Ride the Cyclone Creative

Stage Manager

Ashara Crutchfield

Ashara is an emerging freelance theatermaker in the DMV area. This multi hyphenate artist uses producing, directing, and performing to create moments of storytelling that spark connection. Proud graduate of Howard University, Ashara has worked at the Kennedy Center, Mosaic Theater Company, 1st Stage, The Mann, Anacostia Playhouse, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Theater Alliance, Anacostia Playhouse, and Atlanta Black Theater Festival. It's been a joy bringing this show to life with an incredible group of young artists. Genesis Bratcher (she/her) is an actress from Westchester, New York. Genesis has always had a passion for acting and performing. She has a background in dancing and she also plays the piano and violin. Since the age of 4 being on stage and performing was what she knew she would want to do for the rest of her life.

Music Director/Show Conductor

Daniella Ignacio

Daniella Ignacio (Music Director) is pumped to join this thrilling ride. She is the Communications Manager at Ford’s Theatre and a writer, performer and musician with BAs in Musical Theatre and Journalism from American University. Music/pit credits: Keegan Theatre: Merrily We Roll Along; Wildwood Summer Theatre: Head Over Heels; Blessed Sacrament School: Moana Jr.; AU: Call for a New Federal Theatre Project, Miss You Like Hell, …Spelling Bee. Recent performance credits: Rorschach: Klecksography: Unmoored, Sometimes The Rain, Sometimes The Sea; Strand Theater Company: AAPI Women’s Voices Theatre Festival, Man of God. www.daniellaignacio.com

Director/Producer

Elena Velasco

Elena Velasco (she/ella) is a Helen Hayes nominated theatre artist serving DC and Greater Boston. Directing/Choreography Credits: Convergence Theatre (Founding Artistic Director), GALA Hispanic, 1st Stage, Synetic Theater, Keegan Theatre, NextStop Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Arts on the Horizon, Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices, and Central Square Theatre (Boston). She has written for Routledge, Intellect Books, and several TYA musicals, and served on panels for Boston Conservatory, George Mason University, and Theatre Washington. She was the 2023 recipient of SDCF’s Barbara Whitman Award, the 2024 USM Board of Regents Creativity Award, and is an associate theater professor at Bowie State University. www.elenavelasco.net.

Set Designer; Production Co-Technical Director; Carpenter

Kathryn Kawecki

Kathryn Kawecki (she/they) is a DMV area theatre artist and designer. Area credits include: 1st Stage (artistic associate), Chesapeake Shakespeare, InSeries, Flying V, The Hub. Regional credits: Ballybeg Theatre, Creede Rep, LOCAL, Lyric Stage, New Rep, Sacramento Theatre. She is an associate professor of theatre arts at BSU. Honors include awards for Excellence in Creative Activity from BSU's College of Arts and Sciences and the USM Board of Regents. www.kaweckidesign.com

Assistant Stage Manager

Alysha McKnight

Alysha Mcknight (she/her) is a Black woman artist. Alysha has various visual arts performances and pieces under belt. Credits include: Documentary: "How to be stress-free" (director); Men what be wrong (cinematographer); Hamilton commercial principal actor). She has also performed a dance for Jacolby Satterwhite at the Lincoln Center in New York. She is AFTRA-SAG eligible and has aspirations to help build a foundation for Black girls and women in the industry.

Assistant Stage Manager/Board Operator

Briche' Jacobs

Briche’ Jacobs (she/her) is a freshman at Bowie State VCDMA major, concentrating in digital cinema and time-based media. She most recently performed at BSU THeatre in the role of Maggie in Buy Black: We Don’t Sell to Your Kind!. Dulaney HS credits: Dracula (Mina Harker); Footloose (Betty Blast); The Puffs (ensemble) and Little Shop of Horrors (ensemble). She is grateful for the opportunity to explore this new realm in theatre and is excited to share Ride The Cyclone.

Costume Designer

Kayla Grange

Kayla Grange (she/her) is a VCDMA student with a fashion design major. She has worked not only as a Costume Designer but also as a costume assistant on several BSU shows. She would like to learn more about the theater industry through costume after she graduates from Bowie State. She has worked in the theater since she came to Bowie State University. Credits: Dreamgirls (Costume Assistant) Flyin West (Costume Assistant), Medea(Costume Designer).

Lighting Design Team

Juan Juarez

Juan M. Juarez (Lighting/Video Designer) [Pronouns: He/Him] is a lighting technician and designer based in the Baltimore-Washington area. Since 2015 he has served as the Lighting Supervisor at Everyman Theatre. Recent work includes Everyman Theatre: The Book Club Play, Classic Theatre of Maryland, Jane Eyre, Extreme Lengths Production: Over/Under, Everyman Theatre: The Lion in Winter, Baltimore, It's Me, Axis Dance Company: Adelante, Atlas PAC Intersections: Joteria: Our Untold Stories, and Loyola University: Love and Information. He holds a B.A. in Theatre Production and Psychology from Hofstra University. He is a key member of the Everyman Theatre Committee on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Solidarity (CARES). www.JuanMJuarez.com

Lighting Design Team

Renata Taylor Smith

Renata Taylor-Smith (She/Her) is a senior Theatre Design and Production Major at the University of Maryland Baltimore. She is a lighting designer, electrician, and programmer. Past design roles at UMBC include Lighting Designer for shOUT: The Queer Theatre Project and Co-Lighting Designer for You Can See Me In The Dark. Past roles outside of UMBC include Light Board Programmer for I Will Eat You Alive at the Voxel and Lighting Designer for Lipstick at Fells Point Corner Theatre.

Projections Designer

Adam Mendelson

Adam Mendelson is excited to be working on his first show at Bowie State. . He is also the Senior Lecturer in Lighting and Sound Design at the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he has been on the faculty since 2012 and helped prepare the new theatre spaces for the opening of the state-of-the-art Performing Arts and Humanities Building. He previously taught at the University of Wyoming, the University of Texas- Arlington, Stephens College (Columbia, MO), and Lawrence Academy (Groton, MA). His design work has been seen across the US and as far afield as Scotland. Recently, he has worked on shows for the Everyman Theatre (Baltimore, MD), the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), (Classic Theatre of Maryland (Annapolis, MD), Perisphere Theatre (Silver Spring, MD) Rep Stage (Columbia, MD) Lexington Children's Theatre (Lexington, KY), and the Towson University Department of Dance. He is a 20 year member of USITT and currently serves as the International Representative for the Lighting Commission and is the Lighting Delegate to OISTAT.

Choreographer

Kamri Johnson

Kamri Johnson/Bowie State Alum (She, Her, Hers) currently dances and choreographs professional throughout the DMV area. She is also a proud Alum of Bowie State University. She majored in Theatre Arts (Concentration: Dance Movement and Studies). She has been dancing for 14 years. She is currently the Rehearsal Director of The Collective, a pre-professional company connected to the dance department. She has performed in all dance concerts since she's been at Bowie State University as a freshman. She is also a coach for a plus-size dance group called “The Golden Curves.” She has choreographed for multiple shows and venues. She lives and breathes dance as a work of art. Without it, she doesn't know where she would be.

Dance Captain Team

MaLeah Diggs

MaLeah Diggs (she/her) is a graduating Theatre Arts senior with a concentration in acting-directing. With her God-given gifts and talents, she began dancing at age three and has continued to perform throughout college. She made her debut at Bowie State as a silk artist in Medea. Recently she was Co-Sound Designer and Vendor Coordinator for Buy Black! We Don’t Sell To Your Kind. She is excited that her creativity on stage for Ride the Cyclone on the dance team!

Dance Captain Team

Anaiya Imani

Anaiya Imani (she/her) is a graduating senior theatre arts major with a concentration in acting and directing. Credits include: Joe Turner's Come And Gone by August Wilson (Chagrin Falls Academy for Performing Arts). Also Anaiya served as light board operator for Much Ado About Nothing at Kent State University. Anaiya recently served as Co-Sound Designer BSU Theatre’s production "Buy Black: We Don’t Sell To Your Kind!" Anaiya is thrilled for you to see Ride The Cyclone!

Dance Captain Team

Ariana Watkins

Ariana Watkins (she/her) is a graduating senior, majoring in Theater Arts, Dance and Movement Studies Concentration. Ariana has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip-hop, acrobatics, and contemporary. During her years of dancing, Ariana began to understand what differentiates a good dancer from a great dancer, and the impact that it leaves on the spectator - it's about the story told through movements. Ariana is also a Dance instructor and Choreographer.

Props Management

London Diggs

London Diggs (He/Him) is a senior theater major with a concentration in Acting /Directing and Business Administration minor, hailing from Portsmouth, Virginia. Credits: Buy Black! We Don’t Sell to Your Kind (Bowie State University); The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno, Everyman in the Circus of Life, Digging up the Boys, and It’s Not You, It’s Me (Churchland High School); She Kills Monsters and Fridays @ Five (University of Lynchburg). He is blessed and hopes you enjoy Ride The Cyclone!

Props Management

Derek Fields, Jr.

Derek Fields JR (he/him) Is a senior Theater Arts, major with a concentration and Acting/Directing. Credits: Medea; The Most Personal Trainer (Bowie State University Theatre) A Courtroom Repeat, Hurt Village (BSU performance classes). He is excited and hopes you enjoy Ride The Cyclone!

Lighting Board Operator

Justus Harris

Justus Harris (he/him) is an American actor from Charles County, Maryland. Growing up, Justus was involved in many different sports and hobbies including football, basketball, baseball, robotics club, and STEM team. It was during his senior year in high school, Justus found his true passion in acting.

Projections Board Operator

Genesis Bratcher

Genesis Bratcher (she/her) is an actress from Westchester New York. Genesis has always had a passion for acting and performing. She has a background in dancing and she also plays the piano and violin. Since the age of 4 being on stage and performing was what she knew she would want to do for the rest of her life.

Projections Board Operator

Genesis Bratcher

Costume Assistant

Diarra Young

Marketing assistant

Alexis Kennedy

Original Creative Team

Brooke Maxwell (Composer/Lyricist/Playwright) is a freelance musician, composer and educator based in Victoria, BC, Canada. In addition to Ride the Cyclone, he has underscored and sound designed several local and national works: Gruff (Puente Theatre), And Slowly Beauty (Belfry Theatre, National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre), A Tender Thing (Belfry Theatre) The Glass Menagerie, Long Day’s Journey into Night (Bluebridge Theatre), Joan (Theatre SKAM), Busted Up (Open Pit Theatre). brookemaxwell.com https://www.brookemaxwell.com/

Jacob Richmond (Composer/Lyricist/Playwright) has written several plays, including: The Qualities of Zero (Dora Award nomination, Montreal MECCA Award winner for Best Text); Small Returns (Theatre Passe Muraille); Legoland (SummerWorks Award for Best Text, Frigid Festival New York Favorite Production, Vancouver Fringe Favorite Award); From Canada to Canada (CBC Radio One Award, Best Comedy); and The Punch and Judy Show (Caravan Farm Theatre). Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he majored in history and performance at Concordia University (Montreal) and is co-founder of Atomic Vaudeville, a popular cabaret theater series in Victoria, BC. https://broadwaylicensing.com/creators/jacob-richmond/