Carmen Hayward

Carmen Hayward was born in Los Angeles to Ann Frazier, a licensed vocational nurse and Joseph Hayward, a plasterer from Louisiana. Her parents broke up, and at five she moved with her mother and younger sister to Louisville, Ky., her mother's hometown, where she enjoyed the support of a huge extended family. There she learned to sing in front of an audience. A career move for Ann took her with her girls to Washington, D.C. where Carmen started junior high school. Later, as an A student at Roosevelt High school she was President of the Thespians Club exploring theater. Returning to LA, she reunited with her father, graduated from Dorsey High School, and enrolled in LA City College becoming a theater major. She received a scholarship to U.S. International University's School of Performing and Visual Arts, performing in musical theatre production; and, then transferred to UCLA majoring in theater where she performed in main stage musical productions. With an AA, a BA degree, and classes at Inner City Cultural Center in hand, she started to work as a singer and actress in movies, television, public service announcements, and on stage. She starred in Tide's "Old Fashioned Woman" commercial; and toured nationally in a featured Singer/Dancer duo for Burt Bacharach and Anthony Newley. Taking occasional breaks from performing, Carmen Hayward studied television/film production, and broadcasting at UCLA extension and USC which led to work in : Advertising, Publicity and Promotion for ABC Television, and ABC Motion Pictures; Development at Taft Entertainment Television; as well as special events for the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. She also served as a producer for N-Vision Media Productions, developing a techno-thriller feature film, "Silent Deception." In recent years, Carmen began producing digital theatrical productions. As Artistic Director of the Drama Guild at FAME Church Los Angeles, she partnered with Ethiopian-Canadian novelist, Ainalem Tebeje, to create a Reader's Theatre production entitled, "My Love Story, in Broken English" and performed as the "Narrator." She also wrote and directed "Civil Unrest Monologues," a multi-media stage production, performing the role of "Jackie Broxton." Carmen is married to Jeff Stetson, a television writer/producer and playwright. They have one son, Anwar Stetson, a sports journalist.