Everyman Theatre "Be Here Now" Play Guide

PLAY GUIDE

EVERYMAN THEATRE G R EAT STOR IES, WELL TOLD.

A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

By Vincent M. Lancisi, Founder, Artistic Director

P

laywright Deborah Zoe Laufer makes us laugh and cheer for the characters in this play and we want happiness for them every step of the way. This touching comedy/

drama reminds us of how precious happiness and

“FOR THE NEXT 90 MINUTES, WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AND SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE AS ONE COMMUNITY.”

laughter really are. People all around us bear their own crosses and live with trauma we know nothing about. Some persevere, others don’t, but we root for

The world is so divided in so many ways. But for the next

people striving to survive and even thrive.

90 minutes, we will sit together and share this experience

Be Here Now reminds us how important it is to be present.

We must take stock of our gifts and live life to the fullest.

One never knows what tomorrow will bring and we shouldn’t take anything for granted.

One of the things I love most about theatre is that it requires audiences to leave their busy lives, stop multitasking, put down their electronics, and come together to experience a human story. Life is so busy.

as one community. We will laugh together and perhaps even shed a tear together. Most importantly, we’ll recognize our shared circumstances and humanity in a moment of connection. We will “Be Here Now” for each other.

Enjoy the show.

EVERYMAN THEATRE

Vincent M. Lancisi, Founder, Artistic Director presents

BE HERE NOW

Written and Directed by DEBORAH ZOE LAUFER

Patty Cooper...................................................................................................................................................... KATY CARKUFF* Bari...................................................................................................................................................................... BETH HYLTON* Luanne Cooper............................................................................................................................ SHUBHANGI KUCHIBHOTLA Mike Cooper....................................................................................................................................................... BETH HYLTON*

Set Design

DANIEL ETTINGER Sound Design

SARAH O’HALLORAN

Lighting Design

HAROLD F. BURGESS II

Costume Design

DAVID BURDICK Stage Manager

Fights/Intimacy

CAT WALLIS*

LEWIS SHAW

Setting: East Cooperville, a fictional, small town in upstate NY, about a hundred miles from Manhattan.

This production will be performed in one act with no intermission.

SHOW SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS

DR. LARRY & NANCY FISHEL

PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES. NO TEXTING OR EATING IN THE THEATRE. Be Here Now is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information please visit: https://shop.samuelfrench.com/content/files/pdf/piracy-whitepaper.pdf * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 1

THE PLAYWRIGHT Deborah Zoe Laufer

Where are you from originally and when did you first develop an interest in theatre?

I’m from a very small town about two hours north of New York City. East Cooperville, where Be Here Now takes place, is a fictional version of my hometown. My parents started taking me to New York City to see shows when I was five, and I was hooked. But there was really no theater near where we lived—in fact, I couldn’t even convince anyone at school to do a play with me. So, I performed The Belle Of Amherst (a onewoman show about Emily Dickinson) both junior and senior years of high school. I’d do it anywhere anyone would let me— people’s living rooms, the nearby community college, the VFW. I started the Dramatic Interpretation program in my school, and… I was the whole team. For four years. I learned, early on, that if I wanted opportunities to make theater, I’d have to create them for myself.

What are your seeds of inspiration?

I have an insatiable appetite for story in my daily life­—I listen to a large assortment of podcasts, and many of my plays spring from there. For the past few years, I’ve been inspired by scientific discoveries and the ethical dilemmas that arise from them. What we’re learning about the brain, about the genome, about the consciousness of plants—all those stories give a new insight into what it means to be human.

The wonderful thing about being a playwright is that nobody EVERYMAN THEATRE | 2

really cares what I’m up to, so I can choose to write about what I want to learn about. And I can immerse myself in research for a year before creating the world of my play. Then, I have to make myself put the research aside and let the characters take me where they need to go.

“WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE LIVING RIGHT IN THIS MOMENT, IN ALL THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD” What question is something you have wrestled with during your career?

That’s it, pretty simply – what does it mean to be human?

Many of my plays live in the territory where faith and science intersect because I’m fascinated by what brings people comfort and joy, what remains mysterious, what does it mean to be living right in this moment, in all the history of the world.

How do you go about forming a character?

I usually start my plays with a big question – a question that’s too large to answer in the course of the play. I like to leave

B

A

C

A. DeLanna Studi and Tina Benko in the Primary Stages and Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation production of Informed Consent B. Jerry MacKinnon, Clancy McCartney, and JJ Phillips in Steppenwolf Theatre for Young Adult’s production of Leveling Up. C. Key image from Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s production of Be Here Now.

audiences with more questions than answers, since… I don’t have any answers. I imagine the people who could grapple with that question, who would want something desperately in that situation, who would have a lot at stake. And then, once I know the characters who will populate my story, I have to fall in love with them. Every one of them. No villains.

Everyone needs to have a compelling, personal justification for what they do. They have to be searching for all the things we’re all searching for – love, comfort, excitement, meaning, joy. They have to struggle – what they want can’t be easily attained, and it has to cost them a good deal to get it. And, beyond all these “facts” I need to fall in love with them the way you fall in love. I daydream about them. I hear songs that remind me of them. I see someone dressed a certain way and think, “Bari would wear that!” I laugh to myself when I think of them doing something ridiculous, but so true. Sometimes, years after I’ve written a play, something will remind me of someone I know, and I’ll realize it’s a character in my play.

They have to become as real to me as the real people I know.

What, in your opinion is the state of Playwriting in America?

Very exciting! I think there are fantastic new voices. I’m excited that there’s more diversity in the work that’s being chosen, and in the people who are telling the stories on stage. We have a long way to go to reach parity, but a larger percentage

of female playwrights are being produced than ever before.

I’m very hopeful about the future.

What would you like to tell your high school self, knowing what you know now?

Stay open and curious! You’ll find your people. You won’t always be doing shows alone!

THE PLAY SETTING East Cooperville, a fictional small town in upstate New York, about a hundred miles from Manhattan, USA. Present Day.

CONFLICT Bari’s despair has reached new levels—and so have her recurring headaches. Somehow they are giving her bizarre, almost religious experiences that are making her feel happy, ecstatic, and in love? As a result of her condition, Bari must decide whether it’s better to live a short, joyful life, or risk a lifetime of depression.

IN HER WORDS On the origin of Be Here Now...

Be Here Now is about the search for joy, against all odds. I came across a podcast of someone talking about having Geschwind syndrome. She said she was generally a depressive person and for the first time in her life she was finding joy and meaning in life. Then she learned she had to have it removed. She did have it removed and regretted it, regretted losing that, like mourned that joy for the rest of her life, so I thought “oh, this is definitely a play.”

On inspirational women…

I belong to this writers group, it’s all women, we’re all characters. I guess myself included. Every one of those women believes in astrology and in magical thinking and I’m all science based and realism. So I’m Bari, I’m the wet blanket in the room. When I first wrote the play I had almost all the women in the play and little by little I had to lose characters to make it really succinct and producable but they were all in there to start with.

On her own relationship to wellness...

I was taking yoga and trying to do it regularly. But I’m the type of person that the instructor would say “Try to quiet the chitter chatter” and I’d be like “I have things to think about, I don’t have an hour to waste thinking about my breathing”…

One day I just gave in… by the end I was weeping. There is something really profound about being present and just allowing somebody else to take over and not be so controlling of my mind for a while. That was a very big part of what brought me to this play.

On directing work you have written yourself...

I wish I’d gotten to direct each of my plays before I published them. First of all, I find what is not necessarily clear on the page and needs to be in the stage directions. And it’s a really good way to hone it before publication… Directing makes me a better playwright, I really believe that. It’s all storytelling.

BIOGRAPHY

D

eborah Zoe Laufer’s plays have been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Portland Stage, and The Humana Festival. Informed Consent, an Alfred P. Sloan/EST commission appeared at The Duke Theatre in NYC in 2015, a co-production of Primary Stages and EST. It was a NYTimes Critics Pick. Her play End Days won The ATCA Steinberg citation, and has received over 70 productions around the country, and in Germany, Russia and Australia. Other plays include Leveling Up, Out of Sterno, The Last Schwartz, Sirens, Meta, The Gulf of Westchester, Miniatures, Fortune, and, most recently, Be Here Now, commissioned and produced by the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Window Treatment,a collaboration with composer Daniel Green, produced in NYC by Premieres, Inner Voices, both in 2018.

Deb is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, the Lilly Award, and grants and commissions from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Edgerton Foundation, The National New Play Network, the NEA, and the LeCompte du Nouy grant from the Lincoln Center Foundation. Her plays are published by Samuel French, Smith and Kraus, and Playscripts, and have been developed at The Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, PlayPenn, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Ojai Playwrights Conference, The Missoula Colony, The Cherry Lane Alternative, The Dramatists Guild Fellowship Program, New Georges, The Lark Play Development Center, Asolo Repertory Theatre, PlayLab, and the Baltic Playwrights Conference. She is a graduate of Juilliard, an alumna of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, and a member of The Dramatists Guild.

In addition to writing and directing Be Here Now Deborah Zoe Laufer has written and directed several other plays including: The Three Sisters Of Weehawken, Theatre Lab, October 2016, Be Here Now, Theatre Lab, April 2018, Informed Consent, Gablestage, August, 2017, Fortune, The Hangar Theatre and Geva Theatre, May and October 2018.

EVERYMAN THEATRE | 4

CHARACTERS Meet the characters of Be Here Now.

BARI

played by Beth Hylton (40’s-50’s) A depressed, nihilistic misanthrope who undergoes a radical transformation.

PATTY COOPER

played by Katy Carkuff (40’s-50’s) Loud and controlling and goodhearted. Has never left her hometown of East Cooperville.

LUANNE COOPER

played by Shubhangi Kuchibhotla (20) Patty’s cousin. Very simple and sweet. Religiously inclined.

MIKE COOPER

played by Kyle Prue (40-60) Patty’s cousin. Mike makes beautiful art out of garbage—that’s who he is. He has a crow.

Resident Company Member

BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 5

TIMELINE

Key Figures in Philosophy of Self-Actualization

RENE DESCARTES (1595-1650)

FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE (1900S)

Descartes was a creative mathematician scientific thinker, and an original metaphysician. In Descartes’ scheme of mental capacities, knowledge does not arise from the intellect alone. The intellect may present some content as true, but by itself it does not affirm or deny that truth. That function belongs to the will.

428 BC

PLATO (428-427 BC) His most famous contribution is the theory of Forms known by pure reason, in which Plato presents a solution to the problem of universals known as Platonism (also ambiguously called either Platonic realism or Platonic idealism). He is also the namesake of Platonic love and the Platonic solids.

EVERYMAN THEATRE | 6

1595

Prominent elements of his philosophy include his radical critique of truth in favor of perspectivism; his genealogical critique of religion and Christian morality and his related theory of master–slave morality; his aesthetic affirmation of existence in response to the “death of God” and the profound crisis of nihilism.

1655

DOROTHY OSBORNE (1655) The first to use the word “wellness” in the English language with modern spelling. It appeared in a letter from Dorothy Osborne to her husband, Sir William Temple: “You … never send me any of the new phrases of the town… Pray what is meant by wellness and unwellness?”

1818

1900

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER (1818) He is best known for his 1818 work, The World as Will and Representation, wherein he characterizes the phenomenal world as the product of a blind and insatiable metaphysical will.

KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH (PRESENT DAY)

KEIJI NISHITANI (1960-80S) Nishitani believed that people need to break with objective, calculative thinking from the standpoint of being, and allow themselves to embrace reality intuitively from the standpoint of emptiness. This not to build a system, but to teach the person to feel at home and think from the standpoint of emptiness.

1920

Is professor with the NYU Department of Philosophy and the NYU School of Law. In his books Color Conscious: The Political Morality of Race (1996) and The Ethics of Identity (2005), Appiah has approached the notion of “biological race� as conceptually problematic, and argues that such notions of group identity like race, religion, gender, and sexuality harm the individual by oversimplifying their identity and constraining their freedom.

1960

CHRISTINE KORGAARD (PRESENT DAY) Korgaard currently holds the title of Arthur Kindsley Porter Professor of Philosophy at Harvard. She argues that the normativity of moral obligation is selfimposed, and is justified through our establishing a kind of self-authority through our autonomy.

PRESENT

MARTIN HEIDEGGER (1920S)

CORNEL WEST (PRESENT DAY)

German philosopher and a seminal thinker in the Continental tradition of philosophy. He is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism.

The first African-American to graduate from Princeton with a Ph.D. He is currently Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Though he has written numerous books and articles that are widely referenced, such as Race Matters (1994), West is probably most readily recognized as a political commentator, making frequent appearances on television and radio news programs, as well as late night talk shows. You may have also seen him in one of the Matrix sequels, or heard one of his hip-hop albums.

BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 7

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE? JUNE 26, 2014 | By

Scott T. Allison Ph.D.

W

hat is the purpose of life? This question is as old as the human race itself. Some argue that our purpose is to find happiness. Others say our purpose is to love others, to become the best version of ourselves, or to follow God’s will. Still others say there is no purpose to life at all.

I believe that our lives do have a purpose, and that the clues are all around us in plain view. You can’t miss them. Our purpose is so deeply imbedded in our culture that we easily overlook it or take it for granted.

Put simply, your purpose in life is to live the life of a hero.

The hero’s journey is captured in all the great stories in literature, and in all the great movies we enjoy on the big screen. Hero stories endow our lives with meaning and reveal how a human life is meant to be lived.

Hero stories illuminate your true purpose in four ways: You will go on a journey. At some point during your life, you will journey away from the comforts of your familiar world. In The Wizard of Oz, a tornado sends Dorothy to the land of Oz. In The Fault in Our Stars, cancer sends Hazel to Amsterdam.

The hero’s journey can be real or metaphorical. Sometimes heroes choose the journey; sometimes the journey is chosen for them. Brace yourself, your life always includes some type of voyage, fraught with discomfort but crucial in revealing your life purpose.

You will grow from adversity. Overcoming obstacles and failures is a central part of your life journey. Children’s fairy tales prepare us for adversity by featuring heroes who grow from their setbacks. The three little pigs find a way to outsmart the big bad wolf. Bambi overcomes his mother’s death to grow into a great leader. “Where you stumble, there lies your treasure,” observed mythologist Joseph Campbell.

Heroes use adversity to better themselves. When you are challenged by the darkest of life circumstances, know that your journey is fashioning you into a wiser, more resilient individual.

You will assemble a team of allies. You should never undertake your journey alone. Heroes find a way to attract sidekicks, friends, and mentors to help them overcome obstacles. Matt Langdon of the Hero Construction Company calls it “building a team around you.” Often the person who helps you is someone you least expect. Remember that EVERYMAN THEATRE | 8

the point of the journey is to transform you into a stronger, better person. Trusted allies will guide you through adversity and will assist you in becoming forever transformed by your journey.

You will give back to society. The hero’s journey is far more than mere personal transformation. Once you return from your journey, you will use your new-found gifts to make the world a better place. In 12 Years a Slave, the hero Solomon survives his ordeal as a slave and then works to end slavery. In The Odyssey, Odysseus endures his turbulent voyage home and then becomes a wise ruler of Ithaca.

Your life purpose is to use your own personal transformation to help transform society. Once mentored by another, you will now mentor others. Your selfless service to the world will forge your place in the human chain of love shown by people who came before you and by people who will follow you.

The hero’s journey is not just illustrated in fiction but in the real lives of the world’s greatest heroes, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, Jr. These three legends lived the four truths of heroism outlined above: They all embarked on a journey that forever changed their lives.

They suffered greatly at the hands of others.

They benefited from a team of allies who made their triumphs possible.

They all used their gifts to forever change the world.

You may not be on the life trajectory of a Gandhi or a Mandela, but rest assured you are on a hero’s journey that has momentous implications for yourself and for the world. Perhaps you are in the process of overcoming cancer, a difficult childhood, a financial setback, or some major transgression. As you struggle, remember that regardless of the outcome, you are fulfilling your life’s purpose. Each human life is meant to be a heroic life.

Comprehension: What is suggested as the purpose of life? Where do you see the four tenents reflected in the way people live life around you?

Reflection: Do you believe you have yet to embark on your own “Hero’s Journey”? If so, what is it? Where do we see these four tenets revealed in Be Here Now?

HOW TO ESCAPE BEING A VICTIM OF TIME & TRULY LIVE IN THE PRESENT

By Alfred James

T

he easiest way to explain living in the present is to start by explaining what it means to not be present, since this is the state we have become habitually used to.

When you aren’t being present you become a victim of time.

Your mind is pulled into the past or the future, or both.

Your thoughts are of the past: what has been, what could have been, what you thought happened vs. what actually did happen. Or, your thoughts are of the future: what will be, what could be, what might be, if…

Of course, it’s natural to spend moments of thought in the past or in daydreams of the future. Identifying impending dangers, through associations with things that have happened in the past, is important for self-preservation.

But when our lives become dictated by thoughts and emotions attached to past events and potential future outcomes, standing peacefully rooted in the present becomes increasingly rare.

Our routine, our habit, is to be off in our heads somewhere mulling over negativity and struggles of the past, or becoming anxious and fearful of the future. Seldom are we fully “here”; neutrally centred to see through life’s lens with clarity and naked awareness – a state that assists us in finding contentment and understanding in ourselves.

Habits quickly become the norm and, as we know from many of life’s other vices, just because we’re used to doing something regularly doesn’t mean it is good for us, or the right way to live.

An easy way to break this habit of being a victim of time is to identify time for what it is. Time is a human concept. The watch on your wrist and the clock on the wall mean nothing to Mother Nature.

To her, life is one evolving moment – a perpetual cycle of interdependent impermanence. Time is a metric we use as a reference point for organizing our lives and documenting history. It doesn’t actually exist. Really, it doesn’t. Ask a scientist.

Time is an illusion, which makes being controlled by time somewhat delusional. The past doesn’t exist and neither does the future. The only true reference point we have to this moment in time, and to this thing we label “existence”, is a feeling of presence, of being here in this body, of seeing the world through these eyes.

This is all that can exist, because this is what you feel right

now. You can’t feel the past or the future, but you can feel what it feels like to touch something right now, to see something, to hear something.

The concept of time deludes us into concerning ourselves with its passing and impending arrival. This stops us enjoying this “presence” we feel. We are duped into remaining in one of two states: The first, one of dwelling in the past and mulling over what has happened. The second, one of waiting and constantly anticipating what is to come, if and when…

For example: – How often do you enjoy your work? Or are you too busy thinking about getting it finished by the deadline to give yourself a chance to enjoy it?

– Are you so stressed out trying to do your best work to impress your boss that you prevent yourself being able to perform at your highest potential anyway?

– Are you so distracted by thoughts of Monday morning that you spoil the time spent with your children on the weekend?

– Are you so caught up in regrets of the past that you prevent opportunity blossoming in the present?

– Are the opinions of others, formed through actions you took in the past, stopping you from being who you (are) want to be in the present?

We are all unavoidably victims of time to some degree, because it has become the accepted state of norm in our fast-paced, highly motivated and highly-strung society. And for this reason it is important that we understand that to not be present is to be torn between two worlds, the past and the future, neither of which exist. To constantly reside in this state prevents us enjoying life and finding happiness.

If you allow yourself to be a victim of time – a victim of the past and a slave to a future that is yet to unravel – you will carry with you a sense of unease. You will be susceptible to stress, agitation and feel generally uncomfortable in life.

There is no redemption to be found in time.

So surrender to what is right now.

Wherever you are, commit to being there, completely. Life will take care of the rest.

Reflection: In what ways do we see Bari and ourselves not practicing presence, based on the definition here?

THE TRUTH ABOUT MODERN DATING APRIL 13, 2017 | By

Anushka Bose Purdue University

I

n this day and age, with the power of technology on the horizon, dating has become incredibly difficult and confusing, sometimes so overwhelming, that many people conclude that it’s simply not worth it.

fascinating, and after closely analyzing myself and those around me, I’ve come to the conclusion about why dating has become so preposterously difficult. I’m going to list them in 5 points.

And when I say “dating,” I mean exploring life with another person with the intention of potentially building a future with them. So if you equate dating to meaningless physical interaction or just “hanging out,” then you’re in the wrong place, my friend. I’m specifically talking about people who view dating as a precursor to a potential future with a partner, and while the process of dating involves “hanging out” and physical interaction, it is not the sole purpose. And in fact, if you look beyond the shallow meaning of physical pleasure, you will notice that physical intimacy shows a craving for a deeper bond, it unmasks our inherent need for companionship and to feel loved.

And mind you, the point I’m here to make today isn’t about how modern dating is bad and corruptive, the point I’m trying to make today is that with the emergence of any new achievement, there are certain risks that come with it, especially with this new brand of digital autonomy.

However, these deep desires are pushed down into the basement of our psyche because the dynamic of the modern dating culture has sort of changed our perspective, or at least made us afraid to reveal our true, subconscious intentions.

So what’s the end result? We are constantly settling for less, and if we aren’t settling for less, we are stuck in this buffer zone of what we want and what we say. Sometimes our momentary desire to be loved triumphs our long-term need for companionship, so that’s why you see a rise in “hook up culture” today. When I say “hook up culture “I mean the cultural norm that is now prevalent in societies where two people engage in some sort of activity resulting in physical pleasure, usually through sex, but not admitting to any sort of emotional attachment.

While I brush my teeth at night in my college communal bathroom, I hear countless girls rambling about what some guy meant through his cryptic text, or if he just wants to hook up with her or actually likes her, or over analyzing the time stamps between texts and trying to translate why he said what he said and if he actually means it or no. While I’ve gotten better at this, I completely understand that perpetual anguish that comes with wanting something, whether that’s an emotional connection, purely physical, or both, I understand the emotion.

Observing people and their behavior has always been a keen passion of mine, I find human behavior and psychology EVERYMAN THEATRE | 10

1. Technology.

There are many reasons, but one that stands out to be most prevalent is technology, my friends. It’s opened up doors to a whole new dimension, a fairytale, a land of Oz where we can be whoever we want to be.

The world of instant gratification has never been, well, more gratifying. We get “high” off the instant gratification. It’s true.

Technology has created a platform and medium in which it’s easier to send a message, text, call, etc. But it has also created a zone in which everything is overanalyzed as if our brains didn’t do that anyway. Sure, we have met cool people and had fun dates, and maybe even become great friends with the other person, but have we found “love” through it? I don’t want to get into the debate of what you define as love, but I know from my experience and from those around me, that there is no mathematical equation for love.

2. We are programmed to follow the rules.

I’m going to get straight to it- you hate the game, but you must play it sometimes, but only as long as you don’t lose your essence. The ones who want you will never run. No matter how hard the situation is, no matter how messy the circumstance is. Remember that.

3. Everyone is rushed.

With the hustle bustle of life, the dynamic and speed of life is ever-growing and speeding up, and we are expected to keep up. Relationships don’t work like that, my love. You can’t rush fate, you can’t rush the dynamic, you can’t rush the chemistry.

If you do, you will only suck out the build up that is adding up to the dynamic between you and the other person. Time always shows true colors, and hard times always show who’s

there for us. You must pursue your desires, yes, but you can’t want things to happen badly because as soon as you starting wanting something, you develop expectations, and expectations in its own entity will be the sole reason for your disappointment and heartbreaks. Exercise patience.

4. Honesty is hard.

Why is it so hard to truly come out and say what we want? I’ll tell you why. We are a generation full of skeptics and are too obsessed with wanting instant gratification from people and their approval.

It’s tough facing the truth, it’s scary because when you’re honest, you are mentally naked, your thoughts exposed, the other people seeing clearly through you; therefore, just like how we are conscious of our appearances, we are the same way about our thoughts, and are afraid to expose them bare.

5. We are too skeptical and scared.

It’s scary. We are so exposed, so vulnerable, but this is the only way we know if something will work or not. Be wary, but

take risks. At the very least, you’ll know more about yourself should things go sour.

We live in a world full of contradictions, and we contribute to that contradiction. We say one thing but feel another, we settle for less, pardon people for their ill behavior to avoid conflict, and constantly blame ourselves for some godforsaken reason or another. The dating culture has become a tough scene, but I have definitely observed a common trend.

Comprehension: What are the modern challenges posed to dating?

Reflection: How do you think dating will continue to change as we continue in the new decade? What personal adjustments can we make when thinking about how we interact honestly with technology?

ZODIAC SIGNS There are 12 zodiac signs, and each sign has its own strengths and weaknesses, its own specific traits, desires and attitude towards life and people. By analyzing the projection of the position of planets, and the Sun and the Moon on the Ecliptic at the moment of birth. Astrology can give us a glimpse of a person’s basic characteristics, preferences, flaws and fears.

We made it simple for you to find out what your zodiac sign is, its complete profile and it’s compatibility with other zodiac signs. By selecting your sign from the detailed zodiac sign dates list you will discover everything on the character of your Sun sign, it’s Horoscope, traits, profile, history, myth and love compatibility.

Each of the 12 horoscope signs belongs to one of the four elements – Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These elements represent an essential type of energy that acts in each of us.

Astrology aims to help us focus these energies on the positive aspects and to gain a better understanding of our potential and our positive traits and deal with negative ones.

These four elements help describe the unique personality types associated with astrological signs. The four zodiac elements exhibit profound influence on basic character traits, emotions, behavior and thinking.

Water Signs

Water signs are exceptionally emotional and ultra-sensitive.

They are highly intuitive and they can be as mysterious as the ocean itself. Water signs love profound conversations and intimacy. They rarely do anything openly and are always there to support their loved ones. The Water Signs are: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

Fire Signs

Fire signs tend to be passionate, dynamic, and temperamental. They get angry quickly, but they also forgive easily. They are adventurers with immense energy. They are physically very strong and are a source of inspiration for others. Fire signs are intelligent, self-aware, creative and idealistic people, always ready for action. The Fire Signs are: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

Earth Signs

Earth signs are “grounded” and the ones that bring us down to earth. They are mostly conservative and realistic, but they can also be very emotional. They are connected to our material reality and can be turned to material goods. They are practical, loyal and stable and they stick by their people through hard times. The Earth Signs are: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

Air Signs

Air signs are rational, social, and love communication and relationships with other people. They are thinkers, friendly, intellectual, communicative and analytical. They love philosophical discussions, social gatherings and good books.

They enjoy giving advice, but they can also be very superficial.

The Air Signs are: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

Reflection: What is your sign? Do you share the qualities described? How much stock do you put in astrology?

AN EXPLANATION OF NIHILISM AND EXISTENTIALISM FEBRUARY 25, 2018 | By

N

Ethan Greavu

ihilism — The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.

Everyone seems to think nihilism is some sort of super emo atheist that thinks we are all going to die and doesn’t see the point in living. However, for most this isn’t always true.

Nihilism is moreover a way of viewing ones existence and seeing whether or not there is something more to it. Maybe there isn’t anything more to it and this is it. That doesn’t mean there’s a bad element to that. If all of this is it, that’s still pretty cool. Life is cool, even if it’s meaningless.

If you see that as maybe more existentialist, they still align quite a lot. While nihilists see that there is no point, existentialists would agree but will try and see the fun side of it. The optimistic nihilist is the existentialist.

Differentiating, existentialists are practically the comfort that sometime in the future, our existence will end. Yea that sounds scary, but not as scary as living forever.

Living Forever If you lived forever, you would live to see in 10,000 years the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melt. In 300,000 years you would see Wolf-Rayet WR 104 explode into a supernova that would produce gamma rays capable of killing all life on Earth.

In 10 to the 65th power years, long after Earth, you would see the universe as just body’s of matter behaving like a liquid in space. In 10 to the 10th to the 10th to the 56th years, you would see another big bang.

And then it all starts over again.

And you’re not even 1% done with your life, you’re 0% done.

EVERYMAN THEATRE | 12

All of this will happen. Maybe we are off by a few trillion years, but by then it doesn’t matter, the universe keeps going long after we are gone.

So what does this have to do with Nihilism and Existentialism?

My view is slightly more toward existentialism, but having explained both, I am now going to shift to using existentialists views as I think their view is quite interesting.

Existentialist see that they are nothing but an entity created, living a life that may feel long for their time, but is practically short and can be quite enjoyable. Existentialists see what we are going through and think “Cool! I’m a part of that!”

Existentialists see that even though they’re life may be meaningless, there time here can be enjoyed because why not make it enjoyable? We’re all doing the same thing, floating in space with possibly no real purpose.

Thinking something is meaningless doesn’t mean you don’t like it or don’t see the possibilities of what else it might be if “pointless” is just another quality to it.

We have dopamine and serotonin receptors that literally are enjoyment and in today’s world, they’re pretty easy to farm, so why not try and accumulate that for a happy life?

But you may then be asking, “So are all Nihilists and Existentialists atheists?” Which may make sense considering what is talked about and how there’s no real aspect of religion to both, but I can show you otherwise.

Religion In Nihilism Let’s say there is a God. Let’s say we do go to heaven and live there forever. If that’s possible and you believe that, why would what is expected to happen in the universe not continue to happen after you are gone?

The definition I have at the beginning of this article is the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless so you might say “right there you said they are atheists.” But does rejection of religion imply atheism?

Sure probably most Nihilists and Existentialists are atheist, but rejecting the idea and practice of religion doesn’t necessary mean her or she doesn’t believe there could be an afterlife.

Maybe it’s so obscure to what we think it is that they don’t see the point in pondering it on Earth and want to see for themselves whether it’s true or not when the time comes.

(However they lean much more toward there being nothing in the end) But now let’s look at it if there isn’t a God. The Existentialist believes disregarding action of religion while alive saves time, or just avoids a pointless task and belief.

How Existentialists See The World I would partially consider myself an Existentialist, as you can probably tell by my explanations, but I am not too involved in the definition and am putting my own perspective on it.

But I can tell you how most Existentialists see the world and how it’s not what most people think.

Existentialists see the scientific part of life, how all of it doesn’t matter, but in a way that allows you to make your own meaning. You can do whatever you want and if society prevents you from being able to accomplish that, that’s societies fault, “but oh well, it doesn’t matter in the end.”

If we die anyway and we try and do something extreme for our whole lives like make more money than Bill Gates, we’re basically looking around at the world, saying “Oh I see, it’s like a game” and playing it however we like.

In the end there are no true winners unless one would consider themselves a winner. We all have the same end fate, but why not make fun of that?

We are our own purpose to keep going and that’s good enough for us.

Nihilists and Existentialists see the pointlessness in the world where one view sees it as pointless to try and the other sees it as pointless to not try.

Comprehension: What is the “optimistic nihilist”?

Reflection: Do you believe what Bari goes through supports or disproves the nihilistic ideas she held at the beginning of the play? By the end of Be Here Now do you believe Bari is a nihilist, an existentialist, or something else altogether?

WHERE DID THE TERM “DEBBIE DOWNER” ORIGINATE? JULY 9, 2019

N

egative Nancy, Bob Bummer and Debbie Downer are the people who show up to perfectly delightful gatherings and ruin everything. Whether with negative remarks, a sour disposition or sulking attitude, these people magically transform jovial guests into frowny-faced residents of Bummerville. But where did the clever phrase used to describe these glass-half-empty people come from?

Who is this Debbie, and why is she so down all the time?

The printed English lexicon first adopted “downer” in 1886. That year seemed to teem with other lively gems such as zoom, scrappily, ultrahazardous, pasteurization, milkshake, mascara and french fry.

The term downer typically refers to things that are not uplifting (makes sense). In modern usage, the personification of Debbie Downer was brought to TV glory by Rachel Dratch on Saturday Night Live in 2004.

“When I told someone that I was from New York, they asked, ‘Were you there for 9/11?’ The conversation froze. When I got back, the name [Debbie Downer] popped into my head,” Dratch explained in her book, Girl Walks Into A Bar. Clearly this inspirational creature had Jedi Master skills at awkwardness and sucking the fun out of the room.

In the original 2004 sketch on SNL, a family is on a trip to Disney World, and everyone, except Debbie Downer, is trying to have a blast. Debbie constantly brings up depressing subjects and is a major buzz kill, along with the accompaniment of a wah-wah horn. The dialog eventually makes the cast crack up uncontrollably, and therein lies the beauty of Miss Downer: try as she might to overshadow the fun with brutal facts and anecdotes, she becomes the totality of the joke.

So the next time you’re face to face with a Debbie Downer, or a Lame-o Larry, try to beat them at their own game and force a smile or two.

THE PRO DUMPSTER DIVER WHO’S MAKING THOUSANDS OFF AMERICA’S BIGGEST RETAILERS FEBRUARY 3, 2015 | By

Peter Yang

M

att Malone doesn’t mind being called a professional dumpster diver. He tells me this a little after 2 am on the morning of July 7 as we cruise the trash receptacles behind the stores of a shopping center just off the Capital of Texas Highway in Austin. Given the image that conjures, though, it’s worth pointing out that Malone has a pretty good day job, earning a six-figure salary as a security specialist for Slait Consulting. He is also founder of Assero Security, a startup that he says has recently been offered seed money by not one but two separate investors. Nevertheless, the 37-year-old Malone does spend a good many of his off-hours digging through the trash. And the fact is, he earns a sizable amount of money from this activity—more per hour than he makes at his Slait job.

Malone stops his Chevy Avalanche next to the dumpster in back of an Office Depot. Within seconds, he’s out of the truck and sticking his magnetized flashlight to the inside of the dumpster’s wall. He heaves himself up onto the metal rim to lean inside and begins digging through a top layer of cardboard and packing materials. Half a minute later I hear what I will learn is Malone’s version of eureka: “Hell yes! Hell yes!” He comes out with a box containing a complete Uniden Wireless Video Surveillance System—two cameras and a wireless monitor—which normally retails for $419. A quick inspection reveals that it’s all in perfect condition, although EVERYMAN THEATRE | 14

someone has clearly opened and repacked it. “A return,” he says, then plunges back into the dumpster.

Ten minutes later, when he’s again behind the wheel of the Avalanche, Malone continues to tell me about the material benefits of dumpster diving. If he were to dedicate himself to the activity as a full-time job, he says, finding various discarded treasures, refurbishing and selling them off, he’s confident he could pull in at least $250,000 a year—there is that much stuff simply tossed into dumpsters in the Austin area. He lists a few recent “recoveries”: vacuums, power tools, furniture, carpeting, industrial machines, assorted electronics.

Much of it needs a little love, he says, but a lot of it, like this Uniden system, is in perfect condition.

But, he quickly adds, his foraging isn’t just about dollars.

It’s also about the knowledge he acquires and the people he shares it with. He prefers to be known as a “for-profit archaeologist.” After all, archaeologists have always studied garbage. The esteemed William Rathje, who established the Garbage Project at the University of Arizona, observed shortly before his 2012 death that refuse, more than anything else human beings produce, “gives us insight into the long-term values of a civilization.”

As for Malone, the main insight he’s obtained from digging through our civilization’s trash is that most people don’t place a lot of value in value anymore.

A

B

A. Matt Malone laying amidst some recovered trash, Photo: Peter Yang. B. Malone, head down in his work, behind a Bed Bath & Beyond in Austin, Texas, Photo: Peter Yang.

Malone started dumpster diving nine years ago, when he was working at a lower-level corporate security job. His employer had assigned him to conduct what’s called a “zero-knowledge attack” on an Austin-based company. “That means you hire me and don’t give me any information about your operation,” Malone explains. “I’m just a random guy who wants to break into your system.” The most effective way to do this was to dig through his client’s trash; many hacks and identity thefts come from information left in dumpsters. Sure enough, after just a couple of weeks of looking through the dumpsters outside the client’s offices, he had amassed a box full of documents, loaded with the confidential information of thousands of customers. (“It made quite an impression” on his client, he recalls.)

But he also discovered something else. One night while doing his research, he decided to poke around in neighboring trash bins, including the dumpster at OfficeMax. Inside he discovered “a whole bunch of printers, discontinued lines that were still in the boxes.” He took the printers home and put them in his garage. But he couldn’t stop wondering what else was out there in the dumpsters of Austin. Before long, he went back out to see what else he could find.

A short and wiry man whose manic enthusiasm and radiant smile lend him a quirky charm, Malone says that at first he looked for items he could use himself, especially in his main passion, building and riding “mini chopper” motorcycles.

On a hunch he checked the dumpster behind the Emerson Electric warehouse in an industrial park near his home, where he discovered several discarded motors that would provide enough power to move a mini chopper along at 40 to 50 miles per hour. Then, out of curiosity, he turned his attention to the dumpsters at Home Depot, Harbor Freight, Big Lots, Sears, Best Buy, and a few others. He was astounded at what he found: building materials, power tools, HEPA filters, and a dizzying array of electronics.

At first, Malone mainly used his discoveries for various hobby projects. Along with his mini choppers, he built an electric skateboard, a set of plasma speakers, several 3-D projectors, and a computer that ran while submerged in mineral oil.

“People would come over and ask, ‘Man, where’d you get that?’” he recalls. “I’d say, ‘Well, I made it.’ I didn’t say right away that I made it mostly from stuff I got out of dumpsters.” Inevitably his friends would ask to buy his various toys, and—usually already bored with them and having moved on to a new project—he would agree to sell. Even so, his garage soon overflowed, and Malone decided he should make some space by staging a weekend yard sale.

That sale provided several revelations. The biggest was what sold with the drive-by public. “I had all my cool stuff out front, a couple of very nice computers, mini choppers, some highend printers—the big-ticket stuff—thinking, ‘This is what’s going to make me the money.’” It wasn’t. Instead, people

flocked to “the small stuff”: the photo paper and toner he’d pulled out of the dumpsters at OfficeMax and Office Depot, the hand tools he’d found in the trash at Harbor Freight, the CDs from GameStop dumpsters, the assorted seasonal tchotchkes that had been tossed by the employees at Pier 1 and Cost Plus. “I eventually figured out that I had to sell the big stuff on Amazon or Craigslist,” Malone says. But all those small sales added up: By Sunday afternoon he had collected a little more than $3,000 in cash. “And that was when I realized, ‘This has the potential to be something.’”

At the time, Malone explains, he was working for a company called Vintage IT and making only about half of his current salary, so he appreciated the opportunity to augment his income. He began to organize his approach, making daily checks of the various malls and business parks closest to his home to ascertain what days and times dumpsters were most likely filled with desirable items. Within a few weeks he knew exactly when the trash was collected at every store and business on his route so he could time his visits for when the dumpsters were fullest. He also learned to look for stores that were changing locations or—better yet—going out of business. Store remodels were also good targets. “I was learning as I went along and designing a kind of collection system before I even realized that was what I was doing.”

As we drive by a shopping center just off the Mopac Expressway, Malone remembers the weeks when the Circuit City that once anchored this mall was closing. “I went back day after day after day,” he says. “I got brand-new stereos, GPS devices, some really nice cameras, flatscreen TVs. I got a boom box there that was bigger than I am. And what was great was that you could sell it at retail, because it was all still in the boxes.”

Suddenly, Malone spots a huge “yarder” dumpster directly behind Bealls department store—an indication the store may be remodeling. Within moments he has pulled his truck alongside the yarder and used the truck bed to climb in. Wading through the cardboard and bubble wrap, Malone quickly finds three slightly used dress-form mannequins that he is sure can be sold to an owner of one of the pop-up clothing stores that have become popular in Austin. That’s just the beginning, though. During the next 15 minutes, he’s so deep in the bowels of the dumpster that at moments all I can see are his shoulders and the back of his head; he exclaims “Hell yes!” at least a half dozen times. When Malone is finished there are two large stacks of laminated MDF boards and plate-glass panels from discarded store displays in the back of the truck. He can use the boards at a workshop that he maintains in a small business park a couple of minutes from his North Austin home. “These pre cut boards are really expensive,” Malone says. “That’s money I won’t be spending.”

Malone has operated a number of trash-related enterprises out of his shop, often with names like Chinese Scooter Repair.

Malone can get downright philosophical about the empire he’s managed to build out of garbage. “We can only do what we do here because we live in a society where most people have been conditioned to look past what’s right in front of them.”

Comprehension: What are some ways retailers could dispose of out-of-date technological items as opposed to throwing them in the trash?

Reflection: Has there been something you threw away that you regretted or wished you donated to someone?

THE WASHED ASHORE EFFORT: TURNING TRASH INTO TREASURE SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 | By

Shannon Serpette

While art has always been appreciated for its beauty and for the feelings it creates in the onlooker, it can also be a powerful catalyst for societal and environmental causes.

Washed Ashore, a non-profit art project, was founded as a way to open people’s eyes to the growing problem of the debris and trash that litter our seas and oceans.

What Is Washed Ashore?

This organization was founded in 2010 by Angela Haseltine Pozzi. She, like many others, had noticed the large quantity of plastic coming in with the tide on the beaches she visited.

Instead of merely picking up the trash and moving on, she decided to do something about it.

One of the most effective ways to change the world is through education. To show people just how real the issue of trash in our waterways is, Washed Ashore takes and processes the plastic that washes up on the shorelines and uses it to create beautiful and thought-provoking art.

The effort has grown since its one-person beginnings. Now it has thousands of volunteers, collecting the plastic debris, and constructing the giant sculptures in the shape of animals who are being killed or threatened by all the pollution littering our oceans.

THE 5 WELL BEINGS IN LIFE JANUARY 29, 2011 | By

Allan Cho

I

t turns out that in between work and career are still important things in life. Love, work, play.

Regardless of what profession one is in, I think there’s often unfortunate disconnect between living and working. News stories are increasingly reporting people around the world working overtime, inordinately more than the prescribed 40 hour work weeks so prevalent a generation ago. Reports seem to indicate that people are turning into workaholics. In the follow up to their highly successful Strengthfinders 2.0, Tom Rath and Jim Harter’s Wellbeing is really about how to reverse all that -- how to live a happy, fulfilling life of love, generosity, and gratitude. Though their findings, the authors argue that there are five key essential ingredients. I think these words of advice (and research) indicate some lessons we can all learn.

1. Career Wellbeing

these people not only buy experiences instead of just material possessions, they also give to others instead of always spending on themselves.

4. Physical Wellbeing It’s about having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis. Exercising regularly, good dietary choices, enough sleep to rejuvenate, these individuals are able to do everything people their age can do. Maybe even more.

5. Community Wellbeing This trait indicates a high security of where one lives and take great pride in their community. Not only do they want to give back and make a lasting contribution to society, there is a sense of engagement with where a person lives. This is what separates a good life from a great one.

Do you like what you’re doing each day? Whether a librarian, policeman, salesman -- whatever it may be -- people high with marks in this category wake up each morning looking forward to doing something each day at work. Instead of workaholics, turns out these people actually take more time out to enjoy life though!

2. Social Wellbeing More likely to make time for vacations or social gathering with friends and family, these people have several close relationships that help them achieve, enjoy life, and be healthy, as well as surrounded by people who encourage their development and growth. Positive energy on a daily basis.

3. Financial Wellbeing It’s hard to be happy without meeting basic needs. Managing their personal finances well and spending their money wisely, BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 17

GLOSSARY Atypical Sexuality: Any sexuality that doesn’t fall within societal “norms.”

Hypergraphia: A behavioral condition that causes an intense compulsive desire to draw or write.

Ceramics: Inorganic, or non-metallic, material heated into a hardened shape that is corrosion resistant.

Hyperreligiosity: A psychiatric disturbance resulting in intense religious experiences interfering with normal functions.

Circumstantiality: A communication disorder in which the focus of a conversation will frequently drift.

Imperceptible: Impossible to believe.

Cretin: A person referred to as idiotic and childish.

Dopamine: A compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including epinephrine.

Endorphin: A group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions. They are peptides that activate the body’s opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect.

Einstein: Albert Einstein was a German Physicist who developed the theory of relativity in 1916. His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.

Friedrich Nietzsche: A classical scholar, philosophist, poet, and cultural critic of German origin. He collapsed and suffered a complete loss of mental function in January 1889.

GP: A General Practitioner treats common medical issues and refers patients to hospitals for urgent medical difficulties.

Heidegger: Martin Heidegger was a philosopher born in 1889 Germany. He had a profound influence over 20th century study of Existentialism. He joined the Nazi Party in May 1st, 1993.

Intensified Mental Life: Deepened cognitive and emotional responses Napoleon: Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and emperor who rose during the French Revolution.

Nihilism: The rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.

Pessimism: The tendency to see the worst aspects of things or believe that the worst will happen.

Plato: An Athenian philosopher who founded the first university in the western world. A historic figure in western philosophy along with his mentor Socrates and his student Aristotle.

Psychiatrist: A Medical Doctor who specializes in mental health conditions Schopenhauer: Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher in the 19th Century. He decreed the universe was, at its core, full of irrationality.

Seizure: A sudden attack of illness, especially a stroke or epileptic fit.

TNT: THEATRE NIGHT FOR TEENS

IGNITE YOUR PASSION FOR THE WORLD OF THE PLAY! ENJOY THE SHOWS? SEE THE REST OF OUR SEASON.

TNT

Students in grades 9-12 are invited to TNT, a teens only event which takes the show to a whole new level. Pay just $10 for dinner, artist meet-and-greet, performance, discussion and dessert. Event starts at 6 PM the first Tuesday of each show’s run.

THEATRE NIGHT FOR TEENS

UPCOMING DATES

BERTA, BERTA

April 17 | 6:30pm

CRY IT OUT

May 1 | 6:30pm

AWAKE AND SING! June 12 | 6:30pm

Extension Project Be the Director...

The duty of a director is to generate the creative vision of a theatrical production. Directors work with actors, stage managers, technical crew members, and designers to ensure the successful run of a show. They are the lead visionaries who assemble the world of the play.

Be the director. Imagine you were in charge of casting the four actors for Be Here Now. Which actors would you choose and why? You can choose actors from the resident company at Everyman and from Hollywood.

Tools directors use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvQk4b2jZlk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMLM_sRJl4

YOUR THOUGHTS...

Use this space to jot down any thoughts that arise before, during, and/or after the performance. You can bring this with you to the theater and log your thoughts during intermission or on the bus

after the show. Then, bring this to the Post-Show Workshop to share with a guest artist.

I was surprised by/when…

The most memorable scene was when… because...

I was impacted most by the scene where...

I was confused by… or I wonder why...

BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 19

SOURCES

Sources used to curate this Play Guide include... https://www.wired.com/2015/02/high-end-dumpster-diving-matt-malone/ https://www.allancho.com/2011/01/5-well-beings-in-life.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer https://thekyotoschoolofphilosophy.wordpress.com/nishitani-keiji/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-we-need-heroes/201406/what-is-your-purpose-in-life https://www.theodysseyonline.com/truth-about-modern-dating https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/live-in-the-present-moment/ https://medium.com/swlh/an-explanation-of-nihilism-and-existentialism-acec61fde352 http://www.deborahzoelaufer.com/ http://palmbeachartspaper.com/with-be-here-now-playwright-laufer-looks-for-meaning-in-chance/

DEEPER DIVE WELLNESS https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/history-of-wellness/ https://www.integration.samhsa.gov/health-wellness/wellness-strategies https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/8-dimensions-of-wellness-where-do-you-fit-in-0527164 https://worldhappiness.report/ EXISTENTIALISM/NIHILISM/PHILOSOPHY https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existential_nihilism https://www.iep.utm.edu/nihilism/ https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/10-schools-of-philosophy-and-why-you-should-know-them https://danielmiessler.com/blog/difference-existentialism-nihilism-absurdism/ SMALL TOWN REALITIES https://www.society19.com/uk/the-realities-of-growing-up-in-a-small-town/ https://www.rd.com/advice/travel/things-no-one-tells-you-about-moving-small-town/ https://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-to-Small-Town-Life https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/vbmam4/we-asked-people-who-left-cities-for-small-towns-if-theyre-happier

THIS PLAY GUIDE CREATED BY Brianna McCoy, Director of Education & Community Engagement Genna Styles-Lyas, Education & Engagement Program Manager Hugh Raup, Education & Engagement Associate Sean Laraway, Education Apprentice Mel Prather, Senior Graphic Designer EVERYMAN THEATRE | 20

EVERYMAN THEATRE IS LOCATED AT 315 W. Fayette St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Box Office 410.752.2208 Administration 443.615.7055 Email boxoffice@everymantheatre.org

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT If you have questions about the Play Guide, contact our Education Department at education@everymantheatre.org or 443.615.7055 x7142

THEATRE ETIQUETTE When you come and see a play, remember to...

Respectfully enjoy the show.

While we encourage you to laugh when something is funny, gasp if something shocks you, and listen intently to the action occurring, please remember to be respectful of the performers and fellow audience members.

Please turn off or silence all electronic devices before the performance begins.

There is no texting or checking your cell phone during the show. The glow of a cell phone can and will be seen from stage.

Photography inside the theatre is strictly prohibited.

Food and drinks are not allowed in the theatre.

Food and drinks should be consumed in the Everyman lobby before or after the show, or during intermission.

Be Present.

Talking, moving around, checking your phone, or engaging in other activities is distracting to everyone and greatly disrupts the performance’s energy.

Stay Safe.

Please remain seated and quiet during the performance. Should you need to leave for any reason, re-entrance to the theatre is at the discretion of the house manager. In case of an emergency, please follow the instructions shared by Everyman staff members.

Continue the conversation.

After your performance, find Everyman Theatre on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and use #bmoreeveryman to tell us what you thought!

In this production, please be aware of...

Strong Language and Racial Slurs Simulated Physical Violence Strong themes

CURRICULAR TIE-INS From the stage to the classroom...

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS Anchor Standard #6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Anchor Standard #7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Anchor Standard #8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Anchor Standard #11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

BE HERE NOW PLAY GUIDE | 21

DESIGN YOUR OWN PRODUCTION IMAGERY

For each production at Everyman, our Marketing Department works with designers to create imagery that conveys a visual story.

What story does the Be Here Now artwork on the cover convey?

Now it’s your turn! Think about the play and design a new image to brand the show. Keep in mind, this image could be used on posters, advertisements, billboards, television, social media, etc.

Share your reactions to the performance using #bmoreeveryman.

EVERYMAN THEATRE | 22