Introducing the Cast & Creatives for
THE SUNSET PLAYS!
Kayla Michelle Williams (she/they) is an artist, writer, and stage manager, as well as the General Manager for HARP Theatricals, from Austin, Texas. She studied Theatre Production & Management, Digital Media & Video Production, and Playwrighting at Marymount Manhattan College. There she discovered her passion for storytelling, the creative process, and the community art creates. She previously worked with HARP Theatricals on The Lady Power Project, Death And Taxes, The Yellow Wallpaper, Group, and BLOOD/SWEAT/TEARS as the Production Stage Manager.
Colleen Bowes (she/her) Colleen is a director and writer based in NYC. She most recently directed HARP Theatricals’ virtual production of Cooties, as well as our devised song cycle The Lady Power Project. Previous credits include excerpts from For The Love Of (or, the roller derby play) and Apparition (An Uneasy Play of the Underknown).
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Katie Haan (she/her) is an intimacy director, actor, and advocate for sex education. In addition to providing intimacy choreography for productions at Marymount Manhattan College, intimacy credits include What Love Really Is (Chain Theatre Festival), Spring Awakening (Forager Theatre Company) and Ecstasy Behind the Forgotten (Film). Her Podcast, Your Gay Big Sis is available on all major audio streaming platforms. @itskatiehaan
Quenton Ellis (he/him) is a NYC based musician, composer, writer, and performer. Previous musical direction credits include On the Town (Marymount Manhattan College), Les Miserables (A Class Act NY), Annie & The Addams Family (Jeans Playhouse), and both of the previous versions of Evelyn. Quenton has also accompanied at several different cabaret spots in New York City, including Don’t Tell Mama and The West End Lounge. MMC 2019. Check out Quenton's original music on all streaming platforms!
Conner Hefner (she/her) is an actor, singer, and dog enthusiast from Macon, Georgia who found her way to New York six years ago. Here, she honed her craft in theatre at Marymount Manhattan College and was featured in shows such as An Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde), Love and Information (Caryl Churchill), and Circle Mirror Transformation (Annie Baker). A little fun fact that is not about theatre— in January of 2022, Conner completed her first marathon! It was simultaneously awesome and dreadful. She is grateful to Colleen, Kayla, the cast (especially Aje & Al), and HARP Theatricals for the opportunity to revisit old characters, friends, and play pretend again. For Dad, Mom, and Pax. Check out more at www.connerhefner.com!
Ajé Brown (she/they) is a proud first-gen Liberian-American dancer, choreographer and actress. While majority of her art is concentrated in Dance and movement, she also has love for the theatre. Graduated from UNC-Greensboro, Brown received their BFA in Acting with a minor in Dance in Musical Theater. They have choreographed several pieces, from the Charlotte Fashion show (2015) to co-choreographing for the film world (Inspace. Dir. Kemari Bryant). Brown loves all aspects of the art world and a huge goal for her career is to create spaces for Black Artists to shine as bright as they can, starting with young Black children. They want to see thousands of more black people in the same spaces that white people have occupied for years. When she isn’t doing art, Brown loves going out with their loved ones and traveling all parts of the globe.
Al Groppi (they/them) is an actor, writer and podcaster based in Queens, with a passion for philosophy and storytelling. When they're not rehearsing for/recording a show, they can usually be found playing cozy games, crocheting, or gleefully screeching at horror movies. They graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2020 with their BFA in Acting and are thrilled to be making their HARP debut. Recent film, theater, and podcast credits include The Minotaur at Theater for the New City, The Pantry at Teatro LATEA, FilmCollects' Then and Then, and their regular podcast spot on Getting Informed: A Leftist Lit Podcast, a political theory book club they co-host with their good buddy Collin that can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream your shows. Upcoming projects include Sommer Stories' The Forgotten and several unannounced works Al is not allowed to plug yet, but career/media updates can always be found on their instagram @algroppi.
Bradley Adam Stein (he/they) is an actor thrilled to return to the stage after almost two years. They can be seen in the upcoming web series My Nineties and the feature film A Taste of Youth. Bradley also recently produced the new musical Heartbreak County at The Soho Playhouse and its' world premiere cast recording now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. You can read more at www.bradleyadamstein.com. This performance is dedicated to Noah.
Jake Banasiewicz (he/him) is an actor and playwright based in NYC. Jake received his BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College in 2019. He is now an active ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists. You can catch him performing with the New York Neo-Futurists in their weekly show The Infinite Wrench or on their podcast Hit Play wherever you listen to podcasts. Other acting credits include Zerospace (Featured Performer), Makes Sense Theatrics' Imagination Row (Annabelle), and Marymount's Hamlet (Osric). As a playwright, his play Blinking, Or The What Play was produced at Dixon Place in March 2020. Jake is also available for anything that pays money.
Craig Long (he/him) is an actor, pianist, and music director from New York. Recently, he was the pianist and conductor for a workshop production of a new musical ONLY PLACE I BELONG (The What Co.). He holds a BFA in Acting and a minor in Writing from the Stage from Marymount Manhattan College, where he acted in productions of Anne Washburn’s 10 OUT OF 12 and Simon Stephen’s’ PUNK ROCK. He is also currently studying classical piano and technique with the pianist Jarred Dunn. When not on stage or at the piano, you can find Craig procrastinating on something or listening to Tori Amos albums. As always, thanks to my parents, my sisters, Keith, and Ruby.
Amelia Sorensen (she/her) Is an Actress and photographer from Oregon, who has been living and working in NYC since 2018. She has trained with Rob McCaskill, Bob Krakower and in London at RADA. She’s so excited to be back onstage, and is thankful for the Harp Theatricals team for putting on such a powerful production.
Matthew Bump (he/they) is an actor and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. They studied Theater and Theater Design and Production at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and continued his education at both Emerson College and Central Connecticut State University. Matthew has a deep lovefor storytelling and playing, and in turn spends a lot of their free time playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
Annie Conolly (they/she/he) is a multi-talented actor/musician from Carrboro, NC. The "front porch" culture of the south cultivated their love for musical and theatrical performances--always having a venue to entertain the neighbors. After moving to Greensboro and taking the leap to audition for UNCG's BFA in Acting program, they knew that acting was what they wanted to do for the rest of their life. They came out as queer and then nonbinary, fulfilling their unique and individual spot in the world. When not onstage or behind the camera, you can find them playing guitar in their bands managed by CK Studios. An avid lover of the outdoors, their cats (Sylvia aka "CHONK" & Lynx), and going on adventures, nothing in this world stops them from breathing love into everything they do.