Joe Turner's Come and Gone Synopsis

When Herald Loomis arrives at a Black Pittsburgh boardinghouse in 1911 after seven years’ labor on Joe Turner’s chain gang, he is a free man—in body. But the scars of his enslavement and a sense of inescapable alienation oppress his spirit still, and the seemingly hospitable rooming house seethes with tension and distrust in the presence of this tormented stranger. Loomis is looking for the wife he left behind, believing she can help him reclaim his old identity. But through his encounters with the other residents he begins to realize that what he really seeks is his rightful place in a new world - and it will take more than the skills of the local “people finder” to discover it.

About The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration

August Wilson, renowned as one of our greatest playwrights, captured the soul of urban and Black America in his ten-play “American Century Cycle.” Each play represents a decade, offering a vivid narrative of the African-American experience throughout the twentieth century. Despite its potential, staging all of Wilson’s plays in chronological order has never been realized—until now.

The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration aims to unite Baltimore’s diverse theatre community. This ambitious project will highlight three to four productions of a Wilson play each year, each presented by a different theatre company. Participating theatres include Baltimore Center Stage, Arena Players, ArtsCentric, Fell’s Point Corner Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Spotlighters Theatre, The Angel Wing Project, Noah Silas Studios, Theatre Project, and the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

Join us as we embark on this unprecedented journey to honor August Wilson’s legacy and showcase the power of collaboration within Baltimore’s thriving theatre scene. To learn more visit BmoreAugustWilson.org.

Zipporah Brown (Mattie Campbell) is an actor in Baltimore City who holds a B.A. in Theatre. Previous acting credits include A Christmas Carol (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Intimate Apparel (Maryland Ensemble Theatre); the Young Playwrights Festival 2024 (Baltimore Centerstage); Our Town (Baltimore Centerstage). Zipporah is also a teaching artist for Arts for Learning MD and for Baltimore Centerstage.

Greg Burgess (Bynum Walker) is a CSC Company Member, and has performed in CSC’s productions of Romeo and Juliet (2024) As You Like It (2023) Macbeth (2023), Hamlet (2023) Twelfth Night (2022), Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2; The Winter’s Tale; The Fantasticks; Richard III (2017 and 2012); Anne of the Thousand Days; Wild Oats; A Christmas Carol (2014-2023); Titus Andronicus (2015); The Importance of Being Earnest; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014 and 2010); As You Like It; The Merry Wives of Windsor; The Taming of the Shrew (2017 and 2013); and The Merchant of Venice, among many others. His training includes The Martin Blank Studio, the Shakespeare Theater, and Howard University.

Joe Crea (Rutherford Selig) is making his CSC debut. Recent credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus & Oberon) at Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Parks, The Nance (u/s Chauncey Miles) at 1st Stage, Romeo & Juliet (Friar Lawrence) at NOVA Nightsky Theater. Joe received his BA in Theater from Goucher College in Baltimore and studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. Joe’s a graduate and serves on the board of Studio Acting Conservatory in Washington, DC.

Lauren Davis (Martha Loomis) is a company member and a member of CSC’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble (BCAE). Most recently, she was seen in CSC’s 2023 production of As You Like It. She’s directed CSC’s outdoor production of Macbeth, featuring the BCAE, and CSC’s Olive Branch and Laurel Crown production of To Be a Solider and assistant directed Macbeth (2022 School Matinee). Acting credits include Love's Labour's Lost, Romeo and Juliet (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Acoustic Rooster, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Kennedy Center); Corduroy, Shrek the Musical (Childrens Theatre Company); Oliver! (Theater Latté Da); Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Pillsbury House Theatre/Guthrie Theater). She was also the Associate director of FELA at Olney Theatre Center. She holds an M.F.A. from the Catholic University of America and a theater degree from Frostburg State.

Miles Folley (Jeremy Furlow) is making his debut at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. Previous credits include Very Last Days of the First Colored Girls Circus (Anacostia Playhouse), Chocolate Covered Ants (Anacostia Playhouse), Intimate Apparel (Spooky Action Theatre), and more. Miles attended University of District of Columbia, Montogomery College, and American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

Aakhu TuahNera Freeman (Bertha Holly) previously appeared in CSC’s staged reading of The Grace of God & The Man Machine.  Other roles include Miss Leah in Flyin’ West, Rose Maxon in Fences and Mrs. Coleman in The Soul Collector (Everyman Theater); Clara Kerr in The Great White Hope, Sue Bayliss in All My Sons, Della in The Royal Family (Arena Stage); Mrs. Breedlove in The Bluest Eye and Gertha in Insurrection: Holding History (Theater Alliance); Mrs. Dickson in Intimate Apparel (Theater J); Grandma in Fabulation (Mosaic Theater); Miss T in She a Gem (The Kennedy Center).

Harold S. Henry III (Reuben Scott) is in the 7th grade at Midtown Academy. He is making his acting and CSC debut. Harold is a Baltimore School for the Arts TWIGS participant for acting and has appeared in Camp Hippodrome performances since 2023. Credits include, The Forces of Winter (Midtown Academy), Dark Zero 48 (Michael).

Kenya Adelle Mitchell (Zonia Loomis) is in the 5th grade at Oakleigh Elementary School. She is making her CSC debut. Kenya is an Arena Players’ Youth Theater participant and has appeared in A Christmas Musical Review (Arena Players Inc), Lion King Jr. (Arena Players Inc), Annie (Arena Players Inc) and Broadway Junior Review (Arena Players Inc). Kenya also performs in bi monthly dance concerts as a part of the Greater Paradise Outreach Ministry, an East Baltimore pillar committed to motivating, educating, and enhancing the entire family institution.

Jefferson A. Russell (Seth Holly) is making his CSC debut. Resident Company Member, Everyman Theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gem of The Ocean, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, The Lion in Winter (Henry II), Flyin West and Pipeline. Regional credits include productions at Cincinnati Playhouse (Jitney, Two Trains Running), Ford’s (Fences, Ragtime), Arena Players, Milwaukee Rep (Jitney), Round House (Two Trains Running, Gem of The Ocean), African Continuum Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre, Marin Theatre, Signature Theatre, KCTYA Tours. Training: Hampton University (BA) and GWU (MFA), former Baltimore Police Officer and founding member of Galvanize, a network for Artists of Color.

Mikayla Uqdah (Zonia Loomis) is in the 6th grade at McDonogh School. She is making her CSC debut. Credits include, Matilda the Musical (McDonogh School); Raise Your Voice, A Broadway Junior Revue (Arena Players).

Mecca Verdell (Mollie Cunningham) is a member of CSC's Black Classical Acting Ensemble and is returning after previously performing in their student matinees of Romeo and Juliet (2021-2022) and Macbeth (2022). Mecca 'Meccamorphosis' Verdell is an Internationally winning spoken word poet, teaching artist, and actor for film and Theatre (locally and Off broadway). As a teacher, she uses poetry to connect teachers and students to create emotionally intelligent responses in an academic space. Mecca has molded poetry for marketing and commercials as a Visit Baltimore Ambassador or National Education Association performer. She has been performing at universities, embassies, and theaters showing audiences how poetry can peek into the spirit and turn healing into ritual. Her debut book, The Things I've Unlearned, exemplifies that process.

Andre Walker (Reuben Scott) makes his CSC debut playing the role of Reuben. He is currently a student in the Baltimore School of the Arts Twigs Program, with intent to become  a full time student next school year. 

Josh Wilder (Harold Loomis) is making his CSC debut. He is a playwright and producer. His work has been developed; commissioned and produced at various regional theaters and festivals across the country including The Fire This Time Festival, Classical Theatre of Harlem, New York Theatre Workshop, True Colors Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has been in residence at The Royal Court Theatre; Sundance at UCross; and served as Co-Artistic Director at The Yale Cabaret for its 50th season and Co- Founder/Producer of the New Griots Black Arts Festival in The Twin Cities with Jamil Jude. BFA- Carnegie Mellon. MFA- Yale School of Drama. www.mrwildah.com

KenYatta Rogers (Director) JOE TURNER marks KenYatta's CSC directing debut. His directing credits include Is God Is (Constellation Theatre); The Agitators, Charm (AD) (Mosaic Theatre); Black Flute, From U St. to the Cotton Club, From Showboat to Shuffle Along (In Series); Rabbit Summer (Ally Theatre); Spunk, I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady From Rwanda, Chain (African Continuum Theatre Company); and over 20 productions with the University of Maryland, Montgomery College, Howard University, Point Park College, South Carolina State University, and the University of Pittsburgh. As a performer, he has over 150 theatre, film, television, and voiceover credits (including performances in 8 of the 10 plays in August Wilson’s Century Cycle) garnering nominations and awards from the Helen Hayes, the Mary Goldwater, and the NAACP Image Awards. KenYatta received his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently a faculty member in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland.

Lauren Engler (Production Manager) a CSC Touchstone Company Member, has stage managed CSC’s productions of Macbeth (2023), The Adventures of Pericles, Loves Labour’s Lost (2019), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018) and has performed with CSC in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014), A Comedy of Errors (2015), and A Christmas Carol (2017).  Locally, Lauren has performed in Do or Die Productions’ Poe’s Last Stanza, Cohesion Theatre Company’s Coriolanus, and StillPointe Theatre’s Sweeney Todd. She also stage manages at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Lauren holds a BA in Performance Theater and Studio Art from High Point University.

Alexis E. Davis (Production Stage Manager) recent stage management credits with CSC include The Oresteia, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[Revised][Again], Twelfth Night, A Raisin in the Sun, Dracula, Henry IV: Parts 1 & 2, She Stoops to Conquer, Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet (student matinees: 2016-2019), Red Velvet, A Christmas Carol (2017 - 2021), Julius Caesar, The Fantasticks, and Othello.  Additional PSM credits include A Beginner’s Guide to Deicide (Single Carrot Theater) and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You (Single Carrot Theater).  Additional ASM and PA credits include A Christmas Carol 2016 (CSC); LadyDay at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Baltimore CenterStage); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; (Everyman Theater); TopDog/ Underdog (Everyman Theater); God of Carnage (Everyman Theatre). Wild! With Happy! (Baltimore Center Stage). Alexis holds a BA in Theater Production from McDaniel College. She is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association.

Dan O'Brien (Technical Director) is a founding member of CSC. Daniel has performed, designed scenery, lights, and served as Technical Director for many productions (among other jobs too numerous to name). He oversaw the construction of CSC’s theatre in Baltimore and designed the sets and lighting for Macbeth (2016); for the inaugural season plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard II; Romeo and Juliet (2015-2019); A Christmas Carol (2014-2019), and many others.

Wil E Crowther (Costume Designer) Credits include Iago’s Plot (The National Theatre of Weimar); Hammers (The Independent Eye); Born Yesterday (The MD Arts Festival); Yours, Forever Lincoln (Quarry Theatre); Sunset Boulevard and Disaster! The Musical (Cockpit in Court); The Wild Party (Teatro 101); The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Baltimore Shakespeare Festival) and The Young Playwrights Festival (Baltimore Centerstage, various years). Film work includes Thrown and Unravelling (dir. John Mann, both accepted into The Ethnografilm Festival) and The Connection (dir. Steve Yeager). Wil has served as the costume shop craftsperson at Baltimore Centerstage since 1996.

Timothy Jones (Set Designer) is a scenic and props designer in the DC metro area and was previously Scenic Designer for CSC's production of A Raisin in the Sun (2022) and Red Velvet (2018). His work has also been seen on stage at St. Louis Black Rep, WSC Avant Bard, African Continuum Theatre, American University, Morgan State University, Kansas City Rep and Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, TN. He is presently the full time Prop Shop Manager and instructor at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. He has also worked as Prop Master or artisan at other companies around the country including the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. Tim is a member of the Society of Properties Artisan & Masters. He holds a MFA in Scenery and Properties Design from the University of Memphis and a BA in Communication from the Salisbury State College.

Katie McCreary (Lighting Designer) is a CSC company member, and has designed for CSC’s Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Romeo & Juliet (2020, 2023), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) (2020, 2023), The Diary of Anne Frank; Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2; Alice in Wonderland; The Winter's Tale; The Fantasticks; Anne of the Thousand Days; Uncle Vanya; and The Importance of Being Earnest. Other recent and favorite designs include work with Peabody Opera Theater and Dance, Catholic University of America, Rorschach Theatre (company member), Keegan Theater, and Next Stop Theater. Katie is also Director of Development and Curriculum Development and also a proud Teaching Artist for Educational Theatre Company.

Adam Mendelson (Sound Designer) is making his CSC debut.  Regional Sound Designs: The Book Club Play (Everyman Theatre), Falsettos and Songs for a New World (Rep Stage).  Regional Lighting Designs:  The Amish Project (Pepper Theatre, Munich Germany). The Sound Inside (Everyman Theatre), Shutter Sisters (1st Stage, Tyson's VA), Metamorphosis (Folger Theatre, Associate Designer) Resident Designer of over 30 shows (Classic Theatre of Maryland). I Will Eat You Alive (Interrobang Productions @ The Voxel), Halluci Nation- PBS (Kennedy Center).  Adam serves as Senior Lecturer of Lighting and Sound Design at the University of Maryland- Baltimore County where he has designed more than 45 productions over the last 12 years. 

Eros Da Artiste (Music Director) is making his debut with CSC. He is an author, playwright, songwriter, vocal coach, visual artist, motivational speaker, and advocate for the LGBTQ community and Autism awareness. He holds a BA degree in Vocal Performance from Shaw University and an MA degree in Music from Morgan State University. He teaches voice and fundamentals of piano from his music studio, The “A” Game Arts Academy. He also serves as accompanist for the Charm City Labor Chorus. He is the author of I Choose Pain and The Cost from the “Fellas Series”, While The Shades Watch, and I Choose Pain: The Musical.

Paige Stone (Props Artisan) is making her Chesapeake Shakespeare Company debut as props artisan for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Her past credits with other companies include A Winter’s Tale, Pride and Prejudice, Antony and Cleopatra, and Comedy of Errors, among others.

Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor (Projection Designer) His work has seen stages at The Apollo Theater, The National Black Theatre, The Guthrie, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre (NYC), Round House Theatre, GEVA Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Theater J, The Classical Theater of Harlem, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Baltimore Centerstage, People’s Light, Keegan Theatre, Studio Theatre, Mosaic Theater, Hamilton college, Playmakers Repertory Company, the Chelsea Factory, The Clarice, The children's theater of Charlotte, Olney Theater, Dance Place (DC), and the Strathmore Music Center. #ZALTproductions. YouTube: @zaltproductions Instagram: @zaltslaw Website: https://zavier.myportfolio.com

Gerrad Alex Taylor (Violence, Intimacy, and Dialect Coach) is an award-winning director and actor that has worked with regional theatres and educational institutions across the country. In 2021 he was named one of Baltimore's "40 Under 40" by the Washington Business Journal. Gerrad currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre at UMBC and one of the leaders for CSC’s Black Classical Acting Ensemble. He holds a BA in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Society of American Fight Directors. (he/him/his)

CJay Philip (Dance/Movement Choreographer) is a dynamic Baltimore-based ensemble founded by Broadway veteran CJay Philip. Through their Bmore Broadway Live performance season and community programs, art becomes a powerful tool for connection, expression, and joy, transcending generations and making a lasting impact on the vibrant cultural tapestry of Baltimore.

Dawn Thomas Reidy (Production Associate) is an actor, teaching artist, director, and puppeteer. She is also a company member and member of the Black Classical Acting Ensemble at CSC. You may have seen her onstage as the Provost in Measure for Measure, Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun or Lady Macbeth in the 2023 outdoor production of Macbeth. Dawn received her BFA in Acting form UMBC and her MFA in Acting from IU Bloomington. Dawn is excited to help plan, organize, a facilitate the creation of the beautiful work seen on stage working on the admin side of things in Production Management. When not at CSC, she pretends to have a whole host of illnesses as a standardized patient.

Oriana Montes (Assistant Stage Manager) holds a BA in Theatre from University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate, has assistant stage managed UMBC’s Theatre Faculty The Grown Up (2023) and Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really (2023). There, she also staged managed You Can See Me In The Dark (2022).

Chester Stacy (Assistant Technical Director) has designed, built, and painted many CSC productions, including Alice in Wonderland, The Fantasticks, Red Velvet, and Titus Andronicus; and for Baltimore Center Stage’s Thoughts of a Colored Man and Shakespeare in Love.  Chester Creates LLC, has provided film production design for The Night Watchmen, set decoration for House of Cards and The Wire; and environmental graphics for Crunch Fitness, Royal Caribbean, Bmore Greek Grill, and Healthy Highlandtown.

Hannah Brill (Wardrobe Supervisor) is a costume and lighting designer from Baltimore. She is the Assistant Costume Shop manager for Towson University’s Department of Theatre Arts. Hannah is returning to CSC as wardrobe manager (Romeo and Juliet, The Oresteia, As You Like It, Macbeth, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol 2022 & 2023, Twelfth Night). Other recent work includes costume design for A Year with Frog and Toad (Towson University), TU Dance Company shows Multiplicity, Echoing Visions, Legacy, and Surging (Towson University), Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes (Single Carrot Theatre), The First Thing That Happens (Acme Corporation), and lighting design for Rachel (Rapid Lemon Productions.)

Jade Jones (Board Operator) is an actor from Baltimore, Maryland. She has been in previous CSC productions such as Macbeth (Fleance and others), A Christmas Carol (Martha Crachit and others), and Twelfth Night (Lady in Waiting). She has recently graduated from Morgan State University.

Vanessa Strickland (Child Minder) is a visual and performing artist making her CSC debut. Prior to working with CSC, she has performed, directed, and stage-managed shows with Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) in Frederick, MD. She is also an accomplished puppeteer and teaching artist. Past roles with MET include: The Glass Menagerie, Frankenstein, The Elephant Man, Antigone, A Clockwork Orange, Dracula and others. (she/her)

LEADERSHIP

Ian Gallanar (Founding Artistic Director, As You Like It Director) In addition to founding the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in 2002, Ian has worked as a professional actor, director, and writer for more than 150 professional productions. He has directed 40 productions for CSC. Previously, Ian has served as Artistic Director for the National Theatre for Children, Minnesota Shakespeare in the Park, and the Repertory Theater of America. Ian is a proud member of the distinguished National Theatre Conference and the Dramatists Guild of America; a Helen Hayes Tribute Award, Telly Award, and Howie Award (Howard County Arts Council) winner. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he is a Member of the College of Fine Arts Advancement Council. He is Immediate Past President of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association, an organization for professional Shakespeare companies around the globe.

Lesley Malin (Producing Executive Director) is a founder of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and served as its Executive Director since 2003. She managed CSC’s building renovation of an 1885 bank into our modern Shakespeare playhouse as well as the associated $6.7 million capital campaign. She has performed in 28 CSC productions and previously in New York. She was, for 20 years, Vice President of the Board of Trustees of The Lark, the landmark new play development center in New York City, where she earlier was Managing Director. She served for five years on the Executive Committee of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association and organized its annual conference that CSC hosted in Baltimore in 2017. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, NYU’s Arts Management program, Leadership Howard County, and LEADERship Baltimore (2018).