Kevin (he/him) took over as artistic and executive director of Perisphere Theater in 2019 and has produced its last four plays. He was the founding artistic director of Barabbas Theatre Company, which produced highly acclaimed plays in the Capital Fringe Festival. These included H5x7, O’Connell’s faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V; the world premiere of Alexandra Petri’s Never Never; and the D.C. area premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s, Exit, Pursued by a Bear. He holds a M.A. in dramaturgy from the Catholic University of America and an M.A. in history from the State University of New York at Albany.

In addition to The Niceties, Eleanor Burgess’s (she/her) plays include Wife of a Salesman, Start Down, Chill, Sparks Fly Upward, and Galilee, 34. Her work has been produced at theaters across the United States, including Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Rep, Geffen Playhouse, McCarter Theatre Center, Huntington Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Merrimack Rep, the Alliance Theatre and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Eleanor has been a member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages, Page 73’s writers’ group Interstate 73, The Civilians’ R&D Group, and New York Theatre Workshop’s 2050 Fellowship. She has also written for film and television, including work on Perry Mason for HBO, WeCrashed for Apple TV+, and Interview With The Vampire for AMC, and screenplays for Bad Robot, Amblin, and Anonymous Content. Originally from Massachusetts, she studied history at Yale College and Dramatic Writing at NYU/Tisch.

Jeff (he/him) is a founding board member of Perisphere Theater. He has been an attorney with the federal government for 14 years, currently serving as investigative counsel to the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State. He is also the President of the Capitol Hill Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, having previously served as its Treasurer and Secretary. He was a member of the editorial board of the monthly periodical The Federal Lawyer from 1999 to 2010. Jeff has produced, directed, and acted for several theaters in the Washington area. He has been a member of the Rockville Little Theatre Board of Directors since 2012 and currently serves as its Treasurer. Jeff received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary and his J.D. from Georgetown University.

Jessica (she/her) is honored to be working with Perisphere Theater once again. Jessica has worked with many theaters on the East Coast, including The Public, Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, The Kennedy Center (Theater for Young Audiences), Georgetown University and more. She received her MFA in Scenic Design from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts and her BA in Theatrical Design from Anderson University. Jessica is an award-winning theatrical designer who thrives when working with people and is passionate about effective storytelling, the use of design to encourage empathy, and using art as a medium for social change. Jessicatrementozzi.com

Trinity Joseph (she/her) is a creative from Baltimore Maryland. She is currently a junior in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University studying Theater Technology with a minor in Photography. She enjoys exploring other creative outlets such as embroidery and traditional arts, and enjoys mixing ideas and techniques from one medium of art to another. Recent/Favorite lighting design credits at Howard University include 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Heathers, and Vivify dance showcase featuring Dilika, and the American stage premiere of Black is Beautiful for the Complexions Contemporary Ballet company.

Gerrad (he/him) is an award-winning director and multidisciplinary theater artist based in the greater Baltimore region and an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 2021 he was named one of Baltimore’s “40 Under 40” by the Baltimore Business Journal. In 2020, he founded Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble, an affinity space for Black artists in the region interested in examining the classical canon. He has worked as an actor, director and educator for theaters and educational institutions across the country, centering his work on creating space that preserves and celebrates the history and culture of the Global Majority. In 2021, he directed Time Is On Our Side, by R. Eric Thomas, for Perisphere Theater. Gerrad holds an MFA in acting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a B.A. in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University. On April 1, Gerrad will take over as a joint artistic director of Perisphere Theater.