La w re n ce A r t s Ce n te r p re s e n t s
Vi c to r ia Ta u re a n S m ith’s
A O N E - W O M A N N E W P L AY D E V E L O P M E N T
Wr iter & Pe r fo r mer : V I C TO R I A TAU R E A N S M I T H Dire c to r : T I M M I A H E A R N F E L D M A N Wr iting Con su lt a nt : S A D I E B A R B E E N OT E : T h is p la y c o n t a i n s c o nve r s at i o n s a b o u t a n t i -Bl ack and a n t i-t r a n s viol e n c e , a s we l l a s s ex u a l v i o l e nce and o th e r sex u a ll y ex pl i c i t m at e r i a l . N o g r a p h i c d e s cri pti ons or d e p ic t io n s o f vio l e n c e a r e c o n t a i n e d w i t h i n t h e pl ay.
DI REC TO R ’ S N OTE O ne -pers o n p lays a re a s t ra n g e b e ast. Cau g ht so m e w h e re b e t we e n oration, stor y-telling a nd t h eat re, t hey a re a c h al l e n g e i n e ve n t h e m o st o rd i n a r y tim es. But we are living i n unp reced ented t i m e s. Ti m e s w h e n t h e n at u re o f l i ve t heatre itsel f is e l us ive, d angero us, a n d s o rely m i sse d. Th i s p ro d u c t i o n i s a f i r st i n m any ways for a l l of u s. I t is th e f i rs t t i me a c t i ng / d i re c t i n g / w r i t i n g a o n e - p e r so n sh ow ; the fir st tim e c re ating a pie ce o f “ v i r t ua l t h eat re ; ” an d t h e f i r st t i m e sh ar i n g su c h a per sona l stor y. Fir sts are s car y, exci t i ng, a n d wi ld l y u n p re d i c t ab l e. I d i d n’t k n ow w h at to expec t w hen I was first b ro ug ht o nto t h i s p ro j e c t. Wh e n we sat d ow n ( o n Zo o m ) to do the fir st re a d ing, I d on’t t h i n k I wa s a lo ne w h e n I re ac h e d t h e e n d w i t h te ar s i n my eyes. Since then the wh o le p ro ces s ha s b ee n a w i l d r i d e. Li k e any p ro d u c t i o n , t h e re have been hig hs and l ows, b ut mo re t ha n any t h i n g t h e re h as b e e n a l o t o f so u l sea rc hing— se arching of Vi c to r i a’s s o ul (t han k yo u To r i fo r l e t t i n g u s al l i n ! ) , fo r t h e soul of this moment in ti me, a n d p er ha p s fo r t h e so u l o f t h e at re i t se l f. I h o p e t h at this fir st is a s me morable fo r yo u a s i t ha s b ee n fo r u s, an d t h at i t i m p ar t s to yo u e ve n a por tion of the j oys, p a i n s, a n d love t h at we h ave fe l t c re at i n g i t. —Ti m m ia
PRO D U C TI O N STA FF
Director of Performing Arts, Artistic Director. Director. Film Editor. Sound Designer. Performing Arts Production Manager, Lighting Designer. Costume Designer,. Co-Stage Manager. Co-Stage Manager. Event Coordinator. Director of Digital Media. Director of Marketing and Communication Design. Marketing Coordinator.
Elizabeth Sullivan Timmia Hearn Feldman Jason Badgett Ben Knight Samaria Fleig Amelia Osborn Samaria Fleig Jessica Ray Marlo Angell Amy Albright Andrea Albright
VICTORIA TAUREAN SMITH (WRITER/PERFORMER) was born and raised in Lawrence. She grew up doing local theater in church, in the community, and at school. She graduated from Free State High School in 2008, then went to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she majored in Drama and minored in Media Culture and Communications. She received the Tisch School’s 2010 Helen B. Crystal Award for artistic excellence for her role in Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror, and performed Off Broadway in the title role of Molière’s The Hypochondriac, directed by Eugene Ma. After moving to Los Angeles and finding roles in TV and film, she returned to Kansas where she began her transition from male to female. She took a few years off from acting before returning to the stage in the Lawrence Arts Center’s 2019 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka. She subsequently performed in the Arts Center’s production of The Vagina Monologues directed by Sadie Barbee before being tapped to write her life story for the stage. She is an avid supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and a staunch advocate for the equality of transgender women, especially in the arts. She shares this story with and for them in the hope that it brings to light important issues surrounding their community and creates meaningful change. She knows she’s not alone in this endeavor. As Maya Angelou proclaimed, “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.”
TIMMIA HEARN FELDMAN (DIRECTOR) is a theatre and film developer of African, Asian and European descent. She holds an MA in Theatre & Performance Studies from the University of Kansas and a BA in Theatre Studies from Yale University. She was a founding member of the Trinidad and Tobago PRIDE Arts Festival; former Director of the School for the Arts at the Trinidad Theatre Workshop, the Caribbean’s oldest theatre company; and former Marketing Manager at the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Theater & Performance Studies at the University of Kansas, where her research focuses on post-colonial theater practice and disability justice, and engages in community-oriented and social change focused theater across the diasporas to which she belongs. Timmia’s directing credits include In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks (2019) at the KU University Theatre; an original musical comedy called Buss de Mark (2016), which premiered at the PRIDE Arts Festival in Trinidad; A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (2013-2014); Two Can Play by Trevor Rhone (2013-2014); An Echo in the Bone by Dennis Scott (2012) at the Trinidad Theatre Workshop; as well as Coriolanus: a remake, by William Shakespeare, edited and co-directed by herself and Daniel Larlham, (2011, a Shakespeare at Yale Production); the first re-staging of The Shipment, by Young Jean Lee (2012, Yale Heritage Ensemble);and Marisol, by José Rivera (2011, Senior Thesis). Timmia has taught both acting and playwriting in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the United States and Nepal. She currently teaches acting at the University of Kansas. You can check out her work at timmiahearn.com.
JASON BADGETT (FILM EDITOR) is a filmmaker and theatre professional residing in Kansas City. Jason studied Film and Media at the University of Kansas. He has been involved in multiple feature films, television series and documentaries, working as a production sound mixer and editor. In 2010, Jason joined the Lawrence Arts Center technical staff. As a theatre technician, Jason has served as a lighting designer, sound engineer, projectionist, and stage manager for a multitude of theatrical productions and events. Jason enjoys working with the variety of productions and artists at the Arts Center and in the Lawrence community.
AMELIA OSBORN (CO-STAGE MANAGER/ COSTUME DESIGNER) is currently a senior at Free State High School. At school she is involved in the orchestral, choral, and theatre departments, and is the Arts Advocacy Chair for the Thespian Club. At the Lawrence Arts Center Amelia has participated in the Summer Youth Theatre Leadership Program for the past four years as a performance and technical intern, and is a current member of PLAY12, the Lawrence Arts Center’s youth performance company. Most recently, Amelia trained through The Theatre School at DePaul University as a selected member of their Summer High School Training Program with a concentration in directing. Over the summer she received a superior rating from the Virtual International Thespian Festival competition in the Stage Management division with her work from the Lawrence Arts Center’s Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka. Recent stage management credits include All in the Timing (Summer Youth Theatre, 2019); Madeline (Lawrence Arts Center, 2019); and Wait Until Dark (Free State High School, 2018). Amelia is planning to pursue a BFA in Theatre Management, Arts Administration, or Theatre for Youth.
SADIE BARBEE (WRITING CONSULTANT) is a young creative who has been a part of the Lawrence theatre scene since she was seven years old. Sadie has acted, directed, stage managed, and taught musical theatre during the past five years at the Lawrence Arts Center. She most recently directed and acted in the Arts Center’s production of The Vagina Monologues and was a member of the Theatre and Dance for the Very Young performance of Atmosphere at the beginning of 2020. Sadie is currently in London studying at a Discipleship Training School with a focus in Theatre and Music. She is so honored to have contributed to the telling of this powerful and transformative story.
SAMARIA FLEIG (LIGHTING DESIGNER) graduated from Emporia State University with her BFA and has found her home here in Lawrence. She loves all areas of the theatre both on and off the stage: performance, scenic design, lighting design, and stage management. She spent five years in California working with Coast Kids Theatre, New Vision Theatre Group, and the Star Theatre Company. She is very proud of the work she’s been able to do with young theatre technicians here at the Lawrence Arts Center and looks forward to creating more magic in the future. Some of her recent tech credits include Color Play (Lighting Designer), Emergence (Lighting Designer), and Balloonacy (Director & Scenic Designer). She is so very thankful for her amazing husband, Jonathan, her incredible mom, and the remarkable Sarahs.
BEN KNIGHT (SOUND DESIGNER) is a Toronto-born musician and sound engineer rooted in Lawrence with a passion for education and public health. His work on touring productions has led him to multiple arts centers across the country including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Walker Art Center, and SF Jazz; as well as arts centers in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Mexico, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates. He currently spends the majority of his time at home with his partner, Philip.
L A WRENCE ART S C EN TER A RTI STI C STA F F
Artistic Director Emeritus of Performing Arts. Associate Director of Performing . Arts & Education. School of Dance Artistic Director. School of Dance Coordinator.
Ric Averill Amanda Pintore Hanan Misko Amy Hope
Thank You, Arts Center Staff:
Special Thanks To:
Margaret Weisbrod Morris, CEO Stacy Galloway Haywood, COO Ben Ahlvers, Director of Exhibitions Cindy Hart, Development Director Alex Olson, Development Coordinator
Velocity Church Deondria Smith Sarah McCall Amanda Pintore Max Jiang Pere DeRoy
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ART
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