CAST

Tarina J. BradshaW*

(Angel Allen) is thrilled to make her Virginia Stage Company debut. Tarina has earned her BA in acting in New York and is also a Stella Adler Summer Conservatory alum 22’.  The New York native has nestled into several creative ventures during her recent move to Los Angeles, such as writing and producing short films but is elated to be back on stage! Her favorite credits include: Trouble in Mind (Timeline), The Lady from the Sea (Court Theatre), The Last Pair of Earlies (Raven), Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Raven), Too Heavy for your Pocket (Timeline). Shout out to her family & friends for their consistent support. She would also like to thank her phenomenal life partner S. Hoyt for always dreaming with her. Represented: Eris Talent Agency (Commercial & Theatrical)

Kendrix Brown*

(Leland Cunningham) is excited to be making his Virginia Stage Company debut. Previous theatre credits include Refraction of Light and Voodoo MacBeth at Zeiders American Dream Theatre. His film credits include Harriet, The Gateway and Recovery Chain (ABFF HBO Short Film Award Finalist) all shot here in Virginia. Kendrix is grateful for the support and love from his family and friends.

Rachel Fobbs*

(Delia Patterson) is blessed to be back with her VA Stage family (Matilda and Pride & Prejudice)! World Premiere of Christmas in Connecticut (Goodspeed Musicals); Inaugural Broadway Guest Artist (Disney Wish); Escape to Margaritaville (Broadway 1st Nat'l Tour); World Premiere Actor-Musician production of Godspell (St Michael's Playhouse).  Follow her antics on IG @fobbsy

JAMES T. LANE*

(Guy Jacobs) West End: The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line. Broadway: Chicago (Billy Flynn, Amos Hart); Kiss Me Kate (Paul); King Kong; The Scottsboro Boys; A Chorus Line (Richie Walters). National Tours: Jersey Boys, Cinderella, Fame. Regional Theater: Mary Poppins (Bert, Drury Lane Theatre); The Wiz (Tin Man, Broadway at Music Circus, The Muny); The Little Mermaid (Sebastian) and Sister Act (The Muny). Concerts: Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, Ottawa Symphony, and many more. Creator of the Off Broadway, 2023 Audelco Award-winning show Triple Threat. Mr. Lane teaches music theater dance when and wherever anyone will let him! www.jamestlane.com, Instagram: @jamestlane

Gregory Warren*

(Sam Thomas) returns to VSC. He is an actor based in New York City. Select acting credits: Cat on Hot Tin Roof (Virginia Stage Company). Off-Broadway: Colorblind(Actors Temple Theatre). Other NYC credits: Watch Me Burn (The Wild Project), The Prisoners of Quai Dong (The Tank), Will (The Hudson Guild Theater), The Exonerated, The Tempest and The Motherf*cker With the Hat (The Secret Theatre). Chicago Credits: Mana and Her Underground Family (Gorilla Tango Theatre). In 2017, Greg received the award for Outstanding Performance in a Supportive Role at Fresh Fruit Festival Awards for his performance in Watch Me Burn. Training: Second City Acting program & Green Shirt Studio (Chicago).

CREATIVE

Pearl Cleage

(Author) is an Atlanta-based writer whose plays include Pointing at the Moon, What I Learned in Paris, Flyin’ West, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and Bourbon at the Border, commissioned and directed by Kenny Leon at the Alliance Theatre. She is also the author of A Song for Coretta, written in 2007 during Cleage’s time as Cosby Professor in Women’s Studies at Spelman College. Her play, The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presences at a Celebration of their First One Hundred Years, was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and premiered in 2010, in a joint production by the ASF and Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, directed by Susan Booth. Her plays have also been performed at Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Huntington Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Long Wharf Theatre, Just US Theatre, True Colors Theatre, Bushfire Theatre, the Intiman Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and Seven Stages. She is also an accomplished performance artist, often working in collaboration with her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. They have performed at the National Black Arts Festival, the National Black Theatre Festival, and colleges and universities across the country. Cleage and Burnett also collaborated with performance artists Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones on the script for THE LOVE PROJECT, which premiered at the National Black Theatre Festival in 2008, and is currently touring the country. Cleage is also an accomplished novelist. Her novels include “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day,” a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club selection, “I Wish I Had a Red Dress,” “Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do,” “Babylon Sisters,” “Baby Brother’s Blues,” “Seen It All and Done the Rest,” and “Till You Hear from Me.” She is also the author of “Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman’s Guide to Truth,” a groundbreaking work of race and gender, and “We Speak Your Names,” a praise poem commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for her 2005 celebration of legendary African American women and written in collaboration with Zaron Burnett. Cleage has also written for magazines, including “Essence,” “Vibe,” “Rap Pages,” and “Ms.” In addition to her work as the founding editor of “Catalyst” magazine, a literary journal, she was a regular columnist for the Atlanta Tribune for ten years, winning many awards for her thought-provoking columns. She has also written for TheDefendersOnLine.com. Cleage has been awarded grants in support of her work from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council on the Arts, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. Her work has earned her many awards and honors, including an NAACP Image Award for fiction in 2008. Pearl Cleage is represented by Ron Gwiazda at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City. Her website is www.PearlCleage.net. She also maintains a Facebook fan page. www.pearlcleage.net

Jerrell L. Henderson†

(Director) is a director, puppeteer and African American Theatre historian and archivist. He recently staged his original shadow play, AmericanMYTH: Crossroads at Free Street Theatre (League of Chicago Theatre's 2022 Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. Fellowship, Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant, Chicago DCASE grant). Other directing credits include Constellations at Penobscot Theatre, Ragtime at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Reverie by James Ijames with Azuka Theatre, and Mlima’s Tale with Griffin Theatre (Jeff Award nomination for Direction and Best Play). He has co-developed and co-staged both Little Amal Drifts Off To Sleep with ChiPuppets in Maggie Daley Park, Chicago, and When the World Sounds like a Prayer with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and St. Ann's Warehouse in Bryant Park, NYC. Puppet short films include I Am The Bear with The Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival, Hamlin: La Revue Sombre with Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams, and Diamond’s Dream with Chicago Children’s Theatre. He received his MFA in Theatre Directing from Northwestern University (2015). Jerrell is the creator/curator of  black_theatre_vinyl_archive on IG. He is represented by the Gurman Agency (susan@gurmanagency.com).

CAITLIN McLEOD

(she/her) (Scenic Designer) is a Chicago based costume, scenic, and puppet designer. Most recent credits include: Lavender Men (About Face Theatre); What the Constitution Means to Me (Copley Theatre, Aurora); The Dream King (Teatro Vista); The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (Chicago Children's Theatre); Trouble in Mind (Timeline); The Aleph Complex (Alleyway Buffalo, NY); Get out Alive (Haven); The Seagull (Steppenwolf); Sea Change (Cabinet of Curiosity); Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (Strawdog); Exquisite Corpse (Rough House); Stick Fly (Writers Theatre). She also is a freelance craftsperson with work recently at The Goodman, The Kennedy Center, Lookingglass, Theatre Wit, Northlight, and Cabinet of Curiosity. Caitlin is a co-curator of NBS: Chicago’s Puppet Slam, a company member of Rough House and Cabinet of Curiosity, and the project manager of the Chicago Puppet Studio. Instagram @CaitlinMcLeodDesign  (Scenic Designer) 

GREGORY GRAHAM

(He/Him) (Costume Designer) is a Chicago costume designer and milliner. His credits include: Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, Dream: A Community Reimaging of A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Mothers (Gift Theater) The Writer (Steep Theatre); Blues for an Alabama Sky, Anna in the Tropics, Routes (Remy Bumppo Theatre); The Porch on Windyhill, Garbologist, Fireflies (Northlight Theatre); Once (Writers Theatre); Is God Is (A Red Orchid Theatre); From the Mississippi Delta (Lifeline Theatre); A Mile in the Dark (Interronbang Theatre Project); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); 1919 (Steppenwolf Theatre); Enough to Let The Light In (Teatro Vista); Private Lives (Raven Theatre); Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, Rent, Porchlight Revisits:Passing Strange (Porchlight Music Theatre); On the Greenbelt, Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins (Strawdog Theatre); The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (Court Theatre)); The Facts of Life: Satan’s School for Girls, The Drag Seed (Hell in a Handbag Productions). Regional: The Wiz (Children’s Theatre of Madison); Raisin (Skylight Music Theatre); Blood at the Root ( Millikin University, School of Theatre and Dance). Education: BA in Theatre Design, University of Illinois at Chicago . www.gregorygrahamdesign.com

DEANNA DOGGETT

(Lighting Designer) enjoys lighting design for theatre, dance music and opera. She is excited to be at Virginia Stage for the first time. Precious Credits Include: Constellations Penobscot Theatre Company, The Bullet In The Brain University of the Arts, & The Wolves Arcadia University. 

SHARATH PATEL§

(He/Him) (Sound Designer) works nationally and internationally focusing on experimental, commercial, academic, political and socially conscious theatre. Recent designs: The Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, A.C.T., Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, Cleveland Play House, Indiana Rep, Asolo Rep, American Rep, Seattle Rep, Artists Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cal Shakes, Alabama Shakes, Theatrical Outfit, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Tantrum Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, The Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, Hypokrit Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Geffen Playhouse, East West Players, Theatrical Outfit. Additional work in New York City, San Francisco, L.A., D.C., Boston, Norfolk, Raleigh, Aspen, India, France, England, Germany, Romania, Vietnam. Affiliations: USA829 IATSE, Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State, National Respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Resident Artists at Artists Rep. BFA: Ohio University. MFA: Yale School of Drama. sharathpatel.com

EMEL ERTURGUL

(Casting Director) officially joined the Virginia Stage Company team in 2017 but worked on various projects with the company well before.  Her first casting adventure was the beautiful production Pride and Prejudice for Season 39.  Since then it has been a goal to strengthen and cultivate VSC's relationship with professional local and out of town artists.  Each season has provided new challenges and each production a new opportunity to find the perfect showcase of talent. Emel has most recently been seen performing in The Twelve Dates of Christmas on the Wells Stage and currently serves as the Operations Manager for VSC and the Producing Artistic Director for Core Theatre Ensemble.

JORDAN SETZER

(Intimacy Coordinator) is excited to continue her artistic journey at Virginia Stage Company. Her previous intimacy coordination projects include Chicken and Biscuits (Little Theatre of Norfolk), A Murder is Announced (Little Theatre of Virginia Beach),  A Raisin in the Sun (LTVB), Boxes of Someday (The Z), Henry V (VSC), and Dreamgirls (VSC). Her choreographic credits include: A Merry Little Christmas Carol(Assistant Director), Guys and Dolls, Fun Home, The Secret Garden, Pride and Prejudice, The Wiz, Legally Blonde, Beauty and The Beast, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Return to The Forbidden Planet. Jordan’s directorial credits include GreenBeats Live! (VSC), Shrek Jr (CFRT), A Year with Frog and Toad(CFRT), The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland. Some of Jordan’s favorite performance credits include the national tours of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and CATS 30th Anniversary (Victoria). Regional Theatre: Spamalot, Mary Poppins (Dance Captain), Legally Blonde (Serena), S’Wonderful (Leslie), CATS (Sillabub), How To Succeed.., The Producers(Dance Captain), The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, Ballet Memphis Company, and Celebrity Cruises. Jordan is honored to be working as an intimacy coordinator on Indecent by Paula Vogel (Generic Theatre) and as a member of the intimacy team on Rathskeller: A Musical Elixir (The Z).

KIM FULLER*

(Stage Manager) has held assistant roles in the stage management department this season (Fiddler on the Roof, A Merry Christmas Carol, and Ken Ludwig's The Three Musketeers), and stage managed Dial M for Murder. They also have worked all around Hampton Roads in multiple positions devoted to the Theater Arts, including as Production Stage Manager for The Virginia Opera’s Sound of Music, Ophelia Chooses at The Z, and also assistant managing roles in other venues. They would like to thank their family, friends, VSC staff members, and everyone involved in the production for their support and gorgeous work.

CRISTINA ROSE

(Assistant Stage Manager) is delighted to be backstage again at VSC! Having just returned from the Annual Immersive Theatre Experience at the Hermitage Museum, POSSES$ION, with Roūge VA, and traveling with the Every Brilliant Thing Tour as Stage Manager. While Cristina has worked on almost every show backstage this season, they are also a Teaching Artist with VSC, and looking forward to our Summer Camps coming soon! Cristina teaches improv and acting classes at Push Comedy Theatre and Hurrah Players. They can be seen performing monthly with Girl-Prov, How the West was Improvised, and Pushing Dragons at Push Comedy. They would like to share their gratitude for the patience and support of their loved ones throughout this process. 

ADDITIONAL SHOW STAFF

Wig Designer for Guy .............. Rueben Echoles
Wig Designer for Angel ........... Megan Pirtle
Sound Board Operator …........ Shyloh-Symone Bailey
Light Board Operator .............. Joey Mueller
Spot Operator ........................... Jonathan Reed
Deck Crew .................................. Jackson Carson, Marley Haugen
ASL Interpreters ........................ Debra Vance, Moira Travis, Kimberly Davenport

† Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent labor union.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States