Poor Clair

CAST

Clare.....................................................................................Nykera Gardner #

Beatrice...................................................................................Airené Williams

Peppa...................................................................................Grace Whetstone

Alma................................................................................................Laci Haller

Francis.....................................................................................Owen Minchau

Ortolana...................................................................................Angelina Sorge

Beggar..........................................................................................Kyle Metzler

Servant/The Poor......................................................................Gabrielle Dunn

Understudies................................................Gabrielle Dunn and Kyle Metzler

SETTING

Assisi, Italy, 1211

There wll be one 15-minute intermission.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the BGSU Department of Theatre and Film’s production of Poor Clare. Playwright Chiara Atik’s funny, contemporary take on the story of St. Clare of Assisi, the real life Catholic saint who was one St. Francis’s first followers, sheds light on questions< about wealth and poverty that have persisted across centuries. While there are no easy answers presented, I find that Clare’s entreaty to God offers a way forward, “Lord help me be good. Don’t put me on this earth just to be selfish. Just to be shitty. Just to think it’s too bad but not do anything about it. God, help me be good.” I hope you find Clare’s entreaty inspiring and her story humorous (it’s okay to laugh!), while at the same time considering how are we complicit in perpetuating systems of poverty, what our obligation to the poor might be, and perhaps most importantly, how to move beyond “guilty avoidance” and truly see those who have less.

Sara Lipinski Chambers, Director

CONTENT NOTICE :

This production includes religious themes and strong language.

ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF

Director.......................................................................Sara Lipinski Chambers
Assistant Directors.................................................Tony King and Ari Evans #
Stage Manager............................................................................Evelyn Berry
Technical Director.................................................................Daniel S. Mangan
Lighting Designer.................................................................Baxter Chambers
Scenic Designer......................................................................Marcus Sherrell
Costume Designer...........................................Margaret McCubbin (U.S.A.A.)
Sound Designer..........................................................................Jason Walton
Prop Master................................................................................Kelly Mangan
Costume Shop Foreman............................................................Laurel Daman
Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................Daniel S. Mangan

PRODUCTION PERSONNEL

Assistant Stage Management Team..................Vic Picoult and Brynn Creecy
Sound Engineer..........................................................................Jason Walton
Sound Board Operator......................................................................Cody Ray
Master Electrician..........................................................................Jim Dachik
Light Board Operator.....................................................................Emily Nash
Scenic Artist...............................................................................Kelly Mangan
Wardrobe Crew Head...............................................................Faith Kuhlman
Wardrobe Crew...........................................................................Sophia Plass
Deck Crew Head........................................................................Brynn Creecy
Deck Crew..................................Sophie Hanselman, Daisy Berry, Rhea Buck

FRONT OF HOUSE

Box Office Manager....................................................................Story Moosa
Assistant Box Office Managers...........................Oreoluwa “Bukkola” Ayoola
Box Office Staff.......................................................................Nasir Malekijoo
Ushers ...................................Department of Theatre and Film Ambassadors
Front of House Manager......................................Oreoluwa “Bukkola” Ayoola

SHOP EMPLOYEES

Costume Shop Staff Fall 2024

Graduate Students...............................Nikolai Dignoti, John Jordan, Gifty Tay
Student Employees..............................................Alivia Carpenter, Liv Lutz #,
Maya George, Eden Sheidler, Lizzie Varis
And students from THFM 1010/3010 Production Participation

Scene Shop Staff Fall 2024

Graduate Students.........................Blaine Hudak, MJ Huizenga, John Jordan
Student Master Carpenter.................................................Leta Jorda-Talevich
Assistant Master Carpenter...................................................Juno Szymanski
Student Employees...................Kayla Collins, Patch Kelch, Molly Moreland #
And students from THFM 1010/3010 Production Participation

#Membership in Alpha Psi Omega

SPECIAL THANKS

Jonathan Chambers, Heidi Nees, Mary Natvig

Please consider making a donation to the Department of Theatre and Film. Your support helps the development of future theatre and film professionals.

To make a gift, visit bgsu.edu/theatrefilm and click on “Give,” or contact the BGSU Advancement Office at 419-372-2424.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

The region in which Bowling Green State University and its campuses are situated inhabit the Great Black Swamp and the Lower Great Lakes region.This land is the homeland of the Wyandot, Kickapoo, Miami, Potawatomi, Odawa and multiple other Indigenous tribal nations, present and past, who were forcibly removed to and from the area. We recognize these historical and contemporary ties in our efforts toward decolonizing history and thank the Indigenous individuals and communities who have been living and working on this land from time immemorial.

To individuals with disabilities, please indicate if you need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in this event by contacting Accessibility Services,access@bgsu.edu,or 419-372-8495, or Theatre and Film. Please notify us prior to the event.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein.

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation.<

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels.

Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance.

Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.