a.k. payne (she/they) is a playwright, artist-theorist, and theatremaker with roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her plays love on and engage Black lives and languages beyond the confines of linear time to find/remember stories that might create conditions for our collective liberation(s). They hold a B.A. in English and African-American Studies from Yale College and a MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, under Tarell Alvin McCraney. Their work has been the finalist for the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, winner of the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, and 3x semi-finalist for the O’Neill National Playwriting Conference. She is a current recipient of the Kemp Powers Commission Fund for Black Playwrights and Atlantic Theatre Company’s Judith Champion Launch Commission. Her work has been developed with the New Harmony Project, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and Manhattan Theatre Club’s “Groundworks Lab.” They are a graduate of Pittsburgh Public Schools; grandchild of the Great Migration; descendant of a music teacher and a carpenter, who both march every year with their unions in Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade; a queer & non-binary abolitionist affected in community by the “New Jim Crow;” and of a great lineage of Black women storytellers and living-room archivists; all of which deeply informs, uplifts, and amplifies their work as a playwright, community organizer, and spacemaker. 

Tinashe Kajese-Bolden is an award-winning Director, Actor, and Producer. She is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Directing.  Recent directing credits include Toni Stone (co-production between Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Alliance Theatre), The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd and Nick’s Flamingo Grill (World Premieres at the Alliance Theatre), School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Ghost (Alliance Theatre), Native Gardens (Virginia Stage Company), Pipeline (Horizon Theater), and Eclipsed (Synchronicity Theatre, Best Director Suzi Bass Award). She has also worked as a director and actor regionally and on and off Broadway.  As the BOLD Associate Artistic Director at Alliance Theatre, Kajese-Bolden stewarded the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, cultivating new works for Atlanta-based artists, and oversaw the Spelman Leadership Fellowship, the first mentorship program of its kind partnering a regional theatre with an historically Black college and university to offer paid career opportunities for students interested in arts leadership positions.

Asha Basha Duniani [she/her] is electrified to make her Alliance Theatre debut with the cast of Furlough’s Paradise. She accredits her debut professional production to Synchronicity Theater’s Eclipsed in 2016 directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. Receiving the Suzi Bass Award for Best Ensemble in her role as The Girl. Atlanta: Actors Express (Cullud Wattah 2023), Synchronicity Theatre (In the Continuum 2023, Eclipsed 2016). Regional: North Carolina Black Repertory Company, Triad Stage Touring Theatre. Educational: The Colored Museum, in the Red & Brown Water, Hurt Village, Detroit 67, Ruined, A’int Misbehavin (North Carolina A&T State). Film/TV: Warner Bros, Magic Lemonade Productions, Westbrook Media. Asha Basha holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Professional Theater from North Carolina A&T State University. She would like to thank you for spending your day supporting live theatre. Find her on Instagram: @asha.b.duniani 

Kai Heath hails from Harlem NYC. Kai is hyped to be in Atlanta and making her Alliance Theater debut. Some of her favorite off Broadway credits include: “Kofa” in Amani (National BlackTheatre) “Leticia” in Blooms (Ensemble Studio Theater) “Dawn” in Bodies They Ritual (Clubbed Thumb) “The Rowdy” in On Sugarland (New York Theater Workshop) “Messenger” in The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. Regional credits: “ Annie” in The Play that Goes Wrong (The Kennedy Center) “Averie” in Dot (People’s Light Theater)  Instagram: @harlemkai 

Cymiah Alexander [she/her] is delighted to bring her passion to the stage in her first show at the Alliance Theatre! Notable roles include The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, and key contributions to The Georgia Incarceration Project at Spelman College. Cymiah received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance and Psychology at Spelman College. She navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic by pioneering the creation of the web series "Once Upon a Crime," using the fantasy realm as a platform for discussions about the Black community. Her directorial debut in the post-pandemic era includes co-leading the Atlanta University Consortium's inaugural 10-Minute Play Festival. Under the mentorship of esteemed acting coach Jemal McNeil, Cymiah continues to hone her craft. With a profound love for directing and producing, she eagerly anticipates a future filled with creative endeavors in those spaces. She is deeply grateful for the unwavering support from friends and family. Feel free to connect with her on social media: @cymiahalexander. 

Shilla Benning // Regional Theatre: Working, Shakespeare’s R&J (Alliance Theatre); Pipeline (Cleveland Playhouse); Mudrow (People’s Light Theatre); Pipeline, Skeleton Crew (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Film: Fantasy Football, Do Revenge, Dear Evan Hansen, Like A Boss, What Men Want, SuperFly, Night School, Almost Christmas, Ride Along,  Kevin Heart: Laugh At My Pain, Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam, Reluctant Fundamentalist, S One Missed Call, Madea Goes To Jail,  Zombieland, Footloose. Television: “Bigger,” “Survivors Remorse,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Media,” “The House of Payne,” “The Originals,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Dancing With The Stars.” Recording Artist: Eryka Badu, Ciara, Lil Bow Wow, Andre 3000. Bronze Lens Film Festival Women’s Superstar Award Recipient. 

Milton Cordero started his career in film and theater (actor, Electric, Light Design) at a very young age. Eventually, he explored the use of multimedia in live performances, which led him to develop a career as a projection designer. Cordero’s Projection Designs have been seen on stages in New York, Atlanta, and Puerto Rico. Favorites credits include: Anna in the Tropics (Bay Street Theater, NY), Hands Up (Alliance Theatre, GA), In the Heights (Choliseo, PR), The Nether (Emory Theatre, GA), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Aurora Theatre & Horizon Theatre, GA), Tierra Mia (Gibaro de Puerto Rico), and El Burlador de Sevilla (Teatro Círculo, NY). His goal is to keep exploring and contribute to bringing the Latin theater to the next level, as well as honoring God with his talents. Follow @mcorderodesigns // www.miltoncordero.com

Julie B. Johnson, PhD, centers her work on participatory dance and embodied memory mapping to amplify the histories, lived experiences, and bodily knowledge of Black women as a strategy towards collective liberation for all. She does this work joyfully with community partners through her creative practice, Moving Our Stories, and at Spelman College where she serves as an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Dance Performance & Choreography. She brings this work to the publishing realm as a Co-Founder/Consulting Editor of The Dancer-Citizen, an online open-access scholarly dance journal exploring the work of socially engaged artists. Johnson is a 2022-23 Dance/USA Artist Fellow; 2020-23 Partners for Change Artist through Alternate ROOTS and The Surdna Foundation; a 2021 Hambidge Center Distinguished Fellow; and a 2019 Black Spatial Relics Fellow. Since 2019, Julie has focused on the intersections of dance and abolitionist feminism through community-oriented endeavors such as Idle Crimes & Heavy Work, For the Record… Dances to Stop Cop City, and The Georgia Incarceration Performance Project. She earned a PhD in Dance Studies at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, researching meanings and experiences of ‘community’ in Philadelphia-based West African Dance classes. 

Chris Lane is an Atlanta-based sound designer, DJ, composer, mixing engineer, and entrepreneur. His previous regional credits include: DATA, Ghost, A Very Terry Christmas, Sounds of the West End, Knock Knock, In My Granny’s Garden (Alliance Theatre, GA); Fannie, Four Women, Skeleton Crew, Paradise Blue (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, GA); Shutter Sisters (The Old Globe, CA); Skeleton Crew (Westport Country Playhouse, CT); Too Heavy for Your Pocket (George Street Playhouse, NJ); Four Little Girls, Ruby (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, AL); The Royale (Geva Theatre Center, NY); The Children, SHAPE, A Boy and His Soul (The Kitchen Theatre Company, NY); Detroit 67’ (Virginia Stage Company, VA), Incendiary (The Kennedy Center, DC). He is also a Co-Founder and Executive Director at Multiband Studios. Check out the growing creative collective at www.multibandstudios.com.

Laura Morse [she/her] is excited to be back at Alliance Theatre! Previous credits include Hands Up, Toni Stone, and The Hot Wing King. Laura received a BA degree in Psychology from Spelman College, a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling from Georgia State University, and she has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2000. Laura is a psychotherapist and Certified Professional Clinical Supervisor currently in private practice but has worked in various clinical settings including: a community service board, psychiatric hospitals, and residential substance recovery agencies. In addition to professional counseling, Laura has served as the PTSA President for three public schools, served as an executive board member for organizations that address mental health/substance recovery, and has had other youth-centered leadership roles in public education. Laura regularly shares her professional expertise as a featured respondent for a number of media outlets such as NPR, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Source Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Cox Media Group-WSBTV, and several NBC news affiliates. Laura not only has a passion for her work in mental health advocacy, but a devotion to her friends and family; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; and Spelman College. 

Ashley Thomas [she/her] was born and raised in Harlem, New York. A writer and dramaturg – she is interested in exploring the intersections of culture, politics, and Beyoncé through a Black feminist lens. She’s a proud godmother of a fiery Aries toddler. She’s dramaturged classical works, plays in development, and solo shows through organizations such as Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and National Queer Theatre. She has been published in Theater magazine, Jabberwock Review, and 3Views Theater. Ashley has also been a teaching artist for elementary and high school-aged students, and a teaching fellow for college-aged students. Ashley is a proud alumna of the First Wave Urban Arts Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she graduated with her Bachelor of Social Work. She recently graduated with her MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from Yale School of Drama. Ashley enjoys a good fiction book, well-designed concert merch, and cooking for loved ones.   

Thom Weaver // Previously for Alliance: Everybody, Toni Stone. Off-Broadway credits include: Sandra (Vineyard), The Total Bent (Public), Kingdom Come (Roundabout), Exit Strategy (Primary Stages), King Hedley II, How I Learned What I Learned, The Liquid Plain (Signature Theatre Company); Teller’s Play Dead (The Players Theater). Regional credits include productions with: Huntington Theatre Company, Arden Theatre, The Wilma Theater (Associate Artist), Philadelphia Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Getty Pavilion, Children’s Theatre Company, The Cleveland Play House, Portland Center Stage, The Folger Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Round House Theatre, Hangar Theatre, CenterStage, California Shakespeare Theater, Syracuse Stage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center Festival, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre, as well as numerous designs with Pilobolus. He is the recipient of two Jeff Awards, six Barrymore Awards, the Helen Hayes award,  and two AUDELCO Awards. Education: Carnegie Mellon and Yale. Program director for Theater Design and Technology at University of the Arts. He is a member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and Co-Founder of Die-Cast. He/him. Black Lives Matter. 

Sam Honeycutt studied Stage Management at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before beginning her career working across the country. Her credits include: Year of the Rooster, When January Feels like Summer, and Five Times in One Night (Ensemble Studio Theater). Legally Blonde, Hello! Dolly, My Fair Lady, and Music Man (Cape Playhouse). Frankenstein, Hairspray, Penny Candy, American Mariachi, Supreme Leader (Dallas Theater Center). Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous (Hartford Stage), and Trading Places the Musical, Everybody, A Gift of Love with Adam L. McKnight, Hot Wing King, The Boy Who Kissed The Sky, and Water For Elephants. 

Mesa [they/them] is the National Vision BIPOC Stage Management fellow for the Alliance Theatre’s 23/24 season. As a young professional, they boast an impressive list of stage management credits including A Christmas Carol (Alliance Theatre), English (Alliance Theatre), After Juliet (South Coast Repertory), Appropriate (SCR), A Small Man (SCR), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Chance Theater), The SpongeBob Musical (CSU Fullerton), and Beauty and the Beast (CSUF), among others. Mesa was a ’23 fellow of Beyond the Stage Door, a rigorous stage management program in New York City designed to teach and uplift recent BIPOC college graduates. Member of Actor’s Equity Association. 

Amanda J. Perez [she/her] Alliance Theatre credits include: English, Water For Elephants, The Many Wondrous Lives of Jasmine Starr-Kidd, A Christmas Carol (2022), The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Bina’s Six Apples, DREAM HOU$E, A Christmas Carol (2021), Beautiful Blackbird Live!, A Christmas Carol (2019). Other Atlanta credits include: Spring Awakening, Assassins, Next to Normal, Chess, Nine (Jennie T. Anderson Theatre); Matilda, Drowsy Chaperone, The Best of Broadway, Luminous, Oliver (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); Leading Ladies, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Driving Miss Daisy, Bullets Over Broadway (Georgia Ensemble Theatre). Regional credits include: DREAM HOU$E (Baltimore Center Stage & Long Wharf Theatre). She’d like to thank her husband and daughter for all their love and support.