All Hype Productions was founded by Naima A. Dawson. She is the visionary behind its growth and the talent behind its theatrical productions. Naima A. Dawson, a poet, playwright, and educator has been dedicated to the arts for more than 15 years. Trained in both contemporary theater and literary poetry Naima ravishes in the best of both worlds. With her Masters in Fine Arts from Columbia College in Chicago, Ms. Dawson has created her own path away from traditional theater. In 2002 Naima firmly planted herself in the theater world, creating a space where she could breathe a different life into the medium to a larger audience. Looking to develop plays that would entice non-theater goers, Ms. Dawson began to fuse storylines commonly found in everyday life with stories found in comedy television. Stories that would give such realism that any viewing audience would fill like they are watching their favorite sit-com or series. As seen in her first major production, Living Room Secrets, Naima set out to create the first soap opera to unfold one episode at a time live on stage. All Hype Production wants its viewers to discover an entirely new world embedded in the arts, yet find parallels in all things familiar. “My central theme is to breathe what we see on television into an unfamiliar space on the stage,†explains Dawson. A fan of all the great soap operas of the 80’s, Naima is most intrigued by the human emotion and not by tragedy in of its’ self but rather how people react to tragedy. With all her plays deeply rooted inside urban theater, she works effortlessly to create plays with dramatery (comedy/drama) at its core. Ms. Dawson writes plays with stories lines with themes that “jump out†and speak directly to its viewers, “I want you to say, wow how did she know my businessâ€. While most of her work is concentrated with comedy at its core and drama as the driving force to the controversy her central goal is to keep the viewing audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. All Hype, dedicates many of its efforts in creating enjoyment of those seeking alternative options in entertainment. All Hype Productions steers away from traditional theater in hopes that every story will include the everyday person who can sit down, watch a play and respond in such a manner where they can leave saying they can relate. Bridging the gap between what is seen on television with what is seen in everyday life is how All Hype Productions has been able to revolutionize theater.
