@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM JUNE 21–22, 2019 JUNE 21–22,

SARAH E. WIFEY SARAH E. WIFEY

ACTORS What happens when woman Nora Abayomi Papke Jiexin (Helen) Cai becomes wife... in Trump’s America? Emily Claypoole John Paul Harkins Jennifer Jackson This play is about women. It was written at Jessica Soares a time when the positioning and power of Theresa ‘Tee’ Sudderth Richard Vetere women in the U.S. was called into question. What happens when woman becomes wife? WRITER, DIRECTOR, CO- PRODUCER What does society expect of her? What does Sarah E. Donald Trump expect of her? What do his Supreme Court justices expect? Her family? DRAMATURG Danny Cassidy Her friends? What does she expect of herself, and why? Where do these expectations LIGHTING DESIGNER Riley Cavanaugh come from? WIFEY reveals how these expectations lead to limitation, subjugation, CO-PRODUCER and suppression. WIFEY provides a glimpse of Greg Swanson where women have been… and where they STAGE MANAGER are going. Julia Brzezicki

MARKETING STRATEGIST Deepum Patel

PROPS/COSTUMES Viagnette Vélez

@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM SARAH E. WIFEY

ABOUT WIFEY Cast & Crew

CAST

Jiexin Cai (Actor) Helen is a NYC-based actor, dancer and mover. Recent theatre credits include Columbia MFA projects The Tempest, Marat/Sade, and Veronica May’s Mind by Anna Rebek. Her exploration of feminist causes and female identity also led her to the experimental ensemble works of 99 Women by Genevieve Wang and The Alchemy of Imperfection by Cara Cruickshank. Her feature film This Worldly Life was awarded at Filmfest Hamburg, Germany and FIRST International Film Festival, China.

Emily Claypoole (Actor) is a Brooklyn-based actor, singer, and comedian with a BA in Theater and Performance from Bard College. Experience includes lead roles in musicals, ensemble work in devised and experimental theater, film and television, and improv/sketch comedy. She is a student at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater’s Improv Academy. Emily is excited to be working on such a passionate, relevant project and thanks her family, friends, and boyfriend for their unconditional love and support.

Jennifer Jackson (Actor) is eager to share her strength, warmth and light with audiences on the stage and screen. Credits include Four Characters (Gerry) Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Sketch of New York (Ensemble) The Producers Club, plus 15 indie films since Sept. 2018. Raised in the Midwest and now a resident of Manhattan, she is also a contemporary romance author and has written nine books for Harlequin, under the pseudonym Harmony Evans. Insta: @iamjenniferjackson.

Nora Abayomi Papke (Actor) is classically trained, Nora has experience in professional children’s theater companies, off-off-Broadway shows, and independent film. She has studied at The Barrow Group in NYC and under Karen Chamberlain at Maggie Flanigan Studio. Film credits include Black Moon White Rabbit and I Want You Baby. Theatre credits include Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Rose Mundy in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, and Esther in the classic musical Meet Me in St. Louis.

John Paul Harkins (Actor) is a television, film, and theater actor. Credits include Wolf in the River, No Place to Hide, La Ronde, Sarah Flood in Salem Mass, Hamlet, Madonna and the Breakfast Club, The Deuce, Men in Black III, and Noah. John Paul is also currently writing, producing, and starring in a new series, ETA, premiering summer 2019.

@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM SARAH E. WIFEY

ABOUT WIFEY Cast & Crew

Jessica Soares (Actor) After receiving her undergraduate degree from NYU, Jessica completed her studies at the professional conservatory at Maggie Flanigan Studio. In November 2018, Jessica completed production on her short film in which she wrote, produced, and starred. She is currently working on her first feature film, to be shot in VR. She is thrilled to be a part of this production and to help shed light on issues dear to her heart.

Theresa ‘Tee’ Sudderth (Actor) has appeared in a number of productions such as A Raisin in the Sun, For Colored Girls…, School for Wives and The Sandbox. Having studied under Tony Howarth and Mort Clark, Tee has acquired the ability to move smoothly between drama and comedy. Currently, she is appearing in a showcase of various monologues and scenes. She is a native of Westchester County.

Richard Vetere (Actor) wrote The Third Miracle (Simon & Schuster) and co-wrote the screenplay adaptation starring Ed Harris, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, directed by Agnieszka Holland released by Sony Picture Classics. His plays include Gangster Apparel (Old Red Lion, London); One Shot, One Kill (Primary Stages); Caravaggio (Silk Crossing Theater, Chicago); Machiavelli (Archlight, Off-Broadway) and Lady Macbeth and Her Lover (Directors Company NYC). Lifetime Member of the WGA East with a master’s from Columbia. RichardVetereauthor.com

CREW

Julia Brzezicki (Stage Manager) was born in Ireland, raised in Connecticut, living in Brooklyn. Favorite production assistant credits include Red, The Sty of the Blind Pig, and The Motherfucker with the Hat (TheaterWorks Hartford, dir: Tazewell Thompson). Designer credits include Marat/Sade (The Theatre School at DePaul University) and The Laramie Project (Central Connecticut State University).

Danny Cassidy (Dramaturg) lives in NYC.

@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM SARAH E. WIFEY

ABOUT WIFEY Cast & Crew

Riley Cavanaugh (Lighting Designer and Operator) is a New York based lighting designer attending Pace University. His recent works include Kelly [1955] at the New York Theater Festival, and Sam Shepard’s Mad Dog Blues and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, both at The Hive NYC. Upcoming works include the The Meiser and The Game of Love and Chance, both at the Festival of L’Atelier Theater, and Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania this summer. Find Riley at rileycavanaughdesign.com and on Instagram @rileycavanaughdesign

Sarah E. (Writer, Director, Co-Producer) is a writer and director who enjoys experimental and abstract art, theatre, film, collage, photography, and movement. An attorney by day, Sarah is learning how to combine art and law to write stories for change. www.sarah-e.com.

Deepum Patel (Marketing Strategist) is a strategic growth advisor, aspiring writer, and yoga teacher based out of Atlanta.

Greg Swanson (Co-Producer) is an attorney living in NYC.

Viagnette Vélez (Props/Costumes) A painter. Born in Brooklyn, raised in Jersey, with Ecuadorian blood. Viagnette got her feet wet in this industry by being the Event Assistant Coordinator for RAW ARTISTS, managing visual artists, performers, and venues throughout New Jersey. She is currently the resident artist for the band Drum and a Tantrum, which uses her stencil work to promote their music.

@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM SARAH E. WIFEY

WIFEY Special Thanks Dixon Place for showcasing the world premiere of WIFEY on June 15, 2019, Abrons Arts Center for hosting WIFEY as part of the @Abrons Series on June 21 and 22, 2019, Drum and a Tantrum for composing experimental music for many of the scenes, Mike Tedesco for composing a version of the lullaby, MILCK for granting us permission to use her hit song Quiet, Michael Bond for contributing his emotional piano excerpt, Joel Chokkattu for assisting with audio, video, and creating promotional material, Daryl Hope for assisting with audio, Shieva Salehnia for spending hours reading through and commenting on earlier drafts, Varuni Sinha for reviewing earlier drafts and creating promotional material, and Brian Gresko for offering his sage wisdom on the writing.

@ABRONS SERIES PROGRAM ABOUT @ABRONS SERIES ABRONS FUNDING

The @Abrons Series Program is a subsidized theater rental program that American Chai Trust provides access to our spaces as well as production services at subsidized Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation rates. While @Abrons is not curated, priority is given to shows and events The Barker Welfare Foundation that align with our mission and that are commitment to anti-oppression. For Bulova Stetson Fund shows, events or artistic projects working to build community projects that are socially or civically inclusive – yet have very small budgets – there is an Exploring the Arts, Inc. application for an extra–subsidized rate available below. FACE Foundation Find Your Light Foundation For tickets and show times visit abronsartscenter.org Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation, Inc. For theater rental inquiries please contact Jon Harper, Director of Operations. The Harkness Foundation for Dance The Jerome Foundation Kinder Morgan Foundation ABOUT ABRONS The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation The Emily Davie & Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation Abrons Arts Center is a home for contemporary interdisciplinary arts in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. A core program of the Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Mertz Gilmore Foundation believes that access to the arts is essential to a free and healthy society. Through Multi-Arts Production Fund performance presentations, exhibitions, education programs and residencies, Abrons Stavros Niarchos Foundation mobilizes communities with the transformative power of art. Jerome Robbins Foundation Abrons Arts Center values freedom of expression and creativity, ever striving to Scherman Foundation provide creative communities with a space that celebrates diversity of thought and The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust experience. Abrons aims to be an anti-oppressive home to people from all backgrounds Trust for Mutual Understanding and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, citizen status, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender identity. As definitions of expression New York City Council member Margaret Chin and inclusion evolve, Abrons is committed to continually revising this statement in collaboration with our communities. New York City Council member Carlina Rivera New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Indigenous Land Acknowledgment New York State Council on the Arts Abrons Arts Center is situated on the Lenape island of Manhahtaan (Mannahatta). We pay respect to Lenape peoples and ancestors past, present, and future, and acknowledge our reliance on the land and waters of Lenapehoking, the Lenape homeland. We offer our care and gratitude to Lenapehoking, and are committed to resisting colonialism through the support of Indigenous-led programming and Indigenous artistic practices. You are welcome here.

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