2.5 Minute Ride Program by Studio Theatre

2.5 MINUTE RIDE BY LISA KRON DIRECTED BY JOANIE SCHULTZ

ABOUT STUDIO THEATRE Studio Theatre is Washington’s premier venue for contemporary theatre, “where local audiences will find today’s edgiest playwrights” (Variety). One of the most respected midsized theatres in the country, Studio Theatre produces exceptional contemporary drama in deliberately intimate spaces. Drawing inspiration from great ensembles—where people work together with a spirit of generosity and professional rigor—Studio brings characteristic thoughtfulness and daring to its work onstage and off, through its new work incubator and engagement, education, and workforce training initiatives. Now in its 42nd season, Studio looks to honor its history through encouraging a creative culture in which artistry and boldness stem from inclusion, training, stewardship, and the collaborative spirit of the rehearsal room. Every year, Studio serves over 66,000 people, including more than 400 youth and young adults through engagement and education initiatives. Throughout Studio’s four decades, the quality of our work has been recognized by sustained community support, as well as 398 nominations and 72 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theatre.

FRIENDS, Lisa Kron’s belated debut at Studio Theatre was scheduled for last May, when we were set to produce the acclaimed musical Fun Home that features her lyrics and score. A global pandemic had other things in mind for us, but we’re still managing to present a play of hers about a year later. Kron’s work tends to draw on the perspective of an outsider: she is a Jewish lesbian who grew up in the Christian Midwest. It is no surprise, then, that her humor tends toward the sardonic and wry. But her plays always manage a tonal balancing act: they are both acerbic and compassionate, both detached and heartfelt. 2.5 Minute Ride walks another tightrope: it is a very funny play, and one of its main topics is the Holocaust. The play deftly juggles three separate storylines, moves quickly between the quotidian and the weighty, and deliberately juxtaposes the humorous and the horrible, keeping it tonally fresh and surprising. The moral crux of the play, a story her father tells about interrogating a Gestapo agent, is similarly unexpected. It’s part of what makes the play feel so fresh to me, two decades after its premiere. Translating a play like this to a digital format and imagining it without a live audience is a tricky assignment. I’m pleased that it fell to Joanie Schultz, who is both a novel problem-solver and a big-hearted human. This production reunites her with actor Dina Thomas, who has a very personal way into this story—she herself made a pilgrimage to Auschwitz as a teenager. They are a potent duo. All of the artists working on these digital productions feel profoundly invigorated to be working together in the same room again, and I hope some of that spirit translates to your screen. Thank you for joining and supporting us during this most unusual of seasons. Yours,

DAVID MUSE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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2.5 minute ride

P R E S E N T S

WRITTEN BY LISA KRON DIRECTED BY JOANIE SCHULTZ

DIRECTOR OF VIDEO WES CULWELL LIGHTING DESIGNER SHERRICE MOJGANI SOUND DESIGNER MATTHEW NIELSON DIALECT COACH KERI SAFRAN DRAMATURG ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ALLIE ROY* DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION JOSH ESCAJEDA DAVID MUSE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR REBECCA ENDE LICHTENBERG MANAGING DIRECTOR 2

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TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JEFFREY MARTIN Produced by special arrangement with DRAMATIC PUBLISHING, Woodstock, Illinois

VIDEO PRODUCTION STUDIIO BOX DC, STUDIIOBOXDC.COM

Cast LISA DINA THOMAS* * Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Studio Theatre, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States 2.5 MINUTE RIDE

NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG 2.5 Minute Ride is, at its core, a play about failure. It’s 1996. Lisa has spent the last few years working on a video tape about her father’s story. Walter Kron was born in central Germany, son to the cantor and schoolmaster of the Jewish school. In 1937, at 15, he was evacuated to the United States. His parents were killed in Auschwitz seven years later. Lisa and her father took a trip to Auschwitz in the early 1990s. Convinced that her father’s stories could be material for something, Lisa hired a videographer friend to film some of his stories—and join her family’s annual trip to Cedar Point amusement park. And she’s been weaving the footage of these trips and stories together. Except…the video isn’t working. Six years into the process, it’s not at all what she’s hoping for. So, tonight Lisa has rented a theatre, brought slides and some camcorders, and is talking through what she’s got, hoping to reach some clarity. “In this age of Holocaust museums and memorials we have developed a way of responding to this most horrible of tragedies that, in fact, protects us from ever approaching its horror,” playwright Lisa Kron says. In creating a play about her own father’s life (she originated the role, but it has been widely produced with other actors), Kron hoped to create something that helped approximate what it might have been like to experience history as it unfolded, without the moral assurance of hindsight. 4

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From the assumption of failure, Kron’s 2.5 Minute Ride builds a funny and disorienting look at her place in her family’s history, and her family’s place in the stories she tells about herself. The roller coaster that gives the play its title is the Mean Streak, a wooden roller coaster whose creaking ride Lisa thinks is actually killing her father. It isn’t; he thinks it’s the best one. But this mix of fear and thrill is one of Kron’s primary strategies to capture sense of the horror and joy that defined her father’s life. Stories shift between looking for food in Poland, nearly throttling her father at the amusement park, coming face-to-face with the hair and eyeglasses of people murdered in Auschwitz. Written as a play about a failed film, director Joanie Schultz’s streaming production takes advantage of the technology of the 1990s—some scenes are recorded through Lisa’s camcorders, others from contemporary-quality technology. These cameras both isolate Lisa from an audience and bring the audience access to the intimate life of an artist, as both daughter and performer struggle to tell the truth without clinging to reference or assurance. Although Lisa may not neatly summarize the story of her father or the experience of living through 70 years of the 20th century, she creates small but honest revelations that strive, in the end, to ring true. ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL DRAMATURG

playwright

LISA KRON is a writer and performer whose work

has been widely produced in New York, regionally, and internationally. She wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Fun Home, with music by composer Jeanine Tesori, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won five 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Book, Score, and Musical. Lisa’s other plays include In the Wake, Well, and the Obie Award-winning 2.5 Minute Ride. As an actor, she received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Well and a Lortel Award for her turn in the Foundry Theatre’s acclaimed production of Good Person of Szechwan. She is the recipient of Guggenheim, Sundance, and MacDowell fellowships, a Doris Duke Performing Artists Award, a CalArts Alpert Award, a Helen Merrill Award, the Kleban Prize for libretto writing, and grants from Creative Capital and the New York Film Academy. Lisa is also a founding member of the Obie and Bessie Award-winning collaborative theatre company The Five Lesbian Brothers. She serves on the boards of MacDowell and the Sundance Institute and on the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America.

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JOANIE SCHULTZ is a member of the Studio

Cabinet. She has directed Cry It Out and Hand to God at Studio. Other recent work includes Frankenstein: A Ghost Story, Frida…A Self Portrait, and Lot’s Wife at Kansas City Repertory Theatre; A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Jungle Theater; A Doll’s House, Pride and Prejudice, Hand to God, and Hit the Wall at WaterTower Theatre; A Small Fire at Philadelphia Theatre Company; Queen, Cocked, Rest, and The Whale at Victory Gardens Theater; Venus in Fur and Ask Aunt Susan at the Goodman Theatre; Sex with Strangers at The Cleveland Play House; and fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. Joanie has served as Artistic Director of WaterTower Theatre in Dallas, Texas and Associate Artistic Producer of Victory Gardens Theater as part of the Leadership U One-on-One Fellowship, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered through TCG. She was also a Drama League Fellow; the Goodman Theatre Michael Maggio Directing Fellow; the SDSF Denham Fellow; and member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. Her work has been nominated for and won Helen Hayes Awards, Joseph Jefferson Awards, and DFW Theater Critics Forum Awards. She is an ensemble member at Steep Theatre and an artistic associate at Victory Gardens Theater. Joanie received her BA in Theatre Directing from Columbia College Chicago and her MFA in Theatre Directing from Northwestern University. joanieschultz.com.

actors

DINA THOMAS (Lisa) is an actor, creator, newly licensed real estate agent, and proud Mama. She was last at Studio Theatre in Molly Smith Metzler’s Cry It Out. Her Off Broadway credits include The Metromaniacs at Red Bull Theater; Clever Little Lies at Westside Theatre; and Tribes at Barrow Street Theatre. In addition to her work at Studio, Dina has appeared in DC productions of The Metromaniacs at Shakespeare Theatre Company and The Wanderers at Theater J. Regionally, Dina has been seen in The Metromaniacs at The Old Globe; Tribes at La Jolla Playhouse; Everything You Touch at the Contemporary American Theater Festival; the 10x10 New Play Festival and See How They Run at Barrington Stage Company; and Bad Jews, Distracted, Miss Witherspoon, and the world premiere of Hungry at Unicorn Theatre. She has also performed staged readings for Red Bull Theater, Project Y Theatre Company, Abingdon Theatre Company, and The Lark. She was featured in the web series Tales of Toverud. Dina received her MFA from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. On social media at @tinydthomas (Instagram) and @DinaThomas (Facebook).

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Production WES CULWELL (Director of Video) is an award-winning producer and director. He founded Studiio Box Creative in 2012 and has been committed to creating visibility around social justice issues as well as establishing Studiio Box as a premier creative agency in the greater Washington, DC area. Wes has spent more than 20 years in production, including nine years producing for networks such as NBC, Bravo, Oxygen, VH1, TLC, and National Geographic. During this challenging year for the arts, Wes has focused his energies on assisting theatrical companies to bring their visions to the digital screen. He received a BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine and an MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University. studiioboxdc.com. SHERRICE MOJGANI (Lighting Designer) recently designed for DC-area productions of The Heiress and Two Trains Running at Arena Stage, and Spunk, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and The Scottsboro Boys at Signature Theatre. Regionally, she has designed for A Few Good Men and Sweat at Pittsburgh Public Theater; What You Are and Skeleton Crew at The Old Globe; Roz and Ray, Black Pearl Sings, and Outside Mullingar at San Diego Repertory Theatre; and Blue Door, Trouble in Mind, and Mud Blue Sky at MOXIE Theatre. Sherrice is an Assistant Professor at George Mason University. She holds a BA in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz and an MFA in Lighting Design from UC San Diego. smojgani.com. MATTHEW M. NIELSON (Sound Cue Design) returns to Studio, where his design and composition credits include The Remains, Hand to God, MotherStruck, The 8

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Real Thing, and Venus in Fur. DMV-area credits include Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Theater Alliance, Contemporary American Theater Festival, and The Smithsonian. Off Broadway credits include The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, and 59E59 Theaters. Regional credits include Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Rep, Portland Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and Barrington Stage Company. Film and TV credits include Those Who Wait, The Hero Effect, Elbow Grease, From Hell to Here, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and Delivery.com. Matthew has won five Helen Hayes Awards and several regional theatre and film festival awards. matthewnielson.com. KERI SAFRAN (Dialect Coach) is a performer and dialect coach. She is one of the accent coaches for NBC’s Young Rock and Showtime’s The First Lady, and coaches at theatres around the country. Her private clients include Oscar and Tony winners, and she runs a BIPOC Scholarship Program to sponsor actors of color to take her courses for free. As a performer, she has appeared in films at the Sundance and SXSW Film Festivals as well as television productions Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, Richard Linklater’s $5.15/hr., The Real O’Neals, and How I Met Your Mother, among others. She appeared on stage in multiple shows at Barrington Stage Company, including Forbidden Broadway directed by Gerard Alessandrini. On Instagram at @keri-safran. kerisafran.com.

ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL (Dramaturg) is the Literary Director at Studio, where she has dramaturged the world premieres of I Hate it Here, Queen of Basel, The Remains, No Sisters, I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart, Animal, Red Speedo, Dirt, Lungs, and The History of Kisses as well as productions of Until the Flood, Cry It Out, Translations, Curve of Departure, The Effect, Wig Out!, Straight White Men, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Constellations, Jumpers for Goalposts, Bad Jews (twice), The Apple Family Plays, Invisible Man, Sucker Punch, The Golden Dragon, and The New Electric Ballroom, among others. Prior to joining Studio, she spent eight seasons at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she headed the literary department and coordinated project scouting, selection, and development for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She is the co-editor of eight anthologies of plays from Actors Theatre and editor of 10 editions of plays through Studio. Adrien-Alice holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. ALLIE ROY (Production Stage Manager) returns after stage managing Studio’s first audio play, Kings, and first streaming play, Cock, this season. Her other Studio credits include Admissions, If I Forget, Translations, Curve of Departure, Straight White Men, Murder Ballad, Silence! The Musical, and the world premiere of Animal for the Women’s Voices Theater Festival. Regional credits include West Side Story in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra and Love, Factually at The Kennedy Center; the world premieres of Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing and Diner as well as A Chorus Line, Grand Hotel, The Scottsboro Boys, West Side Story, and Elmer Gantry at Signature Theatre; the world premiere of After the War as well as When January Feels Like Summer and Ulysses on Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; and The Originalist at Arena Stage.

LÜCIÉN REUBENS (Production Assistant) is a queer actor, technician, activist, art maker, and creator. They served as the production assistant on Studio’s 2021 productions of Cock and Until the Flood. They have worked on lights for Doubt and Pipeline at Studio and The Bodyguard at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and worked in sound for A Sign of Rain at Studio, Disney’s Newsies at Arena Stage, and Arbat’s Bremenskie Muzikanty at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. They began working in professional theatre at Olney Theatre Center, assisting with lighting for the regional premieres of Elf the Musical, Once, Matilda, and Tiger Style!, as well as the North American premieres of Labour of Love, Oil, and Mary Stuart. Lücién graduated with a BFA in Theater from Colgate University. On Instagram and Twitter at @livinpoetry. ANNABEL HEACOCK (Assistant Director) is a director, writer, performer, deviser, and recent Northwestern University graduate with degrees in Theatre and Sociology. She assistant directed Studio’s 2021 production of Cock. Select Northwestern directing credits include an immersive production of The Visit, The Donkey Show, Carrie: The Musical, and Crisis Resolution in the Middle East for the annual Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival. Assistant directing credits include The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls and Twelfth Night. While at Northwestern, Annabel served as the Artistic Director of WAVE Productions, a self-supporting, not-for-profit student theatre company. She also coordinated the annual Director’s Festival, helping young artists develop their craft and direct a fully produced one-act play.

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PRODUCTION STAFF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANNABEL HEACOCK PRODUCTION ASSISTANT LÜCIÉN REUBENS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAN MUYS CAMERA OPERATOR ZACH WOOD CAMERA OPERATOR ADAM KRELL

For additional members of the production staff, see the full staff listing.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Studio would like to thank DR. AMY GREEN-SIMMS and THEATER J for their assistance with this production. Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the US labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity 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. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. Equity is governed by its own members through an elected Council, representing principal actors, chorus actors and stage managers living in three regions: Eastern, Central, and Western. Members at large participate in Equity’s governance through a system of regional Boards and Committees. Equity has 28 designated area liaison cities with over 100 members each. WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, Audio & Videotapes or Audio & Videodiscs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine. 10

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sponsors

Studio Theatre’s 2020–2021 season is made possible through the generosity of our Season Sponsors. This dynamic group of individuals understands the value of producing powerful contemporary work in intimate spaces and invests in Studio’s innovative projects and initiatives. We are grateful for their generosity and investment in Studio.

2020-2021 SEASON SPONSORS SUSAN AND DIXON BUTLER DR. MARK EPSTEIN AND AMORETTA HOEBER DAVID AND JEAN HEILMAN GRIER ARLENE AND ROBERT KOGOD JUDGE ALBERT LAUBER AND PROF. CRAIG HOFFMAN JOAN AND DAVID MAXWELL TERESA AND DAN SCHWARTZ STEVE AND LINDA SKALET BOBBI AND RALPH TERKOWITZ AMY WEINBERG AND NORBERT HORNSTEIN 2.5 MINUTE RIDE

In 2.5 Minute Ride, Lisa Kron juxtaposes a trip she and her father took to Auschwitz, where her grandparents were murdered; her brother’s wedding to a woman he met in an AOL chat room; and her family’s annual trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. The visceral experience of riding a roller coaster was important to her: “For a moment here and there you don’t know where you are,” Kron said about structuring a show about the Holocaust around both Auschwitz and Cedar Point. “I was interested in the way that humor and horror are flip sides of the same coin.” For folks who don’t know the 150-year-old amusement park, here’s a quick introduction to four of the roller coasters Lisa and her father ride in 2.5 Minute Ride.

*Photo by David McGill 71 / Shutterstock.com 12

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IRON DRAGON

The Iron Dragon is a steel suspended roller coaster, which features cars that hang below the track , which allows them to swing side to side. Built in 1987, the Iron Dragon is a 76-foot-tall, 2,800-foot-long coaster with top speeds of 40 mph. It is now the longest operating suspended roller coaster in the world.

DEMON DROP

“This is poor Mary standing on the exit stairs of the Iron Dragon. Under no circumstances would they let us bring a video camera on a roller coaster.” —2.5 Minute Ride

“It ’s hard…it ’s hard to describe a three-story free fall. It ’s not bad, really. It ’s not good. It ’s just like— (A sudden, shocked exhalation of all the air in her lungs.)” —2.5 Minute Ride An original Freefall attraction from manufacturer Intamin, the Demon Drop remains one of five remaining Freefall rides in operation. Passengers are loaded into a gondola that climbs vertically to the top of a tower, slide forward, and hang for several seconds before dropping 60 feet in less than two seconds. The Demon Drop opened at Cedar Point in 1983 and was relocated to Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, PA in 2009.

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MAGNUM XL-200 “At the entrance to the Magnum there are signs all over which say under no circumstances is this ride suitable for people who are elderly, diabetic or have heart conditions. I look at my father. He can’t read the signs because, in addition to having all the conditions listed, he is also legally blind.” —2.5 Minute Ride When the Magnum XL-200 premiered in 1989 it was the world’s tallest and fastest complete circuit roller coaster, with a 205-foot-high and 5,106-foot-long ride. It is considered the first hypercoaster, meaning a roller coaster that exceeds 200 feet. In 2004 the Magnum was recognized as an ACE (American Coaster Enthusiast) Roller Coaster landmark .

—2.5 Minute Ride When it opened in 1991, the Mean Streak was the tallest wooden coaster in the world at 205 feet and with the longest drop height (200 feet). The full coaster was 5,427 feet, made of southern yellow pine, and was regularly voted one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world in the Golden Ticket Awards, administered by trade publication Amusement Today to recognize industry excellence. In 2016, Cedar Point closed the ride to remake it out of steel. It is now called the Steel Vengeance and is still in operation.

MEAN STREAK

“2.5 minutes is a really long time on a roller coaster if you are having a good time. If you think the experience is killing your father it ’s a really, really long time.”

IN THE MOMENT

2020 – 2021 DIGITAL

COMING UP THIS SEASON!

FLOW WRITTEN BY WILL POWER DIRECTED BY PSALMAYENE 24 MAY 21 – JUNE 13

TENDER AGE A NEW PLAY BY GEORGE BRANT DIRECTED BY HENRY GODINEZ JULY 2 – 25

TICKETS ARE ONLY $37

STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG /TICKETS 202.332.3300

leadership

DAVID MUSE (Artistic Director) is in his eleventh season as Artistic Director of Studio Theatre, where he has directed The Children, The Remains, The Effect, The Father, Constellations, Chimerica, Murder Ballad, Belleville, Cock (twice), Tribes, The Real Thing, An Iliad, Dirt, Bachelorette, The Habit of Art, Venus in Fur, Circle Mirror Transformation, reasons to be pretty, Blackbird, Frozen, and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. Previously, he was Associate Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, where he has directed nine productions, including Richard III, Henry V, Coriolanus, and King Charles III (a co-production with American Conservatory Theater and Seattle Rep). Other directing projects include Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune at Arena Stage, The Bluest Eye at Theatre Alliance, and Patrick Page’s Swansong at the New York Summer Play Festival. He has helped to develop new work at numerous theatres, including New York Theatre Workshop, Geva Theatre Center, Arena Stage, New Dramatists, and The Kennedy Center. David has taught acting and directing at Georgetown, Yale, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy of Classical Acting. A nine-time Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Direction, he is a recipient of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist and the National Theatre Conference Emerging Artist Award. David is a graduate of Yale University and the Yale School of Drama.

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REBECCA ENDE LICHTENBERG (Managing Director) is in her third season as Managing Director of Studio Theatre. She served as the Managing Director of Theater J for eight seasons, during which time she led the theatre through an Artistic Director transition and was instrumental in growing income by 29 percent. Prior to that, she worked in arts marketing at Sitar Arts Center, Theater J, and Ford’s Theatre. She currently serves as the Chair of the Adjudication Committee for theatreWashington. She previously served as the President of the Board of Forum Theatre and as a Helen Hayes Judge. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University, a Certificate in Budgeting and Finance from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management program.

Amy Weinberg CHAIR Jinny Goldstein VICE CHAIR Robert B. Batarla TREASURER Hal Jones SECRETARY Marc Albert Jeremías Alvarez Susan L. Butler CHAIR EMERITUS Karen Doyne Dr. Mark Epstein Mark W. Foster Navroz Gandhi Susan L. Gordon Jean Heilman Grier Martin Klepper Albert G. Lauber Stanley J. Marcuss Renee Matalon Herb Milstein Larry Naake CHAIR EMERITUS Nike Opadiran Jamie C. Pate Katy Kunzer Rosenzweig Teresa Schwartz Luz Blancas Sevak Steven A. Skalet Bobbi Terkowitz CHAIR EMERITUS Terry Theologides Robert Tracy Jonathan Tycko

EX-OFFICIO David Muse Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg

trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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anti-racism

STUDIO’S COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM We are a theatre whose work engages with provocative ideas and challenging content. We ask our artists to explore that content bravely and boldly, working in deep and meaningful collaboration with each other. And we strive to share our work with a truly wide audience, inviting them to contend with the past, reflect on the present, and envision the future. The successful realization of our work requires that artists feel supported, that audiences feel truly welcome, and that staff work in an environment that affirms them actively. None of that is possible without an active and ongoing commitment to create a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. We believe that being “not racist” doesn’t go far enough to achieve those ends—for our institution and field to flourish, we must be anti-racist and work proactively to dismantle barriers that have excluded people from joyful participation in our art form. Read about Studio’s commitment to anti-racism at STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG/ABOUT/VALUES.

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JOIN THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE The Artistic Director’s Circle is a dynamic group of individuals who support the artistic vision of Studio Theatre. Members understand the value of producing powerful contemporary work in intimate spaces and invest in Studio’s innovative projects and initiatives.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE MEMBERS RECEIVE • Invitation to four Inside Looks, Studio’s artist engagement events • Access to Inside the Rehearsal Room, a digital guide to select performances • Recognition in Program • Invitation to all Virtual Opening Night events • Full Access to Subscription Season programming • Signed Script from the season’s new play, Tender Age • Invitation to Exclusive First Rehearsal Welcome Events • Invitation to Exclusive Artistic Director’s Circle Annual Events • The opportunity to customize additional artistic engagements with Studio’s artists and leadership

With a gift of $15,000 and above, we invite you to invest in the making of the art on our stages and become a member today! For more information on the Artistic Director’s Circle and how you can support a production at Studio, please contact Bianca Beckham, Director of Development, at 202.919.3717 or at bbeckham@studiotheatre.org.

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thank you

Without the generosity of our dedicated supporters, Studio Theatre could not continue to bring the best of contemporary theatre to our nation’s capital. This list represents fund contributions of $600 or more. *In Memoriam

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Anonymous The Adler Family Fund Susan and Dixon Butler Trudy H. Clark Bruce A. Cohen Sheryl and Rick Donaldson Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Hope and Mark Foster The Galena-Yorktown Foundation Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon John and Meg Hauge David and Jean Heilman Grier Judy and Steve* Hopkins Sari Hornstein Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Arlene and Robert Kogod Judge Albert Lauber and Prof. Craig Hoffman Stanley and Rosemary Marcuss Joan and David Maxwell Nancy and Herbert Milstein Teresa and Dan Schwartz Steve and Linda Skalet Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

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AFICIONADO Robert Batarla Karen Doyne Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Garner, Jr. Wendy and William Garner George Wasserman Family Foundation John Horman Lynne and Joseph Horning Rick Kasten Arlene and Martin Klepper The Kristina And William Catto Foundation Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig The Lewis Butler Foundation Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Larry and Joan Naake Jamie Pate Carl and Margaret Pfeiffer Laura and Gerald Rosberg Terry Theologides and Deb Rodriguez Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Jonathan and Joan Tycko Marvin F. Weissberg Margot and Paul* Zimmerman

CONNOISSEUR Anonymous Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Jeremias Alvarez Aron Family Foundation Linda Arvin and Daniel Hitchcock

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thank you

OVATION CIRCLE

Alan Asay and Mary Sturtevant Irving Rosenzweig Foundation of the Jewish Communal Fund Helen and David Kenney Patricia and John Koskinen Kovler Foundation-Judy and Peter Kovler Barry Kropf Morningstar Philanthropic Fund Zell Murphy and Mark Wasson Nike Opadiran Mr. Craig Pascal and Mr. Victor Shargai* Timothy Price Rosenzweig-Kunzer Charitable Fund Amit Sevak and Luz Blancas Sevak Joshua Stiefel Alan and Irene Wurtzel Judy and Leo Zickler

BELIEVER

Anonymous Dr. Stewart Aledort and Dr. Sheila Rogovin Beech Street Foundation Jeffrey Bauman and Linda Fienberg Nan Beckley Don and Nancy Bliss Cory and Rachel Capps John Chester and Betty Shepard Rise and Carl Cole Miriam Cutler and Paul Salditt Margery Doppelt and Larry Rothman George M. Ferris Gerard Fiala Burton Gerber Frona Hall

Donald E. Hesse and Jerrilyn Andrews Linda Lurie Hirsch William Logan Hopkins* Paula and Edward Hughes Jewish Communal Fund John Keator and Virginia Sullivan Michael Klein and Joan Fabry Pat Lark (“Poppy”) and Lutz Prager Leon Fund of the Community Foundation of greater Richmond Herb and Dianne Lerner Wendy Luke Mark and Carol Hyman Fund Dan and Karen Mayers Melissa and Todd McCracken Kelly and Mike McCrann Morrissette Family Foundation Louisa and William Newlin Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Michael and Penelope Pollard Lola C. Reinsch Steve and Ilene Rosenthal Stephen A. Saltzburg and Susan Lee Joan Searby Linda and Stanley Sher David and Peggy Shiffrin Elaine and English Showalter Daniel and Irene Simpkins Aimee Smart and Sheffy Gordon Ed and Andy Smith Patricia Smith Spoor Family Fund Ed Starr and Marilyn Marcosson Carolyn Wheeler Annette and Colin Young

OPEN CIRCLE ENTHUSIAST Scott Douglas Bellard Nancy Chasen and Don Spero Mona and Mark Elliot Rich Gottwald and James Harden The Jones/Simmons Charitable Gift Fund Brian and Judy Madden Shawn C. Helm and J. Thomas Marchitto Wallis E. McClain Nancy S. Olson Steven M. Rosenberg and Stewart C. Low III The Honorable Carol Schwartz Benjamin and Meredith Wallace

ADVOCATE Anonymous (5) Dean Amel and Terry Savela Allyson Baker and David Kligerman R. Joseph Barton Jason and Nichole Bassingthwaite Joe and Sue Bredekamp Yolanda and Francis Bruno Family Fund Jessica Case Helen Chason Karen and Dean Cooper Richard and Janet Dante Mary Patricia Davis Leon and Miriam Ellsworth Ellen and Fred Ende Victor Fazio and Kathy Sawyer The G.A. Files Foundation Charles Floto Chris Gattuso

Amy C. Gilbert and Steven Newpol Susan Goldman Sally W. and Stephen W. Gresham Gail Gulliksen Joan Haffey Bonnie Hammerschlag Margaret Freeston Hennessey Richard and Pamela Hinds Martin and Bonnie Hurwitz Thomas Joseph Robert L. Kimmins Lauren Kogod and David Smiley Leslie Kogod Stuart Kogod and Denise Garone Dr. and Mrs. William Kramer The Lafer Family Foundation Vinca and David LaFleur Robert Lanman and Debra Bergoffen Chad Lash and Caryn Wagner Janet Lewis Paul and Patricia Maenner Sherry Marts and Larry Haller Lou Mazawey Barbara and Al McConaghan Mary M. Miller and Dennis Farley Jane Molloy The Mufson Family Foundation Carl and Undine Nash Sherry and Lou Nevins Martha Newman Henry Otto and Judy Whalley Stan Peabody Arnold and Diane Polinger Julie Rios Drs. Irene Roth and Vicken Poochikian Lynn Rothberg Carole and Barry Rubin 2.5 MINUTE RIDE

Linda and William Rule Frank Sammartino and Ellen Starbird John and Ann Skeele Carl Wayne Smith Grant P. and Sharon R. Thompson Richard Tucker Scully and Lee A Kimball James Turner Ann Tutwiler Steve Verna Eric R. and Laura M. Wagner Elisse Walter and Ronald Stern Elizabeth B. White Jack and Sue Whitelaw Jeffrey Wilder Bernard and Ellen Young

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Anonymous The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Dimick Foundation Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. Fannie Mae Fivesquares Development The Goodcoin Foundation IBM Corporation IBM Matching Grants Program The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation JBG SMITH 24

S T U D I O T H E AT R E

The Mandy and David Team, Compass Real Estate Martha Washington StrausHarry H. Straus Foundation The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Milton and Dorothy Sarnoff Raymond Foundation The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the US Commission of Fine Arts National Endowment for the Arts The Nora Roberts Foundation Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Share Fund The Shubert Foundation Steele Foundation, LLC Tenleytown Trash Weissberg Foundation William S. Abell Foundation, Inc.

BENEFIT SUPPORT Theo Adamstein - TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Aron Family Foundation Sherri Blount Gray Susan and Dixon Butler Trudy H. Clark James and Susan Cole Liz and Tim Cullen Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Wendy and William Garner Bennett Goldberg and Danielle Ellis Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon

Sandy Hannum John and Gail Harmon John and Meg Hauge Joanne and Lewis Heyman Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Kay Kendall and Jack Davies Katy Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Larry and Joan Naake Carl and Undine Nash Belinda and Gregory Nixon Craig Pascal Bob and Nina Randolph Teresa and Dan Schwartz Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Terry Theogolides and Deb Rodriguez Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Francine and Stephen Trachtenberg Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Elizabeth and Irwin Warren Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

COVID-19 RELIEF FUND Anonymous Victoria Bor and David DuGoff Donna and Donna Boxer Susan and Dixon Butler Emily Carton Tito Cordella Laura Coyle Carol and Joseph Danks Richard and Janet Dante Helen Darling Andrea Denivoff Brian Doyle

Jack Fearnsides and Margaret Jenny Anne and Marc Feinberg Martha Fisher Elizabeth Ford Lawrence Franks and Ellen Berelson Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Jinny and Michael Goldstein Susan L. Gordon Government of The District Of Columbia John G. Guffey Samuel and Barbara Halpern David and Jean Heilman Grier John and Meg Hauge Sari Hornstein Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones William and Josie Jordan Andrew Joskow and Lisa Sockett Hans and Helen Kaper Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Stephanie Lawson Jodie Levin-Epstein Marc Levy B. Thomas Mansbach Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Joan and David Maxwell Janet Minkler Ken and Margaret Muse Larry and Joan Naake Jamie Pate Arnold and Diane Polinger Susan and Firoze Rao Teresa and Dan Schwartz Share Fund Steve and Linda Skalet Aimee Smart and Sheffy Gordon Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Kevin Tidemann Jonathan and Joan Tycko

Yoshine and Kazuko Uchimura Eric R. and Laura M. Wagner Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

IN-KIND SUPPORT

Balance Gym Birch and Barley B.Lin Catering Churchkey DC Rentals Eco Caters Provisions Catering

This list represents contributions made to special events, special initiatives, and the annual fund received by April 15, 2021. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. For more information, please contact the Development Office at 202.919.3712.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS DC Public Library Duke Ellington School of the Arts Howard University Department of Theatre Arts Joe’s Movement Emporium Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church N Street Village St. Luke Episcopal Church Team Rayceen Us Helping Us Whitman-Walker Health

2.5 MINUTE RIDE

BREAKING GROUND

ON TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE On March 29, 2021, we held a virtual groundbreaking for Open Studio, a $20 million investment in Studio’s future. Open Studio renovations will allow for more creative flexibility from a completely re-engineered and renamed Victor Shargai Theatre, increased opportunities for community connection, and vastly improved operational efficiency for our building. We’re also excited to announce local, women-owned coffee company RĀKO Coffee Roasters as the latest partner to join Open Studio— opening one of their first DC outposts at Studio, complete with outdoor café space. Construction has begun in earnest and we look forward to welcoming you back to a brand new Studio Theatre for our 2021-2022 season.

CONSTRUCTION WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2021. 26

S T U D I O T H E AT R E

1. ARTISTIC INNOVATION When Studio reopens in 2022, our largest first floor theatre will be completely transformed. Rechristened as the Victor Shargai Theatre—in memory of our late board member and local theatre champion—will be a state-of-the-art, fully flexible space in which to create immersive environments for Studio’s audiences. The campaign will also allow Studio to create its first-ever, dedicated rehearsal space.

2. COMMUNITY CONNECTION Renovations will create more welcoming public gathering spaces throughout the building, including a first floor café with outdoor seating. The Box Office will be relocated to right inside our 14th Street entrance to be more patron-friendly. Updates to the façade of our building will clearly express who we are and reflect the creativity of our work.

3. OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Open Studio will invest in the long-term sustainability of our biggest asset—our building—by updating critical systems and infrastructure, some of which haven’t been modernized in over 15 years. A new HVAC system and fixtures will lessen our environmental footprint and decrease expenses on utilities, while optimizing their performance in our intimate theatres and throughout the building.

Be a part of Studio’s transformational change. Become a Friend of the Campaign and be recognized permanently on our donor wall with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $2,500. Join us as a Supporter for $1,000. More information about Open Studio and giving opportunities is available at WWW.OPENSTUDIOCAMPAIGN.ORG 2.5 MINUTE RIDE

OPEN STUDIO DONORS PILLARS OF THE CAMPAIGN Marc Albert and Stephen Tschida Susan and Dixon Butler Events DC Sari Hornstein Arlene and Bob Kogod Judge Albert Lauber and Professor Craig Hoffman The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Teresa and Dan Schwartz Share Fund Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

SPONSORS OF THE CAMPAIGN Esthy and James Adler Peter Bieger and Demian Gaiteri Trudy H. Clark Hope and Mark Foster Navroz and Perinaaz Gandhi Susan L. Gordon Jinny and Michael Goldstein David and Jean Heilman Grier Judy and Steve Hopkins Hal Jones and Anne-Lise Auclair-Jones Arlene and Martin Klepper in honor of Sylvia Jacobson Kathleen Kunzer Rosenzweig and Paul Rosenzweig Stanley and Rosemary Marcuss Virginia A. McArthur and E.C. Michael Higgins Nancy and Herbert Milstein Larry and Joan Naake Craig Pascal in memory of Victor Shargai* Steve and Linda Skalet Ed Starr and Marilyn Marcosson Steve and Suzanne Swendiman 28

S T U D I O T H E AT R E

Bobbi and Ralph Terkowitz Terry Theologides and Deb Rodriguez Mark Tushnet and Elizabeth Alexander Robert Tracy and Martha Gross Alan and Irene Wurtzel

FRIENDS OF THE CAMPAIGN Jeremias Alvarez Rob Batarla Dr. Mark Epstein and Amoretta Hoeber Charles Floto Carmen and Edward Fox John and Meg Hauge JM Zell Partners, LTD Rick Kasten Barry Kropf Renee R. Matalon and Stephen H. Marcus Elvi Moore Carl and Undine Nash Jamie Pate Amit Sevak and Luz Blancas Sevak Jerry and Patti Sowalsky Jonathan and Joan Tycko Bruce and Margareta Yarwood

LEADERSHIP

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

ARTISTIC

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Artistic Director David Muse Managing Director Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg Director of Development Bianca Beckham Director of Production Josh Escajeda General Manager Kathryn Huey Director of Marketing and Communications Hilary Judis

Associate Artistic Director Reginald L. Douglas Literary Director Adrien-Alice Hansel Directing Apprentice Annabel Heacock Producing and Community Engagement Apprentice Jada Boggs Doris Duke Artist In Residence Psalmayene 24 Studio Cabinet Brian MacDevitt, Duncan Macmillan, Natsu Onoda Power, Joanie Schultz, Serge Seiden, Tom Story, Holly Twyford

Readers Circle Charles Linton, Manna-Symone Middlebrooks, Mekala Sridhar

PRODUCTION

Assistant Production Manager and Company Manager Kelsey Sapp Technical Director Jeffery Martin Master Carpenter Eric McMorris Costume Shop Manager Brandee Mathies Lighting and Sound Supervisor Lance Lewis Electrics Apprentice Zavar Blackledge Sound and Projections Apprentice Delaney Bray Technical Direction Apprentice Clarissa Messer Company Management and Production Apprentice Logan McDonald

DEVELOPMENT

Individual Giving Manager Monica Jilling Development Operations Manager Tobias Franzén Grants Coordinator Sarah Cooke Development Apprentice Annie Schoonover

Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Mike Fila Marketing Associate Emily Ames Multimedia Designer Jeremy Hunter Marketing and Communications Apprentice Elissa Loch Marketing Multimedia Apprentice Catherine Dionne Ashley

AUDIENCE SERVICES

Manager of Sales and Tessitura Operations Michelle Blau Manager of Audiences Services and Experience Calvin Roberts Lead Box Office Associate Gabby Wolfe

staff

Commissioned Artists Brittany K. Allen, Kimberly Belflower, David Cale, Staceyann Chin, Carl Cofield, Sarah DeLappe, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, James Fritz, Ike Holter, James Ijames, Marti Lyons, Kate Mulvaney, Lila Neugebauer, Liliana Padilla, Steph Paul, Eric Ruffin, Anne Washburn

Senior Facilities Manager Kieran Kelly Finance Manager Amanda Acker Capital Projects Manager Ryan-Patrick McLaughlin Business Apprentice Talya Shatzky Arts Administration Apprentice Tyler Hayes McMahon

2.5 MINUTE RIDE

FLOW BY WILL POWER DIRECTED BY PSALMAYENE 24

MAY 21 - JUN 13

UP NEXT:

“Power catches the distinctive rhythms of these street singers’ individualized idioms and finds the pulse that makes them come alive.” THE NEW YORK TIMES

Will Power’s percussive look at one urban community and its seven storytellers, who gossip and riff, declare and reveal, showing off their neighborhood through its stories, from trivial to tragic. Backed by a live DJ and unfolding in rhythm and rhyme, Flow is a call and response through history, from the griot tradition to the next artists who will make the tradition for their times.