Cast & Crew

Darryl! Moch - dIRECTOR/iSAAC mEYERS

Darryl! lives in Washington, DC, and hails from Los Angeles.   He graduated in the premier class of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.   He earned a BA in performing arts (theater and dance) and psychology and an MFA in Theatre:Directing.  He also has a Masters in Counseling. 

Darryl!, is excited to join this cast, after a hiatus from the stage, and is grateful to Jason for the opportunity to appear in a cameo role in this amazing story and production and to assist him as AD.  He has performed, directed, written, and choreographed productions in a variety of places throughout the country.  

Darryl!, also directs the Charm City Labor Chorus and is a Transformational Leadership Social Entrepreneur and serves as a consultant and trainer for nonprofits,  mental health, and faith based organizations.

Glenn PEarson - mUSIC dIRECTOR

Glenn Pearson, Pianist, Organist, Music Director & Bandleader, leads Washington’s acclaimed dance orchestra Floating Opera and the Glenn Pearson Swing Band, and is the Pianist for the Cameron Strings Chamber Orchestra. Equally comfortable in classical, jazz, pop, rock, and rhythm and blues, he has performed at the White House, Kennedy Center, Warner Theater, Library of Congress, and dozens of other public venues and private homes in the United States and abroad. Glenn is also Pianist & Music Director for the annual Helen Hayes Awards Show.

His company, Glenn Pearson Productions, is a music and entertainment contracting business involving more than 200 musicians and other entertainers. In addition to donating his time and talent to music and entertainment productions, he gives the same to a wide array of charitable and civic groups, including Martha’s Table, Children’s Hospital, National Kidney Foundation, National Parkinson’s Foundation, and more. Glenn studied piano in the undergraduate and graduate divisions of Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, MD.

Glenn is currently Principal Organist at North Chevy Chase Christian Church in Chevy Chase, MD.

Gene Bruskin - pLAYWRIGHT

Gene Bruskin was born to a Jewish working class family in South Philadelphia and has been a life-long social justice activist, union organizer, poet, and playwright. Since retiring from organizing, Gene wrote his first play in 2016, a musical comedy for and about work and workers called Pray For the Dead-A Musical Tale of Morgues, Moguls and Mutiny. “Pray” also played as a radio drama on more than 30 public radio stations. More details about “Pray” can be found here.

The Moment Was Now is his second post-retirement musical.

Gene wrote his first musical, with Ira Wood in Boston 1975, “The Stolen Bicycle Blues” which was also featured as a radio drama on WBAI (Boston) and elsewhere.

In 1976 Gene and Ira Wood wrote It’s Not the Bus, a story about racism in Boston during the historic busing for desegregation period. The play was produced collaboratively with a larger collective and was later adopted and published as The Last White Class by Marge Pearcy and Ira Wood. During this period Bruskin interned with the San Francisco Mime Troupe and appeared briefly in the Troupe’s production of “Hotel Universe” about the 1977 historic struggle of Filipinos in the International Hotel.

Gene’s 40 year career in the labor movement began in 1978 as a school bus driver and union leader  with the Steelworkers Union (USWA). During this period his play writing went on a long hiatus.

He went on to work for a wide range of unions as an organizer and strategist.  

In the 1990s Gene served for two years as the labor director for the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition.  He then served as Secretary Treasurer for the Food and Allied Service Trades Department of the AFL-CIO from 1994-2006. 

From 2006-2008 he directed the the Justice@Smithfield Campaign for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union that successfully unionized 5,000 slaughterhouse workers in Tar Heel, North Carolina, one of the largest labor victories in the 21st century.  He retired in September 2012 as the Director of Strategic Campaigns from the American Federation of Teachers. 

Gene was also a founder of US Labor Against the War and has done extensive international labor solidarity work.

Throughout his 40 year labor career Gene created an ongoing body of songs and poems.

Gene lives in Silver Spring Maryland with his wife Evie and his daughter Nadja.

Julia Nixon - Frances Harper

If you love the nostalgic, powerful vocalist of days gone by, “The Diva” Julia Nixon is someone you’ll want to hear! Her voice and music embodies this!

Julia is a Washington DC treasure best known for replacing Jennifer Holiday in the original Broadway production of “Dream Girls.” She was discovered by Michael Bennett at Mr. Henry’s Adam’s Morgan in Washington DC.

Julia’s 4 octave range and vocal versatility allow her to sing many genres of music. This is how she got signed to Polygram London Records as a dance recording artist. They put out several releases including “Breakin’ Down,” her break out worldwide dance hit. “Breakin’ Down” and her DC fame caught the attention of the late great Richard Pryor, who invited Julia to tour with him on what would become his last American tour.

This multi-talented lady is a songwriter (Julia co-wrote “Breakin’ Down” ), poet, playwright and actress, and she was awarded a Helen Hayes Award for her efforts! Julia’s brilliant performance of Caroline in “Caroline or Change” at Studio Theatre won her, The Best Lead Actress in a Musical!

“Julia has a sound that transcends time.” Presently she has released 2 singles, one “Survive” a modern, urban funk, dance hit moving across America and into the UK gaining popularity and high praise from critics and DJ’s alike, and the other single “He’s Not You” a powerful ballad that’s got Julia squalling up a vocal storm, perfectly matched for her voice. This song will make it’s debut on WPFW in the very near future. Be on the look out. “Survive” is available on CD Baby. “He’s Not You” is available on ITunes.

Julia can be seen and heard these days at Mr Henry’s 6th and Pennsylvania Ave on Capitol Hill. ( 202-546-8412 ) or MrHenrys.com. You may also see her in a very spirited, elegant tribute to Burt Bacharach/ Hal David. This show has been well received all over the DMV area

LeCount R. Holmes Jr. - Frederick Douglass

Lecount has played many roles over the past years, but is best known for his one man show, the reenactment of “The Life of Frederick Douglass” (written, produced and performed).  LeCount has performed as Frederick Douglas in London, England, the Historic Lincoln Theater in Washington DC, on Capitol Hill and for many colleges throughout the country.  US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee presented him with a proclamation from the House of Representatives in Houston Texas.  He has performed in various plays such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, Hurt so Bad, recently Laughing In Spite Of, and has used his talents in voice overs, modeling, professional whistler, baritone Jazz vocalist. He has performed in musicals and worked as a radio personality in Atlanta, GA, and recently was featured in a National TV commercial a healthy lifestyle for baby boomers. 

LeCount created and successfully launched a singing telegram business where he delivered Singing Grams to such notables as Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Young, Robert Townsend, the late Mayor Harold Washington, the late Noble prize winner, Leon M. Lederman and many others. 

Having lived and traveled in other states, this native son of Washington D.C. lives by his motto for life, “The name of Life’s Game is Don’t Give Up.” 

Ariel Jacobson - William Sylvis

Actor/Musician Ari Jacobson’s DC credits include The Kennedy Center’s Shear Madness (Mikey Thomas), Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (Gregor Samsa; Woolly Mammoth, Capital Fringe Theatre, Prague Fringe Festival), and R.U.R. (Radius; Kennedy Center Page 2 Stage Festival) with Alliance for New Music Theatre, Swing Time (Vance/Sylvie; Mike Thornton Productions), and Love Songs from the Liberation Wars (Slim; Labor Heritage Foundation).

 Other credits include Hershele Ostropolyer (National Yiddish Theatre, NYC), South Pacific (Reagle Music Theatre, MA), a year-long tour of Hamlet/R&G are Dead/Comedy of Errors with the VA-based American Shakespeare Center, and several years as a solo guitarist on Carnival/P&O Cruiselines.

Also a singer/songwriter, you can hear Ari’s original work at www.arijacobson.com