Biography

 

Yvonne Farrow has her own production company with partner and twin sister, Yvette Heyliger, named TWINBIZ™ (twins-in-the-business), whose mission is to write, direct and produce original works for stage, television and film, which seek to educate, entertain and serve.

Yvonne

Twinbiz™
Ms. Farrow, a National Black Theater Festival celebrity guest, co-produced the main stage production, What Would Jesus Do?, written and directed by Yvette, starring Yvonne, "Tough subject tackled with flair and heartbreak... very strong performances from an evenly talented ensemble.", The Journal.  She also produced and starred in the World Premiere in honor of World AIDS Day and the 25th Anniversary of HIV in America, "A must-see", Our Weekly. Yvonne was recently honored at the 18th annual Hollywood / Beverly Hills NAACP Theatre Awards with an nomination for "Best Producer (Local)" for her work on the acclaimed premier of Yvette's play What Would Jesus Do?

Yvonne also produced and starred in Autobiography of a Homegirl, written and directed by Ms. Heyliger, also a NBTF main stage selection with its LA premiere at the Hollywood Court Theater, financial assistance from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Mr. Bill Cosby, and named "Best of the Weekend", LA Times.  Twinbiz also offers seminars and workshops.

Producing Artist
As a producing artist, Yvonne wrote, produced and starred in a staged reading of her hour-long dramatic television pilot, The Y Factor at William Grant Still; and did the same with her half-hour sitcom pilot, Vanilla Bean, which was developed and showcased at the HBO Workspace.  Her stage play, Movements, where she was once again a triple threat, won third place at Inner City Cultural Center’s Act II Short Play Competition, and from there, was selected for LA Theater Works’ The Play’s The Thing Radio Theater Series which aired live on KCRW with an all star cast. Yvonne’s very first play, L’Esprit Dance for Me was produced at University District of Columbia at Howard and was a finalist in the American College Theater Festival.

Filmmaker
Ms. Farrow was one of ten in the nation selected for ABC Entertainment Television’s Talent Development Scholarship/Grant Program where she wrote, produced and directed her short film, I’d Rather Be Dancing.  This, her first sync-sound film, was nominated “Best Short” at the Pan African Film Festival and FESPACO, an international film festival, where it was nominated for the Paul Robeson Award, “Best of the Best” in the African Diaspora, Special Prize for “Special Interest”, Short Drama.  A heavy favorite, IRBD is now a part of the permanent FESPACO film archives.  IRBD was selected to air on WGHB Public Television and BET-J's Best Shorts.  Yvonne won “Best Actress” at the American Theater of Harlem Film Festival for her role as Monta Cummings in IRBD.  She also wrote, produced, directed and edited three 16mm short films at the New York Film Academy.  Movements, an adaptation from her stage play, was nominated Best Short, also at the Pan African Film Festival, won Second Place Student at the Black Filmmaker Hall of Fame and aired on The African American Filmmaker’s Show.  Her two comedies, The Break-Up and Vanilla Bean (executive producer Gregory Hines), have also enjoyed screening success. Ms. Farrow is a member of Film Independent.

Actress
Ms. Farrow is a vested member of SAG, AEA and AFTRA.  Recent credits include Bernie Mac and Grey’s Anatomy.  She recurred on Alias, Passions, Melrose Place, Models Inc. and South Central.  Other television credits include Girls Club, Roswell, Pacific Blue, The Gregory Hines Show, Sinbad, Seinfeld and the original TV pilot, Mantis. Some film credits include Sexual Predator, A Very Brady Sequel, Gotta Kick It Up, and the Showtime Black Filmmaker’s award winning film, Letter To My Mother. Yvonne recently shot, An Incident the Life of a Slave Girl, in the role of Grandmother Jacobs, for AFI Directing Workshop for Women’s winner, Karen Hayes.  Other theater credits include the leading roles on stage in Sorrows & Rejoicings, Company Policy, The Visit and A Raisin in the Sun (where she won Best Actress).  She has also appeared in numerous television commercials.

Teaching Artist
Yvonne is a member of the Actor’s Work Program and was in the first class to receive Teaching Artist Training.  Ms. Farrow is now a teaching artist with Freshi Films, teaching digital filmmaking to middle school children, fre
shiflix.com. She was also hired by the company to do PR for the International Family Film Festival and is now the editor of , Intercut, the magazine for next-gen film makers.
Teaching Artist resume.

Dancer
Yvonne first began her career as a dancer at the Duke Ellington High School for the Arts in Washington, DC, and went on to receive her BA from New York University while working with such dance companies as Dance Theater of Harlem (apprentice), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater III, Clive Thompson Dance Company and The Sporting Dolls of Monte Carlo, Monaco.   She was the first African American female model of dance-wear for Capezio and Danskin and still models today.  Ms. Farrow was a dancer in Tulsa Opera’s Porgy and Bess and Virginia Opera’s Harriet: A Woman Called Moses, dancing the title role. During this time she also performed in such dance related features as Beat Street, A Chorus Line & Off Beat. Ms. Farrow is the president of Dance South Los Angeles an advocacy and service organization for dancers and dance providers. www.dancesouthlosangeles.com

Choralographer
Ms. Farrow is a choralographer and member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, the American Choral Directors Association, National Association of Negro Musicians and Chorus America.  Her choral ballets have been performed around the world.  She has worked with professional choirs such as The Choral Project (with whom she collaborated and choreographed the premiere of a 90 minute choral work, One Is The All, and won first place at the CA International Choral Festival & Competition with her ballet War Song), Northridge Singers (which first won World Choir with War Song), Gwen Wyatt Chorale and the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers.  She has also worked with college and middle school choirs such as San Francisco Girls’ Chorus, Appleton West Singers, Bakersfield College Choir, Lutheran University Choir, CLU Womens Chorale and the European Council of International Schools (Düsseldorf, Germany).  She wrote performance suggestions for the classic, She Take Me Money (Matilda), from Larry Farrow’s medley, Me Island: A Tribute to Harry Belafonte. Yvonne also produced, directed and choreographed an instructional video for Matilda (the choral riser version), now available upon request.  Not just a “choralographer”, Yvonne also serves as dramatic coach, lighting designer and technical director for choral groups and has, for years, been tirelessly campaigning against the plagiarism of choreography in the choral world.  Click for a complete list of choralography

 

 

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