CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
Cheesecake
Cherry Pie
Trifle
SnapDragon
GrandDada
Trainer/Trainer’s Partner/Smilesinger/The Twins/The Wives of the Twins
Runnerman/Smilesinger’s Husband/The Twins/The Wives of the Twins/Republican
Natalie Tran
Jake Wilson
Emerson Hartman
Esmeralda Treviño
Oyin Ojomo
Carlise Rosa
Ellenor Riley-Condit
Mackenzie Mann
Emilio Mejia
Republican’s Wife Mia Hsiung Nguyen
Fred/Ed/Ned Adam Flores Jr.
Gumbo Penny Lou Zimmerman
Foley Performer Jax Schuck
The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN NOVEMBER ON THE BANKS OF THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT LAKES is presented through special arrangement with TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. | www.trwplays.com
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN NOVEMBER ON THE BANKS OF THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT LAKES was first produced in New York City by New Georges (Susan Bernfield, Producing Artistic Director; Jaynie Saunders Tiller, Managing Director; Sarah Cameron Sunde, Deputy Artistic Director) and WP Theater (Lisa McNulty, Producing Artistic Director, Michael Sag, Managing Director).
In working on this wild, wonderful play, I have been thinking a lot about the act of creating. How beautiful and daunting it can be. How we draw boundaries and create rules for ourselves to make the process slightly more penetrable. How we then push up against those boundaries, try to break those rules – in search of something that feels newer, funnier, more meaningful, provocative, right, true.
A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes gives us one day with SnapDragon, GrandDada and a family that may possibly resemble your own, on a holiday central to American mythology. Kate Benson’s script offers – in its bold omission of all stage directions – a play full of action. It is an athletic event wherein we witness the choreography of exhaustion and the pursuit of love and belonging.
I love plays like Great Lakes that imagine the impossible and dare you to pursue it. This play makes me think that it is perhaps through our own relationship to inherited tradition that we create ourselves. Friction with these boundaries shows us who we are.
Though we get just one day at Wembly Stadium, we get much longer with each other in this complex and infinite world. Let us meet in joy and strangeness.
What a fine day to be together. Welcome, and thank you for being here!
NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG
“Life is short. The day is long. There is so much to see and to do, and none of it bears repeating. Make it new.” - Kate Benson
Today, you’ll witness a family stumbling through a day together – not even a whole day, merely some hours in each other’s company. This day is raucous and amusing and cringeworthy, full of the hallmarks that come with holidays and families. There is a cycle of family at work in this play: creation, nourishment and destruction. How much energy does it take to raise a child? How do our words and actions gnaw at each other? What legacies do we leave behind after we’re gone?
On stage today, I imagine you’ll see familiar narratives. They may reflect your own family and history, and maybe that will be funny! It might also be unsettling. As we sift through the narratives we hold surrounding family and belonging, there are often complex and difficult memories in tandem with joyful and meaningful ones. Sometimes the weight of tradition, memory and ritual can feel burdensome or constraining. My hope is that you’ll remember we make our own stories from the ones that came before us. We somehow, painstakingly and imaginatively, make our narratives new.
Brittney Barton (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a first-year graduate student studying scenic design. She enjoys being part of the design and building process as well as scenic painting. Barton has designed several shows for the University of West Florida in Pensacola including Emma, Blithe Spirit and Shakespeare in Love.
Kate Benson (Playwright) is a writer and actor living in Brooklyn. Her plays include A Beautiful Day in November on the Banks of the Greatest of the Great Lakes, produced by New Georges in 2014, [PORTO], Lee Miller and Radium Now She is a member of the Jam at New Georges, and she is a graduate of the Brooklyn College M.F.A. Playwriting program. She has had readings and showings of her work at Dixon Place, 13th Street Repertory Theatre, Jimmy’s No. 43 and the Room at New Georges. As an actor, she has appeared at The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, the Flea, Performance Space 122, the Incubator and La MaMa.
Caley Chase (Director) has directed, developed and assisted work at The Huntington, Powerhouse Theater, American Repertory Theater, Trinity Repertory Company, Shakespeare & Company, Actors’ Shakespeare Project and Speakeasy Stage, among others. Recent credits: The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth (Powerhouse Theater), The Mikvah Project by Josh Azouz (Texas Theatre and Dance Studio Series, 2022), Then We’ll Rest by Eliya Smith (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023), Choreomaniac 1518 by Malena Pennycook (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024). She is a third-year M.F.A in Theatre (directing) candidate. caleychase.com (she/her)
Alik B. Clay (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a firstyear graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin. They discovered theatrical design during their undergraduate studies at Flagler College, where they served as scenic designer for If/Then and Cinderella, media designer for If/ Then and lighting designer for Almost, Maine.
Violet Clemons (Costume Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. in Theatre (costume design)
candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a Chicago native and studied costume design at Ball State University (BSU), earning her B.A. in 2019. She has worked around the Chicagoland area in theatre and fashion. Her recent credits include Pretend it’s Pretend (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024), Points of Intersection (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2024) and A Year with Frog and Toad (Bay Area Children’s Theatre).
Layla Crear (Assistant Costume Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in costume design. She recently graduated from the theatre department at The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and is in her first year at the University. Her previous credits include The Wiz (The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts) and Put Your House in Order (Rec Room Arts).
Michelle “Midge” Ferguson (Stage Manager) is a third-year B.F.A. in Theatre Education and B.A. in Theatre and Dance double major with an emphasis in stage management. They have served as stage manager on various projects in the Austin area including The Little Mermaid (Summer Stock Austin), Blood at the Root (Texas Theatre and Dance Studio Series, 2024), Fishing for Stars and A Green Moment to Share (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). She also worked as a stagehand for two weeks at the 2024 Kerrville Folk Festival. (they/she)
Allison Normin Johnson (Assistant Costume Designer) is a first-year M.F.A candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she earned her B.A. from Willamette University. Her work is shaped by a foundation in art history, sustainability and an international perspective from her experiences abroad. Johnson has collaborated with Oregon-based companies like CoHo Productions, Corrib Theatre, Milagro Theatre, Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre. allisonjcreates.com (she/her)
Jacqueline Mai (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management. She has experience in many areas of backstage technical work and stage management. Her recent credits include stage managing the UIL OAP State finalist show Ghetto (Katy Theatre, 2024) and Bright Star: The Musical (Katy Theatre, 2024).
Joshua Martin (Scenic and Projection Designer) is a M.F.A. in Theatre (live design and production) candidate studying both scenic design and integrated media for live performance. His avid commitment to theatre for social change drives his current pursuits of democratizing theatrical interfacing and placemaking in emerging and unconventional spaces. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Sanctuary City (Studio Series, 2024), Blood at the Root (Studio Series, 2024), Pretend it’s Pretend (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024), Romeo y Juliet (2024) and This is Our Youth (directing project, 2024). Josh-W-Martin.com
Hannah Nelson (Dramaturg) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. She is interested in the intersections of theatre, collective memory and reconciliation. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include assistant direction for Choreomaniac 1518 (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024), performing in Our Town (Studio Series, 2022) and stage management for Hamlet (Studio Series, 2023).
KP Pierce (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. in Theatre (lighting design) candidate. Most recently, they worked with Marjorie Lyons Playhouse as the lighting designer for productions of Antigone, The Glass Menagerie and The Zoo Story.
Ellenor Riley-Condit (Movement Director/ GrandDada) is a theatre maker working at the intersection of performance creation and liberatory praxis. She is the Faculty and Curriculum Director at Vassar's Powerhouse Theater Training Program, where she recently directed Marathon and The Trojan Women. Recent
credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Oh, Buddy and Then We’ll Rest, presented as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). She is set to direct Once In A Hundred Years for UTNT (UT New Theatre) this spring. (she/her)
Olivia Saldaña (Assistant Director) is a B.F.A. in Theatre Education major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in directing, acting, costume design and set design. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Romeo y Juliet (2024), Blood at the Root (Studio Series, 2024), Hamlet (Studio Series, 2023), Evil Dead and The Aardvark (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023).
Cooper Smither (Sound and Foley Designer) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer's process at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include assistant sound design on Hamlet (Studio Series, 2023), assistant sound design on Choreomaniac 1518 (UTNT (UT New Theatre, 2024) and sound design/ dramaturgy for Take the Wheel’s production of The Thing in This House Loves You (2024).
Laura Soares (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management. She has a background in various types of backstage work and stage management. Recent credits include assistant stage managment for Romeo y Juliet (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2024) and for the opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul (Butler Opera Center, 2024).
Gavin Strawnato (Lighting Designer) is a third-year M.F.A. in Theatre candidate studying lighting design in the Live Design and Production area at The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. Previous credits include: Romeo y Juliet (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2024) and Tea: A Mirror of Soul (Butler Opera Center, 2024). (they/them)
David Tolin (Technical Director) was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. He received his B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in design/
technology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his M.F.A. in Theatre from The University of Texas at Austin before teaching at Westlake High School for seven years. Tolin works at Texas Performing Arts’ Fabrication Studios as the Project Manager and as faculty in the UT Live Design and Production area.
Kyle Trehern (Assistant Sound Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management. He has a background in both theatrical performance and dance performance. Recent credits include to love and to be loved and everything in between (Texas Theatre and Dance Studio Series, 2024) and Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023), as well as multiple events at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium.
Desne P. Wharton (Assistant Projection Designer) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre (integrated media for live performance) candidate from Washington, D.C. As a multimedia designer, she has worked on projects for both live performance and television. Her design credits include The Colored Museum (The Center for Performing Arts at Prince George’s Community College) and fuckin loud (The Hollywood Fringe Festival). She will also serve as one of the projection designers for Dance Repertory Theatre’s CYPHERS later this fall.
Oyin Ojomo
Carlise Rosa
Ellenor Riley-Condit
Mackenzie Mann. Emilio Mejia
Mia Hsiung Nguyen
Adam Flores Jr.
Penny Lou Zimmerman
Natalie Tran
Emerson Hartman
Esmeralda Treviño
Jake Wilson
Natalie Tran (@) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin with an extensive background in acting. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “G” in Sanctuary City (Studio Series, 2024) and “Lexi/ Josie” in to love and to be loved and everything in between (Studio Series, 2024). Credits outside of UT Austin include works with Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the prestigious Children’s Theatre Company.
Jake Wilson (#) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Acting student.
Emerson Hartman (Cheesecake) is a B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a second-year student, and this is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.
Esmeralda Treviño (Cherry Pie) is originally from Harlingen, Texas and is a third-year at The University of Texas at Austin in the B.F.A. in Acting program. Her recent credits include “Lady MacDuff” in Macbeth (Illinois Shakespeare Festival, 2024), “Nurse” in Romeo y Juliet (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2024) and “Chuyita” in Pray for the Notary (Teatro Vivo, 2024). (she/her)
Oyin Ojomo (Trifle) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major. This is her first performance with Texas Theatre and Dance.
Carlise Rosa (Snapdragon) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include the role of "Frau Thera" in Choreomaniac 1518 (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024).
Mackenzie Mann (Trainer/Trainer’s Partner/ Smilesinger/The Twins/The Wives of the Twins) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting student also pursuing an anthropological minor in language, culture, and communication. Their past credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include understudy, assistant director and “Choreomaniac” in Choreomaniac 1518 and
“Cake” in the reading of Taste Buds: The Adventures of Cake and Broccoli, both presented as part of UTNT (UT New Theatre) (2024).
Emilio Mejia (Runnerman/Smilesinger’s Husband/The Twins/The Wives of the Twins/ Republican) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process. He is a Honduran actor who quickly adapted himself to the theatre scene in Mexico City, where he was raised. Recent credits include the role of “Mercutio” in Romeo y Juliet (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2024) and "Ralph" in his television series debut in Walker (The CW, 2024).
Mia Hsiung Nguyen (Republican’s Wife) is a fourth-year B.F.A. in Acting major. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “Sevallia” in Choreomaniac 1518 (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024), “Ophelia” in Hamlet (Studio Series, 2023), “Penny” in Then We’ll Rest (The Cohen New Works Festiva, 2023) and “Emily Webb” in Our Town (Studio Series, 2023). She recently studied at Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City. Nguyen has performed with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and starred in various Austin short films and music videos.
Adam Flores Jr. (Fred/Ed/Ned) is a third-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. He has an extensive background in acting. Previous credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “Marcus” in Choreomaniac 1518 (UTNT (UT New Theater), 2024). This past summer he played “Lysander” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Peter Simple” in The Merry Wives of Windsor and “Duke” in Othello at Shakespeare at Winedale.
Penny Lou Zimmerman (Gumbo) is a secondyear B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Her previous credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Pretend it’s Pretend by Emma Watkins (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2024).
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS FABRICATION STUDIO
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
J.E. JOHNSON
KAREN MANESS
PROJECT MANAGER
DAVID TOLIN
OPERATIONS MANAGER
JASON LEE HUERTA
PROPERTIES MANAGER
CAROLYN HARDIN
LEAD FABRICATOR
HANK SCHWEMMER
PROJECT SPECIALIST
ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY
SENIOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
SCOTT BUSSEY
EMERGING ARTS PROFESSIONALS
BRIDGETTE CLIFFORD
DANIEL GELD
GRADUATE PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
BRITTNEY BARTON
DANIEL RUIZ BUSTOS
ZACH YOUNG
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
MADISON JACKSON
PRODUCTION LEADS
JUNO ADAIR
LEAH AUSTIN
ELIZABETH BANDA
AYLIN CIBIK
DANIEL COLCOCK
VALERIA NUNEZ ESTRADA
SARAH EWING
ANA LARA
CODIE LIGHTFOOT
KRISTA MCLEOD
GABRIEL GOMEZ REYES
MONSE SANDOVALMALHERBE
KARINA TREJO
CASSIDY WEN
JULIA YELVINGTON
324P FABRICATION
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
HAYLEY JAN CARBAJAL
JORGE A GONZALES
SANDHYA IYER
YASMYNNE S KNOX
DAIJHA MAINOR
ERIC LEE RAMIREZ
ERICK VARGAS ROJAS
PRODUCTION PROPS
MANAGER
ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY
PROP STOCK MANAGERS
EVELYN BECERRA
KATELYN NGUYEN
CHARGE ARTIST
ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY
SCENERY/PROPS CREW
KYRA CARR
HEAVYN CARTER
ROMAN LOSA
COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO
COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
NANETTE ACOSTA
PRODUCTION ASSOCIATES DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES
JONATHAN WATERS
STAFF DRAPERS
SARAH BARBOUR
POUA YANG
STAFF FIRST HANDS
JENNIFER BALL
WAYNE FOWKS
STUDENT STITCHER
MEGGIE HUNT
COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN
TANYA OLALDE
COSTUME CRAFTS ASSISTANTS
RACHEL GREEN
MATTHEW SMITH
STUDIO ASSISTANTS
LAYLA CREAR
AVA SETTOON
WIG HAIR AND MAKEUP SPECIALIST
STEPHANIE MILLER
WIG HAIR AND MAKEUP ASSISTANT
KAITLYN COMFORT
STUDIO CREW SUPERVISORS
KAITLYN COMFORT
MATTHEW SMITH
STUDIO CREW
JAZ BURCHELL
ALEXIS HUNT
LOGAN MARQUEZ
ANGELA MATA
JAY SMITH
COURTNEY TROWERS
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
TANIA HERNANDEZ
WARDROBE RUNNING CREW
CHIEF
JAZ BURCHELL
WARDROBE CREW
ELLA EAVENSON
ISABELLA LIMPER
VALERIA MORALES
GEORGIA WILLIAMS
COSTUME STOCK SUPERVISOR DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES
COSTUME STOCK
ASSISTANTS
KATIE CONCANNON
ALLISON JOHNSON
EMORY KENNEMORE
LIGHTING/SOUND/ MEDIA
ACADEMIC PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER EARNEST MAZIQUE
ASSISTANT LIGHTING SUPERVISOR
MICHAEL SHANKS
ASSISTANT SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS
HUEMAK SANCHEZ MATTHEW SMITH
SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS
ALIK CLAY
KP PIERCE
324P LIGHTING FACULTY SUPERVISOR
SEB BOONE
324P THEATRE AND DANCE
LIGHTING CREW
ELICIA HARTZELL
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING CREW
JOSE CALVILLO
ADAM CORONADO
COBY HUGHES
OLIVIA LONGORIA
JOSE SALCIDO
ETHAN SEBREE
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR
AUDEN BEAUVIOS
LIGHTING CREW STUDENT VOLUNTEERS
ANNA BLANCHARD
REBECCA COUCH
MIA HINDMAN
BRADLEY JACINTO
RILEY KNECHT
CAROLINE PLUMB
ZOE SALDANA
RAIN SNYDER
RYLIE WILSON
KAROL YANEZ
ASSISTANT AUDIO VIDEO
SUPERVISOR
K. ELIOT HAYNES
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS
AUDIO CREW
GEORGIA BECKHAM
THEARY LLOYD
AUDIO BOARD OPERATOR
WILLIAM WONZY
MEDIA GRADUATE
ASSISTANTS
A.J. HURTADO
NITSAN SCHARF
MEDIA SHOP CREW
JOE ADKINS
CHANTELL GONZALEZ
AYESHA HUGHES
MEDIA OPERATOR
ELLIE HERR
PRODUCTION ADVISORS
STAGE MANAGEMENT
RUSTY CLOYES
DIRECTING
KJ SANCHEZ
ALEXANDRA BASSIAKOU
SHAW
COSTUME DESIGN
RAQUEL BARRETO
COSTUME TECHNOLOGY
DAVID AREVALO
LIGHTING DESIGN
MICHELLE HABECK
INTEGRATED MEDIA FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE
KATE FREER
SCENIC DESIGN
JOSAFATH REYNOSO
YVONNE BOUDREAUX
SOUND DESIGN
PHILLIP OWEN
DRAMATURGY
MADGE DARLINGTON
ACTING
CHRISTIN DAVIS
RESIDENT INTIMACY
DIRECTOR
ANDY GRAPKO
RUN CREW SUPERVISOR
AUSTIN SHIRLEY
