PLAYBILL a Raisin in the Sun
Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by: ‘Niyi Coker, Jr.
Feb. 18-25
Don Powell Stage $20/$17
WELCOME
The School of Theatre, Television, and Film (TTF) offers this production to you in the spirit of the celebration of our rich heritage, culture, diversity. We offer it in our quest to enhance further human understanding which enriches our communities.
We congratulate the Department of Africana Studies in the celebration of their 50th anniversary here at San Diego State University. We wish them many more years of vitality in accomplishing their educational mission. As a community focused on educating future generations, we say Congratulations and we look forward to future collaborative efforts.
To my family of colleagues in TTF, I want to say thanks for working ceaselessly to ensure we achieved this live production amidst navigating the scary terrains of delta and omicron. Again, and again, your dedication to TTF and willingness to continue pushing for successes, even in the most dire of circumstances is highly remarkable.
Without you; our patrons and audience, we cannot possibly exist. Thank you for your constant support and patronage.
Please continue to stay safe. We hope you enjoy this performance.
‘Niyi Coker, Jr., Director School of Theatre, Television, and Film
A Raisin in the Sun is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Please note: This production contains theatrical fog/haze. There is no scientific data showing any increased Covid risk associated with atmospheric devices used in the industry.
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
Written by Lorraine Hansberry Directed
by ’Niyi
Coker
Setting: Early 1950s, San Diego, California in the Younger Family Home
There will be one fifteen-minute intermission.
Director ................................................................................................. ’Niyi Coker
Scenic Design ........................................................................... Heather Larsen°
Costume Design ...................................................................... Claire Peterson°
Lighting Design....................................................................... Joshua Heming°
Sound Design ............................................................................ Mikaela Macias
Projection Design............................................................Danielle M. Johnson
Dramaturg...................................................................................... Brianá Branch
Stage Manager ..................................................................................DJ Maloney
CAST
(In order of Appearance)
Ruth Younger ............................................ Donae Swanson, Cierra Watkins
Walter Lee Younger ....................................................................... Jaden White
Travis Younger .............................................................................. Synai Maxwell
Beneatha Younger....................................................................... Amira Temple
Lena Younger ................................................................................Delores Fisher
Joseph Asagai .......................................................................... Roosevelt Green
George Murchison ................................................................................. Tre Boyd
Karl Lindner ............................................................................................ Milo Mee
Bobo ................................................................................................. Synai Maxwell
+MA in Theatre Arts
*MFA in Musical Theatre
°MFA in Design and Technology for Theatre, Television, and Film
^Qualifying or Thesis/Capstone Production
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
In the late 1950’s Lorraine Hansberry’s new play, A Raisin in the Sun, opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959. The play deals with the struggle of an everyday African American family to eke out a survival, in the quest for that elusive American dream. It is no coincidence that Hansberry takes the title of her play from that soul-searching Langston Hughes poem, What happens to a dream deferred? Langston queries, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
This was a period when the United States was entwined in an unpopular movement for Civil Rights. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 affording African Americans constitutionally guaranteed equal franchise at the ballot box remained a distant illusion. The Supreme Court School desegregation order (Brown vs. Board of Education) had only recently been signed in 1954. Quietly thriving around the entire country, including San Diego, were Racial Housing Covenants. These acts were wholly supported by local, county, city and state governments. Although they are clearly violations of the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court upheld them as lawful and constitutional contracts. Undoubtedly, these racially restrictive housing covenants were the foundational structures upon which segregation was built. They are contained in legal documents, attached to deeds, subdivisions, entire housing developments and neighborhood associations. From approximately 1910 to the early 1960’s, San Diego housing covenants restricted home purchases in La Jolla, North Park and Mission Valley to “Whites only”. While “Blacks, Mongoloids, Asians, Jews, Mexicans and Indians” were segregated to the Southeast neighborhoods. This is what a multitude of San Diego City planners describe in various articles as “North and South of Interstate 8”. The North being reserved for Whites, while the South was reserved for Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC). Interestingly, President Roosevelt’s 1934 Fair Housing Act, under which the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) was created to help working and middle-class families to secure mortgages and housing loans, endorsed the discriminatory practices of the Covenants’ by creating its own legend for home loans in a practice now referred to as “redlining”. The FHA zoned and divided neighborhoods into A- Best; B- Still desirable; C – Definitely declining; D – Hazardous; and E – Undeveloped. It was based on this legend that the FHA endorsed loans and mortgages to borrowers, ensuring that areas categorized with legends A and B, were restricted to White borrowers. Understand, that these were boardroom business decisions approved by banks, lenders, land developers, city and state governments—and then enshrined into homeownership deeds; signed, notarized and filed at County and City Municipal offices, and protected by elected and sworn public officials. The exclusionary language in deeds in San Diego, did not come to an end until 1963. The race covenants did for San Diego what Jim Crow laws did in the South and other major cities in the USA in ensuring the manufacturing of urban poverty for BIPOC populations.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE (
This is the obstacle and that the Younger family will pioneer. In addition to their socio-economic struggles in pursuit of the American dream, they must navigate the inevitability of domestic threats. Hansberry wrote this play in the middle of the 20th century. Are the socio-economic disparities which the Youngers’ experienced in 1950’s still clear in both the housing and the racial wealth gaps in the 21st century?
In my appreciation to the Cast for all the nights and weekends spent in the nearly 8-week rehearsal process, the 2nd of February 2022 at 8.02pm stands out for me. COVID safety precautions dictated that we rehearse outdoors. Thankfully we were granted space at the Outdoor Open-Air Theatre. We had paused our 4-hour rehearsal for a 10-minute break. It was already dark. Temperatures had dipped to a low 47 F. Freezing for San Diego! Especially when all you have on your back, is a single layer of clothing you’ve been wearing since that afternoon when it was 76 F. The cast ignoring the perilously freezing climate, focused on the task at-hand. Not an iota of mumbling, grumbling or complaint. That is commitment! Total and complete. Thank you all for the skills and talents you have brought and shared in making this production a reality. I am honored to have been a part of this journey and experience. I am proud of your efforts and certain that you will all be making great contributions to the performing arts in the years to come.
—‘Niyi Coker, Jr. Director
“… no part of said property nor any portion thereof shall be for said term of fifty years occupied by any person not of the Caucasian race, it being intended thereby to restrict the use of said property for said period of time against the occupancy of owners or tenants of any portion of said property for residence or other purpose by people of the Negro or Mongolian race.”
“(15) That neither said lots nor portions thereof or interest therein shall ever be leased, sold, devised, conveyed to or inherited or be otherwise acquired by or become property of any person other than of the Caucasian Race.
“(16) That neither said lot nor any portion thereof shall ever be lived upon or occupied by any person other than of the Caucasian strictly in the capacity of servants or employees actually engaged in the service of such occupant, or in the care of said premises for such occupant, such circumstances shall not constitute a violation of this condition.”
El Cerrito, San Diego House built: 1950-1951, Restriction placed: 1950
Source: NPR
Racial covenants, a relic of the past, are still on the books across the country. November 17, 20215:06 AM ET. By Cheryl W. Thompson
On behalf of the Department of Africana Studies at San Diego State University, welcome to the School of Theatre, Television, and Film’s production of one of the greatest theatre classics, A Raisin in the Sun. We are delighted to partner with TTF on this production as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Africana Studies. The theme of our anniversary festivities is “Africana Studies at 50: A Retrospective of Art, Activism, and Scholarship.” And it is only fitting, that this African American masterpiece is one of our signature events.
The role of art in the field of Africana Studies is foundational. This is a reflection of the organic nature of art in the everyday lives of Africana people. A Raisin in the Sun is one of the best representations of the intersection of art and activism. It tells an authentic story of an African American family’s experience of life in urban America and the tragedies and triumphs those experiences bring.
We thank you for your support. We thank you for celebrating our 50th anniversary with us. We thank the School of Theatre, Television and Film for embracing this opportunity to collaborate with us to share with you this truly remarkable theatrical experience. This will be a wonderful retrospective of the African American experience as told by Lorraine Hansberry through the brilliant lens of its director, Niyi Coker.
We are excited and we hope you enjoy this special production.
If you are interested in contributing to Africana Studies @ 50 or Africana Scholarships, please make checks payable to the Department of Africana Studies and send donations to:
Department of Africana Studies
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182
Mail Code: 6032
—Adisa Alkebulan
DIRECTOR
‘N IYI COKER, JR. has served as Visiting Artistic Director to several theatre companies including: K3 at Malmo Hogskola in Sweden, National Theatre of Nigeria, Bermuda Theatre and Gallery, ArtsCape in Capetown South Africa, & The Shaw in London, England. The British Council commissioned his original plays Endangered Species, and then Preemptive with productions tours around England, and then recorded by BBC Strand Radio. He was awarded a Carnegie Foundation Fellowship (2015-2017) to write and direct an original musical, Miriam Makeba-Mama Africa, and with US State Department support, the production traveled its cast of 40 performers to the USA. His Off-Broadway writing and directing credits include Endangered Species, Booth!, and Miriam Makeba – Mama Africa. He is a recipient of the Washington D.C. Kennedy Center Merit Award for Directing. His other awards include Winner of Best Screenplay (Pennies for the Boatman) at the Madrid International Film Festival, 2012, Best director for a Foreign documentary film (Ota Benga) at the Nice International Film Festival, 2015. He is Director of the Africa World Documentary Film Festival, (Bermuda, Barbados, Cameroon, Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa, USA) which is currently in its 16th year. He is a member of the Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers SDC.
SCENIC DESIGNER
H EATHER LARSEN is excited to be working on her first production with San Diego State. Prior credits include scenic design for The 39 Steps, Sabrina Fair, and Beau Jest at The Master’s University. Additionally, she was production designer for the 2021 feature film The Man From Nowhere. Heather has been privileged to work professionally as a carpenter with Scenic Highlights, a company with clients such as The Academy Awards, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Disneyland. Heather’s passion for carpentry and design also extends into furniture making, as she has even fabricated most furniture in her own home. Heather received her BA in Cinema & Digital Arts from The Master’s University and is currently in her first year at San Diego State studying to earn her MFA in Scenic Design.
COSTUME DESIGNER
C LAIRE PETERSON is a first year graduate student at San Diego State University in Costume Design. She feels privileged to begin her time at this university by designing such a historically significant play like A Raisin in the Sun. Previously she has designed costumes at Montana Repertory Theatre for the shows: Zombie Thoughts and The Fog. Claire worked as a costume designer with Grandstreet Theatre on various shows such as: The Sound of Music, Godspell, and A Year with Frog and Toad. She comes to California from her home state of Montana, where she studied at the University of Montana and received a BFA in Theatre with a focus of Costume Design and Technology. There, she designed costumes for Spring Awakening, She Loves Me, and The Theory of Relativity. For more information about Claire, visit her website: https://petersonclaire22.wixsite.com/clairepetersondesign.
LIGHTING DESIGNER
J OSHUA HEMING is a first year lighting design graduate student here at SDSU. He graduated with a BFA in Design and Technology from the University of West Florida. Recent credits include Assistant Lighting Designer for Steel Pier and Miku, and the gods here at SDSU and Assistant Lighting Designer for Desert Rock Garden at New Village Arts. He is excited to be here and would like to thank his partner for the endless support she provides.
SOUND DESIGNER
M IKAELA MACIAS is blessed to sound design her first SDSU MainStage production of A Raisin in the Sun directed by ’Niyi Coker. She is currently a sophomore majoring in Theatre Performance. A previous show she has sounddesigned was SDSU’s production of The House on Mango Street directed by Dani Bedau. She is grateful for this opportunity to learn more about attention to detail when approaching sound design. When she is not sound designing, she is performing on stage. Some previous productions you may have seen her in are Noel, Noel (San Diego Symphony), Ofrendas en Pandemia: Better Living Through Albondigas (TuYo Theatre Company), Miku and the Gods (SDSU), PopUp WoW Festival: Can We Now (La Jolla Playhouse), and TAG Project: Marina and the Sea (Playwrights Project). Mikaela would like to say thank you to her mom, grandmother, sister, and little cousin for being constant reminders of what powerful women can do.
PROJECTION DESIGNER
D ANIEL M. JOHNSON is currently a Bachelor of Arts in Design and Technology candidate at San Diego State University in her final semester. While at SDSU, Danielle has focused her studies on projection and lighting design. She has had the opportunity to work as an assistant projection and integrated media designer on multiple productions at SDSU including She Kills Monsters, and Miku and the Gods. Her lighting design credits at SDSU include the production of La Verbena de la Paloma done by the SDSU Opera and she is looking forward to her assistant lighting design role for SDSU’s upcoming musical Postcard American Town. Outside of SDSU, she is now applying her studies as she takes on the role of Assistant Supervisor of Theatrical Services at a local theme park.
STAGE MANAGER
D J MALONEY is a third year Theatre Arts Major with an emphasis on Stage Management transfer student. This will be DJ’s fifth year stage managing and his 20th show called professionally and academically. Prior credits include stage management for Henry V, Into the Woods, Working: the Musical, Importance of Being Earnest at Mira Costa College, and Legally Blonde, Beauty and the Beast, and Thoroughly Modern Millie at Moonlight Amphitheatre. DJ plans on getting his masters in stage management and calling many more shows professionally. DJ would like to thank ’Niyi and Jay for the opportunity to call this fabulous production. He’d also like to thank his family, friends and partner for all of their support during this production!
DRAMATURG
B
RIANÁ BRANCH is a senior majoring in Theatre Arts: Entertainment Management at San Diego State University. This play speaks to me as a fellow Illinoisian in obtaining that American Dream and learning what it means through the lens of San Diegans. Brianá is delighted to have the experience of working with director ’Niyi Coker as the dramaturg for A Raisin in the Sun. Brianá has previously been an Assistant Stage Manager for Pippin at SDSU.
• Acknowledgments & Special Thanks •
We do not have enough words to express our appreciation to the following:
Roberta L. Smith and Paula Rogers Crooks — Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
The family of Kristine White who were all born, raised and resided in San Diego since 1930. They have been kind enough to share personal experiences, family stories dating back to the 1930’s, family photographs and albums, which we are utilizing in this production.
Appreciation also to:
Our TTF Design Technology students who created the 1950 San Diego aesthetic. Our TFM students who are helping us to archive this production. My TTF colleagues in the Performance area who have supported the actors in enhancing their craft.
Thanks also to: Clinton Sherwood.
Professor Delores Fisher who has added this task to her full-load teaching responsibilities. Our TTF office team: Mel Dumont and Kristine White who do the daily heavy lifting unseen but totally appreciated.
• In Memory Of •
RD Rogers who’s finished life’s assigned chores and has gone out fishin’!
DRAMATURGS NOTE
AMERICAN ‘DERAILED’ DREAM
What is the American Dream? What does it mean to you? These are popular questions that surround the thoughts and ideas of opportunities that are attainable, whether one is from America, has come to visit, or to stay. America is often deemed as the “land of opportunity,” where one can achieve their goals, gain skills, and/or knowledge to advance themselves in their lives, their careers, and their communities. The American Dream offers a beacon of hope and something to strive for. It represents refuge, freedom, new perspectives, prosperity, and different possibilities. For the majority, attaining it is within one’s own full control. However, what happens when someone else seizes another’s American Dream?
A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, addresses the political and social realism here in America, specifically in South Side Chicago. Hansberry, as a child, experienced (in her words) “violent attacks” of living in a neighborhood deemed to be for “white/Caucasian” Americans only, followed by a courtordered removal. In the end, her family received a judgement ruling that it was “illegal to have restrictive covenants.” Through her own personal experience, her work carries her life’s influences, her observations, and critical analysis of other Broadway plays and playwrights. All of this melds into her artistry that speaks from the Black/African-American perspective as a Black/AfricanAmerican author. Hansberry became the first Black/African-American female playwright to have her play performed on Broadway in 1959. It was made into a film in 1961, starring the late Sidney Poitier. In an interview with Studs Terkel, Hansberry describes her work as “having transcended what she has done and what the [late] Sidney Poitier has presented.” Our production has moved the setting of the play from Chicago to San Diego, which will allow us to view and experience the play closer to home.
According to Ricardo Flores, executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), San Diego was at the forefront of creating racial covenants by “separating people of color from White people and White neighborhoods through loopholes and structured racism.” Interstate 8 was used to purposely separate neighborhoods to prevent, according to the racially biased housing covenants, the “infiltration of inharmonious influences, hazards, and undesirables” by seeking out “the most desirable resident” with “necessary restrictions” in developments “planned and protected for particular people.” Would you use your “freedoms to discriminate” against another’s American Dream? Why would one use their constitutional freedoms to cause havoc for another?
“That neither said lots or portions thereof or interest therein shall ever be leased, sold, devised, conveyed to or inherited or be otherwise acquired by or become property of any person other than of the Caucasian Race;
provided, however, that if persons not of the Caucasian Race be kept thereon by a Caucasian strictly in the capacity of servants or employees actually engaged in the service of such occupant.”
—“Declaration of Restrictions” outlined in El Cerrito resident Michael Dew’s house deed, as reported by KPBS
Can you still see your American Dream? It’s so close, can you touch it? No, you are redlined, zoned, and forced out by racial covenants. The pressures of trying to live a decent and normal human life have been etched in the very fine print, it’s in the details, that redline ran so true. Your withering dream has been swept away by real estate agents, developers, homeowners, banks, and mortgage lenders who have created forces and became “gate keepers” that would continue to perpetuate barriers to socio-economical equity and wealth through housing discrimination, racism, segregation, plus layered structures intertwined within family, gender, and societal ideal roles.
In the words of an Ohio couple, from the television show Tiny House Nation: “When you don’t have your own home, you don’t feel comfortable and it creates anxiety. It is something that just eats you up.” Hansberry originally titled the play The Crystal Stair, as stated in her interview with Terkel, but she renamed the play A Raisin in the Sun, which takes a line from Langston Hughes’s poem Harlem (1951).
“HARLEM”
By Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
The poem shows how dreams are floating between optimism and perseverance on the one hand and shriveling up and dying on the other. A Dream deferred is the root of strong emotions and catharsis, if it is not obtained or accomplished. What happens to a Dream denied?
CAST: WHO’S WHO
Tre Boyd
Tre is a fourth year Film Production major here at SDSU. His recent roles include parts in The Free Play Project and Lank in Detroit ‘67. He is ecstatic for you all to see this production of A Raisin in the Sun. He wants to thank ’Niyi for this opportunity to be a part of this wonderful cast. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Delores Fisher
Delores Fisher graduated from San Diego State University with a BA in Humanities and an MA in Music. She fell in love with theater at an early age and has worked on various local film projects and theatrical productions as an actress, a musical director, and a pianist. Among her other accomplishments, she is also a pianist, an educator, and published poet.
Roosevelt Green
Roosevelt Green is a senior at SDSU looking to graduate with a BA in Theatre Arts, Performance with a minor in TFM, Critical Studies. He has performed in over three plays at San Diego City College, including To Kill A Mockingbird as the falsely accused Tom Robinson. His last performance at City College was in Anatomy of Gray where he played Pastor Phineas Wingfield. He acted in two Stardust Theatricals productions. He portrayed a merciless World War II Sgt Merwin J. Toomey in Biloxi Blues, and the lead role of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, which was his first Shakespeare role. He also played the role of the cruel Father in Jesca Prudencio’s production of Metamorphosis, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, the Narrator in She Kills Monsters. He also had his directing debut with The Free Play Project directed by Dani Bedau; this will be his last play at SDSU.
CAST: WHO’S WHO
Milo Mee
Milo Mee is a freshman at SDSU majoring in Theatre Arts, Performance. Some of his most recent roles have been Dom in Steel Pier (SDSU), Cole in The Free Play Project (SDSU), Will in American Idiot (CMTSJ), Amos in Chicago (CMTSJ), and Ed Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (AMHS). Milo was awarded Best Actor in the 2021 California High School Rita Moreno Awards, where he went on to represent the Bay Area at the Broadway League’s annual Jimmy Awards. He is so excited to perform alongside such a talented cast and hopes you enjoy the show.
Synai Maxwell
Synai Maxwell (They/Them) is nineteen years old and has been performing in a plethora of theatre productions since they were in the fifth grade. They have starred in many shows such as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, Shrek in Shrek the Musical, a Wickersham Brother in Seussical, and Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. They are currently a Freshman at SDSU and a Theatre Arts, Performance major.They are super excited to be performing once again with the SDSU theater department and can’t wait for you to enjoy the show and all of the amazing hard work that has been put into this production!
Donae Swanson
Donae Swanson is a freshman here at SDSU hailing from Dallas, Texas. She is a Theatre Arts, Performance major and she is excited to make her debut on the SDSU stage. Some of Donae’s favorite performances include Violet in 9 to 5, Mama Euralie in Once on this Island, Nurse in Medea and Ruth in To See the Stars. Donae’s most memorable theatre experience was Assistant Directing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. When not on stage, Donae enjoys tennis, reading poetry, and photography. Donae is excited to perform with this amazing cast and she hopes you will enjoy the show.
CAST: WHO’S WHO
Amira Temple
Amira Temple is an actor, community health worker, local activist, and home chef extraordinaire. She is currently a junior at SDSU where she studies Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Performance. Once graduated, she hopes to achieve a masters in Acting, Dramaturgy, or Directing. Amira’s recent credits include Witchland, The Red Bike, and an episode of Wipeout. When Amira is not performing she enjoys spending time with her dog, and starting projects that she never finishes. To her friends, family, and partner she would like to say thank you for always guiding her back into her power when she moves off track and stands in her own way. To the audience, she conveys her deepest gratitude for supporting theatre and theatre artists in San Diego. She is humbled to perform for the folks that are the heartbeat of the show.
Cierra Watkins
Cierra Reign Watkins is a third year Theatre Arts, Performance major. She appeared in her first mainstage college performance, Dog Sees God as Van’s Sister at SDSU. She did her first zoom play with the Patchwork Theatre Company called Millennial Tears. This fall, she most recently performed in The Free Play Project in Act Free here at SDSU. Cierra also is the Co-Founder and President of Black Renaissance, which is a theatre organization that promotes Black excellence and talent on the campus of San Diego State University. This November she also directed Black Renaissance’s very first production of Detroit ‘67. She is so excited that Black stories are being shared and performed on campus and thanks all of the cast and crew in A Raisin In the Sun. She also wants to thank her family, sorority sisters, and friends for their love and support!
Jaden White
Jaden is a third-year transfer Theatre Arts major from the Central Valley. This is his second production with SDSU. Some favorite past credits include: Grantaire (Les Misérables), Tom Robinson (To Kill a Mockingbird), 12 Angry Men (Juror #8). He is hoping to pursue a career in acting after graduating from SDSU. Actors he looks up to are Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Clive Owen. He wants to thank the director ’Niyi Coker and the cast for all the help and support they’ve given him in creating this beautiful show!
PRODUCTION STAFF
MANAGEMENT & DIRECTION
Assistant Stage Manager .............................................................. Anya Veach
Production Manager/Stage Management Advisor ........... Jay Sheehan
Dramaturgy Advisor ......................................................................... Shelley Orr
SCENIC
Technical Director...................................................................Brian J. McVicker
Scenic Advisor ........................................................... Charles Murdock Lucas
Scene Shop Supervisor ................................................................. Noah Lange
Set Construction .............................. Josh Munden°, Cynthia Bloodgood°
Properties Master/Scenic Charge Artist...........................Kristen E. Flores
Scenic Painters & Properties Artisans ............................ Heather Larsen°, .......................................McKenna Perry°, Cassidy Steele, Maya Aizenman
Properties Crew ................................ Giovanni Ferreira, Francesca Lemus
Deck Crew ...................................................Stephen Zagrodny, Olivia Hines
COSTUME
Costume Design Advisor................................................ Denitsa Bliznakova
Costume Shop Manager ............................................................... Teri Tavares
Costume/Wig Technician ......................................................... Peter Herman
Assistant Costume Designers ..Elizabeth Bigelow, Katherine Paulsen°
Drapers ........................................................................................... Peter Herman,
..............................................................Regan A. Mckay°, Courtney Ohnstad°
1st Hand .............................................................................Laura (Lars) Sladich°
Costume Crafts ........................................................................ Miranda Sieber°
Stitchers ....................................... Waverly Strickland°, Katherine Paulsen°
Laundry Crew ................................................. Makenna Boutelle, Isaiah Cox
Costume Run Crew ................................ Megan Ross, Gwyneth Lutovsky,
............... Junior Denton, Yhover Perez, Maya Stokes, Maura Anderson
+MA in Theatre Arts
*MFA in Musical Theatre
°MFA in Design and Technology for Theatre, Television, and Film
^Qualifying or Thesis Production
PRODUCTION STAFF
LIGHTING
Assistant Lighting Designer ....................................................... Dylan Carter
Production Electrician ......................................................... Annelise Salazar°
Assistant Production Electrician(s) ....... Brooke Hein, Reira Yamamoto
Programmer ................................................................................ Reid Semmens
Light Board Operator ........................................................... Emily Johansson
Lighting Advisor.......................................................................Anne E. McMills
Lighting, Sound, Video Shop Supervisor ....................... Kat Makarushka
PROJECTION
Projection Advisor ................................................... Charles Murdock Lucas
Projection Programmer ......................................................... Kameron Grant
Projection Board Operator ...................................................... Lizzie Izyumin
SOUND
Lighting, Sound, Video Shop Supervisor ....................... Kat Makarushka
Sound Board Operator ............................................Karen Diaz De Regules
MARKETING & FRONT OF HOUSE
Box Office & Social Media Coordinator .......................... Adam Parrocha
House Manager ........................................................................ Adam Parrocha
Usher ........................................................................................... Lourdes Arteaga
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We are pleased to thank our generous supporters, as all that we accomplish would not be possible without the generous support of alumni and community members, who make significant contributions to support our students and programs at SDSU. Thank you!
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Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Endowed Professorship supported by Carey Gail Wall, Ph.D. and Terry L. O’Donnell, Ph.D. Musical Theatre Scholarship Endowment
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Don Powell Endowed Chair in Scenic Design
Don Powell Endowment
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Darlene and Donald Shiley Endowment for Student Excellence in Musical Theatre
Henry Stanton Endowment
Clarence and Catherine Stephenson Musical Theatre Endowed Scholarship
George and Judy Sunga Endowed Scholarship
Theatre Endowment Fund
Lee Rae Ulrich Costume Design Memorial Fund
Judith and Jack White Musical Theatre Endowed Scholarship
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An endowment can be established with a commitment of $50,000 or more. Thank you to these generous supporters.
SDSU SCHOOL OF THEATRE, TELEVISION, AND FILM DONORS
Annual Funds and Scholarships (up
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to $50,000)
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Michael and Anne-Charlotte “A.C.” Harvey Scholarship
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Denise Madruga Scholarship
John J. and Katherine F. Martin MFA Musical Theatre Scholarship
Thomas and Randi McKenzie Fund for Experiential Theatrical Opportunities
Dennis Sanders Scholarship
San Diego Theatre Arts Research Lab
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Generous Supporters ($500+) (7/1/2018-6/30/2019)
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Sylvia J. Fitch
Paul Giarrusso
Barbara and William K. Graham, Ph.D.
Brett K. Kelly
Adam and Shelley Lambert
Mort Marcus and Deborah Klein Stewart
Colin Mckearnan
Toni B. McKerrow
Allison Rossett, Ed.D.
Sonia Silverstein
Diane Shelton
John Shelton
Jane Smith, Ph.D.
Kenneth and Joyce Ulrich
Edward L. Underwood
Debra Wanger
SDSU SCHOOL OF THEATRE, TELEVISION, AND FILM FACULTY & STAFF
ADMINISTRATION
‘Niyi Coker Jr., Professor & Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film
Kristine White, School Coordinator
Melanie Dumont, Financial Coordinator
Adam Parrocha, Box Office & Social Media Coordinator
TELEVISION, FILM, AND NEW MEDIA FACULTY/STAFF
Greg Durbin, Professor
Alex Farnsley, Lecturer
Mark Freeman, Professor
Brian Hu, Associate Professor
Bob Jordan, Lecturer
Martha M. Lauzen, Professor, Executive
Director - Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film
Stephanie Lee, TFM Shop Foreman
David Morong, Professor, Graduate Advisor
Greg Penetrante, TV/Film Studio Engineer
Timothy A. Powell, Professor, Area Head
Rebecca Romani, Lecturer
Sam Shpigelman, Lecturer, Area Head of New Media Production
Rich Underwood, Lecturer
Stuart Voytilla, Lecturer, Undergrad Advisor
THEATRE FACULTY/STAFF
Adrian Alita, Associate Professor, Head of Acting
Dani Bedau, Associate Professor
Denitsa Bliznakova, Professor, Head of Costume Design & Technology
Stephen Brotebeck, Professor
Benjamin Clark, Assistant Professor
Peter Cirino, Associate Professor
Kristen Flores, Scenic Charge Artist/Prop Master
Ralph Funicello, Don Powell Chair in Scene Design
Peter Herman, Wig Making, Make-up Costume Construction
D.J. Hopkins, Professor
Charles Murdock Lucas, Associate Professor, Head of Scenic Design & Integrated Media
Anne McMills, Associate Professor, Design/Technology MFA Graduate Advisor
Brian McVicker, Technical Director
Robert Meffe, Professor, Graduate Advisor, Head of Musical Theatre
Sharon Oppenheimer, Lecturer
Shelley Orr, Associate Professor, Graduate Advisor for MA Theatre Arts
Jesca Prudencio, Associate Professor
Randy Reinholz, Professor
Peggy Shannon, Professor, Dean of PSFA
Jay Sheehan, Faculty Production Manager, Stage Management Advisor
Teri McConnell Tavares, Costume Shop Manager
Katie (Laura) Turner, Lecturer, Undergraduate Advisor
Christopher Warren, Assistant Professor
Andrew Young, Scene Shop Foreman
EMERITUS FACULTY
Hayes Anderson, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Carroll Blue, Professor Emerita, Telecommunications and Film
Anne-Charlotte Harvey, Professor Emerita of Theatre
Michael Harvey, Professor Emeritus of Theatre
Elizabeth Heighten, Professor Emerita, Telecommunications and Film
Kaye Jameson, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Paula Kalustian, Professor Emerita, Head of MFA Musical Theatre Program
Margaret Larlham, Professor Emerita
Peter Larlham, Professor Emeritus
Robert E. Lee, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Roy Madsen, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Donald R. Martin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
Margaret McKerrow, Professor Emerita of Theatre
Tom Meador, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Jack Ofield, Emeritus Professor of Film
Michael Real, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Beeb Salzer, Professor Emeritus of Theatre
Loren Schreiber, Emeritus Professor, Director of Technology
Rick Simas, Lecturer Emeritus, Musical Theatre
Carolyn “C.J.” Keith, Lecturer Emerita
John Witherspoon, Professor Emeritus, Telecommunications and Film
Craig Wolf, Professor Emeritus
GENERAL INFORMATION
CELL PHONES
As a courtesy to the actors and those around you, please turn off or silence cell phones while in the theatre.
CAMERAS & RECORDING DEVICES
The use of any cameras and/or recording devices is strictly prohibited without advance written permission from The School of Theatre, Television, and Film.
LATE ARRIVALS & NO-SHOWS
Please arrive on-time and do not be a no-show. Latecomers may be asked until an intermission to be seated; and, seats not claimed will be re-sold
DON POWELL THEATRE BOX OFFICE
Hours of Operation: One-hour before Curtain
The Box Office is closed for all school holidays as well as during the summer vacation period.
Virtual Production
Ticket Prices:
$20 - General Admission
$17 - Students, SDSU Affiliates, Seniors (60+), and Active Military (Prices may vary for special events/productions)
Phone: 619-594-6884
Email: ttf.boxoffice@mail.sdsu.edu
Purchase Tickets Online: ttf.sdsu.edu
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
Phone: 619-594-5091
Theatre productions, film events, and TV programming are made possible by the generous support of our donors. To make a contribution to our outstanding programs, please call 619.594.4548 or visit psfa.sdsu.edu
Offering a Master of Fine Arts degree founded on the model of the independent filmmaker, combining professional level training and rigorous theoretical study, based in one of the most prolific film programs in the nation.
School of Theatre, Television and Film
School of Theatre, Television and Film
School of Theatre, Television, and Film