Blood at the Root

Dominique Morisseau (born March 13, 1978) is an American playwright and actress from Detroit, Michigan. She has authored over nine plays, three of which are part of a cycle titled The Detroit Projects. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the ‘Genius Grant’) for 2018.

Morisseau began writing plays in college. She was on the list of Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, with 10 productions of her plays being produced nationwide. Her play, Blood at the Root, premiered at the Penn State School of Theatre in March 2014 under the direction of Steven Broadnax.

She wrote the book for the jukebox musical Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, which is directed by Des McAnuff. The musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre in March 2019. It has played pre-Broadway engagements at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (2017), the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (August to September 2018), and the Kennedy Center (July 2018). This marked Morisseau’s Broadway debut, and she received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical nomination, the first Black woman to do so.

Morisseau is a story editor for the television series Shameless on Showtime and is also credited as a co-producer.

Steve H. Broadnax III (Director) Thoughts of a Colored Man (Broadway); Katori Hall’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize premiere The Hot Wing King at The Signature Theatre; Lee Edward Colston’s The First Deep Breath at Chicago’s Vineyard Theatre (premiere and winner of Jeff Awards Best New Work); Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root at the National Black Theatre (winner of Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Theater Creator Award); and William Jackson Harper’s premiere Travisville at NYC Ensemble Studio. Ensemble Studio Theatre member and serves as the resident director at People’s Light Theatre; Professor of Theatre at Penn State and Co-Head of M.F.A. Directing.

A. Kikora Franklin (Choreographer/Movement) is an associate professor of theatre/dance and teaches West African, hip hop, and Mojah dance. She has performed, choreographed, and taught in cities across the globe, including Linz, Austria; Grahamstown, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Minas Gerais, Brazil; and throughout China, Europe, and the United States. Franklin has also performed and choreographed for the Atlanta Hawks dance team. At Penn State, her creative work and research focuses on developing the Mojah dance technique, an original style that fuses modern (Horton and Dunham), jazz, West African, and hip hop movement into one form. Franklin’s interests also include studying the cultural and artistic expressions of the African Diaspora, the development and evolution of contemporary African and African-American concert and social dance, and using arts education as civic engagement. Franklin shares her passion for dance and culture with young students as the artistic director of Roots of Life, a performing arts ensemble based out of the State College Area School District.

Rosalind ‘Rozy’ Isquith (Scenic Designer) is a scenic designer and artist currently working towards her M.F.A. in Scenic Design at Penn State. She graduated from the University of Vermont, and worked as a freelance designer and artist in New England. In design, Rozy worked for the Downtown Cabaret Theatre, University of Vermont’s Royal Tyler Theatre, and the Very Merry Theatre Company. As a scenic artist, she continues to work with Goodspeed Musicals, The Glimmerglass Festival, Scenic Art Studios, and the New London Barn Playhouse. Her design work can be viewed at https://rosalindisquith.com/

Madeline Simpson (Costume Designer) is a third-year student pursuing a B.F.A. in Costume Design and Technology and is thrilled to be designing her first show at Penn State Centre Stage. She would like to thank Steve, the design team, Richard, Laura, Charlene, Diane, Amanda, and the rest of the costume shop for helping guide her through this process, and the actors for being excited about building these characters. She would also like to thank her parents and sister who have endlessly supported her. Her previous experiences in costume design and technology include A Little Night Music (first-hand), The Lucky Boy (assoc. wardrobe supervisor), Angels in America (first-hand), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (asst. costume designer). Upcoming projects include Metamorphoses (costume designer) in Penn State Centre Stage’s 2022-2023 season! @msimpson.1

James Gibney (Lighting Designer) is a third-year B.F.A. Lighting Design student from Suffolk County Community College, where he earned his associates degree in Theatre Technology and Design. His previous Penn State design credits include: Moving Forward (Dance Concert), Cabaret of Many Colors (associate designer), and assistant lighting designer on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Michael Smedley (Sound Designer) is thrilled to be a part of the Blood at the Root creative team as the sound designer for his final show at Penn State. Prior to Blood at the Root, Michael was the mix engineer for Penn State’s premiere production of Nostalgia Night. He also recently worked as the composer for Penn State Centre Stage’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and season sound designer and mix engineer at Ozark Actors Theatre (AEA), where he won BroadwayWorld.com St. Louis’s Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical for his design of Little Shop of Horrors.

Steven Rimke (Vocal Coach) teaches Voice and Speech for the B.F.A. Acting and Musical Theatre programs in the School of Theatre at Penn State. Steven has coached theatrical productions in Canada, England, Malaysia and the United States. Steven also provides coaching to members of the transgender community, aiding in their ability to have their voice safely match their preferred identity. You may have recently Steven clowning with colleague Malena Ramirez at the Happy Valley Latin Festival.

Liz Nugent (Production Stage Manager) is a third-year Stage Management student from Bellefonte. Her previous Penn State stage management experience includes Angels in America (production assistant), A Chorus Line (assistant stage manager), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (assistant stage manager). Liz would like to thank her family for supporting her not only through this production, but in all aspects of life.

Hailey Sanchez (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year trans femme B.F.A. Stage Management student at Penn State, also pursuing Technical Direction. This is her first Centre Stage production as an assistant stage manager. Previous credits include Lonely Together (ASM) and Romeo & Juliet: A Radio Play (PA). She is honored to have the opportunity to work on Blood at the Root with the fantastic cast and supporting creative team, a special thanks to PSM Liz Nugent and Director Steve Broadnax for creating such a strong and supportive space during the work!

Rachel Zwerver (Assistant Stage Manager) is a fourth-year Stage Management student from Blairstown, New Jersey. She is excited to spend her spring semester as the assistant stage manager for Blood at the Root. Her previous projects include Lonely Together (production stage manager) and Fun Home (production stage manager), among others. She would like to thank her professors for their continuous mentorship, and her friends and family for their love and support.

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