A Raisin In The Sun*

Jordan Essex, he/him/his is so excited to be joining Olney Theater Center for the first time with the National Players! Recent credits include: Rorschach Theater: The Toxic Avenger. Maryland Ensemble Theater: Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. Artscentric: Little Shop of Horrors. Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theater: Sister Act. Catholic University: 9 to 5 and Legally Blonde. EDUCATION: BM in Musical Theater Catholic University.

Savannah Gomez (she/they) comes from the Michigan Lakeshore. She's been in the DMV for around 2 years now, and Tour 72 is their first professional acting credit. Notable roles from their time in college include Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), Dunn (Men On Boats), and Francine/Lena (Clybourne Park).

Ariya Hawkins (she/her)  is a Chicago-based actor and singer. She began her training as a Musical Theatre student at ChiArts, along with three different programs in the Goodman Theatre's Education & Engagement Department. She recently graduated from Millikin University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, and has been a company member at the Canterbury Summer Theatre. Her favorite credits include Sheila Franklin in Hair at Millikin University; Remixing the March, Heartscape, and The Water is Rising (Goodman Theatre); The Bikinis and Vanities: The Musical (Canterbury Summer Theatre); Oklahoma, Ragtime, Working, and Sweet Charity (ChiArts).

Max Johnson, he/him/his is so excited to be a part of National Players. OFF-BROADWAY: SheNYC Festival at the Connelly Theater: Intentions. REGIONAL: Rapid Lemon Productions at Motor House Theatre: Serious Adverse Effects, Ten-Minute Taste Theater Festival: Nesting, The Candlehouse Collective: Next Time. FILM: The Souls of Black Pebbles, Missing You, Lamia. TV: Dark Waters: Recall, Primary: The Gathering. EDUCATION: BA in Theatre from Wesleyan University.  

Melanie A. Lawrence (she/her) is thrilled to be working on her first tour with National Players. As a proud Washington, D.C. native, actor, writer, and all around creative, recent credits include Love’s Labor’s Lost (u/s Folger Theatre), The Quadrant Series (Theater Alliance), The Laughing Club (Klexography: Rorschach Theatre), Soul Redeemer (2019 Capital Fringe Festival), One-Act Festivals, The Crucible (Tituba), Anton in Show Business (Costume Designer) (Silver Spring Stage), and Milk Like Sugar (Adrienne Theater). Training: Temple University BFA, Studio Acting Conservatory. She thanks her friends and family for their love and unyielding support, and is grateful to be able to share these stories with communities around the country.

Lorenzo Miguel (he/him) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and recent Bowie State University Graduate majoring in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Acting/Directing. Lorenzo is excited to join the National Players Tour 72 as George Murchison/Bono in A Raisin In The Sun as well as Theseus/Oberon in A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  Previous credits include DMV QFest 2.0 (Various Roles, Convergence Theatre), You Still Black (Bobby/Octoroon, BSU Theatre), and Blues For An Alabama Sky (Leland Cunningham, Theatre Morgan).

Walter C.A. Riddle (he/him) is a DMV native and excited to be joining the National Players on the 72nd tour. Having spent time in Richmond, VA, Walter had the opportunity to train with Carol Piersol in the Miesner technique to further sharpen his skills. With multiple years of experience in martial arts and tumbling, Walter worked at the experimental escape room Warehouse 29; a blend of virtual reality, live theatre, and escape room experiences. Walter has been in shows such as The Tempest, Tuck Everlasting: TYA, and most recently Ada and the Engine. He looks forward to continued development as an artist and to new experiences. 

Taylor Ryan Rivers (he/him) is a multi-hyphenate artist hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. He recently graduated from the University of Southern California where he honed his skills in acting, producing, lighting design, and poetry writing. His ultimate goal is to entertain the world then plant a garden back in the Bay.

Sabrina Lynne Sawyer (she/her) is an actor and proud native of Chicago, IL. She was last seen in Free Street Theater’s production of Re-Writing the Declaration, and has worked with Sojourn Theatre in originating and devising Don’t Go. She is a reformed Shakespeare enthusiast, a hip-hop historian, and budding legal consultant. She received her B.A. in Theatre (Acting) at the University of Southern California.

Phillip Snider (he/him; NP Stage Manager) recently graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance with a concentration in Stage Management. His past credits include Stage Managing Little Shop of Horrors, The Servant of Two Masters, Streamers, and Ascendant, a new work, for the IU Department of Theatre. Also for IU, he was an Assistant Stage Manager for works including Titus Andronicus and By the Bog of Cats. Phillip is from Vincennes, Indiana.