Gerrad Alex Taylor (Director/ Fight Choreographer) is an award-winning director and multidisciplinary theatre artist based out of the Greater Baltimore region and an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 2021 he was named one of Baltimore's "40 Under 40" by the Baltimore Business Journal. In 2020, he founded Chesapeake Shakespeare's Black Classical Acting Ensemble (BCAE), an affinity space for black actors interested in training and exposure of the "classics" and what an expansion of the classical canon may look like today. In 2024, Gerrad joined colleague Lizzi Albert to take on the roles of Co-Artistic Directors of Perisphere Theater in Montgomery County, MD. Founded in 2015, Perisphere Theater produces plays that examine personal and collective history and the notion of history itself, a mission that has special significance with Gerrad’s own artistic objectives. In continuing his work with the BCAE and the university, Gerrad’s creative efforts at Perisphere and abroad will work to create space for audiences to appreciate and interrogate history, the classics, and the stories of those who are often left out of the retelling of these histories. He holds a BA in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked with theatres and educational institutions across the country including the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Perisphere Theater, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Pacific Conservatory Theatre-PCPA, Children's Theatre of Annapolis, Everyman Theatre, Constellation Theatre Company, Mosaic Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, and Washington Stage Guild. He is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. (he/him/his)
Sarah Curnoles (Production Manager) stage managed with CSC for Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Dracula, A Doll’s House, The Tempest, and Henry V. Before working at CSC, she was self-employed as a life coach. She has also worked at Center Stage as the Executive Assistant to the Artistic and Managing Directors. Sarah created and directed A Fool’s Paradise: 30 Shakespeare Scenes in 60 Minutes which was performed at the Baltimore Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and various stages around Baltimore.
Alexis E. Davis (Stage Manager) recent stage management credits with CSC include 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.
Kathryn Kawecki (Set Design) Previous CSC credits include As You Like It, Anne of the Thousand Days and Much Ado. DMV design credits include: How the Light Gets In, The Phlebotomist, Proof, and others (1st Stage), Othello/Desdemona (InSeries), The Late Wedding (The Hub), Enron (4615), The Oregon Trail (Flying V). Other designs include: Broken Fences, Taste of It (Ballybeg Theatre, NYC); Elijah, Faith! (LOCAL, Boulder); Avenue Q (Lyric Stage, Boston); Dollhouse, RENT (New Rep, Boston); Romeo & Juliet, My Fair Lady (Greater Boston Stage). She is an Associate Professor at Bowie State University. Education: MFA, Set Design, UNCSA; BA, Visual Arts, Columbia University. www.kawecki-art.com
Minjoo Kim (Lighting Designer) returns to CSC after having previously worked on A Christmas Carol (2022), and Henry V (2022). Her lighting design credits include Water by the Spoonful, Life Sucks, and The Great Leap (Cygnet Theatre); The Royale (KC Rep); The Great Leap (Round House Theatre); The Chief (Pittsburgh Public Theater); One in Two (Diversionary Theatre); Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies (Mile Square Theatre); The Two (Space Owul); Quiet No More (San Diego Women's Chorus); Qulili (The Blindspot); IDEAS-Cetacea (Calit2 Theater, Atkinson Hall); Crimson Girl (Dongsoong Art Center); Die or Not (Seoul Art Space Mullae); Mask on/off (Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre). minjoo-design.com
Kaydin Hamby (Sound Designer) holds a BA in Theatre Design and Production and a minor in music from the UMBC. Select sound design credits include: The Diary of Anne Frank, Dracula, Pericles, and Twelfth Night (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Baltimore MD); Phantom Tollbooth, Revolutionists, War Boys, Unicorn Girl (Hangar Theatre Company, Ithaca NY); Love’s Labor’s Lost (Shakespeare by the Sea, Los Angeles CA); Circle Mirror Transformation, Admissions, The Tempest, Revolutionists, Meteor Shower (Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Frederick MD); Othello (Taffety Punk, Washington DC); and Rasheeda Speaking (Ally Theatre, Washington DC). KaydinHamby.com
Tylar Hinton (Costume Designer) is with CSC 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 in Theatre Arts. In 2021, she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Costume Design from Wayne State University. Tylar has since returned to Baltimore, where she is currently serving as an adjunct professor at Morgan State and Towson within their theatre departments.
Caitlin Bouxsein (Props Artisan) is a designer, director, choreographer, and performer who has worked with several Baltimore/Washington DC area companies including Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Strand Theater Company, Fluid Movement, and Submersive Productions (with whom she is a member of the Submersive Collective). At CSC, she previously designed props for A Christmas Carol (2022 and 2023) and Hamlet (2023). She also produces original works with her spouse, Alexander Scally, under the name BOUXSCAL Productions, which have been featured at The Charm City Fringe Festival and other local venues. Education: B.A. Theatre Arts, Drew University
Mark Williams (Projection Designer) is a Projections Designer and Creative System Integrator for live performance. He returns after making his CSC debut with As You Like It (2023). He is a recent graduate of UMD’s Theatre MFA Design program. Website: markwdesign.com
Dawn Thomas Reidy (Production Associate) See Cast Bio
Kathryne Daniels (Assistant Director) is a CSC company member and was last seen in CSC's 2022 production of Twelfth Night as Maria and the student matinee of Romeo and Juliet as the Nurse (2022). Other CSC credits include: A Christmas Carol (2021), Dracula (2019), Measure for Measure (2020), Henry IV Parts 1&2 (2019) and Julius Caeser (2017). She has also worked with Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, Stillpoint Theater, Iron Crow and Fells Point Theater.
Eli Bendel-Simso (Assistant Stage Manager) is a stage manager and technician in the Baltimore/DC area. She graduated from McDaniel College, and has previously worked with CSC's veteran ensemble.
Abraham Stoll (Text/ Vocal Coach) is a production dramaturg and specialist in early modern literature. Recent productions include Brecht, Galileo, Aristophanes, The Clouds, and Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard, for the Johns Hopkins Theatre Program, and Henry 4 Part 1, Twelfth Night, Wilder, Skin of our Teeth, and Dürrenmatt, The Visit for The Old Globe/ University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Acting Program. Recent publications include an edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost(Broadview Press) and Conscience in Early Modern English Literature (Cambridge UP). He is the Director of JHU Theatre Arts and Studies.
Dance & BMore (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.
Sierra Young (Intimacy Director) Returns to CSC after previously working on Macbeth (2023). Sierra is the Resident Fight and Intimacy Director for Mosaic Theater Company and is an active member of the SAFD, IDC, and SDC. Recent DC credits: One in Two, Unseen, Bars and Measures, and The Till Trilogy at Mosaic Theater Company; Shout Sister Shout! at Ford’s Theatre; King Lear and Red Velvet at Shakespeare Theatre Company; and Ain’t No Mo’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Recent Regional credits: Ain’t No Mo’ at Baltimore Center Stage; and The Joy That Carries You and A.D. 16 at Olney Theatre Center. Website: sierrayoung.org.
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 (As You Like It, Macbeth, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol 2022, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing). Other recent work includes costume design for TU Dance Company shows 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.)
Martin Smith (Board Operator) N/A