Community Garden BY RENAE SIMONE JARRETT APRIL 27-28, 30 AND MAY 1-2 AT 7:30 P.M. CAMPUS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER MICROFARM – WHITAKER COURTS
THEATREDANCE.UTEXAS.EDU Brittney Dolan – Associate Producer and Production Manager • Alyssa Finger – Lighting Designer Justine Gelfman – Dramaturg • Jef Grapko – Technical Director Renae Simone Jarrett – Playwright • Kristen Osborn – Director Court Rogers – Costume Designer • Alex Titsworth – Sound Designer Rachel Aston Warren – Stage Manager
CAST (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) Eternal Colleen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aria Morgan Colleen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carla Nickerson Belle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carina Ramirez Cammie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Salazar Alex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chloe Whitehead
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 DIRECTORS Welcome to UTNT Spring 2021! It is an honor to present five new works this semester by our ascending third-year M.F.A. in Playwriting candidates in collaboration with second-year M.F.A. in Directing candidates: Radiance by Gursimrat Kaur, directed by Giana Blazquez; sad women being sad written and co-directed by Jenny Krick, codirected by Andrea L. Hart; Fall the House by Nicholas Kaidoo, directed by Braxton Rae; OCD by Heewon Kim, directed by Mike Steele and Community Garden by Renae Simone Jarrett, directed by Kristen Osborn. Now in its fourteenth iteration, UTNT has consistently served as a launchpad for The University of Texas at Austin’s graduate and undergraduate theatre artists; artists who are continuing to change the American theatre landscape and influence hearts and minds around the globe. More than any other year, these trailblazing projects called for unique production concepts, development processes and presentation styles. The works you are about to experience are the products of insight, collaboration, craf, dedication and innovations for how we share stories in this changed and changing world. UTNT stands for UT New Theatre. Welcome to the launch of these inspiring works. Thank you for being the first!
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR If you are reading this note then we’ve arrived at a point in our journey that, months ago, I could only have hoped for. Over the course of our production and development process for Community Garden, we held our breath as the world of the pandemic changed around us and a winter storm ravaged the state of Texas. In the midst of these given circumstances, it was a struggle to find anything to hold onto that felt certain or stable or hopeful. There were times when arriving at an in-person production of this play seemed completely impossible, or at least highly unlikely. But if you’re reading this then it is my great joy to be able to say: I’m so grateful that we made it here and can be together. In the moments when our site-specific garden production seemed least likely to come to fruition, I sought comfort and guidance from nature. I studied the resilient plants that find ways to grow in the unlikeliest scenarios—colorful flowers sprouting up through cracks in concrete or delicate lettuce greens in the fissures of brick buildings or bright mint leaves peeking out from previously frozen earth—life sustaining fruits and vegetables and oxygen producers thriving in the most seemingly inhospitable spaces. And indeed, it was with inextinguishable determination and dedication that this incredible team of people gathered and made a play under less-than-ideal growing conditions. We worked on Zoom until our eyes and bodies ached, lovingly nurturing the seeds of Renae Simone Jarrett’s beautiful, living, organic play as it grew. We became the community that tended this story’s fertile soil. And despite the storm of our challenging moment, our Community Garden grew, flowering and flourishing and fruiting. Welcome. We’re glad you’re here. Now we place before you the fruits of our harvest. Dig in.
CREATIVE Brittney Dolan (Associate Producer and Production Manager) is an award-winning fourth-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management and a minor in arts management and administration. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include serving as assistant stage manager for The Merchant of Venice (2018) and stage manager for a place called the middle (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2019). She received critical acclaim for her work on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Uptown Players, Dallas, Texas). Alyssa Finger (Lighting Designer) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major at The University of Texas at Austin. Previous credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include assistant lighting designer for the UTNT (UT New Theatre) productions of Flora Circular (2019) and Three Shitty Sons (2019), as well as second lighting assistant for (R)evolution (2020). Justine Gelfman (Dramaturg) is a M.F.A. in Playwriting candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been developed or produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, IRT Theater, ESPA/Primary Stages, Dixon Place, The Flea Theater, Pete's Candy Store, New Women Space, the New York International Fringe Festival, Kenyon College and Northwestern University. She has been a resident at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Kenyon Playwrights Conference and Access Theater. She received her B.A. from Northwestern University. Jef Grapko (Technical Director) is in his fifh year as the academic production manager for The University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts. He has previously served as production manager and technical director at several institutions, including Western Kentucky University, Wheaton College Massachusetts and Bellevue College. He holds a B.S. in Theatre from the University of Evansville and a M.A. in Theatre from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Renae Simone Jarrett (Playwright) is a thirdyear M.F.A. in Playwriting candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her B.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2018. Kristen Osborn (Director) is an Austin-based director and theatre-maker who is passionate about nurturing human connection through live storytelling. Osborn has developed work in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York in a range of productions and roles with companies including the Gefen Playhouse, Daryl Roth Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Northlight Theatre, the Ojai Playwrights Conference and JoyistLA. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and a M.F.A. in Directing candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. kristenosborn.com Court Rogers (Costume Designer) is a secondyear M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate. Previous costume design credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include the UTNT (UT New Theatre) productions of Wyeth Airlines Flight Thirteen (2020) and A Fistful of Trespassing (2020), as well as Fall For Dance (2019). Other credits include colorist for the webcomic Lore Olympus (WEBTOON), assistant costume designer for Pufs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (world premiere, Tilted Windmills Theatricals) and costume designer for The Magnificent Revengers In… a Choose Your Own Tragedy—a Comedy (world premiere, Tilted Windmills Theatricals). courtrogers.design Alex Titsworth (Sound Designer) is a firstyear 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.
CREATIVE Rachel Aston Warren (Stage Manager) is a B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing, also pursuing a minor in Italian. She has written and published four books of poetry which are in the Perry Castañeda Library and the Ana Sisnett Library on campus. Credits include the role of “Love” in Everybody (PPP Graduate Alliance, 2019), director/playwright for the staged reading of SOR/OR (Round About Players, 2019) and filmmaker for The Mad Maps Project (The Cohen New Works Festival, 2021). She also played “Mary” in Lane Michael Stanley’s film Untie (Big Apple Film Festival, LA Queer Film Festival).
CAST
Aria Morgan
Carla Nickerson
Julia Salazar
Carina Ramirez
Chloe Whitehead
CAST Aria Morgan (Eternal Colleen) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in playwriting and directing. Recent credits include the roles of “Patsy” in The Rimers of Eldritch (Garland High School, 2019) and "Helen of Troy" in The Trojan Women (Garland High School, 2018). This is her first performance with Texas Theatre and Dance. Carla Nickerson (Colleen) is an award-winning regional actor whose most recent performances include Notes From The Field (ZACH Theatre) and Monroe (Austin Playhouse). Carina Ramirez (Belle) is a B.F.A in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance.
Julia Salazar (Cammie) 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. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Chloe Whitehead (Alex) has an extensive background in both acting and dance. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Recent credits include "Emmy" in A Doll's House, Part 2 (Harker Heights High School) and "Eurydice" in Eurydice (Harker Heights High School).
CREW
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NIKKI HAMMOND ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER HARRISON HAYES ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DANIEL GELD ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER KATHRYN CLARK GARDEN CONSULTANT SALLY JUNG CONSULTANTS DEREK DELGAUDIO VANESSA LAUREN GUEST DRAMATURG LIZ ENGELMAN SCENIC STUDIO SUPERVISOR J.E. JOHNSON SCENIC ART SUPERVISOR KAREN MANESS ASSOCIATE SCENIC STUDIO SUPERVISOR JASON LEE HUERTA MASTER CARPENTER HANK SCHWEMMER ASSISTANT CHARGE SCENIC ARTIST ASHTON BENNETT MURPHY GRADUATE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT HARRISON HAYES ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT MADISON SHERIDAN
PRODUCTION LEADS ZOE BIHAN GABBY CLEMENTE DANIEL GELD JAKE JOSEPHI EVAN MCCLAIN JULIO MUÑOZ PROP SHOP SUPERVISOR CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP MASTER CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP ARTISAN MORGAN RIDDLE PROP STOCK MANAGER INDIRA RAMPERSAD COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA COSTUME PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES DRAPERS SARAH ALDRIDGE POUA YANG COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS EMMA DICKERSON KATHRYN MILLER CALIFORNIA THORSON
SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS ARI JAMIESON EMILY NOVACK TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING CREW CHARLOTTE BRUMBELOW LIBBY JANTZ BRISA SHAW ASSOCIATE AUDIO SUPERVISOR KENNY KUYKENDALL TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO CREW CHEYENNE CHESTER CODY HANCOCK POLLYANNA O'HAIR WILLA SNOW MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR EARNEST MAZIQUE MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS JACKSON COBB BENJAMIN RANDALL PRODUCTION CREW SUPERVISORS ZOEY CROW AURORA KENYON NINGMO LIU COURT ROGERS
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 SCENIC DESIGN ADVISOR WILLIAM BLOODGOOD SOUND DESIGN ADVISOR PHILLIP OWEN TECHNICAL DIRECTION ADVISOR DAVID TOLIN ACADEMIC PRODUCTION MANAGER JEFF GRAPKO
STAGEHAND MOLLY MASSON
GRAPHIC DESIGNER JEFF GRAY
COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR CIELO ORTIZ
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS SEB BOONE SARAH CANTU
SOUND BOARD OPERATOR BRYCE RIGGLE
SPECIAL THANKS ROSS RODRIGUEZ AND UT RECREATIONAL SPORTS BRAXTON RAE
USHERS ANGELA COX LILLY BROWN RICKY PRATCHETT RJ MUNGUIA