Billy hails from the coal country of Eastern Kentucky. He attended Morehead State University where he studied communications and theatre. While at MSU he designed such shows as By the Skin of Our Teeth, Once Upon a Mattress, Caged Birds, An Evening with Harold Pinter as well as going back in 2020 for an all alumni designed production of Treasure Island. Tennessee Dance Theatre brought him to Nashville in 1994 as a company member and he has used it as his home base since then. Some of his favorite design experiences include The Will Rodgers Follies, Sweeney Todd, The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Boiler Room Theatre; Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha and Annie at Chaffin’s Dinner Theatre where he was the resident Costume Designer for 4 years; Coriolanus and Macbeth at Nashville Shakespeare; Four legs has one chair and the evening length-Voices From the Ground for Still Point Dance Theatre; Under The Lights with the Johnny Cash Estate, The Flowers Have yet to Come and The Ben Folds Affair and The Bluebird Cafe for Nashville Ballet where he was the Costume Shop Manager for 5 years. For the last 8 years he has designed costumes for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts Dance Program held at Middle Tennessee State University as well as a assistant designer for Vanderbilt Opera.

Rae Phillips first fell in love with theatre at an early age and has found it difficult to leave ever since. She is a graduate of Belmont University with a BFA in Theatre Performance and began working with NCT in 2023. When not fulfilling her roles as an assistant stage manager and a scenic carpenter, Rae enjoys being on the stage. Some of her favorite productions, either onstage or behind the scenes, have been Finding Nemo, Kodachrome, Much Ado About Nothing, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Will is very excited to be returning to Nashville Children’s Theatre for Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters! He received his BFA in Performing Arts with a concentration in tech and design from Western Kentucky University. Past Stage Management credits include Nashville Repertory Theatre, Surflight Theatre, Mill Mountain Theatre, Tent Theatre, Bell Witch Fall Festival, BG on Stage, Revival Theatre Company, and Interlakes Theatre. He would like to thank his parents for always encouraging him to chase his dreams.

April’s passion for theater began at the age of sixteen when she wrote, directed, and marketed a play for youth in her neighborhood. A chance opportunity to assist in costuming the Nashville Shakespeare Theater and Kennie Playhouse presentation of Gem of the Ocean, by August Wilson reignited her love for the stage. Since then, she has been an integral part of Kennie Playhouse Theater serving as the resident costumer, props master, and set dresser for fourteen productions. Included in that list are Pure Confidence by Carlyle Brown, Confederates by Dominique Morisseau, and the company’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center debut presentation, Sanctified by Javon Johnson. April’s journey reflects a deeply rooted passion for nurturing young people through her involvement with the We Up Summer Youth Camp and enriching her community through the creativity that she brings to the theater.

Thea N. Jones is a Nashville native, a seasoned performing artist, educator, and cultural curator dedicated to building and nurturing communities through the arts. She earned a BFA in Dance from Howard University in Washington DC and MS.Ed in Elementary education from Mercy College in New York City.
While at Howard, under the tutelage of Dr. Sherrill Berryman-Johnson, she performed works by esteemed choreographers like Hope Boykin, Louis Johnson, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, Ronald K. Brown, Assane Kante, Kim Greer, Mickey Davison, and Kevin Iega Jeff. Thea then spent nearly a decade in New York City, performing with celebrated companies, including the Rod Rodgers Dance Company, with whom she received recognition from the New York Times, Mirashayama Traditional Lindy Hop Company, Def Dance Jam Workshop, Kayoko Sakoh Dance Company, and Nommo Contemporary Dance Company. She has shared the stage with cultural icons like Gil Scott Heron and Ntosake Shange in venues such as Henry Street Settlement, La Mama, the Theatre at Riverside Church, the Hudson Guild Theatre, and Theatre for the New City.
Once returning back home to Nashville, Thea continued to contribute to the local arts landscape by creating and performing with Vyrgo Music, Windship Boyd, Dave Ragland, Rod McGaha, Shabaz Ujima, Shades of Black Theatre, TN Playwrights, Kindling Arts Festival, Brave New Works, Sankofa African Drum and Dance, and various other notable artists. She also collaborates with local organizations like Willow Oak Arts/ Springfield TN Arts Festival, the United Methodist Annual Conference Liturgical Ministry, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, AfroKokoRoot World Peace Festival, Deep Culture/ Deep Tropics, Nashville Ballet, The Jefferson Street Alliance, and Infinity Performing Arts Academy, contributing to missions, visions, and multi-part and multidisciplinary projects.
In 2017, she became co- artistic director of shackled feet DANCE! with Shabaz Ujima, the city’s only multi-generational, multi-abled modern dance company, and in 2018, she established Skylark Creative Alliance, an arts and culture advisory consultancy. Her passion for creative collaboration led her to develop and execute the internationally recognized “Intimate. See: An Interdisciplinary Women’s Project,” which culminated in a historic all-women’s ensemble performance at the international dance festival Time2Dance in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Recognized as a “Hidden Gem” by Nashville Voyager Magazine in 2022, noted for her performances in works like “THAT WOMAN”, “FREEDOM RISING,” and “STEEL AWAY, and praised for her multi-partner execution of LITTLE AMAL| THE WALK Nashville in 2023, Thea N. Jones believes in the power of the arts to build and nurture communities and, most proudly, continues to encourage cross-continental conversation, perspective exploration, and meaningful and impactful creative exchanges.
Thea is THRILLED to join the creative team at the Nashville Children’s Theatre and looks forward to the MAGIC!

O’Neal Black is thrilled to be making his debut with Nashville Children’s Theatre! You may recognize O’Neal’s voice from the Audible productions From the San Joaquin and Boys from Poor Families, or through his work as a recording artist—his music is available on all major streaming platforms. O’Neal holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Austin Peay State University. Follow his journey on Instagram: @onealblackmusic. He sincerely hopes you enjoy this performance of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters!

Jailin is thrilled to be making her NCT debut as Nyasha! Jailin has recently enjoyed assisting in choreography for TheaterBug! Her favorite credits are: Nashville Rep 9to5 (Kathy), Circle Players For Colored Girls (Lady in Yellow), TMProductions Pippin (Player/ Berthe U/s), and more. Lastly, Jailin would also love to give a big thank you to her family for all their love and support on her theater journey!

Maya is a Nashville native performer, writer and director who is so excited to debut this beautiful work. Some of Maya’s regional credits include: Aida in Aida (Studio Tenn Theatre Company), Nettie in The Color Purple and Macy in The Cake (Nashville Repertory Theatre), Ella C/Cinderella in Hip Hop Cinderella (Nashville Children’s Theatre), Joan in Fun Home (Street Theatre Company), Eleanor in Firework (Unicorn Theatre Company). They’ve also performed several new works in New York: bloodymessysurprised at the New Ohio Theatre, Kitty In The City at Urban Stages and Dance Cartel-X at the Public Theatre Gala 2019. She studied Checkhov with Slava Dolgachev (Moscow Art Theatre’s director) and Beijing Opera at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China, while attending NYU for drama. You can find Maya on Instagram @mayaa.riley to follow their journey. Thanks to her family, friends, cast, crew and creative team for this awesome experience!

Ms. Whitcomb-Oliva is an Interdisciplinary performing artist from Nashville, Tennessee. She is delighted to be making her return to the Nashville Children’s Theatre. Recent credits include; A Christmas Carol (Christmas Present) Rabbit Room Theatre/Matt Logan Productions; The Flopsy Bunnies (Mrs. Flopsy) Nashville Children’s Theatre; The Play That Goes Wrong (Annie) Studio
Tenn; Little Shop Of Horrors (Chiffon) Studio Tenn; Next To Normal (Diana) Street Theatre Company. Jennifer is grateful for the magical cast and crew, and the continuous love and support from her family, friends, and fur babies.

James is so happy to be back on stage at NCT with this amazing cast! He was last seen here getting the cave ready for Baby D as proud father Dino in last season’s snuggery production of “Dino Time”. Favorite NCT performances include: Lahdalord (James and the Giant Peach), The Cat (Einstein is a Dummy), The Snail (A Year With Frog & Toad), Man In Suit (Dragons Love Tacos), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid), and the Wicked Witch (The Wizard of Oz). In addition to being a teaching artist here, James also just received a degree in music, specializing in violin.
Big thanks to Jon and Piper the love and leadership, his folks for their unwavering support, and you for supporting live theatre. You rock. Special shout-out to Scot Copeland.

Gerold Oliver is a Nashville native who has been performing professionally for over ten years. He is very excited to be performing along side a very talented cast.

Jacqueline Springfield (she/her) is an actor, director and educator. She is Assistant Professor of Acting at Kennesaw State University north of Atlanta, GA. MFA in Acting from UNC Greensboro. Voice/Text/Dialect Coach credits include Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Alliance Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, Actors Express, True Colors Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory Theatre, The Goodman, American Players Theatre and Pittsburgh Playhouse. Performance credits include: Cherry Lane Studio Theatre, 13th Street Repertory Theatre, Negro Ensemble Theatre, The Warehouse Theatre, Nashville Repertory Theatre, and Triad Stage. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and SAG-AFTRA.

Eric D. Pasto-Crosby is a proud native of Nashville, he graduated from University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.F.A. in performance studies. There he studied stage combat and fight choreography under Fight Master Geoffrey Kent, and later with Fight Master Richard Ryan. He has choreographed fights for: Nashville Children’s Theatre, Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, Nashville Opera, Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre, Street Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee Repertory Theatre(Nashville Rep), People’s Branch Theatre, Blackbird Theatre, Woven Theatre, and was fight captain and co-choreographer for: Stage One: The Louisville Children’s Theatre, and The Colorado Shakespeare Festival. A loyal member and certified advanced actor combatant through the Society of American Fight Directors, he has choreographed violence and stunts for many films, and schools in the Nashville area, as well as being the stage combat instructor for Belmont University for the last 11 years. He is also a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Colin Peterson (he/him) has been part of Nashville Children’s Theatre since 2010, serving in roles such as Resident Projection Designer, Media Director, and, most recently, Director of Education. He has had the honor of directing the NCT Emerging Artists for the last five productions, including She Kills Monsters, The Old Man and the Old Moon, and Peter Pan. In addition to his education work, Colin is a professional theatrical projection designer and an award-winning sound designer, receiving the 2019 AudioVerse Award for Best Action Sound Design. His full-stage projection and sound design credits at NCT include A Wrinkle in Time, James and the Giant Peach, and Songs for a New World. He has also created projection designs for many other professional companies in Nashville, including Othello for Nashville Shakespeare Festival; Good Monsters, Smart People, and Pipeline for Nashville Rep; The Aretha Legacy and Aida for Studio Tenn; and Here Be Sirens for Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Big love to his kids (who never go to bed) and Alicia – a constant support and always helps me be true to myself.

Jason Breaux is thrilled to be working on his first season with Nashville Childrens Theatre. Jason, a recent transplant to Nashville, is a 20-year veteran of technical theatre hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jason holds a B.F.A. in Visual Art from Louisiana State University. He would like to thank everyone at NCT and the Nashville theatrical community for welcoming him with open arms.

Marsalis Turner is the Sound Designer and Audio Engineer at Nashville Children’s Theatre. He joined NCT in 2023 and helps make all the sounds you hear during the show! From music and sound effects to microphones Marsalis works behind the scenes to help bring the story to life.

Billy hails from the coal country of Eastern Kentucky. He attended Morehead State University where he studied communications and theatre. While at MSU he designed such shows as By the Skin of Our Teeth, Once Upon a Mattress, Caged Birds, An Evening with Harold Pinter as well as going back in 2020 for an all alumni designed production of Treasure Island. Tennessee Dance Theatre brought him to Nashville in 1994 as a company member and he has used it as his home base since then. Some of his favorite design experiences include The Will Rodgers Follies, Sweeney Todd, The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Boiler Room Theatre; Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha and Annie at Chaffin’s Dinner Theatre where he was the resident Costume Designer for 4 years; Coriolanus and Macbeth at Nashville Shakespeare; Four legs has one chair and the evening length-Voices From the Ground for Still Point Dance Theatre; Under The Lights with the Johnny Cash Estate, The Flowers Have yet to Come and The Ben Folds Affair and The Bluebird Cafe for Nashville Ballet where he was the Costume Shop Manager for 5 years. For the last 8 years he has designed costumes for the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts Dance Program held at Middle Tennessee State University as well as a assistant designer for Vanderbilt Opera.

Scott Leathers is delighted to return for his twenty sixth season as Resident Lighting Designer for NCT where he also named Resident Scenic Designer in May 2022. Favorite works include FINDING NEMO, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, RETURN TO SENDER, GHOST, TOMAS and the LIBRARY LADY, MR. POPPER;S PENGUINS, TREASURE ISLAND, ROSA PARKS and the MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT and SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK LIVE!. Mr. Leathers is also the Resident Lighting Designer for Studio West Dance Theater. Last year he was on the creative team for THE REMEMBER BALLOONS, which premiered last fall and has a national tour planned for the 25-26 seaon. He previously served as R.L.D. for Nashville Ballet (’87-’22) Kentucky Repertory Theatre (’05-’08), Opera at Chattanooga Symphony & Opera (’02-’11), Ballet TN (’96-’00) and the Ryman Auditorium’s Musical Theatre (’98-’02).

He has designed lighting for theatre, dance, and opera dance since 1981 to critical acclaim. Many of his designs have been for original works. Other credits include StudioTENN, Opera Omaha, Nashville Opera, TN Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet, American Negro Playwrights Theatre, Stage One, Theatre Craft, Amun Ra Theatre, Musical Theatre Louisville, Karen Steele Dance Quintet, Ballet Omaha, Ballet Austin, Cumberland County Playhouse, Dollywood, and internationally with Tanz Ensemble Cathy Sharp (TECS-Switzerland) and Ballet Manila (Philippines), and three designs at the Kennedy Center; lighting for Ben Fold’s Piano Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Ballets’ inclusion in Ballet Across America, and scenery and lights for NCT’s JACK’S TALES.

Mr. Leathers graduated from the College of Santa Fe with a BFA in technical theatre and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 in both Lighting and Scenic Design categories.

Sarah White (she/ her) considers herself a “storyteller of all mediums,” and is so glad to continue to tell stories here with NCT. She holds two MFAs: in Acting (Mary Baldwin University – Shakespeare & Performance), and Scenic Design (University of Missouri – Kansas City). Her work as an Actor and Designer has been seen regionally throughout the United States, as well as internationally at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; she’s even been mentioned in the NY Times! As an educator, Sarah has taught at Hollins University and Earlham College. Scenic Design Highlights: Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo for the Unicorn Theater; Emilie: La Marquis du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight with Duende Productions; world premiere of Puddin’ and the Grumble at the Lied Center; world premiere of Dino Time at the Nashville Children’s Theatre. sarahwhitescenicdesign.com