The Incrementalist by AuroraTheatreCompany

A N

O R I G I N A T E + G E N E R A T E

W O R L D

BY Cleavon Smith

DIRECTED BY Dawn Monique Williams

†

T H E

U L T I M A T E

I N T I M A T 1E

P R E M I E R E

STARTS

April 15, 2022

T H E A T R E

E X P E R I E N C E

Dear Friends, Every community needs a host of people to keep it healthy and thriving, from teachers and nurses to road workers and librarians. I believe that communities also need storytellers -- members of the community whose role is to reflect the urgent issues we all face in the form of a story we can experience together. Humans understand the world through narrative. Through narrative, we define our communities and discover new ways to see the world – and new opportunities to make our communities stronger and our world more filled with joy and understanding. Cleavon Smith is one of our community’s most insightful storytellers. Though not a Bay Area native, Cleavon has made this community his home for many years, raising his daughter, teaching at Berkeley City College, and writing plays with compelling characters asking powerful questions. As one of three co-writers of The Flats, Aurora’s mid-pandemic audio drama, Cleavon brought his unique insight to a story about a lockdown in Berkeley. Dawn and I were thrilled to commission him to write this play through Originate+Generate, Aurora’s new play development program. With The Incrementalist, Cleavon tells a story set in Berkeley right now. As is so common in our community, the characters in this play have similar values but radically different ideas on how to enact them. The central argument, over UC Berkeley’s response to an incident of police violence against a Black student, reveals fissures in our community not between left and right but between the need for radical change and the practicality of incrementalism. But Cleavon doesn’t just explore a topical issue with this play. He also tells a story about people who care deeply about each other despite finding themselves on opposite sides of an argument. These people, members of our community, take comfort in each other, struggle to separate the personal from the political, and find ways to share in each others’ joy. It is my great joy to share this Berkeley story with you. We have two more fascinating plays in our 2021/2022 Season, and we’ve recently announced the four remarkable plays that will make up our 2022/2023 Season – subscriptions are on sale now, and I hope you will join us for all of them. Thank you so much for being in community with us.

Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

THE INCREMENTALIST SETTING: UC Berkeley 2022, 1992 There will be a ten-minute intermission. 2

Josh Costello

Francesca Gabourel

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

A N

W O R L D

O R I G I N AT E + G E N E R AT E

MANAGING DIRECTOR

P R E M I E R E

Cleavon Smith DIRECTED BY Dawn Monique Williams† BY

T H E

C A S T

Michael J. Asberry* �� THOMAS Sam Jackson* �� MARTEEN/RAZ Cathleen Riddley* �� NINA Anna Marie Sharpe �� YOUNG NINA/MIRIAM

C R E AT I V E

Richard Olmsted**

T E A M

Stephanie Johnson

SCENIC DESIGNER

Everett Elton Bradman SOUND DESIGNER

Jasmine Milan Williams

VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN

Kevin Johnson* STAGE MANAGER

COSTUME DESIGNER

E X E C U T I V E

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Mary Mackey Productions

S E A S O N

S P O N S O R S

Craig & Kathy Moody

Ed & Liliane Schneider A S S O C I AT E

S P O N S O R

Helen Marcus

SPECIAL THANKS to John and Molly Gordon

* Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, **United Scenic Artists Member, † Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member

UC BERKELEY

2022 P H O T O S

B Y

RICHARD

OLMSTEAD

C R E AT I V E T E A M

CLEAVON SMITH (PLAYWRIGHT) The Fall 2020 premiere of The Flats co-written with Lauren Gunderson and Jonathan Spector was Cleavon Smith’s first commissioned work with Aurora Theatre Company before he was named the 2021 Originate and Generate New Works Initiative commissioned artist. The Incrementalist is the play he began and developed through that commission. As Playwright in Residence at Berkeley’s TheatreFIRST (T1) for three years, he wrote and produced six new works. T1’s production of his critically acclaimed full-length work, The Last Sermon of Sister Imani was nominated for a 2018 Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Best Production award, and his short play Just One Day was included in T1’s TBA “Best Anthology” award-winning production Between Us. Additionally, Cleavon has had a multitude of short plays performed by theaters in Ann Arbor, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. Cleavon lives in Oakland and teaches English at Berkeley City College. Upcoming work includes a podcast series about the relationship between spiritual leader Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as an immersive theater project based on Bop City, a restaurant and jazz club located in San Francisco’s Fillmore District and decimated by the city’s failed redevelopment program of the 1950’s.

she began her deep work at SFSU where she received her BA in Theatre performance. Her most recent stage acting credits include: Aurora’s Father/Daughter (Miranda/Risa), Shotgun Player’s Vinegar Tom (Ellen), Aurora’s Exit Strategy (Sadie), Shotgun Player’s Kings (Sydney Millsap) and Kill The Debbie Downers! Kill Them! Kill Them! Kill Them Off!! (Olga). She is also a company member of Nice Tan Comedy, a queer WOC led sketch comedy group whose work can be found on a screen near you! Jackson would like to send her deepest gratitude to her family (blood and chosen) for their love, support, and moments of sanity in this ever wild life. Black lives matter. My life matters. (she/they) IG: @little_miss_sj CATHLEEN RIDDLEY* (NINA) is thrilled to be appearing in person at the Aurora for the first time! She is a multiple award-winning actor who has been featured at most theatres in the Bay Area, including Cal Shakes, Shotgun Players, SF Playhouse, ACT, and Magic Theatre, to name a few. Cathleen is working toward adding Director to her resume, and has worked recently as Associate Director at Shotgun Players on The Claim and directed the Affinity series at TheatreFirst. She is a Juilliard alumna, a certified ASL Interpreter, and has an MA from UPenn. Cathleen is a member of Making Good Trouble, a cohort of theatre artists in partnership with Authentic Arts & Media, whose goal is to empower Bay Area artists and staff to become anti-racism trainers. Black Lives Matter. (she/her).

MICHAEL J. ASBERRY* (THOMAS) is honored to return to Aurora, where he previously appeared in The Bluest Eye, Exit Strategy, and Satellites. Michael arrives on the heels of his most recent performance in Fences with the Sacramento Theatre Company. Regional Theatre credits include Orlando Shakes (Orlando, FL); San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; San Francisco Mime Troupe; American Conservatory Theatre; Center REPertory Company; Capital Stage; Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR); Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; TheatreWorks; and the 6th Street Playhouse. Film appearances include San Andreas; FreeByrd; and Mr. Incredible and Pals. Television credits: Chance; Trauma, and Nash Bridges. Asberry has voiceover spots with Pixar Animation, Pine Sol, and Clorox, and appears as characters in the video games Watchdogs 2 and Battlefield Vietnam.

ANNA MARIE SHARPE (MIRIAM) is an actor and teaching artist in the Bay Area. In the past year, she has cultivated her craft in the filmed production of [hieroglyph] at SF Playhouse, and made her film debut in 2021 in the award-winning short film, The Best Time, as Sydney. She has appeared in several UC Berkeley main stage shows such as, Unstable Connection: A Devised Performance, and House of the Spirits, and served as an understudy for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She received her BA from UC Berkeley where she double majored in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and was the honored recipient of the 2021 Departmental Citation Award. In addition to performing, Anna is a dedicated mother, director, and writer. Anna is very excited to make her Aurora Theater Company debut alongside such a phenomenal cast and crew.

SAM JACKSON* (RAZ) is a San Francisco based actor, vocalist and teaching artist. Her works include film, commercial, and stage acting as well as live and recorded vocal performance. While forever a student of her craft,

DAWN MONIQUE WILLIAMS† (DIRECTOR & ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) joined the Aurora team in August 2019. A native of Oakland, CA, Dawn was previously the Artistic Associate at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she 6

A U R O R A

T H E AT R E

C O M PA N Y

Community Partners

antipoliceterrorproject.org

futurehistories.berkeley.edu

merritt.edu

bayareawomenstheatrefestival.com

Holy Fools at Laney College

The Theatre Department at UC Berkeley tdps.berkeley.edu

Tre’Vonne Bell, Ed Gonzalez Moreno, Gabriella Fanuele*, Margo Hall*, Michael J. Asberry*, Sam Jackson*, and Adam Niemann Exit Strategy. Photo by David Allen. *Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

C R E AT I V E T E A M

directed Merry Wives of Windsor in 2017. Her recent directing credits include Aurora’s Bull in a China Shop, Earthrise at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, TiJean and His Brothers, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, The Secretaries (Willamette Week’s Top 10 Portland Theatre Productions of 2018), Romeo & Juliet, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Lynn Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. She’s directed a range of plays including the English language premiere of Gracia Morales’ NN12, Othello, Twelfth Night, In the Blood, Steel Magnolias, Children of Eden, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Shop of Horrors, Burial at Thebes, Medea, Antigone Project, and La Ronde; international directing credits include Edinburgh Festival Fringe productions of Scapin the Cheat, Anna Bella Eema, and The Tempest. Dawn was a 2016 Princess Grace Theatre Fellowship recipient, was awarded a TCG Leadership U residency grant, funded by the Mellon Foundation, and was a former Killian Directing Fellow at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She is an alum of the Drama League Directors Project and holds an MA in Dramatic Literature and an MFA in Directing. Dawn is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Interlude), and outdoor performances (Oakland Theater Project’s The Waste Land). Other recent adventures include Shotgun Players’ The Light and The Niceties; Aurora’s The Flats; ACT’s Ironbound; and Snowflakes, or Rare White People for UC Berkeley. He is currently co-writing a musical for Bay Area Children’s Theater and the Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. Stop by and say hello at eltonsounds.com! JASMINE MILAN WILLIAMS (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a Multidisciplinary artist and Actor who uses art as a vessel for change, collaborating with BIPOC artists and organizations to tell bold stories and shine light on Black and Queer Liberations. She’s so excited to be collaborating with the actors, director, and playwright to tell this story of Protest and Pride, we all deserve to be heard! Recently you might have witnessed her storytelling in: Passing Strange by Stew (costumes, Shotgun Players), Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage (Lorraine Hansberry Theater), The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison adapted by Lydia R. Diamond (Aurora Theatre Company), The New Normal (Youtube Web Series by Ashley Smiley), Bull in a China Shop by Bryna Turner (Aurora Theatre Company) and more. Companies she has shared space with include: Campo Santo (Family/Company Member), TheaterFIRST, Those Women Productions, AfricanAmerican Shakespeare Company, and New Conservatory Theatre Center. She thanks her family and friends for always encouraging her to follow her dreams, and standing behind an artist that works to change the world through her art! “It’s an Artist’s Duty to Reflect the Times.”– Nina Simone.

RICHARD OLMSTEAD** (SCENIC DESIGNER) has designed over three dozen productions at Aurora, beginning with The Gin Game in 1993. Other recent shows at Aurora include: Detroit ’67, Eureka Day, and The Royale. For SF Playhouse: the world premiere of The Great Kahn; for Center Rep: The Devil’s Music: the Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, Communicating Doors, and Women in Jeopardy! His designs have also been seen at theatres including Cal Shakes, Marin Theatre Co., Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Shotgun Players, Traveling Jewish Theatre, and Thick Description. Olmsted teaches stage design at Cal State East Bay and is a proud member of USA local 829. Portfolio at: www.olmstedscenic.com

KEVIN JOHNSON* (STAGE MANAGER) returns for his fifteenth production at Aurora, having stage-managed Anatol, Dear Master, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, “Master Harold”...and the Boys, The Monster Builder, The Play of Daniel (original and revival productions), Partition, The Persians, Saint Joan, Split, Widowers’ Houses, and Wilder Times in previous seasons. Locally, he has stage-managed for Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and many others. He also has stage-managed music and dance productions, including Oakland Symphony, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, San Francisco Jazz Festival (with Bobby McFerrin), International Russian Music Festival, and Dave Brubeck’s final album of his choral music, Brubeck and American Poets.

STEPHANIE ANNE JOHNSON (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a second-generation theatre worker whose mother, Virginia Greene Johnson, worked with the American Negro Theatre. Johnson’s designs have been produced at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Repertory Theatre, and National Black Theater Festival. Locally, Johnson has worked with Cultural Odyssey, Afro Solo, Oakland Theatre Project, TheatreFirst, African American Shakespeare, Shotgun Players, Marin Theatre Company and many others. She has designed in India, Holland, Belgium, Paris, Italy, and Canada. Dr. Johnson is a professor at CSU, Monterey Bay. She is very happy to work with Aurora Theatre again. Work can be seen at: www.lightessencedesign.com.

CRAIG & KATHY MOODY (EXECUTIVE SEASON SPONSORS) believe live theatre can be life-changing. They are distressed by the paltry government support of the arts in general and of theatre in particular in the United States. Accordingly, they encourage all who read this to donate generously to a theatre or theatres of their liking. Aurora would be an excellent place to start.

EVERETT ELTON BRADMAN’S (SOUND DESIGNER) 2021 composer/sound designer credits include audio dramas (Aurora The Bluest Eye), student productions (ACT’s The House of Yes), Zoom theater (Actors Theater’s Romeo & Juliet: Louisville 2020), podcasts (Z Space/Word for Word’s Retablos trilogy), filmed theater (San Francisco Playhouse’s [hieroglyph], hybrid visual/audio (New Conservatory Theater Company’s

ED & LILIANE SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE SEASON SPONSOR ) are longtime supporters of Aurora. They appreciate the intimate living room scale of our theatre, the outstanding ability of our actors, and the enthusiasm of our audiences.

C R E AT I V E T E A M

Symphonic Concert III

REJOICE

BEETHOVEN 9 | LÓPEZ BELLIDO WORLD PREMIERE

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 4PM

JIMMY LÓPEZ BELLIDO

ZELLERBACH HALL

Tickets start at $15. berkeleysymphony.org (510) 841-2800.

HELEN MARCUS (CAST & CREW SPONSOR) attended her first theatrical performances with her parents at an age too young to remember. Sprinkled with theatre dust at Stratford on Avon, musicals in NYC, and many Bay Area theaters, she is pleased to support Aurora’s production of The Incrementalist (in honor of her late husband David Williamson.)

FRANCESCA GABOUREL (MANAGING DIRECTOR) Francesca Gabourel joined Aurora in March 2022, aiming to reconnect and revitalize staff and board as Aurora slowly reopens and emerges as a more inclusive, community-minded organization. Francesca has over a decade of experience working for arts and culture organizations with a strong focus on community engagement. Most recently, she was Events Audience Manager at Bay Area public radio station KQED. She helped launch the KQED Live events program and establish the guest experience at their renovated headquarters. Previous employers include ODC, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and The Crucible. Francesca has played central roles in building new audiences; designing operational and event procedures and policies; implementing digital marketing strategies and new database technologies; and overseeing event production, box office and house management, and facilities rentals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Arts Administration from Simmons University.

JOSH COSTELLO (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) At Aurora and previously as the founding Artistic Director of Impact Theatre and the Artistic Director of Expanded Programs at Marin Theatre Company, Josh has worked to make theatre more accessible for more people, sharing a passion for the visceral experience of live theatre with new audiences and underserved communities. Josh has directed several productions at Aurora, including Exit Strategy, The Importance of Being Earnest, and the world premiere of Eureka Day, which won every Bay Area new play award. His world-premiere production of Aaron Loeb’s Ideation with the San Francisco Playhouse in both SF and NYC won the Glickman Award for best new play in the Bay Area and the Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Direction, and was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Other directing work includes My Children! My Africa! at Marin Theatre Company, House of Lucky at Magic Theatre, and his adaptations of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and Aphra Behn’s The Rover. Josh holds a BFA in theatre from Boston University, and an MFA in Directing from the University of Washington, Seattle.

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, **United Scenic Artists Member, † Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member

DONORS

ANNUAL FUND DONORS Aurora Theatre Company extends its heartfelt appreciation to all of our generous annual fund donors, whose gifts enable Aurora to provide a nurturing environment for theatre artists and to enrich the lives of our audience. For more information about giving to Aurora’s annual fund, please contact Development at 510.398.0913 or development@auroratheatre.org, or visit auroratheatre.org/donate. Thank you!

Executive Season Sponsor

$50,000-$99,999 Craig & Kathy Moody Ed & Liliane Schneider Season Sponsor

$25,000 - $49,999 In Memory of Theatre Architect Gene Angell Premiere Sponsor

$15,000 - $24,999 George & Candy Hisert Ellen & Barry Levine Cindy & Stephen Snow The Wood Foundation, David Wood & Kathleen Garrison Tom & Amy Worth Sponsor

$10,000 - $14,999 Anonymous (2) Kay & Ed Blonz Tamra C. Hege Margaret & Matt Jacobson Wendy E. Jordan Barbara & Jim Kautz Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim Maris & Ivan Meyerson Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Kitt Shute & Jeff Rowlings Ed & Liliane Schneider Associate Sponsor

$6,000- $9,999 Gertrude E. Allen Diana Cohen & Bill Falik

Paul Templeton & Darrell Louie Helen M. Marcus Muffy Thorne Cast and Crew Sponsor

$4,000 - $5,999 Elizabeth Burwell Italo & Suzanne Calpestri Deborah & Howard Goodman Bonnie & Earl Hamlin Susan S. Blake & Joel Kaufmann Laurie Shapley Sally Shaver Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young Artistic Director’s Circle

$2,500 - $3,999 Anonymous Kathryn Frank & Jim Blume Sandra & Richard Gilbert Lisa Taylor Sallie Weissinger Director’s Circle

$1,200 - $2,499 Anonymous Paula Hughmanick & Steven Berger Joan Catherine Braun Venus & Narsai David Jacquelin Ewing Merle & Michael Fajans Dean Francis Greg Gorel Gail & Bob Hetler Lyn C. Isbell Karen & John McGuinn Judith Wilber & Bob Miller 10

Karen Mullarkey Adrian Borrero & David Nalley Hillary & Jonathan Reinis Anne & Boyard Rowe Joan Emery & Edward Rubin Deborah Dashow Ruth Diane & Ed Ryken Sam Test Shirley & Michael Traynor Jeffrey Trescott Carolyn Weinberger Benefactor

$500 - $1,199 Anonymous (3) Kedar K. Adour Claire & Kendall Allphin Joel Altman Alan Harper & Carol Baird Anne Pardee & Steve Beckendorf Norman Abramson & David Beery Susan & Ron Berman Adrian & Daniel Blumberg Thomas Bosserman Eva & David Bradford Daphne & Robert Bransten Katharine Byrne Barbara Cahn Bruce Carlton Daniel Murphy & Micah Cerrone John Carr Janaki & Heine Costello Jill & Evan Custer Sharon Dolan Karin L. Fetherston Harvey & Deana Freedman Mary & Stan Friedman Rafael Gonzalez

DONORS

Erica Grubb Karen & Ken Harley Jean Krois & Howard Hertz Rosalie Holtz Janet Huseby Carol Amyx & Don Kaufman Joan H. Story & Robert F. Kidd Beth & Tim Kientzle Laura Korbas Diana Krampf Susan Berger Law Susan Ledford Kit & Hayne Leland Bonnie Burt & Mark Liss Eugenia Loken Ann & Robert Lynn Ruth Majdrakoff Robert & Johanna Mandel Ana Maria Martel Britt-Marie & Brian Morris Mike & Sharon Morris Russell Nelson Celia Karian & James Novosel Margo & Roy Ogus Robert P. Camm & Susan Pearson Nonie B. Ramsay Danielle Rebischung Philip Reed & Carla Reed Ruth & Jim Reynolds Helen Rigby, Dramarama Theater Tours Maxine Risley Henry Navas & Deborah Robbins Steve & Linda Rosen Gretchen Saeger Al Hoffman & David Shepherd Monica Salusky & John Sutherland Susan Sawyer Sandra Keith & Bob Shephard Jacqueline A H. Smalley Sigrid Snider Valerie Sopher RHE Charitable Foundation, Jennifer & Will Sousae Ruth MacNaughton &

Harold Spencer Frank Kelly & Alan Stewart Jane & Jay Taber Revan & Elsa Tranter Charles & Heidi Triay Gail & Arne Wagner Susan & Brad Wait Arlene Waksberg Dorothy Walker Henry Trevor & Elizabeth Werter Donna M. Williams Victor Willits Barbara Lanier & John Wilson Linda & Steve Wolan Viviana Wolinsky Evie & Gordon Wozniak Patron

$250 - $499 Anonymous (2) Carlene & Richard Anderson Nina K. Auerbach Stephen Twigg & Susan C. Aumiller Bobbi Baron Susan & Barry Baskin Wendy & Robert Bergman Terry Pink Alexander & John Blaustein Robert Brokl Emilie Talbot & Gordon Brooks Donna Brorby Wayne Bryan Nancy Catena Susanne Stoffel & Michael Coan Jane & Tom Coulter Lynn & Chris Crook Sue & Joe Daly Carlotta & Bob Dathe Pam Dernham John Ehrlich Margery Eriksson Mary & Tom Foote Barbara & Ron Forsstrom Molly & Harrison Fraker Eva & Alex Glazer 12

Sheldon & Judy Greene Bonnie & Sy Grossman Sarah & Parke Hafner Gina Harris John Sweitzer & Joyce Hawkins Tony & Trish Hawthorne Woof Kurtzman & Liz Hertz Harry Howe Nolan R. Hughes & Darcy A. Hughes Steven Silberblatt & Rita Kohl Ben Hermalin & Ruth Konoff Ken Krich Kathryn S. Martin & David Kurtzman Jill & Ray L’Esperance Pam MacKinnon Karen Mangan Karen Rosenbaum & Ben McClinton Robert McDowell Arnold Yip & Alison McLean Patricia & Steve McMahon Mark & Marjorie Medress Mark J Powers & Albert E Moreno Molly Noble Sylvia Pascal Gini Erck & David Petta Leonard Gabriele & John Richardson Yvonne Lalanne & Mark M. Rubenstein Claire De Chazal & Francisco Santamarina Laurel I Schaefer Trent Barbara Silverberg Betsy Smith Sarilee Janger & Stephen Steiner Helaina Titus Suzanne Titus-Johnson Lisa Vandenberg Marcia & David Vastine Gretchen Vonduering Susan Ward Emily & Robert Warden Paul Werner

C ONFRONTIN G & DISMANTLIN G OPPRESSION At Aurora, we use the phrase “Confronting and Dismantling Oppression” rather than “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” because we recognize that this work must be active and ongoing. It is not a box to be checked, it is a continual and intentional process. We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about Aurora’s CDO initiatives and commitments, including: • Our new Mission & Values statement, making explicit our commitment to racial justice and to confronting all forms of oppression. • Our Theatre For Everyone statement, which is also posted in our lobby. • Welcome To Our Space, a pair of town halls exploring microaggressions in theaters and public spaces. • Our Community Partners program. • The list of Commitments we’ve made in the name of confronting and dismantling oppression, including: • Our CDO Task Force, composed of staff and board members including both staff and board leadership. • Anti-bias trainings we’ve conducted for staff and board. • Our monthly Community CDO meeting, attended by Aurora artists, Community Partners, Advisory Council members, staff, and board. • Our commitments towards inclusivity in our season. This work is an essential piece of Aurora’s intention to be the storyteller for our community. Thank you for being a part of this process with us. Visit auroratheatre.org/CDO for more information.

Sam Jackson*, Lorri Holt*, Mia Tagano*, and Denmo Ibrahim* in Splendour. Photo by David Allen. *Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. 13

DONORS

Ann Willoughby Ying-Mei & Jack Fran Burgess & Sandy Zirulnik Associate

$100 - $249 Anonymous (6) Ida & Myles Abbott Rose Adams Kelly Lada Alexeenko Hope & Noah Alper Judith A. Arrigo Richard & Sandy Bails Paula Bakalar Diane & Todd H. Baker James Helman & Josephine Bellaccomo Marilyn Beller Sandra W Bemesderfer Alicia Benito Gil & Ann Berkeley Barbara Anscher & Steven Binder Adrian Blumberg Holly & James Bogin Bonnie Bogue Marion Brackett Sheila & Arthur Braufman Marilyn & George Bray Nina & Frank Brunetti Carin & Robert Bryans Robert Bryans Alexander Byron Carrera C Andrea & Michael Cassidy Diana Gay-Catania & Dave Catania Cecilia Storr & Mark Chaitkin Barnali Ghosh & Anirvan Chatterjee Lisa Chilton Marilyn & Richard Collier Janaki Costello Carolyn & Phil Cowan Carolyn Cox Gary & Diana Cramer Ada Burko & Gabriela Crane

Ann O’Connor & Ed Cullen Clytia & Joseph M. Curley Donna Terazawa & Robert Deutsch Kate M. Dickey Keith E. Doerge Susan Driscoll Deborah Fox & Ron Epstein Nancy & Thomas Ewing Daria Hepps & Franco Faraguna Hal Fischer Brigitte & Louis Fisher Robin Flagg Cynthia Fleury Linda Fogel Stephanie Friedman Kelli Frostad Kevin M. Gahagan Mark Aaronson & Marjorie Gelb John G Rosenberg & Diane Gerstler Heidi Giordano Judith Glass Margot Golding Karl Goldstein Daniel and Hilary Goldstine Bobbi Schear & Michael Goloff Roy L. Gordon Anita Grandpre Gretchen & Richard Grant Bill & Shand Green Sheldon and Judy Greene Pat & Lee Hackett Pamela C. Haenke-Clark Mary & Michael Hanemann Oscar Anderson & Holly Hartley Terry O’Loughlin & Jay Helms Leslie Henry Irene & Robert Hepps Leslie Paine & Herb Holman Hilary Honore Wilma Horwitz Wade & Jane Hughan Janet Hurwich Gary & Carol Irwin Robert & Kathleen Kaiser 14

Linda & Terry T. Kanat Joseph E. Katz Christopher & Patricia Kenber Herbert B. Kennedy Martha & Michael Kessler Birthe Kirsch Deborah & David Kirshman Martha Schimbor & Nancy Kornfield Barbara Kuklewicz Teresa Kulka Joanne & John Lafler Judith Lamberti Gretchen M. Larsen Joseph Jackson & Joann Leskovar John Leys Eva Liebermann Jennifer S. Lindsay Dan & Emily Loeb Mimi W. Lou Antonia Lozon Jonathan Luskin Ruth Marcon Bunny Martin Claire & Paul Maxwell Marilee Talkington & Andrew Meisel John Mengel Everett & Julia Moore Thomas C. Moore Brenda Moreno Susan Morris Bruno Kurtic & Lisa Morse Jerry S. Mosher The Murraywolf Family Len Nathan Margery F. Eriksson & James T. Nelson Glen Nethercut Azieb Nicodimos Rachel & Ron Nissim Joan Sullivan & Walter Norton Aleta Wallace & Peter Nussbaum Timothy & Jeanne Sakata Patterson

DONORS

Linda Perkins Susan Y. Petit Margaret A. Phillips Henri Picciotto & Irva Hertz-Picciotto Evan Painter & Wendy Polivka Sylvia & Perry W. Polk Virginia Poulton Jack & Jessica Powell John F. Price Caroline & Roger Purves Susan Wheeler Rappe Mary Rees Gregg Richardson Bill & Ray Riess Pauline & Wayman Robertson William Roberts Adam Rochmes The Rodriguez-Olmsteads Rosenthal-Murphy Family Trust Mary Rudser Deborah Sanborn Sylvia Saunders Thomas A. Savignano Gillian Scharff Jenifer Schoenberger George Sensabaugh George & Linda Sensabaugh Ginny Sidells Patricia Silver Harriet Simpson Marilyn Singer Marilyn & Robert L. Singer Chris & Jeff Smith Judy & Ron Smith Peter & Ann Smith Margaret J. Sparks Helen Wickes & Donald J. Stang Laura Steinman Sally Stevens Mary & Jerry Street Jay Atkinson & Ariel Summerlin Joan Suzio Jean C. Thomas Alyosha Zim & Liisa van Duyts Penny Veres

Grant & Norma Voth Ruth & Laurence Walker Richard D. Warren Jim & Irene Watt Margo Wesley Laurellee Westaway Kathleen & Roy Whalin Dean Wheatcraft Susan Wheeler Richard Willkins Barbara Baratta & Fred Winslow Andrew Witkowski Paul L. Wyman Bess Zimmerman Thank you to all of our generous donors who have made gifts under $100. List is current as of March 25, 2022.

DONORS

Members of the Barbara Oliver Society for The Next Generation have designated Aurora Theatre Company in their estate plans, enabling us to serve not just you—our first-generation audience—but generations to come. For more information on how to make a charitable bequest or designate Aurora in your estate plan, contact the development office at 510.398.0913 or development@auroratheatre.org. Thank you to the following members:

Anonymous (2) Nancy Axelrod Steven Beckendorf Norman Abramson & David Beery* Elizabeth Burwell Carol Emory Jacquelin Ewing Marge Glicksman* Candy & George Hisert Ellen & Barry Levine

Ines Lewandowitz* Sumner* & Hermine* Marshall* Margaret D. & Winton McKibben Alison McLean Shelly Osborne Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Gladys Perez-Mendez* Margaret A. Phillips Betty Pirford*

Tom Ross David Rovno Julianne H. Rumsey* Deborah Dashow Ruth Sylvia Saunders Valerie Sopher Lisa R. Taylor Janis Kate Turner *In Memoriam

HONOR ROLL

List is current as of March 25, 2022.

In Memory of Pat & Gene Angell (2) In Memory of Sheldon Bornstein (2) In Honor of Joan Braun Remembering Lin Cotton

In Memory of Jesus F. Gonzales & Carmen Gonzales Prieto In Memory of Jack Kirsch In Memory of Patricia Mengel In Honor of Julie Rumsey (11)

In Honor of Julie Saltzman Kellner (2) In Honor of Katherine Sanderlin In Honor of Paul Templeton In Memory of David J. Williamson (2)

FUNDS FOR THE FUTURE

Funds for the Future provide lasting tributes and generate continual support for Aurora. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to those who have established the following funds:

Suzanne Adams Fund Traynor Education Fund

We strive for accuracy in our program listing, but errors do occur. Please contact Development at 510.398.0913 if you notice a discrepancy, and thank you very much for helping us keep our records as accurate as possible!

DONORS

CORPORATE DONORS

$1000-$2,499 The Caterpillar Foundation + + Matching Gift Program

FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges these foundations and government agencies for their support:

Alameda County Arts Commission Artsfund American Rescue Project/Shuttered Venues Operators Grant The Bernard Osher Foundation

California Office of the Small Business Advocate City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program The Fleishhacker Foundation The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation

The Shubert Foundation The Tournesol Project

You can help to secure Aurora’s long-term future by including Aurora in your estate plans and becoming a member of the Barbara Oliver Society for the Next Generation. As a member, you will play a lead role in ensuring that Aurora continues to shape the minds and hearts of generations to come through challenging, thoughtprovoking theatre. To learn more, contact Development at 510.398.0913 or visit auroratheatre.org/BarbaraOliverSociety. Aurora’s founding Artistic Director, Barbara Oliver. Photo by David Allen.

A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y

AURORA STAFF

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATES Kate Pennington

Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Roman JohnDoza

Felicity Cowlin INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER Robin Dolan BOX OFFICE SUPPORT

Amber Bruce

HOUSE MANAGERS elle black Amber Bruce Lisa Klein

Francesca Gabourel MANAGING DIRECTOR

Michael Mansfield

Beatriz Hernandez DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING SPECIALIST Karen Loccisano GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Julie vonEhrenkrook THE INCREMENTALIST PRODUCTION STAFF Emma Buechner ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Kate Pennington BOX OFFICE & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Mylo Cardona

SOUND/PROJECTION OPERATOR

Daniel Hall ELECTRICIAN/PROGRAMER

Jenn Ruygt PRODUCTION MANAGER

Brittany Mellerson LEAD ELECTRICIAN

Nicole Schulz BUSINESS MANAGER David Shultz FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER/ BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Colleen Nicole COSTUME COORDINATOR

ADVISORY COUNCIL Ulises Alcala, John Caner, Joy Carlin, Barbara Damashek, Rafael Jesús González, Robert B. Hetler, Malcolm Margolin, Alan Miller, Helen Meyer, Bob Oliver, Hilary Perkins, Hillary & Jonathan Reinis, M. Graham Smith, Steve & Cindy Snow, Jonathan Spector, Mia Tagano, Beth Wilmurt O+G ARTISTS Christopher Chen Britney Frazier Margo Hall Cleavon Smith Jonathan Spector Beth Wilmurt 21/22 SHOW ARTWORK BY Elizabeth Lada VIDEOGRAPHY BY Flying Moose Pictures

Aryanna Riggin WARDROBE CREW

Cameron Swartzell TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/ FACILITIES MANAGER

Leigh Rondon-Davis DRAMATURG

Storm White ASSISTANT BOX OFFICE MANAGER

SCENIC ARTIST

Dawn Monique Williams ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Barbara Oliver Richard Rossi

Adeline Smith FOUNDERS Dorothy Bryant Marge Glicksman Ken Grantham

C O M I N G U P N E X T AT A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y

Jaclyn Backhaus DIR E CT E D BY Lavina Jadhwani BY

STARTS JUNE 24, 2022

From Hemingway’s widow to a maharani in Rajasthan, from 16th century France to the campus of Oxbridge University today, the Great Men are left behind as their wives claim center stage in this irreverent celebration of female capability and power. Can Catherine de’ Medici, queen to Henri II of France, rise above her rivalry with Henri’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers? Will Hemingway’s death bring his former wives together or drive them apart? Can a pact between a maharaja, his wife, and a witch survive the forces of British imperialism? Can a new student club devoted to witchcraft conjure a spell to manifest a new way of being in the world? Aurora is proud to present the West Coast premiere of this riotous and powerful story by the extraordinary playwright Jacklyn Backhaus.

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION BOX OFFICE

Hours: Tues-Friday, 1pm-5pm Phone: 510.843.4822 Online: auroratheatre.org ADMINISTRATION

2081 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704 phone: 510.843.4042 fax: 510.843.4826

SUBSCRIBER TICKET EXCHANGE

Free exchanges require at least 25 hours’ notice. Exchanges to a more expensive date require payment of the difference in ticket price. Exchanges with less than 25 hours’ notice will incur a fee. SINGLE TICKET EXCHANGE

Single ticket buyers may exchange tickets with at least 25 hours’ notice for a fee of $10 per ticket. 19

POLICIES FOR IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES

Masks are required during the performance and at all times while in the Aurora Theatre building. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is prohibited. Please turn off all cell phones during the performance (and any other devices that could be distracting). Photographs and recordings of any kind are strictly prohibited. No children under 5 permitted and every person entering the theatre must have their own ticket. Please arrive early due to observed Covid-19 protocols. There is no late seating.

I N T R O D U C I N G

A U R O R A ’ S

3 1

S T

S E A S O N

2022/2023 W O R L D

P R E M I E R E

COLONIALISM IS TERRIBLE, BUT PHO IS DELICIOUS By Dustin Chinn Directed by Oanh Nguyen Starts November 4, 2022

PARADISE BLUE By Dominique Morisseau Directed by Dawn Monique Williams Starts January 27, 2023

CYRANO By Edmond Rostand Adapted and Directed by Josh Costello Starts April 7, 2023

HURRICANE DIANE By Madeleine George Directed by Jennifer King Starts June 16, 2023 JEUNÉE SIMON IN STOOP STORIES; PHOTO BY RANDY WONG-WESTBROOKE.

SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! C A L L 510 . 8 4 3 . 4 8 2 2 | V I S I T AU R O R AT H E AT R E . O R G