AUBURN UNIVERSITY T H E AT R E & DA N C E P R E S E N T S
The Revolutionists BY
Lauren Gunderson A Staged Reading Directed by Ashley Butler October 27-30, 2026 Telfair B. Peet Mainstage Theatre
2026–2027
113th Season
The Revolutionists BY
Lauren Gunderson
A comedy. A quartet. A revolutionary dream fugue. A true story.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE I have been enthralled with Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists since I saw its regional premiere at Atlanta’s 7 Stages in March of 2016. Ten years later, this play not only holds up as fresh and interesting, but in many ways feels more relevant than ever. At a time in which the domain of women’s bodies, the distinction between patriotism and nationalism, and the ethics of public executions loom large in our current conversations, The Revolutionists reminds us that the theatre is a medium uniquely situated to take on tough subjects and entertain us at the same time. Whether holding up a mirror to society or nudging us toward action, the theatre in its liveness has a way of making everything feel more personal and more immediate. Speaking of the theatre, The Revolutionists takes a deep dive into the notion of “meta” theatre — a form in which we pull back the curtain of illusion with such tactics as self-reference and nods to the audience. Gunderson’s “play within a play” structure offers moments of hilarity and introspection; it also does not hold back in poking fun at some of the preciously held conventions and tropes of the theatre itself. In presenting this play as a staged reading, we have experimented with exploiting further the notion of meta theatre — you will hear stage directions read aloud that carry the distinctive flavors of Gunderson’s voice and style. And you will experience a more “stripped down” version of production values that give way to a closer examination of the text. I am incredibly grateful to all involved in this production — primarily carried by students — who worked so creatively, efficiently, and graciously to put this piece together with only around two weeks of rehearsal and a tad over that for design-related tasks. There is nothing quite like seeing the joy on students’ faces as they create and discover and see it all come together. Gunderson excels at edgy comedy and does not hold back in this piece. Please … laugh, even if uncomfortably. In the hands of a skilled playwright, comedy can give us permission to confront darkness and offer a familiar avenue for navigating the uneasiness. As Gunderson says in her playwright’s notes at the front of the script: “The play is mostly a comedy. The play is based on real women, real transcripts, and real executions. But remember it’s a comedy.”
Ashley Butler The Revolutionists is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection (www.dramatists.com). “Our Song” by Lauren Gunderson, arranged by Isabella Doyle. “La Marseillaise” by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, arranged by Luke Potter. Additional music furnished under Auburn University’s blanket licenses with ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.
AU BU RN U NIVER S IT Y THE ATRE & DAN CE
2026-2027
The Revolutionists ARTISTIC TEAM
Artistic Director: Tessa Carr Director/Dramaturg: Ashley Butler Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Sarah Schomburg Costume Designer: Mei Cooper Scenic/Props Supervisor: Lindsey Beam Lighting Supervisor: Cody Woodfin Sound Design: Members of the Fall '26 sound design class (Isabella Doyle, Hudson Kaak, William Keener, Marcello Mancusi, Luke Potter, Evelyn Topazi, Madilynn Wall)
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director of Production: Laura Sims Technical Director: Matt Gist PM-Stage Operations: J. Brent Morrison Costume Technology Director: Sam Hawthorne Wardrobe Supervisor: Madyson Millsap Wardrobe Crew: Davie Hipp, Payton Myers Light Board Operator: Sammy Said A1/Sound Board Operator: Marcello Mancusi
CAST
Olympe de Gouges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Em McAlexander Marianne Angelle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordyn Price Charlotte Corday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna Beth McSpadden Marie-Antoinette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kayla Newell Stage Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avery Downs
PRODUCTION CREWS Scenic Studio:
Lindsey Beam, McKinley Carson, Aiyanna Carter, Cahlin Cheek, JD DeVitt, Harrison Dunn, Nash Gilbert, Grayson Hataway, Fritz Michel, Payton Myers, Lupe Nieto, Kayla Newell, Rivers Rose, Sydney Smith, Cody Woodfin
SPECIAL THANKS
Auburn University Theatre & Dance gratefully acknowledges the following: Support for our season from Dean Jason Hicks and the College of Liberal Arts Dott Dailey, Andrew Lynch, Andrew Schwartz, Brian Osborne
Costume Studio:
Lily Boyd, Mei Cooper, Mary Graham, Milo Hickman, Hudson Kaak, Em McAlexander, Anna Beth McSpadden, Madyson Millsap, Sam Oliver, Joni Olson, Sawyer Skinner
Photography, videotaping, or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.
LEARN MORE Join us after the Thursday, Oct. 29th performance for a talkback session with the actors and members of the creative team. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for interviews, takeovers, and other features about the show! @auburnuniversitytheatre
AU BU RN U NIVER S IT Y THE ATRE & DAN CE
2026-2027
SETTING
Paris, the Reign of Terror (1793). A safe place, a prison cell, the Tribunal. Then the scaffold. The show runs approximately 2 hours with a 15-minute intermission.
STUDENT COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES Lindsey Beam (Scenic/Props Supervisor) is a junior BFA theatre design/technology major on the scenic design track from Myrtle Beach, SC. She is minoring in dance and in arts administration. Previous AUTD credits include Men on Boats (Assistant Costume Designer), Sweeney Todd (Props Coordinator), Footprints (Dancer), Small Mouth Sounds (Scenic Designer), Shaina Taub’s As You Like It (Wardrobe Crew), Violet (Assistant Scenic Designer), Flying/Falling (Light Board Operator), Ordinary Days (Dramaturgy Team), and Wellesley Girl (Deck Crew). Lindsey thanks her friends and family for their support and would like to thank the dedicated cast, crew, and management for this opportunity. Mei Cooper (Costume Designer) is a junior BFA theatre design/technology major on the costume design track from Troy, AL. This is her first solo costume design project with Auburn University Theatre and Dance. Prior credits include AUTD’s production of Shaina Taub’s As You Like It (Assistant Costume Designer), as well as Eurydice (Costume Designer), Little Shop of Horrors (Costume Designer), Alice in Wonderland (Costume Designer), and more. Mei would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for helping create the opportunity to design this show. Avery Downs (Stage Directions) is a freshman BFA musical theatre major from Orlando, FL, and she’s thrilled to participate in her first AUTD show ever! She thanks her family for supporting her from afar and her new friends for being her community here at Auburn! Em McAlexander (Olympe de Gouges) is a junior BFA performance major from Daphne, AL. Her most recent credits are from her summer stint at Ohio’s outdoor historical drama, Trumpet in the Land, where she appeared in State Fair (Margy), Trumpet in the Land (Anna Benigna), and Noah from A to Z (Peacock). Em is excited to be a part of her fourth production here at Auburn. Previous AUTD credits include Shaina Taub’s As You Like It (Miss Amiens, Lady in Waiting, Royal Minion) and Orlando (Standby for Archduchess/Archduke). Em would love to thank her amazing cast and crew as well as her loving family, friends, and boyfriend. Anna Beth McSpadden (Charlotte Corday) is a senior BFA performance and public relations double major from Henagar, AL. She is excited to be returning to the AUTD stage for her second production, having previously appeared in AUTD’s Small Mouth Sounds (Alicia). Anna Beth would like to thank her friends and family for their constant love and support. She gives all glory to God for this opportunity. Kayla Newell (Marie-Antoinette) is a junior BFA musical theatre major from Birmingham, AL. She is so excited to be working on this wonderful show! Kayla’s previous AUTD credits include Shaina Taub’s As You Like It (Offstage Singer, Standby for Duke Senior). She has also appeared in Seussical (Gertrude), Godspell (Peggy), and Our Place (Beth). Kayla would like to thank this incredible cast, crew, and director Jean Ashley Butler for this opportunity! She would also like to thank her incredible family for their love and support! War Eagle! Jordyn Price (Marianne Angelle) is a senior communications major with a minor in theatre from Atlanta, GA. She is very excited to be a part of her first production with AUTD! Jordyn has been working as an actress in film, but after taking Acting 1 & 2 at Auburn, she fell back in love with stage acting and is so grateful for the opportunity to work with this lovely cast and department!!
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Sarah Schomburg (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) is a senior BFA musical theatre major from Huntsville, AL. She is thrilled to be making her Assistant Director/Stage Manager debut and is incredibly grateful for such a rewarding opportunity. Her recent AUTD credits include Shaina Taub’s As You Like It (Rosalind), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Nina), and most recently, Men on Boats (Bradley). Sarah has had an enriching time working with such a remarkable and inspiring group of women. She wants to thank Jean Ashley Butler for considering her to be a part of such an empowering process and the entire production team and crew for their tenacity. To artistic defiance and to Ashley!
Ride the Cyclone November 12-20, 2026 BOX OFFICE: 334.844.4154 • theatre@auburn.edu PURCHASE ONLINE: aub.ie/theatretickets
AU BU RN U NIVER S IT Y THE ATRE & DAN CE
2026-2027
Across 5 major degree tracks and 3 different minors, our students engage daily in the rigorous hands-on work of the theatre. They construct sets, A call shows, sew costumes, create designs, analyze texts, choreograph dances, devise new works, build props, focus lights, block scenes, conduct research, score scripts, and everything in between.
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to make a difference AU Theatre and Dance students are some of the hardest working on campus. And every year we must start anew in finding ways to help support their remarkable efforts. Our students depend on scholarship support to keep up rigorous academic and creative schedules, and to balance the various aspects of student life. THANK YOU to all who have donated! Last year, your generous gifts helped us raise our awardable scholarship support by nearly ten thousand dollars. This year, we want to surpass that mark as we continue our Scholarship Benefit Opening Nights. All tickets sales and donations on any opening night will go directly to student scholarships. If you purchase tickets for opening nights, even if your schedule changes, your purchase will still make a meaningful impact and count toward the scholarship fund. To remain a competitive program, we must grow our awardable scholarship dollars. Currently, we award roughly sixty thousand dollars in scholarships each year. Our goal is to raise our available funds to one hundred thousand dollars within the next two years. Meeting this goal will give us the capacity to continue our recruitment of the finest academic, performance, and production students. Please consider becoming an AU Theatre and Dance donor today, or renew your previous gift if you gave in the past.
Students at Work
AA ssistant costume designer Lindsey Beam distresses a costume. B Scenic studio practicum students assist with hanging soft goods on the mainstage. Photos by Magalí Zaslabsky
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Every opening night ticket goes toward student scholarships!
THANK YOU, DONORS!
We are profoundly grateful to our generous donors. Every gift helps to support the work of our department and our incredible theatre and dance students. Lynsey Bethel London Carlisle Darrell Crutchley Craig & Gabriele Darch Ronda Davis Kate Doyle
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Department Of Theatre & Dance OUR MISSION
Theatre has the potential to foster dialogue, alter perceptions, and inspire social change. The Auburn University Department of Theatre and Dance is dedicated to the education and professional training of theatre artists, scholars, and audiences within a liberal arts environment. The Department champions the interaction between theory and practice and produces citizen artists who advocate for the arts through their own work in local, national, and international communities. Auburn University theatre and dance students think critically, creatively, and collaboratively and carry their knowledge from rehearsal spaces and classrooms to stages, campuses, and communities worldwide. Learn more about our department and degree tracks at:
auburnuniversitytheatre.org B
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AD ance minors Anna Daniels (front) and Marielle Burque perform in “On the Edge” during the 2025 dance concert Footprints.* B Telfair Peet Theatre.* CS tage manager Lily Sosebee prepares before a show .† Photos by *Henry Eiland and †Magalí Zaslabsky
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Department Chair: Tessa Carr Coordinator, Student and Patron Services: Becky Henderson Office Administrator: Vicki Murtadha Marketing Coordinator: Magalí Zaslabsky Graphic Designer: Ashley Butler
STUDENT STAFF
Event Staff: Lindsey Beam, McKinley Carson, Austin Hamilton, Morgan McKenzie, Anna Beth McSpadden, AJ Moss, Kayla Newell, Lupe Nieto, Kate Nymark, Joni Olson, Sarah Schomburg, Sydney Smith, Ava Vazquez, Alaya Young Costume Studio Assistants: Lindsey Beam, Jeb Bethel, Caroline Brooks, Mei Cooper, Catherine Govignon Costume Stock Assistants: Em McAlexander, Addie Tripp Props Assistant: Isabella Doyle Wig Assistant: Madyson Millsap Production Assistant: Lily Sosebee Marketing/Recruitment Assistants: Wil Eplett, Kayla Newell, Sawyer Skinner Outreach Special Projects Assistants: Marianna Richardson, Sydney Smith Scenic Studio Assistants: Lindsey Beam, Connor McNeill, Cody Woodfin Paints Assistant: Kylia Wheeler Sound Assistant: Lily Hamilton Lighting Assistant: Will Johnson Follow @auburnuniversitytheatre on Facebook and Instagram