THE LADY OF M STREET
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2025
3PM & 7PM at Open Jar Studios
by Dane Figueroa Edidi (she/her)
Directed by Sharifa Yazmeen (she/her)
Stage Manager: Joseph Distl (he/they)
featuring Chasity Moore (She/Her), Dane Figueroa Edidi (she/her), Grant Evan (she/they), Jayae Riley Jr. (She/They),
Leo Sheng (He/Him/His), Sis Thee Doll (She/Her/Hers), and TL Thompson (they/them/t)
with Stage Directions read by Vincent Marcello (he/they)
When Beth’s husband, Mac, has a chance to become the new Headmaster of a famous prep school in 1980’s DC, she is determined to do everything she can to help him achieve it, including murder.
Dane Figueroa Edidi (she/her)
Writer and Performer
Dane Figueroa Edidi: Dubbed the Ancient Jazz Priestess of Mother Africa, Lady Dane is a Black Nigerian, Cuban, Indigenous, American Performance Artist, Author, Poet, Educator, Advocate, producer, a Helen Hayes Award winning Playwright (Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem), a 2021 Helen Merrill Award Winner, Film Maker, Advocate, Dramaturg, a 3x Helen Hayes Award nominated choreographer (2016, 2018, 2023), and a Princess Grace Honoria Award winner. She is the Co-director of the Black Trans Prayer Book.
She is the curator and associate producer of Long Wharf Theatre’s Black Trans Women At The Center: An Evening of Short Plays and is an artistic ensemble member of the company as well.
Sharifa Yazmeen (she/her)
Director
Sharifa Yazmeen (she/her) is a trans Arab-American director, actor, and playwright. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Some of Sharifa’s favorite directing projects include Close to Home (Pillsbury House), Disgraced (American Stage), Beirut (Brown/Trinity Rep), The War Boys (Hangar Theater), 3:59AM (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Babel (CATF), Noon Panir in the Dark (Dartmouth College), and Mosque4Mosque (National Queer Theatre). Yazmeen was honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF’s Barbara Whitman Award in 2021, and Abe Burrows award in 2024. She holds a MFA in Directing from Brown/Trinity Rep, and is currently a Jerome Fellow with Playwrights’ Center. www.sharifayazmeen.com
Joseph Distl (he/they)
Stage Manager
Joseph is a queer Puerto Rican theater artist from Queens with dreams of producing unconventional theater for unconventional audiences. Recent credits include She Loves Me (Long Wharf), Goat Blood (Under St. Marks), Gentleman Robert (Lavahouse Arts), The Hours Are Feminine (INTAR), Spain, Toros (2ST), demons. (Bushwick Starr & ¡OYE GROUP!), Eight Tales of Pedro (Queens Theatre) THIS & THAT (The Chocolate Factory). They have recently became the producing & management associate at INTAR Theatre. Joseph would like to remind you that theater can be used as a force of activism. Take the time to celebrate and uplift marginalized communities that are losing their rights everyday. We are stronger when we are in community.
Chasity Moore (She/Her)
WITCH/MAIDEN
Tempress (Chasity Moore) actress, singer, and Ballroom Icon/Hall of famer from Mount Vernon, N.Y. She began singing in church at age 5, which led her to Star Search, The Apollo, and traveling with a high school drama troupe. Chasity attended Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA) and pursued an acting and singing career. She was discovered by Tyler Perry, being cast as a principal role in I Know I’ve Been Changed. The name Tempress was born in Ballroom. She has made appearances on Ryan Murphy’s Pose, as well as in campaigns for Sephora, Tv One and more. She hosts a YouTube series and a podcast FqCrazySexyCool. Tempress’s latest accomplishment is Playing Grisabella in Cats The Jellicle Ball, the hottest ticket of the summer, receiving many awards including an Obie Award, 2025 Outer Circle Award, As well as Drama critic Circle Award to name a few. Several Write ups including Vogue, New York Times, The New Yorker and more.
Grant Evan (she/they)
WITCH/CRONE
Grant Evan most recently appeared as Peaches in the Regional Premier of Ain't No Mo at Speakeasy Stage in Boston. They are currently attached to Transparent the Musical (Dir. Tina Landau) and recently was seen in A Strange Loop (Thought 1). Other credits include Five Guys Named Moe (Fulton Theatre); The Baker's Wife (Off Broadway with J2 Spotlight -- casting by Stephen Schwartz); Scouts; Songs for A New World (Limelight Theatre); and Lilies, or the Revival of a Romantic Drama (Off Broadway). They currently reside in New York City. IG: @TheGrantEvan (She/They)
Jayae Riley Jr. (She/They)
GERTIE
Jayae Riley Jr. is a proud Black & Trans, St. Louisan, residing in Flatbush, who loves to tell a story through text, sound, speech, and movement. They are thrilled to be performing in the Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival again. OFF BROADWAY: SUFFS (The Public) & Welcome to the Big Dipper (York Theatre) REGIONAL: Trevor: The Musical (Writers) and Scottsboro Boys (Porchlight). NETFLIX: Survival of The Thickest. Much love to DGRW! IG:@jayaerileyjr
Leo Sheng (He/Him/His)
MILLER
Born in China and raised in Michigan by two moms, Leo has spent his entire life in queer community. With a background in social work, community building, and dialogue / facilitation, Leo has worked to center queer and trans voices in storytelling, both on screen and off. After his acting debut in the 2019 film Adam, Leo joined the cast of the Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q (2019) in the series regular role of Micah Lee, and later, The Matrix Resurrections (2021). Leo intentionally fuses his identities as a queer trans man with his art. Through acting and writing, Leo aims to resist the efforts of erasure and demonization of our communities from those in power. Leo is excited to be a part of Breaking the Binary Festival, and to join the cast in reading Lady Dane Edidi’s work, THE LADY OF M STREET. Leo is represented by Jax Hillard of Kreativ Media Partners, who is proud to champion his voice and career within and beyond queer storytelling.
Sis Thee Doll (She/Her/Hers)
WITCH/MOTHER
SIS THEE DOLL is an Artist, Activist, and Sister to thee people, from Houston, Texas. With a mission in life of franchising the disenfranchised, she loves changing the narrative. From creating to singing and acting, Sis does it all! She has been seen on tour in Oklahoma! and on television in American Horror Story: NYC, Pose, and The Last O.G. You can keep up with her on instagram @ucancallmesis and her website ucancallmesis.net
Vincent Marcello (he/they)
Stage Directions Reader
Vincent is so excited to be a part of BTB 2025. Queering the canon and amplifying marginalized voices are tenants of his work. He earned a BFA from Millikin University. Shoutout to Brooklyn!