Atonia Pettiford
Type: Workshop, Residency
Art Form: Theater, Drama
Grade Level: K-12
Atonia started her career as a model and appeared in numerous print ads, billboards and magazines including Glamour, Bazaar and Essence. She appeared in commercials in the U.S. and Europe for Listerine, Yoplait Yogurt, Nescafe, NY Lottery, Johnson Hair Care ,Barcardi, Ron Rico Rum. Her television credits include soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live. Atonia spent many years as a TV Host for The Home Shopping Network, “E” Entertainment, Bid NY and Full Frontal Fashion. Voice Over credits include Publix Supermarket, DF King Financial, NJ Commission for the Blind and Dark and Lovely. Besides industrial films for Prudential, Schering Plough and Warner Lambert she also appeared as a showgirl in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club”. Atonia made her directorial debut in 2005 with debut Girl Power in the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theatre Source. After securing critical and popular reviews, she returned to direct The Monologues of Teen Life an original work and Voices of Africa. She has also directed live theatrical readings for the Reproductive Freedom festival. Ms. Pettiford designs and facilitates after- school programs in theater for Educational Alliance Boys and Girls Club in NYC where she teaches, mentors and directs performance showcases for the students. She has directed several Disney Jr. musicals in the after school programs. Ms. Pettiford is also a sought after entertainment industry lecturer and drama teaching artist trained.