YALE CABARET: The Rasa Jar

A NOTE FROM THE CAB LEADERSHIP We are excited to present The Rasa Jar as our season’s second show.

This original piece by Shyama Iyer examines human emotions in a unique blend of Indian and American music theatre. It has been a joy to watch as the designers, performers and musicians transform the Yale Cabaret into a space that’s as much part of telling the story as the performers in it. We hope you continue to come back and join us as we build a season of exploration, experimentation, and pushing boundaries at Yale Cabaret.

Out of the box and into our Sandbox!

— Doaa, Kyle, & Annabel

A NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG As humans, we experience a variety of emotions on a daily basis; most are fleeting, others tend to linger. Some days, however, are particularly overwhelming, with many different feelings rising to the surface all at once.

The Rasa Jar explores performed emotion as derived from the Natyashastra, a dramaturgical document that emerged in India around 500 CE. The Natyashastra defines eight Bhavas, or emotions prepared by the performer; and eight Rasas, or emotions tasted by the audience.

As audience members, you will hear songs specifically intended to evoke certain Rasas from you. These Rasas are named in the program inserts and correspond to the colored beads distributed throughout the room. During the show, be prepared to feel, give your feeling a name, and pick the colored bead that matches it! Our performers will come and collect them periodically.

Shyama has crafted each piece from this song cycle in a particular South Indian mode, with Carnatic (South Indian classical) excerpts inspired from works by Akila Iyer, Lalgudi G. Jayraman, Tyagaraja, Sreejith Menon, and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna.

SPECIAL THANKS

— Lara Sachdeva

Wiktor Freifeld Akila Iyer Srirangan Iyer Ankit Pandey Simona DePaolis Shawn Boyle Gib Gibney Pat Blanchard Nic Benavides Mara Bredovskis Steph Burke Cam Waitkun Dramaturgy Faculty DGSD Electrics Shop Wendall K. Harrington

THE RASA JAR

Created by Shyama Iyer

PRODUCTION TEAM Producer

Dramaturg

Set Designer

Kavya Shetty*

Lara Sachdeva*

Patti Panyakaew

Sound Designer

Lighting Designer

Projection Designer

Projection Assistant

Interactions Designer

Technical Director

Emilee Biles*

Celia Chen

Ke Xu

John Horzen

Christian Killada

Leo Surach

Stage Manager

Iyanna Huffington Whitney*

CAST Woman 1

Shefali Gauri Das Dancer

Woman 2

Shyama Iyer Carnatic Vocalist

Dancer

Shruti Parthasarathy* Sahiti Rachakonda* Maanasa Nandigam* Pianist

Miles Zaud*

Violinist

Alyssa Chetrick*

SHOW SPONSOR Paul Walsh *Yale Cabaret Debut

MISSION STATEMENT

Sandbox by definition, is “a shallow box in the ground partly filled with sand for children to play in”. We hope to create a similar sense of curiosity and playfulness, allowing artists to access creativity only possible when given the opportunity to dig and unearth treasures within themselves. Our season will focus on performance arts as a whole, not just script-based plays or musicals, it’s open to ALL. We aim to look at collaborators as they are, without limiting them to the role they hold within the DGSD community. We believe in a theater without labels, where artists are not limited by the hats they wear, but by the experience they bring into the room with them. As a collective, we will create theater that continues to reshape our ever-changing view on the world.

OUR SANDBOX IS...

A Celebration of Ideas: A place where no ideas are bad ideas Experimental: A space to try, fail, learn, and grow as a community A Resource: A pool of combined knowledge and artistry An Outlet: Magnifying unheard voices and underrepresented stories A Continuum: An application of skills learned Our Sandbox is a place where you can make your wildest dreams come true.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT The state of Connecticut and Yale University occupy the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, Quinnipiac, and other Algonquian speaking peoples. We honor and respect their continued relationship with and stewardship of this land, and we acknowledge that Yale University, Yale Cabaret, and those affiliated have benefited from the oppression of these Nations.

LABOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Yale University does not exist independently from the centuries of forced labor and economic extraction of enslaved people, primarily of African descent, on which this country was built. We are indebted to their labor and their unwilling sacrifice, and we must acknowledge the ongoing violence inflicted on Black and brown people and the resulting impact and generational trauma still felt today.

LEADERSHIP TEAM Co-Artistic Director

Co-Artistic Director

Doaa Ouf

Managing Director

Kyle Stamm

Annabel Guevara

COLLABORATORS Assoc. Managing Director

Cab Assistant

Cab Assistant

Anne Ciarlone

Kavya Shetty

Claudia Campos

Graphic Designer

Production Manager

Restaurant Partner

Michelle Foley

Twaha Abdul Majeed

The Anchor Spa

ADVISORY BOARD Acting

Costume Design

Directing

Grayson Richmond

Caroline Tyson

Alexis Kulani Woodard

Dramaturgy

Lighting Design

Playwriting

Karoline Vielmeyer

David DeCarolis

Doug Robinson

Projection Design

Scenic Design

Kim Zhou

Sound Design

Joe Krempetz

Stage Managment

Technical Design

Theatre Management

John Horzen

Colleen Rooney

Leo Surach

Natalie King

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair

Wendy Davies Eric M. Glover

L.T. Gourzong

Linda-Cristal Young

Samanta Cubias

Gabrielle Hoyt

LAW

ABOUT THE CAB

In 1968, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale students established a basement performance venue in the former home of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at 217 Park Street. Envisioned as an alternative outlet for drama school students’ creativity and experimentation, Yale Cabaret became a forum for our expanded New Haven communities, whom we invite to gather around food, drink, conversation, fellowship, and artistry.

Since its founding, the Cabaret has remained in continuous operation, including pivoting to virtual performance during the 2020/21 season. The Cab has produced hundreds of plays, old and new, alongside musicals and musical revues, comedy shows, dance, performance art, and genre-defying performance.

Our supporters have made this storied history happen. With their partnership, we continue this tradition into 2024 and beyond.

JOIN US FOR DINNER The Anchor Spa at Yale Cabaret will be offering a dinner service for our 8pm Thursday through Saturday performances accepting orders from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

at Yale Cabaret

The Anchor Spa boasts a pan-Caribbean menu and an outstanding cocktail program that represents a voyage around the world, including some unique international spirits rarely sampled in the U.S. From picking herbs a la minute from their garden to brewing up syrups and roasting their designer garnishes, The Anchor Spa applies the highest level of craft bartending principles in the pursuit of fun like no one else.

Chef Kendall Thigpen welcomes you back!

JOIN US AT THE BAR Yale Cabaret will have a bar open 30 minutes before all performances including at intermission and after the show. You can find a range of alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, and snacks for sale at the bar!

OUR SUPPORTERS

Yale Cabaret is DGSD’s student-run theater and operates with the support of our generous donors. Your donation goes a long way to support the many artists that work in our theater. Please consider making a donation today and help us create in our Sandbox!

Champion ($2,500 - $4,999)

Partner ($1,000 - $2,400)

Wendy Davies

Joan Channick Lynn Doucette-Stamm Bennett Pudlin & Ann Judd

Show Sponsor ($500 - $999)

Enthusiast ($250 - $499)

L.T. Gourzong The Mooney Basile Family Bill & Sharon Reynolds Paul Walsh Supporter ($100 - $249)

Donald & Mary Brown Jerry Lodynsky Christine E Wall

James Bundy and Anne Tofflemire Ramiro Daniel Diaz Pamela Jordan Chantal Rodriguez Florie Seery Josh Taylor Advocate ($50 - $99)

Alicia Guevara In Honor of Edgar Melgar

DONATE NOW!

THANKS TO OUR TECH WEEK SPONSORS

WHAT’S NEXT! ROMEO AND YOU-LIET October 19th - October 21st

Proposed By: Andrew Aaron Valdez, Victoria McNaughton and Claudia Campos Devised by The Company, in collaboration with Red Hot Poker (Yale’s premiere sketch comedy troupe) In “Romeo and You-liet”, step into Verona’s age-old feud and steer the fate of the star-crossed lovers in this interactive retelling. Every choice we make rebuilds Shakespeare’s iconic tale into something simultaneously recognizable and uniquely yours.

BYE BYE

October 26th - October 28th By: Stefani Kuo Moonie is 30 and has decided to go on dates with 100 men this year. TODAY, SHE IS GOING ON HER 88TH! Will Moonie find love on the 88th date? Will her mother finally stop asking why she’s still single? And most importantly, will she be able to preserve her entire family line?

SEASON 56 FESTIVAL November 30th - December 2nd

Coming Soon!

GET YOUR SEASON PASS TODAY!

Flex passes can be used throughout the season to attend any Cabaret Season 56 production (excluding CAB 5 & CAB 9). See our website for more information.

YALE CABARET 217 PARK STREET | 203.432.1566 YALECABARET.ORG