WHAT’S INSIDE From the Managing Director | 5 Miller, Mississippi | 7 Cast | 8 Dramaturgy | 9-11 The Creative Team | 12-14 Board of Trustees | 15 Staff | 16 Annual Giving | 17-22 General Information | 27 ADVERTISING Onstage Publications Advertising Department 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 e-mail: [email protected] www.onstagepublications.com This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, 1612 Prosser Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Onstage Publications is a division of Just Business, Inc. Contents ©2019. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. LONG WHARF THEATRE | 2018–19 3 from the MANAGING DIRECTOR Welcome to Miller, Mississippi! This show represents a number of firsts for Long Wharf–it is the first play from our New Works Festival to receive a full production at Long Wharf. It is the first time we have produced a play by the talented Boo Killebrew, who was identified as a rising star by Theatre Communications Group, among many accolades and accomplishments. It is also the first time we have brought Lee Sunday Evans here to direct. To work on this play under her keen artistic eye has been an exciting endeavor. Upon first reading, the staff immediately loved this story. Its scope is quite ambitious–it examines the civil rights movement through the eyes of a family which benefits from the status quo. Within this larger cultural context, Boo weaves intimate narratives for each character. This play reminds us that when we look at social movements, there are a myriad of personal stories integrated into that grand arc of history, and we find that this play tied the two together in profound ways. In addition, we find Miller, Mississippi to be timely. The reality is that our country continues to suffer from a legacy of racism, white supremacy, and intolerance. There have been even more events since we selected this play a year ago to illustrate these sad, and too often reoccurring, circumstances. By studying this period and by understanding this story, perhaps we will be able to have a fresh insight on where we are. Maybe we will even be inspired to be a part of the necessary work to finally reconcile this part of our past. I would be curious to hear your thoughts–please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Finally, this program note will be my last, at least for the moment. As you are aware, Jacob G. Padrón is joining us as our new artistic director on February 1. I am personally so excited to have him as a partner, and I am confident that you will be delighted to get know him and his work over the coming years. There are so many people to thank during this transition. Our board, led by the brilliant Laura Pappano, banded together in remarkable ways. Our staff, currently led by Nicole Bouclier, Drew Gray, Kit Ingui, Betty Monz, Madelyn Newman, and Mikey Rohrer, continued to produce beautiful theatre during a difficult period. I should also acknowledge Steve Scarpa and Mike Wyant, two other department heads who have since left, but have played key roles in this transition. Finally, I owe much to my family, especially my wife Kate, who remained a beacon in stormy seas. LONG WHARF THEATRE | 2018–19 5 the CREATIVE TEAM CHARLOTTE BOOKER (Mildred Miller, Mississippi (Dallas Theatre Center); Residence Miller) is delighted to make her (Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival); Long Wharf Theatre debut. New Appropriate, The Whale, We Are Proud to Present… York credits include both Broadway (Victory Gardens Theatre); Buena Vista, The Glass revivals of Born Yesterday and Menagerie, The Hot L Baltimore (Steppenwolf Off/Off-off productions of Leave Theatre); The Diary Of Anne Frank (Writers Theatre); Me Green, Take Me Back, Ten Chimneys, Five The Commons of Pensacola (Northlight Theatre); Genocides, Deathbed, Fugue, Psycho Beach Party, 4000 Miles (Long Wharf Theatre); Punk Rock (Griffin and Bitch! which she also wrote. Over 30 years Theatre); Ten Chimneys (Milwaukee Repertory). Film/ of regional roles include Big Mama in Cat on a TV: Chicago Med; Patriot; Olympia. Hot Tin Roof, Touchstone in an all-female As You Like It, Deirdre in The Humans, Edie in Visitors, 3 JACOB PERKINS (John Miller) different Steel Magnolias, Marty in Circle Mirror is a writer and performer. His plays Transformation, Ann Landers in Lady with All the include the Home Church Play Answers, Mrs. Webb in Our Town, Virginia in Clean triptych; The Gold Room, Restaurant House, and many more at theatres all over the in D Major, and The Third Rail. place. Don’t blink and you’ll see her in the films He’s presented work at Ars Nova, Inside Llewyn Davis, Brazzaville Teenager, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Page 73 @ Love and Support. Numerous TV appearances Yale, Soho Rep., Two Headed Rep, Studio Tisch/ include “Power,” “Bluebloods,” “Gaffigan,” “Boardwalk NYU, Gibney Dance Center, Clemente Soto Velez Empire,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and lots Cultural Center, and the NEWvember Festival, of sitcom reruns. www.charlottebooker.com. among others. He won the inaugural DVRF/O’Henry Productions Emerging Playwright Award, was RODERICK HILL (Thomas shortlisted for multiple O’Neill Theater Center Miller) Broadway: Butley, Lestat. Off National Playwrights Conferences’, and received Broadway: Stalking The Bogeyman an Honorable Mention for the American Playwriting (New World Stages); Unnatural Foundation’s Relentless Award. Alumnus of both Acts (CSC); Days To Come, Mary Ars Nova Play Group and alumnus of Soho Rep Broome, The Return of The Prodigal Writer/Director Lab. As an actor, he last appeared (Mint Theater); The Irish Curse (Soho Playhouse); in Alexander Borinsky’s Ding Dong It’s the Ocean Cymbeline (RSC/Theatre For A New Audience); (dir. Jeremy Bloom) at JACK. Upcoming: The Mar Trans-Euro Express (Irish Arts Center). Selected Vista at Signature Theatre. www.jacobdperkins.com. Regional credits include: Smart People, What The Butler Saw (Huntington); Singing Forest (Long BENJA KAY THOMAS (Doris Wharf); The Picture of Dorian Gray (Roundhouse); Stevenson/Ruby) Long Wharf Debut. Diosa (Hartford Stage); “Master Harold”… and the Off Broadway: Barbecue, Twelfth Boys (Playmakers Rep); Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Night Workshop (Public Theater); & Co.). Film and Television: Run All Night, King Jazz (Baltimore Center Stage Kelly, The Heart Machine, Song One, Kinsey, dir: Kwame Kwei-Armah); Miller, Strays, Life is what happens..., “The Newsroom,” Mississippi (Alley Theater W.S.); Booty Candy (Obie “Louie,” “Longmire,” “Unforgettable,” “Elementary,” Award Winner, Playwrights Horizons). Addition “Instinct,” “Doubt,” “Person Of Interest,” “The Regional: Alley Theater, Wilma Theater. Television Good Wife,” “Madam Secretary,” "Law & Order,” and Film: “Gotham,” “Friends of The People,” “Chappelle’s Show,” and "Stranger’s With Candy.” “A Beautiful Distraction” (Netflix), Detective Roderick is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Chinatown 2, ICReep, Chronically Metropolitan, The Interlochen Arts Academy. Warrior Class, A Gun or Jennifer. LEAH KARPEL (Becky Miller) BOO KILLEBREW (Playwright) is a playwright, Off-Broadway: Lewiston/Clarkston actress, and co-founder of CollaborationTown (Rattlestick); The Harvest (LCT3); Theatre Company. Boo was a Lila Acheson Pocatello (Playwrights Horizons); Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School and Porto (Women’s Project). Regional: the recipient of The Paula Vogel Award at The 12 LONG WHARF THEATRE | 2018–19 the CREATIVE TEAM Vineyard Theater. She is a resident of The SPACE by Jerry Lieblich (Clubbed Thumb), A Beautiful Day Working Farm, an alumni of the Emerging in November on the Banks of the Greatest of Writers Group at The Public Theater, a recipient the Great Lakes by Kate Benson (Obie Award - of a NYFA Fellowship, an alumni of TerraNova’s New Georges/WP Theater). Additionally, she Groundbreakers, an Affiliated Artist and Kitchen creates collaboratively devised work with Cabinet Member with New Georges, and a Usual CollaborationTown, their next production The Suspect with New Theater Workshop. Her plays Riddle of the Trilobites will premiere in Flint, include Miller, Mississippi (The Leah Ryan Prize Michigan in 2019. Her work has been presented/ 2015, Dallas Theatre Center 2017); Romance developed at Baryshnikov Arts Center, Sundance Novels for Dummies (Williamstown Theatre Theater Lab, BAX, CATCH, LMCC, Robert Wilson’s Festival, 2016), Days Like Diamonds, The Play Watermill Center, Juilliard among others. She About My Dad, The d Life, Caveat Emptor, and received the 2017 SDC Breakout Award, and The Momentum (NYC Fringe Festival Excellence the 2016 Susan Stroman Directing Award from Award for Overall Production of a Play; GLAAD The Vineyard Theater. Media Award Nominee). Her work has been presented at The Roundabout Theatre, The Public KRISTEN ROBINSON (Set Design) is a NYC Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The based set designer, her work ranges from site- Atlantic, New York Theater Workshop, New specific installations, to outdoor Shakespeare. York Stage and Film, Perry Mansfield, Portland She is thrilled to be working at Long Wharf Center Stage, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, Theatre for the first time. Selected credits include: The Huntington Theatre Co., 59e59 Theatres, The Familiar (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Curious New Ohio, The Labyrinth, The Alley Theatre, and Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Actors Boston Playwright’s Theatre. Boo was an Edward Theatre of Louisville), A Flea In Her Ear (Westport F. Albee Foundation Fellow, an Artist in Residence Country Playhouse), Ethel, (Alliance Theater), at NYFA, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, The Love’s Labour’s Lost (Great Lakes Theatre/Idaho New York Theater Workshop, The MacDowell Shakespeare Festival/Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Colony, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the Festival), Porto (WP Theater), West Side Story Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Boo has (Barrington Stage Company), Heart of Darkness received two New York Innovative Theater (Baryshnikov Arts Center), Minor Character (Under Awards, two Fringe Excellence Awards, and The the Radar Festival).