'Runaways' at Booth Theatre - Program

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December 7-16, 2018

Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue Music Direction by Matthew Stern B

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A Message from the School of Theatre Director

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n less than a year, our Boston University Booth Theatre has housed six productions. During this time, students and faculty have learned so much about the potency of our new laboratory. We hope that you, our audience, are having as profound an experience as you see new productions conceived in ways that provide expectation-defying, convention-busting, and eyeopening encounters with our Stan Barouh beloved art form. We hope you become regular members of our artistic family for years to come. Today, we share with you a masterwork by a pioneering woman of the American theatre, Elizabeth Swados. In a form largely dominated by male composers, lyricists and book writers, Runaways came to be at a time when the makers of musicals were drastically rethinking their notions about “fit” subjects for musical theatre. By telling the stories of the young people of the streets of Manhattan, Ms. Swados proved to be a dynamic and creative powerhouse and her Runaways blew away Broadway audiences of its day. Infrequently revived, the passage of time had dimmed much recall of this piece. But not ours. Because of its structure, method of storytelling, and the rich demands it places on the actors and design team, Runaways had been on our “shortlist” for some years. We are happy to share it with you now! All best, Jim Petosa, Director, School of Theatre Boston University College of Fine Arts


December 7-16, 2018

Book, Lyrics, and Music by Elizabeth Swados Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue Music Direction by Matthew Stern

A production of BU College of Fine Arts School of Theatre Sponsored in part by the Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley Musical Theatre Fund Scenic Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer Technical Director Stage Manager Production Manager

Elizabeth Pattyn Zane Kealey Kat C. Zhou Stephanie Lynn Yackovetsky Taylor Dobbs Madison Lusby Stephanie Elrod

“Runaways” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the Internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: www.samuelfrench.com/whitepaper


ENSEMBLE Will Anderson Khadija Bangoura Dev Blair Emma Cuba Amanda Figueroa Madison Findling Erica Huang Kayce Kvacek

Aida Neitenbach Jem Oshins Sean Perreira Oreine Robinson Sarah Shin Ben Swimmer Nick Walker Zach Zamsky

This production of Runaways is presented without an intermission.

ABOUT OUR ENSEMBLE Will Anderson is a senior BFA Acting major. He grew up right outside of Boston and is so excited to share this story with his community. He sends thanks and gratitude to his partner, friends, and family for their support, and to this phenomenal cast and crew. Khadija Bangoura is a sophomore Theatre Arts major, and is so incredibly excited to be a part of her first School of Theatre production at the prestigious Booth Theatre. She encourages you to take in the environment of the stage, as well as take a snoop around the whole building! It’s incredibly fancy. Almost too fancy. Enjoy the show!

Amanda Figueroa is a senior Acting major receiving her BFA at Boston University next May. She is grateful for such an amazing and thought-provoking process, knowing that there is always more to learn and discover. She dedicates these performances to all the runaways of the world. Madison Findling is a senior Theatre Arts major. She is beyond grateful to work on this production with a team of such fearless storytellers. She would like to thank her family for their endless love and support. This one is for the runaway in all of us. Enjoy the show!

Dev Blair is a playwright, poet, performer, and ‘professional’ star-gazer. All of their work (from writing to performance) is in service of their primary artistic goal: to change the culture. Boston credits: Straight White Men (New Repertory Theatre), This Place/Displaced (Artists’ Theater of Boston), Wig Out! (Company One Theatre).

Erica Huang Off-Broadway: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park), Circle of Friends (American Girl Place Theater). Broadway workshop: The Nightingale (La Jolla Playhouse). Off-off: Interabang (Ars Nova), Henry V (Hamlet Isn’t Dead). TV: Little Einsteins, Rescue Me, Cyberchase, Sesame Street, Wonder Pets!, Between the Lions. Film: Across the Universe, Enchanted.

Emma Cuba I pray you remember what you dream of, fight for, and loooove. I’m so humbled to be a part of this ensemble and share such a personal and universal story with you. Thank you to friends who become family. This is dedicated to my strong momma & brilliant little brother. (Woo! Theatre Arts!)

Kayce Kvacek is a junior Theatre Arts major. She is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful production. She will be spending this upcoming semester abroad studying in London at LAMDA. Kayce would like to thank the incredible cast and crew for all their hard work, as well as her eversupportive family.


ENSEMBLE Aida Neitenbach is a senior Acting major. She is very grateful to be part of this production and gives a huge thankyou to the spectacular cast and crew for bringing this important story to life. Special thanks to all her teachers and guides along the way, as well as to Mom and Dad. Jem Oshins is a super senior in the School of Theatre and couldn’t be more excited to be involved in this wonderful process. Enjoy the show! Sean Perreira is a senior Theatre Arts major in Design and Production, emphasizing in Scene Design. With most of his experience being offstage, the opportunity to be in Runaways has been a blessing beyond imagination! Thank you to this team for being so inspiring and full of love! It’s something I’ll never forget. Oreine Robinson is a senior BFA Acting major. Originally from Winston-Salem, NC, she graduated from the UNCSA High School program. Her hobbies include baking and improvisational dancing. Oreine is PUMPED and honored to have the chance to share this story with this stellar cast and crew. Sarah Shin is a senior Theatre Arts major and Korean-American theatre artist originally from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. Recent acting credits include Ögla/Violin in Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, and Emily Webb in Our Town. She is also currently working on Clairvoyance

with ART Breakout artist Diana Oh, Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB), and Senior Theatre Arts Majors Productions 2019 (www. stamp2019.com). She is so grateful to be collaborating with the entire Runaways family and hopes we always have music to nurture our communities. Thank you, Mom and Dad! Ben Swimmer, a senior Acting major, is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful musical experience that is Runaways. Ben most recently starred in Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage as Beowulf, and is grateful for another musical this year. Thank you to the cast and crew. Enjoy! Nick Walker is beyond excited to be a part of this beautifully moving production. His past productions at BU include Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, The Journey, I and You, and Gem of the Ocean. Nick hopes that when you leave the theater, you’re changed and itching to fight. Zach Zamsky is a senior Acting major at BU and is thrilled to be a part of the beautiful storytelling of Runaways. Previous BU credits include Unmentionables, Fool for Love, Agamemnon and Tiger at the Gates. He was in a TriBeCa Film Festivalnominated short entitled The Board, in which he played the lead. Parents: are you ready for your child’s future?

MUSICIANS Matthew Stern Jeri Sykes Tom Cox Mark Macha Jesse Francese Tom Young Brian Ott Tom Manning

Piano/Conductor Reed 1 Reed 2 Trumpet 1 Trumpet 2 Guitar Bass Drums


A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~Maya Angelou Runaways is original, poignant, and achingly honest. The music vibrates with the pain, hopes, and dreams of young runaways from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. This singular musical theatre piece has gotten under our skins in a profound way. Delving into the personal stories Elizabeth Swados gathered has beckoned us all to share our own “runaway” stories. During one of our early rehearsals I invited the company to complete this thought: name something that you have run away from in your own life. And we began to fill the space with our own stories. These are a few of the things we shared in answer to the prompt - love, help, affection, conflict, family, memories, truth, reality, passion, pain, expression, opportunity, responsibility, home, rules, death, time, compassion, health, confrontation, sexuality, parents, culture, faults, drugs, potential, identity, commitments, the past, the future, broken hearts. Our stories melded with the stories in Runaways as we embraced the ritual of storytelling. Listen and open up your hearts. We hope you leave the theatre and dare to share your stories. Elaine Vaan Hogue Assistant Professor, Acting & Directing Program Head, Theatre Arts Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre


DRAMATURGY “We Are Runaways” As with most inciting pieces of art, Runaways began as an idea. An idea born out of 1970s America (a time of uncertainty); born out of Joseph Papp’s Public Theater (a place of innovation); and born out of Elizabeth Swados’ belief that children are untapped fountains of potential with stories that deserve to be on stage. This idea became a 10-month process entailing hundreds of interviews, auditions, and workshops. Through extensive research and trial-anderror, Swados found her cast of young people and three experienced actors with whom she crafted the show Runaways. The ensemble worked collaboratively with Swados to devise—using improvisation, song-anddance training, martial arts classes, math tutoring, and more—a fiercely unique piece of storytelling. Swados believed that this piece gave a voice to the voiceless. While judging her success is a relative action, one can look at the simple facts of the original 1978 Broadway production. Bruce Hlibok was the first deaf actor to play a deaf character on Broadway. The cast’s ages ranged from 11-years-old to young adults in their early twenties. The cast was intentionally diverse (in terms of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality), to express the transcendence of the show’s titular subject: running away. To understand the premise, we ask you to expand your notion of who a “runaway” is. As Swados writes in The Gathering of Runaways (1978), “Running away encompasses everything...Runaways is not a documentary about hard-core street runaways. [The songs and speeches] are symbols for things that everybody does.” The lives in this show explore universal feelings and experiences through highly specific narratives. As witnesses to our telling of these stories, we invite you to ask yourselves: “What am I running away from?” Program Notes by Michael A. Rosegrant (CFA’21)


DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM Assistant Directors Assistant Music Director Dramaturg Assistant Stage Managers Associate Production Manager Production Assistant Rehearsal Assistants Run Crew

Rosalind Bevan, Sara Katzoff, Sarah Boess Whelan Mindy Cimini Michael A . Rosegrant Zoe Garrick, Becca Sundberg Beatrice Perez-Arche Karin Naono Julia Ty Goldberg, Chitra Jagannathan Travis S. Doughty, Rebecca C. Freeman, Madison V. Kartoz, Kendall Mood

Assistant Scenic Designer Assistant Technical Director Master Carpenter Paint Charge Assistant Paint Charge Properties Master Assistant Properties Master

Meg McGuigan Kaitlyn Bradway Londeen McEachron Trish Hawkins Carlie Condemi Michelle Sparks Danielle Ibrahim

Assistant Costume Designer Drapers

Kevin Morris Maria Albutra, Mel Lindsey, Amanda Miller Ryan Goodwin, Kat Ibasco Cami Wright AJ Jones Sophia Baramidze Danielle DelaFuente Grace S. Ferrera, Angus W. Goodearl, Jennie M. Gorn

First Hands Costume Crafts Head Costume Crafts Crew Wardrobe Head Wardrobe Crew

Assistant Lighting Designer Moving Light Programmer Master Electrician Assistant Master Electrician Light Board Operator Follow Spot Operators Assistant Sound Designer Audio Supervisor/Audio 1 Audio 2 Front of House Staff

Paint/Scenic/Props Build Costume Build Lighting Sound

Crew Crew Crew Crew

Matthew Robson Hannah Solomon Becky Marsh Devin Sullivan Claire E. Parrell Emma G. Foley, Genevieve A . Juras, Naomi R. Li Ryan Blaney Jacob Montgomery William H. Tinsley Jenna Giordano, Grace Goble, Julia Hertzberg, Rachel Hoy, Mya Ison, Ivan Walks, Sierra White, Jack Williams School School School School

of of of of

Theatre Theatre Theatre Theatre

Technical Crew Costume Shop Lighting Department Sound Department


ABOUT THE ARTISTIC & DESIGN TEAM Taylor Dobbs (Technical Director) is a second-year graduate student at BU. She is from the great country of Texas, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Technical Theatre from Stephen F. Austin State University. She hopes to teach at a university upon graduation. Stephanie Elrod (Production Manager) is a second-year graduate student at BU. Past university credits here include Cabaret, Black Snow, Ripe Frenzy, The Journey. She is extremely excited to be a part of this production and thanks the team for making the process so enjoyable! Zane Kealey (Costume Designer) is a second-year Costume Design graduate student with a passion for musicals and dance. Her previous BU credits include Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, InMotion Theatre: The Journey and Black Snow. She's thrilled to be a part of the Runaways team! Madison Lusby (Stage Manager) is a senior Stage Management major and is thrilled to be a collaborator in bringing this story to life. BU credits: Angels in America (APM), Downtown (SM), Emmeline (ASM), Tiger at the Gates (SM), and The Identity Project (SM). Other credits: Huntington Theatre Company, The Theater Offensive, Boston Ballet, Portland Opera, & Barrington Stage Company. Elizabeth Pattyn (Scenic Designer) is second-year MFA scene designer, having graduated from MassArt in 2017 with a degree in Graphic Design. She has previously designed sets for Black Snow and Sweets by Kate at BU, and is very excited to have her first show in Booth Theatre.

Matthew Stern (Music Director) is thrilled to return to BU after music directing Parade, The Human Comedy, Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Merrily We Roll Along. Recently, Matthew music directed Merrily We Roll Along (Huntington) and Fun Home (SpeakEasy Stage Company). Matthew teaches musical theater on the faculties of BU and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and holds an MFA in Theatre Studies from BU. www.mattsternmusic.com Elaine Vaan Hogue (Director) is a director, actor, and teacher. Most recently she directed Straight White Men (New Repertory Theatre) and appeared in Dark Room (Bridge Repertory Theatre). Elaine is Program Head of Theatre Arts at BU where she teaches acting and directing. Much gratitude to the extraordinary ensemble and creative team of Runaways! Stephanie Lynn Yackovetsky (Sound Designer) is a secondyear MFA candidate. Past credits include Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, Antigone - A Play, and Aurora Borealis (all at BU); Metamorphoses (Cambridge School of Weston); and The Saint Plays and Radium Girls (Suffolk University). Before BU, she taught at the Cambridge School of Weston after receiving her BA in Theatre Studies from Suffolk University. Kat C. Zhou (Lighting Designer) is a second-year MFA lighting designer at Boston University. Recent design credits include The Tragic Ecstasy of Girlhood (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), Our Town (BU), Melancholy Play (BU), and The Tour (Underlings Theatre Company). katzhoudesign.com


DESIGN & PRODUCTION works in progress Open House Wednesday, December 19 5 - 7pm Luo Yan Lobby Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre Want to know what’s in the works behind the scenes at the School of Theatre? The annual open house showcases the work of the School’s first-year BFA Design & Production majors and MFA Design & Production Master Class students. Free Admission bu.edu/cfa/season 617.353.3380


Coming Spring 2019 to Boston University Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre Feb. 21 - 24, 2019

Apr. 26 - May 5, 2019

DOLORES CLAIBORNE

THE LATHE OF HEAVEN

By Tobias Picker

By Ursula Le Guin

With libretto by J.D. McClatchy

Adapted by Natsu Onoda Power

Conducted by William Lumpkin

Directed by Sara Katzoff

Stage Direction by Jim Petosa

Presented by BU CFA School of Theatre

Presented by BU CFA School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre

Tickets at bu.edu/cfa/season & 617.353.3380 $15 General Admission • $10 BU Alumni • Free with BU ID, subject to availability

Refine and enhance your artistic and technical skills in Scenic Painting at our brand-new, state-of-theart production facility.

Scenic Painting Certificate bu.edu/cfa/scenicpainting


h throug On view 7, 2019 y2 Januar

BUBUAARRTTGGALALELRLIEESRI

Alexandria Smith: A Litany for Survival

Ja’Tovia Gary: Giverny I (Négresse Impériale)

Stone Gallery

Annex

Boston University Art Galleries

bu.edu/art Exhibitions & gallery events are free and open to the public.

School of Music

Faculty Recitals

Boston University Art Galleries

Franziska Huhn, harp Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, 8pm Art Galleries CFA Concert Hall

Heather Braun, violin Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 8pm CFA Concert Hall

Bayla Keyes, violin Thursday, January 31, 8 pm Tsai Performance Center

Victor Cayres, piano Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, 8pm CFA Concert Hall

Muir String Quartet Wednesday, February 6, 8 pm Tsai Performance Center

Gila Goldstein, piano Monday, February 11, 8 pm Tsai Performance Center bu.edu/cfa/events


IES

Coming Spring 2019 bu.edu/cfa/opera

Dolores Claiborne

The Cunning Little Vixen

Composer: Tobias Picker Librettist: J.D. McClatchy Conductor: William Lumpkin Stage Director: Jim Petosa

Composer & Librettist: Leoš Janáček Conductor: William Lumpkin Stage Director: E. Loren Meeker

Orchestral Chamber version co-commissioned with New York City Opera

Co-production with The Glimmerglass Festival

February 21 - 24, 2019 Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre

5-WEEK SUMMER CONSERVATORY FOR HIGH SCHOOL

THEATRE ARTISTS BU.EDU/CFA/BUSTI

April 29 - May 2, 2019 Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

SUMMER 2019 APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

DECEMBER 1st


College of Fine Arts Harvey Young Dana Clancy Shiela Kibbe Jim Petosa

Dean, College of Fine Arts Director, School of Visual Arts Director ad interim, School of Music Director, School of Theatre

School of Theatre McCaela Donovan Beth Barefoot Johnny Kontogiannis Adam Kassim Brian Dudley Allyson Beheler Penney Pinette Todd Burgun Emily Ranii

Assistant Director Business Manager Production Manager 855 Production Manager Administrative Coordinator; Administrative Program Head, BUSTI Administrative Coordinator, Design & Production Costume Shop Manager Scene Shop Manager Academic Program Head, BUSTI

Performance Faculty Judy Braha* Yo-EL Cassell Mark Cohen Kirsten Greenidge Christine Hamel Kyna Hamill Michael Hammond Clay Hopper Melodie Jeffery-Cassell Michael Kaye* Paula Langton*

Kristin Leahey Georgia Lyman Maurice Emmanuel Parent Jim Petosa Betsy Polatin Rebecca Schneebaum Matthew Stern Micki Taylor-Pinney Elaine Vaan Hogue* Ryan Winkles

Design & Production Faculty Jorge Arroyo Joel Brandwine* Diane Fargo Julie Hennrikus Nancy Leary* Collette Livingston James McCartney Seรกghan McKay

James Noone* David Remedios* Jon Savage* Mark Stanley* Cristina Todesco Mariann Verheyen* Denise Wallace-Spriggs Renee E. Yancey* * Denotes Program Head


Boston University College of Fine Arts

Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artistscholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in music, theatre, and visual arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, think broadly, and master essential 21st-century skills. CFA offers a wide array of precollege, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa.

Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre

The School of Theatre at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University is a leading conservatory for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession. These programs of study are enriched by the School’s access to the greater liberal arts programs at Boston University. The School of Theatre values the notion of “the new conservatory” and seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work.

Boston University Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre

Opened in December 2017, this bold, state-of-the-art structure encourages innovation, conversation, and collaboration. The flexible design of Booth Theatre allows for the inventive evolution of performances and a deep engagement with audiences. Research is at the core of Boston University, and the College of Fine Arts practices it every day in the form of creative experimentation. Booth Theatre and the adjacent CFA Production Center are laboratories for such research, and in every detail, they are purpose-built for discovery. The Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre is funded in part by a $10 million gift from BU Trustee Stephen M. Zide (LAW’86), who named the venue in honor of his wife’s parents for sharing their passion for the dramatic arts with him and his family. Learn more at bu.edu/booth.

bu.edu/cfa

@buarts

#myCFA


Boston University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, & Symphonic Chorus at

Symphony Hall Monday, April 1, 2019 David Martins, conductor Paul Hindemith Symphony in Bb

Bramwell Tovey, conductor Francis Poulenc – Gloria Gustav Holst – The Planets

bu.edu/cfa/symphonyhall


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