Presented by The Bushwick Starr, in partnership with Whitney White
and in association with No Guarantees
July 15 - August 1
at the Mercury Store
A NOTE FROM WHITNEY WHITE:
When I was in middle school, my mother and I would visit my godfather Ozwald who worked as a security guard at the Art Institute of Chicago. While I never loved the implicit and explicit rules of the museum— keeping quiet, keeping distant from the art, not running, and not expressing anything too loudly or boldly, I loved being there. I loved the shapes, forms, the way different works could transport me to different periods. How one single painting could challenge me and even lead me to reconsider my own assumptions, feelings, and place in the world— or rather, where the world would place me.
Since 2016 I have been working on Definition: a musical that explores the Black female experience as it intersects with museums, therapy, sexuality, and the psychological effects of our very repetitive modern lives on the human organism— all fueled by a preoccupation with the surreal. The installation you are about to experience combines snapshots of text and music from DEFINITION, as well as curated physical art, video and photography that is in dialogue with the core themes of the show. I hope that it gives you a bit of space. I hope that the journey of the main character, Sam and her process of questioning and awakening motivates you to do the same.
—and feel free to respond as you feel.
-Whitney White
Creative Team:
Composer/Music Director/Sound Designer Dan Rosato; Scenic/Props Designer Dan Soule; Lighting Designer Stacey Derosier; Video Designer Johnny Moreno; Voice Performers Russell G. Jones, Mary Knapp, Nate Miller, Grace Porter, and Ari’el Stachel; Recording Musicians Toru Dodo, Chris Eddleton, Jannina Norpoth, John-Paul Norpoth and Dan Rosato; Sound Mixers Ryan Hopper & Hill; Assistant Scenic Designer Wesley Cornwell; Assistant Lighting Designer Nyle Farmer; Production Manager: Emma Johnson; Technical Director: Jay Maury; Associate Director/Associate Producer Rebecca Miller Kratzer; Installation Coordinator Keyana Hemphill; Associate Producer Jordan Délise Fleming; Line Producer John Del Gaudio
Installation Visual Artists:
Shelley Fort, Miranda Haymon, Cloteal Horne, Kenard Jackson, Gabrielle Randall, Erin Reid, Asia Stewart, Teyanna Stone, x, Jaleeca Yancy
Production Team:
Sound Supervisor Kyle Lawrence; Scenic Stitcher Lui Konno; Programmer Christina Tang; Production Electrician Steven Johnson; Rigging Consultant Adam Wyron; Board Op Ava Novak; Video Assistant Katerina Vitaly; Scenic Crew Juan C oronado, Michael DeCaul, Joe Galan, Cody Henson, Dijon Jackson, Daniel Kent, Joe Pietropaolo; Lighting Crew Alaska Harris, Taylor C. Jensen, Daniel Kent, Jolien Louis, Mateo Morris, David Orlando, Keithlyn B. Parkman, Zachary Percevecz; Sound Crew Anya Kopischke, Siena Sherer; Production Crew Michael DeCaul, Joe Galan, Caspin Jones, Anya Kopischke, Keri Tanner
DEFINITION was previously workshopped with Ars Nova and Sundance Theatre Institute. It also received a reading as part of The Bushwick Starr Reading Series. DEFINITION is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and The MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
BIOS:
Whitney White (Writer/Director/Producer) is an Obie Award and Lilly Award winning director, actor, and musician based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the current recipient of the Susan Stroman Directing award, an Artistic Associate at the Roundabout, and a part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Her original musical Definition was part of the 2019 Sundance Theatre Lab 2016 ANT Fest, and her five-part musical exploration of Shakespeare’s Women and ambition; Reach for It is currently under commission with the American Repertory Theater in Boston.
She has developed work with: The New York Times, Ars Nova, The Drama League, Roundabout, New York Theatre Workshop, 59E59, The Lark, The Movement, Jack, Bard College, NYU Tisch, Juilliard, Princeton, SUNY Purchase, South Oxford, Luna Stage and more.
Whitney is a believer in collaborative processes and new forms. Her musical discipline is rooted in indie-soul, and rock. She is passionate about black stories, reconstructing classics, stories for and about women, genre-defying multimedia work and film. Past fellowships include: New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship, Ars Nova’s Makers Lab, Colt Coeur and the Drama League. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep, BA Political Science, Certificate in Musical Theatre: Northwestern University. whitney-white.com
Stacey Derosier (Lighting Designer) credits: The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks, and Curls (Baltimore Center Stage), Letters to My Father (M-34), American Dreams (The Working Theater), Here We Are (Theater for One), School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play (Berkeley Rep), All the Natalie Portmans (MCC Theater), Stew (Page 73), How to Load a Musket (Less Than Rent), The Copper Children (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Men on Boats (Baltimore Center Stage), for all the women who thought they were Mad (Soho Rep), White Noise conceived by Daniel Fish (NYU Skirball), Playing Hot! (Pipeline Theater Company), Mies Julie & Dance of Death (Classic Stage Company), Novenas For a Lost Hospital, No One is Forgotten, Lewiston/Clarkston (Rattlestick Playwright’s Theater) & 2018 Lilly Award Daryl Roth Prize recipient.
Toru Dodo (Recording Musician- Piano). Born in Tokyo, started playing classical piano at age 4. Dodo has released to date five solo albums: DODO(2002); 116 West 238 St (2004); DODO 3 (2006); Do You Like Cappuccino? (2009); and JAfro (2012/2013) from Dodo's do & do label. Dodo has also published his own book Excellent Jazz Solo Piano for Rittor Music in Japan in 2008. Dodo has contributed his playing as a sideman for noted musicians such as Kenny Garrett, Benny Golson,Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Ruth Brown, Terumasa Hino just to name a few. Currently, aside from his trio, he works with notable singers such as Somi, Alicia Olatuja, Nicole Henry and Laurin Talese. Somi's live album Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper With Frankfurt Radio Big Band that Dodo played on was nominated for the 2021 Grammy's Best Jazz Vocal Album. Currently(2018), Dodo is one of the regular pianists for the off-broadway show Sleep No More since 2011.
Chris Eddleton (Recording Musician- Drums), originally from Roselle, N.J. is a full-time musician living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He has performed with various Brazilian artists and Hip Hop. Also, Chris has toured the U.S. and abroad with Verve recording artist Lizz Wright and performed at various music festivals such as; The JVC Jazz Festival in NYC, New Orleans Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival. He has performed in several off- Broadway productions such as The Black Nativity, The Supreme Bishop Tartuff, the Paris (France) premier of Melvin Van Peeples’s Sweetback’s Badassss Song with Burnt Sugar, and also Rain Pryor’s Fried Chicken and Lattkes. Chris also tours Europe and the U.S. with a popular local Punjabi-Funk band called Red Baraat.
Shelley Fort (Visual Artist) was born in Wilmington, NC. She was raised in Connecticut, Nebraska, and trained throughout the world; St. Petersburg, Russia (Theater Arts Academy), Oxford (British American Drama Academy), and the National Theater Institute (Eugene O’Neill). She’s the co-creator of the web series Dear Sister (currently being considered for film festivals). Her choreography has been seen through the American College Dance Association, Brown University, and Kenyon College. COVID ended her run with the Broadway National Tour of The Play That Goes Wrong. She recently moved to LA and is excited to engage with diverse stories that have a unique point of view.
Miranda Haymon (Visual Artist) is a Princess Grace Award winning writer, director, and curator originally from Boston. As a theater director, Miranda has developed and staged work with The Tank, NYTW, Ars Nova, The Public, Bushwick Starr, Signature Theater and more. Miranda has served as Visiting Faculty at Fordham, Dartmouth, Sarah Lawrence, Wesleyan, and Rutgers. Past fellowships/residencies include WP Theater, New Georges, Space on Ryder Farm, LCT Director’s Lab, Wingspace, NYTW 2050, Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club and Arena Stage. Currently, Miranda is a Resident Director at Roundabout Theatre Company. In the brand sphere, Miranda has directed projects with Gucci, Garage Magazine, Dunkin’ and Spectrum. As a writer, Miranda is currently under commission by Jeremy O. Harris, and is developing several TV, comedy, and podcast projects. You can also find Miranda collaborating with their alter ego, bb brecht. Miranda and bb released their first single together, “ich liebe zu lange” available on Spotify.
Cloteal Horne (Visual Artist) is a dynamic actress, educator, and theatre-maker. Born-and-bred in San Diego California. Her theatre credits include, Off-Broadway: The Steadfast (Slant Theatre Project); Dirty Blood (Billie Holiday Theatre). Regional: Twelfth Night; Merry Wives of Windsors; Two Gents.; Merchant of Venice; Comedy of Errors; Midsummer Night’s Dream; Christmas at Pemberley (Shakespeare & Co), She a Gem (NYTW); The Delivery (Arena Stage); Black Odyssey (Trinity Rep.); Comedia De Equivocaciones; Venus (Brown/Trinity), Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, (LyricStage, Elliot Norton Nominee) To Kill a Mockingbird, (Weston Playhouse); How We Got On, (CompanyOne, Elliot Norton Nominee); Othello, (ASP); BlueShift, (Huntington). FILM: The Promotion (C1 Media); What We Owe Each Other (RISD); Driving While Black Magic. She holds a B.F.A in Theatre Arts from Boston University and a M.F.A in Acting from Brown University/Trinity. Gratefully standing on the shoulders of those that have come before her, Cloteal is a product of her grandmother’s prayers + her ancestors’ wildest dream. www.cloteallhorne.com
Kenard Jackson (Visual Artist) is an actor/performance artist/model based in NYC. Credits include performances and productions at Soho Rep, Ars Nova, Classic Stage Company, and The Brick. He received his BA in Theatre Arts from Boston College and his MFA in Acting from Columbia University.
Russell G. Jones (Voiceover Performer- Ozwald) is an Audelco, Obie and SAG Award-winning actor. A fixture on New York City stages since the 90's Russell is proud to have originated roles in Lynn Nottage's Ruined, Suzan-Lori Parks' Father Comes Home From The Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3, Tanya Barfield's The Call, Fernanda Coppel's King Liz and two by Stephen Adly Guirgis: Our Lady of 121st Street and In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings. Some film highlights include Motherless Brooklyn, Detroit, Side Effects, Traffic & Robert Patton Spruill’s Squeeze. Recent TV includes being a series regular on “Tommy” opposite Edie Falco, “Orange Is The New Black”, “The Last OG”, “Godless”, and “The Americans”. Mr. Jones has been a member of The Labyrinth Theater Co. since 1995 where he has worn many theatermaker hats including actor, director, producer, writer, facilitator, moderator, and teacher in the Master Class, Ensemble Workshop, and Intensive Ensemble. He is an Equity Consultant for Be The Change Consulting and is the founder and Chief of Pedagogy at BLIND SPOT EXPERIENCE a campaign that facilitates cross-cultural dialogue and critical thinking and tools for perceiving racial inequity.
Mary Knapp (Voiceover Performer- Therapist/Museum Attendant) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, actor and educator based in Brooklyn. She is director/front-woman of Toot Sweet & Toot Sweet's Variety Show, a cabaret soul rock project, and founder of The Nightingale Fam children's music education project. Mary is also lead singer & accordionist for traditional Colombian dance band, Cumbia River Band, and was an original cast member of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, performing at the 71st annual Tony Awards. Mary has participated in several concert productions at Joe's Pub with Whitney White and has toured Colombia and Dominican Republic as accordionist and backing vocalist for Taino ancestral singer and healer Irka Mateo. She has self-released three albums of original music, all available on her bandcamp page tootsweetmusic.bandcamp.com.
Nate Miller (Voiceover Performer- Boyfriend/Boss) Nate Miller is a Brooklyn based Actor/Producer & founding member of Lesser America Theatre Co. A Milwaukee native, he is a graduate of Marquette University & The Juilliard School’s Drama Division. Broadway: “JUNK” at LCT. Off Broadway: “India Pale Ale”, “Ripcord”, “Of Good Stock” at MTC, “Love and Information” at NYTW, “Peter and The Starcatcher” at New World Stages. Regional: Actors Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, Playmakers Rep, The Wilma Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center. FILM: Either Side of Midnight, Another Kind. TV: The Code, The Goodwife (CBS), Us & Them (FOX) www.iamnatemiller.com www.lesseramerica.com @iamnatemiller
Johnny Moreno (Video Designer) is a Transmedia designer in Theater, Film and Live Music. He works internationally as a concert video director & production designer with multi Grammy Award winning singer Lila Downs. He is a producer, cameraman and additional editor on the indie feature film “I Am A Seagull” (iamaseagull.com) and cinematographer on Space Dogs, a filmed theater project (MCC) Recent Design Work: Fandango for Butterflies and coyotes; La Mama (Scenic / Video), For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad; Soho Rep (video/projections), A Grave is Given Supper; Teatro Dallas (Production / Video Design), Installation: Sweet Crude (Video Sculpture Anna Kustera Gallery), Tiffany & Co. Mapping Installation (Guggenheim Museum), As Above So Below (Manhattan Bridge Mapping Installation, Dumbo Arts Festival). Johnny is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and loves Pepsi. Johnnymoreno.com
Jannina Norpoth (Recording Musician- Strings) is a Grammy-nominated violinist who made her debut as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at age 14. Her string quartet, PUBLIQuartet, is recognized for unique and genre inclusive programming. A versatile musician, Ms. Norpoth performs and writes alongside her husband bassist/guitarist/songwriter John-Paul Norpoth in the folk/rock group HOLLANDS. Ms. Norpoth has performed internationally, including appearances at the Women of the World Festival at The Apollo Theater, Detroit Art X Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, Saturday Night Live, VH1’s Save the Music, and IFC's. As a soloist she has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony, Casalmaggiore International Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble 212, and Bachanalia Chamber Orchestra. Most recently during COVID-19 she has been a featured virtual performer for digital performances from The Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress and Living Music with Nadia Sirota.
John-Paul Norpoth (Recording Musician- Bass) is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Brooklyn. He has performed with St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Orpheus as part of their Baruch College Business Lecture Series. Mr. Norpoth has performed double bass with the Albany, Harrisburg, and Allentown Symphonies, and the Westchester, Brooklyn, and Long Island Philharmonic(s). He has performed with Alarm Will Sound, Julia Bullock, and PUBLIQuartet at venues including the Kennedy Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His songs and compositions as Hollands (w/ Jannina Norpoth) won the 2015 Sphinx M-Power Fellowship Grant and included a premiere performance at National Sawdust during the New York Philharmonic’s Biennial and NYC Electro-Acoustic Music Festival. Mr. Norpoth is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music’s Orchestral Performance Program as the Charles Grossman Memorial Endowment Scholarship student of Orin O’Brien.
Grace Porter (Voiceover Performer- Sam) is a California native who recently graduated from New York University Tisch Graduate School of Acting (2019) where she received her Master’s degree. Some of her work at NYU included Ma in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Emmy in A Dollshouse Part II. She has been seen in the Williamstown production of Lempicka, and The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit production of Measure For Measure. TV credits include “Madame Secretary'', “Prodigal Son”, and she’s currently recurring in “GodFather of Harlem” as Dr. Betty Shabazz.
Gabrielle Randall (Visual Artist) (b.1996) is an interdisciplinary artist from Columbia, Maryland based in Brooklyn. She works primarily in self-portraiture, sculpture , video, and mixed media. In 2018, she completed her BFA in Filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts. In 2021, she completed her MFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design. Currently, Gabrielle is the 2021 Artist-in-residence at Velvetpark Media Inc.
erin reid (she/her/hers) (Visual Artist) is a queer, mixed-race Black woman, a multimedia artist, and a radical educator based in Brooklyn, NY.
Dan Rosato (Composer / Music Director / Musician) is an audio producer, sound designer and composer based in Brooklyn, NY. Whether recording the field, experimenting in the studio, or performing onstage, he is obsessed with finding and creating new sounds. His film work has screened at festivals internationally including Sundance, Tribeca Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, DocNYC and many more. He has performed on stages around the world as a member of Your 33 Black Angels.
Daniel Soule (Scenic & Props Designer) is a scenic and production designer based in downtown Manhattan. Recent projects include Canyon (Center Theatre Group), The Amen Corner (Shakespeare Theatre Co), and the silent short film Until Next Time. Daniel was Design Associate for Camp: Notes on Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is on the faculty of NYU-Tisch Drama's Production & Design Studio. Many thanks to Whitney and the Starr for this opportunity! www.danielsouledesign.com
Ari'el Stachel (Voiceover Performer- Magritte Man) received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his Broadway debut in The Band’s Visit after originating the role of Haled at the Atlantic Theatre Company (Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominations). Regional: The Golem of Havana (Barrington Stage Company). Workshops: We Live in Cairo (NYTW), The Visitor (Public Theatre). TV: "Blue Bloods" (CBS), "Jessica Jones" (Netflix). New Studio graduate at NYU. Follow him @arielstachel
Asia Stewart (Visual Artist) is a Brooklyn-based performance artist and classical vocalist whose conceptual work centers the body as a living archive. After receiving degrees in the social sciences from Cambridge and Harvard University, she has sought ways to embody abstract sociological theories and transform the language specific to studies of race, gender, sexuality, and diaspora into materials that can be felt and worn on the body. As a National YoungArts Winner in Musical Theatre and a former National Arts Policy Roundtable Fellow with Americans for the Arts, Stewart uses her past experiences on stage to inject her work with a heightened sense of theatricality. In 2020, Stewart concluded her first independent performance series entitled Graft, which attempts to capture the violence that constructions of whiteness and femininity wrought on Black bodies. Stewart will begin a new performance series on intergenerational trauma and sexual violence this fall as an artist-in-residence at the NARS Foundation.
Teyanna Stone (Visual Artist) is a Creative, Storyteller, and Multimedia Producer based in and from Philadelphia, PA. She grew up with her family loving music, film, television, and comic books. As she got older, Teyanna pursued her passions of storytelling by gaining skills and knowledge surrounding media and content. She specializes in music and audio production, creative writing, video production, and graphic design. Teyanna has hopes to make a big impact on the world of entertainment and to spread love and life through her craft!
x (Visual Artist) is an Afro | East Asian-Jamaican, second-generation immigrant. As a QT transplant from Miami, FL, x has reconciled their training in dance, theatre, and art history education to apply critical theory to their life and artistic practice. As a curator, x is concerned about diversity and the empowerment of artist-humans of marginalized and historically oppressed identities. They aim to serve, heal, and empower those who do not have the resources to easily share their work with the public. One of baby’s past curated exhibitions, “who is me?”, focused on the intersectionality of multiply-marginalized identities within and among the exhibited artists. x will make our NYC curatorial debut as a guest-curator with the Stigma Unbound collective for “delicate wash cycle”, this December.
[x uses they/ze/we pronouns and their name is intentionally in lower-case]
Jaleeca Yancy (Visual Artist). From Memphis, Tennessee, currently based in New York multi-disciplinary artist, Jaleeca Yancy is passionate about developing aesthetically pleasing art that explores themes such as life, african diaspora, and nature. Yancy channels her creativity into freelance work as well, working in costumes for film & tv, assisting/managing/producing in a wide range of productions, and creative directing. she has worked with companies such as Apple TV+, CBS, The Office Performing Arts + Film, The Shed, and Tribeca Film Festival: Immersive.
DEFINITION was previously workshopped with Ars Nova and Sundance Theatre Institute. It also received a reading as part of The Bushwick Starr Reading Series. DEFINITION is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and The MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Marketing image photo by Maya Sharpe featuring Voice Performer Grace Porter
ABOUT THE VISUAL ARTISTS:
SPECIAL THANKS:
John Anselmo & New York Theatre Workshop
PS122
Remix Market
Materials for the Arts
PSNY
Mitchell White
The New York City Chapter of the Production Manager's Forum
Production services by Omni Steel Supply, PRG, Party Headphones, and Rose Brand
special thanks for Karl and the Mercury Store
Full credits for bb brecht by Miranda Haymon:
Created by bb brecht & Miranda Haymon
Lyrics by bb brecht & Miranda Haymon
Composer: Dante Green
Music Producers: Dante Green and Sivan Battat
Video Editor: Zack Lobel
Vocal Engineer: James Zaner
Audio Mixer: Cameron Rood
Entrance & Ticketing
★ The Box Office will be located directly outside of the venue, rain or shine, and entry will be permitted no earlier than the time of each performance. Walk-up tickets are subject to availability - First Come, First Served.
★ Bathrooms and lobby space will NOT be available prior to doors opening for the installation experience to begin. Audiences are asked to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the start of their scheduled installation reservation.
COVID-19 Admission Advisory & Safety Expectations
★ Patrons who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be permitted entry upon proof via an authentic vaccination card or by presenting a registered Excelsior Pass at the Box Office. Masks for vaccinated patrons with proof of inoculation will be optional.
★ Patrons who have not been vaccinated must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test conducted no less than 48 hours prior to their intended performance date AND commit to wearing a mask at all times during their visit and throughout the entire performance.
★ Audiences will be encouraged to practice social distancing by maintaining a comfortable physical distance from one another while indoors.
★ Patrons exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19, or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 within 2 weeks prior to their arrival, are asked not to attend.
★ Patrons exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival will be denied entry.
★ Please be advised that this protocol is subject to change and The Bushwick Starr and/or Mercury Store reserve the right to revise safety requirements at the discretion of the producers and venue.
Experience Expectations
★ The installation experience starts when the doors open.
★ Each experience is 90 minutes long and has a capacity of 24 people.
★ Food & Beverages are not allowed & Concessions will not be provided.
★ There is no intermission; however gender neutral bathrooms will be available once doors open.
★ Each audience member will be given an in-ear device to wear as a guide throughout the experience.
★ This is an immersive experience. Audiences will be asked to travel on foot to different sections of the installation, sit or remain standing for extended periods of time and engage with assorted seating of various heights and functions.
★ Flashing lights will occur during the experience.
★ Please contact Jehan O. Young at jehan@thebushwickstarr.org for more details and insight regarding live experience engagement.
Accessibility
Due to a mechanical difficulty caused by recent flooding, the venue elevator is presently unavailable. Unfortunately, we can not guarantee accessibility accommodations at this time. However, we welcome those with accessibility needs who feel comfortable navigating stairs, walking & standing for long periods of time and getting in & out of chairs to contact Jehan O. Young at jehan@thebushwickstarr.org to inquire about potential accessibility arrangements.