Cheryl L. West’s plays include, Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, Last Stop on Market Street, Shout Sister Shout!, Akeelah and the Bee, Pullman Porter Blues, and Jar the Floor. Her plays have been produced in England, Off-Broadway, on Broadway (Play On!), and in numerous regional theaters around the country, including Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Old Globe, Goodman Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Rep, Asolo Rep, Merrimack, Arkansas Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Bay Street Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House, South Coast Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Off-Broadway's Manhattan Theatre Club and Second Stage. She has written TV and film projects at Disney, Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS, and BET. Ms. West is currently preparing a revival of Broadway-bound Jar the Floor, and working on commissions for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Minneapolis Children’s Theater, LaJolla Playhouse, and Seattle Rep. cheryllwest.com

Henry Godinez is Resident Artistic Associate at Goodman Theatre, where he recently directed American Mariachi and Fannie (also Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Asolo Rep). Other directing includes projects for Studio Theatre (D.C.), Court Theatre, Victory Gardens, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Signature Theatre (NYC), The O’Neill, Portland Center Stage, and Dallas Theater Center. As an actor he was recently seen in The Winter’s Tale and 2666 at Goodman Theatre, and on television in “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire,” “Boss,” “The Beast,” and the films An Inconvenient Truth, Above the Law, The Fugitive, and The Package. Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez is the co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista and serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Council Agency. He is interim-chair and professor in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University.

Felton Offard grew up in Freeport, Illinois and attended Northern Illinois University, earning Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Credits include Hamilton (CIBC Theatre), Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer (Goodman Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Chicago credits: Purlie, Crowns, Hamilton, The Addams Family, First Wives Club, Motown: The Musical, Blues Brothers, Comfortable Shoes, Sister Act, Raisin, Could It Be Magic? The Barry Manilow Songbook. National tours include The Color Purple, Jersey Boys, Three Mo' Divas, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and Come Fly Away/Fly With Me. His albums are Rise and Invincible. TV credits include work with CBS, Noggin, Netflix, BET, Comedy Central, PBS, and HBO. feltonoffard.com

Collette Pollard makes her debut here at Seattle Rep with Fannie. She resides in Chicago where her Goodman Theatre credits include Roe, The Wolves, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Fish Men, and Stoop Stories. Other Chicago credits include Lindiwe, HIR, The Fundamentals, and Between Riverside and Crazy (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Sound of Music (Marriott Theatre); Miracle (Miracle Productions); Smart People (Writers Theatre); The Nutcracker (The House Theatre), where she is a company member; A Shayna Maidel (Timeline Theatre), where she is an artistic associate. Recent and upcoming regional credits include Steel Magnolias, Eclipsed, and The Chinese Lady (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company); Angry, Raucous & Shamelessly Gorgeous (The Alliance Theatre and Harford Stage); My Father’s War (TheatreSquared); The Cake (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Collette is the recipient of several Jeff Awards and is an Associate Professor of Design at the School of Theatre and Music at UIC. Many thanks to the endless support from her family.

Michael Alan Stein (1959-2021) was an award-winning costume designer whose professional journey began at Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where he studied clothing design. In a career spanning more than two decades, Michael’s work has graced many of this nation’s premier stages, including Guthrie Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Stein was known for his striking silhouettes and vibrant use of color. His design skills seamlessly spanned across theater, film, and television. He was commissioned to design projects ranging from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Royal Caribbean Cruises to restaurant uniform design. He was on the advisory board for the School of Fine Arts at Dominican University and was the recipient of many awards and honors, including a Fellowship from The National Endowment for The Arts and a Joseph Jefferson Citation for outstanding achievement in costume design. Additionally, his original sketch and design for world-renowned artist and photographer Renee Cox’s RAJÉ (RAGE!) superhero character is in the permanent collection of Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.

Jason Lynch is a Chicago-based lighting designer and makes his Seattle Rep debut with this production. Chicago credits include work with Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, among others. Recent regional credits include work with Alley Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Minetta Lane Theatre in NYC, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Jason is honored to have his recent work on the Goodman Theatre’s real-time, online “Live” series featured in American Theatre Magazine. He was also the recipient of the 2019 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award which recognizes emerging theatrical designers within the Chicago area. Jason is a proud member of The Association for Lighting Production and Design and is represented by The Gersh Agency.

Victoria Deiorio is returning to Seattle Rep after designing Last of the Boys in 2019. Victoria has composed music and designed Off-Broadway for Sheen Center, St. Clements, The Pearl, Joe’s Pub, The Duke, Actors Center, Primary Stages, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Regionally she has worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Centerstage Baltimore, and many more. She has composed and designed the following films: Thump, The Interview, Use Me Up, One Sunday Afternoon. Victoria is the first woman to have been nominated for 14 Joseph Jefferson Awards—winning 7—for both composition and design, two After Dark Awards, and a SALT Award. She is a founding member of the Theatrical Sound Designers & Composers Association serving as the Co-Chair of the Executive Board. She is the Chair of the Design/Tech Dept. and the Head of Sound Design at DePaul University. victoria-sound-design.com

Rasean Davonté Johnson is excited to be working with Seattle Rep. A Chicago-based video artist and theatrical designer, he has had the opportunity to work with institutions such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Playhouse, Manual Cinema, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Berkshire Theatre Group, Alliance Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, The Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Everman Theatre, and internationally with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), B-Floor Theatre (Thailand), and the Ningbo Song and Dance Company (China). MFA Yale School of Drama. raseandavontejohnson.com

Mr. Bernard most recently designed wigs for Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! (Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage). Additional theater credits include the regional tour of Ain’t Misbehavin; Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Steppenwolf Theatre); Sophisticated Ladies (Drury Lane Theatre); and An Evening with Nat King Cole (Minneapolis Arts Center). He is a renowned hairstylist with more than 40 years of experience. He served as a leading platform artist for Johnson Products Company and was owner of Mr. Bernard’s Hair Salon. He is a licensed instructor of cosmetology, and his work has been featured in television, film, fashion publications, and instructional videos.

Ruth is honored to be part of the Fannie journey, helping to bring this powerful show to even more audiences. Her most recent credits include being part of the stage management team on Seattle Rep's Public Works film The Winter's Tale. In pre-pandemic times, Ruth could usually be found at ACT Theatre working on shows like Dracula, Romeo+Juliet, Oslo, and A Christmas Carol. Other credits around Seattle include Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and others. Ruth is a recipient of the Melissa Hines Backstage Award and is proud to have been a member of New Century Theatre Company for many years, where she helped to create shows like Mary's Wedding, The Trial, and The Adding Machine.

Christine Sumption is a Seattle-based theater artist who has served as a dramaturg for Goodman Theatre, Sundance Theatre Lab, the New Harmony Project, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival, and Seattle Rep, where she was on the artistic staff for nine seasons. She has a 15+ year working relationship with playwright Cheryl L. West and teaches writing at Cornish College of the Arts.