The Rep (2019-2020)- Feeding Beatrice

BY KIRSTEN GREENIDGE | DIRECTED BY DANIEL BRYANT OCT 30–NOV 17

Sponsored by THE FISCHER FAMILY

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HANA! Congratulations to Hana S. Sharif on her first season as the Augustin Family Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

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2019–20 SEASON

OCTOBER 30–NOVEMBER 17

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WELCOME DRAMATURGY FEEDING BEATRICE DIRECTOR’S NOTE BIOGRAPHIES LEADERSHIP ENGAGE AND LEARN ABOUT THE REP HONOR ROLL NEXT AT THE REP

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The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a fully professional theatrical operation belonging to the League of Resident Theatres, the League of St. Louis Theatres, and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization for the not-for-profit professional theatre. It operates independently of, but under a mutually beneficial agreement with, Webster University.

The Rep operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Rep hires directors and choreographers who are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and stagehands who are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Scenic artists employed by The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis are members of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, AFL-CIO. The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. Financial assistance for this theatre has been provided in part by the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis; the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission; and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

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Hana S. Sharif AUGUSTIN FAMILY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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DRAMATURGY

Kri

k l a T e g d i n sten Gree

s

by Cody Roecker Kirsten Greenidge is a prolific, Obie Award-winning playwright whose work has been shining a light on the intersection between race and class for many years. Currently the writer-in-residence at Company One Theatre in Boston, Greenidge is excited to have Feeding Beatrice grace the St. Louis stage for its world premiere. We sat down to talk to her about developing this intriguing play, right as the rehearsal process began in early October.

Cody Roecker: What inspired you to write this play?

Kirsten Greenidge: Oh, wow! I’m going to have to think back, because it was so long ago. I started writing Feeding Beatrice in 1999 and didn’t send it out until 2001.

I was a history major in college, and my focus was the Antebellum South and slavery in particular, and that was because I was interested in that time period and history. I was influenced by a speaker I heard during my first year of college. She spoke about legacy and abuse and looking at slavery through that lens. It’s somewhat obvious— to be able to enslave and control people, you need to subjugate and abuse them.

I was interested in social history: daily interactions and what that looked liked. With Feeding Beatrice I started thinking about putting those on stage. I have always been fascinated with the American Dream. I was looking at this couple and what they would do and what they would sacrifice in order to obtain the American Dream.

I also really like Alfred Hitchock and his collection of short stories Stories Not For The Nervous, specifically “No Bath for the Browns.” The basic idea is that there is a couple that buys this house; they can’t afford it. They agree they will eat bread and margarine for as long as it takes to pay off the house. They find a body in the

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bathroom underneath the floor, and they decide to just cover it up and not tell anyone. As you do. So, I thought that was interesting. I was intrigued by that pact, and I decided to marry all those ideas together.

And then after I wrote the play, the character people really asked about was June.

People were drawn to June and asking “Why would she do that?” in addition to Lurie, but what makes her say yes? As a driving force, she seems very drawn to the house from the get-go.

What is making her go into this pact in a way that draws Lurie in? I love houses, so I think I was drawn to June because of that. I love houses, but I am terrified of ghosts.

[I ask myself] “why would I say yes [to living in a house with a ghost]?” Up until the last four years I thought I would maybe want to say yes because I love the house, but there’s no way in hell I’d live in a house with some body in the house.

CR: Could you talk about race, gender and class politics and the influence that has on your work and Feeding Beatrice? How that influences your writing?

KG: Being a person who identifies as Black, who identifies as a cis straight woman, I carry that within me, and I’m also trying to figure out how I intersect with the world around me, and I put that in my writing. A lot of my writing deals with that. The reason why I keep writing about this is because I haven’t figured it out. How do these things intersect? How can we make the world a better place? Why do we keep telling the same stories over and over again? It’s because history keeps repeating itself. Over and over again. Globally we have a lot of schzzz to work out that we haven’t worked out yet. We’re all going to keep writing stories until we can all be free. It sounds cheesy, but more stories are going to be added to the pot, there are always going to be more. Because we haven’t figured it out.

CR: Could you talk about the influence of Shirley Temple in the play?

KG: Shirley Temple is an All-American Girl, what people are supposed to be. She is a symbol of purity and virginity. All of that wrapped into one. Buoyancy. I loved Shirley Temple when I was younger. As a theatre person, I thought “I love this! She’s singing and dancing!” And other scenes I would watch and as a black little girl I thought, “I am having trouble accessing this. I don’t understand.” My mom would break it down, in terms of what was happening with race and gender on the screen. And then I remember feeling a profound sense of sadness about those feelings and yet wanting to enjoy them. Knowing they were projecting certain images of America that I was finding highly problematic, both as a young girl and as a student of history later on.

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DRAMATURGY

As I was rewriting, I remembered that my grandfather saw Shirley Temple dance while he was stationed. Such a joyful experience that was for him—juxtaposed with how painful parts of his experience were being a black man in the Navy.

CR: What feels urgent about this play now in 2019?

KG: Listening to Lurie and June talking about the American Dream and what it costs.

I was giving it a lot of thought this time around, what generation are they? Are they Gen-X? Are they Millennials? When I wrote this, I don’t think I gave a lot of thought to that. “They are older than I am,” I thought, “I’m not buying a house right now.

They are just older than I am.” They are of a generation that sees the life that their parents could have had, completely inaccessible. The life that they see in the media and that their friends have is just barely out of reach. And they have to come to terms with what they are willing to pay, the cost in order to obtain that.

CR: Could you talk a little about what your writing process looks like, specifically for these characters in this play?

KG: When I was writing this, I was in school with a writer named David Agmee, and he was writing a character based on Little Orphan Annie, so we were in school when we created this little writers group called Cabal. We were writing characters based on young, white, little tiny girls who were very controlling. We would feed off of each other. He was writing a play about this Little Orphan Annie character, and she goes rogue, and it was about gun violence. Difficult to start, because it was then produced around the time of Columbine, and then this play had young female protagonists that were supposed to represent young female purity and it gets transmogrified in a way, and you feel very uncomfortable watching them on stage. So for these reasons, Beatrice became a central point in the play, because of that artistic relationship we were enjoying together.

CR: You mentioned being afraid of ghosts, but then you wrote something so haunting… Is this a tackling of your fears, or does this stem from your Hitchcock influences? Something else?

KG: Definitely influenced by Hitchcock. I loved ghost stories. Sometimes I study those more than I should—when I should be studying structure. I think diving into something, deep diving into something metaphysical would help my playwriting, but instead I’m just obsessed with ghost stories. I get super interested especially because playwrights like to play with time, and how to scale time, manipulate time on stage. I love how in certain ghost stories it’s about times rubbing up against one another. Sometimes I like that aspect of it. But a good ghost story I will delve right into. It’s just a little fascination of mine.

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CR: What are you most looking forward to, with Feeding Beatrice having it’s world premiere? Could you talk a little about the process of getting it here?

KG: Wow, okay. It’s been a long time. One lesson is you should never give up. Back when I was in grad school Naomi Iisuka said if you want to be a star send out your work once a week, but if you want to be a rockstar, send it out everyday. I wanted to be a rockstar. One of the theatres it ended up at was Baltimore Center Stage. Hana Sharif encountered the play there.

With the world premiere—I think part of me is always the playwright who has never seen their work out ever, and I’m just happy it’s in the world in this new way, that’s not a workshop production. It’s seen a lot of workshops and readings from 19992003, but this is the first fully realized production. I’m excited to see it meet the world. I’m hoping that it has stood up. Since ‘99 some things have not changed.

I did some updating, so I’m hoping it meets the world in a way that’s vibrant.

CR: Describe Feeding Beatrice in five words.

KG: Visceral, Clawing, Searing, Bitter and Historical.

CR: Is there anything you want audiences to get out of Feeding Beatrice?

KG: I think about this a lot because the theatre I work for, [Company One,] always talks about the call to action, and so that’s something I always struggle with: what is the call to action? What do I want them to do after they leave us? Because I definitely want people to have an experience. And I obviously want them to feel more than just bad for Lurie and June.

I’ve been thinking a lot about microaggressions in this play Beatrice is spewing. A lot of it is like “Oh I would never do that.” Some of it is “Oooh I think I might have done that.” So I would hope on a gargantuan scale that Feeding Beatrice will help people to look within themselves. How would I mirror that? And for the people of color, specifically, when they see this play—I hope we are able to see ourselves and feel that it is telling a story that is familiar to us. And not in a way that is solely painful. Like seeing the movie Get Out. This movie gets me. It’s cathartic. I can watch it, feel it, experience catharsis. I don’t want it to feel like I’m feeling beat up.

I’m hoping for cathartic pain rather than arbitrary pain.

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THE REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS presents

by kirsten greenidge directed by daniel bryant Scenic Designer

Lawrence E. Moten III

Costume Designer

Mika Eubanks

Lighting Designer

Jason Lynch

sound Designer

David Kelepha Samba

choreographer

Heather Beal

fight director assistant director dramaturg assistant lighting designer Casting by

Erik Kuhn Alexis Cabrera Meg Plunkett Ashton Rust Pat McCorkle, CSA

McCorkle Casting Ltd.

Katja Zarolinski, CSA

McCorkle Casting Ltd.

Stage Manager production assistant

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Shannon B. Sturgis Makenzie Clark

CAST (in speaking order)

Lurie walker

Nathan James

june walker

Lorene Chesley

leroy walker

Ronald Emile

beatrice

Allison Winn

SETTING An old house in need of repair in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts.

The present.

Studio Season Sponsor The Fischer Family

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is grateful to the following donors for their generous underwriting support of this production: Ann P. Augustin & Margaret Augustin Ted & Robbie Beaty Pamela Wing Dern Joanne & Bill Fogarty Dave & Carol Gast Tim & Elizabeth Hampton

Barbara Harris Kathleen Heimann Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Langsam Susan & Bruce Miller Susan & John Rava Jane & Bruce Robert Pat & Ken Schutte

Ann Cady Scott Dr. Raymond Slavin Linda Stark Mary Susman & Tom Herm Susan & Peter Tuteur Robin & Tim C. Wentworth

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE

“A gloomy setting; grotesque, mysterious or violent events; an atmosphere of degeneration and decay….“ This is the description Kirsten Greenidge, playwright of Feeding Beatrice, includes in the beginning of the script as she describes the world of her gothic horror tale.

This description of “gothic” could very well reflect where America is today. Politically and socially in this current moment—we as Americans watch, listen and read the news, witnessing violent events, the degeneration and decay of basic principles and beliefs that have shaped who we thought we were as a country, as Americans, and some would say, as humanity.

This is true for anyone who believes in the so-called American Dream and the ideal of “liberty and justice for all.” But this is especially true for black and brown people who have lived by standards the mainstream cultures sets, abided by rules and laws that initially may not have been intended to include them. And even though amendments to this nation’s constitution were written to ensure equality of all people regardless of race or color, our country hasn’t always fulfilled this promise. This is the horror show of racism.

Despite living under the judgement of the white gaze and amidst the imbalanced weight of white privilege, black and brown people who built this country have survived and even thrived while making powerful contributions in every area of science, culture, politics and commerce. But at what cost? Sometimes they’ve had to bend, contort and even sacrifice their very identity just to fit in, just so they are not “othered” and can enjoy those “certain unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Fighting to prove themselves good enough and worthy of the so-called American Dream.

The fact is this: Apart from the indigenous people of this land who were here before any of us, these United States have always been made up of immigrants. Some people chose to come, and some were forced to. Fact.

We all have family lineages from someplace else. This country belongs to all of us.

This is fact.

The fiction? It’s that these United States, this America, this country is “united” at all around these facts. And until we are united, we ALL will be haunted. Fact.

As LeRoy says in the play, the past breeds the present. The present breeds the answer, if we listen.

Daniel Bryant Director 13

BIOGRAPHIES

CAST

LORENE CHESLEY* (June) is thrilled to be making her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis! A native of the Washington DC metropolitan area, Lorene grew up studying ballet and tap but quickly segued her love for performance into acting. Stage credits include Marian Almond in The Heiress (Arena Stage), Felicia in Ripe Frenzy (Andy’s Summer Playhouse), The Flame/Ms. Caliente in The Villians’ Supper Club (Merrimack Repertory Theatre) and Valerie Johnston in Smart People (Arena Stage).

Television credits include Perception (TNT), Shameless (Showtime) and The Fosters (Freeform). Lorene published her first book The Perfectly Imperfect Christian (Amazon.com) last fall. Praise!

She studied theatre at Temple University and earned an MFA in acting at UCSD. Lorene thanks God for her many blessings, is grateful for every day, and cherishes her family and friends for their love and support!

RONALD EMILE* (LeRoy) is a Haitian-American actor, born and raised in New York. He recently graduated and received his MFA from NYU Tisch (shout out the class of 2019!).

Ronald was most recently seen in a production of Actually at Theaterworks

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Hartford. He is excited to be making his Rep debut in Feeding Beatrice! Many thanks to Innovative Artists, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and to my family and friends for all of their love and support!

NATHAN JAMES* (Lurie) will be featured as Xavier in the upcoming feature film Standing Up, Falling Down starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz. The film recently premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2019 and will be in theaters early 2020. He won first place at Amateur Night at the Apollo with an original poem, “Death of Swag.” Nathan is one of seven playwrights of The New Black Fest’s HANDS UP: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments (seven ten-minute plays following the shooting of Mike Brown).

His play Superiority Fantasy was chosen as BBC radio’s Play of the Week.

Nathan received his MFA in Acting from Penn State University. Off-Broadway credits include Travisville (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Playing with Fire (Gene Frankel Theatre), Black Angels Over Tuskegee (St. Luke’s Theatre), and other New York credits include Maid’s Door (Billy Holiday Theatre) and Growing Pains, a one-man show (Billy Holiday Theatre). Regional credits include Pennsylvania Centre Stage and Pittsburgh City Theatre. Film and television appearances include Madam

Secretary (CBS), Shades of Blue (NBC), Quantico (ABC), The Wire (HBO), Blindspot (NBC), VINYL (HBO), Person of Interest (CBS), The Interestings (Amazon), Blue Bloods (CBS), The Path (Hulu), Pain Within (Sundance Film Festival) and Service to Man (STARZ).

Nathan is a proud native of Pittsburgh and began his career with Kuntu Repertory Theater.

ALLISON WINN* (Beatrice) is thrilled to be making her Rep debut! Select theatre credits include Appropriate (Westport Country Playhouse), Far From Heaven (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Vestments of the Gods (Theatre 80).

Select film and television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Daredevil, Vox Lux, Boarding School, The After Party, Above the Shadows and Tape.

Many thanks to Abrams Artists Agency, Encompass Arts Management, McCorkle Casting, Mom and Dad, and Greg.

DIRECTION & DESIGN

DANIEL BRYANT (Director) director, producer and actor, is over the moon excited to be invited to open The Rep’s Studio season with Feeding Beatrice. He last directed A Wonder in My Soul by Marcus Gardley at Baltimore Center Stage where he was Associate Producer/Director of Community Programs for three years.

There he produced/directed Endgame, Twelfth Night and Antigone for BCS’s Mobile Unit whose mission is to overcome economic, cultural and geographic boundaries to deliver theatre to Baltimore’s most diverse audiences. Other directing credits include What I Learned in Paris, King Hedley II, Brothers of the Dust and Walter Mosely’s Fall of Heaven— award winning/nominated productions at Congo Square Theatre Company where he is also an ensemble member, For My Brothers, Where Ever I May Find Them at Step UP Productions in Chicago and Home by Samm Art Williams at African American Theatrical Ensemble. Daniel also produced The Colored Museum, Bulrusher by Eisa Davis and as an actor, recently starred Off-Broadway in Roundabout Theater’s production of Toni Stone by Lydia Diamond, nominated for several Audelco Awards. Daniel is an associate artist at Chicago Dramatists and a proud member of SDC, AEA, SAG and AFTRA.

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

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BIOGRAPHIES

LAWRENCE E. MOTEN III (Scenic Designer) has Broadway and national tour credits including What the Constitution Means to Me (Associate), Hadestown (Assistant) and Anastasia (Assistant). Off-Broadway credits include The White Chip (59E59), Behind the Sheet (Ensemble Studio Theatre), I Was Most Alive With You and A Strange Loop (Associate– Playwrights Horizons). In New York, he designed De Novo (Houses on The Moon); Lysistrata and Language of Angels (New School for Drama); and regional credits include Native Son (Playmakers Rep); House of Joy (Cal Shakes); A Human Being, Of a Sort (Williamstown); The Royale (Merrimack Rep); The Royale, Shakespeare In Love (Capital Rep); Arcadia, A Raisin In The Sun, American Prom (THEATREWORKS Colorado Springs); Hype Man (Company One); Into The Woods (Dartmouth); Spring Awakening (Yale Dramat); Legally Blonde, Etched in Skin on a Sunlit Night (Princeton); and Resident Scenic Designer—National Playwrights Conference 2019/2018 (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center). He is a proud member of USA Local 829, Lecturer of Theatre at Princeton University and Visiting Professor of Design at Dartmouth College. He holds a BFA from Ithaca College.

Motendesigns.com @motendesigns

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MIKA EUBANKS (Costume Designer) received her MFA in Costume Design at Yale School of Drama where she has designed Death of Yazdgerd and Tent Revival. Other work includes Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., In the Red and Brown Water, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The Purple Flower (Yale Cabaret); Harry and the Thief (Strand Theater); Animals out of Paper (Silver Spring Theater); and The Clothesline Muse (National Black Theatre Festival).

Currently located in New York but hailing from Baltimore, Mika has worked at Center Stage, the Hippodrome, Morgan State University and Rift Art Studio. She earned the Leo Lerman Graduate Fellowship in 2019, the Jada Pinkett Smith Applied Arts Award in 2015, and holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. In Spring 2019 she designed Twelfth Night at the Yale Repertory Theatre, which she received the Connecticut Critic Circle Award for outstanding costume design. mikaeubanks.com

JASON LYNCH (Lighting Designer) is a Chicagobased lighting designer for theatre, dance, opera and other live performance art and makes his Rep debut with this production. Recent credits include

A Doll’s House and A Doll’s House, Part 2 with Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Hairspray with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Fetch Clay, Make Man with Dallas Theater Center.

Upcoming credits include School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play with Goodman Theatre, black odyssey with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The First Deep Breath with Victory Gardens Theater. Jason is also the recipient of the 2019 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award which recognizes emerging theatrical designers within the Chicago area. He is a proud member of The Association of Lighting Designers and alumnus of The Santa Fe Opera.

DAVID KELEPHA SAMBA (Sound Designer) is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University where he achieved his BFA degree in Sound Design. David is a proud member of The Black Ensemble Theatre, working as their Sound Designer/Supervisor on shows such as Hail, Hail Chuck: A Tribute to Chuck Berry; A New Attitude; Rick Stone: Blues Man; Mahalia Jackson: Moving Through the Light and the Jeff nominated You Can’t Fake the Funk.

He has worked with TimeLine Theatre Company on shows such as Last Wife, To Catch a Fish and Cardboard Piano.

David has been lucky enough to work extensively in children’s theatre with

companies such as Chicago Children’s Theatre and The Children’s Theatre of Madison. Those credits include Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party, X Marks the Spot, Tuck Everlasting and Charlotte’s Web. This season David has opened The Pajama Game with Theatre at the Center and most recently Luck of the Irish at University of Illinois Chicago.

He is extremely excited to be making his debut with The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

HEATHER BEAL (Choreographer) received her BA in dance from Columbia College Chicago and her MFA in Dance from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a certified Dunham Technique Instructor. She has toured around the United States and France teaching Dunham Technique. She has performed in many productions at The Black Rep and several productions at The Muny.

She has choreographed Ain’t Misbehavin’, First Date, The Me Nobody Knows, Rivers of Women, Le Freak C’est Chic, Purlie and Dreamgirls.

She is best known for her work #triggerwarning, a dance critique of police brutality against Black folx in America. She is currently the Artist-inresidence at the University of Southern Indiana Theatre Department in Evansville, Indiana.

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BIOGRAPHIES

MCCORKLE CASTING, LTD. (Casting Director) is thrilled to be part of this season at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. McCorkle Casting is represented on Broadway with 55 productions such as Amazing Grace, On the Town, End of the Rainbow, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, She Loves Me, Blood Brothers and A Few Good Men. Off-Broadway, McCorkle Casting has cast over 60 original productions, most recently including Clever Little Lies, Dr. Ruth, Stalking the Bogeyman, Freud’s Last Session, Tribes, Our Town, Almost Maine and Driving Miss Daisy. Well over 50 theatres across the country have been or are currently being cast by Patricia (and company) including Guthrie Theater (19 Seasons), George Street Theatre (17 Seasons), Connecticut Rep, Pittsburgh Public and Barrington Stage (20 Seasons).

Over 60 feature films include Senior Moment, Year by the Sea, Child of Grace, Premium Rush, Ghost Town, Secret Window, Tony and Tina’s Wedding, The Thomas Crown Affair, The 13th Warrior, Madeline, Die Hard III and School Ties. Recent television and digital media projects McCorkle Casting have accumulated include the Planned Parenthood web series Talkin’ About, Twisted (ABC Family), Humans for Sesame Street, Californication (Emmy nomination),

Max Bickford (CBS), Hack (CBS), Strangers with Candy, Barbershop and Chappelle’s Show, to name a few. www.mccorklecasting.com

SHANNON B. STURGIS’* (Stage Manager) favorite theatrical experiences include Atlantic Theater Company, Shear Madness (Off-Broadway) and Altar Boyz (Off-Broadway and in The Rep’s Off-Ramp series). Other regional favorites include Westport Country Playhouse, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Totem Pole Playhouse, Victoria Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Phoenix Theatre (in New York) and the Gretna Playhouse.

KIRSTEN GREENIDGE’S (Playwright) work shines a strong light on the intersection of race and class in America, and she enjoys the challenge of placing underrepresented voices on stage. In May 2012, Kirsten received an Obie for her play Milk Like Sugar which was first commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse and TheaterMasters, and produced at La Jolla and then Playwright’s Horizons as a coproduction with Women’s Theater Project. Milk Like Sugar was also awarded a TCG Edgerton grant as well as a San Diego

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

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Critics Award. Boston audiences might be familiar with Kirsten’s latest plays Baltimore, which was a Big Ten commission and presented as at New Repertory Theatre as a collaboration with Boston University’s Boston Center for American Performance, and The Luck of the Irish, which was presented at the Huntington Theater Company in the spring of 2012 and enjoyed a warm reception and extended run. A former NEA/TCG playwright-in-residence at Woolly Mammoth, previous work includes several Boston Theater Marathon pieces, Bossa Nova (Yale Rep, 2010 and also an Edgerton New Play Award recipient), Rust (The Magic Theater, 2007), 103 Within the Veil (Company One, 2005) and Sans Culottes in the Promised Land (Humana, 2004). She has enjoyed development experiences at Sundance, Sundance at UCross, the O’Neil, Pacific Playwrights Festival (South Coast Rep), and Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

Kirsten was the inaugural fellowship for

Page 73’s playwrighting fellowship program. Current projects include commissions from CompanyOne, La Jolla Playhouse, Playwrights Horizons, Cleveland Playhouse and Emerson Stage, where she and director Melia Bensussen will adapt the Pulitzer Prize winning book Common Ground. Early in her career Kirsten was a recipient of the Lorraine Hansberry Award and the Mark David Cohen Award by the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. Kirsten is currently writer-in-residence at Company One Theatre in Boston as a Mellon Fellow, where she helps oversee C1s Playlab, as well as participate as a full-time artistic staff member. She attended Wesleyan University and The Playwrights Workshop at the University of Iowa. She is an Assistant Professor of Theater at Boston University’s Center for Fine Art as well as a resident playwright at New Dramatists and a member of Boston’s Rhombus writing group.

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LEADERSHIP

HANA SHARIF (Augustin Family Artistic Director) has enjoyed a multi-faceted theatre career, including roles as an artistic leader, director, playwright and producer with a specialty in strategic and cross-functional leadership. She served for five years as Associate Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage, where she oversaw the day-to-day execution of all of the mainstage and studio productions, and was the architect of the innovative CS Digital program: a platform that pushes the boundaries of traditional theatre and looks at the nexus point between art and technology. Her other achievements at Baltimore Center Stage include prototyping the Mobile Unit, strengthening community engagement, producing multiple world and regional premieres and helping to guide the theatre through a multi-million dollar building renovation and rebranding effort. In 2012, Hana served as the inaugural Program Manager of the ArtsEmerson Ambassador Program and launched ArtsEmerson Artist-InResidency program featuring playwright Daniel Beaty. In addition to her work at ArtsEmerson, Hana leveraged her regional theatre experience to freelance produce for smaller theatre companies, looking to expand and restructure their administrative teams. Hana served as developmental producer and program manager for Progress Theatre in Houston, where she consulted with the Artistic Director on redefining the artistic vision and subsequent recasting of the

ensemble company and lead strategic organizational planning focused on LORT market entry. During her decadelong tenure at Hartford Stage, Hana served as the Associate Artistic Director, Director of New Play Development, and Artistic Producer. Hana launched the new play development program, expanded the community engagement and civic discourse initiatives, and developed and produced Tony, Grammy, Pulitzer and Obie Award-winning shows.

From 1997–2003, Hana served as the co-founder and Artistic Director of Nasir Productions, a theatre dedicated underrepresented voices to challenge traditional structure. Her guest lecturer credits include Spelman College, Sewanee University, UT Austin, UCSD, Prairie View A&M, Emerson College, Maggie Flanigan Studio, Towson University, UMD, UConn, UMass and University of Hartford, among others.

Additionally, Hana has directed acclaimed productions of Porgy & Bess, The Who & The What, Fun Home, Sense and Sensibility, The Christians, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Pride and Prejudice (DCArts: Best Director/Best New Play), The Whipping Man, Gem of the Ocean (six CCC nominations), Gee’s Bend (CCC Award Best Ensemble, two nominations), Next Stop Africa, Cassie, The Drum and IFdentity. Her plays include All the Women I Used to Be, The Rise and Fall of Day and The Sprott Cycle Trilogy. Hana holds a BA from Spelman College and an MFA from the University of Houston. She is the recipient of the 2009–10 Aetna New Voices Fellowship, EMC Arts Working Cast Follies

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Open Fellowship, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) New Generations Fellowship, and is a founding member of The Black Theatre Commons (BTC). She serves on the board of directors for the TCG, BTC, and the Sprott Foundation.

MARK BERNSTEIN (Managing Director) is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has managed nonprofit professional theatres since 1982. He has led The Rep since 1987, a period characterized by growth and stability, strong community support, and responsible financial management. New programming initiatives have included The Rep’s Off-Ramp series (produced from 2005 through 2008), the Ignite!

New Play Festival (begun in 2012) and various educational programs. Favorite shows from 30 seasons at The Rep include Candide, The Voice of the Prairie, Terra Nova, Six Degrees of Separation, Young Rube, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Arcadia, Sweeney Todd, An Ideal Husband, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, The Crucible, Take Me Out, The Little Dog Laughed, Souvenir, Crime and Punishment, Sunday in the Park with George, Cabaret, One Man Two Guvnors, Follies and the great Shaw plays: Saint Joan, Pygmalion and Man and Superman. In addition to work at The Rep, he teaches in Webster University’s

Arts Leadership Program. He has been active in the leadership of the League of Resident Theatres for many years, having served as vice president, an executive committee member and as a member of numerous national negotiating committees. Before coming to St. Louis, he spent six years at the Philadelphia Drama Guild and taught financial management for nonprofit arts institutions at Drexel University. He is a Sondheim fanatic, and travels the world in search of the perfect Sweeney Todd, the best goat cheese tarts and the best chocolate desserts.

AMELIA ACOSTA POWELL (Associate Artistic Director) is thrilled to join The Rep’s team.

Most recently, she served as Line Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and prior to that as the Artistic Associate and Casting Director at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. She also has various credits as a freelance producer, director and casting director, and is a founding member of Closer Look Arts Collective. She is an inaugural grantee of Theatre Communications Group’s Rising Leaders of Color, a proud alumna of the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship, a steering committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons, and a member of the Casting Society of America. She holds her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees from Georgetown University.

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Conservatory of Theatre Arts 2019–2020 Season / Webster University

PICNIC

Feb. 20–23, Feb. 27–Mar. 1

by William Inge / Thursdays & Fridays: 7:30 p.m., Saturdays: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sundays: 2 p.m. / Emerson Studio Theatre

MISS YOU LIKE HELL

Mar. 26–29

Book & Lyrics by Quiara Alegría Hudes / Music & Lyrics by Erin McKeown Senior Directing Capstone Project / Thursday & Friday: 7:30 p.m., Saturday: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sunday: 2 p.m. / Stage III For tickets visit: lgcfa.brownpapertickets.com

webster.edu/conservatory

STAFF

Hana S. Sharif Augustin Family Artistic Director

ARTISTIC

Mark Bernstein Managing Director

ADMINISTRATION

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PRODUCER OF NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY MANAGER ASSISTANT DIRECTING APPRENTICE

Amelia Acosta Powell Rebecca Redman Deborah Sharn Alexis Cabrera

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & PUBLICATIONS MANAGER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ASSOCIATE

Marsha Coplon Sarah Brandt Brian Coats

PRODUCTION Lawrence Bennett

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

scenic Nichelle Kramlich Williams Emilie WeilbacherMcMullan Scott Loebl Stephen Pollihan, James Van Well Dave McCarthy Tim McCarthy, Dan Roach, Jr, Rick Shetley

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR CHARGE SCENIC ARTIST SCENIC ARTISTS SCENIC SHOP FOREMAN SCENIC CARPENTERS

sound Rusty Wandall Joshua Riggs Sean Wilhite

SOUND SUPERVISOR MASTER SOUND TECHNICIAN STUDIO SOUND TECHNICIAN

electrics Christina Beck William Leach

MASTER ELECTRICIAN STUDIO ELECTRICIAN

props

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY Bradley GARDEN APARTMENTS MANAGER

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT INDIVIDUAL GIFTS MANAGER INSTITUTIONAL GIFTS MANAGER DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE VIP TICKET CONCIERGE

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS & DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR MARKETING ASSOCIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER

FINANCE DIRECTOR ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

RENTALS MANAGER ASSISTANT RENTALS MANAGER

Sheila Lenkman Jennifer Horton

stage management STAGE MANAGERS

Emilee Buchheit, Carolyn Ivy Carter, Tony Dearing, Lorraine LiCavoli, Dora Jane Trenbeath, Shannon B. Sturgis

Jeremy Goldmeier Daniel J. Ladd Laurie McConnell Chelsey Farris

Kevin Blansit Suzanne Bodenstein

AUDIENCE SERVICES BOX OFFICE MANAGER ASSISTANT BOX OFFICE MANAGER GROUP SALES REPRESENTATIVE BOX OFFICE ASSISTANTS

costumes

rentals

Carla Gibson

FINANCE

Kelly Kreutsberg Ralph Wilke Aaliyah Burton, Makenzie Clark, Zoe Caballero, Mollie Heil, Ansley Juan, Jordan Long, Jacob Noce, Elizabeth Pope Marci Franklin Susan Byrd John Inchiostro Robert W. Trump Elizabeth Eisloeffel Patty Macdonnell-Smith Rachel Wahl Theresa Loebl John Metzner

Lori Moore-McMullen CFRE Kat Weir Amy Steinmetz Robert M. Kapeller Michelle Hand

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

PROPS MANAGER PROPS CARPENTER WORK STUDY PROPS ARTISANS

COSTUME SHOP MANAGER ASSISTANT COSTUME SHOP MANAGER HEAD CRAFTS ARTISAN HEAD DRAPER DRAPER FIRST HANDS Sandra Kabuye, MAINSTAGE WARDROBE SUPERVISOR STUDIO WARDROBE SUPERVISOR WIG SUPERVISOR

Laura L. Wandersee G. Kafka, Polsinelli PC Vaughn Edward

LEAD HOUSE MANAGER HOUSE MANAGERS

Ricki Marking-Camuto Lin Joyce Brenda Lack Sharon Carey Jan Christiansen Josie Dawson Michael Dorn Vaughn Edward Christian Hoffman Rina Jetton Eleanor Marsh Jenny Smith Carl Wickman Michael P. Raymond Phillip Campbell Katy Gilda-Fry Nicole Hunt

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS/ LORETTO-HILTON CENTER

Arthur Lueking

EMERITUS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Steven Woolf

run crew Sarah Dao, Joseph Oliveri, Eric Peterson, Jenna Steinberg

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BIOGRAPHIES ENGAGE AND LEARN

The Rep strives to make the arts an integral part of our daily lives by providing education programs designed to give patrons of all ages a ticket to the wonder, the fun and the vital human spirit that composes the world of the arts. Patrons and educators are encouraged to contact the Education Department at (314) 687-4080 or visit our website at repstl.org for more information about these and other education programs.

Lana Dvorak, Myke Andrews, Delaney Piggins The Tortoise and the Hare, Imaginary Theatre Company

COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS Theatre representatives offer various presentations to community organizations about The Rep’s production process and other selected theatre topics.

DOCENTS

resource list for each production.

Including books, CDs, films, e-books and more, this list is specially created

by SLCL librarians to enhance the theatre experience.

PLAY GUIDES

Trained volunteer docents lead free presentations beginning 45 minutes prior to every student matinee. These 20-minute discussions provide insights into play content and technical values, giving students immediate preparation for the play they are about to see.

For adult patrons who would like more information about the work they see on stage, brief play guides for each Mainstage and Studio production are available online. Each guide contains a synopsis, character descriptions and a background article related to the play and The Rep‘s production.

LIBRARY RESOURCE LIST

POST-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS

The Rep has partnered with St. Louis County Libraries to provide an online

These dialogues allow audience members to join the company for

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T h e R eper tory Theatr e o f S t. L ou is

additional insights into the play. Held after select evening and matinee performances, post-performance discussions often explore play content, characterization and technical values as well as actor motivation and training.

QUICK START Listen in to Quick Start, The Rep’s behind-the-scenes podcast. For each episode, we sit down with an actor from one of our Mainstage productions to explore the world of the play. We’ll talk characters, themes, issues raised by the play and other details you won’t hear anywhere else. You can find the latest Quick Start episode at repstl.org.

SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM TOURS One-hour, docent-led journeys through the Saint Louis Art Museum‘s collection complement each of The Rep‘s Mainstage and Studio productions.

These popular tours explore themes you’ll see on stage through many varied works of art. All tours are free; no reservations required.

SPOTLIGHT ON CAREERS Trained volunteers go to area schools to talk about the range of careers in theatre. Presentations cover the performance, production and management areas of live theatre and explore the education and skills required for each position.

STUDENT MATINEES The Rep offers special student performances of most of Mainstage productions at the special student

price of only $10. Prior to attending the theatre, teachers receive a free study guide containing information about the play, the playwright and the production. The Rep’s Education Department offers curriculum connections and additional support programs, providing instructors a unique way to integrate the arts into their lessons.

STUDY GUIDES Prior to attending the theatre or seeing an ITC production on tour, teachers receive a free multi-disciplinary study guide containing information about the play, the playwright and the production. The guide also contains useful background articles and suggested activities designed to correspond with state learning standards. An archive of study guides from previous productions is also available online.

THEATRE TOURS School or community groups may tour The Rep’s performance spaces as well as shops and production areas in order to understand the many components of live performance.

WISEWRITE In this program, fifth grade students at Dewey IS Elementary and Mason Elementary learn playwriting while increasing written literacy and communication skills. Selected plays are presented at a festival held at The Rep. WiseWrite is a collaborative project with Springboard to Learning.

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Jane Austen FESTIVAL

JOIN US

EVENTS INCLUDE:

For more information, visit us online at repstl.org.

A HOST OF SPEAKERS, INCLUDING:

December 6–8, for all the delights of Regency England as we celebrate our Jane Austen Festival weekend!

The Rep, Webster University and the Jane Austen Society of North America are sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

• Pride and Prejudice on The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Mainstage • Regency Ball • Backstage Theatre Tours • Tea Treats Baking Class presented by the London Tea Room • Afternoon Tea and Costume Design Presentation • Rep Artistic Director Hana Sharif and Pride and Prejudice adaptor Christopher Baker • Cathy Reilly and Susan Allen Ford (Jane Austen Society of North America) • Scholars Sheila Hwang (Webster University), Amy Pawl (Washington University in St. Louis), Toby Benis (St. Louis University, Kit Kincade (Indiana State University) and Jennifer Frangos (University of Missouri, Kansas City) AND MORE!

See you in December!

ABOUT THE REP

The Rep produces work in three series from September through April, all sharing the same high production values and commitment to presenting exciting live, professional theatre.

MAINSTAGE Each season we produce six plays in the Mainstage series, which draws The Rep’s largest audience. Performances are given in the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center, which features a thrust stage and seating for 763 in a space where no seat is more than 20 rows from the stage. The work presented in the Mainstage series is eclectic, ranging from modern to classics to musicals, and benefits from the large space afforded by the Browning Theatre.

STEVE WOOLF STUDIO SERIES Three productions are mounted in the Studio series. Performances are given in the Emerson Studio, a 125-seat “black box” theatre on the lower level of the Loretto-Hilton Center. Studio productions may be new plays, radical interpretations of older works or experimental works. The performance space and seating configuration

changes with each production, allowing the director, designers and actors to craft work which requires a more intimate environment.

IMAGINARY THEATRE COMPANY Imaginary Theatre Company is The Rep’s touring ensemble for children.

Bringing theatre for young audiences to schools and community centers throughout the bi-state area, ITC’s productions value a well-told story while supporting state learning standards and nurturing a respect and love for the arts. In addition to touring, ITC presents select public performances each season.

IGNITE! FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS Ignite! celebrates the development and discovery of new American theatre.

The festival may include workshops and readings of works in progress, commissions for future plays, and world premiere productions on The Rep stage.

HONOR ROLL

The Leading Ladies are honored to continue their legacy of playing a major role in benefiting The Rep each season. We are grateful to the following donors, who have already pledged their support for 2019-2020 to sponsor the Mainstage production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. We invite you to join our amazing group of Leading Ladies!

ANGELA LANSBURY $10,000+

BERNADETTE PETERS $500–$999

AUDRA MCDONALD $100–$249

SUPPORTING CAST $1-99

Ann P. Augustin & Margaret Augustin

Terri Ciccolella Carolyn Gold Shirley Haake Kathleen Heimann Janice Seele Ann H. Straw Susan Warshaw Lynn Yaeger Lynn Yearwood

Penny Bari Nancy Berg Siobhán Brace Ilene Brooks Carolyn Cash Myra Crandall Teresa Deshields Denise Eschenbrenner Vi Farmer Vicki Helling Judy Henke Mary Beth Hennessy Carolyn Hileman Marcia King Margie Knapp Marty Lemley Linda Lowry Barbara Mennell Susan Murphy Susan Oefelein Marilyn Raphael Marcia Roentz Jackie Ruthsatz Helene Siegfried Arlene Spector Elaine Zemelman

Ann Bronsing Victoria Chabot Rhonda Coleman Karen Fairbank Judith Goldman Judy Guerrero Mary Pinney Mona Swedroe

KATHARINE HEPBURN $7,500–$9,999 DAME JUDI DENCH $5,000–$7,499 Jackie & Randy Baker

ESTHER ROLLE $2,500–$4,999 Crystal Beuerlein Catherine A. Faught

CHITA RIVERA $1,000–$2,499 Pamela Wing Dern Dotti Fischer Cheri Fromm Nancy Kranzberg Hannah Langsam Joy & Randall Miltenberger Jane M. Robert Judi Scissors Lisa Easton Silverberg Helen D. Ziercher

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CHERRY JONES $250–$499 Vincenza Bellone Terry Coleman Sally & Anne Dehner Dorothy Diehl Joan Dougherty Robbye Frank Margie Franz Bonnie Gibbs Kathy Holman Susan Knight Susan Miller Carol Schreiner Kim White

T h e R eper tory Theatr e o f S t. L ou is

(Gifts 8/16/19– 10/14/19)

When women come together, great things happen!

Follies (2016), Cast. Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

Since 2008, The Rep’s Leading Ladies have raised over $725,000 to sponsor a Mainstage show each season. This season, the Leading Ladies will raise $95,000 to sponsor The Mystery of Irma Vep written by Charles Ludlam and directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III. We invite you to join us and play a major role in bringing incredible theatre to The Rep stage.

Give online by visiting repstl.org/leading-ladies or by contacting the Development Office at (314) 687-4030.

Satchel Paige and The Kansas City Swing (2016), Tsilala Brock.

Photo by Jon Gitchoff Faceless (2018), Susaan Jamshidi. Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

NEXT AT THE REP

MAINSTAGE

BY JANE AUSTEN • ADAPTED BY CHRISTOPHER BAKER | DEC 4– 29 In a world of opulent estates and lavish private balls, where women’s entire futures hinge on marriage, Elizabeth Bennet stands apart. With a vibrant wit and a headstrong sense of pride, Elizabeth places her own needs first and refuses to marry for mere convenience.

But she meets her match in the unlikely figure of Mr. Darcy. Beginning as a testy battle of words and ideas, their relationship blossoms into a remarkable romance between two passionate intellects who play by their own rules.

STEVE WOOLF STUDIO SERIES

BY LARISSA FASTHORSE | JAN 15– FEB 9 Four earnestly progressive theatremakers want to create a politically correct Thanksgiving play that is historically accurate, avoids all possible stereotypes and doesn’t offend anyone. Guess how long it takes for everything to fly off the rails? This wickedly hilarious satire hurtles into glorious chaos, skewering both its characters’ pretensions and the traditional “Thanksgiving story.”

IMAGINARY THEATRE COMPANY BOOK, MUSIC & LYRICS BY BRIAN HOHLFELD | NOV 23 When a zany, unproductive grasshopper arrives to interrupt the ant family’s winter preparations, Little Ant gets a welcome distraction. But when winter arrives, the grasshopper finds himself begging for help. Will the ants lend a hand to their lazy friend, or will the grasshopper be left out in the cold? Join us for performances tailored for young people with sensory sensitivities as well as a conventional performance of this fun family musical.

ANNOUNCING

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE A new opportunity for donors created to support Hana Sharif’s vision for the future of The Rep!

Your gift of $20,000* or more will: • • •

Create exciting, dynamic seasons that expand the art form and engage directly with our audiences Expand programming to increase impact and reach new audiences by integrating the community into the work we create for the stage Create new and innovative education and community programs that expand access and deepen the connection to our transformative art form

Unique benefits include: •

• • • •

Exclusive dinner for circle members with Hana and a special guest artist (actor, playwright, director or designer) for each Mainstage production (six per season) Sponsorship of a night at the theatre including 30 tickets for that performance A commemorative gift from the sponsored production (one per season) Invitations to first rehearsal of each Mainstage production (six per season) All benefits accorded to members of The Rep’s Spotlight Society

*Rep donors who currently donate at this level will be automatic, inaugural members.

For more information about this exciting new opportunity, please contact Lori Moore-McMullen, Director of Development at 314-687-4028 or lmoore-mcmullen@repstl.org.

RISING RANKS IN THE

Webster University is proud to announce that in the U.S. News & World Report 2020 “Best Colleges” Ranking, Midwest Category, Webster University is 17th.

Rooted in tradition, yet committed to progress—Webster University continues to innovate and improve its offerings, reputation and value.

Webster has risen 16 places in just over a decade, with the 2020 report revealing its highest rank since the survey began in 1983.