Everybody
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Jacqui Parker
October 25 - 27, 2024
Content Awareness: This play's content addresses death, dying, loss, and mortality and contains strong language.
Digital Program
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This modern riff on the fifteenth-century morality play Everyman follows Everybody (traditionally chosen from amongst the cast by lottery at each performance) as they journey through life’s greatest mystery—the meaning of living.
Tickets are free and open to the public. You can reserve a ticket online through Eventbrite. If tickets are "sold out" on Eventbrite, there will be At the Door tickets available 15-30 minutes before each performance on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Cast
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Katherine Bulthuis '27 (Somebody/Everybody) She/her. Katherine is delighted to be performing in her first Brandeis production. Before coming to Brandeis, Katherine worked with Logan Youth Shakespeare in Utah and took theater classes while living abroad in Germany. Katherine, who is studying Theater Arts, is excited to share the journey of Everybody with the audience.
Nicole Chen '27 (Girl/Time) She/her. Nicole is a sophomore from Newton, MA! Everybody is her first Brandeis production, she's super excited for this opportunity. She is majoring in Business, thinking of minoring in Theatre arts. Nicole would like to thank all the production staffs, crew and tech for supporting her and being such incredible people. She can't wait to see how this show will play out. This play changed how she viewed life and she hopes it'll change yours too.
Vivi Cao '26
(Somebody/Friendship) She/her.
Vivi is a Junior from Southern Maine majoring in Biology and HSSP. She is thrilled to make her Brandeis mainstage production debut! Her previous credits at Brandeis include appearing in Space Girl (Becky), Murder's in the Heir (Paula), and Girls in the Boat (Coxswain) through the Undergraduate Theater Collective. Vivi would like to thank the cast, crew, and production team of Everybody for all their devotion to the show and her friends and family for their support. She hopes that everyone enjoys this wonderful journey of Everybody!
Liam Delaney '26
(Somebody/Everybody).
He/him. Liam is junior studying theater arts and music. At Brandeis, he has performed in multiple department productions including the following: Spring Awakening (Hanschen), Five Doors One Room (Eldrid), and Twelfth Night (Sir Andrew). He also works in Brandeis’ costume shop and has helped make costumes for the prior mentioned shows along with Stupid F*cking Bird, Bad Jews, and Wolf Play. Liam would like to thank the cast and crew of Everybody for making this such an enjoyable process, and he would like to thank his friends and family for their undying support.
Jason Dickstein '27 (Somebody) He/him. J.T. is from New York, New York and is ready to show off in his first play with the Brandeis Theater Arts Department. J.T. has also acted on campus in As You Like It and The Tempest, both with Hold Thy Peace. He also is a member of Bad Grammer, an on-campus improv group. J.T. is very excited to put on Everybody and hopes you enjoy the show!
Lucy Ernst '27 (Kinship/Strength) She/her. Lucy is a sophomore from Great Barrington, Massachusetts and is delighted to make her Brandeis mainstage debut! Previous credits at Brandeis include As You Like It (Rosalind) with Hold Thy Peace and Girls in the Boat (Girl 6) with the Undergraduate Theater Collective. Her next role will be Portia in Hold Thy Peace’s production of Julius Caesar this December. Outside of theater, Lucy enjoys reading, solving crossword puzzles, and petting her three (3) cats. She would like to thank the Everybody cast and crew for all of their support.
Hannah Feldman '27 (Somebody/Friendship) She/her. Hannah is from Princeton, New Jersey, and is an Education major at Brandeis. She is making her Brandeis Theater Arts Department debut in Everybody. Last semester, she also appeared in The Tempest (Ariel) with Hold Thy Peace. At Brandeis, she is also the President of Company B A Cappella, Brandeis’ Premier A Cappella group, as well as being the Social Media Manager for Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis’ Shakespeare and Classic Student Theater group. Hannah would like to thank her family for coming to see her in the show, and would like to congratulate her fellow cast members, crew, and production team on all of their hard work for this show, as well as thank all of them, and she hopes that Everyone enjoys Everybody!
Gauri Gajeshwar '25 (Love) She/her. Gauri is from Lexington, Massachusetts and Everybody is her first Brandeis production. She is a senior majoring in biochemistry, and she hopes to go into a research career after graduation. Gauri's acting experience comes from the classical Indian dance style of Bharatanatyam which she has been learning for over 15 years! Gauri is excited to be working on this production and would like to thank the production staff, crew, and her fellow cast members for their hard work and support!
Thabang Matona '24 (Stuff) He/him. Thabang is a South African Brandeis senior who is majoring in Business and Health: Science, Society, and Policy. Thabang has appeared in several Brandeis shows like ALONE | TOGETHER (Sven) and Ferguson's Fines (Quincy). Thabang is excited to be working on this production and continue to tell mind boggling stories about humanness.
Connor Papantony '26
(Cousins) He/him. Connor is a junior studying theatre arts and history. At Brandeis, he has performed in Murder’s In The Heir (Simon), Lost Girl (Nibs), and Girls In The Boat (Journalist) with the Undergraduate Theater Collective. He is also the Co-Events Coordinator for the Undergraduate Theatre Collective and the Artistic Director for the FreePlay Theatre Cooperative. He would like to thank everybody who has worked on Everybody!
Noa Rubinstein '27 (Usher/God/Understanding) They/them. Noa is from Turners Falls, Massachusetts, making their Brandeis mainstage production debut as Usher, God, and Understanding. Previously Noa appeared in Hold Thy Peace's As You Like It (Phoebe) and The Tempest (Stephano). Noa is excited to be acting in this production with so many amazing people, and they are forever grateful for the support they have received from friends and family during this production. They would like to thank the amazing cast and production crew that has made this show possible.
Manning Zhang (Death). She/her. Manning is an international student from Hefei, China, who is currently working towards a PhD degree in Sociology and Social Policy. She has been involved in theatre productions since high school, and the very first character she played was John Keating in Dead Poets Society. Before joining Brandeis, Manning was part of Fudan Rye Theatre in Shanghai, China, appearing in a couple of productions including Macbeth (Lennox), The History Boys (Mrs. Lintott), and The Catcher in the Rye (Sally Hayes). She also acted in The Silence of the Lambs (Clarice Starling) with Fudan Shouwang Theratre, and Avenue Q (Kate Monster) with Fudan Musical Theatre.
Artistic Staff
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Jacqui Parker (Director). Jacqui is a Boston Born Actor, Playwright, Director and Producer. Most recent work was Directing Grace and The Blind Date @Hibernian Hall. Jacqui Parker has Directed numerous plays for Our Place Theatre at The Calderwwod Pavilion and Boston Center for the Arts. Other Directing Credits Include; Stop and Frisk, @Our Place Theatre. The Life @Boston Conservatory, Polaroid Stories @Harvard University's Loeb Theatre, The Agitator @Gloucester Stage Company, The Light @The Lyric Stage Company and Theatres across the United State including Los Angeles and New York. Ms. Parker has numerous Acting Credits including, Chicken and Biscuits at The Modern Theatre as a part of The Front Porch Theatre Arts Collective, for which she was Nominated as Best Actress. She has performed at The Huntington Theatre Company, Lyric Stage Company, Speakeasy Stage Company, Gloucester Stage Company, Wheelock Family Theatre. Ms. Parker has won numerous awards including the Boston Theatre Hero Award, The Elliott Norton Award, several Independent Reviewer of New England Awards as well as community leadership awards, including the DRYLONGSO Award for her work in the struggle for racial equality. This year Parker received The Witherspoon Award for her work as a Director. Mayor Wu Awarded June 26, 2024 Jacqui Parker Day for her work with children/youth. Parker is so very grateful to have Directed Everybody, such an important play, with such a gifted group of people. Thank you Brandeis University staff and students.
Valencia Hughes-Imani, PhD (Production Stage Manager) is an actor, educator, and production stage manager. She has worked with Our Place Theatre since 2000 as an actor and stage manager. Valencia has also worked for The Theatre Offensive as Production Stage Manager. She performed in Company One’s Gibson Girl and worked as an ASM for SpeakEasy’s Caroline or Change. Valencia Hughes-Imani is a Boston Public School Teacher.
Baron E. Pugh (Scenic Designer) He/him. Baron is a Boston-based scenic designer for theater, opera, and other live performance arts. Recent credits include: Brandeis University: Spring Awakening, Orlando, We are Proud to Present…. Off-Broadway: shadow/land (associate designer) (The Public Theater). NYC: King Lear, The Tempest (The Juilliard School, Drama Division). Regional: The Anonymous Lover (Boston Lyric Opera), Three Mothers, Henry Johnson: The Lost Hero (Capital Rep), Million Dollar Quartet, B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching (Berkshire Theatre Group); ABCD (Barrington Stage); Trouble in Mind (Hartford Stage); K-I-S-S-I-N-G (associate designer), The Bluest Eye (associate designer) (The Huntington Theatre); Tiny Beautiful Things, Radio Golf (Trinity Rep); Detroit '67, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, School Girls (TheatreSquared); Assassins, The Light, Breath and Imagination, The Wiz (Lyric Stage Company of Boston). Baron received his MFA in Scenic Design from Boston University and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.
BaronPughDesign.com.
@bpscenic on Instagram
Anna Drummond (Sound Design) They/Them. Anna Drummond is a Boston-based sound designer specializing in live theatre and SFX curation. They work within the Northeast area for professional theatre companies and educational institutions. Previous Sound Design credits include: Front Porch Arts Collective - Chicken & Biscuits; The Huntington - K-I-S-S-I-N-G (Elliot Norton Award) and Dream Boston: 3 Miles; SpeakEasy Stage - BLKS and Pass Over; Company One (C1) - Leftovers, Black Super Hero Magic Mama, and can i touch it?; Fresh Ink Theatre - Shrike and Truth or Consequences; Trinity Repertory Company/Brown University - Eurydice, Prowess, soul tapes, and The Book of Lucy; Harvard University - Married or Made; Boston Conservatory at Berklee - Everybody, Machinal, and As You Like It; Northeastern University - Deferred, This Is Treatment, and Problem Play; Emerson College - Paris. Anna holds a BA with Honors in Sound Design/Audio Post-Production from the Visual & Media Arts Department of Emerson College.
Kiara Escalera (Costume Design) She/her. Kiara Escalera is ecstatic to be making her Brandeis University debut! Overseeing visual and fashion merchandising for companies such as Aldo, Express and Target; Kiara expanded her expertise by providing her creative services to theatrical and film productions. She will be going into her sixth year of being a Fashion Stylist as well as a Costume Designer. Favorite previous works include: Absolution Costume Production Assistant (Boat Yard Productions); America’s Test Kitchen: Next Generation Stylist Assistant (Amazon Prime); Blue Man Group Wardrobe Supervisor (Cirque du Soleil); Chicken and Biscuits Head of Wardrobe, Hair and Makeup (Front Porch Arts Collective); Fat Ham Hair and Makeup Supervisor (Huntington Theatre Company); Damnation of Faust Costume Designer (Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra).
Hannah Dillis (Props Master/Designer) She/They. Hannah is a self-taught props designer/fabricator who is thrilled to once again join the Brandeis team. Hannah’s past productions include Out of Sight out of Murder (The Footlight Club), The Voyage of Edgar Allen Poe (Odyssey Opera), Wolf Play (Brandeis) & Twelfth Night (Brandeis). She is forever grateful to the many talented artists and actors she’s collaborated with for helping her grow her craft. Congratulations to everybody involved for this stellar production!
Peyton Tavares (Assistant Scenic Designer) She/her. Peyton is a freelance designer located in Boston. She is thrilled to have worked on this show and feels very lucky to be a part of this process. Her recent credits include: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Moonbox productions) Hoops (Company one) The Book Of Will (Hub Theatre Company) The Mad Ones (Boston Conservatory) The Moors (Boston Conservatory) Let The Right One In (Boston University with Actors Shakespeare project) 619 Hendricks (Apollinaire Theatre Company with Teatro Chelsea) OTP (Boston Playwrights Theatre) and Jado Jehad (Boston Playwrights Theatre). MFA in Scenic Design from Boston University. BA in Scenic Design and Directing from Marymount Manhattan College.
Website: Peytontavares.com
Instagram: Peyton5656
Greg Roitbourd (Assistant Director) Greg Roitbourd is a Physics and Theater Arts major from Brooklyn, NY. Everybody is his Artistic Team debut at Brandeis, participating as the Assistant Director. Previous Brandeis credits include Stupid Fucking Bird (Dev) and Twelfth Night (Duke Orsino). He is also the Head Writing Coordinator of Brandeis' premiere Sketch Comedy group, Boris' Kitchen. Greg is grateful to be working on this production and is thankful for the cast and crew for their amazing support. He'd also like to thank his friends and family for all of their help.
Dynasia Evans-Goode (Assistant Stage Manager) is a 12th grader at Cathedral High School in Boston, MA where she is an honors student and plays on the Lady Panthers basketball team. She has performed in Legacy with Our Place Theatre, the Urban Nutcracker 2016 with TWDC, Wrestling with Freedom II, her middle school’s production of The Little Mermaid. She has studied with Our Place Theater for several years. She is honored to be a part of this production of Everybody at Brandeis.
Student Run Crew
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Kai Gallman
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Anika Hahn
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Eliana Lippman
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Iris Sano
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Rogerio Villaca Szuster