present
George Mason University's School of Theater and The Mason Players
present
by karen Zacarías JUST LIKE US by Karen Zacarías Directed by Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez Photographing, videotaping, or making any other audio or visual recording of this production is strictly prohibited. All outside food and beverages are prohibited inside the performance space. Please keep a face mask on at all times inside the building. Our COVID-19 safety measures and policies are parallel with those of George Mason University's Safe Return to Campus Initiative.
April 29-May 1, 2022
presented in
TheaterSpace George Mason University
DIRECTOR'S NOTE DRAMATURG'S NOTE Working on this production has been the most rewarding piece of my time here. The beauty of Zacarías’ play as well as Thorpe’s book is that this is such a human story. The four girls are simply going through their regular lives with the added context of their immigration status. That context is an obstacle most audiences have never considered. The rhetoric surrounding immigration rarely analyzes the regular lives of these families or uses extreme examples as tokens to achieve a political goal. This is a perspective people may never understand but this work gives an honest look at the lives of the people politicians talk about so often. One of the most compelling images in the script is when Marisela stands in as a convicted murderer of the same age. It breaks the illusion of childish innocence while actually highlighting the innocence of these girls quickly turned women. As the “childish” frame breaks away, the innocence remains into their adulthood. Political rhetoric often blames parents for entering the country “illegally” and implicating their innocent children; in the play, the character of Lucy makes this exact argument to the girls. The idea that the parents are “criminals” and the children are “victims” is what leads to policies such as family separation. It is so important to hold space in our art for these stories. Everyone is in some way affected by the immigration policies of our nation, but most people feel uncomfortable discussing “difficult” topics. We as a company hope our art bridges the divide and ignites the discussion. We thank you for being with us tonight.
Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez Director, Just Like Us
DRAMATURGS' NOTE DRAMATURG'S Just Like Us , based on Helen Thorpe’s book of the same name, follows the lives of four Latina teenage girls- two are documented citizens and two are not- in Denver, Colorado as they navigate young adulthood as well as their own identities amidst political unrest in their community. Playwright Karen Zacarías tackles a complex topic in the US: immigration during the early 2000s, alongside each girl's individual journey and the challenges they face due to their citizenship status. Zacarías builds upon the original book by allowing the narrative to move beyond Thorpe’s perspective. Audiences may note that even alongside the political unrest in their community, the girls manage to unpack just what it means to be an American, regardless of citizenship status. The dramaturgs thank you for taking the time to see this production.
Martin Desjardins & Nathan Tilley Co-Dramaturgs, Just LIke Us
SCENE BREAKDOWN DRAMATURG'S NOTE Act I
Scene: HIGH SCHOOL CLASSSROOM Scene: SCHOOL HALLWAY/COURTYARD Scene: THE COURTYARD Scene: CYNTHIA POUNDSTONE Scene: HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION Scene: MEXICO ALIVE IN THE US No intermission between acts
Act II
Scene: UNIVERSITY OF DENVER DORM ROOM Scene: BACK AT THE DORM Scene: THE DORM Scene: ALMA's GOODBYE (The Bus Station) Scene: A MORE PERFECT UNION Scene: MARISELA's PROTEST Translation for Marisela's protest speech: Today I am reminded of the Chicano movement, the civil rights movement, the migrant farm- worker movement! Today we are asking for justice and freedom and we want amnesty! It is everyone’s responsibility to continue this movement, to tell our congressional representatives that we aren’t going to leave, and if they make us leave, then we are going to come back! Scene: THE TRIAL Scene: THE WEDDING
INTERMISSION (15 MINUTES)
POST SHOW OFFERINGS DRAMATURG'S NOTE Friday, April 29th Talkback Moderated by Martin Desjardin and Nathan Tilley Playwright-Karen Zacarías Director-Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez Saturday, April 30th Panel Discussion of Latinx Theater Makers Moderated by Dr. Priscilla Page Adelina Mitchell Stefan Sittig Elena Velasco Sunday, May 1st Panel Discussion on Social Justice and Advocacy* Moderated by Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez Members from: The Hispanic Student Association Players4Change Aguilas Mentoring Program UndocuMason
*This presentation of Just Like Us shines a light on the need for continued support of first generation, undocumented, refugee, and limited income students. Please consider scanning the QR code to make a donation to our First Gen, Next Gen Fund, which supports scholarship assistance to Mason students whose immigration status might otherwise hinder them from accessing and graduating with a degree. Please visit https://firstgen.gmu.edu/ and https://undocumason.org/ to see what Mason is doing to support these students in our community. Thank you for your generosity.
DRAMATURG'S CAST NOTE Marisela..................................................................Alexandra Berrios Mrs.Smith/Ana/Poundstone/Lucy/Prof.Martinez..............Cristina Casais Julio/Ramiro/Recruiter/Carlos........................................Steven Franco Helen Thorp.....................................................................Sarah Miller Elissa/Zulema..................................................................Bianca Peña Clara ............................................................................Luisa Romero Yadira.......................................................................Melanie Terraza
Theater at Mason would like to thank the Friends of Theater for their ongoing support of our programs, especially their support of scholarships for our students. Please consider becoming a Friend. Please consider giving by logging onto our website https://theater.gmu.edu/give
DRAMATURG'S PRODUCTION TEAM NOTE Director.....................................................Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez Stage Manager...................................................................Fe Miranda Assistant Stage Manager..................................................Sage Munson Dramaturg(s)........................................................... Martin Desjardins Nathan Tilley Lighting Designer....................................................Mary Clare Bernier Sound Designer.........................................................Syndey Anderson ScenicCoordinator..........................................................Luke Rahman Costume Coordinator..............................................Charlotte Langford Digital Images Designers...................................................Sarah Strunk Ruth Yamamoto Shop Artisan...............................................................Caleb McMurtry Anna Jungkeit Light Board Operator........................................................Khue Duong Sound Board Operator.........................................................Benji Lord Projections Operator......................................................Brett Womack Deck/Floor Crew..............................................................Drake Leach Wardrobe Crew.........................................................Megan Lederman Steve Pham
DRAMATURG'S PRODUCTION TEAM NOTE Production Manager.............................................Ruth Yamamoto Technical Director.......................................................Carrie Cox Lead Carpenter...................................................Stephan Starling Costume Shop Supervisor......................................Laurel Dunayer
Faculty Mentors...................Kristin Johnsen-Neshati (Dramaturgy) Ruth Yamamoto (Stage Management) Sherrice Mojgani (Lighting) Carrie Cox (Props) Kevin Dunayer (Sound) Stefan Sittig (Directing)
DRAMATURG'S CAST BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Alexandra Berrios she/her/ella (Marisela) is in her last semester at Mason pursuing a dual degree in theater and Korean studies. Over the years, she has seen her playwriting, directing, dramaturgy, and acting grow and looks forward to the challenges and opportunities coming after graduation. After Just Like Us and joining the 1,001 Plays reading of her play A Sprout, she looks forward to graduation. She wants to thank the company of Just Like Us for making her last show at Mason her favorite one!
Sarah Millard she/her/ella (Helen Thorpe) is a senior theater major receiving her BFA in theater performance for the stage and screen. Sarah is a proud teaching artist with Acting for Young People and a member of Alpha Psi Omega National Theater Honors’ Society. A few of her favorite credits from her time at Mason include Soccer Mom (The Wolves, 2019) and Hamlet (Loves’ Labors, 2021).
Melanie Terrazas she/her/ella (Yadira) is a junior from Fairfax,Virginia. She is a theater major with a concentration in education. Some past productions include Algún Día! (Mom),1,001 Plays, Silent Sky (Annie Cannon). Melanie also has experience teaching workshops and camps at a local theater company throughout the year. She is so excited to be apart of this production! Muchas gracias a mi familia por todo!
Luisa Romero she/they ella/elle (Clara) is a senior at George Mason pursing a degree in performance. She is also an intern here at Mason in the costume shop and has had the opportunity to work on the costumes for Everybody and Eurydice. They have also been involved in several other productions here at Mason including: Women of Lockerbie, 1,001 Plays, and Mason The Originals! They've been overjoyed to work on Just Like Us and to tell Latinx stories. She also wants to thank the cast and crew for making this show happen!
DRAMATURG'S CAST BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Bianca Peña she/her/ella (Elissa/Zulema) is first generation MexicanAmerican artist from San Antonio, Texas and a senior pursuing a B.F.A. in theatre with a concentration in performance for the stage and screen. GMU: Gaining Ground (Featured Singer), Algún Dia (Amor), Runaways (Alessandra), Spring Awakening (Stage Manager), and Rags (Ensemble). Gracias a mi familia por el apoyo, te quiero mucho! UPCOMING: The Boy Detective Fails. IG:@__biancapena
Cristina Casais she/her/ella (Mrs. Smith/Ana/Poundstone/Lucy/Prof. Martínez) is a recent alumna of the musical theater program at Mason and a current graduate student in the early childhood education program. Past productions include: Runaways (Alexandra/Dance Captain), 1,001 Plays (Playwright/Director), Mason Cabaret (Assistant Choreographer), Rags (Gertrude/Company), and Lysistrata (Woman #3/Dance Captain). She is excited and grateful to be working with such a talented group of artists. Gracias a mi familia y a mis amigos por apoyarme siempre. IG: @_cristinacasais
Steven Franco he/him/él (Julio/Ramiro/Recruiter/Carlos) is a first generation Guatemalan-American theatre artist and third-year student pursuing a B.F.A. in theater with a concentration in musical theater performance. GMU: Footloose (Ensemble), Runaways (Luis), Chimichangas and Zoloft (Alejandro Lopez), Spring Awakening (Ensemble) and Rags (Ensemble). Steven always finds ways to intersect his artistic abilities and activism. He co-created (alongside Deema Turkomani) Players4Change, a student group that advocates for the existence and empowerment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Disabled artists within the School of Theater. Gracias a mi familia, a mis amigos y en especial a toda mi gente Latiné! @_stevenfranco | @players4change
PRODUCTION DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Mary Clare Bernier she/they ella/elle (Lighting Designer) Is a firstyear student and previously worked as the lighting supervisor for the Mason Players’ Love’s Labors, lighting designer/digital artist for Westfield High School’s Summer Stage 2021 production of Mamma Mia!, and technical director/dramaturg/lighting designer for WHS’ 2021 Spring Musical, The Theory of Relativity. She would like to thank her family and friends for all their support and thank the Mason Players for a wonderful experience! Martin Desjardins he/him/él (Co-Dramaturg) is a junior theater performance major (BA) and this is his first production as a dramaturg. You may have seen him onstage in past productions such as The Originals! in 2019, 2020, and 2021, as well as Hookman in 2020. He's thankful to have participated in a production with a vital message for our country's present climate. Lastly, he encourages the audience to read up on immigration policy after the play. Charlotte Langford she/her/ella (Costume Coordinator) is currently studying theatre education and is an intern in the GMU costume shop. She currently works at a Montessori School and is producing and directing student-made scripts with the fifth-grade class. She is so thrilled to be working on Just Like Us and is so proud to be a part of the company!
Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez he/him/él (Director) is in his fourth year at George Mason’s School of Theater. Previous directing credits include Chimichangas and Zoloft, Sacrifices, and Personification: A 10 Minute Musical. Esteban can also be seen performing as a member of the Mason Improv Association. He would also like to thank all the wonderful artists and student activists that have partnered with us on this project, it has been a great honor.
Fe Miranda they/them/elle (Stage Manager) is a fourth-year Choral Music Education Major and Arts Management Minor. They've stage managed and assistant staged managed for several Mason Player's productions including 1,001 Plays, The Originals!, Gaining Ground, and Men on Boats, as well as Mason Opera's Cendrillon. They are also involved in several student organizations at Mason including The Musicians of Color Society, American Choral Directors Association, and the Queer Student Leadership Council. They are incredibly grateful to be involved in a production with such an amazing cast and production team.
PRODUCTION DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Luke Rahman he/him/él (Scenic Coordinator) is a junior theater major with a double concentration in performance and design and technology. This is his first time in the role of scenic coordinator and he is so excited to help bring this production to life. Sarah Strunk she/her/ella (Digital Image Designer) is a senior Film major with a concentration in Screenwriting and a minor in Event Technical Production. Her love of stage managing has landed her working on many of the Mason Player's shows including TheOriginals!, In A Sentimental Mood: The Music of Duke Ellington, and running the projections for Everybody. Sarah is also one of the management interns for the Spring 2022 semester and would like to thank you all for coming to support the arts!
Nathan Tilley he/him/él (Co-Dramaturg) is a sophomore at George Mason University and is pursuing a BFA in theatre with a concertation in performance. Nathan has recently had his acting debut with The Mason Players’ production of Eurydice and has previously appeared in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Christopher) at Gibbs High School. He looks forward to working dramaturgically again with The Mason Players, as co-dramaturg for this production of Just Like Us and is very grateful for this experience.
Deema Turkomani they/them elle/ellos (Panel Coordinator) is a senior international student from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain studying musical theater. Their background has allowed them to perform in both traditional Arabic & English Musicals and plays. You may have seen them in The School of Theater's production of The Wolves (#14) & The Women of Lockerbie (Maddie Livingston). They make it a point to use art as a tool in activism, therefore, they're involved in the theatre beyond performance; as they advocate for themself & their peers as The Mason Players' Company Manager and Co-Creator of Players4Change.
PRODUCTION DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Ruth Yamamoto she/her/ella (Digital Image Design, Production Manager) is an adjunct professor for George Mason University and Prince George’s Community College, production manager, improv consultant, and author (Serious Fun: The Power of Improvisation for Learning and Life). Ruth has worked for and performed at The J. F. Kennedy Center, Asian Stories In America (A.S.I.A.) theatre company, and local DC film/tv productions. She was production manager at The Kitchen in NYC, and technical director at Discovery Theater at the Smithsonian. She holds a PhD in education from Walden University, an MEd in education from Marymount University, and a BA in drama from the University of Hawaii. Dr. Yamamoto has been a theatre educator for 20+ years in public and private schools and is a member for The Association for the Study of Play (TASP), Applied Improv Network (AIN), and SAG-AFTRA.
PANELIST DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Adelina Mitchell (She/her) is a proud local DC actor who graduated from George Mason in 2019 with a BA in Theatre. REGIONAL: Signature Theatre: Rent, Gun & Powder. Olney Theatre Center: A.D. 16, The Music Man. Round House Theatre: Quixote Nuevo; Constellation Theatre Company: The Last Five Years, Little Shop of Horrors; Monumental Theatre Company: Head Over Heels. UPCOMING: Marian Paroo in The Music Man at Olney Theatre Center. www.adelinamitchell.com | @adelinamitchell
Priscilla Maria Page, MFA/PhD, is a writer, performer, and dramaturg who teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she also directs the certificate in multicultural theater. She is currently writing about Latinx theater history in Chicago. Her recent publications include Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Play and A Circle of Responses with U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (Wesleyan Press 2019), and “Collidescope 2.0: Performing the Alien Gaze” in Casting a Movement: The Welcome Table Initiative, edited by Claire Syler and Daniel Banks (Routledge 2019). Her short essay titled “Our Dad is in Atlantis: Border Crossings as Latinx Theater Practice” appears on www.latinxtalk.org. and in 2016, she published “Speedo Activism and the Aesthetics of Resistance” and “An Interview with Dr. Liza Ann Acosta” in Café Onda at www.howlround.org. She has also worked closely with playwright Migdalia Cruz and her essay “My World Made Real” is published in Cruz’s anthology El Grito del Bronx and Other Plays, No PassPort Press, 2010. She is the Vice President of Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares, a non-profit organization she co-founded with her partner Glenn Siegel in 2011.
PANELIST DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE Stefan Sittig has a multi-disciplined theater background as a director, choreographer, fight director, movement coach, educator, performer and podcast host. He has been involved in 100+ productions including work in New York City (Off-Broadway), internationally in Brazil, Uruguay and Canada, at various regional theatres across the US, and in most of the major theatres in the Washington, D.C. area. He teaches Movement in Musical Theatre and Stage Combat at George Mason University’s School of Theater and is a directing mentor for this production of Just Like Us. He holds a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Theatre from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Drama and English Literature from The University of Virginia. Stefan was raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is half-Uruguayan and is a native Spanish and Portuguese speaker. He is also fluent in French. www.stefansittig.com
Elena Velasco (she/ella) is a theatre artist whose work encompasses performance, production, activism and education. During her 25 year career she has devoted her time equally between performance and residency work. Her directing and choreography credits include Convergence Theatre, Synetic Theater, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Keegan Theatre, Imagination Stage, Mead Theatre Lab, Young Playwrights’ Theater, Capital Fringe, Source Theatre, Discovery Theater, Catholic University and the Kennedy Center’s New Visions New Voices Festival. She has choreographed for Avant Bard, Theatre J, Mosaic Theatre Company, and Keegan Theatre. Ms. Velasco has been a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA, and has performed at the Kennedy Center, Theatre Alliance, NextStop Theatre, Discovery Theatre, Imagination Stage, and in several films, commercials, and TV shows. As well, she teaches and creates theatre through the lens of community engagement and education throughout the DC metro area. Ms. Velasco is the Artistic Director and Co-founder of Convergence Theatre, a multidisciplinary performance collective that creates work centered on social justice, grounded in decolonized, consensus-organized processes and structures. She currently serves as the Co-Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Access for the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, is on the advisory board of Carpe Diem Arts and Educational Theatre Company, and has been a featured speaker for Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Montgomery College, and Theatre Washington. Ms. Velasco is the theatre production coordinator and theatre professor at Bowie State University. www.elenavelasco.net www.convergencetheatre.org UPCOMING: The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful, Keegan Theatre (July 2022); On the Wings of a Mariposa, Adventure Theatre MTC (September 2022)
PANELIST DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE KAREN ZACARÍAS was recently hailed by American Theater Magazine as one of the most produced playwrights in the US. Her plays include The Copper Children, Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens, The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and the adaptations of Just Like Us, The Age of Innocence, Into the Beautiful North, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent and a bilingual Romeo y Juliet. She has been produced at The Kennedy Center, The Goodman, The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, GALA Hispanic Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, Old Globe, The Alliance Theater, Repertorio Español, The Latino Theater Company, Milagro Theater, and many more. She is the author of ten renown TYA musicals and the librettist of several Ballets. She is one of the inaugural resident playwrights at Arena Stage, a core founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons- a large national organization of artists seeking to update the American narrative with the stories of Latinx-, and she is the founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT), noted as one of the best arts educational programs by the Obama White House. Karen was voted a 2019 Washingtonian of the Year for her arts advocacy by Washingtonian Magazine. She was awarded 2019 Sine Fellowship at the American University School of Public Policy for connecting art with policy making. She is a recipient of 2019 LeeReynolds-Award for “social, cultural, or political change with theater” awarded by the League of Professional Theater Women and honored with the 2019 Medallion by the Children’s Theater Foundation. She was a 2019 speaker at TEDX Broadway. She is a 2021 recipient of the United Artists Fellowship. Karen lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and three children and two dogs. She’s represented by the Gersh Agency and is published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals, Dramatic Publishing and has a collection of plays with Oberon Books.
PANELIST DRAMATURG'S BIOGRAPHIES NOTE
Sunday, May 1st Panelists Aguilas Mentoring Program Andres Curtin Campos
Players4Change Natalie Cumming
UndocuMason Isabella Flores
DEPARTMENT SUPPORT DRAMATURG'S NOTE arts support umbrella Production Manager Technical Director Scene Shop Supervisor Lead Carpenter TheaterSpace Technical Director Harris Theatre Technical Director
Dan Hobson Carrie Cox Ethan Osborne Stephan Starling Micah Stromberg & Tom Terlecki Adrianna Daugherty-Smith
Costume Shop Supervisor
Laurel Dunayer
Costume Shop First Hand
Vicki Burroughs & Sarah Alspach
Studio Assistant Technical Director Sound Intern Lighting Interns Management Intern Production Interns Paint Intern Costume Shop Student Interns
Caleb McMurtry Sloan Martin Merin Lemoine & Caleb McMurtry Sarah Strunk & Samba Pathak Vika Hearne & Mike Sarisky Susan Lane Jaime Ericson, Charlotte Langford & Luisa Romero
Props Intern
Marty Bernier
Shop Artisans
Caleb McMurtry & Anna Jungkeit
Props Artisan
Hannah Stoops
Construction Practicum Students
Darren Badley, Dulci Russell, Alex Berrios, Xavier Howard, Ben Counts, David Poach, Eli Nguyen, Jay Martinez, Sarah Stewart, Miles Tison, Bianca Peña, Addison Picardat, Macayla Smith, Lexi Carter, Konstantin Langenberg
DEPARTMENT SUPPORT DRAMATURG'S NOTE arts support umbrella Production Manager Technical Director Scene Shop Supervisor Lead Carpenter TheaterSpace Technical Director Harris Theatre Technical Director
Dan Hobson Carrie Cox Ethan Osborne Stephan Starling Micah Stromberg & Tom Terlecki Adrianna Daugherty-Smith
Costume Shop Supervisor
Laurel Dunayer
Costume Shop First Hand
Vicki Burroughs & Sarah Alspach
Studio Assistant Technical Director Sound Intern Lighting Interns Management Intern Production Interns Paint Intern Costume Shop Student Interns
Caleb McMurtry Sloan Martin Merin Lemoine & Caleb McMurtry Sarah Strunk & Samba Pathak Vika Hearne & Mike Sarisky Susan Lane Jaime Ericson, Charlotte Langford & Luisa Romero
Props Intern
Marty Bernier
Shop Artisans
Caleb McMurtry & Anna Jungkeit
Props Artisan
Hannah Stoops
Construction Practicum Students
Darren Badley, Dulci Russell, Alex Berrios, Xavier Howard, Ben Counts, David Poach, Eli Nguyen, Jay Martinez, Sarah Stewart, Miles Tison, Bianca Peña, Addison Picardat, Macayla Smith, Lexi Carter, Konstantin Langenberg
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS DRAMATURG'S NOTE the mason players staff Company Manager
Deema Turkomani (they/them/theirs)
Associate Company Manager
Megan Lederman (she/her/hers)
Company Secretary
Addison Picardat (she/her/hers)
Sales Coordinator
Nathan Tilley (he/him/his)
Company Historian
Annie Graninger (she/her/hers)
Marketing Manager
Samba Pathak (he/him/his)
Development Manager
Luke Rahman (he/him/his)
players4change staff Co-Creator
Deema Turkomani (they/them/theirs)
Co-Creator
Steven Franco (he/him/él)
Equity and Empowerment Manager
Darren Badley (he/him/his)
Equity and Empowerment Manager
Natalie Cumming (she/her/hers)
Equity and Empowerment Manager
Kenya Gary (she/they)
alpha psi omega officers President
Marty Bernier (he/him/his)
Vice President
Addison Picardat (she/her/hers)
Secretary
Elisabeth Dupuy (she/her/hers)
Treasurer
Ariel Kraje (she/her/hers)
Associate Member Coordinators
Jeremy Pritchard (he/she/they) Zoe Winter (she/her/hers)
Historian Community Service Chair Education Deputy
Bella Panciocco (she/her/hers) Darren Badley (he/him/his) Kendall Huheey (she/her/hers)
SCHOOL OF DRAMATURG'S THEATER FACULTY NOTE & STAFF Director of the School of Theater
Djola Branner
Production Manager
Ruth Yamamoto
Program Manager
Nicholas Kfoury Horner
Academic Adviser
Sara Simanski
Office Manager
Mary Burgess
Romanticism to Present
Elizabeth Alman
Technical Direction Fundamentals of Production
Carrie Cox Jonathan Dahm Robertson
Directing
Rick Davis
Event Technology, Sound, Fund. of Production
Kevin Dunayer
Costume Technology
Laurel Dunayer
Acting for the Camera, Audition Techniques
Amr El-Bayoumi
Acting I, Advanced Movement for Actors
David Gaines
Musical Theater Ensemble, Voice and Speech
Erin Gardiner
Acting Shakespeare, Great Film Performances
Edward Gero
Screenplay Workshop Theater Education, Acting II Advanced Study of Directing/Dramaturgy Advanced Sound Engineering Artists in the Real World, Finding Your Voice
David Goldstein Mimsi Janis Kristin Johnsen-Neshati Billy Kessinger Kaiulani Lee
Acting I
Bryce Lennon
Acting I
Ahmad Maaty
Lighting Design, Intro to Theatrical Design
Sherrice Mojgani
Theatrical Medium, Adv. Voice, Adv. Dramaturgy
Theresa Ohanian
Script Analysis Contemporary Playwrights of Color Stage Combat, Movement for Musical Theater Stage Management, Acting, Improvisation
Franklin Robinson, Jr. Shaila Schmidt Stefan Sittig Ruth Yamamoto
DRAMATURG'S DONOR SUPPORT NOTE The School of Theater wishes to thank the following donors for their generous support Professional Artist Residency in Theater (PART) Legacy Donors Kenneth and Carol Adelman Anonymous
Ms. Kristin Johnsen-Neshati and Mr. Amin Neshati
John and Deborah Blacksten
Marilyn Jones
Doris Bloch and Bill Hunt
Eileen Mandell
Boeing Company
Dr. Alan Merten and
Rev. Dr. Elizabeth P. Braxton
Mrs. Sally Merten
Mary Brescia
Mack and Paulette Miller
Jane and Chris Brewster
Merle L. Mulvaney
Ms. Lois Brown
Diane and Tim Naughton
Byrd International, L.L.C.
Warner and Cheryl North
Gordon and Judy Canyock
Mr. Ronald Page
Ms. Grace Chae
Robert and Ida Portland
Chevy Chase Trust
Mrs. Lauren W. Rabb
Council on American-Islamic
Diane and Robert Rafuse
Relations
Captain Marsha and
Ms. Chris Downey
Robert Rease
Charles and Eileen Duggan
Ted and Anne K. Rosenblum
Ken and Molly Elston and
Ms. Ann Steers
The Greater Manassas
Daniel and Ann Toohey
Christmas Parade
Mikki Van Wyk
Committee
Verizon Foundation
Linda Evans
Edward and Wava Vigen
Dr. and Mrs. William H. Gilcher Irwin and Fay Gold
1,001 Plays Supporters
Vernon W. Gras, Ph.D.
Kristin Johnsen-Neshati
Mr. Carl Hemmer
Phyllis Krochmal
Emmett L. Holman, Ph.D.
Vafa Mostaghim
IBM International Foundation
The Koons Family
FRIENDS DRAMATURG'S OF THEATER NOTE SUPPORT from March 1, 2020 to September 15, 2021
angel ($5,000+)
performer ($200 - $499)
Judy Canyock
Susan J. Aitel and Jonathan Goldman Clayton and Jaqueline Austin Dorsey and Catherine Drummond Roland and Victoria Fabia Edward and Marjike Gero Catie and Mark Hubbard Mr. Edward Jones David and Barbara Kilpatrick Dr. Michael and Mrs. Linda Kostrzewa Alice and Matt Magelssen-Green Mitre Corporation Dr. Norman Rosenberg and Mrs. Lorraine Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Kosmo Tatalias The Kosmo D. Tatalias Family Trust Joseph Walsh Bob and Pat Warakomsky Dr. and Mrs. George Whipple
patron ($1,000 - $2,499) Helen and Bill Ackerman Anonymous Berkshire Hathaway Energy Foundation BH Equities Dianne and Gerard Blais Harry Bookey Dr. Rick Davis and Ms. Julie Thompson Charles and Eileen Duggan Art and Linda Hamerschlag Dr. Joy Hughes and Mr. Kenneth Lee John and Tracie Jacquemin The Jacquemin Family Foundation Ms. Kristin Johnsen-Neshati and Mr. Amin Neshati Henry Linsert Timothy McEvoy Mack and Paulette Miller Vafa Mostaghim David Ottaway Robert and Ida Portland Norma Jean Reck Dr. Peter N. Stearns and Ms. Donna L. Kidd
producer ($500 - $999) Anonymous Doris Bloch and Bill Hunt Hugh and Sandra Hill Don and Sonja Palomaki Cass and Lisa Panciocco Robert and Ida Portland William Schneider Sherry Watkins
friend (up to $199) Helen Albanese Anonymous (2) Donald Ball Michelle and Steve Barraclough Claudia Borke Brassard Family Timothy B. Cooke and Megan Fowler Cooke Giovanna Doyle Barry and Margaret Fink Arielle Flax Mary Fuson Beverly George Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Gholz Dr. Thalia R. Goldstein Joseph Gutierrez Linda and Harlan Harber Ian Hastings
FRIENDS DRAMATURG'S OF THEATER NOTE SUPPORT from February 1, 2020 to August 10, 2021
friend (up to $199) cont. Judith Hoy Kyle Imperatore Ms. Diane Kiser Mrs. Phyllis Krochmal Nancy Lewis Karen Lygizos Eileen Mandell Lene Mcvoy Mr. R. Wesley Meekins Robert Merrill Marianne and Seymour Metz Ms. Mary Lechter and Mr. Kevin Murray
Linda Renzi May E. Roy Terry Sarley Mark and Merrill Shugoll James Slawski Jeffrey and Joy Stephens Kathleen Trainor Rebecca Wahls Frank T. Watrous Dean and Andrea Westman Joan R. White Zachary Wilcox Rachel S. Winograd
SCHOLARSHIP DRAMATURG'S RECIPIENTS NOTE School of Theater Scholarships (continuing awards): Dezire Duverglas, Steven Franco, Abigail Hastings, Bianca Peña, Julia Rudgers, and Nathan Tilley The Howard Vincent Kurtz Endowed Scholarship in Design: Jaime Ericson The Mack & Paulette Miller Theater Scholarship Endowment (2021): Darren Badley The Brower “BC” Spransy Memorial Scholarship Endowment (2020): Claire Gardner The Chris Parsons Memorial Scholarship: Marty Bernier The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Theater Scholarship: Alexandria Hardin The School of Theater congratulates our 2020 scholarship recipients:
Arts by George Scholarships (awarded Spring 2020): Kat Amato, Darren Badley, Jessica Barraclough, Alex Berrios, Erin Cleary, Garvey Dobbins, Samuel Dunn III, Em German, Ariel Kraje, Lenny Mendez, Bianca Peña, Julia Rudgers, Austin Shores, Tyler Shores, Jacqueline Smith, Shanell Stukes, and Alex Weimeyer Friends of Theater at Mason Scholarships (awarded Spring 2020): Alexandra Berrios, Hasan Crawford, Khue Duong, Steven Franco, Annie Graninger, Megan Lederman, Merin Lemoine, Tony Lemus, Alana Lyons, Shannon Rodgers.
The School of Theater’s and The Mason Players’ Spring 2022 Season 1001 Plays Co-Directed by Nicholas M. Horner and Kristin Johnsen-Neshati February 10, 2022 Eurydice Directed by Marty Bernier March 3-6, 2022 | TheaterSpace Everybody Directed by Kristin Johnsen-Neshati March 31-April 2, April 7-10, 2022 | Harris Theatre Mason Cabaret Directed by Erin & James Gardiner | Musical Accompaniment by Joe Walsh April 15 & 16, 2022, TheaterSpace Just Like Us Directed by Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez April 28-May 1, 2022 | TheaterSpace The Boy Detective Fails Directed by Erin Gardiner | Musical Direction by Joe Walsh May 6 & 7, 2022 | Center for the Arts Concert Hall
THE MASON PLAYERS Spring 2022 Performance Season
EVERYBODY
MASON CABARET
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Created by Erin and James Gardiner
March 31-April 9, 2022
April 15-16, 2022
JUST LIKE US
THE BOY DETECTIVE FAILS
by Karen Zacarias
April 29-May 1, 2022
@THEMASONPLAYERS
by Joe Meno | Music by Adam Gwon
May 6-7, 2022
theater.gmu.edu TheMasonPlayers.com