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March 21 - April 13
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Showtimes:
Friday & Saturday - 8 p.m.
Sunday - 2 p.m.
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All Tickets are $24
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This bold play by playwright and poet Dominique Morisseau (Confederates, Sunset Baby, Detroit ’67,and Skeleton Crew) examines the miscarriage of justice and racial double standards, as students today still protest on college campuses. This striking ensemble drama is based on the Jena Six case; six Black students were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked by nooses hanging from campus trees.
Special thanks to: Lance Bankerd, Performing Arts at CCBC, Morgan State University and Stevenson University's ENG 152 Students: Tahir Best, Selima Brown, Keimiah Carter, Hunter Cutler, Markiara Harris, Jamal McNeil, Elliot Nero, Kayla Williams, Brandon Adler, Elayna Buser, Jose Hernandez, Quentin Jones, Brinkley McAdarra, Tysean Milligan, Hadley Parker, Sydney Price, Haja Sillah, Jennifer Subda, Jeffrey Tillman, and Bina Vaynshteyn
Production Team
Director and Movement Coordinator: Mari-Andrea Travis
Stage Manager: Darlay Altenord
Sound Designer: Heiko
Lighting Designer: Jaeden Arrington
Costume Designer: Tylar Hinton
DEI Support: Kay-Megan Washington
​Dramaturgy: Jordan Boyd and Gregory Towler
Stage Crew: Amani Nkere and Jordan Rogers
​Producer and Scenic Coordinator: Brad Norris
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Cast
Raylynn: Alexys Adams and Fela Langston
Toria: Gracie Sciannella
Asha: Emma Grace Dunbar
Justin: Haroun Iretemi
DeAndre: Dakhir “Dk” Lee
Principal: Leah Young
​Colin: Owen Roughton
Bios
Alexys Adams (she/her/hers) - Raylynn
Ms. Alexys Adams is a DMV based actor who is debuting in the Baltimore theater scene for the first time with this production. She has training in TV and film acting from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Though she is no stranger to the stage, she does hope to share her love between the stage and film and television productions with international acclaim! Look out for her on your television and movie theatre screens soon! She would like to thank her family and friends for their continuous love and support, and thank the cast and production crew for their support and hopes to become more involved in the Baltimore theater scene and beyond! She hopes you enjoy the show and would love any feedback and spread the love!
Fela Langston (she/her) - Raylynn
Fela is a Baltimore-based performer, vocalist, and visual artist who loves the sense of community that doing theater on small stages brings! Past shows include The Fabulous, the Forefathers, & the Forgotten (Dance & Bmore), Once in this Island (ArtsCentric), Clue (Stand Up for Theatre), RENT (ArtsCentric), and Christmas is Comin’ Uptown (Arena Players). Fela would like to thank her mother, wife, and close friends for their continuous support.
Gracie Sciannella (she/her) - Toria
Gracie Sciannella is a Baltimore-based performer/artist and very recent graduate of Towson University’s Acting BFA program. Before graduating she acted in several school productions such as Miss Kendrick/Mother/Voice 2 in Kid Simple and The Amazon in Lasso of Truth. She made her community theater debut in the summer of 2024 at Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theater playing Maddie and Sam in Love/Sick. She is looking forward to gracing more Baltimore stages in the future! All my love and gratitude to my amazing family and close friends.
Emma Grace Dunbar (she/her) - Asha
Emma is ecstatic to return to the FPCT stage, last appearing as Dr. Dorothy Watson in Miss Holmes. Raised in Baltimore County, Emma is a 2014 graduate of George Washington Carver Center for Arts & Technology, where she became a founding member of Trapdoor Theatre Company. She is a former Oregon Shakespeare Festival "Semmie” and a 2014 YoungArts Merit Award Winner, and has participated in projects with Open Space Arts and Single Carrot Theater. All love and thanks to family, friends, and kind strangers for reminding her that there is good in the world and in people, always. Emma finds joy in her pets, her abundance of plants, and long walks with her headphones on.
Haroun Iretemi (he/him) - Justin
Haroun Iretemi is an actor dedicated to bringing complex, thought-provoking characters to life. He is grateful to be portraying Justin in Blood at the Root. Haroun currently studies at the Studio Acting Conservatory in Washington, D.C., and continues to hone his craft through stage and screen work. Passionate about storytelling that challenges and inspires, he is committed to exploring narratives that resonate deeply with audiences.
Dakhir “Dk” Lee (he/him) - DeAndre
Dakhir Lee is a talented actor hailing from Prince George’s County, Maryland. With a passion for the arts that runs deep, he has embraced the power of storytelling to connect with audiences and bring characters to life. Whether on stage or screen, he draws inspiration from his personal experiences and his community, channeling them into every role he plays. One of his favorite roles was portraying Cassio in Shakespeare’s Othello, a character whose complexity and vulnerability allowed him to explore the depths of loyalty, ambition, and honor. Last summer, he spent his time traveling and performing with Prince George’s Parks & Recreation, engaging with summer camps all around Maryland.
Leah Young (she/her) - Principal
Leah Young is thrilled to be making her Baltimore stage debut here at FPCT after a 25-year hiatus from Maryland theatre. Leah trained in NYC at William Esper Studios and the Magnet Theater and holds a B.S. in Theatre and Speech from Union University. A few of her favorite past roles include the Queen in Rumplewho (13th Street Rep. Theater), Megan in Matty and the Airplane (ZenBaby Theater Company), and Satan in Die Ratzel (APO Players). Leah cares deeply about access, equity, and justice and aims to help increase each through her "day job." She is ever-grateful for the unconditional love of both her husband, Seth and tiny dog, Auri.
Owen Camiel Roughton (He/Him) - Colin
Owen Camiel Roughton is exceptionally excited to be apart of Blood at the Root at Fell's Point Corner Theatre. He recently worked with Silver Spring Spring Stage on Blue Stockings as Lloyd, and at Susquehanna Stage in Children of Eden as Abel. Owen currently studies acting at Towson University. For fun, Owen writes, sings, and plays with his two cats. He wants to thank his Mom, his partner Gracie, and his close friends for their love and support.
Mari-Andrea Travis (she/her) - Director, Movement Coordinator
Baltimore-native Mari-Andrea Travis is a producer, performer, theatre director/choreographer, and professor at Morgan State University (MSU). She holds a BA in Theatre from MSU and an MFA in Dance from the University of the Arts. With a career that spans education, theatre, dance, and community engagement, Mari-Andrea has made significant contributions to the arts in the classroom and on stages throughout the DMV for over 20 years. She is the founder of Good Stuff on Stage, a Baltimore based performance art company. Her fulfilling career in the arts is forever dedicated to her mother, Andrea, and grandmother, Willia.
Pablo Akira Richter, Boy at Bar/Defense Lawyer
Pablo is a Baltimore-based actor and writer. A Baltimore native, Pablo began acting at Brown University, where he originated the role of Chris in the first performance of Julia May Jonas's Your Own Personal Exegesis. He then studied film acting with Richard Waterhouse, before receiving a Practical Aesthetics scholarship to continue his studies at The Atlantic Acting School. Since returning to Baltimore last year, Pablo has performed with the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, Strand Theater, and here at Fells Point Corner Theater. You can catch Pablo next in Deathtrap at Spotlighters Theatre, November 8th-December 8th.
Deirdre McAllister, Director
FPCT is proud to welcome long-time member Deirdre McAllister back to the director's chair after helming 2020's Love and Information by Caryl Churchill. Deirdre is an interdisciplinary theatre artist and educator with a passion for experimental, collaborative work. She has experience teaching and directing at the high school and collegiate level as well as directing and performing in community and professional productions. She is currently pursuing coursework to become a registered drama therapist. Deirdre holds an MFA in Theatre from Towson University.
Darlay Altenord (she/her) - Stage Manager
Darlay Altenord is a Baltimore newcomer and budding creative with a lifelong passion for the arts, writing, and poetry. Serving as Stage Manager for this production has reignited an active flame for theatre that has served to remind her of the importance of speaking truth to power, radical self-expression, and how art can garner illuminating dialogue that inspires change.
Heiko (he/him) - Sound Designer
Heiko is incredibly grateful and excited to be working at FPCT once again. Personal highlights of his theatrical career include but are not limited to operating sound on a moving bus for Promenade with Single Carrot, performing countless hours of improvised comedy with The Early Monday Morning Show and Drop Three, portraying Doctor Everett Scott in The Rocky Horror Show, stage managing and sound designing Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play and far too much 4 a.m. sleep-deprived set building. Heiko would like to thank the cast and crew for their passion, and his family, both blood and assimilated, and especially Mrs. Awesomesauce, for their constant support. Also, if today is your birthday, happy birthday to you!
Jaeden Arrington (He/Him) - Lighting Designer
Jaeden Arrington is an MD-based lighting designer spending his time designing light for theatre, dance, and live events across the DMV area. Jaeden is excited to be a part of this production, getting the chance to work with such a talented cast, crew, and design team.
Tylar Hinton (She/Her) - Costume Designer
Tylar Hinton (Costume Designer) is thankful for the opportunity to be designing with FPCT, for the first time. Some of her previous credits include; The Mountaintop, for colored girls, For Black Boys, Antigone, Sweat, Miss Electricity, The Winter’s Tale, Vanya, and Sonya, and Masha, and Spike, The Wiz, and Home. Tylar graduated from Morgan State University in 2018, earning a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. In 2021, she earned her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Costume Design. Tylar has since returned to Morgan State, where she is currently serving as an adjunct professor within the theatre department.
Brad Norris (He/Him) - Scenic Coordinator, Producer
Brad Norris is a Baltimore based Director, Scenic Artist, Fight Choreographer, Producer, and nerd. He is currently the Managing Director of Fells Point Corner Theatre, the Director of the Performing Arts Department at CCBC, and the Station Manager for The WRPG. He is passionate about justice, representation, indigenous sovereignty, and centering non-straight-white-cis-male stories and opinions everywhere possible. He himself is a straight-white-cis-male, so this bio is about as much of his story as he is comfortable with you caring about. He loves his wife and kids and would be nowhere without them. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can hire Brad Norris.