Clyde's Program Guide

Creative Team Director

Keiana Richàrd-Bartolomë Scenic Design Emily MacDonald

Costume Design Sonia Giansiracusa

Sound Design John Zalewski

Lighting Design Angelica Mondragon

Properties Design Tori Morones

Hair & Makeup Design Ella Mcdonald Stage Manager Cece Kovach CLYDE'S is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com) World Premiere by the Guthrie Theater Originally commissioned by Joe Dowling and produced by Joseph Haj, Artistic Directors Broadway Premiere produced by Second Stage Theater, New York, 2021 (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Khady Kamara, Executive Director) For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

A Note from the Artistic Director Welcome to Clyde’s, the final show of our Fall 2024 CalREP Season!

It is truly a joy to share this production with our CSULB and Long Beach community. Clyde’s is a masterpiece from one of our most treasured playwrights Lynn Nottage. Set in a truck stop sandwich shop, Clyde’s kitchen is staffed by formerly incarcerated people hoping for a shot at redemption, a new life, and the perfect sandwich. Alternately human, thrilling, and hilarious, Clyde’s examines the systems that control our lives, and what role, if any, we really have in our ultimate fate.

We are pleased to welcome director Keiana Richard-Bartolomé in her first production with CalREP. Keiana has an impressive background in Los Angeles theatre, and it is an honor to welcome her to CSULB. The theme for the 2024-25 CalREP season is “Laughing Together,” celebrating diverse voices through comedy. In a world that often feels divided, we believe that theatre provides an opportunity to come together, and what better way to come together than through laughter. Comedy has the power to connect us, to break down barriers, and to remind us of our shared humanity. We invite you to join us in this celebration of humor.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

A Note from the Artistic Director (cont.)

This production is our final show of the fall. We hope you will join us this spring for four more exciting productions: Frantic/Tempest, Yoga Play, Red Bike, and Alice in Slasherland. Thank you for being a part of this CalREP season.

Now get comfortable and turn off your phone so you can enjoy the magic of live theatre, and welcome to Clyde’s.

Warm Regards, Ezra LeBank Department Chair Theatre Arts & CalREP

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

A Note from the Director “…being incarcerated taught me two things: Number one, I love freedom and number two, you have to fight to protect your freedom—“.

-Spoken by Letitia in Clyde’s.

This message resonated deeply upon first reading it. And continues to do so today. It is not just protection of your physical freedom, but the prisons we impose on ourselves every day, consciously or not.

Whether it be that loop of negative thoughts or staying in environments that feel familiar and comfortable though we know hold us back from reaching our full potential to making assumptions without having true context, about ourselves and other people around us.

We are constantly navigating what it means to truly be free physically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally. And we have to do everything in our power to safeguard ourselves from being trapped in cycles that don’t serve our wellbeing. That is the beauty of Clyde’s.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

A Note from the Director (cont.)

Clyde’s is a story is about a group of people with varying backgrounds walking a very similar path of freeing themselves from all of the burdens that imprisoned and continue to imprison them. We, as the audience, can also be challenged to identify what influences in our lives are confining us. Hopefully, in that realization, we find courage to fight for our own freedom.

Thank you for joining us!

Keiana Richàrd-Bartolomë Director

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Bobby Brannon as “Clyde”

Bobby Brannon (Clyde) Bobby wants to thank you for supporting the arts. It's more important now than ever. Many thanks to the beautiful cast, crew, artistic team, and faculty that brought this piece to life. Much love to grass, feijoas, and the alien suncatcher lost somewhere on 2nd Street.

Theodore Taylor III (Montrellous) Theodore Taylor III is in his last year of university and is excited for Clyde's to be his final show.

His previous works include The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatsby) in London, CalReps 12th Night (Orsino), and multiple film projects. He's also a Swiftie. Many thanks to the cast, crew, and artistic team.

Theodore Taylor III as “Montrellous”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast Nayeli Martinez (Letitia) Nayeli Raven is a third-year Theater Arts major with a performance focus and has an extensive background in competitive dance and film.

CSULB has fueled her passion for acting, and she’s thrilled to make her CalRep debut in Clyde’s. She thanks the cast, crew, and artistic team for their support.

Gissele “Gigi” Navarro as “Rafael”

Nayeli Martinez as “Letitia”

Gissele “Gigi” Navarro (Rafael) Gigi (they/she/he) is a third-year Theatre/Performance major at CSULB. This is their third Cal Rep production with their previous shows being Twelfth Night (Antonio) and Roller Derby (Announcer). Gigi is also super excited to be a part of the first production of Clyde’s on a college campus!

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Lucca Carr-Veramo as “Jason”

Lucca Carr-Veramo (Jason) Lucca Carr-Veramo is a 4th-year Theater Major and Forensic Science Minor who is ecstatic for you to watch the show. Past things he's done include: Madwoman of Chaillot (Sewerman) and Mamma Mia (Sam). All thanks go to the cast, crew, my family, and friends for everything. For the Republic.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Crew Assistant Directors Dezi Bobby Jazmine Cordero

Assistant Stage Managers Isaac Gonzalez Heidy Reyes Serbellon

Assistant Scenic Designer Vivian Mulvihill

Assistant Costume Designer Meg Barron Di Herrera

Assistant Props Designer Saul Diaz Production Assistant Kai Fitzer

Assistant Lighting Designer/ Programmer Jacob Magadan

Scenic Painting Sarah Keilman

Deck Electrician Deshawn Mims

Hair & Make-Up Crew Felicity Harris Sarah Heinesh Grace Jacobson Annabelle Kerns Ricky Khau Guadalupe Lopez Jade Lopez Aidan McGuiness Catherine Oregon Eileen Pimentel

Costume Crew Jack Barnes Cole Dahlia Prekoski Alex Huynh Marlene Morales Diana Rodriguez Noelle Smith Lily Than

Light & Sound Board Operators Ryley Debold Eliseo Payan Zishan Wan

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Scenic Crew Esai Calderon Arianna Echavarria Kai Manuel Shallene Rosete James Santiago Aya Sherian Daijon Turner

Study Guide Production history excerpt from the Author, Lynn Nottage: Following the death of George Floyd, the title of the play, which premiered in Minneapolis as Floyd’s was changed to Clyde’s.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Why is Clyde’s important?

Hear from Playwright, Lynn Nottage:

Tap Here to Watch to Full Interview!

Selected Quote: “The formerly incarcerated people who had been in prison for periods of time, came to Reading, Pennsylvania because there was an expectation that there was going to be work.

And when they got there, they found that they were marginalized, that people were not invested in them. So I wanted to figure out a way to make the formerly incarcerated visible and to give them three dimensions so that people understand that folks [formerly incarcerated] are not the worst thing that they’ve ever done.”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Why is Lynn Nottage important?

Pulitzer Prize Winner - Nottage is the only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama TWICE, for Ruined in 2009 and Sweat in 2017.

Social Justice Advocate - Nottage is involved in social justice issues both in her writing and outside of theater.She cosigned the document “We See You, White American Theater” (WSYWAT), which calls for institutional change Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People - In 2019, Time magazine named Nottage one of the 100 Most Influential People.

Quotes by Lynn Nottage “I’m not a human rights activist, I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a journalist. But what I can do — that many of them won’t do — is that I can listen to your story from beginning to end, and I’ll do it with patience and I’ll do it with compassion.”

“I am interested in people living in the margins of society, and I do have a mission to tell the stories of women of color in particular. I feel we've been present throughout history, but our voices have been neglected.”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Facts about The US Incarceration System In the United States there are multiple legal and carceral systems. There are federal, state, local and tribal systems which all operate in differing ways.

Many people use the terms jail and prison interchangeably, but there are key differences. A prison is a federally-run institution where people who have been convicted of crimes serve there sentences. A jail is run by a city or county and mostly houses people who are awaiting trial, meaning they have not yet faced trial or been found guilty of any crime.

A large portion of the incarcerated population is composed of people who are awaiting trial, as illustrated by the chart below:

Sources https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2024.html#bigpicture

The Prison Industrial Complex The term “Prison Industrial Complex” refers to the network of relationships the government and the private companies who benefit financially from the prison system.

As of February 2024, 27 states and the federal government partner with private companies to run some of their prisons.

The people held in private prisons account for 8% of the total prison population in the country.

The United States currently has the second highest prison population in the world. China has the highest prison population.

The United States prison population accounts for approximately 25% of the world’s prison population.

Sources https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/private-prisons-in-the-united-states/ https://legaljournal.princeton.edu/the-economic-impact-of-prison-labor-forincarcerated-individuals-and-taxpayers/

The Prison System in California In 2023, California had an imprisonment rate of 309 per 100,000 people in the state. This is the lowest imprisonment rate in the state in thirty years.

However, in California’s last election (11/5/2024), Prop 6 was on the ballot and appears to have lost. This proposition would have prohibited the use of involuntary servitude as punishments for crime.

“Incarcerated people in California make between $0.16 per hour and $10.24 a day. At the top of the pay scale are firefighters, who risk their lives to fight dangerous wildfires, but it’s still a fraction of what a non-incarcerated California firefighter makes.” (Lachance, 2024) Sources https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/california-slaveryprison-vote-election-2024-1235155591/ https://trends.vera.org/state/CA

Project Rebound @ the Beach Project Rebound is a California State University program established by John Irwin at San Francisco State University in 1967.

Project Rebound assists formerly incarcerated individuals as they work to transform their lives through higher education. In keeping with the spirit of Dr. Irwin’s vision, Project Rebound recruits and supports formerly incarcerated individuals seeking to advance their education at CSU Long Beach.

Tap Here for Informational Video

Tap Here for Project Rebound @ The Beach

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Clyde’s x CALREP

Check out the director interview in the lobby!

“I'd say I think it's helpful and healthy to not judge things before you have the full context, to not automatically think something has to be one way or another. Because we live in a world where we're constantly proven that nothing is ever as it really seems.

Life is complex. People are complex. We actually have more in common than we have differences.”

-Keiana Richàrd-Bartolomë

Discussion Questions 1.

Redemption is a central theme in Clyde’s. How does each character grapple with their past mistakes? Do you think the play suggests that redemption is possible for everyone? Why or why not?

2.

Lynn Nottage wrote Clyde’s in a time of social change and heightened awareness around criminal justice issues. How might the play be interpreted as a commentary on society’s treatment of formerly incarcerated individuals?

3. The play is set in a sandwich shop run by formerly incarcerated individuals.

How does the setting influence the story’s themes? In what ways does it serve as a metaphor for second chances?

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Land Acknowledgement CSULB is located on the sacred site of Puvungna. We acknowledge that we are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.

We recognize the Tongva and Acjachemen Nations and their spiritual connection as the first stewards and the traditional caretakers of this land.

We thank them for their strength, perserverance, and resistance. We pay our respects to the Ancestors, Elders, and our relatives, past, present, and emerging.

To learn how you can help, please visit: www.csulb.edu/puvungna

About CALREP CALREP is the producing arm of the Theatre Arts Department at CSULB. Over the past three decades, CALREP has a history of creating new work, devised theatre and adaptations of classics.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Department Chair Ezra LeBank

CALREP TEAM

MFA Theatre Management Faculty Jeff Janisheski Megan Wanlass

Lighting Student Assistants (cont.)

Anthony Sanchez Aiden Vice Mike Zavala Media & Sound Engineer David Goyette

Managing Director Meg Imamoto

Box Office Manager Randall Belyea

Production Manager Ashley Boehne Ehlers

Box Office Student Assistants Ashley Holguin William Runnels Charli Southall Katie Tran Vincent Monastrial

Technical Director Robert Waltz Master Carpenter Mitchell Domingo Scenic Student Assistants Saul Diaz Bledar Gashi Tori Morones Taryn Wyss Costume Shop Manager Lalena Hutton Costume Shop Cutter/Draper Denise Barry Costume Shop Student Assistants Vivian Mullvihill Saba Nabaeighahroudi Kyle Matsuda Master Electrician Jasmine Flores Lighting Student Assistants/Hang & Focus Crew Aaliyah Artry Kayci Baylon Christian Blandin Saul Diaz Sonia Giansiracusa Candice Huang Douglas Lam Melissa Mejia-Rodriguez Deshawn Mims Quinn O'Kelly Esmeralda Ruiz

Fiscal and Personnel Analyst Katie Speer Safety Technical Supervisor Tony Martinez Theatre Arts Graduate Advisor Josh Nathan Theatre Arts Academic Advisor Adriane Howze Videographer Nick Neira Production Photographer Cynthia Price Graduate General Manager Claire Pearson Management Graduate Students Amanda Anderson Perla Barajas Paula Eagleman Drew Olvey Chaunsa Oyos Claire Pearson Bob Williamson

Faculty Gayle Baizer Chris Bange Jody Berger Trevor Biship-Gillespie Ashley Boehne Ehlers Josh Breeding Erin Caron Andrea Caban Martha Carter Adrian Centeno Bonnie Dolan Alana Dietze Ramy Electreby Michelle Gibbs Rebecca Guzzi Rich Hutchman Michelle Huynh Jeff Janisheski Nipper Knapp Ezra LeBank Bradley Lock Patricia Loughrey Emily MacDonald Josh Nathan Hugh O'Gorman Robert Prior Jen Richardson Tyler Seiple Medina Senghore Anna Steers Desean Terry Tom Trudgeon Sarah Underwood Megan Wanlass David Ward Jessica Woollen

CLYDE’S BY Lynn Nottage

CLYDE'S is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com) World Premiere by the Guthrie Theater Originally commissioned by Joe Dowling and produced by Joseph Haj, Artistic Directors Broadway Premiere produced by Second Stage Theater, New York, 2021 Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Khady Kamara, Executive Director Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.