A note from the Director - belhaven.edu · A note from the Director... Welcome to this performance...
Transcript of A note from the Director - belhaven.edu · A note from the Director... Welcome to this performance...
A note from the Director...
Welcome to this performance of Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of The White Snake! We are thrilled to share with you this delightful re-telling of one of China’s most famous stories. One of the things I most admire about Mary Zimmerman is the way she strives to make culturally-specific stories accessible and available to a broader audience.
I first became acquainted with the Legend of White Snake in 2012 when I attended the world premiere of Zimmerman’s adaptation at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Like many in the audience that day – and perhaps like you, too! – I was not familiar with the legend before the play began. I wondered if I would be able to relate to the story, or if it would feel distant and foreign to me. But what I found, instead, was a play that asked many of the same questions that most of us have grappled with at some point in our lives:
What is the nature and value of friendship?What happens to us after we die?Is it possible to be seen for who we really are and still be loved?
The Legend of White Snake is one of the Four Great Folktales of China, coming from an oral tradition long before its first recorded versions in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) – a period where Confucianism and Buddhism were dominant beliefs of the day. While those philosophies are evident in the story of White Snake, it just may be that a Chinese fable can remind us of the transformative power of divine, unconditional love.
Thank you for your support of Belhaven University Theatre!
Elissa Sartwell, Director
ΑΨΩAlpha Psi OmegaThis nationally recognized Honors Society is not a fraternal organization but
rather a society organized by those who believe that a dedication to the theatre and good academic standing deserves recognition and acknowledgement. We have been
honored at Belhaven to have had our cast, Iota Upsilon in place since 1938.
Vice PresidentMichaela Bowen
PresidentFrannie Maas Business Manager
Sarah Grace Harris
HistorianMichael Tobin
ChaplainLaina Faul
A SPECIAL THANKS TO:President Roger Parrott
Dr. Dan FredericksDr. Dennis WattsDr. Stephen Sachs
Lori FarmerGrace Anna Lane
David PotvinWayne GreenBryant Butler
David SprayberryCorrie Hung
New Stage TheatreRuffin Lowry
It is the mission of the BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY THEATRE DEPARTMENT
to train servant artists in the use of the art of theatre to serve their Community,
their Collaborators, and their Creator.
Belhaven University i s a c c r e d i t e d b y t h e
National Association of Schools of Theatrea n d a m e m b e r i n g o o d s t a n d i n g w i t h
Christians in Theatre Arts Southeastern Theatre Conference
Mississippi Theatre Association Theatre Communications Group
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
Theatre Department Faculty
Rebekah Bert, MASpecialty Instructor of Technical Design(601) 974-5497 [email protected]
Joseph Frost, MFAAssociate Professor of Theatre
(601) 974-6148 [email protected]
Dr. Elissa SartwellAssociate Professor of Theatre (601) 974-6131 [email protected]
Becky Freeman, MFAAssociate Professor of Theatre, Costume Designer
(601) 965-7059 [email protected]
Dr. David SollishAssociate Professor of Musical Theatre, Chair of Theatre
(601) 974-6477 [email protected]
CastWhite SnakeGreen Snake
Xu XianFa Hai
Guan YinCanopus and others
Stag Spirit and othersCrane Spirit and others
Doubt and othersSisters and others
Acolyte and othersMaster Lin and others
Townspeople and othersDream Dragon and others
Understudies
Frannie Maas*Laina Jo Faul*C.J. RiggsConnor Bingham*Sonja HåkkinenGrace ReevesTheodore Lott IIINoelle BalzerAryelle TuttleSophia BauerAlberto MezaDillon Cannon*Zadie Buehrle, Christy RobesonKyra SmileyTheodore Lott III, Sophia Bauer, Kyra Smiley
Understudies never substitute for listed players unless previously announced at time of the performance
*Members of Alpha Psi Omega
THE WHITE SNAKE is produced by special arrangment with BRET ADAMS, LTD., 448 West 44th Street, New York, NY10036.
Www.bretadamsltd.net
World Premiere Commissioned and Produced byThe Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Artistic Director Bill RauchExecutive Director Paul Nicholson
The White Snake translated by Paul White, New World Press Limited
The music used in this performance was composed by Andre Pluess for the world premiere production of The White Snake at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 2012. Musicians and
co-composers were Tessa Brinckman (flutes), Ronnie Malley (plucked string, percussions) and Michal Palzewicz (cello).
The White Snake is 90 minutes with no intermission.
Production StaffDirector
ChoreographerStage Manager
Scenic & Lighting DesignTechnical Director
Costume DesignSound Design
Properties MasterPuppet Master
DramaturgAssistant Stage ManagersAssistant Choreographer
Scenic Charge ArtistHair & Makeup Design
Sound AssistantHouse Manager
Box Office ManagerLogo/Poster Design
Elissa Sartwell*Kyra SmileyAlice BryantLuis RamirezRebekah BertBecky FreemanFrank DolanskyLaina Jo Faul*Dr. David S. Sollish*Sonja HåkkinenZadie Buehrle, Caleb HenryNoelle BalzerSarah Grace Harris*Courtney HolifieldBenjamin ShraderLydia Brandt*Amy SmithCorrie Hung
Master DresserDressers
RiggingLight Board Operator & Projectionist
Sound Board OperatorSound Effects
Run CrewWardrobe Maintenance
Front of HousePuppet Design & Construction
Sarah Grace Harris*Leonela Hernandez, Mac Mitchell*, Madison Parrott*James Kenyon*Rebecca LapeyreKelsey Sollish*Josh Noe Fred Arnold, Kyra SmileyAlberto MezaMarlon Banks, Morgan Hillman*Emily Barrett, Dillon Cannon, Madison Ellis, Noelle Jones, Samuel McFatridge, Madison Parrott*, Joshua Pirtle, Kyra Smiley
Crew
*Members of Alpha Psi Omega
A note from the Dramaturg...
The White Snake is Mary Zimmerman’s take on the Chinese legend of Madame White Snake, a tale of love between a snake spirit and a mortal man. Zimmerman is famous for putting oral stories and legends on stage in imaginative ways. Her other works include Metamorphosis and Odysseus. As in her other plays, narration is an essential part of this story. It is the telling of the story that causes the events to unfold before the audience’s eyes.
As a Chinese tale, The White Snake is part of the eastern storytelling tradition that is different from western plot structure. Whereas western storytelling tends to follow a linear structure with a beginning, middle, and end, eastern storytelling forms a circle where the end is often similar to the beginning.
The White Snake also reflects a distinctive feature of Asian theatre, which places an emphasis on the integration of music, acting, dance, and mime. Moving between the spiritual realm and the visible one, this ancient legend is a rare jewel in modern-day theatre. Sonja Håkkinen, Dramaturg
next for belhaven theatre department
A message from APOThis semester, Alpha Psi Omega is fundraising to
meet a number of goals that will help Theatre students make the most of their time at Belhaven.
This includes helping students attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) and the
Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festifal (KC/ACTF). Both are wonderful opportunities for
students to make significant connections, and attend classes that they would not otherwise
experience. Because there are truly hundreds of workshops and events offered at SETC and KC/ACTF, it is rather expensive. APO would love to assist those
who want to go, but are in financial need. If you would like to contribute, please visit our donation
display in the lobby.
With thanks,The officers and members of Alpha Psi Omega
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 49®, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by
David and Alice Rubenstein.
Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts'
Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation;
the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; Beatrice and Anthony Welters and the AnBryce Foundation.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made
possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the
President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels. Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance. Last year more than 1,300 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.