UGA THEATRE
PRESENTS
DIRECTED BY J. L. REED
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR LIZETTE DE LA PEÑA
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR NICKY TOMLIN
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER ANDREW NEAL
HEAD CARPENTER JACOB YURKOVICH
CHOREOGRAPHER OLIVIA VICOS
SCENIC DESIGNER LINDSEY TAYLOR
COSTUME DESIGNER NATHANAEL TRIA
STAGE MANAGER FAITH HORTON
LIGHTING DESIGNER TERRI BECKER
SOUND DESIGNER JORDAN HARRIS
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER REAGAN BRODE
CAST
SOMEBODY......................................................................................................ADAM BIHI
SOMEBODY.....................................................................................................NINA BLAIR
SOMEBODY....................................................................................................ELIZA DAVIS
SOMEBODY.....................................................................................................ARIEL FORD
SOMEBODY.................................................................................................ISAAC GOBER
SOMEBODY..........................................................................................GARRETT McCORD
SOMEBODY........................................................................................GEANNA OROZCO
SOMEBODY.................................................................................................SARAH POSEY
SOMEBODY..................................................................................................OLIVIA VICOS
U/S SOMEBODY........................................................................................ROBERT CRIPPS
U/S SOMEBODY.........................................................................................ARUSHI RAZA
PRODUCTION CREW
DIRECTOR.............................................................................................................J. L. REED
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.........................................................................LIZETTE DE LA PEÑA
CHOREOGRAPHER.......................................................................................OLIVIA VICOS
SCENIC DESIGNER/PROPS LEAD...........................................................LINDSEY TAYLOR
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR................................................................................NICKY TOMLIN
LIGHTING DESIGNER/HEAD ELECTRICIAN..................................................TERRI BECKER
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER..............................................................ANDREW NEAL
COSTUME DESIGNER.............................................................................NATHANAEL TRIA
SOUND DESIGNER..................................................................................JORDAN HARRIS
STAGE MANAGER.....................................................................................FAITH HORTON
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER.................................................................REAGAN BRODE
HEAD CARPENTER...............................................................................JACOB YURKOVICH
RUNNING CREW: SHALOM OSOBE, BRYAN PHILLIPS, CAROLINE SKELLEY, NATALIE HAMM, ARWA ABDELRAHMAN
SPECIAL THANKS TO CECE CULLEN AND BEN MILLER FOR THEIR HELP THROUGHOUT THE REHEARSAL PROCESS.
ADAM BIHI (Somebody). He/ him. Adam is a fourth-year Communications major from Grayson, GA. Previous credits include Hoary Old Colonel in Mother Courage & Her Children with UGA Theatre.
NINA BLAIR (Somebody). She/ her. Nina is a second-year Theatre major from Rochester, NY. Previous credits include Lucas in The GrownUps for Ars Gratia Artis Theatre, Swiss Cheese in Mother Courage & Her Children with UGA Theatre, Professor Plum in Clue and Konstantin Stanislavski in The Complete History of Theater with Brookwood High School.
ELIZA DAVIS (Somebody). She/ her. Eliza is a second-year Theatre and Interior Design major from Charlote, NC. Previous credits include Cora in Lost Girl with Central Piedmont Community College and Becca in The Grown-Ups with Ars Gratia Artis Theatre.
ARIEL FORD (Somebody). She/ her. Ariel is a fourth-year Theatre major from Duluth, GA. Previous credits include Ronnette U/S in Little Shop of Horrors and Lieutenant in Mother Courage & Her Children with UGA Theatre, and Lauren in Dead and Buried with UGA Black Theatrical Ensemble.
ISAAC GOBER (Somebody). He/ him. Isaac is a fourth-year Theatre major with an acting emphasis from Rockmart, GA. Previous credits include Jim in The Glass Menagerie with Authenticity Theatre, Bhagavata in Hayavadana with UGA Theatre, Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire at Rockmart Civic Arts Center (RCAC), Billy in Carousel at RCAC, and Doug in Gruesome Playground Injuries with the Indian Heritage and Cultural Association in NJ.
GARRETT MCCORD (Somebody). He/him. Garrett is a fifth-year Theatre major with a Musical Theatre Certificate from Charlotte, NC. Previous credits include Orin and Others in Little Shop of Horrors with UGA Theatre, Peter Shaw in Silent Sky with UGA Theatre, Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music with UGA Theatre, Jack in Into the Woods with Town &Gown Players, Sebastian in Twelfth Night with Classic City Shakespeare, Phantom in Phantom of the Opera with Red Phoenix Theatre Co., and Frank Jr. in Catch Me If You Can with Red Phoenix Theatre Co.
GEANNA OROZCO (Somebody). She/her. Geanna is a fourth-year Theatre major with a Film minor from Atlanta, GA. Previous credits include Nurse in Romeo and Juliet and Soccer Mom in The Wolves with UGA Theatre, Norma Baxter in Perfect Arrangement with Town & Gown Players, Doctor in Nocturnal Roar directed by Robert Landau, Maria in Shattered directed by Jane Negreira, and Club Girl in G Hosted with Apple TV Productions.
SARAH POSEY (Somebody).
She/her. Sarah is a second-year Theatre and Entertainment Media Studies major from Athens, GA. Previous credits include Urchin in Little Shop of Horrors and Beth in Our Place with Clarke Central High School.
OLIVIA VICOS (Somebody). She/her. Olivia is a fourth-year Theatre and Finance major from McDonough, GA. Previous credits include Becca in Rabbit Hole for a UGA Center for Undergraduate Research project, Jordan in Moving Forward with UGA Theatre, Kayleen in Gruesome Playground Injuries with the Indian Heritage and Cultural Association in NJ, and Catherine in These Shining Lives with Upstage Alliance.
ROBERT CRIPPS (U/S Somebody). Robert is a first-year Theatre major from Wiggins, MS. Previous credits include multiple roles in All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and Poor Husband/ Ensemble in The Little Princess with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
ARUSHI RAZA (U/S Somebody). She/her. Arushi is a third-year Psychology major with a minor in Spanish from Suwanee, GA. Previous credits include Doll 1 in Hayavadana with UGA Theatre and Margaret/Willamina U/S in Silent Sky with UGA Theatre.
J. L. REED (Director). J.L. is delighted to be back at his alma mater directing the first show of the 2024-25 season. Following his graduation from the MFA in Performance program, J.L. moved to Atlanta where he worked as a teaching artist and actor with the Alliance Theatre. He’s also had the privilege of performing for Synchronicity Theatre, Theater Emory, and the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. J.L.’s recent directing credits include Elements of Euclid (Atlanta Fringe Festival), One In Two (Out Front Theater), and Romeo & Juliet (Atlanta Shakespeare Company). J.L. does his “grown up” jobs at Georgia Gwinnett College as a Lecturer of Theatre, and Emory University working in the School of Medicine. #GoDawgs
BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS (Playwright) Branden is a Brooklyn-based playwright, producer, Tony Award® winner, and two-time Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist. Recent theatre credits include Appropriate (2024 Tony Award® winner for Best Revival of a Play; 2014 Obie Award, Best New American Play, Signature Theatre), The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre), Girls (Yale Rep), Everybody (Signature Theatre), War (Yale Rep; Lincoln Center/LCT3), Gloria (Vineyard Theatre), An Octoroon (2014 Obie Award, Best New American Play; Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience), and Neighbors (The Public Theater). He currently teaches at Yale University and serves as Vice President of the Dramatists Guild council and on the boards of Soho Rep, Park Avenue Armory, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and the Dramatists Guild Foundation. Honors include a USA Artists fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, the MacArthur fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama, and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award.
REAGAN BRODE (Assistant Stage Manager). He/they. Reagan is a third-year Entertainment Media Studies with a minor in Theatre from Cleveland, GA. Previous credits include being an Assistant Stage Manager for Linnentown: The Musical with the Classic Center, Stage Manager for Annie, James & the Giant Peach Jr., Tuck Everlasting, and Murder’s In the Heir with Tallulah Falls School.
TERRI BECKER (Lighting Designer). Terri Becker is a Lighting Designer with over 30 years of experience in theater, dance, music and industrials. She recently designed lights in Rhode Island for Theatre by the Sea’s production of The Sound of Music. When not designing lights, Terri is the Head Electrician for the Department of Theatre and Film Studies at UGA. She obtained a BFA from the University of Georgia in Drawing and Painting, and later received her MFA from Florida Atlantic University in Lighting Design. To view other past design work, please visit terribeckerlightingdesigns.com
JORDAN HARRIS (Sound Designer). Jordan is a second-year undergraduate theatre major from Flowery Branch, Ga. Previous credits include scenic designer and sound board op for The Branch Theatre Company, and deck crew for UGA Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors
FAITH HORTON (Stage Manager). She/her. Faith is a fourth-year Theatre and Entertainment Media Studies major from Ringgold, GA. Previous credits include Stage Managing for Linnentown: The Musical at The Classic Center, and Assistant Stage Managing for Favored by the Muses with UGA Theatre.
ANDREW NEAL (Assistant Light Designer). He/Him. Andrew is a first-year lighting MFA student. Andrew earned his BA from Tennessee Technological University. This is Andrew’s UGA Theatre debut.
LIZETTE DE LA PEÑA (Assistant Director). She/her. Lizette is a fourth-year Entertainment Media Studies and Theatre major with a minor in Film Studies from Kennesaw, GA. Previous credits include Director and writer of Morning Star and Lady Happy in The Convent of Pleasure for Dir. Sofía Ruiz, and Co-director and Writer of Guiding Star with Black Theatrical Ensemble.
LINDSEY TAYLOR (Scenic Designer). Lindsey is a scenic design MFA student from West Virginia. She did her undergraduate in Production Design at SCAD. In her free time, she can be found taking pictures of her cats. Her portfolio can be found at www.lindsey-taylor-portfolio.design.
NICKY TOMLIN (Scenic Designer). Nicky is a second-year MFA Scenic Design student. Nicky earned a BA in Art & Theatre at Georgia College & State University (2020). Nicky’s past work at UGA was as assistant scenic designer for William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors (2022) and scenic designer for Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves (2023).
NATHANAEL TRIA (Costume Designer). Nathanael is a costume design MFA student, and has loved working on Everybody. They received a degree in Theatre at FGCU, where they fell in love with all things costumes–designing, sewing, patterning–you name it! She’s worked on several shows at Aurora Theatre over their last three seasons; most recently, working as a draper on The Color Purple. He hopes you enjoy the show, and would like to thank his boyfriend Tristan for keeping their plants alive.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
As the old saying goes, “Life comes at you fast.” That was certainly the case when I accepted the offer to direct Everybody . But unlike the journey of the show’s titular character, ours was far more joyous and invigorating than trepidatious or terrifying. That’s not to say that we – or I – didn’t encounter any similar existential quandaries along the way.
Producing Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play at this moment in time forces us – both the creative team and the audience – to sit with many questions. After my first reading of the script, one particular question came up: “What does it all mean?” As the actors and I dove into the text – unpacking themes and whatnot – that question seemed less about the play and more about life itself. Whenever I’m directing, I’m always curious about what the work says or teaches us about our current historical moment. Sitting in that curiosity, that question grew louder and louder: what does it all mean? It echoed in my mind. I thought about how we collectively enjoy the newest, most powerful technologies while the individuals who provide the materials for them suffer under inhumanly cruel working conditions. What does it all mean? While so many struggle to make ends meet, this cast and I have been given the privilege of creating and sharing art. What does it all mean? We are producing this play about a character preparing for the end of their life while the lives of innocent humans on the other side of the world are being taken with impunity. What does it all mean?
It’s a lot. Attempting to fully or coherently answer such a question as life lifes all around us in ways both good and bad could put anyone into a catatonic state of existential dread. But as I – and I’m sure many of you – continue to wrestle with the question of meaning in today’s world, I find some respite in what the Usher says as Everybody comes to a close. They leave the audience with a charge: to really listen to one another. To be less judgmental and more forgiving. To own up to our mistakes and be open to changing our minds. “You know: just being nice to each other.”
What does it all mean? I think the answer may be in there somewhere.
J. L. Reed, Director
DESIGNER NOTES
From the Lighting Designer
As with most theatrical productions, designers adapt their processes depending on the creative vision. For Everybody, I was brought in relatively late in the process, with only one design meeting left before rehearsals began. With such a truncated schedule, my top priority was focusing on the fundamentals of lighting design and not over-designing the show. In leaning on these fundamentals, my aim was to maintain a stark simplicity that counterbalances the ethereal qualities of the piece. This hopefully facilitates a deeper connection between the audience and the actors on stage. As the show progresses, the lighting - much like the performances, scenery, and costuming - functions to shape the overall narrative. And although it’s often funny, Everybody deals in heavy themes. Death is a central figure throughout, after all. But it poses important questions that we’ll all eventually encounter. Specifically, the question of what we can take with us in the end?
From the Scenic Designer
Everybody is a show out of time; modern humor in the style of medieval morality plays with meta elements. Audiences are expected to suspend disbelief and give themselves over to the manic existentialism of the story. I wanted to focus on this sense of timeless unreality in my set design. The platform structure is meant to mimic tiered audience seating, reinforcing the concept that Everybody just as much about the audience as the characters it depicts. The dark, rippling texture of the walls is meant to shift beneath the lights, taking different shapes depending on the shadows’ presence or absence. It is intended to feel like a space that has always been there, but still possesses the ability to shift depending on the angle at which the audience views it. With the final design, my goal was to highlight the way that even simple shapes have surrealist potential from different perspectives.
From the Costume Designer
Everybody is a deeply conflicted play. It is about death, which makes it about life. It is funny, only to invite us into the vulnerability at its core. It could be about anybody, which means it is about Everybody (roll end credits). To hammer this idea home, it also has a lottery-based cast - imbuing each performance with different meanings, eliciting different emotions and ideas. Each role is informed by the experiences and identity of the actor playing the role that night. It was this central core of duality and identity that sparked what would become my design concept. These themes drew me to the surrealist movement, and, particularly, the work of Yves Tanguy. It was the mixed emotions of whimsy and doom that I felt while looking at his art that let me know I was on an exciting design path. Finally, I came across the painting that would inform the costume design’s color story: Tanguy’s The Hostages.
Now to address that lottery-based cast. Rather than prepare over 13 possible character costumes for each actor, we elected for each actor to have a base costume that they always wear, despite which characters they may play. I conducted interviews with each actor, getting to know and understand them a bit better – the end goal being to include their ideas and emotions in the final costume pieces. The resulting designs find whimsy in the mundane; delightful details dancing from costume to costume, person to person. My hope was for the actors to feel understood in their respective costumes, the same way that I felt deeply understood as I took in Yves Tanguy’s painting. I hope you feel understood taking in Everybody. Enjoy the show!
Terri Becker
Lindsey Taylor Nathanael Tria
