A Play by Dominic Taylor February 3, 4, 5, 2022 at 7:30pm
One-Night OnlySMSU Staged February 6 at 2:00pm, FineReading: Arts Theatre February 3, SMSU 2022 at 7:30pm Tickets: $10 | Free for students with valid ID Visit www.SMSUTickets.com or call 507-537-7103. Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)
ADA/Section 504: Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate should call the SMSU at 1-800-642-0684 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-2529. Please call at least 5-7 days in advance of the event.
THE SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY THEATRE presents
by Dominic Taylor Director – Theo Langason* Costume Designer – Sheila Tabaka† Scenic and Lighting Designer – Tetta M. Askeland† Sound Designer – Alex Pikiben†* Stage Manager – Molly Green
SETTING A palatial home in Chicago throughout the 20th century Section One: 1903 – Parlor sitting room in the home of Franklin Smith, son of a Civil War hero Section Two: 1953 – Living room in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Balswede Section Three: 1996 – Cosgreve’s, an upscale restaurant owned by the gentleman of the same name
* Generous support for the guest residencies of director Theo Langason and sound designer Alex Pikiben was provided by Friends of the Theatre. Personal History is presented through special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)
THE CAST Eugene Balswede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theo Langason Bethany Weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avianna McFarquhar† Cosgreve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jasper Ale† Angelina McCabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Domonique McPhail† Patrick Kinney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colton Jensen Franklin Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Hartley Stage Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Duus, Bryn Mongeau †
Member of Alpha Psi Omega, the National Honorary Dramatic Fraternity
Please note: This play contains a controversial and difficult symbol that is important to the plot and themes of the show.
COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES Live theatre is challenging in pandemic times. We value your safety and the safety of our cast and crew. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, all students, faculty, staff, and visitors are currently required to wear a mask in all public indoor spaces on the SMSU campus, including in the theatre during the performance. Performers on stage are one allowed exception to this requirement. We have general admission seating for this show so that ushers can assist the audience in distancing according to their comfort level. We appreciate your understanding of these accommodations, and thank you for supporting live theatre!
EMERGENCY SERVICES Emergency messages are delivered immediately during performances. Persons expecting emergency calls should leave their name & seat number with the Box Office. The telephone number for emergencies is (507) 537-7103. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO LOCATE THE NEAREST EMERGENCY AND FIRE EXIT.
THE PRODUCTION TEAM Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theo Langason* Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Tabaka† Scenic and Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tetta M. Askeland† Sound Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Pikiben†* Stage Manager and Light Board Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molly Green Assistant Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brooke Burns Sound Board Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ratsamee Lee *Guest artist residencies supported by Friends of the Theatre Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nadine Purvis Schmidt† Technical Director and Scene Shop Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tetta M. Askeland† Scene Shop Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molly Green Costume Shop Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Tabaka† Costume Shop Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soliyana Kassa, Lilly Tabaka House Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Karpen Box Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pam Hess Box Office Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margeaux Belanger, Jordyn Lanoye-Guerrero Poster & Program Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcy Olson† Ushers, Publicity Crew, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Students from Theatre Appreciation, Costume and Set Construction Lighting and Sound Design, Theatre Activity & Stage Crew classes, and the cast and crew
SPECIAL THANKS MORE Network (Marshall and Mustangs Overcoming Racism through Education) City of Marshall Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission Northwestern College Theatre Department Kent State University School of Theatre and Dance South Dakota State University Theatre SMSU Residence Life
PLEASE NOTE Please completely turn off all cell phones, pagers, watches, and electronic devices that would interfere with communication and cues crucial to the performance. In an effort to make our Theatre more “green,” we have installed energy-efficient LED house lights. You may notice flickering as the house lights are fading out.
GUEST ARTIST BIOS Theo Langason Theo Langason is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and teaching artist based in Minneapolis. A graduate of Rutgers University–Camden with a degree in Theatre Arts, Theo has worked in the Twin Cities, nationally, and internationally as an actor, director, musician, composer, improviser, poet, and teaching artist. Theo is one of seven Co-Artistic Directors of Red Eye Theater, a company member of Sandbox Theatre, and a member of Blackout Improv. As a teaching artist, Theo works regularly with Guthrie Theater, Penumbra Theatre, and Upstream Arts. Theo has also worked with Ten Thousand Things, Park Square Theatre, Pillsbury House + Theater, and Theatre Pro Rata, among others. Alex Pikiben SMSU Theatre alum Alex Pikiben (’15) recently completed his Master of Fine Arts degree with specialization in sound and lighting design at the University of South Dakota, and is now a freelance sound designer based in Minneapolis. At USD, Alex sound designed for She Kills Monsters (MFA thesis show), Angels and Demons, Men On Boats, Zanna, Don’t!, These Shining Lives, 4:48 Psychosis, and The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, and was the lighting designer for Julius Caesar. Alex has also designed for Prairie Repertory Theatre (Beehive and The Wizard of Oz), and was an apprentice audio visual technician for the Santa Fe Opera this past summer. Alex says he is “stoked to be working at SMSU again.”
DIRECTOR’S NOTE: Being Black in America is a potent way to start any sentence. It conjures images and opinions of defensiveness or rage or sadness or apathy depending on your personal history or context. Because that’s what our histories are: the contexts through which we view and metabolize the world around us. Personal History explores some of the contexts that dictate how we move through the world. The characters are profoundly affected by the contexts of race, gender, and class. They spend so much energy fighting against these contexts or fighting to ignore these contexts, while simultaneously fighting for the existence of these contexts to be realized, recognized, and respected. And it’s exhausting. This sort of split focus can tear a person down. It can tear them apart, piece by piece. And I think most of us can empathize with the feeling of being beaten down and torn apart by a context that is ultimately out of our control. At its core this play is asking for empathy, compassion, and understanding. For these characters, for folks in your communities, for folks who are different from you, for yourself. In today’s America, where it feels like we can’t even agree on what facts are, I hope we can seek to find understanding, rather than fighting to win an argument. Context matters. The context of being Black in America matters. The context of being poor in America matters. The context of being in America matters. And the more we try and pretend it doesn’t, the less chance we have to change the context for the better. --Theo Langason, Director
FRIENDS OF THE THEATRE 2021-22 Members
Producer John Gottskalkson* Peg & Dick Roesler** Director Lois A. Henkel** William Hezlep*** Howard and Jody Mohr** Bob Schwoch*** Marshall Area Stage Company***
GIFT CLUB $25
$75 $125 $250 $500 $1000
Designer Jerry & Ricke Bly** Greg & Carol Bossuyt*** Tyler and Sue Bowen*** Pat and Sean Carmody** Neil & Stacy Frost** Brett & Anita Gaul** Jerry Girton*** Pam & Jeff Gladis** Pam & Jason Hess* Diana Holmes*** Jim and Laurie Johansen** Jim & Deb Kerkaert** Ken & Gwen Mukomela** Jan Craig Nelson ‘73*** Carma Nordahl* Lloyd & Renae Petersen** Lee & Norma Raske** Nadine, Karl, Will & Henry Schmidt*** James Smalley and Sara Runchey** Jim & Sheila Tabaka and Family*** Māra & John Wiggins**
Actor Dan & Linda Baun* Christine & Eric DeGroot* Janet Hagen* Wayne Hanson, in Memory of Janet** Carol Purrington** Lorna Rafness* Conni & Stan Stensrud* Mary Jane Striegel** Ray and Alice Thull** Apprentice Sandra Fenske* Ryne & Jessa Myhrberg* Jim & Gloria Swartz* *** Charter Member ** Sustaining Member (3+ yrs) * New Member
FRIENDS GIFT LEVELS
REWARD
Apprentice 2 ticket vouchers« «(Ticket vouchers only for those under age 25 or graduate of SMSU within the last five years.) Actor 3 ticket vouchers Designer 6 ticket vouchers Director 9 ticket vouchers Producer 12 ticket vouchers and Theatre web page listing Angel 15 ticket vouchers and Theatre web page listing
NEW! PRODUCTION UNDERWRITER FOR $5,000 Our family-friendly season provides a great opportunity to build and strengthen positive ties with the community. Underwriter benefits include: • 20 ticket vouchers for the current season of SMSU Theatre performances, and • acknowledgements on the Theatre web page and show posters, in social media posts, media releases, and radio interviews, and in a lobby display during the run of the show.
If you would like to join Friends of the Theatre or sponsor a production, please call the SMSU Theatre at 507-537-7103.
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein. Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation. Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts. This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance. Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival™ 54 for Region V will be held in Des Moines, Iowa in 2022.
For more information about the SMSU Theatre Program please call 507-537-7103 or fax 507-537-7014. Visit the Theatre Arts web page at www.SMSU.edu/go/theatre find SMSU Theatre on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SMSUTheatre
UPCOMING EVENTS SMSU Drama Club Production: Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman February 24-27, 2022 SMSU Black Box Theatre SMSU Mainstage Production: The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov April 4-10, 2022 SMSU Fine Arts Theatre Dinner Theatre: April 9 For more information visit www.SMSU.edu/go/theatre or call 507-537-7103.
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SMSU THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM Department Chairperson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. John Ginocchio Theatre Faculty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila Tabaka† Nadine Purvis Schmidt† Tetta Askeland† Dr. William Hezlep†, Emeritus Ray Oster†, Emeritus † Charles Autry , Emeritus (Deceased) Administrative Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pam Hess Fine Arts Custodian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Dahl†