Artistic Director’s Welcome
Welcome to 300 Paintings!
Sam Kissajukian’s extraordinary journey from stand-up comic to visual artist was a prolific period of boundless creativity. Exploring the ties between art, mental health, and creativity, his one-man-show is both infused with comedy and deeply personal. It reminds us that theater creates spaces for us to examine our humanity and dare to be vulnerable.
The premiere of 300 Paintings at New York City’s Vineyard Theatre garnered Sam multiple award nominations for his solo performance. He comes to us following an acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will then take his show to the McCarter at Princeton at the end of October. I’m thrilled he is in residence with us at the A.R.T. this month.
300 Paintings invites us to re-evaluate our relationship with art—to consider how it can offer portals into our lived experiences, change the way we see, and help us to be truly seen by others. I hope you’ll join Sam after the show to view his paintings up close and to continue the conversation.
We are very grateful to be at Farkas Hall for the run of this production, a residency made possible through our ongoing partnership with Harvard University’s undergraduate concentration in Theater, Dance & Media.
Thank you for joining us!
Diane Paulus
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director
American Repertory Theater
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director:
Diane Paulus
presents
300 PAINTINGS
Created and Performed by Sam Kissajukian
Creative Team
Produced by
Sally Horchow
SHIP was founded by producer Sally Horchow in 2010 with the mission of producing high-quality live entertainment. Broadway: Is This A Room/
Produced by
Matt Ross
Matt Ross is a theatrical producer and publicist based in New York. His lead producing credits include Is This A Room/Dana H., Pass Over, and the Tony-nominated Broadway engagement of Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me, its national tour, and its live capture film for Amazon. Projects in development include the new musicals The Interestings (with Sara Bareilles and Sarah Ruhl) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (with Peter Hedges, Adrian Enscoe, Christopher Sears, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn).
in association with
Octopus Theatricals
in association with
Octopus Theatricals
Founded by Tony® and Grammy® winning producer Mara Isaacs, Octopus Theatricals collaborates with artists and organizations to foster an expansive range of compelling theatrical works for local and global audiences. Projects include: Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell (lead producer Broadway, West End, National Tour; 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical; Grammy Award, Best Musical Theater Album); Gypsy starring Audra McDonald (lead producer Broadway); Goddess conceived and directed by Saheem Ali, music and lyrics by Michael Thurber (The Public Theater); and more.
Originally produced by
Vineyard Theatre
Originally produced by
Vineyard Theatre
Sarah Stern, Artistic Director; Moogie Brooks, Managing Producer. For more than 40 years, New York City’s Vineyard Theatre has been dedicated to new plays and musicals and to nurturing a community of daring theatermakers whose work has expanded the form, the field, and the larger culture. Notable premieres include the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive and Indecent, Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria, Tina Satter’s Is This A Room (now HBO’s Reality), and many more.
Lighting Consultant
Avery Reagan
Lighting Consultant
Avery Reagan
A.R.T.: Debut. Avery Reagan is a lighting designer currently based in the Los Angeles area. She is looking forward to the opportunity to be a part of the 300 Paintings team. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia (a proud and enthusiastic Braves fan), she has designed and assisted from coast to coast with companies such as South Coast Repertory, City Springs Theatre Company, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Theatre SilCo, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Opera, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Production Management Consultant
Stewert Productions
Stage Manager
Lisa McGinn
Stage Manager
Lisa McGinn
A.R.T.: Ocean Filibuster. Recent credits: Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s Rheology, Bushwick Starr; A Knock on the Roof, NYTW; Other projects: Geoff Sobelle’s FOOD, Home, and The Object Lesson; On Beckett: An Evening with Bill Irwin, tour; Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars, CTG; Underground Railroad Game, Ars Nova, tour; Those with 2 Clocks, Wilma Theater; PearlDamour’s How to Build a Forest; Detroit Red, ArtsEmerson; Alexander Zeldin’s Love, Park Ave Armory; Compass and Sleep, Ripe Time; Chimera and The Wholehearted, Stein | Holum Projects.
Actors’ Equity Association member
Creative Consultant
Sarah Stern
Tour Producer
Bryan Hunt
Executive Producer
Octopus Theatricals
Executive Producer
Octopus Theatricals
Founded by Tony® and Grammy® winning producer Mara Isaacs, Octopus Theatricals collaborates with artists and organizations to foster an expansive range of compelling theatrical works for local and global audiences. Projects include: Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell (lead producer Broadway, West End, National Tour; 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical; Grammy Award, Best Musical Theater Album); Gypsy starring Audra McDonald (lead producer Broadway); Goddess conceived and directed by Saheem Ali, music and lyrics by Michael Thurber (The Public Theater); and more.
The North America premiere of 300 Paintings was produced by VINEYARD THEATRE, Sarah Stern and Douglas Aibel, Artistic Directors, New York City, 2024.
First performance at Harvard’s Farkas Hall on October 1, 2025.
This production is supported, in part, by The Robert Brustein Endowment Fund for New Works.
A.R.T. Season support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Barton & Guestier, and Meyer Sound.
The A.R.T. 2024/25 Season is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Runtime: 90 minutes with no intermission
This production contains discussions of mental illness, including bipolar, insomnia, and psychosis.
Company & Staff
Cast
Performer
Sam Kissajukian
Performer
Sam Kissajukian
Sam Kissajukian, who lives in Sydney, had been working professionally as a stand-up comedian for twelve years until he became disillusioned by his career and quit. In June 2021, in the seclusion of an old cake factory, Sam experienced a six-month manic episode followed by a debilitating five-month depressive episode. In May 2022, he was diagnosed with Bipolar. Since seeking treatment, Sam’s life was transformed by his newfound stability. After a yearlong hiatus, Sam began performing again in September 2022.
Octopus Theatricals
Executive Artistic Director
Mara Isaacs
Creative Operations Director
Bryan Hunt
Business Operations Director
Ariana Sarfarazi
Resident Producer
Adam Hyndman
Executive Assistant
Kendra Holloway
Creative Operations Associate
Kelly Letourneau
A.R.T. Staff
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director: Diane Paulus
SENIOR STAFF
Director of Facilities and Capital Projects: Peter Atkinson
Public Relations Director: Rebecca Curtiss
General Manager: Connor Davis
Managing Director: Anna Fitzloff
Executive Administrator: Kathleen Fowkes
Director of Finance: Julia Goldmacher
Senior Theater and Facilities Manager: Tracy Keene
Chief Development Officer: Eileen Kennedy
Director of Production: Krystin Matsumoto
Director of Artistic Programs & Dramaturg: Ryan McKittrick
Associate Artistic Director: Dayron J. Miles
Producer: Evan O’Brient
Chief Marketing Officer: Jennifer Weissman
STAFF
Artistic & EngagementArtistic Coordinator & Special Assistant to the Artistic Director: Karina Cowperthwaite ProducingAssociate Producer: Emma Watt Marketing & CommunicationsAssociate Director, Creative Services: Joel Zayac DevelopmentAssociate Director, Institutional Giving: Anna Cline FacilitiesAssistant Project Manager: Alex Giorgetti FinanceController: Toufiq Aitelfqih Patron ServicesHead of Patron Services: Emma Putnam |
ProductionProduction Manager: Skip Curtiss ScenicAssistant Technical Director: Victor Gutierrez PaintCharge Scenic Artist: Gerard Vogt Stage OperationsStage Operations Manager: Kevin Belcher CostumesCostume Manager: Muriel Mangual-Bennett WardrobeWardrobe Manager: Alycia Marucci SoundSound Manager: Camilo Atehortua LightingLighting and Projections Supervisor: Matthew Adelman PropertiesProperties Manager: Erin Kehr Production OverhireElectrician: Andy Tran |
