Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL, Playwright)
is a multihyphenate storyteller coming fresh from her professional directing debut with The Monsters' world premiere at Two River Theater in conjunction with Manhattan Theatre Club in 2025. Her previous plays include Leroy and Lucy (Steppenwolf; Jeff Award nomination), The Last of the Love Letters (Atlantic Theater), Good Grief (Vineyard Theatre, Center Theatre Group; NYT Critic’s Pick) and The Homecoming Queen (Atlantic Theater; sold-out world-premiere run and a NYT Critic’s Pick). Good Grief was on the Kilroys List 2016, a semifinalist for the Princess Grace Award, and a Humanitas Award winner. Her play Nike… (Kilroys List 2017) was workshopped at The New Black Fest with The Lark, The Strand Festival with ACT, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and New York Stage and Film. Ngozi has been commissioned by NYU, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, Atlantic Theater and Steppenwolf. She has received residencies from LCT3, National Black Theatre, SPACE on Ryder Farm, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The New Harmony Project, New York Stage and Film, and Page 73. She earned her B.A. at Point Park University and received her M.F.A. in acting from UC San Diego. 

Sullivan Jones (BIG)
is an actor known for his work across television, film and theatre. In television, Sullivan has appeared in award-winning series such as The Gilded Age (HBO), Atlanta (FX), Interior Chinatown (Hulu), Harlem (Amazon), Elsbeth (CBS), and the Netflix series Halston, among others. On stage, Sullivan made his Broadway debut in the 13-time Tony-nominated Slave Play, and has appeared in regional stage productions at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Denver Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, TheatreWorks, and the African-American Shakespeare Company, among others. In film, Sullivan recently starred as Muhammad Ali in the feature film Big George Foreman for Sony. In addition to his on-camera work, Sullivan has narrated award-winning audiobooks and voiced characters for major videogames. 

Jamal James (Understudy: BIG)
A recent transplant to LA, he is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Ravenous for all things storytelling, he has acted and toured all over the country (and sometimes outside of it!). Some of his favorite stage credits include The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare & Company); The Royale (Kitchen Theatre Company, Geva Theatre, American Players Theatre); Hamlet, Love’s Labour's Lost (American Players Theatre); A Case for the Existence of God (Forward Theater Company); The Color Purple (National Broadway tour); Beauty and the Beast, Violet: The Musical (Barter Theatre). His TV credits include Gotham, Blue Bloods, City on a Hill, and FBI: Most Wanted. Grateful to God, his friends and family, and to all who have hearts to care for others. TheJamalJames.com

Carol J. McKenith (Understudy: LIL)
is a dynamic actor known for her compelling character work across television, film, and stage. A proud Jersey Girl from Englewood, she brings authenticity, strength, and emotional depth to every role she portrays. Her television credits include Chicago Med (NBC), Outer Banks (Netflix), BMF (Starz), Gotham Knights (CW), and Saturdays (Disney), among others. On stage, she passionately embraced the work of August Wilson, portraying Dussie Mae in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, where she showcased her command of language and boldness within Wilson’s celebrated work. One of her proudest screen achievements is her role as Willie Mae in MGM's historical drama Till, a project that deepened her passion for civil rights storytelling and culturally resonant narratives. Beyond acting, she channels her artistic vision into photography and interior design.

Tamilla Woodard (Director)
is a resident director at Yale Repertory Theatre, Chair of the Acting Program at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and the co-founder of the site-specific international partnership, PopUP Theatrics. Recent credits include Zora Neale Hurston’s world-premiere musical SPUNK at Yale Rep. Tamilla has directed at theatres nationally and internationally, including at WP Theater, Alliance Theatre, the Guthrie, Baltimore Center Stage, American Conservatory Theater, Folger Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem, and Clubbed Thumb, among others. Represented in film and other media by the concert film Weightless by Bay Area’s own The Kilbanes. Tamilla is a proud board member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, previously named one of 50 Women to Watch on Broadway, and is a recipient of the Josephine Abady Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women.

Adesola Osakalumi (Choreographer)
Adesola's choreography credits include Skeleton Crew (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club); Akinola (Guggenheim); Sweetwater (National Black Theatre); The Wash (New Federal Theatre); Cullud Wattah, Coal Country, Othello (Public Theater); Leroy and Lucy (Steppenwolf); The Grove (Huntington Theatre); Syncing Ink (Victoria Theater); runboyrun, Eyewitness Blues (NYTW); Good Grief (Vineyard); Jam on the Groove (City Center & Minetta Lane); School of Rock (2003 film). He is the recipient of a Bessie Award and a Drama Desk nominee.

Nina Ball (Scenic Design)
Recent credits include The Unexpected Third (New York Theater Workshop); Girls: Chance: Music (American Conservatory Theater and the Vineyard, NYC), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, TheatreWorks, California Shakespeare Theater, People's Light, Shotgun Players, and San Francisco Playhouse, among many others. Notable productions include the West Coast premiere of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Shotgun Players, SFBACC Award nominee); Romeo and Juliet, and How I Learned What I Learned (OSF). Other awards include SFBACC Awards for My Fair Lady (SF PLayhouse) and Come Back to the Five and Dive, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Theatreworks); TBA awards for Blasted (Shotgun Players) and The Nether (SF Playhouse). Affiliations include: Scenic Design Faculty, Stanford University; Company Member, Shotgun Players; Artistic Associate, Marin Shakespeare Company; United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Celeste Jennings (Costume Design)
is a passionate playwright and costume designer. Recent and upcoming designs include Fun Home (Huntington Theatre), As You Like It (Folger Theatre), Memnon (The Classical Theatre of Harlem), Minority (Women’s Project & Colt Coeur), Furlough’s Paradise (Geffen Playhouse), and Appropriate (The Old Globe). She’s a current Terrance McNally Fellow with Rattlestick Theatre and recently developed her play Potliqka. Her plays ‘Bov Water and Citrus were produced at Northern Stage and she developed a play with music, Contentious Woman (Relentless Award Honorable Mention) with PlayCo. Jennings holds an M.F.A. in costume design from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Reza Behjat (Lighting Design)
is an Obie Award-winning lighting designer and theatre artist based in New York. Broadway credits include English (Atlantic/Roundabout). His off-Broadway design credits include Atlantic Theater, BAM, Signature Theatre, Public Theater, The New Group, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Audible, Page 73, Flea, Red Bull Theater, Ars Nova, and more. He has worked with regional theatres such as Guthrie Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Old Globe, Milwaukee Rep, Seattle Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Wilma Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geva Theatre, Long Wharf, and Alabama Shakespeare, among others. He is the recipient of Obie Awards in Design for English and Wish You Were Here, a Knight of Illumination Award for Nina Simone: Four Women, and a nominee for Drama Desk, Henry Hewes, and Jeff Awards.

UptownWorks – Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols, Bailey Trierweiler (Sound Design)
UptownWorks is a collaborative design team specializing in theatre, film, podcasts, installations, and other media. UptownWorks has worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Round House Theatre, Goodman Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Indianapolis Repertory Theater, Geva Theatre, NYTW, AMT, The Lortel, Ensemble Studio Theater, DCPA, Berkshire Theatre Group, Miami New Drama, Hartford Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, INTAR, WP Theater, Barrington Stage, National Black Theatre, Classic Stage Company, Studio and Signature Theatres DC. This design was led by Bailey Trierweiler (btsounddesign.com), Daniela Hart (uptownworksnyc.com), and Noel Nichols (noelnicholsdesign.com).

Sijara Eubanks she/her (Mixed Martial Arts Consultant)
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Two River Theater: The Monsters. Manhattan Theatre Club: The Monsters. Former UFC #1 Flyweight. 7x IBJJF World Champion. TUF Season 26 Finalist.

Chelsea Pace she/her (Fight Consultant)
La Jolla Playhouse: SUMO, As You Like It, Working Girl. Broadway: Strange Loop, Leopoldstadt, K-POP. Off-Broadway: Lincoln Center/LCT3, Public, Soho Rep, INTAR, TFANA, Shed. Select Regional: ACT, Signature, Woolly Mammoth, Berkeley Rep, CTG, Folger, Shakespeare Theatre Co, Studio, Arena, SF Playhouse. Select Film/TV: Behemoth (upcoming), Gold Mountain (upcoming), Dr. Odyssey, American Sports Story, Elsbeth, Yellowstone, League of Their Own, Harlem, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Tender Bar, Drive Away Dolls, Dr. Death, Mother’s Instinct, All’s Fair. Author of Staging Sex: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy (Routledge). Founder of Open Intimacy Creatives. www.chelseapace.com @professorpace

Karina Fox (Casting)
has been working as a casting director, producer, and director in the Bay Area since 2017. Now on her fourth season at Berkeley Rep, Karina has worked on the casting of over a dozen mainstage shows as well as The Ground Floor's Summer Residency Lab. Before joining Berkeley Rep in 2022, she was at Magic Theatre serving as the producing and casting director. Previous Magic Theatre casting credits include The Kind Ones, Monument, or Four Sisters (A Sloth Play), The Resting Place, and The Virgin Play Series (2018-2022).

Kristy Bodall (Stage Manager)
is a NYC-based stage manager and producer. Stage management credits include Mother of Exiles (Berkeley Rep), The Beastiary (Ars Nova), The Keep Going Songs (LCT3), Paris (Atlantic), The Maturation of an Inconvenient Negro (Cherry Lane), Ghost Quartet (NYTW), Material Witness (La MaMa), The Exalted (BAM). With Clubbed Thumb: Deep Blue Sound, Spindle Shuttle Needle, King Philip’s Head Is Still on That Pike Just Down the Road, Plano. With Pipeline Theatre Company: Playing Hot, Folk Wandering, Beardo, The Gray Man, Clown Bar. Developmental work with the Public Theater, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Center Theatre Group, and Fresh Ground Pepper. Co-Producer, Salty Brine's Living Record Collection.

Lucas Bryce Dixon (Assistant Stage Manager)
Lucas' credits include The Monsters, Clyde’s (Berkeley Rep); Our Town, Hello, Dolly, Urinetown: The Musical, The Play that Goes Wrong, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Lyric Stage of Boston); Toni Stone, John Proctor Is the Villain, The Band’s Visit, Fat Ham, The Lehman Trilogy, Clyde’s, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Common Ground Revisited, The Bluest Eye, Hurricane Diane, Yerma (The Huntington); Heroes of the Fourth Turning, BLKS (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Hair, Oliver!, Trayf, and Nixon’s Nixon (New Repertory Theatre).

Berkeley Rep (Co-Producer)
has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre and has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Over 6 million people have enjoyed more than 500 shows at Berkeley Rep, including 88 world premieres. Berkeley Rep’s shows have gone on to win eight Tony Awards, nine Obie Awards, 11 Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, one Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work was launched in 2012. Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre ensures broad access to dynamic arts educational activities, especially for Bay Area youth, and provides immersive training for current and future theatre makers. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org.