Terra Incognita
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NOTE FROM STORYWORKS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | StoryWorks creates immediate arti sti c responses to some of the most controversial and challenging issues our society faces. We take investi gati ve journalism, commission playwrights to create plays based on the stories and then produce shows both in the San Francisco Bay Area, where The Center for Investi gati ve Reporti ng is based, and in the communiti es most directly aff ected by the issues. Over the past three years, StoryWorks has commissioned and produced seven producti ons, toured in aff ected communiti es, translated and performed work in Spanish, and challenged theater and journalism to work in innovati ve ways to represent our world and the immediate issues we confront. It is an honor to co-present with George Street Playhouse the world premiere of “Terra Incognita.” For StoryWorks’ inaugural season in 2013, we commissioned two plays based on CIR’s reporti ng: “A Guide to the Aft ermath,” about female veterans suff ering from military sex- ual trauma and post-traumati c stress disorder, and “Headlock,” which confronted abuse in California’s adult care faciliti es. What began as an experiment to bring journalism to the stage and give voice to the marginalized and oppressed became a challenge to both our community as a whole and the arti sts who work with us to tell these stories. Our process evolved as we worked; this had never been done before. Our guiding principles were to proceed with integrity, following best journalism practi ces, and to allow arti sti c expres- sion and the creati ve process to thrive. Once we began rehearsals, it became clear that we wanted to give communiti es an op- portunity to parti cipate, ask questi ons, tell their story and listen to those directly aff ected by our reporti ng. Aft er each performance, the journalists, arti sts and community members join the audience for a conversati on about the play and its themes. As we delve into the facts of the investi gati on and the personal stories of those involved, these conversati ons oft en are as long as the play itself. “Terra Incognita,” created in collaborati on with George Street Playhouse, is the seventh StoryWorks iterati on. “StoryWorks gets to the emoti onal truth of investi gati ve journalism, based on facts and allowing for arti sti c explorati on, we delve into the personal stories behind the headlines and create dialogue through theater.” Jennifer Welch Arti sti c Director, StoryWorks from the Center for Investi gati ve Reporti ng GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE | In the 42 years since its founding, George Street Play- house has become a nati onally recognized theatre, presenti ng an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an arti sti c home for established and emerging theatre arti sts. Its leadership consists of Arti sti c Director David Saint, Resident Arti sti c Director Michael Mastro and Managing Director Kelly Ryman. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous producti ons both on and off -Broadway, including the Out- er Criti cs’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger; the Outer Criti cs Cir- cle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated producti on of The Spitfi re Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In 2015, George Street Playhouse was represented by two producti ons in New York: the Broadway producti on of It Shoulda Been You, and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Litt le Lies, which opened off -Broad- way in October. Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. In additi on to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Educati onal Theatre features three issue-oriented pro- ducti ons that are seen by more than 40,000 students annually. George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the Nati onal Endowment for the Arts. TERRA INCOGNITA Written by R.N. Sandberg Directed by Jim Jack CAST Joseph...............................................................................Di Shawn Gandy Lena........................................................................................Kym Gomes The Expert.................................................................................Frances Pu Flashlight, Crane, and others.......................................................David Seamon Montag, Lawman, and others........................................................Matt Baguth PRODUCTION TEAM Scenic Design/Properties Master..............................................Frank J. Giamella Costume Design..................................................................Diana Gundacker Lighting Design.................................................................Tommy Williamson Sound Design...............................................................................Ted Crimy Stage Manager...............................................................................Erica Lee Production Manager................................................................Megan Cherry Props Assistant...................................................................Helen Tewksbury Artistic Director.....................................................................Jennifer Welch “Terra Incognita” was made possible with the generous support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Additional support provided by the Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation. “Terra Incognita” was commissioned by George Street Playhouse and The Center for Investigative Reporting David Saint, Artistic Director - George Street Playhouse Michael Mastro, Resident Artistic Director - George Street Playhouse Kelly Ryman, Managing Director - George Street Playhouse Jim Jack, Director of Education - George Street Playhouse Jennifer Welch, Artistic Director, StoryWorks Special thanks to NJTV and NJTV News Executive Producer Phil Alongi and Correspon- dent Brenda Flanagan, Eliot and Anna Zigmund, Bob Harris, Jeff Entin, Passage Theatre Play Lab, Brad Vile, Franz Kafka CAST & CREATIVE TEAM Matt Baguth (Montag, Metal, Backhoe, Lawman)is a former student of Terra Incognita director Jim Jack at Brooklyn College, where Matt received his MFA in acting last June. This is Matt’s first professional stage production out of graduate school. He recently co-starred in episodes of Daredevil on Netflix and Gotham on Fox. Other credits include DeGuiche in Cyrano De Berger- ac (SUNY Suffolk), Macbeth in Macbeth (Queens College), and Hal Carter in Picnic (Brooklyn College). Di Shawn Gandy (Joseph K) has performed in six off-off Broadway plays with The Afrikan Wom- en’s Repertory Theater Company in NY; Matthew McAllister’s Dublin Down Doubles in the New York Theater Festival; Our Town Now at George Street Playhouse; The New Jersey One-Minute Play Festival. Indie films: How to Get Rich in 13 Easy Steps and An Evening with Donald Kem- pinski. He’s studied acting at George Street Playhouse and at Woody King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre, NY. He is also a playwright and has directed several plays. Kym Gomes (Lena) is a graduate of The Acting Studio and a member of Chelsea Repertory Com- pany in NYC. She was most recently seen in the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theater production of The Rant. Other roles include Lorraine in A Lie Of The Mind, Lily in Crumbs From The Table Of Joy, Maria in Twelfth Night and April Greene inHot L. Baltimore. Directing credits for Chelsea Rep LAB include Last Chance Texaco, Ex-Miss Copper Queen and Woodstown. Kym produced and directed the award-winning NY International Fringe Festival production of By Hands Un- known, a collection of short plays from the 1800s on lynching in America. Frances Pu (The Expert) is thankful to the New Jersey School for the Dramatic Arts (NJSDA), Alan (actor-husband), and family/friends for the training and support! Other stage credits: OMG, Chopsticks! (NYC off-off Broadway) and class showcases (NJSDA). David Seamon (Flashlight, Crane, Township, Insurance, LSRP, App-Man, Fundman, NJDEP) is a professional playwright, composer, singer, actor, and pianist based out of New Brunswick, and is currently in his third year as a teaching artist at the George Street Playhouse. Previous roles include Leo Frank in Parade, The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald in Assassins, and Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. He is currently developing an original musical for CoLab Arts called The Elev- enth Hour, which will premiere in New Brunswick in June 2016. Later this year, he will appear inThe Kingdom of Vincent Grapelli at the Workshop Theatre in Manhattan. R.N. Sandberg (Playwright) has won acclaim for his realistic depictions of contemporary life, imaginative treatments of social issues, and inventive adaptations of classic literature. Theaters that have presented his work include The Barrow Group, Barter Theatre, Dallas Children’s The- ater, Fulton Opera House, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Rep, Intiman Theatre, Kitchen Dog, La Mama, New York Music Theatre Festival, Open Eye, Providence Black Rep, Seattle Rep, Stage One: Louisville’s Children Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre and Yale Cabaret. Awards and honors include the Bonderman National Playwriting Award for Can’t Believe It and the A.R.T. Discovering Justice Award for The Trials of the Massachusetts Servants. He is a member of the Philadelphia Dramatist Center and the Dramatists Guild and teaches playwriting, acting and dramatic literature at Princeton University. Jim Jack (Director) recently directed