Rachel S-S TDM Thesis Program

HESIS PRODUCTION BY RACHEL SHARE-SAP OLSKY SENIOR T M D T A

an abridged adaptation of the musical

FEATURING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND SPOKEN ENGLISH FRI 4/1 @ 7:30PM SAT 4/2 @ 2PM SAT 4/2 @ 7:30PM

FARKAS HALL 12 HOLYOKE ST, CAMBRIDGE RSVP AT TDM.FAS.HARVARD.EDU 35

THEATER, DANCE & MEDIA Theater, Dance & Media is one of Harvard’s newest concentrations. Our intention is to invite Harvard undergraduates to become art makers and researchers ranging across theater, dance, and performance-based media. Using Harvard’s immense resources, from the Harvard Theatre Collection to the Dance Center and the American Repertory Theater, our students will learn to hone their creative instincts, work collaboratively in small groups, and participate in professional departmental productions. Our courses range from physical movement, directing and design to creative writing, aesthetics, performance scholarship and digital humanities and emphasize the combination of theory, history and practice. Theater, Dance & Media provides interdisciplinary experiences in storytelling, performance and media to Harvard’s liberal arts students, preparing them for careers inside and outside the arts.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Concentration in Theater, Dance & Media acknowledges the land on which Harvard sits as the traditional territory of the Massachusett, Nipmuck and Wampanoag Nations. In this acknowledgement, we recognize the history of dispossession and erasure in which we are complicit, and offer renewed honor and respect to the indigenous people who came before us, and to those with whom we continue to live and work.

THEATER, DANCE & MEDIA STAFF Ju Yon Kim, Chair; Professor of English Debra Levine, Director of Undergraduate Studies; Lecturer, TDM James Stanley, Artistic Producer; Lecturer, TDM Emily Warshaw, Director of Administration Andrew Gitchel, Production Manager Joe Short, Production Technician Jesse Cannon, Production Technician Sheryl Chen, Program Coordinator Aislinn Brophy ‘17, Social Media and Engagement Liaison Christina Nikitin GSAS ‘27, Graduate Student Assistant Tara Bassi GSD ‘24, Graduate Student Assitstant HARVARD UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Lawrence Bacow, President Claudine Gay, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Robin Kelsey, Dean of Arts and Humanities; Shirley Carter Burden Professor of Photography 36

A Theater, Dance & Media Senior Thesis Production an abridged adaptation of the musical

Fun Home Artistic Director Rachel Share-Sapolsky Director of Artistic Sign Language Kristin Johnson Stage Manager Lily Grob Thesis Advisors Debra Levine Ryan McKittrick Music Directors Ian Chan Andrew Honold Directorial and Interpreting Support Ingrid O’Dell Lighting Design Finn Bamber Set Design Liana Chow Assistant Stage Managers Isaac Heller Mara Sims Production Assistant Connor Riordan This performance runs ~70 minutes with no intermission.

The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE Fun Home is a tragic story about memory and regrets, family secrets, and the weight of being part of a marginalized group.

Who tells a story can be as important as the story itself; in this adaptation, this intertwining of representation and presentation is explored with a bilingual, bicultural lens, namely those of the Deaf and hearing worlds, and with the former at the artistic helm.

Structuring a musical this way is not a mere salute to diversity, or merely a compensatory strategy of making one language more dominant in order for it to be fully seen and appreciated.

Instead, the simultaneity of story-telling in two languages and cultures also allows each to build on the other, jointly enriching the expressiveness. And a collaboration of this sort, one which is rare to the stage, constitutes a story of its own for the storytellers.

The seeds of this piece were planted when my eight-year-old self watched Deaf West Theatre’s production of Big River. I was blown away, and wanted nothing more than to be involved in theatre like this. Now, fifteen years later, finally doing so has been endlessly joyful. The sources of this joy (and of support in the face of the enormous challenges along the way) have been my incredible teachers and mentors, my friends, my family, and, most of all, my brilliant cast and crew. It has been an honor and privilege to get to work with these wonderful artists and people, and I will treasure this forever. Thank you for joining us in this, and for being part of this story.

–Rachel Share-Sapolsky, April 2022

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CAST

(in alphabetical order)

FAHIM AHMED

NORMA ALDANA

ODESSA DENG

SABRINA DENNISON

EMILY JOHNSON

ELBERT (EJ) JOSEPH

TWYLA KANTOR

ANAÍ ADINA MORALES

CONNOR RIORDAN

RACHEL SHARE-SAPOLSKY

JORDAN WHITLOW

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CAST

(in order of appearance)

Alison….................................................................................Sabrina Dennison Voice of Alison...…..................................................Rachel Share-Sapolsky ‘22 Small Alison.................................…............................................Emily Johnson Voice of Small Alison...............................................................Odessa Deng ‘23 Bruce Bechdel...........................…........................................Elbert (EJ) Joseph Voice of Bruce............................….........................................Fahim Ahmed ‘25 Helen Bechdel...............….........................................................Jordan Whitlow Medium Alison…..........................................................................Norma Aldana Voice of Medium Alison..................................................Anaí Adina Morales ‘23 Joan .................................…....................................................Twyla Kantor ‘23 Roy......................................................................................Connor Riordan ‘23

BAND Conductor….........................................................................Andrew Honold ‘23 Keyboard...….............................................................................Clara Chen ‘25 Reed.................................…............................K. Stawasz ‘22, Kara Murray ‘23 Violin.......................................................................................Neo Guerrero ‘23 Cello...........................….................................................Sophia Salamanca ‘25 Bass............................….......................................................Elias Schisgall ‘25 Drums...............….........................................................Saiajay Chigurupati ‘22 ADDITIONAL STAFF Artistic Consultant........................................................................Debra Levine Artistic Producer….....................................................................James Stanley Production Manager...…...........................................................Andrew Gitchel Production Technician................................…....................................Joe Short Administrative Support...............…...........….......Sheryl Chen, Emily Warshaw Captioning Operator................…....................................................Isaac Heller Light Board Operator..............…...........…............…............…...........Lily Grob Build Manager........................…...........…............…............….Bryce Reynolds Sound Engineer...............…........................…............…............Mitchell Bailey Graphic Design ..........................................................Tara Bassi, Valerie Rose Media Design.............…...........…............…............…..........Sahar Khashayar House Manager...….........................................................................Allie Jeffay House Management Staff..................................André Luis, Summer Smentek Artistic Mentor..................................................................................David Kurs Artistic Consultant...........................................................................Kate Brehm ASL Interpreting Team...........................Shari Coon-Retelle, Shonnese Grant,

Heather Hutter, Anastacia Mirrione 40

CAST & CREW BIOS FAHIM AHMED (Voice of Bruce) is a first-year in Oak Yard planning to concentrate in Neuroscience with a secondary in Spanish. He has been performing in musicals since middle school, and was most recently seen playing Emmett in Harvard ASAP’s production of Legally Blonde. This semester, in addition to Fun Home, Fahim was also an Assistant Music Director for The More You Know, is playing bassoon in the pit orchestra for Into the Woods, and is performing in the First-Year Musical. He is very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this show and can’t wait to continue performing here!

NORMA ALDANA (Medium Alison) is an actor who happens to be profoundly Deaf. Norma’s arts training also includes script writing, filmmaking, choreography, and improvisation. Most recently seen as FIVE in Deaf Austin Theatre Festival’s The Interrogation. Previous credits include Open Door Theater, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella; CONVO, Beacon of Hope and Martha’s Vineyard; The Initiation; Deaf Austin Theatre, Legally Blonde and The Interrogation; Moonbox Productions, Turning the Tide. Debut with Harvard’s TDM and thrilled about it!

FINN BAMBER (Lighting Designer) Finn Bamber is a Boston-based lighting designer and Harvard student. He is so tired, but he hopes you enjoy the show!

You can see more of his work at scholar.harvard.edu/finnbamber.

ODESSA DENG (Voice of Small Alison) is a junior in Quincy House concentrating in Neuroscience, with a Secondary in Theater, Dance, & Media (TDM). Over the past three years, she has enjoyed becoming an active part of Harvard’s theater scene as an actor, choreographer, tech director, and pit musician. Previous acting credits include Shimcheong: A Folktale (TDM Thesis | A.R.T. Loeb Ex); Legally Blonde: The Musical (Asian Student Arts Project | Agassiz Theater); Jack and The Beanstalk (American Repertory Theater); Ms. Money & The Coins (Rockland Trust); Mamma Mia! and A Very Potter Musical (Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club | A.R.T.). She has greatly appreciated the opportunity to be a part of such a powerful project with so many incredible people, and is very thankful to everyone in attendance!

SABRINA DENNISON (Alison) is a proud Cape Cod native, where her late father was the only Bay State man to be convicted (Robin Hood style) of piracy in the 20th Century. Miss Hampton Beach 1988. Played a major acting role in Siskel and Ebert’s 1990 top six Hollywood movie, Santa Sangre, directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Other movie credits include HBO’s High Maintenance, and with Deaf Yes: Center for Deaf Empowerment and Recovery. Sabrina’s professional acting experience continued with U.S. tour (continued...)

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including Ireland, with the National Theatre of the Deaf, when she took on the role of Greta, in Ophelia. Sabrina continued her tour at elementary schools with the Little Theatre of the Deaf, where she performed a variety of stage productions for children, such as The Brown Bag Princess, Jack Built a House.

Sabrina completed ASL translation for Yale University’s Twelfth Night. She took on the role as an ASL consultant in a Broadway musical Avenue Q (Broadway Across America), Trumpery, What the Butler Saw, The Lady Hamlet (Boston University School of Theatre), All’s Well That Ends Well (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Other theatre credits were with ArtsEmerson, SpeakEasy, New Rep, and the Boston Opera House. Sabrina played major role in Aditi Brennan Kapil’s production, LOVE PERSON (IRNE nominee) at the Boston Center of the Arts. Sabrina took on dual role as a Director of Artistic Sign Language and an actor in Playwrights Horizons’ off broadway production in NYC, I Was Most Alive With You and performed on stage as a theatrical ASL interpreter/actor as “Cady Heron” for Mean Girls broadway production at Citizen Bank Opera House.

LILY WINSTON GROB (Stage Manager) is a senior in Lowell House concentrating in Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology.

Previously, Lily co-produced NIGHTTOWN, a new opera by Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, and an international tour of Electra, and has served on the production team of several other TDM and HRDC productions. She is immensely grateful for the opportunity to support, engage with, and learn from everyone involved in Fun Home and wants to congratulate Rachel on driving this incredibly powerful production.

ANDREW HONOLD (Music Director/Conductor) is a junior in Eliot House studying History and Literature with a secondary in Theater, Dance, & Media.

Andrew is so excited to work in his first ever TDM show, after being in the Harvard theater community for the past few years. Past credits include 52!

A Statistics Cabaret (Music Director) and various other HRDC and HRGSP productions in pit orchestras. He is so excited to showcase the hard work of the pit, cast, and crew in this fabulous production!

EMILY ANNA JOHNSON (Small Alison) is an alumnus of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., as a Jill of all artistic trades, Emily has been there and here: she aims to become a more experienced actor while pursuing her passion as a poet with a muse of American Sign Language.

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KRISTIN JOHNSON (Director of Artistic Sign Language) As the avantgarde DASL, aka American Sign Language Coach, Kristin works with actors and interpreters in all mediums. Kristin co-directed The Taste of Sunrise at Wheelock Family Theatre, and has been involved in many Broadway shows including Motown, Mean Girls, Frankenstein, Billy Elliot, Kinky Boots and more with Broadway Across America. Kristin works with theatre companies such as Wheelock Family Theatre, Queen Mab, Boston Landmark Orchestra, Moonbox, and Boston University. While offstage, she tackles home renovation projects and supports social justice movements for access, diversity, equity, participation and rights.

ELBERT JOSEPH (Bruce Bechdel), known as EJ, is a local professional actor and activist. Credits include Trumpet of the Swan, Wheelock Family Theatre (IRNe nominated supporting role); The Ware Trilogy-Mother Hicks-Taste of Sunrise-Edge of Peace, Emerson Stage-Wheelock Family Theatre-Central Square Theatre; Antigone, Flat Earth Theatre (nominated IRNe supporting role); Parade, Moonbox Productions (best production, Eliot Norton winner).

Most recently, EJ received the 2021 ACI/Ripple award, 2021 unsettling Dramaturgy award, and one of Artery’s 25 artists of color transforming the cultural landscape and Laurent Clec award. EJ wishes to thank the cast and crew for their patience and time, and hopes you enjoy the Fun Home cast of Deaf and Hearing actors. Thank you, Rachel!

TWYLA KANTOR (Joan) is a junior in Currier House concentrating in Psychology with a secondary in Educational Studies and a Language Citation in American Sign Language. Originally from New York City, Twyla grew up loving theater, particularly musicals. This is Twyla’s first theater role, and she is so excited to be a part of this production.

ANAÍ ADINA MORALES (Voice of Medium Alison) is a junior in Quincy House studying Integrative Biology with a secondary in Folklore and Mythology. She was born and raised in the Central Valley of California and grew up playing mariachi music (Mexican folk music). Upon arriving at Harvard, she began directing the university’s mariachi ensemble, and she worked to establish a community-wide youth mariachi program in East Boston. Fun Home is Anaí’s first musical theater production.

CONNOR RIORDAN (Roy, Production Assistant) is a junior studying History and Literature/Film and currently residing in Eliot House. Connor has loved performing at Harvard (Tony in West Side Story, Macbeth in Macbeth, cast of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals) and is thrilled and honored to be a part of Fun Home. He hopes you enjoy it!

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RACHEL SHARE-SAPOLSKY (Voice of Alison, Artistic Director) is a senior in Quincy House concentrating in Theatre, Dance, & Media (TDM), with a Secondary in Psychology and a Language Citation in American Sign Language (ASL). Originally from San Francisco, Rachel has loved being part of TDM and the Harvard arts scene the past four years. Previous credits include Ocean Filibuster and Thumbelina: A Little Musical, American Repertory Theater; H.M.S. Pinafore and The Yeomen of the Guard, Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players; Honey Brown Eyes, San Francisco Playhouse; A Christmas Carol, American Conservatory Theater; and Mamma Mia, The Muny. Rachel is thrilled to be staging this production for her senior thesis project and thanks you deeply for attending.

MARA SIMS (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year in Canaday, prospectively concentrating in the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality with a secondary in Theater, Dance, and Media. Before coming to Harvard, Mara’s theater participation was as an actor and she is thrilled to be making her stage managing debut in Fun Home.

JORDAN WHITLOW (Helen) (they/them) graduated from Northeastern University in 2020 with a B.S. in ASL/English Interpreting and minors in Theatre and Spanish. They interpreted Gloria: A Life at The A.R.T and Witch at the Huntington Theatre Company. They hope you enjoy the show!

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SPECIAL THANKS Manisha Aggarwal-Schifellite Remo Airaldi Charles Baldwin Bradley Botkin Serena Chen Rocket Claman Harvard Deaf Awareness Club Shana Gibbs Nikhil Kamat Sara Kvaska Angela Lee Phiroze Parasnis

Oleg Pavliv Eryk Pecyna Jeffrey Perri Benjamin Share Robin Share Lisa & Robert Share-Sapolsky Jason Slavick Joe Toledo Stephanie Troisi Joan Wattman Sarah Zeiser

And major, heartfelt thanks to my advisors, Debra Levine and Ryan McKittrick for, well, everything...

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Harvard Office for the Arts.

This program is supported in part by a grant from Cambridge Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

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LATECOMERS Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the management.

ACCESS FOR PATRONS WITH DISABILITIES The building is fully accessible. Farkas Hall is equipped with Assistive Listening Devices, which are available at the Box Office, one-half hour before performance time.

TICKET AND CALENDAR INFORMATION Theater, Dance & Media tdm.fas.harvard.edu LOST AND FOUND Call 617.496.2796. Harvard University is not responsible for lost or stolen property.

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