Deondra Kamau Means (he/him) was born and raised in Cincinnati and discovered his love for the arts through music at church and at Cincinnati’s School for the Creative and Performing Arts. There, he got involved with all aspects of the arts—technical theatre, piano, choir, drama, and musical theatre. After graduating from Webster University in St. Louis, he completed an internship where he served in many aspects of the work, including acting tour roles, office support, and fundraising, at the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre. Deondra has owned his own theatre company, Kuumba People of Color Theatre Ensemble, and spent over two decades as The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Resident Playwright. But Deondra has always been interested in arts integration and arts expression, helping to develop social skills and self-esteem in children and highlighting social justice issues.

August Wilson (April 27, 1945–October 2, 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of the descendants of Africans in North America, decade by decade, over the course of the twentieth century, forming the compilation entitled The American Century Cycle. His plays have been produced on Broadway, at regional theaters across the country, and all over the world. In 2003, Mr. Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. Mr. Wilson’s works garnered many awards including: the Pulitzer Prize for Fences (1987) and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney; and seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, and Jitney. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming, and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including the Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, and the 2003 Heinz Award. He was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by President Bill Clinton and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street “The August Wilson Theatre.” Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lived in Seattle, Washington, at the time of his death. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero, who is the executor of his estate.

Todd Kreidler worked with August Wilson on Broadway and in regional theaters across the country, developing the final three plays in Wilson’s famed American Century Cycle. Together they conceived How I Learned What I Learned, an autobiographical solo show that Wilson originally performed and Todd directed. Reimagined for an actor to perform, Todd directed the off-Broadway premiere at Signature Theatre and subsequent productions at True Colors Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Huntington Theatre, and the Round House Theatre. Todd also adapted the iconic film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner into a widely produced stage play that has enjoyed several successful runs at regional theaters such as Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre, St. Louis Rep, Asolo Rep, Indiana Rep, and Geva Theatre. Todd wrote a musical with Nikki Sixx, based on Sixx’s music and best-selling memoir, The Heroin Diaries, directed by David Esbjornson. On Broadway, Todd worked with director Kenny Leon and producers Eric Gold and Afeni Shakur to develop a musical fable based on the lyrics of Tupac Shakur entitled Holler If Ya Hear Me, starring Saul Williams and Christopher Jackson. Additionally, Todd was the dramaturg on August Wilson’s Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean, as well as associate director of the Tony Award-winning revival of Fences. Todd has enjoyed numerous collaborations with Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, including serving as associate artistic director of August Wilson’s 20th Century Festival at the Kennedy Center where Todd directed Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. He worked for five seasons as associate artistic director of Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta where he directed plays and co-founded the August Wilson Monologue Competition—a national educational outreach program aimed at integrating August Wilson’s work into high school curriculum. Todd lives with his wife, Erin Annarella, and their son, Evan August.

Torie Wiggins is a multi-hyphenate artist whose Cincinnati theatre credits include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Harry and the Thief, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; Mame, Crowns, and The Revolutionists, Human Race Theatre Company; To Kill a Mockingbird, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; To Kill a Mockingbird, Oliver Twist, A Raisin in the Sun, and Fences, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 by Anna Deveare Smith, Diogenes Theatre Company. Her Ensemble Theatre credits include The Mountaintop, Violet, Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in 80 Days, Cinderella, Cinderella: After Ever After, and His Eye is on The Sparrow. Torie’s directing credits include We Are Proud to Present… and Good Kids, Miami University’s Department of Theatre; Dreamgirls and Proof, The Carnegie Theater; and Blues for an Alabama Sky, Falcon Theatre.

Brian c. Mehring (he/him) has designed more than 100 productions at Ensemble Theatre. His favorite productions include Thom Pain (based on nothing), Next to Normal, 33 Variations, Freud’s Last Session, and I Am My Own Wife. Mr. Mehring’s regional favorites for set design include The Last 5 Years and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Henry IV, Part 1, The Georgia Shakespeare Festival; and I Am My Own Wife, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Peterborough Players, and Florida Studio Theatre.

Daryl is a veteran of theatre throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. He received the Cincinnati League of Theatres Award for Outstanding Costumes for Northern Kentucky University’s production of Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind, as well as multiple awards for his costume designs with The St. Louis Black Repertory Company, Theatre Tuscaloosa, and Tuscaloosa Community Dancers productions including Mame, The King & I, and Nutcracker. His costumes have been displayed at Canada’s Royal British Columbia Museum. Daryl has an MFA, a PhD, and is a Full Professor in NKU’s School of the Arts Theatre and Dance Program, where he designs, acts, directs, and teaches “Race, Gender, and Theatre” courses. He regularly presents costume-related papers at national and international conferences. He embraces each costume design experience as sustained communion with the Master Creator.

Matt Callahan (he/him) was the Resident Sound Designer for Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons. Some of his most recent designs for Ensemble Theatre include Queen, Pipeline, Fortune, Fun Home, and Ripcord. He was also a co-creator/designer of Rock n’ Roll: The Reunion Tour. He spent two seasons as the Resident Sound Designer at The Eugene O’Neil Center for their National Playwrights Conference. He was formerly the sound engineer for Steppenwolf Theatre, the Assistant Engineer for Blue Man Chicago, and a member of the disbanded Defiant Theatre. He received a Jeff Citation for Red Dragon, a nomination for Fortinbras, and a Kevin Kline nomination for Sherlock Holmes.

Becca Schall is excited to be part of the Ensemble team to help bring these beautiful plays to the stage! She is a freelance videographer and editor in the Cincinnati area and has called Ensemble Theatre her home base since 2013. Becca works with ETC’s marketing team as the Creative Media Producer to create video content for each season. Alongside the incomparable D. Lynn Meyers, she also has the pleasure of casting for the various movies that film in Cincinnati and surrounding regions. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, but a native Cincinnatian who is just lucky enough to live in a city where the arts are always thriving!

Shannon Rae Lutz  (she/her) earned her Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in 1996 and became Properties Master at Ensemble Theatre. Trained as a performer, she first appeared on ETC’s stage during the 1988-1989 New Works Festival. In 1991, she was granted an ETC internship. Now the Director of Apprentice Programming, she is honored to guide ETC’s essential ensemble: The Professional Acting Apprentice Company. Shannon would like to thank D. Lynn Meyers, Ruth Sawyer, and the Cincinnati theatre community and patrons for their generous, supportive, and tenacious spirit.

Jacob Dowell (he/him) is thrilled to be in his second season at Ensemble Theatre, this time as technical director. Jacob is a graduate of Morehead State University where he received a BA in theatre. Some previous technical direction credits include Kinky Boots, The Who’s Tommy, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Jacob would like to thank his family, friends, and cat (Ronnie) for their continued support

Chris Lipstreu (he/him) is a concert and theatrical lighting specialist and project manager based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. He recently served as the lighting director for the national tour of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet and served as the lighting designer for The Wild Party, Into the Woods, RENT, The Rocky Horror Show, and Spring Awakening at Short North Stage in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, he is the owner of Centerline Productions LLC, providing lighting services for numerous concerts, productions, festivals, and political and corporate events in the region. Chris received his BFA in lighting design from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in 2021. This is his first season as the Associate Production Manager & Master Electrician for Ensemble Theatre.

Lexi Muller (she/her) is delighted to be back at Ensemble Theatre, where some of her credits include include Fun Home, The Wolves, Skeleton Crew, and Fly by Night. Other regional credits include Sex with Strangers, The House, Legendale, and 26 Pebbles with the Human Race Theatre. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and a graduate of Wright State University, where she received her BFA in Stage Management.