Written by Dipti Bramhandkar

With only weeks left in her senior year, Bekka questions whether she has done enough to make a difference for animal rights at her university. She is president of Animal Rights Now (ARN) and has organized numerous protests, but nothing seems to change. With her legacy on the line, she plans to take action in a way no one can ignore, but what will the cost be for those who join her and for those she tries to help? The Ruminants by Dipti Bramhandkar is a new play that explores protest, privilege, legacy, and a talking rabbit.

The Ruminants is being developed as part of The Farm Theatre’s College Collaboration project.

The Ruminants Director’s Note

Hello and welcome to Dipti Bramhandkar’s The Ruminants. This is a brand-new play which means you are some of the first audiences to experience this work. This play has been developed as part of Farm Theatre’s College Collaboration Project which has multiple schools commission an early-career playwright to write a play that each school will independently produce throughout the academic year. The play reflects the students’ thoughts on a theme that the playwright suggests. This year Dipti was interested in exploring the question: what is the cost of protest? In Spring 2023, Dipti held a Zoom meeting with students from each University, to hear directly about their experiences with protest. We had great conversation about privilege and the communal vs. individual risk to make change. Then in August 2024,  students and faculty from all three Universities met in New York City for a 3-day workshop to hear the play for the first time with professional actors. We had conversations that directly influenced how Dipti was crafting the narrative and Dipti wrote several new drafts leading into the first production workshop at Shenandoah University in November 2023. Dipti made more changes to the script after the 2^nd production at Austin Peay University in February 2024 and continues to work on the script as we enter our final rehearsals here at MTSU.

You are experiencing something special in the world of theatre: this is the room where it happens! While the work of a playwright may appear to be a solitary experience, the playwright needs collaborators to help bring a script into its fully realized three-dimensional format. And you audience members play a huge part in script development as the playwright sees how the story is resonating with you. We have a simple reflection form in the lobby that you are welcome to complete and return to house management if you would like to share your experience with this play. Dipti will continue to work on the piece and will share a final reading of the play for New York professionals in May 2024 to culminate our College Collaboration Project. From there, the play will hopefully go on to a long life of production in professional and educational theatre. And you will have been the first to see it!

Thank you for joining us and we hope to hear from you.

- Lauren Shouse

DIRECTOR

Lauren Shouse

ASST. DIRECTOR(S)

Kayley Eaton

Sarah Hall

DRAMATURG

Chris Cooper

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR

Taylor Tims

SCENIC DESIGNER / PROJECTIONS DESIGNER

John underwood

SCENIC CHARGE ARTIST

Maye Hansen

COSTUME DESIGNER

Lisa McLaurin

ASST. COSTUME DESIGNER

Ivy Rolfsen

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Lauren Roddy

ASST. LIGHTING DESIGNER

Allayney Corcoran 

PROPERTIES COORDINATOR

Alivia Hintz

SOUND DESIGNER

Tristan Graves

MAKEUP / HAIR / WIGS DESIGNER

Trish Clark

ASST. HAIR / WIGS DESIGNER

Jadyn Peters

STAGE MANAGER

Kate Goodwin

ASST. STAGE MANAGER(S)

Grey Bogen

Jayla Scott

TECH ASM

Keziah McPhee

LOUVER MOVER's

Taylor Dunkin

Sarah Cornelison

Zachary Parfaite

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Rick Deussen

LEAD CARPENTER

Joshua Bennett

SOUND ENGINEER

Matthew Laws

AUDIO ASSISTANT

Brittany Murphy

PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN

Bob Cardana

WARDROBE CREW

Students of THEA 3200

LIGHT HANG / FOCUS CREW

Students of THEA 3400

PROGRAMMER

Lauren Roddy

DECK LX

Patrick Jones

PRODUCTION MANAGER

John Underwood

STAGE MANAGEMENT FACULTY ADVISOR

Kate Goodwin

COSTUME DESIGN FACULTY ADVISOR

Tommy Macon

LIGHTING DESIGN FACULTY ADVISOR

Darren E. Levin

PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN FACULTY ADVISOR

Bob Cardana

TECHNICAL DIRECTION FACULTY ADVISOR

Rick Deussen

SOUND DESIGN FACULTY ADVISOR

Kevin O'Donnell

MAKEUP / HAIR / WIGS ADVISOR

Trish Clark

SCENE SHOP SUPERVISOR

Josh Bennett

COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR

Katie Sellers

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Hunter Overby

MARKETING CONTENT COORDINATOR

Aaron Johnson

Thank you, Ascend Federal Credit Union, for sponsoring MTSU Arts.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the
Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by
David and Alice Rubenstein.

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; and Beatrice and Anthony Welters and the AnBryce Foundation.

KCACTF is part of JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy, inspired by five enduring Ideals often ascribed to JFK: Courage, Freedom, Justice, Service, and Gratitude. Support for JKFC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley, Chevron, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and Target.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts. This production Is entered In the Kennedy Center American College Theater
Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identity and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships. internships, grants, and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels.

Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement In production, design, direction and performance.

By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize. reward. and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.