BAMbill
Macbeth in Stride
Apr 15—27, 2025
Harvey Theater at BAM Strong
Apr 15—27, 2025
Harvey Theater at BAM Strong
BAM in association with Philadelphia Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company and Yale Repertory Theatre
Presents
Macbeth in Stride
Written and performed by Whitney White
Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar
RUN TIME:
1hr 30min, no intermission
Season Sponsor:
Leadership support for BAM's strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for BAM Access Programs provided by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Leadership support for BAM programming provided by:
Leadership support for Winter/Spring 2025 provided by:
Leadership support for theater at BAM provided by The SHS Foundation and
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
Leadership support for BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Support for theater at BAM provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation
Additional support for theater at BAM provided by: The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust; David L. Klein, Jr. Foundation; and Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater
BAM would like to acknowledge that the land we are on today and on which all of our physical buildings are located is the stolen land of the Lenape people. We acknowledge the Indigenous stewardship of this land and honor the Lenape elders past and present, as well as future generations.
The Company
Phoenix Best / Second Witch, Understudy "Woman," Dance Captain
Holli' Conway / First Witch
Ciara Alyse Harris /Third Witch
Charlie Thurston / “Man"
Whitney White / “Woman"
Gunnar Manchester / Understudy “Man"
Sabrina Victor / Understudy Witches
Jason Weixelman / Production Stage Manager
Karlie Teruya / Assistant Stage Manager
Nygel D. Robinson / Music Director, Conductor, Piano
Kenny Rosario-Pugh / Guitar
Barbara "Muzikaldunk" Duncan / Drums
Bobby Etienne / Bass
Creative
Dan Soule / Scenic Design
Qween Jean / Costume Design
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew / Lighting Design
Nick Kourtides / Sound Design
Rachel Padula-Shufelt / Hair and Wig Design
Taylor Williams, CSA / Casting Director
Rosalind Bevan / Associate to Whitney White, Drama League Directing Assistantship
Ashley Chavonne / Associate Choreographer
Alex deNevers / Associate Lighting Designer
Brendan Aanes / Associate Sound Designer
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/or Choreographer is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
The musicians employed in this production are members of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians.
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection designers in Live Performance.
I want to begin by saying thank you to each and every audience member attending Macbeth in Stride at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Macbeth in Stride is a living and changing piece of theater that grows with every iteration, and it would not be possible without you, here with us now.
The Harvey is a majestic and historic space that has been home to some of the greatest artists in theater and music from across the world. This theater was originally a home for Shakespearean revivals, musicals, and reviews, and so it feels fitting to be bringing this new look at Macbeth here, in the heart of Brooklyn where I call home.
Macbeth in Stride began as a love letter to music and Shakespeare. When I first read Macbeth, the play resonated so closely with the world surrounding me. Here was a woman with many modern sensibilities, desires, and needs who was both victim and villain to a world that made no room for her. I saw and continue to see Lady Macbeth as a woman striving to achieve her dreams and living in a time where it was difficult if not impossible to achieve them alone.
In my early beginnings as a singer and performer in Chicago, I was able to witness live music on a weekly basis. From the weekly splendor of my Apostolic church to local blues and rock bands at Kingston Mines, the setting of live concert music has always been my home. The “concert” is a space in which all are welcome and the barrier between performer, band, and audience is lifted. It is a communal and equalizing space where politics of respectability can recede, and we can all get down together.
Then in 2005, I saw Nine Inch Nails perform at The Riviera, a grand performance hall built in 1917. I have since seen the band perform five times. Somehow, their concerts made and continue to make me feel akin to the way reading and speaking Shakespeare’s words does. And I always joke that I can convince any friend to come see a concert with me, but it can be hard to get anyone to see a play. This musical adaptation is an attempt to communicate the energy, unstoppable rhythm, and unapologetic feeling that both Shakespeare’s texts and concert experiences hold. With Macbeth in Stride, I hope to challenge the expectations and rules that often define classical and musical theater—or at the very least to inspire others to keep asking questions of theatrical forms and looking for ways to bring classical work into the now.
There have been many supporters who have helped Macbeth in Stride grow and evolve. I want to give a deep and special thanks to the entire faculty of the Brown University—Trinity Repertory MFA program where I created the first draft of the show, Chautauqua Institution, Judson Memorial, The Academy for Teachers, Joe's Pub, American Repertory Theater, Shakespeare DC, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, The RSC, Mark Lunsford, my mother Janice, my husband Maxim, and all of my family. I also want to thank past performers and musicians I have had the good fortune of sharing the stage with. Most of all, I want to thank my directing team, Taibi Magar and Tyler Dobrowsky, along with all the designers and musicians who helped make this production at BAM come to life.
Above all, it is my greatest wish to share with you all my belief that Shakespeare is for and about all of us. All the world's a stage, and I hope that we keep seeing it that way.
—Whitney White
Whitney White ("Woman") (she/her) Broadway: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (Tony and Drama League nominations, MTC/Berkeley Rep/Arena Stage/Chicago Shakespeare/La Jolla). London: The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida). Off-Broadway: Liberation (Roundabout); Jordans (Public); Walden (Second Stage); Soft (MCC, Lortel nomination); On Sugarland (NYTW, Lortel and Drama Desk nominations); What to Send Up When It Goes Down (Public/BAM/Playwrights Horizons/TMTC/ART/Woolly Mammoth); Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Second Stage/WP, Obie Award); For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad (Soho Rep). Original work: Macbeth in Stride (BAM, Yale Rep, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Shakespeare, A.R.T.); Semblance (NYTW). Awards: Lilly Award, Herb Alpert, Jerome Fellowship, Rolex Arts Initiative. TV Writing: “I’m A Virgo” (Amazon, Media Res).
Charlie Thurston ("Man") is an actor and playwright and is making his BAM debut. Off-Broadway: Liberation (Roundabout); Here There Are Blueberries (New York Theatre Workshop); The Wedge Horse (Fault Line). Selected Regional: Macbeth in Stride (Yale Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, A.R.T.); Here There Are Blueberries (La Jolla, Shakespeare Theatre Company); Prince of Providence, The Song of Summer (Trinity Rep); Three Sisters (Arden); Completely Fictional—Utterly True—Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe (Baltimore Center Stage). Selected film and television: Finestkind, Boston Strangler, Life Itself, Julia, Dexter, SVU. He narrated the audiobook of Demon Copperhead, the Pulitzer Prize winner by Barbara Kingsolver. Training: Brown/Trinity Rep. charliethurston.net
Holli’ Conway (First Witch) is overjoyed to be a part of this incredible work! Credits include the Broadway productions of Six, Lempicka, and Tina, and most recently the role of Lorraine in the Papermill Playhouse production of Jersey Boys. Holli’ was Miss Louisiana 2018. Thank you to 44 West Entertainment, DGRW, and Taylor Williams Casting! To my circle. For my family. All glory to God! @Welcometo_holliwood
Phoenix Best (Second Witch, understudy for “Woman,” Dance Captain) is so excited to finally bring this show to BAM! Her Broadway credits include Dear Evan Hansen (Alana Beck) and the revival of The Color Purple (Swing). She also played Éponine in the 2017 North American tour of Les Misérables. Other theater credits include Mary in the world premiere of A.D. 16 at Olney Theatre Center; Fiona in TEETH at Playwrights Horizons; Deena Jones in Dreamgirls at TUTS; and Witch in Macbeth in Stride at A.R.T. Television and film: The Best Man: The Final Chapters (Nicole), Twisted Assistant (Stella), Love Life (Ogechi), Estella Scrooge (Mercy and Charity), From Sea to Rising Sea (Lu).
Ciara Alyse Harris (Third Witch) is overjoyed to be a part of this production at BAM! Her credits include the closing cast of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen (Alana Beck) and White Girl in Danger Off Broadway. She was most recently seen playing Celie in The Color Purple at Casa Mañana Theatre. Other credits include the first National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen, Martha in Spring Awakening (The 5th Avenue Theatre), and Charlaine in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Cape Playhouse). Her B.F.A is from CCM. Thank you to HCKR, Rochel Saks, God, and my beautiful loving family. Lead with love! @ciaraalyse
Gunnar Manchester (understudy for “Man”) is a Brooklyn-based performer, composer, music director, and is delighted to be a part of this incredible production. Regional Theater: Yale Rep, The Huntington, Trinity Repertory, The Gamm, Commonwealth Shakespeare, Wilbury Theatre Group, Gloucester Stage, Actors' Shakespeare Project, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Upcoming: OCTET at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. He is a graduate of Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Training Program, where he was a recipient of the Stephen Sondheim Graduate Fellowship in Theater Arts. Visit gunnarmanchester.com for a full resume and other media.
Sabrina Victor (understudy for Witches ) Sabrina K. Victor is a proud Haitian-American and excited to join this team! Off-Broadway: Good Bones (Public Theater). Regional credits include American Repertory Theater’s 1776 and The Donkey Show. Victor is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Acting Program, and former Miss Massachusetts USA 2020. Many thanks to Brookside Artists and Innovative Artists! @sabrinakvictor
Tyler Dobrowsky (Director) New York/Off-Broadway: The Public Theater. Regional: American Repertory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Gamm Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company. Tyler currently serves as one of the Artistic Directors of Philadelphia Theatre Company. Previously served as Associate Artistic Director and Director of New Play Development at Trinity Repertory Company and Practitioner in Residence at the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University. Teaching: Brown, NYU, Rhode Island College, UPenn.
Taibi Magar (Director) New York/Off-Broadway: We Live in Cairo (NYTW); The Half-God of Rainfall (New York Theatre Workshop); Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Signature Theatre, Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival); Capsule (The Public Theater); Claudia Rankine’s Help (The Shed); Blue Ridge, The Great Leap (Atlantic Theater Company); Is God Is (Soho Rep); Master (The Foundry, The New York Times Critic’s Pick); Underground Railroad Game (Ars Nova, The New York Times Critic’s Pick). International: Hamburg Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne), Soho Theatre (London). Selected regional: Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Alley Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, Seattle Rep. Awards: 2018 Obie Award, 2019 SDC Breakout, Lucille Lortel nomination, 2022 Stephen Sondheim Fellowship, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Fellowship, The Public Theater Shakespeare Fellowship. Taibi serves as one of the Artistic Directors of Philadelphia Theatre Company. Training: M.F.A., Brown University; Lincoln Center Directors Lab; NYTW Usual Suspect.
Raja Feather Kelly (Choreographer) is a choreographer, director, and the Artistic Director of the feath3r theory (TF3T), a Brooklyn-based dance-theater-media company he founded in 2009. Over the past decade, he has created 18 evening-length works with TF3T to critical acclaim, most recently Bunny Bunny, which premiered at The Invisible Dog in 2025. In 2024, Kelly made his playwriting debut with The Fires at Soho Rep, which he also directed. The production received a 2025 Obie Award for creation and direction. His upcoming work includes DOOMER or The Untitled Brahms/Radiohead Project. In 2025, Raja will serve as the DanceWeb mentor at ImPulsTanz in Vienna, and as Production Dramaturg for Elle Barbara’s AUTOGYNEGAMY at the National Arts Centre in Montreal. Other projects include The Listeners (Lyric Opera of Chicago) by Missy Mazzoli and Scenes for an Ending with Emily Wells for Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Raja has been with Macbeth in Stride since its world premiere at A.R.T. He choreographed the Tony Award-winning A Strange Loop and Fairview, both Pulitzer Prize winners. His directing and choreography credits also include White Girl in Danger, TEETH, and Lempicka. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an Obie Award, a Princeton Arts Fellowship, Mellon Foundation grants, a Creative Capital Award, three Princess Grace Awards, and a Bessie Award. Hailed by The New York Times as “the choreographer who can make your play move,” Kelly continues to expand the language of dance and theater.
Nygel D. Robinson (Music Director) is an artist based in Chicago. Select theater credits include playing Brother Davis and serving as Music Director in The Amen Corner (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Jimmy Powers in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Mercury Theater), and actor/musician in The All Night Strut! (Milwaukee Rep). Nygel has his hands in many other projects as a composer/lyricist, music director, music producer, and educator. Nygel is the co-creator of and performer in the new live-looped musical Mexodus, which started development at New York Stage and Film in early 2020, had its world premiere at Baltimore Center Stage and Mosaic Theatre in Washington D.C., and recently finished a run at Berkeley Rep.
Jason Weixelman (Production Stage Manager) Broadway: Wicked. Off Broadway: Wine in the Wilderness; Scene Partners; Between the Lines; Which Way to the Stage; Othello; Old Hats. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Barrington Stage Co.; Berkshire Theatre Group; Yale Rep; Arden Theatre Co.; Gulfshore Playhouse. Always grateful to my family and friends for their endless support. Find me on Instagram @jason.weixelman
Karlie Teruya (Assistant Stage Manager) Broadway: Maybe Happy Ending, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Into the Woods, KPOP. Off-Broadway: Suffs (The Public), White Girl in Danger (Second Stage), Swing State (Audible Theater). Regional: The Old Globe, Williamstown Theatre Festival. USC School of Dramatic Arts alum. Love to my teachers, mentors, family, and friends. For, and because of, Kami, Mom, and Dad.
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Lighting Designer) received an Obie for Sustained Achievement in lighting design, and is a multi-disciplinary designer for theater, dance, opera, musicals, music performances, art installation, immersive experiences, and digital productions. As a designer, Jeanette aims to create a visual environment that is organically integrated into the landscape and language of the production. The New York Times described her designs as “clever” and “inventive.” She is excited to bring Macbeth in Stride to BAM Harvey. Broadway: Kimberly Akimbo; The Thanksgiving Play. Off-Broadway recent: Wine in the Wilderness (CSC); The Connector (MCC, Drama Desk nomination), cullud wattah (The Public Theater, Drama Desk & AUDELCO nominations); The Nosebleed, Your Own Personal Exegesis (LCT3); american (tele)visions (New York Theatre Workshop); and Golden Shield (MTC). NYC Other: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova, Lortel nomination); An American Soldier, Big Dance Group’s The March (PAC). Regional: King Lear (Shakespeare Theatre Company); The Odyssey (A.R.T.); Walden (TheaterWorks, Connecticut Critics Circle Award). For immersive experiences: Nevermore Park: Home of Flyboy with artist Hebru Brantley, David Byrne’s Theater of the Mind, and Emersive’s Life & Trust. Instagram: @jeanette_yew; jeanetteyew.com
Daniel Soule (Scenic Designer) is a scenic and production designer based in lower Manhattan. Recent productions include Roméo et Juliette at the Washington National Opera and King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Dan also teaches design at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Many thanks to Whitney, Yale Rep, and the creative team. danielsouledesign.com
Qween Jean (Costume Designer) is a New York costume designer and human rights activist who has fully committed her voice to the advocacy of marginalized communities. She has designed costumes for Liberation, Swamp Dwellers, Wedding Band, Jordans, Macbeth in Stride, Walden, Amen Corner, Seagull, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball (at PAC–NYC). Qween founded Black Trans Liberation, an organization that provides weekly access, food, groceries, and housing resources for the TGNC community. Jean is the author of Revolution is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation (Aperture). In 2023, she joined the Board for TCG. 2024 Audelco Award; Obie Award for Excellence in Costume Design; finalist for NYC David Prize. MFA from NYU Tisch. Learn more at blacktransliberation.com
Nick Kourtides (Sound Designer) is the global sound designer for Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas, London, Berlin, and Australia. Recent theater: Three Houses (Signature); The Keep Going Songs (LCT3); Travels (Ars Nova); Heather Christian’s TERCE (Prototype). Other Off-Broadway: Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova); Blacklight (Greenwich House); The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova); Object Lesson (NYTW, BAM); Elephant Room (St. Ann’s); Carson McCullers Talks About Love (Rattlestick); and Jomama Jones: Radiate (Soho Rep). Regional: Shakespeare Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, McCarter Center Theatre Group, Geffen, Folger, Studio, Milwaukee Rep, the Wilma, the Arden, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, and Pig Iron Theatre Company. Nick has taught Sound Design for Live Performance at Drexel University and Swarthmore College. He has received an Obie, Lucille Lortel, Bessie, and Barrymore awards. Nickkourtides.com
Rachel Padula-Shufelt (Hair and Wig Designer) Broadway credits include The Glass Menagerie and Waitress. At American Repertory Theatre: Becoming a Man, Life of Pi, Macbeth in Stride, Black Clown, Waitress, Marie Antoinette, Crossing; and three Elliot Norton award winners for Best Design: Moby Dick, Fingersmith, and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. Huntington Theatre Company: John Proctor Is the Villain, The Band’s Visit, The Heart Sellers, Joy and Pandemic, The Colored Museum. Rachel is the hair and makeup supervisor for Boston Ballet and the resident hair and wig designer for North Shore Music Theatre.
Taylor Williams, C.S.A. (Casting Director) Artios Award. Film: Good One, The Front Room, Omni Loop, Rocky’s Deli. Broadway: Romeo + Juliet, Stereophonic, Illinoise, An Enemy of the People, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, POTUS, Slave Play, What the Constitution Means to Me. Upcoming: John Proctor Is the Villain. TaylorWilliamsCasting.com
Philadelphia Theatre Company is a vital civic institution dedicated to producing theatrical experiences that reflect the essential issues and ideas of our time. Founded in 1974, PTC has fully produced over 30 world premieres and supported the development of many more—helping establish Philadelphia as a leading hub for new play development nationally. PTC’s community commitment extends beyond the stage through robust education programs, civic partnerships, and artist development initiatives, including the biennial Terrence McNally Award, which supports early-career Philadelphia-based playwrights..
For more than 35 years, the Tony Award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company has dedicated itself to being the nation’s premier classical theater. Classical plays are realized best not by originalism but by walking the path Shakespeare himself followed, creating works that spoke to his own contemporary audience. STC tells vital stories in audacious forms, stories that are Shakespearean in the deepest sense, even if (and especially when) they are not written by Shakespeare. By focusing on works with profound themes and complex characters, STC’s artistic mission is unique among regional theatres: to bring to vibrant life groundbreaking, thought-provoking, and eminently accessible theatre.
Yale Repertory Theatre, the internationally celebrated professional theater in residence at David Geffen School of Drama, has championed new work since 1966, producing well over 100 premieres—including two Pulitzer Prize winners and four other nominated finalists—by emerging and established playwrights. Seventeen Yale Rep productions have advanced to Broadway, garnering more than 40 Tony Award nominations and 10 Tony Awards. Yale Rep is also the recipient of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Established in 2008, Yale’s Binger Center for New Theatre has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s most robust and innovative new play programs. To date, the Binger Center has supported the work of more than 70 commissioned artists and underwritten the world premieres and subsequent productions of nearly 40 new plays and musicals at Yale Rep and theaters across the country.