Dinah Washington Christmas program - Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company

Madison Arts Center presents

A Dinah Washington Christmas

Featuring Delana Flowers as Dinah Washington

By Ernest McCarty
Directed by Ashley Southers & Mark Clayton Southers
World Premiere
December 11-22 2025
Pittsburgh Playwrights Cabaret Theatre
Madison Arts and Entertainment Center

It’s December 1963, and “Queen of the Blues” Dinah Washington is appearing at a renowned Pittsburgh jazz club for a night of holiday-themed songs, backed with a chorus and blues ensemble.

Cast

Dinah Washington	Delana Flowers
Jimmy Hyde	James Howard
LaRue	Krystal Waller
Sir Dwayne	Dwayne Fulton
Tony	Tony Campbell
Dolph	Dwayne Dolphin
Jason	Jason Washington Jr
Brook Benton	Les Howard
Rachel	Destiny Nwafor
Lu	Marissa Lily
Larry	Rodney Poteat
Lee	A’Lani Lee
Dick “Night Train” Lane (video)	Sam Lothard

Setting

A renowned Pittsburgh jazz club, December 1963

Directors’ Notes

It’s always a joy to work with our Dinah folks. Not only are we honoring the late great Dinah Washington but we also honor the great multi-hyphenated artist known as Ernest McCarty. Mr. McCarty’s artistic abilities are endless and we are extremely grateful that he chose Pittsburgh to be his home. Working on Dinah is a fun ride. Ashley and I get the opportunity to work alongside the very talented Delana Flowers as well as my childhood friends, Tony Campbell and Dwayne Dolphin. It’s especially refreshing because we all spent a good part of our early life at Madison as students and Ashley was in the final graduating class before it closed its doors.

Dinah Washington left a huge amount of memorable songs in her very short life. It’s been a pleasure working with all of these wonderful actors and crew folks old and new to bring this world premiere to life and we thank you for coming out to support our efforts in making wonderful Christmas memories.

Mark Clayton Southers

About the Cast

Tony Campbell (Tony) is the youngest saxophone player inducted to the Pittsburgh Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame in 2010. His musical journey began in the Hill District in 1973. At the age of 13, Tony joined a band called The Deltones. He attended Berklee College of Music, came back to Pittsburgh in 1982 and enrolled in The University of Pittsburgh under Dr. Nathan Davis. At the age of 22 he recorded and toured with Roy Ayers. Later that year he joined Roger Humphries and RH Factor. Tony moved to New York City in 1990 and landed a 16 week U.S. tour with Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies as lead alto player in a 10-piece orchestra. Tony is regularly performing, recording, producing, teaching and holding Jazz Jam sessions that feature some the best young up-and-coming talent in the Pittsburgh region. His mission is to keep the great American music of jazz going on forever for all to enjoy and experience as he does.

Dwayne Dolphin (Dolph) is a mainstay in the jazz scene, working with Pittsburgh greats such as Roger Humphries, Pete Henderson and Carl Arter. Throughout his career, Dolphin has had the opportunity to play and record with the “Who’s Who” of music, such as Nancy Wilson, Melba Moore, Fred Wesley and Abby Lincoln, among others. Dwayne Dolphin’s vast and diverse experience has afforded him the opportunity to lend his musical expertise in many areas, including the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in their production of Indigo In Motion. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of Jazz at Duquesne University.

Delana Flowers (Dinah Washington) is thrilled to find out what a difference 9 years makes. It was 2015 when she first “met” Dinah and what an honor to be revisiting Mrs. Washington and this show. Miss Flowers is a dynamic vocalist with a unique sound. Her energy and eclecticism fill every space of any room as she sings from her heart and soul to yours. Music and Miss Flowers have been inseparable from the start and this has been evident since her church choir debut at age 2. Like childhood friends that can’t bear to part ways she and music have been growing together, playing out the composition that is her life. The oldest of 2 on her mother’s side and the middle child on her father’s, she’s got it honest. As if being the daughter of a musician/preacher weren’t enough, her paternal side is full of musicians and singers in addition to a maternal side that has been singing together in churches for years. Delana has graced stages all over this city and in her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in musicals like Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin, Merrily We Roll Along, Queens of the Blues, Black Nativity, The Wiz, Mahalia Jackson: Standing on Holy Ground, Little Shop of Horrors and Chelsea Arms. For the past 12 years Delana has been part of a trio known as the BGVS, singing lead and background for RnB, Jazz, Pop, gospel, Rock, Soul and Motown shows local and abroad. She has been a featured artist on several recordings and played with multiple bands. Miss Flowers has been part of top-notch choirs, worship teams and small ensembles all over the city. Whether leading worship at church or singing leads and/or background for tributes to Prince, Chaka Khan, Steely Dan, Stevie Nicks, Aretha Franklin, Teena Marie, or Stevie Wonder, she’s hopelessly in love with music. Acting and singing are not her only gifts. She is also a prolific writer with an English degree, a spoken word artist, model, teaching artist and song writer. This vocalist and thespian, among so many other things, shows no sign of slowing down.

Dwayne Fulton (Music Director & Sir Dwayne) has over 30 years experience in theatre and musical performance. He is the founder and Chief Executive of Kingdom People Productions (1999) and the SouLyfe Cafe (2003). He has produced and coproduced more than seven musical projects in genres from country to hip hop to pop. He is also an accomplished pianist, and has had the honor of accompanying such great musicians as Grover Washington, Jr., Roger Humphries, Sean Jones, and Nathan Davis. In 2011 he was hired as the Musical Director for the opera Gospel at Colonus (Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh), and in 2012 he composed his first short opera for their Summer Festival, entitled Bridal Suite. In 2017, Fulton composed his first full-length opera, A Gathering of Sons, which met with such success that it was filmed to be aired nationally on PBS. He was the musical director and composer for Ray Warner’s Shantytown produced by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre. He currently serves as the Minister of Music/Director of Fine Arts at the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, the largest church in the Pittsburgh area, serving over 8000 members. Fulton continues to mentor young musicians, song writers, and actors in the Pittsburgh area. He says the world is longing for music and creative arts that speak to the total man: body, soul, and spirit. Music that matters! He and his wife of 30 years are the proud parents of Brennon (33), Zachary (19), and Zoe’ (16).

James Howard (Jimmy Hyde) is a film and stage actor. Born in Baltimore. Raised in Washington, DC. Has been a Pittsburgher since 1988. TV and movie credit includes American Rust and White Boy Rick. Stage credits includes Sheriff Buster in the Barebones production of Misery.

Les Howard (Brook Benton) is an accomplished actor, beginning his acting career many years ago as a member of the former and prestigious D.C. Black Repertory Company, founded by actor Robert Hooks, in Washington, D.C. Les has had many fine performances, here in Pittsburgh, for such theaters as Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Co., New Horizon Theater, Gargaro Productions and the former Kuntu Repertory Theater. Les may be best remembered, previously, as Turnbo in PPTCO’s past highly successful productions of August Wilson’s Jitney, as The Great Father in Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s critically acclaimed, and award-winning production of A Gathering of Sons and in Ernest McCarthy’s Dinah, a musical on the life of jazz legend Dinah Washington, all directed by Mark Clayton Southers. Les also produced and hosted his own local public access variety television show entitled The Howard Entertainment Showcase. Les is also an accomplished jazz singer and can be seen performing at many of the jazz venues here in Pittsburgh. Les is currently featured with the Jazz band Jazzmania, headed by bandleader Art Crivella.

A’Lani Lee (Lee) is a current senior at Pittsburgh CAPA 6–12 and a musical theatre major. She originally spent five years as a tenor saxophonist at CAPA before recently transitioning into theatre. Since making this shift, she has become the assistant director for the school’s winter musical Urinetown. She also served as the assistant stage manager for Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s production of Two Trains Running in the summer of 2025—during the season in which Pittsburgh Playwrights became the first company to complete August Wilson’s full cycle twice. A’Lani is extremely passionate about theatre and loves being part of the Pittsburgh Playwrights production team.

Marissa Lily (Lu) is a Musical Theatre graduate from the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City. She is an entertainment creative and lover of the arts. She has an equal passion for producing behind the scenes and entertaining in front of the camera. Her most recent film credits include Paramount’s Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner, Netflix’s Rustin and Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance. Marissa’s most recent theater credits include New Hazlett Theatre’s Underland, Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Diving Within & Heavy is the Crown, Legacy Arts’ Legend of Kadiatou and many more. When she’s not on stage or working on a film set you can find her giving back to the youth teaching theater history, dance and performing arts classes at the Brashear Association and Sarah Heinz House. She is so blessed to bring Monique to life at the Pittsburgh Playwrights this season! She thanks her family for their unconditional support. You can contact and keep up with her at itsmarissalily@gmail.com and @itsmarissalily on Instagram.

Sam Lothard (Dick “Night Train” Lane in video) aka Big Sam: Youngstown/Campbell Ohio. Sam is a veteran of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater, having done over twenty shows through the years. Sam considers it a blessing to have performed with many theater companies throughout Pittsburgh tackling roles from some historical writers such as Shakespeare, Dr. Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, and of course his favorite, August Wilson. Sam is slowly creeping up on all ten plays in the cycle. Wish him luck. In between shows, Sam stays in creative mode by writing, acting, singing, directing, and working as part of a team on the RSM Project, putting out short films while working with other creatives. Please send good vibes and love and prayers his way as he manifests his Dreams into Reality. Put God First. Shoot your shot. Chase your Dreams. (Cedar Point)

Destiny Nwafor (Rachel) is thrilled to take part in Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s production of A Dinah Washington Christmas by Ernest McCarty. She is an actress and dancer who has worked with Alumni Theater Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Hill Dance Academy Theatre (HDAT), Gold Pyramid Stage & Screen, and FashionAFRICANA. Recent credits include serving as a choreographer for Alumni Theater Company, performing in Twelfth Night at Pittsburgh Public Theater, and Hill Dance Academy Theatre’s Spring Dance Concert with Ronald K. Brown of Evidence Dance Company. Destiny is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Computer Science and Dance. When not acting or dancing, you can find her working on her startup, Pathfinder AI, helping students chart their college and career futures.

Rodney Poteat (Larry) is a film and stage actor as well as a Compliance professional. Raised in Groton, CT, Rodney attended New York University where he majored in mathematics while also participating in several film projects at the world-renowned film school. His recent work includes playing the antagonist in Gold Pyramid Stage and Screen’s The Awakening, as well as appearances in Netflix’s The Deliverance by Lee Daniels, and Paramount’s Mayor of Kingstown. Rodney is passionate about uplifting his community through theatre, working with community organizations like CEIR, and supporting justice and equality for women and minorities worldwide.

Krystal Waller (LaRue) is a freelance actress and artist educator. Having recently graduated from the University of Louisville with an MFA in Performance/Theatre Arts and a graduate certificate in African American Theatre, she has been captivating audiences since the age of 4, where she began as a dancer. Recent credits include: The Young Playwrights Festival ’25 (City Theatre), Clyde (Clyde’s, UofL), Escalus (R&J, KY Shakespeare), Balthazar/2nd merchant (The Comedy of Errors, KY Shakespeare), Adrian (The Tempest, KY Shakespeare), Black Mary (Gem of the Ocean, UofL), Lou Bessie (The Old Settler, UofL), Jasmine (Fairview, UofL), and Nan (Gloria, UofL). Additionally, Krystal has a B.A. in Africana Studies with a minor in Theatre Arts from the University of Pittsburgh. She is committed to centering Black, femme voices and uplifting Black feminism through a sociohistorical lens with her theatrical work and academic research.

Jason Washington Jr (Jason) is a musician and educator based in Pittsburgh, PA. Heavily influenced by the church, he began his musical journey at the age of three. He attended Pittsburgh CAPA 6–12 as an instrumental major and later continued his studies at Temple University. While at Temple, he performed with the Diamond Marching Band, Temple Jazz Band, and several other ensembles. During this time, he studied under Byron Landham, Dan Monaghan, and Rodney Green—mentors who were instrumental in shaping his growth as a musician.

After college, Jason discovered a passion for youth education while working as a counselor with Urban Impact. Soon after, he joined the jazz faculty at Center of Life, where he developed a teaching approach rooted in relationship building and meeting each student’s individual needs.

Today, Jason is an active educator, bandleader, and freelance musician, performing with a wide range of artists throughout the Pittsburgh area.

Creative Team & Staff

Playwright	Ernest McCarty
Directors	Ashley Renee Southers & Mark Clayton Southers
Stage Manager	Michele Lee Betts
Musical Director	Dwayne Fulton
Costume Designer	Katy Cotten
Lighting Designer	Tony Clayton
Props	Ashley Southers, Austin Sills
Scenic Designer	Mark Clayton Southers
Choreographers	Destiny Nwafor & Marissa Lily
Technical Director	Tony Clayton
Stage Construction	Marcus Carl Southers
Scenic Painter	Darnell Chambers
Hair & Makeup	Cheryl El-Walker
Set Dressers	Austin Sills & Neicy Readie
Lighting Technicians	Michele Lee Betts, Ashley Southers
Video Work	Brett Allen
Box Office	Neicy Southers
Greeter	Calvin Jackson
Crew	A’Lani Lee, Hutson Jarrett & Rodney Poteat

About the Creative Team

Ernest McCarty (Playwright) is a native of Chicago who has authored and co-authored more than 27 produced plays and musicals. He has been associated with ETA in Chicago and Quaigh Theatre in New York City, New Horizon Theater and Kuntu Repertory Theatre. His first production I Dreamt I Dwelt In Bloomingdales was presented at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City in 1970. Other theatrical works produced in New York City include Dinah! Queen of the Blues, presented at the Westside Arts Theatre starring Sasha Dalton, When The Spirit Moves starring Tony Award-winner Trazana Beverly, The Exchange and The Separate Vacation. Amongst his plays and musicals produced in Chicago: Madame Hortense, the tone poem A Cosmic Night, Recollection Rag, Love Spirit! and Brazilian Rendezvous. Eleven of his plays and musicals have been produced in Pittsburgh, including The Chelsea Arms, Madame Hortense, The Exchange, A Window To Home, Closing Notice, The Hex, A Cosmic Night, Life After Coma, Give Us Another Tune, The Region (An American Opera), Outrun The Rain, Journey of the Spirits as well as his musical revue Love Spirit! His play Recollection Rag aired on WQED-TV and his score The Martin Luther King Suite, which aired on NBCTV, received an Emmy.

Ernest’s directing credits include The Chelsea Arms, Humbug Man, Brazilian Rendezvous, A Cosmic Night, The Separate Vacation, Madame Hortense, Recollection Rag, The Exchange, Samm-Art Williams’ Home, Life After Coma, A Window to Home, The Tap Dance Kid, Give Us Another Tune, The Region, Rain and Rivers, Outrun The Rain, Kim El and KL’s The Poet’s Corner, Deadwood Dick, Cheryl West’s Jar The Floor and Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious.

Ernest is a member of The Dramatists Guild. Pittsburgh Magazine named him Prolific Playwright of 1998. His play Recollection Rag (The Exchange) received the Hoyt W. Fuller One-Act Play Festival Award and his play Madame Hortense received a Joseph Jefferson Award.

Composer, lyricist, arranger, orchestrator, musical director, record producer and musician, Ernest McCarty has written and arranged scores for stage, screen, television, commercials and recordings. All of McCarty’s musicals have been produced and performed in theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Pittsburgh as well as other cities across the country. His impressive career in the music business includes musical director for the legendary blues, folk and gospel singer Odetta, for the Queen of the Disco, Gloria Gaynor, for Janet DuBois of Good Times, for actor, director, singer, composer, musician and screenwriter, Noel Harrison, and for singer, pianist arranger Buddy Greg. As musical director and musician (bassist and pianist), he has performed all over Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America.

Ashley Renee Southers (Director) 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 (Director, Scenic Designer, Producing Artistic Director) and his family reside in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District. He is an award-winning playwright, stage director, scenic designer, photographer and theatrical producer. He is the founder and producing artistic director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company where he has produced well over 175 full-length and one-act plays, including August Wilson’s complete 10 play American Century Cycle. Favorite directing credits include Paul Robeson for the Griot Ensemble Theatre Company, Pill Hill for New Horizon Theatre, Dutchman for Bricolage Theater Company, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Piano Lesson for American Stage Theatre, Gem of the Ocean for Human Race Theatre, Angry Black Man Poetry for Theatre Śląski, Passing Strange for Short North Theatre, Papa Doc for Trilogy Opera Company, Sty of The Blind Pig for The Banyan Theatre Company, A Soldier’s Play for Phoenix Black Theatre Troupe, and Dorothy Six, Seven Guitars, VALU-MART, The Battle of Homestead and Jitney for The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. He’s also the resident August Wilson Cycle director at Pittsburgh’s CAPA. For more info please visit www.markclaytonsouthers.com

Michele Lee Betts (Stage Manager) With a career spanning 20+ years, Michele Lee Betts is a respected production and stage manager at theaters across Pittsburgh, where she transforms creative visions into resonant, community-anchored realities. Known for her meticulous orchestration of over 100 live performances, she harmonizes the unseen mechanics of theater—logistics, lighting, and team leadership—into seamless productions that achieve 95% audience satisfaction and 25% growth in ticket sales.

Beyond the stage, Michele is a cultural consultant and advocate for arts equity, crafting strategic frameworks for 15+ nonprofits that amplify outreach and education. She has stewarded millions in budgets, negotiated cost-saving contracts without compromising artistry, and fostered interdisciplinary partnerships that boost participation by 30%—all while ensuring every backstage meal and front-of-house interaction reflects the warmth of her “artist-first” philosophy.

At the intersection of precision and passion, Michele’s work is driven by a belief that live art is a catalyst for social change. Whether mentoring crews of 15+, collaborating with global artists, or curating events that center marginalized voices, she builds bridges between logistics and magic—one show, one community, at a time.

Willa “Katy” Cotten (Costume Designer), affectionately called “Katy”, is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 2003 to 2008/2015 she was cast in several small roles in the Langston Hughes play entitled Black Nativity, directed by Oronde Sharif, and in 2006 was nominated by the AACTA (African American Council for The Arts) Onyx Awards as best supporting actress in a musical or revue. As a part of the Kuntu Repertory Theatre under the direction of Dr. Vernell Lillie, Katy was cast as Sarah Vaughn in a Rob Penny production entitled Clean Drums (2009), and was also cast as the wife of the great Negro Baseball League pitcher Satchel Paige in Among the Best (2009). Katy was cast in several roles in Raisin, the musical based on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (2010); her roles included an understudy for Beneatha, Althea the bar proprietor, and several dance numbers. She was cast as an ex-wife in the play entitled I Gotcha, The Story of Joe Tex and the Soul Clan (2010), a New Horizon Theatre production. Katy also experienced her first Pittsburgh Playwrights Black and White Festival in a lead role in 2014. In 2018, as a part of the Washington Community Theater production Hairspray, she was cast as Motormouth Maybelle. And in 2024 she was cast as Grandma Sadie in The Awakening by Lorenzo Boone, a Gold Pyramid Screen and Stage production.

Cheryl El-Walker (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.