wexner center for the arts THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

PRESENTS

world premiere Wexner Center Artist Residency Award Project Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company STRAIGHT WHITE MEN

THU–SAT, APR 10–12 | 8 pm SUN, APR 13 | 2 pm Performance Space

2013–14 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON world premiere Thank you for Wexner Center Artist Residency Award Project Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company joining us at tonight’s STRAIGHT WHITE MEN THU–SAT, APR 10–12 | 8 pm performance. SUN, APR 13 | 2 pm Performance Space

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN is a production by a nonprofit real estate organization Special thanks to all Wexner Center Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company. It dedicated to expanding the supply of long- was commissioned by the Wexner Center term, affordable rehearsal and studio space members and sponsors. Your support makes for the Arts at The Ohio State University; for NYC artists. Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles; This presentation of Young Jean Lee’s this event possible. steirischer herbst festival, Graz; Les Theater Company’s STRAIGHT WHITE MEN spectacles vivants—Centre Pompidou, is made possible with funding by the Paris; Festival d’Automne à Paris; and The The Wexner Center for the Arts is your one-stop New England Foundation for the Arts’ Public Theater, New York. National Theater Project, with lead source for everything in the contemporary arts. Funding support for the creative funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Come back and check out our groundbreaking development of STRAIGHT WHITE Foundation. Additional support is provided MEN was provided by the Doris Duke by the National Endowment for the Arts. exhibitions, films, theater, dance, music, and Performing Artists Awards program; Major support for the Wexner Center’s the New England Foundation for the 2013–14 performing arts season is programs for all ages. Visit the acclaimed Arts’ National Theater Project, with generously provided by the Doris Duke lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Wexner Center Store and try treats from Charitable Foundation. Foundation; the MAP Fund, supported by Heirloom in our café. the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Accommodations are provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the The Blackwell Inn. National Endowment for the Arts; and The Wexner Center receives FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND the New York State Council on the Arts, a general operating support from the INSTAGRAM. FIND MORE AT WEXARTS.ORG. state agency. Greater Columbus Arts Council, STRAIGHT WHITE MEN was developed The Columbus Foundation, Nationwide at Brown University’s Department of Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council. Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Generous support is also provided by the POLICIES Providence, RI. Residency support was Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Late seating and reentry after the program has begun are generally not permitted at provided by the Park Avenue Armory, Center Foundation and Wexner Center dance and theater presentations. When late seating is permitted, latecomers will be SPACE on Ryder Farm, Columbia members. seated during a break so as not to disturb other patrons. University, and Spaceworks NYC,

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COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF BLAINE DAVIS PROGRAM PROGRAM NOTES

Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company Young Jean Lee’s latest experiment, STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, uses the form of the conventional play to examine what happens when people STRAIGHT WHITE MEN lose their greatest privilege: not having to think about their privilege. Written and DIRECTED by ...... Young Jean Lee Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company produced by ...... Aaron Rosenblum artistic director. . . . . Young Jean Lee CAST (in order of appearance) producer...... Aaron Rosenblum associate producer. . . . Matthew Kagen jake ...... Scott Shepherd associate director. . . . Emilyn Kowaleski drew...... Pete Simpson ed...... Austin Pendleton* matt ...... James Stanley Find out more about our upcoming projects associate director. . . . Emilyn Kowaleski and tours at youngjeanlee.org scenic design...... David Evans Morris The company wishes to individually thank Chuck Helm, Morgan Gould, Costume design...... Enver Chakartash Antje Oegel, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Oskar Eustis, lighting design...... Chris Kuhl Maria Goyanes, Kristy Edmunds, Diane Rodriguez, Marie Collin, sound design...... Chris Giarmo Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Annemie Vanackere, Rebecca Schneider, ...... Jamie McElhinney Barbara Reo, Emily Bruce, Zachery Rufa, and David Milch. blocking ...... Faye Driscoll ...... Emilyn Kowaleski ...... Young Jean Lee choreography, Fight choreography, and Movement...... Faye Driscoll dramaturgy...... Mike Farry associate producer. . . . Matthew Kagen production and stage manager ...... Chloë Z. Brown technical director. . . . Nathan Lemoine assistant Stage Manager ...... Stephanie Byrnes Harrell propsmaster...... Elizabeth Sargent associate dramaturg. . . Eric Shethar assistant directors . . . .Braulio Cruz ...... Kaela Garvin ...... Julia Mounsey ...... Zachary Segel assistant scenic design. . Cate McCrea assistant Costume design...... Christine Stevenson understudies...... Zachary Segel ...... Gerrit Thurston

*The actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. WEXNER CENTER BIOGRAPHIES ARTIST RESIDENCY AWARD

Each season key artists are selected by each of the Wexner Young Jean Lee (writer/director) has been called “the most Center’s program areas for support through the Wexner adventurous downtown playwright of her generation” (New Center Artist Residency program, which enables artists to York Times) and “one of the best experimental playwrights in have the opportunity for research and the realization of their America” (Time Out New York). She has written and directed artistic ambitions with the resources provided by the Wexner nine shows in New York with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Center or other partners on The Ohio State University’s Company and toured her work to over thirty cities around campus and in the community. In 2013–14 Young Jean Lee’s the world. She is a resident filmmaker at the Wooster Group; Theater Company is the recipient of the Wexner Center Artist made an album, WE’RE GONNA DIE, with her band Future Residency Award in performing arts. This is the second time Wife; and directed the short film Here Come the Girls (Locarno Young Jean Lee has been invited for this opportunity. In 2008 International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival). Her plays she finalized and premiered her work THE SHIPMENT at the have been published by Theatre Communications Group (Songs Wexner Center as part of this program. THE SHIPMENT went of the Dragons Flying to Heaven and Other Plays, THE SHIPMENT, on to be acclaimed as one of her finest and most provocative and Lear) and by Samuel French (Three Plays by Young Jean productions and was seen worldwide with its extensive Lee). Young Jean Lee is currently under commission from touring. This season, we first presented Young Jean Lee with Lincoln Center Theater, Playwrights Horizons, and the Oregon her indie rock band Future Wife in two performances of her Shakespeare Festival, and recently completed a screenplay cabaret-style concert production WE’RE GONNA DIE, which commission for Plan B/Paramount Pictures. She has received takes on topics of aging, loss, and mortality through a series grants from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Creative of monologues and songs sung by Young Jean Lee. While Capital, New York Film Academy, National Endowment for at the Wexner Center performing WE’RE GONNA DIE with the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the Jerome Future Wife, Young Jean Lee met informally with students Foundation, the Greenwall Foundation, and the Rockefeller from Ohio State’s Department of Theatre involved in studying MAP Foundation. She is also the recipient of two Obie awards, devised work as well as members of our GenWex organization, the Festival Prize of the Zürcher Theater Spektakel, a 2010 a group of young professionals (or semi-professionals) and Prize in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and art fans, who selected WE’RE GONNA DIE as one of their key events to attend at the center to attend this season. Letters, a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2012 Doris Duke Artist Award, and a 2013 Doris Duke Artist Residency. She is currently In conjunction with the creative residency to finalize and working on her second short film, A Meaning Full Life, starring premiere STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, Young Jean Lee had Paul Lazar, Wallace Shawn, and Kate Valk. a discussion with students in a playwriting class at the Department of Theatre that touched on her past approaches to writing, as well as her choice to take on the challenge of writing in a “straight play” form for STRAIGHT WHITE MEN with an emphasis on a linear narrative and more conventional scenic and design concepts. These students also had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal for STRAIGHT WHITE MEN and to participate in the postperformance discussion with Young Jean Lee, the cast, and the audience to gain further perspectives on the finished production. Ohio State students involved in with Asian studies and gender studies were also invited to these sessions. It is gratifying to see the evolution of Young Jean Lee—a leading theater maker of our times—take shape at the Wexner Center through our artist-in-residence program and to share the outcome of her latest efforts with our audience and students at Ohio State. BIOGRAPHIES

Austin Pendleton (actor) has most recently been seen Pete Simpson (actor) has been working and touring as an actor in New York in Choir Boy (Manhattan Theatre internationally with many of New York’s most acclaimed Club), Playing Sinatra (Theatre for the New City), and in Vieux experimental theater and dance artists, performing multiple Carré and SeaGull69 (for Mississippi Mud, a company with principal roles with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company, which he frequently works). His most recent films, yet to be Elevator Repair Service, Richard Maxwell, the Wooster Group, released, are Squirrels to Nuts (a Peter Bogdonavich film), and Big Dance Theater, Susan Marshall, Half Straddle, Will Eno, The Mend, with Josh Lucas. He is also a director, a playwright, Ethan Lipton, Richard Foreman, Julia Jarcho, and Christina and a teacher of acting at HB Studio, where he first studied Masciotti. In addition to direction, marketing, writing, and with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof. Austin is a member of training roles with the acclaimed Blue Man Group, Pete has the Ensemble at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, where he also performed the Blue Man character over 3,500 times in 6 recently directed Tribes and acted in Cormac McCarthy’s play countries, including stage appearances and recordings with The Sunset Limited, which later appeared in New York at 59E59 David Bowie, Moby, Alicia Keys, film score composer John Theaters. He most recently directed the New York premiere Powell, and Kodo. He has appeared in the films Morning Glory of Gidion’s Knot, by Johnna Adams, also at 59E59. Austin and Stefan, as well as on television in Law and Order and Late apprenticed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where he Night with Conan O’Brien. His regional appearances include the has acted and directed (and where all of his plays have been Denver Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and produced) for many years. Westport Country Playhouse.

Scott Shepherd (actor) has performed with the Wooster James Stanley (actor) is a New York–based actor, writer, Group for over 15 years, appearing in Cry, Trojans!; Vieux Carré; designer, and performer who previously worked with Young Hamlet; The Emperor Jones; La Didone; Poor Theater; Brace Up!; To Jean Lee on The Appeal (Soho Rep). As an actor he has performed You, The Birdie!; North Atlantic; and The Hairy Ape. He has also in work by Hal Hartley, Thomas Bradshaw, Yehuda Duenyas, worked extensively with Elevator Repair Service, most recently Phil Soltanoff, Julie Atlas Muz, and Richard Maxwell. He is a as the narrator of Gatz, a marathon staging of the unabridged founder and co-artistic director of the Obie Award–winning text of The Great Gatsby that played in London’s West End, at National Theater of the United States of America (NTUSA) and the Public Theater in New York, and in 21 other cities around has been a primary collaborator on all of their work. He was the world. He has received two Obie Awards, for Gatz and Poor the writer of the NTUSA hits Garvey & Superpant$: Episode #23; Theater. Other theater credits include Blood Knot, directed by Placebo Sunrise; ABSN:RJAB; and Chautauqua! He recently directed Athol Fugard, and The Village Bike (May 2014), directed by Sam Normandy Raven Sherwood’s The Golden Veil at the Kitchen Gold. Films include Meanwhile, Side Effects, and And So It Goes. (New York) and also produced a record of the show’s music. James is also a media scholar who teaches classes in media history and criticism at NYU, where he is pursuing his PhD in the Department of Media Culture and Communication. From 2011 to 2012, James was an assistant editor for the interdisciplinary scholarly journal Public Culture, where he helped to launch the book review website publicbooks.org. BIOGRAPHIES

David Evans Morris (scenic designer) makes original Jamie McElhinney (co-sound designer/composer) is a New performance works and scenographic environments for York–based sound designer, engineer, and system consultant. the theater. His works with Young Jean Lee include Untitled Jamie has worked on hundreds of music, theater, dance, and Feminist Show, Lear, and THE SHIPMENT. He co-conceived visual art performances and installations in venues all over and designed the set for Orpheus, an alt-rock opera directed the world. His selected work includes audio system design by Kristin Marting and based on the classical myth, whose for Isaac Julien’s Ten Thousand Waves exhibit at MoMA (New design was included in the US exhibition at the 2007 Prague York); head of audio and front of house engineer for the 2013 Quadrennial. Morris also worked with Marting on Erendira, OneBeat International Music Exchange program; head of audio Dead Tech, and Possessed. He co-created and designed the and front of house engineer for the 2013 Celebrate Brooklyn Off-Broadway hit about urban planning, Boozy: The Life, Death, Concert Series at Prospect Park Bandshell; sound designer and and Subsequent Vilification of Le Corbusier and, More Importantly, engineer for Michael Gordon’s Timber at (BAM Fischer); sound Robert Moses, with Les Freres Corbusier (Associate Artist) and designer and engineer for Stop the Virgins, directed by Adam designed sets for the Obie winning A Very Merry Unauthorized Rapp (Sydney Opera House); sound system designer for Children’s Scientology Pageant, The Franklin Thesis, and President WE’RE GONNA DIE by Young Jean Lee (Lincoln Center); Untitled Harding is a Rock Star. David also works regularly with Clubbed Feminist Show by Young Jean Lee (Walker Art Center); sound Thumb (Affiliated Artist), Taylor Mac, and Target Margin designer for Botanica, directed by Jim Findlay (3LD); sound Theater. He holds degrees from the University of Washington engineer for Brooklyn Omnibus by STEW (BAM Harvey Theater); in Seattle and Williams College, where he currently teaches sound designer and engineer for Accinosco’s The Success of design. David has received a Princess Grace Fellowship, a Failure; touring sound engineer for This Clement World, Must Hewes nomination, and is a two-time member of the HERE don’t Whip ‘Um, and Accidental Nostalgia, written by Cynthia Artist Residency Program (HARP), where he has been making Hopkins; and sound designer for Lightning at our Feet, directed Exercises for the Body Politic, an ongoing series of theatrical by Bob McGrathat (BAM Harvey Theater). Jamie was the events about American civic life. music director and lead banjo player with Bob Wonder and the Future Ex-Wives. He was also an international touring sound Christopher Giarmo (co-sound designer/composer) is an engineer with the Young@Heart Chorus show End of the Road, artist, designer, and composer based in New York and co- directed by Roy Faudre. He is a part-time audio engineer at designed Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show. He is resident Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Lincoln Center). Jamie earned his MFA composer of New York–based theater company Half Straddle, in sound design from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) having composed music for all of their shows since 2008, in 2003. including House of Dance (COIL Festival/American Realness, 2014); Seagull (Thinking of you) (COIL Festival, 2014); and Away Uniform (Other Forces, 2012). He has also performed with Big Dance Theater since 2005, composing choral music for their 2011 production of Supernatural Wife (BAM Next Wave, Paris), and is currently touring as a performer and music director of Man in a Case with Mikhail Baryshnikov. Recent sound design/ composition credits include Faye Driscoll’s You’re Me, Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud to Present a Presentation..., and Mac Wellman’s 3 2’s; or AFAR. Chris has a solo music project called Boys Don’t Fight and is co-creator of Homoflix, a queer film review blog with Jess Barbagallo. boysdontfight.com | homoflix.wordpress.com BIOGRAPHIES

Chris Kuhl (lighting designer) is a lighting, scenic, installation, Faye Driscoll (choreographer) is a Bessie Award–winning and conceptual designer for new performance, theater, dance, choreographer and director. Her works include Thank You for and opera shows. Recent work includes Abacus (Sundance Coming: Attendance (2014); You’re Me (2012); There is so much Film Festival, EMPAC, REDCAT); The Elephant Room (St. Ann’s mad in me (2010); 837 Venice Boulevard (2008); and Wow Mom, Warehouse, Philly Fringe, Arena Stage, MCA Chicago, CTG); Wow (2007). Driscoll is the recipient of a 2013 Guggenheim Quartier Libres with Nadia Beugré (New York Live Arts, Walker Fellowship, a 2013 Creative Capital performing arts award, Art Center); The Object Lesson with Geoff Sobell (Philly Fringe); and a 2013 Foundation for Contemporary Arts grant. She was Soldier Songs (Prototype Festival); Ethel’s Documerica (BAM awarded a 2013 Alumni New Works award from Headlands Next Wave); John Cage Song Books with the San Francisco Center for the Arts, where she was first in residence in 2011. Symphony (Carnegie Hall); Motherhood Out Loud (Primary She was a 2011 Choreographic Fellow at the Maggie Allesee Stages); The Nether (Center Theatre Group. 2013 Ovation National Center for Choreography, and an Artist-­in-Residence Award); Open Meadow (Hand2Mouth Theatre). He has had at Baryshnikov Arts Center, The 92nd Street Y, and Park the pleasure of working and making art at On the Boards; Avenue Armory. Her own work has been commissioned by the Fusebox Festival; the Kennedy Center; YBCA; Jacob’s Danspace Project, The Kitchen, Dance Theater Workshop, Pillow; LA Opera; Santa Fe Opera; Beijing Music Festival; and HERE, and further presented at Wexner Center for the Queer Zagreb; KVS, Belgium; MAC, France; and Santiago a Arts, ICA/Boston, Fusebox Festival, UCLA, CounterPULSE, Mil International Theater Festival, Chile. Chris was also the American Dance Festival, American Realness Festival, and lighting director for Ralph Lemon’s How Can You Stay in the The Yard. She has also collaborated extensively with theater House All Day and Not Go Anywhere? (BAM Next Wave). In 2011, and performance artists including Young Jean Lee, Cynthia Chris was the recipient of the Sherwood, Drammy, Horton, Hopkins, Taylor Mac, Jennifer Miller, and NTUSA. and Ovation Awards. He is originally from New Mexico, a fayedriscoll.com graduate of CalArts, an associate artist of Hand2Mouth Theater, and codirector of Live Arts Exchange (LAX). Aaron Rosenblum (producer) works extensively in theater, dance, and music production. He is currently the producer Enver Chakartash (costume designer) is a costume designer for Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company, Big Dance Theater, and performer. He is a member of the Wooster Group, and and Half Straddle and is developing a new project with David with the group has coordinated costumes for North Atlantic, Byrne. Over the years he has also worked with Dan Hurlin, Vieux Carré, and Hamlet. In other group productions, he was Cynthia Hopkins, Lou Reed, David Zambrano, and many others. costume designer and performer including Early Plays (directed Prior to working as an independent producer, Rosenblum was by Richard Maxwell) and assistant costumes for Cry, Trojans! on staff at both St. Ann’s Warehouse (general manager) and Other costume design credits include Seagull (Thinking of You) Dance Theater Workshop (marketing). He holds a Bachelor’s (Half Straddle, directed by Tina Satter) and recently House of of Fine Arts from Emerson College in Theater Production and Dance (written and directed by Tina Satter). Management and lives in Portland, Oregon. BIOGRAPHIES

Emilyn Kowaleski (associate director) is a New York–based Chloë Z. Brown (stage manager) is a Brooklyn-based lighting writer, director, and performer. She graduated from New York designer, production manager, and stage manager. She was University in 2012, earning a BFA in drama at Tisch School of the director of production at New York Live Arts and Dance the Arts Experimental Theatre Wing with a double major in Theater Workshop (2002–13). In her work as a designer she psychology. Emilyn has assisted a handful of experimental has collaborated with such artists as Ivy Baldwin, Andrew theater companies across the country, including Shotgun Dinwiddie, Jeanine Durning, Juliana F. May, Sarah Maxfield, Players (CA), foolsFURY Theater Company (CA), Mondo Bizzaro David Neumann, Heather Olson, Brian Rogers, Vicky Shick, and (LA), Elevator Repair Service (NYC), and Big Dance Theater Chris Yon. In 2005, she was honored with a Bessie Award for (NYC). She associate directed Young Jean Lee’s recent run of her lighting of Amanda Loulaki’s La la la la, Resistance WE’RE GONNA DIE at LCT3 and is a proud new addition to the (The Island of Breezes) at DTW. company. She is the co-founder (2007) and advisor for a CA- based, student-led performing arts organization, Performers Stephanie Byrnes Harrell (assistant stage manager) has a for Progress, and the lead singer/songwriter for the music BFA in modern dance performance and choreography from project Red Queen on the River (2012). Emilyn is the writer/ the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She was a director of Throw.Me.Under.World, an experimental musical production intern at Dance Theater Workshop (2009–10 based on Greek mythology (2012). She is currently developing season) and the production stage manager with Gallim a play called Root of the Rosebush based on interviews divulging Dance (2011–13, touring internationally with them), as well as people’s romantic history from first crush to present day. managing New York seasons at the JCC in Manhattan, BAC , emilynkowaleski.com and in BAM’s new Fisher Space. She just recently completed a European tour with the Limón Dance Company. Stephanie Matthew Kagen (associate producer) is a Philadelphia- will be stage managing for Ivy Baldwin as part of the 2014 born creative producer, writer, and unapologetic idealist. He BAM Next Wave Festival. Other artists Stephanie has worked has worked with Elevator Repair Service, ArKtype/Thomas with include choreographers Vicky Shick, Natalie Green, O. Kriegsmann, Anne Hamburger, Under The Radar Festival Juliana F. May, and Carlota Santana with Flamenco Vivo (Public Theater), 101 Productions, Manhattan Theatre Club, Carlota Santana, and lighting designers Chloë Brown, and Roundabout Theatre Company in management and Vincent Vigilante, and Ashley Vellano. producing capacities. Independent projects include folk- bluegrass band Eli Zoller and The O, Pioneer Band (Joe’s Pub/54 Below), a 100-actor adaptation of the Spoon River Anthology (Jimmy Maize, dir.), and a site-specific experience, Port Cities NYC. He has a MFA in theatre management and producing from Columbia University.

Nathan Lemoine (technical director) has worked with numerous companies and venues, including Baryshnikov Productions, The Civilians, NTUSA, International WOW Company, Half Straddle, The Foundry, 3LD, The Ohio Theater, PS 122, and Ontological-Hysteric Theater. He has an MFA in directing from Ohio University and has also studied at CalArts. UPCOMING NEXT@WEX EVENT Saintseneca Dark Arc Album Release Show

with special guests Way Yes and Old Hundred

“A singer-songwriter who combines folk instrumentation with punk rock intensity, penning songs that start with a twang and end with a bang.” —time out chicago on saintseneca

SAT, APR 19 | 8 pm performance space

Rising Columbus-based indie folk band Saintseneca (labelmates with Wilco, Tom Waits, and Neko Case) celebrate the release of their second album, Dark Arc, at the Wex. Join us for this evening showcasing Columbus’s robust indie scene.

This show standing room only. IMAGE: COURTESY OF SAINTSENECA OF COURTESY IMAGE:

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