UNICORN THEATRE PRESENTS
Co-Directed by Satya Chávez and Cynthia Levin
a National New Play Network Rolling WorldPremiere
Co-Created by Satya Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf Translation by Marialuisa Burgos THE CAST
Musician Martina Girl Wolf Steph Rancher
Satya Chávez* Marisa B. Tejeda* Areli Gil Jerry Mañan Manon Halliburton* Logan Black*
PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Manager Scenic Designer Asst. Scenic Designer
Lighting Designer Asst. Lighting Designer Lead Electrician Sound Designer Asst. Sound Designer Costume Designer Puppet Design
Puppet Construction Props Designer Dramaturg
Intimacy Director & Movement Coach Production Assistant Cover PA
Sound Board Operator
Tanya Brown* Kelli Harrod José Faus
Em Swenson Sally Farrand Taylor Sullivan Gianna Agostino Jon Robertson
Ana Belen Cobos What if PuppetsMike Horner & Matt Hawkins
Jamie Urban, Erin Walley, Leah Clemons, Cooper Rasmussen, Zachery Garner Eric Palmquist Lynde Rosario Jenise Cook Ashley Champion Michael LeDesma Eric Lugenbeel
* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association
Refuge is sponsored in part by
Gregg & Melinda Wenger
Refuge is produced at Unicorn Theatre as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theatres are Curious Theatre Company (Colorado) and Theatre Lab at Florida Atlantic University (Florida).
Refuge was originally commissioned by Curious Theatre Company, Denver, CO; Jada Suzanne Dixon, Artistic Director.
Refuge was originally developed at the Colorado New Play Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO, 2019.
Opening Night: January 28, 2023
3828 MAIN STREET | KANSAS CITY, MO 64111 |
| UNICORNTHEATRE.ORG
(816) 531-7529
Welcome to all who join our journey Bienvenidos a nuestro viaje
You’re one of us, the rules are changing Gracias por venir a escuchar nuestro mensaje Breathe with us, in this world we’re shaping Toma nuestra mano y relájate
Paso a Paso Step by Step Quédate cerca, you should stay close Síganos, as we walk through our show
We see you all sitting quietly
Esta noche no tiene que ser gente tan tranquila With your whole selves, engage authentically Pueden reír, gritar, llorar, y beber tequila Sing, cry, laugh, even if it feels silly En 2023 no hay las mismas reglas
Paso a Paso Step by Step
This is church, this is prayer, this is ours So sing with us, canta con nosotros
Open your hearts and we will hold them gently Estamos aquí para abrir corazones Gathered here to make room for the many Esta obra es para las multitudes Who’ll never get to share their story O cantar todas nuestras canciones
Paso a Paso Step by Step
Don’t forget us, no nos dejes olvidados Stand for us, defendernos
We’re all the same, but see life differently Humanos y animales, somos iguales
Whether born in the U.S. or not, we all shine brightly México o Guatemala, El Salvador o Honduras We’ll hold space for you — with you — nightly Tenemos que unirnos, no hay otras opciones
Paso a Paso Step by Step
We are all one, somos uno Dedicated to Los Olvidados
A WELCOME FROM CO-CREATORS SATYA & ANDREW
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Satya Chávez (CO-CREATOR, CO-DIRECTOR, MUSICIAN) is an Indigenous MexicanAmerican, queer, Chicago based multidisciplinary artist. Their compositional work includes; Refuge, (Curious Theatre, Theo, Unicorn Theatre, Theatre Lab FAU), which has received an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, a Venturous Theater Fund Grant, a MAP Fund Grant, and an NNPN rolling world premiere; an original score for the Drama League Nominated, Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, by Brian Quijada (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and Marin Theatre Company); and musical compositions for Late, A Cowboy Song (Wirtz Center); Hamlet and Ophelia (The Artistic Home); Empanada (The Public SA); and Life on Paper (Jackalope Theatre Company); Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night (Colorado Shakespeare Festival) Other regional credits include; American Mariachi (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, South Coast Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company); Undesirables (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center); A Christmas Carol, Evocation to Visible Appearance (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Othello, Twelfth Night (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Undesirables, Ghost Of Lote Bravo, Shoe (John F. Kennedy Center); Black Elk Speaks, Arabian Nights (Aurora Fox); and Jesus Christ Superstar (Arvada Center). Proudly represented by Paonessa Talent Agency, stay connected at www.satyachavez.com or follow @escuchala.satya
Andrew Rosendorf (CO-CREATOR) Andrew’s work has been produced or developed at La Jolla, MCC, KC Rep, Signature Theatre, the National New Play Network, American Theater Company, Nashville Rep, City Theatre, Geva Theatre, Actor’s Express, Curious Theatre Company, and Local Theater Company. He is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, a Venturous Theater Fund Grant and a MAP Fund Grant for REFUGE, which he co-created with Satya Jnani Chávez. He is an alum of the Goodman’s Playwrights Unit, NNPN’s Playwright-in-Residence program, the Ingram New Works program, terraNOVA Collective’s Groundbreakers Playwrights Group, and has been a fellow of SPACE on Ryder Farm, Tofte Lake Center, VCCA and MacDowell Colony. He was a previous McKnight and Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center. He is a current Core Writer with the Playwrights’ Center and an Associate Artist with Local Theater Company. He is currently in development on a television pilot with Amblin at Peacock. Special Thanks: NNPN, Wendy Weckwerth, Patrice Amon, Carlyn Aquiline, Curious Theatre Company, Tofte Lake Center, Playwrights’ Center, Colorado New Play Festival, Theatre Lab at FAU, South Texas Human Rights Center, Theo Ubique Theatre, Campfire Theatre Festival, Great Plains Theatre Commons, HBMG Foundation, Unicorn Theatre.
THE CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
Cynthia Levin (PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CO-DIRECTOR) is in her 44th season with the Unicorn. Over the years she has served as a director, actor, designer or producer for over 300 productions. Most recently Cynthia directed Our Black Death and Bernhardt/Hamlet. Some of the other productions she has directed here are Bond, Vietgone, Chesapeake, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert: The Musical (co-directed with Missy Koonce), Eclipsed, Hand to God, Heathers: The Musical (again, with Missy), The Oldest Boy, Women Playing Hamlet (world premiere), Bad Jews, Grounded, Venus in Fur, My Name is Asher Lev, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Soul Collector (world premiere), Hungry (world premiere), Red, Two Jews Walk Into A War…, Distracted,
Green Whales (world premiere), Miss Witherspoon, My First Time, The Clean House, Mauritius, 9 Parts of Desire, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Bat Boy: The Musical and additionally the world premieres of rightnextto me (both at the Unicorn and Geva Theatre Center, Rochester, NY), How His Bride Came to Abraham, Light:Damage, Mercy Killing, Innocent Thoughts and Jack and Jill. At Coterie Theatre, she has directed Number the Stars, And Then They Came for Me, Frankenstein, Gatherings in Graveyards (I and II), Valley Song and To Kill A Mockingbird. At the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., she directed readings of Our Black Death, Occupants, In The Belly Of The Whale, The Friendship Of Her Thighs, The Last Pair Of Earlies, Tigers Be Still and White Devil and Loving Mother for the MFA Playwright’s Workshop. Cynthia is a graduate of Park University which also awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in 2002. She is a founding board member of the National New Play Network, an organization dedicated to the development and production of new works. She has been honored with the Pinnacle Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Human Rights Campaign Equality Award and most recently the Kathryn V. Lamkey Award from the Actors’ Equity Association for her ongoing commitment to inclusion and diversity. She shares her home with Zia (the beagle), Dodger (the cat) and the spirit of the big red dog, Sylvia.
Marisa B. Tejeda (MARTINA) is ecstatic to be returning to the Unicorn where they were previously seen as Emmy in A Doll’s House, Part 2. Marisa is a Chicago based actor/musician/creator and a recent graduate of the MFA Acting program at UMKC. Marisa has previously worked with American Players Theatre, The Guthrie, KC Rep, The Coterie, KCAT, Heart of America Shakes, LAByrinth Theatre, The Jungle Theater, and The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey among others. Upcoming: Emilia Bassano in Emilia with Ten Thousand Things Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Proudly represented by Paonessa Talent and Echo Lake Entertainment. For more information: www. marisatejeda.com IG: marisabee_
Areli Gil (GIRL) is thrilled to be returning to the Unicorn stage after over a decade. Areli has dedicated her time working behind the scenes as a professional makeup artist and educator, including time backstage at NYFW. Areli dedicates her performance to her mother. Thank you for keeping our culture alive, for me and for my babies. You are the best Abuelita anyone could ever hope for. Te quero mucho.
Jerry Mañan (WOLF) is an acting, and film graduate from Avila University. Roles include - Heart of America Shakespeare’s The Tempest, ShakesFear, Shakespeare in Love, Much Ado about Nothing; KCAT’s Dot, The Pests; KC Public Theater’s Miss Julie, Oedipus the King; Fishtank Theatre’s Spilled Milk; What if Puppets’ Animal Amigos!; The New Theatre’s Sherwood. Radio credits - KCART’s The Hitchhiker, KC: 1924, Mama Knows the Game, The Voice from the Other Side, & more; KC Public Theatre’s El Sueño Que Mueve el Sol.
Manon Halliburton (STEPH) has been in several Unicorn Productions and was last seen in Our Black Death. She just completed a run of A Christmas Carol playing Mrs. Cratchit at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre and Twelfth Night playing Malvolia at KC Rep. Manon has worked all over the country and has appeared on television in The Sopranos and Law and Order. She also co-starred in the independent horror film I Am Lisa. Manon is also a professional head shot photographer in the Kansas City area and her
THE CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
work can be seen at www.manonhalliburtonphotography.com. Thank you Cynthia, cast, crew and much love to Jon and all their furry family.
Logan Black (RANCHER) Is thrilled to be working with the Unicorn again on such a magical story. Other productions include A Doll’s House Part 2, Bond, An Octoroon and Seminar (Unicorn Theatre). Spiders Web, The Pests, King Lear, and Journey’s End (KCAT). A Christmas Carol, Our Town (KC Rep); Measure for Measure (Confluence Theatre). Regional credits include: Much Ado About Nothing, To Kill A Mockingbird (Colorado Shakespeare) Hamlet, The School for Scandal (Riverside Theatre). He is the founder of the Confluence Theatre Company, and resident fight choreographer for the Unicorn. He has an MFA in Acting & Directing from UMKC and is a proud Actors Equity Member.
Tanya Brown (STAGE MANAGER) is in her 17th season with Unicorn Theatre. Some of her all-time favorites have been The Revolutionists, Venus in Fur, Hand to God, Cock, Stupid F##king Bird, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Unicorn Theatre).
Kelli Harrod (SCENIC DESIGNER) is delighted to be back designing at Unicorn Theatre! Some of her past designs at the Unicorn include Pipeline, American Son, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Bond, Men on Boats, and Informed Consent. Other recent shows include Something Rotten, Peter Pan (White Theatre at the J); A Doll’s House, Dracula: A Song of Love and Death, and Blithe Spirit (KCAT); and PUFFS, Secret Soldiers, SpongeBob the Musical (Coterie Theatre). @setdeskel www.kelliharrod.com
Em Swenson (LIGHTING DESIGNER) Recently at Unicorn Theatre, Em was the lighting designer for Clyde’s and The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2, scenic designer for The Lifespan of a Fact, Babel, Who’s Your Baghdaddy, Nomad Motel, The Effect and The Revolutionists; lighting designer for Sweat and Chesapeake; and projection designer for A Doll’s House, Part 2 and Bond. Em recently earned a Master of Public Administration degree at UMKC, and has since become the Director of Development for Unicorn Theatre.
Gianna Agostino (SOUND DESIGNER) is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina where she received her Bachelor’s in Music and Communications at UNC Charlotte. Gianna is currently pursuing her MFA in Sound Design at UMKC. Her focus is on utilizing emerging technologies to create efficient and impactful storytelling through original musical scores and soundscapes that blur the line between music and noise while creating uniquely immersive experiences for audiences. As a cellist, she has performed with international groups and performers such as the Kolkata Youth Orchestra and Sara Davis Buechner; she has also participated in an orchestral residency in Vancouver, BC. As a sound designer, Gianna was awarded first place at the 2020 SETC Design Competition for her work on Caryl Churchill’s Far Away. She has designed and composed for many Kansas City Actor’s Radio Theatre (KCART) episodes and for works such as Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Branden Jacob Jenkin’s Everybody at UMKC, and Matthew Lopez’ The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2 at the Unicorn last year.
Ana Belen Cobos (COSTUME DESIGNER) is proud to work with the Unicorn Theatre on Refuge as her first production as Costume Designer. She received a BFA from Texas
THE CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
State University, and MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Costume Production. Previously, she’s worked for Santa Fe Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Pittsburgh Public Theatre as a Dresser, Stitcher and First Hand. As someone born in Bolivia, raised in Texas, there are many places she’s called home. She now resides in Kansas City as the Costume Shop Supervisor at UMKC. She dedicates her work on Refuge to her dog, companion and angel, Reina, who passed recently.
Eric Palmquist (PROPS DESIGNER) is a graduate of the University of Kansas theatre program and a founding member of Terra Femina Collective. Recent work includes The Sound Inside, Toni Stone,The Inheritance Parts 1 & 2, Tiny Beautiful Things, Our Black Death, Dance Nation, Pipeline, The Lifespan of a Fact, American Son, Babel, Bernhardt/ Hamlet, Who’s Your Baghdaddy, The Revolutionists, The Humans (Unicorn Theatre), Caroline, or Change, Every Brilliant Thing, Billy Elliot (Spinning Tree), and A Moon for the Misbegotten (KCAT). An AEA member, he was last seen in Viper (Terra Femina) and Nomad Motel (Unicorn Theatre), and has performed with the Coterie, the Living Room Theatre, Equity Actors Reader Theatre, the MET, and the Buffalo Room.
ABOUT NNPN
National New Play Network is an alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. NNPN envisions a robust, equitable, and inclusive new play ecology that reflects a broad range of aesthetics, and strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters and audiences encounter new work. Since its founding in 1998, National New Play Network has grown into a vital force for new work in the American theater, serving over 130 Member Theaters as well as artists and audiences around the world. NNPN’s National Showcase of New Plays, initially presented in 2002, was the Network’s first program aimed at creating a new play pipeline that spanned the US. In 2004, NNPN launched the pilot of what has become its paradigm-shifting Rolling World Premiere program. As NNPN’s membership, funding, and programmatic offerings have grown, innovations including season-long Residencies within Member Theaters for rising administrative leaders, two annual Commissions, and a dedicated fund for theater-makers working to develop new plays across institutions emerged. The New Play Exchange®, launched in 2015, is the world’s largest online library of scripts by living writers, and features unprecedented opportunities for direct connection among playwrights, readers, and producers. NNPN’s current Strategic Plan centers its commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The Network’s dedication to new plays remains the center of its work, but the future NNPN envisions is one that is robust, inclusive, and equitable for all theater-makers and audience members.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
THE CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
Alex Perry
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Sally Everhart
Vice President
Kirsty Melville
Treasurer
Winnie Dunn
Secretary
Meredith Webster
Kevin Gabriel Carol Gee
Cynthia Levin
Michael Nonbello Kimberly Stern Amy Wright Suzanne Wheeler
STAFF
Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin
Director of Finance Jason Kralicek Director of Marketing Nathan Gwartney
Director of Development Em Swenson
Production Manager Taylor Jene Sullivan
Technical Director Andy Peveler Box Office Manager Caitlin Hahn Social Media Coordinator Anna Sell
Production Stage Manager Tanya Brown
Front of House Staff Cheryl Benge, Anthony Beyer, Christopher Carlson, D’Anthony Casey, Megan Forbes, Paula Fry, Daniel Harkins, Imani Lewis, Tshombe Locke, Ethan Platt, Anna Sell, Em Swenson, Rosie Thomas Photography Cynthia Levin
UNICORN THEATRE’S MISSION
Unicorn Theatre enhances the Kansas City community by developing and producing high-quality, thought-provoking plays that have never been seen in the region. We illuminate social issues by shining a light on diversity and inclusive stories which include race, religion and gender identity. Unicorn creates opportunities for the advancement of emerging and established actors, directors, playwrights, designers, technicians and administrative staff.
VISION STATEMENT
By producing provocative new plays Unicorn Theatre fosters the next generation of great American writers and artists, creating innovative and intimate theatrical experiences that transcend the ordinary. We inspire the community to think and feel deeply; to see the world in new and different ways. Unicorn strives to be one of the preeminent homes for new plays in the country.
AFFILIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
Unicorn Theatre is a constituent of Actors’ Equity Association; Theatre Communications Group, Inc.; The National New Play Network; Missouri Citizens for the Arts; The Downtown Council; Main Street Development Corporation; Nonprofit Connect; Urban Core Group; and The Kansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
