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.

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 so far.  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 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 Begetters. 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 was privileged to be one of the all-female directors in the 2021-22 season with the staging of BARBECUE by Robert O'Hara. Lynn is blessed to continue to do what she loves. Special thanks to Linda, Harvey, Nicole, and Dennis.

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,

Doug Schroeder is a Kansas native. Secrets & Lies is his sixth 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.