Rising Stars: Meet Sha’ton La’tique

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sha’ton La’tique.

Hi Sha’ton, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Born & raised in Cleveland OH, I’ve always been an entertainer. Always wanting to amuse friends and family, I would do most any goofy, silly thing to get a laugh out of people. Coming of age during the rise of Hip Hop culture, naturally, I’m also an MC. I was always performing whether it was for local talent shows, school showcases, at church or just around my community for friends and family. I once stole a scene from my big sister who played Dorothy in our local community Center’s production of “The Wizard Of Oz”. I knew per the roaring laughter I received upon breaking the Munchkin line and comically crying “I’m melting! I’m melting!”, that my eight years old shine could not be contained in a green leotard and tutu.

I thrived on exhibiting my artistic talents. I wrote my first rhyme at the age of 12. A dedication to my first Nephew Jerry – copying the lyrical stylings of Hip Hop legend Dana Dane in his hit “Nightmares”. I was encouraged to write by my 11th-grade History teacher Mr. Allen after penning a script about the great depression, immigrants and tenement housing for a group class project. Subsequently, directing my group mates and putting up our project for Allen’s class and at his request, other classrooms, my artistic life began to thrive.

Attending undergraduate school at Kent State University, I was nicknamed “Rappa Dappa Snappa”. I assume because I would battle anyone anywhere. It was at KSU that I discovered my acting prowess. From playing Joe Turner – in a snippet of August Wilsons Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – for my sophomore year dormmates Literature final to playing The Vixen in a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater production on campus, I’d been bitten by the thespian bug and I liked it! I continued my musical and theatrical pursuits throughout undergraduate school however, I’d never thought of acting as a bonafide career path so, I minored in the theater upon transferring to Cleveland State University, concentrating on my Communication major. Acting and rapping were “hobbies” not real career aspirations. So I believed at the time.

Still auditioning for and booking roles in local theatrical productions. One production in particular called “Choices” is where I met an actor & musician named Michael Bell who convinced me that I had real acting talent. I joined his hip hop group and performed with Legacy Entertainment around Northeast Ohio. Inevitably, life happened and I gave birth to my daughter, Alexys, who ceased living three weeks after her arrival on Earth. A little more than a year later, Alexys’ father and I welcomed her brother Cornelius who, by the grace of God, survived. More than I can say for his father’s and my relationship. I dropped out of school to work full time and care for my beautiful son. Unfortunately, not having the support required to raise a child AND pursue a rap/acting career, I eventually gave up on my dream, got a “real job” and forgot all about stardom … so it seemed.

Fast forward to 2018, my family and I saw Chadwick Boseman’s “The Black Panther” and I was floored! When it is said that ‘Representation Matters’, there are no lies detected. The imagery captivating me more than the story. Seeing a multitude of strong, intelligent, beautiful, chocolate and NATURAL female characters of color on that big screen shocked the thespian in me back to life and sparked a fierce desire within me to participate in the revolution happening in Hollywood! “We poppin’ in Hollywood?!” I asked myself. “We” being brown-skinned actresses. Cocoa-tinted Leading Ladies!? I immediately contacted a friend in the industry and proclaimed that I was dropping everything, moving to LA, would start taking acting classes and begin paving my road to stardom!

Thank God for good & honest friends. She immediately advised me to pump my brakes and to start taking classes where I was right then. So that is what I did. (she never gives bad advice) I enrolled in a boutique acting school in Cleveland Heights, OH. One of the only ones I’d known about and began studying The Meisner Technique. It was there that I learned about what was happening in the state of Georgia in regard to the film industry. After performing in a hand full of plays; “At Last” by Dr. Mary Weems for The Ensemble Theater, “Entercontainment” By Superwoman Productions for the Cleveland Music Hall, “Resistance” by Regina Taylor for the Borderlight International Theater and Fringe Festival Directed by Ashley Aquilla and Terrence Spivey, former AD of the legendary Karamu House Theater and a few local commercials, I took a leap of faith and set up a second residence in Atlanta GA to seriously pursue a career change to acting.

No sooner did I arrive in GA that opportunities began falling into my lap. Befriending David “Dave” Tolliver, fellow Cleveland Native and 1/2 of the chart-topping duo Men At Large, I was blessed with the opportunity to work opposite him and critically acclaimed R&B crooner Tony Terry in the hit stage play “Daddy’s Home But My Husband Ain’t”, star in a local commercial as well as work as a featured extra in Jordan Peele’s multiple Emmy winning HBO limited series ‘Lovecraft Country’.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Packing what I could fit in my small SUV and heading to GA with my 15 years old daughter, I reluctantly left everything else I owned with my 20 years old son, to care for our property in Ohio. I’d never been away from my son. However, he was an adult and I believed in him to care for himself and our property. Our legacy’s foundation. After getting opportunities to work with R&B legends, star in a commercial and gain valuable experience on the set of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, I commenced immersing myself into the Atlanta film industry pool. Attending class at the sought-after DFAS – turned LS studios due to the unfortunate passing of Hollywood acting coach Dustin Felder – I was focused on mastering my craft. Then … COVID.

A global pandemic that rocked the world and pressed pause on everything. Was this it? Should I go home? Terror stricken, we herded along with the rest of the world. Hunker down. Stay at home. Sanitize everything. Stock up on essentials. Social distance. I washed my hands so much that at one point, my skin cracked and bled. Seeing friends and family become affected by this mysterious virus was mentally daunting to say the least. Prevention tactics to “outsmart” this disease became an everyday venture that still holds fast as a lifestyle today. When Hollywood shut down I just knew my journey was over. Then, something miraculous happened. Casting Directors started online outreach in search of fresh faces. Acting classes and workshops began cropping up all over Beyonce’s internet. I was able to enroll in the coveted Ivana Chubbuck Studios, online! Being able to train online brought hope to everyone in the industry while we waited on the Trump administration to get a handle on the pandemic and open the world again. Seemingly, when our new normal began to evolve into just the norm, I was sideswiped, again. This time, it was personal.

A stage 2B, Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Breast Cancer. I was diagnosed in September 2020. I was numb. “Am I going to die?” I wondered. My world was turned, but not upside down. Inward. I turned inward and leaned heavily on the God in me. The Most High God of the Universe told me that I shall live and would not die but there was something I needed to learn during this trial. My first mind was “Ok, I’m going back home for sure now!” That was not God’s plan, however. I thought of my aging mother who was at the time caring for my elder brother who, just a couple of years prior, suffered 2 strokes that disabled him. I knew that if I went back home, my mom would surely add me to her plate of responsibilities. I wasn’t going to do that to her. So, I ‘hunkered down’ again. I decided to stop training and halt my acting career pursuit to focus on the fight in front of me – a fight that I was assured I’d win.

I began treatment with 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 30 rounds of Radiation therapy, as well as multiple surgeries. Medical technological advances in cancer treatment offered me a treatment experience that was a stark contrast from what I was expecting mostly due to expectations set by Hollywood portrayals of Breast and other cancer journeys. I didn’t crumble into pieces. I worked full time. I was able to eat well and actually gained weight during treatment. I never was sick with debilitating nausea. Although the fatigue & body pains were REAL, there were remedies to alleviate these side effects as well, bringing me to a state of efficient functionality during treatment. My feet never touched the sand as God was carried me through that fire.

The GREATEST discovery in the cancer treatment journey was the fact that I was able to undergo chemotherapy and not lose my hair! YES! You read that correctly. I did not lose all of my hair as many traditionally do. Thanks to a cryotherapy that freezes your scalp during chemo infusions. This therapy prevents the chemotherapy drugs from infiltrating your hair follicles and in turn killing your hair cells. I was astonished at how little known this therapy was. I was also astonished and disappointed to learn the grossly disproportioned mortality rate for breast cancers between African American women and White women.

The type of Breast cancer that I afflicted my body is the most aggressive type per Western Medicine consensus and disproportionately affects African American women. The medical community is struggling to discover the reasons why. I’d like to use my growing platform to spread awareness about this issue as well as share my journey battling Breast Cancer with other women and how I managed not to look like what I was going through. Overcoming with dignity.”

Today, I’m back on my acting journey. I’ve landed an agent, am auditioning and am back in training. I am different, for the better, due to my trial.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Last – Billie Holiday/Nina Simone/Michelle Obama/Phyllis Hyman – Ensemble Theatre

Entercontainment – Mary/Choir Member/Housewife – Music Hall Auditorium

Resistance – Serena – Old Stone Church

Daddy’s Home But My Husband Ain’t – Mama Ellis – Impact Church

Lovecraft Country – HBO

Grandpa – Copperhead Media

Teenage Wasteland – Fractured Atlas/Casa Prem

Documentary: An Answer From Akron – PBS

Commercials: LienLoft, Hard Rock Rocksino, Audio Technica

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I believe my greatest essential quality is my capacity to empathize. The ability to feel and perceive from a POV that is not necessarily my own. My emotional intelligence. My ability to listen, empathize and react appropriately to foster effective communication in any situation. My professionalism as well as my fearlessness. These qualities allow me to be a grounded talent. Setting aside my personal feelings for the sake of the project at hand.

I was once called “a highly generous talent who gives so much for {my} scene partner to work with.” by my Chubbuck Coach. That I’m excited to watch and leave my viewer wanting more of me. Wondering where I will take my characters next.

Contact Info:

• Other: linktr.ee/shatonlatique