Ellen Stewart Theatre 66 East 4th Street, NYC, 10003

October 16, 2019

“Democracy is created person to person, moment to moment.”

Part of the 400 Years of Inequity and Protest

Events at La MaMa

CASTING THE VOTE: A Call To A Count

CASTING THE VOTE: A Call To A Count

“Democracy is created person to person, moment to moment.”

Created in collaboration byfeatured performers + music Impact Repertory Theater

Denaysha MacklinNia-Selassie Clarke

Kacey ThomasMalakhi HaynesCandyce BeazerDietrice Bolden

D. Malik Beckford Nichole Acy

Carlton Taylor Kachina McKnight

S. Jordan IslerLelitza K. Ford

director Charlotte Brathwaitejournalist and filmmaker June Cross

dramaturg Sunder Ganglaniwriter Janani Balasubramanian

music director Justin Hickslighting + video engineer Kent Barrett

food Chef Deespecial guest Jamal Joseph

video documentary June Crossvideo editor Robert Salsbury

archival installation Sunder Ganglaniproducer June Cross

production assistant Kristen Kim

technical director Mark Tambellatechnical support Hao Bai

sound board operator Ernesto Valenzuela

MENU prepared by Chef Dee

DEELICIOUS SWEETS BY DEE

Established 2012 once known only for their decadent desserts, is now a Black Owned Full service catering company providing non traditional desserts and southern cuisine with a Caribbean flare. Executive Chef Dee is the owner and lead chef. For all Culinary Experiences you can follow us on instagram @Deelicioussweetsbydee.

Classic Southern Chili (red beans, chili beans, ground turkey, mixed peppers, onion celery w/ sweet & savory signature chili sauce)

3 Bean Chili (Red beans, pinto beans, black beans, mixed sweet peppers, onions, celery, carrots, savory signature chilli sauce)

Southern Mac N Cheese Cupcakes(cheesy macaroni bites w/ sharp cheddar)

Smoked Green Beans (Cut string beans w/ smoked turkey)

Garlicky Green Beans(mixed minced garlic, light soy sauce)

Mixed Corn Muffins(jalapeño cheddar or plain including: flour, cornmeal, heavy cream, eggs, butter & honey)

Garden Salad(mixed greens, cucumber, tomatoes w/ Italian or French dressing )

Fruit Salad(mixed seasonal fruit)

The cast responded to the prompt “What’s one thing you learned from participating in this production?”

Lelitza Ford (LaLa): Young people want and they DESERVE a voice in American politics.

Nichole Acy: Voter Suppression Voting Rights Act of 1965, Fannie Lou Hamer’s bus being pulled over for the bus being too yellow, Russian bots.

Denaysha Macklin: You shouldn’t believe everything that’s on social media because if you do it can affect more than just one person.

Dietrice Bolden: That I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew especially about the voting rights act.

Kacey Thomas: What I have learned is that I need to start speaking my opinion on things and let my voice be heard. Also, I learned many things about democracy and our rights. This has inspired me to get more involved in politics and I need to be an activist and change my country in a positive way.

Jordan Isler: I have learned more about my families contribution to democracy and attaining the right to vote for people of color I am learning all the ways that, despite the efforts of our ancestors, our right to vote is still being suppressed.

Nia Selassie Clarke: I learned that it takes unity to get what you want done. In the sense that there are people out there who share your problems and when you come together you can do so many things to combat that. Generally i learned more about voter suppression and the first people who experienced that problem.

D. Malik Beckford: 200,000 New Yorkers were illegally barred from voting in the 2016 election.

Justin Hicks: I learned that if some of the attempts to keep blacks and other people from voting were truly successful, we would be living in a very different country. Rights that we have now, are the result of blacks fighting for the basics.

Kachina McKnight: I have learned that there is more to democracy than what is taught to us by the book. It’s a communal/united thing that we should all contribute to so that we can see the changes that we want being made.

Candyce Beazer: How important it is to not only to know your rights but understand what they mean to you. To not be discouraged based on how little you know or how much someone else knows. Use your voice for the common good and speak out about your version of democracy.

Malakhi Haynes: Something I learned from making this show is that people like blacktivist make fake accounts on the internet to trick people into voting for people that you don’t want to vote for but they want you to vote for them.

RESOURCES // SYLLABUS

BOOKS:

ONE PERSON NO VOTE, Carol AndersonGIVE US THE BALLOT, Ari BermanHOW TO BE AN ANTIRACIST, Ibram X. Kendi

LOCAL INITIATIVES + ORGANIZATIONS:

NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNIONhttps://www.nyclu.org/en/issues/voting

WOKE VOTE / NEW NATIONS RISING ACTION FUNDhttps://wokevote.us/

DREAM DEFENDERShttps://www.dreamdefenders.org/

NEW GEORGIA PROJECT AND ACTION FUNDhttp://newgeorgiaproject.org/

MOTHERING JUSTICE ACTION FUNDhttps://motheringjustice.org/

DIGITAL EQUITY LAB, (preparing for the digital census)THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL & HUMAN RIGHTS https://civilrights.org/value/2020-census/

UNITED STATES CENSUS 2020 https://2020census.gov/en.html

CENSUS TIP SHEET https://www.census.gov/newsroom/tip-sheets/2019/tp19-19.html

WHO’S WHO

“Turning Gang members into peacemakers. Drop outs into College Grads. Basement performers into Oscar Nominees.” IMPACT (Performers/Music) uses the performing arts and the dynamics of leadership training to inspire and empower youth. IMPACT believes that arts and education play a pivotal role in providing opportunities and transitions for the leaders of tomorrow. IMPACT is rooted in creative self-expression and anchored by a commitment to Safe Space, Outstanding Effort and Service to the Community. (S.O.S.) IMPACT promotes the positive development of young people ages 12 to 19 by providing a learning environment that encourages, nurtures and challenges its students. IMPACT offers workshops, leadership programs and performance opportunities. The programs and curriculum encourages Impact members to have the imagination, skills and confidence to create their “special place in the world.” A core Impact value is attending college and giving back through active community service. All of Impact’s classes and programs are free. Impact’s ongoing performance program, creative labs, and 12 weeks intensive artist and activist training program are tuition free.

In 1997, IMPACT started with 9 youth in the basement of a Harlem community center. Over 1,000 young people have passed through the IMPACT program since it was founded 15 years ago. Several hundred have attended or are currently in college (and graduate schools) that include Hampton, Spellman, Howard, Penn State, Fordham, John Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, Columbia, St. John’s, Brown, Clark Atlanta, University of Maryland, North Carolina A&T, NYU, Pace, Lehman and Yale. Impact alums are working in education, medicine, social services, the arts and business.

All of IMPACT’s music, choreography, dramatic writing, poetry and video projects are original - created by Impact members and staff.

IMPACT’s has appeared in the films “Disappearing Acts”, “Hughes Dreams Harlem” and “August Rush” which earned them an Oscar nomination for best song. Live performances include People Magazines Next Great Artists Showcase, the Apollo, Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, The United Nations, Major league Soccer’s Tribute to Pele and headlining the summer series at the Great Mall in Washington D.C. and the international arts festival in Bulgaria. IMPACT has been featured on “Good Morning America” and on “Nightline.”

[IMPACT] Inspiration Motivation Preparation Activism Commitment Teamwork. Please visit our website www.impactreptheatre.org

JUNE CROSS (Journalist and Filmmaker) uses the rhythm of moving images to highlight stories of the dispossessed and the importance of community. She recently completed “Wilhemina’s War,(link is external)” which premiered at DOC NYC,(link is external) screened at the Pan African Film Festival,(link is external) and aired on PBS(link is external) in February 2016. During her career, she has worked for PBS’ Frontline, CBS News, and PBS’ MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Her reporting for NewsHour on the U.S. invasion of Grenada won the 1983 Emmy for “Outstanding Coverage of a Single Breaking News Story.” She is best known for “Secret Daughter,(link is external)” an autobiographical film that examines how race and color impacted her family; it won an Emmy in 1997 and was honored that same year with a duPont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. Her memoir, “Secret Daughter(link is external),” was published by Viking in 2006. She was an executive producer for “This Far by Faith,(link is external)” a six-hour series on the African-American religious experience, that was broadcast on PBS in 2003.

JANANI BALASUBRAMANIAN (Writer) is a writer, new media artist, and immersive theater maker whose work has been presented at more than 160 stages across North America and Europe, including The Public Theater, MOMA, Abrons Arts Center, Andy Warhol Museum, Red Bull Arts, Ace Hotel, Brooklyn Museum, High Line, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Residency support for this work has included the National Endowment for the Arts, Brooklyn College/Tow Foundation, Innovation at Colorado College, University of Colorado, Abrons Arts Center, and Mount Tremper Arts. Balasubramanian is currently a 2018-2020 Van Lier fellow at the Public Theater; a 2019-2020 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow; artist-in-residence in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History; and co-founder of the Abundant Space Collaborative with astronomer Dr. Natalie Gosnell. www.jananibalasubramanian.com

KENT BARRETT (Lighting) is a multi-disciplinary theatrical designer and artist who has developed a wide-ranging body of work and established a presence on the performance scene. Kent currently teaches theatrical design and new technology at Dickinson College. Kent is a former company member with The Wooster Group, an NEA Grant recipient and instructor at MIT. A prolific technologist, Kent’s works have been seen at venues such as The Park Avenue Armory, La MaMa, Signature, The Public Theatre and The Lincoln Center as well as internationally in fourteen different countries. In addition to his work in theater, dance and performance, Kent has also collaborated widely on independent films, art installations, and with various architectural lighting firms. Kent feels privileged to serve alongside this exceptional group of collaborators and friends. www.KentBdesign.com

SUNDER GANGLANI (Dramaturg) Was Co-producing Artistic Director at The Foundry Theatre before attending graduate school at Yale School of Drama. At The Foundry he commissioned, developed, and produced many new works among them Ariana Reines’ TELEPHONE, and most recently W. David Hancock’s MASTER. He collaborates across disciplines and is currently

working with visual artists Izhar Patkin and Ak Jansen, and composer/musicians Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, and Rhiannon Giddens. He sits on the board of The Stop Shopping Choir, and sings and screams on the street as well.

JUSTIN HICKS (Music Director) is a multidisciplinary artist, and Drama Desk-nominated composer who investigates themes of identity, and American dream aesthetics. Hicks has worked as a writer, and performer with various artists including Steffani Jemison, Abigail DeVille, Charlotte Brathwaite, Hilton Als, Meshell Ndegeocello, Cauleen Smith, Helga Davis, Lynn Nottage, and Ayesha Jordan. His work has been featured at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Public Theater, festival Steirischer Herbst, Western Front Society, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Nottingham Contemporary, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts among others. https://justinhicksmusic.persona.co/

JAMAL JOSEPH (Special Guest) credits the time he spent as a youth in the Black Panther Party and Leavenworth Federal Prison as the fire that forged his creative sword. He is a Professor of Professional Practice and the former Chair of Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program. As an artist/activist he has worked in film,theater, spoken word, music and books. He has written and directed for Starz, HBO, Fox TV, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., and A&E. His produced screenplays include Ali: An American Hero (Fox), New York Undercover (Fox), Knights of the South Bronx (A&E), and The Many Trials of Tammy B. (Nickelodeon). He wrote and directed Drive By: A Love Story, DaZone, and the docudrama Hughes Dreams Harlem (PBS.) His memoir “Panther Baby” based on his experiences as a youth in the Black Panther Party was published by Algonquin Books. He is also the author of “Tupac Legacy” an interactive biography about Tupac Shakur. Jamal is the Co Founder and Artistic Director of IMPACT, a Harlem-based youth theatre company, and executive director of New Heritage Films, a not-for-profit organization that provides training and opportunities for minority filmmakers. Jamal wrote and directed the independent feature film “Chapter and Verse” starring Daniel Beaty, Loretta Divine and Omari Hardwick. He has received a Cine Golden Eagle, a Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Award, a Union Square Award, the Purpose Prize and a best song Oscar nomination for the film “August Rush. He is also the 2017 recipient of the Paul Robinson Award from Actors Equity.

CHARLOTTE BRATHWAITE (Director) is known for staging classical and unconventional texts, dance, visual/performance art, multimedia, plays, site-specific installations, opera, film and music events. Her works have been seen in the Americas, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia and ranges in subject matter from the historical past to the distant future illuminating issues of race, sex, power and the complexities of the human condition. She is a recipient of Creative Capital, Map Fund, Princess Grace awards, and a United States Artist Doris Duke Fellowship amongst others. MFA: Yale. Associate Professor MIT. www.charlottebrathwaite.com

Special Thanks To:Staff and crew at La MaMaAndrew KirchnerDickinson College Theater DepartmentFood Tank/Alexina Cather and Bernard PollackMiguel FloresAk Jansen

“Casting the Vote” was originally developed at MIT Music and Theater Arts And funded by The Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia University

This performance was created with funding byBlack Public Media The Brown Institute for Media Innovation The Fledgling FundRichard Witten

Our Backers on IndieGoGOJan PaschalLarwrence S. StorchJerry and Angeline ZaslavskyArlene and Larry DunnMike ClarkJuJu ChangSarah CrichtonAnne SeiwarathElsa ButlerNaima Safia SandyKimberly ImaAlison MorganGinger ThompsonMarquita PooleTracy StrainLlew SmithGina Gregory BurnsSharon KatzVicki Gold LeviAmy ResnickNina Berman

Please support this production:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/casting-the-vote-a-call-to-a-count#/

La MaMa’s historic, landmark building at 74 East 4th Street is undergoing an urgently needed complete renovation and restoration to preserve the historic façade, create building-wide ADA accessibility, and provide much needed performance, exhibition and community space for decades to come. La MaMa, founded by Ellen Stewart in 1961, has been on east 4th Street since 1967. La MaMa embraces every person in its community and is legendary as the place where new artists of all nations, cultures, races, and identities are given opportunities. It is the place where art begins. To learn more about the renovation, or to make a donation please visit www.lamama.org/remakeaworld

RESTORE A BUILDING REMAKE A WORLD

LA MAMA

Rendering: 74 East 4th St.

La MaMa StaffArmando AriasBuilding Superintendent

Hao BaiResident Audio Visual Designer

William Electric BlackPoetry Electric Director

David BonillaTechnician

Marc BovinoGraphic Design

Michael BoydLa Galleria

Clayton BriggsFront of House Staff

Carlos CardonaPhotographer/Videographer

Allison ChometArchive Metadata/Digitization

Theo CotePhotographer/Videographer

David DiamondLa MaMa Umbria Coordinator

Gilberto DiazFront of House Staff

Kaori FujiyabuDeputy Director of Development

Mary FulhamManaging Director

Michal GamilyCoffeehouse Chronicles Director Merry Geng47 Great Jones Reception Sophie Glidden-LyonArchive Digital and Special Projects Manager

Luis GrandeFront of House Staff

Denise GreberPuppet Series Director,Marketing Manager,International Relations

Yael HaskalDevelopment Associate Chris IgnacioBox Office Asst. Manager

Marielle IliazoskiTechnician

Joyce M. Isabelle, CFREDevelopment Director

John IssendorfDirector of Audience Development

Ryan LeachSocial Media Marketing Associate

Andrés López-Alicea Front of House Staff

Jun MaedaResident Set Designer

Kenneth MartinOperations

Juan MerchanLighting Supervisor

Valois MickensFront of House Staff

Matt NasserExperiments Reading Series Coordinator Palante Technology CooperativeIT Support

Nicky ParaisoProgramming Director-The ClubLa MaMa Moves! Curator

Kate PhilipsonArchive Metadata/Digitization Beverly PettyProducing Director

Pearse RedmondFront of House Supervisor

Molly ReismanFront of House Staff

Federico RestrepoPuppet Series Producing Director

Jack ReynoldsAssistant Technical Director

Giacomo RocchiniCarpenter

Ozzie RodriguezDirector Of Archive

Matt Ross MediaPress Representative

Kiku SakaiResident Artistic Associate

Tim SchellenbaumResident Sound Designer

Jane Catherine ShawFront of House Staff

Melissa SlatteryAccounts Manager

Shigeko SugaArchive/Resident Artistic Associate

Amy SurrattProducing Associate

Mark TambellaTechnical Director

Gregory Toulios47 Great Jones Porter

Martin ValdezBuilding Superintendent Asst.

Linda van EgmondIntern

Mia YooArtistic Director

La MaMa 58th Season Sponsors: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Howard Gilman Foundation

Public support provided by: National Endowment for the Arts; National Historical Publications and Records Commission; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, with special thanks to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Members Margaret Chin, Daniel Dromm, and Carlina Rivera; Office of the Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 LA MAMA GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF: $100,000+ The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Anonymous Booth Ferris Foundation Ford Foundation John Fulham Howard Gilman Foundation New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

$50,000-$99,999 Donald Capoccia & Tommie Pegues The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Julie & Bayard Henry Mary Rosie Richard Memorial Fund National Historical Publications and Records Commission New York State Council on the Arts

$50,000-$99,999 (cont.) Lise Olney & Timothy W. Fulham The Shubert Foundation Trust for Mutual Understanding

$25,000-$49,999 Frank Carucci & David Diamond Marta Heflin Foundation Cheryl L. Henson Wendy vanden Heuvel/ JKW Foundation Patricia Machado & Jeffrey Neuman / The Sequoia Foundation for Achievement in the Arts & Education Steven B. Malkenson MAP Fund Mertz Gilmore Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Open Society Foundations Sonya H. Soutus Candice & Joel Zwick

$10,000-$24,999 The Achelis and Bodman Foundations Jody & John Arnhold Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation

$10,000-$24,999 (cont.) William M. Carey/ Cortland Associates, Inc. Con Edison Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Robert Goldberg Yorke Construction Corporation Kenji Ima The Jerome Robbins Foundation The Jim Henson Foundation The Spingold Foundation Deborah Tolman & Luis Ubiñas Joy Tomchin

$5,000-$9,999 Scott Asen/ The Asen Foundation Eugene “the Poogene” Chai The Curtis W. McGraw Foundation Ruth Epstein & Richard Pinner Karen Hauser & Warren Leight van Itallie Foundation The Jane Henson Foundation

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES ART HAPPEN La MaMa is deeply grateful to all of our friends and supporters, whose generosity provides vital resources to our artists and diverse programming to our audiences. You can donate online at lamama.org or send a check to La MaMa at 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003.

$5,000-$9,999 (cont.) Matthew J. Reynolds New York Landmarks Conservancy Wynn J. Salisch Marc Shaiman Sundance Institute Erik Sussman United Federation of Teachers The William & Eva Fox Foundation/Theatre Communications Group Scott Wittman

$2,500-$4,999 Liz Armstrong Marina Arsenijevic & Donald Bronn Axe-Houghton Foundation Winsome Brown Jeanne Donovan Fisher Laurie Goldberger & Leslie Kogod Jeffrey Haley Matthew Hall / Goldstein Hall PLLC The Harkness Foundation for Dance Buck Henry Charitable Fund Eliot S. Hubbard Gail & Eli Lederman Peter McKillop James E. Reynolds Brenda & Peter Swords Darren Sussman $1,000-2,499 Elizabeth Seamans / The Anchor Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation Benchmark Title Agency, LLC Michael Benzi/ Federated National Land Angela & Michael Errico Teresa & Olivier Evering Elise Frick & John A. Garraty, Jr. Jill Hanekamp H.B. Henson/ The Puppet Slam Network Gerald Herman Mikiko Ino The John Golden Fund David Goldstein Neil LaBute The Lambs Foundation Lawryn LaCroix/ Pinkhouse Productions Sarah & Seth Lederman Lucille Lortel Foundation Gregg C. McCarty

$1,000-2,499 (cont.) Daryl & Michael Moss Moira Smith/M&T Bank Mary Mullin Charles Parente/ Parente Development LLC Margaret H. Parker Polly Parker & Damon Smith Estelle Parsons & Peter Zimroth Jamie & Mark Pollack/ Electro-Miniatures Corp. Dale Ponikvar Michael Pressel/ RPO Incorporated Susan Yonaoshi Quimby John Rhodes Jon Ritter/The 1848 Foundation Joan A. Rose Arleen Sorkin & Chris Lloyd Eric Usinger/ Emmet Marvin Martin LLP Barbara Whitman Christine L. Pennoyer/The William C. Bullitt Foundation Thomas Young

Thank you to for your matching gifts: The Coca-Cola Company, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Google.

In kind support generously provided by 44º North Vodka, Heights Chateau, Ann Kayman/New York Grant Company, Long Trail Brewery, Pat Lynch/Patricia Lynch Associates Inc., and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Materials for the Arts, and Ostroff Associates Inc.. Legal services generously provided by Goldstein Hall PLLC.

Board Of Directors

Frank CarucciPresident Joan RoseVice President Donald A. CapocciaTreasurer Richard PinnerSecretary Byung Koo AhnEugene ChaiJane FriedmanMary FulhamTimothy W. FulhamJeff HaleyJill HanekampMatthew HallSarah LedermanSteven B. Malkenson Wynn J. SalischLuis A. UbiñasScott WittmanMia YooJoel Zwick

Advisory Board

André De ShieldsMichael A. FinkGretchen GreenPeter Swords

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