Andrida McCall Hosey is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. She has been living in St Petersburg since 1999. She is the former lead theater instructor for the award-winning Fine Arts program at John Hopkins Middle School.
As the first female African American student to graduate from Marquette University’s School of Theatre, Andrida found work in the Milwaukee and Chicago area in the early 80’s with Hansberry-Sands Theatre Company, where she received rave reviews for the role of Cat in the play “Nights Alone” and Abbie Putnam in “Desire Under the Elms.” In the mid to late 80’s Andrida primarily worked in the Pittsburgh area with the University of Pittsburgh’s Kuntu Repertory Theatre, and The Three Rivers Shakespeare Company. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of the character Millicent in Red Barn Theatre’s production of the South African play “Exclusive Circles.”
Locally on stage, Andrida was an original cast member of “Black Nativity” and “Manhattan Casino”, both directed by Bob Devin Jones. She performed in Power of Song Inc., “Sounds of the Civil Right Movement produced by September and Ivan Penn. Andrida has been a regular actor and script reader for Your Real Stories Inc. In recent years she acted in “Table 19”, directed by Jeffrey Lorick at the West Coast Players theater and participated in a stage reading for Brown Girl in the Ring, directed by Erica Sutherlin.
Andrida is the founder of several Bay-area liturgical dance groups including Bethel Community Baptist Church, where participants range in age from toddlers to well into their 90’s. Throughout her career she has consistently demonstrated inclusion for all, by holding space for people with disabilities to participate in her creations. She has directed Bethel’s group for over 22 years. She is an original board member of the acclaimed Studio@620.
During her school career, Andrida directed numerous musicals and plays including, “The Wiz”, “Godspell”, “Little Mermaid” and “Seussical.” Casting young thespians with a commitment to diversity was a hallmark during her tenure.
Andrida has been recognized by several community organizations including the St. Petersburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for its Arts and Letters Commission Award; the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Footprint Service Award and the Gathering of Women Art, Cultural & Heritage Award. Recently she received the Impact Award from American Stage.
Andrida is the wife of Boyzell Hosey, who is Senior Editor for Visual Storytelling at ProPublica, a former Deputy Editor at the Tampa Bay Times and cofounder of the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival, inc. They have two children and 3 grandchildren.
Known for greeting most people with her signature hug, Andrida’s passion is to help individuals gain personal self-confidence through theatrical arts. After her long career with teaching, she’s passionately scripting her next act which is an eclectic mix of theatrical ventures and volunteerism.
