Meet the Cast of American Son!

American Son opens this week and we are so excited that all four actors are making their Cumberland Theatre debuts in this powerful show! Rehearsals have been going very well and we are proud to introduce you to this talented group of performers who have been working so very hard!

Krystal Pope is happy to be participating in the first Cumberland Theatre production of American Son and she is honored to work with such a hard-working group of people! In an environment where work is very limited, she is extremely grateful that she has been given this opportunity. She studied theater at Northern Arizona University and has been performing, working, and traveling around the world in various entertainment roles. Her last theatrical production was playing the role of Ca’mae in the premiere of The Mountaintop at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in New Hampshire. She wishes to thank her family and friends for loving, supporting, and always allowing her to chase her dreams. Although they won’t be here to see it, she gives a special shout out to Michelle, Barack, Blake, and Broseph! Enjoy the show!

Thomas J. McCarthy was born just outside of San Francisco, CA and grew up in suburban Detroit, MI. Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina he moved to Chicago,IL to embark on a career in financial services for appx. 10 years. He then shifted gears and entered the commercial real estate arena leasing high rise office towers in downtown Chicago for 6 years. After deciding to take his first acting class at age 42, Tom was officially bitten by the acting bug. He moved to Los Angeles, CA to embark on an acting career where he continued his training with both theatre and camera based classes while building his acting resume. He recently moved back to Chicago to get married and continue with his acting career. His focus has been in the area of independent films. He was recently cast for principal/lead roles in the feature films Torment a Love Story, What Happened in Danville, Relationships, Irrational Fear, The Headmistress and Broken Silence. Tom and his wife Chris currently reside on the north side of Chicago

Seth Thompson has been performing in the tristate area for over a decade. He is honored to be working with the Cumberland Theatre for the very first time, and to be a part of performing this brilliant script by Christopher Demos-Brown. Seth began his acting career at Authentic Community Theatre in Hagerstown, MD. Since then he has worked at the Washington County Playhouse in shows such as: Arsenic and Old Lace (Mortimer), Funny Girl (Nicky Arnstein),

and The Church of Diminishing Marginal

Returns by Jay Huling. He also served as Production Manager for Maryland Entertainment Group where he worked in various capacities for 4 years. While with MEG Seth performed in various shows including: Of Mice and Men (George), The Pillow Man (Tupolski), and Red (Ken). He also has been credited as Director on a few occasions including his directorial debut: Fool for Love by Sam Shepard also performed

by Maryland Entertainment Group. With all the chaos that is the year 2020, Seth is just thankful to be able to get on stage again and he hopes you enjoy the show.

Greg Mays is New York based actor and is making his Cumberland Theatre debut in this production. He has numerous film, web and television credits including appearances on The Perfect Murder, Dead of Winter, and Power. Theatre Credits include: The Curse Within (Pastor Kevin Miller), Love Me Tender (Mitch) and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (Dasher). Greg studied with the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Billie Holiday Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company, and the Frederick Douglas Creative Arts Center. He is represented by Dream Maker Talent Management.

American Son focuses on both sides of the racial divide in American, when an estranged couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to find out what happened to their son.

The show will play for just five performances: October 15th, 16th, & 17th at 8:00 pm and October 17th & 18th at 2:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cumberlandtheatre.com or reserved by calling 301.759.4990. All patrons will be temperature checked at the door and masks are required. All areas will be sanitized between performances. The play is performed without an intermission. The CT staff reserves the right to alter seating assignments to comply with social distancing regulations.