4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
written and performed by
RENATA HINRICHS directed by
JESSI D. HILL
1960s South Side of Chicago. A five-year-old girl finds kindness in chaos.
SEASON SPONSORS
4th Wall Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Houston throughHouston Arts Alliance and the State of Texas through the Texas Commission on the Arts.
LIMITED RUN: FEBRUARY 17-27, 2022
4th Wall’s mission is to produce extraordinary professional theatrical experiences and to set a high standard for excellence in acting, direction, and design. We believe that only by paying artists a fair wage can we grow and sustain the community of professional theatrical artists in Houston.
4TH WALL STAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADVISORY BOARD
Philip Lehl Artistic Director
Gary Chiles President Patricia Larson Secretary Harriet Schubb Treasurer Kenneth Bohan Howard M. Bookstaff Sharyn Feller Harris Michelle Mower
Jennifer Decker
Tim Richey Managing Director Kim Tobin-Lehl Resident Artist Catherine Dunaway Marketing & Development Manager Kalin Menzel Communications Coordinator
Dan O’Brien Carol Sugimoto
Emma Jacobs Ruth McCleskey Michael Mullins Gabriella Nissen John & Kelly Raley Jason Roberts Chip Schneider Dr. Robert Shimko Nancy Wozny
4th Wall Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2011 by Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl. Donations to 4th Wall are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Contact our office at info@4thwalltheatreco.com or by calling (832) 767-4991.
SPECIAL THANKS Special Thanks to the following people and institutions for their direct involvement with our administrative or artistic efforts during this production of Random Acts: The Alley Theatre, Ted Doolittle and The Urban Foresters, Mark Seavers, Gabriel Velazquez
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY presents
Written and Performed by RENATA HINRICHS* Directed by JESSI D. HILL
DESIGNERS & PRODUCTION CREW Stage Manager................................................................Meghan Spear Lighting Design...................................................................... Dan Jones Projections Design.................................................................Joe Engler Sound Design........................................................... Yezminne Zepeda Costume Design................................................... DeShon Elem Delta Movement Consultant......................................................Edisa Weeks‡ Carpenter.....................................................................Santiago Sepeda *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Stage Actors and Stage Managers ‡ Provided movement consultation on the original production of RANDOM ACTS.
Runtime: Approximately 80 minutes with no intermission
This organization is funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance and by the State of Texas through the Texas Commission on the Arts.
NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
My journey to 4th Wall Theatre started in the summer of 2019. I was in the audience to see The Tricky Part by Martin Moran at the TBG MainStage Theater in New York City. The Barrow Group is my artistic home, so it’s not unusual that I am there, but this was the first time I had been in the audience since closing my play Random Acts on this same stage a few months earlier. For years, my friend Chris Campbell had been asking me if I knew Kim Tobin, and as Random Acts developed, she would say, “I think you should connect with Kim.” There I was in the audience waiting for the play to start when a woman sat next to me. We started talking and discovered we had many friends in common and that we may have crossed paths in one of many acting classes at the Barrow Group over the years. “What is your name?” I asked. “Kim Tobin.” she said. Talk about fortuitous chance meetings! She told me about her solo play, and I mentioned mine. She said she wanted to take a look at it. Months later, as New York City closed down due to COVID, I got an email from Kim saying she and Philip wanted to bring Random Acts to 4th Wall. I was overjoyed with the thought of doing the play again, but with so much uncertainty as to when that would actually happen, Kim and Philip offered to stream the video recording of the New York production last year. Over the course of the shut-down, I decided to continue to perform the play in outdoor venues ranging from Central Park to a backyard garden in Chelsea. As I continued to explore the piece, I discovered that I wanted to find a way to bring in Willie’s side of the story. This decision led to Willie and me having a series of in-depth phone conversations about our past that was truly amazing. The nature of this solo play is that it keeps evolving as I evolve. I am including some of those new insights in this production. I want to thank Kim and Philip Lehl, Tim Richey, and Catherine Dunaway for their support of Random Acts and giving me the opportunity to explore and deepen this story. Thank you to this amazing team of designers and crew for your artistry and generous spirits. Thank you, Jessi D. Hill, for a beautiful collaboration, and special thanks to Willie Holmes.
Renata Hinrichs Playwright and Actress
WHO’S WHO RENATA HINRICHS (Playwright and Actress) Ms. Hinrichs’ first play, A Witness in My House, based on the story of a woman in the Netherlands during the Holocaust, was invited to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the play was also produced at the Hudson Guild Theater in New York. Random Acts is her second play and the inspiration for the piece began while she was living in a studio apartment on West 16th Street in New York City during the 9/11 terrorists attacks and memories from her childhood started to surface. As more memories flowed back into her consciousness, she interviewed her parents to fill in more detail. Those memories ended up in this solo play and tell the story of what happened to her and her family growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1960s. Previous productions of the play include: Emerging Artists Theater New Work Festival, FAB women of the Barrow Group and most recently at Theater Row for the United Solo Theater Festival in October and November of 2014. She has been invited by the Hewitt School to perform the play as part of their diversity program. Random Acts received the Best Storytelling Script Award from the United Solo Festival and it is published by Indie Theater Now. Ms. Hinrichs, trained as an actor at the T.Schreiber Studio and The Barrow Group School with Seth Barrish and Lee Brock. Other acting teachers include Bob Krakower, Tim Phillips, and Tony Spiridakis. She studied writing and playwriting with Lisa Kron, Roderick Menzies, Maia Danziger, and Seth Barrish. She is a founding member of BIG DANCE THEATER, co-directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, having performed in New York, London, and the Georgian Republic, as well as at The American Dance Festival and The Yard, winning an OBIE award for best ensemble performance for A Simple Heart. She is currently a member of FAB Women of the Barrow Group, where she first performed and developed Random Acts. Other acting credits include the lead role in the short film, Happy Now, which won first prize at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Deauville Film Festival. Theater credits: Dorsett Theater Festival, Boise Contemporary Theater, The Barrow Group, EST, Soho Rep, Ohio Theater. TV: DeadBeat, The Blacklist Find out more at www.renatahinrichs.com.
@4thWallHouston
photos by Gabriella Nissen
WHO’S WHO JESSI D. HILL (Director) is a director based in New York City. New York credits include new work at New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater/Joe’s Pub, Playwright’s Horizons, The Playwrights’ Center, Primary Stages, Labyrinth, The Women’s Project, 59E59, P73, The New Group, Keen Company, Rattlestick, Clubbed Thumb, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Labyrinth, Culture Project, Musical Theatre Factory, The Acting Company, The Barrow Group, PS122, Abingdon, Baruch Performing Arts Center, New Dramatists, The Lark, The Playwrights Realm, New Georges, Naked Angels, The Wild Project, and others. She has been a guest director and acting teacher in professional training programs at Yale, Juilliard, NYU/Tisch, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center/NTI, Fordham University, SUNY Purchase, Long Island University, Powerhouse/NY Stage & Film, The Atlantic School, Playwrights Horizons Theatre School, Hunter College, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and others. Jessi is a recipient of creative project funding from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Denham Fellowship from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, as well as an Alum of the Women’s Project Lab, and an Affiliated Artist at New Georges. Jessi has also directed new work that has been seen internationally in Edinburgh, London, New Zealand, Berlin and Hamburg. She is currently the Artistic Associate at Flying Carpet Theatre Co. and is on the Artistic Team at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Upcoming: Caridad Svich’s Ushuaia Blue for Contemporary American Theater Festival, Tammy Ryan’s Take My Hand and Wave Goodbye for TheatreSquared, Robert Montano’s Small for Penguin Rep. MFA Directing: Yale. Member SDC. Current projects: jessidhill.com MEGHAN SPEAR (Stage Manager) is a senior Stage Management major at the University of Houston. Meghan is excited to be returning to 4th Wall after previously Stage Managing for the 2021 Summer Shakes Showcase production of As You Like It. DAN JONES (Lighting Designer) is a native of San Antonio. He is currently working as the Associate Lighting Director at the Alley Theatre. Past credits include Lighting Designer for The Lifespan of a Fact (4th Wall Theatre), Assistant Lighting Designer for The Wiz and Ragtime (Theatre Under the Stars), as well as Associate Light Designer for Sweat and 72 Miles to Go (Alley Theatre). Dan would like to personally thank Philip and Kim for this opportunity. JOE ENGLER (Projections Designer) is currently working as the Electrics Supervisor at the Alley Theatre.
photos by Gabriella Nissen
WHO’S WHO YEZMINNE ZEPEDA (Sound Designer) Recent credits include at 4th Wall Theatre Company: A Doll’s House, Part 2, Reckless, True West, Ho Ho Humbug, The God Game, A Winter’s Tale, All Girls; Stages: Panto Cinderella, Honky Tonk Angels: Holiday Spectacular, Panto: Unfrozen, Girls Night, The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Caps and Gowns: The Winter Wonderettes, Patsy Cline; Main Street Theater: Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type, The Last Wife, The Wizard of Oz, Grand Concourse, Mockingbird, Duck for President (2016), The Revolutionists, Bridge to Terabithia; Rogue Productions: Matt and Ben; The Catastrophic Theatre: Fleaven; Horse Head Theatre Company: The Whale, Among the Thugs, Faultlines; Black Lab Theatre: Bad Jews, Tigers Be Still, Really Really, 4000 Miles, Assistance, Chinglish, The Submission, BOOM, Our House; Landing Theatre Company: American Buffalo; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre: King Lear. DeSHON ELEM DELTA (Costume Designer) is a designer and artist from The Bronx, New York. Upon graduation she obtained an internship with The Public Theater’s costume shop. She then went on to work for various theaters as a costume designer, wardrobe supervisor and costume coordinator. Some of her previous works include Too Heavy For Your Pocket at The Roundabout Theater Company (Assistant Costume Designer), Miss You Like Hell at The Public Theater (Costume Coordinator), Twelfth Night at Shakespeare in the Park ‘18 (Dresser & Wardrobe Crew), You Wouldn’t Expect at American Bard Theater Company (Costume Designer), and Wild Goose Dreams at The Public Theater (Costume Coordinator). She is excited to add Random Acts to the list of her theatrical accomplishments. BA ‘17 Hunter College of New York (Theater, concentration in Costume Design) Instagram: @delta_major EDISA WEEKS (Movement Consultant, Original Production) is an educator, performer, choreographer, and founder of DELIRIOUS Dances. She creates multimedia interdisciplinary work that merges theater with dance to explore our deepest desires, darkest fears, and sweetest dreams. She grew up in Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and Brooklyn, NY. She is an Associate Professor and Director of Dance at Queens College. www.deliriousdances.com
open studios the 2nd saturday each month 2-5PM spring street studios • the silos at sawyer yards • winter street studios summer street studios • silver street studios • sabine street studios
t s o C The Value of Art At 4th Wall, we are committed to paying Houston’s theatre artists a living wage. While it may be impossible to monetize the value of art in our society, we believe it is imperative that we fairly compensate the artists who enrich our lives. We dream of a day when Houston’s professional theatre artists will be able to ply their trades without needing to work any other job. We aim toward a day when sustained theatrical excellence inspires our audience and community to hold our art and the artists who make it to be an indispensable and valued part of life in Houston. To this end, we have made it our mission to prioritize increasing artist pay every year, even beyond the minimum wage stipulated by the Actors’ Equity Association. This season, we will be paying Equity actors $320 per week, which is 3.5% more than the mandated minimum wage for theatres of our size.
4th Wall's Hourly Pay for Equity Actors
$13.00
$300/ week
$12.00
$310/ week
$320/ week
$11.00
$250/ week
$10.00
$9.00
$225/ week
$8.00
$7.00 2012 - 2013
2014 - 2015
2016 - 2017
2018 - 2019
2021-2022
INDIVIDUAL ARTIST SPONSORSHIP 4th Wall’s mission has always been to improve the pay standard for Houston artists. A direct way to fund local creatives is to sponsor an individual artist contract. By making a gift at one of the tiers below, you will fund a position for one 4th Wall show and enjoy recognition and a variety of benefits. Sponsors gain premium access to 4th Wall events and other perks. All sponsors will have their name featured in the show program, venue signage, and 4th Wall website, and are invited to a special VIP Rehearsal and the Opening Night Party. Additional perks at various sponsorship levels include tickets to give to friends, and even dinner with Artistic Directors Philip Lehl and Kim Tobin-Lehl!
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS $5,000 Actor Sponsorship $3,000 Stage Manager Sponsorship $2,500 Director Sponsorship $1,500 Designer Sponsorship $1,000 Backstage Crew Sponsorship $500
House Manager Sponsorship
We also have Corporate Sponsorship Packages that help underwrite our costs and bring your business into the spotlight. Opportunities include prominent logo placement, on-stage thanks, access to opening night parties, complimentary tickets, dinner with our artistic directors, and more. Single show sponsorships start as low as $1,000.
To learn more, contact Tim Richey at timr@4thwalltheatreco.com or 832.668.5903.
Thank you!
photo by Gabriella Nissen
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY CONTRIBUTORS Our sincerest thanks to all of you; we truly couldn’t make theater without you. This list reflects donations given from January 1, 2021 – February 10, 2022. Please call Tim Richey at 832-668-5903 to report any errors.
$75,000 and above City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance $35,000 and above Kenneth Bohan $20,000 and above The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Hamilton James Anonymous $15,000 and above Gary Chiles & Amy Sutton Carolyn Keating in honor of Kim Tobin-Lehl
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY CONTRIBUTORS
$5,000 and above
$2,500 and above
Howard & Karen Bookstaff
Mary & John Arensdorf
Robert J. Card, MD & Karol Kreymer
English-Speaking Union, Houston Branch
Linda Dodge J & D Entertainment The Liberty Group Michelle Mower Laura & Dan Pears Texas Commission on the Arts $3,000 and above Vanessa & Sergio Garza Patricia Larson
Duke & C.C. Ensell H-E-B Sheri Clark Henriksen The Edward & Helen Oppenheimer Foundation Betty & Gerry Stacy Carol Sugimoto & James Zimmerman
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY CONTRIBUTORS
$2,000 and above
$1,000 and above
Michele Collins & Craig Moffatt
June & Steve Barth
Susan Fargason & Steve Lockless
John E. Drewer
Carl Masterson Richard Moiel & Kathy Poeppel National Endowment for the Arts Diane Tobin $1,500 and above Gene Graham Brian & Dawn Greenberg Tom Kearns Harriet Schubb & John Harris
Mary Kay Casey Sharyn Feller & David Harris Warren & Marsha Holleman Madison Charitable Foundation Jackie & Malcolm Mazow Beverly McPhail & Kevin Kulish Wendell Mendell & Pam Henjum Virginia Miller Nina & Michael Zilkha Robert Zinn
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY CONTRIBUTORS $250 and above $500 and above Claire Auchter Joel & Carol Bell Buzz Bellmont & Randy Puddu Ty Buthod Shondra Marie & Todd Boring Nan Earle Claire Brooks Katy Emde Brian Broome Howard Feldman Elizabeth & David Connelly Denis “Woodja” Sally & Philip Edmundson Flanigan, Ph.D. Susan Edwards Nancy Grason Cheryl & Peter Fasullo & Richard Dixon Maureen Flynn Lucila & Bill Haase Raymond Harvey James H. Hazen in memory Ann Hasselmo of Frank Young Cindy Hutchinson Green Mary Jane Keller Candace & Weir Kyle Mary & Rodney Koenig Bryn K. Larsen Joseph Levitan Renato & Linda Mello Howard Patton Michael McGinity & Sue Owens Andrew & Kay McStay Lynette Pebernat Terrylin G. Neale Sandra & Clem Reid Pam & Art Nolting Robert C. Richter, Jr Tom & Carolyn Paul Marti & Billy Rosenberg Cheri & John Randolph Mark Seavers The Seabrook Family Dominique Varner Blake Weisser Joyce Steensrud Tom & Mary Ellen Whitworth David & Kelley Tobin Shari & Gary Winston Anonymous Anonymous (3)
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY CONTRIBUTORS $100 and above Jill Baird in memory of Wendy & Stuart Laughton Jim Tobin Frances Limoncelli Lary Barton in honor of The Lin Family Ken Bohan & Dean O’Kelley Courtney Lomelo Lynn Birdwell & Luis Galindo Harry Bowles David Mailman Eric Bradley Lona McManus & Wanderson Rezende in honor of Kim Tobin-Lehl Lynn Brown Gretchen M. Michelfeld Warren Burkholder Belinda Mundey & Sheryl Starry Anne Loo & Brad Nyberg Roxanne Cargill & Peter Weston Don Quaintance Holly Clark Dianne Reece Mary Lou & Harold Dietler Beth Richardson Loretta Kania & Mark Doerr John Rudder Bryan & Deborah Domning Irene Sasaki Nick & Daniela Farco Amanda Schlafer Julie Fontenot Bennie Slavik Karen Foster A.D. Players Family Michael Frewer in honor of James Tobin Ruth Gorman Sandra Stettler Cynthia Greenwood Lily & Mike Sweet GROOVE at Creation Leslie Copeland Taylor Station Studio City Amy & Kevin Tones Herman Hsuan in honor of Walter Ulrich Carol Sugimoto Allan Van Fleet & Ruth Goldberg & Alejandro Garza Eleanor & Richard Viebig Sandra Lee Jordan Dr. & Mrs. James K. Weatherly Randy Kilpatrick Anonymous (14) Scott & Kate Lambert This list reflects donations given from January 1, 2021 - February 10, 2022. Please call Tim Richey at 832-668-5903 to report any errors.
KEEP LIVE THEATER ALIVE Check Out Other Shows Happening Around Town! MacGyver: The Musical Stages* No One Owns Me February 4 - March 4 A.D. Players*
January 26 - February 20 www.adplayers.org
South Pacific
Theatre Under The Stars* February 8 - February 20 www.tuts.com
The Lawsons: A Civil Rights Love Story Ensemble Theatre
www.stageshouston.com
Amerikin The Alley Theatre* February 11 - March 13 www.alleytheatre.org
The War of the Worlds Classical Theatre Company April 13 - May 1 www.classicaltheatre.org
www.ensemblehouston.org
Hurricane Diane
Mother of the Maid
www.recroomarts.org
January 27 - February 27
Main Street Theater* February 5 - February 27 www.mainstreettheater.com
Rec Room Arts May 5 - May 28
He Cried for His Mother Mildred’s Umbrella May 2022, dates TBA www.mildredsumbrella.com
We regret we cannot include everyone in the Houston theater community on this page. Please make sure to check all local listings for additional theater companies in Houston and for what might be going on in your local area. *These theatres have committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in their productions through agreements with the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA). The AEA fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions, and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Learn more at www.actorsequity.org.
V2_GloriaPoster11x17.pdf
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2/7/22
4:14 PM
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
GLORIA by BRANDEN
JACOBS-JENKINS
directed by JAMES
BLACK
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
“sharply observant & playfully theatrical” The Hollywood Reporter
DATES
Mar 24–Apr 16, 2022 Thursdays–Sundays
TICKETS
832.767.4991 or online at 4thwalltheatreco.com PRESENTING SPONSOR
CULLEN TRUST
SEASON SPONSORS
FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 4th Wall Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Houston throughHouston Arts Alliance and the State of Texas through the Texas Commission on the Arts.
4TH WALL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
by STEPHEN
ADLY GUIRGIS
directed by BILL PRUITT
“a glorious time at the theatre” Houston Press
DATES
May 12–June 4, 2022 Thursdays–Sundays
TICKETS
832.767.4991 or online at 4thwalltheatreco.com
CULLEN TRUST
FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 4th Wall Theatre Company is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and the State of Texas through the Texas Commission on the Arts.