Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage serves up a savory story of resilience, redemption, and the healing powers of food in Clyde’s. The formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of a truck-stop sandwich joint are on a mission to create the perfect sandwich—and to move forward from past lives that were far from perfect. Though Clyde, the shop’s formerly incarcerated owner, is a “second chance” employer who only hires people who’ve experienced incarceration, she never hesitates to remind her staff of just how precarious their lives are: how much they depend on her and the jobs she’s given them. Hope and humor are the main ingredients in this thoroughly entertaining—and thoroughly urgent—play. The Washington Post called this Pulitzer Prize-winning play a “highly entertaining comedy of kitchen nightmares”.
Clyde’s
Hope and humor are the main ingredients in this thoroughly entertaining—and thoroughly urgent—play.
Meet The Cast
Kelli Crump
Clyde
Kelli Crump (she/her) Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre at Alma College, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Michigan. Kelli is a graduate of Central Michigan University and has studied Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She is a recipient of the NAPAT Classical Acting Award, the VASTA Vocal Excellence Award, the Charlene Gordon Arts Impact Award, the John Cauble Emerging Leader Award, and the Region III ASPIRE Faculty Fellowship Award presented by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Kelli has worked with many of our nation’s most critically acclaimed and award-winning professional theatre organizations including the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. For more than a decade, Kelli has worked as a teaching artist, exposing others to the depth, richness, and excitement of culturally inclusive, anti-racist, and socially conscious live theatre. Kelli is a National Councilor and proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, SAG/AFTRA, and is an official Tony Award voter for the 2023-24 Broadway Season.
Stage credits include: Hair, Doubt, Hairspray, The Laramie Project, Little Shop of Horrors, Hamlet, Chicago, Tartuffe and A Little Night Music.
Film/TV credits include: HBO’s – LOOKING, ABC’s – When We Rise, Being Flynn with Robert DeNiro, The Normals with Bryan Greenberg, The Hideout with Treat Williams, and The Storyteller with Christopher Atkins.
Alexander Pobutsky
Jason
Alexander is over the moon to make his Detroit Public debut, as well as getting to be one of the lucky few to play the role of Jason in both Sweat and Clyde’s. He can most recently be seen in the Oscar-winning American Fiction, Hulu/FX’s Justified: City Primeval (in which for five episodes he played an Albanian from Hamtramck, his hometown!), The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, and The Blacklist. Theater: Sweat (Detroit Repertory), Blue Man Group, Hir (Apollinaire), This Is Our Youth (The Hive). Shout out to all his improv homies and his cat Milo, aka the Handsome King.
Erik Hernandez
Rafael
Erik Hernandez, a metro-Detroit native, is excited to be back home performing at the Detroit Public Theatre for the first time. It’s also his first play ever and he’s ready to bring this incredible character to life and share the powerful message of Clyde’s. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. (Credits) Television: Power Book II: Ghost (Gordo), For The Boys (Christian) National Tour: Aladdin (Razoul u/s & Ensemble) Off-Broadway: Spamilton (Daveed Diggs/Man #3) Regional: Rent (Collins), Mu’Allaqatna: An Extension of Glories (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Evita. All thanks to Xavier, my incredible family, Stewart Talent Agency, BAC Talent, Larry Moss for showing me the importance of good writing, Beyoncé, and most importantly, Harlem. (ILYF) Instagram: @imerikhernandez
Marie Muhammad
Letitia
Marie Muhammad (she/her) is an actor based out of Detroit, MI. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Wayne State University and will earn a Master of Fine Arts in Acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in 2026. Some of her career highlights include productions of Lynn Nottage’s Mlima’s Tale and Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City at Theatre Nova, for which she won an award for her performance as G, Miranda Rose Hall’s Plot Points in Our Sexual Development at The Ringwald Theatre, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman at Flint Repertory Theatre, Tori Sampson’s Cadillac Crew at The Inspired Acting Company, Sarah Elisabeth Brown’s Lovebird Jamboree at Planet Ant Theatre, Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger’s Dreamgirls at the former Detroit Actor’s Theatre Company, and numerous projects with Black and Brown Theatre. Marie can be seen as Alicia in Charles A. Kennedy, Jr.’s Affliction (2021), and she has contributed commercial and voice over work for Chevrolet, Ford, Motown Museum, print modeling for Affinity Bands, Ellis Island Tea, and runway for Foot Locker x Bre’Ann White. Marie is honored to work with Detroit Public Theatre in the critically acclaimed Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage to bring awareness to the plight of returning citizens. She is forever thankful to her family and friends for their unwavering love and support, especially to her partner Joey, sisters Zahirah and Tahirah, and nieces Amaya and Zahra. You can follow her journey on IG @riemixx4693
Brian Marable
Montrellous
Detroit Public Theatre: Detroit ‘67, Skeleton Crew, Pipeline; Baltimore Center Stage: Detroit ‘67; The Old Globe and People’s Light Theater: Skeleton Crew; Performance Network: The Mountaintop (Martin Luther King, Jr.), The Piano Lesson (Boy Willie); Purple Rose Theatre Company: Superior Donuts (Franco). Film/ TV—Have a Little Faith (Hallmark Movie), The Citizen (2012, Monterey Media), Low Winter Sun (AMC), Standing in the Shadows of Motown (James Jamerson). Education— Howard University, Wayne State University.
Meet The Creative Team
Courtney Burkett
Director
Courtney’s DPT directing credits include Cry It Out, Marie and Rosetta, Murder Ballad (Wilde Award Nomination: Best Musical; It’s All Theatre: Best of Season), American Hero, and the touring production of Detroit ‘67. Courtney played Laurie in DPT’s production of Pipeline. Prior to co-founding DPT, Courtney spent five years as Director of Theatre Programs at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, where she trained and mentored hundreds of young actors. Directing credits at Mosaic include The Tempest, Candide, Hastings Street, Lil Ham, and The Crucible. Before Mosaic, Courtney was a founding artistic partner with Breathe Art Theatre Project, where she directed and produced many productions and appeared in boom (Winner: The Rogue Critic Best Supporting Actress). Courtney spent two years working at the University of Michigan as the managing director of the CRLT Players. In that position, she oversaw 50 applied theatre performances annually on campuses throughout the country. Courtney also served as the business manager for the University of Detroit Mercy Theatre Company. While at UDM, Courtney taught in the Department of Theatre and directed and performed in Theatre Company productions. Courtney is a fourth generation native Detroiter. She received her BFA from Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts and her MFA from Wayne State’s Hilberry Theatre program
Badriyyah F. Wazeerud-Din
Stage Manager
Badriyyah is delighted to be a part of the DPT family. She has worked on DPT productions in the 8th season including Passing Strange and Detroit ’67 On Tour (2023), and in the 9th season on Eight Nights, DPT’s Holiday Cabaret, Blues For An Alabama Sky and Detroit ’67 On Tour (2024), as an ASM. She has been a stage manager and production assistant for the African World Festival, and a stage manager for the Obsidian Theatre Festival. As a resident of Detroit, DPT’s creative space in the community resonates deeply with her, where diverse and powerful stories come to life. She loves the performing arts and has appeared in musical theatre productions and has performed as an instrumentalist. Badriyyah is a captivating singer-songwriter, recording, and voiceover artist who enjoys performing and telling stories through music. She has performed and recorded with many artists including Painted Pictures, Malik Alston & The Linwood Ensemble, Sean Blackman, and Veronique. Her current well-received vinyl EP project is “You Are The One” (Truth Manifest Records). Badriyyah gives special thanks to her husband, Malik Alston, Courtney Burkett, Sarah Clare Corporandy, Sarah Winkler, Patrick Hanley, John Sloan III, Madelyn Porter, Brian Marable, Doran Konja, and Sarah Ackerman for their encouragement and support. Family and friends bring her the greatest blessings and joy. IG: @badriyyahthesinger
Sarah Ackerman
Assistant Stage Manager & Props Designer
Sarah Ackerman (she/they) is a freelance stage manager from Warren, Michigan. This season at DPT she worked as a scenic painter/wig maintenance for Eight Nights, the prop/costume coordinator for the Holiday Cabaret, production stage manager for Detroit ’67 and is now props designer for Clyde’s. Sarah has a BFA in stage management from Michigan State University. Their most recent PSM credits include It Happened In Key West (Fulton Theatre) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Nashville Opera.) Her event stage management credits vary with clients such as Mastercard, Ford, WeWork and The Detroit Jazz Festival. Sarah freelances as a scenic artist, makeup/wig designer, guest lecturer and high school tech theatre teacher for the past 7 years. Proud member of Actors Equity. @_sarahackerman, sarahmackerman.com
Amelia Bransky
Scenic & Props Designer
Amelia Bransky is delighted to return to Detroit Public Theatre for Clyde’s. Her last set design at DPT was for the 2019 production of Beauty Queen of Leenane. Amelia is currently working as an Associate Professor of Theatre at Pomona College in Southern California. She also works for the production design company Freehold Group as a lead designer with whom she has worked with Adidas, Les Mills, HBO, and Marvel on a variety of events and activations. Selected past theatrical productions include; Frankenstein (Dallas Theatre Center), SHAPE (Kitchen Theatre), Empathitrax (Second Thought Theatre), and the premiere of Birthday Candles during the New Play Workshop at Chautauqua Theatre Company in 2017. Recent Art Director Credits include Gordon Ramsey’s Next Level Chef and HBO’s premiere and after party for Season 4 of True Detective: Night Country. When not on set or in the rehearsal room, Amelia can be found exploring the regional food scenes of the U.S., hiking with her dog, Opal, and simply enjoying her community. She is passionate about reproductive rights, mental health, and social justice. She also values a perfectly crafted sandwich. Amelia received her MFA in Scenic and Costume Design from Southern Methodist University and her BA in Theatre from California State University Chico.
Christianne Myers
Costume Designer
Christianne Myers is delighted to be back at DPT (Blues for an Alabama Sky, Marie & Rosetta, Dot, Beauty Queen…). She is a freelance costume designer and Prof. of Theatre & Drama at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. New York highlights include the Obie Award-winning productions of Music Theatre Group’s Running Man and Blue Light’s production of Dare Clubb’s Oedipus. Other design credits include productions for The Santa Fe Opera, Detroit Public Theatre, The Juilliard School, The Vermont Stage Company, The Lincoln Center Institute, The Clarence Brown Theatre, The Syracuse Stage, The Indiana Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks/USA, The Caldwell Theatre, The Irondale Ensemble, and Opera Memphis. At U-M, she has designed more than fifty productions, including Elizabeth Cree, Henry IV, A Little Night Music, and Caroline, or Change.
Kate Hopgood
Audio Designer
Kate Hopgood is thrilled to be returning to the Detroit Public Theatre. Credits: Broadway: Birthday Candles (Roundabout’s American Airlines Theater). Regional credits include: Mrs. Harrison (Williamston Theatre), Noura (Detroit Public Theatre), Eight Nights (Detroit Public Theatre), Julius Caesar (PlayMaker’s Repertory Company), The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Detroit Public Theatre), The Tempest, Richard III, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost... (Michigan Shakespeare Festival). Chicago: Love’s Labour’s Lost (Lifeline Theatre), Titus Andronicus (Babes with Blades), The Electric Baby, Wrens (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble).
John Alexander
Lighting Designer
John D. Alexander (Lighting Design) OFF-BROADWAY: Packages O’ The Things We Deliver (Nat’l Black Theatre); Lambs 2 Slaughter (Cherry Lane Theatre) and Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence (New Victory Theater). Recent designs include: Sanctuary Road (Virginia Opera); Confederates (Mosaic Theatre Co.); Selling Kabul (Signature Theatre); From the Mississippi Delta (Westport Country Playhouse); Crying on Television (Everyman Theatre); Quamino’s Map (Chicago Opera Theatre); B.R.O.K.E.N. Code B.I.R.D. Switching (Berkshire Theatre Group); Sheepdog and The House of the Negro Insane (Contemporary American Theatre Festival). Upcoming designs include: Is God Is (Constellation Theater) and Sleepova (Olney Theatre Center). www.JohnDAlexanderLightingDesign.com
Cornell Jermaine
Hair & Makeup Designer
Cornell Jermaine is a dedicated wig designer known for his passion for enhancing beauty and commitment to professionalism. He has an exceptional track record in the entertainment and fashion industries, with a keen eye for detail and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Cornell has significantly contributed to numerous Broadway productions such as Beautiful: The Carole King Story, August Wilson’s Jitney, Disney’s Lion King, and more, as well as television and film projects like BMF: Black Family Mafia (Starz), Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cops, and OWN’s Greenleaf. His artistic expertise and dedication make him a distinctive artist, committed to helping individuals shine on and off the stage.
Jen Pan
Intimacy & Fight Coordinator
Jen Pan (she/they) is a Ypsilanti-based fight and intimacy director, actor, and stunt performer. Her work has recently seen at Passing Strange, Eight Nights (Detroit Public Theatre), The Play That Goes Wrong, Jekyll & Hyde (Croswell Opera House), Life on the Moon (Detroit Repertory Theatre), Obsidian Theatre Festival, Perfect Arrangement (PTD Productions), and Henry V (Livonia Shakespeare in the Park). In addition to their training with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), Dueling Arts International (DAI), and Intimacy Directors & Coordinators (IDC), they are also a co-founder and lead instructor at Theatrica Gladiatoria in SE Michigan where they teach year-round classes and workshops in stage and film combat (www.fightglad.com).
