Q4 Masterclass Projects Spring 2022 | Boston University CFA School of Theatre Program Book

Q4 Masterclass Projects Antigone or And Still She Must Rise Up Written by Madeline Sayet Directed by Enzo Gonzales CFA 352 “Jewels 1” Juliane Ethel Leilani Miller Studio Theatre

May 6, 2:00 PM May 7, 10:00 AM

Revolt. She Said.

Revolt Again.

Written by Alice Birch Directed by Ludmila de Brito CFA 354, David Copeland Black Box Theatre

May 6, 4:00 PM May 7, 12:00 PM

Antigone or And Still She Must Rise Up Written by Madeline Sayet Cast Christine Dvorak Sarah Coleman Michaela Lazarou Robbie Rodriguez Nicolas Zuluaga Jacob Bergman Annika Helgeson Frankie Otis Serena Arora Jenna Dean EJ Hanson Kira Gandolfo Lauren Rude Thomas Bilotta

Production Hannah Eckert Tess Evans-Shell Andrew Wehling Peyton Tavares Eduardo M Ramirez Kortright Mackenzie Adamick Gage Baker Kevin Fulton Enzo Gonzales Serena Arora Jim Noone

A Note from the Director It seems inauthentic for a male-identifying director to speak on the story of Antigone.

Many critics have identified a crucial problem with the original play handed down to us from 2500 years ago: that it primarily serves as a journey of redemption for the “tragic hero”, Creon, to suffer for his faults and grow as a leader, making the story of a young woman’s martyrdom about making male patriarchy more empathetic. I won’t give any spoilers as to how Madeline Sayet’s new version deconstructs this narrative, but in speaking with her she expressed that a primary goal was to “decenter” Antigone and Creon and focus more on the society around Antigone and how they respond to her determination to give her brother a proper burial. Citizens, Soldiers, and the internet itself join the fight for justice in this play that calls attention to the unhealed wounds past and present, those to the indigenous ancestors whose land was colonized with no respect to their humanity and to the marginalized communities of today that are systematically and implicitly oppressed by patriarchy and capital. I find these stories inspiring and insightful as to the complications we face today and how to tear down a system that fails to respect the rights of all the worlds’ citizens.

I’m deeply grateful to the community at BU that rallied around this new play and am so glad we get to share it with you all.

Enzo Gonzales

"Antigone or And Still She Must Rise Up" was first performed at Buller University in November 2020

Revolt. She Said.

Revolt Again.

Written by Alice Birch

Cast Emma Cahoon Janelle Grace Leah Hohauser Billy McColl Gabriela Medina-Toledo Hampton Richards Emma Weller McKayla Witt

T-Shirt Fundraiser TransResistance for BlackTransLives: https://www.transresistancema.com/ All of the profits collected from the sale of T-Shirts will go towards Trans Resistance for Black Trans Lives MA. Trans Resistance was formed in June 2020 by Athena Vaughn, Chastity Bowick, and a collective of trans and queer activists in the Boston area who built upon years of contention with the Boston Pride board for being trans-exclusionary in their process, vision, and work and failing to equitably represent the magical TQBIPOC community in Boston.

Trans Resistance builds off of the work of the Transgender Emergency Fund, the only organization dedicated to supporting low-income and homeless transgender individuals in Massachusetts.

Production Team Keishona Weeks - Sound Board Operator James D. Templeton - Production Manager and Props Master Gage Baker - Sound Designer Stacy Brannan - Costume and Production Support Lisa Victoria Coleman - Costume Designer Slick Jorgensen - Light Designer Mackenzie Adamick - Sound Designer Peyton Tavares - Scenic Designer Kevin Fulton - Props and Production Gabby Cadden - Stage Manager and Assistant Director Ludmila de Brito - Director

“Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com “REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN received its American premiere at Soho Rep, Sarah Benson, Artistic Director; Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and was first performed at The Other Play at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, June 2014”

A Note from the Ensemble and Creative Team It is 2022.

What does it mean to revolt?

What does it mean to revolt when, in 2022, we are still electing far-right leaders like Bolsonaro in Brazil, taking away abortion rights away in the US, and still shaping our feminism through the exclusion of Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, and Trans Women?

What does it mean to truly revolt?

Is it a movement sponsored by big corporations? Is it a brand? Is it cool slogans and a pink hat?

What does it mean to look inwards and truly sit with the discomfort of complacency?

And what is our role as artists in this?

What is our role as the investigators of human behavior in this society right now?

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch was the canvas in which we asked those questions every day, doing a play that revolts against itself. In a play where backstage is visible, the curtains have been removed, and it is evident how the theatre community can and should do better.

When we asked ourselves these questions in the many conversations we had in the room, all we could think about was how the question “should we just get rid of men?” terribly misses the mark when it comes to moving us forward. The binary is a myth, patterns of oppression are embedded within our society, and there is much unlearning we must do to step away from the racist, eurocentric ocean we are swimming in.

Revolting goes much deeper than simply ”getting rid of men,” and it is empty if not taken into consideration who amongst us takes the greatest risk in revolting? Why is it that the most historically oppressed communities in this country are forced into the front lines? And who are the ones who benefit and profit from this pattern?

We don’t fight if we don’t care, We don’t critique if we don’t believe something or someone can be better.

That is love.

To Revolt is to love. Bravely, fiercely, and deeply.

From seeking therapy to breaking cycles of trauma, embracing rest, rejecting the scarcity mentality, and moving toward abundance, questioning has helped us see that revolting can be an inner revolution. A realization.

Inverting the “roles” is a flawed concept; it relies on the existence of a made-up, toxic binary mentality that was made to control, but what happens when a group of young actors is asked to try out what “Revolting” looks like?

We hope that you, like we did, leave the room with more questions than when you came in, and that those questions help you fuel your inner revolution.

Coming This Fall Let The Right One In A Co-production with Actors’ Shakespeare Project Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre | 820 Commonwealth Ave Written by Jack Thorne | Directed by Christopher Edwards

Once Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre | 820 Commonwealth Ave Book by Enda Walsh with Music & Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Directed by Shamus

Mankind Studio ONE, CFA 104 | 855 Commonwealth Ave Written by Robert O’Hara | Directed by Rani O’Brien

More details coming soon to our website: www.bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season