Who's Who

Production Staff

Cast

Technical Staff

Who's Who

Patricia McKissack (Author) is the author of two Dear America books, Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North and A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, A Slave Girl. She was inspired to write A Picture of Freedom, because her great-great-great grandmother was a slave. She has written more than 60 books, including Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters. Among her many awards are a Newbery Honor, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, a Jane Addams Book Award, four Coretta Scott King Awards, and an NAACP Image Award. Ms. McKissack lives in St. Louis with her husband, writer Frederick McKissack.

Jerome Hairston (Playwright) Originally from Yorktown, Virginia, Jerome Hairston received his BA from James Madison University and is a graduate of Columbia University's MFA playwriting program. His play a.m. Sunday premiered in the 26th Annual Humana Festival at the Actor's Theatre of Louisville and was later produced at Center Stage in Baltimore. His other plays include: L'Eboueur Sleeps Tonight, Forty Minute Finish, and Method Skin. His work has been developed and presented at theaters such as Playwrights Horizons, The Atlantic Theater Company, Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, The Underwood Theater, New York Stage and Film, as well as The Sundance Theater Lab, and The Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. He was featured twice in the Young Playwrights Festival in New York ('93, '94) and was also the recipient of the 1998 Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival's National Student Playwriting Award. He has received commissions from The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Center Stage, The Guthrie Theater, The Public Theatre/NYSF, and Manhattan Theatre Club, where he was a 2001 playwriting fellow. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Cindy.

Ricardo Khan (Director) holds an MFA degree from Rutgers University in both acting and directing. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Crossroads Theatre Company, which is based in New Brunswick, NJ and under his leadership was recognized as one of the most important and prestigious professional theatres in America. On national television on June 6, 1999, Mr. Khan accepted the Tony Award on behalf of his company for "The Outstanding Regional Theatre in America," the first in history for an African American company; he was also one of the producing team of the Broadway hit musical, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which was itself nominated in that same year for four other Tony Awards. Khan has mounted numerous new works in his directing career that were groundbreaking, including The Darker Face of the Earth by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, Flyin' West by Pearl Cleage, and Black Eagles by Leslie Lee, all of which were produced both on the Crossroads stage and in Washington, DC, at the Kennedy Center and the Fords' Theatre. Directing credits at other major theatres throughout the U.S. include the Negro Ensemble Company (West Memphis Mojo) and Manhattan Theatre Club (Black Eagles), the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon (The Darker Face of the Earth), the Apollo Theatre in Harlem (Late Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz), and the Village Gate in New York City (And Further Mo'). Most recent credits include Trevor Rhone's Two Can Play at Queens Theatre in the Park and the Crossroads Theatre, a musical on the life of Nelson Mandela which he workshopped at the Windybrow Theatre in South Africa and premiered at the Crossroads Theatre Company in 2004, and an international cultural exchange with Paul Keans-Douglas from Trinidad and the late Ossie Davis.

Production Staff

Lenora Inez Brown (Production Dramaturg) is currently an Associate Editor for American Theatre Magazine. She has served as an artistic advisor/dramaturg for Sundance Theatre Lab 2000, where she worked on a musical based on Kafka's short stories (by Christopher Drobny; directed by Diane Paulus) and a new play about Carson McCullers (by Sarah Schulman; directed by Craig Lucas). She also worked with Ruth Maleczech in June of 2000 at the A.S.K. Theatre Projects' Creating Theatre from Non-traditional Sources Lab. She recently completed a class on dramaturgy for the Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. Before leaving to join American Theatre, she served as the Literary Manager and Dramaturg for Crossroads Theatre Company, the 1999 recipient of the Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre. While at Crossroads, she worked with the writers of It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which was nominated for a Tony for best musical. Before Crossroads she served three years as the Consulting Dramaturg for The Cleveland Play House. While there she wrote and designed the Educator's Packets for student audiences and interviewed various writers and directors for the theatre's playbill. She has also been the Resident Dramaturg for Syracuse Stage and a Festival Dramaturg for the Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices 2000, 1998 and 1996 new-play workshops and for the New Harmony Project. Ms. Brown helped design and write Jazz Tracks, a jazz and cultural magazine program for the NPR affiliate in Cleveland. In its inaugural year, Jazz Tracks received The Ohio Educational Broadcasting association's award for Best Program in the state. Ms. Brown has served as a performance auditor for NYSCA and a Theatre Panelist/Theatre Evaluator for The Ohio Arts Council. Ms. Brown is a graduate of Dartmouth College and The Yale School of Drama.

Tony Cisek (Scenic Designer) has collaborated on YFP's productions of The Light of Excalibur, Dreams in the Golden Country, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Great Quillow and Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.His recent designs include Intimate Apparel with Indiana Repertory Theatre and Syracuse Stage; Beyond Glory at the Goodman Theatre; the premiere of Lift: Icarus & Me with Theatre of the First Amendment; You Are Here with Theatre Alliance; Fences with Arden Theatre Company and Actors Theatre of Louisville; Hannah & Martin at Theatre J; the premiere of The Nightingale with the Children's Chorus of Washington; The Clandestine Marriage at Folger Theatre; and Columbinus with Round House Theatre and Perseverance Theatre. Tony's designs have also been seen at Arena Stage, Guthrie Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Delaware Theatre Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, City Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Rep Stage, and Signature Theatre, among others. Tony is a four-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Set Design and holds an MFA in Design from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

LeVonne Lindsay (Costume Designer) spent two seasons as the Allen Lee Hughes fellow in costume at Arena Stage whereshe received the Thomas C. Fichandler Management Trainee Award for exceptional promise in costume design. Shewas alsothe resident designer for the African Continuum Theater anddesigned their productions of Blood Knot and The Wedding Dance performed in the AFI Theater last season. Past credits also include Yellowman at Arena Stage, Three Sistahs at MetroStage, A Clockwork Orange at The Studio Theatre Secondstage, andTales of Hoffmanfor Maryland Opera Studio. Lindsay attended The Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, and received her MFA in Costume Design from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Martha Mountain (Lighting Designer) is pleased to continue her association with YFP, having designed over a dozen shows for YFP over the last decade, including Leslie Bricusse and Tim McDonald's adaptation of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, YFP's production of Ken Ludwig and Don Schlitz's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Ric Averil's The Emperor's New Clothes, Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet, Paulette Laufer's plays The Great Quillow and Little Women, Kim Hines' My Lord, What a Morning..., Red Badge of Courage directed by Richard Thomas, and Walking the Winds. She designs for diverse companies including Round House Theatre, Theatre of the First Amendment, andWolf Trap Opera Company. Ms. Mountain serves as resident lighting designer for Bowen McCauley Dance (www.bmdc.org) and is an associate with SiG Productions. She has taught lighting design at George Mason University and at the University of Maryland, and is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 (IATSE).

Kevin Hill (Sound Designer) recently moved to Washington, DC from Omaha, NE where he received a BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. For 5 years he was the resident Sound Designer/ Composer for the Omaha Theater Company for Young People. He has designed/ composed for many productions such as the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Babe the Sheep Pig and Stuart Little. He operates his own recording studio where he produces original music, sound design and web-based multi-media audio for such clients as Discovery Channel, TLC and BBC America.

Dreama J. Greaves (Properties Artisan) has served as properties artisan for many Kennedy Center Youth and Family Programs shows. Her credits include such diverse productions as Dreams in the Golden Country; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; The Snow Queen; Little Women; Alice in Wonderland; The Nightingale; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and others; many of which have toured nationally. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Northwestern University and free-lances throughout the metro area.

Bianca Lea Taylor (Recording Vocalist) is a vocalist, songwriter and actress. Her recent performances include a Featured Artist role for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Guest Artist and Background Vocalist for the BeBe Winans' Live DVD project and the European Tour of The Original USA Gospel Singers. She is currently performing with Disney Entertainment as a singer/actress for The Festival of the Lion King in Orlando, Florida.

Cast

Bernie Alston (Olive Love) has performed in various plays, musicals, and projects throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Some of which include Cats Don't Come When You Call and The Harvey Milk Show at the Source Theater, Blues Room, and the readings of Monster at the Theater of the First Amendment, and Breath, Boom at Arena Stage. Bernie is a graduate of Howard University's theatre program and looks forward to continuing a career in theater, television and film. "I feel honored to be joining the Kennedy Center family and thank Ricardo Kahn for allowing me the opportunity to debut, tour and grow under his tutelage."

Danielle A. Drakes (Erma Jean Love) artist/educatorliving in Washington, DC. Previous acting credits include: stepsister Aloysia in Cinderella at Imagination Stage, First Chorus in Ion with Natural Theatricals, Cecily (u/s) in The Importance of Being Earnest with Arena Stage, Dot (u/s) in Flag Day with The Contemporary American Theatre Festival. She has worked as an educator with Center Stage, the Baltimore Shakespeare Partnership, The Theatre Lab, and Round House Theatre. Ms. Drakes received her MFA from The Catholic University of America where she played Maria in Twelfth Night, Frosine in The Miser, and Mrs. Foufas in Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde.

Goldie E. Patrick (Rosie) is proud to be making her second run as Rosie in the Touring production of Color Me Dark. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ms. Patrick received her BFA in theatre arts with a concentration in acting from Howard University. Dedicated to sharing the stories of women such as herself with the world, Goldie is truly excited to perform in such an important and exciting and important production such as Color Me Dark. A former host of BET's Teen Summit, Goldie has spent the last fifteen years of her life honing her passion for acting. Her love for theatre has taken her across the world, traveling and performing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the production of Sarafina. Some of Ms. Patrick's other Theatre credits include, Medea, Shakin the Mess Outta Misery, and A Liberating Prayer a love song for Mumia and most recently Resurrection for Life at the National Black Theatre Festival. Goldie is truly blessed and excited to perform in this beautiful story of family, perseverance, and love.

Fatima Quander (Nellie Lee Love) is originally from Washington, DC and is thrilled to be a part of Color Me Dark. Recent roles include Jasmín in Retratos at the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater and Viv in Girl Bully at the West Beth Theatre Complex. She holds an MFAfrom Actors Studio Drama School in NYC.

Jefferson A. Russell (Uncle Meese) returns to KC YFP after previous national tours of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very BadDay!, the world premiere and national tour of Alexander Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going To Move, both by Judith Viorstand two national tours of HARLEM, adapted byBill Grimmette from the poem/book by Walter Dean Myers. Other credits include D'Atagnan in Cyrano (Shakespeare Theatre); Adam in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Leland in Blues For An Alabama Sky (Everyman Theatre); Malcolm X in The Meeting, Wendal in Before It Hits Home (Arena Players); Grant Wiggins in A Lesson Before Dying andZacharia in Blood Knot (African Continuum Theatre). Jefferson has B.A. in Sociology from Hampton University and is a former Baltimore Police Officer.

Gabriel Sigal (Tommy Braxton) has most recently performed as Albert Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Penobscot Theatre in Maine. Other favoriteshows include: Feste in Twelfth Night, Caliban in The Tempest, and Hans in the world premiere of Slaughterhouse Five at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. He is a recent graduate of George Washington University with a master's degree in classical acting.

Jeorge Bennett Watson (Freeman Love) is honored and extremely grateful to be working with the Kennedy Center once again. Previously, he was cast as Lacey in the 2004 production of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. Other notablecharacters include, Boy Willie in Arena Stage's production of The Piano Lesson, Lincoln in Studio Theatre's topdog/underdog, and Othello in Baltimore Shakespeare Festival's Othello. A native of the great state of North Carolina (Go 'Heels!),Mr. Watson studied art at the Maryland Institute, College of Art (Baltimore, MD) and acting at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory (Washington, DC) Jeorge thanks Eli Dawson, Ricardo Khan, and the staff of the Kennedy Center's Youth and Family Programs for this opportunity. He sends all his love, thanks and continued supportto Romare, Ma, Leila, Rona, Tryphena, Jefferson (+Galvanize!) and Daisy (who dem?). Thank God for His many Blessings.

Taisha Cameron (Understudy) is excited to be a part of this production. This November marked her professional DC debut in Discovery Theater's production Coyote Mischief Tales. She holds a BA in Theatre Performance & Dance Minor from the University of Maryland College Park and has received further training at the DC Improv and New York Film Academy. Stage credits include: Coyote Mischief Tales (Mole), Get Stuffed (Kristin), Macbeth (Third Witch), Romeo & Juliet (Gregory, u/s Clown), West Side Story (Teresita), The Vagina Monologues (Under the Burqa), and A Baltimore Christmas Carol (Maggie).

George Grant (Understudy) is a Washingiton D.C. area actor who has appeared at The Shakespeare Theatre, The Washington Shakespeare Co., Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Catalyst Theater Co. in the D.C. Metro area as well as at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre among many others. He also directs, and is on the faculties of TheShakespeare Theatre Co. and The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. He received a BA in Theatre from Lawrence University and an MFA in Classical Acting from The Shakespeare Theatre's Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University.

Tour Technical Staff

Jeremy B. Wilcox (Production Stage Manager) Prior to relocating to New York, Jeremy served for two years as Production Stage Manager with The Second City e.t.c in Chicago and for five years with The Second City National Touring Company. While touring, Jeremy traveled the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and led his touring company to the Middle East on Second City's first ever tour with the USO. In addition, Jeremy has stage managed over fifty corporate industrial productions including a show on LA's Fox Studio Lot with Tim Kazurinsky and a series of shows starring Martin Short. Other credits include: Hamlet! The Musical, the Chicago premiere of Steve Martin's WASP, and Unmentionables with Mad TV's Stephanie Weir.

Jessica A. Harris (Lighting Director) is excited to be on tour with Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration for the first time. She is pursuing her degree at North Carolina School of the Arts. There she worked on productions as Tartuff and Engaged as the production electrician. She is a native form Davis, California and is very excited to have a chance to tour with Color me Dark.

Austin Jennings (Technical/Sound Director) has joined on with the Kennedy Centers tour, after spending two season at the Santa Fe Opera. While there he worked as a Sound and a Stage Crew apprentice. During his final season there Austin was award outstanding apprentice. Prior to his work there he was a student a Central Washington University, where he majored in Technical Theater and Design. His achievements there were Best Student Technical Director and An award of merit for his work as a Technical Director on Lloyds Prayer. Austin is always up for a challenge and is excited for the challenges the tour of Color Me Dark might provide.

Jodi Lynn Leduc (Wardrobe/Assistant Technical Director) is very happy to be joining the tour of Color Me Dark. She has just completed 2 years at the Barter Theatre in Southwestern Virginia. Where she worked on over 10 shows in rotating rep. Other favorite productions include Sweet Charity, the Laramie Project, Chicago, and Little Shop of Horrors. Jodi would like to thank her family and friends for being there, especially Craig- I don't know how you do it.

* Color Me Dark: A Story of the Great Migration North is a professional production employing members of Actors' Equity Association