Written by Jaclyn Backhaus
Directed by Beth Gardiner

Scenic Designer

David Calamari

Lighting Designer

Alex Glynn

Costume Designer

Xurui Wang

Sound Designer

Daniel Landry

Technical Director/ OBS Consultant

Aubrey Ellis

Voice and Text

Julie Foh

Production Stage Manager/OBS Programmer

Tom Kosis*

Dramaturgs

Eddie Vitcavage
Eilís Garcia

NY Casting

McCorkle Casting

 

Men On Boats is presented by Special Arrangement with Dramatists Play Services, Inc., New York.

O.G. Howland/ Tsauwiat Anaseini Kotoa*
Seneca Howland/Bishop Margaret Ivey*
Mr. Asa/Frank Goodman GraceAnn Brooks
Old Shady Jasmine Smith
Bradley Pearl Matteson
John Wesley Powell Alex Campbell
William Dunn Camille Fortin
John Colton Sumner Emma Joy Hill
Hall April Lichtman
Hawkins Lily Ling

Production Manager / Robert E. Copley Jr.

Production Master Electrician / Mike Demers

Production Properties Master / John Kaspar

Costume Shop Manager / Susan Tolis

Scenic Charge Artist / Mikayla Carr

Assistant Stage Managers / Kaitlin Buttofuco, Caroline Saltz

Assistant Scenic Design / Zack Broome

Assistant Costume Design / Ray Dondero, Zhiyan Liu

Assistant Sound Design / Graham McNeil

Sound Board Op / Anthony Sellitto

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 49,000 stage actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org

Near the end of our play, Powell and his crew find themselves traveling unfamiliar terrain under less-than-ideal circumstances, mustering the strength, focus and faith to continue their journey. Sound familiar?

The past six months have been a gut punch. I had forgotten how impossibly precious hugs, meals and shared air with loved ones were until we had to forego them for our common good. I had taken for granted the potential energy of a crowd gathered in expectation of the live, shared experience of a good story, well-told on stage. Still, we continue our journey.

When CRT called with the idea of creating a live production of Men On Boats for an online audience I couldn’t say yes fast enough. We’re not gathered in the same room as we rehearse the play, but the communion in working together to decipher the story and honor the play’s important and clever questioning of history is still a vital, joyful undertaking. We’re figuring out how to do our work in a new way. Still, we continue our journey.

“We’ll figure it out” has been the catch phrase of this project. I thought if we could find a way to present Men On Boats clearly and vibrantly online, the lessons learned would translate across the industry. How do actors connect with each other through a camera lens and act honestly in a vacuum, often unable to see their scene partner? How do we evoke the drama of navigating white-water rapids, or the magnificent scale of the Western American landscape, with bodies in boxes on a screen? How do we place Jaclyn Backhaus’s interrogation of our histories, myths and storytelling practices at the heart of our narrative? How do we make our work precise and repeatable for multiple, live performances online? There’s so much to figure out! I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the chance to try.

We began our rehearsal process with lots of ideas and very few answers. Our learning curve has been steep and dizzying. This production is an expedition into unfamiliar terrain. Just like in the play and its history, our journey would be impossible without the people who came before and many, many voices contributing in ways you may not know about yet. Our journey would be impossible without you. Thanks for being the last members of our crew, joined across distances to share laughs, gasps and this story together. I look forward to the day we can gather together and reminisce. In the meantime…

Oars up. Oars out. Please enjoy.

Westward Expansion

After the United States bought Louisiana from the French, the nation’s size nearly doubled. Settlers travelled West to explore the land in hopes of finding 160 acres promised by the Homestead Act of 1862. They believed in Manifest Destiny: the “God-given” right for westward expansion. The excitement surrounding unexplored areas inspired several expeditions to investigate the new territory.

The Men on Boats

In 1869, John Powell led an expedition of 10 men down the Colorado River to the heart of the Grand Canyon. From the moment this journey began, the likelihood of their survival was the source of much speculation in America. Before reaching the end of their journey, newspapers reported that these men did not survive.

They Were All White Men

But in this play, they’re not. Backhaus notes that the characters should not conform to the historical representations of these men. All of these “men” are to be played by either women, non-binary, or genderfluid individuals. Women are reinventing a traditionally cis-gendered male narrative that they would typically not be able to tell. Telling the story in this way raises questions about the absence of women and people of color from the foundational myths of American expansion.

Personal Records

Along the trip, the men kept journals. These were primarily for personal use. Powell kept his for publishing purposes post-expedition, titled The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons. John Colton Sumner and George Young Bradley also wrote their experiences down. They were published after their death. Jaclyn Backhaus used the journals from all of these men to create a full and detailed picture of the expedition itself.

The Boats

There were about 4,000 pounds of cargo in each of the four boats: the Emma Dean, Kitty Clyde’s Sister, the No-Name, and the Maid of the Canyon. Three of the four boats were made from oak at 21 feet long, and four feet wide. They were heavy, slow to react, and easily tipped over. The Emma Dean was built from pine at 16 long, four feet wide, and featured a strap on one of its gunwales that Powell held onto.

 

-Eddie Vitcavage and Eilís Garcia, Dramaturgs

Tom Kosis* (Interim Artistic Director/ Stage Manager) Tom has worked as Production Stage Manager for CRT since 2015. He is extremely proud to be a part of this innovative production of Men On Boats. Tom was the Resident Choreographer for Mary Poppins on Broadway. He was the Associate Director for Broadway’s Side Show, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Flower Drum Song, and Bye Bye Birdie as well as the National Tour of Dreamgirls. Other Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Ann, Grand Hotel and Nice Work if You Can Get It. Tom also teaches Stage Management for Theatre at UConn. www.tomkosis.com

Ed Weingart (Interim Department Head) Edward Weingart is an Associate Professor of Technical Direction at the University of Connecticut and serves as the Interim Department Head for the Department of Dramatic Arts. He also works as the Director of Special Projects for Creative Conners, and internationally as a Flying Director for the performer flying company Vertigo. He is an ETCP-certified Rigger (Theater) and CM-certified hoist technician. New York credits include: flying direction for Basil Twist’s Sister’s Follies and automation system design for Jorden Wolfson’s Colored Sculpture which premiered at the David Zwirner Gallery and has since toured to Europe. He has worked as head rigger and automation supervisor for the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show. His work is used on ESPN television shows and in concert tours across the US. He has designed stock
automation products at Creative Conners which are used in theaters internationally. Before teaching at UConn he was the Technical Director at Michigan State University and at the Performance Network Theater in Ann Arbor Michigan. Ed holds a BFA in Design/Technical Theater and an MFA in Technical Direction from UConn.

Mike Beasley (Interim Managing Director) comes to the Connecticut Repertory Theatre with over fifteen years’ experience in the arts and culture. He has served both as a senior leader and consultant to many organizations including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Field Museum of Natural History, GulfQuest/National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, The Mobile Symphony, and the Alabama Contemporary Art Center. He has served as a panelist for various conferences and holds a B.A. from Bennington College.

David Calamari (Scenic Designer) is a senior in the Design & Technical Production program focusing in Scenic Design. Previously, David has been the Assistant Scenic Designer for CRT’s productions of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Henry IV, and Shakespeare in Love, as well as being the Scenic Intern for The Sound Inside on Broadway. David is also a multi-award-winning magician and has performed at the world- famous Magic Castle in Los Angeles, California.

Julie Foh (Dialect, Voice & Text) is an Assistant Professor of Voice and Speech in UConn’s Department of Dramatic Arts. Previous CRT credits: The Wolves (Director), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, If We Were Birds, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Good Children, and A Civil War Christmas. Other professional credits include Sleuth (McCarter Theatre Center), Mlima's Tale (Westport Country Playhouse), As You Like It and King Charles III (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), Sherwood (Cleveland Play House), Pygmalion (BEDLAM), Familiar (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), Trans Scripts and Cardenio (American Repertory Theater), The Tallest Tree in the Forest (Tectonic Theater Project at BAM).

Eilís Garcia (Dramaturg) is a recent graduate of the UConn Theater Studies department. There she studied Dramaturg and Arts Administration. Previous Dramaturgical work for CRT includes: She Kills Monsters, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and The Cherry Orchard.

Beth Gardiner (Director) is thrilled to be back at CRT reimagining Men On Boats for live-streamed performance with this wonderful company.  Beth has worked as a director, producer and educator at theatres across the country. Recent credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and her new adaptation of The Servant of Two Masters at Great River Shakespeare Festival (Winona, MN), as well as the premiere of The Tender-Hearted as part of the 19th Amendment Project with Burning Coal Theatre Company (Raleigh, NC). She is a co-founder of Three Day Hangover, an immersive theatre company in New York City, where she directed and produced Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Henry V and Tartuffe, among others. www.beth-gardiner.com

Alex Glynn (Lighting Designer) is a Senior BFA in Design and Technical Theatre at the University of Connecticut. Her previous credits include UConn Dramatic Art's This is Our Youth (Lighting Design), and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (Lighting Design).

Daniel Landry (Sound Designer) is a Junior at the University of Connecticut studying Design and Technical Production with a concentration in Sound Design. Sound Design credits include The Wolves, Those Hollow Bodies and The Nether.

Pat McCorkle (NY Casting) (C.S.A), McCorkle Casting LTD. Broadway: Over 50 productions including: On The Town, Amazing Grace, End of the Rainbow, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, She Loves Me, A Few Good Men. Off-Broadway highlights: Clever Little Lies, Sheer Madness, Tribes, Our Town (Barrow Street), Freud’s Last Session, Toxic Avenger, Almost, Maine, Driving Miss Daisy. Feature film: Premium Rush, Ghost Town, The Thomas Crown Affair, Die Hard with a Vengeance, School Ties, etc. Television: Twisted, Humans for Sesame Street, Hack (CBS), Californication (Emmy Nomination), Max Bickford (CBS), Chapelle’s Show, Strangers with Candy, Barbershop and many more.

Eddie Vitcavage (Dramaturg) is a director and dramaturg from Southington, CT. He is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut with degrees in Theatre Studies (Directing, Dramaturgy) and English. He is also an associate member of the Stage Director’s and Choreographer’s Society. In the fall of 2018, he attended the National Theater Institute’s Advanced Directing program. He is excited to return to the O’Neill as one of their Apprentices for the 2020-21 year. Recently, his production of Alice Birch’s Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. was recognized by the Kennedy Center and awarded the 2020 Citizen Artist’s Award. www.eddievitcavage.com

Xurui Wang (Costume Designer) is from China, an MFA in Costume Design candidate at the University of Connecticut, and also a photographer. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Theatre major. She was the Costume Designer of A Raisin in the Sun, The Nether, Those Hollow Bodies, The Cherry Orchard, and Men On Boats (live theater version). “Thanks to my family, the director, all the actors, and everyone who works hard on this show. We did a great job during this special COVID-19 Situation” Thank you for coming to see this wonderful show.

Interim Artistic Director, Dept. Head / Tom Kosis

Interim Managing Director / Michael Beasley

Production Manager / Robert E. Copley Jr.

Interim Artistic Director / Tom Kosis*

Interim Department Head / Edward Weingart

Associate Technical Director / John W. Parmelee

Scenic Charge Artist / Daniela Weiser

Scenic Art Graduate Assistants / Austin Kuhl, Elizabeth Olson

Scenic Artists / Amber Convery, Kelly Daigneault, Ray Dondero, Stella Kozloski, Shannon McCabe, Kara Mortimer, Kristen P-E Zarabozo

Scene Shop Graduate Assistants / David Ash, Paul Barnett, Aubrey Ellis, Kimberly Kinan, David Quackenbush

Carpenters / Calvin Bordick, Cameron Slocum, Stephine Treviso

Costume Shop Supervisor / Susan Tolis

Cutter and Draper / Susan Tolis

Costume Shop Graduate Assistants / Sierra Adamo, Emily Liberatore, Sofia Perez, Xurui Wang

Production Properties Master / John Kaspar

Properties Graduate Assistant / Zachary Broome

Production Master Electrician / Mike Demers

Lighting Graduate Assistants / Samuel Biondolilo, Rachel Schumacher, Jacob Sikorski

Electricians / Ben Brophy, Julius Cruz, Sara Dorinbaum, Ammon Downer, Alex Glyn, Regan Kilkenny, Abigail Young

Puppet Arts Technical Supervisor / Paul Spirito

Puppet Arts Graduate Assistants / Robert Cutler, Genna Beth Davidson, Mackenzie Doss, Alyssa Mathews

Adjunct Professor of Design and Tech / Patrick Barrett

Associate Professor of Puppet Arts / John Bell

Department Head / Michael Bradford

Assistant Professor of Costume Design / Christina Bullard

Director of Design and Tech / Mike Demers

Associate Professor of Lighting Design / Michael Chybowski

Professor of Puppet Arts / Matthew Cohen

Director of Theatre Studies / Associate Professor of Theatre Studies / Lindsay Cummings

Director of Arts Administration / Associate Professor in Residence of Arts

Administration / Constance Devereaux

Distinguished Professor of Theatre Studies / Gary M.

English

Assistant Professor of Voice and Dialect / Julie Foh

Visiting Assistant Professor of Costume Design / Ari Fulton

Adjunct Professor of Arts Administration / Heather Kitchen

Assistant Professor of Sound Design / Erik T. Lawson

Associate Professor of Theatre Studies / Adrienne Macki

Adjunct Professor of Acting/Camera / Pat McCorkle

Assistant Professor of Movement and Acrobatics / Marie Percy

Director of Puppet Arts / Professor of Puppet Arts / Bart. P. Roccoberton, Jr.

Adjunct Professor of Acting / Nick Roesler

Adjunct Professor of Puppet Arts / Anne Rollins

Assistant Professor of Voice and Text Analysis / Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer

Adjunct Professor of Arts Administration / Joanna Schindler

Visiting Assistant Professor of Performance / Dexter Singleton

Puppet Arts Technical Supervisor / Paul Spirito

Adjunct Professor of Costume Design / Susan Tolis

MFA Acting Program Director / Assistant Professor in Residence of Performance / Vincent Tycer

Associate Professor of Movement and Devised Theatre / Greg Webster

Technical Director / Associate Professor of Technical Direction / Edward Weingart

Scenic Charge/Assistant Professor in Residence of Scenic Design / Daniela Weiser

BFA Director of Acting / Assistant Professor in Residence of Performance / Kristin Wold

Adjunct Professor for Theatre Studies / Derron Wood

Assistant Professor of Scenic Design / Alexander Woodward

Adjunct Professor of Acting / Ryan Wrinkles

Thank you for your generous support of talented artists in training and high  quality professional theatre. Below are donors to the Patron Fund from January 1, 2019 - October 5, 2020.

ENDOWMENTS

Nafe E. Katter

Mrs. Judith R. and Mr. Peter S. Andersen
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Dr. Lynn R. and Mrs. Marjorie S. Brown
Mr. Robert E. Copley Jr.
Mr. Joseph H. and Mrs. Patricia A. Coutu
Dean Anne E. D'Alleva
Mrs. Karen R. and Mr. John D. Foley
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Ms. Sandra C. Lemire
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Dr. M. Elizabeth Mahan
Mr. Jon A. and Mrs. Elizabeth O. Marx
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Mr. Sean Mulcahey
Meg O'Brien
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Rev. Dr. Wayne D. Pokorny
Barbara & Bruce Posocco
Potter's Oil Service, Inc.
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Alan Rice
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Mrs. Mary E. and Mr. Frank J. Sersanti
Ms. Kathleen L. Strauss
Mr. Joseph S. Varholy Jr. and Mrs. Pamela R. Varholy
Nancy Walsh
Mrs. Lois E. Williamee
Mr. Keith E. Wilson and Ms. Marjorie A. Hayes
Ms. Jean M. Wiseman

If you enjoy productions at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, we invite you to  become an active supporter. 

By joining our Patron Fund, you help us adapt to the great challenges we currently face and continue to tell stories that build community. Your support provides scholarships for students and operating support for CRT productions.

THREE WAYS TO JOIN THE PATRON FUND: 

• Email Michael Beasley at michael.beasley@uconn.edu
• Visit “SUPPORT CRT"
• Mail your donation to:
  UCONN Foundation, Inc.
  2390 Alumni Dr., Unit 3206
  Storrs, Ct 06269-3206 

Checks Made payable to UCONN Foundation, Memo: CRT Patron Fund