By C.A. Johnson  

Directed by Jade King Carroll  

Performance Dates: June 28-30 

When five individuals unite in their weekly support group, they forge a sanctuary of care and companionship despite the apocalypse currently plaguing their world.  Characterized by discussions of illness and mortality, grandiose philosophical speeches, spirited swearing, and the undeniable physical urge for human connection and family, Tell Me You’re Dying (or the trial of millicent bonhomme) compels us to question not only if we can change but if we have time to do so while the world appears to be ending.   

Tell Me You're Dying, made possible by a New York State Council on the Arts grant with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State. 

The New Play Workshops and Readings are made possible in part by a generous grant from the Roe Green Foundation. 

This reading may not be suitable for children under 12. 

CAST

Emmanuelle: Sepideh Moafi*  

Millicent: Amelia Workman*  

John: Daniel Pearce* 

Caleb: Nicholas Byers  

Tori: Sarah-Michele Guei  

Stage Directions: Alex Carroll-Cabanes  

*The noted Actors are members of the Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

CREATIVE TEAM  

Playwright: C.A. Johnson

Director: Jade King Carroll

Dramaturg: Otis Ramsey-Zöe

Stage Manager: Alexandria Griner  

Casting: The Telsey Office: Karyn Casl, CSA. Stephanie Castillo, Assisting

DIRECTING AND DESIGN FELLOWS  

Assistant Director: Britt Berke  

Sound Consultant: Tojo Rasedoara   

Lighting Consultant: Rae McCreary 

During this very special season, we invite you to reflect on our legacy as we launch into the future. Ten years ago, when I first came to Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) to direct The Tempest, I walked into Bratton and was immediately captivated by this gorgeous ship-like theater. The magic of theater lies in its ability to transport you anywhere. What better vessel to take you on these journeys than Bratton Theater? 

This year is a season of birthdays. We are celebrating both the Institution's 150th birthday and the Friends of Chautauqua Theater's (FCT) 30th birthday. The Young Playwrights Project is celebrating 10 years of local community involvement. Twenty-four years ago, the FCT, with the help of a successful capital campaign, transformed Normal Hall into the stunning theater we are all sitting in today. 

CTC is thrilled to offer plays at every stage of their life cycle this summer, starting with the homecoming of Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles. This play, which was a new play workshop in 2017, has since been produced across the country, on Broadway, and around the world.  Birthday Candles is a play about home, the magnitude of life, and the universe, as told through seemingly small, everyday moments. Next, we present a 20-year-old contemporary American classic, Fabulation, an allegorical play that I have long admired — it’s audacity, humor, and horror of perception and expectation, all presented through an extremely satirical lens. Satire has become an increasingly necessary genre in what can seem to be an increasingly absurd world. It’s a riches-to-rags, coming-of-age story of self-discovery that unearths archetypes and makes us look more discerningly at the things and people we might take for granted.  It is written by one of America’s most important living playwrights, Lynn Nottage. The final main stage production of the season is the world premiere of CTC’s very own commissioned play The Light and The Dark: the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi, by Kate Hamill, starring the playwright herself as Artemisia. This classic tale tells the story of this oft-forgotten visionary artist and brave woman, Artemisia Gentileschi, the great Italian Renaissance painter.  

It is an incredible honor to have all our playwrights joining us this summer and it’s no coincidence that we are welcoming almost all of them back home to Bratton and CTC. Noah Haidle was last here to workshop Birthday Candles in 2017. Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel was beautifully produced in 2015, and just last year I kicked off my tenure as Producing Artistic Director with Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice.  

This summer, we are thrilled to welcome back commissioned artist C.A. Johnson, who joined us last season on the grounds for a writing residency, working on the first draft of Tell Me You’re Dying: the trial of millicent bonhomme. We are also welcoming back Anna Ziegler, who was with us as part of our signature NPW platform in 2008 and 2010 and is returning this year with a brand-new play, Celebrating 65 years of the Ladies' Home Journal in Cambridge, Massachusetts! For our final staged new play workshop, we are pleased to welcome Hilary Bettis and her beautiful coming-of-age story, falcon girls.  

I’m also thrilled to announce that we have partnered with the Drama League, the preeminent creative development home for directors, based in New York City. We now have three fabulous directing fellows who will be presenting their own Night of One Acts, with works by José Rivera, Bill Harris and Caryl Churchill. And what a perfect year to return to Bratton Late Night, also under the direction of one of these talented fellows! 

If CTC’s season were to have an actual birthday party, it would be on Aug. 1, for the homecoming of our former artistic directors who will be performing in a benefit reading of the brilliant classic Old Times by Harold Pinter. This will be a celebration of the past 150 years as we look forward to the next 150, and beyond. Prior to this performance, we will be celebrating the announcement of the future Roe Green Theater Center. The vision for this new building — both a replacement of our dilapidated theater offices and former rehearsal studios, and an expansion of our capabilities with a state-of-the-art black box theater — has long been a dream. Now, that dream is starting to turn into a reality. The Roe Green Foundation has made a transformational gift of $4.5 million, of which $1.5 million is a matching challenge. Please consider supporting the theater in whatever way you can — we cannot fully realize this dream without your support! If you are inspired to meet the challenge of Roe Green’s $1.5 million matching gift, please reach out to Chautauqua Institution’s Advancement team at 716-357-6404 or Advancement@chq.org. Anything you give towards this gift will be instantly doubled.  

This year, we will also be expanding our accessibility offerings, with audio-described and sensory-friendly performances, and other programs like "Pick Your Own Price," where patrons can pay anywhere from $5 to $500 per ticket.  

After all, what is a birthday but a celebration of growth and a blessing of what’s to come? So please join us in celebrating our amazing past as we move into our very bright future. Just by showing up, you are already helping to build on our legacy. Please spread the word! But for now, please lean in and enjoy the show.  

ADMINISTRATION  

Producing Artistic Director: Jade King Carroll 

General Manager: Emily Glinick  

Arts Marketing Specialist: Makayla Santiago-Froebel

Artistic Assistant: Jennifer Davis

Administrative Assistant: Rachel Lykins

Administrative Intern: Ben Cornell  

Company Manager: Ryan Duncan-Ayala  

Company Management Advisor: Matthew B. Cullen

Assistant Company Manager: Adam Owens  

Digital and Print Arts Marketing Associate: 
Teresa Fidalgo-Azize  

Assistant House Manager and Sales Associate: Jace Jacobs  

Bratton House Manager: Fosse Thornton  

Graphic Designer: Chance Brinkman-Sull  

PRODUCTION TEAM:  

Production Manager: Will Duty  

Associate Production Manager and Business Assistant: 
Cecelia Hill  

Technical and Facilities Manager: Spencer Dick  

Carpenter and Facilities Assistant: Justin Kochetta  

Production Assistant (Production Management): 
Sebastian Tingle

Production Intern: Colin Drayer  

Production Intern: Ethan Tyger  

Props Supervisor: Hyla Stellhorn  

Assistant Props Supervisor: Donnie Woodard  

Props Artisan: Lillian Hargesheimer  

Costume Supervisor: Erin Prokopchak  

Assistant Costume Supervisor/ Draper: Sean Castro  

Costume Assistant: Atlas Mendoza  

Wardrobe Lead: Sophie Millar  

Lighting Supervisor: Matt DiVita  

Assistant Lighting Supervisor: Grayson Crosby  

Lighting Technical/ Board Operator: Brittany Konruff 

Sound Supervisor: John Kolbinski  

Audio Engineer: Molly McGill  

Sound Technician/Board Operator: Miriam “Mimi” Daniel  

Production Stage Manager: Jenny Kennedy  

Assistant Stage Manager 1: Savanha Moore  

Assistant Stage Manager 2: Wren Heiman  

Production Assistant (Stage Manager): Alexandra Rogers 

 CITY THEATRE TEAM  

Production Manager: Rachel D’Amboise  

Co-Technical Director: John Brucker 

Co-Technical Director: Sam Karas  

Shop Foreman: Emma Cummings  

Carpenter: Sydney Dobbs  

Scenic Charge: Leah Blackwood  

Scenic Charge: Alexx Jacobs  

Summer Carpenter: Ash Buford  

Summer Carpenter: Jacob Jencks  

Friends of Chautauqua Theater was founded in 1994 to ensure that theater remains a powerful pillar of the arts community at Chautauqua. We are proud that all living Past Presidents of FCT continue actively engaging with the group. 

Our overarching mission and purpose are: 

• to support Chautauqua Theater Company and enhance the experience of the artists who visit Chautauqua 
• to connect CTC artists with the broader Chautauqua community, and to connect Chautauqua theater-lovers with each other 
• to ensure that theater remains a vibrant pillar of the arts at Chautauqua

Membership benefits include:

• Weekly email during the summer season, with advance notice of theater events and members-only content from CTC’s artistic leadership
• Invitations to special members-only events
• Additional “Producers’ Circle” membership is available at no cost for members who volunteer with us.  We have fun – having fun is in our by-laws!
• Off-season notifications of live and virtual theater events and previews of the upcoming season in advance of public announcements
• Membership is still only $10 per person – though your additional contributions are deeply appreciated and significantly increase the support we can provide to Chautauqua Theater Company

To renew your membership or join as a new member online, visit www.friendsofchqtheater.com

 Thank you to our supporters!