CONFEDERATES
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Kimille Howard
Tony-nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau’s funny, smart, and moving satire play explores the reins that racial and gender bias still hold over American educational systems today.
September 24-27, 2025
Greene theater
All performances open to the public
“CONFEDERATES” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Run Time: 2 hours, no intermission
Content Advisory: Contains profanity, sensuality, and partial nudity. There is no violence onstage, but there is a sustained sense of physical & emotional violation, as well as conversations about violent acts involving slavery and rebellion.
Confederates
Creative Team
Scenic Design
Kieran Graeff
Costume Design
Jade Wein
Lighting Design
Spencer Swetlow
Sound Design
Aubrey Dube
Properties Lead
Lauren Corcuera
STAGE MANAGER
Mac Medeiros
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Oliver Worner
intimacy Director
Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson
dialect coach
Allison Beauregard
Vocal coach
Tom Giordano
A note from the
Director, Kimille Howard
Dominique Morisseau is one of the greatest, living American playwrights of our time. Her work has many rich, nuanced layers that enable artists to make new discoveries with each pass of the script. What I love most about her work is that she specifically writes for Black people rather than simply about them for the enlightenment of others. You feel her love and reverence for her people in the way she takes care of them with every character, word choice and action that takes place on the page. You experience it in the way she challenges the stereotypes about formerly enslaved people by focusing on moments in their everyday life that humanize them rather than narrowing their identity to bearers of trauma- as we often see in most stories set before the end of the American Civil War. While life in subjugation on a plantation was unfathomably difficult, our enslaved ancestors surely had moments of laughter, people they teased, things they were excited about, feelings of passion, food they enjoyed, and many more human experiences. Confederates gives us a window into these unseen, or rather, rarely considered moments in life. We had so much fun in rehearsals building the history of the relationships between the characters and discovering the playfulness between them. The cast and I were surprised by how much laughter and joy we found in the room while building a story set on a plantation.
The juxtaposition between the plantation and a PWI in Confederates exposes an unfortunate parallel. The circumstances may have changed, but the oppressive environment feels oddly familiar. While our characters in the past had to survive in one way, our characters in the present are absolutely fighting to survive as well – this time trying to keep their position rather than flee it. This comes with a lovely cocktail of anxiety, insecurity, expectation, code-switching, competition, masking, smiling through the pain and so much more. We experience our characters in the present navigating that poisonous mixture and the resulting pressure cooker. How do you thrive in an institution that is actively working against your physical, mental, and emotional well being? This question applies just as much to the plantation as it does to present day work, academic, and societal environments.
When Dominique joined us remotely during one of our rehearsals, she shared with us that every character in Confederates is fighting for or pushed towards their own freedom. Some may be more obvious than others, and I look forward to our audiences witnessing the variety of forms freedom takes in the play.
The ancestors are always with us in everything we do and everything we endure. They walked so we could run, but they only won the battle. The war is still ongoing, it’s just wearing a different uniform. Our production of Confederates is a love letter to those who fought for us and those who are fighting the good fight today.
CAST
Sandra — YASMEEN AALIYAH
Sara — AURA HENDERSON
Abner/Malik — SOFONYAS
Missy Sue/Candice — LUCABELLA SANGIN
LuAnne/Jade — DAKOTA FRYE
Understudies
Sandra — SAADIYAH PROCTOR
Sara — LAUREN WHITAKER
Abner/Malik — ANDREW KING
Missy Sue/Candice — PEYTON FENNER
Meet the
Artistic and Production Staff
Assistant Director — PEYTON FENNER
Technical Directors — KRISTIN KNUTSON, OSCAR MCQUILKIN
Assistant Costume Designer — MARIA RENEE HERMAN
Costume Production — ZEE COWAN
Wardrobe Supervisor — ELLA MOORADIAN
Assistant Lighting Designer — ARI FLAHERTY
Programmer — EMMA KLICK
Production Electrician — ERI LACKEY
Lead Electrician — CHARLIE PETERSON
Assistant Sound Designer— HENRY HOUGHTON
Production Sound Engineer— HENRY HOUGHTON
Assistant Stage Manager — SYDNEY WILLIAMS
2nd Assistant Stage Manager — STYX HATCH
Production Assistant — MERIN RHODES
Associate Production Supervisor — MARIANA MORALES
Assistant Production Supervisor — LEO MARGIL
Company Manager — EMIE YIZHEN LIU
Run Crew:
ANDREW NORBUTA, AMY CAMPBELL, ABBY THOMELL, ARIANA BARBOSA, BRYNN JENSEN, CHARLOTTE FRENCH, HUGO BILLIAU, JADA BRUCE,
JUNIOR GONZALEZ, MAWCE GLANCY, NATALIE ALPERT, NATHAN KIKONYOGO, NICHOLAS HALEY, PAIGE MURRAY, REN LAKE, SABRINA SELF,
SAMMIE NOGGLE, YUTONG ZHENG
Cast Bios
YASMEEN AALIYAH (she/her) — Sandra
BFA ’28 Musical Theatre. Emerson College credits: Musical Theatre Society’s Cabaret of Color. A special thank you to her mother for her endless support and guidance! @yasmeenaaliyah_
AURA HENDERSON (they/them) — Sara
Theatre and Performance BFA ’28. Emerson College credits: EmShakes’ The Sea Ends at Troy (Chorus #4); Beautiful (Margaret) at FreshFest. Other credits: The Laramie Project (Amanda Gorman); You Can’t Take it With You (Olga Katrina); The Crucible (Mary Warren), The Addams Family (Ancestor); Clue (Mrs. Peacock); The Man Who Came to Dinner (Sheridan Whiteside); Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal); The Princess Bride (Count Rugen); Friends Camp’s Beauty and The Beast (Belle). Thanks to: My mom and my sister, and to Alejandro I love you all. @aura.cle28
SOFONYAS — Abner/Malik
Acting BFA ‘26. Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Ensemble). Emerson College credits: Crown Studios’ Pass Over (Kitch), EmShakes’ Metamorphosis (Gregor)—EVVY Award Winner. Jelly’s Last Jam (Jack); MTS’ The Summer I Turned Pretty Workshop (Rodney); Mercutio Troupe’s Romeo and Juliet (Paris, Montague, Sampson); The Effect (Tristan Frey); Write Me Down I Was Here (Core Ensemble/Deviser). Regional: Foundry Theatre’s Will Miracles Never Cease (Hobbes); Vegas Theatre Company’s On Golden Pond (Billy Ray Jr.); Dead Poets Society: Musical Workshop (Gerard Pitts). Upcoming: Chain Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), Off-Off Broadway debut. I attribute all glory to the man upstairs, and would not be here today without him. Can I get an Amen!? AMEN! I love you Mom, Dad, Kebi, Philip, Danny. You keep me going and inspire me to do better every day.
LUCABELLA SANGIN — Missy Sue/Candice
BFA ‘26 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Understudy). Select Emerson College Credits: RareWorks Theatre Company’s Paul Bunyan is my Boyfriend (Nancy); Kidding Around’s June July August (Harper), Dear Morgan Le Fay (Playwright); Mercutio Troupe’s Romeo and Juliet (Friar Laurence), The Hill (Death). Thanks to my amazing Mom and Dad I owe everything to you!! @bella.sangin
DAKOTA FRYE (she/her) — LuAnne/Jade
BFA ’26 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: The Impracticability of Modern Day Mastodons (Paula/Palentologist/Jess U/S) Emerson College credits: Musical Theatre Society’s Bare: A Pop Opera (Tanya); Mercutio Troupe’s Jelly’s Last Jam (Amede/Ensemble). Emerson College film credits: EIV’s How to Get a Girl (Dorothy), This Isn’t My House (Beatriz). I would like to thank my family, friends, and teachers for their guidance and support. Instagram: @its.dakota.frye
SAADIYAH PROCTOR (she/her) — U/S Sandra
BFA ’28 Theatre and Performance. Emerson College credits: Bittersuite (Hazel); Not Our House (Mikayla); Romantics Anonymous (Asher). Regional Credits: Stage The Change’s Right Before I Go (Woman 2/ Kristin). Thank you to my family, my best of friends and the educators who always believed, encouraged, and supported my dreams and aspirations! @saadiyahproctor
LAUREN WHITAKER (she/her) — U/S Sara
BFA ’28 Theatre and Performance. Emerson College credits: Musical Theatre Against The Grain’s Hair (Hud); RareWorks’ Wings (June). Thanks to the team and cast of Confederates for being so kind and uplifting during this process. This show is so important to me and I’m grateful to have this show as my first introduction to Emerson Stage! @laurenwhitakerr https://laurenwhitaker.my.canva.site
ANDREW KING (he/him) — U/S Abner/Malik
BFA ’28 Theatre and Performance. Emerson Stage credits: NFSW: Death of Gogh (Vince). Emerson College credits: MTS’ High School Musical: On Stage (Chad); EmShakes’ Fairytales and Fables: A Staged Reading (Princess Track), The Inheritance Part One (Tristan). Much love to friends, family, and all who made this show possible! Thank you for yo time. @andyrewjacob
PEYTON FENNER (she/her) — U/S Missy Sue/Candice
BFA Theatre and Performance ’27. Emerson College credits: EmShakes Theatre Company’s Death of a Salesman (Howard/Ben); RareWorks Theatre Company’s Wings (Old Woman/Guard 1). Regional credits: Summer Place Theater’s Legally Blonde: The Musical (Brooke Wyndham). Thank you to my family for your support and my friend, Danika, for running lines with me!
Creative Team Bios
KIMILLE HOWARD — Director
Director, writer, Assistant Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera, Artistic Director of the Lucille Lortel’s NYC Public High School Playwriting Fellowship, founder of the Black Diaspora Theatre Collective. Recent directing credits: Common Threads: The Music of Damien Geter (Chautauqua Institution), The Oscar Micheaux Project (Prospect Musicals, Village Theatre, NAMT Fest),This Little Light of Mine (Kentucky Opera), The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson (Glimmerglass, Washington National Opera, Opera Carolina, Pittsburgh Opera, North Carolina Opera), Orlando (Theatre Row), Two Corners (Finger Lakes Opera), The 2024 New Works Collective (OTSL), Sanctuary Road (Virginia Opera), Treemonisha (OTSL), Songs in Flight (Sparks and Wiry Cries/Met Live),The Italian Girl (Tulsa Opera), The Adventures of Honey and Leon (NYC Children’s Theatre), American Apollo (DMMO), B.R.O.K.E.N Code B.I.R.D Switching (Berkshire Theatre Group), Quamino’s Map (Chicago Opera Theater), Highway 1, USA (IU Opera), Night Trip (Opera NexGen), L’amant Anonyme (Wolf Trap Opera), Death By Life (White Snake Projects). Her work has also been seen at Playwrights’ Horizons, 59E59, Cherry Lane Theatre, MTC among others. Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud (Assistant Director) Met Opera: Champion, Die Zauberflöte, Porgy And Bess, Tosca (Assistant Stage Director). Fellowships: NYTW 2050 Fellowship, MTC Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship, New York Stage and Film’s inaugural NYSAF NEXUS project. She is a recipient of OPERA America’s 2023 Robert L. B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and won Best Direction of a play for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Berkshires Award. www.kimillehoward.com
KEIRAN GRAEFF (he/him) — Scenic Designer
BFA ’27 Theatre Design/Technology. Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Assistant Scenic Designer); Imogen Says Nothing (Head Carpenter). Emerson College credits: EmShakes’ Death of a Salesman (Scenic Designer), Hamlet (Props Lead), The Inheritance (Props Lead); Kidding Around’s Almost, Maine (Scenic Designer), June July August (Scenic Designer); Mercutio Troupe’s The Effect (Scenic Designer); Rareworks’ Paul Bunyan is My Boyfriend (Props Lead). Thank you to everyone, including Jojo.
JADE WEIN (they/them) — Costume Designer
BFA ‘27 Theatrical Design & Production. Emerson Stage credits: How We Got On (Followspot), Amour (Assistant Costume Designer), Limber: A Love Story (Wardrobe Supervisor). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Barry And The Bear (Costume Designer), Almost, Maine (Wardrobe Supervisor); Emerson Channel’s Joan (Costume Designer), Hit Point Hall (Prop Designer). Other Credits: Brimmer & May’s She Kills Monsters (Assistant Technical Director); Summer Theater of New Canaan’s The Little Mermaid (Costumer). Thank you to my mother, aunt, and sister, the most wonderful and supportive family I could possibly wish for. Instagram: @JellyBun_101
SPENCER SWETLOW (he/him) — Lighting Designer
BFA ’27 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Amour (Assistant Lighting Designer), NewFest: Short Works 2024 (Co-Lighting Designer). Emerson College credits: WECB Radio’s Boylston Concert Series (Lighting Designer); The 44th Annual EVVY Awards (Lighting Designer); The 2025 ERA Awards (Lighting Designer); BlueJay Theater Collective’s SLUT: The Play (Lighting Designer). Other credits: Capachione School of Performing Arts’ Hadestown (Lighting Designer); Huntington Theatre’s The Light in the Piazza (2nd Assistant Lighting Designer). Upcoming: Huntington Theatre’s Fun Home (Assistant Lighting Designer). Special thanks to the crew, cast, Office of the Arts, and everyone who worked on this production! www.SpencerSwetlow.com
AUBREY DUBE — Sound Designer
Paradise Blue, The Thin Place, Stew, Wipeout at Gloucester Stage; Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Ain’t No Mo’ A Case for the Existence of God, POTUS at SpeakEasy in Boston, Toni Stone, The Bluest Eye, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at The Huntington Theatre; Clyde’s at Berkeley Rep in San Francisco, Fat Ham at The Alliance in ATL. OFF-BROADWAY: Vinegar Tom, Monster, Serious Money, Pentecost at The Atlantic Stage 2, The Renaissance Mixtape at The Apollo. MFA in Sound Design from Boston University.
LAUREN CORCUERA — Properties Lead
Lauren Corcuera is a Boston-area theater technician/designer and Emerson alum who enjoys working with props, paint, and wardrobe. Emerson Stage prop credits: Stupid F***ing Bird, Next to Normal, Into the Woods, Old Jake’s Skirts, Cabaret, BONNETS: How Ladies of Good Breeding Are Induced to Murder, The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Other select prop credits: A Winter’s Tale, As You Like It (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Little Shop of Horrors, The Last Five Years, Mr. Parent, The Light, Fabulation, or… of Undine, Preludes, Assassins, Urinetown, Thirst (Lyric Stage Company); Barefoot in the Park, Tiny Beautiful Things, Seared, Think of Me Tuesday, Grand Horizons (Gloucester Stage Company); Chicken & Biscuits (Front Porch Arts Collective); Next to Normal (Front Porch Arts Collective / Central Square Theater); Sweeney Todd (Moonbox Productions). Lauren is also currently the Assistant Prop Director for Emerson Stage and wants to thank all of the great students in the shop and on the various productions.
MAC MEDEIROS (he/him) — Stage Manager
BFA Fall ‘25 Stage and Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: Amour (1st Assistant Stage Manager), Second Star to the Right (2nd Assistant Stage Manager), Head Over Heels (Associate Production Supervisor), The Impracticality of Modern Day Mastodons (Assistant Production Supervisor), and Cabaret (Production Assistant). Emerson College credits: The EVVY Awards (Stage Manager), RareWorks Theater Company’s The Ball Game (Stage Manager), Kidding Around’s Snow Angel (Assistant Stage Manager), BlueJay Theater Collective (Company Manager). Other credits: Keith Lockhart 30th Anniversary Concerts (Assistant Stage Manager), Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (Production Assistant). Love and thanks to Mom, Dad, Oliver, Tippens, Deb, Sydney, Styx, and Merin!
OLIVER WORNER (he/him) — Production Supervisor
BFA ’26 Stage & Production Management. Select Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Production Supervisor), Red Wolf (Company Manager), Imogen Says Nothing (1st ASM), Second Star… and 16 Winters… (Assistant Production Supervisor), …Mastodons (2nd ASM), Little Women and How We Got On (Assistant Company Manager). Emerson College credits: BlueJay Theater Collective’s SLUT: The Play, Rabbit Hole, Significant Other, Dog Sees God (Producer); RareWorks Theatre Co.’s Five Times In One Night (Producer); The 42nd (ASM), 43rd (Logistics EP Assistant), the 44th (Logistics Producer), and the 45th (Aesthetics Producer) Annual EVVY Awards. Student Theatre Alliance (Chair). BlueJay Theater Collective (Managing Director). Other: Camden International Film Festival XIV-XXI (Multiple roles), Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (PA). Thank you to Mariana and Leo for being an awesome team and to Mac and Tippens for always being there! @oliverworner04
DR. AYSHIA MACKIE-STEPHENSON (she/her) –– Intimacy Director
MFA CalArts 2009. Regional credits: Boston Playwright’s Theatre’s The Ceremony; Trinity Repertory Theatre’s Blues For An Alabama Sky; Huntington Theatre Company’s The Grove, Our Daughters Like Pillars, The Bluest Eye, Hurricane Diane; Louisiana State University’s Marburg; Fresh Ink Theatre’s Shrike, Maiden Voyage; Walpole Footlighters’s Calendar Girls. Thanks to my family Carlin and Josephine for the love and support! www.AyshiaStephenson.com
ALLISON BEAUREGARD (she/they) –– Dialect Coach
Dialect Coaching credits: Lyric Stage Company’s Noises Off, Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Company One Theatre’s The Meeting Tree; Boston College’s Top Girls; Pittsburgh Playhouse’s Cabaret, Sunday in the Park with George. BFA Acting, Point Park University; MFA Theatre Education and Applied Theatre, Emerson College. Allison is also on faculty at the Boston University School of Theatre and The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a certified coach of the Denise Woods Voice and Dialect Coaching Method, a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), and a professional actor. allisonbeauregard.com
TOM GIORDANO — Vocal Coach
Tom Giordano has been on faculty at Emerson since 2020, and also teaches at Shakespeare & Company and Commonwealth Stage Company. He is a Designated Linklater Voice teacher, and is certified to teach Colaianni Speech. Also a director and actor, Tom recently appeared in NETWORK at Umbrella Arts. Tom earned his M.F.A. in Acting from Columbia University.
Meet the
Emerson Stage Staff
Staff
Director of Theatre Operations — Eric Paris
Production Manager — Angela Harrington
Artistic & Production Associate — Katie Meade
Technical Director — Kristin Knutson
Head Carpenter — Connor Thompson
Properties Director — Ryan Bates
Assistant Properties Manager — Lauren Corcuera
Costume Shop Supervisor — Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Draper/Cutter — Erika Krause
Electrics Supervisor — Timothy Fairley
Interim Scenic Painter — Matt Baynes
Mentors & Advisors FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Stage and Production Management Advisor — Debra A. Acquavella
Scenic Area Advisor –– Luciana Stecconi
Scenic Design & Props Mentor — Ryan Bates
Costume Area Advisor –– Tristan Raines
Costume Design Mentor — Chloe Moore
Lighting Area Advisor –– Jason Lyons
Lighting Design Mentor — Jessica Elliott
Electrics Mentor — Timothy Fairley
Sound Design Mentor — Aubrey Dube
Sound Engineering Mentor — Ben Emerson*
Student Staff
Emerson Stage Office Assistants:
Emery Frost, JJ Moore, Liliana Ravins, Alyssa Schlaifer, Joanna Su, Elizabeth Tippens
Production Management Assistants:
Mariana Morales, Oliver Worner
Scenic Technicians:
Lúa Azancot Garcia, Verrine Farag, Ari Flaherty, Kieran Graeff, Callie Herzog, Lizzie Lamb, Aiden Lank, Mack MacIntyre, Oscar McQuilkin, Zoe Mills
Volunteer Scenic Technicians:
Samuel Greenstein, Ernest Shao
Scenic Painters:
Rayan Afif, Gabriella Berry, Nel Blinman, Sophia Da Silva, Lily Hourin, Elodie Lambert, Kiana McCully, Leo Servetar, Maggie Stewart, Charlize Tabrizi
Prop Shop Assistants:
Eri Lackey, Bee LaClair, Alexa Lunney, Georgie Ten Eyck, Sydney Williams
Costume Shop Office Assistant:
Ila Nabi
Stitchers:
Anna Ten Eyck, Zee Cowan, Amanda Jacobson, Nina Turovskiy, Alexa Peterson-Ismail, Heidi Keithahn, Sidra Sundberg, Morgan Burke, Chiron Speidel, Evelyn Walyus, Parker Fedak, Jaidyn Wein
Crafts:
Madeline Henry, Georgianne Ten Eyck
Stock Attendants:
Sophia O’Quest, Maria-Renee Herman
* Denotes staff external to the college