SATURDAY, JULY 18TH | 6:00 P.M. MDT BIG SKY SUMMER THEATRE FESTIVAL from a distance

Asmeret Ghebremichael, Artistic Director Erin Ortman, Associate Artistic Director Cody Renard Richard, Production Supervisor THREE NEW PREMIERES “Keep Your Head Down” by Ari Afsar Directed by Jess McLeod Animations by Chloe Booher Music Production by Julian Lê Young Asians flee their war-torn country to give their daughter a better life in America, where they pressure her to become a quiet model minority in order to rise. Watching Hmong Officer Tou Thao silently stand by as Derek Chauvin murders George Floyd, she starts to realize the fallacy and cost of that rise, Asian-American complicity in American white supremacy and the need to join the fight.

“uber everywhere” by korde arrington tuttle Directed by Brittany Bradford with Yonatan Gebeyehu and Tsiambwom Akuchu

lorenzo, en route from upper manhattan to brooklyn, retraces his steps after exploitative lines are blurred. at the heart of his probing, the question lingers: does being born into a body like his predispose him to violence?

“You are not in Montana” by Rodrigo Nogueira Directed by Erin Ortman with Danielle Sather, Aila Peck, and Rodrigo Nogueira

“You are not in Montana” narrates a little existential crisis in the life of a man who believes he’s having an in per- son conversation in a theater but soon finds out they’re actually just a projection. Who’s Who

ARI AFSAR is a singer/songwriter with placements on ABC, Please. Go. ( Montana Rep ), The Tempest ( Shakespeare AILA PECK is a regional theatre artist that has found a new Disney, and Amazon. A graduate of Ethnomusicology from on the Manor), Noises Off, Romeo and Juliet (Chautauqua home during the pandemic in Montana. She has worked UCLA, Afsar released her EP, “Somewhere I Thought I’d Be.” Theater Company ), Christmas Carol (Portland Stage), Revolt. with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks over the last three She is the composer of Jeannette, a musical about the first She said. Revolt Again., Strange Men, How to Use a Knife years (Macbeth, You Never Can Tell, Julius Caesar). A woman elected into Congress, developed at the O’Neill (UCSD / La Jolla Playhouse ). TELEVISION: Elementary, Ma- Chicago-based actor, she has performed with Steppenwolf NMTC where Afsar won the Lyricist Award. Last fall, She dame Secretary ( CBS). WEB: 86’d ( Bric Arts). BA in English Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, American Players Theatre, composed a piece, Allegory produced by the La Jolla Play- Literature: Columbia University; MFA in Acting: UCSD. The Kitchen Theatre, Steep Theatre, and many more. She is house. She has opened for Michelle Obama, performed in a graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts B.F.A. Acting the U.S. Institute of Peace, presented before Gloria Steinem, ASMERET GHEBREMICHAEL was last seen in London’s program and is represented by Gray Talent Group. Aila is and opened at the ACLU national conference. She was the West End production of Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such original Eliza in Chicago’s Hamilton, Miss California 2010, top (IARA Award nomination). She also played Nabulungi in The inspiring artists during this process and to, collectively, offer 10 at Miss America 2011, and top 36 American Idol Alum. Book of Mormon. Her Broadway credits include The Book hope in this difficult time. She is the co-founder of “Until We Do It” providing masks to of Mormon, Elf The Musical, Legally Blonde (Pilar), Spamalot, communities disproportionately affected by Covid-19. Wicked, and Footloose. Off Broadway, Asmeret appeared CODY RENARD RICHARD resides in New York City in In The Heights (Drama Desk Award), and was nominated where he primarily works as a stage manager and educator. TSIAMBWOM “T” AKUCHU is an actor, dancer, and for Lucille Lortel, Audelco, and Chita Rivera Awards for her Broadway credits: 12 shows, favorites include: Freestyle Love theatre artist based in Atlanta, Ga whose work has been portrayal as Nickie in Sweet Charity opposite Sutton Foster. Supreme, Hamilton, Paramour, Kinky Boots, After Midnight, presented on stages like the Kennedy Center and Joe’s Film and TV credits include Confessions of a Shopaholic, The The Lion King. TV: VMAs ‘19, Tony Awards ‘19, Jesus Christ Pub at the Public. He was most recently featured as part of Wiz Live!, Trevor Moore: High in Church, Submissions Only, Superstar Live!, Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live!. Cirque du DANCE NOW NYC’s Encore series in January as part of a cu- Legally Blonde, and Get Even, which is currently on BBC Soleil: OVO, Wintuk. Selected Off-Broadway/NY: Porgy and rated dance festival. Some recent acting credits include The iPlayer and is coming to Netflix this month. Asmeret recently Bess at the Metropolitan Opera (Stage Director), Carnegie Nether (Theatre Emory) and The Flick (Dramatic Repertory wrote an op-ed for Broadway News and was featured in Hall, Encores!, Public, Atlantic. Selected Regional: Lempicka Company). See more of his work at akuchu.com Forbes.com. She studied Communications at NYU, where she at Williamstown, The Muny. BFA from Webster Conservato- was a Martin Luther King Scholar and valedictory speaker of ry. Adjunct Professor at Fordham Unviersity. @codyrenard. SETH BETZLER is a stage manager and events coordi- her graduating class. Find her on Instagram @asmeretghe- nator in NYC. WMPAC: The Last Five Years. Broadway: bremichael and on Twitter @asmeretyemane. DANIELLE SATHER is a Montana-based actor living in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf 2020 Revival, Children of a Bozeman. She holds an MFA in Acting from the University Lesser God, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening. National Tours: SAMUEL JAXIN ENEMY-HUNTER is an enrolled member of Montana and an MA in Performance Studies from Texas Jersey Boys. Off-Broadway: Skintight (Roundabout), The of the Crow Tribe of Indians in Montana and was raised A&M University. She has performed with a variety of theatre Climb(Cherry Lane), X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation (The on the Crow Indian Reservation. He is an educator and companies across Montana including Verge Theater, The Acting Co.), Travisville (Ensemble Studio). Selected New traditionalist in his tribe. He attended the University of Ellen Theatre, Orphan Girl Theatre, and the Montana Reper- York: 2019 Directors Lab (Lincoln Center), Language of Montana in the CreativeWriting Program and started his tory Theatre. Danielle is slated (with fingers crossed) to join Angels (The New School). Regional: Actually, Curse of The theatre journey as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over The the Bozeman Actor’s Theatre in presenting Polaroid Stories Starving Class, The Rose Tattoo, & Romance Novels for Dum- Cuckoo’s Nest at the Missoula Community Theatre. He has next spring, and is ecstatic to be working with such amazing mies all at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The New World worked on various theatre and film productions. Samuel is artists in the Big Sky Summer Theatre Festival at the Warren (Bucks County Playhouse). Opera: p r i s m (Beth Morrison also a Two-Spirit Person, an Activist, Artist, Small Business Miller Performing Arts Center. Projects / LA Opera, Prototype). Entrepreneur, works with various non-profit organizations and a member of Leadership Montana. korde arrington tuttleis a canadian-born, carolina-raised CHLOE BOOHER is an animator and designer based in Los multidisciplinary maker + poet. words are our primary ma- Angeles, California. Originally from the small college town JULIAN-QUÁN VIỆT LÊ (LEJKEYS) is a music producer and terial. theater (playwright + performer), opera (librettist), tv of Davis, California, Chloe came to LA to pursue her BA audio engineer from Albany California. He loves spending (netflix/amazon) + music (37d03d) are all recent places our in Fine Arts and Urban Planning and eventually an MFA in most of his time learning about how sound affects its sur- words + ideas have found a home. korde is the eldest of six Animation from UCLA. She works in a broad array of disci- roundings, and swimming with sea turtles. children. we love our family. investigation around intimacy + plines including motion and graphic design, animation, visual interiority live at the center of our work. gratefully, we’ve just effects and illustration. Her favorite projects involve mixing JESS MCLEOD specializes in new work about American oth- completed our first saturn return. korde received our mfa in and mashing many styles and techniques. By day Chloe erness. Resident Director, Hamilton Chicago. Chi/Regional: playwriting at the new school, in nyc. instagram: @knotahaiku works for the NFL’s creative team and by night she freelances Woolly Mammoth, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Long Wharf, on passion projects. Lyric Opera of Chicago, Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf, The Gift, Chicago Shakes, Porchlight, Haven, A Red Orchid BRITTANY BRADFORD is an actor, director, producer, and (ensemble member). M.F.A., Northwestern. Michael Maggio WMPAC STAFF teaching artist. Acting credits include: Broadway: Bernhardt/ Directing Fellow, Goodman Theatre. www.jess-mcleod.com. John Zirkle - Executive Director / Artistic Director Hamlet, Off Broadway: MacBeth (Hunter Theater Project), Danielle McClain - Operations Director Fiasco’s Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout), NYC/Regional RODRIGO NOGUEIRA is one of the most prolific Brazilian Rikka Wommack - Communications Director credits: Fefu and Her Friends (Theatre for a New Audience); writers/directors of his generation with 17 plays, 4 TV shows Jeremiah Slovarp - Technical Director Guys and Dolls (The Muny); Flyin’ West (Westport Country and 3 movies produced in Brazil and Portugal. He recently Andrew Blessing - Streaming Director Playhouse); Family Resemblance (Eugene O’Neill); The moved to New York where he has been writing for Blue Giuliana Olivo - Communications Coordinator Profane and Taming of the Shrew (Chautauqua Theater Sky Studios/Walt Disney Studios working with director Ace Beattie- Associate Technologist Company); Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ten Thousand Carlos Saldanha (Ferdinand, the Bull). Nogueira produced Things Theatre); Neighbors, Avenue Q, and Next to Normal two plays in NYC in association with The Tank: “The Ideal (Mixed Blood Theatre); Ragtime and Stick Fly (Park Square Obituary”, hailed by “Broadway World” as “masterfully dis- Theatre). Training: Juilliard. Line Producer of AAPF’s Say Her turbing” and play “Real”, directed by Erin Ortman, featured WMPAC BOARD Name, company member of Classix, and Co-Founder and in the America Theatre Magazine as one of the must-see Loren Bough, David Gasser, Kristin Kern, Pam Gurley, Artistic Director of HomeBase Theatre Collective. plays in the off-off Broadway. Sarah Phelps, Tallie Lancey, Doug Feurring, Rich Addicks, Klaudia Kosiak JESSE EMBY is a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University. ERIN ORTMAN is an NYC based director. Last season, she His major is Theater, but his focus is on lighting and lighting directed two widely recognized Off-Broadway productions, design for plays and music. He is the lighting designer and One Thousand Nights and One Day by Marisa Michaelson he is very excited to be given the opportunity to design and Jason Grote, and Real by Rodrigo Nogueira. She is cur- SPECIAL THANKS the lighting for these three pieces. This will be Jesse’s 5th rently directing the Pre-Broadway workshops of Jeannette, Kevin Brustuen, 320 Guest Ranch, Yellowstone Club show he has designed, but 75th show he has worked on with a new musical by Ari Afsar and Lauren Gunderson. She is Community Foundation, Big Sky Resort Tax lights. He is so proud of what everyone is doing and grateful developing projects with Ebb-Award winner, Angela Sclafani for the opportunity to work at WMPAC. and Lifetime Obie-Award winner Caridad Svich. She has developed new work with The Roundabout, LAByrinth, YONATAN GEBEYEHU NEW YORK:Timon of Athens Ars Nova, Pipeline, Pan Asian Rep, New Georges, New (Theatre for a New Audience), I Thought I Would Die, But York Stage and Film, The Ensemble Studio Theatre and The I Didn’t ( New Georges / The Tank ). REGIONAL:Timon of Lincoln Center Director’s Lab. www.erinortman.com Athens, Everybody (Shakespeare Theatre Company ), Go.