PROGRAM: Georgia and the Butch by Ariel Estrada

PRODUCER’S NOTE

RIA T. DILULLO

Greetings, Guest – and Welcome!

The Skeleton Rep(resents) is delighted to be back at The Tank, a home for Emerging Artists. The Tank is a special place as it gives free performance space to indie artists like us, while offering a box office split. They make it possible for us to put work on its feet that might otherwise never come to fruition.

However, it does come with its limitations! In order to make the model work, each theater is a shared space. This means they have multiple shows running in a theater at a given time, usually a few on the same day! Therefore, it is important to know that certain elements of the room are a part of our given circumstances - for example, the blue floor, the back wall - and not our team’s design choice.

Within the limitations of the space, we have done what is in our power to bring GEORGIA AND THE BUTCH to life. This is a documentary play, with Maria and Georgia’s words entirely composed from excerpts of letters they wrote to each other. In that vein, the production has a bit of an A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” vibe to it, with Georgia

and Maria’s scripts on stage to ground the audience in the reality of the play’s composition.

However, this is much more than a recitation of letters. This production occupies a space that is somewhat play, somewhat documentary, somewhat of a conjuring of these historical women.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

ANDREW COOPMAN

When it comes to Georgia O’Keeffe, I believe most people fall into two camps: You know everything about her or you “know” she painted female sexuality into flowers. (I hate to admit this, but I fell into the latter.) However, those two camps have something in common - the almost complete erasure of Maria Chabot from her life. This only confirmed for me how important, timely, and necessary a play like GEORGIA AND THE BUTCH is.

As a culture, we idolize our heroes and villainize the villains, distilling them into an almost mythical status that negates their complex humanity, with the people who played major roles in their lives often fading into the background or disappearing altogether. This is the case with Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot.

In directing this play, the story for me to illuminate is the bespoke construction of a special place Georgia sought out for herself in Abiquiu, a place built by hand by fellow cultural rebel Maria - a person with whom it is clear Georgia shared a deep intimacy - and then the dismissal of Maria from Georgia’s life once she has finished building her “temple to her goddess,” her essential function and utility to Georgia no longer “needed.”

While the world fell in love with O’Keeffe’s work, I hope that this show exposes the multifaceted person she was while acknowledging her flaws as part of her hypercommitment to art-making in a world that refused to acknowledge women as autonomous creators. But, more so, I hope we find ourselves loving a young person who operated from the heart with a fierce, unbreakable spirit, even though she was ignored and forgotten by history - Maria Chabot.

Many thanks to Skeleton Rep(resents) for bringing me into this project, Carolyn for curating this work, the cast and creative team for helping bring this story to life, my partner for inspiring a new passion for history and art, and, most of all, Ria T. DiLullo for courageously, kindly, and intentionally walking the long dirt road beside me as I discover a story that needs to be told now more than ever. Enjoy the show.

THE CAST

Ria T. DiLullo

MARIA CHABOT

Gael Schaefer*

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

Haneen Arafat Murphy*

MARY CABOT WHEELWRIGHT

TIME: 1941-1949

PLACE: LOS LUCEROS, GHOST RANCH, ABIQUIU, MANHATTAN

* EQUITY MEMBER APPEARING WITH PERMISSION OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION WITHOUT BENEFIT OF AN EQUITY CONTRACT IN THIS OFF-OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION. GEORGIA AND THE BUTCH IS AN EQUITY APPROVED SHOWCASE PRODUCTION.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA), FOUNDED IN 1913, REPRESENTS MORE THAN 50,000 ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS IN THE UNITED STATES. EQUITY SEEKS TO ADVANCE, FOSTER, AND PROMOTE THE ART OF LIVE THEATRE AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF SOCIETY. EQUITY NEGOTIATES WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS, PROVIDING A WIDE RANGE OF BENEFITS, INCLUDING HEALTH AND PENSION PLANS. AEA IS A MEMBER OF AFL-CIO, AND IS AFFILIATED WITH FIA, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF PERFORMING ARTS UNIONS. THE EQUITY EMBLEM IS OUR MARK OF EXCELLENCE. WWW.ACTORSEQUITY.ORG

SDC IS THE THEATRICAL UNION THAT UNITES, EMPOWERS, AND PROTECTS PROFESSIONAL STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. OUR MISSION IS TO FOSTER A NATIONAL COMMUNITY OF PROFESSIONAL STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS BY PROTECTING THE RIGHTS, HEALTH AND LIVELIHOODS OF ALL OUR MEMBERS; NEGOTIATING AND ENFORCING EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS ACROSS A RANGE OF JURISDICTIONS; FACILITATING THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES; AND EDUCATING CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS ABOUT THE CRITICAL ROLE OF DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS IN LEADING THE FIELD.

FOUNDED IN 2009, THE TANK IS A SMALL, MANHATTAN-BASED NON-PROFIT ARTS PRESENTER AND PRODUCER SERVING EMERGING ARTISTS. OUR GOAL IS TO REMOVE ECONOMIC BARRIERS FROM THE CREATION OF NEW WORK FOR ARTISTS LAUNCHING THEIR CAREERS OR EXPERIMENTING WITHIN THEIR ART FORM, WHILE BEING INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE. WE KEEP TICKET PRICES AFFORDABLE, EXPANDING THE CREATION AND ATTENDANCE OF THE ARTS FOR A BROAD AND DIVERSE COMMUNITY. WWW.THETANKNYC.ORG

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

CAROLYN GAGE is a playwright, performer, director, and activist. The author of nine collections of lesbian and feminist themed plays and eighty-three plays, musicals, and one-woman shows, she specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history. In 2024, Gage won the national Alice B Award, given annually to living writers who have careers distinguished by consistently well-written stories about lesbians. In 2022, her play IN MCCLINTOCK’S CORN was National Runnerup for the Jane Chambers Award for Excellence in Feminist Playwriting, sponsored by the Women and Theatre Program of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Her catalog is online at carolyngage.com.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

ANDREW COOPMAN (they/ he+)is a director, choreographer, and playwright of Middle Eastern descent and Drama League Directors Project alumnus. Director-

Choreographer credits include: THE APOLLO OF BELLAC (Hangar Theatre), HEAD OVER HEELS (Lakewood Playhouse), Henrik Ibsen’s ROSMERSHOLM (Jones Playhouse), Bryony Lavery’s FROZEN: A PLAY (Cabaret Theater), multiple touring remounts of THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM (TheaterWorksUSA), and the upcoming world premiere of ALAN TURING AND THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (The Players Theater). Andrew was a 2024 Artist in Residence playwright with Skeleton Rep(resents). Their original work,TAROT, will premiere at Strawdog Theatre Company in Chicago in 2025. MFA Directing, University of Washington and MA, Educational Theatre, New York University – Steinhardt. Proud SDC member. IG: @arcoopman. AndrewCoopman.com

RIA T. DILULLO

MARIA CHABOT

FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,THE SKELETON REP(RESENTS)

Through TSR, they have produced 10 full stage shows, three short play festivals, 62 salons of new plays, countless readings, a 3-part pandemic film project, and a feature-length indie film, The Great Vanishing. Ria also assisted comedian Judy Gold’s solo performance class for many years, as wellas provided research and writing support on her book, YES I CAN SAY THAT: WHEN THEY COME FOR THE COMEDIANS, WE ARE ALL IN TROUBLE. Ria’s work has been seen most recently at The Alliance (ATL), The Tank, EAG, and other downtown NYC theaters. dilulloria.com

HANEEN ARAFAT MURPHY*

MARY CABOT WHEELWRIGHT

Haneen (she/her) is an actor, writer and host. Her most recent stage performances include PEOPLE OF THE BOOK (Urban Stages), LOST SOCK LAUNDRY (Up Theater) and AMERICAN FAST (Constellation Stage). In 2023, she was a top finisher at Sparkfest, a national competition for MENA theater artists hosted by Amphibian Stage in Ft. Worth, TX. Prior projects with The Skeleton Rep(resents) include ESTHER AND VASHTI by Carolyn Gage, ECHO THE ORIGINAL by Ria T. DiLullo, MUD SEASON, THE SHAPE OF THE ENTIRE, TRACKS, and others. IG: @haneen_arafat_murphy www.haneenarafatmurphy.com.

*MEMBER, ACTORS’ EQUITY

GAEL SCHAEFER*

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

Previous Skeleton Rep: ESTHER AND VASHTI; CONFESSIONAL; THE INCONVENIENT MIRACLE; SUNDOWN; ST. JOHN OF SUBURBIA; IF ANGELS DON’T LOVE THIS PLAY WE’RE DEAD. Off-Broadway: COUNSELLOR-AT-LAW; A WILDER CHRISTMAS (The Peccadillo); EMMA; I COME FOR LOVE (NYMF). Selected New York and regional: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME; THE WEDDING SINGER; SOUVENIR; SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU; MOON OVER BUFFALO; STEEL MAGNOLIAS; THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (with Tony Randall). Film/TV: Ripped!; Hooray for Mister Touchdown; Gladys Brown; “Boardwalk Empire;” “Born 2 Lose.”

Gael’s solo show, NO BETTER NEWS, opens in April as part of FRIGID’s New York City Fringe Festival.

*MEMBER, ACTORS’ EQUITY

CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

SIMON BROUCKE (Sound Design & Original Composition) (he/they) is a composer/lyricist, orchestrator, music director, and dramaturg based in New York City. He loves working on new projects at every stage of development! In addition to working in theater, he has also written/arranged concert music, pops orchestra programs, and music for dance. He is currently a member of the advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. Thank you to Ria, Andrew, Robert, and the whole G&tB team! simonbroucke.com

CALLIE CONSIDINE (Original Art) is a theatre artist and visual artist who is grateful for the opportunity to merge her two fields, and honored to reproduce the works of the transcendent Georgia O’Keeffe. Notable credits include: JABARI DREAMS OF FREEDOM (National Tour), HAMLET (La Mama E.T.C.), and dozens of new works with The Skeleton Rep(resents)

JONATHAN COTTLE (Lighting Design) is a New York City based artist who creates and facilitates live performance. He’s made work in many traditional venues but also in dusty basements, dive bars, old churches, digital spaces, neglected backyards and once, a bus. JonathanCottle.com

ROBERT GONYO (Sound Design & Original Composition) is a theatre director, sound designer, actor, voiceover artist, musician, and tour-guide residing in Queens. His sound designs have been heard with The Skeleton Rep, Retro Productions, American Theater Group, Co-Op Theatre East, End Times, The New Collectives, Writopia Lab’s Worldwide Plays Festival, Amios, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and at the Stella Adler

Studio of Acting. He is the producer & host of Go See a Show!, New York City’s independent theatre podcast (goseeashowpodcast.com), and the producer of Living Radio, a monthly series of new radio plays, performed live. livingradionyc.com | robertgonyo.com

RAINA LAWRENCE (Production Assistant) Raina

Lawrence is a Bengali theatre artist based in New York City. She completed her artist residency at Skeleton Rep and is now an apprentice with the company. Her recent credits include stage manager for Salons at Skeleton Rep (2024), puppeteer at the New York Botanical Gardens with Hit The Lights! Theatre Company, and PA and run deck crew with Naatco and Classic Stage Company.

HOPE SALVAN (Costume Design). Hope is delighted to be designing a new work for Skeleton Rep. Previous credits include: A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (Bookworm Theatricals), THE APPLE TREE, BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, CALAMITY JANE (Musicals Tonight!). Other/ Regional: LAUGHING WILD, ENGLISH MADE SIMPLE. Hair & Make-up Design: NYTA Award for ALICE IN WONDERLAND, EVERYTHING ABOUT A FAMILY (Tada! Youth theatre), LITTLE WOMEN, THE MOUSETRAP,THE SPOTTED MAN, BRILLIANT TRACES, PLAZA SUITE. Love and Gratitude to M and A.

DANIEL SCARANTINO (Production Stage Manager)

Daniel is an actor, improviser, stage manager and occasional drag queen wrangler. He studied Literature at Florida State which means he can recite Chaucer but he’d rather not. As an escapee of Florida, he is thrilled to be dwelling in NYC, living and working in the arts. He is very poor. Please send him work. Many thanks to The Skeleton Rep and The Tank for this fabulous opportunity. Free Palestine. Trans Lives Matter. Fuck Trump.

MINOTAURS. GHOST CHILDREN. DIVINE PREGNANCY. DOMINATRIXES.

This is just a taste of the themes, characters, and worlds that we’ve supported over the course of 62 salons, 11 productions, 3 short play festivals, and countless closed readings since Skeleton Rep’s inception in 2015. The Skeleton Rep(resents) is a new works development company with a mission to explore modern myth through the sincere practice of craft. Our intention is not only to bring myths from the past into the present, but more importantly, to work with those preexisting narratives, archetypes, and structures in order to explore what is mythical about our own age. We are truly egalitarian in our interpretation of mythology and welcome anyone who is interested in doing the big hard work of bringing to life these challenging, rewarding narratives.

While historically our mission has applied most specifically to theatrical works, the circumstances of the pandemic provided us with the opportunity to branch out into filmed projects.

READ OUR LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

Meghan Finn, Artistic Director

Molly Fizmaurice, Managing Producer

Johnny G. Lloyd, Director of Artistic Development

Pete Betcher, Technical Manager

Connor Scully, Marketing & Audience Engagement Manager

Greg Lakhan, Office Manager

Print Shop PR, Press Relations

ARE YOU AN ARTIST? The Tank is committed to supporting the work of as many artists as we possibly can. We operate with open submissions, so you can email us and do a show. For info on how to submit a proposal, please visit thetanknyc.org/perform.

THANKS TO OUR INDIVIDUAL DONORS

With your support, we can continue facilitating emerging artists and new ideas for a good long time. By making a donation of any amount, you’ll help us help artists. To contribute visit thetanknyc.org/support

TANK BOARD Justin Krebs (President), Anthony Sunga (Secretary), Patrick Rousseau (Treasurer), Jenn de la Vega, Eric Krebs, JJ Lind, Josh Luxenberg, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Jill Rousseau, Stephane Samuel, Rachel Schweitzer.

TANK ADVISORY BOARD Wesley Chow, Emma McMullin, Gregory Rae, Rachel Schweitzer, Claire Silberman, Alex Timbers.

2024 TANK INSTITUTIONAL FUNDERS

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

The Tank’s programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.