Radiance
BY GURSIMRAT KAUR MARCH 31 AND APRIL 2 AT 7:30 P.M. ON-DEMAND: APRIL 5-18, 2021 VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE THEATREDANCE.UTEXAS.EDU Giana Blazquez – Director • Christine Bruno – Disability Consultant Kasey Durham – Sound Designer • Daniel Geld – Technical Director Harrison Hayes – Scenic Designer • K. Eliot Haynes – Sound Designer Ari Jamieson – Lighting Designer • Haley Johnson – Stage Manager Gursimrat Kaur – Playwright Katie Miller – Costume Designer Chinwe Okorie – Video Editor
CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)
Trickster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chris Lee Harari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zack Martin Judd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eli Mendenhall Stanley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nathan Tran Aria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Askew Dina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abigail McKee Laura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fernanda Rodriguez Josephine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aleigh Gerron Merchant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mitch Bultman Buyer, Cop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Kusman
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 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!
NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT Radiance is a story about the strength and resilience of those who dare to dream for something bigger than their circumstances. In our times, so many constraints have fallen away, but consumer culture has proven to be no less prohibitive. Set against the backdrop of a growing economy, this play explores the efects of economic progression on the inequity of gender roles in a developing society. What does it mean to rebel against a society that has already set the rules of the game? How do women revolt within a culture that seems to commodify their bodies and their act of resistance? In this play, we examine how greed and ambition in the marketplace leads to the oppression of women and men in society, casting a light on a continually constraining world. I could not ask for a braver team and faculty to mount this production in these challenging times. My humblest thanks to all of those who have made this festival possible and to all of you watching this in your homes.
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR Radiant (adj.) - vividly bright and shining (Merriam-Webster). To me, Radiance is all about relationships – relationships that are built on misunderstandings, relationships that burn hot and fast and relationships that are necessary for survival. As such, it was important for me to challenge myself and my team to create a virtual theatrical experience that pushed the boundaries of what we have become so accustomed to seeing day-to-day on Zoom in order to honor the truth of these relationships. Radiance pulls inspiration from films of the 1960’s such as Pillow Talk that utilized the split screen technique to create a world where the characters are able to interact with each other despite being in diferent spaces as they work to navigate the rules of their bustling, developing city. As you go on this journey with the characters, I encourage you to lean in, activate your imaginations and allow yourself to be part of the magic that this team has created. They are truly radiant.
CREATIVE Giana Blazquez (Director) is a second-year M.F.A. in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She identifies as a director, choreographer and teaching artist from Orlando, Florida. As a teaching artist she has worked for Pink Umbrella Theater Company, ZACH Theatre, First Stage and the Orlando Repertory Theatre. Regional directing and choreography credits include Nate the Great (First Stage), Nobody Knows (First Stage), Lovabye Dragon (First Stage) and Welcome to Bronzeville (First Stage). Blazquez has also performed professionally at First Stage. Christine Bruno (Disability Consultant) is an award-winning actor, director, teaching artist and disability inclusion consultant for the entertainment industry and arts and culture organizations. Based in New York City, she holds a M.F.A. in Acting and Directing from The New School and is a member of The Actors Studio. A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, she sits on the New York Local Board of SAG-AFTRA and is Chair of the New York SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities (PWD) Committee. BrunoDisabilityInclusion.com Kasey Durham (Sound Designer) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in design and technology. She has trained primarily in sound design and stage management but also has experience in lighting, costume and scenic design. Radiance will be Durham’s sound design debut with Texas Theatre and Dance. Daniel Geld (Technical Director) is a second-year UTeach Theatre major at The University of Texas at Austin with a background in both acting and technical theatre. He has spent the past two years working with Texas Performing Arts to construct many of the sets for past Texas Theatre and Dance productions, including Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (2020), Spring Awakening (2019) and multiple UTNT (UT New Theatre) productions.
Harrison Hayes (Scenic Designer) is a first-year M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate with a focus in scenic design at The University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona his previous scenic design credits include Ajax and CREAM! at Arizona State University and Of Mice and Men at Mesa Community College. K. Eliot Haynes (Sound Designer) is a sound designer, mixer and producer based in Austin, Texas. Recent theatrical design credits include productions with Theatre Heroes, St. Edward’s University, Glass Half Full Theatre, Trouble Puppet Theater Company and ZACH Theatre. Haynes also recently mixed Glass Half Full Theatre’s streamed version of Cenicienta, presented by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Ari Jamieson (Lighting Designer) is a firstyear M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She has a background in lighting for theatre and dance performance. Recent credits with Texas Theatre and Dance include, poolboy00 (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020) and Onions (student-led studio project). Haley Johnson (Stage Manager) is a first-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in stage management at The University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in both acting and stage management. This is her first stage management role with Texas Theatre and Dance. Gursimrat Kaur (Playwright) is a third-year M.F.A. in Playwriting candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. She was recently named the 2019-2020 Core Apprentice at the Playwrights' Center. Select works include Radiance, At the Battlefront, Julia, Taj and a modern retelling of a prominent sixteenth century Punjabi folklore entitled Mirza-Sahiba. Her plays have been developed/produced at the School of Arts Institute of Chicago, Curious Theatre Branch, MOXIE
CREATIVE Theatre, Naatak, Wild Imaginings and HBMG Foundation, among others. She is the recipient of the Allan Havis Playwriting Award (University of California San Diego) and has been a finalist for the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award and the ScreenCraf Stage Play Competition. Katie Miller (Costume Designer) is a first-year M.F.A. in Design and Technology candidate with a focus in costume design. Before attending The University of Texas at Austin, she spent eight years working in various costume and wardrobe positions in the theatre and film industries. Recent credits with the Texas Theatre and Dance include serving as the costume design coordinator for (Re)current Unrest (2020). alkaemy.net. Chinwe Okorie (Video Editor) is a Nigerian-born writer, director and editor in Austin, Texas. Her love of cinema began at age six afer immigrating to the United States and seeing her first film, Titanic. In college, her student run TV station Topper TV received The Rising Star Award, and Study Breaks magazine featured her as their “Next Big Thing” in 2014. Afer graduating, Okorie went on to write, direct and edit short films including her most recent work Lovebites, which is currently distributed by Issa Rae Presents.
CAST
Chris Lee
Zack Martin
Eli Mendenhall
Nathan Tran
Audrey Askew
Abigail McKee
Fernanda Rodriguez
Aleigh Gerron
Mitch Bultman
Andrew Kusman
CAST Chris Lee (Trickster) is a third-year Radio-Television-Film major at The University of Texas at Austin. He is represented by Pastorini-Bosby Talent Agency and has had extensive experience in film and commercials. Lee has performed with local theatre companies in Austin, but this will be his first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Zack Martin (Harari) 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 the role of "Alex Toro" in Toros (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020) as well as "Brutus/Demetrius" in Tales from the Globe (UT Shakespeare Company, 2019). Other credits include the role of "Stephano" in The Tempest (The College of Wooster Theatre and Dance, 2018) and a featured ensemble role in the short film Capital Murder (Twisted Ether Productions, 2019). Eli Mendenhall (Judd) is a first-year UTeach Theatre major at The University of Texas at Austin. This is his first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Nathan Tran (Stanley) is a third-year UTeach Theatre major at The University of Texas at Austin. He is from Plano, Texas, where he began his training in theatre. Recent credits include the roles of "Liberty Vale" in A Fistful of Trespassing (UTNT (UT New Theatre), 2020) and "Georg" in Spring Awakening (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2019). Audrey Askew (Aria) is an undeclared student in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Askew took acting lessons as a child and has always had a passion for performing. This is her first production with Texas Theatre and Dance. Abigail McKee (Dina) is a SAG-AFTRA actress based in Los Angeles and represented by KMR Diversity Department. She has an extensive
background in television and film and holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre performance. Recent credits include Netflix’s Atypical and a feature on Grey’s Anatomy, along with a movie that is currently in the works. Fernanda Rodriguez (Laura, Assistant Costume Designer) is a third-year B.A. in Theatre and Dance major with an emphasis in costume design. Recent credits include Mamma Mia!, Morningside and A Chorus Line at The Camille Playhouse in her hometown of Brownsville, Texas. She has also had over 15 years of experience in various styles of dance. Radiance will be Rodriguez’s first performance with Texas Theatre and Dance. Aleigh Gerron (Josephine) is a second-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. She has experience in both film and stage performance and has worked on multiple student film projects in the past. Radiance is her first performance with Texas Theatre and Dance. Mitch Bultman (Merchant) currently works as a special education teacher at Eanes ISD and has several years of experience as a professional actor and director. He graduated with a B.F.A. in Theater from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts. Bultman most recently directed Burying Hamlet with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and was seen as an actor in The Few (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Peculiar Distraction of Mr. Lincoln’s Social Media (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre) and 4000 Miles (Forward Theater). Bultman also spent a year studying classical text at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, where he performed onstage as “Henry V.” Andrew Kusman (Buyer, Cop) is a first-year B.F.A. in Acting major at The University of Texas at Austin. He was recently seen in Texas Theatre and Dance’s production of Year of the Tiger (2021).
CREW
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ATTIA RASUL ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER SAM WIGINGTON ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER FERNANDA RODRIGUEZ ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER TORI SALAZAR
PROP SHOP SUPERVISOR CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP MASTER CAROLYN ALLINGHAM HARDIN PROP ARTISAN MORGAN RIDDLE PROP STOCK MANAGER INDIRA RAMPERSAD
SCENIC ART SUPERVISOR KAREN MANESS
COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NANETTE ACOSTA
ASSOCIATE SCENIC STUDIO SUPERVISOR JASON LEE HUERTA
COSTUME PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE DESIREÉ HUMPHRIES
MASTER CARPENTER HANK SCHWEMMER
DRAPERS SARAH ALDRIDGE POUA YANG
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
COSTUME SHOP ASSISTANTS EMMA DICKERSON KATHRYN MILLER CALIFORNIA THORSON COSTUME CRAFTS ARTISAN TANYA OLALDE TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS SUPERVISING ELECTRICIANS SEB BOONE SARAH CANTU SENIOR LIGHTING TECHNICIANS ARI JAMIESON EMILY NOVACK
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS LIGHTING CREW CHARLOTTE BRUMBELOW LIBBY JANTZ BRISA SHAW ASSOCIATE AUDIO SUPERVISOR KENNY KUYKENDALL
COSTUME TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR JAMES GLAVAN LIGHTING DESIGN ADVISOR MICHELLE HABECK SCENIC DESIGN ADVISOR WILLIAM BLOODGOOD
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS AUDIO CREW CHEYENNE CHESTER CODY HANCOCK POLLYANNA O'HAIR WILLA SNOW
SOUND DESIGN ADVISOR PHILLIP OWEN
MEDIA SHOP SUPERVISOR EARNEST MAZIQUE
GRAPHIC DESIGNER JEFF GRAY
MEDIA GRADUATE ASSISTANTS JACKSON COBB BENJAMIN RANDALL
SPECIAL THANKS REGAN LINTON AND PHAMALY THEATRE COMPANY MEGAN ALRUTZ THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS THE FINE ARTS DIVERSITY COMMITTEE’S STUDENT PROJECT SUPPORT GRANT
PRODUCTION CREW SUPERVISORS EMMA CRAIG 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
ACADEMIC PRODUCTION MANAGER JEFF GRAPKO