A note from the producers: To all the astrologers who said 2020 was going to be rough… We’re sorry we didn’t listen. Between coronavirus, Four Seasons Landscaping, and the continued murder of Black trans womxn, 2020 threw our asses into concentric Dantean circles of hell. But! It’s almost 2021, and if you’re reading this, you’re still here, which is something to celebrate, even as we commemorate what we’ve lost--be that friends, family, or faith in American democracy. And, what better way to spread some light than Yale Cabaret’s first (and hopefully not final) Black Theater Festival? The impetus for BTF came from the Cabaret’s commitment to anti-racist theatermaking and our own desire to produce more work by Black artists. We asked our community to entrust us with their pet projects, their wild ideas, and dramatic experiments… Which they did! We watched these amazing proposals roll in with a mixture of excitement and terror. Was this an impossible task? We wanted to create a digital festival for an entire weekend that would provide relief, and not be an energy drain. Because, we get it. People are Zoomed out. Too many calls, too many emails, too much stimulation. The struggle is real. Nevertheless, we did our best to curate a weekend full of joy, reflection, and innovation; theater, even when it’s virtual, has the capability to bring people together and ask us important questions. All the artists and collaborators in this festival have worked incredibly hard drafting, sound editing, rehearsing, and pitching these shows. Though no two shows are alike, they are all wonderful in their own way. We hope that you feel just as inspired watching these pieces as we did reading them. With love (and Ivy Park),
Ashley M. Thomas & Faith Zamblé Artistic Producers
The Black TheatER Festival A Virtual Celebration of Black Artistry
Festival Producing TEAM Artistic Producers Ashley M. Thomas
Faith Zamblé
Associate Producers Sarah Cain
Carl Holvick
Festival Stage Management Team Production Stage Manager Edmond O’Neal Stage Manager HyoJu Hong* *indicates a Yale Cabaret Debut
Special Thanks: Jennifer Archibald, Emmanuel Onwunali and Gift Onwunali, Eliza Orleans, Henry Rodriguez, Emalie Mayo, Jake Hurwitz
A note from the CAB TEAM: The 53rd season of the Yale Cabaret began with a collective commitment by the Cabaret Company of Leadership Team and Artistic Associates to uplift Black work, Black stories, Black artistry, and Black joy. The original vision for the Black Theater Festival arose from that commitment, and we are overcome with appreciation for how far-reaching and full the celebration has become. Our gratitude overflows. Thank you for helping make Yale Cabaret’s first ever Black Theater Festival a reality. Our deepest thanks go out to all of the artists (more than 60 total!) who gave generously of their time, their spirit, and their expertise to create a festival that affirms, in the words of visionary Artistic Producers Ashley M. Thomas and Faith Zamblé, that “the spectrum of Blackness is infinite.” It has been an honor to support your work, and we are grateful that you chose to make an artistic home at the Cabaret. Thank you also to everyone who gave love and support to these artists and came to experience their work. May this festival become a tradition celebrating Black art at YSD and beyond. -Cab 53 Leadership Team Maeli Goren, Jisun Kim, Nicole E. Lang, Matthew Sonnenfeld
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Festival Lineup For more information, visit the Festival Hub at www.yalecabaret.org/btf-hub/
Thursday 12/10
Saturday 12/12
The Studio ........................6pm ET
30 Minute Yoga Session.......10:30am ET
a creative workshop led by FOLKS,
led by Sky Sealey-Otero
Yale School of Drama’s Black affinity group
UNCUT, A New Play Reading...12pm ET Ikenga in WahalaLand........8:30pm ET
written by Gloria Majule
created and performed by Abigail C. Onwunali & Nomè SiDone
Levi & Toonk ...............................3pm ET a live children’s book reading free for all audiences
Friday 12/11
sponsored by the Yale Center for the
Trivia Hour ...........................4pm ET
Study of Race, Indigeneity, and
hosted by Anthony Holiday
Transnational Migration
Short Play Readings ..........5:30pm ET
Music & Poetry Session.......4:30pm ET
Love Has Taken Over by S.C. Murray I AM NOT YOUR TEACHER by Kayodè Soyemi the human is sad; let’s start a band by juliany taveras Willow by Whitney Andrews
10 Minute Meditation..............8pm ET led by Amelia Windom
Cooking Class..................8:30pm ET an interactive course with Chef Bailey Trierweiler
original musical & spoken word performances by Sean Avery Medlin, Zhalarina Sanders, and Rudi Goblen Voisey Vibes
Sage: the Podcast.....................6pm ET ft. Millennial Soul Food hosted by Paige Elizabeth Gilbert & William Sinclair Moore
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The Studio “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible” —Toni Cade Bambara
A workshop spearheaded by FOLKS—led by a.k. payne (YSD Playwriting, c/o 2023) Danielle Stagger (YSD Playwriting, c/o 2024) and Doug Robinson (YSD Playwriting, c/o 2024) A writing workshop on tapping into one’s radical imagination, and the process of translating one’s creative ideas onto the page. What kind of world do we want to struggle for? How might we use freewriting and writing for the stage as a means to imagine what freedom looks, feels, and sounds like? How might we create and craft setting, character and action to bring our visions front and center? This workshop will consist largely of guided time to write in community. Open to all who are willing to put pen to paper and try things out, even those with no experience with writing/ writing for the stage.
CREATIVE TEAM Workshop Leaders a.k. payne
Danielle Stagger* Doug Robinson* FOLKS Leadership Jason Gray a.k. payne Ashley M. Thomas Kayodè Soyemi *indicates a Yale Cabaret Debut
Access Instructions: This workshop will have A.I. closed captions available. Run Time: 2 hours
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Ikenga in Wahalaland a shadow theater performance It is 1967 and Biafra is fighting for her independence from Nigeria. Ikenga, a young woman from Enugu, fights on the frontlines with her fellow Biafran countrymen. However, her journey to the battlefield takes an unexpected turn when she spots a young boy searching for his way back home. Join us as we travel to WAHALALAND.
CREATIVE TEAM Co-Proposers & Performers Abigail C. Onwunali Sound Designer Set & Costume Designer Projections Designer Dramaturg
Nomè SiDone Bailey Trierweiler Cat Raynor Erin Sims Lily Haje
Access Instructions: This performance will have live closed captions and a transcript available. We recommend that attendees listen to the performance using earphones. Content Advisory: Mild violence, gun shots, and flashing lights. Please stick around after the show for a talkback with the creative team! Run Time: 45 min
VISIT THE CABARET WEBSITE FOR
works by Black women and tnbgnc* creators *Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Nonconforming
azure d. osborne lee philiana imade omorotionmwan
juliany taveras
chisa hutchinson
Featuring:
www.yalecabaret.org/works-by-black-artists
Mission and Values Yale Cabaret is an artistic community that invites students from the Yale School of Drama and our neighbors throughout greater Yale University and New Haven to imagine utopia. We artist-explorers join in spirit and space to make theater that manifests our wildest collaborative visions. Fueled by the values of symbiotic collaboration, neighborliness, accountability, and wonder, we discover how much we can make, experience, and imagine together. The state of Connecticut and Yale University occupy the ancestral lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, and Quinnipiac and other Algonquian speaking peoples. We honor and respect their stewardship of this land. Symbiotic Collaboration.
Neighborliness.
We approach each collaboration in pursuit of our utopian ideal- that every team member is fed and fulfilled artistically, intellectually, and spiritually. We will pursue new channels of collaboration and support artists in our community to develop sustainable and generative ways to work together, because that creates JOY.
The Cab is a space for learning, growth, and the joy of storytelling for current YSD students as well as for our neighbors at greater Yale and throughout New Haven. The stories and artistic approaches on our stage will be inclusive and accessible to all in our community.
Accountability. The Cab has a responsibility to foster open and direct communication between our leadership, artists, and the communities we serve. Each member of our community is empowered to contribute to its betterment, and every member makes a difference.
Wonder. The Cab will cultivate surprise and artistic innovation. We are explorers in search of “wow”. Pushing the boundaries of theatrical expression and innovation with a well-proportioned season of courageous new plays, reinventions of established plays, and devised and multidisciplinary works, design-driven explorations, and work that is non-text-driven, The Cab strives to ignite our community’s imagination.
Please visit our website to see more about our advocacy work including our community spotlight and our features on Black Women and TGNBGNC playwrights www.yalecabaret.org
Leadership Team Co-Artistic Directors Maeli Goren Jisun Kim Nicole E. Lang
Managing Director Matthew Sonnenfeld
Staff Technical Supervisors Laura Copenhaver Cameron Waitkun
Cabaret Assistants Allison Delaney Natalie King
Graphic Design Mikayla Johnson
Website Design Camilla Tassi
Accessibility Assitant Chloe Knight Accessibility Researcher Madeline Charne
Preshow Design John Horzen
Artistic Associates Collaborative Leadership Leyla Levi
Design- Lighting Graham Zellers
New Works Benjamin Benne
Communication Management Edmond O’Neal
Design- Projections Henry Rodriguez
Performance Tavia Hunt
Community Collaboration Madeline Charne Eliza Orleans
Design- Scenic Miguel Urbino
Producing Estefani Castro
Design- Sound Bailey Trierweiler
Storytelling Faith ZamblĂŠ
Design- Costumes Phuong Nguyen
Imagination Manifestor Laura Copenhaver
Board of Directors Matthew Suttor, Chair Benjamin Benne Sami Cubias
Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. Anna Glover Reed Northrup Linda-Cristal Young
Our Donors Since its founding in 1968, the Yale Cabaret has been a place where Yale School of Drama students can experiment with new theatrical forms and develop our artistry outside of the classroom. With the generous support of our donors, we build on our rich legacy to make space for students and the greater New Haven community to grow together through self-expression and artistic exploration.
Cabaret Contributors Cabaret Friends Jessica Armstrong Joan MacIntosh Terrease Aiken James Ball Hannah Marsh Igor Akimushkin Christine Barker Gary Marx & Joanie Banks-Hunt Laurie H. Beitz Donna Sonnenfeld Christine Barker Martha O. Boateng Bryan Mcgill Chad S. Birmingham Cabaret Show Sponsors John Carlson Vestak McIntyre Molly Boyle David Budries Katie E. Chipungu Janet Miller Ruth A. Brown Joan Channick & Ruth Schmitt Lissa M. Drewniak Max Monnig Edwin Buckingham Betty & Josh Goldberg^ Monica Fennell Walter Lynn Mosley Bobby Burvant Matthew & Molly Goren Dianne Moira Hamilton Vivien Ng Aaron Calrderon Bill & Sharon Reynolds^ Colleen M. Hyche Cleo M. O’Brien-Udry Rhona Ceppos Sylvia Van Sinderen & James Sinclair Benjamin Kent Joshua Olin Rebecca Cramer Ken Sonnenfeld & Peg Brivanlou Maggie Lally Andrew Paton Janet E. Davidson Paul Walsh Mary-Margaret McLeod Katherine M. DiGiulio David Porter Yale Center for the Study of Race, Jim & Eileen Mydosh Nora Proops Claire Dunnet Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration^ Jenny Nelson Elizabeth Schell Hugh D. Farrell, Jr. Katherine Ann Profetta Thomas Seller & Cassie Fraser-Ball Cabaret Enthusiasts Oakton A. Reynolds Gideon Lester Helen Haje Pamela C. Jordan Andrew Scharenberg Lois Shaukat Laurie Heineman Patrick T. Seaver Bryn Scharenberg Nome SiDone Robert Homer Audrey Sostak Laura Silvestri Winston Hovekamp Cabaret Supporters Evelyn Spann Robert Stubbs Beth A. Jones Donald & Mary Brown Carolee Walker Ricarda Tomlin Katherine A. Kay Liz Diamond Walton Wilson Philip Toop Karen A. Killeen Leon & Megan Doyon Marilyn G. Zieserl Elizabeth A. Tullis Irwin Krieger Andrea Graham Jenny Weiss Raphael Lecat Ellen Lange Noelle Wiggins Samuel Lopez Lockheed Martin Darron Leigh Wolf Amy Povich & David Agus Jessica Wolf ^ indicates the show sponsor(s) for this Live Production Bob & Theresa Simon Scott Zotto Cabaret PartnerS Nina Adams & Moreson Kaplan Ann Judd & Bennett Pudlin Santino Blumetti Matthew Suttor
Thank you for your generous contributions!
Giving Levels Cabaret Season Sponsors $5000 • • •
Cabaret Enthusiasts $250
Recognition in the footer of our website Recognition in all pre-show reels Plus, all the perks below
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Cabaret Champions $2500 • • •
Cabaret Supporters $100
One Full Season Membership Dinner virtually with the Artistic Directors and Managing Director Plus, all the perks below
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Recognition in all pre-show reels Plus, all the perks below
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Listing in the Cabaret progams Plus, all the perks below
Cabaret contributors <$20
Cabaret Show Sponsors $500 •
Invitation to all Cabaret donor parties throughout the season Plus, all the perks below
Cabaret Friends $20
Cabaret Partners $1000 • •
Personalized thank you video from the Artistic Directors and Managing Director Plus, all the perks below
Recognition during your show’s curtain speech & preshow reel Plus, all the perks below
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Listing on the Cabaret website
**Corporate matching gifts are also a great way for you to double your contribution to Yale Cabaret. Check to see if your company has a gift matching program.
For more information, please visit our website, www.yalecabaret.org or call the Managing Director at 203-432-8338.
What’s Next December 19 8pm Cab Potluck member & donor Holiday Party Cab Potluck is a community-centered event focusing on connection through nourishment of body and soul. Come into the kitchen and converse with a group of cooks attempting to create a delicious, edible meal from a basket of secret ingredients. In true Potluck fashion, we ask you to bring a contribution for the table: your art, your words, your photos, your stories, your videos, your music, anything that fits with the monthly theme! This event is exclusive for Cabaret members and donors. A Spring Cabaret membership makes a great holiday holiday gift! To purchase a Spring Cabaret membership, please contact our box office at 203-432-8338 or at ysd.cabaret@yale.edu.
217 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06511 203-432-1566 www.yalecabaret.org