Digital Program
Skidmore Theater presents:
KEELY AND DU
Written by Jane Martin
Directed by Teisha Duncan
October 17-22, 2025
FEATURING:
Du………………………………………………………………..Lilian Forbes
Walter……………………………………………………….Benjamin Harris
Keely……………………………………………………………Emily Landolfi
Orderly 1 (US Cole)………………………………………Gus Jacobellis
Orderly 2 (Swing)…………………………………………Nate McNabb
Cole (US Walter)…………………………………………..George Fortin
Guard (US Keely & Du)…………………………………Nora Steckline
CREATIVE TEAM:
Ella Theoharis (Scenic Design), Samantha Garwood (Costume Design), Lillian Culver-Anderson (Lighting Design), Jared Klein (Sound Design), Lu Glassberg (Assistant Director), Charlotte Ballantoni (Dramaturg), Maggie Hogan (Stage Manager)
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Laura Menzie (Text and Vocal Coach), Alfie LaFluer (Asst. Stage Manager), Elina Zhu (Asst. Stage Manager), Jojo Zou (Props Coordinator), Jess Goerold (Paint Charge), Jared Klein (Technical Director), Brandon Sewall (Asst. Technical Director), Isabel Ostheimer (Wardrobe Supervisor), Max Kraftsow (Master Electrician), Noelle Dravis (Asst. Master Electrician), Sofia Halpern (Asst. Costume Designer), Garin Miner Drewes (Asst. Sound Design), Milo Greenberg (Sound Op), Cameron Greenberg (Light Op)
CONTENT DISCLOSURES:
This production features strong language and mature themes, including:
Abduction and confinement of a pregnant woman
Discussion of sexual assault and its aftermath
Reproductive coercion by an anti-abortion extremist group
Dialogue addressing psychological, medical, and religious trauma
Most intense material is expressed through dialogue but there are moments of brief staged struggle. Audience members are invited to care for themselves as needed. If you need to leave at any time, front-of-house staff will assist you. Please note there is no re-entry once you exit.
PLEASE NOTE:
The video and/or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited.
PRODUCTION CREWS:
SCENIC CREW
Dylan Blessing, Jack Boge, Grace Collins, Sarah Drowne, Chrismeryris Garcia Ulloa, Jonny Herrmann, Coro Holt, Christianna Lewis Small, Mira Meola, Rosemary Pagliano, Charynna Pe Benito, Jane Richard, Ellie Rosser, Maisie Shuffelton-Sobe, Gray Sippl, Daniella Solomon, Ally Stanton
ELECTRICS CREW
Asa Baker-Rouse, Jack Boge, Tommy Cattalani, Amanda Denney, Garin Miner Drewes, Coro Holt, Jade Kleinberg, Tali Lissai, Theo Perkins, Jack Schneider, Milo Scowden, Emile Sentveld, Gray Sippl, Daniella Solomon, Ally Stanton, Katie Steele, Ceci L Tedder, Benjamin Torres, Nathan Vandi, Jordan Zickmann, Stavros Zikoulis
COSTUME SHOP
Sydney Baig, Ken Caron-Quinn, Amanda Denney, Noelle Dravis, Garin Miner Drewes, Emma Hoffman, Maggie Krieg, Finn Krol, Isabella Li, Mikiyla Palazzo, Emile Sentveld, Lucy Silcox, Nathan Vandi
COSTUME SHOP EMPLOYEES
Lily Gould, Nex Hagen, Eleanor Lewis, Lily Lugiano, Isabel Ostheimer, Veda Ramaswamy, Lila Sandler, Milo Scowden, Jojo Zou
PAINT CREW
Sara Anderson, Arielle Ascanio, Ken Caron-Quinn, Elena Chawla, Grace Collins, Sophie D’Amore, Jasielle Diaz, Maggie Krieg, Theo Leff, Annie Pasque, Jane Richard, Ellie Rosser, Sarah Sklar, Katie Steele, Oliver Weidemann
PROPS CREW
Sara Anderson, Anabella Cone, Sky Estrada, Licette Jaya, Theo Leff, Lucy Lester, Christianna Lewis Small, Pamela Marte Feliz, Ruby Romano
FRONT OF HOUSE
Sydney Baig, Elena Chawla, Grace Collins, Jonny Herrmann, Licette Jaya, Tali Lissai, Mira Meola, Charynna Pe Benito
THEATER TECHNICIANS
Asher Cortes, Lillian Culver-Anderson, Noelle Dravis, Garin Miner Drewes, Penelope Gibeau, Lu Glassberg, Liz Gluz, Maggie Hogan, Max Kraftsow, Theo Perkins, Ella Theoharis, Ava Vitale, Naomi Wagner
WARDROBE
Dylan Blessing, Jade Kleinberg, Rosemary Pagliano
NEWSLETTER
Charlotte Ballantoni, Finn Garcia-Kroll, Sarah Neel, Kit Simpson, Anna Staltari, Em Williams
MANAGEMENT STAFF:
Sue Kessler (Management Director), Logan Waugh (General Manager), Aminah Hopewall* (Advertising / Office Manager), Maggie Krieg (Online Media Manager), Jordan Azzinaro (Publicity & Social Media Manager), Becca Durst (Program Manager), Milo Scowden (Visuals Manager), Logan Waugh (Photography Manager), Kit Simpson (Newsletter Editor-in-chief), Emily Landolfi (Front of House Manager), Audrey Tignor (Box Office Manager)
*Indicates a member of the Miranda Family Fellowship
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
I came to Keely and Du while sifting through Pulitzer-nominated plays from 1990-2000, two weeks before the 2024 presidential election. Jane Martin’s 1993 play felt like today’s headline- harrowing, tender, and unsettlingly familiar. What drew me in were the people at its center: complex, contradictory, and fully alive inside a world that refuses easy answers. As an acting teacher, I recognized the profound challenge, and opportunity, these roles offer student artists. That recognition came with a responsibility: to build a process that is brave and trauma conscious. I drew inspiration from the documentary “The Basement Talks” and the Practical Aesthetics acting methodology. With support from the Theatre Department, I pursued additional training through Theatrical Intimacy Education and, with the college’s support, completed CAST Enterprise’s course: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning in higher education. Together, these immersions expanded the toolkit I would need for this process.
Our rehearsal room was anchored in consent, boundaries, and care. We staged intimacy and violence using practices guided by Theatrical Intimacy Education, extending those principles to our designers and stage managers so the whole company worked with clarity and choice. This is not advocacy but invitation: a work that holds pro-life and pro-choice convictions with rigor, speaks frankly through its characters, and- alongside trauma- makes space for forgiveness, justice, recovery, consent, faith, dignity, solidarity, resilience, and the healing of being heard. I’m here to center their humanity.
I keep returning to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s question from his Letter from Birmingham Jail: “So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?” That inquiry- what kind of courage, what kind of care- guided our room.
Aesthetically, we move between realism and symbolic staging. There are moments designed for the present and others conjure up the past and foreshadow the future. “And that bed turned…” (Du, p. 35)- a pivot that became a visual and moral hinge for us: as tides shift between these characters. The world we’re building foregrounds themes of addiction, reproductive justice, religious coercion, intimate-partner violence, bodily autonomy, and more. Some moments may be triggering; please take the care you need while watching. Hard conversations like the ones in this play often end, in life, with raised voices, with silence, or with a private, heavy hopelessness. We invite you to sit with us instead: to listen, to breathe, to resist the rush to verdict. My hope is for this basement never to exist, and for Keely, Walter, Cole, and Du to find healing and a healthier balance to their missions- guided by the charge to do no harm.
This production is powered by student actors, student designers, and a student dramaturg. I believe deeply in the resilience and imagination of young adults; they are the future, and Keely and Du offer fertile ground for them to begin (or continue) a necessary conversation. I’m grateful to the colleagues whose expertise and care undergirded this process- you’ll find them acknowledged in our Special Thanks. In Jamaica, my homeland, we end stories with, “Jack Mandora, me nuh choose none” (I do not choose a side, I’m telling all sides). That is our stance here. We’ve centered the people, not the polemics. Thank you for being in the room with us. To my loved ones who kept me…Thank you!
-Teisha Duncan
FROM THE DRAMATURG:
As the dramaturg, I am responsible for a variety of tasks: I spent the summer researching elements of the show to align with Teisha’s vision, I presented my findings, I assisted in providing information when needed, and I curated the lobby display.
I applied to be the dramaturg for a number of reasons. Dramaturgy is the perfect connection of my niches: I love to write, and theater is the deepest love of my life. Most importantly, this show spoke to me the first time I read it. I was struck by the relationship between Keely and Du. Their relationship blossoms into something that both characters need, and I think the women finding unique ways to connect is beautiful. I hope you find their relationship as important as I do. When the research got heavy, I reminded myself of the connection at the core of the story – I found comfort in these women finding comfort in each other.
My process began by reading the play more than once and noting what elements I wanted to look into. Additionally, Teisha provided me with items to research. I focused on the time frame that the play is set in – the playwright does state that the play can be set when it’s being produced, but Teisha and I decided to set the play in 1993. I did research on the social, political, and economic spheres of 1993 and the early 1990s so we could understand the larger world the characters were living in.
Location is a major theme, so I did research into all of the places mentioned, including Providence, Baton Rouge, and Cincinnati, focusing on the history of the cities as well as major events in 1993.
I connected the medical content in the play with its history in the United States to understand histories and landscapes. Any deeper medical conversations with cast and crew were led by a medical professional.
Excitingly, throughout this process, we were able to welcome many guests to present, including medical personnel, a social work professor, a harm reduction specialist, and the actress who originated the role of Keely. All of these guests had fruitful elements to provide to the actors and production team, including insight to the creation of the play, what addiction looks like, in depth medical information, and knowledge on intimate partner violence. I learned a significant amount from each of these people, and they all provided so much knowledge and extra depth to the process. Theater is inherently a collaborative form, and these guests were very impactful and meaningful.
Being the dramaturg for this production has been the honor of my time at Skidmore, and maybe my life. I’m infinitely grateful for this cast and crew, and I hope you enjoy Keely and Du!
-Charlotte Ballantoni ’26
Scene Breakdown
Setting: A basement. Providence, Rhode Island. 1993.
Scene 1: A bare basement is prepared to become a living space. Keely is brought in, and Du is left in charge.
Scene 2: Keely awakes and meets Du.
Scene 3: Du attempts to guide Keely through a morning routine; Keely continually pushes back.
Scene 4: A confrontation over basic needs escalates and Keely tests Du’s limits.
Scene 5: Keely meets Walter.
Scene 6: Keely tries to find Du’s weaknesses. Du and Walter reveal the purpose they want Keely to fulfill.
Scene 7: Walter attempts to build a relationship with Keely- she responds with blunt defiance.
Scene 8: Du reveals elements of her past to Keely, blurring the lines of their relationship and her own role as captor and caretaker.
Scene 9: Walter arrives with supplies needed and reading material. Keely understands that there are strings attached.
Scene 10: Du encourages Keely to envision herself as a mother.
Scene 11: Keely finally wants to eat.
Scene 12: News from the outside world increases pressure on all characters.
Scene 13: Keely and Du find a brief, although uneasy, peace.
Scene 14: Du’s skills as a nurse are put to the test.
Scene 15: A makeshift cake brings ‘costumes’, a celebration, and a fragile sense of normalcy.
Scene 16: An unexpected guest visits Keely.
Scene 17: A sudden medical emergency forces immediate action.
Scene 18: A different setting. Keely, Du, and Walter face the costs of their actions and the connection that remains, but do not get answers.
Snapshot: 1993. Key events that intersect with the play’s themes and today’s conversations.
Timeline
January 1: Cigarette advertisements are banned in NYC MTA
January 3rd: The Buffalo Bills pull off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL History
January 20th: Bill Clinton is sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States.
February 26th: The World Trade Center in New York City is bombed.
February 28th: ATF raids Branch Davidians, a Christian cult.
March 8th: Beavis and Butt-Head premieres.
March 10th: Dr. David Gunn is murdered by an anti-abortion activist.
April 8th: Astronaut Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman in space.
April 19th: Branch Davidian siege ends.
April 30th: World Wide Web launches in the public domain.
June 26th: President Clinton punishes Iraq for plot to kill George H.W. Bush
August 10th: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is sworn in as the first woman and first Jewish woman on the United States Supreme Court.
September 13th: Representatives from Israel and Palestine sign a peace accord.
October 1st: Polly Klaas’ kidnapping leads to California’s “Three Strikes Law”
November 30th: Brady Bill signed into law.
December 8th: The National Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed into lawa by President Bill Clinton
December 15th: Schindler’s List opens in theaters.
December 22nd: Philadelphia opens in theaters.
SPECIAL THANKS:
Abigail Caldwell
Alfie La Fleur
Angela Banks
Becca Durst
Charlotte Ballantoni
Elina Zhu
Emmanuel Balogun
Gary Wilson
Jared Klein
Jess Goerold
Jo Reiter
Julia Routbort-Baskin
Julie Boyd
Laura Menzie
Lisa Jackson-Schebetta
Lu Glassberg
Maggie Hogan
Meghan Hetfield
Samantha Garwood
Sue Kessler
Suzanne Golub
Tammy C. Owens
Yvette Cortes
Faculty, Staff and Students of the Theatre Department
Schupf Family Idealab
The entire Cast, Design, and Production team that made ‘Keely and Du’ possible
All those who continue to support our productions at Skidmore Theater
RESOURCES:
This play addresses strong content, the following on- and off-campus supports are available.
If you need help now:
Campus Safety (24/7): 518-580-5566 (Emergencies); Non-Emergencies 518-580- 5567
Emergency / Police: 911
Reporting & Safety (On Campus):
Equal Opportunity & Title IX Office: 518-580-5708
For options, rights, and resource as well as accommodations and supportive measures
Confidential Campus Support:
Counseling Center (Confidential) – McCaffery-Wagman • 518-580-5555
Hours (Fall/Spring): Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.-noon & 1-4:30 p.m.
Health Services (Confidential) – McCaffery-Wagman • 518-580-5550
Hours (Fall/Spring): Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-noon & 1-4:30 p.m.; Sun, noon–5 p.m.
BetterMynd (Confidential) – Free 50-minute online video sessions with licensed counselors. Meet by laptop, smartphone, or tablet-daytime, evenings, or weekends-so support fits your schedule.
For summer hours, please check office websites.
Mindfulness & Reflection Spaces at Skidmore College:
Guided Meditation – Weekdays during the academic year, 4-4:20 p.m., Case 205.
Library 111 (Scribner Library) – Drop-in space for prayer, meditation, and reflection whenever the library is open, meditation cushions, chairs, and prayer rugs available.
Zen Meditation – Wednesdays, 6:25 p.m., Wilson Chapel (open to students, staff, faculty, and visitors).
Skidmore Theatre Quiet Room
Off-Campus Confidential Resources:
Wellspring (24/7 hotline): 518-584-8188 • wellspringcares.org
Saratoga Hospital Emergency Room: 518-583-8313
Planned Parenthood (Saratoga / Schenectady): 518-584-0041 / 518-374-5353
NYS Sexual Violence Hotline:
English 1-800-942-6906 • TTY 1-800-818-0656
Español 1-800-942-6908 • TTY 1-800-780-7660
National Hotlines:
New York State 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 (free, 24/7)
CAST BIOS:
Lilian Forbes ’26 (Du) is a senior Computer Science and Psychology double major and Art History minor. Her previous Skidmore credits include Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Rae), Persephone (Persephone), and Cardiectomy (The Heart). Outside of theater and academics, she is also a member of the Lunchbox Magazine executive board. Lilian is enormously grateful for Teisha Duncan’s direction, guidance, support, and vision, and for the cast and crew of Keely and Du and the passion, talent, and commitment they’ve put in to tell this story and support each other on and offstage. She would also like to send her love to her family and friends for their patience, love, and support.
George Fortin ’28 (Cole/Walter US) is a sophomore and prospective double Theater and Psychology major. His previous Skidmore credits include Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Dave Lester / Death Tap) and Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time (Actor 6). George would like to send a massive thank you to the director, Teisha Duncan, for the opportunity, to the amazing cast and crew for their warmth, talent, and dedication, and to his friends and family for their unwavering love and support. Except his youngest brother James. He’s just okay.
Ben Harris ’27 (Walter) is a junior Theater major and Business minor. Previous department credits include Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time (Actor 1), The Leper and The Damned (Priest), A Year with Frog and Toad (Snail), Hippos of the Eastern Enclosure (Jacob), and Blood and Bows (John). Outside the JKB, Ben is a member of the Skidmore Dynamics and Social Media Manager for the Sketchies. He is incredibly grateful to Teisha Duncan for her unwavering support, both in this production process and as an academic advisor. He would also like to thank the entire Keely and Du team, as well as the family and friends who have been there for him throughout the years.
Gus Jacobellis ’29 (Orderly/Cole US) is a freshman and prospective BioChem major and Music minor. Gus’ most memorable previous roles, from high school, include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfae) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Longaville). Outside of theater, he is a member of the Skidmore Wombats, as well as a climber and member of the Skidmore Outing Club. Gus would like to express his immense amounts of gratitude to Teisha Duncan for the innumerable amount of support and guidance she has provided throughout this process. He would also like to thank the entire cast and crew of Keely and Du for making this first production process so incredibly welcoming and warm, as well as a magnificent place to learn from so many amazingly talented peers. He would also like to thank his family for their unbelievable support as he begins the college process.
Emily Landolfi ’27 (Keely) is a junior English and Political Science double major. Her previous credits at Skidmore include Last Summer At Bluefish Cove (Rita), Persephone (Ellen), Where Are You Going Little Horse? (Ensemble), and The Thugs (Mercedes). She is the Vice President of the Sketchies and the JKB Front of House Manager. Emily is beyond grateful for Teisha Duncan and her support, care, and directorial vision. She extends a big thank you to the lovely cast and crew (whose talents are beyond) for telling this story alongside her. She also thanks her family and friends for their infinite support.
Nate McNabb ’29 (Orderly/Male Swing) is a freshman and prospective theater major. Nate’s previous roles, in high school and community theater respectively, include roles such as Rev. Shaw Moore in Footloose and JD in Heathers. Outside of theater, Nate is a member of the Skidmore Bandersnatchers a cappella group. Nate would like to thank Teisha Duncan, and the rest of the cast and crew, for providing him with this opportunity, and is incredibly excited to start his theater journey at Skidmore with Keely and Du.
Nora Steckline ‘29 (Prison Guard/Keely and Du US) is a freshman and an intended Bio-Chemistry major and Theater minor. This is her first Skidmore production. She can’t think of a better introduction to this amazing department than being involved in Keely and Du. She would like to extend her gratitude to Teisha Duncan for her inspiring tutelage and support throughout this process. She also thanks the fantastic cast and crew for all the amazing effort and care they have put into this production.
PRODUCTION BIOS:
Charlotte Ballantoni ’26 (Dramaturg) is an English major double minoring in Theater and Classics. Select theater credits include Spring Awakening, Heathers, and Chicago. Outside of her role as dramaturg, she serves as the Social Media Manager for the Skidmore Classics Department, Head Thoroughbred Ambassador for Admissions, and a Mentor for Foundations of Arts Administration. Charlotte extends her heartfelt thanks to Teisha Duncan for her unwavering confidence and her family who supports her unconditionally, even when she turns the dining room table into her dramaturgical desk for a summer.
Lillian Culver-Anderson ’26 (Lighting Designer) is a Theater major and Studio Art minor. Their previous Skidmore credits include Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Lighting Design), Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom (Sound Design), The Winter Guard Play (Asst. Sound Design), The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs (Asst. Lighting Design). They are excited to design lights for Becca Durst’s lab production of Grippy Sock Vacation later this semester. They would like to thank Jared Klein and Taylor Jaskula for their mentorship over the last three years, but especially this summer and semester.
Noelle Dravis ’28 (Assistant Master Electrician) is a Theater and Social Work double major. Her previous credits include Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Assistant Stage Manager), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Assistant Stage Manager), and Heart in the Ground (Stage Manager). Noelle would like to thank her parents and the entire ME team for teaching her so much!
Teisha Duncan (Director) is an artist-in-residence (acting faculty) here at Skidmore College. Her directing credits here at Skidmore include Rachel LuAnn Strayer’s After Jane (Mainstage, 2023), a staged reading of Andrew Rincón’s El Mito or the Myth of my pain, and Lanxing Fu’s Always the Sheep. Movement/Puppetry Direction: Marisela Treviño Orta’s Somewhere, and Intimacy/Violence Coordination: Layla’s Room, For a limited time only (The Bread Play), Grippy Socks Vacation, A Blizzard of Gardening Books, Baby Makes Seven, The Chaparral and Heddatron. Select Movement direction/puppet choreography credits: Wiley and the Hairy Man (Southern Arkansas University), Little Shop of Horrors and Baltimore (University of Pittsburgh) and U.G.L.Y (Howard University). Recent Directing credits: Jersey Boys, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Conference of the Birds– (Winnipesaukee Playhouse), Hybrid Theatre- Cloud Watching, Good for You, I Can’t Breathe– (Conch Shell Productions), Arithmetic of Memory– (Reset Theatre Coalition), Will We Make It? – (Braata Productions’ Caribbean in Queens Radio Drama Series), and The Children from the Blue Mountain- (Rough Draft Festival- LaGuardia Community College). Select Acting Credits: Disney’s The Lion King, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Capital Repertory Theatre), The Color Purple (Plaza Theatricals), Last Stop on Market Street (Adirondack Theatre Festival), Caroline or Change (Gallery Players), Do Wager (Atlantic Pacific Theatre), In the Jungle of Cities (Smpl Mchn), Tartuffe (University Players) and The Secret Garden (Adventure Theatre). This is Teisha’s directorial debut in Skidmore Theatre’s BlackBox Space. She proudly hails from Kingston, Jamaica (Xaymaca).
Samantha Garwood (Costume Shop Manager) is a costume designer and draper with her bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College (’14) and her Master of Fine Arts from Boston University (‘18). Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she has been living and working on the East Coast for the past several years working with theater companies including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Huntington Theatre Company, Home Made Theatre, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Boston Conservatory, and Capital Repertory Theater. Some of her favorite shows to design have been Le Nozze di Figaro, (Boston University Opera Institute in association with the Huntington Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Saratoga Shakespeare Company), and Cabaret (Skidmore College).
Lu Glassberg ’26 (Assistant Director) is a Theater major with Spanish and Education minors. Their previous credits at Skidmore include Silent Sky and After Jane (ASM), The Great Impresario, Layla’s Room, You See Them…, and Neighborhood 3 (LD), The Cagebirds, [RE]MAKING, and Minor Character (SM), The Winter Guard Play (Dramaturg & Master Electrician), Black Superhero Magic Mama (Master Electrician), Where Are You Going Little Horse? (Asst. Lighting and Vid Designer), and You See Them… (Director). Outside of Skidmore, Lu trained with Trisha Todd, and the YP Company at OCT, and is looking forward to Lighting Designing As You Like It later this semester. They want to thank Teisha Duncan for her incredible direction, and the entire team for their dedication to this story.
Cameron Greenberg ’26 (Light Board Operator) is a senior English major and Theater minor with a concentration in costume design. Their previous credits at Skidmore include Persephone (Costume Designer), The Winter Guard Play, The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs, and Eurydice (Wardrobe Crew). They would like to thank Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, Jared Klein, and Lillian Culver-Anderson for guiding them through this process and allowing them the opportunity to try out something new!
Milo Greenberg ’29 (Sound Board Operator) is a freshman intending to study Neuroscience and Anthropology. He has a background in sound and light design, but this is his first show at Skidmore. He is excited to continue working with the theater department in future years! Milo would like to thank his peer leaders for introducing him to the theater program, and Jared Klein for offering the position.
Jess Goerold (Paint Charge) is the Scenic Charge Artist for the Skidmore Theater Department. She has worked in theater, opera, and film as a freelance scenic artist for over a decade. Previous companies include Opera Saratoga, Infinite Scenic, and Syracuse Stage. She is delighted (as always) to be a part of Skidmore Theater’s production team!
Sofia Halpern ’26 (Assistant Costume Designer) is an English major with a Media and Film Studies minor. She has worked as an Assistant Costumer on the production of the feature film Major Barbara and has since continued her work in costuming. She is the events planner for WSPN and part of the Career Corps at the Career Development Center. She is also looking forward to playing Janet Weiss in the Lively Lucy’s Skiddy Horror this upcoming fall. She is so appreciative to being a part of this production and thanks Samantha Garwood for the opportunity!
Maggie Hogan ’27 (Stage Manager) is a Theater and English major. Her previous credits include Minor Character (ASM), Leper and the Damned (Stage Manager), Never Swim Alone (Stage Manager), Where Are You Going Little Horse? (Assistant Stage Manager), Incriminating Innocence (Technical Director) and Ground Level (Technical Director). Maggie would like to thank her entire family for braving the drive to come see the show, her wonderful ASMs Alfie and Elina, Liz Gluz for being her SM partner in crime, and Audrey Tignor for keeping her sane.
Jared Klein (Sound Designer/Technical Director) is an Artist-In-Residence and the Technical Director for the Skidmore Theater Department. Most recently he designed and directed [RE]MAKING, a devised work based on the texts of Charles Mee. Select lighting design credits at Skidmore include: Where Are You Going Little Horse?, The Courage To Right A Woman’s Wrongs, Eurydice, Somewhere, Radium Girls, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, We Used To Wear Bonnets & Get High All The Time, 33 VariaIons, Let The Right One In, Balm In Gilead, Fragments, Who Will Carry The Word, Our Town, and Blood Wedding. Select visiting artistic design collaborations include: Joel Mellin, Phil Soltanoff, Joe Diebes, Sara Juli, Howard Fishman, STREB, SITI Company, and NYSSSA Dance. Previously, Jared was the Production Manager and Technical Director for BRIC Arts Media Brooklyn where he opened their state-of- the-art facility in the heart of downtown Brooklyn’s cultural district, and production managed the inaugural season. Prior to that, Jared spent six years as the Technical Director and Resident Designer for the Tech and Design BFA program at Adelphi University. In addition to more than a decade of educational experience, Jared has twenty plus years of professional experience as a Technical Director, Lighting/Video Designer, and Production Manager for both theatrical and industrial design companies throughout the US and Europe. He was a member and resident Lighting/Video Designer with the New York-based experimental theater company, Fovea Floods, and a founding member of the Obie award-winning Bushwick Starr Theater in Brooklyn. International lighting design and technical direction credits include: Kronos Quartet, Port[al], Movement Live (NYU AbuDhabi & Lincoln Center), Big Art Group’s House of No More, Shelf Life, and Flicker. NYC design credits include: Cassandra (Helga Davis, BRIC),Minority and Glee (Nina Winthrop & Dancers, The Flea Theater),The ResistIble Rise of Arturo Ui (Fovea Floods, Ontological-Hysteric Theater), One for the Road (Fovea Floods, CSV), The Maids (Fovea Floods, Bushwick Starr), and House of No More (Big Art Group, PS122).
Max Kraftsow ’26 (Master Electrician) is a senior Theater major with a concentration in Stage Management and a Media and Film Studies minor. His previous Electrician credits include Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (AME). Other Theater credits include Scene shop technician, Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom (SM), Where Are You Going Little Horse? (SM), The Courage to Right A Woman’s Wrongs (ASM), The Thugs (SM), and The Wizard of Oz (Flight Crew), The Place That Made You (ASM). Max would like to thank his mother for her endless support and Mighty Mighty Lighting Crew for all their help.
Alfie LaFleur ’29 (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman prospective double Theater and Psychology major with a Film and Media Studies minor. His first experience in any form of theater was theater pre-orientation with Skidmore. This is his first time working on a show. He wishes to further his role in theater by becoming a director sometime in the future. He’d like to thank everyone he’s worked with on Keely and Du, as well as his friends and family for pushing him to follow his path in theater.
Garin Miner Drewes ’28 (Asst. Sound Design) is a sophomore Theater major studying acting and as many elements of production as he can. His most recent tech and design credits include Sweeney Todd (Lighting/Scenic Design/TD), Minor Character (Asst. Master Electrician), Anon(ymous) (Asst. Technical Director), The Laramie Project (Lighting Design), Chicago (Asst. Lighting Design), Pippin (Asst. Lighting Design), and She Kills Monsters (Asst. Lighting Design/Student TD). In addition to this show, Garin is both the Props Coordinator and an actor in the MainStage. He is also a Scene Shop Employee. He would like to thank his family for always being there for him, Jared for being an amazing mentor, and his friends Ella and Lu for teaching him so much.
Brandon Sewall (Asst. Technical Director) is thrilled to join the Skidmore College Theatre Department as Assistant Technical Director. Before this role, Brandon served as the Scene Shop Specialist at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, where he oversaw scenic operations for theatre, musical theatre, opera, music, and dance. He has additional experience collaborating with students as Technical Director at Wilkes University, Assistant Technical Director at Albright College, and Scene Shop Advisor for Princeton University’s Triangle Club, one of the oldest collegiate theater troupes in the United States. Brandon also worked as a Scenic Carpenter at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, building scenic elements for all resident productions. Some of Brandon’s favorite productions he has worked on include The Threepenny Opera (Lycoming College), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (McCarter Theatre Center), A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre Center), Goodnight Nobody (McCarter Theatre Center), Sleuth (McCarter Theatre Center), and Sweeney Todd (Sam Houston State University). Brandon’s work aims to create inviting and innovative theatrical sets for each production he works on. He does this through continued learning and exploration with students and colleagues to collaboratively engineer scenic pieces that enhance and bring theatre to life.
Ella Theoharis ’26 (Scenic Designer) is a Theater and Math major. Her previous Skidmore credits include [RE]MAKING (ASM), The Courage to Write a Woman’s Wrong (AME), The Place That Made You (Sound Op), The Great Impresario… (LD) The Winter Guard Play (ME), Where Are You Going Little Horse? (Props Coordinator), Neighborhood 3… (Asst. Scenic Designer) and Black Superhero Magic Mama (ALD), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (ME), Minor Character (Asst. Scenic Designer and Props Coordinator). Outside of Skidmore, Ella serves as a Resident Lighting Designer at the Brooklyn Art House. She is thrilled to present her first scenic design at Skidmore, and would like to thank Gary, Jared, Brandon, and Jess for all of their help.
Elina Zhu ’26 (Assistant Stage Manager) is a senior double major in Theater and Political Science. Her previous credits in Skidmore include Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Dramaturgy Group Member), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Lightboard Operator), and a studio lab A Blizzard of Gardening Books (Playwright and Director). She was also a member of the Off-North Broadway musical club at Skidmore. She would like to thank the entire team for their support, and she really appreciates this opportunity to learn more about the rehearsal process.
Jojo Zou ’26 (Props Coordinator) is a Theater major with a Business minor. Her previous Skidmore credits include Silent Sky (Lightning Crew), After Jane (Wardrobe) The Winter Guard Play (ASM), Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Connie Wright / Lady Vulture), Minor Character (Wardrobe Supervisor), The Year It Stops (Stage Manager & Costume Designer), I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire (Costume Designer) and Us and Them (Scenic & Props Designer). Jojo excitedly explores various production roles discovering her versatility in theater. After taking several classes with our director Teisha Duncan, she is very excited to finally get the chance to work with her!