Catharine K. Slusar* (Jackie Cochran, Gene Nora Stumbough) she/her, is an award-winning actor, director, and professor of theater and a member of Actor’s Equity Association. Catharine has performed over 100 roles in regional theaters, including favorites at Theater Exile (Philadelphia): Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, (Barrymore Best Actress,) Emma in Annapurna, (Barrymore Nominee), Faye in Iron (Barrymore Nominee); InterAct Theater (Philadelphia): in Eureka Day!, Going to St Ives, Frozen, Lebensraum, (Barrymore Best Ensemble, and Best Production, Nominee Best Supporting Actress); The Arden: all roles in The Syringa Tree, (Barrymore Nominee), Hook in Peter Pan, among others.  Catharine has also performed in Delaware, NYC, Minneapolis, CT, MI, Russia, and Norway. Catharine is the recipient of The F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Artists, Barrymore Awards for Best Actress, multiple Barrymore nominations, and an Independence Fellowship. Best of all, she is the mom of remarkable twins Jane and Emory, and wife to Whit MacLaughlin. A native of Connecticut, she studied theater at Yale and has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard.

Kaili Y. Turner*  (Mae Jemison, Jane Hart) she/her, is a Black, Indigenous (enrolled member of Nipmuc Nation) multi-hyphenate. A comedian, actress, writer, director, producer, puppeteer and single mother to two boys, she was  raised between Boston and Mashpee, MA (Indian Country) where she apprenticed at OverSoul Theatre Collective. Turner went to UMass Boston, earning her BA in theater Arts. Afterwards she continued her studies with New African Company, and did her first professional play with Company One, as part of Kristen Greenidges’ award winning play, 103 Within the Veil. 

In 2015, Turner graduated from the Actors Studio Drama School (ASDS) in New York City, with her MFA. Some of her favorite acting credits include: “Fires in the Mirror”, ASDS thesis. The Obie award winning play, The Nosebleed, Lincoln Center, Best Ensemble nominee Lucille Lortel awards (2022), “ADY”, HERE Arts. Broken, United Solo, Signature Theatre. “Grown Ass Women”, Upright Citizens Brigade, Maude Team. Regional: “SNL/Second City Scholar Showcase”, Chicago, IL. “My Story is Gluskabe”, Penobscot theatre, Maine. “HOOPS”, The Strand, Boston, MA. “Janie’s Song”, NorthEastern University Boston, MA. “Working Things Out”, National Black Theater Festival, Winston-Salem, NC. “The Nosebleed” Tour, The Walker, RedCat, LA. TV/Film/New Media: “The Cycle film” (HBO Short FIlm Winner, Best film, MVAAFF), “Sexy Time”, Dir. Gaurav Gawankar,  “Best Friend Parody”, Best Music(al) Parody winner, All the Laughs Fest. “Maybe It’s Melanin”, ABFF, Best Comedy Nominee. 

Kaili is excited to be back in her hometown making her Central Square Theatre debut in this amazing new play that showcases some very important iconic women in history. To learn more about Kaili, you can follow her journey at www.KailiYTurner.com and @Madamnstarlight on IG.

Mitra Sharif  (Jasmin Moghbeli, Jean Hixson) she/her, is elated to be making her Central Square Theatre debut! Mitra is a proud Iranian-American, New Jersey native, and Boston-based actor. She approaches art and life through a dialectical lens, exploring contrasting viewpoints. Credits: The Crucible at The Hanover Theatre Repertory, The Importance of Being Earnest at What If? Boston, and Everybody at Northeastern University. Staged readings with Fresh Ink Theatre, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and Lyric Stage Theatre. Trained at Northeastern University, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Boston Casting, and The Improv Asylum. Mitra dedicates her performance to the WOMAN LIFE FREEDOM movement. www.mitra-sharif.com | @mitra_nice_to_meet_yah | @mitramotivates

Sylvie Barjolo (Bessie Coleman, Irene Leverton) she/her, is beyond honored to transcend time and space (and probably break a few laws of physics) with this incredible cast and crew! A Liberian-American actress who grew up in Massachusetts, Sylvie is thrilled to be part of a theater community that is as vibrant and welcoming, She earned her BA in Theater from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A huge shout-out to Central Square Theater and Catalyst Collaborative at MIT for giving her this unforgettable, slightly mind-bending opportunity.

MK Tuomanen* (Sally Ride, Geraldyn Cobb) they/them, is a Jerome Fellow in Playwriting and winner of the Haas Emerging Artist Award. Off Broadway: the New Ohio (Viv in The Karamazovs) Regional: the Wilma Theater (Viola/Sebastian in Twelfth Night, Bart in Mr. Burns, Bette in Fairview) the Arden Theater (The Poet in An Illiad, Emma Goldman in Ragtime, Alison in Fun Home, Puck in Midsummer, Irina in Three Sisters)  and Opera Philadelphia (Andrei Warhola in Andy: A Popera, Lise in Ne Quittez Pas), among others. Their play Peaceable Kingdom (produced with Orbiter3, a playwrights’ collective that included L Feldman) won the 2017 Philadelphia Award and their play Night Science won the Terrence McNally Award in Playwriting in 2024. Their solo work has been seen at FringeArts, Penn Radicals Conference, the Kimmel Center, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, the Annenberg Center and the Playwrights’ Center. They are a company member of Applied Mechanics Theater Company and an associated artist with the Bearded Ladies experimental queer cabaret. As a director, their recent collaboration with John Jarboe, Rose: You Are Who You Eat has been seen at the Guggenheim Museum, LaMama (Under the Radar) and Woolly Mammoth Theater. A New England native, this is their first time in over 20 years performing back on their home turf. www.mkplays.com