As It As It Is in Heaven Playbill

“I still have hope bordering on certainty that when it’s safe, audiences will go back…”

That’s what the great Steven Spielberg had to say when he was asked recently to envision postCOVID movie-going. We must – we will! – preserve the ritual of gathering together to see movies, plays, and concerts. We attend theatres and cinemas alongside the significant others in our lives, of course – but also in the company of strangers. And it’s that peculiar amalgamation that creates magic: while we don’t know most of the people seated around us, the shared experience makes us laugh or cry or cheer or contemplate all the more.

When the lights come up and we leave our seats, the people with whom we head out into the real world don’t feel like complete strangers anymore. We’ve become a community, alike in heart and spirit, or at any rate alike in having shared for a couple of hours a powerful experience.

Despite my inclination toward optimism, I harbor no illusions about the state of that “real world” in 2021. A brief interval in a theatre doesn’t erase the many things that divide us: race or class or belief or gender or politics. But I believe that our country and our world feel less divided, less fractured, after a congregation of strangers have laughed, cried, or jumped out of their seats together, all at the same time. Art asks us to be aware of the particular and the universal, both at once. And that’s why, of all the things that have the potential to unite us, none is more powerful than the communal experience of the arts.

I hope you’ll enjoy Beth Lincks’ As It is in Heaven as much as we have loved having the playwright and Rollins alumna (class of 1975) in residency, directing her own play. She has been a joy – and a trooper: she rehearsed for one week from her New York City apartment via Zoom and has been on campus, masked and distanced, since mid-January.

Next up: we will close the ’20-’21 season, our celebration of women’s voices in theatre, with a revue we’re calling Raise You Up: Women in Musical Theatre, from April 9-17. Once again, we’ll be playing to (very) limited houses, so buy your tickets early.

I hope to see you at the Annie!

Thomas Ouellette Producing Director, Annie Russell Theatre Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance

WRITTEN BY

DIRECTED BY

Arlene Hutton Beth Lincks ’75*A ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Madison Spence ’21A

CHOREOGRAPHER

Robin Gerchman*A COSTUME, HAIR, & MAKEUP DESIGNER

Leah Breault ’21* DRAMATURG

Sydney Pigmon ’21*A LIGHTING DESIGNER

Cameron Honeycutt ’21*AP SCENIC DESIGNER

Nicole Rozanski ’21*A SOUND DESIGNER

Robert Miller*A STAGE MANAGER

Samantha Clarke ’21*AP

A Message from the Playwright I am the accidental playwright. As a Rollins student in the 1970s I had never read or seen a play by a female playwright and it never occurred to me that I might try writing one myself. I worked in the box office and the costume shop. I would get an MFA in Acting from the Asolo and go to NYC, where I worked as an actor on soap operas, for the subscription office at Lincoln Center, and in the costume department at Saturday Night Live. Finally, two decades after my freshman year at Rollins, I began writing short plays for my friends and myself to perform.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of As It Is In Heaven, my second full-length script, written after Last Train to Nibroc. Wanting to create a play with an all-women cast, I developed an ensemble piece for nine specific actresses during two years of research, visiting historic Shaker villages, museums and conferences. After an award-nominated and critically-acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the actors and I (as both playwright and director) were excited about moving the production off-offBroadway, eagerly awaiting our final tech rehearsal…scheduled for September 11, 2001.

Glancing downtown I could see smoke as I walked to the theatre on West 78th Street.

That night we sang Shaker hymns and talked about whether to open the show as scheduled. The critics all cancelled but we performed the entire month-long run, sometimes with fewer people in the audience than on stage. Those who saw our New York premiere were moved by the story of hope and community and the script has now been produced by over two hundred theatres and schools.

Watching rehearsals for As It Is In Heaven at Rollins, my alma mater, has brought back many sad memories of the week of 9/11. Presenting it during another historic crisis reminds me of the power of storytelling and the need for theatre. Our actors have strived to follow a Shaker work ethic; we have learned much from the Shakers about unity, harmony, hope and love. This play reflects the joys and struggles of living in a society, and how traditions are handed down within the group. When I look at faces of the onstage “Sisters,” I see the faces of my original actors and the faces of those from the many productions I’ve viewed around the country over the past twenty years. Bringing this play to the Rollins audience at this time has brought me full circle, and back home.

A Message from the Director It all happened so fast. Just over a year ago, in The Before Times, on March 6th, I sat in the green room of the Annie Russell Theatre with faculty members excitedly discussing my directing As It Is In Heaven for the next school year. Planned months earlier, directing my own play would be part of their season of women playwrights and directors and I was looking forward to being back at Rollins, working in our beloved theatre. During that meeting in the green room we never imagined that within a week Broadway and venues across the country would be shut down. Ten days after that I would come down with a raging fever and, less than a month after our meeting, find myself in an ambulance, gasping for breath, on my way to the ER with Covid-pneumonia, spending months in recovery and nearly a year alone in a studio apartment.

What has sustained all of us through this horrible time is faith, community, family, nature… and the arts. Can you imagine the past year without online movies and TV series? And where do all those content creators come from: writers, directors, designers and actors? Most of them discovered their passion for story-telling through educational arts programs. It’s the alumni such as myself who joined a drama club, who participated in community theatre, who received college degrees in theatre or creative writing who have entertained and enlightened us during a very dark year.

Surprisingly, I find myself working on a stage this winter (in Florida!) feeling like the luckiest theatre artist in the country. My friends in professional theatre are making plays in Zoomland.

My beloved small venues in NYC are closed, some permanently. I’m grateful to Rollins College for their commitment to this production and for establishing strict safety protocols for the cast, crew and audience.

Most of all I’m grateful to this team of brave, creative, resilient, dedicated and joyful women.

We have laughed and cried together, six feet apart. We have faced unexpected challenges in bringing this story to our audience, from singing and acting while wearing masks, to working out socially distanced traffic patterns onstage and off. On the third day of in-person rehearsals I had to throw out the concept I had worked on for months; proper spacing wouldn’t allow it and during a ten-minute break I completely reconceived our production by creating a theatrical language with chairs. The Rollins students have exceeded my expectations and I’m excited to see how their shared experiences will shape their futures in The After Times. The Shakers were committed to simplicity and community. As a nation and as a world we have been forced to relearn those lessons. I’m appreciative of the opportunity to share our hard work with you today. On behalf of the entire company of As It Is In Heaven we thank you for your presence and hope to make you kindly welcome.

Shaker Background and History The United Society of Believers in the Second Coming of Christ, more commonly known as the Shakers, was originally founded in Manchester, England, during the 1770s. Enduring religious persecution from the British government, the first nine Shakers set out for America. Mother Ann Lee, the charismatic and visionary leader of the early Shakers, was among those first believers who set foot on American soil in 1774. In a two-year preaching tour of New England, Ann Lee won many new converts to the faith and lay the foundations of the first Shaker communities. Mother Ann Lee died in 1783, by which time there were several established Shaker communities beginning to flourish.

The Shakers were an exemplary group of early Americans, struggling to make a new life for themselves in the rich wilderness. The new country became a vast testing ground for Utopian communities such as the Shakers. They established a cooperative life of piety, work, and clean living. Personal property and individual rights were unimportant, all of which were sacrificed for the common good of the community.

The Shakers had three essential beliefs that influenced their living practices. They believed that God was dual in nature, both mother and father to their children. Jesus Christ was the first manifestation of God’s presence on earth; Mother Ann Lee was the second. The Shakers believed that they were living in the millennium leading up to the final judgment and so they were not to be focused on earthly concerns.

Because of this second belief, they lived a celibate life dedicated to building the kingdom of heaven on earth. They lived separate from the outside world, “the world’s people,” as Sister Rachel calls them, in complete devotion to Mother and Father God. Throughout the nineteenth century, they continued to gain converts, building their numbers to over four thousand believers. Since they regarded themselves as the children of their holy Mother and Father, they saw one another as sisters and brothers who were to live in devotion and union, practicing a virtuous life together.

They divided each village into “families” of brothers and sisters who lived, worked, and worshipped in a confessional community. Males and females lived in equality, and all races were welcome to join in Shaker life. The only element required to join was the signing of a covenant at the age of twenty.

As It is in Heaven is set in the Shaker village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky — one of the most prosperous of all the Shaker communities during its time. Formally established as a village in 1814, Pleasant Hill, like its sister communities, flourished in antebellum America. Their dedication to hard work, simplicity and cleanliness became evident in the beauty of their architecture and designs. They lived a good life by selling their manufactured goods to the world’s people — goods such as seeds, canned and dried foods, furniture, brooms, herbal medicines, and crafts. To many outsiders, especially the poor and disenfranchised, Shaker life was exceedingly attractive, even more so in times of hardship (Sister Polly in As It is in Heaven, for an example). There are many stories of “winter Shakers” — individuals who joined the Shaker communities for the bleak winter months but come spring, left to return to the world’s people.

By the 1820s the Shaker way of life was well established. Like most religious communities, internal disruptions arose, and many felt that the original vision of Mother Ann had been lost. All of this changed due to an intense spiritual revival that began in 1837, a period of Shaker history known as “Mother Ann’s Work.” As It is in Heaven is set during this period of revival when believers experienced visions, trances, and all phenomena of religious fervor. Intense periods of shaking and dancing, visions and the channeling of spirits disrupted the orderly flow of the Shaker service. Like Fanny, many received what they termed “gifts” which were divine inspirations, experiences, or abilities. For example, during this revival many received gifts that manifested themselves in colorful spirit drawings. Others received visions and messages from Mother Ann. These revivalist experiences swept through all of the Shaker communities, causing many to return to their beliefs and others to doubt. Shakers share a strong bond between one another, and the strength of their community radiates in our history.

Originally written by Stephanie Sandberg, edited by Sydney Pigmon, Dramaturg

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Cast

Hannah..................................................Marina Russell ’22* Betsy....................................................Madison Colpitts ’23*A Phebe.....................................................Jolana Mitchell ’24 Rachel...................................................Sydney Pigmon ’21*A Peggy..........................................Maa Bruce-Amanquah ’21* Jane...............................................................Lily Morse ’24P Izzy.............................................................Kelsey Kline ’22*A Polly...........................................................Carson Klaus ’23* Fanny................................................Francesca Sagarese ’24 Interrogators/Understudies............................Sophia Gil ’24 Britney Lucas ’21*

Laura Powalisz ’24 Key * = Rollins Players A = Alpha Psi Omega Theatre Honors Society P = Priscilla Parker Scholarship Holder U = United Scenic Artist, Local 829

With thanks to

The Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholars and Artists Program,

as well as The Office of Alumni Engagement.

Crew Production Team Asst. Director ........................................................................................ Leah Thomas ’21 Asst. Stage Managers ........................................................................... Jordan Lewis ’22*P

Rina Sukhraj ’23* Dance Captain ...................................................................................... Kelsey Kline ’22*A Music Director ...................................................................................... Laura Powalisz ’24 Costume, Hair, & Makeup

Asst. Costume Designer ........................................................................ Mariah Haskell ’22* Costume Studio Crew ......................................................................... Franky Saavedra ’21*A Costume, Hair, & Makeup Run Crew Head ........................................ Katelynn McAraw ’23 Costume, Hair, & Makeup Run Crew ...................................................... Dassika Gilkey ’22*

Jaianne Gilkey ’22* Scenic

Master Carpenter .......................................................................................... Lucy Stull ’23 Carpenter ......................................................................................... Jonathan Simeon ’23 Scenic Paint Crew ..................................................................... Maa Bruce-Amanquah ’21*

Analise Cutter ’23*AP Props/Scenic Set-up Crew Head .............................................................. Juan Cabrera ’23*P Props/Scenic Set-up Crew ............................................ Rio Parodie ’23 | Jo Ann Wood ’21 A Props/Scenic Run Crew Head ................................................................. Stephen Lewis ’21 Props/Scenic Run Crew ............................................................................. Luke Sawyer ’21 Electrics

Master Electrican .......................................................................... Mary Ashley Fulton ’23*A Light Board Programmer & Operator .................................................... Matt Kitchin ’21* Audio Console Programmer & Operator ............................................... Ryan Rawoof ’23 Audio Technician ....................................................................................... Faith Artis ’21*AP

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The Annie was a gift from a dear friend to its namesake. That spirit of giving is carried on by our generous donors who support scholarships, as well as classroom and production costs. We are also grateful for those who have contributed to our fund to construct a new Theatre & Dance Complex. A list of donors to this project is located in the lobby. For information, contact Chelsea Hilend at (407) 646-2253.

Angel ($10,000+)

Lead Actor ($250+)

Director ($1,000+)

Ensemble ($100+)

Sally K. Albrecht ‘76 Annie Russell Theatre Guild The Flaumenhaft family Martha M. Lacy ‘77MSM in memory of William & Marian Lacy Joseph A. Adams ‘82 Bradley & Dorla Bell P’23 Bonnie ‘84 & Van Church, in loving memory of

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Designer ($500+)

Michele Adsit Cary C. Fuller ‘65 Caroline Sandlin Fullerton ‘40 Stanley M. & Mahalie A. Fulton P’23 Robert K. Opsahl Ronald T. Hirsch & Betty L. Reid ‘87MBA Thomas Ouellette & Richard Russell Patrick A. Tovatt David V. Patrick ‘77 & Thomas E. Tryon Tess Wise

Alexander D. ‘73 & Jennifer A. Calder Thomas R. & Valerie Nifosi ‘80 Daniel Steven & Elaine Hale Denise and Michael Kline, in honor of Kelsey Kline Donna M. Miller Michele Banik-Rake Paul R. & Susan Diggans ‘83 Barbey Russell M., Jr. & Gail Pattison ‘69 Blackmer P’94 Russell M. Blackmer, III ‘94 Dennis J. Cole, Jr. Michael L. Levitan P’15 & Mary J. Davis ‘73 P’15 Carol & Christopher F. Gibson Margaret Gorham Quentin L. Green, II ‘86 Laura L. Haynes ‘85 Linda J. & Larry Heinl John A. & Mary Jo Kroes Patty Murray Patrick W. Norris ‘85 Greg & Claudia P. Nunn ‘88 ‘06MHR Douglas G. & Jeanann Glassford ‘79 Power Shawn Ray John A. Richards ‘86 John R. Ingram & Barbara J. Sills Peter J. & Ann Marie Stewart P’22 P’22 Drs. Stan K. & Shari Sujka Eugene C., II ‘65 & Barbara C. Sullivan Craig & Margaret Elias ‘91 Sweeterman Bruno Vanoudenhove & Catherine Hillinger-Vanoudenhove ‘83

The Annie Russell Theatre Guild The Annie Russell Theatre Guild meets regularly to support the Department of Theatre and Dance. To join, call 407-646-2253.

Annie Artis | Janet Boss | Teresa Burney | Ruby Colangelo | Nancy Deutsch | Susan Doepke Janet Dygan (Vice President) | Daphne Frutchey | Barbara Gold Sandi Goldish (Special Advisor to the President and Treasurer) | Linda Heinl | Loreta Jackson Mercedes James | Denise Kline (Picnic Coordinator) | Jan McClure | Donna Miller Alexa Gordon Ray ’13*A | Carole Scarlett (Secretary) | Sharon Smyth | Anilda Ward (President) Deborah Williams | Lorraine Wood

Department of Theatre & Dance

Annie Russell Theatre

Department Chair Kevin Griffin*AU

Producing Director Thomas Ouellette*A

Theatre Faculty, Resident Artists, & Teaching Staff Missy Barnes*A Jennifer Cavenaugh*A David Charles*A Allison Crutchfield*AU Lisa Cody-Rapport*A Hilary Cooperman*A Lauren Cushman ’11 MBA*A Marianne DiQuattro*A Robin Gerchman*A Kevin Griffin*AU Robert Miller*A Thomas Ouellette*A Eric Zivot*A

Production Manager Kevin Griffin*AU

Adjunct Faculty Coco Lupe Kristina Stevens Robin Wilson

Technical Director Robert Miller*A Costume Studio Manager Allison Crutchfield*AU Marketing & Box Office Manager

Chelsea Hilend ’10 ’17MBA*A

House Manager & Administrative Assistant Alexandra Feliciano ’15 ’20MBA*A Graphic Designers Annabelle Cuitino ’20*A Rita Tyrrell Photographer Tony Firriolo

Student Employees Box Office: Sabrina Bergen ’22* | Jascinda Farrell ’21* | Jordan Lewis ’22 *P Cameron Honeycutt ’21*AP | Katelynn McAraw ‘23* | Rina Sukhraj ’23* Costume Studio: Leah Breault ‘21*| Leah Delisle ‘21 | Mariah Haskell ‘22* Gaby Lask ‘21 | Madison Spence ‘21*A | Andrew Stewart ‘21*A Scene Shop: Juan Cabrera ’23*P | Adriana Lee Hudkins Jouve ’23 Andrew Rueda ‘24 | Lucille Stull ‘23 | Naomi Wright ‘21 Alpha Psi Omega President

Samantha Clarke ’21*AP

Rollins Players Presidents

Jordan Lewis ’22*P Nicole Ponce ’22*A

Rollins Improv Players Rollins Dance Association Assoc. Directors & Tap Club President

Matthew Kitchin ’21* Nicole Ponce ’22*A

Jessica Gonzalez ’21

FEBRUARY 17 - MARCH 21, 2021 Before Billie, Ella, Tina, or Beyoncé, there was... Josephine.

Enjoy an outdoor, burlesque musical sensation under the (socially distanced) courtyard tent in this fascinating story about the first African American international superstar Josephine Baker.

TICKETS: ORLANDOSHAKES.ORG