Writer-Director Mark Valdez on Rehearsals, Mental Health, and A Certain Little Rabbit
Mark Valdez describes the call he got from the Alliance Theatre asking him to write and direct Into the Burrow as “one of the best phone calls [he has] ever gotten.”
“Of course, I immediately said yes!” he says. “For many years now, I have been curious and interested in creating immersive pieces that let the audience be a part of the action. Their presence is important to the action of the story. The characters can see them. There is no fourth wall. This aspect of the project was very exciting.”
Although Valdez didn’t grow up with the Peter Rabbit™ stories, he was familiar with the name and, over the course of this project, has become a huge fan. “[Beatrix Potter’s] illustrations are so good! There’s detail – the fur, the color, the eyes; she’s a master artist. And what I appreciate about her stories is that they are not sentimental – quite the opposite, really. They are often very matter-of-fact. They can be sweet, but they’re never treacly. And when bad things happen, the animals find ways of moving forward, which I really like.”
These animals are very important to Valdez as well. Although he says that writing a story based on such beloved characters is “exciting and daunting,” he really enjoyed fleshing out the characters. “Peter Rabbit™ and the other [characters] are a mainstay of our culture,” he says. “It was very exciting (and more than a little daunting!) to have the opportunity to create a new story for these well-known figures.”
To begin the process, he spent a lot of time with the original stories, poring over the illustrations and trying to imagine each character’s life beyond the page. “For instance,” he says, “I was asking myself, ‘What do they sound like? What would they do at a party? What is the thing they most enjoy and that makes them laugh?’ By asking these questions, I got to know them better and then I was able to select which ones needed to be in this play. I knew I wanted them each to have a talent or skill, so part of my imagining was picturing them performing for each other. That was a fun exercise.”
The characters he ended up selecting to be featured in Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale, were Benjamin Button, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin, Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise, Jeremy Fisher, Mr. McGregor, and, of course Peter. By parsing out the relationships the characters have with each other in the books, he was able to select the ones that he felt would carry along the story. “I could recognize them as a community, as friends. That informed the message I want to convey, which is that we need each other to get us through the difficult moments and to celebrate the wonderful times, too. Community and friendship are important. And sharing the land and the food. It’s about taking care of each other in all the different ways.”
When describing the rehearsal process, Valdez says it involves “a lot of working and a lot of laughing.” There have been a few workshops with test audiences before the official rehearsal process started, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback gave Valdez and the entire creative team the energy to go forward, knowing they were on the right track. In the rehearsal room, they spend time at a table (“doing a lot of talking to make sure we are all on the same page, understanding how the story is unfolding and how the characters are changing”) and then time staging the show, on their feet (“making sure that movement can help tell the story, which is everything from the way characters walk and move to the pictures we create with all the bodies on the set”).
“The thing that remains consistent, though,” Valdez adds, “is the sense of fun. I try very hard to make space for the actors to be playful, to manifest joy, especially in a story like this that’s about friendship and community.”
One thing that was very important to both Valdez and his partners at the Alliance from the very beginning of the process was the emphasis on mental health and maintaining healthy coping skills. Although these subjects of conversation may seem too heavy to discuss with children, they are crucial. Valez and his team integrate this topic well in the play, giving kids a great opportunity to jump-start conversations with their grownups.
“At one point Peter lashes out,” Valdez says, describing one of these discussion starting points. “His feelings are too big for his little body and all he can do is get angry. Not because he’s mad, but because he’s frustrated that he doesn’t know how to talk about it, and that frustration builds up and becomes anger. I want young people to be able to see this so that they know it’s okay and for them to know that they can be sad sometimes. I want them to also know that they have friends and family to help them get through those difficult times.”
“I think the last few years have been very hard on everybody,” Valdez continues, “and especially [hard on] young people because grownups sometimes forget that young people experience the same sense of loss, grief, and trauma as adults. We try so hard to shield young people from these difficult things that we convince ourselves that youth don’t feel these things. The truth is that young people feel all the feelings that adults do, they just don’t always have all the words to talk about them [in] the ways that grownups can.”
When asked what he hopes audiences leave the building with, Valdez says he hopes that he and the entire cast and creative team can “make clear the message of community – that we all need each other. This plays out in multiple ways – that humans and animals need to share the land to live together. Also, we need our friends to help us get through the difficult times in our lives. Throughout the play we repeat this saying: “Take care of your friends; take care of the land. Share your food and lend a helping hand.” If everyone can remember that, if they can carry that message in their hearts, then I think we can make a truly wonderful world for everyone.”
Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale runs on the Hertz Stage from October 14 – December 23, 2023.
L to R (top to bottom): Shelli Delgado, Pamela Gold, Jontavious Johnson, Kylie Gray Mask, Wesley Tunison, Juan Carlos Unzueta and more.
The Alliance Theatre is excited to announce the second Hertz Stage production of the 2023/24 season, the world premiere of its new musical, Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale. The Alliance’s production is presented in partnership with the High Museum of Art’s exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, on display October 13–January 7, 2024. Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale will run October 14 – December 23, 2023.
Featuring beloved characters from the classic Beatrix Potter tales and a variety of original songs, this new tale encourages us to acknowledge our fears and work together to overcome challenges. As the neighborly forest animals gather in the rabbit’s den – under Mr. McGregor’s Garden – for a surprise party for Peter, the animals soon realize Mr. McGregor has terrible plans for the land around Peter’s burrow. The biggest surprise of all – and for the first time ever – they’ve invited us to join them!
“Writing a story based on such beloved characters was exciting and daunting. I spent a lot of time with the original stories and looking at Beatrix Potter’s wonderful illustrations trying to imagine the full life of these characters beyond what Potter wrote,” said Writer and Director Mark Valdez. “For instance, I was asking myself, what do they sound like? What would they do at a party? What is the thing they most enjoy and that makes them laugh? By asking these questions, I got to know them. From there I was able to select the characters that needed to be in this play. I knew I wanted them each to have a talent or skill, so part of my imagining was picturing them performing for each other…That was a fun exercise.”
The cast of Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale features Pamela Gold (TV: The Walking Dead) as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jontavious Johnson (Netflix: Outer Banks, TV: P-Valley) as Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise, Shelli Delgado (Alliance Theatre: A Christmas Carol, Little Raindrop Songs) as Squirrel Nutkin, Kylie Gray Mask (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre: Good Bad People, Alliance Theatre: A Christmas Carol) as Benjamin Bunny, Wesley Tunison (HBO: Vinyl) as Jeremy Fisher, and Juan Carlos Unzueta (Alliance Theatre: The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Actor’s Express: Little Shop of Horrors) as Peter. The understudies for Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale include Sims Lamason, Patty de la Garza, Halli Rider, Isreal Vaughan, and Matthew Wangemann.
The creative team of Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale includes Writer and Director Mark Valdez, Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, Choreographer Rachel Van Buskirk, Set Designer Kat Conley, Shadow Puppet Designer & Filmographer Raymond Carr, Costume Designer Garry Lennon, Lighting Designer Karin Olson, Sound Designer Hidenori (“Hide”) Nakajo, and Associate Director Sam Provenzano.
The original songs in Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale were composed by an eclectic group of all-star musicians to reflect the unique sounds of Atlanta. The songwriters include Christian Albright, Christian Magby, AnnMarie Milazzo, Divinity Roxx, Eugene Russell IV, and Jacob Ryan Smith. Brandon Bush serves as Music Supervisor and Composer, and Imani Quiñones serves as Music Director, Orchestrator, and Conductor.
Additional production support is provided by Stage Manager Barbara Gantt O’Haley, Stage Management Production Assistant Sam Honeycutt, Co-Line Producer and Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Chris Moses, Co-Line Producer Amanda Watkins, Co-Production Management Lead Lawrence Bennett, and Co-Production Management Lead Haylee Scott.
“Many people grew up on Beatrix Potter’s stories. Peter Rabbit is a part of our mainstream culture. It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to create a new story for these well-known and much beloved characters,” added Valdez. “We’ve put together a new story that is funny, hopeful, and immersive. We’re looking at these characters through a contemporary lens, inviting young people to not only consider the pain of loss and grief, but also the possibilities that come from communal stewardship of our land and environment.”
Find more information about Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale here.
PETER RABBIT™ & BEATRIX POTTER™ © Frederick Warne & Co., 2023. Frederick Warne & Co. is the owner of all rights, copyrights and trademarks in the Beatrix Potter character names and illustrations. Licensed by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Coming to Broadway Spring 2024 – Water for Elephants: A New Musical
Performances Begin February 24, 2024 at Imperial Theatre
We Choose the Ride! After a dynamic, sold-out debut right here on the Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, we are thrilled to share that WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is headed to BROADWAY! We are incredibly proud to have produced the world premiere production of Water for Elephants for Atlanta audiences and can’t wait for this story and characters to play for New York audiences! Performances begin February 24, 2024 at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway.
(New York, New York) — Producers Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, and Seth A. Goldstein are proud to announce the Broadway premiere of the new musical WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will begin previews Saturday, February 24, 2024, and open Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). WATER FOR ELEPHANTS has a book by three-time Tony Award nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), is based on the critically acclaimed and New York Times Bestselling novel by Sara Gruen and is directed by Tony Award nominee Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo). WATER FOR ELEPHANTS unites innovative stagecraft with the very best of Broadway talent in an authentic and deeply moving new musical that invites us all to give ourselves to the unknown. Broadway casting to be announced soon.
For priority access to tickets please visit www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com today.
“What excites me most about WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is working with our enormous design and creative team, an incredible group of artists from different avenues of storytelling. From Broadway veterans to puppeteers to circus artists- we have an eclectic collection of internationally acclaimed and innovative creators,” said director Jessica Stone. “What’s amazing about the culture of the circus is that you’re dependent upon one another to do a trick safely, so as a team we really all must lean on one another. If we do our jobs well and connect with our audience we will, quite literally, get the story off the page and into the air.”
After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life—and love—beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 13 at 9am, for WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at Telecharge.com (212.239.6200), and range from $59 – $199 (including $2 facility fee). The playing schedule for WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is as follows: Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Please Note: There will be no matinee performance Saturday, February 24, Wednesday, February 28, and Wednesday, March 6, and no evening performance Tuesday, February 27. Beginning Friday, March 22 the playing schedule will be as follows: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 7pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm, with matiness on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. For Groups of 10 or more visit Groups.broadway.com (1-800-BROADWAY).
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS features circus design by Shana Carroll (The 7 Fingers), choreography by Jesse Robb (Miss Saigon) and Shana Carroll, scenic design by Drama Desk Award winner Takeshi Kata (Clyde’s), costume design by David Israel Reynoso (Sleep No More), lighting design by two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (Hadestown), sound design by Tony Award nominee Walter Trarbach (Spongebob Squarepants), projections by David Bengali (The Thanksgiving Play), hair & makeup design by Luc Verschueren (A Beautiful Noise), puppetry design by Camille Labarre (Into the Woods), music supervision and arrangements by Drama Desk Award winner Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Some Like It Hot) and Benedict Braxton-Smith (Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls), orchestrations by Tony Award winner Daryl Waters (New York, New York), production stage management by Timothy R. Semon (Company) and casting by Tara Rubin Casting.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS had its world premiere in Atlanta on The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, running from June 7, 2023, through July 9, 2023. The critically acclaimed production had The Atlanta Journal-Constitution raving, “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a triumph! Truly dazzles.”
For more information please visit: www.waterforelephantsthemusical.com
Follow us at: @w4emusical
#W4EMusical #ChooseTheRide #WaterForElephantsMusical.
BIOGRAPHIES
JESSICA STONE (Director). Most recently, Stone was nominated for a Tony Award for directing the original Broadway musical Kimberly Akimbo, which won 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Stone worked as an actress on and off-Broadway, in television and in film for decades before transitioning to directing. Broadway credits included Anything Goes, Butley, The Odd Couple, The Smell of the Kill, Design for Living, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Grease. Her directing career began in earnest with her all-male 2010 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has since been directing all over the country at such theaters as The Old Globe, A.C.T, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Two River Theatre Company, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival among others. Productions include As You Like It, Kate Hamill’s Vanity Fair, Barefoot in the Park, Dancing at Lughnasa, Bad Dates, Ken Ludwig’s Robin Hood! (World premiere), Ripcord, Bad Jews, Arms and the Man, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Charlotte’s Web, June Moon, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Absurd Person Singular, and Kimberly Akimbo (off-Broadway premiere at the Atlantic). She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.
RICK ELICE (Book) On Broadway: Jersey Boys (Best Musical, 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award); The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride and Smash, co-written with Bob Martin; Silver Linings Playbook, a musical adaptation of the popular film; The Marvels, a musical adaptation of the popular novel. In London, Rick’s new play, Doubting Tom, and an original musical, Treasure, written with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer, are slated for 2024. From 1982-1999, as creative director at Serino Coyne Inc, Rick created and produced ad campaigns for more than 300 Broadway shows, from A Chorus Line to The Lion King. From 1999-2009, he served as creative consultant for The Walt Disney Studio. Charter member, American Repertory Theatre. Trustee, The Actors’ Fund. BA, Cornell University; MFA, Yale Drama School; Teaching Fellow, Harvard University. Rick’s book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, a tribute to his extraordinary husband, the late Roger Rees, is published by Kingswell.
PIGPEN THEATRE CO (Music & Lyrics) began creating their unique brand of theatre, music, and film as freshmen at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2007. They have since performed, produced, and licensed their original plays in New York City and all over the world — earning them critic’s picks from The New York Times, Time Out New York, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Globe, and many more, ranking them in the top ten theatrical events of 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. They were the first group to win the NYC Fringe Festival’s top honor for a play two years in a row (2010/11) and have gone on to win IRNE (2012, 2015) and Jeff Awards (2014) for their theatrical productions. In 2016, Sir Trevor Nunn invited PigPen to be a part of his first American acting company for a production of Shakespeare’s Pericles. PigPen’s debut album, “Bremen,” was named #10 album of the year in The Huffington Post’s 2012 Grammy preview sending PigPen on tour playing to sold-out crowds across the country. American Songwriter premiered their follow-up EP, “The Way I’m Running,” in 2013 while the band was playing a series of concerts that became one of the most popular residencies of the past decade at the legendary Schuba’s Tavern in Chicago. In 2015, PigPen released their sophomore album, “Whole Sun,” performed at Mumford & Sons’ return to the Gentlemen of the Road Festival and made their feature film debut in Jonathan Demme’s Ricki and the Flash starring Meryl Streep. In 2018, PigPen announced that they are creating two stage musicals based on beloved novels: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (in partnership with Universal Theatrical Group) and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (in collaboration with Rick Elice). The Tale of Despereaux world premiered at The Old Globe in the summer of 2019 and transferred to Berkeley Repertory Theatre to close out the year. 2021 saw PigPen premiere their interactive theatrical experience, The Phantom Folktales, aboard Richard Branson’s groundbreaking cruise line, Virgin Voyages. That summer also marked the beginning of their three-year residency as artists and curators at New York City’s newest and most unique public park: Little Island.
JESSE ROBB (Co-Choreographer) hails from Canada with a wide resume covering a variety of work across Cirque Du Soleil, Disney, Cameron Mackintosh Ltd., Mirvish Productions, Momix, Prime Video, Opera Philadelphia, RWS Entertainment Group, and Turner Classic Movies. On Broadway, Jesse was the associate choreographer to Bob Avian for the Tony nominated revival of Miss Saigon and staged the subsequent North American tour and Austrian companies. Jesse is also the Associate Musical Stager for the North American tour of Les Misérables and will stage the upcoming South Korean production. His work has been produced regionally at Theatre Calgary, Ogunquit Playhouse, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Ordway, Cape Playhouse, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival among others. His production of Spamalot is currently running through November 2023 at The Stratford Festival of Canada. Jesse is thrilled to help bring Water for Elephants to life. Many thanks to his parents, Les and Roberta Robb, for their unwavering support.
SHANA CARROLL (Co-Choreographer/Circus Design) is Co-Founding Artistic Director of the Montreal based circus company The 7 Fingers. Since its founding in 2002, Carroll has written, directed and choreographed 12 of their touring and/or resident shows, 3 of which (Passengers, Duel Reality, Dear San Francisco) are currently running, and which also includes Sequence 8 at NY City Center and Traces off-Broadway run at Union Square Theatre. Carroll received a Drama Desk Nomination for Choreography and Best Theatrical Experience for their show Traces. Outside The 7 Fingers, Carroll directed Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever ice show Crystal, in addition to their performance at the Academy Awards in 2012. Also, for Cirque du Soleil, Carroll was circus choreographer and designer for their shows Iris (Los Angeles) and Paramour (Broadway). Other credits include: Queen of the Night (Drama Desk Recipient); Soul of the Ocean (Moment Factory); Cité Mémoire (Lemieux-Pilon); and the Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies (medieval segment). Prior to directing and choreography, Carroll was herself a trapeze artist, performing for over 20 years in the air with circuses and dance companies around the world, most notably as the original solo trapeze artist for Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco. She also appeared in Cirque du Soleil produced television and film. Now based in Montreal, where she relocated in 1991 to attend l’École Nationale de Cirque, Carroll is originally from Berkeley, California. In 2023, Carroll was inducted into the Ordre of Arts and Letters of Quebec, a distinction honoring those who have contributed to artistic and cultural development in the province of Quebec.
TAKESHI KATA (Scenic Design) is a theatrical set designer based in Los Angeles, CA. He has worked on over 200 productions of plays, musicals, opera, and dance across the country and abroad. Recent Projects include A Prayer for the French Republic (MTC), Until the Flood (FIND festival, Shaubühne, Berlin), Clyde’s (Helen Hayes), Derren Brown’s Secret (Cort), Bug (Steppenwolf), Angels in America (Berkeley Rep), and Cambodian Rock Band. Kata is the recipient of the 2022 Michael Merrit Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration, and has received Drama Desk, Obie, and Jeff Awards. He is an Associate Professor at University of Southern California, School of Dramatic Arts, where he currently serves as Chair of Design.
DAVID ISRAEL REYNOSO (Costume Design) he/him, is an internationally renowned, scenic / costume / exhibit designer and the founder of OPTIKA MODERNA. Mr. Reynoso is the Obie Award–winning costume designer of Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More (Boston, NY and Shanghai) and The Burnt City (London); Some of his celebrated theatrical designs include: The Wanderers, starring Katie Holmes (Roundabout Theatre), Into the Woods (Signature Theatre – Helen Hayes nomination); Jekyll & Hyde (Finnish National Ballet); to the yellow house, Queens, Tiger Style! Healing Wars, The Darrell Hammond Project (La Jolla Playhouse); Hair, El Borracho, Red Velvet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Barefoot in the Park, Time and the Conways, Arms and the Man (The Old Globe), Ghosts, In the Heights (Seattle Repertory Theater), Sanctuary City (Berkeley Rep, Arena Stage). Other: Alliance Theatre, American Repertory Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Portland Center Stage, Two River Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse and more. He is the creator/director of La Lucha, Teatro Piñata, Portaleza, Las Quinceañeras, and Waking La Llorona; Other work includes designs for Meow Wolf, Museum of Us, New Children’s Museum, and globally recognized theme parks. www.davidreynoso.com
BRADLEY KING (Lighting Design) is a parent, proud union member, and lighting designer based in NYC. Broadway: Fat Ham (Tony nominee), Hadestown (Tony, Drama Desk winner), The Great Comet (Tony, Drama Desk winner), Flying Over Sunset (Tony nominee), Bernhardt/Hamlet. Recent Off Broadway: Endlings (NYTW), Evita (City Center Encores), Alice by Heart (MCC), Apologia, The Last Match (Roundabout), The Treasurer (Playwrights Horizons), shows for Atlantic Theater Company, LAByrinth, The Kitchen, Signature Theater, the Vineyard, CSC, and many others. Regional: The Alley, ART, The Guthrie, Long Wharf, The McCarter, The Old Globe, TUTS, Yale Rep, and many others. International: UK, Canada, China. Two-time Tony, Drama Desk, and OCC Award winner; three-time Lortel nominee. MFA, NYU. USA829 member. On the web at www.bradleykingld.com / @bradleykingld
Walter Trarbach (Sound Designer) Credits Include: SpongeBob SquarePants (Tony Nomination), The Farnsworth Invention, Cymbeline, Real Women Have Curves, The Harder They Come, Dave, Queen of the Mist, and Almost Maine. Co-Sound Designs credits include: Ain’t Too Proud, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Doctor Zhivago. Regional Credits include: La Jolla Playhouse, American Repertory Theater, Huntington Theater Company, The Fifth Avenue, Williamstown Theater Festival, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, Bay Street Theater. Walter is married to photographer Kimberly Witham.
DAVID BENGALI (Projection Design) Broadway: The Thanksgiving Play, 1776. Off-Broadway including: Twilight: LA 1992 (Signature – Henry Hewes Award, Drama Desk Nom.); Monsoon Wedding (Saint Anns Warehouse); Anthony Rapp’s Without You (New World Stages); The Visitor (The Public Theater – Lortel Nom.); Circle Jerk (Fake Friends – Obie Award, Drama League Nom.); Einstein’s Dreams (Prospect/59E59 – Drama Desk Nom.); Van Gogh’s Ear (ERC – Drama Desk Nom.); The Great Leap (Atlantic); Here There Are Blueberries (NYTW / Tectonic Theater Project); Regional including: La Jolla Playhouse, A.R.T., Yale Rep, Dallas Theater Center, Alliance; National Tours of: Peter Pan; 1776; Rockin’ Road To Dublin.
LUC VERSCHUEREN (Hair & Makeup Design) of Campbell Young Associates. Select Credits: Broadway: The Shark is Broken, Funny Girl, The Music Man, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, Bad Cinderella, Almost Famous, Les Misérables, Hello, Dolly!. Broadway/West End: Back to the Future, Leopoldstadt, To Kill a Mockingbird, Company, Girl from the North Country, A Christmas Carol, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (Drama Desk Design Award), The Ferryman, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Groundhog Day, Matilda, Ghost, Billy Elliot. West End: Get Up Stand Up!, The Prince of Egypt. Film/TV: “Only Murders in the Building,” “The Gilded Age,” “The Politician,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “The Leftovers,” “Smash,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Downton Abbey,” “Doctor Who,” “Will and Grace,” and Dirty Dancing. www.cyassocs.com
CAMILLE LABARRE (Puppet Design) is Founder and Creative Director of LAB LAB, a puppet and prop shop in NYC. Broadway: The Skin of Our Teeth, Into the Woods (Assistant Puppet Designer / Builder). Selected Off-Broadway: Encores! At NYC Center – Into the Woods (Assistant Puppet Designer / Builder). Regional: Alliance Theater. Selected TV: Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Puppet / Prop Builder). Selected Ads: Amazon Prime Day, Honda Holiday, Dunkin’ x NHL, Hershey’s (Puppet / Prop Builder). Selected Live Events: Thom Browne SS 2022 – New York Fashion Week (Puppet Builder)
MARY-MITCHELL CAMPBELL (Co-Music Supervisor/Co-Arranger) Broadway: Some Like It Hot, Mean Girls, The Prom, Finding Neverland, Big Fish, Company, Sweeney Todd, Tuck Everlasting, The Addams Family. Drama Desk Award for Best Orchestrations for Company. Music director for City Center Encores! She is the founder of ArtsIgnite (artsignite.org) which helps young people develop agency through the arts and is passionate about arts education and equality in the arts. She is also a founding member of MUSE (museonline.org) and MAESTRA (maestramusic.org) and loves seeing more inclusivity in orchestras.
BENEDICT BRAXTON-SMITH (Co-Music Supervisor/Co-Arranger) is an Australian-made Music Director, Orchestrator, and Composer (among other things). Broadway/NYC: For The Girls, My Golden Age (Jessica Vosk at Carnegie Hall), Cyrano, Kristin Chenoweth’s Christmas At The MET. Touring: Mean Girls First National. TV/Streaming: “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020” (HBOmax), “Stars on Stage: Gavin Creel” (PBS), “Take Me To The World: Sondheim’s 90th Birthday Celebration”. Albums: “Wake Me When We Get There” (Big Sky City Lights), “A Very Coco Christmas” (Jessica Vosk). Benedict is an NYU Tisch GMTWP Graduate, and a proud immigrant. Wouldn’t be here without Mum, UP&AG, Erin, and Austin. www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com.
DARYL WATERS (Orchestrations) received the Tony and Drama Desk Orchestration awards for Memphis. Other Broadway credits include New York, New York (Tony nomination for Best Orchestrations); Music Supervision/ Orchestrations/ Arrangements for The Cher Show (Drama Desk nomination for Best Orchestrations): Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (Tony nomination for Best Orchestrations); Holler If Ya Hear Me; Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk; and Street Corner Symphony. He was the Music Supervisor and Conductor for After Midnight and Dance Music Arranger for The Color Purple and Jelly’s Last Jam. His composing credits include Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk (Tony nomination for Best Original Score) and Drowning Crow. Mr. Waters is a graduate of Livingstone College, a Historically Black College in Salisbury, NC, and a proud founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity), an organization that promotes diversity in the music departments of theatrical productions.
Aniska Tonge sat down with Set Designer Sadra Tehrani to chat about English.
Sadra Tehrani and I met on a whim. Time was limited – he’d be leaving Atlanta in just a few days – but we needed to chat. English had been on the Hertz stage for just about a week and it seemed as though no audience member left without commenting on how this set — simple and authentic in its nature — transported them to an unfamiliar world. Which is why this conversation was necessary and how – in just one hour or so – Tehrani and I laughed, talked English and life, and everything in between.
Iranian first and artist second, Tehrani’s work has long been influenced by his upbringing. As a set designer for both stage and film productions, his desire to design started early on.
“As a child I discovered joy in picturing imaginary stories,” he reflected. “I used to conjure up make-believe situations and create them in the form of sequential drawings.”
His ability to create worlds on stage is innate; almost easy. But he pours his heart into every set design. He’s meticulous about each detail. It’s no wonder he ended up in theater, an art form that lives for the fine and often overlooked details. Let Tehrani tell it, theater won him over almost instantly.
“I distinctly recall my introduction to theater during my early years of studying architecture when I attended a play in Tehran. It was called ‘Flight Instructions for Captains and Cabin Crew’ by Farhad Fozouni, a prominent Iranian graphic designer who had also designed the scenery. This experience left an indelible mark on me,” Tehrani said.
Most things do. In our short time together, I clock how much he thinks on his surroundings; aware of the world around him and what he could create in that space.
Anyway, he continues, “The play felt tightly paced, seamlessly holding time in suspension at moments while swiftly propelling it forward in others – a sensation I grasped only in hindsight. It certainly left a lasting impact on me – an intriguing and unknown idea about theater as something that I felt drawn to discover. Fast forward to 2019, I left my job as an architect, enrolled in NYU’s MFA program in design for stage and film and began a new chapter.”
His work on English seemed almost destined.
“Working on a narrative so closely tied to my own lived experiences has been a deeply emotional and ultimately redemptive journey. The shared familiarity with the story allowed us – the creative team – to collectively understand and appreciate the emotional gravity of each pivotal moment, and so our discussions concerning the spatial layout, costume choices, and auditory elements were engaged and interwoven.”
In case you didn’t know this creative team and process have been deeply pure and authentic to the Iranian experience. From the costumes sourced in Tehran, to the literal sounds captured in the streets of Iran, no part of this production has been overlooked when it comes to the realness of it all. Tehrani sees the importance of the authenticity for both the audience members and him.
Tehrani credits his creativity to those around him. Friends and creatives that aid in building a world we all look forward to living in. He sees his position as an artist as a start for others that can relate to his experiences.
“In the realm of theater, film, and the performing arts in the United States, the issue of representation remains a significant concern even in 2023. The question of who gets to narrate particular stories, or embody the characters within them, continues to be quite constrained and at times repetitive.”
With his work as enigmatic and stirring as one could expect for a young and hungry artist, there’s no telling where his career will take him. But one thing’s for sure, it’ll leave space and inspiration for those that come after.
English runs on the Hertz Stage August 16 – September 17, 2023.
KAYLEE MESA IS A GRADUATE OF CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON AND HAS WORKED WITH SOUTH COAST REPERATORY AND CHANCE THEATER.
The Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce that Kaylee “Mesa” Mesa (they/them) has been chosen as the National Vision, Inc. BIPOC Stage Management Fellow for the 2023/24 Season. A graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Mesa has relocated to Atlanta and began their fellowship in August.
Mesa received their BA in Theatre Design and Technical Production with an emphasis in stage management. They recently finished the Beyond the Stage Door fellowship, a rigorous stage management program in New York City designed to teach and uplift recent BIPOC college graduates. Their stage management credits include After Juliet (South Coast Repertory), Appropriate (SCR), A Small Man (SCR), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Chance Theater), The SpongeBob Musical (CSU Fullerton), The Book of Unknown Americans (CSUF), and Beauty and the Beast (CSUF).
“I am beyond honored to have been chosen for the fellowship. Getting this fellowship means a lot to me, it is a jumpstart in my early-stage management career,” Mesa says. “This fellowship I feel will help me toward my next big career goal: Broadway. I am in awe of all the shows and theater professionals who were or are on Broadway who have collaborated with the Alliance. I am so thankful to the Alliance Theatre for their dedication to breaking down barriers for BIPOC theater works in the industry, and for choosing me to be part of this ongoing dedication.”
As the National Vision, Inc. BIPOC Stage Management Fellow, Mesa will work as a contributing member of the stage management department at the Alliance Theatre. They will work as the stage manager or assistant stage manager, primarily on the Coca-Cola Stage, for productions including the holiday favorite A Christmas Carol, as well as a co-production with another regional theatre and a commercially enhanced, world premiere musical with a Broadway-experienced creative team. Additionally, they will be afforded the opportunity to develop a network of mentors inside and outside the Alliance while building a resume of top-of-field work experience.
“Alliance Theatre has given me a life-changing opportunity through this fellowship: the opportunity to work and collaborate with top theater professionals, the opportunity to do equity work and receive my equity membership and the opportunity to be mentored during the whole process,” Mesa continues. “This is as much an educational opportunity as it is a professional one that I am excited to have been selected for. The Alliance has showcased the top level of theater production. I know the training and experience I receive will benefit and prepare me for my future.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL VISION, INC. BIPOC STAGE MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The stage manager is the actor’s advocate, show’s guardian, and production’s liaison for all aspects of the production. They ensure the director’s vision is realized while creating a safe working environment for all. Too often, the stage manager is a white person even on a production where most of the cast and creative team are Black, Indigenous, or persons of color (BIPOC). After a year of intentionally listening to the needs of our BIPOC artist community, a through line surfaced: “I wish there were more stage managers sitting at the table who looked like me.” We must correct this imbalance not only at the Alliance Theatre but as an industry if we want our productions and staff to reflect the communities we serve. The Alliance is linking arms with stage management graduate programs, creating a pipeline of full-time work for emerging BIPOC stage managers to diversify the field through the BIPOC Stage Management Fellowship Program.
To apply, candidates must 1) identify as a BIPOC theatre maker, 2) be an MFA in Stage Management student in their final year or have graduated from an MFA in Stage Management program in the past 3 years, and 3) be willing to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia for the fellowship. A diverse panel of professional stage managers and theatre leaders select the final candidate, and the panelists also serve as a resource to the Fellow during their time in residence.
Learn more about the BIPOC Stage Management Fellowship Program.
Support for this program is provided by National Vision, Inc., the second largest optical retail company by sales in the United States. National Vision is based in Duluth, Georgia, and has more than 1,300 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico. By sponsoring the 2023/24 BIPOC Stage Management Fellowship Program, National Vision is advancing its philanthropic impact to support inclusion while celebrating visibility and representation in the arts in its corporate hometown.
Learn more about National Vision, Inc.