OCTOBER 23-24 AT 7:30 P.M. VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE THEATREDANCE.UTEXAS.EDU
Lowell Bartholomee – Sound Designer • John Erickson – Projection Designer Harold Horsley – Costume Designer • Tara A. Houston – Scenic Designer Emily Novack – Lighting Associate • Jesse J. Sanchez – Composer • Anna Skidis Vargas – Director Skyler Taten – Stage Manager • David Tolin – Technical Director • Amber Whatley – Lighting Designer Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel – Dramaturg
CAST Yolanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Garcia Marisela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kathleen M. Guerrero Ivonne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vivian Gonzalez Brenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cielo Ortiz Zaide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manuela Guerra Desamaya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guinevere Govea Woman of Juárez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deja Criston Woman of Juárez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anapaula Guajardo Woman of Juárez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Yaneth Perez The world premiere of La Ruta was produced and presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; Anna D. Shapiro, Artistic Director and David Schmitz, Executive Director This project was developed with support from the Pivot Arts Incubator Program at Loyola University Chicago
The Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Let me tell you about mi mamá. She is beautiful. She is fierce. She makes the best tamales. She makes the best everything, if I’m being honest. She is on the move constantly while running her beauty shop, running the household, running errands and taking care of absolutely everybody. She’s the one who never sits down and rests. She is full of wisdom, and that sabiduría has ofen come in handy and even saved my life. She is overworked and she is under-appreciated, like so many incredible Mexican mothers are. And that’s where my love for La Ruta began. I fell for how messy and full of life the women in this play are, especially the mothers. We are met with resilience and snark and tenderness, even in the face of so much grief and so many unanswered questions. What a joy and honor it has been bringing Isaac Gómez’s words to life. It’s been a wild ride arriving at this version of La Ruta, and I could not be prouder of what this team has made together, especially this extraordinary all-Latina cast. I am thrilled to share this breathtaking work with you. Thank you for accompanying us on this journey to La Ruta. This play is dedicated to my mother and to all of the strong Mexican mamas out there.
NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG For all the roses in Juárez the missing and the lost, the survivors and the ones left behind. Para todas. Para siempre. -Isaac Gómez Such a dedication encapsulates much about the urgency and breath/breadth of Isaac Gómez’s La Ruta. Here, we are met with a story that hasn’t found its end. On September 8, 2020, Ni Una Menos Cdmx, a feminist collective in Mexico City occupied the National Human Rights Commission, turning it into a shelter for victims of gender-based violence. On the same evening, our team Zoomed into our first rehearsal. This points to the timeliness of the issues at hand – namely femicide – and troubles the notion that theatre itself is a mobilizer of change. This acknowledgement was palpable and sat heavy, for making theatre right now is a deliberate choice with increased barriers to entry. But even as we sat in rehearsal, this direct action by Ni Una Menos Cdmx barely made its way to U.S.based news channels. Plays like this, then, inherently function as advocacy, a mere step one to bringing awareness to femicides on the border. Since the early 1990s, an unknown number (hundreds? thousands?) of women have disappeared along the sister cities of Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. Mexico only began official data collection in 2012. La Ruta amplifies the voices of those still searching and grieving. Chiefly inspired by interviews conducted with mothers of the missing, Gómez penned a piece one would wish lost relevancy. With this play comes a call to remember and to fight, all while being in theatrical community with each other against the odds.
CREATIVE Lowell Bartholomee (Sound Designer) is an Austin-based actor, playwright and designer. His work has been seen and/or heard in productions from Capital T Theatre, Hyde Park Theatre, ZACH Theatre, Street Corner Arts, Penfold Theatre Company, Ground Floor Theatre and most recently as a part of UTNT (UT New Theatre) (2020) in A Fistful of Trespassing, Not Omaha and Sow and Suckling. He is an artistic company member of Rude Mechs and Hyde Park Theatre. John Erickson (Projection Designer) is an M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate with a focus in integrated media for live performance. He holds a B.A. in Theatre with a minor in media studies from Colorado State University. Select design credits include: Less Than 50% (59E59 Theaters), Winners (Ensemble Studio Theatre) and Cracked Orlando (Julliard). Select associate design credits include: Be More Chill (Lyceum Theatre), The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir (international tour) and UNTITLED DANCEPARTYSHOWTHING (Virgin Voyages). Harold Horsley (Costume Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate with a focus in costume design at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Horsley earned a B.F.A. in Design and Technology with a concentration in costume design from Kent State University. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Not Omaha (UTNT (New Theater), 2020) and Fall For Dance (2019). For their recent work in costume design, Horsley received the 2020 Black Theatre Network’s Judy Dearing Student Design Award for costume design. Tara A. Houston (Scenic Designer) is a freelance scenic designer and the assistant professor of scenic design at Louisiana State University. Her work has been featured at Cara Mía Theatre, Swine Palace, Skylight Music Theatre, Casa Mañana Theatre, Ocala Civic Theatre and Austin Shakespeare, among others. Houston earned her B.F.A. at the University of Arizona and her M.F.A. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Emily Novack (Lighting Associate) is a creative artist who is passionate about dance and design. She recently received her B.A. in Dance with a focus in lighting design from the University of South Florida. While at USF, she performed in modern works by John Parks and Dr. Merry Lynn Morris and designed multiple productions, including Cabaret and several mixed-bill dance concerts. She has conducted interdisciplinary research in integrating choreography and design. Currently, she is a first-year graduate student pursuing her M.F.A. in Design and Technology with a focus in lighting design at The University of Texas at Austin. Jesse J. Sanchez (Composer) is a Latinx artist who writes, composes and music directs for live events and film. He is in residence as music supervisor at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As a writer and composer, his works have been performed or developed at the New York Theatre Barn, Roundabout Theatre Company, Arizona Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theatre Company, Hartford Stage, Alley Theatre, The Choreography Lab, the 24 Hour Plays, The Green Room 42, Arizona State University and The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Boston Lyric Opera and Opera America have commissioned Sanchez to write a contemporary digital opera series premiering in 2021. Anna Skidis Vargas (Director) is a director and play-maker who subverts stereotypes through myth, spirituality and humor, with a focus on Latinx and mixed identity stories. She is the founding artistic director of Theatre Nuevo, where she directed This is Not Funny, Orgullo, Acronyms, HELL and Alvaro Saar Rios' Luchadora! She is currently an M.F.A. in Directing candidate at The University of Texas at Austin where she has directed Spring Awakening (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2019), Lloronx (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019), Minghao Tu’s A Fistful of Trespassing (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020) and Daria Miyeko Marinelli’s 30 Floods (UTNT (UT New Theatre) 2019). skidisvargas.com
CREATIVE Skyler Taten (Stage Manager) is a fourthyear B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management with honors also pursuing a minor in business and arts management and administration. Recent of-Broadway credits include: The Importance of Being Earnest and Romeo and Juliet (assistant stage manager swing; New York Classical Theatre). Regional theatre credits include: Seussical (stage management intern; Theatre Under the Stars) and The Rover (stage manager; Hidden Room). Taten’s credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include serving as the production manager for UTNT (UT New Theatre) 2020 and stage manager for The Merchant of Venice (2018). She is also involved in the Department of Theatre and Dance Undergraduate Advisory Council and is the co-event planner for USITT at The University of Texas at Austin. skylertaten.com David Tolin (Technical Director) was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he received his B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in design/technology. In 2006, he interned with Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère (Treasure Island) and served as a stage hand for Desert Entertainment for several concerts, productions and events across Las Vegas. He received his M.F.A. in Scenic Technology from The University of Texas at Austin before teaching at Westlake High School for seven years. Tolin joined the staf of the Department of Theatre and Dance in 2017.
Amber Whatley (Lighting Designer) is a third-year M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate with a focus in lighting design at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2018, she obtained her B.F.A. in Production Design with a concentration in lighting from Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a member of the 2020 USITT Gateway Program. Recent design credits include Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2020), Next to Normal (Ground Floor Theatre) and Fall For Dance (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2019). Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel (Dramaturg) is a Chicago/Austin-based dramaturg, journalist and oral historian. Their multi-disciplinary work as a queer, fat, brown, femme endeavors to amplify and archive stories that have been lost/ stolen/forgotten. They are a second-year M.A. in Performance as Public Practice candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. They were named as a recipient of the 2020 Texas Educational Theatre Association’s Founders’ Scholarship for Upper Division/Graduate Theatre Students. Bylines include pieces with American Theatre magazine, The Austin Chronicle, Sightlines, The Chicago Reader and Teen Vogue, among others. yasminzacaria.com.
CAST
Emily Garcia
Kathleen M. Guerrero
Vivian Gonzalez
Cielo Ortiz
Manuela Guerra
Guinevere Govea
Deja Criston
Anapaula Guajardo
Emily Yaneth Perez
CAST Emily Garcia (Yolanda) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in both acting and directing. Recent credits include “Old Blue” in Matawan (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2018) and “Isa” in Lloronx (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019). She was the assistant director for Texas Theatre and Dance’s production of Spring Awakening (2019). Afer graduating, Garcia plans to move to New York to pursue casting and directing in order to foster more inclusive representation within the arts.
miere of Breakfast at Tifany’s (2017) and was a two-time company member of their annual Summer Stock Season. Afer graduation, she plans to pursue arts leadership to advocate for arts equality in low-income and Latinx communities.
Kathleen M. Guerrero (Marisela) is an Austinbased actress, singer, dancer and business owner originally from Crystal City, Texas. She is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in theatre for youth and communities also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. Her recent credits include 39 Inside (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019); 12 Ophelias (a play with broken songs) (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2019); Matawan (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2018); Buried: A Live Play and Anna and the Apocalypse in addition to multiple projects as a part of The Cohen New Works Festival. Afer graduating, Guerrero plans to move to New York City to pursue her master’s degree in the arts and continue to develop her career as a performer.
Manuela Guerra (Zaide) recently obtained her B.A. in Theatre and Dance from The University of Texas at Austin. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include: “The Kapitänleutnant” in Tjipetir: A Search History (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020), herself in oUr rooTs (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019), “Daughter” in Loverboy (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2018) and “Trader/Lawyer” in ENRON (2018). This is her final semester as a journalism major at Moody College of Communication.
Vivian Gonzalez (Ivonne) is from Brownsville, Texas, at the border of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and grew up between both cities. She is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with honors also pursuing a B.S. in Corporate Communications at The University of Texas at Austin. Gonzalez most recently starred as “Lores” in Lore (2020), a graduate student film directed by Nicole Chi. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Women of ______ (a song not song) (2019) and oUr rooTs (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019) as well as The Mirame Monologues (2020). She also has credits at the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville, Texas, where she performed as “Holly Golightly” in the regional pre-
Cielo Ortiz (Brenda) is a second-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process at The University of Texas at Austin. She is originally from Houston, Texas. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “Sky” in A Fistful of Trespassing (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020).
Guinevere Govea (Desamaya) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance and B.J. in Journalism double major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits include “Anne Steele” in Sense and Sensibility (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2020), “Scholar 2/Cardinal/Carter/Valdes” in The Tragedie of Doctor Faustus (Davis Shakespeare Festival, 2020), “Hannah” in her self-written work, Trash! The Musical (Take The Wheel Productions, 2020), "Girl/Time" in Everybody (PPP Graduate Student Alliance, 2019) and "()" in Matawan (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2018). She has also appeared in several short films and commercials. Deja Criston (Woman of Juárez) is a third-year UTeach Theatre major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in musical theatre and her most recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include "Lady Middleton" in Sense and Sensibility (2020), "Anna" in
CAST Spring Awakening (2019) and a role in Michael J. Love's DOPE FIT! (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2019). She has also appeared in many student film productions and local commercials for H.E.B. and Hobby Lobby. This is her third mainstage production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Anapaula Guajardo (Woman of Juárez), hailing from Monterrey, Mexico and with deep roots in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, is a fourth-year B.S. in Radio-Television-Film and B.A. in Theatre and Dance double major with an emphasis in performer's process at The University of Texas at Austin. She is additionally pursuing minors in Latino media arts and studies and arts management and administration. Gua-
jardo has an extensive background in both theatre and film. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Hero Twins: Blood Race (2019), The Women of ____ (a song not song) (2019) and Matawan (2018). She has also starred in multiple undergraduate and graduate film thesis projects, including Bittersweet which premiered at the Austin School of Film SXSW showcase. Emily Yaneth Perez (Woman of Juárez) is a second-year B.F.A in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. Perez was born and raised in Rio Grande City, Texas. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree while continuing to work in television and film. She is also a certified Texas Level II Security Guard.
CREW
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS CAROLYN CULLEN BROOKLYN GARZA ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER AUSTIN ALVAREZ ASSISTANT PROJECTION DESIGNERS JACKSON COBB BENJAMIN RANDALL ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER SAM WIGINGTON ASSISTANT DRAMATURGS MONTSERRAT SANTIBÁÑEZ JULEEANE VILLARREAL SCENIC STUDIO SUPERVISOR J.E. JOHNSON SCENIC ART SUPERVISOR KAREN MANESS ASSOCIATE SCENIC STUDIO SUPERVISOR JASON HUERTA MASTER CARPENTER HANK SCHWEMMER ASSISTANT CHARGE SCENIC ARTIST ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY GRADUATE PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS INJI HA HARRISON HAYES ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS AYDIN HALEFTIRAS MADISON SHERIDAN PRODUCTION LEADS ZOE BIHAN GABBY CLEMENTE DANIEL GELD ISABELLA HOLLIS JAKE JOSEPHI EVAN MCCLAIN JULIO MUNOZ ALEX PASSANISI
PROP SHOP SUPERVISOR CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP MASTER CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP STOCK MANAGER INDIRA RAMPERSAD COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA COSTUME PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE DESIREE HUMPHRIES DRAPERS SARAH ALDRIDGE POUA YANG COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS EMMA DICKERSON KATHRYN MILLER CALIFORNIA THORSON COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS SEB BOONE SARAH CANTU TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING SUPERVISOR JEFF ELLINGER SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS ARI JAMIESON EMILY NOVACK TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING CREW CHARLOTTE BRUMBELOW LIBBY JANTZ BRISA SHAW TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO SUPERVISOR MIKE MALAK
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATE AUDIO SUPERVISOR KENNY KUYKENDALL TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO CREW CHEYENNE CHESTER POLLYANNA O'HAIR WILLA SNOW MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR EARNEST MAZIQUE MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS JACKSON COBB BENJAMIN RANDALL PRODUCTION CREW SUPERVISORS EMMA CRAIG JOHN ERICKSON AURORA KENYON PRODUCTION CREW E'JA ALEXANDER MACY BUTLER SAYLOR DEMENT MELISSA ELKINS LILY FALCONER ISABELLA HAMBLETON RED HURTADO TIMMY HUYNH ESTELLE ISAAC LAUREN JERSHIN ZADA JONES ANDREW KUSMAN EDWARD LOPEZ-JIMENEZ DAGOBERTO LOPEZ KATYA LOPEZ ANDREA NUNEZ OZ OSBOURNE CHASE PARKER KENDRA PENA BRYNN PETERS ROSANNA PINEDA JAMES PRAEGER SEAN RAMIREZ JULIA SALAZAR SIMON SALINAS ABDOLHAY TALEBI KOLBY TATE AUSTIN TAYLOR EMILY TORRANCE QUOCPHUONG AVA TRAN WILLIAM TUOMEY
STAGE MANAGEMENT ADVISOR RUSTY CLOYES DIRECTING ADVISORS KJ SANCHEZ ALEXANDRA BASSIAKOU SHAW COSTUME DESIGN ADVISOR RAQUEL BARRETO COSTUME TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR JAMES GLAVAN LIGHTING DESIGN ADVISOR MICHELLE HABECK INTEGRATED MEDIA DESIGN ADVISOR SVEN ORTEL ACADEMIC PRODUCTION MANAGER JEFF GRAPKO GRAPHIC DESIGNER JEFF GRAY