Stop Kiss Cast

Racquel McKenzie is a Jamaican native and Chicago actor. After years of being a resident dancer for Gorilla Tango Burlesque Chicago she relocated to Arizona to be a director and performance coach for The Murder Mystery Company. She’s been seen as Danitra (Lines In The Dust) Black Theater Troupe, Nurse (Romeo and Juliet), Hermia (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Mowbray (Richard II), and Celia (As You Like It) Southwest Shakespeare Company, Maci (The Cake), and as Ferdinand (Duchess of Malfi) Flagstaff Shakespeare Company. She has a BA in performance from SIUC. She’s happy to join the ETC stage for the first time.

Audrey Young (Callie) – was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona where she performed with Arizona Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company before moving to Flagstaff. While at NAU she performed in To Kill a Mockingbird (Mayella Ewell), The Comedy of Errors (Courtesan), Touch (Zoe/Kathleen) and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. After graduating she began performing with Theatrikos Theatre Company including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Siobhan), Exit Laughing (Rachel), The Trip to Bountiful (Thelma), Blithe Spirit (Ruth Condomine), and The Graduate (Elaine Robinson). Audrey most recently performed with Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival in a virtual, gamer rendition of As You Like It (LeBeau/Audrey). Her other FlagShakes credits include A Lie of the Mind (Beth), which will remount in November, The Winter’s Tale (Mamillius/Perdita), God of Vengeance (Manke), and The Tempest (Antonio). Audrey is excited to return to the stage during these interesting times with ETC

Edward D. Peace Jr. was born in Buffalo, New York. His family moved to Ganado, AZ on the Navajo reservation when he was 7 years old. He started dancing in Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ when he was about 12 and that’s when he decided he would be an actor. He had been involved in multiple high school productions before graduating and leaving to do a period of service for the Baha’i Faith. He currently lives in Flagstaff, AZ and has most recently acted in the Northern Arizona Playwriting Showcase and played in the Hobo character in The Grand Canyon Railway’s production of “The Polar Express.”

Zeke Collins is a 19 year old with an appetite for theatre, and is pleased to be working again with Emerson Theatre for the production of “Stop Kiss”. Part of the Class of 2020 recent graduates of Mingus Union High School, Zeke is enjoying not being in a classroom for a while, yet anticipating his next step into a dramatic arts college, either NYCDA or AMDA. His Junior year he was inducted as International Honor Thespian, and performed with ATORT for all four high school years, climaxing with the role of William in “Shakespeare In Love”. His skills and thirst for theatre continue growing solid as he aims to stretch for deep and challenging roles.

Joan Westmoreland (Mrs. Winsley) is honored to be playing again with Emerson Theater Collaborative. This is her third production with Emerson having appeared as Emily Wheelock Reed in Alabama Story and as Margo Lane in The Shadow in 2019. In Sedona, Joan has been seen in A Christmas Carol, Our Stories, Ourselves, Little Black Dress, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Darkside, Steel Magnolias, the Third-Thursday Tlaquepaque Series and the Online Play Project 2020. San Diego favorites include Grace and Glorie, The Cemetery Club, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Buried Child, 'night, Mother, Middle-Aged White Guys, Equus, The Gin Game, I Hate Hamlet and 84, Charing Cross Road. Joan is retired from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals where for sixteen years she served as chief-of-staff to a federal circuit judge. She is currently self-employed in West Sedona as GrammarGal, the copyeditor.

James Ball (Detective Cole) – James Ball is thrilled to be a part of his first ETC production. James is the Theatre and Choir teacher at Mingus Union High School and is the Director and Producer of the A.T.O.R.T. Theatre Program. He moved to Cottonwood from Chicago with his degree in Music Education from Illinois Wesleyan University. James was most recently seen as Tom in the Two Lucy’s production of Hot Flashes on the Trail. He would like to thank his family and friends for their constant dedication and support and his students for their continual inspiration.

Cathy Ransom is enjoying her first outing with Emerson Theatre Collective. She can be seen frequently in third Thursday live performances at Tlaquepaque produced by Red Earth Theatre. Cathy has been involved in several full-length productions by Red Earth, including Morley, an original play by local playwright Irmgard Lake as Melanie; and The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden by Alan Ayckbourn as Ruth.