BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEATRE PRESENTS
written by NATHAN ALAN DAVIS
directed by MALIKA OYETIMEIN
APRIL 27-30, 2023
STUDIO ONE 855 COMMONWEALTH AVE. BOSTON, MA COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
Runtime: 1 hour and 30 minutes
“Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
CORE COLLABORATORS
SCENIC DESIGNER
RILEY SATTERFIELD
COSTUME DESIGNER
YAO KUANG LEE
LIGHTING DESIGNER
KEVIN DUNN
SOUND DESIGNER
MACKENZIE ADAMICK
CHOREOGRAPHER
JEAN APPOLON
PRODUCTION MANAGER
HANNAH ECKERT
STAGE MANAGER
REBECCA KLEEMAN
ASSOCIATE COLLABORATORS
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER/ PROPS COORDIANTOR
PAINT CHARGE
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER & ASSISTANT
PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER
SOUND ENGINEER
SOUND BOARD OPERATOR
TECHNICAL DIRECTORS
PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN/ PROGRAMMER
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR
Daniel Perkins
Lily Bitner
Evan Johnson
Eric Trann
Zachary Connell
Katie Chen
Irene Wang
Mairead O’Neill
Nathaniel F. Crain
Rachel Schladenhauffen
Grant Powicki
Valerie Zhao
Francesca Butera
PRODUCTION CREW
RUN CREW
PHOTOGRAPHER
FRONT OF HOUSE
WARDROBE CREW
CAST
Dontrell Jones III
JADEN BRIDGES
Sophia Jones
SERENITY S’RAE
Erika TALIA SULLA
Danielle KEISHONA WEEKES
Robby
BISHOP EDWARDS
Jayce Ross
Leah Katz
Rodrigo Larios
Amanda Reynolds
Sydney Jackson
Rachel Kanter
Olivia Kelly
Thomas Vice
Eva Cirilo
BRANDON NNOLI
Shea
AMBRIA BENJAMIN
Dontrell Jones Jr.
PLAYWRIGHT AND DIRECTOR
Malika Oyetimein (DIRECTOR) received her MFA from The University of Washington’s School of Drama. She is a member of the Directors Lab at Lincoln Center Theater and is in the cohort of the inaugural New Hope Colony Artist Residency, where she was nominated by stage, television and film director Liesl Tommy. She is also Merrimack Reparatory Theatre’s Artist-inResidence. She will be joining the directing faculty at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the fall.
She was featured in Seattle’s City Art Magazine 2016 Future List and her productions of Booty Candy (2016) and Hoodoo Love (2017) were nominated for Gregory Awards: Best Production. She is also the co-adapter and director of Dr. Maya Angelou’s I Know why the Caged Bird Sings (Book-It Repertory Theatre) which garnered a Gregory Award nomination for Best Director.
UP NEXT:
Associate Director /The Half- God of Rainfall ( New York Theatre Workshop)
SELECT Directing credits: Clyde’s (Arden Theatre Co.) Teenage Dick (Seattle Repertory Theatre) PASSAGE (Boston University) Fannie Lou Hamer : Speak on it(Merrimack Repertory Theatre) One in Two (Playbill.com) How I Learned What I Learned (Arden Theatre Co.) The workshop production of The First Deep Breath (National Black Theatre), The Bitter Game(Wallis Annenberg), Eclipsed (Southern Repertory Theatre), the world premiere of WHITE(Theatre Horizon) Barbecue, Bootycandy (Intiman Theatre Festival), And in this Corner: Cassius Clay (Seattle Children’s Theatre).
SPECIAL THANKS TO :
My nephew Aiden - your spirit of joy, laughter & creativity were ever present while I crafted this production. Remember you’re never alone and may you have the courage to embark on your own heros journey.
Nathan Alan Davis (PLAYWRIGHT) is a playwright from Rockford, IL, now based in New York. His plays include Nat Turner in Jerusalem, Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea and The Wind and the Breeze. His work has been produced and developed by New York Theatre Workshop, McCarter Theatre, The Public Theater, Arena Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Cygnet Theatre, The Lark, NNPN, The New Harmony Project, and Sundance. Awards include: Whiting Award in Drama, Stavis Playwright Award, Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, Blue Ink Award and Lorraine Hansberry Award. Nathan is a Lecturer in Theater at Princeton University, a Usual Suspect at NYTW, and a 2016 graduate of Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program. MFA: Indiana University. BFA: University of Illinois.
CORE COLLABORATORS
Mackenzie Adamick (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a second-year graduate student studying Sound Design at Boston University’s School of Theatre. Previous BU productions include Patterns of Wind, Mercury, Antigone, Let the Right One In, Mankind. Professional credits at New Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Actors’ Shakespeare Project.
Jean Appolon (CHOREOGRAPHER) In addition to being the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE), Jean Appolon is a successful choreographer and master teacher based in Boston and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Appolon received his earliest training and performance opportunities in Port-auPrince with the Viviane Gauthier Dance Company and the Folkloric Ballet of Haiti. Appolon continued his dance education in the U.S. at the Harvard and Radcliffe Dance Program (1995-1996, Boston, MA), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (1996-1998, New York, NY) and the Joffrey
American Ballet School (19982003, New York, NY), where he graduated with a B.A. from a joint degree program offered by The New School.
Kevin Dunn (LIGHTING DESIGNER) (they/he) is a Lighting designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Past design credits include Shakespeare in Love (BU School of Theatre), Wizard of Oz (Wheelock Family Theatre, Queens Girl in the World (Central Square Theatre), The Producers (The Barnstormers), Mansfield Park (BU Opera Institute), and A Small Handful (PTP/NYC). They have been the recipient of the Don Childs Award for Excellence from the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas and an Honorable mention for the KCACTF Barbizon Award for Excellence in Lighting Design at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. They received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in theatrical design from Salem State University, and are currently a candidate for their Masters of Fine Arts in lighting design at Boston University.
CORE COLLABORATORS
Hannah Eckert (PRODUCTION MANAGER) is a 2nd year MFA Production Management Student her in the School of Theatre, coming from Ellenville, NY. She has a BFA from Purchase College SUNY in Technical Direction. She is deeply grateful for Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea to be her eighth show at Boston University and previous works include Let the Right One In, The Corruption of Morgana Pendragon, and The Legend of Georgia McBride. She would like to thank her family back in New York, for always supporting her.
includes designing costumes for a variety of productions, ranging from period dramas to contemporary theater and film. Additionally, Lee has specialized skills in theatrical hair, makeup, and craft design.
Rebecca Kleeman (STAGE MANAGER) is currently pursuing her BFA in Stage Management (Class of 2025). Her most recent credits at BU include Assistant Stage Manager on Little Women, Little Row Boat, or Conjecture and Aurora Borealis. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and thanks her mom for her endless love and support.
Riley Satterfield (SCENIC DESIGNER) is currently a senior at Boston University School of Theatre studying Scene Design. She has designed several productions at BU, including The Chariot Reversed, Hamlet, and Mud. She is so thankful for the Dontrell team and all their hard work in making this production a reality!
Yao Kuang Lee (COSTUME DESIGNER) is a first-year graduate student in costume design at Boston University. Lee’s extensive experience
ASSOCIATE COLLABORATORS
Lily Bitner (ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER AND PROPS COORDINATOR) (she/her) is a Scenic Design major at Boston University, who has worked on several BU shows such as Once, Let the Right One In, and Shakespeare in Love. Lily would like to thank her family and friends for their overwhelming support!
Francesca Butera (LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR) is a first year Design and Production student at Boston University. So far at BU she has worked as a PA on the Next Stage Workshops: Mother May I? and Against a Village as well as working on wardrobe crew. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support and BU SOT for these opportunities!
You can hear her voice on the scripted podcasts THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL and TOMORROW: THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF ANNIE WARBUCKS. maireadoneill.net
Grant Powicki (PROGRAMMER) (he/him) is a Lighting Design major at Boston University. Currently he is working as an Assistant Production Electrician for Let the Right One In and the Assistant Lighting Designer for The Moors. He is excited for all his further work with BULX!
Mairead O’Neill (SOUND BOARD OPERATOR) (she/her) is a freshman Performance Core major at Boston University. Recent Regional NY theatre credits include I AND YOU at Penguin Repertory Theatre, WE <3 MR. MARSDEN (World Premiere) at Keen Company.
Rachel Schladenhauffen (TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) (she/they) is a sophomore Technical Production student and is honored to be a part of such an amazing show. She would like to thank the entire production team for their endless support.
Valerie Zhou (PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN) a 2nd year lighting design major, loves the sea. She is fond of the class Anthozoa.
ASSOCIATE COLLABORATORS
Irene Wang (SOUND ENGINEER)
(she/her) is a Sound Design major at Boston University. Most recently she was the Sound Engineer for Let the Right One In here at Boston University and recently completed a summer at Berkshire Theatre Group working on a production of Songs for a New World. Irene would like to thank her family and friends for their support!
CAST
Jaden Bridges (DONTRELL JONES III) (he/him) is an Acting Major at Boston University. Although this is his first SOT production, he has has worked on a few BU shows including Salome (Assistant Director/ Narrator), See Right Through You (Performer), and Serenity Now, Sanity Later (Director)! Outside of SOT Jaden is involved in a few student organizations including being a Model for Charcoal Magazine and apart of the club SHADES. Jaden would like to shoutout his amazing Mother, his family, and his friends for being his central support system!
Uncle Vanya, as well as many student led-produced projects during her time at BU.
Talia Sulla (ERIKA) is a senior acting major at BU. She wants to thank Malika and the cast of “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” for making her last production at BU one of the most enriching experiences of her life. She thanks her mama and friends for their endless love and support. To catch up on more of Talia’s work, you can visit her website at taliasulla.com !
Serenity S’Rae (SOPHIA JONES) is an Theatre Arts major in her senior year at Boston University’s BFA Theatre Program. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and is a proud alumnus of The Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. She also is an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy and an awardee of both The YoungArts Foundation and the August Wilson Monologue Competition. Growing up as one of the only black performers in her community, she was encouraged to create her own work and craft her voice as a black artist. She has worked on
Keishona Weekes (DANIELLE) is a second-year performance student at Boston University working towards a BFA in Theatre Arts. Her love for theatre first began in sixth grade and since then she’s been able to exercise her skills as an actor, singer, and dancer performing in many productions including Once on this Island Jr (Asaka), Facing Our truth (Elissa), and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Mistress Ford). She has also built some experience in both the production and technical sides of theatre including directing, dramaturgy and lighting design.
CAST
In the future she hopes to continue working in theatre and music professionally.
Bishop Edwards (ROBBY) is a senior Acting major at Boston University who has performed in BU shows such as “Little Rowboat” as James Hemmings and “Colossal” as Young Mike. He has a passion for truthful storytelling on stage and on film. Before college Bishop BE discovered his passion for acting while competing in the August Wilson Monologue Competition where he was a national finalist and performed on a Broadway stage as a result! In addition to acting he is also a dedicated poet and spoken word artist who believes self reflection and growth will in turn heal his community by encouraging them to do the same in their lives.
absolutely admires the impact it has on the world. Brandon is thrilled for his growth as an artist and is anticipatory for the future. Brandon would love to thank his family and friends for their continual support.
Brandon Nnoli (DONTRELL JONES JR.) he/him) is an Acting major at Boston University who has been involved in theatre since he was 13. He has a strong passion for the art and
Ambria Benjamin (SHEA) is a sophomore theatre arts major at Boston University. She is happy to be collaborating with the cast and creative team. Whether on stage or behind the scenes, Ambria treasures the opportunity to engage in theatre any way she can. Of the many acting roles she’s played, her favorites are Francine/Lena in “Clybourne Park”, Minnie Fay in “Hello, Dolly!”, Beneatha in “A Raisin in the Sun”. Thanks to her many teachers, in and out of the classroom, Ambria is expanding her horizons into new creative learning experiences and becoming a well-rounded, multi-faceted theatre artist.
