UIC Theatre - DEVOTION

Spring 2022 Student Workshop Productions

Devotion

By Ashley O’Neil

Directed by Lauren Littlejohn

SCENIC DESIGNERS

Eva Nyman & Natalie Fitz

COSTUME DESIGNER

Marla Chinbat

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Jordan Montgomery

SOUND DESIGNER

Danyelle Coskrey

PROPERTIES MANAGER VOICE AND DIALECTS DIRECTOR INTIMACY COORDINATOR STAGE MANAGER

Isa Pardilla Jason Martin Rachelle Tsachor Melody Lou

Run time: 2 hours and 40 minutes There will be a 10-minute intermission.

CAST Mia

Anna Manya

Cassidy Christopher

Lola Fratto Octavio Montes De Oca

CHARACTERS MIA, late 20s CASSIDY, extra late 20s CHRISTOPHER,late 20s VOICES, Male Movie Star, Female Movie Star, Newscaster

SETTINGS Mia’s apartment, church basement, coffee shop

TIME Present

PRODUCTION STAFF PRODUCTION MANAGER

Erin Freeman

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Hannah Holmes-Robbins

COSTUME SHOP MANAGER

Stephanie Cluggish*

LEAD ELECTRICIAN

Michael Trudeau

AUDIO SUPERVISOR

Ryan Ingebritsen

LIGHTING BOARD OPERATOR AUDIO ENGINEER & BOARD OPERATOR ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER BACKSTAGE CREW

V Ezikovich Anna Marek Reagan Stevenson

Tully Dobrowolski, Tseela Sokolin-Maimon

CARPENTER /PAINTER

Morgan Tsan

STUDENT CARPENTERS & PAINTERS Froy Adan, Youjin Chun, Stephen Decker, Jericho Dobrowolzski Tim Graves, Ian Gunthrie, Anna Marek, Aisha Romer, Franny Rodriguez, Gaby Rodriguez, Tseela Sokolin-Maimon, Abigail Scott, Ally Uyao

*Denotes U.S.A. Member

PRODUCTION STAFF (Cont.)

STUDENT ELECTRICIANS

Jocelyn Arrieta, Noella Bonsol, Stephen Decker, Allison Maysonet, Brittany Pearson

COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS STUDENT STITCHERS

Eabha Dunne, Ace Lee, Jocelyn Garcia Alyssa Morales, Jon Fonseca, Elizabeth Nahulak, Angelina Davila, Jill Dunlap, Marla Chinbat

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF COORDINATOR OF THEATRE OPERATIONS BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Neal J. McCollam Teri Lopez

HOUSE MANAGER

Olivia MacGowan

BOX OFFICE AND FOH STAFF

Allison Maysonet, Jacob Clinkscales, Jeff Donnan, Jin Bai, Mila Sweeny, Melody Lou, Paloma Lozano, Tyara Whitted

Spring 2022 Student Workshop Productions For the final mainstage production this year, the UIC School of Theatre and Music is proud to present two new plays written, directed, and/or designed by UIC students and alumni.

About the Play

Mia is struggling to keep her head above water after her father’s passing. Lately, it seems like everything she does is one step forward, two steps back. With her sister, Cassidy, and her new boyfriend, Christopher, vying for her attention, Mia’s life spins out of control, leaving her feeling more confused and alone than ever. Devotion is a new play about love, isolation, and dependency, premiering exclusively at the UIC Theatre.

Biographies Playwright Ashley O’Neill (she/her/hers) is a graduating senior at UIC. She is receiving degrees in both English and Theatre.

Devotion is her first full-length play, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to produce it for the first time at UIC. During her time at UIC, Ashley has worked on the mainstage in a variety of ways, most recently as co-director of Passage last fall. She has also served as assistant director for The Crucible, assistant stage manager for Barbecue, and deck crew for A Streetcar Named Desire.

Ashley would like to thank her collaborators, especially Lauren, for helping her bring this piece to life and for supporting her in this new artistic process.

Director Lauren Littlejohn (she/her/hers) is ecstatic to make her directorial debut here at UIC Theatre. She’s recently worked onstage as an actor with Bonnie Metzgar on Passage as Q, various roles in Reverb (dir. Jessica Fisch), Barbecue (dir. Derrick Sanders) as Adlean, and with Tyrone Philips in Luck of the Irish as Lucy Taylor. She is a self-disciplined multi-faceted artist who thrives on collaboration.

Lauren is studying for a BA in Theatre Performance at UIC and looking forward to graduating this May. For inspiration, Lauren likes to spend her time around nature and local art museums. She wants to thank her creative team for the support and bringing her vision to life.

Directors Note For the final mainstage production this year, the UIC School of Theatre and Music is proud to present two new plays written, directed, and/or designed by UIC students and alumni.

Picture yourself in a dark room. It seems to go on forever– an endless void threatening to swallow you up. You’re all alone, and the only light you can see seems so faint and so far away that you’re not even sure if it’s there anymore.

When you’re at your lowest, surrounded by that darkness, any interruption becomes a blessing: a substance, a person, a relationship. And it’s easy to make the wrong decision when you’re blinded by false hope.

The characters in this world are all trapped in that darkness, and they each grasp for a different lifeline. But when those lifelines become the only thing keeping you afloat, devotion turns into abuse. Constantly turning to an external salvation creates dependency–on that substance, that person, that relationship–that drives us even further away from ourselves and into emotional stagnancy. Physical isolation manifests as mental and emotional deterioration, and the cycle continues. And what happens when the salvation you’ve found becomes your curse? When the solution to your problems becomes the thing that controls your life?

These are the questions we have to reckon with when we think about devotion. When we devote ourselves to something or someone, how far are we willing to go in order to keep it in our lives? And do we do it out of love, or out of need? Do we need that thing to keep all the fragmented pieces of ourselves together–or can we trust ourselves to be our own savior?

Lauren Littlejohn and Ashley O’Neill

Land Acknowledgment The UIC School of Theatre and Music sits on the traditional homeland of the original peoples of the area: the Three Fires Confederacy - the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe Nations as well as the Menominee and Ho-Chunk who—along with many Indigenous people—were among its first inhabitants.

With respect and gratitude, The School of Theatre and Music honors the many Native Americans who have, do, and will call this land their home.

STM acknowledges that we have benefited from the repeated attacks on Native Americans that forced tribal representatives to sign the 1816 Treaty of St Louis, relinquishing to the U.S. all claims of the land from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. This land seizure led to the era of economic development and rapid growth that made Chicago the metropolis that it is today. We have an obligation to our students and the nearly 65,000 Native Americans now living in Chicago to do no further harm, to amplify Native voices, and to fight for equity and inclusion by engaging in anti-racism policies and practices. For us, this work begins with this statement, and must be followed by actions that immediately affect our work and life on campus.

SUPPORT THEATRE & MUSIC AT UIC

At UIC, about 55% of theatre and music students receive some form of financial aid. Many more need support. Your donation will help us transform students’ lives as we prepare them for paths in the arts and other creative fields.

Donation envelopes are available in the lobby, and donations can be made through the Eventbrite listing for Magnet

2022 Student Workshop Productions MAGNET by Angelina Davila Directed by Angelina Davila

DEVOTION by Ashley O’Neill Directed by Lauren Littlejohn MAGNET Friday 4/1 - Sunday 4/3

DEVOTION Friday 4/15 - Sunday 4/17

UIC Students/Faculty/Staff (with valid icard): $5 High School Students: $5 Seniors: $10 General: $15 UIC Theatre 1044 W Harrison Chicago, IL 60607

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