~ Rev. Lilith Dorsey ~   Rev. Lilith Dorsey, B.A., M.A., comes from many different magickal traditions, including Celtic, Voodoo, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, Cinema Studies, and Art at the University of R.I., New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes initiations in Santeria, Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo.  Lilith Dorsey has been doing successful magick over the past 15 years for patrons of her business Branwen’s Pantry, and is editor/publisher of  Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly , and author of the newly released Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism.

 ~ David Butler ~   ARTIST BIO --- David Butler is an eclectic artist: an actor set designer, poet, writer, performance artist and stained glass craftsmen. Butler was the principal set designer for the Paul Robeson Theater for the three years from 1998-2001, and is in his sixth season as a Resident Set Designer at Irish Classical Theatre, where he has created sets for, Juno and the Paycock, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Waiting for Godot, The Importance of Being Ernest, Educating Rita, School for Wives, Philadelphia Here I Come, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, What the Butler Saw, Misanthrope and Private Lives She Stoops to Conquer (Which won Artie for outstanding set design.) and most recently Accidental Death of an Anarchist. He was also the set designer for Studio Arena’s 1999 production of How I Learned to Drive. He has created props and scene painted for various performance venues around town including the Kavonoki Theater, designed sets for dance concerts including Dance Project and Neglia Ballet (Baba Yaga’s Chicken Legs, Spartacus Helmets, Scenic Art – Romeo and Juliet).  Butler painted the set for the spring 2002 version of Romeo and Juliet produced by the Buffalo Philharmonic. Butler was featured as a muralist and designer in the 2005 Decorator Show house with 10’ x 16’ Mural of a back alley in Tuscany. In 2204 Butler was commissioned to create a set for Sondheim’s A Little Night Music in Eugene, Oregon that was a production of the University of Oregon’s Opera Department. In 2003 Butler tied for Best Artist in Buffalo in the annual Artvoice Best of Survey.

Butler has appeared in dozens of professional play productions in Buffalo’s sold out comedy hit; Buffalo Zings (this years artie nomination) a political parody about Western New York Politics.  He appeared in the award winning production of Sondheim’s Passion, at the Cabaret in the Square last winter this production was honored with 9 Artvoice Artie nominations (including Butler’s nomination for best supporting actor in a Musical). Other notable performances include Donner, in BUA’s The Reindeer Monologues, Shannon in Poor Superman, and Geoffrey in a Taste of Honey.

In 2002 Butler wrote, produced, designed and performed in a new performance piece, NO Plan B at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center which featured his original poems, scenes and skits featuring original music by David Kane and directed by Paul Todaro, -- this piece was restaged at the Sphere Entertainment Complex in late October 2003. The Buffalo News listed No Plan B as one of the best events of the year in visual and performing arts for 2002.   In the summer of 1998 Butler produced and starred in productions of two of his original short plays Coming Out of the Car, and The Last Knight of Fondele Park as part of Toronto’s 10^th Annual Fringe Festival. Butler has performed his original work at the Burchfield Penny Art Center, The Cabaret Theater, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, and The Screening Room. His written work has appeared in Voices magazine, Artvoice, the Buffalo News and the Hallwalls retrospective Consider the Alternatives. Two of his poems appear in the anthology, The Shadows Imprint: Poetic Reflections on Death, published by Blarney Stone Books. In August of 2001, and 2002 Butler was asked to be a part of an American–Canadian exchange of poets, and read his work at the Horticultural Society in Saint Catherine’s, CA.

His visual Artwork has been displayed at El Museo Gallery, Buffalo Arts Studio and Hallwalls Contemporary Art center. David Butler has appeared at Art Dialog as both a featured reader and musician with composer Don Metz as part of the gallery’s Words and Music program. He has been a professional choir member in Buffalo for 25 years and is currently a tenor soloist with the Westminster Choir – he was previously with the Parkside choir, which completed a performance tour of former East Germany in April of 1998. The Westminster Choir is currently planning a music tour of the pacific coast in June of this year.

Awards and Grants

In 1998 Butler received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and The Rockefeller Center for a piece written and performed with local recording artist David Kane.

After receiving 16 nominations for acting and design work (including 5 outstanding actor in a musical nominations, 3 outstanding supporting actor in a play nominations and 8 outstanding set design nominations) over the last 10 years… in 2005 Butler received his first ARTVOICE Artie award (Buffalo Theater Arts awards) for his set for SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER. Butler was featured as Artist of the week in Artvoice in the spring of 2005 and in Buffalo Spree magazine this past September.

Revised: June  2006