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Diary of a Tap Dancer

Diary of a Tap Dancer

Digital Program
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Artistic Director’s Welcome

Welcome to the 45th Season at the A.R.T.!

I am thrilled to welcome Ayodele Casel back to the A.R.T. She last graced our stage in Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic in 2022. This unforgettable and joyful show was the first to welcome audiences back to the Loeb after the pandemic had forced theaters to close. A trailblazing tap dancer and choreographer, Ayodele is now back with an electric new play that shares the story of her life and career.

Ayodele’s relationship with Harvard began in 2018, when she was the ArtLab’s first Artist-in-Residence, organized in collaboration with Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA) and Harvard Dance Center. In 2019, she returned as a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, where she continued the developmental research for Diary of a Tap Dancer. After hearing her lecture at Radcliffe in 2020, the A.R.T. commissioned Ayodele to create the full length work you will see on our stage. Four years later, we are excited for our audiences to see the culmination of Ayodele’s research, her artistry, and her determination to tell her story and the story of the many powerful women tap dancers that came before her.

The creative team includes a brilliant roster of artists, many making their A.R.T. debuts. At the helm of this project is director Torya Beard (Chasing Magic), who has been a long-time collaborator with Ayodele and leads the charge with her inspired vision and boundless passion.

One of the A.R.T.’s core values is to lead with inquiry. In collaboration with our creative and engagement teams, we develop an Essential Question for every production that we stage, which we share with our audiences, our students, our staff and our community. For this work, we invite you to engage with this question: As we reflect on our past and look towards our future, whose shoulders are you standing on?

Thank you for coming to the theater and joining us for this world-premiere production!

Diane Paulus
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director

American Repertory Theater

Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director:
Diane Paulus

Executive Director:
Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.

presents

DIARY OF A TAP DANCER

Creative Team

Written and Choreographed by

Ayodele Casel

Ayodele Casel Headshot

Written and Choreographed by

Ayodele Casel

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Ayodele Casel, a Doris Duke Artist in the dance category, is an award-winning and critically acclaimed tap dancer and choreographer. Casel is hailed as a “tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary depth” (The New York Times). Known for her skilled and imaginative improvisation, Casel’s projects include her concert and Bessie Award-winning film Chasing Magic, and her Drama Desk-nominated work as tap choreographer for the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Casel was a 2019/2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, an Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University, and is the recipient of a United States Artist Fellowship, Herb Alpert Award, Doris Duke Artists award, a Bessie, and Flo-Bert Award. In 2021, Casel was depicted on a U.S. Postal Service Forever Stamp celebrating tap dance.

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Directed by

Torya Beard

Torya Beard Headshot

Directed by

Torya Beard

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Broadway: Funny Girl (Assistant Director), Waitress (Assistant Director), The Lion King (Swing, Dance Captain). Educational: Sophisticated Ladies (Co-Director/Choreographer), University of Michigan; Pippin (Director), Syracuse University. Recent: Jesus Christ Superstar: Highlights from the All-Female Studio Cast Recording (Executive Producer); 2023 Bessie Awards (Creative Producer). Awards: APAP’s inaugural CIPA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Producing. Torya is Artistic Director at Excellence Community Schools, Co-Founder of the social enterprise tall poPpy (with Darren Biggart and Jeanine Tesori), and sits on the boards of Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, percussive dance company SOLE Defined, and Raja Feather Kelly’s dance-theatre-media company the feath3r theory (TF3T).

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Scenic Design

Tatiana Kahvegian

Scenic Design

Tatiana Kahvegian

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The Outsiders (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk Award nomination), Bernard B. Jacobs Theater. Off-Broadway: Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!, Soho Rep. Regional: Attempts On Her Life, TUTA; Sisters, Northern Stage; A Christmas Carol, Trinity Rep; The Late Wedding, Brown/Trinity Rep. Other media: Invest in Women and Girls, UNFPA United Nations. TV: “Coisa Mais Linda,” Netflix; “Unidade Básica” (Season 1), HBO. Education: M.F.A., NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

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Costume Design

Camilla Dely

Costume Design

Camilla Dely

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Mary Gets Hers, Playwrights Realm; Love + Science, MTC Stage II. UK: King Lear, Almeida. Regional: The Little Comedies, Alley Theatre; Sisters, Sense and Sensibility, Northern Stage; Hurricane Diane, People’s Light; A Christmas Carol, Trinity Rep; Attempts on Her Life, TUTA; The Ding Dongs, Kitchen Theatre. Opera: La Traviata, City Lyric Opera. Education/Training: M.F.A., NYU Tisch; Headlong Performance Institute. Awards: Watson Fellowship; 1/52 Project Award.

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Lighting Design

Brandon Stirling Baker

Lighting Design

Brandon Stirling Baker

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Illinoise (Tony Nomination). Over 30 collaborations worldwide with director and choreographer Justin Peck. Recent: Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, Park Avenue Armory, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Recipient of the Knight of Illumination Award.

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Sound Design

Sharath Patel

Sound Design

Sharath Patel

A.R.T.: Wig Out!. Regional: The Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, A.C.T., Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, Indiana Rep, Asolo Rep, Seattle Rep, Artists Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cal Shakes, Alabama Shakes, Cleveland Play House, Theatrical Outfit, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Tantrum Theater, Marin Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theater Festival, Arena Stage, Hypokrit Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, East West Players, Company One. Education: M.F.A. Sound Design, Yale.

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Projection Design

Katherine Freer

Projection Design

Katherine Freer

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Sunset Baby, Dream Machine, Number Our Days, Lizard Baby, Confederates, Ajijaak on Turtle Island, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Meredith Monk’s Cellular Songs. Regional: Little Mermaid, Family Ball, Bulrusher, Rent, Peculiar Patriot, Sweat, Ride the Cyclone, Revenge Song, Inside Ashland, Freedom Rider. Opera: La Bohème, This Little Light of Mine, Stuck Elevator. Awards: MacDowell Fellowship, Drama Desk (Nominee), Lucille Lortel (Nominee). Director of the MFA in Integrated Media Program at UT Austin.

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Hair, Wig & Make-up Design

Earon Chew Nealey

Hair, Wig & Make-up Design

Earon Chew Nealey

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Fat Ham, Macbeth, Chicken and Biscuits, Sweat. Off-Broadway: Bad Kreyòl, Three Houses, Signature; Table 17, MCC; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Classical Theatre of Harlem; Hamlet, The Harder They Come, Fat Ham, cullad wattah, Mojada, Public Theater; On Sugarland, NYTW; On Killing, Soho Rep; Little Girl Blue, New World Stages. Regional: Sojourners, Toni Stone, Fat Ham, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Huntington; Dames at Sea, Kinky Boots, Bucks County Playhouse; The Last Supper, SOPAC; Little Girl Blue, Goodspeed; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Matilda, Colorado University; Nina Simone: Four Women, Berkshire Theatre Group; Little Women, Dallas Theater Center; Oklahoma!, Patsy Cline, Weston Playhouse; Memphis, Dream Girls, Cape Fear Regional Theatre; Cadillac Crew, Twelfth Night, Yale Rep.

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Design Dramaturg and Artistic Advisor

Susan Hilferty

Design Dramaturg and Artistic Advisor

Susan Hilferty

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Swept Away, Parade, Funny Girl, Wicked (Tony Award), Spring Awakening. Off-Broadway: Over 125 productions. Regional: Over 150 productions. Opera: Aida, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Metropolitan Opera. Dance: Alvin Ailey. Concerts: Speak Now World Tour, Taylor Swift. Honors: Tony Award, Obie Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Awards, and three Lifetime Achievement Awards. Faculty: NYU/Tisch Graduate Design (25 years as Chair). Worked with Athol Fugard for 40 years as designer and associate director.

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Compositions, Orchestrations, and Arrangements by

Carlos Cippelletti

Ethan D. Pakchar

Carlos Cippelletti Headshot

Compositions, Orchestrations, and Arrangements by

Carlos Cippelletti

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Performances: Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra; JM Jazz World Orchestra & Luis Bonilla; Piaf, voz y delirio: The Musical; Ayodele Casel: Rooted; Embassy of Spain; Spain Arts & Culture. Grants: Fulbright; Latin Grammy Foundation; AIE Spain. Awards: Dean’s Award, The New School; Academic Excellence, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio; First Prize, 7 Virtual Jazz Contest; First Prize, Portón del Jazz Festival; NUMAD Award, United Nations. Education: Advanced Public & Cultural Diplomacy, Università Cattolica; MM, Performer-Composer, The New School; World Music & Latin Jazz, Codarts; BM, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio; Liceu Conservatory.

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Compositions, Orchestrations, and Arrangements by

Ethan D. Pakchar

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Hamilton, Wicked, The Lion King. Film: Morning Joy (Emmy Nomination), Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca X, Boston, Woodstock, Cleveland, Dumbo Film Festival. Ethan D. Pakchar is a NYC-based writer and musician. As a guitarist, Pakchar has played for Sara Bareilles, Jennifer Hudson, and Cynthia Erivo.

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Music Director

Nick Wilders

Music Director

Nick Wilders

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Wicked, Company. Off-Broadway: Dead Outlaw, Audible Theatre; Titanique, Daryl Roth Theatre; Crave, Cherry Lane Theatre; Notes From Now, Prospect Theater Company. Regional: Ride The Cyclone, Arena Stage/McCarter Theatre Center; The Last Match, Jersey City Theater Center (BroadwayWorld Award for Best Musical Director); Mad Hatter, Herberger Theater Center. National Tours: In My Own Little Corner, Jersey Boys. TV: “Love and Information,” PBS Concerts with American Pops Orchestra (Patti Labelle, Dionne Warwick, Natalie Grant). Education: B.A., Baldwin Wallace University.

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Dramaturg

Jesse Cameron Alick

A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Sally & Tom, Cyclops: A Rock Opera, The Odyssey, This Land Was Made, Misty, Hearts Beat Loud, Theater of the Mind, Lessons in Survival: 1971, Coal Country, The Vagrant Trilogy.

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Casting Director

Jason Thinger, CSA

Casting Director

Jason Thinger, CSA

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Just in Time, Sunset Boulevard; Pirates of Penzance; Merrily We Roll Along; A Beautiful Noise; New York, New York; Almost Famous; Funny Girl; Take Me Out; A Christmas Carol; Tootsie. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors; Ghost of John McCain; Medea, BAM. Regional: Ride, Old Globe; Galileo, Berkeley Rep. UK: Sinatra, Birmingham Rep; Local Hero, Chichester Festival Theatre; The 47th, Old Vic. Benefits/Concerts: Chess, Entertainment Community Fund. TV/Film: “The Sinner,” The Week Of.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Associate Director

Yasmine Lee

Associate Director

Yasmine Lee

A.R.T.: Once. Broadway: A Beautiful Noise, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Crucible, Once, Rent. Off-Broadway: Wild Goose Dreams, Tender Napalm, Knives in Hens, My Name’s Not Indian Joe, Sweeney Todd. Regional: DiscoShow, Las Vegas. International: Opening and Closing Ceremonies, World Expo ’20; Opening Ceremonies, XXII Winter Olympic Games. TV/Film: Megalopolis, American Zoetrope; Made for You, HBO; “American Horror Story;” among others.

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Associate Choreographer

Naomi Funaki

Naomi Funaki Headshot

Associate Choreographer

Naomi Funaki

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Performances at Infinity Tokyo, Guggenheim Bilbao, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Radio City Music Hall, Met Gala, Joyce Theater. TV/Film: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, Ayodele Casel: Rooted, Voices Rising, All Arts; “Gutto Chikyubin,” Japan. Awards: 2023 Princess Grace Award, 2024 Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch.

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Additional Choreography

Adesola Osakalumi

Additional Choreography

Adesola Osakalumi

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Skeleton Crew (choreographer, performer), Fela! (performer), Equus (performer). Off-Broadway: cullud wattah, Coal Country, Othello, Public Theater; runboyrun (performer), Eyewitness Blues, NYTW; Syncing Ink (choreographer, performer), Victoria Theater; Good Grief, Vineyard; Jam on the Groove, City Center Fall For Dance; Jam on the Groove, Minetta Lane. Regional: The Grove (upcoming), The Huntington; Leroy and Lucy, Steppenwolf. TV/Film: “Harlem,” “The Endgame,” “Ice,” “Blue Bloods,” School of Rock, Red Pill, IBRAHIM, Enchanted, Across the Universe, Sex and the City 2. Awards: Bessie Award.

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Production Stage Manager

Erin McCoy

Production Stage Manager

Erin McCoy

A.R.T.: Moby Dick. Broadway: Bernhardt/Hamlet, Hamilton. Off-Broadway: Ain’t No Mo, #BARS, Tiny Beautiful Things, Dry Powder, Buzzer, Fidelis; Public Theater Under the Radar Festival; Twelfth Night, Public Works; The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Public Theater Shakespeare in the Park. Sugar In Our Wounds, MTC. Regional: The Folks at Home, Shakespeare in Love, Jazz, Baltimore Center Stage; Invisible Thread, Second Stage Theater; Appropriate, Westport County Playhouse; A View From the Bridge, Center Theatre Group. Other: Max Roach 100, The Joyce Theatre; Rooted, Fall for Dance ’22, New York City Center. Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, The Joyce Theater; Spoleto Festival. Lincoln Center Directing Labs, Lincoln Center Theater; PLAY ON! Festival; Classic Stage Company/OSF. Education: Otterbein University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on December 12, 2024.

Production Support of Diary of a Tap Dancer is provided by Leslie and Howard Appleby.

Media Support of Diary of a Tap Dancer is provided by WBUR.

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: Two hours and thirty minutes, including one intermission

This production contains racial slurs, discusses domestic violence and drug use, and includes historical references to enslaved and oppressed people. It also contains haze and flashing lights.

Company & Staff

Cast & Musicians (in Alphabetical Order)

Ayodele Casel Headshot

Performer

Ayodele Casel

Ayodele Casel Headshot

Performer

Ayodele Casel

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Ayodele Casel, a Doris Duke Artist in the dance category, is an award-winning and critically acclaimed tap dancer and choreographer. Casel is hailed as a “tap dancer and choreographer of extraordinary depth” (The New York Times). Known for her skilled and imaginative improvisation, Casel’s projects include her concert and Bessie Award-winning film Chasing Magic, and her Drama Desk-nominated work as tap choreographer for the Broadway revival of Funny Girl. Casel was a 2019/2020 fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, an Artist-in-Residence at Harvard University, and is the recipient of a United States Artist Fellowship, Herb Alpert Award, Doris Duke Artists award, a Bessie, and Flo-Bert Award. In 2021, Casel was depicted on a U.S. Postal Service Forever Stamp celebrating tap dance.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Carlos Cippelletti Headshot
Carlos Cippelletti Headshot

Piano

Carlos Cippelletti

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Performances: Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra; JM Jazz World Orchestra & Luis Bonilla; Piaf, voz y delirio: The Musical; Ayodele Casel: Rooted; Embassy of Spain; Spain Arts & Culture. Grants: Fulbright; Latin Grammy Foundation; AIE Spain. Awards: Dean’s Award, The New School; Academic Excellence, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio; First Prize, 7 Virtual Jazz Contest; First Prize, Portón del Jazz Festival; NUMAD Award, United Nations. Education: Advanced Public & Cultural Diplomacy, Università Cattolica; MM, Performer-Composer, The New School; World Music & Latin Jazz, Codarts; BM, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio; Liceu Conservatory.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Naomi Funaki Headshot

Performer

Naomi Funaki

Naomi Funaki Headshot

Performer

Naomi Funaki

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Performances at Infinity Tokyo, Guggenheim Bilbao, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Radio City Music Hall, Met Gala, Joyce Theater. TV/Film: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, Ayodele Casel: Rooted, Voices Rising, All Arts; “Gutto Chikyubin,” Japan. Awards: 2023 Princess Grace Award, 2024 Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Afra Hines Headshot

Performer

Afra Hines

Afra Hines Headshot

Performer

Afra Hines

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: The Who’s Tommy (u/s Acid Queen, u/s Mrs. Walker), Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, Funny Girl (u/s Emma), Hadestown (u/s Persephone), Summer (u/s Disco Donna), Shuffle Along, Motown (u/s Teena Marie), Soul Doctor, Ghost (u/s Clara, u/s Louise), In The Heights, Wicked. National Tour: Hamilton. TV: “Annie Live!” (Tap Soloist), “Fosse/Verdon,” “Boardwalk Empire” (Onyx Girl). Developmental: Death Becomes Her (Viola).

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Keisel Jiménez Leyva Headshot
Keisel Jiménez Leyva Headshot

Drums

Keisel Jiménez Leyva

(he/him) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Current member of Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and Ayodele Casel’s ensemble. Performances with the Symphony Orchestra of Louisville and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Collaborations include Isaac Delgado, Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Alexander Abreu and Havana D’Primera, and Jon Batiste. Owner, One Way Beat. Awards: Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. Education: MM, The New School.

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Quynn L. Johnson Headshot

Performer

Quynn L. Johnson

Quynn L. Johnson Headshot

Performer

Quynn L. Johnson

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Projects: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, The Joyce Theatre; Great Gatsby, The Washington Ballet; Dormeshia: Unsung Sheroes of the 20th Century, Jacob’s Pillow; Zaz: The Big Easy; Latida Negro; Savion Glover’s TiiDii3000 Company. Tour: After Midnight (Soloist), Norweigan Cruise Line. Co-founder of SOLE Defined, International Arts Based Educator and recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project 2020. Education: Harvard University and Howard University. Quynn has designed and implemented arts-based programs in Uganda, South Africa, New York, Iowa, DC, and Michigan.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Raul Reyes Bueno Headshot
Raul Reyes Bueno Headshot

Bass

Raul Reyes Bueno

(he/him) A.R.T.: Debut. Performances with Arturo O’Farril & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Edmond Jazz Orchestra, San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Ayodele Casel, Tia Fuller, Victor Lewis, Joe Magnarelli, Tim Armacost, Alphonso Horne & The Gotham Kings, Mambo Legends, Carlos Rivera, Maelo Ruiz, David Bixler, Miki Yamanaka, Mark Sherman, Freddie Bryant, Quincy Davis, Scott Tixier, Summer Camargo. Education: Artist Diploma, Jazz Studies, The Juilliard School; MM, Jazz Studies, University of North Texas; BM, University of Central Oklahoma.

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Funmi Sofola Headshot

Performer

Funmi Sofola

Funmi Sofola Headshot

Performer

Funmi Sofola

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Jelly’s Last Jam, Encores!. Regional: Bzzz, The Joyce Theater; Anything Goes (Pre-Production Dancer), The Muny. Education: BFA, Commercial Dance, Pace University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Liberty Styles Headshot

Performer

Liberty Styles

Liberty Styles Headshot

Performer

Liberty Styles

(she/they) A.R.T.: Debut. International Tour: Rhythm-a-Ting. Other Live Performance: Aquatic, The Yard; Orlando Hernandez and the Knee-Heart Connection, New York Live Arts; Love Movement, AMP by Strathmore; Gotham Kings, The Django; NYC Queer Music Festival, 3 Dollar Bill; Amateur Night at The Apollo, Apollo Theater; Hot & Fresh Burlesque, House of Yes. Music: On a Modern Genius (Vol. 1), Stoney Lane Records; Flipside, Roam Wide, “Drive!!,” Self-released. Education: B.A., American Studies, Columbia University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Annaliese Wilbur Headshot

Performer

Annaliese Wilbur

Annaliese Wilbur Headshot

Performer

Annaliese Wilbur

(they/them) A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway National Tour: Funny Girl (ADC, Swing, Rat Tat Duet Cover). Regional: Pippin (u/s Fastrada), Reagle Music Theatre. Education: BA, Musical Theater, Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Ki’Leigh Williams Headshot
Ki’Leigh Williams Headshot

Performer

Ki’Leigh Williams

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Off-Broadway: Tap Kids (Myself). Theater: Cirque Du Soleil’s Reflekt, (Dancer); Syncopated Ladies Live! (Tap Dancer). TV/Film: Spirited (Tap Dancer); “Encore!” (Dancer), Disney+; Rémy Martin commercial with Usher (Lindy Hop Dancer). Education: Forensic Science, Point Park University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Keyboard Programmer

Nick Wilders

Keyboard Programmer

Nick Wilders

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Wicked, Company. Off-Broadway: Dead Outlaw, Audible Theatre; Titanique, Daryl Roth Theatre; Crave, Cherry Lane Theatre; Notes From Now, Prospect Theater Company. Regional: Ride The Cyclone, Arena Stage/McCarter Theatre Center; The Last Match, Jersey City Theater Center (BroadwayWorld Award for Best Musical Director); Mad Hatter, Herberger Theater Center. National Tours: In My Own Little Corner, Jersey Boys. TV: “Love and Information,” PBS Concerts with American Pops Orchestra (Patti Labelle, Dionne Warwick, Natalie Grant). Education: B.A., Baldwin Wallace University.

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Dance Captain

Naomi Funaki

Naomi Funaki Headshot

Dance Captain

Naomi Funaki

(she/her) A.R.T.: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic. Performances at Infinity Tokyo, Guggenheim Bilbao, Lincoln Center, New York City Center, Radio City Music Hall, Met Gala, Joyce Theater. TV/Film: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, Ayodele Casel: Rooted, Voices Rising, All Arts; “Gutto Chikyubin,” Japan. Awards: 2023 Princess Grace Award, 2024 Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Assistant Dance Captain

Quynn L. Johnson

Quynn L. Johnson Headshot

Assistant Dance Captain

Quynn L. Johnson

(she/her) A.R.T.: Debut. Projects: Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, The Joyce Theatre; Great Gatsby, The Washington Ballet; Dormeshia: Unsung Sheroes of the 20th Century, Jacob’s Pillow; Zaz: The Big Easy; Latida Negro; Savion Glover’s TiiDii3000 Company. Tour: After Midnight (Soloist), Norweigan Cruise Line. Co-founder of SOLE Defined, International Arts Based Educator and recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center Local Dance Commissioning Project 2020. Education: Harvard University and Howard University. Quynn has designed and implemented arts-based programs in Uganda, South Africa, New York, Iowa, DC, and Michigan.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance.

Additional Staff

Assistant Stage Manager

Eloia Peterson

Assistant Stage Manager

Eloia Peterson

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: I Need That. Off-Broadway: The Low Road, White Noise, Mojada, A Bright Room Called Day, The Visitor, Fat Ham, Plays for the Plague Year, Jordans, The Public Theater; Endlings, NYTW. Regional: The Folks at Home, Baltimore Center Stage. Education: Northwestern University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Substitute Assistant Stage Manager

Kendyl Trott

Additional Arrangements

Nick Wilders

Additional Arrangements

Nick Wilders

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Wicked, Company. Off-Broadway: Dead Outlaw, Audible Theatre; Titanique, Daryl Roth Theatre; Crave, Cherry Lane Theatre; Notes From Now, Prospect Theater Company. Regional: Ride The Cyclone, Arena Stage/McCarter Theatre Center; The Last Match, Jersey City Theater Center (BroadwayWorld Award for Best Musical Director); Mad Hatter, Herberger Theater Center. National Tours: In My Own Little Corner, Jersey Boys. TV: “Love and Information,” PBS Concerts with American Pops Orchestra (Patti Labelle, Dionne Warwick, Natalie Grant). Education: B.A., Baldwin Wallace University.

Actors’ Equity Association member

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Associate Scenic Designer

Matthew Buttrey

Associate Scenic Designer

Matthew Buttrey

A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, The Notebook, Swept Away, Macbeth, MJ the Musical. Regional: Betrayal, The Goodman Theatre. National Tour: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Notebook, The Wiz. Off-Broadway: Is This A Room.

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Associate Costume Designer

Amanda Roberge

Associate Lighting Designer

Jessica Creager

Associate Sound Designer

Joshua Nguyen

Associate Sound Designer

Joshua Nguyen

A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Clue, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Rocky Horror Show, Dallas Theater Center; In the Heights, Cleveland Playhouse; Side by Side by Sondheim, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Education: B.F.A., Theatre Design and Technology, Baylor University ’21.

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Assistant Projection Designer

Arash Baqipur

Projection Programmer and Engineer

Jackson Cobb

Tap Sound Specialist

Patrick Middlebrook

Tap Sound Specialist

Patrick Middlebrook

A.R.T.: Debut. Regional: Oklahoma!, Reefer Madness, Crazy for You, Always Patsy Cline, The Addams Family, Spring Awakening. Festivals: Opera Saratoga, Spoleto Music Festival USA, Live Design International. Awards: KCACTF (Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical, 2nd Place).

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Production Assistants

Charlie Berry

Kendyl Trott

Additional Sound Loops

Liberty Styles

Liberty Styles Headshot

Additional Sound Loops

Liberty Styles

(she/they) A.R.T.: Debut. International Tour: Rhythm-a-Ting. Other Live Performance: Aquatic, The Yard; Orlando Hernandez and the Knee-Heart Connection, New York Live Arts; Love Movement, AMP by Strathmore; Gotham Kings, The Django; NYC Queer Music Festival, 3 Dollar Bill; Amateur Night at The Apollo, Apollo Theater; Hot & Fresh Burlesque, House of Yes. Music: On a Modern Genius (Vol. 1), Stoney Lane Records; Flipside, Roam Wide, “Drive!!,” Self-released. Education: B.A., American Studies, Columbia University.

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Music Consultant

Ryan Cantwell

Music Consultant

Ryan Cantwell

A.R.T.: Debut. International: Waitress (Japanese Premiere), Pippin (Australian Premiere), Pippin (Japanese Premiere). First National Tours: Waitress, Finding Neverland, Pippin, La Cage Aux Folles. Off-Broadway: The Golden Toad; Mark, The Nomad (Liz Swados), La MaMa; Bat Out of Hell, NY City Center. TV/Film: CBS’ “Jim Hensen Special,” “Race,” (Gloria Allred). MD/Composer: A Helluva Life (George Hamilton). As Dawn&Ryan: Wicked, Last Ship, Dogfight. Awards: ASCAP’s Singer-Songwriter Grant (05’ & 06’), Robert Preston Award for Musical Theatre Excellence. 

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Additional Sound Design

Connor Wang

Additional Sound Design

Connor Wang

A.R.T.: Debut. Recent: Sorry For Your Loss, Audible/Minetta Lane; How to Dance in Ohio, Syracuse Stage; The Hot Wing King, Alliance Theatre; Kim’s Convenience, TheatreSquared; The Ripple, The Wave That Carried Me Home, KC Rep. In addition to his work in design, Connor is a mix engineer for The Disney Princess Concert and Disney’s premier a cappella group, DCappella. connorwangdesigns.com

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Additional Lyrics

Anthony McPherson

Research Consultant

Sonja Thomas

Voice Coach

Erika Bailey

Voice Coach

Erika Bailey

A.R.T.: Romeo and Juliet; Gatsby; Becoming a Man; Life of Pi; 1776; WILD: A Musical Becoming; Jack and the Beanstalk; Gloria: A Life; Moby-Dick; We Live in Cairo; Endlings; Othello; ExtraOrdinary; The Black Clown; Jagged Little Pill; WARHOLCAPOTE; Burn All Night; The Night of the Iguana; Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women; Fingersmith; In the Body of the World; Waitress; O.P.C. Broadway: Mary Stuart. Regional: Vanity Fair, Central Square Theater; New Electric Ballroom, Gloucester Stage Company; Arms and the Man, Guthrie Theatre; The Foreigner, Cabaret, To Kill a Mockingbird, Kansas City Repertory Theatre. As Head of Voice and Speech at A.R.T., Erika also teaches in the Theater, Dance & Media concentration at Harvard as well as coaching public speaking skills across the university. Education: M.A., Voice Studies, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; M.F.A., Acting, Brandeis University.

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Technical Direction Consultant

Chris Swetcky

Physical Therapists

Artistic Athletes Health Collective

Access Staff

Director of ASL

Shana Gibbs

ASL Interpreters

Letitia Bynoe

Jennifer Gibbons

Audio Description

Cori Couture

David Heard

Open Caption

c2

Sensory Inclusive

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble

A.R.T. Staff

Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director:
Diane Paulus

Executive Director:
Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.

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
Producer: Mark Lunsford
Director of Production: Krystin Matsumoto
Director of Artistic Programs & Dramaturg: Ryan McKittrick
Associate Artistic Director: Dayron J. Miles
Chief Marketing Officer: Jennifer Weissman

STAFF

Artistic & Engagement

Artistic Coordinator & Special Assistant to the Artistic Director: Karina Cowperthwaite
Head of Voice & Speech: Erika Bailey
Associate Director, Pedagogical Programs: Marcus Stern
Associate Director, Pedagogical Programs: Julia Smeliansky
Production Manager, Pedagogical Programs: Jeremie Lozier
Assistant Production Supervisor, Pedagogical Programs: Evey Connerty-Marin
Artistic Associate in Community: Leah Harris
Assistant to the Associate Artistic Director: Madison Baker
Artistic Engagement Associate: Ariella Kasmer-Jacobs
Learning Leads: Alex Smith, Vahdat Yeganeh

Producing

Associate Producer: Emma Watt
Associate Production Manager: Taylor Brennan
Company Manager: Shannon Kelley
Assistant Company Manager: Michael Mathey

Marketing & Communications

Associate Director, Marketing and Communications: Susanna Jackson
Associate Director, Creative Services: Joel Zayac
Subscriptions and Group Sales Manager: Kirstin Beal
Web and Digital Communications Manager: David Libbey
Social Media Coordinator: Madison Wolters
Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator: Madeleine Wright
Assistant Graphic Designer: Dana Balletta
Program Coordinator: Lianna Rada-Hung

Development

Associate Director, Institutional Giving: Anna Cline
Associate Director, Stewardship & Major Gifts: Lisa Field-Coleman
Assistant Director, Institutional Events & Partnerships: Alicia Hartz
Assistant Director, Development Operations: Blair Laurie
Senior Coordinator, Advancement & Development Engagement: Julia Wolfe

Facilities

Assistant Project Manager: Alex Giorgetti
Loeb Receptionists: Barbara Lindstrom, Maria Medeiros
Custodial Supervisor: Ana Osorioportillo
Custodial Team: Felipe Barahona, Santos Ruiz Lopez, Marvin Ventura
Facilities Maintenance Service Team: Anthony Radosta, Michael Shaw, Jeremiah Sullivan

Finance

Controller: Toufiq Aitelfqih
Accountant: Nathan Pratt
Senior Payroll Coordinator: Alessandra Panares
Financial Assistant: Tori Loubert

Patron Services

Head of Patron Services: Emma Putnam
Ticket Services Manager: Heather Conroe
Ticket Services Representatives: Rachael Cohen, Jessica Golden, Emma Hunt
Ticket Services Staff: Sam Donato, Emma Getz, Michelle Hong, Elliot Lazar, Alexia Rowe, Lizzie Schwarze
Front of House Manager: Matt Spano
Tessitura Database Administrator: Ana Costagliola

Production

Production Manager: Skip Curtiss

Scenic

Technical Director: Jim Bernhardt
Interim Assistant Technical Director: Brian Melcher
Term Assistant Technical Director: Emily Listner
Head Scenic Carpenter: Peter Doucette
Lead Scenic Carpenter: York-Andreas Paris
Scenic Carpenters: Bill Hawkins, Ray Reyes
Term Scenic Carpenters: Diego Farrell, Sam Kisthardt, Dawn Morningstar, Luke Van Cleve

Paint

Charge Scenic Artist: Gerard Vogt
Assistant Charge Scenic Artist: Heather Morris
Scenic Artist: India Lee

Stage Operations

Stage Operations Manager: Kevin Belcher
Assistant Stage Operations Manager/Lead Rigger: Jonathan Strong
Deck Lead: Kate Hausler
Staff Deck Carpenter: Errick Jersey
Deck Carpenter: Toni Kooharian
Staff Props Runner: Christina Donovan
Swing Deck Carpenter/Props Runner: Julia Wonkka

Costumes

Costume Manager: Muriel Mangual-Bennett
Assistant Costume Manager: Melissa Thurn
Crafts Artisan: Jeffrey Scott Burrows
Draper: Bridget Austin-Weiss
First Hand: Mcky Bashay

Wardrobe

Wardrobe Manager: Alycia Marucci
Wig and Wardrobe Dresser: Emily Damron
Dressers: Brian Choinski, Michelle Villada

Sound

Sound Manager: Camilo Atehortua
Assistant Sound Manager: Bryan Atterberry
Front of House Sound Engineer (A1): Abe Joyner-Meyers
Sound Technicians (A2): Kai Bohlman, Em Bonnici
Production and Event Sound Engineer (A1/A2 sub): Michael Policare

Lighting

Lighting and Projections Supervisor: Matthew Adelman
Assistant Lighting Supervisor: Joseph Lorenzen
Lighting and Projections Programmer and Operator: Sumner Ellsworth
Staff Electricians: Ryan Lemay, Callie Moos

Properties

Properties Manager: Erin Kehr
Assistant Properties Manager: Mariya Sudarska
Properties Carpenter: Patrick Goodsell
Properties Artisan: Elektra T. Newman

Production Overhire

Scenic Overhire: Thomas Eckenfels, Matthew Kadam, John Larson, Aiden Marshall, Em McGrory, Mac Weaver
Costume Coordinator: Vienna Volinsky
Crafts Assistants: Yao Kuang Lee, Elizabeth Rocha
First Hand: Vyannie Saldana
Stitchers: Rebecca Shannon Butler, Joice Caldeira Simao, Becca Cottrell, Aldi Heggar, Sara Matthew, Duncan Michael, Elsa Ramsay
Dressers: Tyeshia Cowans, Marciann Shapiro
Hair and Makeup Crew: Kiara Escalera, Sarah Tupper
Wardrobe Maintenance Support: Bethany Post
Electricians: Toni Carton, Casey Cutler, Makenna Harnden, Hannah Jope, Connor O’Brien, Brittany Trymbulak
Sound Technicians: Em Bonnici, Sean Doyle, Redacted Maxwell, Devin McGovern, Madonna Jeselle McGuire, Eliezer Meraz, Wesley Pang Irene Wang, Mary White
Properties Artisan: Dylan Reid
Stage Hands: Emily Hanson, Rosemary Grace Hartunian Alumbaugh, Avery Hunt, Preston Treadwell, Jack Riter

Special Thanks

Priscilla H. Douglas, Shihan Van Clief, Ryan Johnson, Brynne Oster

Rehearsed at The Huntington Theatre and the Boston Center for the Arts

Piano and Tuning Services provided by East Cambridge
Additional Scenery Fabrication by Mystic Scenic Studios, Inc.
Additional Draping and Construction by William Andrew Young
Additional Projections Equipment provided by Sound Associates, Inc.
Additional Lighting Equipment provided by Christie Lites
Dance Floor Structural Consultants: Wooden Kiwi Productions, Inc.
Been Rich All My Life © Toots Crackin Productions

Actors’ Equity Association 1913The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
SDCThe director, choreographer, and fight consultant of this production are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.
IATSE IA United Scenic Artists Local USA 829United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.
AFM American Federation of Musicians United States CanadaThe musicians employed in this production are members of the American Federation of Musicians.