Artistic Director’s Welcome
WELCOME TO THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL
And welcome to the 2023/24 Season at A.R.T. I am very excited about the incredible artists who have created this year’s programming—a roster of must-see theatrical events. The season, which includes premieres of two musicals and two plays, explores themes of immigration, the American dream, and what it means to feel welcome in our country.
To begin, we welcome The Half-God of Rainfall, a return to the A.R.T. for Barber Shop Chronicles playwright Inua Ellams. The piece began as a book-length poem (published by Fourth Estate in 2020), before being adapted by Inua for the stage. Now, the work is making its North American premiere in a co-production by A.R.T. and New York Theatre Workshop.
This production is directed by Taibi Magar—her fourth A.R.T. production in five years (following We Live in Cairo, Macbeth in Stride, and last season’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992). To bring the cosmic scope of Half-God to life on stage, Taibi has assembled a creative team including several artists who have worked on past A.R.T. productions: Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernández (Jagged Little Pill, The White Card, among many others), Costume Designer Linda Cho (Endlings), and Projection Design by Tal Yarden (Ocean Filibuster). We also welcome Sound Designer/Composer Mikaal Sulaiman, Lighting Designer Stacey Derosier, and Movement Director Orlando Pabotoy, who are working at the A.R.T. for the first time. Don’t miss articles below detailing the show’s creative process, as well as a glossary of the mythic figures invoked throughout the play.
Thank you for joining us. See you at the theater!
Diane Paulus
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director
American Repertory Theater
and New York Theatre Workshop
present
THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL
Creative Team
First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on September 8, 2023.
The United States Premiere of The Half-God of Rainfall was co-produced by American Repertory Theater at Harvard University and New York Theatre Workshop.
The Half-God of Rainfall was first presented as a Fuel and Kiln co-production in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
This production is supported, in part, by the Robert Brustein Endowment Fund for New Works.
A.R.T. Season support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Barton & Guestier, and Meyer Sound.
The A.R.T. 2023/24 Season is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Media Support is provided by WBUR.
Runtime: One hour and 30 minutes
This performance stages sexual and physical violence, and contains haze, fog, flashing lights, and loud sounds.
Company & Staff
Cast (in Alphabetical Order)
Sàngó
Jason Bowen
Sàngó
Jason Bowen
(he/him) A.R.T.: The Half-God of Rainfall. Broadway: The Play That Goes Wrong. Off-Broadway: The Half-God of Rainfall, NYTW/A.R.T.; Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Keen Company; Long Day’s Journey into Night, Audible Theater; Native Son, The Acting Co.; If Pretty Hurts…, Playwrights Horizons. Regional: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (IRNE Award for Best Actor, Drama), Huntington Theatre. TV/
Actors’ Equity Association member
Hera
Kelley Curran
Hera
Kelley Curran
A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Present Laughter. Off-Broadway: Mother of the Maid, The Public; Dracula, CSC; The Winter’s Tale, TFANA; Sense & Sensibility, Bedlam; Angels In America, Signature; work with Red Bull, LAByrinth, The Acting Company. World Premiere Adaptation: The Oresteia, Shakespeare Theatre of DC. Film/TV: The Man Who Killed Hitler… “The Blacklist,” and currently HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Awards: Emery Battis Award, Joe Callaway Award, NTC Emerging Professional Award, Drama League and Princess Grace Award nominations.
Actors’ Equity Association member
Demi
Mister Fitzgerald
Demi
Mister Fitzgerald
A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Ohio State Murders, James Earl Jones Theater. Off-Broadway: On Sugarland, NYTW; A Raisin in the Sun, Public Theater; Exception to the Rule, Roundabout. Film: The Last Deal, Boogie, 30 Weeks. TV: “Power,” “FBI,” “The Blacklist,” “Godfather of Harlem.” Awards: Best Duo Performance (DTLAFF). BFA, FSC. Hails from Baltimore, MD.
Actors’ Equity Association member
Osún
Patrice Johnson Chevannes
A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Racing Demon; The Crucible. Off-Broadway/Regional: runboyrun/In Old Age (Drama Desk nomination), NYTW; Endgame (Lortel nomination), Irish Rep; Othello (Desdemona); Pericles, Tamburlaine, TFANA; I’m Revolting, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, Atlantic Theater Company; Good Grief, Vineyard. TV: “Chambers,” “Pose,” “Shrill,” “Evil,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The First Lady,” “The Good Fight.”
Actors’ Equity Association member
Elegba
Russell G. Jones
Elegba
Russell G. Jones
A.R.T.: Debut. Russell G. Jones is an Audelco, Obie, and SAG Award-winning actor, as well as director, producer, facilitator, moderator, and teaching artist. Theater: a fixture on New York City stages since the mid-1990s, he is proud to have originated roles in plays by Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tanya Barfield, Fernanda Coppel, Kirk Wood Bromley, and Stephen Adly Guirgis. Film/TV: Steven Soderbergh’s “Full Circle” (recurring), HBO; “Tommy” (series regular opposite Edie Falco), CBS; “Only Murders in the Building” (recurring), Hulu. He is also the founder and Chief of Pedagogy at BLIND SPOT EXPERIENCE, a campaign that facilitates cross-cultural dialogue and critical thinking by providing context and tools for perceiving racial inequity.
Actors’ Equity Association member
Zeus
Michael Laurence
Zeus
Michael Laurence
A.R.T.: Debut. Broadway: Talk Radio, Desire Under the Elms. Off-Broadway: Coal Country, Public Theater; Appropriate, Signature Theater; Hamlet in Bed (playwright-performer), The Few, Horsedreams, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater; Krapp, 39 (Drama Desk nomination) Soho Playhouse & Tristan Bates Theater/London, Opus, Morini Strad, Discord, Primary Stages; Splendid’s, LaColline/Paris. Film/TV: “Shades of Blue (recurring),” “Blacklist,” “Damages (recurring),” “The Heartshe Holler” (series regular), “Prodigal Son,” “Evil,” “The Good Wife,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Hit & Run,” “Elementary,” “Person of Interest,” “Dexter: New Blood.”
Actors’ Equity Association member
Modúpé
Jennifer Mogbock
Modúpé
Jennifer Mogbock
A.R.T.: Debut. Theatre: Merry Wives, The Public Theater; Yemandja, Kennedy Center; BDOTJ, Society Theatre; King John, Antony & Cleopatra, Hamlet, Stratford Festival. TV: “The Good Fight,” Paramount+; “Evil,” CBS; “Designated Survivor,” Netflix; “Golden City,” Marvel/ Disney +. Upcoming: “Lady In The Lake” (starring Natalie Portman), Apple TV. BFA, SUNY Purchase; MFA, NYU Grad Acting.
Actors’ Equity Association member
Additional Staff
A.R.T. Staff
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director: Diane Paulus
Executive Director: Kelvin Dinkins, Jr.
Managing Director: Anna Fitzloff
Director of Finance: Julia Goldmacher
Artistic Producer: Mark Lunsford
Director of Production: Krystin Matsumoto
Director of Artistic Programs & Dramaturg: Ryan McKittrick
Associate Artistic Director: Dayron J. Miles
Interim Director of Development: Scott Nichols
Director of Marketing and Communications: Jennifer Weissman
|
Editor & Associate Dramaturg: Robert Duffley Line Producer: Emma Watt Assistant to the Senior Advisor: Madison Baker Public Relations Director: Rebecca Curtiss Associate Director, Advancement & Development Engagement: Michael Winn Director, Capital Projects: Peter Atkinson Interim General Manager: Ted DeLong Controller: Toufiq Aitelfqih Head of Patron Services: Emma Putnam |
Interim Technical Director: Ross Wick Charge Scenic Artist: Gerard Vogt Production Manager: Skip Curtiss Stage Operations Manager: Kevin Belcher Costume Manager: Muriel Mangual-Bennett Wardrobe Manager: Alycia Marucci Sound Manager: Camilo Atehortua Lighting and Projections Supervisor: Matthew Adelman Properties Manager: Erin Kehr Production Overhire |
Special Thanks
William Pryor, J & M Special Effects
The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
The Director and Choreographer of this production are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.
United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.
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Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. Charmain Jackman offers support for audiences through a trauma-informed lens.
Learn More
Harvard-trained psychologist Dr. Charmain Jackman offers support for audiences through a trauma-informed lens.
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