Milking Christmas: A New Musical
by Friend Dog Studios and Ryan McCall Directed by Michelle Miller Musical Direction by Ryan McCall Choreography by Tara Burgat Scenic and Costume Design by Kelly Vogel Lighting Design by Josh Gilpin Dramaturgy by Brad Mathewson Stage Management by Connor L. Maloney CAST Macey Maid A-Milking Coy Garrett Mrs. Claus/Partridge Maya Welde Santa Claus Brandon Heflin Chris Claus ShonMichael Anderson Krampsnickle John Stecher, Jr. Jingle/Lord A-Leaping Cooper Holmes Clyde/Maid A-Milking/Lord A-Leaping Canton Schenk Ginger/Maid A-Milking/Lord A-Leaping Paul Ruf Citizen Cane Morgan Tate The Christmas Mole/Maid A-Milking Olivia Laycock General Sparkleshine/Maid A-Milking Callee Harris Lieutenant Puddings James Kensinger Carol Jolly/Maid A-Milking/Toy Soldier Basia Schendzielos Holly Hunter/Maid A-Milking/Toy Soldier Eve Green Santa’s Lap Singer/Maid A-Milking/Toy Soldier Sierra Quinn Lady Dancing/Lord A-Leaping Madi Seelye Setting & Time: Christmastown, present day Intermission: This performance is presented with a 15-minute intermission. Runtime: 120 minutes (approximately) Content: This production is not recommended to those who wish to maintain their belief in the goodness of Santa Claus. Water-based theatrical haze is used in this production. Acknowledgments: David Kiehl. Special thanks to Safety Goggles On, KU’s improv club. Milking Christmas, A New Musical was originally produced and developed by The Living Room Theatre. It is reproduced with permission of the creators.
Director’s Note Working on a new musical is not for the faint of heart. Nimbleness is required to navigate changes as they arise. Changes can be as subtle as a shift in dialogue, or as monumental as the gutting of entire songs. It asks actors to walk the tightrope between being deeply invested without getting too attached to any single aspect; this is a challenge to the most seasoned of creators. Milking Christmas has offered a rare glimpse into this process. It has been an added benefit that one of the writers is our musical director, Ryan McCall. The cast of this sweet and salty show has embraced the process wholeheartedly and with great discipline, care, and humor. It’s been a joy to watch students generate and own every inflection without an ounce of mimicry, and confidently ad lib comedic lines with bravery and wit. I am incredibly grateful to Ryan McCall, pulling double duty as our music director, and Tara Burgat, our lovely choreographer, for the joyful collaboration bringing Milking Christmas to KU. – Michelle Miller
This Show Is About Christmas Let’s set the record straight. This is a fun show about Christmas, nothing more. Just good holiday fun and reindeer games. To draw parallels between this production and our boring ol’ real world… that would be absolutely absurd. Don’t look “under” the “surface,” whatever that means! That’s definitely not the way we stay happy, we all know that. By diving into this show with the expectation of something more, something profound, you will be sorely disappointed when you only find PURE HAPPINESS! And everyone in Christmastown (save for the undesirables) will give you a smile and say the same thing: “Santa keeps us jolly!” We understand this may be difficult to hear when you attend the University Theatre, but rest assurrrrrrrrrrrzzzzzzzz— HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME!? OH! GUYS, WE’RE IN! Okay, okay. Let’s set the record straight. The company of loved ones, eating good food, selflessness and grace… weren’t these the original trademarks of many, many winter holidays, such as the Norse Yule and the Roman Saturnalia, from which the modern Christmas was derived? Gone are the times of unfettered gaiety! Times untouched by thoughts of capital or Amazon Prime Day… Look at us now! We relent to companies that pollute and pay poverty wages. We idolize brands that paint their logos rainbow as an empty gesture, uplift industries that commercialize joy itself and convince us they’re the only source of happiness. And we maintain this status quo because we’ve been born into it, convinced things have never been different. What this show asks us to do is question this. To consider how, after the golden age of consumerism, we can revolutionize the ways we think about merriment. Thankfully, we can use the same tools that have shaped Milking Christmas: pure, un-bastardized joy, and our love for each other (of course). Visitors, to remain up to date on all Christmastown happenings, please check our bulletin wall at intermission. – Brad Mathewson
Musical Numbers
ACT 1 A Happy Christmastown, Ensemble Every Single Drip, Maids A-Milking If I Were Santa Claus, Macey Christmas Magic, Santa, Krampsnickle, Ensemble Coal Is a Rock, Clyde If I Were You, Macey, Chris Why Can’t Christmas Be a Little Naughty Too?, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Lords Oooh Santa, Lounge Singer/Piano Player A Few Ribbons Untied, Citizen Cane, Clyde, Ginger, The Mole, Macey All They Want Is Christmas, Mrs. Claus, Toy Soldiers I Am a Krampsnickle, Krampsnickle If I Were You: Reprise, Chris, Macey For Us, Santa, Mrs. Claus Act 1 Finale: War on Christmas, Macey, Rebels, Santa, Mrs. Claus ACT 2 Everything’s Going South, Carol, Holly, Townspeople A Magic That’s Older Than All of Us, Krampsnickle, Rebels The Carol of the Toy Soldiers, Sparkleshine, Puddings, Santa, Toy Soldiers Christmastown Is About to Wake Up, Ensemble All We Want Is Christmas: Festival Reprise, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Townspeople Finale: If You Were Santa Claus, Ensemble
Production Staff & Crew Assistant Director Nicole Piekalkiewicz Assistant Stage Manager Sean Ingram & AJ Watson Faculty Design Mentor Ann Sitzman Wardrobe Head Hanah Glimpse Graphic Designer Chris Millspaugh Design Photographer Luke Jordan Crew Supervisors Sara Baird, Josh Gilpin, Taiane Lacerda Wardrobe and Makeup Crew Hayden Daugherty, Belle Gerstmeyer, Kayana Harman, Casey Schenk Scenery and Properties Crew Seth Bruey, Jack Kennedy, Jonathan Wall Lighting Crew Connor Cooper, Emily Kandolin Sound Crew Tanner Ashenfelter Streaming Technician Cory Porter Production Assistant Megan Weldon
In Recognition We thank the estate of Ronald A. Willis for establishing a fund in his honor to benefit our Department and the University Theatre productions. Michelle Miller’s participation in Milking Christmas is made possible in part by the Ronald A. Willis Visiting Scholar/ Artist Fund. For more information or to make a donation, please see http://theatredance.ku.edu/willis-fund NOTE: Recording and distribution of the the livestream for Milking Christmas is strictly prohibited.
KU Theatre & Dance Land Acknowledgment Translation from Menominee to English The KU Department of Theatre & Dance acknowledges that our performances take place on the ancestral homelands of several Tribal Nations, including the Kansa/Kaw, the Osage. Specifically, the University of Kansas occupies land forcefully ceded in an 1825 treaty with the Kansa/Kaw Nation and a later treaty removing the Delaware/Lenape people. This traditional territory was not a single property with border lines but rather maintained by Tribal peoples as traditional stewards, and we recognize an enduring relationship exists tying Tribal peoples to the land. Elements of the land remain embedded into their Tribal identities, culture, and language. The University Theatre emphatically recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the four federally recognized Tribal Nations present in Kansas today: the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Sac and Fox, and Iowa. As we gather in this community space, we ask that you all take a moment to give thanks for this day as we celebrate and honor the contribution of this production by the KU University Theatre. We ask that you feel the good energy, passion, and commitment of the students and help us to honor their gifts they will share today. We wish for you to be rejuvenated and take this good energy and find a way to share a little with your community and others. The world needs laughter, music, dance, and the arts–the language of universal love. The land is home to us all. In the name of humanity, we ask for a final moment of reflection as we recognize and honor the past, and most importantly the arts and culture of the original people of this land. The Department looks forward to future partnerships and collaborations that honor this land acknowledgment. Enjoy the production and safe travels to all. This production is an Associate entry in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 56®, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein. Special thanks to The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; Beatrice and Anthony Welters and the AnBryce Foundation. Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts & the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts. Productions entered on the Associate level are considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance. Last year more than 1,300 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.
The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance is an organizational member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. The Department is also a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.
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KU DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE Henry Bial Department Chair Markus Potter Artistic Director Michelle Heffner Hayes Director of Dance Jenna Link Production Manager Jim Dick Managing Director FACULTY Erin Barnett • Jane Barnette • Ashley Brittingham • Claire Buss Dennis Christilles • Rana Esfandiary • Justin Harbaugh • Alex Haynes Lynn King • Laura Kirk • Mechele Leon • Ryan McCall • Michelle Miller Rebecca L. Rovit • Ann Sitzman • Shannon Stewart Maya Tillman-Rayton • Kelly Vogel PROFESSIONAL STAFF Technical Director Alex Weston • Scene Shop Manager David Wanner Costume Shop Manager Gail Trottier • Marketing Communications Coordinator Lisa Coble-Krings • Administrative Associates Lowen Millspaugh & Jack Rischer • HR Specialist Hannah Casto Academic Advisor Christian Boudreaux STUDENT PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Lead House Manager Connor L. Maloney House Managers & Event Staff Clara Childs • Paige Hinca • Gus Ketchell Madeleine Morris • Jaydon Stacy Administrative & Box Office Assistants Clara Childs • Coy Garrett Paige Hinca • Connor L. Maloney • Madeleine Morris • Anna Shelton Assistant to the Artistic Director Renee Cyr Marketing Assistant Maren Meneley Costume Assistants Elliot Bowman, Zoe English, Edmund Ludlum, Lacey Marr, Knox McClendon, Kate Winklhofer Lighting/Projections Assistants Austin Flink • Kennedy Tolar Morgan Tobias Scenic Assistants Elizabeth Goodwin • John Stecher Jr. • Sam White Properties Assistant Natalie Sparks Sound Assistants Jeffery Blessant • Hana Rose North