A NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE DIRECTOR Welcome to our season, SOT is glad you can join us. The School of Theatre at Boston University is delighted to present our 2026-2027 season of productions and projects. This year we’ve used “American Genius” as inspiration for the titles we will present, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The theme gave our learning community the opportunity to interrogate the implication of the term “genius”, at once broadening the scope of creators whose work finds its way into “the Canon”. Is genius in the questions a play asks its audience? Does it lie in a plays ability to endure time and speak to audiences across generations? Or does it lie within a writer’s rendering of text and topic? Or of song and spirit? It also fostered discussion about what stories make up the greater story of “America”, giving students and faculty a vast landscape of ideas to place on our stages that is as rich and varied as our shared history. With warmth and gratitude, Kirsten Greenidge Director Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre
THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW Written by
LORRAINE HANSBERRY Directed by
JASMINE BROOKS Scene Designer
Costume Designer
INEZ MONTGOMERY
NORA KEMPNER
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
RILEY HIGGINS
RACHAEL DEBRAAL
Stage Manager
Production Managers
REBECCA WELTMANN
CRYSTAL SMITH HANNAH WHITTINGTON
NOVEMBER 5-7, 2026 STUDIO ONE CFA104 Boston University College of Fine Arts 855 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, MA RUNTIME The show runs 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission. CAUTION Depiction of suicide, substance and alcohol abuse, derogatory or sensitive language regarding racism, antisemitism, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
CAST SIDNEY BRUSTEIN
Frané Cebalo
IRIS PARODUS BRUSTEIN
Hope Spann
ALTON SCALES
Johnny Burrell
GLORIA PARODUS
Julia Kenny
WALLY O’HARA
Joshua Pearlstein
MAVIS PARODUS BRYSON
Margaret Deely Max Turman
DAVID RAGIN MAX
Liam Fahey
DESIGN TEAM SCENIC DESIGNER/ SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST
Inez Montgomery
COSTUME DESIGNER
Nora Kempner
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Riley Higgins
SOUND DESIGNER
Rachel DeBraal
PROP DIRECTORS
Katie Zaki Veronika Weredyk
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Jerall Li
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER
Linnea Rhodes
ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER
Damien Logan
PRODUCTION TEAM STAGE MANAGER
Rebecca Weltmann
DECK MANAGER
Liam Corey
PRODUCTION MANAGERS
Crystal Smith Hannah Whittington
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION
Kelly DeLisle
MANAGER DRAPERS
FIRST HAND
Rhea Davies Jacob Robertson Amy O’Brien
INTIMACY COORDINATOR
Lauren A. Cook
FACULTY PROJECT ADVISOR
Jorge Arroyo Christopher Edwards
TECHNICAL TEAM TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Louisa Hulbert
ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Elliot Aydin
PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
Sam Lehrich
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ELECTICIAN/PROGRAMMER
Nico Toro
SOUND ENGINEER
Gus Kim
ASSISTANT SOUND ENGINEER SCENIC CHARGE ARTISTS
Renee Dvorske E Harris Jakob Baur Inez Montgomery
PRODUCTION CREW PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Lily Jessen Camryn Stone Annabel Barker
WARDROBE CREW
Sophie Michel Matthew Mancinelli
SOUND BOARD OPERATOR
Cecilia Fawcett
SOUND CREW
Justyce Swatzell Dagny Rollins
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR LIGHTING CREW
LEAD USHER
Olivia Frank Tessa Michaelis Pauline Chu Chloe Faria
PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR DIRECTOR PLAYWRIGHT & Lorraine Hansberry (PLAYWRIGHT) When Lorraine Hansberry’s (1930-1965) A Raisin in the Sun appeared on Broadway in 1959, the artist became, at 29, the youngest American playwright, the fifth woman, and the only African American to date to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. During her career as a playwright, Hansberry wrote many articles and essays on literary criticism, racism, sexism, homophobia, world peace and other social and political issues. At her death, she left behind file cabinets holding her public and private correspondence, speeches and journals, and various manuscripts in several genres: plays for stage and screen, essays, poetry, and an almost complete novel. Jasmine Brooks (DIRECTOR) Jasmine Brooks is a director and producer. Jasmine’s directing credits include Is God Is, Pigskin, Macbeth co-adapted with Tia Smith, Charity (David Geffen School of Drama); Pool (No Water), Pride of Doves, seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Yale Cabaret); Intimate Apparel (Silverthorne Theatre Company); Bite Me (NNPN National Showcase of New Plays);Truth or Consequences (Fresh Ink Theatre). Jasmine’s associate/assistant directing credits include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (The Huntington, dir. Lili-Anne Brown); Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (American Repertory Theater, dir. Taibi Magar); The Bluest Eye (The Huntington, dir. Awoye Timpo); BLKS (Speakeasy Stage, dir. Tonasia Jones); can i touch it? (NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, dir. Nicole Watson); Wolf Play (Company One Theatre, dir. Summer L. Williams); Vietgone (Company One Theatre, dir. Michelle Aguillon). Jasmine was the Co-Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret in the 2025-26 season. Jasmine has directed new play workshops at the National New Play Network, Playwrights’ Center, San Diego Repertory Theatre, and more. Jasmine is a 2025 recipient of the Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program. Education: MFA in Directing, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and BFA in Theater Arts, Boston University, School of Theatre. jasminerosebrooks.com
MEET THE CAST Frané Cebalo (SIDNEY BRUSTEIN) is an actor, writer, and director from Cliffside Park, NJ. He is in the class of 2027, currently pursing his BFA in Acting. Recent credits include being an actor/director in the Directors Project, workshop readings for his play Cosmic Dilemma, Don Jon in Much Ado About Nothing, and Evan/Conrad in Significant Other. He would like to thank his loved ones and the people who supported him along the way! Hope Spann (IRIS PARODUS BRUSTEIN) (she/her) is a senior acting major from Wayland, MA. She is grateful you chose to spend your evening seeing this play! Some of Hope's recent performances include Hamlet (Ophelia), DREAM (Hermia), The Director's Project, and Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice). She is utterly thrilled to be in a nonShakespeare show. When she's not in the CFA, you can find Hope hosting dinner parties, birdwatching, or snuggling on the couch with her friends. She would like to thank her parents for their endless love and support!
Julia Kenny (GLORIA PARODUS) (she/her) (she/her) is an Acting major from Pasadena, California in the Class of 2028. She has enjoyed working on productions such as "Betrayal," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Laramie Project," "I and You," and others. She'd like to thank her parents, sisters, and all her friends for their support. Josh Pearlstein (WALLY O’HARA) (he/him) is a sophomore acting student from Berkeley Heights, NJ.
Margaret Deely (MAVIS PARODUS BRYSON) (she/her) is a Boston University student currently pursuing her BFA in Acting. She makes her return to the BU stage after studying Physical Theatre at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy this past Spring. Notable acting credits include: Dr. Lorna James in The Effect (Boston University), Maria/Sebastian in What You Will: A Reimagining of Twelfth Night (Half x Baked Theater Collective), Masha/Shamrayev in Anya Reiss’ The Seagull (Boston University), and Nun Ensemble in The Sound of Music (Pittsburgh Musical Theater). Margaret Johnny Burrell (ALTON SCALES) would like to thank her parents Michael (He/Him) is an actor from New Orleans, and Kathleen, sisters, friends, instructors, Louisiana. He is a acting major in the peers, the cast and crew, and the whole of Boston University School of Theatre Class School of Theatre. To the audience, enjoy of 2028 and has enjoyed performing in the show! productions of I and You by Lauren Gunderson and A Wedding Album by Robert Westfield. Alongside acting, he is studying to be a writer for both screen and stage. He would like to thank his mother, family, friends, and mentors for their support.
MEET THE CAST Max Turman (DAVID RAGIN) is an actor, writer, director, and RA originally from Dallas, TX. He is currently pursing his BFA in Theatre Arts and Performance. Recent artistic endeavors include being the Assistant to the Director on Rent at Casa Mañana, workshop readings of his play “Kai’s Gay Homosexual Nightmare,” and playing Happy Mahoney in Clown Bar 1 & 2. He would like to thank his mom, family, and friends for all their support and kindness.
Liam Fahey (MAX) (he/him/his) is a Junior Theatre Arts major from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Liam was recently in A Wedding Album by Robert Westfield (Waiter) and The Crucible (Giles Corey). He is overjoyed to be a part of this beautiful story with an amazing cast and crew. He would like to thank his family for their endless support.
MEET THE DESIGNERS PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR Inez Montgomery (SCENIC DESGNER/SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST) (she/her) is a part of class of 2028, majoring in Scenic Design at Boston University School of Theatre. She is excited to be a part of such a great production and would like to thank the amazing cast and crew. Riley Higgins (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a lighting design major in the class of 2027 from Cape Cod, MA. Previous BU credits include Aurora Borealis 2025 (LD/ALD/PE/Programmer), Islander (Programmer), and The Oresteia (Assistant Lighting Designer). They would love to thank the entire team for all of their patience, kindness, support, and hard work put into this production! Nora Kempner (COSTUME DESIGNER) (she/her) is a Costume Design and Production major in the class of 2027, and she is so excited to finally get to design for SoT! Past BU credits include The Oresteia, Roméo et Juliette, Emilia, and Siren Song. Professional: Mother Mary (Boston Playwrights' Theatre), 2025 Big Top Tour: Game On! (Circus Smirkus), Shakespeare and Company. nora.kempner.net Rachael DeBraal (SOUND DESIGNER) is a Senior (27') Sound Design major, who has worked on a great variety of shows at BU, and looks forward to finishing out her senior year strong! She would like to thank her very supportive friends and family, who have stuck with her through it all, as well as her beautiful assistants, Damian, Gus, and Renee, who are the greatest blessings.
MEET THE DESIGN TEAM Katie Zaki (PROP DIRECTOR) (Any Pronouns) is a Design, Production, and Management student from Columbus, Ohio. They are Scenic Designer in the class of 2029 and is excited to work on this production. They would like to thank their professors, friends, and family for their time and support. Veronika Weredyk (PROP DIRECTOR) (she/her) is a scenic design major from Long Island, New York. She is a Design, Production, and Management Core student in the Boston University School of Theatre Class of 2029. She had a wonderful time being a production assistant for BU's 12 Angry Jurors, and can't wait to work on more shows this season. She would like to thank all her friends and family for their support in her endeavors. Jerall Li (ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER) is a first year graduate student in the Lighting Design MFA program at Boston University.
Linnea Rhodes (ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER) is a Costume Design & Production student from Northampton, MA. She is in the Boston University School of Theatre Class of 2029. She is so excited for you to see this production and would like to thank her family, friends, and cats for their support! Damien Logan (ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER) is a class of 2029 Sound Design student whose passion resides in the musicality and live experience in every production. From Plainfield, Connecticut, he'd like to thank the lovely sound department, his sister, and all his friends old & new.
MEET THE TECHNICAL TEAM Louisa Hulbert (TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) (she/her) is a junior Technical Production major from Saint Louis, Missouri. She is honored to be a part of this process, and would like to thank her friends and family for their ongoing support. Elliot Aydin (ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) (he/him) is a sound and technical production student in the Boston University Class of 2028. He is from Seattle, Washington, where he proudly works with IATSE Local 15. He would like to thank his fellow crew members for making this show happen, and Triona for convincing him to go to school in Boston. Sam Lehrich (PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN) is a lighting lover from right here in Massachusetts. They are a Lighting Design and Computer Science dual degree student at Boston University, which he will graduate from in 2028. They would like to thank their parents and sister for their never ending love and support. Gus Kim (SOUND ENGINEER) (he/him) is a Theatre Arts major from Chicago, enthusiastically studying directing and sound in the class of 2028. Previous highlights with the School of Theatre include mix engineering Desdemona/Emilia and sound designing Universal Mother, Sacred Soil. He thanks all the wondrous humans making his current existence possible.
Renee Dvorske (ASSISTANT SOUND ENGINEER) (she/her) is a Theatre Arts major from Lawrence, KS. She is excited to be studying both Sound and Lighting Design in the BU class of 2029. She would like to thank her incredible parents, friends, and teachers for building her love and passion for theatre making! E Harris (SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST) (they/them) is a Theatre Arts student studying Scenic and Lighting Design in the class of 2028. They’d like to thank their family and friends for providing them with the opportunity to grow as a theatre maker! Jakob Baur (SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST) (he/him, '28) is so excited to be scenic designing for the first time on Vinkensport! He would like to thank his parents for their never-ending support as well as every single person who helped make this design come to life. Other notable SOT credits include Calf Scramble (Prop Director) and Flight (Associate Scenic Designer). Nico Toro (ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ELECTRIAN/PROGRAMMER) is so excited to be part of this production! They’d like to thank Maddie Sebastian for being so awesome and writing a bio for them.
MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM Rebecca Weltmann (STAGE MANAGER) (she/her) is a ’28 BFA DPM Theatre Arts student originally from sunny South Florida. Her work ranges from youth theatre across the country to BU Opera Institute’s productions of Siren Song, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Roméo et Juliette, as well as stage management for the School of Theatre, where her most recent production was the Sophomore Festival. She’s grateful to her family, friends, mentors, and this amazing team for bringing this production to life! Liam Corey (DECK STAGE MANAGER) (He/Him) is a stage manager from Milton, Massachusetts. He is a DPM Core student in the Boston University School of Theatre, Class of 2029. He would like to thank his parents and all former collaborators for their support. Crystal Smith (PRODUCTION MANAGER) is in her final year of the MFA Production Management here at Boston University. She is from Houston, TX where she worked as a SM at the Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera and taught high school theatre. She would like to thank her family for their constant support, the faculty for their guidance the MFA 2 year cohort for the found family who will always be a reminder to "please don't stop the music"!!
Hannah Whittington Seymore (PRODUCTION MANAGER) (she/her) is a second-year MFA Production Management student from North Carolina. Previous BU credits include "Flowers for Mrs. Harris," "I and You," and "Medea." Other experience: Maine State Music Theater (Brunswick, ME), and Shakespeare Frankfurt (Germany). She would like to thank Jackson, her family, and incredible cohort of artists for all their support! BA English & Dramatic Art, UNC Chapel Hill. Kelly DeLisle (ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER) is from Muncie, Indiana. She is an MFA Production Management Graduate student here at Boston University. Select Credits include: Resident Stage Manager of the Dayton Ballet, Opera, and Philharmonic Orchestra; and Stage Management Summer Faculty at Interlochen Center for the Arts. She would like to thank her parents, LP, ES, and her Ball State Family for their continued support. For CT.
MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM Rhea Davies (DRAPER) (she/her) is a Senior in Costume Design and Production from Amherst, MA. She has enjoyed working on productions at BU like Flowers for Mrs. Harris and Corpus Christi, as well as working at the Cape Playhouse during the summer. She is excited to be working as a draper and designer in the costume shop this year. She wants to thank her family and friends for their support! Jacob Robertson (DRAPER) (they/them) is from Northumberland, Pennsylvania. They are a Costume Design and Production major in the Boston University Class of 2028 and have enjoyed costuming for shows like Head Over Heels and Hairspray. They dedicate their work as a theatre artist to their friends, brothers Evan and Neil, and their loving parents Amy O’Brien (FIRST HAND) (she/her/hers) is a Theatre Arts major in the class of '29, concentrating in Costume Design, from Chicago, Illinois. She is very excited to be a part of the SBW team!
Lauren A. Cook (INTIMACY COORDINATOR) maintains a private studio where she specializes in training crossover classical and musical theatre singers as well as vocal health and endurance for actors. Her students have been seen in performances with various local and regional companies such as the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Apollinaire Theatre Company, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and Moonbox Productions. With research interests in the topics of consent and self advocacy for actors as well the effects of the health and wellness industry on performers, she is a frequent masterclass presenter, lecturer, and writer. Her work as a director and/or intimacy choreographer for opera, theatre, and film includes credits with MassOpera, Suffolk University, the Greater Boston Stage Company, and Lowell House Opera, and Long Island Lyric Opera. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee believes that performers of every level deserve evidence-based and ethical teaching, and that people of all backgrounds should be represented on stage.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE Lorraine Hansberry catapulted to fame with the 1959 Broadway premiere of her hit play, A Raisin in the Sun, making her the first Black woman to be produced on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun follows the lives and dreams of the Younger family, a working-class Black family living in the south side of Chicago after they receive insurance money from the loss of their patriarch. Critics and audiences were shocked when Hansberry's sophomore play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (1964), featured a Jewish man at the center, but what the character represented was a familiar figure to Hansberry, from her time living in Greenwich Village, who she felt was rarely represented on stage. The events of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window take place in Sidney and Iris Brustein’s Greenwich Village apartment, a portrait of 1960’s bohemia. After a failing business venture, that Sidney Brustein thoroughly claims was not a nightclub, Sidney takes on a new undertaking—running a newspaper titled The Village Crier. At first Sidney is against the inclusion of politics in the paper, but is soon convinced by his charming friend and budding politician, Wally O’Hara, to use the paper to support O’Hara’s campaign. Through the apartment door breezes in artists, intellectuals and dreamers, who are both the people Hansberry met in this neighborhood as well as fragments of herself. From this collection of characters, Hansberry sought to write a play that “fills in something of a genuine portrait of the milieu.” Lorraine Hansberry’s life was unfortunately cut short. Just two days after The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window closed on Broadway, Hansberry tragically passed away on January 12, 1965 at the young age of 34 from cancer. What Hansberry leaves audiences through her work and activism is a deep commitment to progress. The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window asks the question of what is the responsibility of an artist in this world? What is the cost of taking risks and taking a stance? The heart of the play lives in Sidney’s line “the world is about to crack right down the middle. We’ve gotta change – or fall in the crack.” This sentiment is just as poignant today as it was then. - Jasmine Brooks, Director
THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW Lorraine Hansberry's second Broadway play is the probing, hilarious and provocative story of Sidney, a disenchanted Greenwich Village intellectual, his wife Iris, an aspiring actress, and their colorful circle of friends and relations. Set against the turmoil of a stormy 1964 political campaign, the play follows its characters in their unorthodox quests for meaningful lives in an age of corruption, alienation and cynicism. With compassion, humor and poignancy, the author examines questions of morality, ethics, interracial relationships, drugs, rebellion, conformity, global responsibility and the fragility of love. (concordtheatricals.com)
For more information about the 2026-2027 season, visit bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season
ABOUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS SCHOOL OF THEATRE The School of Theatre at Boston University College of Fine Arts offers education for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession within the setting of a major research university. The School of Theatre seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work. Learn more about the current BU School of Theatre production season at bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season. Follow us on Instagram @bu_schooloftheatre Check us out on Facebook /BUTheatre Email us theatre@bu.edu Give us a call (617) 353-3390