Cori Thomas’ plays include: When January Feels Like Summer; Pa’s Hat; Citizens Market; The Ballad of Ella May; My Secret Language of Wishes; The Princess, The Breast, and, The Lizard; The Unusual Love Life of Bedbugs and Other Creatures; Flight 109; The Hair Play; Waking Up; His Daddy; our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.  Cori’s plays have been developed and produced at Sundance Theatre Institute; City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh), Goodman Theater, New Dramatists, Page 73, Playwrights Horizons, Lark Play Development Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Going To The River, Pillsbury House Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Mosaic Theatre Co; Central Square Theatre; Penumbra Theatre, Passage Theatre, The Working Theater, The Playwrights Realm, New Federal Theatre, New Georges, The New Black Fest, and The Black Rep.

She has been commissioned by South Coast Rep Theatre, Sloan Foundation, Pillsbury House Theatre; Central Square Theatre; Ensemble Studio Theatre; Rattlestick Theatre; New Black Fest; The Working Theater. Cori is a Resident Playwright at New Dramatists. She has been a two time Sundance Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow. Her upcoming residencies include the Bogliasco Foundation and Baryshnikov Center. Awards and Honors: (When January feels Like Summer) American Theater Critics Association Osborn Award, Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. 2016 Finalist for The Horton Foote Playwriting Prize, two time Theodore Ward Prize Winner. Publications: When January Feels Like Summer at Dramatic Publishing. Cori is a co-founder of the nonprofit organization www.pashatfoundation.org which does work with former male child soldiers in Liberia, West Africa. She is represented by Leah Hamos at The Gersh Agency.

REGINALD L. DOUGLAS (Director) joined the staff of City Theatre in March 2015. At City, Reginald line-produces, helps curate, and directs in the theater’s six-show season and new play development activities; builds artistic initiatives and partnerships; and represents City on the Board of the National New Play Network. Previous City credits include last season’s production of The Roommate by Jen Silverman and Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, the world premiere of Cori Thomas’ Citizens Market, Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy, and the Young Playwrights Festival. Additionally, Reginald has directed extensively throughout the country, including work at Eugene O’Neill Center, TheaterWorks Hartford, CATF, Weston Playhouse, Theatre Squared, Playwrights Center, Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO, McCarter, Florida Rep, Luna Stage, Harlem Stage, Wild Project, Signature Center, Drama League, The Lark, and many others. He has developed and directed new work by many acclaimed writers including Dominique Morisseau, Cori Thomas, Angelica Chéri, Nikkole Salter, Amy Evans, Zakiyyah Alexander & Imani Uzuri, Matt Schatz, Chisa Hutchinson, Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, Josh Wilder, Harrison David Rivers, Korde Arrington Tuttle, Craig “muMs” Grant, Jessica Dickey, Laura Brienza, Kevin R. Free, and several others. Reginald has received fellowships from New York Theatre Workshop and the Lark; was a member of the Actors Studio’s Playwrights & Directors Unit; and has assistant directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally. Reginald regularly serves on the selection committees for local and national fellowships and grants; has spoken at several national conferences and festivals; and is a guest lecturer at the O’Neill’s National Theatre Institute. He is a proud graduate of Georgetown University and member of SDC. reginalddouglas.com

NGOZI ANYANWU (Akosua) Education: University of California San Diego (MFA Acting), Point Park University (BA). Acting: The Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Rattlestick Theatre, The Deuce, Deadbeat, Law & Order: SVU, Women Who Kill. Playwriting: Good Grief (Kilroy’s List 2016, semi-finalist Princess Grace), Nike (Kilroy’s list 2017), and The Homecoming Queen (Kilroy’s List 2017, Leah Ryan Finalist). Most recently, Good Grief won the Inaugural CTG/Humanitas Playwriting Award, and had a world premiere at the CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre in the 2016/17 season in which Anyanwu starred. The Homecoming Queen just recently closed from its world premiere at the Atlantic Theatre. Anyanwu is also a recipient of the Djerassi Artist Residency, as well as Space on Ryder Farm, LCT Playwrights Residency and The Founders Award with New York Stage and Film. Anyanwu is currently commissioned by The Old Globe and The Atlantic Theatre. She is excited to be back in Pittsburgh.

SHAMIKA COTTON (Marianne Angelle) is best known for her controversial portrayal of Michael's drug addicted mother (Raylene Lee) on HBO's The Wire. Off-Broadway: Bullet for Adolf (directed by Woody Harrelson); Ain’t Supposed to Die… (Classical Theatre of Harlem – Drama Desk Nomination); Medea (CTH). Regional: The Revolutionists (The Public Theater); Black Odyssey (Denver Center Theatre - Originating Cast); Broke-ology (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); Harriet Jacobs (Kansas City Repertory Theatre); Missives (N.Y. Premier at 59E59); P. Seth Bauer’s Iphigenia (Originating Cast). TV/Film: Forever (ABC); Gotham (FOX); Law & Order: Original, SVU & CI; Stream (Fearnet original series); the critically acclaimed film Pariah; and Frank the Bastard (directed by Brad Coley). Training: MTB Studio. shamikacotton.com

Jeff Howell (Bogdan) is happy to be back at City Theatre having just completed a run of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and his 23^rd season of A Musical Christmas Carol. This past summer, he appeared in Damn Yankees at Sacramento Music Circus, as well as Newsies at Pittsburgh CLO. His more than 80 productions there also include Bells Are Ringing, Hello Dolly, Sunset Boulevard, South Pacific, and Me and My Girl. Other favorite productions include Souvenir and Choir Boy (The Rep) and Tigers Be Still, Worksong, and Red Herring at City Theatre. Jeff has also worked with the Pittsburgh, Wheeling, and Hartford Symphonies in concerts including A Tribute to Lerner and Loewe, A Little Night Music, Showboat, Of Thee I Sing, and Peter and the Wolf. Television credits include All My Children and The Young and the Restless and films The Dark Half and The Cemetery Club.

ANN TALMAN (Morfina) Writer/actress/singer, is a Pittsburgh native making her City Theatre debut. In February 2017 she brought the world premiere of her solo show Woody’s Order! to The Pittsburgh Playhouse under the direction of John Shepard. Broadway: The Little Foxes (w/ Elizabeth Taylor), The House of Blue Leaves, and Some Americans Abroad (both Lincoln Center), The Women (Roundabout also stood by for Cynthia Nixon). Regional, Off-Broadway: Workshop Theater, Vineyard Theatre, Primary Stages, Second Stage, The Flea, The New Group (Founding member), Naked Angels, EST, Soho Rep, Long Wharf, Goodspeed Opera, Huntington Theatre, The Geffen, Centre Stage, Williamstown, St. Louis Rep, Bridge Rep Boston, UVA’s Heritage Theatre, Pennsylvania Festival Theatre, Theatreworks Hartford, EST/LA (Founding member), United Solo Theatre Festival 2013/Encore Series 2014. Member EST Playwrights Unit. Cast Albums: Yours Anne, Hannah 1939, TV: Seinfeld, General Hospital (regular), Law and Order SVU, Murphy Brown, Ellen, Whoopi, Education Of Max Bickford, Love & War, Kate and Allie, HBO’s Breast Men, Film: Serendipity, Limitless, Archaeology of a Woman, Wall Street, Bob Roberts. Radio: Tales From The South-NPR. Documentary: Woody’s Order! (Ironbound Films) which won Best Short Documentary Reel Abilities Pittsburgh 2017 and Best Documentary Pittsburgh Shorts 2017. Member Vocal Ease, a Broadway singers volunteer organization bringing live entertainment to NYC senior citizens at hospitals, nursing homes, and senior centers. Ann was inducted to The Inaugural Hall of Fame at Upper St. Clair High School, “in recognition of her efforts in bringing honor and prestige to the proud tradition of Upper St. Clair.” www.woodysorder.com

JUAN FRANCISCO VILLA - is making his City Theatre debut. He recently completed an Off-Broadway run of NY Times Critics Pick Oedipus El Rey by Luis Alfaro, directed by Chay Yew at The Public Theater (NYC). Off-Broadway: The Play About My Dad (Collaboration Town/59E59); Nature of Captivity (Mabou Mines); One Night in The Valley (INTAR). Regional Credits: Other Than Honorable (Geva Theater). Chicago credits: Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Hillary and Clinton, Mojada. (Victory Gardens Theater); 2666, El Grito del Bronx, (Goodman Theatre); Our Lady of 121^st (Steppenwolf Theatre); Elliot: A Soldiers Fugue, (Steppenwolf Theatre/Teatro Vista); Empanada for a Dream, Gun Show (16^th Street Theater); Take Me Out (Steppenwolf Theare/About Face Theatre). Film credits: One Night Stand, The Tank, Lac de Flambeau, Q, East Willy B, Gemini Rising and Audition for Death. TV credits: Madame Secretary (CBS), Chicago PD (NBC), Blacklist: Redemption and Betrayal (ABC). Juanfranciscovilla.com