CRAP BALLET - DS49 @ Yale Summer Cabaret + Chekhov's Gum

a note from the leadership collective...

Welcome to CRAP BALLET, a Development Studio 49 @ Yale Summer Cabaret special event! Lil and David have been hard at work crafting this special piece that will wow audiences across the pond this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's funny, poignant, and full of so much heart. We're very lucky to get this sneak peek and are grateful you are here to enjoy it with us!

– Adrian, Maya, Mikayla, + Sarah a note

from chekhov's gum...

When we earned a spot in Tsai CITY’s Summer Fellowship to grow Chekhov’s Gum into a legitimate theater company, we felt instantly overwhelmed, wildly overfunded, and totally out of place. But in no time at all, we found inspiration in our brilliant and zany peers — entrepreneurs, mentors, and interns whose earnestness and oddity inspired the fevered, eccentric characters in Crap Ballet. You couldn't write this stuff, except for the fact that we did.

The play follows self-made businessman Justin Silver on his quest to save a floundering ballet theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico—an ego project that tests the limits of his savvy and sanity. It’s a reflection on self-image, independent theater, and the American Dream. Mostly we just wanted to dance. SPLITS!

Note: This performance is a preview for Chekhov’s Gum’s Edinburgh Fringe debut! Please fill out a feedback form after the show so we can make it better!

– David + Lil

DS49 mission + vision

Development Studio 49 (DS49) curates a joyful space for people at DGSD, Yale, and within the New Haven area to create artistically brave experiences. We are a temporary theater company, and above all we prioritize ethical practices that value process and relationships over product. By the end of the summer, DS49 will be synonymous with joy, care, and growth. We imagine a group of artists who are not just proud of the work that they created at the Summer Cabaret, but feel equally respected by the way they were compensated and treated during their tenure. Through our intentional community partnerships and service, we will have successfully contributed one tight stitch in the patch that aims to strengthen the relationship between New Haven and Yale University.

A DEVELOPMENT STUDIO 49

SPECIAL EVENT

Chekhov's Gum presents CRAP BALLET

co-created + performed by David DeRuiter

Lil Wenker

creative team

technical director

sound designer scenic designer lighting designer production manager

Bennet Goldberg

Joyce Ciesil

Kim Zhou

Eitan Acks

Twaha Abdul Majeed

DS49 leadership collective

Adrian Alexander Hernandez - executive artistic director, operations

Maya Louise Shed - executive artistic director, community

Mikayla Michelle Stanley - executive artistic director, people + culture

Sarah Machiko Haber - executive artistic director, innovation + strategy

DS49 full-time staff

Allyse Corbin - marketing associate

Bennet Goldberg - technical director

Hannah Louise Jones - season stage manager

Twaha Abdul Majeed - production manager

special thanks to...

Acutaine, Allyse Corbin, Angry man on the subway, Bennet Goldberg, Casey Scott Leach, Darcy Matsuda, Eitan Acks, Girl with melon for a head, Hero Magnus, Janna Ellis, Joyce Ciesil, Just Add Water, Justin Silver, Kim Zhou, Laura Kirk, Luis Gonzalez, Mary Ben Apatoff, Micaela Blei, Mikayla Stanley, Nancy Banack (David's physical therapist), Peter Li, Playspace, Rakel Tanibajeva, Sven Riethmueller, Sylvie Goldner, The Japanese House, Tsai CITY, Twaha Abdul Majeed, and 217 Dwight St.!

UP NEXT @ DS49

coffee @ the cab ☕

free! every monday + thursday from 11am-1pm

pride365: a cabaret @ the cab ��

august 3-5

play @ the cab: a 6 x 10 new work festival

august 24-26

purchase your passes + single tickets online at summercabaret.org, or scan the QR code below!