Student Employees: Max Collins, Henry Mediate, Jo Jenson, Jayden Chapman, Maddie Ketola, Sophia Patzer, Grace Schneider, Eli Brinkman
& Students from THEA 1010, THEA 1470, THEA 3010
Box Office & Front of House
Box Office Manager: Sarah Nesselroade Hopson
Front of House Manager: Shanley O’Boyle
Box Office Staff: Hannah Carruth & Allyson Carver
Ushers: Department of Theatre and Film Student Ambassadors
Director’s Note
There is a profound, terrifying beauty in the passage of time. Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles reminds us that our lives are a collection of ordinary, repetitive moments—baking a cake, tidying a kitchen, looking out a window—that somehow add up to the extraordinary miracle of a life.
When we first meet Ernestine, she is seventeen, standing in her kitchen, defiant and ready to embark on the adventure of her life and the infinite possibilities stretched before her. Over the course of the play, we watch her birthdays tick by in the blink of an eye. We see her age, love, grieve, and endure.
What struck me most during our rehearsal process is how Haidle grounds the cosmic scale of the universe in the humble, workaday ingredients for a cake: flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and salt. The ritual of baking the exact same cake every year isn't just about the dessert; it’s about anchoring ourselves to the earth while time spins around us.
As a college production, this play resonates deeply with where the students in and working on the show are right now; standing at a threshold, looking out at a horizon full of unwritten years. Ernestine’s journey teaches us that the best—and hardest—thing we can do is stay in the room, show up for the mess, and keep stirring the batter.
Finally, to the production team, cast and crew: thank you for stepping into this time-bending kitchen with courage and heart. And to you, our audience: thank you for sharing this slice of time with us. Now, blow out the candles and make a wish.
Special Thanks
Stephannie Gearhart
Chris Crider Plonka
Jonathan Chambers
Please consider making a donation to the Department of Theatreand Film. Your support helps the development of future theatre andfilm professionals.
The region in which Bowling Green State University and its campusesare situated inhabit the Great Black Swamp and the Lower Great Lakesregion.This land is the homeland of the Wyandot, Kickapoo, Miami,Potawatomi, Odawa and multiple other Indigenous tribal nations, presentand past, who were forcibly removed to and from the area. We recognizethese historical and contemporary ties in our efforts toward decolonizinghistory and thank the Indigenous individuals and communities who havebeen living and working on this land from time immemorial.
Birthday Candles” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Originally Produced on Broadway in 2022 by Roundabout Theatre Company
Birthday Candles was originally commissioned and produced by Detroit Public Theatre, Detroit MI
Producing Artistic Directors: Courtney Burkett, Sarah Clare Corporandy and Sarah Winkler
Developed as part of Chautauqua Theater Company’s New Play Workshop series, 2017, underwritten by the Roe Green Foundation
www.concordtheatricals.com
Accessibilty Services
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 at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495.
