FLOW BY WILL POWER DIRECTED BY PSALMAYENE 24
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, One of the foundations of hip-hop music is sampling. Sampling involves repurposing parts of existing music and blending it with something new. It’s not a bad metaphor for what this digital production of Flow does. Flow premiered in the early 2000s and was originally performed by its author, Will Power. It embodied many of the core elements of hip-hop: rap with complex wordplay; DJing with turntables, live mixing and scratching; and movement inspired by African dancing and developed on the street. Practitioners of the form, like director Psalmayene 24, consider Flow a classic of the hip-hop theatre genre. It was also one of the works of early hip-hop theatre that found a place on the stages of mainstream theatre companies—like Studio Theatre, which invited Will to perform it in 2004. In the audience: me, seeing the play for a second time after loving it in New York, Psalm, and this production’s DJ/Composer/Sound Designer, Nick “tha 1da” Hernandez, who was on a first date with his now wife! This production passes the play on to a storyteller from a new generation, DC’s own Justin Weaks, and reimagines it for a new digital theatre medium. I feel like this play—whose central theme is the power of storytelling and its passing from generation to generation—almost invites one to sample and repurpose like we’ve done. This production’s director has had a busy two years at Studio. He directed Pass Over, which was mid-run when the shutdown began. With support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, he has been embedded in the company as an Artist in Residence, hosting virtual evenings of conversation and communion called Psalm’s Salons, working with student actors at Howard University (a core Studio community partner), and much more. And now Flow. At the core of Psalm’s artistic identity is a belief that theatre ought to bring all kinds of people together, and we’ve been lucky to have him with us as we endeavor to do exactly that. Now, it’s my distinct pleasure to invite you to turn up your volume, settle in, and enjoy Flow. Yours,
DAVID MUSE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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flow BY WILL POWER DIRECTED BY PSALMAYENE 24 DIRECTOR OF VIDEO WES CULWELL LIGHTING DESIGNER SHERRICE MOJGANI DJ, COMPOSER, AND SOUND DESIGNER NICK “THA 1DA” HERNANDEZ CHOREOGRAPHER TONY THOMAS 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 AND SET CONSULTANT JEFFREY MARTIN VIDEO PRODUCTION STUDIIO BOX DC, STUDIIOBOXDC.COM
Cast WILL POWER, THE 7TH STORYTELLER JUSTIN WEAKS* Setting The Neighborhood
* 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
Support for Flow provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
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NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG The seed for the show that would become Will Power’s breakout hit Flow was, appropriately enough, percussive. Walking home through Harlem, Power had a vision that was both visual and aural: “I started seeing these moving pictures in my mind,” he writes. “I could see these storytellers in Africa. …Their village was under siege by invaders, and these storytellers were attempting to tell everyone in their village all the community stories before the community ceased to exist. …And in the middle of the chaos were these storytellers telling stories. When they moved, they would say, ‘Zuu!’ And when an invader was approaching, they’d beat on drums to create a rhythmic pattern of warning. It sounded kind of like ‘beede-kaka, beedekaka.’” From this urgent and specific vision of history, Power crafted a play about the seven storytellers chosen to tell the stories of The Neighborhood in their own time of chaos. Drawing on the West African tradition of the griot—a poet/musician/ historian figure, a community’s living archive and social glue—Power creates a range of characters from a young freestyle queen to friendly corner drunk to cashier and self-taught minister. The tales themselves are as likely to be ridiculous (one follows an intrepid cockroach-turnedrevolutionary) as they are to be thoughtprovoking or painful and unsentimental. All the stories have real medicine in them, yoking the past to an uncertain present. As their teacher, Ole’ Cheesy, explains to Will and the other fledgling storytellers he trains up, “Once there was a time/When Griots—we did more than just rhyme/Zuu/ 4
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We were tellin’ the truth/Passin’ knowledge along.” Ole’ Cheesy prods his students to take their place as a Griot crew once again, telling what they know and finding new tellers to remake the stories in their own flow. Will Power toured Flow in 2003-2004 (including a run at Studio Theatre), performing the piece with DJ Reborn spinning and scratching alongside him. The play is considered a classic of hip-hop theatre, one of the first hip-hop plays to be written in rhymed verse, and the first to create what scholar Kim Euell calls, “the language of the drumbeat.” For this season’s production at Studio, Psalmayene 24 has translated the play into digital form, working with choreographer Tony Thomas and composer DJ Nick tha 1da. Inspired by the visual language of hip-hop videos, the trio have created various styles for the play’s parables of independence and interdependence. Power’s fusion of music, rhythm, poetry, and movement evokes the public life of The Neighborhood, its sounds and rhythms, its memories and promises. Today, DC’s street life is reawakening in the shadow of this year’s many losses, a rise that blends sorrow and joy. Power’s words and observations—as well as his love for the sounds of a living street scene and the ability of stories to bind us together and help us envision the world as it could be—make for a powerful bridge back to public life. ADRIEN-ALICE HANSEL DRAMATURG
playwright
WILL POWER is an internationally renowned
playwright, performer, lyricist, and educator. Called “the best verse playwright in America” by New York Magazine, Will is an innovator and dramatic explorer of new theatrical forms. He is one of the pioneers and co-creators of hip-hop theatre, a late 20th century artform that led the way for future iconic works such as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, as well as dozens of education programs being established throughout the country. He is also a master craftsman of traditionally based plays and musicals, including Fetch Clay, Make Man, which has been produced by McCarter Theatre Center, New York Theatre Workshop, Round House Theatre, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, The Ensemble Theatre, and Marin Theatre Company, among others. Will’s other plays include Stagger Lee, The Seven, Seize the King, Detroit Red, and children’s theatre pieces Five Fingers of Funk and Honey Bo and the Goldmine. Will’s collaboration with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and composer Julia Wolfe resulted in the performance piece Steel Hammer, which was performed at the Humana Festival, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, before its world tour. Will’s numerous awards include The Doris Duke Artist Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, a United States Artist Prudential Fellowship, an NEA/TCG Residency Grant, TCG Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, a NYFA Award, a Joyce Foundation Award, and a 2020 Elliot Norton Award. Currently, Will is a Professor of Theater at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. FLOW
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PSALMAYENE 24 is an award-winning director,
playwright, and actor. Directing credits include Native Son by Nambi E. Kelley at Mosaic Theater Company, Word Becomes Flesh (recipient of five 2017 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Play) by Marc Bamuthi Joseph at Theater Alliance, and The Shipment by Young Jean Lee at Forum Theatre. He has received commissions from the African Continuum Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Theater Alliance, Solas Nua, Mosaic Theater Company, and Theatrical Outfit. His one-man play, Free Jujube Brown!, is published in the anthology, Plays from the Boom Box Galaxy: Theater from the Hip-Hop Generation (TCG).
actors
JUSTIN WEAKS (Will Power, the 7th Storyteller) returns to Studio after appearing in last season’s production of Pipeline and Curve of Departure during the 2017-2018 season. Selected local credits include BLKS, Gloria, and Describe the Night at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; Fences at Ford’s Theatre; Long Way Down at The Kennedy Center; Gem of the Ocean at Round House Theatre; The Christians at Theater J; Word Becomes Flesh and Still Life with Rocket at Theater Alliance; and Charm at Mosaic Theater Company. Additional regional and New York credits include work with Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Shakespeare & Company, and Barter Theatre. Justin received a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Ensemble (Word Becomes Flesh at Theater Alliance) and holds an additional three nominations for his work. He is a teaching artist in the DMV area and a company member at Woolly Mammoth. He holds a BA in Theatre from Greensboro College.
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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 2.5 Minute Ride at Studio; 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. NICK “THA 1DA” HERNANDEZ (DJ/ Composer/Sound Designer) is a sample-based producer, DJ, and artist. He has produced original compositions for Long Way Down at The Kennedy Center, The Hip-Hop Children’s 8
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Trilogy with playwright Psalmayene 24 at Imagination Stage, Fences at Ford’s Theatre, Native Son and Les Deux Noir at Mosaic Theater Company, Word Becomes Flesh (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Production) at Theater Alliance, and Havana Hop and All The Way Live! with sibling Paige Hernandez at Discovery Theater. Additionally, Nick has produced compositions and projects for Hot 97 FM, Red Bull Music, Netflix, DC Public Library, Arena Stage, Smithsonian Associates, and Words Beats & Life Inc. On social media at @nicktha1da. TONY THOMAS (Choreographer) is an independent artist working a wide range of arts and entertainment mediums. His credits include Pass Over and P.Y.G. or the Misedumacation of Dorian Belle at Studio, Native Son at Mosaic Theater Company, Caucasian Chalk Circle and Aida at Constellation Theatre Company, and The Freshest Snow Whyte and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown at Imagination Stage. He was nominated for Outstanding Choreography by the Helen Hayes Awards in 2019 for P.Y.G. at Studio and in 2016 for Word Becomes Flesh at Theatre Alliance. Performance credits include West Side Story (Tio) National Tour, Guys & Dolls, and A Chorus Line (2014 Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Musical Production) at Olney Theatre Center. He currently serves as Head of Dance and Artistic Supervisor (Pre-Professional Program) at Adventure Theatre MTC, sits on the board and dance faculty with Ngoma Center for Dance, and actively leads numerous workshops and coaching circuits. Tony Thomas Designs was developed in 2004, featuring Tio Diaz Studio as a premiere design house in Interior Architecture and Creative Direction.
LEIGH WILSON SMILEY (Dialect Coach) has been on the artistic teams as a voice/dialect/ text director for numerous shows produced at Studio Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Everyman Theatre, Round House Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, NBC on-camera talent, and Cirque du Soleil. Smiley created the Visual Accent and Dialect Archive, a web-based resource for dialect and accent samples. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. leighsmileyvoice.com and VisualAccentDialectArchive.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, 2.5 Minute Ride, 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 two streaming plays, Cock and 2.5 Minute Ride, 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, Until the Flood, and 2.5 Minute Ride. 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. JADA BOGGS (Assistant Director) is a multimedia artist, producer, and director. She is a recent graduate from Ithaca College and joined Studio Theatre as an Artistic Apprentice for the 2021-2022 season. Her most recent directing credit is Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. at Ithaca College. Her recent Assistant Director credits include August: Osage County and You Can’t Take It with You at Hangar Theatre, as well as Antigone Project at Ithaca College. jadaboggs.com.
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PRODUCTION STAFF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JADA BOGGS
CAMERA OPERATOR CAMILLE TOUSSAINT
COSTUME CONSULTANT BRANDEE MATHIES
CAMERA OPERATOR RYDER HASKE
DIALECT COACH LEIGH WILSON SMILEY
VIDEO SHOW CALLER ZACH WOOD
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT LÜCIÉN REUBENS
LOCATION AUDIO AND AUDIO POST PRODUCER MATTHEW NIELSON
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAN MUYS CAMERA OPERATOR SHANE ALCOCK
For additional members of the production staff, see the full staff listing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 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.
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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
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Flow
is an undisputed classic of hip-hop theatre. When Will Power began touring the piece in 2003, it joined a constellation of scripted works experimenting with the theatrical possibilities of hip-hop traditions and performance styles. Here are a few of the early important works of hip-hop theatre.
*Photo by: Mike Kepka
SAR SURFAC *Photo by: Foteini
*Photo by: Julio Pantoja
DANNY HOCH: JAILS, HOSPITALS & HIP-HOP (1998) In Jails, Hospitals & Hip-Hop, writer/ performer Danny Hoch plays 10 characters from New York’s late90s hip-hop generation, flexing his emcee skills with wordplay, mimicry, and insight.
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JONZI D: AEROPLANE MAN (1998) Based on Jonzi D’s own story as a Black man from East London on a global quest to find his spiritual homeland, Aeroplane Man fuses dance, rhyme, and live breakbeats.
Sarah Jones is a for champion at the Nu Cafe. Surface Trans solo show. She play different people wh in chilling and surp loosely framed by J to school on the Q4
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RAH JONES: CE TRANSIT (1998)
rmer grand slam uyorican Poets sit was her first ys eight radically hose lives intersect prising ways, Jones’s commute 46 bus.
*Photo courtesy of American Theatre
KAMILAH FORBES AND THE HIP-HOP THEATRE JUNCTION: RHYME DEFERRED (2000) Created by Kamilah Forbes and an ensemble of performers while they were students at Howard University, Rhyme Deferred is an adaptation of the Cain and Abel story pitting two estranged brothers and their different takes on the focus and purpose of hip-hop music: high style or deep substance.
PSALMAYENE 24: FREE JUJUBE BROWN! (2002) This solo show written and originally performed by Flow director Psalmayene 24 tells the story of an accomplished Black writer who is arrested and convicted of killing a white police officer. The play uses hip-hop-based dance and music to embody different characters in Jujube’s community in a collage that evokes the varied and colliding worldviews and truths of its characters.
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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 Daniel and Irene Simpkins 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 The Allen Shedlin Foundation 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 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 FLOW
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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 22
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
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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. 24
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. Renamed as the Victor Shargai Theatre—in memory of our late board member and local theatre champion—the venue will be a state-ofthe-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 FLOW
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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 Joan and David Maxwell 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 26
S T U D I O T H E AT R E
Steve and Suzanne Swendiman 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
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TENDER AGE BY GEORGE BRANT DIRECTED BY HENRY GODINEZ
JUL 2 - 25, 2021
UP NEXT:
When Martín applies for a position at the local Walmart-turned-Detention Center, he is dismayed to discover he’ll be working as a security guard for a warehouse full of children, some as young as his own, separated from their families at the nearby Texan border. The steady paycheck, however, outweighs Martín’s misgivings—until a strange epidemic grips the facility, and Martín faces a moral reckoning. Stark and propulsive, Tender Age joins George Brant’s Grounded (Studio, 2014) as a play about living at the edge of your ethics.