PETRONA XEMI TAPEPECHUL

Actor 1/Mel Willie

Petrona Xemi Tapepechul she/her (Actor 1/Mel Willie) is a Nahua Trans Woman from Kuskatan, the land known internationally as El Salvador. She is the Managing Director and Founder of Angel Rose Artist Collective, a playwright, a poet, an actor, and a producer. Her second book of poetry, My Woman Card is Anti-Native, and Other Two-Spirit Truths, was nominated for the 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry. Petrona Xemi was awarded the 2019 DC Mayor's Arts Award for Writing. She is a mother, an educator, a Nawat language activist, and a proud member of the National Association of Indigenous Salvadorans (ANIS) living in the diaspora. Petrona Xemi can be found on Facebook and Instagram at XemiNeSiwayul, and on Patreon at patreon.com/XemiDaTwoSpirit.

MISS KITTY

Actor 2/Rayceen Pendarvis

Miss Kitty she/her/hers (Actor 2/Rayceen Pendarvis) is an amab/non-binary/genderqueer/transfemme Helen Hayes- nominated chanteuse, actress, and dancer. Regional credits: Miss Kitty: Life's Other Plans (Atlas Intersections Festival); I Am Sylvia musical workshop in NYC (LATA winner: Actriz Teatro Musical, Actriz en Mejor Elenco), Metamorphoses [HHA nominee: Outstanding Ensemble {Hayes}], and DC, I LOVE YOU series: Ready or Not and First Dates (Folger Theatre), Agreste [HHA nominee: Outstanding Lead Performer, Ensemble {Helen}] (Spooky Action Theater), Steel Magnolias (Creative Cauldron), Suddenly Last Summer, Illyria, or What You Will, and She Speaks! (Avant Bard Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing (Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Parks), Cinderella (The Puppet Co.). Film: A Brighter Tomorrow: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (WILL Interactive), S.P.I.E.S. and S.P.I.E.S. 2 (Imagination Stage/Leapfrog Productions), Shine (ISA Group/Redmon Group Inc.), Open to All – Three Words (76 Words/Movement Advancement Project). “Live in FIERCE…not in fear.” XoXoX #LiveInFIERCE Instagram: @misskittylelynx

KIT KRULL

Actor 3/Brian Jenkins

Kit Krull he/they (Actor 3/Brian Jenkins) is thrilled to make his debut with Arena Stage! DC credits: Young John Lewis at Mosaic Theater Company; A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical and limp wrist on the lever at Round House Theatre; Drunk Shakespeare at the Sage Theatre. Other credits: The Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed at Merriweather Post Pavillion; She Kills Monsters at Silver Spring Stage; The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Arts Collective; Spring Awakening and As You Like It at Howard Community College. Offstage, Kit is a gender-affirming voice coach and musician. Instagram: @kitkrull

RAVEN LORRAINE

Actor 4/Cydne Nash

Raven Lorraine she/her (Actor 4/Cydne Nash) is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful project! An actor and director originally from Richmond, VA, Raven has made an artistic home in the DMV for the past 10 years. Select performance credits include: Arena Stage & Southcoast Rep: Fremont Ave. (World Premiere); Folger Theatre: As You Like It; Theater Alliance: Covenant (Helen Hayes Nomination - Outstanding Supporting Actor); Olney Theatre Center & Roundhouse Theatre: FELA! (Helen Hayes Award - Outstanding Ensemble); Shakespeare Theatre Company: King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing; American Shakespeare Center: Little Women, King Lear, Comedy of Errors, The Winter’s Tale, Sense & Sensibility; John F. Kennedy Center: How to Catch a Star; Virginia Repertory Theatre: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time; Synetic Theatre: Treasure Island, Hansel & Gretel, Hunchback of Notre Dame; Only Make Believe: Company Member. For God, Karen, Mama & Onyx. @ravenlorraine

HILLARY JONES

Actor 5/Remy Henderson-Smith

Hillary Jones (Actor 5/Remy Henderson-Smith). Can we change this industry for the better? Hillary treats this question like both a compass and a dare. The Helen Hayes Award winner known for her work in Furloughs Paradies was born and raised in Chocolate City, Washington DC. She began her training at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and later sharpened her craft at the SUNY Purchase BFA Acting Conservatory. Since then, she has appeared on camera and on stage from national commercials to her work right here in the DMV. Her artistry moves beyond performance. She is also a writer, poet, creative director, and activist. Hillary’s next chapter focuses on creating theatre and film that feels alive, and collaborating with artists who share a kindred sense of purpose, vision, and a desire to shift culture forward.

VICTOR SALINAS

Actor 6/Adrian Gaston Garcia

DEVYN AKERS

Community Ensemble Member/Derrick King

REGIE CABICO

Community Ensemble Member/Poet

Regie Cabico (Community Ensemble Member/Poet) is a poet and theater artist, and the first openly queer and Asian American poet to win the Nuyorican Poet Cafe's Grand Slam. He received three New York Innovative Theater Awards and a Best Performance Art Production Citation for his work in Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. His most recent solo show, Sticky Stars and Sheets, was commissioned by Towson University Asia North, and he received a Broadway World Nomination for best solo play. His work has been produced at The Humana Theater Festival, Dixon Place, Joe's Pub, The Public Theater, The Kitchen, The Magic Theater. His solo play, Godiva Dates and One Night Stands, received a BroadwayWorld nomination for Best Solo Play, and his work appears in Monologues for Actors of Color. Television credits include NPR's "Snap Judgment," HBO's "Def Poetry Jam," a TEDx Talk, and two episodes of "The Poet Speaks." He is the lead slam poetry teaching artist for The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is the author of A Rabbit In Search of a Rolex and is the interim Executive Director for A Gathering of the Tribes. Cabico received his BFA in Acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

ANTOINE COLEMAN

Community Ensemble Member

Antoine Coleman (Community Ensemble Member) is a native of Washington, DC. Sentenced to ‘Life’ in prison at the age of 21, he is now a formerly incarcerated citizen after being released under DC’s Second Look Act. Since his liberation, he has been enthralled in the Arts (he was a Resident Artist for Poetry at a local art gallery), as well as advocating for change in the justice system. He is currently a proud member of ATVU’s Board.

BEN STRIGLE

Community Ensemble Member

Ben Strigle (Community Ensemble Member) is an actor, teacher, dialect coach, and director from Columbia, MD, and he is thrilled to make his debut with Arena Stage. Previous credits include: HAIR (Vagabond Players), Mother Goose (Imagination Stage/Horowitz Center), Newsies (Other Voices Theatre), Into the Woods, Eurydice, Stupid Fucking Bird, The Importance of Being Earnest, Twelfth Night (Howard Community College). Ben received his undergraduate degree at Towson University and is currently pursuing his Masters in Teaching at UMBC. He would like to thank his incredible support system of friends, family, and teachers, and he hopes this show touches your heart and changes your way of seeing the community.

SOPHIA ROSE CICHETTI

Community Ensemble Member

Sophia Rose Cichetti (Community Ensemble Member) is truly honored to be a part of such a beautiful production that will uplift the DC community. She is a DMV-based artist and alumni of University Of Maryland, College Park ‘24. University of Maryland: The Prom (Alyssa Greene), Men on Boats (Assistant Director); Atlas INTERSECTIONS festival: Joanie’s World (Silver). She is a sketch performer in the local comedy group, Well I Think It’s Funny. She feels blessed to return to live theatre through this performance.

REGINA COATES

Community Ensemble Member

Regina Coates (Community Ensemble Member)is a Free Minds Poet Ambassador, Community Mediation DC Ambassador, Voices Unbarred Community Advocate, Unlock the Box DC Coalition Member, and a trained Restorative Justice Facilitator. She currently works as the Member Experience Coordinator for Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop. She has also worked for AmeriCorps as a mentor in the DC Public School System, a case manager for the Prince George’s County Energy Department, and as a Data Analyst for various companies. Regina has earned her associate degree in business technology, her bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, and her master’s degree in business administration. Regina is an avid reader who loves spending time with her children, writing poetry, and building awareness through community outreach.

DARIEN MITCHELL

Community Ensemble Member

EDWIN BERNAL

Community Ensemble Member

DAWN MICHELLE TAYLOR ROGERS

Community Ensemble Member

Dawn Michelle Taylor Rogers (Community Ensemble Member) is a minister, motivational speaker, plus size model, worship leader, and now community theater member. For over 45 years, she has been singing various genres in a wide range of venues. As a model, she encourages people that are curvy to walk with confidence and as a minister, reminds anyone that will listen about the love of God. Now, she's adding actor to her resume and looking forward to Act 2.

DANIEL "KOA" BEATY

Playwright

TIFFANY FULSON

Director

Tiffany Fulson (Director) is a director, producer, actor, and community curator deeply committed to reimagining the performing arts through innovation, collaboration, community healing, and wellness. Currently serving as Community Engagement Producer at Arena Stage, she works across the Artistic and Community Engagement teams to develop community-based artistic initiatives and new works that center collaboration and dialogue between artists and residents. Her practice lives at the intersection of civic engagement, new play development, and collective storytelling. Prior to joining Arena Stage, Fulson served as Artistic Producer of Innovative Partnerships at TimeLine Theatre Company, where she led the launch of TimeLine South, the company’s first summer arts program. She previously served as Director of the August Wilson New Voices Outreach Program, a partnership between Goodman Theatre and the League of Chicago Theatres. Her artistic collaborations include work with Global Girls Inc., Northlight Theatre, Tabard Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she served as Facilitator of Professional Development and Bridge Program Consultant. Fulson holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Illinois Chicago and studied abroad through Arcadia University’s Global Studies program in London, England. Directing credits include How Blood Go (Congo Square Theatre); The Angry Brigade (University of Illinois Chicago); The Blunt Way, Bad Nostalgia, Fulmination, Flowers Grow on Trees, Recidivism, and The Bereaved (TimeLine South); Boulevard of Bold Dreams (Associate Director) and Relentless (Assistant Director) (TimeLine Theatre Company/Goodman Theatre); The Christians, Fun Home, and Twisted Melodies (Assistant Director, Baltimore Center Stage); Twisted Melodies (Assistant Director, Apollo Theater and Mosaic Theater Company); Sense and Sensibility (Assistant Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery (Assistant Director, Pegasus Theatre Chicago).

MARJUAN CANADY

Associate Director / Script Production Assistant

Marjuan Canady (Associate Director / Script Production Assistant). Named as a 2023 Woman to Watch on Broadway, Marjuan Canady is a Tony® Nominated Broadway Producer and award-winning Caribbean-American artist, entrepreneur, educator, artist-scholar and literacy advocate. A DC native, her work spans theater, film, television, children’s media and literature. Canady is currently a Strokes of Genius Fellow and an Artist Research Scholar at The Folger Shakespeare Library. Co-Producing Broadway credits include: Purple Rain, Alicia Keys' Hell's Kitchen, The WIZ, and Death of a Salesman. UK credits: Barbie: The Movie Immersive Experience. Marjuan’s original work centers and celebrates the complexities of Black women in the Diaspora. Her original work has been seen on Hoorae Media, Sensical TV, Sesame Street, at The John F. Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian, The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, The National Theatre, and Folger Shakespeare Library. She is the CEO/Author and Creative Director of the children's media brand, Callaloo Kids. A creative-social-entrepreneur, Canady is the Founder of her production company Sepia Works and non-profit, Canady Foundation for the Arts. Canady is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and holds her B.A. in Theatre/African Studies Fordham University and her M.A. in Arts Politics from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Marjuan currently serves as Associate Professor of Theatre and Film at Montgomery College in the Visual and Performing Arts Department.

KRYSTAL BUTLER

Movement Director

Krystal Butler (Movement Director) began her training at Duke Ellington School of the Arts under the direction of Sandra Fortune and Charles Augins in Washington, DC. She continued her education at Long Island University and earned a B.F.A. in dance. Krystal was a scholarship student at Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive, American Dance Festival, Earl Mosley's Institute of the Arts and Arke Danza. She was a member of INSPIRIT, a dance company, and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. Ms. Butler joined Pilobolus Dance Theater in 2010. She has toured and performed in over 35 countries around the world with the shows, Magnifico Circus, Shadowland, and Shadowland 2 created by Pilobolus. In 2014, Krystal joined the repertory company. She is currently their traveling teaching artist. Ms. Butler continues to create, choreograph and share her love for the dance art form. She was an Artist in Resident "Office Hours" recipient at the Kennedy Center in 2023 where she premiered excerpts from her new work, If/Then. Art and Wellness is how Krystal connects with her community! She owns a wellness practice called Always N Good Hands Therapeutic Massage here in DC. You can follow Krystal on Instagram, @spontaneousout to see her upcoming projects!

LEAYNE C. DEMPSEY

Dramaturg

Leayne C. Dempsey (Dramaturg) is the founder of Theatre Major LLC and its specialized branch Theatre Think, a dramaturgical consulting practice that combines clinical mental health strategies with dramaturgical craft to support productions and the people making them. She serves as Resident Dramaturg at The National Theatre and has dramaturged productions for Olney Theatre Center, Young Artists of America, and Tap In the Musical. She directed a devised piece at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, England. A published researcher, she conducted her groundbreaking work on drama therapy with active-duty service members at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at Walter Reed. Co-founder and past president, Maryland Theatre Education Association. Acting credits: Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Hangar Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, and ACTCo. @wearetheatrethink

SYDNEY LYNNE

Set & Props Designer

LEVI J. WILKINS

Lighting Designer

Levi J. Wilkins (Lighting Designer) was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago, a member of the Chicago Theater community since age six. Currently the lighting director at The Faith Community of St. Sabina. Credits: Lookingglass Theater Company, The Goodman Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Theater Squared, Arkansas Rep, Flint Rep, City Theater Company, Indiana University NW, Northwestern University Theater,  Constellation Stage & Screen, Congo Square Theater, Raven Theater, Invictus Theater, A Red Orchid Theater, Pulse Theater, Shattered Globe Theater, Metropolis Performing Arts Center, American Blues Theater, The Drama Group and Musical Theater Works. Levi is a six-time Jeff Award Nominee and the recipient of the 2024 3Arts Award for theater. For more info about Levi visit www.fresherlight.com.

CHRIS LANE

Sound Designer/Engineer

Chris Lane (Sound Designer/Engineer) Born and raised in Baltimore, Lane has served as Sound Designer for various theatrical productions across the nation. Recent Credits: Primary Trust (Pittsburgh Public Theater) Fences (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company), A Soldier's Play, The Color Purple, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (ArtsCentric), Steel Magnolias, Hair (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), The Mountaintop (American Stage), Furlough's Paradise (Alliance Theatre), Clyde's (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), The Boy Who Kissed The Sky (Seattle Children's Theater); Parental Advisory (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Skeleton Crew (Barter Theatre); Shutter Sisters (The Old Globe). Award-Winning Sound Designs Include: The Boy Who Kissed The Sky (Alliance Theatre), and Bright Half Life (Theatrical Outfit). He is also the CEO of Multiband Studios: www.multibandstudios.com. Sound Portfolio: www.lanedesign.org

CHRIS CARCIONE

Projection Designer

Chris Carcione (Projection Designer) is a theatre artist, projection designer, and educator based in Philadelphia and Baltimore. He has worked nationally and internationally as a projection designer, most recently on the world premiere of Agutagawa, devised in collaboration with American puppet artist Tom Lee and Japanese puppet master Koryu Nishikawa V. Other recent projection design credits include Dawn (Everyman Theatre); Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Next to Normal (Iron Crow Theatre); Shank's Mare and The People Vs Nature (La MaMa ETC); The Left Hand of Darkness, Akutagawa, and Kayfabe (Chicago International Puppet Festival); Demolishing Everything with Amazing Speed (Bard Summerscape); and The Little Prince (Quintessence Theatre Group). Chris is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Towson University.

PAIGE WASHINGTON

Production Manager

RICKY RAMÓN

Stage Manager

Ricky Ramón (Stage Manager)is a multi-faceted theatre artist and educator with a passion for performance and teaching. He has worked professionally as a director, stage manager, actor, and theatre educator for over 25 years. Ricky has directed and stage managed over 60 productions at venues such as Howard University, Arena Stage, Atlantic Theater Company (NYC), and Teatro Vivo (Austin). He most recently taught theatre at the University of Iowa, George Washington University, and Howard University, where he was awarded the Lecturer of the Year award. His stage management credits include work with Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre (DC), and Atlantic Theatre Company (NYC). Ricky holds a Master of Education from Harvard University, an MFA in Acting/Directing from Texas Tech University, and an MA in Performance Studies from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts. He earned his BA in Theatre and English from the University of Notre Dame. Ricky is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and serves on the Board of Directors for Taffety Punk Theatre Company (DC). He recently served on the Board of Directors for the Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC) as Vice President of Equity & Inclusion. Ricky is originally from Pearsall, Texas.

C'AIRA HEARSE

Assistant Stage Manager

SHAYNA ISAAC

Production Assistant / Takeover Assistant Stage Manager

JONNAE WILLIAMS

Production Assistant

Jonnae Williams (Production Assistant) is a sophomore Theatre Arts major at Howard University pursuing Musical Theater and Arts Administration. She recently served as Assistant Stage Manager for the Howard Caribbean Student Association’s Pageant and as a Public Relations Intern and active member of the Tropical Riddimz Caribbean Dance Team. Jonnae is a graduate of the Apex Arts Acting Program at Annapolis High School. Through her training, she has studied and performed works by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, and August Wilson, as well as Commedia dell’arte and dialect work. As a child living in Jamaica, she was exposed to a wide range of cultural art forms that continue to shape her storytelling today. Jonnae is passionate about creating space for artists to express themselves freely and is excited to continue building her skills in theatre and arts administration.

KIMBERLY SCOTT

Assistant Community Engagement Producer

T'NIYA WILSON

Community Partnerships Fellow / Line Producer

MANNA-SYMONE MIDDLEBROOKS

Line Producer