University Theatre 2020/21 Mainstage Season December 4 - 12, 2020

PRESENTS

Written by Dominique Morrisseau DETROIT ‘67 Directed by Thomas-Whit Ellis

CAST OF CHARACTERS (in alphabetical order) FROM THE DIRECTOR

At this point in 2020, racial tension in America has reached a new high. Divisiveness and division strain and tear the fabric of our positive shared experiences in American life. It’s commonly repeated that people forced into the margins of our society, tend to fond their Vernon Lee Jones III voices drowned out by hateful and mean spirited views held by a plurality of those living in our Lank society. Most of this tension is based on a fundamental lack of understanding between cultures, races and traditions. People tend to dislike, reject, or discount what they don’t understand. With understanding comes the foundation for acceptance of all as equal and important human beings. This is one attempt to help bridge these gaps. Allowing many a view into black culture and others a chance to reconnect to their own stories and values. Alexis Myles Bunny PRODUCTION STAFF Assistant Director Nwachukwu Oputa | Production Stage Manager Amber Smith Asst. Stage Manager Daniel Rosales | Scenic Designer Veronica Munoz Lighting Designer Michael Shane Flores | Asst. Lighting Designer Lauren Heard Sound Designer Regina Harris | Costume Coordinator Elizabeth Payne Madeline Nelson Properties Master René Nielson | Publicity Director Miguel A. Gastelum Video Corrdinator Bruce Haar | Camera Operators Chris Samaro and Bruce Haar Caroline Video Post-Production Kyle Lowe

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY Thomas-Whit Ellis (Director) has directed numerous plays for the department including Carmen Jones, Native Son, Hands Up: 7 Playwrights 7 Testaments, Yellowman, Race, Nwachukwu Oputa First Breeze of Summer, Sty of the Blind Pig, For Colored Girls..., Picnic and The Gospel at Chelle Colonus. The U.S. Senate appointed Professor Ellis as a Fulbright Scholar at the National Taiwan University’s Drama and Theatre Department where he taught and directed the department’s first mainstage production, David Henry Hwang’sGolden Child in Mandarin. Professor Ellis has directed at the National Theatre of Nigeria and the Van Troi Theatre, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Professor Ellis was course coordinator for the Summer Arts Gospel Music course featuring Edwin and Walter Hawkins in 2008. He was recently appointed chair of the Department of Africana Studies. TJ Taylor Sly SPECIAL THANKS Univeristy Brand Marketing and Strategy, Sharon Anderson, LaTonia Haynes, R.L. Preheim, and Levetta Wheeler

Detroit ‘67 was developed with the assistance of the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Artistic Tamrah Sales Director and Patrick Willingham, Executive Director and received its World Premiere there on Understudy March 12, 2013. The World Premiere was co-produced by the Classical Theater of Harlem, Ty Jones, Produc- ing Artistic Director. Developed at the Lark Play Development Center, New York City. Detroit ‘67 is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., A Concord Theatri- Run time: 1 hour 56 minutes cals Company. COMPANY BIOGRAPHIES Nwachukwu Oputa (Chelle/Asst. Director) is a Theatre Arts - Acting major. Her previous acting credits include the Michael Shane Flores (Lighting Designer) is a senior Experimental Theatre Company’s production of Dog Sees Theatre Arts – Acting Emphasis major. Previous credits in- God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (Van’s Sister); clude the Experimental Theatre Company’s Den of Thieves University Theatre’s The Wolves (#25), and Hands Up (Sound Designer), Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teen- (Nambi) as well as The Selma Art’s Center’s productions of age Blockhead (Light Designer); University Theatre’s Lydia Puffs (Megan Jones) and The Curious Incident of the Dog (Asst. Sound Designer), A Streetcar Named Desire (Asst. in the Nighttime (Ensemble). Light Designer), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Sound Designer). He serves as the lighting mentor on the Elizabeth Payne (Costume Coordinator) is an Associate ETC board and a member of the Nomadic Improv Club. Professor of Costume and Makeup Design at Fresno State. Some of her recent University Theatre designs include Regina Harris (Sound Designer) is originally from Oak- costumes for Anon(ymous), Fat Pig, As You Like It, Yel- land, CA and has been designing in the theatre community lowman, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Really Really, Cly- for nearly eight years. She is an alumna of the Fresno State bourne Park, Othello, Our Town, The Elephant Man, and Theatre Arts program. Lighting design credits include Won- Bronte. She is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local der of the World, A Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations), 829 and a member of the Costume Designers Guild Local Contemporary Dance Ensemble: Episteme, Lydia, and As 892. She holds an MFA from New York University, Tisch You Like It with University Theatre and You’re A Good Man School of the Arts. Charlie Brown at Clovis North High School; and the Selma Arts Center’s production of Be More Chill. Sound design Daniel Rosales (Asst. Stage Manager) is a senior Theatre credits include Into the Woods, Dogfight, and Peter and Arts – General major. He ran the light board for University the Starcatcher with StageWorks Fresno; Just Like Us, A Theatre’s Fat Pig and assisted the Performance Showcase Streetcar Named Desire and Heathers: The Musical with at Fresno City College Theatre. University Theatre; the Selma Arts Center’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; and The Tamrah Sales (Understudy) is a freshman Theatre Arts Fools Collaborative’s S’Will 2: Romeo & Juliet. – Design/Tech major from Hoover High School. Previous credits include Patriot Theatre Company’s productions of Lauren Heard (Asst. Lighting Designer) is a Junior The- Chemical Bonding, Annie Play Will Do, The Matchmakers, atre Arts - Design/Tech major, Smittcamp Family Honors Romeo and Juliet and costume designing in The Brothers Scholar, and Experimental Theatre Company (ETC) board Grimm Spectaculathon. member. She was the costume designer for Fresno State’s Theatre for Young Audiences The Bremen Town Musi- Amber Smith (Production Stage Manager) is a sec- cians, ETC’s subText, and Selma Arts Center’s La Norteña, ond-year Theatre Arts - Design and Tech major. Her most as well as the assistant costume designer for University recent credits include Fat Pig with University Theatre, The Theatre’s As You Like It. Lauren is a recipient of the Gus Nutcracker with the Lively Arts Foundation, and New Wrin- Graham Technical Theatre Scholarship and the Roy and kles: California Dreamin’, The Little Prince, The Elaborate Dorothy Christopher Scholarship. Entrance of Chad Deity, Baggage Check and Silent Sky, all with Fresno City College. She also worked as lead stage Vernon Lee Jones III (Lank) is a Fresno City student manager for the Devised Theatre program at the Region with a Theatre Arts - Acting major from Fresno, CA. Pre- 8 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in vious credits include She Kills Monsters (Bug Bear), 2019. Amber is a three-time KCACTF Stage Management The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Saint Matthew, Butch Fellowship nominee and a Stage Management Fellowship Honeywell), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberely (Un- finalist. derstudy: Darcy, Bingley), Emma (Mr. Elton), Lunacy (Robert), Let the Right One In (Jocke, Janne), Thanks- TJ Taylor (Sly) is wrapping up his final semester as an Af- giving Play (ensemble), and The Humans (Richard). ricana Studies major and Theatre Arts minor. This is the Compton native’s second performance with University The- Veronica Munoz (Scenic Designer) is a fourth year Theatre atre, Carmen Jones being the first. He is a member of Al- Arts - Design/Tech major with an emphasis in Set Design. pha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. This is the first time she has scenic designed for Universi- ty Theatre. She recently was an assistant set designer for the Experimental Theatre Company’s production of Clown Department of Theatre and Dance Bar. Veronica has been set designer at Fresno State since 2019. Faculty J. Daniel Herring (Chair), Brooke Aiello, Kenneth Balint, (Bunny) is a senior Pre-Nursing major. Pre- Stephanie Bradshaw, Dan Carrion, Liz Crifasi, Gregg Alexis Myles Dion, Kristine Doiel, Thomas-Whit Ellis, Alyssa Garvin, vious credits include Native Son (Vera) and Carmen Jones Ruth Griffin, Melissa Gibson, Jeff Hunter, John Jordan, (Dancer). Brandi Martin, Leslie Martin, Kathleen McKinley, Kate McKinight, Brad Myers, Elizabeth Payne, Gina Madeline Nelson (Caroline) is a sophomore Theatre Arts Sandí-Díaz, Cristal Tiscareno - General major. Previous credits include: Anon(ymous) (Calista/Ensemble) and Fat Pig (Jeannie Understudy). She Staff also has worked with Stageworks Fresno on Mamma Mia Kelly Curry, Amie Douglass, Miguel A. Gastelum, (Assistant Stage Manager) and La Cage Aux Folles (Run- Michael Hansen, Regina Harris, René Nielson ning Crew).