The High Ground at Arena Stage

Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) is making his Arena Stage debut. A South Carolina native, but raised in the DMV area, Phillip has looked forward to working at Arena since he was in high school. He made his D.C. debut in 2011 at Woolly Mammoth in the world premiere of Robert O’Hara’s Bootycandy. Phillip received his BFA in Acting from DePaul University in Chicago where he began his professional career, doing numerous productions at Steppenwolf, the Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and more. He is now a New York resident, living in Harlem for the last 11 years, where has worked non-stop on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He was last seen as Ross, and one of the witches, in Macbeth on Broadway. Phillip also works in film and TV—you can currently see him recurring on Apple TV+’s Servant. He has also appeared on The Sinner, The Good Fight, The Blacklist, and more. This is his second world premiere with playwright Nathan Alan Davis, the first being another two-hander, Nat Turner in Jerusalem, which premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in 2016—which to this day one of Phillip’s most favorite artistic ventures he’s ever been on.

Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black)’s D.C. credits include Much Ado (STC), Gorn Galaxy (Arena Flash Acts Festival), and Kings (Studio Theatre). She appeared Off-Broadway in the world premieres of Is God Is (Soho Rep) and SEAGULLMACHINE (La MaMa). Recent regional credits include Three Musketeers and Sweat (Cleveland Play House); My Lord, What A Night (Florida Studio Theatre’s rolling world premiere); Romeo & Juliet / Our Town (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Measure for Measure, Intimate Apparel, and Or, (Shakespeare & Co.); The Last Wife (WAM); Marisol (Luna Stage); The Convert (Underground Railway); and King Lear (Chicago Shakes). Other highlights include the Canadian premiere of Never Not Once (Theatre Aquarius) and a principal season at Stratford Festival of Canada

DeJuan Christopher (Male Understudy) This is DeJuan's first appearance at Arena Stage. His most recent theater credits include Radio Golf (A Noise Within Theatre), Seven Guitars (A Noise Within Theatre), and Metamorphoses (A Noise Within Theatre). DeJuan recently starred in the film

DeShawn White (Female Understudy) is a Prince George’s County native and theater alumni of the University of Maryland Baltimore County who is thrilled to be a part of her first show at Arena Stage. Her Off-Broadway credits include originating a lead role in Gong Lum’s Legacy (New Federal Theatre) and the NAACP Award-winning play The Girls of Summer (Actors Temple Theatre). Select regional theater credits include The Mountaintop (The Hippodrome Theatre), I Just Stopped by to See the Man (New Stage Theatre), and The Metromaniacs (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ). DeShawn’s select film & TV credits include guest-starring roles on Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), The Deuce (HBO), and alongside Edward Norton in Motherless Brooklyn. IG: @deshawn.andrea.white www.deshawnwhite.com

Nathan Alan Davis (Playwright)’s play Nat Turner in Jerusalem received its world premiere at NYTW in the fall of 2016 and was a New York Magazine Critic’s Pick. In 2015, his play Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea received a Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation and was produced in five cities in a NNPN Rolling World Premiere. His play The Wind and the Breeze received the 2016 Blue Ink Playwriting Award and was selected for Cygnet Theatre’s inaugural Finish Line Commission. Nathan is a theater lecturer at Princeton University, a Usual Suspect at NYTW, and a 2016 graduate of Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program. He received his MFA from Indiana University and his BFA from the University of Illinois.

Megan Sandberg-Zakian she/her (Director) is a theater director, author, and facilitator with a passion for the development of vital new American plays for the stage and the ear. She is currently the Artistic Director of Boston Playwrights' Theatre, an award-winning professional theater dedicated to new work for the stage located on the campus of Boston University. The High Ground marks her third world premiere collaboration with Nathan Alan Davis, following Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea (Cleveland Public Theatre) and Nat Turner in Jerusalem (New York Theatre Workshop). Megan is a graduate of Brown University, holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, and is a proud member of SDC, the union for professional stage directors and choreographers. Her book, There Must Be Happy Endings: On a Theater of Optimism and Honesty, is available from The 3rd Thing Press. She lives in Jamaica Plain, MA, with her wife Candice. This one is for Brenda. megansz.com

Paige Hathaway (Set Designer) is a freelance scenic designer based in the Washington, D.C. area. Previously at Arena, Paige designed the set for Right to Be Forgotten. In the D.C. area, Paige has recently designed at Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Theater J, Mosaic Theater, Woolly Mammoth, the Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, Solas Nua, Imagination Stage, Everyman Theatre, and Studio Theatre. Regionally, Paige has recently designed at The Muny, Cleveland Play House, Arden Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, People's Light, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Asolo Rep. Paige received her MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Maryland and her BFA in Scenic Design from the University of Oklahoma. She is a proud member of USA 829. Instagram: @paigehathawaydesign www.paigehathawaydesign.com

Sarita Fellows (Costume Designer), born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, her recent works include Death of a Salesman, Broadway; Theater of the Mind, Denver Center of Performing Arts; Blues for an Alabama Sky and Sweat, Guthrie Theater; Seize the King, Alliance Theatre; A Bright Room Called Day, Public Theater; and Fefu and Her Friends, American Conservatory Theater. In the dance world, Sarita has worked with choreographers such as Liz Lerman and Edisa Weeks. She received her MFA in Design from Tisch School of the Arts. She was the recipient of a 2020 Lilly Award and was recently awarded Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design at the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival.

Sherrice Mojgani (Lighting Designer) recently designed The Heiress and Two Trains Running (Arena Stage); The Folks at Home and The Garden (Baltimore Center Stage); Spunk, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and The Scottsboro Boys (Signature Theatre); A Raisin in the Sun, Murder on the Orient Express, A Few Good Men, and Sweat (Pittsburgh Public Theater); and Trouble in Mind, What You Are, and Skeleton Crew (The Old Globe). Sherrice is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. She holds a BA in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz and an MFA in Lighting Design from UC San Diego. smojgani.com

Nathan Leigh (Original Music and Sound Design)’s NYC credits include How To Melt ICE (Boundless Theatre), Space Dogs (MCC), Our Brother’s Son (Signature), Original Sound (Cherry Lane), Nat Turner in Jerusalem (New York Theatre Workshop), The Duchess of Malfi (Red Bull Theater). Regional credits include Skeleton Crew (Huntington Theatre), Godspell (Berkshire Theatre Group), Strangers On A Train (Stoneham Theatre, IRNE Best Sound Design 2009), The Hound of the Baskervilles (Central Square Theater, IRNE Best Sound Design 2010), and many more. With Kyle Jarrow, Nathan co-created the musicals Big Money and The Consequences. With Jason Slavick and the Liars & Believers ensemble, Nathan Leigh composed scores for Song of Songs, Icarus, and A Story Beyond. Nathan’s latest solo album is House On Stilts.

Tommy Kurzman (Hair and Wig Designer) Broadway: Pictures From Home, The Collaboration, Macbeth, Mrs. Doubtfire, All My Sons, True West, Saint Joan, My Fair Lady, Little Foxes, Long Day’s Journey, Bright Star, Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors-Westside Theatre, MCC, Atlantic, The New Group, The Public, MTC, NWS. Regional: The Huntington, The Muny, Geva Theatre, Resident Ensemble Players, Cape Playhouse, Signature VA, MSM. Associate Hair Designer on over 15 Broadway productions. Instagram: @tommykurzmanwigs

Otis Ramsey-Zöe (Dramaturg) is a care worker, dramaturg, director, theatre arts educator, Literary Manager at Arena Stage, and Lecturer in Dramaturgy at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He has developed new works at such institutions as Sundance Institute, Kennedy Center, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Center, and National New Play Network. He has held posts in Theatre at Northeastern University, Dramaturgy at Carnegie Mellon University, Women’s Studies and Honors Humanities at University of Maryland, Performing Arts at American University, and Theatre Arts at Howard University. He was Associate Artistic Director at banished? productions, Future Classics Program Coordinator at The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Literary Manager at Center Stage, and an Allen Lee Hughes Senior Fellow at Arena Stage.

Jocelyn Clarke (Dramaturg) is senior dramaturg at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. He was Theatre Advisor to the Arts Council of Ireland for ten years. As a dramaturg, Clarke has worked with writers such as Katori Hall, Taylor Mac, Lydia Diamond, Abhishek Majumdar, Eduardo Machado, Charles Randolph-Wright, Lisa Kron, Craig Lucas, Carl Hancock Rux, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Tanya Saracho, and Karen Zacarías. He was a script editor on several Irish films, including Young Offenders, and was executive story editor on all three seasons of the BBC/RTE TV series Young Offenders. He is a writer on the second season of P-Valley, Katori Hall’s acclaimed TV series for Starz. His new adaptation of Elizabeth Swados’ musical The Beautiful Lady, will be directed by Anne Bogart at La MaMa Theatre in New York in 2023.

Joseph Pinzon (Casting Director) is the founder and creative producer of the contemporary circus company Short Round Productions and its award-winning show Filament. With over 25 years of performing experience, he has worked internationally with renowned companies such as Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, Cirque du Soleil, and The 7 Fingers. He holds an MS in Arts Leadership from USC, a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and graduated from the National Circus School in Montreal with a specialization in aerial techniques. He was the casting and resident director for Chamäleon Productions (Berlin) and Constellation Immersive (CAA’s experiential affiliate). He is also a member of the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance and a founding board member of the American Circus Alliance. You can see him causing chaos on season 6 of Nailed It! on Netflix, where (spoiler alert) he is a part of the series’ first three-way tie.

Christi B. Spann (Stage Manager) has been working as a stage manager in DC since 2011. Favorite Arena Stage productions include A Raisin in the Sun and Junk. She previously spent 12 seasons on the stage management staff at the Denver Center Theatre Company and has also worked with The Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN and Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, VA.

Jalon Payton (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to be making his Arena Stage debut with The High Ground. His recent credits in the Baltimore/D.C. area include The Swindlers: A True-ish Tall Tale, The Folks at Home (Baltimore Center Stage); Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville (Everyman Theatre); 10 Seconds (Imagination Stage); Is Edward Snowden Single? (Single Carrot Theatre). Other credits include The Brothers Size and A Raisin in the Sun (American Players Theatre). Jalon has also stage-managed play readings/workshops with Arena Stage, Taffety Punk Theatre, and Round House Theatre. Jalon is a graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County.