Blue Door at Perisphere Theater

DeJeanette Horne

DeJeanette Horne (he/him), a native Washingtonian, is excited to debut with Perisphere Theater in this production of Blue Door by Tanya Barfield. Storytelling offers a unique and intimate opportunity for us to share another’s perspective. Thank you for this opportunity to tell a beautiful story. Other credits include appearing as Mr. M. in My Children! My Africa! with the Washington Stage Guild; Jim Bono in Fences with the Little Theatre of Alexandria; Simonides, Leonine, Lychorida, Lord of Tyre, Lord Mytilene, and Philomen in The Adventures of Pericles with the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; and many others.

Jaucqir LaFond

Jaucqir LaFond (they/he) is a graduating senior acting major at Howard University from Atlanta, GA. They were previously seen in the virtual production of Silence Is Violence: The Future of the Field (Young Playwrights’ Theater) as co-writer and co-star. Besides acting, Jaucqir enjoys singing, voguing, and writing theatre, poetry, and music. Jaucqir is thrilled to make their return to live theatre with Perisphere and hopes the audience has as enriching a journey with Blue Door as they did.

Tanya Barfield

Tanya Barfield (she/her) is the co-director of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at the Juilliard School. Her play Bright Half Life has been seen at multiple theaters around the country since premiering at WP Theater Off-Broadway; it also received a Lambda Literary Award. Her play The Call premiered as a co-production between Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages. Barfield is the recipient of a Lilly Award and the first inaugural Lilly Award Commission, a Helen Merrill Award, Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize for Drama, and a Lark Play Development/NYSCA grant. She has twice been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award. Her residencies include the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, the Ucross Foundation, New York Stage and Film, the Royal Court International Residency and Seattle Rep’s Women Playwrights Festival at Hedgebrook. She’s also an alumna of New Dramatists and the Dramatist Guild Council. Barfield also writes for television (HBO, FX, Showtime) and shares a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on season four of FX’s The Americans. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for writing the episode “Shirley” of the FX series Mrs. America.

Henery Wyand

Henery Wyand (he/him) is a director and playwright. He was recently a directing fellow with Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). Directing credits: REGIONAL: Adirondack Theatre Festival (ATF): Alice in Wonderland. EDUCATIONAL: Vassar College: h.b. Floating palace, The Wild Party, White is Not the Default, Untitled Project of Color, Spring Awakening. Assistant credits: OFF-BROADWAY: Mrs. Warren’s Profession; STC: Will on the Hill. ATF: Beau, Sequence, The Enlightenment of Percival von Schmootz, Calling All Kates. Training: BA in Drama from Vassar College, Advanced Directing at National Theater Institute.

Sarah McCarthy

Sarah McCarthy (she/her) is thrilled to be Blue Door’s stage manager at Perisphere Theater. Recent productions include A Strange Loop (Woolly Mammoth), On The Town, and The Wheel. She has a BFA from Goucher College, where she pursued technical theatre and creative writing.

Kevin O'Connell

Kevin O’Connell (he/him) is the artistic and executive director of Perisphere Theater. He was the founding artistic director of Barabbas Theatre Company, which produced highly acclaimed plays in the Capital Fringe Festival. These included H5x7, O’Connell’s faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V; the world premiere of Alexandra Petri’s Never Never; and the D.C. area premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s, Exit, Pursued by a Bear. He holds a M.A. in dramaturgy from the Catholic University of America and an M.A. in history from the State University of New York at Albany. Kevin studied directing with Joy Zinoman at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and completed the Directing Studio at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. In addition to Barabbas, Kevin has worked with several local companies, including Quotidian Theatre Company, Factory 449, the Washington Rogues, Pallas Theatre Collective, and Lean & Hungry Theater. He has also worked for the federal government in several capacities since 1994.

Adam Mendelson

Adam Mendelson (he/him) is the Senior Lecturer in Lighting and Sound Design at the University of Maryland Baltimore County where he has been on the faculty since 2012 and helped prepare the new theatre spaces for the opening of the state-of-the-art Performing Arts and Humanities Building. He previously taught at the University of Wyoming, the University of Texas-Arlington, Stephens College (Columbia, MO), and Lawrence Academy (Groton, MA). His design work has been seen across the country and as far afield as Edinburgh, Scotland. Recently, he has lit shows for Rep Stage (Columbia, MD) Lexington Children’s Theatre (Lexington, KY), Annapolis Shakespeare Company (Annapolis, MD), and the Towson University Department of Dance. He lives in Catonsville, MD, with his wife, Catherine, and their menagerie, Lailah and Kona.