TENDER AGE WRITTEN BY GEORGE BRANT DIRECTED BY HENRY GODINEZ
ABOUT STUDIO THEATRE Studio Theatre is Washington’s premier venue for contemporary theatre, “where local audiences will find today’s edgiest playwrights” (Variety). One of the most respected midsized theatres in the country, Studio Theatre produces exceptional contemporary drama in deliberately intimate spaces. Drawing inspiration from great ensembles—where people work together with a spirit of generosity and professional rigor—Studio brings characteristic thoughtfulness and daring to its work onstage and off, through its new work incubator and engagement, education, and workforce training initiatives. Now in its 42nd season, Studio looks to honor its history through encouraging a creative culture in which artistry and boldness stem from inclusion, training, stewardship, and the collaborative spirit of the rehearsal room. Every year, Studio serves over 66,000 people, including more than 400 youth and young adults through engagement and education initiatives. Throughout Studio’s four decades, the quality of our work has been recognized by sustained community support, as well as 398 nominations and 72 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theatre.
FRIENDS, We made it! In a year full of pivots and changes, Studio Theatre has truly embraced the new this season. And this note is written in that spirit. You would usually be reading a word of welcome from Artistic Director David Muse instead of me— Studio’s new-ish Associate Artistic Director. But David is currently on a short leave celebrating his own good news—his second daughter Riley made her world premiere this May. At the same time, we have all been busy producing a Studio premiere—Tender Age by George Brant, directed by acclaimed Chicago-based director Henry Godinez. This bold new play humanizes the immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border through Martín, a Mexican-American security guard and father brought to life by actor Bobby Moreno. George, whose play Grounded was produced at Studio in 2014, was making changes to his script right up until filming day. His powerful new play is at once harrowing and heartfelt, political and personal. In other words, he has written a quintessentially Studio play. We are proud to close a season of embracing new forms, mediums, and ways of connecting our artists with our audience with a poignant new play that highlights what Studio has always done best—develop and produce outstanding contemporary work that reflects themes of our day with honesty and enlightenment. This note also retires the new-ish from my title as I have had the good fortune of working alongside this dynamic staff for a year and a half now, albeit over Zoom more often than not. When I joined Studio in January 2020, I could not have expected what the world would throw at us in the year that followed—a global health pandemic; calls for racial justice in the streets and in our industry; a presidential election that challenged the very roots of our democracy; and more. But what I knew then and what I believe even more so now is that the Studio Theatre team—its staff, Board, artists, and you, our faithful audience and supporters—has the courage, conviction, and creativity to use our art to build community no matter what. This season may have been full of the new, but I am so glad that that mission is as steadfast and stronger than ever. I so look forward to meeting you—in person!—next season. Yours,
REGINALD L. DOUGLAS ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
S T U D I O
T H E A T R E
P R E S E N T S
Tender Age BY GEORGE BRANT DIRECTED BY HENRY GODINEZ
DAVID MUSE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF VIDEO WES CULWELL
REBECCA ENDE LICHTENBERG MANAGING DIRECTOR
LIGHTING DESIGNER ALBERTO SEGARRA SOUND DESIGNER VICTORIA DEIORIO CULTURAL CONSULTANT JACQUELINE GUILLEN
Tender Age was developed during a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference in 2019. Preston Whiteway Executive Director Wendy C. Goldberg Artistic Director 2
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DRAMATURG ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ALLIE ROY* DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION JOSH ESCAJEDA
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND SET CONSULTANT JEFFREY MARTIN VIDEO PRODUCTION STUDIIO BOX DC, STUDIIOBOXDC.COM
Cast MARTÍN BOBBY MORENO* Setting Brownsville, TX on the Mexico border, 2018
* Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Studio Theatre, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
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NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG Tender Age began with an image— sleeping children—and a hunch by playwright George Brant that this haunting vision might dovetail in some way with the worsening situation at the US-Mexico border, where refugees were being held in limbo, suspended between leaving and arriving... Then, the news—and pictures— broke: under the Trump administration’s 2018 “zero tolerance” immigration policy, children seeking asylum in the US were being forcibly separated from their families. The stories of children—under 18, under 13, under 3—sent to so-called “tender age” facilities along the Texas-Mexico border struck Brant hard, tethering the play he was already writing to then-current affairs. Like Grounded, Brant’s tense monologue play about a fighter pilot grounded by pregnancy and retrained to remotely fly drones in the US’s war in Afghanistan, Tender Age is a solo play about the struggles and stakes of individual responsibility within a bureaucracy. How can one person feel responsible, much less make change—any change—in the face of a system so sprawling and entrenched? Martín, a first-generation Mexican American living in the US border town of Brownsville, Texas is uneasy about his new job from the start—guarding refugees awaiting deportation sounds…bleak. But when he sees the center where he’ll be working—a renovated Walmart, home to a barber shop, movie theatre, cafeteria—he figures at least the residents are going to have a pretty cushy stay there while they await their deportation hearings. That optimistic feeling evaporates when the 4
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shelter’s first residents arrive in the middle of Martín’s graveyard shift, and he discovers they are all young children. He’s heard, though, about unaccompanied minors making the 1,000-mile journey from Honduras, El Salvador, or Guatemala on their own. He figures, they’ve got to stay somewhere, right? As the reality of the new family separation policy becomes clear, Martín finds himself at odds with his wife, who leaves water in the grasslands around the Rio Grande for migrants trying to cross the border; with his extended family, which includes undocumented immigrants; with his daughters, who just want to hear he’s helping los niños. And back at work, strangely, none of the kids are leaving. Then the first kid gets sick. And Martín’s got a new set of decisions ahead of himself. Tender Age doesn’t offer policy or personal solutions. Instead, it’s an urgent and thoughtful look at how to answer a moral call when you see suffering—and why it takes such direct contact with suffering to feel that call to begin with. And the play turns that question outward: Once you’ve seen power at such close range, what will you do with your own? ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL DRAMATURG
playwright
GEORGE BRANT’S plays include Grounded,
Marie and Rosetta, Into the Breeches!, The Prince of Providence, Tender Age, Elephant’s Graveyard, and The Mourners’ Bench. His scripts have been translated into 15 languages and performed in 22 countries by such companies as The Public Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Cleveland Play House, Trinity Rep, Studio Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, London’s Gate Theatre, Page 73, and Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, among others. George has received a Lucille Lortel Award, an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, the Smith Prize, a Scotsman Fringe First Award, an Off West End Theatre Award, a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, three Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, and the Keene Prize for Literature. George has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, Trinity Rep, Dobama Theatre, and Cleveland Play House, and awarded fellowships from the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, the MacDowell, McCarter Theatre Center, The New Harmony Project, the Blue Mountain Center, the Hermitage Artist Retreat, and the Michener Center for Writers. George is published by Samuel French, Oberon Books, and Smith & Kraus. He is currently working on a stage adaptation of the novel Crooked River Burning, a musical version of The Land of Oz, and an adaptation of Grounded for the Metropolitan Opera with music by Jeanine Tesori. TENDER AGE
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HENRY GODINEZ is the Resident Artistic Associate
at the Goodman Theatre. At the Goodman, he’s directed Fannie Lou Hamer, Speak On It! by Cheryl West; Feathers and Teeth by Charise Castro Smith; The Sins of Sor Juana and Mariela in the Desert by Karen Zacarías; Millennium Mambo by Regina Taylor; Electricidad and Straight as a Line by Luis Alfaro; The Cook by Eduardo Machado; Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez; the Goodman/Teatro Vista co-production of José Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics; and the 1996–2001 productions of A Christmas Carol. He also served as director of the Goodman’s Latino Theater Festivals. His other directing work includes the world premiere of Boleros for the Disenchanted by José Rivera at Yale Rep (and a subsequent production at the Goodman) and the world premiere of Urban Zulu Mambo by Regina Taylor at Signature Theatre Company (New York), as well as productions at Indiana Repertory Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, Children’s Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Co-founder and former Artistic Director of Teatro Vista, Godinez is the recipient of the 1999 Theatre Communications Group Alan Schneider Director Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts, and was honored as the 2008 Latino Professional of the Year by the Chicago Latino Network. Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez is a professor at Northwestern University and serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
actors
BOBBY MORENO most recently
starred in 72 Miles to Go at Roundabout Theatre Company. His other theatre credits include Mankind and Grand Concourse at Playwrights Horizons, Fulfillment Center at Manhattan Theatre Club, Lazarus at New York Theatre Workshop, Alligator at New Georges, Year of the Rooster (Drama Desk Award nomination) and Hand to God at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Invasion! at Play Company. His film and television credits include Dish, How He Fell in Love, Netflix’s Living with Yourself, HBO’s High Maintenance, National Geographic’s The Hot Zone, CBS’s Bull and Elementary, and Showtime’s Homeland.
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Production WES CULWELL (Director of Video) is an award-winning producer and director. He founded Studiio Box Creative in 2012 and has been committed to creating visibility around social justice issues as well as establishing Studiio Box as a premier creative agency in the greater Washington, DC area. Wes has spent more than 20 years in production, including nine years producing for networks such as NBC, Bravo, Oxygen, VH1, TLC, and National Geographic. During this challenging year for the arts, Wes has focused his energies on assisting theatrical companies to bring their visions to the digital screen. He received a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine and an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. studiioboxdc.com. ALBERTO SERGARRA’S (Lighting Designer) selected Washington, DC credits include The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre MTC; BOY at Keegan Theatre; Earthrise at The Kennedy Center; Blood at the Root at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lighting Design); The Agitators, Vicuña & the American Epilogue, and Satchmo at the Waldorf at Mosaic Theater; and An Act of God at Signature Theatre. Other credits include 1776 and The Gift Horse at New Repertory Theatre and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at BlueBarn Theatre. Alberto received his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Maryland, College Park, and he is a USA 829 member. Upcoming projects include Quixote Nuevo at Round House Theatre, The Thanksgiving Play at Olney Theatre Center, and Acoustic Rooster at The Kennedy Center. albertosegarra.com. 8
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VICTORIA DEIORIO (Sound Designer) is returning to Studio after designing Doubt: A Parable in 2019. Victoria has composed music and designed Off Broadway shows for The Sheen Center, Theatre at St. Clements, Pearl Theatre Company, Joe’s Pub, The Duke on 42nd Street, The Actors Center, Primary Stages, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Regionally, she has worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Signature Theatre, Seattle Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, and many more. She has composed and designed the following films: Thump, The Interview, Use Me Up, and One Sunday Afternoon. Victoria is the first woman to have been nominated for 14 Joseph Jefferson Awards—winning seven—for both composition and design. She has also been nominated for two After Dark Awards and a Syracuse Area Live Theater Award. She helped form the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association, serving as Co-Chair of the Executive Board. She is Chair of the Design and Technology Department and Head of Sound Design at DePaul University. victoria-sound-design.com. JACQUELINE GUILLEN (Cultural Consultant) is a bilingual Mexican actress, born and raised in border towns Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas. As an actor, Jacqui’s Off Broadway credits include 72 Miles to Go at Roundabout Theatre Company and Then They Forgot About the Rest at INTAR Theatre. Her TV credits include Bull, Blue Bloods, Orange is the New Black, and Search Party. She was a finalist for the 2020 Nosotros
Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam presented by NBC. She currently resides in New York with her fiancé and her dog, Ramona Flowers. On Instagram at @Jacquie.guillen. jacqueline-guillen.com. ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL (Dramaturg) is the Literary Director at Studio, where she has dramaturged the world premieres of I Hate it Here, Queen of Basel, The Remains, No Sisters, I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart, Animal, Red Speedo, Dirt, Lungs, and The History of Kisses as well as productions of Flow, Until the Flood, 2.5 Minute Ride, Cry It Out, Translations, Curve of Departure, The Effect, Wig Out!, Straight White Men, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Constellations, Jumpers for Goalposts, Bad Jews (twice), The Apple Family Plays, Invisible Man, Sucker Punch, The Golden Dragon, and The New Electric Ballroom, among others. Prior to joining Studio, she spent eight seasons at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she headed the literary department and coordinated project scouting, selection, and development for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She is the co-editor of eight anthologies of plays from Actors Theatre and editor of 10 editions of plays through Studio. Adrien-Alice holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. ALLIE ROY (Production Stage Manager) returns after stage managing Studio’s first audio play, Kings, and streaming productions of Cock, 2.5 Minute Ride, and Flow this season. Her other Studio credits include Admissions, If I Forget, Translations, Curve of Departure, Straight White Men, Murder Ballad, Silence! The Musical, and the world premiere of Animal for the Women’s Voices Theater Festival. Regional credits include West Side Story in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra and Love, Factually at The Kennedy Center; the world premieres of Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing and Diner, as well as A Chorus Line, Grand Hotel, The Scottsboro Boys, West Side Story, and Elmer Gantry at Signature Theatre; the world premiere of After the War,
as well as When January Feels Like Summer and Ulysses on Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; and The Originalist at Arena Stage. LÜCIÉN REUBENS (Production Assistant) is a queer actor, technician, activist, art maker, and creator. They served as the production assistant on Studio’s 2021 productions of Cock, Until the Flood, 2.5 Minute Ride, and Flow. They have worked on lights for Doubt and Pipeline at Studio and The Bodyguard at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and worked in sound for A Sign of Rain at Studio, Disney’s Newsies at Arena Stage, and Arbat’s Bremenskie Muzikanty at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. They began working in professional theatre at Olney Theatre Center, assisting with lighting for the regional premieres of Elf the Musical, Once, Matilda, and Tiger Style!, as well as the North American premieres of Labour of Love, Oil, and Mary Stuart. Lücién graduated with a BFA in Theater from Colgate University. On Instagram and Twitter at @livinpoetry. ANNABEL HEACOCK (Assistant Director) is a director, writer, performer, deviser, and recent Northwestern University graduate with degrees in Theatre and Sociology. She assistant directed Studio’s 2021 productions of Cock and 2.5 Minute Ride. Select Northwestern directing credits include an immersive production of The Visit, The Donkey Show, Carrie: The Musical, and Crisis Resolution in the Middle East for the annual Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival. Assistant directing credits include The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls and Twelfth Night. While at Northwestern, Annabel served as the Artistic Director of WAVE Productions, a self-supporting, not-for-profit student theatre company. She also coordinated the annual Director’s Festival, helping young artists develop their craft and direct a fully produced one-act play.
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PRODUCTION STAFF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANNABEL HEACOCK
CAMERA OPERATOR ZACH WOOD
COSTUME CONSULTANT BRANDEE MATHIES
AUDIO POST PRODUCER MATTHEW NIELSON
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT LÜCIÉN REUBENS
LOCATION AUDIO DELANEY BRAY
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAN MUYS CAMERA OPERATOR ADAM KRELL For additional members of the production staff, see the full staff listing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The playwright would like to thank Laura Kepley, Carrie Chapter, Carlo Alban, Lexy Leuszler, Kalina Ko, Maria Zurita Ontiveros, Brian Lillienthal, M. Florian Staab, Matt Hubbs, Ryan Duncan-Ayala, Gaby Godínez, Betty Galindo, Wendy C. Goldberg, Mark Clements, Lisa King, Sinai Peter, and Lyndsay Burch. Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the US labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. Equity is governed by its own members through an elected Council, representing principal actors, chorus actors and stage managers living in three regions: Eastern, Central, and Western. Members at large participate in Equity’s governance through a system of regional Boards and Committees. Equity has 28 designated area liaison cities with over 100 members each. WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, Audio & Videotapes or Audio & Videodiscs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine. 10
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sponsors
Studio Theatre’s 2020–2021 season is made possible through the generosity of our Season Sponsors. This dynamic group of individuals understands the value of producing powerful contemporary work in intimate spaces and invests in Studio’s innovative projects and initiatives. We are grateful for their generosity and investment in Studio.
2020-2021 SEASON SPONSORS SUSAN AND DIXON BUTLER DR. MARK EPSTEIN AND AMORETTA HOEBER DAVID AND JEAN HEILMAN GRIER ARLENE AND ROBERT KOGOD JUDGE ALBERT LAUBER AND PROF. CRAIG HOFFMAN JOAN AND DAVID MAXWELL TERESA AND DAN SCHWARTZ STEVE AND LINDA SKALET BOBBI AND RALPH TERKOWITZ AMY WEINBERG AND NORBERT HORNSTEIN 2.5 MIN TU EN TD E ERRI DAG E E 11
Hemispheric Migration:
INTERLOCKING CAUSES
George Brant grounded Tender Age in real-world phenomena: a Walmart turned detention center; a strange syndrome affecting asylum-seeking children; young refugees to the US traveling either alone or separated from their families. Child migration from Central America to the United States is driven by a number of factors. The so-called “Northern Triangle” of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have had some of the highest murder rates in the world, driven by organized criminal gang activity. The factors leading to this violence are contested, but common factors include: Long-term destabilization of governments by US interventions Corporate and governmental corruption that have left these countries’ poorest residents with little protection from the police or legal systems Lucrative markets for illicit drugs in North America, fueled by the US’s War on Drugs Effects of global climate change, leading to both an eight-year drought and more recent hurricanes
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US IMMIGRATION POLICY
Unaccompanied Minors (2014) In 2014, the US saw 77% more unaccompanied minors and 300% more family units seeking asylum from violence, largely from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador. The asylum system that Congress had in place in 2014 was adequate for 6,000-8,000 children. That year saw 68,541 applicants. In response, the Obama administration created temporary shelters for unaccompanied children, created a system of temporary courts to process asylum claims, and co-funded programs with the Mexican government to help them deport asylum-seekers before they reached the US border.
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Family Separation Policy (2018) Where the Obama administration prioritized the deportation of felons, gang members, and persons proven in court to pose a national security risk, Trump administration guidance recommended deportation for all “criminal offences,” including attempted entry to the United States without proper documentation, which is a misdemeanor under US law. In April 2018, after weeks of denying its existence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced an official “zero-tolerance” policy for improper entry to the US. Because the Justice Department can’t prosecute children alongside their parents, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chose to deport all adults, leaving children, who had previously been kept with their families or placed with relatives in the US, to be sent to long-term facilities, like the one in Tender Age.
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Reuniting Families (ongoing through 2021) By late June 2018, the Trump administration was facing pressure from prominent Republican politicians to end its zero-tolerance policy and as of June 23, 2018, the administration officially ordered that families be held together while they face deportation proceedings. According to the June 8 press release from the Biden administration’s Task Force on the Reunification of Families, the DHS has identified 3,913 children who were separated from their families in 2017 and 2018. While some reunification has taken place, the Task Force is still looking for family members for 2,127 children who remain separated from their families. TENDER TENDER AGE AG E 15
leadership
DAVID MUSE (Artistic Director) is in his eleventh season as Artistic Director of Studio Theatre, where he has directed The Children, The Remains, The Effect, The Father, Constellations, Chimerica, Murder Ballad, Belleville, Cock (twice), Tribes, The Real Thing, An Iliad, Dirt, Bachelorette, The Habit of Art, Venus in Fur, Circle Mirror Transformation, reasons to be pretty, Blackbird, Frozen, and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. Previously, he was Associate Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he has directed nine productions, including Richard III, Henry V, Coriolanus, and King Charles III (a co-production with American Conservatory Theater and Seattle Rep). Other directing projects include Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at Arena Stage, The Bluest Eye at Theatre Alliance, and Patrick Page’s Swansong at the New York Summer Play Festival. He has helped to develop new work at numerous theatres, including New York Theatre Workshop, Geva Theatre Center, Arena Stage, New Dramatists, and The Kennedy Center. David has taught acting and directing at Georgetown, Yale, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy of Classical Acting. A nine-time Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Direction, he is a recipient of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist and the National Theatre Conference Emerging Artist Award. David is a graduate of Yale University and the Yale School of Drama.
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REBECCA ENDE LICHTENBERG (Managing Director) is in her third season as Managing Director of Studio Theatre. She served as the Managing Director of Theater J for eight seasons, during which time she led the theatre through an Artistic Director transition and was instrumental in growing income by 29 percent. Prior to that, she worked in arts marketing at Sitar Arts Center, Theater J, and Ford’s Theatre. She currently serves as the Chair of the Adjudication Committee for theatreWashington. She previously served as the President of the Board of Forum Theatre and as a Helen Hayes Judge. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University, a Certificate in Budgeting and Finance from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management program.
Amy Weinberg CHAIR Jinny Goldstein VICE CHAIR Robert B. Batarla TREASURER Hal Jones SECRETARY Marc Albert Jeremías Alvarez Susan L. Butler CHAIR EMERITUS Karen Doyne Dr. Mark Epstein Mark W. Foster Navroz Gandhi Susan L. Gordon Jean Heilman Grier Martin Klepper Albert G. Lauber Stanley J. Marcuss Renee Matalon Herb Milstein Larry Naake CHAIR EMERITUS Belinda Nixon Nike Opadiran Jamie C. Pate Katy Kunzer Rosenzweig Teresa Schwartz Luz Blancas Sevak Steven A. Skalet Bobbi Terkowitz CHAIR EMERITUS Terry Theologides Robert Tracy
EX-OFFICIO David Muse Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg
trustees
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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anti-racism
STUDIO’S COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM We are a theatre whose work engages with provocative ideas and challenging content. We ask our artists to explore that content bravely and boldly, working in deep and meaningful collaboration with each other. And we strive to share our work with a truly wide audience, inviting them to contend with the past, reflect on the present, and envision the future. The successful realization of our work requires that artists feel supported, that audiences feel truly welcome, and that staff work in an environment that affirms them actively. None of that is possible without an active and ongoing commitment to create a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. We believe that being “not racist” doesn’t go far enough to achieve those ends—for our institution and field to flourish, we must be anti-racist and work proactively to dismantle barriers that have excluded people from joyful participation in our art form. Read about Studio’s commitment to anti-racism at STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG/ABOUT/VALUES.
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JOIN THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE The Artistic Director’s Circle is a dynamic group of individuals who support the artistic vision of Studio Theatre. Members understand the value of producing powerful contemporary work in intimate spaces and invest in Studio’s innovative projects and initiatives.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE MEMBERS RECEIVE • Invitation to four Inside Looks, Studio’s artist engagement events • Access to Inside the Rehearsal Room, a digital guide to select performances • Recognition in Program • Invitation to all Virtual Opening Night events • Full Access to Subscription Season programming • Signed Script from the season’s new play, Tender Age • Invitation to Exclusive First Rehearsal Welcome Events • Invitation to Exclusive Artistic Director’s Circle Annual Events • The opportunity to customize additional artistic engagements with Studio’s artists and leadership
With a gift of $15,000 and above, we invite you to invest in the making of the art on our stages and become a member today! For more information on the Artistic Director’s Circle and how you can support a production at Studio, please contact Bianca Beckham, Director of Development, at 202.919.3717 or at bbeckham@studiotheatre.org.
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thank you
Without the generosity of our dedicated supporters, Studio Theatre could not continue to bring the best of contemporary theatre to our nation’s capital. This list represents fund contributions of $600 or more. *In Memoriam
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Anonymous The Adler Family Fund Susan and Dixon Butler Trudy H. Clark Bruce A. Cohen Sheryl and Rick Donaldson Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Hope and Mark Foster The Galena-Yorktown Foundation Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon John and Meg Hauge David and Jean Heilman Grier Judy and Steve* Hopkins Sari Hornstein Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Arlene and Robert Kogod Judge Albert Lauber and Prof. Craig Hoffman Stanley and Rosemary Marcuss Joan and David Maxwell Nancy and Herbert Milstein Teresa and Dan Schwartz Daniel and Irene Simpkins Steve and Linda Skalet Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein
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AFICIONADO Robert Batarla Karen Doyne Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Garner, Jr. Wendy and William Garner George Wasserman Family Foundation John Horman Lynne and Joseph Horning Rick Kasten Arlene and Martin Klepper The Kristina And William Catto Foundation Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig The Lewis Butler Foundation Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Larry and Joan Naake Jamie Pate Carl and Margaret Pfeiffer Laura and Gerald Rosberg Terry Theologides and Deb Rodriguez Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Jonathan and Joan Tycko Marvin F. Weissberg Margot and Paul* Zimmerman
CONNOISSEUR Anonymous Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Jeremias Alvarez Aron Family Foundation Linda Arvin and Daniel Hitchcock
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thank you
OVATION CIRCLE
Alan Asay and Mary Sturtevant Irving Rosenzweig Foundation of the Jewish Communal Fund Helen and David Kenney Patricia and John Koskinen Kovler Foundation-Judy and Peter Kovler Barry Kropf Morningstar Philanthropic Fund Zell Murphy and Mark Wasson Nike Opadiran Mr. Craig Pascal and Mr. Victor Shargai* Timothy Price Rosenzweig-Kunzer Charitable Fund Amit Sevak and Luz Blancas Sevak Joshua Stiefel Alan and Irene Wurtzel Judy and Leo Zickler
BELIEVER
Anonymous Dr. Stewart Aledort and Dr. Sheila Rogovin The Allen Shedlin Foundation Beech Street Foundation Jeffrey Bauman and Linda Fienberg Nan Beckley Don and Nancy Bliss Cory and Rachel Capps John Chester and Betty Shepard Rise and Carl Cole Miriam Cutler and Paul Salditt Margery Doppelt and Larry Rothman George M. Ferris Gerard Fiala Burton Gerber
Frona Hall Donald E. Hesse and Jerrilyn Andrews Linda Lurie Hirsch William Logan Hopkins* Paula and Edward Hughes Jewish Communal Fund John Keator and Virginia Sullivan Michael Klein and Joan Fabry Pat Lark (“Poppy”) and Lutz Prager Leon Fund of the Community Foundation of greater Richmond Herb and Dianne Lerner Wendy Luke Mark and Carol Hyman Fund Dan and Karen Mayers Melissa and Todd McCracken Kelly and Mike McCrann Morrissette Family Foundation Louisa and William Newlin Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Michael and Penelope Pollard Lola C. Reinsch Steve and Ilene Rosenthal Stephen A. Saltzburg and Susan Lee Joan Searby Linda and Stanley Sher David and Peggy Shiffrin Elaine and English Showalter Aimee Smart and Sheffy Gordon Ed and Andy Smith Patricia Smith Spoor Family Fund Ed Starr and Marilyn Marcosson Carolyn Wheeler Annette and Colin Young
OPEN CIRCLE ENTHUSIAST Scott Douglas Bellard Nancy Chasen and Don Spero Mona and Mark Elliot Rich Gottwald and James Harden The Jones/Simmons Charitable Gift Fund Brian and Judy Madden Shawn C. Helm and J. Thomas Marchitto Wallis E. McClain Nancy S. Olson Steven M. Rosenberg and Stewart C. Low III The Honorable Carol Schwartz Benjamin and Meredith Wallace
ADVOCATE Anonymous (5) Dean Amel and Terry Savela Allyson Baker and David Kligerman R. Joseph Barton Jason and Nichole Bassingthwaite Joe and Sue Bredekamp Yolanda and Francis Bruno Family Fund Jessica Case Helen Chason Karen and Dean Cooper Richard and Janet Dante Mary Patricia Davis Leon and Miriam Ellsworth Ellen and Fred Ende Victor Fazio and Kathy Sawyer The G.A. Files Foundation Charles Floto Chris Gattuso
Amy C. Gilbert and Steven Newpol Susan Goldman Sally W. and Stephen W. Gresham Gail Gulliksen Joan Haffey Bonnie Hammerschlag Margaret Freeston Hennessey Richard and Pamela Hinds Martin and Bonnie Hurwitz Thomas Joseph Robert L. Kimmins Lauren Kogod and David Smiley Leslie Kogod Stuart Kogod and Denise Garone Dr. and Mrs. William Kramer The Lafer Family Foundation Vinca and David LaFleur Robert Lanman and Debra Bergoffen Chad Lash and Caryn Wagner Janet Lewis Paul and Patricia Maenner Sherry Marts and Larry Haller Lou Mazawey Barbara and Al McConaghan Mary M. Miller and Dennis Farley Jane Molloy The Mufson Family Foundation Carl and Undine Nash Sherry and Lou Nevins Martha Newman Henry Otto and Judy Whalley Stan Peabody Arnold and Diane Polinger Julie Rios Drs. Irene Roth and Vicken Poochikian Lynn Rothberg Carole and Barry Rubin TENDER AGE
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Linda and William Rule Dee and Ron Sagall Frank Sammartino and Ellen Starbird John and Ann Skeele Carl Wayne Smith Cecile Srodes Grant P. and Sharon R. Thompson Richard Tucker Scully and Lee A Kimball James Turner Ann Tutwiler Steve Verna Eric R. and Laura M. Wagner Elisse Walter and Ronald Stern Weinberg/Kesten Family Foundation Elizabeth B. White Jack and Sue Whitelaw Jeffrey Wilder Bernard and Ellen Young
CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Anonymous The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Dimick Foundation Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. Fannie Mae Fivesquares Development The Goodcoin Foundation IBM Corporation IBM Matching Grants Program 24
S T U D I O T H E AT R E
The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation JBG SMITH The Mandy and David Team, Compass Real Estate Martha Washington StrausHarry H. Straus Foundation The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Milton and Dorothy Sarnoff Raymond Foundation The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the US Commission of Fine Arts National Endowment for the Arts The Nora Roberts Foundation Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Share Fund The Shubert Foundation Steele Foundation, LLC Tenleytown Trash Weissberg Foundation William S. Abell Foundation, Inc.
BENEFIT SUPPORT Theo Adamstein - TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Aron Family Foundation Sherri Blount Gray Susan and Dixon Butler Trudy H. Clark James and Susan Cole Liz and Tim Cullen Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Wendy and William Garner Bennett Goldberg and
Danielle Ellis Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon Sandy Hannum John and Gail Harmon John and Meg Hauge Joanne and Lewis Heyman Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Kay Kendall and Jack Davies Katy Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Larry and Joan Naake Carl and Undine Nash Belinda and Gregory Nixon Craig Pascal Bob and Nina Randolph Teresa and Dan Schwartz Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Terry Theogolides and Deb Rodriguez Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Francine and Stephen Trachtenberg Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Elizabeth and Irwin Warren Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein
COVID-19 RELIEF FUND Anonymous Victoria Bor and David DuGoff Donna and Donna Boxer Susan and Dixon Butler Emily Carton Tito Cordella Laura Coyle Carol and Joseph Danks Richard and Janet Dante
Helen Darling Andrea Denivoff Brian Doyle Jack Fearnsides and Margaret Jenny Anne and Marc Feinberg Martha Fisher Elizabeth Ford Lawrence Franks and Ellen Berelson Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon Government of The District Of Columbia John G. Guffey Samuel and Barbara Halpern David and Jean Heilman Grier John and Meg Hauge Sari Hornstein Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones William and Josie Jordan Andrew Joskow and Lisa Sockett Hans and Helen Kaper Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Stephanie Lawson Jodie Levin-Epstein Marc Levy B. Thomas Mansbach Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Joan and David Maxwell Janet Minkler Ken and Margaret Muse Larry and Joan Naake Jamie Pate Arnold and Diane Polinger Susan and Firoze Rao Teresa and Dan Schwartz Share Fund Steve and Linda Skalet Aimee Smart and Sheffy Gordon
Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Kevin Tidemann Jonathan and Joan Tycko Yoshine and Kazuko Uchimura Eric R. and Laura M. Wagner Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein
This list represents contributions made to special events, special initiatives, and the annual fund received by May 24, 2021. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. For more information, please contact the Development Office at 202.919.3712.
IN-KIND SUPPORT
Balance Gym Birch and Barley B.Lin Catering Churchkey DC Rentals Eco Caters Provisions Catering
COMMUNITY PARTNERS DC Public Library Duke Ellington School of the Arts Howard University Department of Theatre Arts Joe’s Movement Emporium Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church N Street Village St. Luke Episcopal Church Team Rayceen Us Helping Us Whitman-Walker Health
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BREAKING GROUND
ON TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE On March 29, 2021, we held a virtual groundbreaking for Open Studio, a $20 million investment in Studio’s future. Open Studio renovations will allow for more creative flexibility from a completely re-engineered and renamed Victor Shargai Theatre, increased opportunities for community connection, and vastly improved operational efficiency for our building. We’re also excited to announce local, women-owned coffee company RĀKO Coffee Roasters as the latest partner to join Open Studio— opening one of their first DC outposts at Studio, complete with outdoor café space. Construction has begun in earnest and we look forward to welcoming you back to a brand new Studio Theatre for our 2021-2022 season.
CONSTRUCTION WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2021. 26
S T U D I O T H E AT R E
1. ARTISTIC INNOVATION When Studio reopens in 2022, our largest first floor theatre will be completely transformed. Renamed as the Victor Shargai Theatre—in memory of our late board member and local theatre champion—the venue will be a state-ofthe-art, fully flexible space in which to create immersive environments for Studio’s audiences. The campaign will also allow Studio to create its first-ever, dedicated rehearsal space.
2. COMMUNITY CONNECTION Renovations will create more welcoming public gathering spaces throughout the building, including a first floor café with outdoor seating. The Box Office will be relocated to right inside our 14th Street entrance to be more patron-friendly. Updates to the façade of our building will clearly express who we are and reflect the creativity of our work.
3. OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Open Studio will invest in the long-term sustainability of our biggest asset—our building—by updating critical systems and infrastructure, some of which haven’t been modernized in over 15 years. A new HVAC system and fixtures will lessen our environmental footprint and decrease expenses on utilities, while optimizing their performance in our intimate theatres and throughout the building.
Be a part of Studio’s transformational change. Become a Friend of the Campaign and be recognized permanently on our donor wall with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $2,500. Join us as a Supporter for $1,000. More information about Open Studio and giving opportunities is available at WWW.OPENSTUDIOCAMPAIGN.ORG TENDER AGE
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OPEN STUDIO DONORS PILLARS OF THE CAMPAIGN Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Susan and Dixon Butler† Events DC Sari Hornstein† Arlene and Bob Kogod Judge Albert Lauber and Professor Craig Hoffman The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Teresa and Dan Schwartz Share Fund† Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein†
SPONSORS OF THE CAMPAIGN Esthy and James Adler Peter Bieger and Demian Gaiteri Trudy H. Clark Hope and Mark Foster Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Susan L. Gordon Jinny and Michael Goldstein† David and Jean Heilman Grier Judy and Steve Hopkins Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Arlene and Martin Klepper in honor of Sylvia Jacobson Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Stanley and Rosemary Marcuss Joan and David Maxwell Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Nancy and Herbert Milstein Larry and Joan Naake Nussdorf Family Foundation Craig Pascal in memory of Victor Shargai† Steve and Linda Skalet 28
S T U D I O T H E AT R E
Ed Starr and Marilyn Marcosson Steve and Suzanne Swendiman Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz† Terry Theologides and Deb Rodriguez Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Alan and Irene Wurtzel
FRIENDS OF THE CAMPAIGN Jeremias Alvarez Rob Batarla Nan Beckley Susan and Steve Bralove† Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Ari Fisher and Mara Bralove† Charles Floto Carmen and Edward Fox† John and Meg Hauge JM Zell Partners, LTD Rick Kasten Barry Kropf Vinca and David LaFleur Catherine and Wayne Maffett Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Lou Mazawey† Elvi Moore† Carl and Undine Nash Jamie Pate Colin and Alma Powell† Amit Sevak and Luz Blancas Sevak Jerry and Patti Sowalsky Jonathan and Joan Tycko George and Trish Vradenburg† Bruce and Margareta Yarwood
†Contributed to the new Victor Shargai Theatre
LEADERSHIP
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
ARTISTIC
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Artistic Director David Muse Managing Director Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg Director of Development Bianca Beckham Director of Production Josh Escajeda General Manager Kathryn Huey Director of Marketing and Communications Hilary Judis
Associate Artistic Director Reginald L. Douglas Literary Director Adrien-Alice Hansel Directing Apprentice Annabel Heacock Producing and Community Engagement Apprentice Jada Boggs Doris Duke Artist In Residence Psalmayene 24 Studio Cabinet Brian MacDevitt, Duncan Macmillan, Natsu Onoda Power, Joanie Schultz, Serge Seiden, Tom Story, Holly Twyford
Readers Circle Charles Linton, Manna-Symone Middlebrooks, Mekala Sridhar
PRODUCTION
Assistant Production Manager and Company Manager Kelsey Sapp Technical Director Jeffery Martin Master Carpenter Eric McMorris Costume Shop Manager Brandee Mathies Lighting and Sound Supervisor Lance Lewis Electrics Apprentice Zavar Blackledge Sound and Projections Apprentice Delaney Bray Technical Direction Apprentice Clarissa Messer Company Management and Production Apprentice Logan McDonald
DEVELOPMENT
Individual Giving Manager Monica Jilling Development Operations Manager Tobias Franzén Grants Coordinator Sarah Cooke Development Apprentice Annie Schoonover
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Fila Marketing Associate Emily Ames Multimedia Designer Jeremy Hunter Marketing and Communications Apprentice Elissa Loch Marketing Multimedia Apprentice Catherine Dionne Ashley
AUDIENCE SERVICES
Manager of Sales and Tessitura Operations Michelle Blau Manager of Audiences Services and Experience Calvin Roberts Lead Box Office Associate Gabby Wolfe
staff
Commissioned Artists Brittany K. Allen, Kimberly Belflower, David Cale, Staceyann Chin, Carl Cofield, Sarah DeLappe, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, James Fritz, Ike Holter, James Ijames, Marti Lyons, Kate Mulvaney, Lila Neugebauer, Eric Ruffin, Anne Washburn
Senior Facilities Manager Kieran Kelly Finance Manager Amanda Acker Capital Projects Manager Ryan-Patrick McLaughlin Business Apprentice Talya Shatzky Arts Administration Apprentice Tyler Hayes McMahon
TENDER AGE
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welcome back to a brand new
Studio
2021-2022 Season SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON! A wonderfully eclectic five-play season of fresh stories from ascendant talent, poignant productions from titans of the field, and shows that challenge us to use our spaces in brand new ways. More at studiotheatre.com/21-22