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Regina Taylor, Playwright

Regina Taylor is the author of OO-BLA-DEE, which received its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in 1999 and later transferred to the La Jolla Playhouse. In April 2000, OO-BLA-DEE received the American Theatre Critics/Steinberg New Play Award. Ms. Taylor’s other projects include CROWNS, which premiered at McCarter Theatre in their 2002-2003 season, an adaptation of THE CHERRY ORCHARD for the Alliance Theatre, THE DREAMS OF SARAH BREEDLOVE, about famed black entrepreneur madam C.J. Walker, for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and the book for THE COLOR PURPLE. Her play DROWNING CROW (an adaptation of Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL) was produced at the Goodman Theatre as part of the 2001 season. Ms. Taylor’s other writing credits include URBAN ZULU MAMBO, ESCAPE FROM PARADISE, WATERMELON RINDS, INSIDE THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, MUDTRACKS, BETWEEN THE LINES, and BEHIND EVERY GOOD MAN. Her acting credits include roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in numerous regional theatres. Her film credits include “Clockers,” “Losing Isaiah,” “Lean on Me,” “A Family Thing,” “Courage Under Fire” (with Denzel Washington), and “The Negotiator” (with Samuel L. Jackson). Television credits include “Children of the Dust” with Sidney Poitier and “The Education of Max Bickford.” For her role as Lilly Harper on the television series “I’ll Fly Away,” Ms. Taylor won an NAACP Image Award and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Leading Dramatic Actress.

Kevin S. McAllister, Director

Kevin S. McAllister  was most recently cast in the revival of CAROLINE OR CHANGE alongside Cassie Levy, Sharon D. Clarke and Broadway legend Chip Zien. He was also recently seen in the hit Broadway musical, COME FROM AWAY. When not in NYC, he can be seen often on regional stages around Washington D.C where he is a two time Helen Hayes Award winning actor with 12 nominations under his belt. His favorite roles being The Tin Man in THE WIZ, Coalhouse Walker Jr. in RAGTIME, and Tom Collins in RENT. Regional venues include The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Signature Theatre, and Ford’s Theatre. Mr. McAllister’s opera background has also afforded him the opportunity to perform in Washington National Opera’s revival of Kurt Weill’s LOST IN THE STARS with Eric Owens. He’s participated in several world premieres and workshops with works written by Pasek and Paul, Jeanine Tesori, Rowe and Dempsey and living legend Bruce Hornsby. As an actor, Kevin is a firm believer in the idea of reimagining roles and has often taken on roles not originally written for African-American actors. Regionally, he has played Daddy Warbucks in Annie, File in 110 IN THE SHADE, Murdoch in TITANIC THE MUSICAL, Herman Preysing in GRAND HOTEL, and Burrs in THE WILD PARTY.

When not on the stage, Kevin is the artistic director of ArtsCentric, a performing arts organization in Baltimore dedicated to re-examining traditional roles in the arts. He has served on the production team of various works that have been featured at Ford’s Theatre, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, NextStop Theatre, Olney Theatre and Monumental Theatre Company. He is also a recurring guest lecturer at Montgomery College, American University, Howard University, University of Maryland and in January 2021 will join the Musical Theatre Department at Catholic University. In November 2020, Kevin was nominated as DC’s Artist of The Decade by Broadway World for his continued commitment to arts advancement in Maryland/DC region. He was also selected as the Director of the Decade by Broadway World in the Baltimore region.