MTC 2021 Season Brochure by Marin Theatre

M A R I N T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

2021 SEASON The Future of American Theatre is Here at Marin Theatre Company!

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON You will not want to miss this award-winning season WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING NOW

The Catastrophist

by Lauren M. Gunderson

Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe | Co-Production with Round House Theatre (DC) MAY 2021 I ORIGINATING PRODUCTION — LIVE & INTERACTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

Brilliant Mind

by Denmo Ibrahim

Co-Production with Storykrapht

JULY/AUG 2021 | STREAMING OR PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

TBA SEPT/OCT 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

The Sound Inside

by Adam Rapp NOV/DEC 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren M. Gunderson and Margot Melcon

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

Five New American Plays-MTC's 2021 Season Continues Our team of artists have put in an enormous amount of dreaming, research and theorizing to create an exciting season in the digital and virtual realms. I am so proud of the effort that everyone has made to think outside the box, inside the box, through the box and down the rabbit hole to create pieces with visionary formats that match their unique voices and stories. I’m also excited to see what our fourth production will be, a physical or digital manifestation of our new Associate Artistic Director Nakissa Etemad’s vision of what our theatre can be. Read more about Nakissa and her work at marintheatre.org under Press. We are also announcing that our final two productions will be live productions from our Boyer Theatre, hopefully with a combined live and virtual audience so folks who aren’t ready to come back to the theatre can still participate. If conditions don’t permit live theatre in Fall of 2021, don’t worry. We’re going to continue to commission new American work for the virtual realm so we can pivot to keep bringing you the best new American voices. Thank you for staying with us and for believing in our work and in the American Playwright.

— Jasson Minadakis | Artistic Director

Due to COVID-19, season programming and dates are subject to change. All Season 54 advance ticket-holders will be notified at the earliest possible moment of any changes in programming or performance dates that must be made in compliance with county and state health orders, as well as a detailed outline of safety protocols MTC will be implementing upon reopening its doors for physical events.

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THE CATASTROPHIST

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

How do you plan for a catastrophe?

Virologist Nathan Wolfe and friend. Photo by Martin Schoeller

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON STREAMING NOW | WORLD PREMIERE

The Catastrophist by Lauren M. Gunderson Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe World Premiere Co-Production with Round House Theatre Commissioned by Marin Theatre Company

Directed by Jasson Minadakis Virologist Nathan Wolfe, named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for his work tracking viral pandemics, has hunted viruses from the jungles of Cameroon to the basement of the CDC. Hear his story— presented as cinematic digital theatre—as he tracks the threats that come from without and within. A blazingly intelligent, wryly witty and warm look at the thrill of discovery, whether it’s a new virus or the treasures of your own family. Lauren Gunderson’s newest play—whose subject is her husband —has won rave reviews since its opening in January 2021: “Deeply affecting…warmly comical. Readymade for this historical moment” (San Francisco Examiner ). Lauren M. Gunderson has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list twice including 2019/20. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Playwright Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She co-authored the Christmas at Pemberley plays with Margot Melcon, and her work is published at Playscripts, Dramatists Play Service and Samuel French.

Schoeller

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BRILLIANT MIND

by Denmo Ibrahim

What will you inherit?

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON MAY 2021 | ORIGINATING PRODUCTION LIVE & INTERACTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

Brilliant Mind Written by Denmo Ibrahim

Co-Production with Storykrapht

When Dina and Yusef learn of their estranged father’s death, they’re forced MARIN COMPANY to step in and bury a manTHEATRE they never Will brother and sister discover 2021knew. SEASON the truth once family secrets come to light? Inspired by true stories of firstgeneration Americans, Brilliant Mind takes a hard look at the taboo of mental illness in immigrant communities, the politics of gender, and the challenges between tradition and culture. In this extraordinary live and interactive digital experience by Storykrapht, you'll choose a character, chase the narrative, and play your part to uncover what’s real. Explore the family ties that bond us and break us, the healing that comes only through death, and the acceptance that our parents do the best they can—the rest is up to us. Provocative and intimate, the story you experience is based on the choices you make. No two performances can ever be the same.

Denmo Ibrahim is an Egyptian-American playwright and actor named “a tower of strength in the Bay Area theatre scene” by the San Francisco Chronicle. She is a Sundance Institute Theatre Lab finalist, as well as the recipient of awards from The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts and National Endowment for the Arts. Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor Created Physical Theater from Naropa University and a BFA in Acting from Boston University. She is a founding artistic director of Mugwumpin, a resident artist of Golden Thread, and a member of the National Steering Committee for MENA Theater Makers Alliance. www.storykrapht.com

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THE SOUND INSIDE

Everyone has a story. Denmo Ibrahim

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE P H YS I C A L P R O D U C T I O N

The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp Directed by Jasson Minadakis A brilliant Ivy League writing professor. A talented yet mysterious student. An unthinkable favor. Everyone has a story—the question is how it ends. Penned by Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter ), The Sound Inside takes you behind the ivy-covered walls of Yale, and into New York’s literary haven, Greenwich Village, in this riveting recent Broadway hit starring MTC favorite Denmo Ibrahim (Noura and The Who &The What ). Adam Rapp is the author of numerous plays, which include The Sound Inside (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Broadway), Nocturne (A.R.T., New York Theatre Workshop), Finer Noble Gases (Rattlestick, Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe First Award), Kindness (Playwrights Horizons), The Metal Children (The Vineyard), The Hallway Trilogy (Rattlestick), Blackbird (The Bush, Edge Theatre), Stone Cold Dead Serious (A.R.T., Edge Theatre), andRed Light Winter (Steppenwolf, Barrow Street Theatre), for which he won Chicago’s Jeff Award, an OBIE, and was named a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize. His playwriting honors include The Helen Merrill Prize, The Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Award.

“A gripping small-scale mystery...

an astonishing new play!” — THE NEW YORK TIMES

brahim

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GEORGIANA AND KITTY

“A welcome holiday tradition” —LILY JANIAK, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

THE WICKHAMS | 2018 Melissa Ortiz, Madeline Rouverol Photo by Kevin Berne

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE PHYS I CA L PRODU C TI ON

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren M. Gunderson & Margot Melcon World Premiere, Commissioned by Marin Theatre Company In the final installment of theChristmas at Pemberley trilogy, we follow Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana—an accomplished pianist—and Lizzie and Mary’s younger sister Kitty, Georgiana’s joyful, practical confidant. It is Christmastime at Pemberley, and the pair are expecting the imminent arrival of Henry Grey, Georgiana’s secret correspondent. The second half of the play leaps ahead 20 years, and Georgiana is set to premiere a new song on Christmas Eve. Though she’s become a well-respected musician and composer, she never found love. But when the next generation of Bennet girls comes to London with their new friend—the daughter of Henry Grey—she may have a second chance. Lauren M. Gunderson (see bio on page 5) and Margot Melcon are the coauthors of the previous Pemberley plays, Miss Bennet and The Wickhams . Margot Melcon is a theatre artist, administrator, and writer. She was the director of new play development at Marin Theatre Company for seven years, where she dramaturged over thirty productions, and administered the company’s two annual new play prizes and commissioning program. Margot has developed plays with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Crowded Fire Theater, Shotgun Players, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The New Harmony Project, and The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis. She is currently the program executive for promoting culture at the Zellerbach Family Foundation. Margot is a graduate of Cal State University, Chico.

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

New Subscription Options Packages for every budget and schedule! Heading into a theatrical season where everything’s going to look a little different, we want to make sure you get the same, top notch subscriber experience whether you’re here with us here in the Boyer Theatre or in the comfort of your home.

Your options: 1. Full Season Membership | $215 Committed to MTC as a long-time subscriber? This membership includes one (1) ticket to each virtual event, and one (1) ticket to each socially-distanced live production in the 2021 season, ending December 31, 2021 (5 tickets total). 2. Full Season Membership For Two | $430 This membership includes two (2) tickets to each virtual event, and two (2) tickets to each sociallydistanced live production in the 2021 season, ending December 31, 2021 (10 tickets total). 3. Partial Season Membership: Virtual Events Only | $50 Not ready to visit us in person this year? This membership includes two (2) tickets to each virtual event in the 2021 season, ending December 31, 2021 (2 tickets total). 4. Partial Season Membership: Live Events Only | $165 Eager to join us back in the theatre later this year? This membership includes three (3) tickets to be used towards each socially-distanced live production in the 2021 season, ending December 31, 2021 (3 tickets total).

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it be Previously a Fixed Series Subscriber with us? If you normally attend the theatre on a set date, with specific seats, you’re likely a Fixed Series subscriber. This season we will not be offering a Fixed Series option due to the socially-distanced protocols for any live productions. However, if you had a Fixed Series Subscription for our 2019/20 season, we will be holding your seats and date preferences until renewals begin for our 2022 season when it is safe to resume regular seating again. Please Note. All 19/20 Season Ticket Holders: If you have credits on file from unused tick kets due to cancelled performances last season, those will appear on your account and will be automatically applied to any new orders you place this season.

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2021 Season | Membership Prices & Schedule Choose the Membership that's right for you!

Membership Prices Full Season Membership

$215

Full Season Membership For Two

$430

Partial Season Membership: Virtual Events Only

$50

Partial Season Membership: Live Events Only

$165

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Catastrophist

Brilliant Mind

VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE MAY 2021. You will be emailed a code and instructions to access your virtual performance.

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THU 7:30PM

VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW. You will be emailed a code and instructions to access your virtual performance.

Day & Time

TBA

Sound Inside

JULY-AUGUST 2021 DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED. You will receive an email when dates are announced, giving you first choice of dates and times.

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Week 3

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PREVIEWS

Week 1

LIVE PERFORMANCE Pemberley

9/12/2021

11/21/2021

9/14/2021

11/22/2021

9/15/2021

11/24/2021

9/16/2021

9/17/2021

11/26/2021

9/18/2021

11/27/2021

9/18/2021

11/28/2021

9/19/2021

11/28/2021

9/19/2021

11/29/2021

9/21/2021

11/29/2021

9/22/2021

12/1/2021

9/23/2021

12/2/2021

9/24/2021

12/3/2021

9/25/2021

12/4/2021

9/25/2021

12/5/2021

9/26/2021

12/5/2021

9/28/2021

12/6/2021

9/29/2021

12/8/2021

9/30/2021

12/9/2021

9/30/2021

12/10/2021

FRI 7:30PM

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10/1/2021

12/10/2021

SAT 2PM**

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10/2/2021

12/11/2021

SAT 7:30PM

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10/2/2021

12/12/2021

SUN 2PM

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10/3/2021

12/13/2021

*Due to Thanksgiving, we will not have a Thursday, November 25th, 2021 performance for Christmas at Pemberley. Performance dates & showtimes subject to change.

MOTHER OF THE MAID | 2019 Sherman Fracher Photo by Kevin Berne

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Benefits | Why subscribe? • BEST SEATS/BEST CHOICE: As a subscriber, you get first choice of the best seats. While COVID-19 social distancing restrictions are in place, we will place you in the best available seats; going forward in the 2021-2022 season and beyond, subscribers will be able to choose their seats.

• FREE TICKET EXCHANGE: Subscribe with confidence, knowing you can exchange your ticket to another performance if you cannot attend on your original choice of date. For subscribers, exchanging is free.

• LOST TICKET REPLACEMENT: We offer subscribers complimentary ticket reprinting if your tickets are lost before your scheduled performance date.

• YOU’RE SUPPORTING GREAT THEATRE: The best reason of all! Your subscription makes it possible for Marin Theatre Company to continue to discover, develop and produce the best in new American theatre. Bravo!

BEHIND-THE-SCENES INSIDER EXPERIENCES Enhance your theatrical experience with these FREE supplemental programs! • AFTER WORDS: Post-show Q&A’s will be held with members of the artistic team throughout the production run via Zoom! Instructions on how to access these exclusive Zoom chats with our artists will be provided to all ticket holders.

• PRE-SHOW HAPPY HOUR: Exclusive pre-show chats will be held with members of the artistic team once per production run via Zoom! Instructions on how to access these open, informal Zoom chats with our artists will be provided to all ticket holders. Subscribe now! marintheatre.org | 415.388.5208

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

Donate with Your Purchase Today! During these unusual times, MTC needs your support now more than ever! Your contributions will ensure that MTC can stay nimble and responsive while continuing to produce intimate theatre experiences. From bringing in cultural consultants for productions, to adding extra rehearsal weeks for actors, to purchasing audio and recording equipment, to implementing safe sanitary practices; your donations make a tangible difference in pushing MTC toward a sustainable future. Consider making a tax-deductible gift today and ensure the evolution of impactful theatre!

So Many Ways to Give! marintheatre.org/donate/more-ways-to-give • Add a donation to your subscription order Show your support for innovative, inclusive, electrifying theatre by adding a donation to your subscription order—it’s easy to do when you order online via marintheatre.org

• Monthly Donations This is the most impactful way to contribute toward MTC’s long-term future while taking advantage of donor perks! Become a Friend of MTC Circle- Contributor for as little as $35 a month.

• Donor-Advised Funds Recommend Marin Theatre Company as a grant recipient from your donor-advised fund.

• Qualified Charitable Distributions Are you over the age of 70 and have an IRA? Consider a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian made payable to Marin Theatre Company. This transfer counts toward satisfying your required minimum distribution for the year.

• Gifts of Stock Marin Theatre Company accepts transfers of appreciated stock.

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• Corporate Matching Gifts Contact your employer’s human resources department to see if they have a matching gift program. You could double your contribution! For more info or to donate, contact: (415) 322-6035 development@marintheatre.org

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MTC Education MTC Education proudly offers classes for students age 4 to adult all year long, designed for fun and growth through the arts for everyone! There is always something going on, and we’d love for you to join our MTC Education family.

• Youth Conservatory Winter / Spring offerings include: Improv (grades 4 and up), Acting (grades 1 and up), private lessons (grades 6 and up), musical theatre (grades 6 and up) and more!

• Workshops and More This season features a selection of one-day classes and workshops on topics like storytelling, acting, and playwriting. Check out our website for current workshops!

• MTC Summer Camp 2021 will include classes and productions for rising K-12 grade students. Visit our website for more information. For more information or help signing up, contact Education Coordinator Erika March: erikam@marintheatre.org Subscribe now! marintheatre.org | 415.388.5208

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS TO THE BOARD TEAM! Marin Theatre Company is thrilled to welcome seven new members to its Board of Directors:

Aldo Billingslea is a Professor of Theatre Arts at Santa Clara University and has performed in numerous productions on the MTC mainstage, including Othello (2012) and In the Red and Brown Water (2011). Aldo Billingslea Bethany Byrd-Hill is a theatre arts administrative professional with experience working at theatrical organizations across the Bay Area including Cutting Ball Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and MTC, where she served as Director of Ticketing & Audience Services. Bethany Byrd-Hill Wendy Feng is an attorney at Covington and Burling LLP and longtime MTC patron. Wendy Feng Noah Griffin is a freelance writer for the Marin Independent Journal, and the founding Artistic Director of the Cole Porter Society. Noah Griffin Marti Grimminck is the Founder and CEO of International Connector and has produced international Broadway tours and large-scale events across North America, Australia, Asia and Europe. Marti Grimminck Denmo Ibrahim is the Founder and CEO of Earthbody Day Spa (San Francisco) and Omcali Sacred Skincare. She is a playwright and actor most recently seen on the MTC mainstage performing the title role in Noura (2020), and The Who & The What (2019). Denmo Ibrahim Christian Mills, a fourth generation Mill Valley local, is currently the Fund Development Director at The Redwoods, and was formerly an actor and producer at Hyperion Pictures in Los Angeles. Christian Mills

Learn more about our new Board members at marintheatre.org/about/board-of-directors

Welcome new Associate Artistic Director Nakissa Etemad! We are thrilled to announce the appointment of nationally renowned dramaturg and producer Nakissa Etemad as MTC's first Associate Artistic Director! Nakissa is a California native who will share responsibilities with Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis in producing, season programming, artist hiring, new play development initiatives and oversight of the company’s education programs.

Making the announcement, Minadakis said, “I am honored to welcome Nakissa Etemad to the MTC family. Her vision, passion, artistry and advocacy will elevate our company’s driving focus to support the American playwright from conception through production. I am eager to partner with her and to travel the new paths that she charts for us through her unique voice and stewardship. Nakissa joins us at a pivotal moment as we re-envision our company, our community and our art form. Her impact on our organization, region and national theatre community will undoubtedly be felt immediately.” MTC Board of Directors and Search Committee members Denmo Ibrahim and Aldo Billingslea concur:

“We interviewed many excellent candidates for the role. It was clear that Nakissa’s gifts and unique voice could catalyze MTC’s artistic vision and forge key alliances locally and nationally. I’m thrilled to see her step into this role at such a pivotal moment in our country’s history for women and people of color.” — Denmo Ibrahim

“The range of artists with whom [Nakissa] has worked, and her ability to compliment rather than duplicate the best features that are already in place at MTC, make her an excellent fit for this new position. Her extensive network of Bay Area artists and strong working relationships with gifted playwrights of color made her a great choice for Marin Theatre Company!” — Aldo Billingslea Nakissa has helmed the literary departments of The Wilma Theater (Philadelphia), San Diego Repertory Theatre, and San Jose Rep, and brings decades of experience in working with boundary breaking theatre companies and innovative artists. She has supported thoughtprovoking productions about race, gender, equity, and inclusion and cultivated premieres of new plays by renowned playwrights. Learn more about Nakissa via our website: http://bit.ly/NakissaEtemad

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 397 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941

MOTHER OF THE MAID | 2019 Scott Coopwood Photo by Kevin Berne

COVER PHOTO: NOURA | 2020 Denmo Ibrahim Photo by Kevin Berne

2021 SEASON CONTINUES WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING PRODUCTION

The Catastrophist

by Lauren M. Gunderson Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe MAY 2021 | ORIGINATING PRODUCTION — LIVE & INTERACTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE

Brilliant Mind

by Denmo Ibrahim

JULY/AUG 2021 | STREAMING OR PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

TBA SEPT/OCT 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

The Sound Inside

by Adam Rapp

NOV/DEC 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley

by Lauren M. Gunderson & Margot Melcon