UTNT (UT New Theatre) 2024

U T N T

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHOREOMANIAC 1518

BY MALENA PENNYCOOK

PG. 3

PRETEND IT’S PRETEND

BY EMMA WATKINS

PG. 10

TASTE BUDS: THE ADVENTURES OF CAKE AND BROCCOLI

BY CLAIRE DERRIENNIC

PG. 18

SPAYCE BOYS

BY MATEO HERNANDEZ

PG. 19

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.

A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Malena Pennycook and Emma Watkins, the M.F.A. candidate playwrights headlining this festival, applied to our program at the height of the pandemic, before we had access to vaccines, or to each other. We interviewed them and got to know them and their work over Zoom. At that time “making theatre” at large and in our department looked like producing live streams of people in separate rooms and socially-distanced, masked outdoor events. All of us in this calling, in this profession, were timorous and trying tirelessly and promising each other we would be in the room together again. But we didn’t know. When we did come back to this building and returned to more recognizable rehearsal rooms, it felt at times confounding to be a person, in-person, embodied, making theatre together.

Our return to Winship was also Emma and Malena’s first year at UT Austin. And throughout their three years here, these two theatre artists have been revitalizing our community through their surge of writing, performance experiments, ardent collaborations, vision, dedication, curiosity and craft. They welcomed us back into the room. And they cracked us open again and again by welcoming us to consider how this time has changed us as a community, as Americans, as people. I’m truly honored to share their latest plays with you.

This festival, we expanded our collaborations to all areas in our department! Our slate of offerings includes two readings of plays for young audiences by Mateo Hernandez and Claire Derriennic, each inspiring multidisciplinary artists in the Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities area. Their plays are magical, genuine and revelatory for audiences young and old alike. This is UTNT’s 17th year and our first production with a total collaboration with the Dance area. I want to high five a fellow producer in our department and co-head of the Dance area, EG Gionfriddo, for their advocacy and vision which facilitated the Choreomanic 1518 team’s collaboration with dancers. More! Together! Yes!

Our mantra for UTNT is “Communication and Change.” It’s how new plays get made in collaboration with playwrights, designers, stage managers, technicians, fabricators, choreographers, dramaturgs, directors, production crew, advisors and staff, together. And you, the audience, are our newest collaborators on these works. The plays are changing still. We are grateful to you for being in the room. I hope these works spark more communication and change in all our lives. I expect they will.

SPECIAL THANKS

Producing Artistic Director, Alexandra Bassiakou Shaw

UTNT (UT New Theatre) presents newly developed works from playwrights of Texas Theatre and Dance and Michener Center for Writers. Now celebrating its 17th season, this showcase exists as an incubator for new work, with many plays continuing on to be professionally produced across the country.

Christin Davis

Megan Alrutz

Madge Darlington Peter Carpenter

Choreomaniac 1518

By Malena Pennycook

Directed by Caley Chase

February 29 at 7:30 p.m.

March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

March 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

F. Loren Winship Drama Building

Daniel Ruiz Bustos – Scenic Designer • Caley Chase – Director

Rusty Cloyes – Production Manager • Katie Concannon – Costume Designer

Sarah Jean Elliott – Assistant Projection Designer • Justin Gordon – Fight Director

Andy Grapko – Intimacy Director • Angel (AE) Hernandez – Stage Manager

Jason Lee Huerta – Technical Director • AJ Hurtado – Projection Designer

Dillon James – Sound Designer • Victoria Ellyse Jefferson – Assistant Technical Director

Kaia Lyons – Dramaturg • Mackenzie Mann – Assistant Director

Hannah Nelson – Assistant Director • Kelsey Oliver – Choreographer

Malena Pennycook – Playwright • Breanna Pruitt – Assistant Stage Manager

Elyse Rosario – Choreographer’s Assistant and Dance Captain

Jose Salcido – Assistant Production Manager • Cooper Smither – Assistant Sound Designer

Alison Vasquez – Vocal Director • Ella Wetmore – Assistant Costume Designer

Julia Yelvington – Associate Scenic Designer

Jacob Zamarripa – Lighting Designer • Keya Zingade – Assistant Director

CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Frau Mika…Eian Johnson

Frau Betty…Angela Mata

Frau Sevallia…Mia Hsiung Nguyen

Frau Thera…Carlise Rosa

Tybee…Emma Dodds

Marcus…Adam Flores Jr.

Father/Doctor/Feudal Lord…Joe Adkins

Betty/Mika/Sevallia/Thera Understudy…Mackenzie Mann

NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

It’s the summer of 2021.  I’m in New York and things are opening up after COVID lockdowns. I’m thrilled to be around people again but, like most folks, I’m grieving, socially awkward and confused. Looking for an outlet, I find myself at the club. Night after night. Dancing. I haven’t been a regular clubb-er before this, reserving it mostly for birthdays and too-watery-drinks. But in the wake of our collective trauma and after months hiding from other bodies, I’m craving proximity and space to process. The beat goes on and on.

Jump forward.

Now it’s the spring of 2023. I’m in Austin reading the story of the Strausberg Choreomaniacs for the first time and my jaw is on the floor. I’m learning that centuries ago, a city in collective grief - overworked, sick, angry, experiencing novel environmental collapse and unimaginable loss - began to dance. And they didn’t stop until they had to.

I immediately felt a kinship with those dancers. Like history was reaching across the great expanse to whisper “you’re not alone” and “people have gotten through this before.” But I needed to know why their story ended the way it did. Truthfully, I was looking for clues to how ours might end. Because the story of the Choreomaniacs, in all its tragedy, brought me great relief. In the darkest of times, a group of bodies bent towards pleasure, towards rebellion and towards release. And here we are gathered again.

I hope this story reaches out and touches you like it touched me. Should you feel compelled, consider this your explicit permission to dance.

I’m glad you’re here.

I’m just really glad we’re all still here.

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

How do we live in hard times?

Not through hard times but in them.

How do we rage, cry out, live – really live, love, dance, fight, seek joy and make the attempt to say that we mean something to each other?

Choreomaniac 1518 takes us from a whisper to a roar, cracking open the world we know to one of collective ecstasy. It invites us to remember – in the face of the established order – how miraculous it is that we are here today.

Thank you for joining us in the act of creating something new.

SPECIAL THANKS

Kirk Lynn, Alexandra Bassiakou Shaw, EG, Jen Kidwell, KJ Sanchez, Kaia Lyons, Keiko Green, Lynde Rosario, Mateo Hernandez, Simon Salinas, Mel Elkins, Ana Schuler, Brigitte Williamson, Lars Montanaro, Yvette Lu, Nathan Tempro, G, Hannah Read, The Sprint, The Compound, The Cohort

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Daniel Ruiz Bustos (Scenic Designer) is a proud Mexican scenic designer and engineer. Credits include La Bohème (Butler Opera Center, 2023), Very Blue Light (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023) and Fall For Dance (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2022). Ruiz Bustos holds a degree in Computer Science & Technology Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ciudad de México Campus, a specialization in Scenic Design from Centro de diseño, cine y televisión and is currently pursuing a M.F.A. in Theatre (live design and production) at The University of Texas at Austin. (he/him/él )

Caley Chase (Director) is a secondyear M.F.A. in Theatre (directing) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She has directed, developed and created work at the Huntington Theatre Company, Powerhouse Theater, American Repertory Theater, Trinity Repertory Company, Shakespeare & Company, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Speakeasy Stage and Breaking and Entering Theatre Collective, among others. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Mikvah Project by Josh Azouz (studio series, 2022) and Then We’ll Rest by Eliya Smith (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). B.A.- Brandeis University. caleychase.com

Rusty Cloyes (Production Manager) is the vice-regional representative for the Western region of the Stage Managers’ Association and the head of stage management for the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Austin, Texas and regularly stage manages for SXSW and ZACH Theatre. Cloyes received his M.F.A. in Theatre from UT Austin. He is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association, Actors’ Equity Association and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.

Katie Concannon (Costume Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. in Theatre (costume design) candidate. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Justice at Middlebury College and asks questions everyday about how to create art in a time of environmental catastrophe. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Ride the Cyclone (2023) and Address the Body! (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023). She also worked as a scenic artist on the 2023 Summer Stock Austin productions of Grease and The Wizard of Oz as well as La Bohème (Butler Opera Center, 2023).

Justin Gordon (Fight Director) is a member of the acting faculty, as well as an actor, director and fight choreographer working in theatre, film and television. He’s the artistic director of New Canon Theatre Co. (Monterey, California) and trained at Shakespeare’s Globe and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (M.F.A. in Acting). He’s a member of Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Society of American Fight Directors.

Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director) is a lecturer and the resident intimacy director for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her recent intimacy credits include Jack and Aiden (Ground Floor Theatre), Pipeline (The Alchemy Theatre), La Bohème (Butler Opera Center), Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023), The Pearl Fishers (Austin Opera), Big Love (Texas State University), Fabulous Monsters (The Public Theatre of San Antonio), Growing Pains (feature film), Angel (feature film) and Walker (The CW). andygrapko.com

Angel (AE) Hernandez (Stage Manager) is a fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. Credit with Texas Theatre and Dance include El Corrido de la Soldadera: A Mariachi Musical (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and the UTNT (UT New Theatre) productions of Very Blue Light (2023) and Tiny Fingerprints (2022). Additional credits

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include Hamlet in Space (Take the Wheel Productions), The 40th Annual Madrigal Dinner (Campus Events + Entertainment Creative Arts + Theatre) and Walden (remixed) by KJ Sanchez.

Jason Lee Huerta (Technical Director) is the Operations Manager of Fabrication for Texas Performing Arts and a lecturer for the Department of Theatre and Dance. He has an M.F.A. in Scenic Technology from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play (2022), and The Tasters (2021). Prior to coming to Austin, he worked at Goodman Theater, Illinois Shakespeare Festival and South Texas College, among other theatres.

AJ Hurtado (Projection Designer) is a M.F.A. in Theatre (integrated media for live performance) candidate. He received his undergraduate degree in Arts and Entertainment Technologies at The University of Texas at Austin. His recent projection designs with Texas Theatre and Dance include two modern dance pieces in Fall For Dance (2022), one dance piece and one interactive installation for The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) and The Smartest Girl in the World (2023). (he/him)

Dillon James (Sound Designer) is a B.S. in Arts and Entertainment Technologies major at The University of Texas at Austin. James has had an aptitude for music and sound in the digital realm since childhood. Past credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Year of the Tiger (2021) and “Kimmy” (2021). He has also worked on projects for The Department of RadioTelevision-Film and the School of Design and Creative Technologies.

Victoria Ellyse Jefferson ( Assistant Technical Director) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. This is her final semester at The University of Texas at Austin, and she has a background in lighting and technical direction. She works at Texas

Performing Arts as a fabrication student associate, where she helps build the scenery for UT performances, including operas. Most recently, she was the assistant technical director for Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023).

Kaia Lyons (Dramaturg) is a first-year M.F.A. in Writing candidate at the Michener Center for Writers. This is their first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Mackenzie Mann (Betty/Mika/Sevallia/ Thera Understudy, Assistant Director) is a first-year B.F.A. in Acting major also pursing a minor in language, culture and communication. This is their first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Before coming to The University of Texas at Austin, she worked on a devised theatre production at the Alley Theatre’s Summer Acting Conservatory, where they embodied an undercover Athena in a world following Orestes’ trial.

Hannah Nelson (Assistant Director) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. She is interested in the intersections of pedagogy, reconciliation and theatre. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include the studio series projects Our Town (2022) and Hamlet (2023) as an actor and stage manager.

Kelsey Oliver (Choreographer) is an Austin-based artist whose background went from competition kid to drill teamer to experimental academic, currently resonating as a physical theatre enthusiast, improvisor and floorwork practitioner. She’s a choreographer, performer and costumer routinely in scrappy, maximalist, humor-struck collaborations. Oliver has worked with Frank Wo/Men Collective, Rude Mechanicals, Salvage Vanguard Theater, Performa/Dance, Magdalena Jarkowiec, Heloise Gold and Body Shift, among others. She received a B.F.A. in Dance from The University of Texas at Austin in 2015. Kelsey-Oliver.com

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Malena Pennycook (Playwright) is a third-year M.F.A. in Theatre (playwriting) candidate. They are a current Playwrights’ Center Core Apprentice and Scratchpad Series writer with The Playwrights Realm. Plays include Below (Samuel French/ Concord Theatricals); Two Apprentices (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Latinx Playwriting Award); Diving Board (Crashbox, Teatro Vivo) and Am I Busy Yet? (Cosmic Cherry Arts Festival). Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include 9/10 Beds (studio series, 2022), [untitled memory project] and The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). B.F.A.- New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Breanna Pruitt (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology at The University of Texas at Austin. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Jose Salcido (Assistant Production Manager), an El Paso native, is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education (UTeach Theatre). Salcido has been an active theatre artist for six years, learning new technical practices along the way and volunteering to stage manage several shows over the years. Recent credits include The Lion King (2023), Alice in Wonderland (2023) and Little Shop of Horrors (2022) with Xochipilli Theatre.

Cooper Smither (Assistant Sound Designer) 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. He previously served as assistant sound designer for the Texas Theatre and Dance studio series production of Hamlet (2023).

Alison Vasquez (Vocal Director) is a director, playwright, actress and theatre instructor from San Antonio, Texas. She completed her M.F.A. in Theatre at The Ohio State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in acting from the University of Northern Colorado. She is

owner/operator of Claridad Voice, owner/ operator of Representation Matters Training and the founding executive director of Teatro Audaz San Antonio. Vasquez loves to create from the question, “why not?”

Ella Wetmore (Assistant Costume Designer) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology at The University of Texas at Austin.

Julia Yelvington (Associate Scenic Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits include Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023) and Proving Up (Butler Opera Center, 2023).

Jacob Zamarripa (Lighting Designer) is a B.A in Theatre and Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. He has an extensive background in lighting design in the Houston and Austin areas. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Very Blue Light and Address the Body! (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023). Notable credits include The Thin Place, Una Noche Buena and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (ZACH Theatre).

Keya Zingade (Assistant Director) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process. She began acting at age 11 but fell in love with theatrical design and technology as well. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include assistant stage management and wardrobe consultation for Hamlet (studio series, 2023), as well as The Scholarship or Almost is Never Enough (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and Our Town (studio series, 2022) as both an actor and costume designer.

CAST

Eian Johnson

Angela Mata

Mia Hsiung Nguyen

Carlise Rosa

Emma Dodds

Adam Flores Jr.

Joe Adkins

CAST

Eian Johnson (Frau Mika) is a secondyear B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process at The University of Texas at Austin. Her recent credits include “Lady Montague” in Romeo and Juliet (University of Texas at Arlington). Choreomaniac 1518 is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Angela Mata (Frau Betty ) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process. She has an extensive background in acting. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “Shannon” in elizabeth is going into the ground (studio series, 2023), “Kirsten/Stefani” in In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play (2022) and “Eloise” in the UTNT (UT New Theatre) reading of Harold (2023).

Mia Hsiung Nguyen (Frau Sevallia) is a third-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. Credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include “Ophelia” in Hamlet (studio series, 2023), “Penny” in Then We’ll Rest (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and “Emily Webb” in Our Town (studio series, 2022). Additional credits include The Comedy of Errors and The Tempest as well as portraying “Miranda” in Toss Me a Tempest at Illinois Shakespeare Festival (2023). Nguyen has also starred in various student films at UT Austin.

Carlise Rosa (Frau Thera) is a first-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Emma Dodds (Tybee) is a first-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has an extensive background in both dance and acting with an interest in music. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Adam Flores Jr. (Marcus) is a 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 The Scholarship or Almost is Never Enough (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023), as well as Take the Wheel Productions’ performance of Psalm .

Joe Adkins (Father/Doctor/Feudal Lord ) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing at The University of Texas at Austin. This is his second year in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and his recent credits include Squid Kid (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and the UTNT (UT New Theatre) reading of Harold (2023).

Pretend it’s Pretend

By Emma Watkins

Directed by Jenny Lavery

March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

March 2 at 2:00 p.m.

March 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

F. Loren Winship Drama Building

Madeleine Berckley – Assistant Sound Designer • Nicole Chacko – Assistant Stage Manager

Violet Clemons – Costume Designer • Rusty Cloyes – Production Manager

Andy Grapko – Intimacy Director • Jason Lee Huerta – Technical Director

Layla Isaac – Assistant Costume Designer • Victoria Ellyse Jefferson – Assistant Technical Director

Jenny Lavery – Director • Joshua W. Martin – Scenic Designer

Bryce Riggle – Sound Designer • Jose Salcido – Assistant Production Manager

Mackenzie “Mack” Thornton – Assistant Director • Alison Vasquez – Vocal Director

Emma Watkins – Playwright • Jaden West – Assistant Director

Emma Winder – Assistant Director • Donna Bonnelle Yancey – Lighting Designer

Karol Yanez – Stage Manager

CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Jen…Shalom Onuorah

Arthur…Oliver Aaro

Clara…Penny Lou Zimmerman

Jen Understudy…Savannah Pruitt

Arthur Understudy…Connor Burk

Clara Understudy…Lucy Nichols

The videography, photography or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

When I was seven, my mom and I made my Halloween costume in the classroom where she taught (and still teaches) visual arts. I was a flamingo, with a paper-mâché puppet head and a pink feather boa neck. As the child of two high school teachers, I grew up in classrooms. Even when I became a high schooler myself and encountered all the growing pains intrinsic to adolescence, I was still convinced of the infallibility and quiet magic of classrooms. So when my parents and other teachers became frontline workers in the pandemic, I felt whiplash. The same classrooms that had been my childhood playgrounds became a catalyst for fear, frustration and grief.

It was around this time that I learned that playgrounds are designed to be dangerous enough for experimentation, yet safe enough to allow experiments to fail without serious injury. This becomes more complicated when the world outside poses dangers that playgrounds were not architected to accommodate.

I’m still convinced that that quiet magic exists in today’s classrooms. But I have a new appreciation for the painstaking labor of teachers and caretakers that makes it possible.

This play is a playground. It is a play about learning, growing up and grown-ups learning to play.

With thanks to all my teachers.

NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Many people know the staggering school shooting statistics in America: “From 20172022, there has been a 417% increase,” according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. But how many American adults know what it’s like to work or learn in schools today?

I grew up in a family that celebrated our country’s public education system. My mother was a proud math teacher for 37 years. After school, I was bussed to the junior high where my mom taught. I’d “help” her finish her day: run errands around the school, grade papers (I adhered stickers) and she’d tutor students while I cleaned the erasers in the special machine. Her school became my second home. It felt warm...and safe. Years later, I taught in a variety of schools. I love architecting spaces for students to find inspiration, develop new skills and see a future that they are eager to pursue. But, the environment doesn’t feel as warm and safe as I remember. And, given the long hours, active shooter situations, the prioritization of standardized testing, low compensation while maintaining high standards of teaching and learning, I’ve often wondered: is the burden of teaching too high? What is the cost of being responsible for someone’s safety?

I believe we are in a crucial time to engage with this story so that we can make visible the current situation. As you watch Pretend it’s Pretend , I encourage you to ask yourself: who am I in this story? What do I expect of teachers and schools?

My hope is that today’s production will jump start conversations between folks who share differing points of view. Our fractured world needs more conversation. Specifically, more “across the aisle” conversation. More listening. And, crucially, more understanding.

SPECIAL THANKS

Bridget Farr, Kirk Lynn, Alexandra Bassiakou Shaw, KJ Sanchez, Steven Dietz, Jacqueline Lawton, Angela Mata, André Martin, Christin Davis, Joe Adkins, Giselle de la Rosa, Chamila Munoz, Nolan Meyers, Caylyn Schaefer, Ana Lara, Rylee Vines and the magnificent Playwriting and Directing Cohort.

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Nicole Chacko (Assistant Stage Manager) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Her stage management credits include The Addams Family (Wylie High School Theatre).

Violet Clemons (Costume Designer) is a first-year M.F.A. in Theatre (costume design) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits include Frog and Toad with Bay Area Children’s Theatre and N/N with Ohio University. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Rusty Cloyes (Production Manager) is the vice-regional representative for the Western region of the Stage Managers’ Association and the head of stage management for the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Austin, Texas and regularly stage manages for SXSW and ZACH Theatre. Cloyes received his M.F.A. in Theatre from UT Austin. He is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association, Actor’s Equity Association and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.

Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director) is a lecturer and the resident intimacy director for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her recent intimacy credits include Jack and Aiden (Ground Floor Theatre), Pipeline (The Alchemy Theatre), La Bohème (Butler Opera Center), Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023), The Pearl Fishers (Austin Opera), Big Love (Texas State University), Fabulous Monsters (The Public Theatre of San Antonio), Growing Pains (feature film), Angel (feature film) and Walker (The CW). andygrapko.com

Jason Lee Huerta (Technical Director) is the Operations Manager of Fabrication for Texas Performing Arts and a lecturer for the Department of Theatre and Dance. He has an M.F.A. in Scenic Technology from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play (2022), and The Tasters (2021). Prior to coming to Austin, he worked at Goodman Theater, Illinois Shakespeare Festival and South Texas College, among other theatres.

Layla Isaac (Assistant Costume Designer) is a second-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Recent credits include Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Butler Opera Center, 2023).

Victoria Ellyse Jefferson ( Assistant Technical Director) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. This is her last semester at The University of Texas at Austin, and she has a background in lighting and technical direction. She works at Texas Performing Arts as a fabrication student associate, where she helps build the scenery for UT performances, including operas. Most recently, she was the assistant technical director for Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023).

Jenny Lavery (Director) is a director and educator. Credits include Merrily We Roll Along (The Public Theatre of San Antonio); ROE (ZACH Theatre) and In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play and Ride the Cyclone (Texas Theatre and Dance; 2022, 2023). Lavery holds an Executive Strategy for NonProfit Management Certification from

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the University of Pennsylvania, is a Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member, Artistic Director of Theatre en Bloc and a M.F.A. in Theatre candidate. Upcoming: Into the Woods, St. Edward’s University. B.F.A.- New York University; M.Ed.- University of Massachusetts.

Joshua W. Martin (Scenic Designer) is a first-generation theatre artist and multidisciplinary theatrical designer based in Austin, Texas. His avid commitment to theatre for social change and his vision to make theatre accessible and acceptable drive his current pursuit of democratizing voices through placemaking in emerging and unconventional spaces. Martin is a founding member and acting artistic director of Imperium Arts Inc. and is a M.F.A. in Theatre (live design and production) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. josh-w-martin.com

Bryce Riggle (Sound Designer) is a B.S. in Arts and Entertainment Technologies major at The University of Texas at Austin. He has a background in sound design, live sound engineering and contemporary music production. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Smartest Girl in the World (2023); Fishing for Stars (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play (2022).

Jose Salcido (Assistant Production Manager), an El Paso native, is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education (UTeach Theatre). Salcido has been an active theatre artist for six years, learning new technical practices along the way and volunteering to stage manage several shows over the years. Recent credits include The Lion King (2023), Alice in Wonderland (2023) and Little Shop of Horrors (2022) with Xochipilli Theatre.

Mackenzie “Mack” Thornton (Assistant Director) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in performer’s process at The University of Texas at Austin. Their credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up

American Girl Doll Play (2022) and Address the Body! (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023).

Alison Vasquez (Vocal Director ) is a director, playwright, actress and theatre instructor from San Antonio, Texas. She completed her M.F.A. in Theatre at The Ohio State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in acting from the University of Northern Colorado. She is owner/operator of Claridad Voice, owner/ operator of Representation Matters Training and the founding executive director of Teatro Audaz San Antonio. Vasquez loves to create from the question, “why not?”

Emma Watkins ( Playwright) is a M.F.A. in Theatre candidate with a specialization in playwriting. Her plays include elizabeth is going into the ground (2023 Bay Area Playwrights Festival finalist, 2023

Princess Grace Award in Playwriting finalist, 2022 The Leah playwriting prize honorable mention) and The Norns of Athens Maine (2023 Playwrights’ Center Venturous Plays List). Her writing has been developed at PlayPenn, The Cohen New Works Festival and McCarter Theatre Center. B.A.- Princeton University; M.A.- Cardiff University. emmacwatkins.com

Jaden West (Assistant Director) 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. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Squid Kid (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023) and the studio series projects Our Town (2022) and Bellua (2023).

Emma Winder ( Assistant Director ) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. She was recently co-chair of the communications committee for The Cohen New Works Festival (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2023) and served as the stage manager for Very Blue Light (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023). This past summer, she served as director

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and producer of Summer Camp through the Otterbein Playwright Collective and was awarded the Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable Standing Ovation Award.

Donna Bonnelle Yancey (Lighting Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include associate lighting design and programming for Ride the Cyclone (2023) and design for The Cohen New Works Festival (2023) projects ZAZ: The Big Easy, Falling into Structured Meaninglessness and More Blackberries, Please; Address the Body! (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2023) and the Fall For Dance (2022) pieces And I Can Breathe Again , Mo’Move/Meant in 3 and digital-esque

Karol Yanez (Stage Manager) is a firstyear B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. Her stage management credits include The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf (The Theatre Collective at Richardson High School), and her assistant stage management credits include the musical Chicago (The Theatre Collective at Richardson High School). They also have experience in costume design and construction, most notably with their class production of Into the Woods

Shalom Onuorah

Oliver Aaro

Penny Lou Zimmerman

CAST

Shalom Onuorah ( Jen) is a third-year B.F.A. in Acting major also pursuing a minor in arts management and administration at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a deep love of storytelling and an extensive background in performance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Cohen New Works Festival production of More Blackberries, Please (2023) and Our Town , a studio series production in fall 2022.

Oliver Aaro ( Arthur) is a B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include the studio series productions of Our Town (2022) and Hamlet (2023), as well as numerous collaborations with the Department of Radio-Television-Film.

Penny Lou Zimmerman (Clara) is a first-year B.F.A. in Acting major. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Pretend it’s Pretend is Zimmerman’s first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.

Savannah Pruitt ( Jen Understudy ) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. She enjoys straight plays and musical theatre and has training in singing and dance performance. Credits include “The Doctor/ Mom/Therapist” in People, Places and Things (Frenship High School Theatre) and “Uzo” in Godspell (Frenship High School Theatre). Her recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include The Scholarship or Almost is Never Enough (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023).

Connor Burk ( Arthur Understudy ) 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. Burk has a long history of performance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include Song of the Damned: An Infernal Musical, performed as part of The Cohen New Works Festival (2023). (he/him)

Lucy Nichols ( Clara Understudy ) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major. Her credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include performing as a player in Hamlet (studio project, 2023) and a dream child in Squid Kid (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2023). She was born and raised in Austin and studied theatre performance at McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy.

Taste Buds: The Adventures of Cake and Broccoli

By Claire Derriennic

Directed by Renita James

March 2 at 11:00 a.m.

Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

F. Loren Winship Drama Building

When Cake and Broccoli are unexpectedly rejected, they must learn to be good so the humans will eat them. But will these unlikely buds find the answer before they face the unmentionable fate of being thrown in the trash? Or is the meaning of “good” more elusive than it first appears? By complicating harmful narratives classifying food as “good” or “bad,” this play for ages six and up prompts us to reflect on the meaning of worthiness and the value of food in our lives.

NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

“Will I ever be good enough?” Maybe, like me, you’ve asked yourself that question. Maybe you tried something that didn’t work out. Maybe someone made you feel that you weren’t worth their time. Maybe you didn’t achieve something that you really wanted. In Taste Buds, Cake and Broccoli face one of those earth-shattering moments of failure. It may surprise you to relate to a talking vegetable and a sassy slice of dessert – but I hope that these characters’ journey through confidence and self-doubt make you feel less alone in yours. Grab a menu and settle in; your meal – and the show – is about to begin!

spayce boys

by Mateo Hernandez

Directed by Diamante Martinez

March 3 at 11:00 a.m.

Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

F. Loren Winship Drama Building

IGGY and OÑIO are two middle school boys who have a hard time fitting in with nearly anyone around them – peers at school, family at home and even each other. But, one night OÑIO decides to take IGGY on an intergalactic adventure into outer-spayce to figure out if they can actually become friends after constantly ignoring each other at school. Traversing through planets with friendly aliens, stardust meteor showers and even a lunar encounter, the boys start to see each other for who they really are and, in the process, see themselves too.

NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

There are few things in life that I enjoy more than spending quality time with my friends. It literally makes me emotional to think about their hugs, giggles, eye contact, arm rubs, lack of fear to touch knees when we’re sitting together in a tight booth in a restaurant. The intimacy I share with my friends is the sustaining aspect of what makes my life so sweet, tender and precious. My friendships feed me in so many ways that I never once imagined they could. This is a play about making friends, yes, but it is also an opportunity to witness the beautiful mess that comes with every new relationship between two people. How do we figure each other out? Why do we want to spend so much time together? Why is this thing between us so special? The characters in this play are creating a really special, unique thing together with lots of flaws and sparks and vulnerability – will you be a witness to it today?

CREW

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

GRADUATE

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

DANIEL RUIZ BUSTOS

TERESA GUERRERO C.

JOSHUA MARTIN

ZACHARY YOUNG

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS

MADISON JACKSON

LYRIC VILLARREAL RYLEE VINES

PRODUCTION LEADS

LEAH AUSTIN

ZOÉ BIHAN

ELLYSE JEFFERSON

AUSTIN LUCHAK

NATALIA MARTIN RODENZO

JULIA YELVINGTON

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

ELIZABETH BANDA

NAHLA BELTRAN

BRIDGETTE CLIFFORD VALERIA NUÑEZ ESTRADA

ANA LARA

CODIE LIGHTFOOT

AUSTIN LIVINGSTON KRISTA MCLEOD

GABRIEL GOMEZ REYES

CASSIDY WEN

324P FABRICATION PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

JUNO ADAIR

STEVIE ANDERSON

KARLA BERMUDEZ

ROSY ESQUENAZI

SARAH JAYNE EWING

ARWYN HEILRAYNE

SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST

ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY

SCENIC PAINTING INTERN

GLORIA LABATU DAVIES

THEATRE AND DANCE COSTUME PRODUCTION AND FABRICATION STUDIO

COSTUME

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA

PRODUCTION ASSOCIATES DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES JONATHAN WATERS

LEAD DRAPER WAYNE FOWKS

STAFF DRAPERS SARAH BARBOUR POUA YANG

STAFF FIRST HAND JENNIFER BALL

GRADUATE FIRST HANDS

KAITLYN COMFORT MATTHEW SMITH

STUDENT STITCHER RACHEL GREEN

COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE

COSTUME CRAFTS ASSISTANT MEAGAN BEATTIE

STUDIO ASSISTANTS KATHERINE CONCANNON LAYLA ISAAC

WIG HAIR AND MAKEUP SPECIALIST

STEPHANIE MILLER

STUDIO CREW SUPERVISORS

KAITLYN COMFORT

ALEX ROCKEY MATTHEW SMITH

STUDIO CREW

OLIVER AARO

EUGENIO CHAPA

GALVAN

HANNAH COTTON

TAYLOR DRESS

ANGEL MACIAS

OLA MBONU

MIA NGUYEN RYAN WAKEFIELD

WARDROBE SUPERVISOR DESIREE TOWNES

WARDROBE RUNNING CREW

AKANSHA RANBHISE

COSTUME STOCK SUPERVISOR DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES

COSTUME STOCK ASSISTANTS

JAZ BURCHELL

KATIE CONCANNON EMORY KENNEMORE

PROPS

PRODUCTION PROPERTIES MANAGER

CAROLYN HARDIN

PROP STOCK MANAGERS

KATELYN NGUYEN

LEILA RABAH

OVERHIRE PROP ARTISANS MEL EDWARDS ROXOLANA KRYWONOS

SCENIC/PROP CREW

BRYLI JAMESON KATHERINE TEMPLETON

LIGHTING PROGRAMMER

SARAH JEAN ELLIOTT (PRETEND IT’S PRETEND )

TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

JOEY COLAO

TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS ASSISTANT LIGHTING SUPERVISORS

CAMMY SENIORIS

MICHAEL SHANKS

SUPERVISING ELECTRICIAN

MICHAEL SHANKS

ASSISTANT SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS

ZACKARY READ JOY WILLIAMS

SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS

SARAH JEAN ELLIOTT

KP PIERCE

GAVIN STRAWNATO

ZACH YOUNG

CREW

LIGHTING GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

KP PIERCE

GAVIN STRAWNATO

ZACH YOUNG

324P LIGHTING

FACULTY SUPERVISOR SEB BOONE

324P THEATRE AND DANCE LIGHTING CREW

JACKSON FROELICH

NOELLE LANSFORD

JAIME LEAL

SHALOM ONUORAH

HAYDEN PRESLEY

ERIC RAMOS

HUEMAK SANCHEZ

ELLA SCORESBY

ETHAN SEBREE

OLIVIA TOVAR

JACOB WILSON

LILLY ZAHNOW

TEXAS PERFORMING

ARTS LIGHTING CREW

JONATHAN AMEZCUA

ADAM CORONADO

OLIVIA LONGORIA

GILBERT MARTINEZ

ZACKARY READ

MATTHEW E. SMITH

JOSE SALCIDO

LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR

RITA SZUNYOGH

AUDIO

TEXAS PERFORMING

ARTS AUDIO CREW

GEORGIA BECKHAM

BRYCE RIGGLE

AUDIO BOARD OPERATOR

FAREEDA ALROKH

MEDIA

INTEGRATED MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR

EARNEST MAZIQUE

MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

ARASH BAQUIPUR

HEEKYUNG KIM

NITSAN SCHARF

SYDNEY SOUSA

MEDIA SHOP CREW

ALEXIS ADAMS

SEDDA BRADY

KEELEY BRYANT

SAMUEL CANTU

KATRINA ESPINOZA

GRANT GILKER

ENRIQUE GOMEZ

MO MACDONALD

SIDDHANTH MENON

NOLAN MYERS

PRODUCTION ADVISORS

STAGE MANAGEMENT RUSTY CLOYES

DIRECTING

KJ SANCHEZ

ALEXANDRA

BASSIAKOU SHAW

PLAYWRITING

KIRK LYNN

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

SOUND DESIGN

PHILLIP OWEN

DRAMATURGY

MADGE DARLINGTON

ACTING

CHRISTIN DAVIS (PRETEND IT’S PRETEND )

LUCIEN DOUGLAS (CHOREOMANIAC 1518 )

RESIDENT INTIMACY DIRECTOR ANDY GRAPKO

CREW SUPERVISOR

AUSTIN SHIRLEY DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION RUSTY CLOYES

TEXAS PERFORMING

ARTS DIRECTOR OF FABRICATION AND ACADEMIC PRODUCTION

JEFF GRAPKO

FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGEMENT AND TICKETING

DANA MCLAUGHLIN

PR/MARKETING

MEGAN BOMMARITO

SYDNEY PATTILLO

PHOTOGRAPHER

THOMAS ALLISON

GRAPHIC DESIGNER ESSENTIALS CREATIVE