Randy Preston (Acoustic Rooster/Composer) is an African Native American singer-songwriter, author, educator and storyteller who was raised in the UK, Zimbabwe and Kenya. He taught English literature for 18 years before switching careers, spending the past six years collaborating with Kwame Alexander and performing at over 700 schools throughout six different countries and 48 of the 50 U.S. states.

Preston wrote original songs for the novels Rebound, Solo, and Swing, and the picture books, Animal, Ark, Surf’s Up and Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band. He recently wrote and performed original music for the educational show Wordplay with Kwame Alexander, hosted by Adventure Academy. He is publishing a book with Alexander, and he recently signed a two book deal with Penguin Books. He is thrilled to present his original score for Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume.

Kanysha Williams (Indigo Blume) is a Washington Metropolitan Area native who is thrilled to be making her Kennedy Center TYA debut! Williams is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC and George Mason University. Theatrical credits include: Sister Act, The Color Purple, Always...Patsy Cline, Aida, Little Shop of Horrors, Ain't Misbehavin' and more! Off stage, Williams works as a singer, performer, educator and a private music instructor specializing in vocal and piano training. To God Be The Glory!

Lauren Davis (Chickee Minaj) is happy to be returning to the Kennedy center. She hails from Maryland and is ecstatic to be a part of the cast of Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie. Other theater credits include Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the bus (The Kennedy Center) Love's Labour's Lost, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Antony and Cleopatra (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Corduroy, Akeelah and the Bee, Shrek the Musical, The Scarecrow and His Servant, Cinderella and Charlotte’s Web (Childrens Theatre Company); Oliver! (Theater Latté Da); Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Pillsbury House Theatre/Guthrie Theater); Greensboro Four and American Song Book (The Smithsonian). Television credits include America’s Most Wanted (Lifetime). She holds an M.F.A. from the Catholic University of America and a theater degree from Frostburg State. She would like to thank God and her family for their love and support!

Farrell Parker (Miss Dairy Parton) has previously appeared at the Kennedy Center in Shear Madness and with The Second City’s Almost Accurate Guide to America. Other area credits include: Olney Theatre Center (Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain), Arena Stage (Fiddler on the Roof), Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co (The Second City’s She the People), Constellation Theatre (Queenie in The Wild Party), 1st Stage (Fly by Night; Bat Boy: the Musical; Suite Surrender), and Adventure Theatre (Fancy Nancy in Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas; Frosty the Snowman), among others. MFA: Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University. www.farrellparker.com www.artisttaxprep.com

Vaughn Midder (Duck Ellington) is very excited to return to the Kennedy Center after debuting A Wind in the Door back in September. Having helped workshop the musical since 2019, Vaughn Ryan is thrilled to finally share this touching story with visitors of all ages. Other credits include: The John F. Kennedy Center: The Watsons Go to Birmingham -1963, and Bud, Not Buddy; Everyman Theatre: Sweat; Gala Hispanic Theatre: In the Heights en Español (Helen Hayes nomination); Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Black Side of the Moon; Mosaic Theatre: Native Son; Adventure Theatre MTC National Tour: Three Little Birds; Constellation Theatre Company: Urinetown, Avenue Q (Helen Hayes Award); Studio Theatre: Choir Boy. Education: B.A. Theatre, University of Maryland, College Park. IG: @vaughn_ryan_ Black Lives Matter.

Jaysen Wright (Mules Davis) is pleased to join the barnyard! Previous credits include: The Royale (Olney and 1st Stage); Jubilee and Smart People (Arena Stage), The Importance of Being Earnest (Everyman); Actually and Sons of the Prophet (Theater J); Macbeth (Folger); The Wiz and A Christmas Carol (Ford's); I Hate It Here, WIG OUT!, Choir Boy, and Rocky Horror (Studio); Anatole: Mouse Magnifique, Davy Copperfield, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Looking for Roberto Clemente (Imagination Stage); Take Me Out and Now Comes the Night (1st Stage); Choir Boy (Marin Theater Company); Measure for Measure, Coriolanus, and Wallenstein (Shakespeare Theatre). Wright is the director of Breaking Ground, a theater program for LGBTQI+ people of color that stages original, devised work, and a professor at George Washington University, where he teaches Beginning Acting. Upcoming: The Till Trilogy at Mosaic. Instagram: thejayceface www.jaysenwright.com

Samara Brown (Understudy) Originally from Nashville Tennessee, Samara Brown relocated to Bowie Maryland at age 5. Brown is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland , where she pursued her love of the arts and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Her most recent musical was at UMD where she started in Little Shop of Horrors as "Ronnette" of the Ronnettes. Brown truly enjoyed cultivating her craft, and diving into her passion of theatre and music while performing in many main stage productions, and has grown into a well-rounded artist in her time at UMD. She has recently moved to LA where she is currently pursuing TV, film, and theater. Brown is extremely proud to be joining Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences for Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume. She is grateful to her family, and friends for their support in pursuing her dreams and keeping her focused and driven.

Caroline Dubberly (Understudy) is so excited to be back at the Kennedy Center for Acoustic Rooster! Previous DC area acting credits include: The Kennedy Center: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!; Studio Theatre: Translations and The Father (HH nomination for Outstanding Ensemble); Woolly Mammoth Theatre: Baby Screams Miracle; Solas Nua: In the Middle of the Fields; Monumental Theatre: Be More Chill (the SQUIP); 1^st Stage: The Member of the Wedding; 4615 Theatre Co: Betrayal; Keegan Theatre: Top Girls and Next to Normal (HH nominations for Outstanding Supporting Performer). Dubberly teaches acting at Imagination Stage, where they have also directed productions of The Wolves and Edges. Other directing credits include: Monumental Theatre: Desidirium (workshop); Mt. Olivet Players: She Kills Monsters and The Revenge of the Space Pandas. Upcoming: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (National Tour). www.carolinedubberly.com

Sylvern Groomes Jr. (Understudy) is excited to be bringing Theatre back to the stage and for returning to the Kennedy Center for this inspiring show! He was last seen as Dr. Bird in Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s production of Three Little Birds. You can catch him next on the road as Pigeon in Kennedy Center’s touring production of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!. www.sylvernjr.com 

Kwame Alexander (Playwright) is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 35 books, including SWING, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, BOOKED, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and, his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Alexander is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he founded the publishing imprint VERSIFY, and opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney plus.

Mary Rand Hess (Playwright) is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and New York Times bestselling author of notable and award-winning books such as Solo (CABA Honor Book and NAACP Image Award Nominee) and Swing, coauthored with Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander, The One and Only Wolfgang: From Pet Rescue to One Big Happy Family, written with Steve Greig of @wolfgang2242 Instagram fame, and the forthcoming picture book, Belong, which will be illustrated by artist Nina Mata (illustrator of I Promise by LeBron James). Hess loves collaboration and is currently at work on several exciting film and media projects. Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume is Hess' first musical collaboration, but certainly not her last. She lives in California with her husband (who proposed marriage at the Kennedy Center twenty-five years ago), two filmmaker sons, and one quirky dog, who loves to sing while she composes on the piano. www.maryrandhess.com

Lili-Anne Brown (Director) a native Chicagoan, works as a director, actor and educator, and has performed in, directed and produced many award-winning shows, both local and regional. She is the former Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she focused programming on Chicago-premiere musicals and new play development with resident playwrights. Recent credits include School Girls, or The African Mean Girls Play and the world premiere of Ike Holter’s Lottery Day at Goodman Theatre, and The Color Purple at Drury Lane Theatre. She is a member of SDC, AEA, and SAG-AFTRA, a graduate of Northwestern University, and represented by William Morris Endeavor. Check her out at www.lilbrownchicago.com.

Mark G. Meadows (Music Director/Orchestrator) Acclaimed jazz pianist, music director, singer songwriter & actor, Mark G. Meadows is a man on a mission: to create a unifying sound that breaks through social barriers. There’s something for everyone in his music, which harmonizes jazz, gospel, R&B, hip hop, funk, and jazz.

In August 2016, Meadows made his acting debut as the titular role in the Washington, D.C., premiere of the hit Broadway musical Jelly’s Last Jam at the Signature Theatre. Since then, he's been immersed in the theatre scene, successfully combining the raw, spontaneous nature of jazz with the story-telling, heavily produced nature of theatre.

Increasingly in demand around the globe, Meadows has performed alongside world-renowned artists, including Usher, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Fleming, Kendrick Lamar, Angelique Kidjo, Bobby McFerrin, The NSO, Ledisi, and more.

Meadows continues to use his artistry to bring forth a positive message of love, joy, and hope to his audiences.

Breon Arzell (Choreographer) Breon Arzell's breakout, and award-winning*, premiere as a choreographer came with a Chicago production of The Hairy Ape. Detroit native, he has worked at various studios, schools, universities (DePaul, Northwestern, and Roosevelt), and theaters. Chicago credits include: Little Shop of Horrors (Metropolis PAC), *Kill Move Paradise (TimeLine Theatre), The Color Purple (Drury Lane), *Head Over Heels & The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), *The Total Bent (Haven Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens), Marie Christine, *Scottsboro Boys, and more. Regional & TV credits include: Miss You Like Hell (Olney Theatre), The 4400 (CW), Empire (Fox). A dedicated teaching artist, critically acclaimed, and listed as one of the 50 Players for Chicago 2018 & 2020, he has worked/toured the U.S., England, Italy, Germany, Denmark, & Singapore. Currently, along with developing original works and a "dance"ical, he is working on the restoration and revival of a historical black musical. Hip-Hop, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, & Body Percussion. www.breonarzell.com

Arnel Sancianco (Scenic Designer) is an award winning set designer and currently is a professor of scenic design at Arizona State University. He has designed all around the United States. Credits include Photograph 51, The Belle of Amherst (Court); The Lifespan of a Fact (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); A Doll’s House (Writer’s Theatre); The Color Purple (Drury Lane Theatre); Twelfth Night (American Players Theatre) Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse); Lottery Day (Goodman Theatre); Landladies, Into the Breeches (Northlight Theatre); The All Night Strut (Milwaukee Rep); Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Raven); Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt, Empower (Lyric Unlimited); Something Clean (Sideshow); The Cake (Rivendell); Master Class, Boy (Timeline); I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, We Are Proud to Present, The Crucible (Steppenwolf); The Wiz, Little Fish (Kokandy); Wolf Play, Hangman, Pilgrims (The Gift); Hookman, Earthquakes in London (Steep); Peerless (First Floor); The Total Bent, The Displaced, How We Got On (Haven); You on The Moors Now (The Hypocrites); and Xanadu (American Theatre Co.). 

Erik Teague (Costume Designer) DC AREA: Signature Theatre: Blackbeard; The Kennedy Center: Acoustic Rooster; Washington National Opera: The Lion, The Unicorn and Me; Wolf Trap Opera: The Touchstone; National Gallery of Art: Color’s Garden; Constellation Theatre: Master and Margarita, The Wild Party, Equus; Synetic Theater: The Phantom of the Opera, Richard III, The Trial, Titus Andronicus, Sleepy Hollow, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Man in the Iron Mask. REGIONAL: The Atlanta Opera: The Threepenny Opera, Cabaret; The Glimmerglass Festival: The Cunning Little Vixen, La bohéme, Ariadne in Naxos, Odyssey, Wilde Tales, Trouble in Tahiti, The Flying Dutchman; Opera Southwest: Lohengrin; Actor's Express Atlanta: Les Liaisons Dangereuses; AWARDS: one Helen Hayes Award, six Helens. 

Alberto Segarra (Lighting Designer) selected DC credits include: The Thanksgiving Play at Olney Theatre Center; Quixote Nuevo at Round House Theatre, Good People at Keegan Theatre Tender Age at Studio Theatre; El Perro del Hortelano at GALA Theatre; Earthrise at The Kennedy Center; Blood at the Root at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lighting Design); Satchmo at the Waldorf at Mosaic Theater; and An Act of God at Signature Theatre. Regional credits include 1776 and The Gift Horse at New Repertory Theatre and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Blue Barn Theatre. Segarra received his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Maryland, College Park, and he is a USA 829 member. Upcoming projects include: White Noise at Studio Theatre, Dear Mapel at Mosaic Theatre; The Three Musketeers at Cleveland Play House; and The Joy that Carries You at OlneyTheatre. albertosegarra.com.

Kevin Lee Alexander (Sound Designer) is excited to join the Kennedy Center's Theatre for Young Audiences on this production of Acoustic Rooster's Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume. Recent regional credits include Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical and Oliver (New Repertory Theatre); Day of Absence and The Raid (Theater Alliance); A Misanthrope (Avant Bard Theatre); Huckleberry Finn’s Big River (Adventure Theatre MTC); Bright Star (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); and Step Afrika’s The Migration: Reflections of Jacob Lawrence (National Tour). Alexander holds a Master of Science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Maryland. He is also a member of IATSE Local USA 829.

Priscilla Bruce (Wig Designer) was inspired by the arts at a young age while watching Fairy Tale Theater with Shelly Duvall. Originally from the east coast she went to Salisbury University for Theater Arts. After graduating from college, she went on to study Cosmetology at the Aveda Institute, Chicago. As a hair and makeup designer for opera and theater and for about 50 brides a year, Bruce has established herself as a highly sought-after artist, committed to a lifetime of learning and creating. She spent the last 13 years in Minneapolis working at the Minnesota Opera and the Guthrie.  Recently relocated back to the DC area and local credits include: The Signature Theater, Annapolis Opera, Peabody Conservatory, Washington Opera ( 2008), Baltimore Opera (2008). This is her Kennedy Center design debut. 
Priscillabruce.com 

Andrea “Dre” Moore (Properties Artisan) has had her properties and puppet designs on proud display at various theatres in the MD/DC area over the past 18 years (Adventure Theatre – MTC, CenterStage Baltimore, Discovery Theatre, Flying V, Imagination Stage, Olney Theatre, Rep Stage, Rorschach Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theater J). She previously supervised students in the Properties Shop at University of Maryland - College Park. Several of her works are on rotating display at DoodleHATCH, and interactive art museum in Columbia, MD - https://www.doodlehatch.com/

Michelle Kozlak (Casting Director) is in her 15th season as casting director, and is responsible for casting the Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences in-house and touring productions, as well as the New Visions/New Voices new play festival. In addition to her work with the Kennedy Center, she has also served as the casting director for the VSA Playwrights Discovery Program productions, and a casting consultant for the NSO Pops Showboat Concert, and the National Gallery of Art’s productions of Color’s Garden, Forward, 54th!, and Who’s in the Hopper. Prior to her work as a casting director, she was the national touring coordinator for the Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences program and then the manager of theater programming. Kozlak is currently working as a freelance arts administrator in the Washington, D.C., area and is the producing artistic director and founder of Arts on the Horizon, a nonprofit theater company specifically designed for children ages zero–six in Alexandria, Virginia.

Julia Singer(Production Stage Manager) The Kennedy Center: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, How to Catch a Star, Me…Jane, Elephant & Piggie’s: We Are in a Play!; Ford’s Theatre: My Lord, What a Night, Silent Sky, Fences, 12 Angry Men, Born Yesterday, Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, 110 in the Shade, A Christmas Carol, Freedom’s Song, Driving Miss Daisy; Folger Theatre: Love’s Labor’s Lost, The Winter’s Tale; Imagination Stage: The Ballad of Mu Lan; The Juilliard School: This Is Our Youth, Cymbeline, A Little Night Music, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.

Nadia Guevara (she/her) (Assistant Director) - Nadia Guevara is happy to be assisting Lili-Anne again after working with her on Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse), and will be looking forward to serving as dramaturg for the Kennedy Center’s upcoming production of Beastgirl. Directing credits include: N (Keegan Theatre), L’Hôtel (Fulton Theatre Stories in Diversity Playwriting Festival), Palabras de encanto: Tales of Borikén (The Academy for Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre and George Washington University), Little Women (Johns Hopkins University Barnstormers), Azul (San Diego Repertory Theatre Latinx New Play Festival), El encuentro (Old Globe Arts Engagement). Assisting: Put Your House In Order (La Jolla Playhouse). Other credits include: Guadalupe in the Guest Room, Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans: A Salsa Fairy Tale. Upcoming directing includes: Fefu and her Friends (American University), Electricidad (Montgomery College), Fantastagirl and the Math Monster (Adventure Theatre).

Terence David Odonkor (Music Assistant/Copyist) is a senior music student at The College of New Jersey studying composition and arranging with a primary focus in orchestration. Although early in his career, Odonkor has had the privilege to attain credits working with industry professionals as a music assistant, copyist, orchestrator and arranger on a number of different projects. He is currently working as the Music Assistant on the 1st National Tour of Pretty Woman. In addition to the aforementioned credits, Odonkor is working with collaborators on the development of new works for the stage and screen, two of which are being produced by Vanderbilt University for readings in the Fall of 2021 and main stage productions in the Spring of 2022.

Mollie Singer (Assistant Scenic Designer) Recent credits: Subject to Change (University of Maryland, Scenic Design), Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed…(Imagination Stage, Scenic Design, Cancelled due to Covid), She Kills Monsters (University of Maryland, Scenic Design) Souvenir (Rep Stage, Scenic Design), Lady Day at Emerson’s… (Rep Stage, Scenic Design)True West (Rep Stage, Properties), The Heidi Chronicles (Rep Stage, Properties), Dorian’s Closet (Rep Stage, Properties), What Every Girl Should Know in Rep with Dry Land (Forum Theatre, Properties) H2O (Rep Stage, Properties), Richard III (Chesapeake Shakespeare Co., Properties), American Hero (Rep Stage, Properties), Hunting and Gathering (Rep Stage, Scenic Design), The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (HCC Art’s Collective, Scenic Design/Properties), Sunset Baby (Rep Stage, Properties, Asst. Costume Design).

Channing Tucker (Assistant Costume Designer) is a costume and puppet designer and a recent graduate of the University of Maryland’s MFA program. Past design credits with UMD include Risk of Play, Ghost Bride, Outbound, Flyin’ West, Corpora Caelestia, and Tides. They are currently working on a puppet film adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Paul Callahan (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a Virginia based lighting designer. Other recent designs include Treasure Island at Synetic Theatre; Other Life Forms at Keegan Theatre; Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Legally Blonde, Kiss Me Kate, The Marriage of Figaro, Doctor Miracle, and The Old Maid and the Thief at Catholic University; Zombie Prom and The Flight of the Lawnchairman at Imagination Stage; Mr. Burns and Rhinoceros at Howard County Community College; DC Dead: Mutilation at Anacostia Playhouse; Inherit the Wind, Avenue Q and The Giver at Carroll County College,Joe Goode’s Resilience Project at American Dance Institute; Oleanna for Perisphere Theatre Company; An Illiad and Don Juan for Taffety Punk and Curry College’s Into the Woods. Callahan has recently been assistant lighting designer for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Metromaniacs and Washington National Opera’s La Traviata, Don Carlo, Aida, Moby Dick and Magic Flute. Callahan has his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Illinois and his Bachelors in Theatre from Radford University.

Delaney Bray (Assistant Sound Designer) recently graduated from Rutgers University – Camden, where she served as Sound Designer for Clybourne Park, Top Girls, The Vagina Monologues, and 2018 Student Directed One Act Festival, as well as Assistant Sound Designer for Hamlet and Frankenstein. Recent local credits include Round House Theatre, Constellation Theater Company, and Studio Theatre. Bray has also worked at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 season, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Bray would like to thank her friends and family for always supporting her, as well as every dog ever.

Taylor Kiechlin (Production Assistant) Ford’s Theatre: Born Yesterday, A Christmas Carol, 12 Angry Men, Into the Woods, Fences, Silent Sky, Guys and Dolls; Bristol Riverside Theatre: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Quartet, Times Stands Still, The Producers, Triumph of Love, The Producers; Williamstown Theatre Festival: Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow

Luis Ramon Cordovez (They/Them) (Covid Safety Rep/Production Assistant) Cordovez is very excited to make their backstage debut with the Kennedy Center TYA as a Production Assistant. They are very excited to continue exploring stories for younger audiences and hope you enjoy the jazz! They’d like to thank their comrades and colleagues for making the dive back into live theatre worthwhile! Special shoutout to the person most proud of my work and my greatest support, Cameron, te quiero mi Lindo! Regional credits include Black Nativity at Anacostia Playhouse, Luchadora at Adventure Theatre MTC; Collegiate: Sweet Charity, The Crucible (Stage Manager) at Montgomery College.