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Producing Artistic Director
Elizabeth Van Dyke
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Producing Artistic Director
Jackie Alexander
PRESENTS
BY
ELJON WARDALLY
DIRECTED BY
JACKIE ALEXANDER
STARRING
NIKYLA BOXLEY
MELANIE MATTHEWS
BRIAN RICHARDSON
SCENIC DESIGN
ISABELA AND MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY
LIGHTING DESIGN
ANTIONETTE TYNES
COSTUME DESIGN
GREGORY HORTON
SOUND DESIGN
LEE MARTINEZ CRUZ
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
ANTHONY DAVIDSON
DRAMATURG
MELISSA JOYNER
STAGE MANAGER
BAYO
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
FUMIKO TANAKA
COMPANY MANAGER
MELANIE COLEMAN
PRODUCTION MANAGER
PATRICE ANDREW DAVIDSON
MARKETING ASSOCIATE
BYRON MCCRAY
PRESS AGENT
JONATHAN SLAFF AND ASSOCIATES
CAST
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Nikyla Boxley (Garland) is grateful to make her New Federal Theatre debut. Credits include: Wrong River (Flint Rep), The Niceties (Virginia Theatre Festival), Heritage, Maid’s Door, Freedom Summer (NC Black Rep). TV: Netflix’s Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story. Graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Drama. Grateful for the journey. All love to the 313. @nikylairl
Melanie Matthews (Rose) is a North Carolina–based performer and educator making her New York debut in a major production. She has previously appeared in New York theater festivals and is thrilled to return to the city. Melanie brings bold storytelling and cultural nuance to her work. When she’s not onstage, she teaches high school English. She is building a body of work rooted in voice, identity, and presence. She was most recently seen in "Heritage" (International Black Theatre Festival) and Phenomenal Woman (North Carolina Black Rep).
Brian Richardson (Fitz) started his acting career in Trinidad and trained with Trinidad Tent Theatre. Roles include Pulse Ensemble Theatre: Night Must Fall, The Lower Depths. Harlem Summer Shakespeare: Macbeth, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, As You Like It. Bristol Riverside Theatre, Barter Theatre, Metropolitan Playhouse, J City Theatre. Off-Broadway: Strings Attached. TV: Law And Order: SVU, Gotham, Atlanta. Film: Due Season, Hunger, Sid's New Glasses. Tours his solo show, W. E. B. Du Bois: A Man For All Times.
CREATIVE TEAM
Eljon Wardally (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose work amplifies underrepresented voices and brings visibility to the unseen. Wardally’s storytelling is rooted in a commitment to authenticity, compassion, and social relevance. She writes about loneliness, national and family secrets but also has a zest for telling stories with a dark comedic twist.
JACKIE ALEXANDER (Director) is an award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, and the Producing Artistic Director of The North Carolina Black Repertory Company, producers of the International Black Theatre Festival. His debut novel Our Daily Bread was published by Turner Publishing. His debut feature film Joy was awarded Best Feature Film by the Black Filmmakers
Hall of Fame. The author of six plays, his work has been produced off-Broadway and regionally throughout the country.
ISABEL & MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY (Scenic Designers) are Twin sisters and Atlanta based scenic designers. Select Regional: Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alliance Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, North Carolina Black Rep, Triad Stage, Billie Holliday Theatre (NYC), Actors theatre Louisville, Theatrical Outfit, Actor’s Express, Aurora Theatre, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre, Horizon Theatre Recognitions : AUDELCO scenic design 2020, Colorado Critics Award, and Multiple
Suzi Bass Awards. United Scenic Artists 829. www.axisstudiosdesign.com
Lee Martinez Cruz (Sound Designer) is a Washington, D.C.-based sound designer, composer, and music producer. His credits include Heathers: The Musical and The Importance of Being Earnest (GW University), Drowner (Nextstop Theatre), Cyrano (Taffety Punk Theatre), Purlie Victorious, and Fences (North Carolina Black Repertory Company). He composed for the Student Academy Award Finalist film Against a Sharp White Background, holds a BFA in Sound Design from UNCSA, and received the 2025 William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowship.
Gregory J. Horton (Costume Designer) is a retired university professor with 38 years of experience in theatre, costume design, and directing. He served as a tenured associate professor and director of theatre at several universities, including North Carolina A&T State University. Horton has designed more than 250 productions and directed numerous stage works across the country. He has held national leadership positions with the Black Theatre Network and USITT and has received major honors, including the International Black Theatre Festival Outstanding Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion Award.
Melissa Joyner (Dramaturg) is an award-winning artist, dramaturg, (Chadota Idda’s Running For My Life, Blooming in Dry Season, In the Black) and filmmaker (Reimagined Vol III: Young Thang). An Audelco and Producers Guild winner nominated for Peabody and Webby awards, Melissa has taught at Pace, AADA, UNCSA, and Wake Forest.
ANTHONY DAVIDSON (Technical Director & Master Carpenter) is the 39th AUDELCO Award Winning set designer for NFTs production of Knock Me a Kiss. He has constructed sets for NFT's The Wash. The School House Theatre’s productions: the color of light, Eleanor. Master Carpenter for movie Freak Show. TD NFT looking for Leroy, Cool Blues, Court-Martial at Fort Devens, Puberty Rites, Sowas Red Gravy Stories, Plenty of Time, and In The Wine Time, Dr. Dubois and Miss Ovington, The Fabulous Miss Marie; Accept (Except) LGBT, Dutchman among others. He constructed sets for The Negro Ensemble Company’s. The Picture Box and Martin: A New American Musical. He also designed and constructed sets for National Black Touring Circuit, Inc. Anthony Davidson, the Master Carpenter for all your set needs! 347-766-6588. 2chllc@gmail.com, crystalhorizonllc@gmail.com
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Bayo is an Equity Stage Manager.
...Been around the block...
Much Love, Peace, & Blessings to all involved with this production.
Fumiko Tanaka (Assistant Stage Manager) is an AEA stage manager/all-around backstage tech and producer from Matsumoto, Japan. Her credits include productions with Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre, Crossroads Theatre Company, National Black Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company, Amas Musical Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and TV TOKYO. Additional credits include WEST SIDE STORY, HALLELUJAH BABY!, and BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL. An NYU Musical Theatre graduate, Fumiko sends special thanks to her parents and PAD for their continued support, patience, wisdom, and love.
PRODUCTION
Melanie Coleman (Company Manager) is a passionate arts administrator seeking to create more accessible spaces for artists across several disciplines. She received a B.F.A. in Arts Administration from Howard University and an M.A. from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Her experience spans across the entertainment landscape, working with companies such as Disney, BET, The Lucille Lortel Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She is ecstatic to return, leading her second production with New Federal Theatre.
Melanie Coleman is a passionate arts administrator seeking to create more accessible spaces for artists across several disciplines. She received a B.F.A. in Arts Administration from Howard University and an M.A. from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Her experience spans across the entertainment landscape, working with companies such as Disney, BET, The Lucille Lortel Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She is ecstatic to return, leading her second production with New Federal Theatre.