Download an octoroon - The Wilma Theater

AN OCTOROON
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
directed by Joanna Settle
March 16 – April 10, 2016
by
James Ijames
as BJJ
photo by
Matt Saunders
FROM THE
ARTISTIC
DIRECTOR
BLAN K A ZIZ K A
This has been a season of great theatrical variety at the Wilma. If you saw the
first two plays of the Wilma season, you
undoubtedly noticed that our production
of Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem
couldn’t have been more different from
Theodoros Terzopoulos’s Antigone.
And I can promise you that Branden
Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon, directed by
Joanna Settle, is unlike anything else that
you have seen so far this season or any
other time at the Wilma - except, perhaps,
for Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny Opera,
which we produced in 1997. Our production set the play in the 1920s, during
Calvin Coolidge’s Presidency, and started
with a black actor, Forrest McClendon,
portraying a spirited street singer,
applying black face while singing
“The Ballad of Mac the Knife”. The
moment was powerful, unexpected,
provocative, and controversial.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s play earns all
these adjectives and more. Listening to
the read-through on the first day of
rehearsal, I was simultaneously gasping
for air from being confronted by brazen
stereotypes and laughing at the outrageous situations. Time and again I was reminded of Brecht, who never looked at his characters as victims but rather as illustrations of behaviors that enable the system to survive
because the laws and social structures are taken as sacred. Even when these laws are aimed
at oppressing them, the characters believe in them and internalize them. Branden entertains
us at the same time he reminds us of the presence of the past in our contemporary life.
Branden’s play is not only provocative in the content but also in its aesthetic. What I love
about it is its unapologetic theatricality, something it shares in common with all the plays in
this season. Unlike many plays that read like TV or film scripts, this one was written solely
for theater. Joanna Settle, the director, and Matt Saunders, the set designer, have created
a physical world for the production that exquisitely underscores this theatricality. The presence of the band ILL DOOTS, invited by Joanna to play live, amplifies the sense of an event
to this production.
Enjoy!
Blanka Zizka
FROM THE
MANAGING
DIRECTOR
JAMES H AS KIN S
It gives me great pleasure to share the
news that Blanka Zizka has won the
2016 Vilcek Prize in Theatre “for leadership that established The Wilma Theater
as an institution of national significance,
a singular artistic vision, and acclaimed
direction of contemporary theatre.”
The Vilcek Foundation awards prizes
annually “to immigrants who have made
lasting contributions to American society
through their extraordinary achievements in biomedical research and the
arts and humanities.” I encourage you to
learn more by visiting the website at
vilcek.org and watching the extraordinary video they have created about
Blanka: “Danger, dissent, and theatre.”
Indeed, these are exciting times at the
Wilma. In January, we announced our
Transformation Fund campaign with
a goal to raise $10 million towards
transformation of how we create living,
adventurous art here at the Wilma to
include our new HotHouse company
of actors and affiliated artists. We will
spruce up the façade of the Wilma and
its iconic sign, convert the lobby into
a full-service café, add a second floor
training and education studio, and secure the Wilma’s sustainability for many years to come.
The Wilma Board of Directors, Blanka, and the staff join me in extending immense gratitude
to the Wyncote Foundation for their incredibly generous naming gift of $5 million, which we
seek to match to achieve our goal. I am thrilled to report that we are now at $8.5 million!
At our Transformation Fund announcement event, Tom Stoppard said, “Blanka, to her
great credit, is an off-center visionary – I choose that word with care – an individual who is
prepared to back her own instincts, her own tastes, and her own sense of what theater is
for. You tend to get, with luck, an eclectic choice of plays, some of which are commercially
dangerous choices. Blanka, she never fades, she never wavers…she is the theater that she
lives and breathes.”
It is this vision that inspires us to present works of theater that engage all of us in
“imaginative reflection on the complexities of contemporary life.” Welcome to An Octoroon.
James Haskins
Season Sponsors
Production Sponsor
HONORARY
PRODUCERS
LINDA & DAVID
GLICKSTEIN
Supported by
The
Charlotte Cushman
Foundation
The Wilma Theater is grateful for significant support provided by:
Wyncote Foundation
The Horace Goldsmith
Foundation
Opening Night Sponsors
under the direction of
Blanka Zizka
Artistic Director
presents
James Haskins
Managing Director
AN OCTOROON
by
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
featuring
Aaron Bell, Taysha Canales*, Jaylene Clark Owens, James Ijames*,
Justin Jain*, Alina John*, Maggie Johnson*, Campbell O’Hare,
Ed Swidey*
Set Designer
Matt Saunders
Costume Designer
Tilly Grimes
Lighting Designer
Thom Weaver
Sound Designer
Zachary Beattie-Brown
Original Live Music
ILL DOOTS
Hair & Makeup Designer
Dave Bova
Choreographer
Ayo Janeen Jackson
Fight Director
Ian Rose
Dramaturg/Casting Director
Nell Bang-Jensen
Production Manager
Clayton Tejada
Resident Stage Manager
Patreshettarlini Adams*
Director
Joanna Settle
The scenic, costume, lighting and sound
designers in LORT Theatres are
represented by United Scenic Artists,
Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
*Members of Actors Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors and
Stage Managers in the United States.
This theater operates under an agreement between the League
of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union
of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
AN OCTOROON had its World Premiere at Soho Rep
Sarah Benson, Artistic Director / Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director
Subsequently produced by Theatre for a New Audience
Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director
Henry Chirstensen III, Chairman / Dorothy Ryan, Managing Director
at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Brooklyn, NY in 2015
AN OCTOROON is presented by special arrangement with
Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
Cast of Characters
Aaron Bell........................................................ Br’er Rabbit/Captain Ratts
Taysha Canales.................................................................................. Dido
Jaylene Clark Owens......................................................................Minnie
James Ijames........................................................... BJJ/George/M’Closky
Justin Jain................................................................. Assistant/Pete/Paul
Alina John........................................................................................ Grace
Maggie Johnson................................................................................ Dora
Campbell O’Hare................................................................................ Zoe
Ed Swidey............................................ Playwright/Wahnotee/LaFouche
ORIGINAL LIVE MUSIC by ILL DOOTS
Phantom
Kirschen “Tex” Wolford
Scott Ziegler
Anthony DeCarlo
Sam Borrello
Andrew “Chvbbz” Nittoli
Jordan “Rodney” McCree
There will be one 15-minute intermission.
The Wilma Theater is a member of the following organizations: Avenue of the Arts, Inc., Greater
Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, League of Resident Theatres, Midtown Village Merchants Association,
and Theatre Communications Group, Inc.
Please note
Photography or sound recording inside the theater, without the written permission of the management, is prohibited by law. Violators may be asked to leave the theater and may be liable for financial
charges.
Children Policy
Some subject matter may be deemed objectionable for children; therefore, children under 12 will not
be permitted in the theater.
Distracting Noise and Light
The noise of cellular phones and candy wrappers, and the light from electronic devices, are distracting
to both audiences and actors. Please turn off all cellular phones and electronic devices. Also, please
be sure that your watch alarm does not sound during the performance.
Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited inside the theater.
Who’s WHO
BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS (PLAYWRIGHT)
Playwright credits include Gloria (Vineyard Theatre),
Appropriate (Obie Award; Outer Critics Circle Nomination; Signature Theatre), Neighbors (The Public Theater), An Octoroon (Obie Award; Soho Rep, Theatre for a
New Audience) and War (Yale Rep). Branden is currently
a Residency Five playwright at Signature Theatre. His
work has been seen at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Victory Gardens Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theater, The
Matrix Theatre in LA, Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, CompanyOne in Boston, and the HighTide Festival
in the UK. He is under commission from LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater and MTC.
Honors include a Paula Vogel Award, a fellowship from the New York Foundation
for the Arts, the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award, and the 2015 Steinberg
Playwright Award. He has taught at NYU and Queens University of Charlotte and
holds an M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU and a BA from Princeton University. Graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwrights Program at The Juilliard
School.
JOANNA SETTLE (DIRECTOR) Most recently
directed Hands Up with Flashpoint Theater, Rapture,
Blister, Burn for The Wilma Theater and Jaime Leonhart’s
Estuary at Joe’s Pub and The Kimmel Center. Other credits include Family Album by Stew and Heidi Rodewald
(Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Harry Clarke by David
Cale (Warhol Museum); Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing
(Shakespeare on the Sound); The Total Bent by Stew and
Heidi Rodewald, Winter Miller’s In Darfur, the finale of
Suzan-Lori Parks 365 Days/365 Plays, Stephen Brown’s
Future Me (The Public Theater). Directed the premiere of Heather Raffo’s Nine
Parts of Desire for Manhattan Ensemble Theater and restaged the production for
The Geffen Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, MassMOCA, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Arena Stage; directed
and/or adapted 15 of Chicago’s Division 13 Productions 17 projects, including
BLOOD LINE: The Oedipus/Antigone Story, two plays by Sophocles, Macbett
by Ionesco, and several Samuel Beckett shorts including Cascando and Play.
Other Credits: Artistic Director, Shakespeare on the Sound (2009-2012); Artistic
Director of Division 13 (1998-2004). Teaching: Director of the Ira Brind School of
Theater Arts, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Education: BA, Hampshire
College; graduate of the inaugural Julliard School Graduate Directing Program.
AARON BELL (BR’ER RABBIT/CAPTAIN RATTS)
is thrilled to transition from the The University of the Arts Musical
Theatre Class of 2015 to the Wilma! Regional: Hands Up (Flashpoint), Bitter Homes and Gardens (Bearded Ladies Cabaret),
We Are Proud to Present (Philly Fringe), One Minute Play Festival
(InterAct), The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha
Washington (Flashpoint). Proud EMC and IATSE member. Love to
my family and friends!
TAYSHA CANALES (DIDO) is excited to be back on the
Wilma stage! Wilma credits: Julia in The Hard Problem. Philadelphia credits: All My Sons (People’s Light), La Bête, The Jungle
Book, Wayside Stories From Wayside School (Arden Theatre),
Moon Cave (Azuka Theatre), The Most Spectacularly Lamentable
Trial of Miz Martha Washington, Slip/Shot (Flashpoint Theatre).
She is a Wilma Theater HotHouse Company member. BFA in Acting
from Arcadia University. Upcoming Production: A Single Shard
(People’s Light).
JAYLENE CLARK OWENS (MINNIE) is thrilled to
finally fulfill her dream of acting on the Wilma Stage! She is an
AUDELCO award-winning actress, as well as an acclaimed poet
from Harlem, NY. Owens received her BFA from Ithaca College. She
is a first place Apollo Theater Amateur Night winner for her poetry.
Owens is the Executive Director of Harlem KW Project, LLC, which
is the theatrical company she created with three other women to
create the play about gentrification in Harlem, Renaissance in the
Belly of a Killer Whale. Recent credits include: Moon Man Walk
(Esther); Red Speedo (Lydia); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable
Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Priscilla). Much thanks to God, the
Wilma team, my friends and family, and my supportive husband!
JayleneClarkOwens.com
JAMES IJAMES (BJJ/GEORGE/M’CLOSKY) is very
excited to be returning to The Wilma Theater. His regional theater
credits include: Romeo and Juliet, Superior Donuts, The Whipping
Man, Endgame, Three Sisters, Le Bête (Arden Theatre Company),
Angels in America Part 1 and 2 (Wilma Theater) Grey Gardens,
Ruined (Philadelphia Theatre Company), The Threshing Floor
(Mauckingbird Theatre Company), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest, Gossamer, and Shipwrecked (People’s Light and Theatre
Company) and Wild With Happy (Baltimore Center Stage). James
is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient,
two time Barrymore for Best Supporting Actor recipient and a 2015
Pew Fellow. James is an Assistant Professor of Theater at Villanova
University.
JUSTIN JAIN (ASSISTANT/PETE/PAUL) is a HotHouse company member at The Wilma Theater, where he last
appeared in Antigone. Recent stage credits include This Is The
Week... (1812 Productions), W*LM*RT Nature Trail (Headlong),
and It’s So Learning with his Barrymore nominated alt-comedy
theatre company, The Berserker Residents (www.berserkerresidents.com). Mr. Jain has performed Off-Broadway and at many
regional theaters including: Arden Theatre Company, People’s
Light, Theatre Horizon, Shakespeare in Clark Park, McCarter Theatre, Passage Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, The Assembly in Edinburgh,
and Ars Nova NYC, among others. Justin is also a deviser of original
theatrical works having created several independent projects, as
well as recent collaborations with Lightning Rod Special & Swimpony Performing Arts. BFA: The University of the Arts.
ALINA JOHN (GRACE) a singer/songwriter and graduate
of The University of the Arts, is thrilled to be making her debut at
The Wilma Theater! Recent credits include: Kiss of a Spiderwoman
(11th Hour Theatre), Dreamgirls (Milwaukee Rep.), Field Hockey
Hot (11th Hour Theatre), The Me Nobody Knows (Industrial Reading with Choreo. Taye Diggs & Director Stafford Arima). Special
thanks to all my supportive family and friends!
MAGGIE JOHNSON (DORA) Wilma debut. Recently
appeared as Mary Tilford in EgoPo Classic Theatre’s production
A Children’s Hour. Other credits include Sally in Cat in the Hat (Arden Theatre Co.), Bitter Homes and Gardens (Bearded Ladies Cabaret), Factory Girls (11th Hour Theatre Co.), and The Secret Garden
(11th Hour Theatre Co.). TV: “HBO’s Masterclass Series with Patti
Lupone.” Training: BFA Musical Theatre from The University of the
Arts. She is a 2011 YoungArts Finalist and Silver Winner in Theatre.
To Ada and the farm.
CAMPBELL O’HARE (ZOE) Wilma: HotHouse Company
Member, Avery in Rapture, Blister, Burn. Regional: Judith in Equivocation (Arden Theatre Co.); Ellie in The Whale (Theatre Exile);
BethAnne in Spookfish, Tinker in Boyfight (Neighborhood Fringe
Festival). Training: BFA, University of the Arts. Upcoming: The
Radicalisation of Bradley Manning (Inis Nua Theatre Co.) Awards:
2 Barrymore nominations, 1 Barrymore win, 2014 UArts Director’s
Choice Award. Endless gratitude. www.campbellohare.com
ED SWIDEY (PLAYWRIGHT/WAHNOTEE/
LaFOUCHE) is a HotHouse Company member, and has per-
formed at the Wilma as The Narrator in Antigone, The Player in
both Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Barrymore nomination, Best Supporting Actor) and Hamlet, Roc in Under The Whaleback, Ellis in Curse Of The Starving Class, Wladek in Our Class, and
Angus in Macbeth. Other recent shows: Hans Brinker And The Silver Skates (Arden Theatre); Death Of A Salesman, GINT, The Lady
From The Sea, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin (EgoPo); Bathtub Moby Dick
(Renegade Company); Aladdin: A Musical Panto (People’s Light).
Ed is a Lunt-Fontanne Acting Fellow, and received his MFA from the
University of Delaware. For Alfie, Winky, and Cindy most of all.
MATT SAUNDERS (SET DESIGNER) Recent Off-Broadway includes, Futurity
for Soho Rep and Ars Nova, Good Person of Szechwan at The Public Theater, The Tempest
for The Public Theater at the Delacaorte, and As You Like It for The Acting Company at
The New Victory and Lincoln Center. Regionally, Matt has designed at the Mark Taper
Forum, Huntington Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre,
Actors Theatre of Louisville, Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Spoleto Festival, Arden Theatre Company, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company,
and Yale Repertory Theatre. Matt is a long-time collaborator with Blanka Zizka, and The
Wilma Theater. Recent design work at the Wilma includes The Hard Problem, Hamlet
and Don Juan Comes Home from Iraq. After An Octoroon, Matt will design The Christians,
a co-porduction between the Wilma and Syracuse Stage. Matt holds an MFA from Yale
School of Drama. He is a 2014 Pew Fellow in the Arts, as well as 2015 Hodder Fellow at
Princeton University. Matt is the Associate Artistic Director of the OBIE Award-Winning
theatre company, New Paradise Laboratories; and Assistant Professor of Design in the
Department of Theater at Swarthmore College. mattsaunders.net
TILLY GRIMES (COSTUME DESIGNER) Credits Include: Don Giovanni
(Boston Lyric Opera); Family Album (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Camelot, As You
Like It, and Present Laughter (Two River Theater); Steadfast (Barrow Group); The Wildness, Small Mouth Sounds, Eager to Lose, and The Netflix Plays, (Ars Nova); 41-Derful
and Motel Cherry (Clubbed Thumb); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Bucks
County Playhouse); The How and the Why (Trinity Rep); Twelfth Night (Westport Country
Playhouse); Caligula (Project Theatre, Dublin). Upcoming: Venus in Fur (Pittsburgh Public Theater). Awards: Balsamo Grant for Emerging Immigrant Artists, Irish Arts Design
Award, Irish Times Theatre Award Nomination. Tilly is co-artistic director of the London/
Parisian Theatre Company ‘SavageCharm’. She received her MFA from NYU Tisch and
teaches for Brown University’s directing MFA program.
THOM WEAVER (LIGHTING DESIGNER) Previous Wilma work includes:
Rapture, Blister, Burn, The Real Thing, Don Juan Comes Home from Iraq, Assistance, Body
Awareness, In the Next Room, Coming Home, Scorched, and Becky Shaw. In the area:
Arden, DTC, Azuka, Theatre Exile, New Paradise Laboratories, PTC, Walnut, EgoPo, Headlong, Lantern, and 1812. Other credits: Chicago Shakespeare, CenterStage, Syracuse
Stage, Milwaukee Rep, Shakespeare Theatre, Asolo, Theatre J, Berkshire Theatre Festival,
Williamstown, Signature Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, RoundHouse Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Hangar, Lincoln Center Festival, Summer Play
Festival, 37 ARTS, Spoleto Festival USA, City Theatre, Virginia Stage, Pittsburgh Public
Theater & Yale Rep. 3 Barrymore Awards (21 nominations), 4 Helen Hayes nominations,
and 2 AUDELCO Awards. Education: Carnegie-Mellon and Yale.
ZACHARY BEATTIE BROWN (Sound Designer) is a Pittsburgh
native and graduate of Point Park University. Currently, he is guest artist/lecturer at the
University of Pittsburgh. He is pleased to return to the Wilma to be a part of the design
team for An Octoroon. Previous design credits include: Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead here at the Wilma; Becoming Dr. Ruth; Shipwrecked!; Dino; Around
The World In 80 Days; Plaid Tidings; and Ethel! at Walnut Street Theatre. He has been a
freelance designer & engineer between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for the past 8 years.
He wouldn’t be where he is if it weren’t for his beautiful wife Mary; thanks for all of your
love and support!
ILL DOOTS is a diverse and expansive tribe, originally nothing more than a few UArts
students of various disciplines in a jam session. From these humble beginnings they built
a foundation of collaboration that continues to drive ILL DOOTS forward on their journey
as artists. They are ecstatic to share this journey with such a powerful ensemble and The
Wilma Theater. They would like to thank BJJ for his bold, unapologetic artistry and motivating them to continue to push that spirit of work forward. Their own artistic spirit is
represented by the acronym I.L.L which stands for “I Love Living”, “I Love Learning”, and
“I Live Lessons”. Every #FourthFriday you can see them playing live at various locations
in Philadelphia. Learn more about our movement at www.illdoots.com
AYO JANEEN JACKSON (CHOREOGRAPHER) received her BFA from
North Carolina School of the Arts. She is a former member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane
Dance Company, Ballet Preljocaj, and the original cast of Spider-Man on Broadway. Her
choreography has been presented at New York venues such as PS122, Harlem Stage,
and DTW. Ayo received both a Chris Hellman Award and a Special Project Grant from
the Princess Grace Foundation. Ayo danced for the French pop star Mylène Farmer; and
worked with Julie Taymor on the movie Across the Universe and Grendel, an opera. Ayo
worked on Super Fly, the musical, (dir. Bill T. Jones) as the associate choreographer; the
film Black Nativity, directed by Kasi Lemmons; Anna Nicole, the opera; and episodes
of Boardwalk Empire and The Knick. Ayo was the associate choreographer for the 2015
Presidential Scholars at The Kennedy Center.
DAVE BOVA (HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER) is excited to return to the
Wilma for his fifth show. Previous Wilma shows include Bootycandy, Don Juan Comes
Home from Iraq, Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. (Hair & Makeup
Design) Violet, The Real Thing (Broadway). Lazarus, Little Miss Sunshine, Here Lies Love,
Dot, Buried Child, Pericles, Bootycandy, The Killer, My Name is Asher Lev, Good Person of
Szechwan, The Ohmies, Romeo and Juliet, Nothing But Trash (Off-Broadway). Marie Antoinette, Last of the Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre) Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant
of Venice (DC. Shakespeare Theatre) Guys and Dolls, Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer
Night’s Dream (Great Lakes Theater Festival) Les Mis, Light in the Piazza (Weston Playhouse). Central City Opera Company 2012-15, Bard Summerscape 2014, Sarasota Opera
Fall 2014. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1st National Tour) Addam’s Family, Camelot, Rock of
Ages, & Spamalot (Non-Equity Tours). Thank you to Zevie for all the love and support.
IAN ROSE (FIGHT DIRECTOR) has arranged fights for commercials, film
and stage, and has been staging fights in the New York and Philadelphia areas for over
twenty-five years. Ian is one of only two in the world to be counted a Fight Master in
two professional fight direction organizations, Fight Directors Canada and The Society
of American Fight Directors. Ian’s work has been seen at Riverside Shakespeare and
Interborough Repertory Theatre in New York, The Whole Theatre in New Jersey, Bridewell Theatre in London, and MTM Studios in Rome, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival,
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Arden in
Pennsylvania. Most recently Ian’s fights were featured in the documentary Philadelphia:
The Great Experiment–Disorder seen on ABC. Ian was a Technical Advisor on the film A
Winter’s Tale. He holds a 4th degree black belt in Karate and teaches at Temple University. Ian is delighted to be returning to the design team at the Wilma. Thanks to Blanka,
Pat and Clayton for their faith in him.
PATRESHETTARLINI ADAMS (RESIDENT STAGE
MANAGER / AEA) has been the stage manager at The Wilma
Theater since the theater made its home on the Avenue of the Arts in
1996. “Pat” is celebrating her TWENTIETH SEASON at the fabulous
Wilma! Her career has included 7 seasons as stage manager at the
Tony Award winning Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ and,
in past years, Pat has worked the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta, GA and the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem,
NC. She has also found herself traveling the world with criticallyacclaimed dance company Noche Flamenca! Most recently, she is
using all her free time to spoil her grandsons, Isaiah and Elijah. God Is Good!
NELL BANG-JENSEN (PRODUCTION DRAMATURG/CASTING
DIRECTOR) is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, writer, and educator. She joined
the Wilma’s artistic staff in 2014 after working as a director, actor, and dramaturg for
theater companies including Applied Mechanics, Hedgerow Theatre, Luna Theater,
Plays & Players, InterAct Theatre Company, The Riot Group, and the Philadelphia Dramatists Center. Nell is an Adjunct Professor at The University of the Arts and a graduate
of Swarthmore College. She was awarded a 2011-2012 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for
independent research and travel in seven countries.
CLAYTON TEJADA (PRODUCTION MANAGER) is celebrating his twelfth
season at the Wilma, serving the first seven as Technical Director. Clayton started his
professional career as an Apprentice at Arden Theatre, and then worked there for several
years as Stage Supervisor. Before coming to the Wilma, he worked as a freelance Technical Director or Production Manager for 1812 Productions, Mum Puppettheatre, Lantern
Theater, and Azuka Theatre. Clayton is a graduate of the Theater Arts program at The
University of Puget Sound. He is proud to make Philadelphia his professional and artistic
home. Thanks and love to his sweet Kate, and his boys Alex and Gabriel.
WALTER BILDERBACK (DRAMATURG/LITERARY MANAGER) has
been The Wilma Theater’s dramaturg since 2004. He most recently dramaturged the
Wilma’s American premiere of Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem. Walter has worked as a
dramaturg for three decades at regional theaters across the country and on Broadway; he
has also been a theater educator, director, playwright, and movement artist at points in
his career. He recently published an article about Blanka Zizka and the development of
the Wilma’s HotHouse company in the Fall 2015 issue of SDC Journal (issuu.com/sdcjournal/)
JAMES HASKINS (MANAGING DIRECTOR) is
now in his tenth season in partnership with Blanka Zizka, the
Board of Directors, and staff to advance the mission of The
Wilma Theater. James began his work in theater administration at Circle Repertory Company, where he learned early on the
value and resonance of an artist-centered approach to running
a theater company. He went on to work with a variety of theaters
in New York and Seattle as an actor, director, and administrator.
Upon moving to Philadelphia, James worked as Managing Director of InterAct Theatre Company and then Executive Director of
the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia before coming to
the Wilma. As a theater artist, he is most proud of his directorial and dramaturgical work
on the plays of his husband Michael Whistler. James holds an MFA from the University of
Washington and a BA from The College of Wooster (Ohio), where he currently serves as
President of his alumni class.
Blanka Zizka (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
has been Artistic Director of The Wilma Theater since 1981.
Recently, The Vilcek Foundation announced Zizka as recipient
of the 2016 Vilcek Prize, which is awarded annually to immigrants who have made lasting contributions to American
society through their extraordinary achievements in biomedical
research and the arts and humanities. She received the Zelda
Fichandler Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers
Foundation in 2011, and was a Fellow at the 2015 Sundance Institute/LUMA Foundation Theatre Directors Retreat. For the past
four years, she has been developing practices and programs for
local theater artists to create working conditions that support creativity through continuity and experimentation. She has directed over 70 plays and musicals at the Wilma.
Most recently, Blanka directed Tom Stoppard’s U.S. premiere of The Hard Problem,
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Hamlet, Paula Vogel’s World Premiere Don Juan
Comes Home from Iraq, Richard Bean’s Under the Whaleback, Tony Kushner’s Angels in
America, Tadeusz Słobodzianek’s Our Class, Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room, and Macbeth, which included an original score by Czech composer and percussionist Pavel Fajt.
how to reach us
www.wilmatheater.org
Email: [email protected] | Box Office: 215.546.7824 | Admin: 215.893.9456 | Fax: 215.893.0895
staff
PRODUCTION
CREW
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Blanka Zizka
MANAGING DIRECTOR James Haskins
ARTISTIC
Dramaturg/Literary Manager Walter Bilderback
Artistic Assistant Nell Bang-Jensen
Literary Interns Jenny ruymann, Mira taichman
EDUCATION
Education Director Anne K. Holmes
Education Assistant and Group Sales Manager Lizzy Pecora
Teaching Artists Jess Conda, Kate Czajkowski,
Akeem Davis, Mike Dees, K.O. DelMarcelle,
Justin Jain, John Jarboe, Jennifer Kidwell, Anthony
Martinez- Briggs, Kevin Meehan, Lee Minora,
LIZZY PECORA, Brian Ratcliffe, Josh Totora
DEVELOPMENT and MARKETING
External Relations Manager Ryanne Domingues
Development and Special Events Manager Debby Lau
Writing and Research Specialist julia bumke
Community Relations and Marketing Manager
Alison Ehrenreich
Digital Communications Manager PHILIPPE JEAN
Marketing and Development Intern DanIEL RAY
FRONT OF HOUSE
Box Office Manager James Specht
Assistant Box Office Manager Catherine Perez
Box Office Staff SARAH BLASk, Richard Rubin,
Alexa Smith, Twoey TrUOng
House Manager Javier Mojica
BUSINESS
General Manager Maggie Arbogast
Assistant General Manager ANDREA SOTZING
Administrative Coordinator Megan O’Donnell
Tessitura Consortium Manager
Cassandra D. Greenberg
Tessitura Application Systems Analyst
Catherine Lachance-Duffy
Tessitura Training & Support Specialist Andy WertneR
Tessitura Services & Support Specialist Matthew lazorwitz
PRODUCTION
Production Manager Clayton Tejada
Assistant Production Manager/Operations Manager
Ashley W. Mills
Technical Director Ethan M. Mimm
Resident Stage Manager Patreshettarlini Adams
Sound Engineer JOE SAMALA
Costume Supervisor Becca Austin
Production Fellow ANNELIESE KING
Stage Management Fellow KRISTIN LINDSAY
Custodian Fetteroff F. Colen
Assistant Director Samuel Leopold
Assistant Stage Manager KRISTIN LINDSAY
Assistant Set Designer COlin McIlvaine
Assistant Costume Designer CAITY MULKEARNS
Assistant Lighting Designer JEREMY JASON
Assistant Sound Designer Brad Pouliot
Properties Master KIMITHA ANNE CASHIN
Lightboard Programmer & Operator ALYSSA COLE,
ASHLEY W. MILLS
Assistant Master Electrician NICOLE ROLO
Sound and Video Operator Joe Samala
Costume Supervisor BECCA AUSTIN
Running Crew ANNELIESE KING, ZACK McKENNA
Carpenters ben henry, elliot greer, GeorGE SPENCER,
STEVEN HUNGERFORD, ivan dEllinger, joe DEMPSEY,
mIA HERRING, TOM LOVELUND, TESSA YOUNG,
ANNELIESE KING
Scenic Painter KrISTINA CHADWICK
Electricians Nicole Rolo, Michael Hamlet,
Jackson Katz, John Allerheiligen, Sydney Justice,
ERICK ALifSI, Adam Orseck, Ali Barwick
Sound Technicians ZACK McKENNA, John Kolbinski
Drapers Amanda wolff, Joleen addelman llOYd,
cathy homa-ROCCHIO
Stitchers BECCA AUSTIN, ANYA LOVERDI, ALLIson levy,
KRISTAN BROWN
Crafts Artisan Krissy SNESHKOFF
Scenery Construction the scene shop at american
repertory theater boston, MA
Young Friends
Committee
SAMANTHA APGAR, JACOB HARRIS Beahm,
Matthew Catledge, Camila Romero, Miljenka Sakic
Interested in joining the
Young Friends Committee?
For more information, please contact Alison Ehrenreich at
[email protected]
sPecial Thanks
Delia Bloom, Levi Gray, Melissa Rodier, Ross Beschler,
Walter Bilderback, Melanye Finister, Sarah Gliko,
Anita Holland, Jenn Kidwell, Raphael Martin, Logan
Settle Rishard, Molly Ward, Karen Rosenberg and
University of the Arts.
BOARD OF DIRECtors
Officers
David E. Loder, Chair
Kathryn Doyle, Vice Chair
Donald F. Parman, Vice Chair
Clare D’Agostino, Esq., Secretary
Thomas Mahoney, Treasurer
Lewis H. Johnston, Assistant
Treasurer, Former Chair
Board Members
Paula M. Bedi
Daniel Berger, Esq.
Mark S. Dichter, Esq., Former Chair
Herman C. Fala, Esq., Former Chair
Linda Glickstein
Jerry Goldberg
Peggy Greenawalt, Former Chair
Jane Hollingsworth
Robert E. Linck
Sissie Lipton
James F. McGillin
Tim Sabol
Ellen B. Solms
David U’Prichard, PhD, Former Chair
A.E. (Ted) Wolf, Former Chair
Florence Zeller
Ex-Officio
James Haskins
Blanka Zizka
Emeritus
Jeff Harbison, Former Chair
Harvey Kimmel
John D. Rollins, Former Chair
Dianne Semingson
Evelyn G. Spritz
Dr. R. J. Wallner
Jeanne P. Wrobleski, Esq.
by Nell Bang-Jensen
“
OPEN
STAG E S
I think melodrama is an amazing thing— it’s like the science part of what we
do. A generation of French guys literally just kept doing things to an audience
and refined a codified formula for making an audience feel the way that these
French guys thought they should feel at any given moment. This idea that we’re
just these animals that are easily manipulated by certain steps or moves or gestures is so profound to me and made me wonder: What is it that we’re doing?
Is it ethical? Or are ethics somehow besides the point.
“
– Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
When Dion Boucicault’s The Octoroon premiered at New
York’s Winter Garden Theater on December 6, 1859, police
were present to suppress the riot they feared would happen
in response to the production. The play opened three days
after John Brown was hanged for his rebellion at Harpers
Ferry and four years before Abraham Lincoln would issue
the Emancipation Proclamation. The American theatrical
convention of Blackface minstrelsy was at its peak.
At the premiere of Boucicault’s The Octoroon, the
Times reported that the military was not called into operation,
except “in the pleasant way of assisting in the general
applause”. However, reactions to the show were far from
mild. Boucicault’s own wife, Agnes, who played the titular
protagonist, quit after the first week of the play’s run, due
to controversy. Others argued that the true controversy was
whether or not this play was actually controversial.
continued >
While some viewed it as decidedly anti-slavery, and
not fit to be toured in Louisiana at the time, Boucicault himself,
perhaps strategically, argued that his play was a neutral
“picture of plantation life” and that he did not “mix himself
up with politics in any way”. Some audiences were relieved,
and thought it was a sign of merit that this piece rose above
“mere politics”. Others continued to have extreme reactions
to it as it rose in its success and toured around the country.
The New York Times and London Times published letters from
patrons who requested Boucicault change the ending, and an
abolitionist from Maine interrupted the final scene by jumping
onstage and yelling at the slaves to “fly away to freedom.” It
seems, no matter how supposedly neutrally Boucicault was
approaching this topic, reactions were far from it.
It was this idea— that theater is obligated to build
emotional experiences, experiences that are often inseparable
from politics— that attracted Branden Jacobs-Jenkins to
Boucicault’s work when he began reimagining The Octoroon
three years ago. As he puts it, he is perpetually interested in
the “subconscious feeling place”, perhaps the same place that
caused actors to quit and audiences to shout during the 1859
production of The Octoroon. The question then becomes how
this piece—dated not only in years, but in ethical values— can
operate in the simultaneous eras of 1859 and 2016. JacobsJenkins’ reinterpretation raises larger ideas about what
artists do with a performance history whose presence they
cannot deny, but whose moralities they want to complicate—
particularly artists who are members of the groups being
actively insulted by these antiquated texts. The result is
anything but neutral.
WINTER GARDEN THEATER: ILLUSTRATION ,1859.
Find other exclusive content
at wilmatheater.org/bloG
“
“ I just don’t know how blackness onstage works. It’s just a thing that has always
confused me. I don’t know what anyone is talking about when they talk about
black theatre, black drama, black actors. I don’t know. No one walks around
saying white theatre or white actors. I just want to understand.
“
– Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
KNOW YOUR BOUCICAULT
 Born (Dionysuius Lardner Boursiquot)
on December 26, 1820 in Dublin,
Ireland
 Played Wahnotee in his production of
The Octoroon
 Moved from school to school, attended
the University of London for a short
while without graduating. Strongly
disliked his studies and frequently got
into trouble
 Arrived in New York in 1853,
at the age of 32
 The Octoroon was an adaptation of
Thomas Mayne Reid’s earlier novel The
Quadroon
 The premiere of The Octoroon was
nearly delayed by a possible lawsuit
 In his time Boucicault was known for his
“sensation scenes” (common to
Victorian melodrama). In The Flying
Scud which debuted in London in 1866,
the Epsom Derby gallops onstage with
cardboard horses, except for one real
one, who is championed as the winner.
KNOW YOUR BJJ
 Born (Branden Jacobs-Jenkins) on
December 29, 1984 in Washington DC
 Played Br’er Rabbit/Captain Ratts in his
production of An Octoroon
 Valedictorian of his class at St. John’s
College High School, graduated with a
degree in anthropology from Princeton,
and received Fulbright funding to study in
Germany
 Arrived in New York in 2006,
at the age of 21
 An Octoroon was an adaptation of Dion
Boucicault’s earlier play The Octoroon
 The original director of An Octoroon
withdrew during rehearsals due to creative
differences with BJJ
 In graduate school, BJJ made a solo piece (“Thirst”)
for a class which was essentially a monologue about
being 22 and being disillusioned with graduate
school. As he delivered it, he drank water out of a
goldfish bowl. In his words: “so the water is going
down and everyone’s getting upset because I guess
no one wants to watch a goldfish die and, in the end,
I’m like, 'I’m gonna try throwing this back up to save
this fish’s life.’ And then I would force myself to
vomit up the water and save this goldfish. You know.
And it horrified the class.”
BR’ER RABBIT
Br’er Rabbit Sitting on a Rock, A. B. Frost 1912.
Who is he?
Br’er Rabbit is a central figure in
many African-American folktales
from the Southern United States.
He’s often portrayed as a trickster
who narrowly escapes danger and
uses his wit to provoke authority.
Symbolism
The trickster character is common to the
storytelling of many different cultures,
from Anansi the Spider in West African and
Caribbean folklore, to the Coyote and Raven
spirits in Native American and First Nations
mythologies. Tricksters are often described as
boundary-crossers who break societal rules.
Appropriation and Representation
Although many Br’er Rabbit stories were being
told orally in the Southern United States for years, Joel Chandler
Harris was the person who popularized them. In 1880, this white
Georgian journalist created the character of Uncle Remus to narrate
the tales and published them in Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings.
In 1946 Walt Disney adapted the character of Br’er Rabbit for
its animated motion picture Song of the South. Today, this film’s
portrayal of Uncle Remus as a cheerful ex-slave teaching white
children about the adventures of Br’er Rabbit, is considered
extremely racist. The film has never received an official release.
The Trickster Today
Br’er Rabbit’s influence can be seen in a variety
of popular media, from Beatrix Potter to Bugs
Bunny, from 8 Mile to Toni Morrison. Critical
dialogue surrounding Br’er Rabbit today often
centers around the cultural misappropriation
of this character. Modern literary criticism has
also focused, however, on the ways in which this
trickster originally served as an example of how
to overcome a system of oppression from within,
offering a figure of societal deconstruction.
Br’er Rabbit as represented
in the 1946 film, Song of
the South.
A Special Note to Our Donors
This list acknowledges all donations of $150 or above from December 1, 2014 to February 1,
2016. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies. If you have
any questions about your support, wish to join the Wilma as a contributor, or wish to notify us
of changes to this list, please contact
Ryanne Domingues at 215-893-9456 x109.
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BalletX 10TH
ANNIVERSARY
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Premier
Contemporary
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SE
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“[BalletX has] the confidence
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SP
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THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
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Original composition by John King,
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BALLETX
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Martin Raynor and Mark Alhadeff in THE INVENTION OF LOVE.
WILMA HOTHOUSE
The Wilma HotHouse, is an incubator for artistic investigation and
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THE CHRISTIANS
Lucas Hnath
directed by Timothy Bond
co-produced with Syracuse Stage
May 4 - May 29, 2016
by
“Mr. Hnath is quickly emerging as one of the brightest new
voices of his generation. What’s fresh about his work is how
it consistently combines formal invention with intellectual
inquiry.” – The New York Times
DeLance Minefee
as Joshua
Photo by Matt Saunders
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