Carlyle Brown is a playwright/performer, curator and artistic director of Carlyle Brown & Company based in Minneapolis. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, a Life Time Core Writer at the Playwrights’ Center and recently a Mellon Foundation National Playwright in residence with Illusion Theater. His plays have been produced at theatres across the country and internationally and he has received numerous commissions, fellowships and awards. A scholar and historian, Brown has been an artist in residence or visiting professor at various colleges and universities and has worked as a museum exhibit writer and story consultant.

Kimberly Richardson is an actor, choreographer, and theatre maker with 20 years on the Twin Cities performance scene. A member of Ten Thousand Things’ Artist Core, Kimberly has appeared frequently with the company since 2008, in productions including Othello, Music Man, As You Like It, Dirt Sticks, and Scapin. Also a regular at Open Eye Figure Theatre, Kimberly performed/ developed My Life as a Fairytale and The Clumsy Man with Michael Sommers and The Red Shoes with Joel Sass. Other credits include: Red Bird Theatre, Children's Theatre Company, Workhaus Collective, History Theatre, Jungle Theater, TigerLion Arts, Interact Center, Live Action Set and Sodhouse Theater. Kimberly received a 2016-17 McKnight Theatre Artist Fellowship and a 2006 Sage Award for dance performance.

JoeNathan Thomas “Carl” is so grateful to be back at the Illusion for this incredible original story. Thomas has had the great fortune to have appeared on many Twin City and Regional stages. JoeNathan was most recently seen locally as Oliver Warbucks in CTC’s production of “Annie”, also “The Cradle will Rock” at Frank Theater, and “Tinker to Evers to Chance” at Artistry Theater. Recent film credits include Freestyle Film & Disney’s “Everyday St Nick”. There is no greater gift for an artist than to be trusted with the task of bringing to life, new, relevant, and vibrant characters to the American Theater Audience. A former Marine and native Texan, Thomas spends his offstage hours as a Professional Horseman.

Laura Esping is a Twin Cities actor and educator who has performed with many local companies including the Guthrie, Yellow Tree Theatre, Park Square, Pillsbury House, Full Circle Theatre, History Theatre, Old Log Theatre, Penumbra, The Jungle Theatre, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and At the Foot of the Mountain Women’s Theatre. As an educator, she has worked at the Guthrie in their summer camp programs, library programs, special community request classes, and acting levels I and II. Laura holds a BA from the University of Iowa and an MFA from the University of Minnesota. She is thrilled to be back at Illusion Theater with this show, these people and in this beautiful new space.

Rachel is thrilled to be with Illusion & Carlyle Brown again, after serving as stage manager for Acting Black a few years ago. In 2021, Rachel was a logistics coordinator for Minnesota community vaccination clinics. Recently she returned to touring with Cirque Mechanics, which pre-pandemic had enjoyed an off-Broadway residency. In the last year, she worked locally with Circus Juventas, Mu Performing Arts, and Alternative Motion Project. Selected stage management credits include Heaven, French Twist (Flying Foot Forum), Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy (Minnesota Dance Theatre), Hatchet Lady (Walking Shadow Theatre Company), SOLO (McKnight Foundation), In the Margins (THREADS Dance Project), The (curious case) of the Watson Intelligence (Park Square Theatre), Momentum: New Dance Works 2017 & 2019, CLIMB Theatre, and Four Saints in Three Acts (VocalEssence & Black Label Movement). Rachel earned her B.F.A. in Theatre Technology/Design from Minnesota State University, Mankato. "For my audience of one and for Kaela."