Ellen Stewart Theatre66 East 4th Street, NYC, 10003

May 23 - 24, 2019

Written & Directed by Nia O. Witherspoon

Messiah

Messiah

Written & Directed by Nia O. Witherspoon

Cast: Rowin Amone, Sol de la Ciudad, Marie Louise

Guinier*, Jiggy Jada, Shaa Kettrles, Malik Reed, Rodrikus Damon Springfield, Ianne Fields Stewart,

Sharlee Taylor*, and Deshawn Wyatte.

*This actor appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

Creative Team:

Created and Directed by Nia O. Witherspoon Dramaturgy - Mei Ann Teo

Set Design - You-Shin ChenLighting Design - Tuce Yasak

Associate Lighting Design - Itohan EdoloyiSound Design - Sadah Espii ProctorProjection Design - Kameron Neal

Costume Design - Rashidah NelsonCasting Director - Charlie Hano

Choreography & Movement Consultant: Ni’Ja WhitsonMarketing & Social Media Consultant: Augustus Cook

Production Stage Manager: Bryan RussellAssistant Stage Manager: Hollis Duggans

Creative Producer - Bryan Joseph Lee

The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes

with a 15 minute Intermission

CAST: Rowin Amone (ANCESTOR; she/hers) is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist from New Orleans, LA. She stars as Ester Pappion (King Ester), Mary Jones (Salacia), and Hart (Dance Central). Rowin continues to explore work that highlights and honors the Transgender community positively.

Sol de la Ciudad (ANCESTOR; she/hers/they/them) is a Dean’s scholar at Performance Studies in NYU Tisch. She has exhibited works in numerous exhibitions and performances including published works with The Young Fugitives collective. Sol works in between New York and Chicago with the study of sound‘s sensory-systems in modes of improvisation. She first got her start as a scholar, and artist at the first racially integrated theatre in Chicago known as Free Street theatre.

Marie Louise Guinier (BELINDA; she/hers) Intar Theatre (Scissoring), BAM Harvey, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, FolgersTheatre, Wash, DC (Njinga The Queen King), Boston Center for the Arts, (Patience Of Nantucket-Irne Nom), APAC (Evensong-NYIT award nom). Film/TV: Strive w/ Danny Glover, HBO’s High Matinence, ABC’s What Would You Do? Resumes.actorsaccess.com/marielouiseguinier. My performance is 4 ELLEN STEWART #BlackGrilMagic, founder of La MaMa.

Jiggy Jada (As Jada; she/hers; as MESSIAH; he/his) From the moment she won the Hot 97 radio ready 2012 show case—Jiggy Jada’s star has been shinning brightly. Leader, innovator, and gifted defines 28 year old artist, songwriter, G.I. Jayne aka Jiggy Jada. She hails from East New York but represents Staten Island where she was raised. Drawing from her own struggles, she created Stop Bullying, a powerful song that speaks to the harsh realities of bullying that has been causing grief and pain to many victims. From this one powerful song, The Stop Bullying Project was born. Gaining an HBO Short Film Award, a Harlem Film Fest Award, and a Mount Vernon Film Fest Award. With an anticipated E.P. in the works it’s safe to say she’s not stopping any time soon. IG: @official_jiggyjada @thestopbullyingproject thestopbullyingproject.com

Shaa Kettrles (YOUNG; he/his) is a rising star from Brooklyn, New York. As a child Shaa would do comedy acts for family and friends. He was always able to make people laugh and leave a lasting impression on everyone they met. He landed a variety of leading roles in web series and movies ( Love & Lesbians NY , Street Behavior, Jungle Juice and Garden Of Eden Film to name a few) Also he currently has weekly radio show / podcast called S.H.i.T Happens. Which is too help up and coming artist and entrepreneurs like himself.

Malik Reed (PIPE; he/his) hails from the east side of Detroit,MI. He is eternally grateful to be apart of this gut turning story. He thanks God for the light, the way, and the gift. In dedication to Uncle Gordon. The marathon continues. Education: SUNY Purchase BFA Acting Conservatory www.malikreed.

Rodrikus Springfield (CURTIS; he/his) is a New York based actor and has performed with Everyday Inferno theatre, The Flea theatre and the Tank theatre. He earned his MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. He is excited to be a part of an exceptional cast in telling a truly revolutionary story.

Ianne Fields Stewart (MAYBELLINE; they/them/she/hers) is a Black queer nonbinary transfeminine New York-based storyteller working at the intersection of theatre and activism. Ianne has worked in productions at NYC venues such as Joe’s Pub, Dixon Place, Black Spectrum Theatre, and more. Ianne is also the founder of The Okra Project which hires Black Trans chefs to cook healthy and culturally specific meals for Black Trans People in their homes or community centers if they’re experiencing homelessness.

Sharlee Taylor (BASIMAH; she/hers) is originally from Atlanta, GA. She received her MFA from the A.R.T./Moscow Art Theater School Institute at Harvard University - there, she understudied as Flo in Mark Rylance’s Nice Fish, as well as performing in Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment, and Dying For It. She is thrilled to make her La MaMa debut in MESSIAH as Basimah - all thanks to my family, Vangaurd Management team, and the Universe.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Nia O. Witherspoon (creator/director; she/hers) is a black queer theatre-maker, vocalist/composer, and cultural worker investigating the metaphysics of black liberation, desire, and diaspora.

Witherspoon has been a 2050 Playwriting/Directing Fellow at New York Theatre Workshop, Restorative Justice Director at Boerum Hill School for International Studies, and is currently an AIR at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange, and a HARP artist at HERE Arts Center. She has been the recipient of multiple honors, including awards by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, Lambda Literary, and Theatre Bay Area Theatre Bay Area, and her work has been featured by BRIC, The National Black Theatre: Institute for Action Arts, BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Movement Research, Dixon Place, Painted Bride Art Center, 651 ARTS, and other fabulous organizations.

As a performer, Witherspoon is co-founder of ceremonial music collective SoliRose, a world-premiere cast member of Sharon Bridgforth’s River See (Links Hall), and has been a featured vocalist in the work of Cherríe Moraga in La Semilla Caminante/The Traveling Seed (Intersection for the Arts). Recent publications include “Missy’s Trick/(Un)Making Queer” in the Journal of Popular Culture and “SHE” in Imagined Theatres (Routledge).

Bryan Joseph Lee (creative producer; he/his) is a creative producer and arts manager dedicated to amplifying the stories of Queer folks, Trans folks, Black folks, People of Color, and all of us at the many intersections therein. Bryan is the Associate Director of Special Artistic Projects at The Public Theater, and investigates civic practice and changemaking through art as producer of Public Forum.

Mei Ann Teo (dramaturg; she/they) is a theatre/film maker who works at the intersection of artistic/civic/contemplative practice towards paradigm shifts. As a director/devisor/dramaturg, she enjoys collaborating. Mei Ann is the Producing Artistic Director of Musical Theatre Factory, a Resident Company of Playwrights Horizons.

Deshawn Wyatte (RA; he/his) is from The Bronx. He earned his MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts and his BA in Theatre from The City College of New York. TV: Law & Order SVU, Happy!, Alternatino, Grave Mysteries. Grateful to debut MESSIAH at La MaMa. www.deshawnwyatte.com

Bryan Russell (Production Stage Manager; he/his) Recent credits include: Laura Ingalls Wilder (ArtsPower Touring Theatre), Hope (Wild Project), The Great Leap (Atlantic Theatre Company), Mlima’s Tale (The Public), Trainspotting Live (Arias Stages), Agnus (Theatre Row). Additional credits: Chess Match No. 5 (Abingdon Theatre), Fun Home (Millbrook Playhouse). Rutgers University, MFA.

Hollis Duggans (Assistant Stage Manager; she/hers) has work as an Assistant stage manager for company’s suck as The Barnstormers Theater, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and Big League Productions. When she’s not managing a show, Hollis works as a makeup artist. She loves what she does and is working towards building her own empire uplifting Black Queens.

You-Shin Chen (scenic designer; she/hers) is a Taiwanese scenic designer for performing arts based in New York. As a theater practitioner, She is committed to diversity and humanity. Recent theater credits include: Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie (ArsNova); Rock-A-Bye (BalletX, Wilma Theater); Eclipsed (Berlind Theatre, inclusion for PQ 19’); UGLY ( the feath3r theory & Bushwick Starr) www.youshinchen.com

Tuce Yasak (lighting designer; she/hers) graduated from the Department of Industrial Design at METU in Turkey. Credits include: Unsettled in DanceMotionUS at BAM; Tropico at Danspace; Another Fucking Warhol Production at the Kitchen; Ugly at the Bushwick Starr; and Shasta Geux Pop at Under The Radar (Public Theater). She has received 2018 BESSIE Award for outstanding visual design for Marjani Forte’s ... memoires of a Unicorn.

Sadah Espii Proctor (sound designer; she/hers) is a VR director and sound/media designer for theatre and immersive experiences. Off-Broadway: Surely Goodness and Mercy (Keen Company). Regional: Morir Sonyando (Passage Theatre). She received her M.F.A. in Performance and Interactive Art from Brooklyn College and is a proud alumna of Virginia Tech.

Rashidah Nelson (costume designer; she/hers) is a New Jersey-based costume designer who specializes in sartorial storytelling for the stage. She also works as a seamstress and teacher while earning a B.A. in costume design at Montclair State University. Her latest design credits include Blanks, For Colored Girls, The last Saint on Sugar Hill and What Does Free Mean.

Kameron Neal (projection designer; he/his) is a video artist, performance-maker and designer. Kameron’s work has been developed and seen at Ars Nova, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Signature Theatre, The Public Theater, BAM, Digital Graffiti Festival, Vox Populi, the Cube Art Project, the Type Director’s Club and Blue Balls Festival.

Ni’Ja Whitson, MFA, MFAW (movement and choreography consultant; they/them) is a “Bessie” Award winning gnc/trans interdisciplinary artist and writer, referred to as “majestic” by the New York Times, with dozens of recognitions across disciplines. They are a Creative Capital Awardee, MAP Fund recipient, featured choreographer of the 2018 CCA Biennial, and 2018-2019 Urban Bush Women Choreographic Center Fellowship Candidate.

Special Thanks: Eric RodriguezJake Maize Kike Seba Jose Manuel Stivo ArnoczyKate FreerAntigona Gonzales Miguel ValderramaAnyanwu GlanvilleShelley Nicole

HERE Arts Center, Musical Theater Factory, Brooklyn Arts Exchange

Messiah has been supported by The Women’s Film, TV and Theatre Fund, an initiative by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME).

ACTORS EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA), founded in 1913 was the first of the American Actors’ Unions and now represents more than 45,000 actors, singers, dancers, and stage managers nationally. Equity members are dedicated theatre professionals who uphold the highest artistic standards. Historically, AEA has stood at the forefront of many issues, including: civil rights (from the historic 1947 boycott of the then-segre-gated National Theatre in Washington D.C. to the 1986 founding of the Non-Traditional Casting Project); preservation of historic theatres (it initiated the land-marking of all of the Broadway theatres); national, state and local funding for the arts (AEA helped to create the National Endowment for the Arts); and arts lobbying to advance, foster, and benefit all those connected with the art of theatre. A member of the AFL-CIO, AEA is af-filiated with the Federated International Artists (FIA), an international organization of per-forming arts unions. For more information, visit AEA’s website at www.actorsequity.org.

La MaMa’s historic, landmark building at 74 East 4th Street is undergoing an urgently needed complete renovation and restoration to preserve the historic façade, create building-wide ADA accessibility, and provide much needed performance, exhibition and community space for decades to come. La MaMa, founded by Ellen Stewart in 1961, has been on east 4th Street since 1967. La MaMa embraces every person in its community and is legendary as the place where new artists of all nations, cultures, races, and identities are given opportunities. It is the place where art begins. To learn more about the renovation, or to make a donation please visit www.lamama.org/remakeaworld

RESTORE A BUILDING REMAKE A WORLD

LA MAMA

Rendering: 74 East 4th St.

La MaMa StaffArmando AriasBuilding Superintendent

Hao BaiResident Audio Visual Technician

William Electric BlackPoetry Electric Director

David BonillaTechnician

Marc BovinoGraphic Design

Michael BoydLa Galleria

Clayton BriggsFront of House Staff

Carlos CardonaPhotographer/Videographer

Allison ChometArchive Metadata/Digitization

Theo CotePhotographer/Videographer

Jackie DenneyDevelopment Associate

David DiamondLa MaMa Umbria Coordinator

Gilberto DiazFront of House Staff

Kaori FujiyabuDeputy Director of Development

Mary FulhamManaging Director

Michal GamilyCoffeehouse Chronicles Director

Piotr GawelkoCarpenter Merry Geng47 Great Jones Reception Sophie Glidden-LyonArchive Digital and Special Projects Manager

Denise GreberPuppet Series Director,Marketing Manager,International Relations

Luis GrandeFront of House Staff

Yael HaskalDevelopment Associate Chris IgnacioBox Office Asst. Manager

Marielle IliazoskiBox Office Asst. Manager

Joyce M. Isabelle, CFREDevelopment Director

John IssendorfDirector of Audience Development

Ryan LeachSocial Media Marketing Associate

Andres Lopez Front of House Staff

Jun MaedaResident Set Designer

Kenneth MartinOperations

Juan MerchanLighting Supervisor

Valois MickensFront of House Staff

Matt NasserExperiments Reading Series Coordinator

Ava NovakFront of House Staff Palante Technology CooperativeIT Support

Nicky ParaisoProgramming Director-The ClubLa MaMa Moves! Curator

Kate PhilipsonArchive Metadata/Digitization

Beverly PettyProducing Director Pearse RedmondFront of House Supervisor

Molly ReismanFront of House Staff

Federico RestrepoPuppet Series Producing Director

Jack ReynoldsAssistant Technical Director

Giacomo RocchiniCarpenter

Ozzie RodriguezDirector Of Archive

Sam Rudy Media RelationsPress Representative

Kiku SakaiResident Artistic Associate

Tim SchellenbaumResident Sound Designer

Jane Catherine ShawFront of House Staff

Melissa SlatteryAccounts Manager

Shigeko SugaArchive/Resident Artistic Associate

Amy SurrattProducing Associate

Mark TambellaTechnical Director

Gregory Toulios47 Great Jones Porter

Martin ValdezBuilding Superintendent Asst.

Linda van EgmondIntern

Mia YooArtistic Director

La MaMa 57th Season Sponsors: Ford Foundation and The Howard Gilman Foundation

Public support provided by: National Endowment for the Arts; National Historical Publications and Records Commission;The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, with special thanks to City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson, and Council members, Margaret Chin, Daniel Dromm, and Carlina Rivera; Office of the Manhattan Borough President; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the New York State Legislature.

$100,000+ Anonymous Ford Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

$50,000-$99,999 The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Donald Capoccia/Great Jones Realty, LLC The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Julie & Bayard Henry Sarah & Seth Lederman National Historical Publications and Records Commission New England Foundation for the Arts New York State Council on the Arts Helen & Edward Nicoll/The Nicoll Family Fund The Shubert Foundation

$25,000-$49,999 Frank Carucci & David Diamond City National Bank Claudia Doring-Baez Kimberly Mariko Ima Leslie & Kenji Ima Japan Foundation/Performing Arts Japan Patricia Machado & Jeffrey Neuman/The Sequoia Foundation for Achievement in the Arts & Education Marta Heflin Foundation Mertz Gilmore Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Sonya H. Soutus

$10,000-$24,999 The Achelis and Bodman Foundations William M. Carey/Cortland Associates, Inc. Con Edison Distracted Globe Foundation Ruth Epstein & Richard Pinner

$10,000-$24,999 (cont.) The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Jeff Haley The Jerome Robbins Foundation The Jim Henson Foundation Steven B. Malkenson The Nature’s Bounty Co. NoVo Foundation Lise Olney & Tim Fulham Lauren & Yoav Roth Gretchen Shugart & Jonathan Maurer The Spingold Foundation Darren Sussman Candice & Joel Zwick

$5,000-$9,999 Scott Asen/Asen Foundation Eugene “the Poogene” Chai Karen Hauser & Warren Leight

FY18 La MaMa Funders List La MaMa is deeply grateful to all of our friends and supporters whose generosity provides vital resources to our artists and diverse programming to our audiences. You can donate online at Lamama.org or send a check to La MaMa at 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003.

$5,000-$9,999 (cont.) Cheryl L. Henson Humanities New York van Itallie Foundation Wynn J. Salisch Marc Shaiman Erik Sussman Teneo Strategy LLC TheaterMania.com Joy Tomchin Scott Wittman

$2,500-$4,999 Marina Arsenijevic & Donald Bronn Axe-Houghton Foundation Karen Cellini & Joseph Corcoran Laurie Goldberger & Leslie Kogod The Harkness Foundation for Dance Gerald Herman The John Golden Fund Adam Moonves James E. Reynolds Polly Parker & Damon Smith Lena Sussman United Federation of Teachers The William & Eva Fox Foundation/Theatre Communications Group $1,000-2,499 Lucy Allen & John Rhodes Page Ashley Mel Bochner Buck Henry Charitable Trust Maura Donohue & Perry Yung Elise Frick & John A. Garraty, Jr. Eliot S. Hubbard The Lambs Foundation Gail & Eli Lederman William Lowe Lucille Lortel Foundation Sandra, Michael, & Anthony Nicosia Charles Parente Margaret H. Parker The Pittsburgh Foundation The Puppet Slam Network Susan Yonaoshi Quimby

$1,000-2,499 (cont.) Jon Ritter/The 1848 Foundation Joan A. Rose Moira Smith/M&T Bank Arleen Sorkin & Chris Lloyd Brenda & Peter Swords Luis Ubiñas Zishan Ugurlu Harrison J. Weisner The William C. Bullitt Foundation (as of June 20, 2018)

Thank you to for your matching gifts: The Coca-Cola Company and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

In kind support generously provided by 44º North Vodka, Heights Chateau, Ann Kayman/New York Grant Company, Long Trail Brewery, Pat Lynch/Patricia Lynch Associates Inc., and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Materials for the Arts. Legal services generously provided by Goldstein Hall PLLC.

Board Of Directors

Frank CarucciPresident Joan RoseVice President Donald A. CapocciaTreasurer Richard PinnerSecretary Byung Koo AhnEugene Chai Jane FriedmanMary FulhamTimothy W. FulhamJeff HaleySarah LedermanSteven B. MalkensonWynn Salisch Luis A. UbiñasScott WittmanMia YooJoel Zwick

Advisory Board

André De ShieldsMichael A. FinkGretchen GreenPeter Swords

To receive information regarding upcoming events at La MaMa or to make a donation, please go to lamama.org

La MaMa, 66 East 4th St., New York, NY 10003

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