Epic Sunjata program for web:Layout 1.qxd

The Loft Theatre at
Presents:
HE EPIC
PIC OF
OF
THE
UNJATA
SUNJATA
directed by
Tracy Bersley
adapted by
Tracy Bersley & Andrew Karp
featuring
West African "griot" Abdoulaye Diabate
THE STORY
The Epic of Sunjata is a story of the founding of the historical Manden Empire in West Africa in 1235 AD. The outline of our version of the story is as follows: King Maghan,
ruler of the Manden in West Africa, has a beautiful and powerful first wife, Sassouma Berete, who has born him two children, a son, Dankara Touman, and a daughter, Nana
Tribon. Sassouma naturally expects that her son will be heir to the throne. As is the custom in this polygamous society, however, King Maghan, on the advise of prophets
and his griot, takes a second wife, Sogolon, an ugly, hunchbacked girl from the land of Do. The prophecy states that she will bear him another son, Sunjata Keita, who will
become the greatest King in Mande history and will found a great empire.
Hesitantly, and against the wishes of his first wife, King Maghan marries Sogolon. But, because Sogolon carries within her the spirit of the Buffalo (she is the wraith or
double of the Buffalo Woman of Do), the King has difficulty consummating the marriage. Finally, he manages to tame her raging Buffalo spirit by convincing her that their
son will be a great king.
The fruits of their marriage, though, disappoint them both, thanks to the black magic of Sassouma and her evil ally, the Sorcerer King of Sosso, Soumagoro Kante. The child
Sunjata cannot walk! He seems unable to use his legs and crawls upon the ground like a snake. How can he be a hunter or a king if he cannot walk? Although the dying King
Maghan bequeaths to Sunjata his griot, Balla Fasseke, and appoints Sunjata heir, Sassouma manages to have her son, Dankara Touman, appointed King.
Sunjata and his mother are disenfranchised and abused. When Sogolon is slighted by Sassouma over a matter of a few baobab leaves, Sunjata is finally roused by the
insult. Using an iron rod that eight men can barely carry, Sunjata props himself on the rod, bends it into a bow, and walks! With his new-found legs, he marches to Sassouma’s
garden, uproots her baobab tree, and carries it back to his mother. Sunjata’s strength threatens Dankara Touman and his mother, however. They snatch Balla from Sunjata,
give her to Kante, and force Sunjata and his mother to leave Mande and go into exile.
With Sunjata away, the seemingly invulnerable Soumagoro Kante double-crosses Sassouma and invades the Mande, establishing a cruel tyranny. Nana Tribon is forced to
become Kante’s wife, but she and Balla discover Kante’s weakness (he cannot be touched by even a feather of the Bird of Krina), escape his clutches, and run to Sunjata.
Meanwhile, Sunjata, on a seven year exile, is befriended by Tounkara, the King of Mema, and his daughter, Massiran, and seems ready to become Mema’s heir. But his
destiny calls to him. Dankara Touman, exiled himself from Mande, finds Sunjata and urges him to return to free the Mande. Sogolon dies, Balla and Nana Tribon return, and
Sunjata remembers himself. With his friends and allies by his side, he returns to the Mande to defeat Soumagoro Kante and unite the Mande people.
The Loft Theatre at Dowling College, Oakdale, NY Presents:
THE EPIC OF SUNJATA
Directed & Choreographed by
Adapted & Written by
Tracy Bersley
Tracy Bersley and Andrew Karp
Producing Artistic Director
Andrew Karp
Musical Director
David Racanelli
Set Design
Jeffrey Van Velsor
Costume Design
Elissa Tatigikis Iberti
Lighting Design
Jennifer Schriever
Sound Design
Joe Varca
Stage Manager
Gordon Rowe
Griot
Abdoulaye Diabate
Material for the script was freely adapted from various sources including: The Epic of Son-Jara, A West African Tradition (translated by John William Johnson; text by Fa-Digi Sisòkò);
Sunjata: An Epic of Old Mali (compiled and translated by D.T. Niane); The Guardian of the Word: Kaouma Lafôlô Kouma, by Camara Laye (translated by James Kirkup).
The Loft Theatre is funded by Dowling College
A Note from the Artistic Director
The Epic of Sunjata (the Loft’s most ambitious project to date) endeavors to breathe dramatic life into a vibrant oral folktale that has been sung in Mali, West Africa since the
13th century. Springboarding off the traditional songs and talents of our authentic griot (or jeli, singer/storyteller/royaladvisor), Abdoulaye Diabate, we have undertaken the
Herculean (or should I say Sunjatan) effort of translating this oral story to the stage.
When I first saw David Racanelli, our Musical Director, playing guitar with Abdoulaye Diabate at a local club, I was possessed by the infectious music. When I learmed that
Abdoulaye hailed from an authentic griot family of Mali, that his songs were traditional, improvisational pieces recounting episodes in the story of Sunjata and that the griot was
a major character in the story, I envisioned a vibrantly choreographed, musical drama based on these traditional songs.
One person was destined to direct and choreograph this piece: Tracy Bersley, who had directed the Loft’s amazing production of the Bacchae in 2004. Tracy makes magic on
the stage and understands bodies and metaphors and how to move an audience. Like me, Tracy instantly fell in love with the concept, and with Abdoulaye. We agreed to
collaborate on the development and writing of the script, working off various transcripts and written versions of this oral story. We also agreed, because of the scope of the
story, to use no props in our production, but to rely on the power of the actors and the musicians and the imagination of our audience, to tell our tale. So be prepared to dream.
Just as Sunjata’s story tells of the strength of a united community, so we had to create a united artistic community to have the strength to mount this ambitious production.
Our creative team consisted of The Loft’s resident set designer, Jeffrey Van Velsor, who created a magical Mande world for us out of mere ropes and material; lighting designer,
Jennifer Schriever, who helped build multiple worlds and moods with subtle and moving lighting and who joined our team for the sheer love of theatre; expert sound designer,
Joe Varca; Loft resident costume designer, Elissa Iberti; and, of course, David Racanelli. We worked from a metaphor central to the Sunjata story: the tree. It is a place of
meeting, a place of burial where death is transformed into life, a symbol of the community with roots above and below the earth and a symbol of Sunjata’s first triumph, the
hoisting up of the baobab tree. Following in Sunjata’s path, our cast and design team first crawled and then finally rose up onto our feet to hoist this massive theatrical tree on
our backs and carry it from song to page to stage.
We hope this will be but the first manifestation of our epic tale. We have plans to bring this production into NYC, publish our script, and David Racanelli has plans to create
a CD of the play’s music. We believe this is a universal story that needs to be told, one that not only recounts the magical coming of age of a young hero, but resonates with us
today since it reminds us to hold on to our memories and to rouse ourselves against injustice. “Never forget,” is the griot’s cry.
-- Andrew Karp, Producing Artistic Director, Loft Theatre; Professor of English, Dowling College
THE CAST (in order of appearance)
Balla Fasseke (griot to King Maghan and to Sunjata) ............................Diana Hoyt
Sunjata (son of King Maghan and Sogolon) ........................................Latrey Evans
Dankara Touman (son of King Maghan and Sassouma) ......................Cliff Connor
Nana Tribon (daughter of King Maghan & Sassouma) ........................Lauren Kelly Benson
Sassouma (first wife of King Maghan, mother of Dankara Touman
& Nana Tribon) ..................................................................Tristan Cunningham
MUSICIANS
King Maghan (father of Sunjata, husband of Sassouma & Sogolon) ......Karim Sekou
Sogolon (second wife of King Maghan, mother of Sunjata) ............Lori Ortiz Allen
Soumagoro Kante (tyrant, Sorcerer King of Sosso) ..............................David Brown
Griot (singer & guitar) ................................................Abdoulaye “Djoss” Diabate
King Tounkara (friend of Sunjata, father of Massiran) ..........................Karim Sekou
Guitar ........................................................................................David Racanelli
Massiran (daughter of King Tounkara) ....................................Tristan Cunningham
Balafon....................................................................................Famoro Dioubate
Villagers, merchants, blacksmiths, elders, etc. also played by cast
Drums ..............................................................................................Andy Algire
The play will run for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. There will be one 10-minute intermission.
Who’s Who in the Cast
Lori Ortiz Allen (Sogolon) is a writer, singer, actress and community activist. A native of Tuskegee, Alabama, she is a graduate of Tuskegee University and now resides on Long Island. She has
appeared on television, in feature and independent films, and in theatre, including singing background vocals on the Late Show with David Letterman. Most recently, she closed the Ochos Rios
Jazz Festival, performing her original song “You Lose,” backed by Joe Sizemore and Overboard. Lori has committed her life to the performing arts and is thankful to all those who paved a way
and played a part including: her parents, Sarah Rivers (the aunt of Flavor Flav), Joyce Kahn, Mr. Slomack, JJ Howell, Kecia Jackson (Millie Jackson’s daughter), all her friends and family, the
cast and company of Sunjata, Malik Albert (engineer/producer) and K.Alla.Films (Bleeding Rose).
Lauren Benson (Nana Tribon) hails from New Jersey where she was first directed by Tracy Bersley in high school as Prospero in The Tempest. Tracy also taught Lauren her first African dance
moves and introduced her to yoga. She is extremely grateful to be a part of this project with such a talented group of people and looks forward to many more! She would like to thank her
friends and family for all their support. Her spirit double is the mighty orangutan.
David Brown (Soumagoro Kante) is thrilled and honored to be a part of The Epic of Sunjata. Originally from Miami, Florida, David attended the New World School of the Arts and then SUNY
Purchase Acting Conservatory, where he received his B.F.A. Credits include Andrey in Three Sisters, Levatch in All's Well that Ends Well (Purchase Repertory Theatre), Starvling in A Midsummer
Night's Dream (Hampton Shakespeare Festival) and Rene Magritte in This is not a Pipedream (Richmond Shepard Theatre). In 2001, David was honored by the NFAA (National Foundation for
Advancement in the Arts). He thanks the cast and crew for creating this amazing story, and Tracy for always believing in him!
Cliff Connor (Dankara Touman) is a stand-up comic who comes from New Orleans, Louisiana. And, yes, his family is fine. He says that because, when asked whether his family was still in New
Orleans, he answers, “don't be silly; there are no black people left in New Orleans.” After his narrow escape from death, he moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. He attended SUNY
Purchase Acting Conservatory for three years, but was cut from the program. He bounced right back, however, and was thrilled when Tracy asked if he was interested in doing a play based on
an African folktale. He decided to join this amazing cast of actors. He figured that, if he worked on a play about Africa, he could give free tickets to all the white people with dreadlocks.
Diana Hoyt (Balla Fasseke) began her theatrical training in Seattle where she had the great
fortune to study Ritual Poetic Drama in the African Continuum under the tutelage of Dr. Tawnya
Pettiford Wates from 1998 to 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theater. She received the Directors Award for most outstanding graduate in theater arts. Some of her favorite roles include: Whiteness - The Dozens Aint Nuthin but a Game (LTOB); Alice - Alice in Wonderland; Olga - Three Sisters; Helena - All’s Well That Ends Well (Purchase Repertory Theatre); Audrey - Little Shop of Horrors; Sally Bowles - Cabaret (Paul Robeson Theater). She is most grateful for her employment as a teaching artist. Her most recent vocation
was through The Foundation for Global Harmony, working abroad with the youth of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Cambodia. She hopes to continue to share the stories of other nations in hopes
to receive and spread the gift of scope through creative action which tramples the illusion that we all inhabit separate worlds.
Tristan Cunningham (Sassouma, Massiran) is a home-grown product of Vermont. She began performing when she was ten, touring with Circus Smirkus. After eight years of running away and
joining the circus, she decided to focus more on theater and recently graduated from SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory. Since graduating, Tristan has been working in film, but is so excited to
be back in a stage production, especially one that is this new and creative and that retells an amazing story still told in Mali today.
Latrey Evans (Sunjata) hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and is a graduate of Stanton College Preparatory School. Upon graduation, he was accepted into the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theatre summer intensive program. In recent years, Latrey has focused his energy into establishing an acting career in New York City, where he has participated in several low budget films such
as Love and promotional ads for the NFL, as well as feature films such as SpiderMan 3. In Jacksonville, he was a principle dancer for the Florida Theatre and the Ritz Theatre, and a principle
dancer for the Jacksonville Centre of the Arts. He plans to open up his own school of the arts one day.
Karim Sekou (King Maghan, King Tounkara) is pleased to join the Loft Theatre's production of Sunjata. He was most recently on tour in North Carolina, but has been in numerous productions
in New York City and around the world. He is a proud graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and currently is the Alumni representative on its Board of Trustees. He can be most
often seen acting for the kids he reaches as a Teaching Artist in New York City. He feels truly blessed to be working with such a talented cast. Thank you to all those who are making dreams
come true.
Abdoulaye “Djoss” Diabaté (vocals & guitar) was born in Kela, Mali, to the Diabaté family -- the recognized custodians of the Sunjata Epic tradition in the Mande cultures of West Africa. Raised
in the heart of the Mande tradition from a long line of griots, Abdoulaye has also spent some twenty years performing contemporary and popular music. His musical career led him to a fusion
of these styles. In 1973, he joined the Tenetemba Jazz in Bamako, Mali. He was lead singer of the Koule Star Band of Kouchala. He formed his own twelve-piece band, Super Mande. In 1978,
Super Mande released its first recording: Wahabia-Ke Daschi. In 1992, Abdoulaye joined the world -renowned Ballets Koteba as a singer and guitarist. He also toured the world with Les Go de
Koteba in the mid-nineties. He was noted in 2002 as the star of the Smithsonian Folkways compilation: Badenya, Manden Jaliya. In 2002, he released his own album: Haklima.
Famoro Dioubate (Balafon) was born in 1965 in Conakry, Guinea to an esteemed griot family. He is the grandson of El Hadj Djelli Sory Kouyate, a living legend of the Mande balafon. He
co-founded Les Heritiers with Sekouba Kandia Kouyate and recorded the albums Kandia Dinke and Nyoumekela with this group. He was a member of Mory Kante's orchestra for the performances
and recording of the Traditional Symphonie. In the early nineties, he was a member of the Groupe Standard which accompanied most of the visiting great stars of African music in Guinea. In
the United States since the late nineties, he has worked as a free-lance musician for a variety of groups and dance companies in performances and recordings. His most recent ensemble is
Kakande, whose debut album Dounougna was released in February of this year.
Andy Algire (Drums) began his musical training in 1989 as a Percussion Performance Major at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Moving to New York in the spring of 2000, Andy began
formal study with master balafonist, Abou Sylla, from Guinea, West Africa. He is a member of several New York-based groups, including Feraba African Rhythm Tap and The Mandingo
Ambassadors. Andy is currently a music instructor at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, and teaches private and group classes in the New York City area and throughout New England.
Tracy Bersley (Director, Choreographer & Writer) directed the 2004 Loft production of Bacchae: The Disarmers. New plays: The House on Mango Street (Syracuse University); Tibet: Through
the Red Box (HERE Theatre, Lincoln Center Lab); and, Rappaccini’s Daughter (Jim Henson Festival). Other plays: Winter’s Tale (McCarter; Princeton University); Macbeth (Syracuse Stage), Antigone
(Eidolon Arts, Princeton); The Lord of the Flies (McCarter Theatre First Stage Co.); remount of Daniel Fish’s Twelfth Night (The Juilliard School); Much Ado About Nothing (Arcadia Shakespeare,
Philadelphia); Blood Wedding (Provincetown Playhouse, NYU); and, Alice in Wonderland, Measure for Measure and Green Bird (Purchase Repertory Theatre). Musicals: Once on this Island
(Syracuse University) and Secret Garden (College Light Opera Co., Cape Cod). Choreography: Paris Commune (The Public); Pericles and Revenger’s Tragedy (Red Bull Theatre); Romeo & Juliet
(Williamstown); St. Joan of the Stockyards (PS 122); Jane Erye and Tempest (The Acting Company); and, Civil War, The Giver, Max & Ruby (Theatreworks USA). Tracy received her M.F.A. in
directing from Syracuse University and is on the faculty at Princeton University. She is also a Drama League Fellow.
Andrew Karp (Producing Artistic Director & Writer) is Professor of English at Dowling, specializing in Shakespeare and Homer, with a Ph.D. from NYU. He studied acting at Shakespeare and
Co., Stella Adler and the Actor's Center, and has performed in the city and regionally. With the Loft, he has produced and performed in numerous productions, including Much Ado About
Nothing, What the Butler Saw, Julius Caesar, The Odyssey, Twelfth Night, Can’t Pay! Won’t Pay!, Bacchae: The Disarmers, True West, Buried Child and The Underpants. In 2002, he co-wrote
an original dramatization of Shakespeare's Sonnets Two Loves I Have. He took over as Producing Artistic Director of the Loft in Spring, 2004. “Love and thanks to the roots of his own baobab
tree: Eli, Emma, Abbe, Mikka and Squashy.”
Jeffrey Van Velsor (Set Design) has been The Loft Theatre’s resident set designer since 2004’s Euripides’ Bacchae: The Disarmers. Past favorites at The Loft include Julius Caesar, The Odyssey and
last spring’s What the Butler Saw. When not out on the Island, Jeff spends his days in Princeton, NJ as the McCarter Theatre Center’s Props Carpenter/Artisan. Most recently, he designed the
set for the fall 2007 Princeton University production of The Winter’s Tale directed by Tracy Bersley. other Princeton credits include Music Man and Oklahoma for Westminster Choir College.
Favorite NY Credits: Marriage of Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutti for Jade Opera, On the Verge (Joint Stock Productions), This is Not a Pipedream (Paddywack Players) and The Awful Rowing (Ontological Theatre Blueprint Series).
David Racanelli (Musical Director) is chair of the Music Department at Dowling College and an ethnomusicologist, who is writing his Ph. D. dissertation on how Mande griots’ (West African
hereditary singers, oral historians, and instrumentalists) lives and music have been shaped by their experiences in New York. David befriended Abdoulaye ‘Djoss’ Diabate nearly three years ago,
and has performed on guitar with him, and his group Super Mande, at venues such as Williams College in Massachusetts, the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, and, more recently, at Lincoln Center
this past August. Since sustaining one’s ties to his or her family, and by extension, community, lies at the heart of Sunjata’s narrative, David would like to dedicate these performances to the
memory of his father, Nicholas, who passed away two and half years ago -- “WE MISS YOU.”
Jennifer Schriever (Lighting Design) has worked with director Tracy Bersley on The Winter’s Tale (Berlind Theatre, Princeton), As Far As We Know (Flamboyan, NYC) and Red Noses (Little Theatre, NJ). Other recent designs include: Lend Me A Tenor (John W. Engeman, Northport), Having It Almost (NYMF), PrimeTime (Theatre Row) Corps Values (Classic Stage), Dark of the Moon,
Much Ado About Nothing, Les Belles Soeurs (Little Theater, NJ). Broadway/Off Broadway associate design: A Catered Affair, The Vertical Hour, Cymbeline, The Color Purple, The Threepenny
Opera, In The Heights, Evil Dead The Musical, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The House in Town. Assistant: The Pajama Game, Two Gentlemen of Verona The Musical, Sweet Charity,
Good Vibrations, A Raisin in the Sun and Fiddler on the Roof. Jennifer received her B.F.A. from Purchase College.
Elissa Tatigikis Iberti (Costume Design) is an Associate Professor of Visual Arts at Dowling College. As a painter and costume designer, she continues to merge both the visual arts and the
performing arts. Working predominately in operatic production, educational theatre and dance, her passion for operatic scale, both musically and structurally, presents great avenues for
collaboration that merge story, music and multimedia. Recent productions: Metropolitan Opera: Associate costume designer, Mary Zimmerman’s Lucia di Lammermoor, (Mara Blumenfeld,
costume designer) (2007-08 season); Production costume supervisor for revival of War and Peace and Ernani (2007-08 season). Other past MET credits include, assistant to Rolf Langenfass on
Die Meistersinger (1992) and costume coordinator and assistant to Peter J. Hall from 1980-87. While at Marymount Manhattan College’s Dance Department, she held the position of resident
costume designer, where she also taught Costume Design for Dance. Her work at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre focused on costume painting and work as a project manager for Ailey’s
40th Anniversary celebration revival of Night Creature (Jane Greenwood, costume designer). For The Loft, she is thrilled to be the resident costume designer, enjoying the collaborative spirit
and its eclectic offerings.
Joe Varca (Sound Design). Joe’s most recent work includes; original composition for the scores of The Winter's Tale (Princeton University), City of Glass (Atlantic Theater Second Stage), David
(Winner Best Original Score, NYC Midnight) and As Far As We Know (NYC Fringe Festival 2007). He is co-founder of Redux Productions, a NYC-based film and theatre production company,
and his work as a director and actor has been seen at The Tribeca Film Festival, 48 Hour Film Project (Winner Best Film NY 2007), The Williamstown Theater Festival Workshop and the NYC
Fringe (Winner Outstanding Play I Was Tom Cruise 06 and Outstanding Ensemble Amerka 05). He received his B.A. in Theatre at Middlebury College.
Gordon Rowe (Stage Manager) is an associate in Dowling College’s financial aid office. He learned stage management on the job, working the complicated fall production of Much Ado About
Nothing. When not at the Loft, Gordon can be found glued to his desk in Fortunoff Hall, juggling spreadsheets or counseling students who have come to know him as “the guy with the Hulk
statue on his desk.”
Ashton Bell (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman at Dowling, majoring in English and Secondary Education. He has worked on stage and behind the scenes on numerous productions
including The True Story, Romeo and Juliet and A Christmas Carol at his high school.
Brandon Sweet (Light Board Operator) is a senior at Dowling, majoring in Communications. He previously worked lights for the Loft production of The Odyssey and Much Ado About
Nothing. Brandon hopes to become a cinematographer. He is currently working on an independent movie entitled Finity.
Alex Lund (Sound Board Operator) is a freshman at Dowling, majoring in Computer Science. He’s worked in theatre throughout middle school and high school, involved in productions such
as You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Cinderella, Peter Pan, 42nd Street and Footloose. He’s really into technology and is Vice President of the Computer Club. He worked the sound for the
fall production of Much Ado About Nothing.
Debbie Anwar Riad (House Manager) is an M.A. student in Dowling’s Education program, has a degree in English Education from NYU and is a teacher as well as spoken-word/performance
poet (at NYC venues such as Bowery Poetry Club, Nuyorican Poets Café, Violet Café). She loves drama, Shakespeare, feather-boas and weddings. She was House Manager and outspoken
promoter for Much Ado About Nothing in the fall.
Jacqueline Dowling (Set Assistant) is a recent film graduate from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She wrote, produced and directed her senior thesis film called Girl in a Wedding Dress,
which won Best Experimental Film at the Savannah SCADDY Awards. She is currently freelancing set construction at theaters around Long Island to further her knowledge in set design.
Susan Rosenstreich (Language & Culture Consultant) is Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Dowling College and has never heard a language she doesn’t like. She is happy to have
worked with such a great cast on guidelines for pronouncing Bambara words in an English-language context. She plans to listen to Bambara on a daily basis when she travels to Mali next
January.
Julian Rozzell, Jr. (Poster Artist) is an actor, musician and painter in NYC, and a founding member of Hypnosis Theatre Company, whose focus is on innovative Shakespeare productions. Julian
trained in London and has been seen in plays in Portland, Texas and is currently working in Philadelphia.
Sandra Miller (Graphic Designer) designed The Epic of Sunjata program, banner, ads and postcard back, as well as helping with all aspects of publicity. She is the Public Relations & Graphics
Design Senior Coordinator at Dowling. She has been designing for the Loft for the past three years! She has a B.S. in Business & Economics from Empire State College and is currently on hiatus
from pursuing her Master’s degree in Literacy Education and Special Education at Dowling College.
Kelly Kazemier (Director of Communications) created the press release and assisted with all aspects of publicity for The Epic of Sunjata. She has been working at Dowling College since
September 2006. She holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from St. John's University and an M.S. in School Counseling from Long Island University.
Ming Gullo (WebMistress) oversees the Loft Theatre website. She is the Web Programmer for Dowling, where she’s been working since 2001, and works on graphic and layout design for the
Dowling website, staff/admin Intranet, and student Intranet. Ming received a B.A. degree in China, and another B.A. from Dowling College. While in China, she did freelance children's book
illustration and published four books of illustrations.
Pamela Wells (Box Office Manager) is a librarian at Lindenhurst Public Library and Dowling College. Pamela holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science and a B.A. in English Literature.
She was box office manager for The Odyssey, Julius Caesar, What the Butler Saw and Much Ado About Nothing.
Janet Goldner (Lobby Sculptor) brings together art and poetry in her sculpture by cutting images and texts into steel sculptures using a welding torch as a drawing instrument. Since 1995, when
she spent eight months in Mali as a Fulbright scholar, she has been engaged in an ongoing dialogue with Malian artists and artisans. She collaborated with a group of Malian artists on a public
sculpture for the city of Segou, and her sculpture, Negelan, is in the permanent collection of the new American Embassy in Mali.
The Company would like to thank:
Robert Gaffney, President; Dr. Linda Ardito, Provost; Mike DeLuise, Vice President of Development/External Affairs; Eric Kopp, Vice President for Administration; and, Dr. Paul Abramson,
Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, for their unflagging support, moral and financial; Pat Sandilands, Coordinator of the School of Arts and Sciences, for help with the intricacies of expense
reports; Maria Lovejoy, Coordinator of Printing and Duplicating, for classy poster, postcard and program reproduction; Erik Paulson, CFO and Treasurer, for financial and accounting
support; Nadine Lauria, Assistant Registrar, for scheduling assistance; Patti Zerafa, Primary Administrative Secretary of the Arts, Humanities and Social Science office, for her tireless
assistance with mailings, money and everything Loft-related; Tony DeSimone, Administrative Coordinator for Admissions and Communication, for invaluable promotion ideas and
assistance; Mark Carattini, Assistant Director of Facilities Services, and the entire staff of Facilities Services; John Van Velsor for expert and tireless work on the set; Dominic Sporano for
set help and design draft; Josh Vetter for the loan of lighting equipment and lighting expertise; the Dowling Library staff for creation of a beautiful lobby display; Dr. Yu-wan Wang,
Director of International Student and Scholar Services, for assistance is recruiting international student volunteers; Christine Cesaria for help with the box office; Abigail Karp for the
creation of beautiful theatre and headshot posters and incredible chocolate chip cookies; Paul North for great production photographs; Ron Armanini and Reynard Burns for rearranging
music schedules to accommodate the theatre; John Shivers of Dowling for help with painting and sets; Grant Wilcoxen, Zach Blaine and Derrick Heckler for expert lighting assistance; Finn
Miller of WUSB, Cliff Furnald of WPKN and Bonny Grice and Kathie Russo of WLIR, for helping us spread the musical word; the following Dowling international students who labeled
thousands of postcards, including Jun Ren, Lili Peng, Je Young Lee, Jin Hee Kim, CanXiong Li, Lei Xiang and Si Si Jin.