before you go - La Jolla Playhouse

KNOW
BEFORE YOU GO
Production Sponsors
Margret and Nevins McBride
JUNE 28 – JULY 24, 2016
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P1
KNOW
BEFORE YOU GO
We look forward to seeing you at La Jolla Playhouse at your upcoming
performance of The Last Tiger in Haiti. Below is some additional information
about the production and the venue to enhance your theater-going experience.
PARKING
Parking is free for all subscribers. For all others parking is $2 (subject to change),
Mon-Fri. Upon arrival to campus, please purchase your parking permit from
one of the automated pay stations located next to the information kiosk. Simply
park, note your space number, and pay $2 at the pay station. Pay stations
accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express or cash ($1 and $5), and do not
give change. You will not need to return to your car. Parking is free on the
weekends.
ACCESSIBILITY
A golf cart is available to assist patrons with accessibility issues to and from the
parking lot. Please notify Patron Services prior to your performance if you are
in need of this service; additionally, you may pull into the five minute parking in
front of the theatre, and a friendly La Jolla Playhouse greeter will assist you.
Children under the age of 6 are not permitted in the theatre during
performances unless otherwise posted.
Unaccompanied minors ages 12 and under are not permitted in the theatre.
P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
DINING
James’ Place is the Theatre District’s on-site
restaurant.
Developed by renowned Sushi Master James Holder, the menu includes his signature
sushi, as well as delectable dishes created with Prime and Angus cuts of beef, locally
and sustainably harvested seafood, along with seasonal dishes. A lighter fare menu
is also served at the newly-redesigned sushi/cocktail bar, featuring craft beer and
California wines. James’ Place is open daily.
For reservations, please call (858) 638-7778. For menu and hours, please visit
jamesplacesd.com.
We also recommend the following nearby restaurants:
Adobe El Restaurante and
Mustangs & Burros
at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
9700 N. Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037
estancialajolla.com
Cusp Restaurant and
Hiatus Poolside Lounge
at Hotel La Jolla
7955 La Jolla Shores Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
cusprestaurant.com
Café la Rue and The Med
at La Valencia Hotel
1132 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037
lavalencia.com
Fleming’s Prime
Steakhouse & Wine Bar
8970 University Center Lane
San Diego, CA 92122
flemingssteakhouse.com
Dolce Pane e Vino
16081 San Dieguito Road
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
dolcepaneevino.com
Giuseppe Restaurants
& Fine Catering
700 Prospect Street
San Diego, CA 92037
giuseppecatering.com
Pamplemousse Grille
514 Via de la Valle, Suite 100
Solana Beach, CA 92075
pgrille.com
Piatti
2182 Avenida De La Playa
La Jolla, Ca 92037
Phone: 858-454-1589
piatti.com/lajolla
Rock Bottom
Restaurant & Brewery
Playhouse Patrons Get 20% Off
8980 Villa La Jolla Drive
La Jolla, CA 92037
rockbottom.com
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P3
A MESSAGE FROM THE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Storytelling is an essential part of
any culture. Our narratives — myths,
histories, ghost stories, bedtime
stories — fill a fundamental need
to entertain while also asserting our
shared heritage and values. Whether
we’re with our families and friends
or sitting alongside strangers in
a theatre, we gather together as
communities through stories.
MISSION STATEMENT:
La Jolla Playhouse advances theatre as
an art form and as a vital social, moral
and political platform by providing
unfettered creative opportunities
for the leading artists of today and
tomorrow. With our youthful spirit and
eclectic, artist-driven approach, we
will continue to cultivate a local and
national following with an insatiable
appetite for audacious and diverse
work. In the future, San Diego’s La
Jolla Playhouse will be considered
singularly indispensable to the
worldwide theatre landscape, as we
become a permanent safe harbor for
the unsafe and surprising. The day will
come when it will be essential to enter
the La Jolla Playhouse village in order
to get a glimpse of what is about to
happen in American theatre.
© Howard Lipin/U-T San Diego/ZUMA Wire
For the young Haitian characters in
Jeff Augustin’s play, the stories they tell — and how they tell them — have
an even greater sense of urgency. They are restaveks, child slaves; they
come from nowhere and have almost nothing of value except their stories.
Those tales are the currency with which they can buy respect, a sense of
self-worth, and through which they can forge an identity in a world that
has forgotten they exist.
Stories have the power to affirm who we are, but they can also be used as
weapons. Who has the right to tell our stories, and what happens when
they are taken from us?
Jeff Augustin and Joshua Brody — two graduates of UC San Diego’s
M.F.A. Theatre program — have been working on The Last Tiger in Haiti
since its first public reading as part of our 2015 DNA New Work Series.
They are practitioners in the art of theatrical storytelling, and together
they have created a rich, compelling narrative about how stories have the
ability to create us — and unmake us.
CHRISTOPHER
ASHLEY
La Jolla Playhouse has received the highest rating from
Charity Navigator, the nation’s premier charity evaluator.
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI
INSIDER EVENTS
DISCOVERY SUNDAY
Join Playhouse staff for a special pre-performance presentation
that gives an insider’s view of The Last Tiger in Haiti.
Join special guest speakers post-performance as they engage
audience members in a moderated discussion exploring the
themes in this world-premiere play. Sponsored in part by
Wednesday, July 20 at 6:45 pm
Saturday, July 23 at 1:15 pm
Sunday, July 24 after the 2:00 pm performance
ACCESS PERFORMANCES
TALKBACK TUESDAYS
On select performances, La Jolla Playhouse provides American
Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, open captioning, and/or
audio descriptions.
Participate in a lively discussion with The Last Tiger in Haiti actors and Playhouse staff members immediately following these
performances. Sponsored in part by
OPEN CAPTIONING
Sunday July 10 at 2:00 pm
ASL INTERPRETATION & AUDIO DESCRIPTION
Saturday, July 16 at 2:00 pm
P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
Tuesday, July 5 after the 7:30 pm performance
Tuesday, July 12 after the 7:30 pm performance
For more information, please visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS
Christopher Ashley
Artistic Director
Michael S. Rosenberg
Managing Director
A CO-PRODUCTION WITH
BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE
BY
JEFF AUGUSTIN
DIRECTED BY
JOSHUA KAHAN BRODY
FEATURING
BRITTANY BELLIZEARE*, ANDY LUCIEN*, CLINTON ROANE*, JASMINE ST. CLAIR *, REGGIE D. WHITE*
SCENIC DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
SOUND DESIGNER
HAIR AND WIG DESIGNER
DIALECT COACH
DRAMATURG
CASTING
STAGE MANAGER
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
PROJECT PRODUCTION MANAGER
TAKESHI KATA
DEDE AYITE
ALEXANDER NICHOLS
NICHOLAS DRASHNER
COOKIE JORDAN
CHANTAL JEAN-PIERRE
GABRIEL GREENE
TELSEY + COMPANY; WILLIAM CANTLER, C.S.A; KAREN CASL, C.S.A.
MATTHEW MELCHIORRE*
JENNIFER KOZUMPLIK*
BENJAMIN SEIBERT
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI WAS DEVELOPED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GROUND FLOOR AT BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE, BERKELEY, CA,
THE 2050 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AT NEW YORK THEATRE WORKSHOP, AND LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE’S DNA NEW WORK SERIES
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P5
THE CAST
(in alphabetical order)
Rose..............................................................................................................Brittany Bellizeare
Max..........................................................................................................................Andy Lucien
Emmanuel............................................................................................................. Clinton Roane
Laurie...............................................................................................................Jasmine St. Clair
Joseph............................................................................................................... Reggie D. White
Setting: Haiti, 2008
The Last Tiger in Haiti is performed with a 15-minute intermission.
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Assistant Director......................................Will Garrett Detlefsen
Second Assistant Director........................................Zora Howard
Assistant Costume Designer...............Desiree Hatfield-Buckley
Assistant Lighting Designer...................... Kimberlee E. Winters
Make-Up Consultant............................................ Albee Alvarado
Fight Consultant........................................................Jacob Bruce
Stage Management Assistant............................... Kamra Jacobs ‡
Stage Management Intern....................................Kaylyn Buckley
“The Orange Tree” Original Music and Lyrics by Jay Adana
* Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage
Managers in the United States. The theatre operates under an agreement between the
League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association.
This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres
and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.
This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres
and United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
La Jolla Playhouse is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and a
constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization
for the nonprofit professional theatre.
‡ UC San Diego M.F.A. Candidates in residence at La Jolla Playhouse.
PATRON SERVICES
PATRON SERVICES is located in the lobby area of each
theatre. A representative is available to answer questions
and hand out assisted listening devices, restaurant guides,
performance schedules and subscription information.
BARS AND CONCESSIONS
are provided by James’ Place, open Tuesday – Sunday 4:00
pm to close. For reservations, please call (858) 638-7778. To
avoid the rush, intermission beverages can be ordered before
the show.
PARKING is free for subscribers; $2 for the general public
on weekdays (free on weekends). Upon arrival to campus,
please enter your parking space number and pay the
automated paystations located in the parking lot. Spaces
that are not paid for are subject to ticketing by UC San Diego
Parking Enforcement.
ACCESSIBILITY
La Jolla Playhouse provides wheelchair-accessible seating
and parking. Wheelchair seat locations are available for
wheelchair users and a companion at all performances; be
sure to advise the reservationist that you require a wheelchair
location. Additionally, a golf cart is available to assist patrons
with accessibility needs to and from the parking lot. Please
notify Patron Services prior to your performance if you are in
need of this service; additionally, you may pull into the five
minute parking in front of the theatre, and a friendly La Jolla
Playhouse greeter will assist you.The Playhouse also provides
assisted listening devices for patrons who are hard of hearing.
Devices are available, free of charge, at the Patron Services
Center prior to performances (subject to availability).
Listening Devices Provided in Part by
CAMERAS AND RECORDING DEVICES are strictly
prohibited in the theatre. Please check these items with the
House Manager and turn off your camera phone.
BABES IN ARMS
Out of respect for fellow audience members and the
performers, babes in arms are not permitted in the theatre
during performances.
PLEASE SILENCE or turn off all electronic devices, including
cell phones and watches, before the performance.
CHILDREN under the age of 6 are not permitted in the
theatre during performances unless otherwise posted.
P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
SAFETY IN THE THEATRE DISTRICT
La Jolla Playhouse is constantly working with the UC San
Diego Police Department and UC San Diego Transportation
and Parking Services, which operates the parking lot and
security system, to maintain and improve security conditions
for patrons and staff members. Additionally, patrons and staff
are welcome to use UC San Diego Community Service Officers
(CSOs) for an escort to their cars by calling (858) 534-WALK
(9255). Further questions regarding security may be addressed
to UC San Diego Police at (858) 534-HELP (4357).
DOCTORS AND PARENTS expecting calls during the
performance should leave their names and seat numbers with
the House Manager before the show. Leave the following
number with your service: (858) 550-1030.
LATECOMERS or PATRONS WHO LEAVE
THEIR SEAT DURING THE PERFORMANCE
Please arrive on time. Latecomers will be admitted at the
discretion of the House Manager. La Jolla Playhouse accepts
no liability for inconvenience to latecomers.
THEATRE TOURS
Tour the stages and production shops of the Playhouse
facilities and learn more about the history of La Jolla
Playhouse and the role that it plays in the community.
Contact (858) 550-1070 x101.
THE COMPANY
BRITTANY BELLIZEARE, Rose
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: Camae in The
Mountaintop (Northern Stage); Ruby in Seven Guitars
(Two River Theatre); educational touring show Sunjata
Kamalenya (McCarter Theater); the one-act musical Archy
& Mehitabel (The Yard). She has participated in various
festivals in NYC including The NY Fringe and 48 Hours in Harlem, as
well as performed at The Cell, Gallery Players in Brooklyn and The Public
Theater. TV: Eye Candy (MTV); The Knick (Cinemax); Facing Trauma
(Discovery Health); Carol’s Daughter - Do It Yourself (HSN). Education:
M.F.A. from The New School for Drama; B.S. in Mathematics from
Spelman College. www.brittanybellizeare.com
ANDY LUCIEN, Max
La Jolla Playhouse: DNA New Work Series. OffBroadway: The Qualms (Playwrights Horizons); City of
Conversation (Lincoln Center); The Last Seder (Theater
Three at the Mint). Regional and international theatre:
Cry Old Kingdom, 27 Ways I Didn’t Say Hi to Laurence
Fishburne (Humana Festival: Actors Theater of Louisville); Clybourne
Park (Dorset Theater Festival/Barrington Stage); Revenge of a King
(Grahamstown, South Africa). TV: Elementary, Token the Webseries, BE
the Webseries. Film: Seven Lovers. For Karen, rest well my beloved.
CLINTON ROANE, Emmanuel
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway/London: The
Scottsboro Boys. Regional: Five Guys Named Moe
(Arena Stage, Cleveland Play House); The Scottsboro
Boys (Philadelphia Theatre Company—Barrymore
Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a
Musical, The Old Globe, American Conservatory Theatre, Ahmanson);
Hello! My Baby (Goodspeed); My One and Only (Marriott Lincolnshire
Theatre); Dreamgirls (North Shore Music Theatre); Radio City Christmas
Spectacular (Radio City Music Hall). Education: CAP 21 and B.F.A. from
Howard University. Special thanks to God, family, friends and HHA.
Habakkuk 3:17-19. www.clintonroane.com.
JASMINE ST. CLAIR, Laurie
La Jolla Playhouse: Sideways. UC San Diego: Little
Children Dream of God (Sula), Cry Old Kingdom
(Judith), In the Red and Brown Water (Shun). Regional:
Danielle in Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Skylight
Theater). TV: Shameless. Film: Daddy and Me (Tasha).
Education: M.F.A. from UC San Diego.
REGGIE D. WHITE, Joseph
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Troll, I &
You, For the Last Time, The Snow Queen, Dogsbody.
Regional: I & You (Merrimack Rep); Party People (Berkeley
Rep); Hundred Days (Z Space); Crime & Punishment (San
Jose Rep); The Last Election (SF Mime Troupe). Currently
an artist-in-residence at Berkeley Rep through the TCG
Fox Fellowship. Recipient of the Theatre Bay Area TITAN Award as
well as the RHE Foundation’s Artistic Fellowship. Education: Cal State
Hayward, Atlantic Theater School.
JEFF AUGUSTIN, Playwright
La Jolla Playhouse: DNA New Work Series. Mr. Augustin’s play Little
Children Dream of God received its world premiere at the Roundabout
Underground, where he was the inaugural Tow Foundation Playwrightin-Residence. His plays have also been produced at Actors Theatre
of Louisville (Cry Old Kingdom, Humana 2013; That High Lonesome
Sound, Humana Apprentice Anthology 2015) and Western Washington
University (Corktown). His work has been developed at La Jolla
Playhouse’s DNA New Work Series, Eugene O’Neill Playwrights
Conference, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, American Conservatory
Theater and Seattle Rep. He is the Shank Playwright-in-Residence at
Playwrights Horizons; a member of The Working Farm at SPACE on
Ryder Farm and the Rita Goldberg Playwrights Workshop at Lark. He is
the recipient of the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwriting Award, Lorraine
Hansberry Award, and was a New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow.
He is currently under commission from Manhattan Theatre Club and the
Roundabout Theatre. He received his B.A. from Boston College and his
M.F.A. from UC San Diego.
JOSHUA KAHAN BRODY, Director
is currently in residence at La Jolla Playhouse with a 2015 Princess Grace
Award Apprenticeship (Faberge Theater Award). His recent directing
work includes King of the Yees at New Stages (Goodman Theatre),
True Believer (TheaterLab, NY); Fourteen Flights (Award for Excellence
in Directing, NY Fringe Festival); Pericles and Medea (UMKC); Titus
Andronicus, Little Children Dream of God, The Dybbuk, The Santa
Barbarians and A Man, His Wife, and His Hat (UC San Diego). At La Jolla
Playhouse, Brody has worked as an assistant director on The Nightingale
and The Who & The What, and as an actor in the 2013 WoW Festival
production of Our Town. He is co-founder of THE TRIP, a San Diegobased performance group, for which he recently directed Three Plays
in a Tattoo Shop. In 2017 he will be directing King of the Yees at the
Goodman Theatre and Center Theater Group. He received his M.F.A.
from the UC San Diego Department of Theatre & Dance and his B.A.
from Yale University.
TAKESHI KATA, Scenic Designer
La Jolla Playhouse: Guards at the Taj. LA: The Night Alive, American
Buffalo, The Seafarer, Boston Marriage, Ruth Draper Monologues and
Slowgirl (Geffen); November, Other Desert Cities (Taper); Throw Me
on a Burnpile..., Forever (Kirk Douglas); Happy Days (Boston Court).
NY: Through a Glass Darkly, Storefront Church, The Intelligent Design
of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater Company); Adding Machine (Minetta
Lane). Regional: Alley, American Players Theatre, Dallas Theater Center,
Goodman Theatre, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, The Old Globe,
Steppenwolf, Yale Rep. Mr. Kata has won an Obie Award and has been
nominated for Drama Desk, Ovation and Barrymore awards. He is an
Assistant Professor at USC, School of Dramatic Arts.
DEDE AYITE, Costume Designer
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: The Royale (Lincoln Center
Theater); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout); brownsville song (b-side
for tray) (LCT3); ToasT, Urban Retreat and Manahatta (The Public).
Select regional: The Wiz (OSF); Detroit ’67 (Center Stage/Detroit Public
Theater); Between Riverside and Crazy (Studio Theatre); The Blood Quilt
(Arena Stage); Marie Antoinette (Steppenwolf, 2015 Jeff Award recipient); Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center); The CA Lyons Project (Alliance
Theatre); Five Guys Named Moe (Arena Stage/Cleveland Play House);
A Raisin in the Sun (California Shakespeare Theater); The Piano Lesson
(Yale Repertory Theatre); The Music Man in Concert (Two Rivers, NJPAC).
Education: M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P7
THE COMPANY
ALEXANDER V. NICHOLS, Lighting Designer
La Jolla Playhouse: Lighting & Projections for Continental Divide,
Zorro in Hell. Broadway: Wishful Drinking (Production Design); Hugh
Jackman, Back on Broadway (Video); Nice Work If You Can Get It
(Video). Off-Broadway: In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Los Big
Names, Horizon, Bridge and Tunnel, Taking Over, Through the Night,
In the Wake. Regional: scenic, lighting and/or projection designs for
American Conservatory Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Berkeley Repertory
Theatre, Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Seattle Repertory
Theatre. Dance: Resident Designer for Pennsylvania Ballet, Hartford
Ballet, American Repertory Ballet; lighting supervisor for American Ballet
Theatre; resident designer for Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. Scenic,
lighting and/or projection designs for San Francisco Ballet, Boston
Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey and Hubbard Street, Hong Kong Ballet,
Singapore Dance Theatre and ODC/SF, among others. Music: Svadba
(SF Opera), Bluebeards Castle (Cleveland Symphony), LIFE: A Journey
Through Time (Philip Glass & Frans Lanting), Visual Music (Kronos
Quartet), Paul Dresher Ensemble, Bill Frisell, Rinde Eckert.
NICHOLAS DRASHNER, Sound Designer
is thrilled to be working with La Jolla Playhouse again. La Jolla Playhouse
credits include: Kingdom City, The Astronaut Farmworker, Suzette Who
Set to Sea and A Lonely Boy’s Guide to Survival (and Werewolves). Mr.
Drashner is currently Assistant Professor of Sound Design in the School of
Theatre and Dance at Kent State University. Education: M.F.A. in Sound
Design for Theatre and Dance from University of California San Diego.
www.drashner.com
COOKIE JORDAN, Hair and Wig Designer
La Jolla Playhouse: Side Show. Broadway: Eclipsed, Side Show, After
Midnight, Fela, A View From the Bridge. Off-Broadway: Familiar,
Eclipsed, Hir, Cloud Nine, Skeleton Crew, Eclipsed, Gloria, Liquid Plain,
Hurt Village, An Octoroon. Regional: Side Show (Kennedy Center).
Tours: Fela (National tour); Fela (European Tour); Dirty Dancing, Flash
Dance (National Tour). TV: Makeup designer, NBC’s The Wiz Live.
CHANTAL JEAN-PIERRE, Dialect Coach
is thrilled to work with La Jolla Playhouse on such an amazing story.
A few of her credits include: Roundabout Theatre Company: Little
Children Dream of God; HERE Art Center: Last Day; McCarter Theatre
Center: Sunjata Kamalenya; George Street Playhouse: 39 Steps;
Playwrights Realm: Five Second Chances; Classical Theater of Harlem:
Romeo & Juliet and Dream on Monkey Mountain; Minetta Lane Theatre:
Thunder Knocking at the Door; Red Carpet Theater: For Colored Girls
Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf and more.
Visit pierreactingcoach.com or chantaljean-pierre.com for more about
her work.
GABRIEL GREENE, Dramaturg
joined La Jolla Playhouse’s artistic staff in 2007 and currently serves as
their Director of New Play Development. In addition to curating and producing the annual DNA New Work Series (at which The Last Tiger in Haiti
received its first public reading), he has dramaturged over twenty new
plays and musicals for the Playhouse, including Blueprints to Freedom,
Up Here, The Darrell Hammond Project, Kingdom City, El Henry, The
Who & The What, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Milk Like Sugar (also
off-Broadway; OBIE Award) and Memphis (also Broadway and London;
4 Tony Awards). His adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps novels (cowritten and directed by Tom Salamon) recently premiered at The Vaults
(London). With Alex Levy, he co-created Safe at Home, an immersive play
developed as part of the 2016 DNA Series. B.A.: University of Michigan.
M.Phil: Trinity College, Dublin. B.F.F.: Mia Fiorella.
P8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
TELSEY + COMPANY, Casting
La Jolla Playhouse: Hollywood, Guards at the Taj, Blueprints to Freedom,
Come From Away, Chasing the Song, Hands on a Hardbody, Blood
and Gifts, Glengarry Glen Ross, Milk Like Sugar, Little Miss Sunshine,
Limelight, Bonnie & Clyde, 33 Variations and Memphis, among others.
Broadway/Tours: Paramour, Tuck Everlasting, Waitress, American
Psycho, Fiddler on the Roof, The Color Purple, On Your Feet!, Hamilton,
Something Rotten!, An American in Paris, Finding Neverland, The King
and I, Kinky Boots, Wicked, If/Then, The Sound of Music, Newsies,
Motown, Rock of Ages. Off-Broadway: Atlantic, MCC, Signature.
Regional: Alliance, Goodman, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, New York
Stage and Film, The Old Globe, Paper Mill, Williamstown. Film: Whiskey
Tango Foxtrot, Tallulah, The Intern, Into the Woods. TV: The Family,
Grease Live! The Wiz Live!, Flesh and Bone, commercials.
MATTHEW MELCHIORRE, Stage Manager
La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. City Center Encores!: Do I Hear a Waltz, 1776
and Cabin in the Sky. Broadway: The Light in the Piazza, Coram Boy,
Hamlet, Spamalot, The Lion King, Curtains and Wicked. Off-Broadway:
Love & Money, Black Tie and Buffalo Gal. Regional: Westport Country
Playhouse, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, Center Stage, Two River Theater
and Paper Mill Playhouse. Tour: Steve Martin & Martin Short.
JENNIFER KOZUMPLIK, Assistant Stage Manager
La Jolla Playhouse: Hollywood, Come From Away, His Girl Friday. Cygnet
Theatre: Hay Fever, The Vortex, My Fair Lady, A Christmas Carol, The
Motherf**ker with the Hat, Maple and Vine, Travesties, The Importance
of Being Earnest, Gem of the Ocean, Man of La Mancha, Dirty Blonde.
San Diego REPertory Theatre: A Hammer, a Bell and a Song to Sing; In
the Wake; Superior Donuts; Culture Clash in AmeriCCa. She received her
B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University.
BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE
has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative
theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, and its
educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. With two
stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre,
Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. Nine shows
have ended up on Broadway. More than 12 arrived off-Broadway, two
moved to London, two became films, and others have toured the nation.
See tomorrow’s plays today at Berkeley Rep.
PLAYHOUSE LEADERSHIP
CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY, Playhouse Artistic Director
has served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director since
October, 2007. During his tenure, he has helmed the
Playhouse’s acclaimed productions of Hollywood, The Darrell
Hammond Project, Chasing the Song, His Girl Friday, Glengarry
Glen Ross, A Dram of Drummhicit, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Restoration and the acclaimed musicals Come From Away, Xanadu
and Memphis, which won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
He also spearheaded the Playhouse’s Without Walls (WoW) series and the
Resident Theatre program. Prior to joining the Playhouse, he directed the
Broadway productions of Xanadu (Drama Desk nomination), All Shook Up
and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle
Award nominations), as well as The Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration
productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Other New York
credits include: Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie
Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, Wonder
of the World, Communicating Doors, Bunny Bunny, The Night Hank Williams
Died and Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley
also directed the feature films Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, as well as the American
Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley
is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director
Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship.
DEBBY BUCHHOLZ, General Manager
has served as general manager of La Jolla Playhouse since
2002. She is the Secretary of the League of Resident Theaters
(LORT) and a member of its Executive Committee. In 2009,
she received a San Diego Women Who Mean Business
Award from The San Diego Business Journal. Previously she
served as Counsel to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. She was a
faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution’s program on Legal Problems
of Museum Administration. Prior to The Kennedy Center, she served as
a corporate attorney in New York City and Washington, D.C. She is a
graduate of UC San Diego and Harvard Law School. Ms. Buchholz and
her husband, noted author and White House economic policy advisor
Todd Buchholz, live in Solana Beach and are the proud parents of Victoria,
Katherine and Alexia.
MICHAEL S. ROSENBERG, Managing Director
has served as the Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse
since April, 2009. Working in partnership with Artistic Director
Christopher Ashley, he has developed and produced new
work by Ayad Akhtar, Trey Anastasio, Amanda Green, Kirsten
Greenidge, Quiara Alegría Hudes, John Leguizamo, Herbert
Siguenza, Basil Twist, Doug Wright and The Flaming Lips. Playhouse
collaborations have included projects with UC San Diego, Museum of
Contemporary Art San Diego, The New Children’s Museum, San Diego
Rep, Tectonic Theatre Project, the I.D.E.A. District and the cities of
Escondido and Chula Vista. Previously, Mr. Rosenberg was Co-Founder
and Executive Director of Drama Dept., a New York non-profit theatre
company, where he produced new works by the likes of Douglas Carter
Beane, Warren Leight, Isaac Mizrahi, Paul Rudnick and David & Amy
Sedaris. His early work included stints at the Kennedy Center and the
National Dance Institute. Mike serves on the Boards of the San Diego
Regional Chamber of Commerce, NBC 7 San Diego Community Advisory
Board and the Theatre Communications Group – where he is on the
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and chairs the Global Theatre
Initiative Community. Follow him on Twitter: @MrMikeRosenberg.
DES McANUFF, Director Emeritus
served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director from 1983
through 1994, and from 2001 through April, 2007. Under
his leadership, the Playhouse garnered more than 300
awards, including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional
Theatre. Playhouse to Broadway credits: Jersey Boys (four
Tony Awards); Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Tony Award); How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying (five Tony nominations); director and
co-author with Pete Townshend on The Who’s Tommy (Tony and Olivier
Awards for Best Director) and Big River (seven Tony Awards), among
others. Film credits: Quills, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The
Iron Giant (9 Animation Society awards) and Cousin Bette. Recipient of
the Drama League’s 2006 Julia Hansen Award, Mr. McAnuff served as
Artistic Director at Canada’s Stratford Festival from 2007 through 2012.
He recently directed the hit productions of Sideways, Yoshimi Battles the
Pink Robots and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Playhouse.
Highlights of UC San Diego
Theatre & Dance’s 2016-17 SEASON:
Vieux Carré
by Tennessee Williams, directed by Will Detlefsen
The Taming of the Shrew
by William Shakespeare, directed by Kyle Donnelly
The One Hundred Giving Way &
Though It May Shift
dances created by Anne Gehman & Erin Tracy
Streamers
by David Rabe, directed by Kim Rubinstein
Waiting for Godot
by Samuel Beckett, directed by Gabor Tompa
The Theatre & Dance MFA program at UC San Diego consistently ranks in the top ten
MFA programs in the world, and top five in the country. Our MFA candidates receive
professional residencies at La Jolla Playhouse, located on the UC San Diego campus.
Wagner New Play Festival 2017
showcasing new plays by MFA Playwrights
The Last Tiger in Haiti playwright Jeff Augustin, director Joshua Kahan Brody, actor Jasmine
St. Clair, and sound designer Nick Drashner are alumni of the UC San Diego MFA program.
For information:
THEATRE.UCSD.EDU • 858.822.3152
and more...
La Bête, 2016. Photo: Jim Carmody
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P9
TELLING STORIES
Over a lunch break during rehearsals, playwright
Jeff Augustin and director Joshua Kahan Brody
sat down for a conversation with director of new
play development
Gabriel Greene.
JKB: Largely, I think that people try to heal and find
love through the ways in which we tell our story. I
have always loved the thought that within your family,
storytelling was a very real, though non-physical way, of
creating a home.
GG: So storytelling was your way in to the play?
Jeff Augustin and Joshua Kahan Brody. Photo by Jim Carmody.
GG: Jeff, what was your inspiration for writing The Last
Tiger in Haiti?
JA: I became fascinated with the “Krik? Krak!” traditional
form of Haitian storytelling. And also, the question of how
we use stories to heal ourselves – not as a single person,
but how do we tell stories as a group to heal ourselves?
As a storyteller and an audience member, what are our obligations to each other? What is happening between us?
GG: Was “Krik? Krak!” storytelling something you grew
up with? What are some of the rituals or gestures of those
kinds of stories?
JA: I’m just going back from my experience at home
[growing up in Miami], so I don’t know if it’s Haitian, or if it
was just my mom trying to entertain us as children. We’d
sit on the floor or in a circle. We would light candles,
though I’m pretty sure that was just my mom being like,
“Let’s make this fun!” We would take turns performing,
grabbing random objects and getting creative in telling
these stories. It was family time. For me, storytelling is
home. Even if you’re not in your house, not with your family, it feels very home-like, very comfortable.
P10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
JA: My initial impulse was to write about abuse. I
pitched an idea to The Ground Floor, Berkeley Rep’s
great developmental laboratory that they hold every
summer. The initial idea was about these three kids in
Orlando who all came from these abusive homes, and
were friends in high school. They’d tell all these violent
folklores and they would put their parents — or whoever
their abuser was — as the villain; it became this form
of escape for them. Then, 30 years later, one of them
reunites the group because he has just killed his former
abusers, and now he wants the others to do it, too. For
a week and a half in Berkeley, I wrote 45 pages of this
original idea. Then I heard it aloud with a group of actors — including Reggie White, who is in our cast – and
what I’d written felt very forced.
GG: And now your play ends up connecting those same
questions about storytelling and healing to the subject of
Haitian restaveks. How did you get there?
JA: I happened to read this article in The New York
Times about restaveks, and I wondered why no one is
talking about this. I asked my mom and she said, “There
was no reason to tell you because no one in our family
was a restavek; it’s not something we partook in.” You
know, it was like asking about one of many things that
can exist in a country. I realized later that this story really
wanted to be set in Haiti, and the restaveks were still on
my mind. I was thinking about escape, about never being allowed to be children.
Cast in rehearsal. Photo by Jim Carmody.
GG: Earlier we talked about storytelling as a very comfortable kind of thing — a way to affirm or celebrate the
home — but then there’s also this idea of storytelling as
an escape; that one way of escaping a harsh reality is to
tell a different story.
JA: I think “escape” is about “creating what I wish my life
was.” These kids want a real sense of home and family,
so for that to be a reality they have to create it in another
form. I’m also interested in how we love people who
abuse us. It’s easy to assume, “Oh, you were abused,
you must hate this person.” But it’s a complicated web,
especially since they’re kids. “You bring me anxiety and
fear, but at the same time I want you to love me and I
need that love.”
JKB: You learn what you learn based on your environment. How do you receive love if what you’re getting
from a parent in your childhood is physical, emotional or
sexual abuse? How do we deal with the hole that that
leaves? How do we continue to love people who have
broken us? It’s a big, beautiful question to ask in the
world and also one that is being asked in the play.
GG: You two met during grad school at UC San Diego
several years back, and have been friends and collaborators ever since. What makes your collaborative process
work so well?
JKB: Jeff writes these beautiful things that are poetic and
muscular and sensual. There is violence in it but also a stillness. Our collaboration is based mostly from the fact that I
really trust Jeff. It’s a very easy way of working. It’s not that it’s
without conflict or disagreement, but there is a basis of a lot
of trust and love.
JA: It’s mutual. I feel that I can bring in a scene or try
something and I trust that whateverJosh says will open
me up, free me.
GG: Are there things by which you feel bound?
JA: Back when I first started thinking about this play, I was
reading a book of essays by Edwidge Danticat called Create Dangerously. Her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory,
was about Haitian women, and in the book the mother
repeatedly tests her daughter’s virginity. A lot of people in
the Haitian community were in an uproar: “this is going to
represent all Haitians!” So in this book of essays, Edwidge
went into this spiral — asking herself, what right does she
have to tell these Haitian stories, because she left when she
was 12. I started thinking: what right do I have to tell these
stories? I don’t fear critics as much as I fear other Haitians
watching the show. I’m always worried that I’m not getting
something right.
GG: How do you reconcile being a writer of Haitian descent
who feels a gravitational pull towards Haiti in your work, and
also that worry about whether your stories will be perceived
as authentic?
JA: I’ve come to the conclusion that I am talking about a
very particular experience; I’m talking about Haitian lives the
way I experienced it growing up. So if someone else’s experience is different than my childhood, I just remind myself
that I’m not here to represent Haiti; I am not the Haitian playwright. It’s not my job to be that. Everyone has a different
life, they might see something different. Also, I call my mom
for advice about everything: “Mom, does this make sense,
can I do this?” [laughs]
L-R: Clinton Roane, Reggie D. White, Jasmine St. Clair,
Brittany Bellizeare, Andy Lucien. Photo by Jim Carmody.
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P11
Born of No One,
Belonged to No One
The five young characters in The Last Tiger in Haiti are restaveks,
part of a shocking, shameful, and tragically widespread phenomenon in Haiti.
Even before the devastating 2010 earthquake, Haiti was the
poorest country in the western hemisphere; the massive NGO
mismanagement that followed the earthquake has only deepened Haiti’s dire financial straits. Many poor parents cannot
guarantee even the most basic subsistence for their children,
so they have no choice but to send their children to live with
other, less poor families, hoping their sons and daughters may
find better opportunities elsewhere — education and social
services, perhaps, or guaranteed meals, at the least.
Increasingly, attention is being called to their plight. In 1998, JeanRobert Cadet published Restavec, a harrowing memoir about his
childhood in service to a woman named Florence starting at age
4. Multiple organizations dedicate themselves to building awareness and advocating for the elimination of the practice.
Restaveks are granted their freedom from servitude upon turning 18, but their years of slavery leave physical and emotional
scars that plague them throughout their adulthood. In her
foreword to Restavec, Cadet’s wife Cynthia writes that her husband, though now acclimated into American society, still suffers
nightmares: “when I hear his laboring breath, his muffled cry, or
feel his arms tremble and his legs thrash about — I know that
the reality from decades ago is upon us again.”
Photo by Restavek Freedom.
Instead, their children are treated as slaves. For no pay and
minimal sustenance, restaveks work from dawn until late at
night, performing grueling and exhausting chores in service to
callous masters. When their work at “home” is completed, they
may be rented out to other houses as additional labor.
Abuse — physical, emotional, sexual — is rampant. They are
treated as something discarded, unwanted; they are malnourished and denied physical affection. In the words of Max, the
oldest restavek in Last Tiger, they are “born of no one, belonged to no one.” (“Restavek” is a French and Creole word
meaning “stay with,” a cruelly understated description.)
The irony of modern-day slavery becomes even more painful
when you consider that Haiti itself was an enslaved nation until
its overthrow of the French government in 1804. The world’s first
free black republic is home to an estimated 300,000 restaveks,
with 16% of all Haitian children self-identifying as such. Though
the practice is illegal, it’s tacitly condoned to this day.
Krik?
Storytelling is a ubiquitous part of
Haitian culture. All over the country, once night has fallen, families
assemble in their homes to share
favorite folklores.
When they are ready to start, the storyteller will say “Krik,” an
invitation to the assembled to hear the story. “Krak,” the others say, confirming they are ready to listen. The rules having
been established, the stories proceed.
These tales have been passed down from generation to
generation through the oral tradition, preserving the narrative traditions brought over from Africa by their ancestors,
and forging an ongoing familial bond. But the stories aren’t
passively received; the teller actively engages the listeners,
who form a call-and-response type of chorus.
P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
Haiti is a country full of contrasts and contradictions,
and their folklores are similarly varied. Reality and the
supernatural co-exist. Elements of Christianity and
Vodou — both of which are practiced in Haiti, often by
the same people — make their way into the stories.
Though the primary function of the folklores is entertainment, the stories are also used to instill values and moral
instruction. In her collection of Haitian folktales, Liliane
Nérette Louis writes, “When I did something wrong during the day, my mother would wait until evening. Then,
in a beautiful folktale, she would convey her message
about my wrongdoing.”
Krak!
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
STAFF
Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director
ARTISTIC
Associate Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda
Director of New Play Development Gabriel Greene
Associate Producer Flordelino Lagundino
Without Walls Festival Director Mei Yin Wang
Director Emeritus Des McAnuff
Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley Rick VanNoy
Artistic Associate Teresa Sapien
Interns Chengyun Huang, Samantha Matta, Jacob Sinclair
Commissioned Artists Lemon Andersen, Daniel Beaty,
Mark Bennett, Keith Bunin, Kirsten Greenidge,
Quiara Alegría Hudes, Joe Iconis, Naomi Iizuka,
Aditi Brennan Kapil, Jon Kern, Mike Lew, Mona Mansour,
Erin McKeown, Wesley Middleton, Rehana Lew Mirza,
Gregory S. Moss, Alfred Uhry, Charlayne Woodard,
Martín Zimmerman
2016/2017 Artist-in-Residence Basil Twist
PRODUCTION
Production Manager Audrey Hoo
Associate Production Manager Benjamin Seibert
Assistant Production Manager Becca Duhaime
Production Office Manager Tarin Hurstell
SCENE SHOP
Technical Director Chris Borreson
Associate Technical Director Curtis Green
Assistant Technical Director Tyler Grady
Scene Shop Foreman David Weiner
Staff Production Carpenters Kyle “Boo-Boo” Ahlquist, Preston
Spence
Staff Carpenters Mihai Antonescu, William Bender, Matt Clark,
Danielle Dunne, Ryan Fischer, James Hopper, Scott Kinney,
Stephanie Lee, Dino Spezzini
Shop Helper Doug Collind
PAINT SHOP
Charge Scenic Artist Joan Newhouse
Assistant Charge Artists Vicki Erbe, Melissa Nalbach
Scenic Artist Dwaine Best
PROPERTIES SHOP
Prop Shop Supervisor Deb Hatch
Associate Prop Master Jeni Cheung
Assistant Prop Master Jenny Fajerman
Prop Shop Foreman Will Widick
Props Artisans Ryan Lewis
Props Intern Griselle Gonzalez
COSTUME SHOP
La Jolla Playhouse Costume Shop Manager
2016/2017 Season Mary Rochon
Interim UCSD Costume Shop Manager Jan Mah
Costume Shop Foreman/Tailor Lissa Skiles
Drapers Elena Ham, Claudia La Rue
First Hands Jan Blankenship, Rebecca Fabares
Master Stitchers K-Joy Lehmann-Way, Yangchen Dolkar
Craft Artisans Christy Jones, Tess Mattraw
Costume Shop Assistant Desiree Hatfield-Buckley
ELECTRICS
Lighting Supervisor Mike Doyle
Assistant Lighting Supervisor Kathryn Sturch
Staff Electricians Kristyn Kennedy, Andrea Ryan,
Ramon Wenn, Matt Wilson,
SOUND/VIDEO
Sound/Video Supervisor Joe Huppert
Associate Sound Supervisor Chad Goss
Sound Shop Foreman Steve Negrete
Playhouse Sound Engineer Chris Luessmann
Interns Janine Chow, Jessica Jakes
ADMINISTRATION
General Manager Debby Buchholz
Associate General Manager Jenny Case
Human Resources Specialist Nezam Etemadi
Corporate/Legal Counsel Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange
Theatre/Legal Counsel F. Richard Pappas, Esq.
Executive Assistant to Managing Director David Barnathan
COMPANY MANAGEMENT
Company Manager Megan Alvord
Associate Company Manager Samantha De La Riva
Company Management Assistant Erica Martin
Interns Olson Kelly, Jenna Selby, Jaslit Williams-Singh
FINANCE
Controller Laura Killmer
Consulting Accounting Manager Christine Dolan
Senior Accountant Jared Jackson
Payroll Accountant Tami Tipps
Staff Accountant Janet Gray
Production Accountant Sharon Ratelle
DEVELOPMENT
Director of Development David W. Hanses
Sr. Associate Director of Development Erin Decker
Associate Director of Development,
Individual & Corporate Giving Bonnie Broberg
Grants Manager Alexandra Kritchevsky
Corporate Relations Manager Carina Burns
Development Manager Samantha Wilson
Donor Stewardship & Volunteer Coordinator Caitlin Finch
Development Database & Research Analyst Tony Dixon
Assistant to the Director of Development Naysan Mojgani
Special Events Assistant Emma Latimer
Development Assistant Jessica Humphrey
Intern Michela Rodriguez
MARKETING
Director of Communications Mary Cook
Director of Public Relations Becky Biegelsen
Associate Director of Sales & Marketing Mia Fiorella
Communications Specialist Grace Madamba
Senior Multimedia Designer Nancy Showers
Multimedia Designer Jane Sanders
Marketing Adminstrator Sonia Diaz
Marketing Coordinator Tara Shoemaker
Public Relations & Marketing Intern Carly Proffitt
PATRON SERVICES
Associate Director – Patron Services Nikki Cooper
Patron Services Sales Manager Jordan Marrone
Patron Services Assistant Manager Travis Guss
Senior Lead Patron Services Representative/Ticketing Specialist
Pearl Hang
Lead Patron Services Representative/Group Sales Specialist
Renee Tolson
Lead Patron Services Representative/Group Sales Concierge
Mike Brown
Patron Services Coordinator Bill Washington
Patron Services Representatives Deandre Clay,
Edward Delos Reyes, Makayla Hoppe
Patron Services Sales Specialist Paul Preston
Sales Concierges Andrew Fink, William Guiney
Intern Carly Profitt
Michael S. Rosenberg, Managing Director
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Director of Education & Outreach Steve McCormick
Associate Director of Education & Outreach Alison Urban
Education & Outreach Coordinator Paola Kubelis
Audio Describers Mernie Aste, Brian Berlau, Joanne Brouk,
Tina Dyer, Shari Lyon, Kay O’Neil, Deborah Sanborn,
Sylvia Southerland, Susan Weekes
ASL Interpreters Lynn Ann Garrett, Anelia Glebocki,
Alycen Haynesworth, Suzanne Lightbourn, Billieanne
McLellan, Geri Wu
Artist Instructors Carolyn E. Agan, Judy Bauerlein, Bradley
Behrmann, Julie Benitez, Brian Bose, Julia Cuppy, Rebecca
Dennis, Kirsten Giard, Amanda Ghosh, Cory Hammond,
Catherine Hanna-Schrock, Rachel Hoey, Becky Hurt,
Jeffrey Ingman, Sarah Luchini, Blake McCarty, Dennis
Peters, Erika Phillips, James Pillar, Mary Reich, Cynthia
Stokes, Skylar Sullivan, Tomas Tamayo, Sofia Zaragoza
Playhouse Teen Council Kayla Cruise, Carleigh Jensen,
Tyler Moore, Natasha Partnoy, Emily Smedley,
Nicole Sollazzo, Madeleine Williams
Interns Allison Cutshall, Annika Gullahorn, Halle Hoffman,
Carleigh Jensen, Jenna Nilson, Marie Osterman, Marvival
Parish, Kelli Plaisted, Cynthia Rebeil, Hannah Reinert,
Mondis Vakili, Marilyn Wallace, Kat Ward
OPERATIONS
Director of Operations Ned Collins
Operations Manager Jen McClenahan
Network Specialist Mike Salapow
FRONT OF HOUSE
House Manager John Craft
Assistant House Managers Kyle Farene, Sara Lucchini, Amy
Marquez, Lenon Peachlum, Mondis Vakili
Audience Concierges Maggie Papikyan, Chastyn Rauh,
Mandisa Reed
Janitorial Professional Maintenance Systems:
Elena Hernandez, Miriam Martinez, Ignacio Mena,
Juan Mena, Maria Mena
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI STAFF
Production Carpenter Preston Spence
Prop Runners Marilia Maschion, Megan Tuschhoff
Deck Crew Mihai Antonsecu
Wardrobe & Wig Supervisor Jeri Nicolas
Dresser Jan Mah
Light Board Op Ramon Wenn
Sound Board Op Michael Cornforth
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P13
P14 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE