BURNBABYBURN! the american dream

By a.k. payne
Directed by Karla C. Payne
August 25th – September 13th 2026
Outdoors at August Wilson House
A World Premiere Coproduction with August Wilson House

Set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and Homewood neighborhoods, BURNBABYBURN! the american dream moves fluidly through time as a young woman, Sky II, embarks on a journey to heal herself and the generations who came before her.

Through photographs that flicker with memory and meaning, she reaches across decades to touch the lives of her ancestors. Four generations of women draw nearer to one another as they confront the truths of motherhood, love, loss, and a city that both holds and haunts their dreams.

In this tender, time—bending story, a.k. payne reminds us that memory is fragile, history is human, and as she writes, “cameras tells lots of lies i cannot make any promises of fact.”

Cast

Sky	Hope Anthony*
Sky II	Kat Bruce
Will	Anthony Grace
Char	Destiny Nwafor
Joyner	DeVaughn Robinson
Myrna	Aisha Jordan Gunter

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association

Artistic Director’s Note

TBD

Season Curator’s Note

TBD

Playwrights’ Note

TBD

Director’s Note

What do we owe the people whose stories made our own possible?

BURNBABYBURN! The American Dream moves through decades, crossing time the way memory does. The boundaries between past and present blur. Voices return. Ancestors sit beside descendants. Dreams deferred become dreams inherited. And somewhere in the space between what was and what is, a family searches for itself.

This journey is guided by the spirit of Sankofa, a word and philosophy that teaches us to go back and retrieve what has been left behind, and to carry forward the wisdom, truth, and strength that belong to us. To understand where we are going, we must first understand where we have been.

History resides within us. It lives in our names, our gestures, the stories we tell and the ones we avoid telling. It lives in the sacrifices we may never fully know and in the dreams planted long before we were born. We carry entire worlds within us, often without realizing it. Perhaps “The American Dream” is not to a single destination, but the journey of those who dared to imagine a future they themselves might never see.

To our extraordinary cast, thank you for your courage, vulnerability, and generosity. You have breathed life into generations of souls and carried their stories with grace. To our designers, technicians, stage managers, and crew, thank you for building the bridge across time that allows this story to unfold before us. Every light, sound, costume, prop, transition, and carefully crafted moment is an act of storytelling. It has been an honor to share this journey with each of you.

And to our audience, thank you for gathering with us in this sacred space. May tonight’s performance inspire you to think about the stories that live within your own family tree. The names remembered and forgotten. The dreams realized and interrupted. The people whose love, labor, and sacrifice continue to shape your path.

In the spirit of Sankofa, may we have the courage to look back and the wisdom to carry what we find into the future.

In Arts Way,
Karla C. Payne
Director, BURNBABYBURN! The American Dream

About the Cast

Hope Anthony (Sky) is shook to be making their debut with Pittsburgh Playwrights at August Wilson House and telling her favorite playwright’s story. A proud Ingram native and AEA/SAG-AFTRA multi-hyphenate, Hope is a Point Park University (COPA) and Montour High School alum. Regional Theater: Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre, The Pittsburgh Opera, Attack Theatre, barebones blackbox, and PICT. Film/Commercial: 2021 New York International Film Awards Winner; recognizable from prominent campaigns for Visit Pittsburgh, UPMC, and Rivers Casino. Awards: Best of Pittsburgh “Best Actress” Runner-Up. Offstage, Hope is a passionate Teaching Artist and Audio Describer dedicated to arts accessibility and the next generation of performers. Endless gratitude to her family, friends, The Talent Group, and the vibrant Pittsburgh arts community. Check out: @hdy.cope | www.alinaslight.com.

Kat Bruce (Sky II) recently got her BFA in Musical Theater and is so exited to put her degree to use. She is driven, and through her experiences, she has become accustomed to telling not only her stories but reliving others through art. Her training has not only allowed her to become a professional in the arts, but allowed her to live authentically as a black woman in every lifetime in every story that she decides to tell. She is so excited to make her debut on the grounds of August Wilson House! She dreams to make it to Broadway in the very near future. She wants to give a special shoutout to family and friends for always loving & supporting her.

Anthony Grace (Will, he/X) is a Cleveland-bred, Harlem-based actor and writer. He has appeared in productions with New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons Downtown, Baltimore Center Stage, City Theatre, Brooklyn Art Haus, Yale Repertory Theatre, Yale Cabaret, Karamu House, and Cleveland Play House. As a playwright, X is a 2026 finalist for the Van Lier New Voices Fellowship and the National Black Theatre I Am Soul Playwright Residency. He is honored to be working alongside this team and his dear friend and longtime collaborator, a.k. payne. Anthony dedicates this process to his brother, Malik T. James. MFA: Yale School of Drama.

Aisha Jordan Gunter (Myrna) is a proud Pennsylvania native who is thrilled to return to PPTC after 20 years since her last collaboration. She is excited to bring her originality, passion, and artistry to a story that celebrates gems of Pittsburgh’s Historic Hill District.

“The Hill” played a vital role in shaping who Aisha is, making her participation in this production personal and profound. A true believer in the transformative power of live theatre, Aisha hopes this interpretation of AK Payne’s words will inspire, move, and touch the lives of all who experience it.

She dedicates this performance to her ancestor, T.D. Jordan; her unwaveringly patient and loving husband, Lawrence; and her incredible children, Lawrence III and Layla Alexis.

Destiny Nwafor (Char) is honored and delighted to be a part of this production of close friend a.k. payne’s work BURNBABYBURN! the american dream. A Cornell University graduate in Computer Science and Dance, Destiny is a multidisciplinary performer whose work spans acting, dance, and writing. She has performed with Alumni Theater Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Hill Dance Academy Theatre, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, Arcade Comedy Theatre, and Pittsburgh International Classic Theatre. When not onstage, she runs her startup, Pathfinder. Destiny hopes you enjoy the show.

DeVaughn Robinson (Joyner) is a founding member of the Alumni Theater Company, and a winner of the honorable Shyne Award. DeVaughn began his career when he was 12 when his first original play Backstage Stories was performed twice in 2008: during Carnegie Mellon University’s Playground series and again by the Alumni Theatre Company starring the late Bill Nunn. In 2011, DeVaughn won 1st place in the Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition in Pittsburgh and placed 3rd in the nationals in New York City. In 2017, he made his film debut in Steeltown Entertainment’s Rehabilitation of the Hill, directed by Demetrius Wren and starring Harry Lennix. Recently, he starred in productions of Pipeline (A Public Fit Theatre Co.) & Prime Stage Theatre’s production of Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story (2025) & Freedom House: Giving Life a Second Chance (2026). DeVaughn also works as a project manager and is the founder of DreamTheatreCo.

Creative Team & Staff

Producers	Mark Clayton Southers & Monteze Freeland
Season Curator	Monteze Freeland
Playwright	a.k. payne
Director	Karla C. Payne
Stage Manager	Ashley Southers
Assistant Stage Manager	Shanita Bivins
Scenic Designer	Mark Clayton Southers
Costume, Makeup & Hair Designer	Cheryl El Walker
Seamstress	Katy Cotten
Sound Designer	Wayne Gaines
Lighting Designer	Latrice Lovett
Lighting Electrician	Tony Clayton
Scenic Carpenters	Marcus Carl Southers, Matthew Southers Jr.
Scenic Build	Marcus Carl Southers, Matthew Southers Jr, Andre Joseph Clayton Southers, Jalil Curges & Mark Nelson
Scenic Painting	Ernest Bey, Matthew Southers Jr.
Props	Ashley Southers, Sarah “Gracie” Jackson, Shanita Bivins, Shona Potts & Austin Sills
Set Dresser	Austin Sills
Front of House	James Howard
Lighting Technician	Ashley Southers
Sound Technician	Andre Joseph Clayton Southers
Crew	Marcus Carl Southers, Andre Joseph Clayton Southers, Jalil Curges
Greeter	Mama Cocoa

About the Creative Team

a.k. payne (Playwright) wrights plays. They make art & theatre, freedom dream and theorize from the hills & valleys of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—where her people have carved home since the early 20th century. Her plays love on Black pasts, presents and futures. They hold a B.A. in English and African-American Studies from Yale College & an MFA in Playwriting under Tarell Alvin McCraney from fka Yale School of Drama.

Named one of Variety Magazine’s Top Ten Storytellers to Watch, her work has been a 3x finalist and 2025 winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the oldest and largest international prize honoring women+ playwrights. Their work has been developed and workshopped broadly including: at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, The New Harmony Project and Breaking The Binary Theatre Festival. Her work has been produced in theaters across the country in NYC (Off-Broadway), Atlanta (Alliance Theatre), Los Angeles (Geffen Playhouse), DC (UPC. 2027, Wooly Mammoth) and beyond. They are currently the inaugural Artist in Residence at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre and part of National Black Theatre’s I AM SOUL Playwright Residency.

Karla C. Payne (Director) is an accomplished actor, singer, and poet, making her professional directorial debut with Pittsburgh Playwrights. In 2024, she first directed Alumni Theatre Company’s production of Black Sheep, for which she won a Best Director award. Karla returned to ATC in 2026 to direct Gone Before Me as a part of a one-act series entitled Lessons Learned. As an actor, Karla has performed with The Barnstormers Theatre in New Hampshire, City Theatre Company, New Horizon Theater, and many productions with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company. Most recently, she reprised her role as Oni Wise in Art of Wise, written by Mark Clayton Southers and directed by Monteze Freeland, and performed at the 2026 International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Shanita Bivins (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to return to working with Pittsburgh Playwrights and to serve as the Stage Manager for the premiere of BurnBabyBurn. A Pittsburgh native and Northside resident, Shanita has spent years building her experience both on and behind the stage. She has previously stage managed three August Wilson productions—Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Seven Guitars, and King Hedley II—and is thrilled to continue contributing to Pittsburgh’s vibrant theater community.

She is grateful for the opportunity to be part of BurnBabyBurn and looks forward to supporting the cast, creative team, and playwright in bringing this new work to the stage. Shanita continues to pursue her passions for acting, producing, and stage management, and is excited for what this next chapter brings.

Cheryl El-Walker (Costumes, Hair, Makeup) is an award-winning costume designer and makeup artist who is also a veteran stage actor from Pittsburgh. She is the resident costume/makeup artist for the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. Her creative work in various venues has earned her several Onyx awards from the African American Council of the Arts (AACTA): Best Make-up Artist (2007); Best Costume for a Musical for Christmas Is Coming Uptown (2008); Best Leading Actress for Freeman (New Horizon Theatre, 2008); Best Costume Design for a Play (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012) and the PPTCO 2012 Legacy Award. In 2013, Cheryl debuted another one of her skills and received PPTCO’s Theater Festival in Black and White Award for Best Director. Most recently, Cheryl handled costumes, makeup and hair for Sanctified, Dinah and Radio Golf in PPTCO’s 2024 and 2025 seasons, while also performing in the first two, and appeared in The Nacirema Society for New Horizon. Cheryl is an alumna of Point Park University and is pleased to announce that she has done costume, makeup and special effects for all ten August Wilson plays.

Monteze Freeland (Artistic Associate, Season Curator) is the Artistic Director of Alumni Theater Company and a multi-hyphenate theater maker with more than 30 years of creative experience as an actor, director, writer, producer, instructor, and arts advocate. A graduate of Point Park University and a proud product of Baltimore’s historic Arena Players Inc., his work is grounded in artistic excellence and a deep belief in the power of arts education.

Freeland has held several leadership roles across Pittsburgh’s theater community, including Artistic Associate at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Director of Education at Quantum Theatre, and Co-Artistic Director at City Theatre Company, where he directed six productions and produced more than thirty performances, readings, and events.

As a performer, he has appeared in more than 35 productions across the region. His writing has been commissioned by organizations including ASOLO Repertory Theatre, City Theatre Company, New Hazlett Theatre, Bricolage Production Company, and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.

His honors include Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year, City Paper’s Pittsburgh People of the Year for Theater, and a City of Pittsburgh Proclamation recognizing his artistic impact.

Wayne Gaines (Sound Designer) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wayne is a skilled designer/technician with over 25 years of experience in audio/visual design and production for television programs, commercials, radio, theatres, feature films, documentaries, arena/auditoriums and churches. He began his career in sound design and technology with Braddock Films in Pittsburgh, PA. Among his credits is the award-winning documentary, Struggles in Steel. He is also the 2006 Onyx Award winner for his sound design for Seven Guitars, the 2007 winner for Sarafina, and the 2008 winner for Good Black Don’t Crack, all productions staged by Kuntu Repertory Theatre of Pittsburgh, PA. Waynes has worked with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater on Ubuntu Holiday and most recently Sanctified and Two Trains Running. Wayne is pleased to be working with us again.

Latrice Lovett (Lighting Designer) is a native of Washington, DC who currently resides in High Point, NC. She has done lighting in several different genres of the performing arts including dance, theatre, musical theatre, live concerts and opera. She completed her bachelor’s degree at North Carolina Central University in Technical Theatre. She has also received her MFA in Design & Technology from University of Missouri-Kansas City where she studied Lighting Design. She is currently creating lighting designs and working on other lighting projects under her company Lovett Lighting LLC.

Ashley Renee Southers (Assistant Stage Manager) has always had a deep passion for the arts. She loves working alongside her family at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company and proudly considers herself a D-I-A-P—a “Do-It-All-Person.”

Ashley graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English/Creative Writing. Her creativity extends across many disciplines, from directing and writing to stage management and production. She recently co-directed with her father, Mark Southers, on the Alumni Theater Company’s production of Love Is…, a one-act play written by Michael Curry (Love Is, Love Ain’t). She also directed a staged reading for TyLie Shider on behalf of the Pedantic Arts Residency, in conjunction with the August Wilson Archive, titled Primary Sources at August Wilson House.

Ashley finds joy in challenging herself artistically and continuing to grow as a multi-faceted creative. In her free time, she loves writing, watching movies, and spending time with her family, close friends, and her two beloved dogs, Mama Cocoa and Bentley.

She would like to thank her father, Mark Southers, for being a lifelong source of inspiration, guidance, and support in her journey.

Ashley is honored to share her love for storytelling through the work she creates and brings to life on stage.

Mark Clayton Southers (Producing Artistic Director, Scenic Designer) and his family reside in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District. He is the founder and producing Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.

His very first play When the Water Turns Clear was produced at Chicago’s ETA Theater. His second play Ashes to Africa was a finalist at the 2001 Dayton Playhouse Future Fest. His third play Ma Noah was the recipient of the 2004 Theodore Ward prize at Columbia College, Chicago.

He has written over 20 full-length and one-act plays including the poem play Angry Black Man Poetry aka End Angered Species which had a successful run at Teatr Śląski in Katowice, Poland in 2009 and Miss Julie, Clarissa and John which ran at the 2017 National Black Theatre Festival and also had a three-week run in 2017 at Scotland’s prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

He has a series of three plays which make up his Culture Clash Series. They include Hood Winked, James McBride and I Nipoti.

Inspired by his mentor August Wilson, Mark has also set out to complete his very own collection of ten plays each taking place in the 1800s. To date he’s completed eight full-length plays, including The Bluegrass Mile, which premiered in October 2023 with the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, and The Coffin Maker, which premiered in May of 2024 with the Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Mark is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and the former Artistic Director of both the August Wilson African-American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh PA and the Short North Stage August Wilson Festival in Columbus Ohio.

For more information please visit: www.markclaytonsouthers.com.