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
A SPECIAL THANKS TO: President Roger Parrott Dr. Dan Fredericks Dr. Dennis Watts Dr. Stephen Sachs Lori Farmer Grace Anna Lane David Potvin Wayne Green Bryant Butler David Sprayberry Corrie Hung New Stage Theatre Ruffin Lowry ΑΨΩ Alpha Psi Omega This 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 President Michaela Bowen President Frannie Maas Business Manager Sarah Grace Harris Historian Michael Tobin Chaplain Laina Faul
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 is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and a member in good standing with Christians in Theatre Arts Southeastern Theatre Conference Mississippi Theatre Association Theatre Communications Group Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Rebekah Bert, MA Specialty Instructor of Technical Design (601) 974-5497 rbert@belhaven.edu Theatre Department Faculty Dr. David Sollish Associate Professor of Musical Theatre, Chair of Theatre (601) 974-6477 dsollish@belhaven.edu Dr. Elissa Sartwell Associate Professor of Theatre (601) 974-6131 esartwell@belhaven.edu Joseph Frost, MFA Associate Professor of Theatre (601) 974-6148 jfrost@belhaven.edu Becky Freeman, MFA Associate Professor of Theatre, Costume Designer (601) 965-7059 bfreeman@belhaven.edu
Cast White Snake Green Snake Xu Xian Fa Hai Guan Yin Canopus and others Stag Spirit and others Crane Spirit and others Doubt and others Sisters and others Acolyte and others Master Lin and others Townspeople and others Dream Dragon and others Understudies Frannie Maas* Laina Jo Faul* C.J. Riggs Connor Bingham* Sonja Håkkinen Grace Reeves Theodore Lott III Noelle Balzer Aryelle Tuttle Sophia Bauer Alberto Meza Dillon Cannon* Zadie Buehrle, Christy Robeson Kyra Smiley Theodore Lott III, Sophia Bauer, Kyra Smiley Understudies never substitute for listed players unless previously announced at time of the performance The White Snake is 90 minutes with no intermission. 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 by The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Bill Rauch Executive 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). *Members of Alpha Psi Omega
Production Staff Director Choreographer Stage Manager Scenic & Lighting Design Technical Director Costume Design Sound Design Properties Master Puppet Master Dramaturg Assistant Stage Managers Assistant Choreographer Scenic Charge Artist Hair & Makeup Design Sound Assistant House Manager Box Office Manager Logo/Poster Design Elissa Sartwell* Kyra Smiley Alice Bryant Luis Ramirez Rebekah Bert Becky Freeman Frank Dolansky Laina Jo Faul* Dr. David S. Sollish* Sonja Håkkinen Zadie Buehrle, Caleb Henry Noelle Balzer Sarah Grace Harris* Courtney Holifield Benjamin Shrader Lydia Brandt* Amy Smith Corrie Hung Master Dresser Dressers Rigging Light Board Operator & Projectionist Sound Board Operator Sound Effects Run Crew Wardrobe Maintenance Front of House Puppet Design & Construction Crew Sarah Grace Harris* Leonela Hernandez, Mac Mitchell*, Madison Parrott* James Kenyon* Rebecca Lapeyre Kelsey Sollish* Josh Noe Fred Arnold, Kyra Smiley Alberto Meza Marlon Banks, Morgan Hillman* Emily Barrett, Dillon Cannon, Madison Ellis, Noelle Jones, Samuel McFatridge, Madison Parrott*, Joshua Pirtle, Kyra Smiley *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 APO This 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 collegelevel 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.