Dr. Nicole Hodges Persley is Artistic Director of the KC Melting Pot Theatre. She is a critically acclaimed director with credits in theatre and film including productions of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Angelina W. Grimke’s Rachel, Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman, Dominique Morriseau’s Sunset Baby and Lewis Morrow’s Ain’t No Such Thing as Midnight Black.  She is an Associate Professor of American Studies and African American Studies who specializes areas of Acting and Directing, African American performance, and Hip-hop Studies. She is the author of Sampling and Remixing Blackness in Hip Hop Performance which explores the influence of Hip-Hop and African American culture on theater in the United States and England and Breaking It Down: Audition Techniques for Artists of the Global Majority, a step-by-step audition guide for actors of color, co-written with Monica Ndounou.

Lynn King is a native of Kansas City Kansas and has been performing for Kansas City Audiences for over 30 years.  She received her MFA in Acting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and has regional and national credits in theatre, commercials, and film.  During her career as a theatre instructor, she directed over thirty productions. Lynn is one of the original members of the KC Melting Pot Collective, appearing in their first-ever production of Old School Ghetto Gospel, in 2013. Lynn was last seen in KCMPT’s production of Dying to Party. She is happy to return to the stage after the shutdown but has been busy working in other capacities with KCMPT. KCMPT provided Lynn with her directorial debut in 2019 and she is privileged to be one of the all-female directors in the 2022-23 season with the staging of FAIRVIEW by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Lynn is blessed to continue to do what she loves. Special thanks to Linda, Harvey, Nicole, and Dennis.

Desmond "3-3-7" Jones, Co-Founder of The Recipe Poetry Guild, known for his thunderous poetry performance, has been performing for 20 plus years. 3-3-7 holds The American Jazz Museums "Jazz Poetry Jamz" all time winning record for 2 consecutive seasons. 3-3-7 has also graced the stages of many local theaters with roles in Two Trains Running, A Raisin In The Sun, The Piano Lesson, Jitney, and a host of other stage plays. 3-3-7 along with his partner in rhyme Theodore "Priest" Hughes have been teaching creative writing classes throughout the KCPSD as well as surrounding school districts and the United States for over 15 years.

Doug Schroeder is a Kansas native. Mother/son is his eighth design for KCMPT. Schroeder received a B.F.A. in technical theater from Emporia State University. In addition to working as the technical director for KCMPT, Doug also is the production manager for the Kansas City Women’s Chorus. He would like to thank his partner Chris Palmer for his assistance with set construction and Linda, Harvey, Nicole, and Lewis for the opportunity to work on this new play.

Dennis Jackson is a Kansas City native. He has learned the craft of live theater, by working with some of the best actors and directors in K.C. He appeared in Harvey Williams’ “2121” (KC Melting Pot Theater), August Wilson’s “King Hedly” and “Two Trains Running” (KC Melting Pot Theater) and Jacqueline Gafford’s “Grape’s Vine” (InPlay Theater Co.), to name a few. Thanks to director Nicole Hodges Persley, for the opportunity to craft the sound design, for this production. Special thanks to Harvey and Linda Williams,