SHANE PETERMAN, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PRESENTS THE REGIONAL PREMIERE OF
BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY IN MEMORY OF PHYLLIS CICERO
DIRECTED BY NATALIE KING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER SET DESIGN LIGHTING & PROJECTION DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN SOUND DESIGN PROPERTIES DESIGN COVID COMPLIANCE OFFICERS
LIZ MIKEL JASMINE SHANDS* RUBY PULLUM KENNEDY STYRON JESSICA DRAYTON RYAN MATTHIEU SMITH MARCO SALINAS HILLARY COLLAZO ABBOTT RUBY PULLUM & ELIZABETH KENSEK
ON THE TERRY MARTIN MAIN STAGE “A Raisin in the Sun” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
SEASON SPONSOR
THEATRE NAMING BENEFACTORS Don and Barbara Daseke, The Family of Bob Downs, Kathleen A. Messina and Gary Goodwin, Stan Graner and Jim McBride, and Janiece and Jimmy Niemann OTHER MAJOR FUNDING
CAST
A
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
Djoré Nance*…………………………….Walter Lee Younger vickie washington*………………….. Lena (Mama) Younger Nikka M. ……….………………………. Ruth Younger Marlena Elliott………………………... Beneatha Younger Carlos Brumfield ………………………Joseph Asagai J.R. Bradford ……………..................George Murchison Sean Massey………………............…. Bobo Stan Graner…………...................…. Karl Lindner Kaiden Macklin Bowens………………Travis Younger** Mitchell Walker…………………….......Travis Younger** SETTING The Younger family’s apartment on Chicago’s Southside TIME Early 1959 *Appearing through the SPT Agreement between this theatre, WaterTower Theatre, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
** The role of Travis Younger has been double cast. Kaiden Macklin Bowens will play Travis Younger on the following dates: 9/1, 9/3, 9/5, 9/9, and 9/11. Mitchell Walker will appear as Travis Younger on 9/2, 9/4, 9/8, 9/10, and 9/12.
ACTORS (LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) K A I D E N M AC K L I N B OW E N S , T R AV I S YO U N G E R
Kaiden Macklin Bowens is ecstatic about his first appearance with WaterTower Theatre! Eleven-year-old Kaiden has always had a passion for the arts. He found his love of the stage at an early age when he landed the lead role in his 1st grade school play and later acting in Hairspray Jr., an Arts Vision production. Kaiden won multiple awards in piano including a published piece in the TMTA Publication Contest. He was selected as a member of the Mesquite Children’s Honor Choir and will be a member of the 6th grade boys choir at Frasier Middle School. Kaiden is a self-proclaimed artist and has been a member of Scouts since 2016!
J . R . B R A D F O R D, GEORGE MURCHISON
J.R. is excited to make his debut on the Terry Martin Main Stage at WaterTower Theatre. He has performed on several DFW stages including Theatre Three, Cara Mia Theatre, Soul Rep Theatre Company, Teatro Dallas, and was last seen in Jubilee Theatre’s production of Hoodoo Love. J.R. would like to dedicate his performance to Phyllis Cicero.
CA R L O S B R U M F I E L D, J O S E P H ASAGA I
Carlos is very excited for his first production at WaterTower Theatre. Previous roles include Booker T. Washington in Ragtime, Paul in Kiss Me, Kate, Clown #1 in Sherlock Holmes and the Time Machine, along with several other roles around the DFW area. Carlos would like to give a special thank you to his friends and family for their continued support. “Not being on stage performing for almost a year and a half has been such a depressing time for most of my fellow performers I’m sure, but personally I am so ready to share art again and I’m happy this is the first story I get to tell after a long break.”
M A R L E N A E L L I O T T, B E N E AT H A YO U N G E R ( B E N N I E )
Marlena Elliott is currently a student at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama studying Theater and Accounting. She is honored to work on the masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun with her extremely talented cast and the marvelous director Natalie King. Her past credits include Bente in The Ice Front, Maddie in Sugar in our Wounds, Callie in Stop Kiss, and #46 in The Wolves. She would like to dedicate her performance to her mother who was been the rock in her life and keeping her focused on her dreams, and she would like to thank God for everything He has done in her life.
S TA N G R A N E R , MR. KARL LINDNER
Stan Graner returns to the WaterTower stage having previously been seen in Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Black Tie, The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, The Diary of Anne Frank, Our Town, Parade, and The Crucible. He was also seen in 2015’s Out of the Loop Fringe Festival as music director/pianist for New York cabaret artist Tori Scott, and in the recent WaterTower workshop of the new musical Goin’ Hollywood. He’s performed regionally at Amphibian Stage Productions, Casa Mañana, Circle Theatre, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, Garland Summer Musicals, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Lyric Stage, One Thirty Productions, Plano Repertory Theatre, Plaza Theatre Company, Stage West, Theatre Three, The Classics Theatre Project, and Uptown Players. Stan won a DFW Theater Critics Forum ensemble award for his work in August: Osage County at WaterTower, and is a multi-time Column Award winner, including for WaterTower’s The Diary of Anne Frank.
NIKKA M., R U T H YO U N G E R
Nikka is thrilled to grace the WaterTower stage alongside this incomparable and amazing cast to bring this story to life! It has been a while, but Nikka is no stranger to the stage. She’s appeared at Jubilee Theatre (God’s Trombones, Smokey Joe’s Café, Beehive!) Theatre Three (Passing Strange, Solstice) Uptown Theatre (Aida) and other local and regional theaters, however, this is her WaterTower debut! When Nikka is not on the stage, she’s probably singing somewhere so please follow her on social media Instagram: nikkasmusic and Facebook: Nikka Morton
S E A N M AS S E Y, BOBO
Sean Massey is proud to be making his debut for WaterTower Theater. Thank you to everyone for their continued support and to Brandon Anthony Massey....daddy loves you!
DJORE NANCE, WA LT E R L E E YO U N G E R
Djoré Nance is a multi-faceted artist who is recognized for his work as an actor, composer, singer, musician, and writer. Recently, Djoré was seen starring as Langston Hughes in Carlyle Brown’s Are You Now, Or Have You Ever Been at Stage West and James in the world premiere of Regina Taylor’s Bread at the WaterTower Theatre. On camera Djoré can be seen starring in several episodes of the new HBO Series Random Acts Of Flyness. Mr. Nance is committed to activism and social justice and recently performed his one- man show #blandjustice at Dallas’ Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Djoré’s musical pursuits have taken him to Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, New York City Opera, and a frequent guest at Jazz at Lincoln Center, to name a few. His training includes a bachelor’s degree in voice from New York’s Juilliard School, a Masters in Theological Studies from Drew Theological Seminary, and studies at Circle In The Square and Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s Black Arts Theatre Institute. Djoré is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
M I T C H E L L P. WA L K E R , T R AV I S YO U N G E R
Mitchell P. Walker is a 12-year-old acting dynamo. For Mitchell, acting and performance have become an integral part of his life. When Mitchell was asked “what is it you can’t live without?” his response was unflinchingly quick, he said “acting!” Mitchell is a true student of the craft and has a relentless drive to constantly improve his acting skills. Mitchell has completed the summer acting camp at Hockaday, and the summer program at Dallas Children’s Theater. He was also the featured actor as Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also been cast in lead roles for several musicals at North Texas Performing Arts Theater in Plano. Those roles include Scar in The Lion King, Kids, Ryan in High School Musical, Jr. and Young Simba in The Lion King, Jr. He plans to continue following his passion for acting and performance.
V I C K I E WAS H I N G T O N , L E N A YO U N G E R ( M A M A )
vickie washington is grateful to return to acting in Lorraine Hansberry’s timeless play. Her selected acting credits include Dreaming Emmett (DNAWORKS); Primer for a Failed Superpower directed by Rachel Chavkin (The TEAM); Crowns; …and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, (Dallas Theater Center); for colored girls…, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Piano Lesson, (Theatre Three); The Tempest, (Shakespeare Dallas); A Lesson Before Dying, (Jubilee Theatre); Contribution, From the Mississippi Delta (Soul Rep). On-camera: Random Acts of Flyness (HBO); Indie films, They Charge for the Sun, Swimming in Your Skin Again (official Sundance selection), and Steps of Faith. She is founder and producing director of r . t . w ~ reading the writers. A proud member of Actors’ Equity, vickie deeply values the gift of theatre and the powerful ways in which it can be utilized to tell the stories of the African Diaspora. Dedicated to Phyllis Cicero and Charles Hillman…gone, yet never forgotten. ♥♥♥ #onandup
PRODUCTION TEAM JAS M I N E S H A N D S , P R O D U C T I O N S TAG E M A N AG E R
Jasmine Shands has worked in various roles both on and offstage. She is a Junior at Texas State University and pursuing a BFA in Theatre with an all-Level Teacher’s Certification. Some of her most notable roles and positions include Stage Manager for Theatre Arlington’s A Raisin in the Sun, Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Regina in Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, and Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun. This is her first production with WaterTower Theatre and she is very excited to be joining such a wonderful cast and crew!
R U BY P U L L U M , AS S I S TA N T S TAG E M A N AG E R & C C O
Ruby Pullum is a stage manager, choreographer, director, designer, and performer in the DFW area. She has performed and teched various shows including Peter and the Starcatcher (NTPA Rep.), The Addams Family (NTPA Rep.), The Residents of Craigslist (Regional Premiere, Millennial Poison Theatre Co.), The Drowsy Chaperone (NTPA Rep.), and In The Heights (NTPA Rep.) She would like to thank her sister and her partner for always being a constant in this aspect of her life and constantly supporting her wild dreams.
C R E AT I V E T E A M N ATA L I E K I N G, D I R E C T O R
Natalie King began her theatrical career working full time as a professional actor here in DFW during the 80s and 90s. In 1996, she fell in love with the art of storytelling and created a performance company called Universal Connection which toured and taught workshops to elementary schools in the Dallas and Mesquite areas. Her gift for storytelling was noticed by a casting director at Walt Disney World and she became the first African American Storyteller character at Walt Disney World and one of the few performers of color as they experimented with the programing for Walt Disney World’s newest park, THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. After several months as a Storyteller, King was asked to create an educational storytelling show that was performed exclusively for Walt Disney World’s American Express Gold Club Members. In 2001, she returned to Dallas to begin a journey into the field of arts education and her love for theater came to have a rival. She concluded that perhaps her passion for teaching comes from being a third-generation educator. The art of teaching is in her blood, but King credits her mother for instilling in her a love of theater- as an avid theatre patron, Gloria King exposed her children including Natalie to the rich world of cultural arts from a young age. As a result, King has always loved theater for its power and grace. She graduated from the Theater Cluster at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and then searched diligently for the college or university where she could develop her skills and earn a professional degree in musical theater. King found Stephens College in Columbia, MO where she earned a BFA degree in Theater Performance with a minor in Playwriting. In addition to a rich career as an actor and storyteller, King’s work as a director has been seen on many DFW stages such as Deep Ellum, Soul Rep, and Circle Theatre.
L I Z M I K E L , AS S I S TA N T D I R E C T O R
A gifted all-around entertainer who sings, acts and dances, Liz Mikel’s talent is boundless. Appealing to audiences of all ages around the world. Liz is a proud member of Dallas Theater Center’s Brierley Acting Company. She has appeared on theater stages internationally and on Broadway (including more than 40 Dallas Theater Center productions). She’s also made her mark in television, (Friday Night Lights and Dallas); in films (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Get On Up! and Miss Juneteenth), picking up numerous awards along the way. Ms. Mikel has opened for internationally renowned artists; Lucky Peterson, Erykah Badu, Branford Marsalis, and Isaac Hayes and done numerous voice-overs. Liz is a perennial favorite of everyone who loves superb vocals and charisma. Facebook: @DownhomeDiva, Twitter: @mizlyzz, Instagram: @miz_lyzz
DESIGNERS ( I N A L P H A B E T I CA L O R D E R ) H I L L A RY C O L L A Z O A B B O T T, P R O P E R T I E S D E S I G N E R
Hillary is excited to be back for another production at WaterTower Theatre. Past WaterTower Theatre credits include Creep, Sexy Laundry, Lord of the Flies, The Big Meal, Outside Mullingar, Native Gardens, Bread, The Last Five Years, Hand to God, A Doll’s House, Everything is Wonderful, The Ballad of Little Jo, Godspell, Sister Act, Harvey, I Am My Own Wife, and A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Hillary holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and a BFA in International Theatre Production from Ohio Northern University.
J E S S I CA D R AY T O N , L I G H T I N G D E S I G N
Jessica Ann Drayton (Lighting Designer). Jessica works as a professional lighting and projection designer, assistant, and programmer. Every production has a life of its own and she is happy that her lighting gets to help tell each and every unique story. Her most recent works include designing lights for Bridges: Sisters of Salem and projections for The Dallas Opera’s Viva Diva! Concert. She has recently assisted on Dallas Theater Center productions such as Working The Musical, Something Grimm, and In the Bleak Midwinter. I keep my work practical, relevant, and creative! I could not continue to pursue my craft without the love and support of my friends and family (especially Jonathan David). Explore more of my work at JessicaAnnDrayton.com
M A R C O SA L I N AS , S O U N D D E S I G N E R
Marco has designed many, MANY shows in DFW over the last 30 years, with his most recent show at WaterTower Theatre being I Am My Own Wife in 2020. Marco is also a recipient of numerous awards for his sound design work in the Dallas/Fort Worth theatre scene and has designed for shows as far away as New York City and even Ireland. He is also the Director of Educational Tours with Shakespeare Dallas, where he writes and directs local area tours that teach children and teens about William Shakespeare.
RYA N M AT T H I E U S M I T H , C O S T U M E D E S I G N
Ryan Matthieu Smith is a director, designer, producer, and performer working in film, theater, drag, and circus. A native of Oak Cliff, Ryan has successfully created for projects throughout DFW and far beyond. Ryan is the Production Designer and the Costume Designer for the Hurricane Bianca films starring Bianca Del Rio, Rachel Dratch, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, and Rupaul. Ryan most recently originated roles for two new works that had their world premiere with Trans Theatre Fest Madison and Local Theater Company, Boulder, Colorado. As an Indigenous Two-Spirit artist, Ryan is very excited to bring his passion home to Texas where he believes visibility and representation are vitally important. Past WTT productions include Hit The Wall, The Ballad of Little Jo, Godspell, Sister Act, Cirque Holiday, and Ella’s Swinging Christmas.
K E N N E DY S T Y R O N , S E T D E S I G N E R
Kennedy “K” Styron is a locally based, all-around theatre-maker. Over the past five years, K has worked with multiple DFW-area theaters in a variety of capacities ranging from performer to carpenter, and most disciplines of production and design. Recent credits include technical direction at The Acting Studio, performing with Giant Entertainment and NTPA Rep, set design and master carpenter at ICT Mainstage. K is currently the Production Manager of WaterTower and has collaborated on WTT productions from conception to closing in many capacities over the last three years. K is especially thankful for the opportunity and trust from the producers and to director Natalie King.
DONORS We’d like to say a special thank you to the following donors:
$10,000 AND UP Stan Graner & Jim McBride Philip & Janeva Longacre Janiece & Jimmy Niemann The Shubert Foundation Inc
$ 5 , 0 0 0 - $ 9,9 9 9 Rosalind & Mervyn Benjet Texas Commission on the Arts©
$ 2 , 5 0 0 - $ 4 ,9 9 9 Mason Brown Rebecca & Eric Neef Craig & Deborah Sutton
$1,000 - $2,499 Addison Rotary Foundation Amli Addison Ida Jane & Doug Bailey Nancy Brenner & Jerry Olivarez Joe & Carol Dingman Timothy P. Horan Rasa Floors Andrea & Keith Redmon Ralph Weber Nancy Williams
$500 - $999
Kay Champagne Michael & Cynthia Dowdey Antony Francis David Mason Tom Mason Judy Meagher Ken & Cheryl Mindell Mark & Renita Partin Steven & Annette Pipes The Rosewood Foundation John & Debra Stover
$250 - $499 Linda F. Bross Kenneth and Greta Fantus Stowe Gardner Burdette Katzen Barbara & Sam McKenney William P. Pfeiff Texas Instruments The Wellik Family Charitable Fund Susan Ward
The above listing reflects gifts received between 08.01.2020 and 07.31.2021. We apologize for any unintentional omissions. We gratefully acknowledge the 500+ donors who each year, through their contributions, make it possible for WTT to present over 125 performances each year. Although space limits our ability to publicly recognize donors at levels below $250, we deeply and sincerely appreciate every contribution. As ticket sales cover only a portion of our annual costs, these generous gifts of patrons, corporations, foundations and others are critical to WTT’s ability to create quality professional theatre for our audience. Should you wish to be added to this extraordinary list of donors, please visit our website at www.watertowertheatre.org/donations or contact Delynda Moravec at 972-450-6230 or via email at dmoravec@watertowertheatre.org. Thank you!
WAT E R T OW E R T H E AT R E B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S Nancy Williams, President Phil Longacre, Vice President Steven Pipes, Vice President Ken Mindell, Treasurer Rebecca Neef, Secretary Bruce Arfsten Rosalind Benjet Blake Clemens Grace Daniels
WAT E R T OW E R T H E AT R E S TA F F
Shane Peterman Producing Artistic Director Delynda Johnson Moravec Director of Finance & Administration Elizabeth Kensek Associate Producer Phil Gosselin Patron Services Manager
Barbara Daseke Tim Horan Jeanette Johnson Nadia Loudon Craig Sutton
Andrea Redmon Tiffany Richmond Maggie Vera Brittany Willis
F R O N T O F H O U S E AS S O C I AT E S
Ryan Diller Claire Greenberg Maggie Herrick Shay Howard Dylan Owen John Rawley Aaron Verrill Megan Wamsley Kelsey Jordan Ward
Kennedy Styron Prodution Manager
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E AS S I S TA N T
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Garrett Deutsch Alyssa Landry AS S I S TA N T T O T H E D I R E C T O R
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Jessica Updike
Olivia Duncan Windy Rossi Stacy Riley GRAPHIC DESIGNER
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About the playwright LORRAINE HANSBERRY Lorraine Hansberry was a playwright, author, and activist. Her best-known work is A Raisin in the Sun, the title of which was borrowed from the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. At the age of 29, she won the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award — making her the first African-American dramatist, the fifth woman, and the youngest playwright to do so. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she immediately became politically active with the Communist Party USA and integrated a dormitory. Hansberry’s classmate Bob Teague remembered her as “the only girl I knew who could whip together a fresh picket sign with her own hands, at a moment’s notice, for any cause or occasion”. In 1951 she began writing for the Pan-Africanist newspaper “Freedom” and when she moved to Harlem, she became involved in activist struggles such as the fight against evictions. In June 1953 Hansberry married Jewish publisher, song writer, and political activist Robert Nemiroff. Although the couple separated in 1957 and divorced in 1962, their professional relationship lasted until Hansberry’s death in 1965. Before her marriage, she wrote about her attraction to women in her personal notebooks. Near the end of her life, she came out publicly and created a community for herself amongst other queer people and had several relationships with other women. Hansberry’s life and work as an activist have inspired many including Nina Simone who wrote the song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”, which is also the title of Hansberry’s autobiographical play. Writer and playwright Lorraine Hansberry poses for a portrait in her apartment in 1959 in New York City. Photo by David Attie/Getty Images
t h E TA M I N G ELLA’S SWINGING
c h r i s t m a s pa r t y THE ODD COUPLE A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO
l ov e a n d m u r d e r FREEDOM SUMMER PLUS ONE SURPRISE SHOW