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PRESENTS
HALF LIFE BY
Tanya Barfield DIRECTED BY
Blayze Teicher SCENIC AND LIGHTING DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
SOUND DESIGNER AND AUDIO RECORDING ENGINEER
Joey Moro
Marilyn Wechsler
Kevin O’Connor
VIDEOGRAPHER
PRODUCTION DRAMATURG
STAGE MANAGER
Brenna Merritt
Amara J. Brady
Alana Barker
INTERIM CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
Holly Thuma Bright Half Life is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Bright Half Life was developed during residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference in 2014, Preston Whiteway – Executive Director, Wendy C. Goldberg – Artistic Director. Bright Half Life was commissioned by Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles, CA. The world premiere of Bright Half Life was produced in 2015 by Women’s Project Theater (Lisa McNulty, Producing Artistic Director).
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CAST (in alphabetical order)
Kayla Amani………...……………………………………...Vicky Elizabeth O’Malley…………………….………………….Erica
ADDITIONAL CREDITS Assistant Director:L ogan Becker Assistant Scenic Designers: Kristina Fosmire, Jason Zong Assistant Costume Designers: Adeline Livingston , Adeline Santello Assistant Lighting Designers: S arah Schultz, Em Stripling Assistant Stage Managers: Sarah Davison, Rebecca Malamud Casting Associate: Sofia Aguirre Casting Assistant: Elyza Learned
SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE DIRECTOR Special thanks to Logan, Amara, Kayla, Elizabeth, Alana, Sarah, Becca, Dianna, Ralph, Holly, Brian, our designers, all of the students and leadership of the Department of Drama, and my family.
SETTING 1985 - 2031, New York City
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CAST Kayla Amani (Vicky) is a junior acting major and music industry minor from New York City. She is immensely grateful to be making her Syracuse University Department of Drama mainstage debut. Kayla would like to thank Blayze for this amazing opportunity and the entire cast and crew for creating a safe, fun, and collaborative rehearsal process. With the pandemic having kept us apart for so long, Kayla is thankful to be back in a theater working alongside such supportive artists.
Elizabeth O’Malley (Erica) is a junior acting major from Long Island, NY. She would like to thank Kayla, Blayze, and the entire production team for making this process and this show so wonderful. It is an exciting privilege to be doing theater during these times, and she is so excited to share the hard work of all involved.
A R T I S T I C S TA F F Joey Moro (Scenic and Lighting Designer) is a New York based designer, who designs lighting, projection, and scenery. Recent lighting: The Rape of Lucretia (Boston Lyric Opera), Spill (Cornell University), Awful Event (Baryshnikov Arts Center), Die Fladermaus (SUNY Stony Brook), The Baltimore Waltz (Syracuse University, light and set), Streetcar (Le Petit Theatre), Hair (Hofstra University), Eurydice Project (Dublin), Detroit (Theatre Squared). Recent projection work, Sunken Cities Exhibit (Virginia Museum of Fine Art), 72 Miles to Go… (Roundabout Theatre), Awaken Exhibit (Virginia Museum of Fine Art), St. Joan (Delaware Theatre Company), A Bright Room Called Day (Juilliard), Skel-
eton Crew (Dorset Theatre Festival), Vietgone (Theatre Squared), The Last Five Years (Mexico City), Only You Can Prevent Wildfires (Teatro Circulo), Once On This Island (Le Petit Theatre), Orange Julius (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre). M.F.A., Yale School of Drama. joeymoro.com Marilyn Wechsler (Costume Designer) is a recent graduate of Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and she is so thankful to be returning so soon to work on this show. Recent design credits include Romeo and Juliet, Mud, and Spring Awakening. She is currently working at Baltimore Center Stage as a costume apprentice and has a few upcoming shows in Baltimore. She would like
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A R T I S T I C S TA F F to thank the Department of Drama for allowing her this opportunity, her family, her fellow creative team, and her assistants.
Grill, Peter Pan, Kiss Me, Kate, Avenue Q, Hairspray, Parade, Spring Awakening, Seussical, Violet, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Merrily We Roll Along, Quilters, The Cradle Will Rock, and Cabaret.
Kevin O’Connor (Sound Designer and Audio Recording Engineer) is currently in his twelfth season working for Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse University Department of Drama. He graduated from St. Lawrence University with a B.A. in music in 2008. Previous sound design credits include Department of Drama’s productions of The Matchmaker, Mansfield Park, On The Lake, Romeo & Juliet, The Crucible, Good Kids, We Are Proud to Present...,The Baltimore Waltz, Crazy for You, Major Barbara, The King Stag, Laura and the Sea, A Flea in Her Ear, The Spitfire Grill, Agamemnon, Measure for Measure, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Stepping Out, The Good Woman of Setzuan, and Translations, as well as Danny, King of the Basement and Miss Electricity for the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama Children’s Tour. Kevin has also worked as the A1 position, controlling the audio console/live mixing most of the musicals over the last 10 years for both Syracuse Stage and the Department of Drama including Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, The Last Five Years, Elf the Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Next to Normal, The Wizard of Oz, Ring of Fire, Berlin to Broadway, Mary Poppins, Nine, The Spitfire
Amara J. Brady (Production Dramaturg) [She/Her/Hers] is a generative artist and cultural dramaturg from Chicago. At the crux of her artistry is uplifting Black women and connecting underserved communities to theatrical experiences. She’s currently in residence with The Parsnip Ship and created her own production company (Un)Solicited Productions. As an actor, she’s been on stage at The Lark, Joe’s Pub, Barrington Stage Co., NYTW, 54 Below, and others. She’s a member of Joe Iconis’ & family. As a writer, she has been a semifinalist for Space on Ryder Farm, an inaugural member of the Showdogs playwriting collective, and a member of SHECreates NYC’s Myths and Legends. Check out her YouTube series, ‘Skinny & White’ Aren’t Character Traits. In This Paper I’ll Explain. Give some space to Women of Color and Trans Folx. Ashé to the ancestors. All Power to all people. Website: https://linktr.ee/ajbrady Instagram: @bradynotthebunch Alana Barker (Stage Manager) is a junior stage management major, public communication studies minor, and Renée Crown University Honors student from Simsbury, CT. In
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A R T I S T I C S TA F F the Department of Drama, Alana has stage managed The Secret in the Wings (studio project) and the Class of 2021 Lewis Hecker Virtual Drama Showcase; she was also the stage management intern on the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production Amadeus. Additional credits include sound design for various student-produced
work in the Department of Drama. Alana plans on spending this summer in London to intern with a local production company and continue her Honors Thesis research on immersive and non-visual theatre. She feels incredibly lucky to be producing theater safely today and would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.
A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Sofia Aguirre (Casting Associate) is a second year theater management major with a minor in Public Communications from the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA.
Adeline Livingston (Assistant Costume Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in costume design from Syracuse, NY.
Logan Becker (Assistant Director) is a sophomore stage management major from Woodstock, GA.
Rebecca Malamud (Assistant Stage Manager) is a sophomore stage management major from Tokyo, Japan.
Sarah Davison (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman stage management major from Austin, TX.
Adeline Santello (Assistant Costume Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in costume design from Arlington, MA.
Kristina Fosmire (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a junior theater design and technology major with a concentration in scenic design from Gloversville, NY.
Sarah Schultz (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in lighting design from just outside Chicago, IL.
Elyza Learned (Casting Assistant) is a sophomore theater management major from Old Lyme, CT.
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A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Em Stripling (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a theater design and technology major with a concentration in lighting design from Brooklyn, NY.
Jason Zong (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in scenic design from Wilmington, DE.
DIRECTOR Blayze Teicher is grateful to have worked with the students, faculty, and staff of the Syracuse University Department of Drama. Select credits include Nelson Diaz-Marcano’s The Diplomats (winner: Outstanding Direction, 2017 Fresh Fruit Festival), Gina Femia’s The Virtuous Fall of the Girls from Our Lady of Sorrows (Spicy Witch Productions), Grace Jordan and Ronete Levenson’s Moses (HERE), and resident director of Trainspotting Live (Off-Broadway, Brass Jar Productions). She’s directed radio plays for podcast series The Parsnip Ship and also served as artistic associate for their fourth season. Her filmmaking has screened at fes-
tivals including Frameline43 in San Francisco, Out on Film Atlanta, qFlix Philadelphia, and Cinema Diverse in Palm Springs. She served as script supervisor on New York is Dead, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and won Best Comedy at the 2017 New York Television Festival. Blayze holds a B.A. in creative writing and theater from Florida State University. She was a 2020 semi-finalist for the Drama League TV/Film Fellowship, is a member of Ring of Keys, an associate member of SDC, and a part of Cohort 6 of the National Directors Fellowship with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center/National New Play Network. BlayzeTeicher.com
P L AY W R I G H T Tanya Barfield. Tanya Barfield’s The Call premiered at Playwrights Horizons in co-production with Primary Stages. Her play Blue Door was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and AUDELCO Award and was seen at numerous theaters around the country. Her play Of Equal Measure played at Center Theatre Group
in Los Angeles and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Short plays include: Medallion (Women’s Project/Antigone Project), Foul Play (Royal Court Theatre, Cultural Center Bank of Brazil), The Wolves and Wanting North (Guthrie Theatre Lab, published in: Best 10-Minute Plays of 2003). Tanya wrote the
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P L AY W R I G H T book for the Theatreworks/USA children’s musical, Civil War: The First Black Regiment which toured public schools around the country. Barfield has been a recipient of a 2013 Lilly Award and the first inaugural Lilly Award Commission, a 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Play-
wrights, a 2005 Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize for Drama, a 2006 Lark Play Development/NYSCA grant and she has twice been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award. She is a proud alumna of New Dramatists and a member of The Dramatist Guild Council.
I N T E R I M C H A I R , D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Holly Thuma is associate professor of voice and verse in the Department of Drama and a certified associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. Holly’s acting and directing credits include productions with Quantum Theatre, the Dallas Theatre Center, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, City Theatre Company, Penn State Center Stage, and Perry Mansfield New Play Festival, as well as independent films. She has served as dialect/vocal coach for many productions at the Syracuse University De-
partment of Drama including Romeo and Juliet, The House of the Spirits, Major Barbara, and Top Girls, and for Mickey Rowe in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Syracuse Stage. A passionate believer in arts education, Holly’s career has included development and direction of performance programs for underserved children through the Pittsburgh Public Theater and for the Hope Academy of Music and the Arts. She is a proud union member of Actors’ Equity and SAG/AFTRA.
A B O U T T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Syracuse University Department of Drama offers degree programs in acting, musical theater, theater design and technology, stage management, and theater management utilizing conservatory-style training in a university setting and in collaboration with Syracuse Stage. With much appre-
ciation, the Department of Drama wishes to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Syracuse Stage staff. While students are responsible for designing the technical elements of most Drama productions, implementing these designs requires a significant contribution by the professional staff of the Syracuse Stage production department.
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P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F & R U N C R E W
Faculty Advisors to Student Designers.........................................................................Joey Moro Faculty Advisor to Stage Managers....................................................................Don Buschmann Light Board Operator..................................................................................................Morgan Perry Sound Board Operator...................................................................................................Austin Rose Deck.......................................................................................Maria Do Rosario Appleton Figueira Dressers.................................................................................................................Samantha Harnick LX Hang and Focus Crew..............Miranda Barrick, Sofia Pizer Benjamin, Marshall Breaux, Mairead Cummins, Maria do Rosario Appleton Figueira, Kristina Fosmire, Eli Golding, Andrew Patashnik S Y R A C U S E U N I V E R S I T Y D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A
Interim Chair....................................................................................................................Holly Thuma Business Manager.................................................................................................................Lisa Tucci Administrative Specialist...................................................................................Charlotte Santella Director, Tepper Semester in NYC.............................................................................Lisa Nicholas Assistant Music Director...............................................................................................Jacob Stebly Dean, VPA...................................................................................................................Michael S. Tick F U L L-T I M E FA C U LT Y
Christine Albright-Tufts Rufus Bonds, Jr. Kiira Schmidt Carper Brian Cimmet Gerardine Clark James A. Clark Stephen Cross
Felix Ivanov Rebecca Karpoff Alex Koziara Andrea Leigh-Smith David Lowenstein Celia Madeoy Maria Marrero
Katherine McGerr Thom Miller Ricky Pak Anthony Salatino Holly Thuma Kathleen Wrinn
A D J U N C T FA C U LT Y
Jill Anderson Rob Andrusko Dianna Angell Kathleen Baum Bradley Beckman Dave Bowman Rob Bundy Don Buschmann Diane Coloton Richard Crawley Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Danita Emma Kathryn Fathers
Jacqueline R Herter Robert Hupp Sandra Knapp Richard Koons Nicholas Kowerko Victoria Lillich Michael McCurdy Karen Menter Kathryn Miranda Amanda Moore William Morris Leslie Noble Jaylene Ogle
Whitney Pak Stuart Plymesser Mara Rich Rebecca Schuetz Hanni Schwarzlander Abel Searor Blake Segal Jacob Stebly Randy Steffen Bradley Stone Renee Storiale Joseph Whelan Matthew Winning
A C C O M PA N I S T S
Kerry Dromgoole, David Sabin, Abel Searor, Jacob Stebly
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2020 2021
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA The Syracuse University Department of Drama offers a unique combination of rigorous conservatory-style training, direct partnership with a professional theater company, and the resources of a major American university. Undergraduate students in acting, musical theater, stage management, theater design and technology, and theater man-
vpa.syr.edu/drama | 315.443.3275
agement are carefully guided in their artistic and professional growth by a team of skilled and committed teachers. They are supported by the production, administrative, and artistic staff of Syracuse Stage; participate in masterclasses offered by nationally and internationally renowned theater artists; and have the opportunity for extended study in London, Florence, Los Angeles, or New York City. Follow us on:
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TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES NEW YORK CITY LOS ANGELES FLORENCE LONDON BFA ACTING MUSICAL THEATER STAGE MANAGEMENT THEATER DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY BS THEATER MANAGEMENT