Shakespeare in Harlem

By Langston Hughes and Robert Glenn
Adapted and Directed by Gerrad Alex Taylor

A University-Professional Collaboration Between UMBC Theatre and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

At UMBC: October 30 - November 9, 2025
At Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: January 15 - 18, 2026

This Production of Shakespeare in Harlem is by special arrangement with ILP Theatrical, a sub-division of International Literary Properties. 

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Kaydin Hamby
• Costume Designer: Eric Abele
• Lighting Designer: Juan Juarez
• Scenic and Projections Designer: Nate Sinnott
• Assistant Costume Designer: Becca Janney
• Assistant Director: Isaiah Mason Harvey*
• Vocal Director: Andrew Hann
• Choreographer: Nigel Semaj
• Intimacy Choreographer: Sierra Young
• Dramaturg: Bianca LaVerne
• Stage Manager and Projections Designer: Grace Shepperd
• Assistant Stage Managers: Sumedha Bhat, Lucas Sanchez

Cast

• Griot: Lauren Davis*
• Madam K: Amani Abdullah
• Simple: Gerrad Alex Taylor*
• Cousin Minnie: Ambar Auth
• Leonard: Dario Prioleau
• Lulu: Liza Mupende
• Bruce: LaTrelle Jamez
• Alex: Manny Rimmer
• Female and Simple Understudy: Tatiyana J. Terrelonge (performed as Lulu in the January 2026 run at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company)

*denotes Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's Black Classical Acting Ensemble Member

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Street Scenes

Text by Langston Hughes and his contemporaries*
Music by Kurt Weill and others
Directed by Eve Muson and Katie Hileman
Musical Direction by Andrew Hann

*Street Scenes brings together moments and text from several landmark 20th-century playwrights, woven together with text shaped through contemporary AI tools. The hope is that these elements speak to one another—old and new, familiar and unexpected—as the performance unfolds. Thank you for being here and sharing the experience with us. Additional text by Eve Muson and Camila Hildalgo.

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Kaydin Hamby
• Costume Designer: Becca Janney 
• Lighting Designer: Adam Mendelson
• Scenic Designer: Tyler Brust
• Assistant Director: Grace Marsh
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Aidan Henderson
• Stage Manager: Kayla Laucks
• Assistant Stage Manager: Cameron Denny

Cast

• Drina Kaplan: Brynn Krasney
• Sam Kaplan: Lucas Sanchez
• Sidney Kaplan: Alden Lester
• Willie Kaplan: Sylvia-Novella Underwood
• Doris Grossman: Alissa Suser
• Mrs. Fiorentino: Camila Hidalgo
• Jo: Kiarra Matos
• Jeffrey Ingram: Anthony Negron
• Kay: Jadyn Fleming
• Harry Easter: Wesley Mauder
• Jim Jackson: Christian Price-Burnett
• Mamie Jackson: Jamia Tutt
• Ensember/Understudy: Sofia Hunter
• Understudy: Cameron Denny

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Welcome all to a new week of club. This is our final full week before finals and next week will be our last of the school year. Tonight's meeting is in our usual of ILSB 302 at 7:00 PM.

Tonight we will be hosting a speaker, Mary Ella Jourdak. She is an activist and advocate operating out of Annapolis with years of experience in the field and ripping into Delegates not doing their job. She is going to talk with us about the work she does and how you can engage in advocacy and activism in less structured ways beyond entering government or working for delegates. Come show support for our speaker and learn how you can get involved in larger movements or even start your own!

Got Flex? Use it before it expires at 8 PM on May 20th, 2026!

Stock up on our Flash FLEX Warehouse Sale favorites like snacks, protein bars, and drinks. Submit your order via Google Form by May 17 at 8 PM. Flex is charged at submission.

Please allow 3-5 business days for processing. You’ll be notified when your order is ready for pickup at the True Grit’s Dining Offices.

Good luck on finals!

Congratulations to Frank Rodriguez '26 on being accepted to the English Literature PhD program at Penn State University! Read a statement from Frank below:

My name is Frank Rodriguez, and I am a senior at UMBC majoring in English and Education. It's my honor to announce that after graduating next month, I plan on continuing my academic journey at The Pennsylvania State University, as a member of their English literature PhD program. Along with other benefits, I have been offered a six-year contract, with an option for a seventh, of consistent funding and support. 

Regarding my field of research and interests for my graduate school studies and research, my work will be conducted primarily through a postcolonial lens, while also completed by ecocriticism, as well as labor, diaspora, and empire studies. My aspiration is to study Latin America, the Caribbean, and West Africa; specifically, the diasporic communities that originate in those spaces, as well as the groups that have coalesced in these geographical regions. I would pay particular attention to the roles of food, space, and labor play in the lives of these groups as they work to adapt to and assimilate into their new environments while retaining their cultural heritage. Along with a variety of other factors, I attribute my upbringing in immigrant communities to significantly influencing the fields of research I most gravitate towards. 

Growing up in these communities, the word "college" wasn't thrown around a lot. I'm the first in my family to graduate high school, so all of this is foreign territory. As such, I'm a bit terrified at the prospect of starting all over again in an area where no one knows who I am, as well as the weight of making people proud and providing an admirable representation of myself, my family, and my heritage. However, the prospect of continuing my education and edging closer each moment toward fulfilling my childhood dream of being a professor excites me immensely.

Additionally, I enthusiastically anticipate the opportunity to demonstrate to those around me that my place in academia is merited, and that I am in whichever space I am legitimately. 
I want to conclude by extending my gratitude to all of my past and current classmates, my professors, and the English department more broadly. I was so profoundly anxious when first beginning college, being the first in my family to attend, and from the beginning, everyone around me was so gracious and kind to me. I felt acknowledged and cherished, allowing me to flourish. It aches me to leave such a caring community, but I wish everyone the best in their endeavors, and humbly ask you to do the same for me. 

One photon, a trillion electrons. A Q&A with our Faculty, Daniel Suárez-Forero, is now live in UMBC News. They discuss Daniel's research interests and goals for his experimental group at UMBC. We thank Sarah Hansen for this fun read.

Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

By Jacqueline E. Lawton
Directed by Joseph W. Ritsch

Produced by special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials supplied by WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR ENTERTAINMENT, LLC.

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Madeline "Mo" Oslejsek
• Multimedia Designer: Adam Mendelson
• Costume Designer: Becca Janney 
• Co-Lighting Designers: Juan Juarez and Adam Mendelson
• Scenic Designer: Nate Sinnott
• Assistant Scenic Designer: Kayla Laucks
• Assistant Costume Designers: Ann Davies and Timothy Clark
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Malaak McDonald
• Assistant Sound Designer: Gale Daniel
• Fight Choreographer: Gerrad Alex Taylor
• Intimacy Choreographer: Grace Shepperd
• Puppet Engineer: Daniel Ettineger
• Stage Manager: Morgan Decker
• Assistant Stage Managers: Jada Abbott, Jadyn Fleming

Cast

• Dorothy: Divine Iweha
• Wicked Witch of the West; Glinda, Good Witch of the South; Fight Captain: Grace Marsh
• Aunt Em; Locasta, Good Witch of the North; Guardian of the Gates: Tatiyana J. Terrelonge
• Undle Henry; Wizard of Oz; Hungry Wildcat: Anthony Negron
• Scarecrow: Michael Duffy
• Tin Woodsman; Townsfolk: Christian Price-Burnett
• Cowardly Lion; Townsfolk: Dario Prioleau
• King of the Winged Monkeys; Townsfolk; Toto Puppeteer; Male Swing: Alden Lester
• Female Swing: Megan Chouinard

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Hi,

The interest form for the e-board next year is out! Please fill out by Friday, May 8.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuWcaR3_fz-NRtkQxBqsIcVHOo8kmAjr6AztzQr52xmJp8-A/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you!

This Week in EA:

• Hot Topic Session: First Time Abroad | Wednesday, May 6th | 12-12:45pm | Virtual
  Excited for your first trip abroad but unsure how to prepare so your journey is smooth and stress-free? Feeling nervous about your very first flight? Wondering what to pack, how to navigate the airport, or what to expect once you're in the air? Come join us for an overview of tips for being prepared and advice for first-time travelers!

• Hot Topic Session: Being Black Abroad | Friday, May 8th | 12-12:45pm | Virtual
  What does it truly mean to navigate the world as a Black traveler, and how can understanding your racial identity abroad shape your experiences? How can you connect with others, build community, and find support while embracing your Black identity in a new cultural setting? Come join us for an overview of what it means to be black abroad, tips, sharing experiences and building community!

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

• Advising for Spring 2027 and Winter 2027 study abroad programs is now available! After you have attended a Study Abroad 101 session, email educationabroad@umbc.edu to schedule your meeting!

• Study Abroad 101 Sessions
  Monday | 2pm-3pm | Virtual
  Tuesday | 1pm-2pm | Virtual
  Friday | 11am-12pm | Virtual

Senior Spotlight: Kayla Nemirovsky

Read this article to learn about our Peer Advisor Kayla’s story: Kayla Nemirovsky ’26—Math plus financial economics major with equal passion for numbers and travel. 

Kayla has visited over 30 countries and participated in 3 study abroad programs: UMBC Faculty-Led: Global Community Engagement and Social Change in South Africa (Summer 2023), ISEP Exchange: International Student Exchange Program in Finland (Spring 2024), and UMBC Faculty-Led: Global Experiential Learning in MENA: Exploring Morocco (Spring Break 2026). Kayla is graduating this spring with a dual degree in Math and Financial Economics and will be staying at UMBC to pursue a Masters in Teaching. Congratulations Kayla! 

Getting ready to move out for summer break? Consider donating your gently used items to the Retriever Re-Store, UMBC’s move out donation collection program that aims to redistribute the items to other students who can give them a new life!

Donate items such as:

Kitchen appliances 

School supplies

Small furniture 

Desk organizers

Decorative items

Arts + Crafts 

Pots/pans and dishes

Mirrors

Non perishable food items

and more! 

At this time, we will NOT accept clothing, bedding, or items that should be trashed.

You can find donation collection bins near your RA desk in each residence hall, the ACC lobby, and Walker clubhouse starting May 6th through the close of the semester! Shop for free from collected donations at the Retriever Re-Store pop up shop in Upper Flat Tuesdays.

Want to drop off donations directly to the store? Schedule a drop off appointment with us via email at sustainability@umbc.edu

Help us divert waste from the landfill and redistribute pre-loved goods for free among our campus community! Sign up for a collection volunteeer shift to get first dibs on incoming donations. Email the Office of Sustainability at sustainability@umbc.edu with any concerns or questions.