®
from the desk of
loretta greco
WELCOME TO MAGIC! This year has flown by. From welcoming Taylor Mac back to the Bay for A 24 Decades History of Popular Music (with our colleagues at Curran, Pomegranate Arts and Stanford Live), to sharing plays from new playwright friends: Barbara Hammond (The Eva Trilogy) and old: John Kolvenbach (Reel to Reel), we are thrilled to conclude this season of thought-provoking work with the return of Jessica Hagedorn and the world premiere of The Gangster of Love. Jessica’s artistry and cultural acumen are incomparable. I’ve always been captivated by her unique lens on the world; her gritty and complicated female protagonists; her uncanny contemporary use of mythos, and her high-octane poetry. Jessica’s visceral and organic explorations of colonization, assimilation, and the insidious casualties of class have rightfully distinguished her as a formidable novelist, poet, and playwright. We are thrilled to welcome Jessica back to the American city she first called home, where her artistic voice first came of age, to re-imagine her seminal 1996 novel, The Gangster of Love for the stage. Gangster follows a story not unlike Jessica’s own evolution here in the 1970s. As a first-generation immigrant odyssey, Gangster explores the act of becoming — both as individual and artist in America — and more specifically: San Francisco. This was San Francisco when the Mission was an actual barrio full of open-air politicized murals – a stunning time in the Haight, Tenderloin and North Beach, where poets, musicians, and artists of all sorts were plentiful — and their revelations revered. This was a San Francisco wrestling with a growing drug culture, the Zodiac and Zebra killings, and an anti-eviction movement which began with first generation immigrants but grew to include everyone who was invested in sustaining the character, diversity, and humanity of this beloved city by the bay. Sound familiar? For me, The Gangster of Love is provocative both as a first-hand account of the lifealtering power of truly being seen AND as a portrait of the “American Dream” in action as it pans out for Rocky, her brother Voltaire, and their magnetic mother Milagros. I’ve known Jessica for over 22 years now, and it’s been a particular joy to work with her over the last two years, with the support of the Gerbode Foundation, on this commission. Jessica has deeply excavated her own history and the history of this city to create The Gangster of Love, anew. Enjoy! It has been our great pleasure to have you with us this year. We have an extraordinary new season coming together with the introduction of an astounding new writer: Ashlin Halfnight with the world premiere of The Resting Place; the return of Mfoniso Udofia with the premiere of In Old Age, the ten-year anniversary revival of our premiere of Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus el Rey, plus an exciting lineup of Virgin Festival writers! We hope you will continue to join us at the theatre with your family, colleagues, and friends. We can’t make Magic without you! Warmly,
2
MAGIC THE ATRE
Magic Theatre presents
The world premiere of
THE GANGSTER OF LOVE written by Jessica Hagedorn directed by Loretta Greco+ Opening Night April 18, 2018 Season Producers John F. Marx and Nikki Beach Toni Rembe and Arthur Rock Clay Foundation West Producers Brad Rubenstein Ken and Ruth Wilcox Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation The commissioning and production of this world premiere is made possible by the Gerbode-Hewlett Foundations 2015 Commissioning Awards initiative. Additional support for this world premiere provided by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
CAST Rocky Golda Sargento Voltaire/Benny Jed Parsario Milagros Sarah Nina Hayon* Fely/Shy Poet Lisa Hori-Garcia* Basilio/Shig Chuck Lacson Zeke/Bugsy/Jimi Lance Gardner* Rick/Declan/Fatima Lawrence Radecker Keiko Dezi Solèy Elvis/Orpheus Patrick Alparone* Marlon/Carabao Kid Sean San José*
CREATIVE TEAM Set & Projection Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design Music Director Stage Manager Dramaturg Props Design Local Casting Scenery engineered and built by
Hana S. Kim** Ulises Alcala** Ray Oppenheimer Sara Huddleston El Beh Michaela Byrne Shirley Fishman Lily Sorenson Sonia Fernandez Cal Shakes Scene Shop
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. ** Member of United Scenic Artists local 829, which represents the designers and scenic painters for the American theatre. + Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC).
Adopt-a-Play Parents* John Marx & Nikki Beach Courtland & Donna LaVallee
*Adopt-a-Play parents help to welcome the cast and production team into the Magic community by hosting welcoming events from the first day of rehearsal through the final performance.
The video and/or sound recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited. This theatre operates under an agreement with Actor’s Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
MAGIC THE ATRE
3
biographies JESSICA HAGEDORN
PLAYWRIGHT
is thrilled to be back at Magic Theatre with the world premiere of The Gangster Of Love. Born in Manila, raised in San Francisco, and now living in New York, she is the author of Toxicology, Dream Jungle, The Gangster Of Love, Danger And Beauty, and Dogeaters, which won the American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. An alumna of the Sundance Theatre Lab and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, her theatre work includes the stage adaptation of Dogeaters, collaborations with composer Mark Bennett (Most Wanted), Ntozake Shange & Thulani Davis (Where The Mississippi Meets The Amazon), Robbie McCauley & Laurie Carlos (Teenytown), Han Ong (Airport Music), Urban Bushwomen (Heat), Blondell Cummings (The Art Of War/ Nine Situations), Campo Santo (Stairway To Heaven, Fe In The Desert), and Hagedorn’s own band, The Gangster Choir. Hagedorn edited both volumes of Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction, and Manila Noir, a crime fiction anthology. Prizes and honors include the Hewlett, Gerbode Foundation Playwriting Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fiction Fellowship, the Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship, and the Philippine National Book Award for Manila Noir, among others. Salamats and mabuhay to fearless director Loretta Greco, dramaturg Shirley Fishman, the Magic creative/production team, and our extraordinary cast of kickass actors and musicians. My thanks to Magic’s dynamic apprentice duo, Karina Fox and Kate Leary, for all the help and good vibes. www.jessicahagedorn.net
LORETTA GRECO+
DIRECTOR/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
is currently in her tenth season as Magic Theatre’s Artistic Director, where she has proudly developed and premiered Taylor Mac’s Hir; Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus El Rey, Bruja, and This Golden State: Part 1: Delano; Polly Pen and Victor Lodato’s 4
MAGIC THE ATRE
Arlington; Linda McLean’s Every Five Minutes; Sharr White’s Annapurna; Lloyd Suh’s American Hwangap and Jesus In India; Anna Zeigler’s Another Way Home; and Octavio Solis’s Se Llama Cristina; and shepherded the American premieres of Penelope Skinner’s Fred’s Diner, Linda McLean’s Any Given Day, and Mark O’Rowe’s Terminus, among many others. Ms Greco’s directing credits at Magic include Theresa Rebeck’s Mauritius, Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus el Rey, Liz Duffy Adams’ Or,, Sharr White’s The Other Place, Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, Han Ong’s Grandeur, and last season’s critically acclaimed revival of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love. Ms. Greco’s New York directing premieres include: Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Story (Kesselring), Ruben Santiago Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues (Obie), and Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano (Kesselring) at NYSF/Public Theater; Katherine Walat’s Victoria Martin Math Team Queen, Karen Hartman’s Gum, Toni Press Coffman’s Touch, and Rinne Groff’s Inky at Women’s Project; Emily Mann’s Meshugah at Naked Angels; Laura Cahill’s Mercy at The Vineyard Theatre; and Nilo Cruz’s A Park in Our House at New York Theatre Workshop. Regional directing credits include Life is a Dream at California Shakespeare Theater; Realistic Joneses, Speed-thePlow, Blackbird, and Lackawanna Blues at American Conservatory Theater; Romeo and Juliet and Stop Kiss at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and productions at La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, McCarter Theatre Center, Long Wharf Theatre, Studio Theater, Intiman Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Area Stage, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Playmakers Repertory Company. She directed the national tour of Emily Mann’s Having Our Say as well as the international premiere at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ms. Greco received her MFA from Catholic University, her BA from Loyola University, New Orleans, and is recipient of two Drama League Fellowships and a Princess Grace Award.
PATRICK ALPARONE*
ELVIS/ORPHEUS
was last seen at Magic in Baltimore Waltz. Also at Magic: Buried Child, Every Five Minutes, Any Given Day, Mrs. Whitney, Octopus, A Lie of the Mind. Other credits include: The Normal Heart, Elektra (American Conservatory
Theatre); Red (Portland Center Stage); Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear (Cal Shakes); Phaedra (Shotgun Players); Period of Adjustment, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (San Francisco Playhouse); Man of Rock (Climate Theatre); Twelfth Night, Ambition Facing West (TheatreWorks); Olive Kitteridge, 36 Stories (Word for Word/ Zspace); All’s Well That Ends Well (Livermore Shakespeare Festival ); Lolita Roadtrip (San Jose Stage Company); A Streetcar Named Desire (Marin Theatre Co.); Skin (Encore Theatre Co.); Hamlet (Impact Theatre); Little Dog Laughed (B Street Theatre); Karima’s City for the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (Golden Thread Productions). Member of AEA and SAG. patrickalparone.com
LANCE GARDNER*
ZEKE/BUGSY/JIMI
last appeared at Magic Theatre in 2007 in Rust. He has explored nearly every corner of the San Francisco Bay Area as an actor, musician, EMT, and radio journalist. He most recently appeared in Skeleton Crew at TheatreWorks, Shakespeare in Love at Marin Theatre Company, and An Octoroon at Berkeley Rep. He will be performing this summer at Cal Shakes in Everybody and The War of the Roses.
SARAH NINA HAYON*
MILAGROS
is native San Franciscan and three-time Drama Desk Nominee. She is honored to be back at Magic with Loretta bringing to life Jessica’s words. Hayon was last seen in Magic’s productions of Bright Half Life and This Golden State. As a bi-coastal actress, she is proud member of LAByrinth Theater Company, Partial Comfort, and Rising Phoenix Repertory. Passionate about new plays, she has developed plays both on and off Broadway including Yale, New York Stage and Film, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Roundabout, The Public Theatre, and NYTW. Theater highlights include: Swimmers (TBA nomination, MTC, Mike Donahue,) Life Is A Dream (Cal Shakes, Loretta Greco), Water By The Spoonful (The Old Globe, Eddie Torres). Bright New Boise (Drama Desk Nom., Partial Comfort, Davis McCallum) TV + Film credits include HBO’s new drama Succession, Danny DeVito’s
Curmudgeons, Heirloom, Unforgettable, Parker & Maggie, Are We There Yet, The Green, SATC, Law & Order, Avatar.
LISA HORI-GARCIA*
FELY/SHY POET
is honored to be working alongside this incredible group of creative beings on the world premiere of The Gangster Of Love. As a longtime fan of Jessica Hagedorn’s work - this project is a dream come true! Lisa is a San Francisco-based actor, writer, director, singer and teaching artist, whose primary artistic home is with the San Francisco Mime Troupe (political theater company), where she has been a principal actor/collaborator since 2004 in such shows as Schooled, Freedomland, and Doing Good. Other Bay Area credits include: Cal Shakes, Campo Santo, Word for Word, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, ACT, Marin Theater Company and BRAVA Theater. Lisa received her BA from Smith College and MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California. www.lisahorigarcia.com
CHUCK LACSON
BASILIO/SHIG
is a resident artist and producer at Bindlestiff Studio (SF) and feels incredibly honored to return to the Magic to help tell this wonderful story. Credits include: Dogeaters (Magic Theater), There's the Moon and then there's You (Bindlestiff Studio), A Kinda Sad Love Story (Bindlestiff Studio), A Pinoy Midsummer (Bindlestiff Studio), Cowboy vs. Samurai, (Asian American Theater Company / Pear Theater). He wants to thank his talented cast mates and the Magic Theater family, especially Loretta Greco and Jessica Hagedorn, for inviting him to be part of something so special. Lastly, love to his wife and scene partner for life, Julie.
JED PARSARIO
VOLTAIRE/BENNY
is thrilled to return to Magic Theatre where he was last seen in Dogeaters. He is a resident artist at Bindlestiff Studio with multiple production credits including the premiere of the Tagalog Festival. He is a teaching artist at TheatreWorks. Most recent credits
include: The Circuit (Scu Presents); Kano + Abe: A Daly City Bible Story And Best Of Playground 2017 (SF Playground). Jed has also worked with ACT, California Shakespeare, Cutting Ball, Local Dystopia, Marin Theatre Company, Marin Shakespeare Company, San Jose Stage, SF Playwrights Foundation, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and Vallejo Shakespeare Company. Catch him next in White at Shotgun Players. www.jedparsario.com
LAWRENCE RADECKER
RICK/ DECLAN/FATIMA
is honored to be back in Jessica Hagedorn's world after previously performing in Magic Theatre’s production of Dogeaters. He is a resident artist with both Crowded Fire Theater and Golden Thread Productions, where he's developed and debuted numerous roles. Other theatre credits include shows at San Jose Stage, Aurora Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Thick Description, Impact Theatre and Bootstrap Theatre amongst others.
SEAN SAN JOSÉ*
include Kearny Street Workshop’s APAture 2017 Performing Arts and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists in Ashland, Oregon 2016.
DEZI SOLÈY
KEIKO
is a prizmatic artist cocreating embodiments of the Divine through explorations in images, spoken word & movement. Since earning her BA (Cultural & Regional Studies, Minor in Dance) from Prescott College, she has trained and performed with Bay Area traditional Haitian & South African dance theater companies El Wah Movement & Jikelele Dance Theatre. Her most recent credits include starring in the independent feature film Like, Reply, Share (written & directed by Josh Peterson), Campo Santo’s Ethos De Masquerade (directed by Sean San José), her lead role in Star Finch's Bondage (directed by Elizabeth Carter), and in TheatreFirst productions: The Farm, Participants and Between Us. Solèy is currently represented by Stars The Agency. www.dezisoley.com
HANA S. KIM**
MARLON/ CARABAO KID
SCENIC AND PROJECTION DESIGN
is happy to return to Magic Theatre and thrilled to work with the great Jessica Hagedorn again. He has had the honor of working on two of her original plays for the company Campo Santo and has performed her prose material with Hagedorn many times. Thank you to BongBong for the connection to la Jessica.
GOLDA SARGENTO
ROCKY
is a writer, musician and performer. Her work is most often seen with her bands Golda + The Guns, DeathGlam and The Soft Stars. With her acting, directing and producing chops at home at Bindlestiff Studio — the epicenter for Filipino American Performing Arts — Golda has worked with Overseas Artists, 8th Wonder, Pinoisepop, Jeanne Barroga, Taste Better Wit, Stories High, The Love Edition, and Aklasan Fest. Currently, Golda is developing Darkheart, A Concert Narrative. Past presentations
Recent design credits include: Steal A Pencil For Me directed by Omer Ben Seadia (Opera Colorado), Weightless directed by Becca Wolff (Z Space), The Eva Trilogy directed by Loretta Greco (Magic Theatre), and The Christians directed by Hana Sharif (Baltimore Center Stage). She is a 2018 Richard E. Sherwood Awardee from CTG, member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, and recipient of Princess Grace Award in Theater Design. Her designs have won Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Awards, Helen Hayes Award, Stage Raw Awards, and StageSceneLA Awards. For her portfolio, please visit: www.hananow.com.
RAY OPPENHEIMER
LIGHTING DESIGN
is excited to be back at Magic Theatre for The Gangster of Love. His designs have been seen in Grandeur, Dogeaters, Bad Jews, pen/man/ship, and Territories at Magic Theatre in the past. He has also designed for Shotgun Players, Crowded Fire, Mugwumpin, Center Rep, David Herrera Dance Co, West Edge Opera, and Debutantes and Vagabonds. Ray is currently completing his MFA at San Francisco State University. MAGIC THE ATRE
5
biographies SARA HUDDLESTON SOUND DESIGN
is pleased to return to Magic, where she most recently designed sound for the world premiere production of Reel to Reel. Previous Magic sound design credits include Grandeur, Fool for Love, Dogeaters, Fred’s Diner, Sister Play, And I And Silence, Every Five Minutes, Hir, Arlington, Terminus, Se Llama Cristina, Any Given Day, The Brothers Size, Mrs. Whitney, Goldfish, Evie’s Waltz, and The K of D. Other Bay Area sound design credits include: Octopus (Magic/Encore Theatre Company); Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and Gem of the Ocean (Marin Theatre Company); Autobiography of a Terrorist (Golden Thread Productions); I Call My Brothers, 410 [Gone], and Invasion! (Crowded Fire), In On It and T.I.C (Encore Theatre Company); The Shaker Chair (Encore Theatre Company/Shotgun Players); Macbeth (Shotgun Players); Three on a Party (Word for Word); and A Round Heeled Woman (Z Space).
ULISES ALCALA**
COSTUME DESIGNER
has designed costumes for theatre and opera at various companies in the Bay Area for the last 15 years. Upcoming productions include Quixote Nuevo at the California Shakespeare Festival, White at Shotgun Players and The Abduction from the Serarlio at Opera San Jose. Mr. Alcala is a professor of design at California State University, East Bay. Recent engagements include: The Merry Wives of Windsor at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2017: San Francisco Opera Center, The Elixir of Love, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and La Finta Giardiniera; San Francisco Conservatory of Music: Don Giovanni; Bay Area Children’s Theatre for their national tours of Strega Nona and The Magic Schoolbus; Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival, DC: Tongues; Eureka Theatre: Marisol.
EL BEH
MUSIC DIRECTOR
is a theatre artist, performer, musician, singer, composer, mover and educator. Beh has collaborated with many
6
MAGIC THE ATRE
local companies including Berkeley Rep, California Shakespeare Theatre, The Curran, EmSpace Dance, Erika Chong Shuch Performance Project, SF Playhouse, YBCA, and Z Space among others. As Mizz Ellemenohpee Q. Aresteeyuvee, Beh is a co-host of Drag Spectacular Spectacular. She is a proud company member of Mugwumpin, Shotgun Players and detour dance. Their cello playing has been heard with such folks as The Bengsons, Taylor Mac, and the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony and she was named one of KQED’s 2017 Women to Watch. You can next catch them performing in Joe Goode’s Still Standing at the Haas-Lilienthal house this summer.
SHIRLEY FISHMAN DRAMATURG
At Magic Theatre: Jesus in India, Hir. Many productions over 17 years as Associate Artistic Director and dramaturg at La Jolla Playhouse, including 2017 Tony Award winners Come From Away, Indecent, and I Am My Own Wife (2004 Tony winner), among others, and many plays and musicals in development, including an annual new play for San Diego public schools. At Public Theatre: Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, Arthur Miller’s The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano, directed by Loretta Greco, among others, and co-curator of NEW WORK NOW! annual new play festival. Other affiliations: Denver Theatre Center, San Diego Rep, Sundance Theatre Lab, Native Voices at the Autry, productions for UC San Diego Dept. of Theatre and Dance and annual Wagner New Play Festival. Education: B.A. Hunter College; MFA Columbia University School of the Arts.
KATE LEARY
ASSOCIATE DRAMATURG
is a freelance dramaturg and Magic's current Literary Apprentice. She previously served as the Assistant to the Director of the Safe Harbors Indigenous Theatre Collective at La Mama Theatre (New York, NY) and is a Literary Wing member at The Play Company (New York, NY). B.A. Penn State; MFA Columbia University.
YEE EUN NAM
ASSOCIATE SCENIC & PROJECTIONS DESIGNER
is a scenic and projection designer for opera, theater and other live performances and is currently based in LA. Her recent
works include projection design for Cruzar La Cara De La Luna at Valley Performing Art Center, Sapo at Getty Villa with Culture Clash, and set and projection design for Citizen: An American Lyric at Kirk Douglas Theatre. She received MFA in Theater Design from UCLA. Upcoming projects include Citizen with Music Center at Grand Park, and Border Town at Pasadena Playhouse. www.yeeeunnam.com
MICHAELA BYRNE
STAGE MANAGER
is delighted to be making her debut with Magic Theatre. Recent stage-managing credits include Cutting Ball's Mineola Twins, Theatre Rhino's The Call, and Nerd Nation for Divafest at The Exit, as well as SFYT's touring production of In And Out Of Shadows. She has a BFA in Directing from the University of Michigan. She thanks her parents and brother for their love and support.
JOHN MARX & NIKKI BEACH SEASON PRODUCERS
began coming to Magic in 1981 and have enjoyed its intensity and independence ever since. John joined the Magic Theatre board in 2009. In 1999, John co-founded Form4 Architecture, a SF-based firm that produces award-winning architecture ranging from a 2,000 square foot penthouse in SF to a 4 million square foot IT Campus in Pune, India. Other projects include the headquarters for Netflix, nVidia, and Vmware. Recently, a monograph of John’s work, titled Wandering the Garden of Technology and Passion, was published by Balcony Press. Nikki Beach makes model trees for architects worldwide. John and Nikki are honored to have been producers of Tír na nóg, Mauritius, Oedipus El Rey, The Lily’s Revenge, Bruja, Se Llama Cristina, and Buried Child. They find the behind-the-scenes access and relationships they have formed from producing to be unforgettable.
TONI REMBE
SEASON PRODUCER
is a past member of Magic Theatre's board of trustees, past president and a member of the Emeritus Advisory Board of the American Conservatory Theater, and a member of TCG’s National Council for the American Theatre. She is a retired partner at the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and president of the van Loben Sels-RembeRock Foundation, a private
foundation specializing in social justice and related legal services. She is a member of the board and a former president of the Commonwealth Club of California and a former board chair of the Presidio Graduate School, and has served on the boards of other nonprofit organizations and public companies.
CLAY FOUNDATION WEST SEASON PRODUCER
Clay Foundation West is a small charitable foundation that provides grants to a variety of organizations that work to enrich the lives of those in their communities, particularly theaters. Its President, Buffington Clay Miller, has attended Magic Theatre productions for a number of years and appreciates the ability of terrific actors, directors, set designers and all to bring plays to life on the stage and engage their audiences. She has in the past served on the Boards of Directors of several theaters, an art museum, and several educational institutions, utilizing her business skills in financial management, strategic planning and business development.
BRAD RUBENSTEIN PRODUCER
is the founder of Red Sand Media Partners, which invests and produces theatre on and off Broadway (most recently Allegiance, starring George Takei, on Broadway). At Magic, he has helped produce a number of shows, including Han Ong’s Grandeur, Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters, and Taylor Mac's extravaganzas Hir and The Lily's Revenge. In previous years he has served as chairman of the New York Festival of Song. By day, he works with high-tech start-ups, coaches project teams around the globe, and causes countless other bits of mischief....
KEN & RUTH WILCOX PRODUCERS
Ken serves as Emeritus Chairman of Silicon Valley Bank and is a member of the Board of the Asia Society of Northern California, the Asian Art Museum and other groups. He is also an adjunct professor at Fudan University in Shanghai and an advisor to a number of startups. In 2013, the Shanghai Municipal Government presented Wilcox with the “Magnolia Silver Award”, an honor given to expatriates for their outstanding contribution to the city's economic, social or cultural development. He earned his
master’s in business administration from Harvard and his PhD in German studies from Ohio State University. Ruth is a lifelong fan of live theater. She is a former trustee of the San Jose Repertory Theatre and seeks out performances ranging from Broadway to small independent productions. She is a volunteer and trustee at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. She is committed to supporting women artists.
JAIMIE MAYER
MANAGING DIRECTOR
served on the board of Magic for four years prior to joining Magic’s leadership team last season. Mayer was the Producing Director of COAL, a musical designed to catalyze and spark individuals and communities to find their voices in the climate change movement. She founded Don't Eat The Pictures Productions, a theatre, film, and event production company dedicated to developing and seeding new work, in 2007. Selected theatre producing credits include the Broadway production of [title of show], Love Song by John Kolvenbach (59E59), The Boy in The Bathroom by Michael Lluberes (45th Street Theater/New York Musical Theatre Festival Award for Most Promising New Musical), and Love Kills by Kyle Jarrow (45th Street Theater). Mayer’s film work has premiered at Sundance Film Festival, on PBS, and Showtime. While serving as the Park Avenue Armory’s first Special Projects Manager, Mayer created both their education and artist residency programs. She has held the position of Managing Director and Producer at terraNOVA Collective, Associate Producer at both The New York Musical Theater Festival and Women's Expressive Theater, and Artistic Associate at The Women's Project. Mayer has worked at The Public Theater, Classic Stage Company, and The Long Wharf Theatre, among others. Commercially, she has worked as a Producing Associate on the Broadway production of Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark as well as for Mandy Patinkin In Concert, and with The Araca Group on multiple Broadway productions including Wicked, The Wedding Singer, and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In the philanthropic realm, Mayer runs JAM Consulting, working with philanthropists in their 20s and 30s looking to create their philanthropic footprint, with families trying to integrate the next generation, and with non-profits
cultivating individuals in their 20s and 30s. She has worked with a number of individuals, foundations, and non-profits in the United States, Canada, and Israel including University of South Florida, Slingshot, Reboot, America-Israel Cultural Foundation, and the EcoHealth Alliance. Mayer is Vice Chair of The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Vice President of The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation, and served as the President and Founder of The Buddy Fund for Justice through the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for five years. She was the final Chair of the Council on Foundations Film Festival and the Film and Video Festival and Film and Video Task Force, and is a frequent public speaker on philanthropy. Mayer holds an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University's School of The Arts and a BA in Theatre from Connecticut College. She is the Vice Chair of Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), sits on the Emerge and Education Committees of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago, and the National Leadership Council of USA Artists.
Interested in becoming more involved with Magic? Email Magic Board Chair, Matt Sorgenfrei, at MattS@magictheatre.org to learn more about exciting opportunities with Magic's Board and committees.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association. AEA, founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performance arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org. +Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) **Member of United Scenic Artists local 829. United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American theatre.
MAGIC THE ATRE
7
dramaturgy
A FILIPINA IN A
WONDROUS KINGDOM:
Jessica Hagedorn’s Coming of Age in San Francisco by Shirley Fishman
Poet, Novelist, Playwright Jessica Hagedorn speaks with Dramaturg Shirley Fishman about becoming an artist during the city’s pivotal moment of cultural, social, and political change.
Photo by Sonia Fernandez
Shirley Fishman: When you were a child in the Philippines, were you already writing?
SF: What kind of music were you exposed to in the Philippines?
Jessica Hagedorn: Yes, I was always writing. I went to a very serious Catholic school that was run by nuns where I received a good education, but it was a very traditional one. We read Wordsworth, which nobody understood, and they emphasized religious poetry. But I loved the idea of poetry and the language, even if it was ornate, and I responded to the music in it. I started writing simple poems — make little drawings and fold my pages into quarters. Then I’d write “The End” on the back. I called them “my little books.” I was very proud of those creations.
JH: Music is so important in Filipino culture. We were always having parties, singing and dancing to Latin music. We didn’t have a television. We listened to the one Manila radio station that played American pop music. We also went to concerts, and symphonies and saw pop singers, theater and dance companies that toured to Manila. I had a 45-rpm phonograph that my uncle gave me. I played Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”, Harry Belafonte, Elvis, Motown, especially Smokey Robinson. My parents had a record collection that ran the gamut from “Swan Lake” to Nat King Cole. So there was always music.
SF: What kind of books were you reading? JH: I loved the children’s books in my infinite library — The Little Golden Books, and as I got older, Nancy Drew. The books were getting thicker with more words than pictures. I would look at the format of the books and think, “Is this the way my books are going to look?" I fantasized that one day I would have a bound object called a book of my own — with “The End” written on the back. I took myself very seriously. My mother was tickled by it. She was an artist, always on the terrace painting, which gave her great pleasure and she encouraged me to express myself. 8
Jessica Hagedorn during The Gangster of Love rehearsal.
MAGIC THE ATRE
SF: When you arrived in San Francisco in 1963, how did you attempt to become part of your new home? JH: At first, I was immersed in school, and I had to get used to a new language and a new world. I picked up what was happening from my classmates. What are they listening to on the radio? What records are they buying? They’re having dance parties? Can I go? I was reading voraciously, listening to the radio and buying records. I loved jazz, which wasn’t heard much in Manila. My parents listened to singers
In an era of FBI covert intelligence operations and Washington scandals such as Watergate, semantics played a crucial role in envisioning a political path and future. And, while a number of selfnamed “Third World” writers labored to publish their work, it was mainly through the event of the “poetry reading” – as with the political rally – that minority artists expressed a sense of urgency and need for unmediated presence through live proclamation and performance.” —Christine Bacareza Balance, Tropical Renditions: Making Musical Scenes in Filipino America
like Ella Fitzgerald, although they did have Miles Davis’s “Sketches of Spain.” Jazz in America was something new and exciting to me, and there was a lot of it in San Francisco. Of course, I was too young to go to clubs, but I was very aware of what was around. In Manila, I could only go out with family, in groups or with a chaperone. But in this new world, I could take streetcars, trolleys, and walk the streets in different neighborhoods alone. There were hippies, beatniks, street performers everywhere. I confirmed what I already knew — America wasn’t like the movies I saw back home. It was also the heyday of journalism. I read everything – especially newspapers and magazines, which were so important at the time. A friend of my mother’s got me a subscription to Newsweek — I was so excited. I read all about world news, politics, entertainment, culture, art, and about plays, playwrights and theatre in New York. If there was an article about hippies and beatniks, I thought, “Oh, that’s happening right here in San Francisco!” As a young person who wanted to be a writer, I was naturally interested in the world — but it was terrifying. Even though the Philippines was a dangerous place under Marcos, middle class children — such as myself — were shielded from politics and the harsher realities of the world. Here, when JFK was assassinated, it was a rude awakening. It seemed that overnight there was an explosion of antiwar protests, sit-ins, civil rights demonstrations, liberation movements, and everyone was taking to the streets. SF: How did you find your way to the literary scene? JH: My mother was an incredible cook and our family doctor came to dinner a lot. He was an interesting Southern gentleman, and we had long conversations. I showed him my poems, and he asked if he could send them to an editor friend at the Wall Street Journal branch in San Francisco. She invited me to lunch and said she wanted to send them to Kenneth Rexroth. She asked “Do you know who he is?” I said I didn’t, to which she replied, “Well, you should, he’s considered a great poet, and I think he should look at your work.” She said he wrote an arts and culture column for the San Francisco Examiner. There was no Google then; I couldn’t even look him up.
One day Kenneth called me and asked if I’d like to come to dinner. He came to my place with his daughter, who was my age, and we went to his house for dinner. Japanese food was prepared from scratch by Kenneth and Carol Tinker, his assistant — later his wife, who was also a poet. The walls of the apartment were lined with books, competing for space with the abstract paintings he painted. I thought to myself “Oh my goodness, a real bohemian!” We had an amazing conversation over dinner and he asked, “Shall we go have espresso in North Beach? Would you like to go to a reading tonight?” Me: “What’s that?” We went to the Blue Unicorn coffee house — and my first poetry reading. I noticed that the writers didn’t memorize their poems, they didn’t perform; they simply read from pages in their hands. Kenneth read his poem, and I saw that he was taken seriously by the poets. He became my mentor and was extremely important to me. After that reading, I was never the same again. I had a sense of joy and possibility that maybe it wasn’t so crazy to have my dreams. SF: Were you part of the Summer of Love in 1967? JH: I didn’t consider myself hippie dippy. I always felt a little alien, but I was into it. After I moved out of the house, I continued to live in the Haight with a group of friends. People came over to our “pad” to discuss what we were reading – Siddhartha, The Hobbit, Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice. Everyone sat on the floor and talked about books and what was happening around us — it was affecting all of us. The darker side of drugs was emerging and becoming a problem — people were getting killed. When the group left, they’d leave their books. Fernando, a Mexican hippie, gave me an English translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude to thank me for letting him sleep on my floor. As he left, he said “If you want to be a writer…” and gave me the book. And I loved the music! Concerts were free in the Golden Gate panhandle on Sunday afternoons. We’d sit on the grass and watch Janis Joplin perform, Jefferson Airplane and other folk and rock singers. The air was electric. Wavy Gravy and the Diggers handed out plates of spaghetti to everyone and made sure we were okay. SF: When did Jimi Hendrix come into focus for you? JH: It was June 1968. I heard there was going to be a three-day pop music festival in Monterey. Everyone was
MAGIC THE ATRE
9
dramaturgy saying, “Bands from England are going to play, The Who, the Mamas and the Papas, these guys from New York — Simon and Garfunkel, and some local bands. Maybe Bob Dylan will be there!” It was supposed to be this great international coming together of great music. Janis was going to be there; she was considered local until she performed on the last night of the festival. My boyfriend and I wanted to go but couldn’t afford tickets. We had a housemate, Bob, who worked the back door at the Fillmore, and he used to get us in to see shows. He was working with Bill Graham at the event and told us to volunteer as part of the clean-up crew – there was no pay, but we would be fed. We drove up to the fairgrounds in my boyfriend’s beat-up car and signed up. We were starry-eyed innocents as we bedded down along with other volunteers in our sleeping bags on the campgrounds behind the fence separating the peons from paying customers around the venue. It was three days of constant work, but when the bands came on we pushed up the chicken-wire fence and crawled into the crowd. The music! My mind was blown with who we saw – The Grateful Dead, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Laura Nyro, Janis and Big Brother and the Holding Company — and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. SF: How did Jimi’s performance affect you? JH: Jimi came onto the stage with two white guys who were part of his trio. No one had ever heard of him or seen anyone like him. He was bigger than life and played rock and roll on his own terms. He electrified the crowd with his over-amped sound. He stalked the stage with his colorful clothing and wild hair, wiggling his tongue, dive-bombing his body to the music along with his lefthanded guitar stroke. He was hyped up and talking a mile a minute, muttering “Yeah baby, yeah baby!” You didn’t know what he was going to say or do, or where he would go with his never-before-heard music style. “Wild Thing” was his last song, and when it was over he set his guitar on fire and threw it into the crowd. The response was more weird than euphoric. No one knew what to make of him; he was defying the norms. SF: How did seeing him change you? JH: He became my muse. I started going to the Fillmore more frequently and saw him perform again, thanks to housemate Bob. Seeing Santana, performers who were local and looked like me and my family, had a big effect on me. I became less of an outsider and more comfortable with being in the community. SF: What did that mean for your own work? 10
MAGIC THE ATRE
There was a huge Black Arts Festival in 1972 in San Francisco. The headliners were Alice Walker and Ishmael Reed. Ntozake Shange was part of the younger crowd, and when she came up and read her poem, she knocked us all out. I met her, we became friends. We hung out, did things together and invited other poets as well as dancers and musicians to join us. My world got bigger and bigger. My taste in music kept evolving. People were taking me places, turning me on to different things. We became more performative at our readings. A horn player would show up, join us on stage and it would work really well. We continued to work with dancers and musicians. Some time around 1974, I began to think, “What if I do my own thing?” SF: How involved were you with the San Francisco Filipino community at this point? JH: I was doing a lot of readings around San Francisco, and one reading would lead to another. In September 1972, martial law was declared in the Philippines. A huge community of newly-arrived people from the Philippines were anti-Marcos émigrés. They were continuing the opposition in the U.S., and using San Francisco as their base to raise people’s awareness of the corrupt and murderous regime. A lot of people living in the city were from other countries with military dictatorships – Chile, Argentina — and they were doing the same. These groups realized there was power in numbers and they joined together. Artists were invited to perform at events to help spread the word. That’s how I got involved. Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin had a poetry reading with five or six Filipino-American poets in 1973. Some people took me to the event and I was just amazed. Ferlinghetti was there, everyone was protesting. I felt an instant connection to the Pinoy poets like Al Robles and Oscar Peñaranda. They took me in and gave me an education. I didn’t know that Filipinos started the farm workers movement. Our past wasn’t taught in the Philippines or in the U.S. My journey to being educated about Filipino history was convoluted. We Pinoy poets became a family, which led to the Kearny Street Poetry Workshop and the I-Hotel. SF: How did your band, The Gangster Choir, become a reality? JH: I was living on my own at the beach in the Sunset District. I got invited by Lewis MacAdams, a professor and an adventurous poet, to do a reading at San Francisco State for the newly-created Poetry Center. I told him I wanted to perform with a band. I thought he’d say no, but instead he said, “That’s so cool. Maybe I can find some extra money for the West Coast Gangster Choir.” “What’s the band called?" Lewis asked. Just like that, The Gangster Choir was no longer just a dream. SF: Why gangsters? JH: I love gangsters. A gangster is someone who’s an outsider who’s willing to do what needs to be done, and we did!
“stay away from magic shows. especially those involving words. words are very tricky things. everyone knows words the most common instruments of illusion.
WORKS BY JESSICA HAGEDORN
they most likely be saying them, breathing poems so rhythmic you can’t help but dance.
Pet Food and Tropical Apparitions (1981) Dogeaters (1990) The Gangster of Love (1996) Dream Jungle (2003) Toxicology (2011)
FICTION
and once you start dancing to words you might never stop.”
ANTHOLOGIES
Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction (1993) Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home In The World (2004) Manila Noir (2013)
Excerpt from Sorcery, a poem by Jessica Hagedorn
POETRY
tagalog phrases Talagang: really
Sarap: delicious, tasty
Di ba: right
Ampalaya: bitter gourd or bitter melon
Nanay: mother
Bakla: gay
Puwede ba: can it be or conversational “can you please” or “please” to express exasperation or disbelief
Carabao: kind of water buffalo domestic to the Philippines
Ay salamat sa dios: Thank God! Naman: also, too; really, truly Galit ba sila sa’yo: Are they angry with you? Di ba, mahal: Isn't that right, love? Mahal: love; expensive
PLAYS
Querida: the “other” woman Kayumanggi: brown skinned/copper skinned Hindi na bale, po: Never mind, sir. It doesn’t matter Manong (m) /Manang (f): An older brother, sister, parent; signifies respect/ affection
Lasing: drunk
Makibaka huwag matakot: Join us, do not be afraid; Fight the power
Pasyal: a walk
Anak ni: son or daughter, child of
Maarte: artistical, artificial, insincere
Kawawa talaga ang nanay mo: your poor mother
Salamat. Maraming salamat: Thanks. Thanks so much
Four Young Women: Poems (1973) Dangerous Music (1975) Danger and Beauty (1993) Burning Heart: A Portrait of the Philippines (1999)
Gago: silly
Putang ina: Your mother is a whore - common obscenity for expressing frustration
Lintik: lightning
Galing!: Fabulous!
Where the Mississippi Meets the Amazon (1977, with Ntzoke Shange and Thulani Davis) Mango Tango (1978) Tenement Lover: No Palm Trees in New York City (1981) The Art Of War/ Nine Situations (1984) Teenytown (1988, with Laurie Carlos and Robbie McCauley) Holy Food (1992) Airport Music (1994, with Han Ong) Silent Movie (1997) Dogeaters (1998) Stairway to Heaven (2006) Fe In The Desert (2007) Most Wanted (2007) Felix Starro (2015) The Gangster of Love (2018)
SCREENPLAYS Fresh Kill (1994) Dogeaters (2002)
MAGIC THE ATRE
11
‘‘I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SAYING ‘GANGSTERS.’
Let it be known that we understand the word ‘gangster’ in a positive way... We understand gangsters as the underdogs... and with the irony of the blues. You know, gangsters are everywhere. Gangsterism is the order of the day.’’ -Nashira Priester
timeline
THE GANGSTER OF LOVE 1967 • In response to California banning the use of LSD, hippies and beatniks gather in Golden Gate Park for the Human “Be-In.” Known LSD advocate Timothy Leary is present for this peaceful gathering, as are other icons of the era: Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and scores of the most important musicians of the late 60s and 70s. • A three day, non-profit event, the Monterey Pop Festival, launched the career of Jimi Hendrix, who finished his set by famously setting his guitar on fire. •R iding the success of the Human Be-In and the Monterey Pop Festival, tens of thousands of hippies flock to the Haight Ashbury District in San Francisco to celebrate freedom, love, and music for the Summer of Love. • Magic Theatre founded in Berkeley by John Lion with the inaugural production of Ionesco’s The Lesson.
1989 • The Berlin Wall is torn down allowing free passage between East and West Germany for the first time in 38 years. • Marcos dies in Hawaii. •D uring the Battle of the Bay, a World Series game between the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants, a 6.9 earthquake erupts in San Francisco. Sixty-seven people are killed.
14
MAGIC THE ATRE
1968 • Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. • Robert F. Kennedy assassinated at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan after winning the California and South Dakota primaries for the presidential election.
1988 • George H.W. Bush is elected president of the United States.
A Brief Chronology of Events in the Philippines and U.S. 1967-1989
1969 • The first letters of the Zodiac Killer are received by the San Francisco Chronicle. The Zodiac Killer terrorized the Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s, claiming to have killed 37 people, though only 5 deaths have been confirmed and connected. • Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the surface of the moon. • Thirty-two musical acts perform over four days for more than 400,000 people at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The festival ends with Hendrix’s famous rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” • If Woodstock was a symbol of peace and love, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival was its violent counterpart. Held 60 miles outside of San Francisco less than four months after Woodstock, the Altamont Festival resulted in four deaths including one LSD-induced drowning, two hitand-run victims, and the stabbing of Meredith Hunter.
1986 • The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes, killing seven people. • Aquino’s wife, Corazon Aquino, opposes Marcos in presidential election. Marcos declares himself winner. Mass protests, military abandons Marcos, who flees to Hawaii. Corazon Aquino becomes president of the Phillippines.
1970 •J imi Hendrix dies at 27 in London, England, of a barbiturate overdose. •J anis Joplin dies at 27 in Hollywood of a heroin overdose.
1983 •A quino returns to Philippines. He is shot dead as he leaves plane.
LEFT: Photo by Mobilus in Mobili. MIDDLE: Photo by Nancy Wong. RIGHT: Photo by Nancy Wong.
1972 • In June of 1972, San Francisco celebrates its first ever Pride Parade, called the Christopher Street West Parade in homage to the New York City neighborhood. •F erdinand Marcos declares martial law in the Phillippines. Parliament suspended, opposition politicians arrested, censorship imposed. •F BI and CIA agents break into Democratic Party’s offices in the Watergate Complex in Washington, D.C., listen to phone lines and steal confidential records. Nixon was later tied to these crimes and resigned before impeachment.
1981 • The music world is rocked by release of the first music video on MTV, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” by The Buggles. • Marcos lifts martial law. • Two Filipino ILWU Local 37 officers are murdered in a Seattle union hall. Marcos ordered their assassinations to silence growing U.S. movement opposing his dictatorship.
1973 • The Zebra Killings, instigated by a group of Black Muslims (The Death Angels), begin in San Francisco. The victims of the these attacks were entirely white. Over the course of the year, fifteen were killed and eight were wounded. • New Philippines constitution gives Marcos absolute power. Activists flee Philippines, arrive in San Francisco, and start an anti-Marcos movement. Marcos sends agents to assassinate Filipino activists.
1980 • Ronald Reagan is elected in a landslide over Jimmy Carter. • Aquino is allowed to travel to U.S, for medical treatment.
1974 • I n February, the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps heiress Patty Hearst from her apartment in Berkeley. They set themselves up in an ordinary apartment at 1827 Golden Gate Avenue. In April, the SLA and Hearst rob the Sunset branch Hibernia Bank on Noriega Street.
• The final evacuation of the International Hotel in Manilatown marks the end of a community. The Transamerica Pyramid is built on the site. • Filipino opposition leader Benigno Aquino is sentenced to death in Philippines.
•M ayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White in San Francisco City Hall. • I n November, the first Take Back the Night March is organized in San Francisco. The march addresses the violence faced by women walking at night and raises awareness to prevent future violence.
1977
1978
1979 •F ollowing the lenient sentence received by Dan White for the assassinations of Moscone and Milk. Citizens of the Castro district gather in the streets to protest. As a result of police action and brutality, the protests grow into riots.
MAGIC THE ATRE
15
sam shepard (1943-2017)
SAM SHEPARD WAS MYTHIC. Through his mind-bending and heart-breaking plays and prose, he bared his soul and swagger while traversing our primordial pasts. For five decades and change Sam has been in pursuit of the bones buried out back, of the visceral energy and emotional tension that makes us human. It’s hard to imagine a world without him. His restless, rhythmic, imagistic dialogue made actors kill to speak his words aloud—to explore the space Sam left around the words. Those early iconic performances of Gammon, Harris, Baker, Coyote, Sinise, and Malkovich cemented our hope that maybe, just maybe, we too could be a part of something as primal and true. The ravishing wilds of California from Homestead to Napa Valley indisputably evoked Sam’s imagination, producing a staggering cannon of 55 plays, 5 collections of prose and 50-plus film performances. Here, at the edge of the West, hanging off the San Francisco Bay, Sam wrote and premiered seven of his seminal works at Magic Theatre, including Buried Child (his Pulitzer Prize winner), True West, and, in 1983, (the same year he would be nominated for an Oscar) Fool for Love. His singular brand of muscularity was forever baked into our consciousness and the ferocious, visceral primacy of his texts ignited a new play fever that spread throughout the Bay and well beyond. With a natural intensity, he was an iconic, if reluctant, film star and his many roles portrayed him as a cool product of the West whom we believed could tame the frontier. We forged a friendship over what would be, unthinkably, the last five years of his life. Slumped in Magic’s audience, legs dangling over the theater seats in front of us, he argued vehemently with me over the ending of a play I was directing (not his). He attempted to explain the craft of hunting geese versus deer and encouraged me to read one of his favorite novels (I tried unsuccessfully, the book—not the hunting). Years later, over tea one afternoon in the East Village, he joyously recited Beckett and with misty eyes shared the humility he felt in making what would become Tongues, with his dear friend, Joe Chaiken. Sam refused to play wise sage. He remained beautifully broken from his first plays in ’64 to his last book of fiction published in 2017, combing the open road for visages of his lost father, the bygone West of his youth, and America’s forgotten promises. I last saw Sam in Healdsburg just before he would head home to Kentucky at the end of March. Over cups of coffee, Sam and his astounding sisters Sandy and Roxanne shared with my partner and me photos of his cherished ranch, the horses he missed dearly and the astounding beauty of that land. We discussed Diebenkorn’s work and Sam pondered the origin of the Beatles’ Blackbird. Before the afternoon was over, he dictated a dedication for Magic’s 50th, for Ed Harris to present. Sam asked to hear it out loud. Roxanne read it back patiently several times and with each pass Sam listened intently, making small, careful revisions. In spite of his declining health, he was profoundly himself. Curious. Searching, like the rest of us. Making sure that as the words hit the air, they were right. —Loretta Greco 16
MAGIC THE ATRE
magic theatre staff STAFF
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Artistic Director Loretta Greco Managing Director Jaimie Mayer Director of Development Gabrielle Chapple Associate Artistic Director Sonia Fernandez General Manager Cierra Cass Production Manager Jackie Hill Manager of Institutional Giving Ellen Abram Development Associate Leigh Rondon-Davis Marketing Associate Julia Collins Patron Services Associate Debbie Degutis Front of House Manager Josh Orlando Production Associate Arashi Cesana PR Consultant Jonathan White Bookkeeper Richard Lane Season Apprentices Karina Fox, Ciera Eis, Kate Leary Development Volunteer Susan Boynton Administrative Volunteer Susie Lampert
Chair Matt Sorgenfrei Vice Chair John Marx Secretary Corky LaVallee Treasurer Bennett G. Young Trustees Loretta Greco, Artistic Director Kathryn Kersey Ian Atlas Jeremy Kotin Jaimie Mayer, Managing Director Alan Stewart
PRODUCTION PERSONNEL Assistant Director Karina Fox Production Assistants Ciera Eis, Amanda Marshall Associate Dramaturg Kate Leary Associate Scenic & Projections Designer Yee Eun Nam Assistant Costume Designer Lio Feeney Assistant Lighting Designer Victoria Langlands Master Electrician Brittany Mellerson Sound Engineer Michael Kelly Light Board Programmer Sara Saavedra Light Board Operator Sara Saavedra Scenery engineered and built at Cal Shakes Scene Shop in Berkeley, CA Technical Director Steven Schmidt Assistant Technical Director Heidi Voelker Shop Foreman Charlotte Wheeler Master Carpenter Sam Sheldon Carpenters Hannah May, James Henderson CNC Operator Will Gerig Scenic Charge Ewa Muszynska Scenic Painters Anya Kazimierski, Zoe Gopnik-McManus
LITERARY COMMITTEE Cierra Cass, Sonia Fernandez, Hal Gelb, Karina Gutierrez, Sandra Hess, Molly Cecil Olis Krost, Kate Leary, Amanda Lee, Jack Miller, Patricia Reynoso, Leigh Rondon-Davis, Arthur Roth
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Alex Corvin, Debbie Degutis, Sarah Nina Hayon, Kathryn Kersey, Jeremy Kotin, Matt Pagel, Joshua Reynolds, Alan Stewart, Leigh Wolf
MAGIC ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP John Lion (1967–1991) Harvey Seifter (1991–1992) Larry Eilenberg (1992–1993) Mame Hunt (1993–1998) Larry Eilenberg (1998–2003) Chris Smith (2003–2008) Loretta Greco (2008–Present) The following individuals have generously provided for Magic Theatre in their estate plans: C. Edwin Baker, Martha Heasley Cox, Bob Lemon, Mike Mellor, Mary Moffatt, Julia Sommer, Bert Steinberg, Alan Stewart, Toni K. Weingarten
Magic Theatre is generously supported by:
MAGIC THE ATRE
17
magic theatre
NOW IN ITS 51ST YEAR of continuous operation, Magic Theatre is dedicated to creative risk: we cultivate new plays, playwrights, and audiences and produce bold, entertaining, and ideologically-robust plays that ask substantive questions about, and reflect the rich diversity of, the world in which we live. Magic believes that demonstrating faith in a writer’s vision by providing a safe, rigorous, and innovative artistic home, where a full body of work can be imagined, developed, and produced, allows writers to thrive. We believe that, by adding vanguard voices to the canon and expanding access to new theater-goers, we ensure the future vibrancy of the American theatre. Since the company’s founding in 1967 by regional theatre pioneer John Lion, Magic has embodied San Francisco’s innovative spirit by providing an artistic home to some of the most visionary writers in American theatre. From prolific poet-playwright Michael McClure’s 22 works written for Magic, classics of Beat counterculture staged in collaboration with Lion, to scholar Martin Esslin’s indelible influence on the field as the first resident dramaturg at an American theatre company, Magic’s early years established the company as one of the most important centers for the creation and performance of new American plays. Sam Shepard’s decade-long playwright residency at Magic cemented the company’s legacy as a preeminent new play theatre. Between 1974 and 1984, Shepard developed and premiered a body of work at Magic that changed the face of American drama, including his seminal family plays Buried Child (Pulitzer Prize, 1979), True West, and Fool for Love.
18
MAGIC THE ATRE
Since Artistic Director Loretta Greco assumed leadership of Magic in 2008, the theatre has produced 19 world premieres and nurtured a new cohort of exceptional playwrights. Indelibly shaped by the example Shepard provides, Magic remains a national leader in new play development through Greco’s commitment to a core group of writers as they each build a groundbreaking body of work. These writers include Octavio Solis, Lloyd Suh, Taylor Mac, Linda McLean, Jessica Hagedorn, Sharr White, John Kolvenbach, Christina Anderson, Joshua Harmon, Mfoniso Udofia, & Luis Alfaro, to name a few. Magic plays have a profound impact across the American theatre landscape. Under Greco’s leadership, Magic world premieres have entered the canon of American plays, enjoying subsequent productions at theatres across the country and around the world. In the last decade, Magic premieres have been seen in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Ashland, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Seattle, Dallas, Austin, Pasadena, Winnipeg, Portland, Washington, D.C., Tucson, Minneapolis, Vancouver, Williamstown, Edmonton, Nashville, Boulder, Omaha, Tampa, Hartford, Houston, San Diego, and Sydney, Australia, as well as in translation in Seoul, South Korea and Manila, the Philippines. In New York alone, Ma-Yi, The New Group, The Vineyard, INTAR, The Play Company, Playwrights Horizons, and The Public Theater have produced plays that originated at Magic within the past eight years.
®
AT TH E P E R FO R M A N C E
PUBLISHER + FOUNDER
Misty Tompoles EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Barry Johnson MEMBERSHIP MANAGER
Katrina Ketchum COPY EDITOR
Kristen Seidman DESIGNERS
Lisa Johnston-Smith Dan Le Jackie Tran EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Blanche Minoza MEDIA DIRECTOR
Chris Porras SALES DIRECTOR
Lindsey Ferguson PUBLISHING COORDINATORS
Bella Showerman Janelle Bonaficio PODCAST HOST
Susannah Mars Artslandia at the Performance is published by Rampant Creative, Inc. ©2017 Rampant Creative, Inc. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher. Rampant Creative, Inc. /Artslandia Magazine 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave. #207 | Portland, OR 97202
ARTSLANDIA.COM
Centerfold collage photo credits: • Nancy Wong • Hans van Dijk/Anefo • Mobilius • Christopher Michel • VARA • Tobias Kleinlercher • Seth Anderson • Toho Scope • James Vaughn • Luc Viatour • Bryan Costales • Yuriy Ivanov • Light Show • S. Sgt. Albert R. Simpson • Kevin Smith
HIT COMEDY DIRECT FROM LONDON!
Love, Bombs & Apples American premiere play by Hassan Abdulrazzak directed by Rosamunde Hutt, featuring Asif Khan “Monologues with a profound ability to find bubbling humor in the most over-trodden tragedies” —The Stage “Searingly satirical, brilliantly observed” —LondonTheatre1 “Powerful, political theatre” —Hackney Gazette
APR 19-MAY 6 | GOLDENTHREAD.ORG Presented in association with
Turtle Key Arts
MAGIC THE ATRE
19
contributors
March 18, 2017–March 18, 2018 We gratefully acknowledge all those that support Magic Theatre with gifts to our Annual Fund, Benefit Fundraiser, and special projects.
We strive for accurate donor listings. If you have a correction or question, or would like to find out more about ways to support Magic Theatre, please contact Gabrielle Chapple at gabriellec@magictheatre.org.
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $100,000 +
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation San Francisco Arts Commission The Shubert Foundation
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE $50,000–$99,999
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation Mrs. Robert B. Mayer Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock San Francisco Grants for the Arts Venturous Theater Fund of Tides Foundation
SEASON PRODUCER $25,000–$49,999
Anonymous Clay Foundation West Gaia Fund John F. Marx and Nikki Beach
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER $10,000–$24,999
Ian Atlas and Renu Karir Eugene Barth and Neil Barth Larry S. Goldfarb Koret Foundation Jaimie Mayer National Endowment for the Arts The Bernard Osher Foundation Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP Kenneth Rainin Foundation Carole Shorenstein Hays and Jeffrey Hays Matt Sorgenfrei and Evangeline Uribe The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Bennett G. Young and Molly Young Zellerbach Family Foundation
PRODUCER
$5,000–$9,999 Valerie Barth
20
MAGIC THE ATRE
Michele Benjamin and David Benjamin Sandra Hess Ken Hitz and Liselott Hitz Kathryn Kersey Courtland LaVallee and Donna LaVallee Peter Martin Matt Pagel and Corey Revilla William Bradley Rubenstein Les Silverman, In Memory of Irvin Govan Dr. Alan Stewart and Frank Kelly Dr. Debra Weese-Mayer Ken Wilcox and Ruth Wilcox
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER $2,500–$4,999
Anonymous Judith Ciani Smith Alexandra Corvin and Eric Walder Karen Crommie and David Crommie Mike Fleming and Lea Ann Fleming Ed Harris Sarah Nina Hayon Patricia Kaussen and Karl Kaussen Jeremy Kotin Suzanne Lampert Terry Limpert and MaryBeth Limpert Renee Linde Linda McPharlin and Nick Nichols Steve and Meredith Osborn Vicky Reich and David S. H. Rosenthal Elizabeth Shea and William Shea The Tournesol Project Voluntary Arts Contribution Fund Gerald Vurek and Lynda Vurek-Martyn Robert Yoerg and Sharon Yoerg Lynne Zolli
PLAYWRIGHT'S ANGEL $1,000–$2,499
Anonymous Lisa Avallone and Mike Aguiar Michelle Branch Katie Colendich
Ruth Conroy Adele Corvin Scott Corvin and Valerie Corvin Dana Corvin and Harris Weinberg Stuart Corvin and Marissa Wertheimer Pamela Culp Helga and Roy Curry Julie Divola and Lisa Smith Wesley Duenow and Chrystal Silva Larry Eilenberg and Kathleen O'Hara Rebecca Eisen and Jim Eisen Elizabeth Erdos and Wayne Dejong Elizabeth Goldbaum Lynn Ducken-Goldstein Betty Gottlieb Kate Hartley and Michael Kass Betty Hoener Lorraine Honig Mame Hunt Pat Schultz Kilduff and Marshall Kilduff Linda Klett and Robert Klett Gyöngy Laky and Thomas Layton Martha Harriet Lawrie Karl Ludwig and Ann Ludwig Taylor Mac Jennifer Mayer and Rich Deitchman Abby McLoughlin Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation Craig Moody Robert Morris and Cristina Morris National New Play Network Claire Noonan and Peter Landsberger Frances O'Sullivan and John O'Sullivan Emily Scott Pottruck Daniel Raiffe Karen Rose Lois Roth and Arthur Roth Michele Ruskin and John Ruskin Marjorie Smallwood and Richard Smallwood Shirley Traynor Joanne Vidinsky and Alan Vidinsky Lisa Wade and Peter Boland
Julie Wainwright Toni K. Weingarten Peter Wiley Leigh Wolf Karen Zehring John Ziegler
NEW WORK ADVOCATE $500–$999
Joy Lian Alferness Lynne Carmichael Gabrielle Chapple and Craig Chapple Janice Chapple and Douglas Chapple Kim Corfman and Stan Corfman Katherine L. Crecelius Lisa Erdberg Saul and Gloria Feldman Jeanne Freed and Dave Freed Dr. Steven Fugaro and Mrs. Jill Fugaro Peter Gigante and Jimmy Williamson Don Graulich Loretta Greco Carolyn Hall Richard Hay Sandra Moll and Rick Holden Miriam John and William Wilson Dalia Katan and Joe Vasquez Sarah Kupferberg and Sydney Temple Walter Lehman Kathleen Leones Fred Lonsdale Chris Lorway John McIntosh Mr. and Mrs. James Mooney Roberta Mundie Barbara Paschke and David Volpendesta Tony Politopoulos Jennifer Raiser Deborah Robbins and Henry Navas Laurel Scheinman Susan D. Terris Elizabeth Werter and Henry Trevor Peregrine Whittlesey Brian Wong and Scott Hofmeister Julius Young Jason Yun and Joshua Conway
NEW WORK SUPPORTER
PATRON
Lauren Adams and Steve Adams Seth Ammerman Julie Armistead and Fred McNear Gwynn E. August Barbara Bardaro Lisa Bardaro Susan Beech Sherry and John Bender Leo Berry-Lawhorn Felix Braendel Miriam Chall Terence Chu Marcy Coburn Bruce Ericson and Lisa Ericson Rodney Farrow David Fleishhacker and Vicki Fleishhacker Gordon Griffin and Gini Griffin Kirke Hasson and Nancy Hasson Richard Horrigan Gisele Huff Joanne Koltnow Mark Luevano Jonathan Mayer Linda McKay Jo Ann and Rick McStravick Jeanne Newman Marsha A. O'Bannon Margaret O'Brien-Strain Marina Park and Bob Sutton Linda Parkes Regina Phelps David Piel Joshua Reynolds Ellen Richard Gregg Riehl and Tina Riehl Nancy Riffle and Chuck Riffle Murphy Robins and Wayne Robins Stephanie Rogers and Rick Rogers Karen Rosenak Pepi Ross Bill Schwartz Helen Scott Ruth Stein Lois Tilles Richard Lapping and Carolyn Wright
Anonymous Gregory Adams Patricia L. Akre Jon and Ellen Benjamin Robert Bergman H.Rollin and Susan Boynton George and Marilyn Bray Denise Brosseau Howard Brownstein and Janna Ullrey Betty Bullock Carol and Tom Burkhart Steven and Kelli Burrill Meagan S. Levitan and Dale Carlson Steven A. Chase and Andrea Sanchez Millie and Barry Chauser Judith E. Cohen and Malcolm Gissen Diane Darling Ellen Davis Paul Draper Geoff Dryvynsyde and Matt Porta Marie Earl and Peter Skinner Tim J. Emert Charles Feinstein and Debby Feinstein Sonia Fernandez and Long Do Joan Friedman Philip Frost and Velia K. Frost Lynn Garney Rona Giffard Bettina Glenning David Goldman Deene Goodlaw Maryann Graulich Dennis Gregg Jessica Hagedorn George Hammond Julia Hansen Paul and Linda Rae Hardwick Adrienne Hirt and Jeff Rodman Tanya and Donald James Bruce Jenett and Nola Masterson Richard and Susan Kaplan Ann and Paul Karlstrom Ashok Katdare Leslie Kaye Heather M. Kitchen Richard and Victoria Larson Jan Laskowski
$250–$499
$100–$249
Karen Laws and Dan Callaway Jeffrey D. Livingston and Terri Chiu Ana Maria Martel Karen and Dennis May Nancy McCormick Jonathan McCurdy John G. McGehee Maeve Metzger Leslie Moldow and Len Bargellini Daniel Murphy Linda Murray Ann M. O'Connor and Edward Callen David Pasta Frances Phillips Wendy Porter Kim Regan Thomas Robinson Janice L. Roudebush and Francis DeRosa Gail Rubman Steven Sattler and Karyn DiGiorgio Dorothy Schimke Peter Schmitz Delphia Scully Dennis and Faye Siegler Christine and Lawrence Silver Pamela Smith Nancy and Robert Smith Jeffrey Smyser Margie Snape and Bill Snape Anthony Somkin and Carol Somkin Frances Spangler and Alan Federman Suzanne Speh Joan St. Laurent and Armar Archbold Judith Stein Michele D. and Richard J. Stratton Walter Norton and Joan Sullivan Ms. Tara Sullivan and Mr. James Horan Deborah Sussel and Martin S. Berman Maggie Swanson Nancy Tune Kimberley Turley Gerald and Deborah Van Atta Philip Waddington and Ruth Waddington Dr. James and Barbara Weese Nancy Wiltsek Carol Wolff
MAGIC THE ATRE
21