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.

Theodore "Priest" Hughes from Minnesota has lived in Kansas city 45 years. He is a self trained actor having started his career as a spoken word performance artist before taking the stage as an actor 16 years ago. He has appeared in August Wilson's, Radio Golf (KCMPT), Jitney (MET), Chasing God's (Kansas Repertory Theater), Lewis Morrow's, Ain't no such thing as Midnight Black (KCMPT), ASM Raisin in the Sun (KCMPT). He loves bringing the African-American experience to life. Hughes is a member of Kansas City Melting Pot Theater Collective and is thankful for the opportunity to move from the stage to stage management.

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 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. Babrya’s Tulips is his third 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 has appeared in Harvey Williams’ “2121” (KC Melting Pot Theatre), August Wilson’s “King Hedly II” (KC Melting Pot Theatre) and Jacqueline Gafford’s “Grape’s Vine” (InPlay Theater Co.), to name a few. Dennis is pleased to support this production of “Baybra’s Tulips,” through another passion, sound design. Special thanks to Lynn King, Harvey and Linda Williams and Dr. Nicole Hodges Persley.

Melonnie Walker is a theatre historian, educator and alum of UMKC’s Master of Arts program in Theatre History.  She is the Director of Education and Community Outreach for KC Melting Pot Theatre and has served as the resident research and production dramaturg for three seasons. She is an advisory board member of the August Wilson Society and Regional VP for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Melonnie is grateful for her theatre family here at KCMPT and she is inspired to do the work that preserves and uplifts black theatre history for future generations

Lynn King is a Kansas City native, received her MFA in Acting from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and has regional and national credits in theatre, commercials, and film. Lynn is one of the original members of the KC Melting Pot Theatre’s core of actors, appearing in their first production of Old School Ghetto Gospel, in 2013 and several productions since. KCMPT provided audiences with Lynn’s Professional directorial debut with the production of Ntozake Shange’s, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf in November, 2019. Lynn is grateful for the opportunity to indulge her passion and practice her craft and celebrate the return to live theatre with this wonderful original work by Lewis Morrow.