WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE TROUPE

NATE JACOBS FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR presents

CONCEIVED AND PERFORMED BY NATE JACOBS PLAY BY NATE JACOBS* AND JULIAN OLF DIRECTOR JULIAN OLF

Scenic Conceptualization Property Master Production Manager Julian Olf Annette Breazeale James E. Dodge II Costume Design Production Stage Manager Patricia Vandenberg Juanita Munford* August 19–20, 2016 (Original run dates) Streaming Feb 12-March 28, 2021

THE VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PERFORMANCE BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

* Members of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

WBTT THEATRE Visit us online at: 1646 10th Way westcoastblacktheatre.org Sarasota, Florida 34236 (941) 366-1505 A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Not long after my wife and I he would consider me for this had settled in Sarasota, we were project, I feared at first that invited to have dinner with a small my cultural background put group of local theatre people. me at too great a remove from Someone asked us if we had a character based on Nate’s yet met Aunt Rudele. When we southern grandmother. But after said we had not, Nate Jacobs examining old sketches, scripts was urged to introduce us. He and clips of Rudele, I concluded pushed back his chair, rose, and that the character transcends instantly vanished. In his place time, space and culture; that for stood a woman larger than life all her outrageous brashness she — bold, brash, irreverent and touches a deep human chord; comical. We laughed riotously as that with Nate’s help I could this woman harangued members sufficiently train my ear to convey of her invisible family with a her idiom accurately; and that I sassy tongue, a large heart and could devise a dramatic vessel a twinkle in her eye. In short, that would transition Rudele from we found Aunt Rudele utterly sketch comedy to dramatic art. irresistible! Perhaps most importantly, I felt A year later, while at lunch with empowered by Nate’s trust in my Nate, I confessed to having not ability to accomplish these things. been able to get Rudele out of As a director it has been a great my mind. Nate told me the story privilege to work with Nate of how she had been made her Jacobs. He is a master artist, debut at Florida A&M where he with an innate sense of comic embodied her to entertain his timing, a fertile imagination, and college pals. a voice that’s flexible, powerful, Periodically over the years, in and imbued with great musicality. one venue or another, Nate Theatre at its core is magical, entertained audiences in Sarasota and Nate has given this director and beyond with sketches the material with which to create and dramatic renditions of his an entire world using little more glorious character. But now he than voice and movement. Finally, felt it was time to “bring Rudele a deep expression of gratitude to the next level.” We discussed to my wife, the designer Patricia the possibility of my co-writing Vandenberg, who so expertly and directing a new version of served as Ms. Rudele’s personal Aunt Rudele’s Family Reunion. stylist. While terribly flattered that JULIAN OLF CAST AND CREATIVE

NATE JACOBS* (Actor/ JULIAN OLF (Co-Author/ Co-Author/Founder & Director) is currently a Artistic Director) is a Sarasota-based director driving force in Florida’s and playwright. He theater scene. An previously directed actor, singer, comedian, and taught playwriting playwright, composer, and screenwriting and director, he founded at the University of WBTT in December 1999. This graduate of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he also Florida A&M University works extensively served as Theater Department Chair. in the community training and mentoring His plays have been seen in New York, youth in the performing arts. Nate Boston, Los Angeles, Baton Rouge, and has directed, acted, and written many Vancouver. His comedy, 1-900-SEX-DATE, shows. His co-adaptation of Celebrating won the Nantucket Short Play Award Greatness was featured on CBS’s Street and has been produced widely. It was Stories with Ed Bradley. His original one- published this summer in The Nantucket’s man comedy show, Aunt Rudele’s Family Short Play Anthology: Winning Plays. Reunion, was selected for the Zora Neale His one-character play, (PEOPLE Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Fla, and ALMOST ALWAYS SMELL GOOD IN THE the National Black Theatre Festival, and ART MUSEUM), was published by The was performed in New York at PS-NBC’s Massachusetts Review and nominated for “new comedic talent” event. Nate has a Pushcart Prize. In 2012 his play JUDITH received numerous honors. As a result of won a Julie Harris Playwright Prize. Also his outstanding contributions to young that year, his short comedy SKUNKY people, the Sarasota County Branch had an Equity workshop reading at the NAACP Youth Council recognized Nate Abingdon Theatre (NYC) and was later as one of the 2012 “Men of Valor.” In staged by the Roxbury Repertory Theatre the spring of 2013, Nate was inducted (Boston) and by Towne Street Players at into Sarasota’s Community Video the Stella Adler Theatre (L.A.). In 2013 his Archives “Hall of Fame.” Nate and the play TWINS opened the 10th Anniversary other five founding members of WBTT Season of the Boston Actor’s Theater. Also were honored by Second Chance, Last in 2013, his short play WAR HERO was Opportunity at its “Share the Light” staged by Theatre Odyssey of Sarasota luncheon in September 2014. Biz(941) and by the Salem Theater Company. In and La Guia magazines named Nate the the area of film, his screenplay, ANTHONY, 2015 Unity Award Arts winner for being inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, won a champion of diversity. Most recently, a Gold Award at WorldFest International Nate was honored at the 2015 National Film Festival, Houston, and received an Black Theatre Festival with the prestigious industry reading by The Drama Garage of “Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award” for Hollywood. He directed Yazmina Reza’s his contributions to Black and American ART for the final season of the Banyan theatre. Nate wishes to acknowledge his Theatre Company in Sarasota. gratitude to the late Larry Leon Hamlin for his contributions to an early production of this play. CAST AND CREATIVE

PATRICIA VANDENBERG (Costume Horrors. The Sarasota native is the proud Designer) holds graduate degrees in mother of two girls and, since 1996, the costume design and theatre history owner of Cristy’s Custom Sewing. from the University of Michigan and has published on costume in “Theatre JUANITA MUNFORD* (Lighting/Production Design and Technology.” She designed Stage Manager) has extensive experience for theatre and dance both professionally as a stage manager. This Manchester, N.H. and in academic settings. She served native attended St. Michael’s College in on the Board of the Association for Winooski, Vt. After working in St. Michael’s Theatre in Higher Education and was an Playhouse, she moved to Sarasota in 1983 adjudicator for the American College and became the stage manager for more Theatre Festival. She taught theatre at than 90 shows at the Asolo Repertory Hope College, Mount Holyoke College Theatre. Juanita’s first stage managing and Calvin College, where she served as role with WBTT was with the show Marvin Chair of the Theatre Program. She has Gaye: The Man & His Music in 2011 and she been a communications consultant to a has served in that role ever since. She is wide array of organizations, ranging from very proud to be working with Nate Jacobs nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. and the amazing people at WBTT. Juanita On the graduate and post-graduate lives in Sarasota with her menagerie of level she has taught at the University of pets. Massachusetts School of Management and at the Smith College Leadership Program ANNETTE BREAZEALE (Property Master) for Executive Women. Most recently, Dr. has designed props for area stages Vandenberg served as Executive Director including the Banyan Theatre Company of Communications and Marketing at and the FSU Conservatory at the Asolo Mount Holyoke College. Theatre. In addition, she has worked as Art Director and Production Designer for CRISTY OWEN (Costumer/Resident national and international feature films and Costume Designer) graduated from the music videos. She would like to thank Nate International Academy of Design in 1997. Jacobs for the opportunity to work with She has assisted in several productions as such a talented and inspirational group of a seamstress and made her debut as head theatre artists. costume designer in WBTT’s Little Shop of

PRODUCTION STAFF

Resident Costume Designer...... Cristy Owen Resident Property Master...... Annette Breazeale Wardrobe/Stage Crew...... Cristy Owen, Michael Mendez House Manager...... Myllanna McKinnon Box Office Manager...... Eleanor Miller Box Office Assistants...... Naquila Gregory, Margaret Lindsey, Katelyn McKelley Facilities Custodian...... Gerald Law