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by Christina Anderson
Directed by Lucie Tiberghien
In Partnership with
Technology by
We thank our major supporters: The de Groot Foundation, Samira Wiley, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Alex and Sybilla Balkanski, Elizabeth and Jonathan Weiswasser, Caroline and Paul Cronson, and The Cultural Services of The French Embassy in New York.
We also thank everyone — donors, volunteers, artists, staff, patrons, and press — who has contributed to MIP's success.
Synopsis
1896. The Separate But Equal Doctrine has just been upheld in the Supreme Court of the United States as a Black American surveyor boards a ship to lead a mysterious expedition bound for Liberia. In tow are his troubled son, a rebellious young woman, and a skeptical crew. On the open sea an unexpected detour forces secrets out of hiding fundamentally changing the course of the journey and their lives. Christina Anderson creates a telling parable about violence, betrayal, faith, and freedom in this moving maritime epic.
Creative Team
Director — Lucie Tiberghien (she/her): A Franco-American Brooklynite, Lucie was raised in France and Switzerland and moved to New York in 1995. It is through her work as associate to acclaimed French director Jacques Lassalle that Lucie developed her passion for Molière’s plays and her belief in his work’s ability to speak to who we are today. Lucie is the Founding Artistic Director of MIP.
Producer — Garth Belcon (he/him): An independent feature film Writer and Producer, and a theater Producer and Production Manager, Garth was raised in the Bronx but has called Brooklyn home for more than 15 years. Garth is honored to be a part of bringing Molière and the funny, biting, brilliant social commentary of his work, to Brooklyn and all of NYC annually. Garth is the Co-Founding Executive Producer of MIP.
Video Engineer / Designer: Rocco DiSanti (he/him): USA 829 Projection Designer with multiple on and off Broadway credits including; Broadway: The Snow Geese, The Columnist, Wit, Collected Stories, Time Stands Still, The Nap. Off Broadway: Incident at Vichy (Signature), Desire, Lift, Inner Voices, Wide Awake Hearts (59E59) Completeness (Playwrights Horizons); A Second Chance (The Public) and more. Regional: Fly (Florida Studio Theatre), The Threepenny Opera, Spin, Company, A Second Chance (Signature Theatre). Kansas City Swing, Lift, The Adventure of Fishy Waters In Bed With The Blues (Crossroads). AWARDS: Nominated for a 2012 Henry Hewes Design Award for Completeness. Rocco has spent the pandemic editing play readings for multiple theaters, teaching virtual live performance technology at Marymount University, and running live streamed events for multiple theaters and organizations.
Production Designer — Lina Younes (she/her): Lina is a Palestinian Lebanese visual designer based in New York. She is on a constant quest for story-centered collaborations, and exploring narratives while showcasing process. Her work is about freezing moments, replaying them, changing scenarios, playing out consequences, and then repeating. Impossible things happen in an instant; objects vanish, come to life, and are set off again. In motion.
Costume Designer — Ari Fulton (she/her): Ari is a New York based costume designer for stage and film. Theater design credits include: A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical (Miami New Drama), Novenas For a Lost Hospital (Rattlestick Theatre), Little Girl Blue, The Life of Nina Simone (George Street Playhouse), Skeleton Crew (Huntington Theatre), Film Credits include: Nigerian Prince (Tribeca Film Festival), Black Girl in Paris (HBO Special Selection).
Lighting Designer — Marie Yokoyama (she/her): Marie is a lighting and set designer based in NYC. She has designed for MIP in The School for Wives. Recent design credits include: Mystery of Irma Vep with St. Louis Rep, God of Carnage with Redhouse Arts Center, Testmatch with American Conservatory Theater San Francisco, Tiny Beautiful Things with Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Do You Feel Anger with Vineyard Theatre, and Pillowtalk with Kyoung's Pacific Beats.
Original Music & Sound Design — Victoria Deiorio (she/her): Victoria is a critically acclaimed composer and designer based in Chicago, and her designs and compositions have been heard at many regional, Chicago, and NY theatres. She is the Chair of the Design & Technology Department, and the Head of Sound Design, for The Theatre School at DePaul University. Victoria has won 7 Joseph Jefferson Awards, 2 After Dark Awards, a SALT Award, and the International Businesswoman Award for Theatre & Film Composer of the Year 2020. www.victoria-sound-design.com
Lead Animator - Ursula Echeverria (she/her)
Animators — Emily Rawson (she/her) & Suzannah Rowentree (she/her): Emily is a motion designer specializing in multimedia animation and After Effects. She is also an emerging independent filmmaker and researcher, studying the legacy of Lotte Reiniger and her innovation amongst independent German artists in the interwar period.
Illustrators - Jessie McClanahan (she/her) & Sarah Patterson (she/her)
Assistant Director/Subtitles Supervisor: Chloé Noble (she/her): Chloé is a French actress and dancer living in Brooklyn. She trained in Theater at the Sorbonne University in Paris and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She is currently the Director of Education of the artists collective: Artistic Resonance Collective. Chloé works as assistant director and as subtitles supervisor for Molière in the Park since June 2020.
Technology Consulting Group - Liminal Entertainment Technologies, LLC: Bringing together a team with experience in film, theater, and broadcast, Liminal Entertainment Technologies develops innovative software and systems for a range of entertainment mediums. Constantly working to pioneer the next evolution of entertainment, the Liminal Team is excited to bring early-access to its upcoming StreamWeaver software ecosystem to The School for Wives. www.liminalet.com
Sound Engineer - Daniel S. Williams (he/him): audio engineer, podcaster, and general Sound WizardTM. He’s mixed plays and short films, recorded in hotel rooms, dive bars, abandoned houses, and the Orpheum Theater in Chicago. Find him online at aorpodcasting.com.
Production Manager - Thyra Hartshorn (she/her): Thyra is a Portland, Oregon-based production manager, stage manager and technical director. She is the Production Manager at Portland Playhouse and has toured and worked with companies around the world including San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet.
Stage Manager — *Madison Lane (she/her): is thrilled to be working with Molière in the Park again! Previous shows with MIP include: Tartuffe; The Misanthrope (2020); The Misanthrope (2019). Other virtual projects: A Doll’s House Pt. 2 [Stella Adler Studio]; I, My Ruination by Kevin Artigue, Bust by Zora Howard, The Hystericals by Edith Freni, Moses by Michele Lowe [Cape Cod Theater Project]; King Lear [New York Classical]. Thank you for watching and for supporting artists!
French Translation— Chloé Noble (she/her) & Lucie Tiberghien (she/her)
Press Representative — David Gibbs/Darr Publicity (he/him): David is the founder of DARR Publicity, a boutique press agency specializing in theater, dance, music-driven shows and unique theatrical experiences. Clients include The Amoralists, Company XIV, Ice Factory Festival, La MaMa, Molière in the Park, New Ohio Theatre and PTP/NYC. David has publicized shows at many Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway venues throughout NYC. His clients have won Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Obie and Off Broadway Alliance Awards. www.DarrPublicity.com
Marketing & Advertising — Lisa Lewis (she/her)
Community Liaison — Kaliswa Brewster (she/her): Kaliswa is an Actress and Digital Producer who is working as Community Liaison for pen/man/ship. As an actress, she has appeared in Moliére in the Park’s The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, and School for Wives. On television she has recurred on Showtime’s “Billions,’ ABC’s “Time After Time,” and Topic’s “Release.” Her film credits include “Paterno: alongside Al Pacino, Paint, and The Bit Player. Kaliswa holds a BA from Whitman College, an MFA from American Conservatory Theater & trained at LAMDA in London. Kaliswa worked closely with Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis at Middle Collegiate Church where she has worked as a Digital Producer, producing antiracism workshops and online events. She is a co-producer on Jacqui’s new podcast, Love Period, produced in partnership with The Center for Action and Contemplation. Kaliswa also produces Black Voices Past and Present, a podcast highlighting black voices throughout history.
Marketing & Development Associate — Nicole Breeden (she/her)
Assistant Stage Manager — Caroline Wilkes (she/her): Caroline Wilkes is a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark College, where she received her BA in Theatre with a concentration in Design/Technical Theatre. She is currently a Stage Management Apprentice at Portland Playhouse. Caroline has recently stage managed the Zoom series Shortcuts with PPH and Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi at LC. She is so grateful to be able to work on pen/man/ship with these incredible artists!
Cast and Characters
*Crystal Lucas-Perry (she/her) — RUBY: Crystal is a Lucille Lortel Award-winning actress and was last seen at the Public Theater in NYC working alongside Tony Kushner, starring in his first major play revival as Zillah in A Bright Room Called Day — as well as the premiere production of Ain’t No Mo’ Additional credits include: Bull in a China Shop (Lincoln Center); Little Children Dream of God (Roundabout); When Broadway returns, Crystal will lead the cast as JOHN ADAMS in the previously announced Broadway musical revival 1776 directed by Diane Paulus. CrystalLucasPerry.com
*Kevin Mambo (he/him) — CHARLES: Kevin his known for his recent work as Sheldon on Marvels' Luke Cage, Lynn Nottages' productions of Mlimas' Tale, Ruined, and SWEAT, Broadway shows Book of Mormon, The Color Purple and starring in Fela! In addition to his skill as a vocalist he is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (vocals, keys,guitar and sax) and composer with Blaz and the 88 Sound and Audio Deluxe. Mambo gained critical acclaim on Guiding Light, 3 consecutive nominations and two consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Younger Actor in Drama Series (96, 97, 98).
*Jared McNeill (he/him) — JACOB: Jared has been a company member of Peter Brook's international company for 10 years, touring to New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music with productions of Battlefield and The Suit, and to the Theatre for a New Audience with The Valley of Astonishment. He wrote and directed The Sand, and Cement, an original work co-produced by La Mama Umbria and the Fondazione Beverly Pepper. He can be seen in HBO's We Are Who We Are, directed by Luca Guadagnino, as well as Netflix's The Crown. He is currently in Italy, where he is media director of Weather 2020. jaredmcneill.com
*Postell Pringle (he/him) — CECIL: Postell Pringle is an actor, playwright, rapper/singer/producer, stage director and choreographer who lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. He’s a member of Q Brothers Collective, a multimedia arts company whose original shows have been produced from New Zealand and South Korea to Off-Broadway, NYC. He's a founding member of the band and comedic video team, The Rap Pack. His 2020 album, Hot Sauce From Hell can be found at postell.bandcamp.com
*Denotes member of the Actors Equity Association (AEA)
We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Union:
AEA for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program
Who We Are
MIP's Mission
We believe provocative and high caliber theater performed in public spaces and available to all, has the power to unite communities. It affords everyone who wishes to participate, an opportunity to reflect, rejoice, see each other, and share. Moliere in the Park was born out of the desire to meet Brooklynites in their backyard and offer a space, within an already wonderfully rich park, where all would feel invited to take part.
Molière in the Park is an inclusive and antiracist theater organization. Our mission is to bring high-caliber English language productions of Molière’s timely masterpieces, as well as carefully chosen contemporary plays that focus on language and question today's world through the lens of history, to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park annually, and the online theatergoing community, free of charge.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
The Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside is the largest and most ambitious project in Prospect Park since its creation nearly 150 years ago. Spanning 26 acres, this $74 million restoration by the Prospect Park Alliance transformed the southeast corner of the Park into a popular scenic and recreational destination. Since opening in 2013, the LeFrak Center has become a year-round community destination welcoming more than 200,000 visitors each year.
Prospect Park Alliance
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains "Brooklyn's Backyard," working in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance was founded in 1987 to help restore Prospect Park after a long period of deterioration and decline. Today, the Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. The Alliance cares for the woodlands and natural areas, restores the park's buildings and landscapes, creates innovative park destinations, and provides free or low-cost volunteer, education and recreation programs.
Liminal Entertainment Technologies, LLC
Liminal is founded on the principle that the distinctions between technology and art are arbitrary, and that creativity lives in their intersection. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liminal has created systems designed to help move events and performances online. Grounded in its motto of “Adapt to the Present, Build for the Future,” the Liminal team works to pioneer the next evolution of entertainment through a fusion of film, live performance, and immersive experience