DEAR 2020, WITH LOVE: A EUPHORIC PLAY, Yale Cabaret, 2021

A note from the show Team: Dear 2020, Where does one even begin?

You took so much from us and just when we thought you were done, you said “Sike!”

You taught us a few things though ... The importance of family, nuclear and chosen, the importance of friends, the preciousness of life, the privilege that freedom affords us, and the reawakening of America to the gross racial injustice still dominating this country and prevalent all over the world.

My mother always said to her kids, “God can’t bless your hands if they are tight-fisted.” I think it’s high time we released our grip and let the year of 2020 go.

So, this play is us doing so! I hope you join us in the process.

With love, Nomè SiDone

A note from the CAB TEAM: 2020 was a year like no other. This play captures the full range of everything it means to be alive and pursuing love in 2020. When Nomè brought us an early draft of his script, we knew right away that it could be the tonic so many folks needed after a year of searching for deeper intimate connections. Seeing this dedicated cast and creative team craft such riveting interactions of familial love, intimate love, sexual love, amiable love, love clouded by mental illness, painful love, and joyous, uninhibited love has been revelatory. We wish you all the best journey back through 2020, through the heartache and through the euphoria.

-Cab 53 Leadership Team Maeli Goren, Jisun Kim, Nicole E. Lang, and Matthew Sonnenfeld

Dear 2020, With Love A Euphoric Play proposed by Nomè SiDone

Creative Team Playwright/Director Producer Stage Manager Projection Designer Sound Designer Costume Designer Intimacy Direction

Nomè SiDone A.J. Roy Kevin Jinghong Zhu Erin Sims Stan Mathabane Travis Chinick Kelsey Rainwater

CAST Joey Love Malcolm Love Raina Alvarez Noah Alvarez Benny Arnie Voice

Michael Crawford* Anthony Holiday Giovanna Drummond* Patrick Falcón Sam DeMuria Sam Douglas* Kenneth Robinson

*indicates a Yale Cabaret Debut

Special Thanks: Gavin Whitehead, Krista Dobson, Walker Daniel Keenan, Walton Wilson, Beth McGuire Abigail Onwunali

Mission and Values Yale Cabaret is an artistic community that invites students from the Yale School of Drama and our neighbors throughout greater Yale University and New Haven to imagine utopia. We artist-explorers join in spirit and space to make theater that manifests our wildest collaborative visions. Fueled by the values of symbiotic collaboration, neighborliness, accountability, and wonder, we discover how much we can make, experience, and imagine together.

The state of Connecticut and Yale University occupy the ancestral lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples. We honor and respect their stewardship of this land.

Symbiotic Collaboration.

Neighborliness.

We approach each collaboration in pursuit of our utopian ideal- that every team member is fed and fulfilled artistically, intellectually, and spiritually. We will pursue new channels of collaboration and support artists in our community to develop sustainable and generative ways to work together, because that creates JOY.

The Cab is a space for learning, growth, and the joy of storytelling for current YSD students as well as for our neighbors at greater Yale and throughout New Haven. The stories and artistic approaches on our stage will be inclusive and accessible to all in our community.

Accountability.

The Cab has a responsibility to foster open and direct communication between our leadership, artists, and the communities we serve. Each member of our community is empowered to contribute to its betterment, and every member makes a difference.

Wonder.

The Cab will cultivate surprise and artistic innovation. We are explorers in search of “wow”.

Pushing the boundaries of theatrical expression and innovation with a well-proportioned season of courageous new plays, reinventions of established plays, and devised and multidisciplinary works, design-driven explorations, and work that is non-text-driven, The Cab strives to ignite our community’s imagination.

Please visit our website to see more about our advocacy work including our community spotlight and our features on Black Women and TGNBGNC playwrights www.yalecabaret.org

Leadership Team Co-Artistic Directors Maeli Goren Jisun Kim Nicole E. Lang

Managing Director Matthew Sonnenfeld

Staff Technical Supervisors Nic Benavides Cameron Waitkun

Cabaret Assistants Natalie King Jacob Santos

Graphic Design Mikayla Johnson

Website Design Camilla Tassi

Accessibility Assistant Whitney Andrews Accessibility Researcher Madeline Charne

Preshow Design John Horzen

Artistic Associates Collaborative Leadership Maeli Goren

Design- Lighting Graham Zellers

New Works Benjamin Benne

Communication Management Edmond O’Neal

Design- Projections Henry Rodriguez

Performance Tavia Hunt

Community Collaboration Madeline Charne Eliza Orleans

Design- Scenic Miguel Urbino

Producing Annabel Guevara

Design- Sound Bailey Trierweiler

Storytelling Faith Zamblé

Design- Costumes Phuong Nguyen

Imagination Manifestor Laura Copenhaver

Board of Directors Matthew Suttor, Chair Benjamin Benne Sami Cubias

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. Anna Glover Reed Northrup Linda-Cristal Young

What’s Next APRIL 24th at 8pm est Cab Potluck- Faculty and Staff Edition

Cab Potluck is a community-centered event focusing on connection through nourishment of body and soul. Come into the kitchen and converse with a group of cooks attempting to create a delicious, edible meal from a basket of secret ingredients. In true Potluck fashion, we ask you to bring a contribution for the table: your art, your words, your photos, your stories, your videos, your music, anything that fits with the monthly theme!

This event is exclusive for Cabaret members and donors.

April 29th- May 1st Rough Drafts Festival Join the Yale Cabaret to celebrate artistry in all stages! A festival of bold new works-in-progress created by artists throughout our virtual neighborhood.

April 29th S.C. Murray’s The Nobleman- 6:00pm EST The Last Four Years: A Cabaret- 8:00pm EST April 30th Care of the Popcorn King- 6:00pm EST Potter’s Exhibition- 8:00pm EST May 1st The Death of Ophelia- 2:00pm EST Oedipus Adaptation: Telenovela Style- 4:00pm EST Pre-Show Appitizer: Solo Performance Q & A- 7:00pm Iris & Maggie- 8:00 PM Visit www.yalecbaaret.org for more details abouot each of these pieces!

More to Explore Community Spotlight- Collective Consciousness TheatRE For our third community spotlight we are proud to feature Collective Consciousness Theatre, a New Haven-based multicultural theatre company dedicated to social change through the art of live theatre. Visit out Community Spotlight page to watch the interview with CCT’s Executive Artistic Director Dexter J. Singleton and Associate Artistic Director Jenny Nelson.

Visit www.yalecabaret.org for more information!

Giving Levels Our Donors Make this virtual season possible! Make your donation today!

Cabaret Season Sponsors $5000 • • •

Recognition in the footer of our website Recognition in all pre-show reels Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Champions $2500 • • •

One Full Season Membership Dinner virtually with the Artistic Directors and Managing Director Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Partners $1000 • •

Recognition in all pre-show reels Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Show Sponsors $500 • •

Recognition during your show’s curtain speech & preshow reel Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Enthusiasts $250 • •

Personalized thank you video from the Artistic Directors and Managing Director Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Supporters $100 • •

Invitation to all Cabaret donor parties throughout the season Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret Friends $20 • •

Listing in the Cabaret progams Plus, all the perks below

Cabaret contributors <$20 •

Listing on the Cabaret website

**Corporate matching gifts are also a great way for you to double your contribution to Yale Cabaret. Check to see if your company has a gift matching program.

For more information, please visit our website, www.yalecabaret.org or call the Managing Director at 203-432-8338.

Our Donors Since its founding in 1968, the Yale Cabaret has been a place where Yale School of Drama students can experiment with new theatrical forms and develop our artistry outside of the classroom.

With the generous support of our donors, we build on our rich legacy to make space for students and the greater New Haven community to grow together through self-expression and artistic exploration.

Cabaret PartnerS Nina Adams & Moreson Kaplan Santino Blumetti Ann Judd & Bennett Pudlin Eric Nold & Ramond Curtis Matthew Suttor Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration Cabaret Show Sponsors Asian Potluck Beyond Borders David Budries Joan Channick & Ruth Hein Schmitt Betty & Josh Goldberg Molly & Matthew Goren Latiana “LT” Gourzong Armando Huipe^ Bill & Sharon Reynolds Sylvia Van Sinderen & James Sinclair Ken Sonnenfeld & Peg Brivanlou^ Paul Walsh Yale MacMillian Center Council on East Asian Studies ^ indicates the show sponsor(s) for this Live Production

Cabaret Enthusiasts Donald & Mary Brown Pamela C. Jordan Patrick T. Seaver Cabaret Supporters Liz Diamond Leon & Megan Doyon Andrea Graham Ellen Lange Lockheed Martin Amy Povich & David Agus Kevin P. Rogers Bob & Theresa Simon

Our Donors Continued Cabaret Friends Shawn Polizzi Jessica Armstrong Monica Fennell Joanie Banks-Hunt Dianne Moira Hamilton Katherine Ann Profetta Oakton A. Reynolds James Ball James Hannaham Andrew Scharenberg Christine Barker Ethan Heard Bryn Scharenberg Laurie Beitz Colleen M. Hyche Rachel Shuey Martha O. Boateng Amy Marotta Katz Jennifer Sims Katherine & Chava Burgueño Jordan Katz Audrey Sostak John Carlson Benjamin Kent Evelyn Spann Gretchen Carvajal Maggie Lally R. Lee Stump Rhona Ceppos Ann Lobdell Carolee Walker Katie E. Chipungu Mary-Margaret McLeod Jenny Weiss Theodore M. Cruz Janet Miller Walton Wilson Lissa M. Drewniak Jim & Eileen Mydosh Marilyn G. Zieserl Hugh D. Farrell, Jr. Jenny Nelson Mary Zihal Cabaret Contributors Nora Proops Erica Adarkwa Thaihera LeSian Nurse Claire Dunnett Suzanne Sherman Propp Terrease Aiken Samuel Lopez Jaylen De’Andre Eashmond Nabil R Igor Akimushkin Petra Lord Elizabeth Emmanuel Maggie Ramseur Amy Angelastro Erin MacDonnell Christopher Ewell Gabi Rubenstein Alexandra L. Anthony Joan MacIntosh Cassie Fraser-Ball Elizabeth Schell Dani Barlow Hannah Marsh Carlos Godoy Parejo Thomas Seller & Chad S. Birmingham Amanda Martinez Emily Gordon Gideon Lester Amy Boratko & Alex Speiser Christopher Gottschalk Gary Marx & Lois Shaukat Brian Boyd Donna Sonnenfeld Helen Haje Nomè SiDone Molly Boyle Giulia Mascali Maurice L. Harris Laura Silvestri Nicole Brewer Jacqueline Ann Mastrianni Laurie Heineman Robert Stubbs Ruth A. Brown Bryan Mcgill Sanelma Heinonen Annie Stutzman Sharon Brown Miranda Z. McGuireRobert Homer Michael Tayag Edwin Buckingham Schwartz Winston Hovekamp Ricarda Tomlin Bobby Burvant Vestak McIntyre Melanie Adele Hyche Philip Toop Paulo Cabral Daphne Milner Gabrielle Jackson Hannah Tran Katina Calakos Max Monnig Maria Jiang Suzanne Tucker Yomi Calloway Kenneth Morford Angeline Jones Elizabeth A. Tullis Aaron Calrderon Walter Lynn Mosley Beth A. Jones Brad Waters Carla E. Chappel Vivien Ng Susan Kalt Michelle Welsh Rebecca Cramer Ellen Novack Melissa A. Kaplan Noelle Wiggins Carol Cui Cleo M. O’Brien-Udry Fran Karliner Sarah P. Wilson Roze Czekala Joshua Olin Katherine A. Kay Darron Leigh Wolf Janet E. Davidson Rene Manuel Otero Karen A. Killeen Jessica Wolf Jen DiBella Andrew Paton Irwin Krieger Chloe Zimmerman Katherine M. DiGiulio Sarah Paoletti Ernest Kwarteng Scott Zotto LaRaisha Dionne Ryan Richard Petersburg Raphael Lecat Moira Donovan Melissa Lemons Rachel Zwick David Porter

Thank you for your generous contributions!

217 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06511 203-432-1566 www.yalecabaret.org