WHITE

James Ijames
March 9-12, 2023
Mitchell Education Center 211
Theatre Studio Blackbox

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SETTING

Now.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
This play contains violent noises and explicit language that may be intense for some viewers.

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CAST

VANESSA/BALKONAÉ
LAILA FARMER

GUS
IAN WEHRENBERG

TANNER
JUAN ACEVES / NAOMI (NOM) MARTINEZ

JANE
MAEGAN KLUSMAN

ST. DIANA
KAIA CRAWFORD

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PRODUCTION TEAM

DIRECTOR
SARA BENAB

STAGE MANAGER
PATRICE TULLIS

SCENIC DESIGNER
SARA BENAB

SOUND DESIGNER
MICAH JONES

LIGHTING DESIGNER
VALERIE RAGON

PROPS/SPECIAL EFFECTS DESIGNER
MADISON KELLY

MAKEUP/COSTUME DESIGNERS
ANGELIQUE BRUNER / BAILEY CARPENTER

INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER
DR. KATE BUSSELLE

PHOTOGRAPHER
DENVER MILLER

MEDIA AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR
MEGHAN HAYNES

SCENIC PAINTERS
BAILEY CARPENTER / TABITHA MABEN

LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR
VALERIE RAGON

SOUND BOARD OPERATOR
MICAH JONES

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CAST BIOS

Laila Farmer (Vanessa) is a freshman theatre arts performance major and is very excited to be performing in her first show at UCO. She would like to thank the cast and crew members for all their hard work and for their friendship. She thanks her professors for all of their support and guidance. Lastly, she would like to thank the director, Sara Benab, for her patience throughout the process of creating the show and for being such an inspiration.

Ian Wehrenberg (he/him/his, Gus) is a junior theatre performance major at the University of Central Oklahoma, “White” is Ian’s fifth production at UCO as an actor, his previous acting credits at the institution include “Radium Girls” (Swing), “Rhinoceros” (Grocer), “Puffs” (J. Finch and others) and “Corpus Christi” (James and others). Last semester Ian made his directorial debut with the fall APO blackbox production of “Significant Other”. Ian would like to thank Sara Benab for her vision and guidance throughout this process along with the entire cast and creative team of “White”. Lastly, he would like to send all of his love to Tyler Abbott, Bellah Crawford and the amazing people he has met at UCO who have been the greatest support system a person could ask for, and his entire family for their undying love and support.

Juan Jose Aceves (Tanner) is thrilled to be performing in White by James Ijames at UCO.  He has been working in theatre for a few years now. Some of his previous credits include dancer/singer in Cinderella, fireman in Rhinoceros, and among others. In addition to his work on stage, Juan has also dabbled in sewing and cooking/ baking. He would like to thank his family and wonderful girlfriend for their support and encouragement throughout his career. Juan hopes that you enjoy the performance and would like to invite you to follow Him on to keep up with his upcoming projects and performances.

Nom Martinez (they/she, Tanner) continues their “Early Career” part of their Wikipedia with another production at the University of Central Oklahoma! So far, the Wiki editors noted that Nom is a sophomore theater performance major, having appeared in UCO productions like “Significant Other” (Evan and others) and “Corpus Christi” (Bartholomew). The Wiki editors also noted that while Nom is a total cutie, they couldn’t have done it without the friends and life-saving medicine made along the way!

Maegan Klusman (Jane) is a senior Theatre Education major. “White” is her debut here at UCO and she is so excited to work and perform with such a talented group.

Kaia Crawford (ST. DIANA) is from Moore, Oklahoma. She is grateful to be a part of this cast and to be playing St. Diana. Kaia has played Marcy Parks from the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”, Megan Jones in “Puffs” and recently Emma Parker in “Bonnie and Clyde”. She is a freshman MT and very excited to be performing in her first UCO play. Kaia would like to thank her parents for encouraging her dreams.

 

PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS

Sara Benab (Director/Set Designer) is a junior theatre arts student pursuing a degree in Theatre Design, as well as a degree in Theatre Education. This is Sara’s first full-length directing project at UCO. Recent projects have included the role of paint charge for UCO’s debut production of Rooster and the scenic designer for Artworks Academy’s production of Amélie. She loves to help people realize how wildly capable they are of also creating art. She would like to thank her cast and creative team for believing in her and putting their hearts into this production. She would also like to thank her professors and Brooke Perez for all of their support. She would finally like to thank Carson Decker for his mentorship and friendship during every step of her journey. (@saraxart)

Patrice Tullis (Stage Manager) is a junior theatre arts student pursuing a degree in Theatre Education. This is Patrice’s first stage management project at UCO and she loved working on the show. She would like to thank her parents and sisters for always supporting her.

Micah Jones (Sound Designer) is currently in her junior year of getting a Bachelor’s in Audio Production at the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO. She’s pursuing writing and producing Pop R&B music for herself and other artists. She would like to thank Sara Benab for asking her to join this project.

Valerie Ragon (Lighting Designer) is a junior tech/design student focusing on lighting design. This is Valerie’s first light design for production. Their most recent project was assistant stage managing UCO’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Finding inspiration in emotions and nature, she is happy to start finding her style within lighting. She is thankful for this opportunity and the support of her peers. They would also like to thank their friends and professors for their love and guidance.

Madison Kelly (Props Master/Crew)- Is a transfer Design Tech. Major with a focus on Props at UCO. She is grateful to have had this amazing opportunity to work on an APO production again. She has worked on many productions in the past including APO’s “Significant Other”, APO’s “The Mad Ones”, UCO’s “Puffs”, UCO’s “Rent”, and RSC’s “King Lear”. She would like to thank everyone involved with the show for their contributions during this process, as well as her friends and family for the love and support they have given her. She would like to thank you for coming to see this production and hopes you enjoy the show!

Bailey Carpenter (Costume Designer/Scenic Painter/Crew) is a freshman Theatre Education major with minors in English and Interpersonal Communication. Her recent projects include scenic painting for UCO’s production of Much Ado About Nothing and costume design for Red Carpet Community Theatre’s productions of Little Women and Barefoot in the Park. She is excited to have the opportunity to work on this show with her peers. She would like to thank her friends, family, and professors for encouraging her.

Denver Miller (Photographer) is a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma pursuing a bachelor’s in Theatre/Communications Education with a minor in Photographic Arts. Denver has been involved in several productions during his time at UCO, the most recent being the director of Piedmont High School’s production Outsiders and playing the role of Matthew in UCO’s production of Corpus Christi. He is proud that White is the last production he will be involved in at UCO. Denver loves to create art and tells stories in many ways, whether that be through a theatrical production, or through the lens of his camera. He is thankful to Sara and the rest of the White team for allowing him to help capture these stories. Lastly, he would like to thank Collin Andrulonis for being a great mentor throughout his theatrical and academic career.

Tabitha Maben (Scenic Painter/Crew) is a senior theatre tech and Design major with a set design emphasis at UCO. She graduated from Tulsa Community College with an Associate of Arts in December of 2021. Some of her favorite productions she has worked on are The Consul (UCO), Significant Other (UCO), and Fun Home (TCC).

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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Professor Devin Scheef said, “Theatre is a revolution, theatre is change.” He probably says this every year to his script analysis classes, but this put my reason for creating into words. I create to make audiences feel, critically think, and grow. I want to expose audiences to the realities of our world and new perspectives and hopefully spark change. The immersiveness and vulnerability of theatrical storytelling is the space for creating such art. Specifically telling stories like White.

This story explores four different unique perspectives of diversity and representation. Recently we have seen a change in representation in the media. I thought it would be fun to examine it.

I wanted to take this opportunity to create a diverse production team and cast to exercise their art and activism through this important story. Throughout the process, the script sparked many beautiful, insightful conversations about the experiences and interpretations between the cast and crew. This story allows so many ideas to come to light that are not simply black and white. Ideas that we need to talk about in order to create a change. I hope we achieve these conversations in our audiences through our art. Listen, learn, and love.

—Sara Benab

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UCO ALPHA PSI OMEGA

Alpha Psi Omega is a collegiate theatre honor society with an active chapter at the University of Central Oklahoma. The mission of UCO’s chapter of APO is to stimulate interest and promotion in theatre arts activities, while simultaneously unifying the theatre department. The organization is dedicated to providing the department with holistically student-driven opportunities and artistic growth.

We hope you enjoy the show and will consider donating so that we can continue to cultivate student art.

Follow APO on Instagram at @ucotheatreapo for more updates!

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SPECIAL THANKS

University of Central Oklahoma Student Association (UCOSA)

Daisy Nystul, Chair of Theatre Arts

Devin Scheef, Assistant Chair of Theatre Arts

Collin Andulonis, Head of Theatre/Communication Education

Jamison Rhoads, APO Faculty Advisor

Alpha Psi Omega Executive Board

Brooke Perez, Southmoore High School Theatre Director

Southmoore Student Volunteers

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UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS

THE REVOLUTIONISTS

Directed by Erin Clemons
April 13-16, 2023
Theatre Studio Blackbox

SHORT PLAY FESTIVAL

Senior Capstone Projects
April 27-30, 2023
Theatre Studio Blackbox

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

Directed by Collin Andrulonis
Fall 2023
Mitchell Hall Theatre

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Learn more about UCO Theatre Arts!

View the College of Fine Arts and Design Artistic Expression Statement

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