Life Sucks by Aaron Posner Program

LIFE SUCKS

by AARON POSNER

by Ernest Thom

september 14-october 2

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VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY

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NOV 1-20

LIFE SUCKS “OH MY GOD, IT’S RIDICULOUS” - Vanya Dry Land This performance runs 2hr 20mins which includes a 15 minute intermission LIFE SUCKS. is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www. dramatists.com)

WRITER / Aaron Posner DIRECTED BY / Daz Weller CAST /

Erik Amblad Jamie Carvelli Timothy Cummings Amanda Guardado China Hudson Nick Huff Amy Solomon UNDERSTUDIES / Meg Posner Hannah Trammell SET DESIGN / Whitney Lehn Meltz LIGHTING DESIGN / Gina Manago COSTUME DESIGN / Candice Wynants SOUND DESIGN / Jake Harrell COMBAT & INTIMACY DIRECTOR Kevin Stevens PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Zachary Krause ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Hannah Trammell SET CONSTRTUCTION / Daz Weller Toby Allen PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHER/ Richard Brusky

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VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY

LIFE SUCKS

Vegas Theatre Company would like to thank the following people and organizations for their contributuions to the show: Majestic Repertory Theatre, Troy Heard, Camren Wakefield, Bleach, Toby Allen, All the friends and partners who pick up the slack when we are away making art. We appreciate you!

...I fantasize about a life before we knew how to fantasize...

-Vanya Act 2, Scene 3

Have a little faith. Have a little gratitude for all the things you’ve got and...move on -Babs Act 4, Scene 1

AARON POSNER Playwright I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, went to Northwestern University, and have spent most of my life working in the professional regional theatre nationally, while living in Philadelphia, New Jersey and now outside of DC. I have been the Artistic Director of two LORT theatres, and am now an Associate Professor at American University. I am married to the exceptional actress and teacher, Erin Weaver, and have one wonderful daughter, Maisie. ‍ I have directed more than 100 productions at major regional theaters across the country including The Alliance Theatre, American Players Theatre, American Repertory, Arden Theatre, Arena Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Round House Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, South Coast Rep, Two River Theater and more. ‍ I’ve written about 20 plays, all (but one) of which are adaptations of short stories, novels, novellas, or plays. I think of my early adaptations as my Reverent Adaptations— where I made every effort to be true to the authors original intent. I think of my more recent work as my Irreverent Adaptations—where the original work is more of a launching pad for my own more… personal, idiosyncratic explorations. My plays have received over 400 productions including Off-Broadway (Asher Lev and Life Sucks), major international theatres, major American regional theatres, universities, high schools, community theatres, and all manner of amateur companies. ‍ My most produced play— a re-imaging of Chekhov’s The Seagull, entitled Stupid Fucking Bird— was one of the ten most produced plays in the country in 2015 and has had productions worldwide, including professional productions is Australia, Canada, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Sweden, with future productions planned for Argentina, England, Italy, Spain and elsewhere. It is produced and taught in theatre classes at numerous colleges every year and seems to have entered the American cannon of established plays.

My other plays include JQA (the only fully original one), The Heal, Life Sucks, No Sisters, District Merchants, Who Am I This Time? & Other Conundrums of Love, The Chosen, My Name Is Asher Lev, Sometimes A Great Notion, Cyrano (with Michael Hollinger), A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage (with composer James Sugg), The Gift of Nothing (with composer Andy Mitton), ME…JANE: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall (also with composer Andy Mitton), and also a number of others, but those were quite a long time ago. ‍ I’ve won quite a lot of awards along the way, including six Helen Hayes Awards, two Barrymore Awards, The Outer Circle Critics Award, a Joseph Jefferson Award, an Elliott Norton Award, The Bay Area Theatre Critics Award, The John Gassner Prize, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award, and more.

I’ve been privileged to spend a life in the theatre— telling stories, exploring worthwhile texts with passionate collaborators, and inquiring into the essential nature and mystery of being a human being. I am grateful.

We couldn’t do this without you.

I mean think about it. Without you we have a kind of...”one hand clapping” situation.

-Pickles Prologue

DAZ WELLER Director

Daz Weller moved from Australia to Las Vegas in 2010 and is the Artistic Director of Vegas Theatre Company (formerly Cockroach). Daz graduated with a BA in Acting from the Queensland University of Technology in 1998 and has worked extensively with most of Australia’s major theatre companies including The Sydney Theatre Company, Company B Belvoir, Griffin Theatre Company, The Bell Shakespeare Company, Theatre of Image, Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company and The State Theatre Company of South Australia. His U.S. directing credits include: Macbeth, Good Kids, The Crucible and The Human Comedy (Nevada Conservatory Theatre), Sweat, Spinning into Butter, Seven Deadly Sins, The Father, On Golden Pond (VTC/Cockroach), Gianni Schicchi (Vegas City Opera), 27, Cooperstown and The Ghosts of Gatsby(Opera Las Vegas), Piano’s to the Death (The Space), The Piff the Magic Dragon Show (The Flamingo), The Small Space Festival (Emergency Arts), and Resident Director of Human Nature’s The Motown Show (The Venetian) and Spiegelworld’s Vegas Nocturne (Rose.Rabbit.

Lie. inside The Cosmopolitan). In 2019 he received the award for Best Director at the Vegas Valley Theatre Awards.

I can’t stop myself. Like some absurd machine...”Gotta work.

Gotta work. Gotta work.” And do you think people in 100 years will care how hard we worked?

-Dr. Aster Act 1, Scene 1

ERIK AMBLAD Vanya

JAMIE CARVELLI Ella

Erik Amblad is delighted to be back on the the Vegas Theatre Company stage to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first season of plays on the Art Square stage.

Back then, Erik was artistic director of this company and is proud to be a part of the history and evolution of this vital, vibrant, and important professional theatre troupe, the first to take residence here in downtown Las Vegas. Most recently Erik was seen in Majestic Repertory Theatre’s Oleanna. With VTC, Erik was last seen in On Golden Pond. Earlier acting and directing credits on this stage include Incognito, Constellations, The Birthday Party, Death of a Salesman, You May Go Now, Love Song, and the space’s inaugural production, Nurture by Johnna Adams. Erik has twice been named “Outstanding Actor” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In 2021, Erik founded Elm Leaf Creative, a company dedicated to the training and support of professional actors and performing artists. Elm Leaf Creative is proud to announce that we are Vegas Theatre Company’s newest neighbor. The grand opening of ELC Acting Studio is this month here at Art Square. We look forward to getting to know you and to serving all artists in the Las Vegas community.

Jamie is beyond excited to be back working at Vegas Theatre Company. After amazing experiences with “Mr. Burns”, “The Wolves”, and “The Nether”, she looks forward to the future with this beautiful company. You may have also seen her in “August Osage County”, “Small Mouth Sounds” and “When the Rain Stops Falling” (A Public Fit), “Titus Andronicus” (Insurgo), and “Extremities” (LVLT). She thanks her family for being so supportive in letting her follow her passions.

TIMOTHY CUMMINGS The Professor

Timothy Cummings performed up and down the Las Vegas Strip for over seventeen years at Caesars Palace, Excalibur, Tropicana, Flamingo, Stratosphere, and the Venetian and has appeared in numerous productions at Majestic Repertory Theatre, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, Asylum Theatre and Vegas Theatre Company’s productions of The Father and Still Dance the Stars. He recently appeared in Nevada Shakespeare Festival’s Macbeth and A Public Fit’s production of Things I Know To Be True.

AMHJCJDG!

DIANA MARTINEZ AMANDA Winnifred GUARDADO Sonia

Amanda Guardado is a Las Vegas based Cuban-American actor with a BFA from UNLV’s department of theatre. She has appeared in numerous productions throughout the city including Nevada Conservatory Theatre’s Blood Wedding, A Public Fit’s staged reading of The Ghosts of Lote Bravo, and Majestic Repertory Theatre’s Empanada Loca.

CHINA HUDSON Babs

NICK HUFF Dr. Aster

Ms. China has called Las Vegas home for 23 years. She specializes in African Culture and Tradition as a dancer, spoke word artist & storyteller. Her contributions to the stage include: The Color Purple, Esclipse, & For Colored Girls.

Nick is a Los Angeles native who is now proud to call Las Vegas home. Working in film and television and as a member of The Actors Gang theatre company in Culver City, Nick is thrilled to be involved in this production and with Vegas Theatre Company. There truly is nothing like being in a room, sharing air, and telling stories. Thank you for being a part of that.

AMY SOLOMON Pickles

MEG POSNER Pickles Understudy

Amy is a South Florida native. She has been lucky enough to be able to work extensively and for many years all over Floridaa, as well as some national tours.

She now live in Las Vegas and is delighted to be back at Vegas Theatre Company where she was last seen in “Stage Kiss”. Other work in Vegas includes “Tony n Tina’s Wedding”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Cabaret”, “Sordid Lives”, “Joni and Gina’s Wedding” and “Awesome 80’s Prom”. She is humbled to be with such great talent and friends in this show. Amy would like to thank her family whom she loves with all her whole heart and soul.

Meg is a San Diego native who is currently re-finding herself in the desert.

Working as a Creative Operator for Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart by day and thriving as a playwright and cat aunt by night. Meg is STOKED to be back in the room and surrounded by such talent!

HANNAH TRAMMELL Sonia Understudy/Assistant Stage Manager

Hannah Trammell is a self-taught artist born in Pocatello, Idaho, but raised in Las Vegas. She has an Associates of Applied Science in Tourism, Convention and Event Planning from the College of Southern Nevada. She is just now dipping her toes into theater. A little over a year ago she started taking improv classes, and has been learning more about theater and performance from there.

She is also a multimedia artist who mostly uses pencil or digital painting with Procreate to make art. She shares her art on Instagram- @aldrivodkahannah.

WHITNEY LEHN MELTZ Scenic Design

Whitney Lehn Meltz is a nonbinary Scenic Designer and artist of oddities from Las Vegas, NV. Credits include “bobrauschenbergamerica” for Nevada Conservatory Theatre, “Angry F*gs” for Majestic Repertory Theatre, and “Elf the Musical” for Sierra Repertory Theatre.

Whitney’s previous designs here at VTC include “Witch” and “On Golden Pond.”

They are glad to be back on another VTC project!

CANDICE WYNANTS Costume Design

GINA MANAGO Lighting Design

Is grateful and excited to be back at VTC again. Recent design credits include the World Premiere of Clown Bar 2 (Majestic Repertory Theatre) Matilda the Musical (Super Summer Theatre) Witch (Vegas Theatre Company) She received her BA in Dance Production and Management from UNLV and has worked as a Costume Designer, Assistant Costume Designer and dresser in Las Vegas, New York and Connecticut.

Gina is a Las Vegas native and a graduate from UNLV with a bachelor’s in entertainment technology and design. Past lighting design credits include “Tight End” (Majestic Repertory Theatre), “Doonesbury: the Musical” (Super Summer Theatre), and “Dry Land” (Vegas Theatre Company). When she’s not designing locally, she’s working behind lighting consoles, spotlights, and running around backstage at Spiegelworld’s Opium and Atomic Saloon Show, and Awakening at the Wynn. Gina would like to thank Daz for giving her the opportunity to design in the space again, for allowing her to be creative, and for guiding her with his vision for the story. It was special getting to collaborate on such a unique show.

JAKE HARRELL Sound Design

ZACHARY KRAUSE Production Stage Manager

Jake is a student in UNLV’s theatre and film programs studying sound design.

This is his first show as a designer since moving to Las Vegas in 2019.

Zac is thrilled to be a part of such an amazing team of creatives! He has been involved with productions at CSN, NCT, and SST, and he is more than excited to be a part of his first show at Vegas Theatre Company. He is pursuing an associate’s degree at CSN and is going to transfer to UNLV next school year.

KEVIN STEVENS Combat and Intimacy Director

Kevin Stevens is so proud to have been able to contribute to this production of Dry Land. He comes to fight direction through his training with the Society of American Fight Directors and intimacy coordination through Theatre Intimacy Educators. As an actor he has toured nationally and worked regionally in New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC. He is currently finishing his MFA at UNLV.

VEGAS THEATRE COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alexia Chen (Chair), Ann C. Pongracz (Vice-Chair), Jessica Scheitler (Treasurer), Michael Roitman, Levi Fackrell, Elaine Lutz, Terry Chi, Greg Gordillo, Ailisha Vaughn.

ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING Executive Artistic Director / Daz Weller Artistic Associates/ Simone Natalie Senecal Education Director / Kelly Hawes FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION Jessica Scheitler and the Financial Groove team MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Season Photographer / Robert John Kley Graphic Design / Daz Weller TICKETING & BOX OFFICE Box Office Manager / Vanessa Coleman PRODUCTION Technical Director/ Camren Wakefield Special Events Stage Manager / Amanda Peterson WWW.THEATRE.VEGAS

Volunteers are the life blood of Vegas Theatre Company.

While we have been able to build a budget that supports a wage for our casts and crews, our staff positions remain completely volunteer.

Thank you to all of our wonderfully committed staff who love creating theatre in Las Vegas as much as you love seeing it.

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for VTC, we have many opportunities available.

Email us at volunteer@theatre.vegas

HELP VTC RAISE 10K IN 90 MINUTES AT MONDAYS DARK ON NOVEMBER 21

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE IN-KIND DONATION OF GOODS OR SERVICES TO BE AUCTIONED IN THE SILENT AUCTION ON THE EVENING PLEASE LET US KNOW AT INFO@THEATRE.VEGAS