Program: Caught

M O N TA LV O A R T S C E N T E R P R E S E N T S

J U LY 2 1 – 2 3 , 2 0 2 1

CAUGHT by

Christopher Chen CAST

Audrey Del Prete Melissa Jones Dean Koya Chris Yim Production Manager

Tim Reeve Musician

Joe Scott Directed By

Chris Sícat

Welcome

to our new series, Play on the Grounds.

Growing up in New York, it was a tradition for my family and I to attend the theatre often. And so it is a personal thrill for me to support live theater at Montalvo.

I cannot begin to express my excitement and gratitude in being able to welcome you back to Montalvo in person. After a year of watching art and culture on a screen, I look forward to all the events, new and returning, that we get to share with you as we re-open.

Thanks for joining us tonight.

Angela Torre McConnell Executive Director

A Note from Director Chris Sícat: CAUGHT is a play that reveals our preconceived ideas of art and theater.

When I first read the play, I couldn’t help but see myself in all the characters.

I too wanted to investigate and find drama in my work. I too wanted to create artwork that would accept me as an artist. Am I a real artist? That is the question—ha! It is often called “imposter syndrome” that many artists, especially artists of color, have to deal with. So a play like CAUGHT revealed and questioned a lot about myself. But I do know I am grateful to be in person with you all tonight at this beautiful setting and this moment between the truth and a creative lie.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: Chris Sícat was a long time Los Angeles artist, curator, and director before moving to the Bay Area. As a visual artist, he investigates the natural environment as a platform for process and performance-based artmaking.

His interest in the dialog between the real and the fake has been ongoing since his curated exhibitions of The Rejection Show, as well as his Bastard Company’s presentation of FAKE: A True Story at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica. He hopes that the conversation between what is real and untrue brings us to a better understanding about ourselves.

I’ve always preferred mythology to history. Because history is made up of truths which eventually turn into lies, while mythology is made up of lies that eventually become truths. — Jean Cocteau

About the Cast Audrey Del Prete has about 15 years of acting and modeling experience, performing mostly in her home state of Rhode Island and around New England. Audrey moved to California in 2014 to attend graduate school. After taking the time off to finish her degree and begin her career in Social Work, Audrey started acting and modeling on the west coast. You can also find her “performing” at the gym as a Zumba and fitness instructor. Audrey is thankful for this wonderful opportunity and hopes to continue performing for her new community.

Melissa Jones is thrilled to return to Montalvo’s Play on the Grounds series, where she was last seen in Love, Loss & What I Wore. Previous credits elsewhere include The White Snake (White Snake), Hamlet (Gertrude), and The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Syracuse, Theatre Bay Area Awards Finalist) at Silicon Valley Shakespeare; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Judy) and Sojourn (Marta) at The Pear; The Revolutionists (Charlotte Corday) at Dragon Productions; Tigers Be Still (Sherry) at City Lights; Abby in T he Mercy Seat at Los Altos Stage, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Miss Jones) and Flower Drum Song (Helen Chao) at WVLO. During the day, she works as Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s Development and Education Director, while at night, she moonlights as a hair/makeup designer (SVS, Pixar, Disney Channel UK, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, and others).

Dean Koya was born and raised in Fiji and received his BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has been a proud and grateful member of the Bay Area acting community since 2015. His credits include Arcadia at Shotgun Players, Non-Player Character at SF Playhouse, The Farm at TheatreFIRST, All My Sons at Role Players Ensemble, Scenes from 71* Years at Golden Thread Productions, and Universal Robots at Quantum Dragon Theatre. He is currently enrolled in Acting Masterclass at Seydways Acting Studios.

Chris Yim grew up in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. He now lives in occupied Ohlone land (what is now known as Oakland, CA). He came to the arts by way of working in technology, the rigid structures of an immigrant family, dramatic life events, healing, and the discovery of whole-hearted living. His mission to tell stories is to encourage humans to cultivate emotional intelligence and curiosity to better understand the complexity of our feelings (and us!). He’s a Meisner-trained actor, who isn’t the biggest fan of Sanford Meisner and wants to bring more inclusivity to the work. He wants to give thanks to his parents for their constant striving, his girlfriend Melanie for her inspiration and support, his pod V + A for their encouragement and hugs, and his friends for their belief. Lastly, thanks to Lin Bo and Chris Chen for letting him tell this story. None of this would be possible without our human need for stories and the storytellers’ generosity to share what’s inside of themselves.

Play on the Grounds is made possible through the generous support provided by

Cathie and Jeff Thermond

UPCOMING EVENTS Workshop: Writing Together, Writing Creekside ​J uly 25 • 10:30am • $55 Find inspiration and motivation for your writing goals. No matter what genre you favor, this workshop led by poet Sally Ashton is sure to jumpstart a new project or fuel one you’ve got underway with flexible, take-away approaches. It’s a fun and unique opportunity to get some writing done while rediscovering what it’s like to come together to reflect and inspire one another!

Workshop: Drawing Meditation with Movement and Memory ​August 6 • 6pm • $50 Artist Yurika Chiba guides us through the practice of Drawing Meditation as we explore identity, memory, and personal narratives. This artistic process incorporates mindfulness through drawing images while including simple movement and breathing exercises. In this workshop, a safe space is created where you can explore personal topics quietly, meditatively, and non-linearly while creating a collection of drawings that can act as self-reflection, inspiration, and healing.

Closing Celebration: Dear America August 12 • 7:30pm • Free RSVP Join us for the closing night program of Dear America, a grassroots mobile public art project led by Bay Area artist Christy Chan in response to the growing epidemic of violence against Asian Americans. Starting in May, Dear America projected art works by Asian American artists on to high-rise buildings throughout the Bay Area—mostly without permission.

The 4- to 15-story tall projections beam images and messages of resilience in English and eight different Asian languages, including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Thai. The culminating program of Dear America will involve projecting the Chinese-language art works onto the historic Villa, the former home of Californian politician James Duval Phelan who campaigned to restrict Japanese and Chinese immigration to the United States. for tickets and more information, visit

montalvoarts.org

UPCOMING EVENTS: SUNSET CINEMA Nothing says summer more than being outside under the stars watching a great movie. Join us this year on our Great Lawn and enjoy a great film on the big screen in the beautiful environment of Montalvo.

Ghostbusters (1984) July 25 • 8:30pm • Tickets $13-18 • Rated PG Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a ghost removal service called the Ghostbusters. Together, they uncover an ever-growing population of specters in Manhattan, culminating in an epic showdown with a giant marshmallow man as the fate of New York City hangs in the balance.

Coco July 30 • 8:30pm • Tickets $13-18 • Rated PG In this heartwarming animated classic from Pixar, aspiring musician Miguel is confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music. His own love of music leads him to the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer. Join us before the show for a fun family-friendly activity!

The Birds August 27 • 8pm • Tickets $13-18 • Rated PG-13 This classic from master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock follows a wealthy San Francisco socialite pursuing a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people. for tickets and more information, visit

montalvoarts.org/cinema

if you enjoyed tonight’s performance...

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