A NOTE FROM THE CAB LEADERSHIP
We are excited to welcome you back to Yale Cabaret for Can The Peruvian Speak? written by Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas. This play explores the reality of queer relationships in an autobiographical, somewhat-fictional retelling of the playwright’s experience as a Peruvian dating in the US. To quote from the play: “(I write) Political romcoms about queers having sex and discussing hard shit like migration and the economy and the future. Who wants to see that?” and the short answer to that is “We do”. Stay tuned for the announcement of our final shows of season 56 Sandbox coming soon! We hope you will continue to join us as we build a season of exploration, experimentation, and pushing boundaries at Yale Cabaret. Out of the box and into our Sandbox! — Doaa, Kyle, & Annabel
A NOTE FROM THE DRAMATURG
The commodification of homosexuality has had disastrous effects on the gay dating scene. Or maybe it’s been this way all along, and I just needed to start off with something annoying, queer, and politicized— much like Sebastián, our beloved playwright. Here, he might quote Foucault, perhaps to talk about the panopticon that is the gay dating app scene (hello, Grindr boy reading this) or the modern phenomenon of the “read receipt” that often compounds the pain of ghosting. Maybe it is modernity that complicates love. Or maybe it’s Zeus’s curse on humans to wander forever seeking the other half from which they were split. Our two lovers in Can the Peruvian Speak? should, by all counts, be perfect for each other: both are migrant, racialized, queer, both have seen the horrors of political upheaval and the disillusionment of being artists in the US, and both have shared experiences navigating desirability in a white Western world. But in a world of occupation, displacement, genocide, and Nakba, what if sharing pain isn’t enough to connect with another human and truly see each other? Maybe all there is to do is sing karaoke and fantasize about what could have been. – Abraham E.S. Rebollo-Trujillo
SPECIAL THANKS
Claudia Ochoa Catherine Sheehy Chantal Rodiguez Elli Fotopoulou Krista Dobson Malcolm Joe Krempetz Henriëtte Rietveld Robert Salemo Tamilla Woodard Pa que tu lo sepa Nora Lan 956 Victoria Andreou Venezuela
CONTENT GUIDANCE
Deals with sex, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, alcohol use, drug use, discussions of politics, political violence, demeaning language and includes full nudity and physical contact.
CAN THE PERUVIAN SPEAK?
By: Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas
PRODUCTION TEAM Director
Intimacy Coordinator
Producer
Karl Hawkins* Scenic Designer
Anthony Robles
Taylor Ybarra
Hannah Gellman
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Larry Oritz
Caroline Tyson Technical Director
Co-Projection Designer
Stage Manager
Alex Theisen*
Ke Xu
Co-Projection & Sound Designer
Wiktor Freifeld
Geovanni Colon* Dramaturg
Abraham E.S. Rebollo-Trujillo
COMPANY Andreas Andreou*
Celia Weiqing Chen
Annabel Guevara
comfort katchy
Gretta Marston
Erik Robles*
Abraham E.S. Rebollo-Trujillo
Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas
Francisco Morandi Zerpa
SHOW SPONSORS Eric Glover & Shawn Boyle *Yale Cabaret Debut
MISSION STATEMENT
Sandbox by definition, is “a shallow box in the ground partly filled with sand for children to play in”. We hope to create a similar sense of curiosity and playfulness, allowing artists to access creativity only possible when given the opportunity to dig and unearth treasures within themselves. Our season will focus on performance arts as a whole, not just script-based plays or musicals, it’s open to ALL. We aim to look at collaborators as they are, without limiting them to the role they hold within the DGSD community. We believe in a theater without labels, where artists are not limited by the hats they wear, but by the experience they bring into the room with them. As a collective, we will create theater that continues to reshape our ever-changing view on the world.
OUR SANDBOX IS... A Celebration of Ideas: A place where no ideas are bad ideas Experimental: A space to try, fail, learn, and grow as a community A Resource: A pool of combined knowledge and artistry An Outlet: Magnifying unheard voices and underrepresented stories A Continuum: An application of skills learned Our Sandbox is a place where you can make your wildest dreams come true.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT The state of Connecticut and Yale University occupy the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Niantic, Quinnipiac, and other Algonquian speaking peoples. We honor and respect their continued relationship with and stewardship of this land, and we acknowledge that Yale University, Yale Cabaret, and those affiliated have benefited from the oppression of these Nations.
LABOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Yale University does not exist independently from the centuries of forced labor and economic extraction of enslaved people, primarily of African descent, on which this country was built. We are indebted to their labor and their unwilling sacrifice, and we must acknowledge the ongoing violence inflicted on Black and brown people and the resulting impact and generational trauma still felt today.
LEADERSHIP TEAM Co-Artistic Director
Co-Artistic Director
Doaa Ouf
Kyle Stamm
Managing Director
Annabel Guevara
COLLABORATORS Associate Managing Director
Adrian Hernandez
Graphic Designer
Cab Assistant
Iyanna Huffington-Whitney
Production Manager
Michelle Foley
Mara Bredovskis
Restaurant Partner
The Anchor Spa
ADVISORY BOARD Acting
Costume Design
Directing
Grayson Richmond
Caroline Tyson
Alexis Kulani Woodard
Dramaturgy
Lighting Design
Playwriting
Karoline Vielemeyer
David DeCarolis
Doug Robinson
Projection Design
Scenic Design
Kim Zhou
Sound Design
Joe Krempetz
Stage Management
Technical Design
Theatre Management
John Horzen
Colleen Rooney
Leo Surach
Natalie King
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair
Wendy Davies Eric M. Glover
L.T. Gourzong
Linda-Cristal Young
Samanta Cubias
Gabrielle Hoyt
LAW
ABOUT THE CAB
In 1968, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale students established a basement performance venue in the former home of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at 217 Park Street. Envisioned as an alternative outlet for drama school students’ creativity and experimentation, Yale Cabaret became a forum for our expanded New Haven communities, whom we invite to gather around food, drink, conversation, fellowship, and artistry. Since its founding, the Cabaret has remained in continuous operation, including pivoting to virtual performance during the 2020/21 season. The Cab has produced hundreds of plays, old and new, alongside musicals and musical revues, comedy shows, dance, performance art, and genre-defying performance. Our supporters have made this storied history happen. With their partnership, we continue this tradition into 2024 and beyond.
JOIN US FOR DINNER The Anchor Spa at Yale Cabaret will be offering a dinner service for our 8pm Thursday through Saturday performances accepting orders from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
at Yale Cabaret
The Anchor Spa boasts a pan-Caribbean menu and an outstanding cocktail program that represents a voyage around the world, including some unique international spirits rarely sampled in the U.S. From picking herbs a la minute from their garden to brewing up syrups and roasting their designer garnishes, The Anchor Spa applies the highest level of craft bartending principles in the pursuit of fun like no one else.
Chef Kendall Thigpen welcomes you!
JOIN US AT THE BAR Yale Cabaret will have a bar open 30 minutes before all performances including at intermission and after the show. You can find a range of alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, and snacks for sale at the bar.
OUR SUPPORTERS
Yale Cabaret is DGSD’s student-run theater and operates with the support of our generous donors. Your donation goes a long way to support the many artists that work in our theater. Please consider making a donation today and help us create in our Sandbox! Season Sponsor ($5,000 - $7,499) Santino Blumetti Champion ($2,500 - $4,999) Wendy Davies Partner ($1,000 - $2,499) Nina Adams & Moreson Kaplan Joan Channick Lynn Doucette-Stamm Bennett Pudlin & Ann Judd R. Lee Stump & Abigail Roth Show Sponsor ($500 - $999) Shawn Boyle Audrey Conrad Eric Glover Josh & Betty Goldberg L.T. Gourzong Andy & Sarah Hamingson Eileen & Jim Mydosh The Mooney Basile Family Bill & Sharon Reynolds Matthew Sonnenfeld Josh & Erin Taylor Paul Walsh Enthusiast ($250 - $499) Chris Brindley Suzanne Bruhn & Michael Kane James Bundy & Anne Tofflemire Ramiro Daniel Diaz Kenneth Elliott
Pamela Jordan Chantal Rodriguez Florie Seery Supporter ($100 - $249) Anonymous Ikenna Aberdeen Frances Anne Black Shaminda Amarakoon Donald & Mary Brown Geoff Cohen Jennifer Corman Robert Emmons Carol Gallagher & Delmar Doucette Alicia Guevara Chloe Knight Jerry Lodynsky Sarah Masotta Max Okst Chris E Wall Advocate ($50 - $99) Casey Grambo & Nathaniel Gagnon Carla L. Jackson Cathy & Matthew Levesque In Honor of Edgar Melgar Steven Padla Susan & Michael Ryan Jacob Daniel Santos Henry & Socorro Stamm Nicole Stamm Ariel Welch Grace Zandarski
THANKS TO OUR TECH WEEK SPONSORS
DRAGARET NOW ON SALE! READ FOR FILTH:
Celebrating Drag Queen Story Hour Everywhere Friday, February 9th
8:00pm | Doors 7:00pm 11:00pm | Doors 10:00pm
Saturday, February 10th 8:00pm | Doors 7:00pm 11:00pm | Doors 10:00pm
It’s January — and baby it’s cold outside — but a new year at Yale Cabaret means something else is on the horizon…DRAGARET! This February, Cab 56: Sandbox is bringing you plenty of back flipping, lip syncing, and sexual innuendos to keep you warm. Treat yourself to the Cab for a “reading session” (wink) you’ll never forget. Drag queen story time might be under attack, but we know the truth; there’s nothing more fabulous than Dragaret! Come with your most playful and mischievous spirit and let’s WERK.
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR UPCOMING SHOWS
February 22nd - 24th
March 21st - 23rd
YALE CABARET 217 PARK STREET | 203.432.1566 YALECABARET.ORG