other Briefs.
As a writer, Reese co-authored the book adaption of the Off-Broadway play, James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire which includes the play version and commentary to pay homage to Baldwin's legacy as an author and civil rights activist. He also contributed an essay titled James Baldwin: Artist as Activist and the Baldwin /Kennedy Secret Summit of 1963 to the book volume, James Baldwin: Challenging Authors, edited by Paul L. Thomas & A. Scott Henderson. (Furman University)
Reese is a very popular lecturer, and performance literary conversationalist at colleges, universities, and cultural venues in the United States and internationally. His unique history-telling salon series, James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire, A Literary Performance & Conversation has taken him around the globe as he keeps Baldwin's work alive!
In 2016, he was a guest speaker at the International James Baldwin Conference which took place at the American University of Paris in France. He also served as the 2018 Artist in Residence for the inaugural James Baldwin Writers’ Colony at the Emerson College European Center at Kasteel Well in The Netherlands.
Reese is the 2021 Medal of Honor Recipient for his long-standing work on James Baldwin from In The Meantime Men’s Group among his many accolades. He is a founding associate and former Board Member for the world's first web series festival, The Los Angeles Web Series Festival. He is also a New York Audelco Award Nominee.
Reese can be seen as the feisty chef, Jalil Baldwin on the American TV sitcom, Beauty and the Baller, streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Crackle TV. The show is based on the web series WHO...a micro web comedy, created by the late Emmy-winning, writer-producer, Michael Ajakwe Jr. His most recent work also includes a guest role on the hit TV show "A House Divided" as Chef Iko.
To date Reese, has carved out his own lane in the entertainment industry including 25 years of widely acclaimed work as an advocate and promoter of James Baldwin. This work has taken him from Off-Broadway to around the globe. To view his latest work visit his YouTube channel https://youtu.be/xRdQS9kAlTo. To book Charles for your next engagement visit his website at https://www.charlesreeseexperience.com.
