...but you could've held my hand

OCTOBER 6 AT 7:30 P.M. (PREVIEW) OCTOBER 7-8, 12-14 AT 7:30 P.M. OCTOBER 8-9, 16 AT 2:00 P.M.

OSCAR G. BROCKETT THEATRE F. LOREN WINSHIP DRAMA BUILDING

THEATREDANCE.UTEXAS.EDU

Demian Gael Chavez – Sound Designer • Jackson Cobb – Projection Designer Rodrigo Esquivel Herrera – Stage Manager • Keith Galloway – Composer Andy Grapko – Intimacy Director • Trinity Gordon – Associate Director Renita James – Dramaturg and Community Engagement • JuCoby Johnson – Playwright Yvonne L. Miranda – Costume Designer • Love Muwwakkil – Choreographer Leila Rabah – Assistant Stage Manager • Braxton Rae – Director • Alex Rockey – Scenic Designer David Tolin – Technical Director • Amber Whatley – Lighting Designer

CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE) Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kobe Williams Eddie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yusef Dixon Charlotte/Charlie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faith Anderson Marigold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Se’An Boatner

Videography and photography is strictly prohibited.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome to …but you could’ve held my hand!

I believe in the transformative power of theatre. On stage, we go places and experience what may not be accessible to us normally. What we see on stage matters and I am serious about telling compelling stories that matter. As we were conceptualizing this production, I thought critically about Blackness.

When I encounter Blackness on stage, I'm ofen met with Black trauma. Lately I have also seen a surge in stories that operate in a realm that I’ll call Black joy. What I am interested in finding is Black wholeness, where Black people and other people of color can live their lives fully and authentically without the story being inherently related to trauma or having to perform joy. Being able to let the characters in our production simply live their lives is breathtakingly beautiful to me, so I was passionate about creating a world of beauty for them to live in.

I'm a sucker for love. I aim to be a person who receives and gives love with reckless abandon, even if it hurts. Here's the thing about love: It's hard. In the words of Toni Morrison, “Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain't love at all.” In this play, when these four people meet each other they immediately create a connection of love and trust. A staying kind of love, one that persists over decades. It's easy to love when life is easy. It's harder to love when life is hard. I've seen with this story and in these characters a love that is strong. A love that is here to stay. Being truly loved is being seen authentically for who you are, and these people see each other completely. This is the love I've been wanting to receive and more importantly give, even if it hurts.

Love with us.

NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG “To be loving we willingly hear each other's truth and, most important, we afirm the value of truth telling. Lies may make people feel better, but they do not help them to know love.” ― bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions This is a space of radical acceptance. You are who you are, and we are who we are. We have been given the gif of existing together, in this moment. We will tangle with love, relationships, loss, excess, pain, happiness and sorrow. All in 100 minutes and all in the name of finding our most authentic selves. Our truth.

We hope that for a moment in time, this space will feel like a hug from a long-time friend or perhaps a nudge to reconnect that with your middle school buddy. No matter what, we hope that this moment in time will serve as a reminder that you are not alone.

You are not alone.

Imagine yourself as the you that exists behind closed doors. The you that perhaps only a few people or only you know well. Bring that you to the show with you. There is space for you; all of you. And there are open arms waiting for that you, here, in this theatre.

To be loved in the entirety of your truth is a powerful act. There is love here. We hope love pours out on you like flower petals. And who knows, perhaps one or two will fall in your pocket, or in a shoe and serve as a gentle reminder that you are enough. You are loved. You are welcome here (in all your youiness).

Get comfortable. Settle in. Welcome.

CREATIVE Demian Gael Chavez (Sound Designer) is a second-year B.A. in Latino Studies major also pursuing a B.A. in Theatre and Dance with an emphasis in playwriting and directing at The University of Texas at Austin. He has an extensive background in both design and directing. Recent work includes design and direction for La Ruta and La Cocina de Frida at Teatro Quetzal in El Paso, Texas. Forthcoming work includes music direction for Evil Dead The Musical with the University Theatre Guild.

Jackson Cobb (Projection Designer) is a third-year M.F.A. in Theatre (integrated media for live performance) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent design credits include Jinkies! or The Dog Play (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2022), Sonnets for an Old Century (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2021) and the Song Reimagined series (Butler Opera Center, 2021). Recent assistant design credits include Spittin’ Seeds (Penumbra Theatre, 2022) and Thoughts of a Colored Man (Broadway, 2021). jacksoncobb.design Rodrigo Esquivel Herrera (Stage Manager) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance student with an emphasis in stage management originally from Mexico. This production marks his third project at The University of Texas at Austin, with past credits including Meek (director’s studio project, 2021) and Love and Information (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2022). Regional credits include In the Heights (STAGES St. Louis). He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and is a proud Equity Membership Candidate.

Keith Galloway (Composer) is a B.S. in Arts and Entertainment Technologies major at The University of Texas at Austin. Galloway has a substantial background in jazz piano and composition and works frequently as a musician and producer within and around the Austin music community.

Trinity Gordon (Associate Director) is a fourthyear UTeach Theatre major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She's

worked in theatre spaces on and of stage and partnered with Texas non-profits including Leap of Joy, Visions for Change and North Texas Theater Anti-Racist Trust Initiative.

Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director) is a lecturer and resident intimacy director for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her training includes Intimacy Directors and Coordinators, Theatrical Intimacy Education and Intimacy for Stage and Screen. A Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Associate and Association of Theatre Movement Educators member, her recent credits include Anna in the Tropics (Ground Floor Theatre), Venus in Fur (Way Of Broadway Community Players), Murky as Hell (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2022), The Tasters (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2021) and the upcoming film Clock. andygrapko.com Renita James (Dramaturg and Community Engagement) is a multi-hyphenated artist and a second-year M.F.A. in Theatre candidate with a specialization in drama and theatre for youth and communities at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to attending graduate school, they served as Director of Education at Aurora Theatre in Georgia and as the Teaching Artist Fellow for Metro Theater Company. James has taught, programmed and implemented a variety of programing for people of all ages.

JuCoby Johnson (Playwright) has been seen onstage at the Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Jungle Theater, Theater Latté Da, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things Theatre and many more. His plays include How It's Gon Be (Underdog Theatre, 2019); ...but you could've held my hand (2020 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Summer Season; CATCO, 2023); 5 (Jungle Theater 2023; 2022 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference Summer Season; Seven Devils Finalist); I'll Be Seeing You Again (Jungle Serial Audio Series, 2021) and Revelations (Playing On Air, 2021). He was a 2021-2022 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting and is currently an Artistic Associate at Jungle Theater.

CREATIVE Yvonne L. Miranda (Costume Designer, she/ hers) is a guest artist for …but you could’ve held my hand. A United States Marine Corps veteran, she traded in her combat boots for a career in theatre artistry afer returning to her hometown of Dallas, Texas. Her passion for visual storytelling has led to a diverse array of work in film/television and opera. She currently resides in the Chicago, Illinois area. yvonnemirandadesigns.com Love Muwwakkil (Choreographer) is pursuing her M.F.A. in Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. Some highlights of her career include serving as rehearsal director and company member for Urban Bush Women, Hairspray with Royal Caribbean, projects with the aerial dance company AERA Dance and The PULSE Project, performing with Gesel Mason Performance Projects and Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. She continues to freelance as a performer, teacher and choreographer and recently was movement director for A Recipe For Action.

Leila Rabah (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management at The University of Texas at Austin.

Braxton Rae (Director) is an artist whose creative work and scholarship is focused on blackness, queerness, womanism and marginalized identities more broadly. Additionally, Braxton is passionate about the craf of intimacy work and staging intimate moments while prioritizing care and safety. Braxton’s artistic goals are to foster an arts community that focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion. Recently Braxton directed Always…Patsy Cline at Great River Shakespeare Festival. braxtonrae.com

Alex Rockey (Scenic Designer) is a M.F.A. in Theatre (scenic design) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent design credits include Ariadne auf Naxos (Santa Fe Opera, scenery apprentice), The Wolves (Pace University) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Quisisana Resort). He recently completed a scenery apprenticeship at the Santa Fe Opera, where he also served as automation specialist for The Barber of Seville. Assistant design credits include The Tasters (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2021) and The Inheritance (ZACH Theatre). alexrockeydesign.com David Tolin (Technical Director) was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. He received his B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in design/ technology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his M.F.A. in Theatre from The University of Texas at Austin before teaching at Westlake High School for seven years. Tolin works at Texas Performing Arts’ Fabrication Studios as the Project Manager and as faculty in the UT Live Design and Production area.

Amber Whatley (Lighting Designer) was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. She completed her B.F.A. at Savannah College of Art and Design. Her M.F.A. graduate studies in lighting at The University of Texas at Austin led her to the creation of Blackout, a series of workshops and videos in which her objective is to bring lighting design awareness to Black youth. As a post-M.F.A. fellow at The Ohio State University, Whatley enjoys teaching, freelance designing and furthering the development of Blackout.

CAST

Kobe Williams

Yusef Dixon

Faith Anderson

Se'An Boatner

CAST Kobe Williams (Max) is a B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin also pursuing a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies.

He has an extensive background in acting, filmmaking and dance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Sonnets for an Old Century (2021) and A Fistful of Trespassing (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020), in addition to several short films within and outside of the university.

Yusef Dixon (Eddie) was born and raised in Houston, Texas and is a transfer third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits include the role of "King Henry" in Henry IV, Part I (University of Evansville), assistant director of The Tasters (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2021) and a starring role in Red Bike (director’s studio project, 2021).

BECOME A SEASON SUBSCRIBER

Faith Anderson (Charlotte/Charlie) is an intuitive performing artist born and raised in Austin, Texas. Afer studying acting at Howard University, Anderson returned home with a dedication to building equitable art spaces for historically excluded communities. As a member of New Manifest Theatre Company, Anderson holds recent credits as a director and featured performer in BLKS by Aziza Barnes.

Additional credits include Covenant (Manifest Minifest) and Good Friday (The VORTEX), both written by Kristiana Rae Colón, as well as an appearance in the educational film Door Three.

Se’An Boatner (Marigold) is a B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. Now in her fourth year, this will be her third and final performance with Texas Theatre and Dance.

WHAT’S ON STAGE

LOCATION, DIRECTIONS, PARKING

CREW

ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER RACHEL GREEN ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER DONNA YANCEY ASSISTANT PROJECTION DESIGNER HEEKYUNG KIM ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER HAZEL KENT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO J.E. JOHNSON ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO KAREN MANESS TPA* SENIOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR SCOTT BUSSEY

PRODUCTION LEADS ZOE BIHAN SYDNY DEMEYER DANIEL GELD ISABELLA HOLLIS FABRICATION PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS FEDOR AGLYAMOV LEAH AUSTIN BENJAMIN CERVANTES BRIDGETTE CLIFFORD RODRIGO ESQUIVEL HERRERA GRACE FEATHERSTON DAVID HERNANDEZ VICTORIA ELLYS JEFFERSON BRITTNEY KOOPMANN ROXOLANA KRYWONOS AUSTIN LUCHAK JONAH MAUGHAN HANNAH NELSON NELSON NWACHUKWU NATALIA RODENZO HANNAH SHEPARD JULIA ANN WEBB MICHAEL WILLIAMS JULIA YELVINGTON

PROJECT MANAGER, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO DAVID TOLIN

PROP STOCK MANAGER EZRA-ROSE BOLENDER

OPERATIONS MANAGER, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO JASON LEE HUERTA

SCENERY/PROPS CREW JEREMY BENAVIDES VICTORIA MONTEMAYOR

PROPERTIES MANAGER, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO CAROLYN HARDIN

COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA

LEAD FABRICATOR, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO HANK SCHWEMMER

COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO PRODUCTION ASSOCIATES DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES SAMANTHA GASHETTE

PROJECT SPECIALIST, TPA* FABRICATION STUDIO ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY GRADUATE PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS DANIEL BUSTO TERE GUERRERO CARDOSO INJI HA TENZING ORTEGA ALEXANDER ROCKEY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS KATHRYN CLARK MORGAN RANDALL

STITCHERS JACOB BENAIM RACHEL GREEN JULIE WEBB COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE COSTUME CRAFTS ASSISTANT LEAH HUMMEL COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO ASSISTANT KATHERINE COCANNON WIG, HAIR AND MAKEUP ARTIST MIA WILSON COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO CREW SUPERVISOR ARIES LIMON COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO CREW JEREMY CANALES STEPHANIE KELLER RIGOBERTO MUNGUIA RAYCE RISCH ELIJAH RODRIGUEZ JULIA SALAZAR KOLBY TATE WARDROBE SUPERVISOR DESIREE TOWNES WARDROBE CREW CHIEF VERONICA GOTWAY KATIE MILLER

COSTUME PROJECT MANAGER DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES

WARDROBE CREW DANIELA ALBERT IVYCAMILLE SAMPSON HANNAH SHEPARD JAYCIE VOLLER

DRAPERS SARAH BARBOUR POUA YANG

COSTUME STOCK SUPERVISOR DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES

FIRST HANDS LUCIA CALLENDER MARISA LAWRENCE KATIE MILLER CALIFORNIA THORSON

COSTUME STOCK ASSISTANTS MEAGAN BEATTIE LAYLA ISSAC 324P LIGHTING FACULTY SUPERVISOR SEB BOONE

TPA* LIGHTING SUPERVISOR SARAH CANTU TPA* ASSOCIATE LIGHTING SUPERVISOR MICHAEL SHANKS SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS SARAH "SELLIOTT" ELLIOTT ARI JAMIESON GAVIN STRAWN ZACH YOUNG TEXAS THEATRE AND DANCE LIGHTING CREW MADY CRISS ELIZA MOLDAWER AVA NIELSEN FATIMAH QURAISHI ANDREW SOLIS EMILY TORRANCE VICTORIA VARGAS TPA* LIGHTING CREW CARLA GARCIA GILBERT MARTINEZ ZACKARY READ MATTHEW E. SMITH SHELLY UPHAM JACOB ZAMARRIPA LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR COBY HUGHES TPA* AUDIO SUPERVISOR ANDREW MILLAY TPA* AUDIO CREW ISABELLE GILMORE LUCY KULZICK ELIAS MERLO BRYCE RIGGLE AUDIO BOARD OPERATOR YASMYNNE KNOX INTEGRATED MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR EARNEST MAZIQUE MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS JACKSON COBB ALFRED HURTADO HEEKYUNG KIM SYDNEY SOUSA MEDIA SHOP INTERN AMBER HUCHTON

CREW

MEDIA SHOP CREW SAYLOR DEMENT MELISSA ELKINS ELIJAH MENDENHALL JILLIAN RISBERG JOYLIN WEI MEDIA OPERATOR NOEMIE GSCHWENDTNER CREW SUPERVISOR AUSTIN SHIRLEY STAGE MANAGEMENT ADVISORS RUSTY CLOYES ROBERT TOLARO

DIRECTING ADVISORS KJ SANCHEZ ALEXANDRA BASSIAKOU SHAW COSTUME DESIGN ADVISOR RAQUEL BARRETO COSTUME TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR DAVID AREVALO LIGHTING DESIGN ADVISOR MICHELLE HABECK INTEGRATED MEDIA DESIGN ADVISOR KATE FREER

SCENIC DESIGN ADVISOR JOSAFATH REYNOSO SOUND DESIGN ADVISOR PHILLIP OWEN TPA* DIRECTOR OF FABRICATION AND ACADEMIC PRODUCTION JEFF GRAPKO

SPECIAL THANKS JENNIFER TRICE MORGAN DEE MARC DYER HALEY JOHNSON EB MADRY COREY ALLEN MEGAN ALRUTZ

PHOTOGRAPHER THOMAS ALLISON GRAPHIC DESIGNER JEFF GRAY *TPA = Texas Performing Arts