Long Way Down

Bryan Archibald (Swing) Is thrilled to be debuting his 2nd performance, Long Way Down with OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! INTERNATIONAL; Voices of Virginia, Japan 2009 Tour. REGIONAL; Olney Theatre Center: FELA; Studio Theatre: Choirboy (Pharus Jonathan Young U/S); Toby’s Dinner Theater: Dreamgirls (Ensemble/ CC U/S); Attucks Theatre: Black Nativity (Lead Vocalist); Virginia Musical Theatre: Holiday Medley; EDUCATIONAL: Ira Aldridge Theatre: (Ain’t Misbehavin, (Andre DeShields), Bubbly Black Girl, (Gregory Robinson), Not About Nightingales, (Sailor Jack), The Arch Theatre: BREATHe, (Rayford Jones). Bryan Is 2017 Howard University Theatre Major, Music Minor graduate from Norfolk, Virginia & a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Instagram: @JustGottahMakeIt. Remember “To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required.”

Tyrese Shawn Avery (Will) is a 22-year-old Bronx native and recent Tisch grad. Outside of the performing arts, he enjoys songwriting, producing, and directing. His previous credits include NYC CREDITS: In the Heights (Benny), Rent (Tom Collins), West Side Story (Tony), TV/FILM: And Just Like That, Equalizer, It's Bruno. Ty is honored to be part of this project and would like to thank the cast and crew, Ken-Matt Martin, Barry Kolker, Jerry Phelps, and Open Hydrant Theater Company, for their continued support. Wanna connect? @youcancallmetyy

IO Browne (Shari) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: The Joint Workshop (Corrida), DC AREA: Signature Theatre: Ragtime, Strand Theater: The Cosby Satires, Countdown, Riverside Center: The Color Purple, Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Dreamgirls, ArtsCentric: The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors. TV/FILM: HBO, We Own This City (Leyla Whitaker) MTV, True Life: Crime (Mahlayshia). COMMERCIAL: DC Lottery, D’Amore Law Group, Blackout Bingo, AARP, Kaiser Permanente. EDUCATION: Morgan State University: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts.

Colin Carswell (Frick) is excited to be making his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! Long Way Down (Frick; Olney Theatre Center), Passing Strange (Youth; Detroit Public Theatre), Once on this Island (Daniel; Cincinnati Playhouse & Actor's Theatre of Louisville), and Twelfth Night (Lysander; Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). TV: Upcoming: UpperTens: A Docuseries (Writer-Producer). Education: Baldwin Wallace University. Repped by Thomas Green Ent. Instagram: @shakespeareanhoodrat_

Cheryse Dyllan (Dani) Cheryse has studied theatre under the tutelage of the esteemed Ann Dowd and received multidisciplinary training at the Philadelphia University of the Arts. She is thrilled to join her castmates and the incredible creative team for this production of Long Way Down at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Recent projects include - THEATRE: Geva Theatre: Sanctuary City (G). Kitchen Theatre Company: Sanctuary City (G). The Village Theatre: World premiere of How To Break (ANA) [2023-2024 Season Hunter & Hayes Nomination for Best Lead in a Musical], Apollo Theatre: Presentation of Long Way Down (DANI). TELEVISION: Law & Order, Succession, Invasion, Helpsters!, Two Sentence Horror Stories, and New Amsterdam. FILM: Roxanne Roxanne, A Vigilante. Instagram: @chedylla.

Ciara Hargrove (Swing) is ecstatic to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER Debut! REGIONAL: Clear Space Theatre: SpongeBob SquarePants (Sandy Cheeks); American Girl Live! In Concert (Claudie & Melody StandBy); Goodspeed New Works Festival: Little Miss Perfect (Bri Morrison), Photosynthesis (Bernadette). COLLEGIATE: Sister Act (Deloris Van Cartier); Godspell (Judas); The Drowsy Chaperone (Trix: The Aviatrix); Hot Dam!: A New Musical (Mr./Mrs. Mayor); The Wild Party (Assistant Choreographer/Put In Ens). EDUCATION: BFA in Musical Theatre from University of Hartford - The Hartt School #hartthasit. Immense amount of love to my Mom, Family, Friends, and Mentors. Instagram: @theciarahargrove

Parris Lewis (Buck) is a performer, educator, and writer from Brooklyn, NY excited to make their OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. NATIONAL TOURS: Tina! The Tina Turner Musical 1st Nat’l (Tina Turner); Hairspray (Dynamite/Pearl); The Color Purple (Church Lady Jarene/ Olivia). STONEWALL (New York City Opera), Pray (Ars Nova), A Time Like This (Carnegie Hall), Bars Workshop (The Public Theatre), Richard Tucker Gala (Carnegie Hall); Porgy & Bess (Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra). Instagram: @renaissancewoman_

Naiqui Macabroad (Mark) is an actor, singer-songwriter, and musician from Brooklyn, NY. He earned his B.F.A. in Theatre Arts at Howard University where he also honed in on his musicianship. TV credits include: NBC, NETFLIX, HBO, STARZ. He maintains his artistic discipline by working with performing arts organizations that focus on developing resources to help amplify the voice of the global majority through storytelling. He is thankful for the opportunity to be in collaboration with Olney Theatre Center and looks forward to bringing more creative works to light. @naiquimacabroad

Victor Musoni (Shawn/Co-Choreographer) is an actor, writer, and dancer from Chicago. Victor is ecstatic to make his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. REGIONAL: Toni Stone (Goodman); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, Columbinus (Steppenwolf); Q Brothers Christmas Carol (St. Louis Shakespeare); Into the Side of a Hill (Flint Rep); What to Send Up When it Goes Down (Congo Square); Queen of the Night (Victory Gardens); America V2.1, are you ready to smash white things?, No Child (Definition Theatre Company); La Havana Madrid (The Den Theater); TV&FILM: Me, We; The Tensile Strength of Air; 61st Street; WHOLE; Chicago Med and 6×9. CHOREOGRAPHY: Alaiyo (Definition), Into The Side of a Hill (Flint Rep); Musoni is an ensemble member of Definition Theatre and Congo Square Theatre Company and is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

Quincy Vicks (Mike) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. REGIONAL: Artscentric: Once on this Island (Papa Ge/Ensemble), Crowns (Ensemble), RENT (Benny); Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: Macbeth (Macduff) and Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino). DC AREA: Arts on the Horizon: Off the Page; Imagination Stage: A Year With Frog and Toad (Man Bird/Ensemble) [Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble Musical], Adventure Theatre MTC: You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Schroeder), The Keegan Theatre: Seussical the Musical (Cat in the Hat) [Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble Musical], Push the Button (Hero); Discovery Theater: How Old is a Hero (Ernest Green). EDUCATION: BA in Theatre Arts from Morgan State University. Instagram: @qvicks_

Dahlak Brathwaite (Book, Music, & Lyrics) is an award-winning dramatic auteur: playwright, composer, performer, director, and filmmaker. His work has been presented at The Smithsonian, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, REDCAT, MCA Chicago, Ars Nova, The Public Theater, The Apollo, SXSW, by Creative Time, and on HBO’s last two seasons of  Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Dahlak’s trilogy of works - Spiritrials (solo play), Try/Step/Trip (musical), Adapting History (documentary film) - take a personal look into the criminal justice system and the relationship between Black American music and Black American subjugation. Development of the work has been supported by CalArts, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Victory Gardens, and Montalvo Arts Center. Dahlak has received awards and support from NEFA, the Doris Duke Foundation, The U.S. State Department, NYU Tisch, and MAP Fund. He was a Creative Capital finalist, a United States Artist nominee, and a member of The Public Theater's 2023 DTWG cohort. He is a graduate of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, where he was awarded the Dean’s Full-Tuition Fellowship, and served as the Assistant Director for the national tour of the Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma!

Khiyon Hursey (Additional Writing) is a writer and composer. He recently finished co-penning songs with Oscar and Grammy winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Lala Land, Dear Evan Hansen) for the major motion picture SPIRITED starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer. The song "Good Afternoon" from the film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Khiyon is also collaborating with Pharrell on a Netflix movie musical produced by Chernin Entertainment. He is currently co-writing LOVE IN AMERICA, a movie musical produced by Issa Rae at Universal Pictures. Since getting his start as the music assistant on the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of HAMILTON, Khiyon has since worked with Universal Studios, HBOmax, Netflix, Apple, Nickelodeon, Andre 3000, and Kevin Hart on various film and television projects. He is based in Los Angeles and New York.

Jason Reynolds (Author) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books for children and young adults. He is best known for his novels All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), the Track series, and Long Way Down, which received Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Honors. Among Jason’s many accolades, he was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2020-2022. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

Ken-Matt Martin (Director) has established himself as a preeminent theater director, cultural worker, and collaborator who has worked with some of industry’s most formidable artists. He began his life in the performing arts as a child actor after booking an appearance on Nickelodeon’s landmark series All That. As an actor, Martin has appeared in dozens of regional productions across the country. Notable directing credits include productions of August Wilson’s Fences and The Piano Lesson (Pyramid Theatre Company), Jonathan Larson’s tick…tick…Boom (Brown/Trinity Rep), A Son, Come Home and Brotherhood at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Tiny Beautiful Things (Baltimore Center Stage), Hello, Dolly! (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), and the forthcoming musical Long Way Down, which will play engagements at Olney Theatre Center and New York’s Apollo Theatre. In addition, Ken-Matt created the 20/50 New Play Festival, the Ignite Chicago Festival, Goodman Theatre’s Live @Five Show, and was the co-founder of the Pyramid Theatre Company. A highly sought-after thought leader, he has served in key positions at Baltimore Center Stage, Victory Gardens Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. M.F.A., Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company. Instagram: @kennmattm.

Cedric D. Lyles (Music Director) is a pianist, singer, composer, and arranger driven by a passion for the arts and creatively inspiring others. Selected credits include: OLNEY THEATRE CENTER Debut with Long Way Down. REGIONAL: Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar; Baltimore Center Stage: Our Town; ArtsCentric/Baltimore Center Stage: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Crowns, Dreamgirls; ArtsCentric/Everyman Theatre: The World Goes ‘Round; ArtsCentric: (Co-Founder) Once on This Island; The Last Five Years, Little Shop of Horrors, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida. UPCOMING: The Kennedy Center: Page To Stage Festival; National Theatre: MJ The Experience (Keys 2) - As Cedric continues to expand the footprint of ArtsCentric as an influential, instrumental arts organization in the region, he also continues to create music for theater, for musical films, live performances, recordings, and the enrichment of the human spirit in general.

Simean “Sim” Carpenter (Scenic and Lighting Designer) is an award-winning, African-American scenic, lighting and production designer from Baltimore, MD. He has worked as a freelance teaching artist, creative director/designer and has toured with theater companies and music groups throughout North America. Sim holds a deep passion for social equality. His goal as a designer is to use his many mediums to captivate the audience and reveal the too often disregarded stories of marginalized groups.  Recent credits include: D.R.E.A.D., Tiny Beautiful Things, The Folks at Home, NDSF Romeo & Juliet, RENT, Queen of the Night, When Harry Met Rehab, The Last Pair of Earlies, Hoodoo Love, Middle Passage, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Native Son. REGIONAL Credits Include: Baltimore Center Stage, Marriott Theatre and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. Sim holds a B.F.A. in Stage Design from DePaul University and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Design for Stage & Film from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Website: simcarpenter.com

Danielle Preston (Costume Designer) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits: A Nice Indian Boy, The Joy That Carries You. NEW YORK: Lincoln Center: Where Words Once Were. DC AREA: Woolly Mammoth Theatre: The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes; Signature Theatre: Penelope, Passing Strange; Studio Theatre: Fat Ham, At The Wedding, Clyde’s; Spooky Action Theatre: Agreste (Drylands) (2024 Helen Hayes Nomination) REGIONAL: Barrington Stage: Blues for An Alabama Sky; Children’s Theater Company: Locomotion; Hangar Theatre: Schoolgirls; Or The African Mean Girls Play, The Realness; Chicago Opera Theater: Quamino’s Map; Berkshire Theatre Group: B.R.O.K.E.N. Code B.I.R.D. Switching. EDUCATION: University of North Carolina School of the Arts: M.F.A. in Costume Design. Proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. Website: daniellepreston.com. Instagram: @danielleprestondesign

Kevin Lee Alexander (Sound Designer) is excited to join OLNEY THEATRE CENTER on this production of Long Way Down. Recent regional credits include 1st Stage Theater: Quilters; Imagination Stage/Childsplay Theatre: Hula Hoopin’ Queen; NextStop Theatre: In the Heights; First Stage Milwaukee: Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds and Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Kennedy Center’s Theatre for Young Audiences: Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie; Constellation Theatre: Once on This Island and Desperate Measures; New Repertory Theatre: Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical and Oliver; Adventure Theatre MTC: Huckleberry Finn’s Big River; and Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma: Bright Star. Kevin holds a Master of Science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Maryland. He is also a member of IATSE Local USA 829.

Robbie Armstrong III (Production Stage Manager) Makes his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! BROADWAY: Doubt, Once Upon A One More Time, Paradise Square, & Moulin Rouge!. NEW MUSICALS: Sing Street, May We All, Hearts Beat Loud, & 38 Minutes by Edie Brickell. OFF BROADWAY: Straight Line Crazy starring Ralph Fiennes, The Shed, The Public, MCC, & WP Theatre. NYC THEATRE: NYC Ballet, & ALIVE! The Zombie Musical. TV: Real Housewives of SLC, Exhumed, & The Big Fib on Disney+. EDUCATION: University of Colorado Colorado Springs BA & MA. Columbia University MFA. Robbie has taught at McGill University, NY Film Academy, & Drew University. Instagram: @queentacobell

Makayla Beckles (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Maryland based Stage Manager who is happy to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Previous Olney Theatre credits include: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Olney Outdoors. REGIONAL: The Hot Wing King (Hartford Stage, Baltimore Center Stage), Young Playwrights Festival (Baltimore Center Stage). EDUCATION: BFA in Acting from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

Kate Kilbane (Assistant Stage Manager) REGIONAL: Everyman Theatre: The Chinese Lady, Jump, Sense and Sensibility; Contemporary American Theatre Festival: The Overview Effect, Swing SM 2022 Repertory Season. DC AREA: Joe’s Movement Emporium: Out of the Vineyard; Folger Theatre: Our Verse in Time to Come, Amadeus and Henry IV, Part 1; Imagination Stage: Corduroy, Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation Myth, and Thumbelina; Infinity Theatre Company: The Fantasticks, Murder for Two. The Kennedy Center, Family Theater: The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. The Kennedy Center: First You Dream, Follies, The Lisbon Traviata, Ragtime. 13 productions at Ford’s Theatre.

Kelley Nicole Girod (Dramaturg) is Director of New Work at the world famous Apollo theater. In addition Kelley continues to serve as Executive Director of OBIE award winning The Fire This Time Festival, a platform for early career Black playwrights, which she founded in 2009. Kelley Nicole Girod is also an award-winning playwright whose work has been developed/presented at Atlantic Theater Company, Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, The Fire This Time Festival,  Harlem 9, Primary Stages, Sundance and more. In 2023, she was named the recipient of New York Innovative Theater’s Ellen Steward Award. She was also a 2020 nominee of the prestigious Paul Robeson Award. In addition, Kelley is Editor of The Fire This Time Festival’s first anthology of plays published with Bloomsbury UK/Methuen Drama titled “25 Plays from The Fire This Time Festival, A Decade of Recognition, Resistance, Resilience, Rebirth and Black Theater.” 

Gregory Keng Strasser (Assistant Director) INTERNATIONAL: Thailand: Doi Nang Non. Denmark: 4 untitled performances with Odin Teatret & Ikarus Stage Arts. NEW YORK: The Parsnip Ship: American Spies; DC AREA: Rorschach Theatre: Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea, 410[GONE]; Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy: Pericles; 4615 Theatre Company: The Infinite Tales. REGIONAL: American Stage: The Chinese Lady, Peabody Opera Theatre: Hin und Zuruck, Les Mamelles De Tiresias (with Alison Moritz); Opera Festival of Chicago: L'inganno Felice; Shenandoah University: Song of Achilles; Brighton Center for the Performing Arts: The Odyssey; Flying V: Paperless Pulp vol. 2; OTHER: 4615 Theatre Company: Dark City video game. As an Assistant/Associate, Greg has worked with directors Ken-Matt Martin, Chongren Fan, Jennifer Chang, Carey Perloff, Molly Smith, Seema Sueko, and Derek Goldman.

AWARDS: Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow, Arena Stage; DCCAH Arts & Humanities Fellowship 2020 - Present. EDUCATION: University of Michigan: BFA. Website: gregorykengstrasser.com. Instagram: @lil.scallion.pancake

Charlique C. Rolle (Assistant Choreographer) a community and cultural design specialist, visionary multi-disciplinary creator, and storyteller seamlessly navigates the intersections of faith, arts, justice, and community development, amplifying Black and marginalized voices. As the former Executive Director of Congo Square Theatre and President of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, her impact resonates in innovative narratives. Recognized in Newcity's Players (2022, 2024), Charlique is a catalyst for change, driving transformative works that catalyze collective liberation and transformation. A Bahamas native, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Missouri Valley College, holds an MA in Ministry Leadership and a MBA from Concordia University Chicago. Charlique's commitment extends beyond artistic expression; she leverages the arts for societal change, forging partnerships committed to creative freedom, sustainability, and longevity. She is not just a storyteller but a changemaker, utilizing diverse artistic modalities to deepen stories and propel them into action, actively elevating Black voices in the cultural landscape with unwavering dedication. She is thrilled to be a part of this incredible team of creatives! Instagram: @cdot_dancelife