1877 Company

Noah Laster (Three/Musician) is an actor, musician, and writer who has been a part of several St. Louis theater productions including Jailbird with Bread and Roses, Winds of Change with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, the original musical Spells of the Sea with Metro Theater Company and most recently A Midsummer Night's Dream with Shakespeare St. Louis. He is incredibly excited to be performing in this new work.

Ryan Lawson-Maeske (One/Morris Sullivan) is so grateful to be collaborating with Bread and Roses Missouri once again, after having the privilege of previously appearing in the radio play Mrs. Palmer’s Honey as well as their production of Jailbird. A proud graduate of Saint Louis University, he is so grateful for the many opportunities to work as a theatre artist in this great city. Recent credits include The Lion in Winter with Midnight Company, The Nerd with Moonstone Theatre Company, and Go, Dog. Go! with Metro Theater Company. Ryan would like to extend a special thanks to Colin for his vision, and to the rest of the cast and crew for their inspired work. 

Joshua Mayfield (Jonah) is very excited to be part of the production of 1877. This is his second time participating in bringing a Colin McLaughlin piece to the stage after appearing in Action earlier this year, and hopefully the second of many more. And he is looking forward to telling such a relevant story.

Courtnei Morris (Eleanor) is a 12-year-old from St. Louis and is excited to be in middle school. Courtnei is a young actor who has performed in many plays at the DaySpring Arts Center. When she is not acting, she loves to play video games, hang out with friends, play guitar, and draw! She’s excited to be in the play 1877.

Christina Rios, M.Ed. (Two) (she/her/ella) is the Artistic Director Emeritus of R-S Theatrics and has worked professionally as an actor, opera singer, intimacy coordinator, and director for over two decades. She is the mother of four dragons, the partner of a wonderful human, and a true believer that art can change the world. ¡Gracias por esta oportunidad!

Tyler White (Mother and Movement Coach), a native of St. Louis, is granted the duty of serving her role as theatre artist both on and off the stage. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Science. She is elated to take part in this project.

Colin McLaughlin (Playwright and Musical Director) is a St. Louis based playwright, actor, musician, and teaching artist. His plays have been produced regionally and nationally, and often focus on social and economic justice. Recent credits include: musical director and collective writing facilitator for The Workers’ Opera, 2017-2021, a full-length play called Jailbird at the Missouri History Museum in 2019, and musical director and composer for Mrs. Palmer’s Honey, and eight part audio play (all produced by Bread and Roses Missouri). His play Action premiered in January 2023, directed by Kathryn Bentley and produced by The Action Art Collaborative, of which McLaughlin is a founding member. He has worked as a composer, musical director, actor and teacher with Metro Theater Company, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, COCA, A Call To Conscience, and Bread and Roses Missouri.

Jess Shoemaker (Director) is a freelance director, playwright, and educator who has spent the last decade working in classical theater and new play development. In addition to directing 1877 for Bread and Roses Missouri this fall, she is also directing Maddi's Fridge for Metro Theater Company. An adjunct faculty member at Webster University and St. Louis University. Additional directing credits include Seedfolks (Metro Theater Company); Sueño (Webster University); Little Women and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Grandstreet Theatre); Loverboy, Flora Circular, 12 Ophelias, and Tjipeter (University of Texas). Jess holds her BFA in Acting from Webster University and her MFA in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Nicholas Kryah (Scene Designer) is an actor, director, designer, playwright and jack-of-all-trades. He ‘retired’ in 2014 after thirty-seven years as Metro Theater Company’s Resident Artist. His play Everything is Round had recent productions at Pollyanna Theatre in Austin and Magik Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. He created the collages for MTC’s 2021 virtual production of Idris Goodwin’s Jacked! and designed the set for their production of Mariah L. Richardson’s Bold, Brave, Curious! Now, when he isn’t traveling or gardening, Nick is in his studio painting, making books, and tapping into the four-year-old that he believes lives inside each of us. Nick is a graduate of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts (now renamed the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts) with a B.A. from Webster University and an M.A. in dramatic literature, theory, and criticism from Michigan State University. With Carol North, he was honored with the Arts and Education Council’s 2014 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award.

Shevaré (Costume Designer) is a multifaceted creative force, adept in the realms of costume design, visual art, poetry, and fashion education. With an unparalleled ability to intertwine visual art, theater, and fashion, Shevaré embarks on a ceaseless exploration of innovative means of creative expression. Her exceptional talent has earned her noteworthy acclaim, being honored with the Emerging Artist Award from the Arts and Education Council in 2022. Demonstrating her undeniable potential and vision, Shevaré was further recognized in 2023 when she received the St. Louis Visionary Award for Emerging Artist.

Jayson Lawshee (Lighting/Projection Designer) is a Saint Louis-based Production Director and Designer whose experiences includes Musical Theater, Opera, New Work, and Dance. An Alumni of The Sargent Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University, Jayson holds a BFA in Lighting Design. Jayson has designed for Metro Theater Company and COCA-Center for Creative Arts, as well as Shakespeare Festival Saint Louis. Some lighting design credits include Billy Elliot, wUNDERland, Four Little Girls (COCA); Last Stop on Market Street and Ghost (Metro); and Love at the River's Edge (SFSTL). He has additionally served as the Assistant Lighting Designer on the Repertory Theater of Saint Louis’ production of Pride and Prejudice. He was the Lighting Programmer for Shakespeare Festival Saint Louis’ production King Lear, and the first Electrics Intern at Wolf Trap Opera in Washington DC. Jayson often refers to the tech table as his “home” and is passionate about making theater in all forms accessible to all people. @the_lawshee

 Jimmy Bernatowicz (Sound Designer) is a St. Louis-based theatre artist, primarily working as a stage manager, sound designer, and producer. Recent sound design credits include Action (Action Arts Collaborative), As You Like It (St. Louis Shakespeare), The Two Character Play (Midnight Company), and programming and mixing for other companies in St. Louis. Jimmy has worked as a stage manager for many companies, including Opera Theatre Saint Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, SATE, Equally Represented Arts, and Metro Theater Company. Currently, he is the Production Manager at Metro Theater Company, where he recently worked on his 14th production with them. Jimmy is a graduate of Saint Louis University, where he received his BA in Theatre and English Literature.

Maria I. Straub (Production Stage Manager) has been working in the St. Louis theater community for the past 20 years. Recent credits:Producer/Production Stage Manager: Seven/24, The Tin Ceiling; The Workers’ Opera, Bread & Roses; Asst. Director: On Golden Pond, Kirkwood Theater Guild; Asst. Stage Manager/Choreographer: Shakespeare In Love, Insight Theatre; Stage Manager: Into The Woods, Little Dancer, COCA. Love to Soupy and Ava!

Emily Kohring (Producer, Executive Director of Bread and Roses Missouri) Emily Kohring is a theatre artist, educator and administrator with more than two decades of experience in arts and culture leadership positions. As a theatre producer, director and dramaturg, she specializes in the development of new plays, and her work has been seen at Metro Theater Company, where she was Education Director and Artistic Associate for nine seasons, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Bonderman New Play Symposium, NYU’s New Plays for Young Audiences and Trike Theatre in Bentonville, AR where she recently directed the premiere production of Mariposa/Butterfly, a bilingual play for the very young by José Casas and Sandy Asher that received the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Distinguished Play Award. She received her MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University.