A note from the Cab We’re Gonna Die?! That seems like a pretty morbid title for a show, however true the statement may be. When I first heard the soundtrack and Young Jean Lee’s stories that unfold between each musical interlude, I didn’t feel defeated, though. I felt hopeful…and very human. Because death is human. And suffering. And sickness. But also joy, resiliency, celebration, and growth. Like many of you, I have desperately missed live music. The collective experience of being at a concert, singing, dancing, reveling in the fantastic power of storytelling through song. I couldn’t have imagined when our season began back in September, that we would be able to put up this play-meets-concert with all the restrictions in place. Thankfully, we have arrived here now, and you all get to listen to Shimali De Silva put on a beautiful, vulnerable, and truly stellar performance. This show – and the process of getting here – has been the balm I didn’t know I needed. Thank you to James, Shimali, and the entire team for sharing this with us all. -Sarah Ashley Cain, Artistic Director
A note from the show team It’s been a hard couple years. (what an understatement…) In a time when death and disease are hyper present in our global consciousness, how do we endure? What makes living through all of this shit worth it? If we’re all going to die, why even bother trying? In this modern cabaret act, Young Jean Lee invites us to witness the pain of others, regard human suffering, and ultimately find hope through the communal sharing of feelings of loneliness and isolation. It takes these feelings and channels them through song, seeking communion through the worst experiences a person may ever experience. If you are lonely, I hope you feel less alone. If you are suffering, I hope you share the burden. If you are isolated, I hope you find a connection. Keep singing. Much love, James Fleming
WE’RE GONNA DIE s
By Young Jean Lee Proposed by James L. Fleming & Shimali De Silva CREATIVE TEAM Director Music Director Scenic Designer Lighting Designers Associate Lighting Designer Sound Engineer Producer Technical Director Stage Manager
James L. Fleming* Mitchell Dubin* Kim Zhou* Suzu Sakai & Kim Zhou* David De Carolis Samuel Ostrove Annabel Guevara Shaoqian Lu Clarabel Chen*
PERFORMERS Singer & Storyteller Shimali De Silva Musician (Keys) Mitchell Dubin* Special Thanks: YAO, Grace Zandarski, Ro Burnett, Neil Qiu, Rob Chikar, Nic Benavides, Dario Ladani-Sanchez Content Transparency: Discussions of death and dying. Produced by special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials supplied by WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR ENTERTAINMENT, LLC. WE’RE GONNA DIE was originally produced by Caleb Hammons for Playwrights Inc., in association with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company. WE’RE GONNA DIE premiered in April 2011 at Joe’s Pub in New York, NY. WE’RE GONNA DIE was developed in part through a residency at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. *Yale Cabaret debut
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Mission
Land Acknowledgement
Yale Cabaret is a beautiful experiment of artistry and process. With every season and iteration, we build a home for David Geffen School of Drama at Yale students to imagine, create, and share their stories alongside our many communities.
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.
Values Build Community Community is central to our work at the Cab. We seek to build intentional and nourishing relationships with each other and the communities of Yale, greater New Haven, and beyond. Keep Experimenting The Cab is the place for students to disrupt their process, take risks, and explore within and beyond their disciplines. Make a mess, try again, re-invent, and grow with us. Welcome All We aspire to create a more inclusive and welcoming theater across our many diverse identities and backgrounds. You are invited to show up as your full self at the Cab.
Labor Acknowledgement 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 Artistic Director Sarah Ashley Cain
Co-Managing Director Natalie King
Associate Artistic Director Abigail C. Onwunali
Co-Managing Director A.J. Roy
Production Manager Sydney Raine Garick
Collaborators Graphic Designer Mikayla Johnson
Box Office Assistants Annabel Guevara, Jake Hurwitz, & Bobbin Ramsey
Website Designer Laura Copenhaver
Videographer Andre Griffith
Artistic Associates Community Engagement Kayodè Soyemi
Inclusivity Jacob Santos
Scenic Marcelo Martínez García
Costumes Kitty Cassetti
Lighting Riva Fairhall
Sound Bryn Scharenberg
Directing James Fleming
New Work Danielle Stagger
Stage Management Brandon Lovejoy
Dramaturgy Nicholas Orvis
Performance Cooper Bruhns Isuri Wijesundara
Technical Direction Cam Camden
Projections Hannah Tran
Board of Directors Matthew Suttor, Chair Benjamin Benne Samanta Yunuen Cubias Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.
Libby Jollystone Reed Northrup Linda-Cristal Young
Our Supporters 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 2022 and beyond. Partners ($1,000-$2,499) ActOUT Santino Blumetti Ann Judd & Bennett Pudlin Matthew Suttor R. Lee Stump & Abigail Roth Clifford Lee Warner Show Sponsors ($500-$999) Nina R. Adams & Dr. Moreson Kaplan Joan Channick & Ruth Hein Schmitt Audrey Conrad Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. & Alexis Rodda Dr. Semih Gork Latiana “LT” Gourzong Andrew D. Hamingson & Sarah A. McLellan Jim & Eileen Mydosh Bill & Sharon Reynolds Florie Seery Paul Walsh Yale Law School Yaro Yarashevich Grace Zandarski
Enthusiasts ($250-$499) Pamela Jordan James Sinclair & Sylvia Van Sinderen Matthew Tanico Supporters ($100-$249) Shaminda Amarakoon Anne Danenberg Cornelia Evans Jerry & Donna Lodynsky Bonnie L. Kramm Edwin Martin Mark Schmitt Advocates ($50-$99) Katherine & Chava Burgueño Donna K. Doherty Mercedes Eugenia Matthew Sonnenfeld Rosalie Stemer Jessica Wolf
Thank You To Our Sponsors!
$8 crafted drinks during late night happy hour!
Up Next more more more By Stefani Kuo 郭佳怡 Directed by Jisun Kim & Stefani Kuo 郭佳怡 In partnership with New Leaf student affinity group May 12 - 14 It is the eve of Gravel’s 39th birthday, and he wants to celebrate. Desperate to escape the loneliness, Gravel invites two hikers he has met to his cabin in the woods. Now that they are together, things feel like they could be different. But as Gravel’s birthday hour approaches, companionship turns cruel and possessive. What will happen to them when daylight comes? In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, Yale Cabaret is partnering with New Leaf to present more more more by Stefani Kuo. New Leaf is the Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) coalition of students and alumni at the David Geffen School of Drama, whose mission is to foster an inclusive community of AAPI artists and thinkers, empower AAPI voices, dreams, questions, and build networks of AAPI artists.
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