By Joan Cummins, Dramaturg

Born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Paris in 1706, Emilie du Châtelet was one of the few people in her time who could wrestle with the cutting-edge math of calculus. For a long time best known as the lover of Voltaire—the iconoclastic French dramatist, philosopher, and scientist—she was also extraordinary in her own right.

Having discovered the questions science posed about the nature of the universe, she never stopped searching for answers.

She also worked tirelessly on behalf of those she loved. Contentedly married to the Marquis du Châtelet, Emilie lobbied on behalf of his military career, educated their son herself, and organized an advantageous marriage for their daughter into the court of Naples. She also did her best to keep Voltaire out of prison for his screeds against the Church. All the while she furiously corresponded with other intellectuals, worked through the principles of Newtonian physics from the ground up, and was the first woman published by the prestigious Académie Royale des Sciences.

In 1749 she found herself unexpectedly pregnant again by her new young lover Saint-Lambert, and continued to work on her translation and commentary on Newton into the wee hours of the morning. She died due to complications from childbirth at the age of forty-two.

6 Cool Things to Know About Emilie du Châtelet

1. Emilie tackled historic scientific problems.

The major scientific debate afoot in the 1740s was between Isaac Newton’s system describing the motion of the universe (including gravity) and Gottfried Leibniz’s opposing views on how space, time, and force worked. They disagreed on God’s role in the function of the universe, the fundamental nature of matter, and whether force was “living” or “dead.” The two men were also engaged in a furious dispute over who had first claim to the invention of calculus, an argument Leibniz lost in the 1700s but is now considered to have been right about all along. Emilie du Châtelet waded directly into these debates and provided new insights into the function of the universe.

2. Emilie had a secret love affair…with Voltaire.

As a poet, scientist, and public intellectual, Voltaire was a lifelong critic of the hypocrisy and corruption he saw among the clergy and aristocracy in France. He drew on themes from classical stories and the history of France in his vast oeuvre of writing. Always volatile, he spent much of his life fleeing condemnation or returning to Paris more famous than before. After losing Emilie so early, Voltaire would go on to live another thirty years, befriending Benjamin Franklin, writing his most famous work, Candide, and briefly joining the Prussion court before his death in 1778.

3. Emilie helped change what it meant to even do science.

She insisted on using experimental results to back up her conclusions, and implemented Leibniz’s principle of sufficient reason. In essence, this principle refused to accept easy answers, and required a scientist to continue to seek explanations for why something worked one way and not another until you really got to the bottom of it. She also advocated for scientists to come up with hypotheses and then test them to determine whether they were true, an idea controversial in her day that today is the foundation of scientific work.

4. Emilie was a lover of knowledge.

In the early 1700s, the kind of work Emilie and her contemporaries were doing was bigger than “just” science. People were trying to figure out how the world worked, and the fields we today call science, ethics, math, and philosophy all overlapped. Philosophes (or philosophers in English—which has its roots in the Greek for “lover of knowledge”) could weigh in on gravity, human nature, political structures, religion and any number of other things.

5. Emilie fixed Newton’s physics.

Emilie took Newton’s work on the universe and improved upon it, incorporating Leibniz’s insights and her own. She found additional experimental proof for some of Newton’s assertions, and did the extensive calculus to back them up further (Newton himself used only geometric proofs in his major opus Principia). Emilie’s translation of Principia, accompanied by her commentary, is still today the authoritative version in French

6. Emilie contributed to our modern understanding of energy.

She argued in favor of force vive, which squared the speed of an object to determine its force (energy), against Newton’s insistence on plain multiplication (F=mv² vs. F=mv). We now understand these two concepts to be kinetic energy and momentum respectively. This squaring of speed would reappear in Einstein’s famous formulation E = mc², which explained that all matter everywhere included an astonishing amount of energy and reframed how we understand the universe.

Joan Cummins is dramaturg for Avant Bard’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight. A dramaturg, director, and teaching artist working in new plays and interactive theater, she is also a public historian, working to make history accessible to the public through interactive experiences and performance. Locally, she has worked with dog & pony dc, President Lincoln’s Cottage, The Welders, Signature Theatre, Pinky Swear Productions, the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., the Capital Fringe Festival, Ford’s Theater, and the Kennedy Center.

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A Q&A With Playwright Lauren Gunderson

By Amy Holzapfel, Associate Professor of Theatre, Williams College

What inspired you to write a play about Emilie, Marquise Du Châtelet?

I read a great book called Emilie Du Châtelet: Daring Genius of the Enlightenment, by Judith Zinsser. Emilie’s life story encompasses so many riveting and profound subjects: love, sex, physics, feminism, history, what life means, what love means. I like writing about historical characters because there is such grandiosity to re-imaging and resurrecting a real person onstage. There is simple magic in listening to her journey, and rooting for her, and falling in love with her, all the while knowing that she is based on a real woman. So the real reason I wrote about Emilie is because I’d like to hang out with her.

What was your writing process like for Emilie?

Writing, for me, begins long before typing. I usually start writing a new play with a lot of reading and daydreaming. When I understand my idea enough to talk about to my friends (or my cat, who was christened Emilie La Marquise Du Châtelet, with all respect), I always start at the beginning. Emilie begins with her first monologue to the audience, her arrival in this space and time. She finds herself, she starts to remember her life, and then she pretty much starts her play for herself.

The rest of the play came to me sans filter. The rules invented themselves, and I pretty much just said “sure!” The play shifts when she meets Voltaire and we get their chemistry and romance. Then it shifts again when her heart breaks, and she must become her own support system. Emilie herself never lingers, never apologizes, never slows. In the end, I realized that I had to have the whole play turn against her as she approaches its end. She is not fighting herself or her society, she is fighting her medium. That was fun to write. How does one turn a play against its main character?

In the end, I realized that Emilie’s greatest proof of her value is herself. I had to craft an ending that lets her say goodbye to her world, her story, and her self with confidence and a full heart. That means that the play ends in a similar (though much deeper, truthful, satisfying) place where it ends—dark into light into dark.

What, for you, is the central story of your play?

It is a story of Emilie, who, looking back, wants to know if her bold life full of love and discovery actually mattered and how. She’s a scientist so she needs proof, even though it’s impossible to quantify a life’s meaning. The play starts when she is given one chance to “defend” her life and scour it for meaning. In the end she is met by two realizations: her science did matter to the world (she was right about squaring speed), and that the only person who needs to believe that she mattered is herself. We live (and die) best when we are sure of ourselves and fight for our truth.

What has Emilie taught you?

What a great question! So much so I’m stumped as to how to begin. I’d love to know what she’s taught others first…

In your play, what do you think Emilie gains from her relationship with Voltaire? What do you think he gains from her?

I think they both gain a best friend. Even though they were lovers they were, more than anything, friends, like minds, twin inspirations for each other. From him, she gained adventure and boldness and humor. From her, he gained an avenue into legitimate scientific discourse, a steady companion, and a person to look up to. I think they both allowed each other to live life fully, with all its complexity and curiosity.

Are you or have you ever been a “science geek”? What do you love most about science?

I accept the mantle of science geek! Though I’ve never been a scientist, I am definitely a science enthusiast. I discovered a love of asking big questions about life and found a home for that in science as well as art. What I love about science is that everything is up for debate all the time. You are never done with science. It’s always moving, expanding, confirming, re-confirming. Scientists are never satisfied, but ever hungry for the next technology to prove the next theory. Science continues to surprise us, upend us, challenge us to be better. Science continues to make impossible things possible.

What do you consider to be Emilie’s bravest act?

Her bravest act was probably the very first time she spoke up for her right to have an education. Her father acquiesced even when the idea of education [for?] women in the sciences was uncommon. As a girl being groomed for marriage and child rearing, something about Emilie made her speak up and ask for what she wanted: a tutor. She was ridiculed for her intellect, asked to be quiet when she had a pertinent thought to share, mocked for writing the first popular science book in Europe. But all of that bravery started when she was a child with one request

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges for women in our age?

A lot of the challenges we have faced in the past aren’t gone. Gender and racial discrimination within and without of the feminist movement, for one. Pervasive and excessive violence against women across the world. Extremism that continues to assume women’s abilities and thwart their natural rights and freedoms. Women in professional sciences, in politics, in business are still underrepresented in positions of power. Even in the performing arts, a generally progressive field, a play about men is considered a universal story, but a play about women is often a “women’s” play. We still see more male directors, writers, and even male roles than women’s. This all amounts to fewer women’s stories defining our half of humanity…. The power of women’s stories to inspire understanding and acceptance and empowerment for women (and men too) all over the world is vital.

Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Rick Hammerly
Starring Sara Barker as Emilie
October 12 to November 12, 2017
Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two
2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA 22206

 

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Meet the amazing cast, choir, and creative team behind this powerful and uplifting gospel musical.

The Gospel at Colonus is a soaring celebration of transcendence and the fragility of life. The music is an inspiring fusion of Black church gospel with blues and Motown. The show’s message of redemption and hope is sorely needed right now.

CAST

Ashley Buster (Ismene) is a DC Metro native from Silver Spring, MD. She is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and is currently completing her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership at Loyola University Maryland. Her area credits include Freedom’s Song (Ford’s), Elmer Gantry (Signature), and Go Dog, Go! (Next Stop). She is excited to be doing her first show with Avant Bard!

Tiffany Byrd (Antigone) is truly humbled to be apart of this groundbreaking work! She has performed professionally across the DMV as an actress and trained salsa dancer. Her credits include roles in Sister Act, Carmen, Caroline, or Change, and In the Heights. I thank Jesus for his continued blessings!  Instagram: tiffibyrd

A.J. Calbert (Theseus) hails from the cornfields of Illinois and is excited to make his debut with Avant Bard. A.J. studied acting at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Yale University. His previous shows include: Romeo & Juliet (Capulet), Prince George’s Shakespeare; A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge and others), Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; Oedipus the King (Creon, Teiresias), Lean & Hungry Theatre;  DC State Players present: Agamemnon (Agamemnon), Barrelhouse Theatre.

DeMone (Singer Oedipus) is thrilled to work with this incredible cast! He is an award-winning actor, singer, and producer whose numerous credits include Ragtime, Miss Saigon, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Once on This Island, Sideshow (Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actor), The Full Monty, Elf, A Christmas Carol, and Ain’t Misbehavin. Film and TV credits include Person of Interest, Law and Order SVU, California Dreams, Amen, In the Eyes of God (Regional Emmy) and Bad Street.

e’Marcus Harper-Short (Creon), who is also Musical Director of The Gospel at Colonus, is a performer with extensive recording, touring, and television credits. Among the artists he has worked with as keyboardist, vocalist, or conductor: Carlos Santana, MC Hammer, Lionel Richie, David Murray, Davey Yarborough, Walter Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Li’l Richard, Aretha Franklin, Billy Preston, and Michael Jackson.

Branden Mack (Chorus)  is a vocalist from Cincinnati Ohio. Branden graduated from Hughes Center High School and then attended The Ohio State University with a full academic scholarship. While at Ohio State, Branden joined the leadership of The African American Voices Gospel Choir, which allowed him to strengthen his vocal gift as well as mentor others in their spiritual and vocal abilities. After school at OSU, Branden moved to Michigan to attend graduate school at Wayne State University. He is now excited to continue his experience with artistic development through continued productions and performances in the DMV. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Chauncey Matthews (Balladeer) won the hearts of millions when at age 11 he won the American Idol spin-off talent show, American Juniors, hosted by Ryan Seacrest. He was mentored by pop icons Debbie Gibson, Brian McKnight, and soul legend Gladys Knight, He and four other winners on the FOX Network TV show signed with Jive Records as the pop band, American Juniors. The group toured internationally performing with American Idol stars Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, and Kelly Clarkson. Chauncey graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he began performing again with such world-renowned acts as Grammy Award–winning icon Lalah Hathaway, Billboard chart topper Halsey, and vocal powerhouse Alice Smith. YouTube channel: Chauncey Matthews. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBHV9N8CN8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Z01lAas6g

William Thomas Newman Jr.  (Preacher Oedipus) is a busy and familiar stage, screen, TV, and voiceover performer. He most recently played the title roles in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Shakespeare’s Othello with Lean & Hungry Theatre. He won critical acclaim as Jack in The Winter’s Tale. His theatre credits also include starring roles in Plaza Suite, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, and Let’s Get Sanctified. On network TV he played the role of Hal Johnson on the daytime serial Somerset, and his motion picture credits include Suspect and Lee Daniels’s The Butler.

Rafealito Ross (Chorus) is a lyric tenor and a Washington, DC, native. metropolitan area. He is a graduate of George Mason University (B.M., Vocal Performance) and Catholic University of America (M.M., Vocal Performance). Currently Rafealito teaches choral music in the Prince Georges County school system and private voice at Falls Church Music Conservatory, and he serves as the Director of Music at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Herndon, VA. As an emerging artist, Rafealito has performed the roles of Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte; The Conductor in Pasatieri’s La Divina; King Kaspar in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors; Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi; Eisenstein in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Tamino in Die Zauberflote, both by Mozart. In December 2003 Rafealito made his debut with the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah and was invited to return for the 2004 performances. Rafealito has also had the opportunity to perform as a featured soloist in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Salzburg, Austria. More recently Rafealito has performed the roles of the Tin-Man in an Off-Broadway production of The Wiz, a leading soloist in Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, Goro in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Camille in Lehar’s operetta The Merry Widow, Romèo in Gounod’s Romèo et Juliette, and Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. When Rafealito isn’t singing he enjoys exploring new restaurants and activities in DC; spending time with his dog Rocco, family, and friends; and watching marathons of A&E’s The First 48.  http://rafealitoross.weebly.com Twitter: @R2Tenor YouTube channel: Rafealito Ross

Greg Watkins (Polyneices), a born and bred Washington, DC, native, is a  well-respected artist and virtuoso singer, pianist, musical director, composer and arranger, actor, and voice talent and a brilliantly pure entertainer. A proud graduate of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and The Howard University (BM, Music Education), he has opened concerts for six-time Stellar Award Winner Byron Cage, nine-time Grammy Award winner the late Natalie Cole, and the most awarded eclectic a’capella group in history: Take 6. Most recently Greg has been accepted to attend Catholic University as a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Voice, and he will soon return to the Kennedy Center to reprise his role as iconic jazz musician Billy Strayhorn in Tom Minter’s newest adaptation of Blues for a Royal Flush. https://m.facebook.com/theofficialgregwatkins/

 

GOSPEL CHOIR

Minister Becky Mays (Founder and Director of the Women’s Ecumenical Choir) is a native of Alexandria, VA. She is also a remarkable minister and vocalist who has traveled extensively in various countries fulfilling the great commission of the Word of God. She has ministered throughout the United States and has traveled abroad to France, England, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland, and Norway. She has performed as a background singer for such legendary and stellar award-winning artists as Richard Smallwood, Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday, Tramaine Hawkins, Twinkie Clark, and Michael Jackson. She has also been a vocalist with such nationally acclaimed gospel groups as “The Wesley Boyd Gospel Music Workshop Choir,” “Jeremiah Murphy and Judah,” and “El Shaddai.” She has appeared on the dramatic stage with world-renowned actors such as Morgan Freeman, and Carl Lumbly and was part of the cast of the 1984 production of Gospel at Colonus presented at Arena Stage. She is a much sought-after music clinician, workshop facilitator, and motivational speaker.

The Women’s Ecumenical Choir of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, was divinely inspired by God and placed on the heart of Minister Becky Mays. The initial purpose of the group was to provide music for the Women’s Day Service at Ebenezer in March 2007. Approximately 40 women, representing various churches throughout the faith community came together for the single purpose of lifting up the Name of Jesus through song. Since then the choir has traveled to Bear, Delaware; Edwardsville, Virginia; Albany, New York; Buffalo, New York; West Virginia; Hardeeville, South Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia, ministering God’s Word through song. They were the featured artists at the City of Alexandria’s Mayoral Inauguration, the Alexandria Branch of the NAACP Officers Installation, and in August 2011, they ministered for the Tuskegee Airman’s Gospel Luncheon. The choir is the first Gospel Choir to be included in the Alexandria Performing Arts Society’s yearly calendar. There are currently more than 65 women from the Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Christian Methodist Episcopal religious backgrounds throughout the Washington, DC, Metropolitan area represented in the group. We are grateful for the support of all the Pastors of the churches represented. We are willing vessels with a strong desire to do God’s will. We are committed to carrying the Word through song and letting the lives we live speak for us.

Members of the Women’s Ecumenical Choir performing with The Gospel at Colonus are Krystal L. Cottman, Laurese Gerald, Sandy Taylor Hawkins, Darci M. Perkins, Tranita A. Randolph, Robin Walker Shanks, and Kimberly A. Young.

MUSICIANS

Abdou “CleanHandz” (Percussion) has over 30 years’ experience playing the djembe. He has been fortunate to be taught and received extensive training from  Songa of the Valley, David Rock, Ezibu Muntu, Melvin Deal, Papa Aziz, and his godfather, Abdou Kounata.  At the age of 3, Abdou began learning the art of djembe from Songa of the Valley, who was the lead drummer for Baba Olatunji’s Company.  Abdou’s family moved to Richmond and he joined Ezibu Muntu.  He became the group’s lead drummer at the age 11 and held the position until he was 19.  Continuing his journey, Abdou moved to the Washington, DC, area where he was a member or performed with African Heritage, Coyaba Dance Theater, Soul In Motion, KanKouran, Elegba Folklore Society, Ezibu Muntu, Green Beats, The Washington Ballet, The Dance Place, Step Afrika!,  and many more.  Abdou has also opened for the Broadway musical Fela!, in DC, National Slave Ground Anniversary in Richmond, VA, Nigerian Embassy Celebration, NACA Conference, and at the National Cathedral School of Dance Performance. Abdou “CleanHandz” Muhammad aims to bridge the gap between the traditional African rhythms with modern genres of music like jazz, hip-hop, classical, funk, and reggae. Abdou “CleanHandz” Muhammad is drumming for Life, meaning drumming from one’s Spirit and not for the show of skill. When Abdou “CleanHandz” drums, he’s drumming for family, community, health, and spiritual elevation.

e’Marcus Harper-Short (Keyboard).  See his performing bio above under Cast and his musical direction bio below.

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS

Lee Breuer (Book and Lyrics) is one of America’s most innovative avant garde theatre artists. He is a founding co-artistic director of Mabou Mines, where his adaptations and direction have received critical acclaim. Notable works include Mabou Mines’ Dollhouse, J.M.Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, and Samuel Beckett’s The Lost Ones. He has directed 14 Obie Award–winning performances; won Obies for writing, directing, and sustained achievement; and has been nominated for Pulitzer, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy awards. He has also been the recipient of a Chevalier Des Artes et Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture and the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship, among others. He has held positions at Yale University School of Drama and Stanford University.

Bob Telson (Music) has had a career as a composer and musician that has earned him an Academy Award nomination for his song “Calling You” from the movie Bagdad Café, as well as Pulitzer, Grammy, and Tony Award nominations for The Gospel at Colonus and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, an adaptation of the Gabriel García Márquez novel. Telson has composed soundtracks for American, French, German, and Argentinian films, as well as a ballet score for Twyla Tharp (Sextet). His songs have been recorded by many international artists, such as Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Joe Cocker, Celine Dion, Etta James, k.d. lang, Shawn Colvin, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and George Michael.

CREATIVE TEAM AND PRODUCTION CREW

Jennifer L. Nelson (Director) is a Washington, DC-based theater professional committed to principles that value human dignity, justice, and compassion. She is Resident Director of Mosaic Theater Company and brings more than 40 years of experience as an actor, playwright, administrator, professor, director, and two-term president of the League of Washington Theatres. She is Senior Advisor for Programming at Ford’s Theatre, and previously served for 11 years as the Producing Artistic Director of the African Continuum Theatre Company, where she directed more than 20 full productions and readings. She is a 26-year veteran of Living Stage Theatre Company, the former community-outreach program at Arena Stage. Nelson has directed productions at Ford’s Theatre, Round House, Woolly Mammoth, Theater of the First Amendment, Theater J, and more. As a playwright, Nelson won the Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award for Most Outstanding New Play for her play Torn From the Headlines. She has taught at UCLA, George Washington University, and American University, most recently teaching “Theatre for Social Change” as an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University.

e’Marcus Harper-Short (Musical Director/Keyboard/Creon) received the Helen Hayes Award (2015) for Outstanding Musical Direction for Black Nativity by Langston Hughes (Theater Alliance); a Grammy Award nomination (1998) for Best Traditional Gospel Recording as Conductor for Love Alive V: Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir; and a Hollywood NAACP Theater Image Award Nomination (2004) for Best Musical Direction for Da Kink in My Hair by Trey Anthony. Other credits include Musical Arranger for Three Mo’ Divas (PBS Special National) conceived by Marion J. Caffey, and Musical Direction for Invisible Life (Apollo Theater, New York) based on a book by E. Lynn Harris.

Sandra L. Holloway (Choreographer) is delighted to work with the artistic team and cast of Gospel at Colonus!  Some of Sandi’s choreographic credits in musical theater include: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough for Theater Alliance , Eyes at Howard University, I, Too, Sing America for the Howard Players, Alexander’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, tigertigertiger at Theater of the First Amendment, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Guys and Dolls for the GMU Players, among others.  Some of her concert dance works have been featured at the Lincoln Theater Black Choreographers Showcase, Dance Theater of Harlem’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Hi-Arts Hip-Hop Theater Festival, Hollow Dance In Concert at Howard University Cramton Auditorium and Ira Aldridge Stage, The 45 Degrees Project (a partnership between Joy of Motion DC and Deeply Rooted Dance Company in Chicago, IL), New World Dance Company in DC and is currently working with Hill Dance Academy  in Pittsburgh, PA.  Her work has been included in concert dance seasons for Collage Dance Company in Memphis, TN.  Sandihas worked with directors and choreographers including Mike Malone, George Faison, Diane MacIntyre, Kenneth Daugherty, Linda Gravatt, Nick Alcott, Ed Gero, Tom Prewitt, and other really interesting and influential artists. Sandi is the Artistic Director of City at Peace, a youth development organization that uses the arts to effect social change, and is the founder of the holloway arts project (the hap).  She is the recipient of the National Association of Regional Ballet Choreographers Conference Award, Mayor’s Arts Award in Arts and Education for City at Peace, GAEA Foundation Sea Change Artist Award for Arts and Activism, the 2015 Paula Giddings Arts Award and was a 2014 Presenter at Alternate ROOTS Festival Week.  Sandi is a graduate of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA.

Keta Newborn (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be making her debut with Avant Bard.  As a freelancer, Keta has worked in the world of theatre for over 10 years. She has held several titles including Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Venue Manager, Production Assistant, and Light and Sound Board Operator.  Her past credits include Little Thing, Big Thing (Solas Nua), Yellowman (Anacostia Playhouse), Black Nativity and Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Theater Alliance), Leto Legend and Failure: A Love Story (The Hub), Secret Garden and Gidion’s Knot (Next Stop), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, How We Got On, and Gidion’s Knot (Forum), The Flick and How We Got On (Company One). Keta would like to thank the whole Avant Bard cast and crew and Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two for being a part of an amazing show!  She thanks G_d for the opportunity to be used as one of His vessels, working to bring His work of art into the hearts of many while doing what she loves.

ADDITIONAL CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION

Tim Jones (Scenic and Properties Designer) is presently the Props Shop Supervisor and an instructor at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.  He has also worked as a freelance Scenic and Props Designer throughout the Washington, DC, area.  His design work has been seen on stage at African Continuum Theatre, Theater J, Kansas City Rep, Morgan State University, and Everyman Theatre, as well as the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences.  Tim is a native of Prince Georges County, MD, but has lived and worked throughout the United States.  He holds an MFA in Scenery and Properties Design from the University of Memphis and a BA in Communication from Salisbury State College.

John D. Alexander (Lighting Designer) is excited to make his debut with Avant Bard. His recent designs include the national tour of The Migration: Reflections of Jacob Lawrence presented by Step Afrika!, Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith, Blackberry Winter by Steve Yockey, Darius and Twig by Calette Jennings, and the national tour of Anne and Emmett by Janet Langhart Cohen. http://www.johndalexanderdesign.com

Danielle Preston (Costume Designer) is a costume designer based in the DC metro area. Recent design credits include: Other Desert Cities (Triad Stage), The Christians, The How & The Why (Theatre J), Darius & Twig (The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences), Where the Words Once Were (The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences), All the Way LIVE! (The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences/ B-Fly Entertainment/ TYA National Tour), Holiday Memories, TAME. (Avant Bard), A Bid to Save the World (Rorschach Theatre), Br’er Cotton & Picnic (Catholic University of America). Awards/ Fellowships: William R. Kenan Jr.  Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.  (2015–2016) and A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Fellowship in Costume Design (2013–2014). Education: MFA in Costume Design from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Costume Design. www.daniellepreston.com

Justin Schmitz (Sound Designer) is thrilled to make his Avant Bard debut! As a Washington, DC-based Sound Designer and Theatre Artist, he recently completed the 2015–2016 William R Kenan Jr. Fellowship at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Justin is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association as an Early Career Member and is also a part of USITT’s Professional Membership. His work on I Call My Brothers at Forum Theatre has been nominated for a 2017 Helen Hayes award.  His work has been featured at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Signature Theatre, Theater J, Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, Olney Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, Imagination Stage, The University of Maryland, Catholic University of America, The Dixon Place Theater in NYC, Chautauqua Theatre Company in Chautauqua, NY, Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, The Actors Guild of Parkersburg in WV, numerous education venues, and many other regional locations. He has received fellowships from The Chautauqua Theatre Company in 2013, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to attend The Orchard Project in 2011 and to work with Theater J in DC in 2015-2016.  Justin earned a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Sound Design in 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse in Theatre Design and Technology, where he specialized in Sound Design and Stage Management.

Kevin Maresca (Technical Director)

Maegan Clearwood (Resident Dramaturg) is in her second season with Avant Bard, where she is curator of Scripts in Play and has served as production dramaturg for five productions, including the premiere of TAME. She is also a teaching artist for The Highwood Theatre and Signature Theatre. DC dramaturgy credits include: Pinky Swear Productions: Lizzie: The Musical;  Rorschach Theatre: A Bid to Save the World; Source Festival: Static; Forum Theatre: World Builders; Olney Theatre Center: I and You, The Piano Lesson, The Tempest, Colossal. She was also the Literary Associate at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and the Dramaturgy Apprentice at the Olney Theatre Center. BA in Drama and English from Washington College.

Brett Steven Abelman (Assistant Dramaturg) is a DC-native creator of stories. He is a proud producing playwright with The Welders. Recent projects include co-creating Play Cupid and Balloon Plays at Capital Fringe Festivals. Brett also reviews at DC Theatre Scene and sometimes blogs at babelwright.wordpress.com.

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The Gospel at Colonus RETURNS February 22 to March 25, 2018, at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two, 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington, VA. Tickets are available online or by calling 703-418-4804.

 

 

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