City in Transition
April 24 - May 24, 2021
by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Avery Collins, Shalom Omo-Osagie, and Leslie Scott-Jones
Four quadrants of Washington, D.C. Four playwrights charged with unearthing their histories, exploring their current situations, and projecting their futures. From hip-hop battles to the nonprofit industrial complex, City in Transition is an interwoven narrative of our city as it is today.
Join us for a searing quartet of world premiere plays woven together into one powerful story that speaks to the past, present, and future of our city’s unique communities.
Cast and production
Cast
Featuring
Morgan Booth
Melissa Carter
Morgan Charece
Molly Cohen
Kelsey Delemar
Bayou Elom
Dylan Fleming
Charles Franklin IV
Nathanael Hatchett
Emmanuel Kyei-Baffour
Melanie Lawrence
Janelle Odom
Jennifer Osborn
Shannon Palmer
Llogan Peters
Nia Savoy
Kayla Warren
Kevin Thorne
Daniel Young
Morgan Booth is a graduate of Bowie State University, earning her Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts with a concentration in musical theater. She has worked on many stage productions and behind the camera through out the years. She is currently earning her Master’s in Business Management while still pursuing her dreams of being a film actress and professional model. She hopes to take her degree to Georgia and own her own business while working behind the scenes of films and in front of the camera!
Melissa (Mel) Carter is a resident artist with the 4615 Theatre Company. Previous credits include Thumbelina and Zomo the Rabbit at Imagination Stage, Alice in Wonderland, Othello, and The Great Gatsby with the National Players, Forest Treás at Pointless Theatre Co, Separate Rooms and The Infinite Tales at 4615 Theatre Co, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Prince George Shakespeare. Stage readings include (An Audio Guide for) Unsung Snails and Heroes with the Manhattan Theatre Club, John Hughes Wrote My Diary with the Kennedy Center, and Bronx Express with Theater J. https://www.makemelissacarter.com/
Molly Cohen is a DC / Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist. She is a company member of the award winning experimental theatre group The Acme Corporation, founding and active member of film collective Lux Daze Media, and Associate Artistic Director of Theatre of the Electric Mouth. She has performed and designed for The Smithsonian Discovery Theatre, Fractal Theatre Collective, Single Carrot, Prologue Theatre, and more. Molly was last seen at Theater Alliance in Blood at the Root, and is grateful to be working again with this incredibly giving community in City in Transition: The Quadrant Series.
Kelsey Delemar studied at Baltimore School for the Arts and California Institute of the Arts, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her first feature film was My Time With The Descendants of Atlantis by André Daughtry. Her most recent films that are currently in production are “Sweet Dreams” by Alvin Gray and “Trap City” by Ricky Burchell. When she is not working on film, she is working on her music. Her debut Visual EP, “Kelyes & the Wave,” is a five-song record that is paired with visuals to illustrate the notion of rebirth, redirection and renaissance. She is very grateful to have been a part of City in Transition: The Quadrant Series.
Bayou Elom is a recent alum of the University of Maryland College Park. They are proud to be working with Theater Alliance again and excited to be taking part in such a Black experience. Some of their notable regional performances are: Anacostia Playhouse’s Silenced Voices as various roles, Highwood Theatre’s Duck as Crumb, and Alley Theatre’s Welcome to Sis’s as James. Bayou has also transitioned to film where they will be starring as Brother Calvin in Dark Waters: Railroad and in 1939 Studios’ My Dream Girl as the Father.
Dylan J. Fleming LOCAL: Kill Move Paradise (Rep Stage); Squeakers and Mr. Gumdrop (Arts on the Horizon); Day of Absence, The Raid (Theater Alliance); The Member of the Wedding (1st Stage); Macbeth (We Happy Few Productions); The Crucible (Olney Theatre Center); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing (Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Park). Education: BA Jackson State University; MFA Catholic University.
Charles Franklin IV is proud to be making his return to Theater Alliance. Recent credits include Helen Hayes winner of Outstanding Ensemble and Outstanding Production, Blood at the Root at Theater Alliance, Day of Absence, at Theater Alliance, Klecksography at Rorschach Theatre, Snow Queen at Imagination Stage. Charles currently holds a Bachelors in Theatre Arts -Acting & Directing from Bowie State University and has also trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Morgan Charéce is an actor, teaching artist, director, yoga enthusiast, and divine creator from Philadelphia who moved to the DMV area in 2019. She received her M.F.A in Theatre from the University of Alabama in May 2018 where she taught for two and a half years. Upon graduation she co-founded the Sankofa Theatre Ensemble, a devised movement theatre ensemble based out of HBCU Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After earning her M.F.A., she had the honor of receiving the Allen Lee Hughes fellowship at Arena Stage where she served as the Education and School Programs Fellow in the Community Engagement department. Currently Morgan is completing a Teaching Artist Residency at Howard University, serving as a Teaching Assistant and Artistic Fellow at Duke Ellington School of the Fine Arts as well as teaching theatre at several arts organizations throughout the DMV and in Philadelphia. Some of her acting credits include: Mrs. Breedlove/Woman 2 in The Bluest Eye (Hollins University), Mata in Matayanda (Young Playwright’s Theatre), Eartha in Silence is Violence (Young Playwrights Theatre),Wilma Rudolph in Going the Distance (Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre), Feste in Twelfth Night (North Georgia Theatre Company) Joan and Sprenger in Vinegar Tom (University of Alabama) Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (University of Alabama) to name a few.
Nathanael “Nate” Hatchett is a senior Theatre Arts major with a concentration in Acting/Directing at Bowie State University. Hailing from Waldorf, Maryland, Nate serves in the department as an actor, director, playwright and student leader. Bowie State University credits include: Aren’t You? (Minority), Urbanz: All Foods (Nate), and Director/Student Producer of Bowie State’s First, Second, and Third annual Urbanz Slam. Nathanael is also the playwright of Noonie&Rocky or Noonie&Rocky and Power Lines produced by BSU Theatre. Film credits include: Words Finding Lyfe (Tray), Holiday Heartbreak (BG talent). Nathanael would like to thank his family, friends, and mentors for all their gracious love and support.
Emmanuel Kyei-Baffour has most recently been seen onstage in Theater Alliance’s Blood at the Root, and Breathe The Musical as Claude/Thomas Shipp (SoulFree Enterprises). Other works include Seasons of Light, JoJo’s Trip to the Zoo, and Here We Go Team (Smithsonian Discovery Theatre); Hairspray, Side Show, and Les Misèrables (Montgomery County Summer Dinner Theatre).
Janelle Odom is a graduating senior musical theatre major at Howard University. She was most recently involved in Protest in 8 with Theatre Alliance. She aspires to further her craft in graduate school to become a teaching artist, performer, and writer. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support along her journey.
Jennifer Osborn is pleased to return to Theater Alliance after appearing as Box Office Asst #1 for many seasons. You can find Jennifer on the Netflix series House of Cards, Seasons 1 and 2, as Assistant to Claire Underwood, played by Robin Wright. Jennifer has appeared locally with Rorschach Theatre Company, Avant Bard, See No Sun Onstage, Molotov Theatre Group, Quotidian Theatre Company, Word Dance Theatre and others. She is looking forward to gracing box offices again soon and maybe even a stage or film set!
Llogan Peters is a graduating senior B.F.A. Acting candidate at Howard University from Upper Marlboro, MD. She has worked with various student and local filmmakers, thespians, and emerging artists and can be recently seen in the Shakespeare Everywhere: Annual Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Virtual Gala. In her free time she enjoys playing the electric guitar, painting, photography, and watching films. She is very grateful for this opportunity to work amongst fellow thespians during the pandemic and extends a thank you to Raymond Caldwell, Shalom Omo-Osagie, and the entire creative team at Theater Alliance!
Kayla Alexis Warren is currently a senior musical theatre major at Howard University. She is excited to be working with Theater Alliance again, previously appearing in the Helen Hayes nominated production of Day of Absence (Courier/ Ensemble). Her most recent performance credits are Sleep Deprivation Chamber (Ensemble) at Round House Theatre and Pippin (Leading Player) at Howard University. In addition to her acting credits, she is also an experienced choreographer. Recent credits include: Urinetown: The Musical (Howard University), A Chorus Line and Avenue Q (MacGuffin Theatre & Film Company), Cabaret and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Friends Select School), and The Miss District of Columbia Outstanding Teen Pageant 2019.
Kevin E. Thorne II is a DC based actor. His previous credits include: Mosaic Theatre Company: Fabulation or the Re-education of Undine (Flow); Keegan Theatre: As You Like It (Orlando); Spooky Action Theatre: I Killed My Mother (Clip); Synetic Theatre: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Joker/Scarecrow u/s); Pointless Theatre Company: Imogen (Arveragus); Discovery Theatre: Nation We Build Together (Samuel P. Leonard), Cramton 1961 (Dr. Huey P. Newton), Going the Distance (Jesse Owens). Kevin holds a BFA in acting from Howard University.
Daniel Young is a junior at Bowie State University where he studies Theater Arts with a concentration in acting/directing. Daniel is one of the founding members of a student-led leadership group in the theater program. Daniel has performed in many plays and musicals, including: Mr. Black in You Still Black (BSU Theatre) Steve in My Dream Girl (1939 Studios), Bernstein/Mr. Martin/Ensemble in Little Shop of Horrors (BSU Theatre), Mr. Warbucks in Annie (RBS VPAD), Peter in The Boardroom (R.A.R.E. Soul productions), Bernardo in Westside Story (RBS VPAD), Peter in Witnesses to the Cross (FBCG Drama), and more.
Production Team
Director Raymond O. Caldwell
Directors of Photography Kelly Colburn & Dylan Uremovich
Technical Director/Art Director Jonathan Dahm Robertson
Lighting Designer Dylan Uremovich
Sound Designer & Audio Post-Production Matthew M. Nielson
Costume Designer Jeannette Christensen
Assistant Costume Designer Savannah Gomez
Master Electrician Elliott Shugoll
Associate Producer Sean-Maurice Lynch
Production Manager Rachel Walsh
Edited by Kelly Colburn, Cameron Harris, Jonathan Dahm Robertson, Nitsan Scharf, and Dylan Uremovich
VFX Supervisor Dylan Uremovich
Visual FX by Kelly Colburn, Deja Collins, Jonathan Dahm Robertson, Nitsan Scharf, Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor and Dylan Uremovich
Audio Post Production Assistant navi
Original Music The Curious Music Company
More
FROM WHENCE WE CAME: A brief history of the Washington D.C. Quadrants
DATE: Sunday, May 2, 2021
TIME: 5:00 p.m.
(PRE-RECORDED)
CITY IN TRANSITION: D.C. Ward Conversations
DATE: Saturday, May 8, 2021
TIME: 5:00 p.m.
(LIVE EVENT)
IT TAKES A VILLAGE: Quadrant Series Community Partners
DATE: Saturday, May 15, 2021
TIME: 5:00 p.m.
(LIVE EVENT)
PEN 2 PEN: A Playwright Conversation
DATE: Saturday, May 22, 2021
TIME: 5:00 p.m.
(PRE-RECORDED)
FAQs:
When do tickets go on sale?
We expect to begin selling tickets in late March. Make sure to sign up for our email list to get the latest news!
If I buy a ticket to an event, can I watch it whenever I want?
In an effort to keep the “live theater” feel, each of the plays will be streamed at a specific date and time. We are creating a number of screening times so everyone can find something that suits their schedule.
Y’all know there’s a pandemic. How did you film this safely?
We were very careful, created pandemic-related protocols with the help of doctors and public health experts, and worked with two “bubbles” of artists so no one risked additional exposure. No artists were harmed in the making of these films.
Are there Radical Neighboring tickets available?
Yes! And also ticket levels for seniors, students, and members of the military, as well as suggested ticket levels for multiple viewers. Please choose the level that is right for you.
I have a question that’s not listed here.
No worries! Send us an email at info@theateralliance.com and we’ll get back to you.