Mixed Fandango Playbill

beneficiary:

Mixed Fandango

a new play by travis lowe because love is love is love

directed by stephanie hickling beckman

november 7 - 23, 7:30pm thursday, friday, saturday only

tina mcguire theatre

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presents

Mixed Fandango

by Travis V. Lowe

November 7–23, 2019 Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman cast Madison Dylan Emily Roger Ray Luis

Emmalie Handley Jason Williams Molly Graves Aaron Ybarra* David Mycoff Phillipe Andre Coquet*

in order of appearance * first appearance with Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective

creative team Scenic & Properties Design Lighting Design Sound Design Illustration

Laura Lowe Jason Williams Stephanie Hickling Beckman Devyn Ray

crew Production Manager Stage Manager Technical Director Set Crew / Board Op House Manager Photography

Kate Sullivan Jim Abbott Alex Smith Curran Clarke Caroline Daniels Jenn McCormack

from the playwright I confess. I dig romance. And, while the story of how I proposed to my spouse involves the turn of the millennium, a bright purple fanny pack, a crowded mini-bus, breakdowns, and silly string—I’m really a romantic guy.

Really. I mean, love is super important, right?

In these divided times, it’s important to remember our shared humanity.

One thing we all share is the need to love and be loved. And, while we may all express or receive it differently, the underlying virtue of love is always the same. It connects us all.

This play attempts to break today’s divisive tribalism just a little by making that connection clear. We can empathize with two adults in love, no matter who those lovers may be. That fact offers the clearest glimpse into our shared humanity that I can think of. So why not offer three glimpses? Or six? Or fourteen? And one more for good measure? This play offers you a veritable Rubik’s cube of glimpses into our shared humanity. And, when it’s all done, there you go. Tribalism solved.

The need to laugh is another thing we all share. That is, in addition to love.

Here’s hoping we can do both tonight. I mean, it’s super important, right?

ar

tb

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ev yn

Ra yV

illa rre

al

—Travis V. Lowe, Playwright

travis V. lowe, playwright Travis Lowe's plays include The Humourous Adventures of Sir Andrew Aguecheek (finalist 2020 Shakespeare's New Contemporaries Project), Sixteen Years Tried (semi-finalist 2018 Shakespeare's New Contemporaries Project), Six Knots (The Magnetic Theatre), Paper or Plastic: A Conspiracy of Bagboys (Distinguished Play NCTC One Act Festival, Christ School for Boys), and Green (Christ School for Boys). He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America. He currently resides in Asheville, NC with his wife, two parrots, and an enviable collection of kitchen spices.

stephanie hickling beckman, director Over the past 20 years, Stephanie has worked with several local theatre companies as an actor, stage manager, and director, and toured nationally and locally as an actor. As the Founder and Managing Artistic Director of Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, she is committed to producing theatre that expresses the diversity we encounter in our everyday lives, and finding ways to recognize and honor our differences in a safe and positive environment.

Like Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, she is committed to being an active part of her community and seeks every opportunity to champion diversity and inclusion. She fulfills her personal mission to change the world through her art, compassionate leadership, straightforward communication, and deep love of storytelling.

donors 2017-2019 $2,000+ Paula Beatty & Jan Walker Owen & Barbara Bowers The Law Office of Barbara Bowers Jenny & Marc Hassler Honeybee Fund of the Common Counsel Foundation MADabolic Sona Merlin Spicer Greene Jewelers One Click Fix Oppenheimer & Co, Inc. Melissa Redwin

$1,000-$1,999 Erik Aasland Lauren Alleman eleEOS Allstate - Buna Mandell Asheville Sun Soo, LLC Patricia Hickling Beckman Laura Lowe Bonnie & Elizabeth Schell Purplecat Networks, Inc Kimberly Richardson

$500-$999 Asheville Brain Training Crystalign Chiropractic Michelle & Eddie Dorf Wendy Flynn James Gaines Amy Giles Elizabeth Jones Dara Kiely George Lefas John P. Mendenhall Peter & Pamela Millis Katherine Morosani Marsha Price Elizabeth Roseman Cyd Smith

Elliot Spicer Simone Spiegel Studio Three Steven Worthing

$250-$499 Michael & Wendy Arbuckle Austin CPA, PC Blossom and Be Blue Planet Plumbing Sandra Bradbury CJ Breland & Frank Ash James Colvin Eleanor Cox Frugal Framers Green Line Media Lightning Restoration Michael Greene Gregory Holden John Orr Deborah Scott Cynthia Sprau Rev. Sara K Wilcox & Dr. Jeffrey Wilcox Nan Williamson

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Laurie Corral Mignon Durham Irwin Fayne David Feingold Abby Felder Nancy Fraser Blaine Greenfield Eva Hartman Lora Johnstone Kathryn Liss & Karl Katterjohn Eugene & Carol Katz Kimberly-Clark Foundation Rita Kole-Etter Douglas Lane Steve Livingston Denese A. Lockett Michele Louzon & Jason Hadley Fred Meyer David Mycoff Jeff Naparstek Jeanette Oliver Jason Phillips & Cullen Sprague Ruth Planey Elizabeth Preyer Carla Pridgen Robert MacDicken & Eileen Ross Charles McKinney Insurance Services Nimble Commerce EvaMichelle Spicer Elizabeth Stoneberg Heather Talley Tippin Lucia Del Vecchio Penny Ward Greg Walker Wilson

$1-$99 Coranna Adams Julia Akers Carol Anders

donors 2017-2019 Barbie Angell Shiner Antiorio Ashley Arrington Donald Barrier Jim Barton Josh Batenhorst Gloria Fruchtman Berlin Erica Blige Deanna Braine Allen Brasington III Shawna Bryce Barbara Burlingame Burning Sage Yoga Nancy Burns Garrett Burrell Jeremy Carter Kathryn Cartledge Daniel Clancy LaNita & John Cloninger Loretta Cochran Jenni Cockrell Christina Cody Karen Covington-Yow Laurin Czyzyk Justin Day Mary & Roger Dillon Michelle Alvarez Dismukes Michelle Dorsey Hannah Early LaToya Eaves Karin Eckert Sarah Felmet Blair Fielding Judy & Theodore Figura Jr. Christy Fox Leah Fox Salvatore Gadsden Tom Gadsden Andrew Gall Shelly Gilberto Jonathan Godfrey Carol Goins Nancy Golbeck Nora Goller

Elizabeth Keel Gomes James Graves Molly Graves Ralph Gurkin Jacquelyn D. Hallum Dr. William Hamilton Michael Harney Shuvonda Harper Kimberly Hartman Hayley Heninger Ryan Hessenius Marjorie Hicks Jameson Hughes Janet Hurley Charles Jansen Tana Jencks Tracey Johnston-Crum Mountaine Jonas Katie Jones Kenneth Jones Trinity Smith Keel Nancy Kehr Trissa King Christopher Kingsley Lise Kloeppel Kathryn Klvana Barbara Korenblit Laurie Kozar Maximilian Koger Zacary Landolt Laura Lane LaZoom Tour Company Ivan Lefkowitz Denise Long & John Palmer Aubra Love Joseph Mancinelli Amy Mandel Megan Martell Gregory Mayer Jennifer McCormack Fred Morgan Jennifer Mullendore Kathleen O'Connor Aurora Ozzimo

Brent Pack Melody Pajak Tracy Pearson Personal Touch Movers Marshay Proctor-Bates Karen Punta Deb Ramsey Amy Renigar Colleen Riley Stan Robinson Kendryl Rogers Michelle Rogers Kay Rouse Sarah Rubin Darlyne Sahara Elli Schmeltekopf Teri Sferlazza Amanda Shive Aaron Snook Sadie Sondgerath Dana Spencer Karen Stobbe Joshua Suttles Coy Theobalt Alison Tynes-Adams Robin Tynes-Miller James Vaughn Laura Westbrook Anthony Wilbanks Elizabeth Will Marta Alcala-Williams Aaron Ybarra Elizabeth Ziegler

Notice a mistake?

Let us know!

Email Melon @

differentstrokespac.org.

meet the cast

Emmalie Handley (Madison) is thrilled to be

working with Different Strokes! for the second time.

Emmalie has been performing in the Asheville area for 10 years now and has recently received her bachelors from UNCA in theatre. Her past roles include Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Caithleen in Bloomsday, Cinderella’s Stepmother in Into the Woods, and Belle and Charwoman in A Christmas Carol.

Jason Williams (Dylan) is an actor, director and

designer that works for many local theater companies around Asheville. He is excited to be working with Different Strokes! again because he respects their mission of giving back to the community. He would like to thank you for supporting Different Strokes, and for being adventurous enough to try new work like Mixed Fandango. He sees theatre as a valuable life experience and an important part of the cultural fabric. If you enjoyed the show and the work that Different Strokes does, he encourages you to support them more, in particular, and the local performing arts community in general, either with your monetary donations, or simply by seeking out other productions in the area.

Molly Graves (Emily) Although she often finds

herself bumping about in a world of sharp edges and strained hope, Molly imagines a world that celebrates love. Working on this project, this love-is-love-is-love story of Travis Lowe’s, has been a thought-provoking, funny, meaningful reminder to keep imagining the good stuff. Molly is very pleased to be back on stage with Different Strokes!, and grateful for the opportunity to help bring this story to life. She has been seen in prior productions with DS!PAC, Anam Cara Theatre Company, and Montford Park Players.

meet the cast

*Aaron Ybarra (Roger) is thrilled to join Different

Strokes! for this production. His theatrical credits include Actor from History of the Devil, Waiter from Café le Monde, Eddie/Opey from It's Just a Pill, and Jesús Peña from Hands on a Hardbody. Additional shout-out to The Ebbing, which is currently making its rounds on the short film festival circuit.

David Mycoff (Ray) teaches English at Warren

Wilson College and has performed in many local stage productions with a number of companies, including The Montford Park Players, Warren Wilson Theatre, The Magnetic Theatre, Attic Salt Theatre Company, Hendersonville Community Theatre, and, most recently, with Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective in The Education of Ted Harris.

*Phillipe Andre Coquet (Luis) has been

performing on stage professionally since age 8, when he played the King of Egypt in an ill-fated Broadway musical. His career has spanned New York City, Los Angeles, regional theaters, films, commercials, dance recitals and cabaret. Since landing in Asheville, he has worked with Asheville Fringe Festival, Anam Cara, Parkway Playhouse, Montford Park Players, Sexy Storytelling, HCT, and Different Strokes!. He recently launched his own company, Cauldron Theater.

today's today'sbeneficiary beneficiary

BeLoved Asheville works to foster what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as "the beloved community"—the place where there is no longer the oppressed and the oppressor but each are reconciled to each other.

Their work, deeply rooted in love and justice, brings together people from all walks of life in a culture of mutual respect and love to transform our community for good, with focus areas on home, health, and opportunity for all. Individual projects include: homeless street medic teams, free farmers' markets, free community gardens for elders, a kids' justice league, free art studio space for artists in poverty, and more.

They have recently launched an innovative solution to the housing crisis in Asheville.

Their model Tiny House Village, to be erected in East Asheville on donated land, will comprise a dozen sustainable micro-houses that will provide deeply affordable, community-oriented homes that produce equity for the residents and a model for the rest of the country.

Find out more and support their work at belovedasheville.com.

a percentage of ticket sales from 'mixed fandango' will be donated to beloved asheville special thanks to: CJ Breland, Brahmari Brewing Co, Jeremy Carter, Mary Dillon, Jennifer Gatti, Bjorn Goller, Trish Hickling Beckman, Laura Lowe, Travis Lowe, Jenn McCormack, Montford Park Players, Sylvia Pierce, Melissa Redwin, ZaKiya Bell Rogers, SinGer, Jon Stockdale, Candace Taylor, Emily Tucker, Warren Wilson's Performing Social Justice students, Wortham Center for The Performing Arts

different strokes! performing arts collective

Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to making theatre, building community, facilitating awareness, and changing the world, one play at a time. Motivated by the belief that the arts are capable of bridging cultural and social gaps, we work to increase and sustain opportunities for diversity within the WNC performing arts community, and to present works which confront issues of social diversity in a provocative way.

different strokes! board

different strokes! staff

Barbara Bowers, Chair

Stephanie Hickling Beckman Founder & Managing Artistic Director

Trish Hickling Beckman, Vice Chair CJ Breland, Secretary Meg Hale-Brunton Courtney Robinson Zakiya Bell-Rogers Sona Merlin

Melon Wedick Development Manager Kate Sullivan Production Manager Caroline Daniels House Manager

inspired by what you've seen? text "dspac" to 44321 to donate today!

coming up next with different strokes!

Love! Valour! Compassion!

by Terrence McNally Tony Award for Best Play, 1995

by BryonybyLavery TerrenceJune McNally 6-10, 2020

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March 26–April 11 2020

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