I Was Unbecoming Then
by Lyndsey Bourne
Directed by Ilana Khanin
April 2 - 25
It’s 2006 and a high school choir is getting ready to compete. While the altos and sopranos tune and re-tune to changing harmonies and hormones, they learn to shape themselves in the dissonance.
I Was Unbecoming Then is a choral play-thing about the minefield of girlhood - when good hair was never so important. I Was Unbecoming Then is written by Lyndsey Bourne and directed by Ilana Khanin, with an original vocal score by Sam Kaseta. This piece was developed at Ars Nova's ANT Fest 2018, and through developmental readings at The Joust Theatre Company.
Written by Lyndsey Bourne
Music by Sam Kaseta
Directed by Ilana Khanin
Featuring
Queen-tiye Akamefula, Evie Brandford-Altsher
Amanda Centeno, ChiWen Chang, Caitlin Cobb-Vialet
Siena D'Addario, Brenna Donahue, Nile Assata Harris, Keyana Hemphill
Annie Hoeg, Lizzy Jarrett, Sara Rahman.
Creative Team
Scenic Design – Caitlin Ayer
Lighting design – Dallas Estes
Costume design – Hahnji Jang
Stage manager – Sophie Koester
Producers – Lyndsey Bourne, Ilana Khanin
Creative producer – Morgan Lindsey Tachco
Graphic Design by Caila Gale
MEET THE CAST
Queen-Tiye Akamefula (Emma) (she/her) is a New York based actor. Last May she graduated from NYU: Tisch (Playwrights Horizons/ETW). She’s had the pleasure to have been part of this shows process since it was first shown at Ars Nova (ANT Fest). Other recent credits include Anatomy of a Suicide (Playwrights Downtown), An American Feast (Joe’s Pub), and Hyacinth and Apollo (Dixon Place). All her love to her family/friends and the cast/crew of I Was Unbecoming Then. queentiyeakamefula.com
Nile Assata Harris (Rebecca) is a New York based actress who’s just graduated from NYU Tisch. She is so excited to be back at the Tank with this production of Unbecoming. Her most recent work includes Frankenstein in collaboration with the Manhattan Detention Center, First Place Trophy Shop 7x7 (both at the Tank), Sun Club, Dreamboat, Hyacinth & Apollo (all at Dixon Place), God’s Ear (Playwrights Horizons Theatre Downtown) and Dreams in Black Majors at Ars Nova’s ANT Fest. She would like to thank the cast and crew of this show for taking her in, as well as her parents for all of their love and support.
Evie Brandford-Altsher (CJ) is a NYC-based performer who specializes in developing new work. She studied acting for stage and screen at NYU Tisch's Playwrights Horizons Theater School and Stonestreet Studios. Evie loves to collaborate and help evolve new works, and she's been involved in countless readings and workshops of both plays and musicals. Credits include Q in The Forest (Dixon Place), Charlotte in All the Junk... (PHTS), and CJ in I Was Unbecoming Then (2019 workshops). Evie sang in choirs throughout her childhood, so she's excited to return to her roots of choral singing in this show. She sends love and thanks to the teachers who respected her, supported her, and helped shape her as a performer and as a person. Evie is grateful and thrilled to be a part of this beautiful production.
Amanda Centeno (Tab) is an actor, let’s get coffee & collaborate, www.amandacenteno.com
ChiWen Chang (Alexis) is a theater artist based in New York and is thrilled to be working on this delightful show with such a lovely and talented team of humans. This show holds a very dear place in her heart and there’s no other group of people she’d rather relive and cherish her uncool high school choir days with. ChiWen has worked and performed with The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Dance Cartel, Tectonic Theater Project, Clubbed Thumb, and Pipeline Theater Company. BFA: NYU Tisch Playwrights Horizons, Experimental Theatre Wing.
IG: @chiwen___ www.chiwenchang.com
Caitlin Cobb-Vialet (Lucille) is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Playwrights Horizons studio (PHTS). Previous projects include Triplight at Joe’s Pub, César Alvarez’s Elementary Spacetime Show at PHTS, and Times Square with The Civilians at Tisch Drama Stageworks.
Siena D’Addario (Daisy) is an NYC based actor, singer and model that graduated with a BFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (Playwrights Horizons Theater School). She also studied classical acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England. Recent theatre credits: Sisters on the Ground (World Premiere Production) by Max Posner, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll (Clubbed Thumb), The Shoebox (World Premiere Production) by Kate Brennan, directed by Lindsey Hope Pearlman (SheNYC), The Cherry Orchard, directed by Rakesh Palisetty (Columbia University MFA Directing Program). Recent film credits: Spinning Man (Featured), Semper Fi (Featured), The Origami Swan (Lead), Seagull (Masha, Lead), The Stunods (Lead). @sienadaddario www.sienadaddario.com
Brenna Donahue (Ashley) is thrilled to be back with the Unbecoming family! Brenna studied at NYU Tisch (Playwrights Horizons Theater School and Stonestreet Studios). Some recent favorite credits include Dreamboat (Dixon Place), Pop Punk High (le poisson rouge), Simon and His Shoes (The Tank), When We Met (short), and of course I Was Unbecoming Then at Ars Nova. Find her on instagram @bredonahue and at brennadonahue.com for updates!
Keyana Hemphill (Anna) is a New York based actor and stage manager. She is excited to be performing at The Tank again. Her last performance here was Jordan Baum’s Gobstopper directed by Ilana Khanin. Most recently, she ASM’d nicHi douglas’ where love lies fallow (The Shed & The Public). BFA: NYU Tisch ‘17. Theatre: Karyl Singers in The End of Incorporated Filth (The Chain Theatre). Liv in Antarabhava (The Brick); Duke Frederick/Duke Senior in As You Like It (Breaking & Entering Theatre Co.); Our House Is Haunted (Dixon Place); Female Ensemble in If You Give A Kid A Sucker (The Hive); Anna in I Was Unbecoming Then (ANT Fest); Louis XVI in Incorruptible (Joust Theatre Co.); King of France/Countess in All’s Well That Ends Well (The Brick). Web: Too Far Web Series (YouTube).
Annie Hoeg (Kim) Select credits include What A World! What A World!, I Was Unbecoming Then (ANT Fest), Slow Field (Theaterlab), Ancient Greek Corn (HERE), 12thNight… (The Brick), Gobstopper (The Tank), and Witness Relocation’s The Loon (Abrons / JACK). BFA: NYU
Lizzy Jarret (Liv) peaked in high school when she was the Soprano section leader two years in a row with San Marino Chamber Choir. Selected NY Theatre: The Happy Garden of Life (New Ohio Theatre), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the 'Burg), Holy Ghosts (Theatre East), St. Vincent's Project: Novenas for a Lost Hospital (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Cherry Orchard (Columbia Stages). She also is a team member of the arts company Make/Shift where she serves as the SHE Creates Producer. Thank you to Lyndsey, Ilana, and Sam for bravely bringing this beautiful play to life. Training: B.F.A. NYU Tisch. Lizzyjarrett.com
Sara Rahman (Joey) is a NYC-based actor and voice-over performer and is so pleased to be playing Joey in I Was Unbecoming Then. She most recently performed at New Ohio Theatre as Squeak in The Listening Room and Cass in Maggie at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, starred in films The Letter and Aisle 6, currently voices lead roles in animated series Tina & Tony and 2 Happy Farmers and supporting roles in upcoming feature Hansel & Gretel, and helms kids Youtube channel Ellie Sparkles as titular host (now with 1.7 million subscribers!)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Lyndsey Bourne (Playwright) is a queer, Canadian playwright and doula working with The Doula Project. Her plays have been developed with The Tank, Dixon Place, La Mama, The Joust Theatre Company, The Barn Arts Collective, Judson Church, Brooklyn College, Playwrights Horizons Downtown and Ars Nova. She was a 2019 finalist for the Creative Residency at SPACE on Ryder farm and was a 2019 Resident artist at The Barn Arts Collective. Lyndsey teaches at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School (NYU). She is a New Georges affiliated artist and is represented by Abrams Artists Agency. Queer female experiences and reproductive rights will always be an important aspect of her work as a playwright. BFA NYU, MFA Brooklyn College
Ilana Khanin (Director) is a New York-based director. Directing: Ars Nova ANT Fest, HERE, Theaterlab, Exquisite Corpse Company, Judson, Joust Theater Company, Samuel French, Center at West Park, Primary Stages, The Brick, The Tank, Dixon Place, Atlantic Stage 2, among others. She has been an associate director for Lila Neugebauer, Lee Sunday Evans, Annie-B Parson, and works for Big Dance Theater. 2019-2020 Artist-in-Residence at Montclair State University/ New Works Initiative. M.A. in Performance Studies and B.F.A. in Directing from NYU. www.ilanakhanin.com
Sam Kaseta (Composer) is a composer and vocalist living and working in New York City. After graduating Princeton cum laude with a BA in Music and certificates in German and Theater, Sam recently obtained their Masters in Music degree from NYU Steinhardt, where they studied concert composition with Caroline Shaw and Joan La Barbara. Sam has spent the past few years as a freelance composer, music director, and sound designer. Some of the theaters they have worked with include Soho Rep., Ars Nova, The Dramatists’ Guild, New Georges, Everyday Inferno, and Prospect Theater Company. They are also a music curator at The Tank NYC, where they are a frequent contributor to its queer cabaret series Tankaret. Sam also performs as their drag king alter ego Sam Bam Thankyoumaam.
Caitlin Ayer (Scenic Design) designs sets for plays, musicals, opera, tv/film, and live events. Recent credits include: THE SECRETARY (Curious Theatre Company); PACKING & CRACKING (Special FX Festival); FEMININE OCTAGON (LaGuardia Performing Arts Center); HECUBA (University of Colorado Boulder); THE MAKING OF KING KONG (Spring/Break Art Show at Times Square & Target Margin Theatre); ID, PLEASE (Tête à Tête Festival London); OPACITY (With Big Art Group, Live Arts Bard Biennial); DRAG QUEEN TIME MACHINE (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); and 6 seasons as a resident designer at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She recently received the Rose Brand Scene Design Award from USITT, won a Colorado Theatre Guild Award, and was named a "Young Designer to Watch" by Live Design Magazine. BFA Webster University. MFA Carnegie Mellon University. Member USA Local 829. www.caitlinayer.com.
Hahnji Jang 장한지 (Costume Design) is a Brooklyn based costume designer and activist with a focus on environmentally conscious design and ethical personal styling. She was excited to join the I Was Unbecoming Then team and bring her passion for secondhand and rescued clothing to these women’s stories. Selected projects include Baltimore Center Stage's Men on Boats, The Public Mobile Unit's A Midsummer Night's Dream, new play Incident at Hidden Temple, political tour No-No Boy, and the national premier of the translation of Sister Mokrahn. Upcoming projects include documentary play Thucydides (Signature Theatre) and Polylogues! (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater). hahnjijang.com
Dallas Estes (Lighting Design) is a lighting designer based in Brooklyn. Design credits: 59E59, The Performing Garage, City Lyric Opera, Soho Rep, The Gamm Theater, and site-specific works in Brooklyn. Assistant scenic and lighting credits include: Brooklyn Academy of Music, Theatre for a New Audience, Opera Philadelphia, The Old Globe Theater, and the Bushwick Starr. Dallas has a BA from Brown University and an MFA from NYU Tisch Design for Stage and Film.
Morgan Lindsey Tachco (Creative Producer) is a Brooklyn-based theater artist and cultural worker who has supported the work of thousands of artists as a creative producer, festival & venue director, advocate, grantmaker, and development strategist. Morgan is a Performer/Deviser and Creative Producer with Little Lord, a Brooklyn-based experimental performance company, and is Managing Producer at The Builders Association, a cross-genre performance company now in their 25th year. Most recent with The Builders: Elements of Oz (NYU Skirball) and STRANGE WINDOW (BAM Next Wave); with Little Lord: NYTimes Critic’s Pick SKINNAMARINK / The Peanut Butter Show (2018: Target Margin Theater’s The Doxsee, 2019: Next Door at NYTW); NOW IS THE TIME... (Abrons Arts Center, 2016, 3 NYITA noms). Her performance work has been called, “playful, nuanced,” and “pretty, although quite chubby.” morganlindseytachco.com
Sophie Koester (Stage Manager) is a Connecticut native and SUNY Purchase graduate. Recent theatrical credits include JUMP (Astoria Performing Arts Center), NJCU's Indie Play Festival, June is the First Fall (Yangtze Repertory), and Cat in the Hat National Tour (Two Beans Productions/TheatreworksUSA).