TY’REE HOPE DAVIS (Scooter) is immensely excited to be making his debut with The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences with The Sea Beyond the Ocean! Regional Theater: Olney Theatre Center: Red Pitch (Bilal); Young Playwrights Theatre: RIOT: The Beat of Freddie Gray (Freddie/Ty); Shakespeare Theatre Company: In The Blood (Chilli/Jabber); Howard University: Word Becomes Flesh (Marc #1), Rhyme Deferred (Gabe), Heathers The Musical (Hipster Dork/Ensemble). Education: BFA in Acting from the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, British American Drama Academy (BADA) 2024 Midsummer in Oxford Program, Atlantic Acting School 2023 Summer Intensive. Instagram: @tyreehope_ Website: tyreehope.com

JORDAN LEAH EMBRACK (Adhara) is thrilled to be making her Kennedy Center debut in The Sea Beyond the Ocean. Recent credits include By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, The Prom, Petite Rouge (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical), and Is God Is. She is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned her B.A. in Theater and trained in musical theater, voice, and movement. Jordan offers this performance in honor of her grandmother, whose constant reminder to keep pedaling taught her that the journey only unfolds when you keep going. @jordanlembrack

JEREMY KEITH HUNTER (Mot/Doctor) is one of the dopest artists you'll ever meet. He is a theatre-maker and a multi-disciplinary artist, focused in acting and playwriting. He has most recently been seen working with Signature Theatre, Theatre Alliance, 1st Stage, Everyman Theatre, WSC Avant Bard (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Studio Theatre, Mosaic Theatre Company, Young Playwrights Theatre, Port Tobacco Players, and Laurel Mill Playhouse. Jeremy received his training at the College of Southern Maryland and has working relationships with several academic institutions including Howard University, Bowie St. University, and American University. Website: jeremykeithhunter.com. IG: mercury2899

JJ JOHNSON (Homer/Dad) is happy to return to the Kennedy Center and to Theater for Young Audiences! Previous KC TYA credits include: Homer P. Figg… and Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe. He was last seen in The Piano Lesson at 1st Stage. Other theatre credits include Everyman Theatre: And Then There Were None, A Doll’s House; Constellation Theatre Co.: Is God Is; Santa Fe Playhouse: Sweat; Solas Nua: Playboy of the Western World; Olney Theatre Center: The Joy That Carries You (Helen Hayes Award nomination, Outstanding Ensemble); Theater J: Nathan the Wise, Our Suburb; Mosaic Theater Co.: Les Deux Noirs. He is a cofounder of Galvanize, a support network for local Black theatre artists, founded in 2005. IG: @jamesjjohnson1, TikTok: @mediocredope, Threads: @jamesjjohnson1

JASMINE JOY (Dianna/Mom) is delighted to return to The Kennedy Center! Regional credits include: The Kennedy Center - Shear Madness, A Wind in the Door. Arena Stage - We Are Gathered, Tempestuous Elements, POTUS. Imagination Stage - The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen, Corduroy, The Snow Queen. Olney Theatre Center - Dance Nation. 1st Stage - The Mamalogues. Theater Alliance - A Chorus Within Her. Constellation Theater - Is God Is, Moon Man Walk. Keegan Theatre - Womxn’s Fire Festival. Jasmine is a Helen Hayes nominee for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. You can visit Jasmine’s website at www.jasminejoybrooks.com. Jasmine would love to thank her daughter, Calypso, for being her inspiration and Matt for holding it down!

DEIDRA LAWAN STARNES (Poppy Carousel) is thrilled to be making her TYA debut. OFF- BROADWAY: for colored girls… directed by Ntozake Shange. REGIONAL THEATRE: Birthday Candles, The Piano Lesson, Romeo and Juliet, The Amen Corner, Much Ado about Nothing, Amadeus, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Milk Like Sugar, Invisible Man (Helen Hayes Award- Ensemble), Passing Strange, In the Red and Brown Water, Radio Golf, The Old Settler, Seven Guitars, Intimate Apparel (Helen Hayes Award-Lead Performer), A Raisin in the Sun (Helen Hayes Nomination), I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document (Helen Hayes Nomination), Two Trains Running, Spunk (Helen Hayes Nomination), Doubt (Helen Hayes Nomination), and Stuff Happens.

TERRENCE GRIFFIN (u/s Scooter) is so honored to be a part of this cast and to contribute to The Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences. FILM: Terrence recently wrote and co- starred in One Shot of Espresso (2024) and co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the short film A Night to Remember as Cole (VAiFF Official Selection, 2025). VOICE ACTING: Joseph Rouleau in The Everything is OK Show (Best Voice Cast Animated Expressions Expo 2023), Ian Parker in A Coal for Your Soul audio drama, and James in The Haunting of KingsView (An Audio Horror Comedy). THEATRE: Billy/John u/s in Birthday Candles at 1st Stage, Joey in Red Pitch at Olney Theatre Center, Tae in Noir at DC Arts Center, Omari in Pipeline (Distinguished Achievement in performance - KCATCF 2022). Instagram: @chilltg0201

DOMINIC GLADDEN (u/s Mot/Doctor, u/s Homer/Dad) is excited to work with the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences for the first time. He is a Baltimore native, holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts from Morgan State University. He has performed on the stages of Baltimore Centerstage, ArtsCentric, Arena Players, and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

PAULINE LAMB (u/s Poppy Carousel, u/s Dianna/Mom) is a local designer, choreographer, educator, and performer who is elated to work with this wonderful cast and crew! International: The Tempest (Alonso) Devil's Isle Shakespeare Co. Regional: DC I Love You (Folger Shakespeare Library), Mother Goose (Imagination Stage), Dance Like There's Black People Watching (Woolly Mammoth), Postcards from Ihatov (1st Stage), The Bluest Eye (Theater Alliance), Chicks in Heaven and Diagnosed (Creative Cauldron), The African Mean Girls Play (Nextstop Theater), From the Mississippi Delta (The Essential Theatre), Time is on Our Side (Perisphere Theatre). Instagram: @Pauli_No

MECCA VERDELL (u/s Adhara) [Kennedy Center]: The Sea Beyond the Ocean (Adhara U/S) [REGIONAL]: Everyman Theater: The Piano Lesson (Grace), Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Joe Turner's Come and Gone (Molly Cunningham), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Macbeth (Porter, Witch, Murder), Artscentric: for colored girls (Lady in Red). [FILM] Once Again for the Very First Time by Boaz Yakin (Apple TV, Amazon Prime). Mecca Verdell is an internationally winning spoken word artist (Brave New Voices, Cuban Embassy Poetry Slam) who has taught poetry in Baltimore city schools for eight years.

DOUG ROBINSON (Playwright) (he/him) is a playwright who grew up in Northern Virginia and remains deeply connected to the DC theatre community. He is a MacDowell Fellow, a Beinecke Research Fellow, and a company member of the Commedia troupe Faction of Fools. He is a two- time O’Neill Theater Center finalist for Capture the Flag and The Figs (The Figs had its world premiere at American Stage Theatre Company in 2024). Other plays include The Good Morning, Good Night (upcoming 2026 production at Imagination Stage), The Tragedy of Esme (Langston Hughes New Play Festival), Cactus Queen (Carlotta Festival), Pride of Doves (DC Fringe Festival), and Love Like Tuesday (Faction of Fools Theatre Company). Doug is a 2025 Seattle Public Theater New Works finalist, a member of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s Emerging Writers Group, and a teaching artist with Shakespeare Theatre Company and Imagination Stage. He received his MFA from Yale University. Acknowledgments: Doug is grateful to Gabrielle for holding him accountable to this play, to Genevieve for making time to read every draft, to his mother, who first showed him what theatre is, and to his father, who taught him the life-changing power of a good book.

KENYATTA ROGERS (Director) is a director, performer, and educator whose work has been recognized with nominations and awards from the Helen Hayes Awards, Audie Awards, Mary Goldwater Awards, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Directing credits include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Is God Is (Constellation Theatre); The Agitators (Mosaic Theatre); Black Flute and From U St to the Cotton Club (In Series); Rabbit Summer (Ally Theatre); and Spunk and Chain (African Continuum Theatre Company). He has directed over 30 live performances and theatre productions and has performed in over 150 theatre, TV, film, and voiceover roles. He holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and is a faculty member in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland.

LAYALI ALJIRAFI (Assistant Director) (she/her) is a DMV based theatre artist and a recent Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy (STCA) Graduate from George Washington University. Layali has done work as an actor, costume designer, fight choreographer, producer, and director. Regional: Seasons of Light STCA: As You Like It; East of the Sun/West of the Moon; Taming of the Shrew; King John. Summer Dinner Theatre: Cabaret; Something Rotten; Sweet Charity Other: Shakespeare in Love (Fight Director-Madeira School); TBD (Costume Designer/Producer - Capital Fringe Festival); Keep on Swingin’ (A Journey Through Tap) (Costume Designer - UMDCP). Instagram: @layalialjirafi

LENOX KAMARA (Assistant Director) (he/him/his) is elated to join team direction as they journey beyond the ocean! He’s honored to be a resident director and teaching artist at Adventure Theatre-MTC Academy, where he continues to inspire students with the power of storytelling through performance. Previous credits include: Folger Theatre: Julius X (Assistant Director), Theatre Prometheus Firecracker Festival: The Pit: Staged Reading (Director/Playwright), ATMTC Academy: Pre-Professional SR Company 2024/25 (Director), Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre: In The Heights (Assistant Director), Washington Revels: Christmas Revels 2024 (2nd Assistant Director), Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre: Seasons of Light (Assistant Director), Capital Fringe: TBD: A Devised Celebration (Associate Producer/Ensemble), Towson University: Blood at the Root (Justin). https://lenoxcreates.my.canva.site/ Instagram: @_lnx14_

GABRIELLE HOYT (Dramaturg) is a dramaturg and DFA candidate at Yale, where she's Associate Editor of Theater magazine. She previously worked as Round House Theatre's literary manager. Publications: 3Views, American Theatre, Theater magazine, Studies in Musical Theatre, Hey Alma. Partial dramaturgy credits: Shrew (Union Arts Center, co-adaptor); Millennials Are Killing Musicals (IAMA reading); Winner (Blindspot Collective); King Lear (International Festival of Arts & Ideas, La MaMa); Cactus Queen, Fucking A, Macbeth (DGSD); A Hanukkah Carol, Ironbound, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, and The Book of Will (world premieres, RHT); The Heal (world premiere, Getty Villa); Handbagged (US premiere, RHT & 59E59); and In Every Generation (NNPN RWP). She received her MFA and BA from Yale. Love to Mom, Miranda, and Jordan; I'd find the Tower for you.

SHARTOYA R. JN. BAPTISTE (Scenic Designer) was born and raised in Saint Lucia, where she began her journey to theatre through dance. Her Caribbean heritage is a foundation for her set designs. DMV AREA: Furlough's Paradise (Theater Alliance), SLEEPOVA (Olney Theatre Center), Dodi & Diana (Mosaic Theatre Company), I have a secret to tell you… (The Kennedy Center), Is God Is (Constellation Theatre Company), P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical (Imagination Stage), and The Book Club Play and By The Way, Meet Vera Stark (The University of Maryland). REGIONAL: Syncopated Avenue and Black Nativity (Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe). UPCOMING: The Tempest (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company). Instagram: @shr758_ Youtube: shr758 Website: www.shr758.com

MARGARITA SYROCHEVA (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a scenic designer whose work spans theatre, film, and interactive performance. She holds an M.F.A. in Scenic Design from the University of Maryland and a B.F.A. in Stage Technology from the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts in Saint Petersburg. Her recent credits include The Dragon, a scorching satire of authoritarian regimes (Spooky Action Theater, DC); DANCE², an interactive performance exploring human-robot relationships (PRAx, Oregon State University); Hip Hop Anansi, a youth theatre production featuring design-integrated captions for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. In addition to her design work, Margarita teaches workshops on scenic design and has facilitated programs for students ranging from elementary school to university level. Margarita’s design practice merges traditional stagecraft with sculptural monumentality and multimedia storytelling. See work at margaritasyrocheva.com

CIDNEY FORKPAH (Costume Designer) Her chosen credits include Fences (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Tomás and the Library Lady (Imagination Stage); Furlough’s Paradise, American Fast, The Trans-Atlantic Time Traveling Company (Theatre Alliance); Fair Play, Hang, Quilters (1st Stage); Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Fuenteovejuna, Bathing in Moonlight, Revoltosa, Kumanana! (Gala Hispanic Theatre); Paradise Blue (Studio Theatre); How the Sausage Gets Made (Faction of Fools); Cracking Zeus (Spooky Action); The Tempest (Devil’s Isle Shakespeare Co.); Diagnosed (Creative Cauldron). Associate Costume Designer: Look Both Ways (Theatre Alliance and The Kennedy Center), Through the Sunken Lands, Show Way (The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences). Website: cidneyforkpah.com. On social media: @cidneyforkpah (Instagram)

RUKIYA HENRY-FIELDS (Assistant Costume Designer) is originally from New York but came to DC in 2016 to attend Howard University's musical theatre BFA program. Since 2022, Rukiya has been a full-time costume designer and wardrobe technician in the DMV and NYC area. She has costume designed productions such as (Gala Hispanic Theatre) La Casa de Bernarda Alba, Héctor el Niño Eléctrico, CHOKE (Broadway World Best Costume Design of a Play or Musical Professional Winner), Érase Una Vez, Frida Libre, The 22+ Weddings of Hugo, and Don Quijote y Sancho Panza; (Spooky Action Theatre) Tambo & Bones. Other notable theatres she has frequented as a wardrobe technician are Constellation Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Synetic Theatre, Imagination Stage, Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Mosaic Theatre Company, and Signature Theatre NYC.

ALBERTO SEGARRA (Lighting Designer) Recent DMV credits: The Piano Lesson at Everyman Theatre, Fair Play at 1st Stage, Furlough’s Paradise at Theater Alliance, and Lie Low at Solas Nua. Other DC credits: Andy Warhol in Iran at Mosaic Theatre, Your Name Means Dream at Theatre J, The Scenarios at Studio Theatre, Romeo & Juliet at Folger Theatre, The Nance (Helen Hayes nomination) at 1st Stage, The Honey Trap (Helen Hayes Award) at Solas Nua, The Joy That Carries You (Helen Hayes nomination) at Olney Theatre. Regional credits: Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at Alley Theatre, The Lehman Trilogy (Carbonell Award nomination) at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, What the Constitution Means to Me at Cleveland Playhouse, Business Ideas at Alliance Theatre, and Camelot: The Musical at Village Theatre. albertosegarra.com

JULIAN CORDOVA (Assistant Lighting Designer) (any/all) is a Lighting Designer, Programmer, and Technician from Orlando, Florida. They graduated in 2025 from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA from the Lighting Design & Technology program. Julian is a proud recipient of the Kenan Fellowship in Lighting Design at The Kennedy Center. This will be their first show at The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences. In 2024 they were honored to be selected for the ETC Fred Foster Mentorship program. Additionally, Julian worked as an Electrics Apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera for their 2024 season. Passionate about storytelling across various mediums, Julian aspires to work as a lighting designer focusing on original theatrical productions. Explore their work at juliancordova.com!

NICK “THA 1DA” HERNANDEZ (Sound Designer & Composer) has been scoring soundtracks for local & international artists for over 25 years. Selected credits: the world premieres of Long Way Down and Look Both Ways (Kennedy Center) both written by Jason Reynolds; The Hip-hop Children's Trilogy (Imagination Stage) with playwright/artist Psalmayene 24; Paige In Full & Havana Hop with sibling Paige Hernandez (B-Fly Prod); Metamorphoses (Folger/Shakespeare); Word Becomes Flesh (Theater Alliance) [Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Production]; Youth Touring Productions: Tomas and the Library Lady, Oyeme -The Beautiful, and The Last Martyr (Theater for Change). Additional credits include Hot97 FM; Netflix, The Smithsonian, Red Bull Music Academy, DC Boxing, MMA & Wrestling Commission, D.C. Public Libraries & the non-profit Words, Beats, & Life.

ADAM HAWLEY (Props Designer) is excited to be working on his first production with the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences! Recent credits include Constellation Theater Company: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Imagination Stage: Groundhog Day: The Musical, The Santa Fe Opera: 2023 and 2025 seasons. Adam is currently the lead props artisan at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and has a BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland. anhdesigns.com

RYAN SELLERS (Movement Specialist) has been an actor, director, teaching artist, choreographer, and fight choreographer in the DC area for over 15 years. He has performed in the area in theaters including Signature, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Roundhouse Theatre, Folger Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Imagination Stage, Synetic Theatre, Arts On the Horizon, and Fords Theater. He has been Helen Hayes nominated thrice for Outstanding Supporting Performer and won for his role as Caliban at Roundhouse. He has also written, adapted, and directed several shows at both Synetic Theatre and Arts in the Horizon including The Wizard of Oz, My Fathers Dragon, Snow Queen, Adventures with Mr. Bear, and Off the Page, which is currently Helen Hayes nominated for Outstanding TYA Production. He has taught and choreographed at countless schools through the DMV area and has fight choreographed at theaters such as the Washington Opera, Keegan Theater, Adventure Theatre, and has received three Helen Hayes nominations for his fight and movement choreography.

BECKY REED (Production Stage Manager) is pleased to be back with the Kennedy Center. Previous KCTYA credits include Finn, the national tour of Elephant and Piggie’s We Are In A Play! and The Cerulean Time Capsule at the US Botanic Garden. Select DC AREA credits: Arena Stage: Sanctuary City; Imagination Stage: P.Nokio; Olney Theatre Center: Waitress, Marjorie Prime, I And You, Ain't Misbehavin'; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Comedy of Errors; Signature Theatre: Penelope, Ain't Misbehavin', Simply Sondheim; Studio Theatre: The Mother Play, Clyde's, P.Y.G., The Effect, No Sisters; Theater J: Becoming Dr. Ruth, Everything Is Illuminated, Copenhagen; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion. REGIONAL: McCarter Theatre: I & You; The Resident Ensemble Players: August: Osage County, Murder on the Orient Express, The Crucible. EDUCATION: Auburn University.

JAZZY DAVIS (Assistant Stage Manager) (they) is a DC-based theatre artist and collaborator. They're thrilled to be a part of The Sea Beyond the Ocean, their first full-length KCTYA production. Select credits: Romantic Fools (New York Deaf Theatre); Heroes of the Fourth Turning (BLUEBARN Theatre); Ain’t No Mo’ (regional tour); seven methods of killing kylie jenner (US tour); MONSTRESS (Flying V); The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes, A Fine Madness (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); Amm(i)gone (US tour); New Kid (Imagination Stage); the dancefloor, the hospital room, the kitchen table (future ghosts); Merry Wives (Shakespeare Theatre Company); Lie Low (Solas Nua).

HANSIN ARVIND (Production Assistant) is delighted to be working on his first show at The Kennedy Center. Other local credits, both on and off stage, include Workhouse Theatre: Murder on the Orient Express; Flying V: Doctor Moloch; Rorshach Theatre: Klecksography: Vox Populi; Constellation Theatre Company: Head Over Heels, Is God Is, Orlando; Theater J: Prayer for the French Republic, This Much I Know; Synetic Theater: Antony & Cleopatra, Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet…the rest is silence; Capital Fringe: The Road to the End; Arts on the Horizon: Off the Page. Hansin works as both an actor and an ASM in the DMV area. He has a BA in Theatre from George Mason University. @hansinarvind