VIOLET PROGRAM

GU Theater and Performance Studies and Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society
in collaboration with the Music Program present

Violet

An American Chamber Musical

Music by Jeanine Tesori
Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley
Based on “The Ugliest Pilgrim” by Doris Betts

A Senior Thesis Project
Directed by Margaret Gleason (C’22)

March 24-April 2, 2022
Davis Performing Arts Center, Devine Studio Theatre
Georgetown University | Washington, DC


MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Tori Pergerson, Guest Artist

SENIOR THESIS ADVISOR
Prof. Derek Goldman

STAGE MANAGER
Gabriella Turrinelli (SFS’23)

STUDENT PRODUCER
Drew Lent (C’25)

COSTUME DESIGNER
Lily Brown (SFS’23)

SCENIC DESIGNER
Han Miller (C’23)

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Kristin A. Thompson, Guest Artist

SOUND DESIGNER
Xavier Sanchez

CO-PROPERTIES DESIGNERS
Amelia Shotwell (C’25)
Antoinette Kersaint (C’25)

CHOREOGRAPHER
Casey Ferrante (C’22)

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Alicia DiGiorgi

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Bethany Taylor

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Prof. Christine Evans

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. Violet is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Georgetown University is a vaccinated campus. Based on campus COVID-19 guidelines implemented March 21, masks are optional for students, staff, faculty, and visitors. During performances, artists will be performing and vocalizing without masks. Audience members may choose to mask or not in accordance with their respective personal comfort levels.

Violet runs approximately 100 minutes, with no intermission.


DIRECTOR’S NOTE

I first heard a song from Violet when I was 15 years old. The Broadway production was nearing the end of its run and it had sparked some buzz around this little-known musical from 1997. Something about the music grabbed my attention. I never would have guessed that that would lead me, and you, here.

Violet is a show that doesn’t shy away from hard subjects and hard questions. This story is deeply, painfully about human life: What power we have over our own and how we as individuals can move through a changing and, at times, scary world. I’m sorry to say that we won’t give you any easy answers today (I hope you’ll forgive us for that. We do only have two hours of your time, after all.), but I hope we can remind you to love in spite of it all. Violet, Flick, Monty, and all of the people they meet are learning how to accept and give love in the face of immense challenges. As you sit in this theater, many of those same challenges swirl around us. Racism, ableism, war, and prejudice have not gone away between the show’s 1964 setting and today, nor have questions about the role of faith and religion in American society. I hope that you will grapple with these questions alongside our characters, and that their journey towards self-acceptance and love will soothe your soul, at least for a moment, as it does theirs.

Given the state of the world around us, it would be naive to say that love is the healing balm that will end all suffering. Things are never that simple. What love can do, however, is get us to tomorrow with a little more peace and hope in our hearts. To quote another musical, “We have been through a frightening time.” To quote this one, “If I tell you I’m frightened…will you bring me to light?” Let us all leave this theater today ready to hold each other through the frightening times and more forward hopefully, desperately, inevitably towards the light.

Sincerely,
Margaret Gleason (C’22)
Director


CAST

VIOLET
Caitlin Waugh (C’24)

FLICK
Caitlin Frazier (C’23)

MONTY
Sam Kehoe (C’23)

YOUNG VI
Thea Belle Flanzer (C’24)

FATHER
Nick Giotis (C’23)

OLD LADY, HOTEL LADY
Caroline Slater (C’23)

PREACHER (AND OTHERS)
Adam Garrity (C’25)

“YOUNG” ENSEMBLE
Kristen Hodgson (C’22)

“DIVA” ENSEMBLE
Grace Tourtelotte (C’25)

“CROONER” ENSEMBLE
Talal Kolaghassi (MSB’22)

“LADY” ENSEMBLE
Cameren Evans (C’24)

BAND

GUITAR
Dustin Garza

BASS
James Pergerson

DRUMS
Timothy Daigle
Jolie Ouyang (C’24)


PRODUCTION STAFF

CO-CURRICULAR TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Toby Clark

CO-CURRICULAR ARTISTIC ADVISOR
Prof. Michael T. Williams

COSTUME SHOP MANAGER
Dorothy Driggers

HEAD ELECTRICIAN
Ben Harvey

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Orly Salik (C’23)

ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTORS
Owen Posnett (C’24)
Sarah Edmondson (C’23)

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS
Edward Chen (MSB’25)
Erin Davies (C’25)

CO-TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Guy Adami (C’23)

DRAMATURG
Jolie Ouyang (C’24)

DIALECT COACH
Prof. Kim Schraf

INTIMACY COORDINATOR
Claudia Waters

PRODUCTION TECHNICIANS
Allison Sacamano (C’25)
Victoria Hanna (C’23)
Claire Smith (SFS’23)
Sarah Tyree (C’24)

COSTUME SHOP STAFF
Suzy Mazur (SFS’22)
Avery Van Natta (C‘23)
Jamia Ross (NHS’22)
Caroline Slater (C‘23)

HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER
Tianna Young (SFS’25)

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER
Katherine Landler (C’24)

ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNERS
Molly Kenney (C’25)
Miriam Harris (SCS’22)

WARDROBE CREW
Suzy Mazur (C’22)

M&B BOARD LIAISON
Will Hammond (SFS’23)


SPECIAL THANKS

Prof. Fred Binkholder
Prof. Benjamin Harbert
The Pittsburgh Playhouse
Imagination Stage, Bethany Regalbuto
Jason Aufdem-Brinke
GU Fleet Manager, James Connor

Prof. David Schulman
Ryan Davis (C’21) and his family for the extraordinary donation of fabrics, notions, and patterns in memory of Lorraine Waterman


BIOGRAPHIES

JEANINE TESORI (COMPOSER) won the Tony Award for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for the musical Fun Home. She has also written Tony-nominated scores for Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center; Thoroughly Modern Millie (lyrics, Dick Scanlan); Caroline, or Change (lyrics, Tony Kushner); and Shrek The Musical (lyrics, David Lindsay-Abaire). The production of Caroline, or Change at the National Theatre in London received the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Her 1997 Off-Broadway musical Violet (lyrics, Brian Crawley) opened on Broadway in 2014 and garnered four Tony nominations, including Best Musical Revival. Opera: A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (libretto, Tony Kushner; Glimmerglass) and The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me (libretto, J. D. McClatchy, Kennedy Center). Music for plays: Mother Courage (dir. George C. Wolfe, with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline), John Guare’s A Free Man of Color (Lincoln Center Theater, dir. George C. Wolfe), and Romeo and Juliet (Delacorte Gala). Film scores: Nights in Rodanthe, Every Day, and You’re Not You. Ms. Tesori is a member of the Dramatists Guild and was cited by the ASCAP as the first female composer to have two new musicals running concurrently on Broadway. She was the founding artistic director of Encores! Off-Center at New York City Center, and a lecturer in music at Yale University. Most of all, she is the proud parent of Siena Rafter.

BRIAN CRAWLEY (BOOK AND LYRICS) is a playwright and screenwriter. He wrote the book and lyrics for A LITTLE PRINCESS (composer Andrew Lippa) which debuted at Theatreworks of Palo Alto in the summer of 2004. He also wrote the book and lyrics for VIOLET (composer Jeanine Tesori) which was mounted Off-Broadway by Playwrights Horizons in 1997, then remounted in a concert version in 2003 to help inaugurate their new theater. Other musicals he has written include EVANGELINE with Ted Dykstra, and DOWN THERE with composer Lewis Flinn. He appears in the documentary ONE NIGHT STAND, in which he writes a short musical in 24 hours with composer Gabriel Kahane. For the libretto of VIOLET, Brian won the Kleban Award. Prior to the Playwrights Horizons production, and on its behalf, VIOLET was given the Richard Rodgers Musical Production Award and an AT&T OnStage Award. Afterwards, besides a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical, VIOLET received the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical over all the year’s Broadway offerings (as did Paula Vogel’s play HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE; the first time two off-Broadway pieces took these top awards in the Drama Critic Circle’s history). Brian’s plays have been developed or staged at Lincoln Center, New York Theater Workshop, the National Alliance of Musical Theatre, and the Eugene O’Neill summer theater conference. He majored in Theater Studies at Yale and has an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Brian is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway JuniorTM shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students. MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).


LILY BROWN (SFS ‘23, COSTUME DESIGNER) is very proud of all those who worked on the show and hopes you enjoy the performance! She would also like you to consider donating to Ukraine with the money you would have spent to go see a performance or to buy a daily coffee (anything helps!). Visit https://usukraine.org/how-can-i-help/ for more information.

EDWARD J CHEN (MSB’25, ASM) is excited for Violet and all that’s to come!

TOBIN D. CLARK (TECHNICAL ADVISOR) Is so excited to be back in person doing live theater. He is in his 15th year at Georgetown where he has been an Advisor, Designer, Teacher, and Manager. His design work has been seen at Georgetown, The National Museum of the American Indian, Fringe Festival, Perseverance Theater, and Juneau Jazz and Classics. He thanks his wife, Anita, for supporting his long hours and hopes you enjoy the show.

TIMOTHY DAIGLE (DRUMS) studied studio engineering and music performance at Lamar State College in Port Arthur, TX, where he specialized as a drummer in a stage band and recorded local bands. After graduating in 2010 he performed with many local bands in the Southeast Texas area, including the Kay Miller Trio. In 2014 he moved to DC to help start a church, Triumph DC, where he met his wife and continues to direct music and audio production. Feel free to say hi and ask about him about his kittens.

ERIN DAVIES (C’25, ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is a freshman in the College from Massachusetts. Violet is Erin’s second production at Georgetown and her first experience as an assistant stage manager! Erin worked on Paperplay (Fall 2021), her first production at Georgetown, as run crew, and has been involved in the technical and production side of theater since 2017. She would like to thank the cast and crew of Violet for making this experience so special.

ALICIA DIGIORGI (DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION) welcomes her first season with TPST and The Davis Center. Alicia most recently served as the Director of Production and Head of the Stage Management program for Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. She has served in numerous production roles for dozens of companies and has a passion for immersive theatre creation. Some favorite productions include: STRATA and OjO for Bricolage Production Company; The Lonesome West and Death of A Salesman for THE REP; The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Hedda Gabler for PICT; Talley’s Folly and Good People for The Pittsburgh Public; Cafe Puttanesca and The Missionary Position for City Theatre; Killer Joe and The Grey Zone for barebones productions.

DOROTHY BARNES DRIGGERS (COSTUME SHOP MANAGER) is a costume designer and technician in Washington, DC. Currently she is the costume shop manager at Georgetown University and the costume coordinator/designer for Maryland Lyric Opera. Her most recent design credits include Snow day for Arts on the Horizon, Mary Poppins at Central Piedmont Summer Theatre and Madeline’s War at the Volks Theatre in Vienna, Austria. While designing, she has worked as a costume technician at The Washington National Opera, Folger Theatre, The University of Maryland, and The Santa Fe Opera.

SARAH EDMONDSON (SHE/HER) (C’23, ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR) is a junior from North Carolina. She studies history, music and disability studies. She has previously worked on music direction for Nomadic’s Firebringer, Mask and Bauble’s Zoom production of Man of La Mancha, and last semester’s production of Beyond the Lights. She is grateful to and proud of everyone on Violet’s team!

CHRISTINE EVANS (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, DAVIS CENTER), originally from Australia, is a Professor of Performing Arts at Georgetown. She writes plays, novels, film scripts and opera libretti. Her plays have been produced and developed at many venues, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the American Repertory Theater (ART); her play Trojan Barbie is published by Samuel French (UK and US). Her novel-in-verse, Cloudless, was released by UWA Publishing (2015) and her novel Nadia, about a refugee from Sarajevo in 1990s London, is forthcoming from U Iowa Press in 2023. Recent honors include a 2020 Howard Foundation Award, three MacDowell Fellowships and five DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowships. Current projects include a TV adaptation of Cloudless and the libretto for Three Marys, a contemporary chamber opera composed by Andrée Greenwell. Christine holds an MFA and PhD from Brown University and served as Briggs-Copeland Lecturer on English at Harvard from 2007-12. www.christineevanswriter.com

CASEY A. FERRANTE (C’22, CHOREOGRAPHER), a lifelong dancer, is a senior studying sociology, Spanish, and journalism. She started dancing when she was two years old and became a competitive dancer at six. Upon arriving at Georgetown, Casey joined Black Movements Dance Theatre (BMDT) and is now the assistant director. She recently presented her third and final piece at BMDT’s spring show. Last semester, Casey was the assistant choreographer for Beyond the Lights, which was a great introduction to Georgetown theater. She is honored to choreograph for Violet, and she is excited to make this story come to life through movement.

THEA BELLE FLANZER (C’24, YOUNG VI) is so grateful to be working with this incredible d-staff and cast! Georgetown Acting Credits Include: Murder/Suicide (GTA); Tam Lin & Other Journeys (GTA); Christmas Carol 2020 (GTA/M&B); AudioSpice (Nomadic). Off-Broadway: If You Press Yer Eyes Hard Enuf (Theatre Row). Regional: Gateway’s Mary Poppins; Elf the Musical; As You Like It, and many more. Training: RADA Teen Summer Conservatory, Stonestreet Studios Summer Intensive, and the Gateway School for the Performing Arts. Director of M&B’s 2021 Christmas Carol production, publicity director of M&B’s incoming Board 171, and member of Arena Stage’s Playwrights’ Arena.

CAITLIN FRAZIER (C’23, FLICK) is playing a Black man for the second time and she is excited to get to do it for the first time on Georgetown’s campus. Caitlin is happy that Violet has a girl crush 😉 Shoutout to Caitlin’s real life girly, Olivia.

NICK GIOTIS (C’23, FATHER) wants to thank his mom and invites members of the audience to text him (203) 554-1099 their favorite poker hand.

MARGARET GLEASON (C’22, DIRECTOR) is honored to have you in the theater for this performance. Originally (and proudly) from Eugene, OR, she has so enjoyed directing Violet with this wonderful, resilient team. It has been a beautiful bookend to her college years. During her time at Georgetown, she served as founder and Co-Chair of March For Our Lives, choreographer for Rangila, and Publicity Director for Mask and Bauble. Favorite campus theater memories include acting in a reading of Torgus and Snow by Christine Evans, directing Hedda Gabler, and establishing semi-permanent residence in Poulton and DPAC. She thanks her family and her friends, for everything.

DEREK GOLDMAN (SENIOR THESIS ADVISOR) is Chair of Georgetown University’s Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program, as well as Co-Founding Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, with the mission to humanize global politics through the power of performance. He is an award-winning stage director, playwright/adapter, scholar, producer, and developer of new work, whose work has been seen around the country, off-Broadway, and internationally, at theaters such as Steppenwolf, Lincoln Center, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Folger, Round House, Everyman, Mosaic, Theater J, Synetic, the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theater, McCarter, Segal Center (Montreal), Olney Theater, and others. He is the author of more than 30 professionally produced plays and adaptations, and he has directed more than 100 productions. He holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and he received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers at Georgetown, and the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Award.

MIRIAM HARRIS (SCS’22, ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER) is a senior in the SCS and is a native of Washington DC. Violet is her first theater production. She would like to thank Professor David Schulman for introducing her to the importance of sound design and Alicia DiGiorgi for providing her the opportunity to work on Violet.

KRISTEN MARIE HODGSON (C’22, VIRGIL/BILLY DEAN/”YOUNG” ENSEMBLE) is a soon-to-be graduate studying Government, Psychology, and Education, Inquiry, & Justice. In addition to being the President of Children’s Theatre, she is also a member of Mask & Bauble and Nomadic Theatre Societies. Past Georgetown theatre shows have included Firebringer, The Little Mermaid & the Prince, Robin Hood, and yearly productions of the Christmas Carol. She is so excited to be involved in Violet as her last undergraduate theatre experience. As a Southerner herself, she appreciates the opportunity to sing and dance to country-influenced music—and use a Southern accent!

SAM KEHOE (C’23, MONTY) is ecstatic to be continuing his third season with Georgetown Theater! Prior roles with M&B include: Jones (Machinal), Bildad (JB), and Brack (Hedda Gabler). Sam would like to thank the production team, cast, and crew for the opportunity to story-tell once again. He would also like to extend his sincerest apologies to all his apartment tower neighbors who suffered in silence through his late-night vocal practice sessions.

MOLLY KENNEY (C’25, ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER AND SOUND BOARD OPERATOR) is a freshman in the College studying Biology of Global Health on the Pre-Health track. This is her first production with Mask & Bauble and second production at Georgetown, and she can’t wait to be a part of more productions in the future. She would like to thank everyone for welcoming her to the Georgetown theater community!

ANTOINETTE KERSAINT (C’25, PROPS CO-LEAD) is a little freshman doing a little-known show called Violet. If you happen to know her or the show, you are automatically cooler than everyone else. Neither she makes the rules nor I, the omnipresent narrator of her life story. We hope you enjoy, are enjoying, or did enjoy tonight’s show. If there was a prop that spoke to you, it was Antoinette and Amelia.

TALAL ALI KOLAGHASSI (C’22, CROONER) grew up as a huge theater kid, and as they grew they felt their priorities shifted as the ‘real’ world took a toll on them. This is their first play since before high school and they are so excited to reconnect and reignite their love for theatre. Talal is excited to return to the stage!

KATHERINE LANDLER (ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER, LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR) is so excited to be working on this production. She would like to thank everyone involved in this production for making it such a rewarding and fun experience.

DREW LENT (C’25, STUDENT PRODUCER) is so excited to be a student producer for Violet this spring! He is currently a freshman in the College and has performed in Machinal last semester with Mask & Bauble. Previous acting credits include Jack in Into the Woods, Enjolras in Les Miserables, and Lucas in The Addams Family. This is his first role in production, and he has loved this brand new experience. He would like to thank his family and friends for all of their support, as well as the cast and crew for being so amazing to work with.

ELIZABETH MCDERMOTT (SFS ‘22, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, M&B) is so proud of this amazing cast and crew! Break legs!

HAN MILLER (C’23, SCENIC DESIGN) says please donate to Georgetown Mutual Aid by Venmoing @GeorgetownMutualAid 🙂

JOLIE OUYANG (C’24, DRAMATURG, SUBSTITUTE DRUMMER) is a sophomore in the College studying English with a minor in Italian. This is her first time working on a theater production, and she would like to thank everyone involved in Violet for their support and helpfulness, as well as her family and friends for putting up with her.

JAMES PERGERSON (BASS) loves music theater! After 20 years of playing country, classic rock, alternative, and church worship music, James jumped at this opportunity which celebrates the music of his southern roots. He is married to the Music Director and has three musical children.

TORI PERGERSON (MUSICAL DIRECTOR) is delighted to be making her debut with Georgetown’s Theater & Performance Studies Program. As a DCPS Vocal/ Musical Theater Director, Tori currently serves at Stuart-Hobson Middle. She has built a musical theater program producing two productions a year that draws over 100 participants from feeder schools (K-8) all around the Capitol Hill Community. Tori is a certified ITHEATRICS Specialist working alongside award-winning Playwright and Director, Timothy Allen McDonald (Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka, etc.) Tori has directed elementary vocal ensembles performing at the ground-breaking expansion ceremony of the Kennedy Center Arts Wing, leading an annual Black History celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, performing for former Vice President Joe Biden’s Military Holiday Tribute, and the Millennium Stage to name a few. She is a wife to an awesome Bass Player (James) and mother to three Artists in training: Lydia, Evan, and Riley. She is honored to be a part of the Violet Team and congratulates everyone on a job “Well done!”

OWEN POSNETT (C’24, ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR) has been playing piano for twelve years and saxophone for nine. He is honored to serve as an assistant music director and pit orchestra pianist for Violet after having done so for Cabaret in Fall 2021. Previously, Owen has served as assistant music director and/or piano-conductor for a variety of theater companies. He is extremely grateful for Tori and Sarah, the pit orchestra, and the rest of the Violet team for all of their hard work in putting on a great show.

ORLY SALIK (C’23, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) is a junior in the college majoring in Government and minoring in History and Theater & Performance Studies. Despite Margaret’s refusal to cast her as Creepy Guy, she wants to congratulate her on a wonderful senior thesis. Cheers to the entire cast and crew on a fantastic performance. Enjoy the show!

XAVIER SANCHEZ (LEAD SOUND DESIGNER), accomplished producer and recent Georgetown alumni, calls San Diego home. His passion for music developed when he started playing piano as a child and has only grown since. He first began experimenting with music production and sound design at the age of 11, and has mastered a variety of genres including rap, electronic, and alternative. He produces and performs under the stage name YVNG X and his music has amassed over 100,000 streams internationally. When he’s not working on music, Xavier spends his time drawing, animating, writing, and DJing. As a student, Xavier served as the Podcast and DJ Services Chair of Georgetown’s student-run radio station WGTB and cherished spending countless hours creating in Gelardin’s production studio. His most memorable Georgetown experience was the time he spent studying abroad in Florence, Italy and traveling across Europe.

KIM SCHRAF (DIALECT COACH) is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Performing Arts at Georgetown and a longtime professional actor in the DC community. Her other pursuits include voice and acting coaching, audiobook narration, and corporate presentation workshops. She has enjoyed working with the wonderful Violet team on this production!

AMELIA SHOTWELL (C’25, CO-LEAD PROPS DESIGNER) is a Freshman in the College studying History and English. She has been involved in theater since the third grade. At Georgetown, she has previously performed in Paperplay. She would like to thank Drew Lent for being a fantastic student producer 🙂

KRISTIN A. THOMPSON (LIGHTING DESIGNER) is happy to return to Georgetown, having previously designed lights for Amanuensis, and In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play. Some other companies Kristin has designed lights for include: 1st Stage, Adventure Theatre MTC, Carrol Community College, Contradiction Dance, Faction of Fools, Flying V Theatre, Happenstance Theatre, Howard Community College, The Hub Theatre, Imagination Stage, Round House Theatre, Stevenson University, Theatre Lab, and Venus Theatre. When not sitting in the dark shining lights on other people, she spends her time with her two favorite people: her husband Paul, and her kid Grey.

GRACE TOURTELOTTE (C’25, MUSIC HALL SINGER, BUS DRIVER 2, BUS PASSENGER/ ENSEMBLE) has absolutely loved being in Violet, which is her first show at Georgetown. She is so thankful to everyone in the cast and crew and everyone involved for making this such an amazing experience and to Margaret for giving her this opportunity and introducing everyone to the absolutely life changing T.V. show SMASH. Enjoy the show!

GABRIELLA TURRINELLI (SFS ‘23, STAGE MANAGER) is a junior in the SFS, majoring in International Political Economy and minoring in French and International Development. From Chicago, Gabriella came to Georgetown excited to work with the theater community, and is thrilled to be stage managing for the second time on Violet. She would like to thank her family for always accepting her late-night stressed Facetime calls and Trader Joe’s for providing great post-rehearsal meals. She is also incredibly grateful to Margaret for entrusting her with this process! And with that, enjoy this poker-filled, galax-sponsored cross-country road trip with the Violet team!

CAITLIN WAUGH (C’24, VIOLET) is a sophomore in the college majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies, and minoring in Theater & Performance Studies and Arabic. She is so excited to be in her first in-person show since before COVID. Special thanks to her professor’s dog Jamie for helping her run lines!

MICHAEL T. WILLIAMS (ARTISTIC ADVISOR TO CO-CURRICULAR THEATER) is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Theater & Performance Studies Program and Artistic Advisor to Co-Curricular Theater at Georgetown. He is a devised and ensemble theater practitioner and pedagogue: part director, performer, and educator working in collectively-authored performance. Driven by visual storytelling and sonic languages, his work explores the marriage of the divine and the profane, unreliable first-person narratives, and theatricalization of non-dramatic and autobiographical texts. With his collective Antigravity Performance Project and solo Michael has worked with: FringeArts, La MaMa ETC, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Soho Rep, Trinity Rep, and Sleeping Weazel, and has been presented at FringeArts, Ars Nova, Ice Factory Festival, New Ohio Presents, and Haverford College through the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship. M.F.A. in Devised Performance from University of the Arts/Pig Iron Theatre, B.A. in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies and Education Studies from Brown University.

TIANNA M YOUNG (SFS’25, HAIR/MAKEUP) is really excited to be working on their first ever theatrical production!


DRAMATURGY

Set in the American South in September 1964, Violet is a musical that touches upon themes of religion, race, parenthood, disfigurement, and friendship in the midst of the Civil Rights Era and the start of American military intervention in the Vietnam War. Based on Doris Betts’ short story The Ugliest Pilgrim, the musical centers upon its titular character, Violet Karl, and her interactions with the various people she meets after leaving her small town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. While the plot is fictional, many aspects of the show can be found in the America that existed in the early 60s.

For our designers, a significant inspiration were the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains where Violet has lived her whole life. This particular photo below inspired the costumes’ natural color palette and the set’s woodsy composition, giving the production a rustic atmosphere. In addition to its design, multiple characters within the play also have roots in American history, from the soldiers contemplating potential deployment to Vietnam2 to the charismatic, boisterous televangelist a la Oral Roberts3 that promises healing through faith.

For our designers, a significant inspiration were the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains where Violet has lived her whole life. This particular photo below inspired the costumes’ natural color palette and the set’s woodsy composition, giving the production a rustic atmosphere. In addition to its design, multiple characters within the play also have roots in American history, from the soldiers contemplating potential deployment to Vietnam2 to the charismatic, boisterous televangelist a la Oral Roberts3 that promises healing through faith.

As our company moves across the stage4 reflecting Violet’s pilgrimage, we encourage you to consider the following question: “In changing times, who do we rely on and why?”

2. 1960s summer army uniforms (at right) served as costume inspiration for the characters of Flick and Monty.

3. Oral Roberts (1918-2009) was a televangelist and a proponent of the prosperity gospel and seed-faith. His signature suit and red tie was a reference point for The Preacher’s costume.

4. Early Rendering of the Spruce Pine set. Though Violet begins at the mountain and turf part of the set, which symbolizes North Carolina, it moves across the stage as the musical continues on, reaching the other end of the room when Violet finally reaches her destination.


ABOUT

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Professor Christine Evans, Ph.D., Artistic Director

Opened in November 2005 as Georgetown University’s first building designed for the arts, the Davis Performing Arts Center is the research and teaching laboratory for the Theater & Performance Studies Program and houses the administrative office of the Department of Performing Arts. The Center honors Father Royden B. Davis, beloved former Dean of the College and a patron of the arts. Nationally recognized architect Hugh Hardy transformed the former Ryan Administration Building (expanding on the site of Georgetown’s first gymnasium) for the Davis Center.

Since its inaugural season, the Davis Center has hosted a thematically linked home season for the Theater & Performance Studies Program, featuring cutting-edge productions committed to diversity and artistic risk-taking. We have presented numerous new works and adaptations, DC premieres, bold re-imaginings of classics, important contemporary plays, and student-devised productions.

Our mainstage productions have engaged deep collaborations with nationally renowned artists (Sojourn Theatre, Heather Raffo, The Neo-Futurists), acclaimed local companies (Synetic Theater, Spooky Action Theater, a 15-year partnership with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater), local universities (Gallaudet University, University of Maryland), and frequent co-productions with Alumni (including LubDub Theatre Co., Swedian Lie, Isaiah M. Wooden) and GU’s student theater companies (including Black Theatre Ensemble, Mask and Bauble, and Nomadic Theatre).

The Davis Center is a hub for interdisciplinary exchange with the wider community, both locally and globally. In addition to mainstage TPST productions in the Gonda and Devine Theatres, the Davis Center hosts annual residencies of the theater, music, and dance programs, and the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, placing students from the entire Georgetown community in regular contact with leading professionals from the US and beyond, as well as presenting work and hosting residencies with change-making artists from around the world. Through our partnerships with local organizations, DC public schools, and numerous community partners, we actively engage Georgetown’s social justice mission through the performing arts.

GU THEATER & PERFORMANCE STUDIES PROGRAM
Derek Goldman, Ph.D., Director

Housed in the Davis Performing Arts Center, the Theater & Performance Studies Program offers a dynamic interdisciplinary major that emphasizes the interaction of artistic and analytic inquiry. The distinctive curriculum integrates the political and international character of Georgetown, a commitment to social justice, and high-quality, cutting-edge production seasons, including world premieres. Our major prepares students for lives as professional theater artists, scholars, activists, and entrepreneurs, as well as for careers in the wider fields of education, cultural criticism, and public service.

Led by an internationally recognized faculty of leading scholar/artists and professional practitioners, the program has been named as one of the top five college theater programs outside of New York City (Backstage, 2012), and faculty and student collaborations have been recognized with Helen Hayes Awards and invitations to leading festivals around the world. Our courses provide in-depth instruction in adaptation, new work development, interdisciplinary research-to-performance projects, cross-cultural performance studies, theater for social change, and innovative approaches to design and multi-media, as well as playwriting, directing, dramaturgy, ensemble and solo performance.

The Program invests in a distinctive array of professional partnerships and guest artists who collaborate deeply with students, including our ongoing partnership with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Frequent residencies with leading artists from around the world bring diverse modes of performance to campus. The establishment of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, a joint signature initiative with the School of Foreign Service, represents our growing focus on the role of theater and performance in the context of international affairs, engaging global challenges such as the migration and refugee crisis, climate change, conflict and polarization.

performingarts.georgetown.edu (new window)


Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program Faculty & Staff

Derek Goldman
CHAIR, DEPT. OF PERFORMING ARTS; DIRECTOR, THEATER & PERFORMANCE STUDIES PROGRAM; CO-FOUNDING DIRECTOR, LABORATORY FOR GLOBAL PERFORMANCE AND POLITICS; PROFESSOR

Christine Evans
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER; PROFESSOR

Soyica Colbert
IDOL FAMILY PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN COLLEGE; PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND PERFORMING ARTS

Reginald Douglas (C’09)
ADJUNCT LECTURER

Dorothy Barnes Driggers
ADJUNCT ASSISTANT TEACHING PROFESSOR; DAVIS CENTER COSTUME SHOP AND PROPERTIES MANAGER

Anita Gonzalez
FOUNDING CO-LEADER OF THE RACIAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE; PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND PERFORMING ARTS

Robert Jansen
ADJUNCT ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Emma Crane Jaster
ADJUNCT LECTURER (TPST & DANCE); GLOBAL FELLOWS PROGRAM MANAGER AND RESIDENT MOVEMENT ARTIST, THE LAB

Sarah Marshall
ADJUNCT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE

Kate Eastwood Norris
ADJUNCT LECTURER

Natsu Onoda Power
PROFESSOR

Maya E. Roth
DELLA ROSA DISTINGUISHED ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THEATER

Kim Schraf
ADJUNCT LECTURER

Alexandra Templer (C’15)
ADJUNCT LECTURER

Michael T. Williams
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE; ARTISTIC ADVISER TO CO-CURRICULAR THEATER

ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS AND DAVIS CENTER PERSONNEL

Tobin Clark
TECHNICAL ADVISER TO CO-CURRICULAR THEATER

Vanessa Gilbert
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Sarah Ginnetti
ACADEMIC AND FACULTY AFFAIRS MANAGER

Ron Lignelli
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

Laura Mertens
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER

Alicia DiGiorgi
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Bethany Taylor
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR


SUPPORT OUR INITIATIVES

We depend on the generosity of our supporters and audience members for the majority of our production and programming funds. By supporting our dynamic range of programming, you can change students’ lives and underwrite our commitment to continuing to make Georgetown a national leader and a destination for the arts.

For information on supporting TPST programs and other initiatives in the Department of Performing Arts, contact Department Chair Derek Goldman at dag45@georgetown.edu. For information about becoming a production sponsor, please contact Davis Performing Arts Center Artistic Director Christine Evans at cme40@georgetown.edu.

“Georgetown…in recent years has established itself as the region’s most imaginative academic outpost for drama….The programming…bristles with professional-grade ambition.”
—THE WASHINGTON POST

Ranked one of the “5 Top College Theater Programs Outside of New York”
—BACKSTAGE


FRIENDS OF TPST AND THE DAVIS CENTER 2021-22

Andrew R. Ammerman (F’72)
Joyce J. Gorman and Joseph A. Fanone
(C’ 71, L’ 74)
Alumni Leadership Circle

Dean Rosario Ceballo
Provost Robert Groves
The Kelley Family
Mark Kenyon
Stephen J. & Mary Ann Seleman


Violet is part of the GU Theater & Performance Studies Program’s 2021-22 Makers in the Space: Making Space 16th Anniversary season, which also included productions of Paperplay! Adventures in Kamishibai (Oct. 21-30, 2021), created by the student ensemble with Prof. Natsu Onoda Power; Cabaret, directed by Matt Phillips (C’22), advised by Profs. Maya E. Roth & Michael T. Williams (Nov. 10-14, 2021) and presented with Nomadic Theatre in collaboration with the GU Music Program; and the Davis Performing Arts Center Sweet 16 Anniversary Celebration (April 8-9, 2022).

GU Theater & Performance Studies Program and Davis Performing Arts Center

Friday, April 8–Saturday, April 9
Davis Performing Arts Center Sweet 16 Anniversary Celebration

Celebrate the Sweet 16th anniversary of Georgetown’s arts hub in an exciting array of events with alumni, faculty, and current students!

DAVIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, ACROSS THE BUILDING
performingarts.georgetown.edu


MAKING NEW WORLDS FUND

The Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program would like to thank our friends and alumni who have contributed to the Making New Worlds Fund, especially the following for their generosity:

James and Susannah Prout, Rita Ciocca, Art Murphy, Thomas Scanlan, the Leen Foundation, The Children’s Trust, Sharmila Achari (C’04), Adam (C’16) and Elly (C’16) Bacigalupo, Henri and Jaye (N’67) Barre, Matt Beshke (SFS’18), Brian Bies (B’18), Kevyn Bowles (C’09), Nancy Brensson (C’96), Jack Buckley (B’22), Meg Cairns (C’90), Anna Calogero (SFS’18), Tim O. Casey (C’07), Dave Childs (SFS’04), Christina M. Ciocca (C’05), Gabriel Cohn (N’19), Kate Creevy (C’94), Fred Dews (SFS’91, MPP’96), Catherine Dolan (C’12), Michael Donnay (C’16), Bill Doyle (C’91), Olivia Duff (C’16), Blythe DuJardin (SFS’22), Jem Dyson (C’22), Thomas B. Evans (C’08), Patrick Flynn (C’09), Danny Frumento (C’18), Greta Gaines (C’89) and Mike Haje, Ray Gao (C’19), Diane Giangreco (C’13), Jess Gitner (C’09), Matthew Green (SFS’78), Jeremy Guyton (C’12), David Hanna (C’14), Samuel Hartmann (C’19), Jordanna Hernandez (C’15), Anne Marie Huntington (C’19), Mary Ann (C’86, L’90, P’19/23) and Kent Huntington (L’91, P’19/23), Analise Irigoyen (B’22), Jeffrey (SFS’88) and Shannon Jamison, Josh Karch (C’91), Kathy Kelly (SFS’99), Wieslaw and Mariola Klis (P’10), Sarah Kelly Konig (C’16), Alex Kostura (SFS’09), Rachel League (B’18), Elise Lemle (C’10), Ann Ludtke (MSB’18), Dustin Maghamfar (C’06), Alexandra McCourt (B’15), Chase Meacham (C’14), Catherine Meyendorff (SFS’11), Beth A. Mirzai (C’03), Michael Mitchell (C’10), Thomas Moakley (SFS’17), Christian Navarro (C’01), Joseph (B’94) and Nancy Nowalk, Caitlin Ouano (C’17), Cynthia E. Pekron (SFS’07), Matt Phillips (C’22), Kate Porterfield (C’86), Colin Pritchard (SFS’99), Brendan Quinn (C’14, L’18), Jennifer Rogers (C’06), Alexandra Rose (L’19), Erika (SFS’92) and Jeff (C’87) Schoppert, Caroline (C’00) and Brent Stone, William (C’05) and Eleanor (C’06) Strumolo, Shawn Summers (C’12), Susan Swope (SFS’65), The Burke Family Charitable Fund, Joelle Thomas (SFS’10), Bridget (SFS’79) and Russell (D’79) Tibbetts (P’06/18/23), David Turer (B’16), Obehi Utubor (SFS’09), Annie Valik (B’06), Amelia Walsh (SFS’20), Jasmine Wee (SFS’13), Cornell Womack (C’93), Isaiah Wooden (C’04), Allison Zatta (C’07)

The Making New Worlds Fund supports the academic, artistic, and professional development of our students. To make a donation to the Fund, please visit performingarts.georgetown.edu/participate/give.


MASK & BAUBLE

The Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society prides itself on being the oldest, continuously running, collegiate, student theatrical society in the United States. In its current home, Poulton Hall Stage III, the club succeeds at producing professional theatre at the college level. Mask and Bauble is dedicated to creating quality theatre through a tradition of student-to-student mentorship. With an aim to produce a wide variety of works each season, our show selections also draw from our four pillars of classics, contemporaries, musicals, and student written works.

Mask and Bauble was founded in 1852 as The Dramatic Association of Georgetown College. Then headed by the College’s Jesuit president, the group first performed on February 27, 1853, and has since had an exciting and prestigious history. In 1884, the Association’s production of Richard II was the American debut. During the Roosevelt Administration, the club frequently performed at the White House and provided much of the technical staff for press conferences. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a great patron and supporter of the group during that time.

During World War I, the club fell into a period of dormancy, but afterwards reorganized under the name of Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society, reflecting its new emphasis on comedies and dramas. Soon after, in 1934, the society cast women for the first time. During the period from 1955 to 1976, former Georgetown professor Donn B. Murphy headed the club and carried it to its current stature. Using student-written musicals called Calliopes, Dr. Murphy shifted the emphasis of the Society to student involvement and creativity. Soon after, Louis Schetter, a former student and Broadway producer, followed suit by founding Midnight Theatre, a forum for experimental theatrical performance. The Society recently revived this tradition in the spring of 1996.

Unsatisfied with the lack of theatre space on campus, in 1975 Mask and Bauble members stayed during spring break and secretly built a black box theatre in a Poulton Hall classroom without University permission, naming it Stage II. The University immediately forced the students to take it apart, but, in 1976, the Administration built the group Stage III, another small, 100-seat black box theatre in Poulton Hall, but in exchange for the club’s costume, makeup, and rehearsal spaces. The original performance space, Stage I, has since been converted into a scene shop, costume shop, and dressing room in an attempt to replace some of those lost spaces. To this day, Stage III remains Mask and Bauble’s primary performance space on the Georgetown campus.

Today, Mask and Bauble continues to present quality college theatre while providing an outlet through which students can learn about and participate in the performing arts. It claims as alumni actors such as John Guare, Don Ameche, John Barrymore, William Peter Blatty, and Eileen Brennan. To this day, students are responsible for all facets of theatrical production.

www.maskandbauble.org


M&B BOARD MEMBERS

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Elizabeth McDermott

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Will Hammond

BUSINESS MANAGER
Orly Salik

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Han Miller

PUBLICITY DIRECTOR
Margaret Gleason

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Karen Samy

SALES DIRECTOR
Sabrina Perez


Coming up…

April 7 – April 23, 2022
36th Annual Donn B. Murphy One-Acts Festival
Featuring the winners of Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society’s annual student playwriting competition

Duty Free as a Way of Coping by Anjali Britto
Directed by Hiruni Herat (C’23)

A female international student gets a job as a duty free store employee when her college closes and she cannot go home since the borders are closed. She takes the audience through her lonely corner of the store and describes her daily tasks as an employee as well as her conflicting feelings about her position as an employee, and her place within the ever moving system of an airport. What does it mean to be static when the rest of the world seems to be in motion?

Grand Courses by Nick Giotis
Directed by Charlie Smith (C’24)

Welcome to the Dead Man’s Cove, the spookiest mini golf experience in Chippewa County, Minnesota. In your time at the Dead Man’s Cove you may encounter a buoyant store manager, two elderly owners, an aspiring journalist, a quirky, perennial customer, and Cal Vandegraff — a college aged kid just trying to keep his head above water. Grand Courses is a play about lofty ambitions, the bittersweet chase of fulfillment, the sublimity of human life, and of course, mini-golf.

Huelga! by Catherine Shonack
Directed by Maggie Cammaroto (C’22)
Produced by Abby Hames (C’24)
Stage Managed by Kat Bouker (C’24)
Technical Direction by Owen Wiley (C’25)

This group of Latinx advocates will stop at nothing to get their community recognized as a minority in the eyes of the Houston school board. Window in the way? Just break it. Public school systems falling short? How about new schools? Songs that have never been sung or danced to before? That’s no problem for this movin’ and groovin’ gang of passionate leaders! This historically-based, student-written musical is one-of-kind – don’t miss it!

Poulton Hall, Stage III
FREE, Register at performingarts.georgetown.edu


Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski
By Prof. Derek Goldman and GU alumnus Clark Young (C’09)
Directed by Prof. Derek Goldman
Featuring David Strathairn as Jan Karski

“Masterful…this story is more timely than ever.” –Chicago Sun Times
“GRIPPING…Starring a virtuosic David Strathairn…under [Derek] Goldman’s inspired direction.”
–The Washington Post

May 12-22 2022
Davis Performing Arts Center, Gonda Theatre
Limited run in advance of international tour and off-Broadway run in the fall

Marking its return to GU, where this work was originally created and performed as an ensemble staged reading in 2014, this tour-de-force, solo performance featuring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Lincoln, Nomadland), portrays World War II hero and Holocaust witness Jan Karski, a messenger of truth who risked his life to carry his harrowing report from war-torn Poland to the Allied Nations and, ultimately, the Oval Office only to be ignored and disbelieved. Escaping the clutches of the Nazis, bearing witness to the despair of the Warsaw ghetto, and standing tall in the halls of power, Strathairn captures the remarkable life of this self-described “insignificant, little man” whose forgotten story of moral courage and individual responsibility can still shake the conscience of the world.

globallab.georgetown.edu