Shaun Tuazon serves as Lead Props for: WIVES West Coast Premiere By Jaclyn Backhaus Director Lavina Jadhwani June 24 – July 24, 2022 Streaming July 19 – July 24 Runtime: 90 minutes There will be no intermission SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW From Hemingway’s widow to a maharani in Rajasthan, from 16th century France to the campus of Oxbridge University today, the Great Men are left behind as their wives claim center stage in this irreverent celebration of female capability and power. Can Catherine de’ Medici, queen to Henri II of France, rise above her rivalry with Henri’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers? Will Hemingway’s death bring his former wives together or drive them apart? Can a pact between a maharaja, his wife, and a witch survive the forces of British imperialism? Can a new student club devoted to witchcraft conjure a spell to manifest a new way of being in the world? Aurora is proud to present the West Coast premiere of this riotous and powerful story by the extraordinary playwright Jaclyn Backhaus. Shaun Tuazon serves as Properties “Winking and exuberant! Jaclyn Backhaus’s Wives is a swift and playful feminist manifesto.” — Sara Holdren, NEW YORK MAGAZINE All shows will be presented live in our space if health conditions allow, otherwise streamed to your home on video. Wives Post Show Discussions: Friday, July 1 Tuesday, July 5 Wednesday, July 13 Thursday, July 21 Please join us for a discussion of Aurora's production of Wives by Jaclyn Backhaus, hosted after the show on the select days above. Discussion host, Dawn Monique Williams, may be joined by the actor, director, community members, and or local storytellers. Check out some of Shaun's work as Lead Props in this West Coast Premiere: ARTISTS
CAST Anisha Jagannathan Wife 3 Kunal Prasad* Man Rebecca Schweitzer* Wife 2 Jasmine Sharma Wife 1 CREATIVE TEAM Jaclyn Backhaus Playwright Lavina Jadhwani Director Elton Bradman Sound Designer Courtney Flores Costume Designer Michael Oesch** Production Lighting Designer Srikar Srinath Preproduction Lighting Designer Mikiko Uesugi** Set Designer Leela Oleszkiewicz Composer Shaun Tuazon Lead Props Ishika Seth Choreographer Dawn Monique Williams Intimacy Director Lisa Anne Porter Dialect Coach Marie Shell* Stage Manager * Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, **United Scenic Artists Member, + Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member Jaclyn Backhaus is a playwright, cofounder of Fresh Ground Pepper, and new member of The Kilroys. Her plays include Men On Boats (New York Times Critics’ Pick, Clubbed Thumb, Playwrights Horizons, published by Dramatists Play Service), India Pale Ale (Manhattan Theatre Club, recipient of the 2018 Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play), You Across From Me (co-written with three other writers for the Humana Festival), Folk Wandering (book writer and co-lyricist with 11 composers, Pipeline Theatre Company), and You On the Moors Now (Theater Reconstruction Ensemble), among others. She was the 2016 Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence at Clubbed Thumb and she is currently in residence at Lincoln Center. Backhaus holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch, where she now teaches. She hails from Phoenix, Arizona, and currently resides in Ridgewood, Queens with her husband, director Andrew Scoville and their son Ernie. Lavina Jadhwani (Director) is a Chicago-based director, adaptor, and activist. Her adaptation of A Christmas Carol premiered at the Guthrie in Minneapolis in 2021 and will remain on the boards for years to come. Directing credits include Asolo Rep, the Guthrie, Mixed Blood, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Teatro Vista, and Rasaka Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director for seven years. Her critical writing has been featured on HowlRound and Rescripted and is regularly circulated in classrooms across the country. Lavina serves on the board of the National New Play Network and the Chicago Inclusion Project; she volunteers with Unlock Her Potential, a national mentorship program for women of color. She is a proud alum of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (aka "Hogwarts for Hackers"), where she received the show choir's Bob Fosse Choreography Award and the drama club's "lifetime achievement" award. BFA/MA, Carnegie Mellon; MFA, DePaul University. @lavinajadhwani / www.lavinajadhwani.com. Anisha Jagannathan (Wife 3) is an actress, singer, and comedian based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. She is a USC alum, performs and produces improv and sketch, and was showcased at SF Sketchfest in 2020. Her recent credits include Lady Mortimer in Henry IV at the Orange County Shakespeare Festival, Kayla in Hollywood Fringe's Production of Best Friend, Shai in FreeForm's Good Trouble, and "Wendy" in Showtime's Shameless. Her website is anishajag.com. Kunal Prasad (Man) is an actor, artist, and educator. He studied theatre at the American Repertory Theater and the Moscow Art Theatre and also studied advanced long-form improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC. He is featured in the indie film The Cow, starring Winona Ryder, which premiered at SXSW in Austin and will be in wide release this Fall. Kunal has been seen on stage in Baloney at The Oasis nightclub, A Thousand Splendid Suns at the American Conservatory Theater, and Wisdom from Everything at Local Theater Company in Colorado. Other theater credits include: Taylor Mac: A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (SF Curran), Vignettes on Love (Playground SF), Hedda Gabler (The Cutting Ball Theater), Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat (Golden Thread Productions), and A Dreamplay (The Cutting Ball Theater). He has worked at California Shakespeare Theater, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Magic Theatre, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Rebecca Schweitzer (Wife 2) is thrilled to be back at the Aurora where she was last seen in Bull in a China Shop. In addition to the Aurora, Rebecca has appeared at Center Rep, SF Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, PCPA. Favorite roles include Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World, Rapture Blister Burn, Book Club Play, Tigers be Still, Coronado, The Story, Small Tragedy, as well as the world premieres of Love and The First Grade. Rebecca is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts. Her voice can be heard on various video games (The Walking Dead, Back to the Future, World of Warcraft: Legion, League of Legends, SimsCity, CSI Hard Evidence, CSI Deadly Intent) TV and radio commercials, corporate videos, and reservation lines (CSAA, Disney). This, along with all endeavors, is dedicated to her mother and grandfather whose love and support have been the foundation for her success. She would also like to thank her husband for his unwavering support. Jasmine Sharma (Wife 1) is a South Asian-American actor/writer/activist, and is elated to be part of THE WIVES. Jasmine has most recently worked with the 24 Hour Plays both as an actor and writer, and has served as Script PA on several Broadway musicals. Recently, Jasmine was named a 2022-2023 Reel Sisters Fellow through GRO UP: A Web Series, which she is involved in both as an actor and writer. She is currently commissioned by Moxie Arts NYC and Jackalope Theatre. Northwestern University - love to Jake, Smollie and Sven. jasminesharma.org | @jasminesharmaa
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Watch Shaun perform in a reading of DIE ALREADY by Michael Mizerany on Monday, 5/23 @ 7:305/22/2022 MESSAGE FROM HOST, MICHAEL MIZERANY:
Yes, I am turning 59! Also, the play I just premiered, A TWISTED BARGAIN (also the first play in my Thrillogy Series), will be touring to Los Angeles in the fall. Join us not only for birthday shenanigans (and cake), but also for a play reading. DIE ALREADY!, a new gay slasher comedy, is the third play in my Thrillogy Series. In lieu of gifts, we are asking attendees for a donation of $25 per person in support of THE TWISTED BARGAIN performances in Los Angeles. You can't attend? You can still make a donation in celebration of my birthday!!! A homage to every horror film ever made where the killer just won’t stay dead, DIE ALREADY! tells the bloody tale of a one night stand gone horribly, horribly wrong. Featuring performances by Brian Braddock, Sidney Franklin, Christopher Miller, Stephen Simpson, and Shaun Tuazon. Kay Marian McNellen will read stage directions. Please be advised that DIE ALREADY! contains profanity, sexual dialogue and graphic descriptions of violence, murder, mayhem and quite a few laughs. The fifth grade talent show is approaching, and everyone is abuzz at Baldwin Elementary. Winston wants to win the talent show with his cheerleading routine to prove to others that he’s more than the unfriendly “Fishboy” nickname they call him. Introverted artist Gina wants nothing to do with the talent show, and she knows that the overzealous (and generally unpleasant) twin sensations, Randy and Brandy, are probably going to win it all anyway. But with the persistence of Elliott, the school’s new kid and resident rebel, these unlikely friends form Hoopla, a dazzling hula hooping trio, and help each other navigate through the pressures of being a kid. A fun play for the whole family! Cast:
Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford* Gina Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford (she/her) is a San Diego actor and director. She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in general theatre arts. Credits include: Safa’s Story (Imagine/Blindspot Collective), kNOw MORE (PLNU’s Center for Justice and Reconciliation), Connecting Flights (Blindspot Collective), Blackademics (Trinity Theatre Company, reading), The Two Musketeers (Trinity Theatre Company), Julius Caesar (San Diego State University) and The Trojan Incident (Dir. Tug Watson). Jaeonnie is also an artistic associate of Patchwork Theatre Company. Shaun Tuazon* Winston Shaun Tuazon (he/they) is an actor, designer, and donut enthusiast originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Some favorite credits: Vietgone, House of Joy (San Diego Rep.); #SuperShinySara (La Jolla Playhouse); Mamma Mia (East West Players); The Emperor's Nightingale (Lewis Family Playhouse); In the Heights (Cabrillo Music Theatre); Girlfriend (Craig Noel Award Nom.), Dooley, Altar Boyz (Diversionary Theatre); RENT, Joseph...Dreamcoat (SDMT); Deconstruction of a Drag Queen (Craig Noel Award Nom.); Zanna, Don’t! (SD Premiere), The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (Intrepid Theatre); as well as productions/readings with The Old Globe, Lamb's Players, New Village Arts, Cygnet Theatre, Breakthrough Workshop, Ion and more. BA in Theatre Arts, SDSU. ShaunTuazon.com #ShaunsDonuts Joy Yvonne Jones* Sylvie/Brandy/Ellen Originally from Houston, Texas Joy Yvonne Jones attended The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and went on to study at the University of Minnesota in the Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Training Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Joy is a recipient of the San Diego Critic Circle Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play for her performance of Saartjie Baartman in Voyeurs de Venus at Moxie Theatre. Her most recent credits include Cherise Howard in Flex at The Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Isabelle in Ring Round the Moon at Lambs Players Theatre, Zuzu in Dance Nation and Jane in Kate Hamil’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. She is an accomplished playwright and poet as well as the President of the San Diego Black Artist Collective. Joy is a creative hurricane working on the revolution at the speed of inspiration with her baby boy Leo James on her hip. Alexis Park* Elliot Alexis Park is a Los Angeles based actress and voice over artist! She is also the founder and co-artistic director of Recover Me, an International Mental Health Awareness Film Festival. Some of her favorite credits include: the staged reading of Laughs in Spanish (Amigos Del Rep, Latinx New Play Festival), UN (TuYo Theatre) and Julius Caesar (San Diego State University). Her voice can be heard as Rita in the english dub of the Netflix Original Series, Summertime: Season 2! BA Theatre Performance, San Diego State University Austyn Myers* Big Win/Randy I am so honored to be returning to theatre, playing Randy and Big Win in this production of Hoopla! Broadway: Lesmiserables. T.V. / Film; Meet Dave, Team Spitz, Moon Rocks and Lighter Fluid. Regional: Kingdom City (La Jolla Playhouse); October Sky, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Lost in Yonkers, The First Wives Club (The Old Globe); Lost in Yonkers, Newsies (McCoy Rigby Entertainment); Secret Garden (Lambs Players); Spring Awakening, Peter and the Starcatcher, Secret Garden (Barnstage Theatre)
Catch Shaun Tuazon and the wonderful cast of (trans)formada as part of Amigos del Rep's 2021 LATINX NEW PLAY FESTIVAL!
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