A Word from our Artistic Director

I first read In the Time of the Butterflies in high school and its depiction of love and terror is forever etched into my memory. The descriptions of the Dominican Republic, a country I knew little about, sounded beautiful, colorful, and almost musical in Julia Alvarez's depiction. But against this pleasing backdrop, Alvarez paints a world of fear. Trujillo rules the island with an iron fist, our own country complicit with his evil. Resistance is crushed mercilessly and the elites treat the subjugated island as their playground. Through her recounting of real people and circumstances, Alvarez asks what we would do if we were in the situation of the Mirabal Sisters. Would you stand up to inequity or ignore it in favor of your own comfort and safety? 

At what age did you become aware of injustice?

What Julia Alvarez portrays, Caridad Svich enlivens, and Ana María Campoy brings thrillingly to life, is something we must not look away from. A story of heroism. A story of family. A story of tragedy that ends with hope. And a reminder to those who experience comfort at the expense of others that freedom must be recognized.

We must bear witness. It is what we are here to do.

Enjoy the show.

Gus Menary (he/his)

Artistic Director 

Book-It Repertory Theatre

A Word from the Playwright

'The Memory of the Butterflies'

Julia Alvarez in her novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) weaves an intimate, complex, time-shifting tale of four sisters and their political awakening as activists under the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. Based on the true story of the Mirabal Sisters, Alvarez’s novel considers with respect, affection and tenderness the quotidian lives of Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa and Dede from the time they are girls to when they are women. Haunted by the knowledge that Minerva, Patria and Maria Teresa were murdered in 1960 by Trujillo government-backed assassins, the novel is a memory piece narrated by the surviving sister Dede as she recounts her family’s story to a young American woman. Although the story that Alvarez relates from history is weighted by the untimely, unjust end of these women’s lives, the novel is remarkably immediate and possessed of a luminous, graceful radiance and lightness of tone. Told in the imagined voices of the sisters through alternating chapters, the novel is comprised of diary entries, drawings, letters and sections of narrative that travel back and forward across historical time. Alvarez, in conjuring the voices of the sisters and their family, conveys with warmth the common everyday disagreements and entanglements among siblings while charting the defiant, heroic acts of resistance that play a significant part in their lives. In the post-script to the novel, Alvarez explains how the writing of the novel was for her an act of questioning, and how through the process of writing, “the characters took over, beyond polemics and facts,” and how “she began to invent them.”

Writing a play is also an act of invention. Rather than replicate Alvarez’s prose and dialogue, I too have sought as a writer to find my own site for the imaginary to be released, and for these characters, these sisters, to find new life. Given that the story is based on fact, there is unquestionably for me as a writer a profound debt to the lives of these real women and the legacy they left behind. There is also the complicated and necessary imaginative leap that needs to be taken to negotiate the facts in and of themselves with Alvarez’s respectful and enchanting inventions. The intimate, reflective spaces that Alvarez creates in her novel are impossible to mimic when translating this story to the stage. For one, the novel exists in and of itself as a work of artistry, and therefore, mimicry alone would not do justice to these women’s lives or to Alvarez’s work as writer. If one is to make a play for the theatre, then it too needs to exist on its own and find its distinct voice and sensibility.

Theatre is intimate and public, but unlike a novel is always in time. The spaces that prose allows are significantly different than what the theatre demands. Thus, my task as a playwright working with Alvarez’s novel has been to re-re-invent for myself the beautiful, willful and sad story of these vibrant and complicated women, and position their story within a heightened theatrical frame. The creation of the frame for me has in part been historical. The fact that the surviving sister carries the memories inside of her 3 and the task too of recording the family history for generations, a fact that also frames Alvarez’ novel, has been a liberating one for me as a dramatist. The present interrogates the past in this play but also sometimes creates its own resonant space for memories to reverberate. In doing so, music becomes a central sonic template, for, of course, music plays a key role in accessing memory, in placing moments in historical and emotional time, and in tapping into emotion. 

A Note from the Dramaturg

As the cultural and historical dramaturg for this production, I spent a great deal of time researching the Trujillo regime and the lives of the Mirabal sisters. I discovered many facts about the events and the people these characters were based on in order to aid in understanding the world of this play.

· Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina ruled the Dominican Republic for over 30 years.

· Trujillo governed through intimidation, fear, and corruption.

· in 1937, Trujillo was responsible for the death of approximately 20,000 Haitians.

· Trujillo, referred to by his enemies as “the goat” due to his virility and sexual appetite, persuaded or forced young women, married and unmarried, to engage in sexual acts. If a woman resisted, there would be consequences for her and her family.

· Trujillo attempted to make Minerva one of these women, but she publicly rejected him, putting the family on his radar and causing Trujillo to retaliate.

· The sisters eventually were leaders of a movement against the dictatorship along with their husbands.

· Trujillo, fed up with the rebellion, and in particular the Mirabal sisters, orchestrated an elaborate scheme to murder the sisters and tried to cover it up as an accident.

But what has stayed with me through the rehearsal process was not only the staggering number of atrocities that Trujillo committed, but instead, a reverberation of hope. I found it in the countless websites discussing the sisters, I found it in Julia Alvarez’s book, and I found it in Caridad Svich’s interpretation of this story–the beautiful play you are seeing tonight. In all accounts of the Mirabal sisters, there is a spirit of resilience, dedication, and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. I discovered women who, despite what appeared to be insurmountable odds, continued to fight against a regime that created a culture of fear so prevalent, that the consequences of dissidence dissuaded action. And the few that did stand up to fight for freedom, suffered enormous consequences.

The sisters were ahead of their time, balancing revolution with education, marriage and motherhood. Three of the sisters had marriages that by all accounts were egalitarian and true partnerships, a notion not yet common during the time they grew up. Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were college graduates, while Dedé ran the family business. Even in the shadow of tyrannical rule, they lived and loved and dared to hope. Even in death, they became a torch whose light led the way for many women’s movements both locally and on an international scale…and they continue to be an inspiration and an example of the power of the human spirit.

Maria-Tania Bandes B. Weingarden

Dramaturg, In the Time of the Butterflies

Original Music

All Music Composed By: Eduardo Mendonça

Performed by: Eduardo Mendonça (Guitar)

                      Dave Pascal (Bass)
                      Ernesto Pediangco (Percussion)

                      Aaron Norman (Flute & Piano)            

Recorded at the Center Theatre, Seattle, WA.  Recorded and Engineered by Ben Radin.

Cast

Creative Team

Production Staff

Production Manager

Dan Schuy (he/him)

Company Manager & Casting Director

Zenaida Smith (she/her)

Technical Director

Benjamin Radin (he/him)

Assistant Technical Director

Andrew Long (he/him)

Master Carpenter

Sergio Vivas (he/him)

Scenic Charge Artist/Prop Supervisor

Jessica Christensen (she/her)

Master Electrician/Board Operator

Danny Herter (he/him)

Sound Engineer/Board Operator

Conor Fortner (he/him)

Wardrobe Supervisor and Additional Costume Design

Emily Kight (she/her)

Meet the Company

Avióna Rodriguez Brown (they/she/we)

Patria

Avióna is making their Book-It mainstages debut; is a Queer, AfroMexican, second generation American-born, curvaceous person who bends time and space itself to be involved in the Arts & Theater industry. Avióna is currently the Community Engagement Specialist at The 5th Avenue Theatre; as well as an actor, dramaturg, director, teaching artist, playwright, prop designer, stage manager, student & a board member for Evergreen Land Trust and Pricearts. Select theater credits: Silhouette (Annex Theater), Two Sisters & a Piano (Theater Schmeater), Romeo & Juliet (OFFRoad Shakespeare Co.). Film credits: KIMI (HBO MAX), GOING HOME (Pureflix). "Graciás a toda mí familía elegida y de sangre. #SoyAfro todos los días de mí vida, agradezco a Ana María y a nuestro equipo por llevarme a reconocer esa experiencia.”

Jasmine Lomax (they/them)

Minerva

Jasmine is thrilled to return to Book-It Repertory Theatre as one of the super awesome box office ninjas and as a creative talent! When Jasmine is not directing, they act, write, stage-manage, and build Legos with their son Kayden. Some of their recent credits include The Bonesetter’s Daughter (Assistant Director) with Book-It Repertory Theatre, Or, (Intimacy Director/ Dramaturg), and Alice in Wonderland (Associate Director/Dramaturg/Actor) with Theatre22, as well as WE’VE BATTLED MONSTERS BEFORE! (Stage Manager) with ArtsWest. For fun, follow them on Instagram for more information on upcoming projects and to take a peek at their work with Delta Dental of Washington as the Tooth Fairy! 

Beth Pollack (she/her)

Dede / American Woman

Beth Pollack is a Seattle-based performer, teaching artist, and arts administrator. Previous work with Book-it includes Mañanaland (Renata) and teaching for Book-it’s education programs. Select Seattle credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia/Snug/Cobweb), Hamlet (Hamlet), Macbeth (Banquo/Ross), and Romeo & Juliet (Capulet) with Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Wooden O and Educational Touring Program, and all 5 iterations of Dacha Theatre’s Dice series, for which she memorized the entirety of Twelfth Night, Hamlet, As You Like It, Pride & Prejudice, and Romeo & Juliet. As an educator, Beth has worked with Seattle’s Young Shakespeare Workshop, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory, Jet City Improv, ACT Theatre, and The 5th Avenue Theater, where she has served as the Rising Star Project Coordinator since 2015. She is also a proud company member of Dacha Theatre. Beth holds a BA in Theatre Studies and the Historicization of Dramatic Literature from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and would be happy to explain what that means. More at www.beth-pollack.com

Sofía Raquel Sánchez (they/them/elle)

Mate

Sofia is a bi-coastal actor and playwright, and they’re thrilled to be making their Book-It debut! Their acting work includes: Seattle Repertory Theater’s Ghosts (u/s Regina), Washington Ensemble Theater’s Dance Nation (Amina), Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), Seattle Children’s Theater’s Ghosted (Kayla), Seattle Public Theater’s Fire Season (Jessamyn), Strawberry Theater Workshops’ Lydia (Ceci), and more. Sánchez’s playwriting work includes:Untitled Musical (Village Theater’s Northwest Creator Residency); I Think I Love You (Copious Love Productions); Mi Cielo (Penguin Productions); and Black Widowed (CornishCollege of the Arts). Sánchez has a BFA in Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts. Shout out to their favorite composer and fiance, Rafael Molina, and keep up with Sánchez’s chaos and shenanigans at sofiaraquelsanchez.com

Quetzie Taborga (they/them)

DJ

Quetzie is a neurodivergent, queer, Latine, fat theatre maker of mixed descent. They are a storyteller, activist and educator who revels in the power and impact of works written for and by historically marginalized populations. They have worked locally with Seattle Opera, 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Rep and others, as well as regional theatres across the country. They are currently based in Seattle, Washington. They would like to thank their family and their sweet schmee for their support, love, and near endless supply of Diet Mountain Dew during this process. "We must be impatient for change. Let us remember that our voice is a precious gift and we must use it." -Claudia Flores

Carolynne Wilcox (she/they)

Adele

An half-Uruguayan actor and playwright with an MFA in Original Works from Towson University (MD), Carolynne is delighted to be making her Book-It debut with In The Time of the Butterflies. Recent in-person stage appearances include Village Theatre (The Book Club Play), Sound Theatre Company (Pariah), and Latino Theatre Projects (Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida, a Spanish language production), plus a whole series of online performances during the pandemic years, including productions of her plays Clytemnestra (Mythodical Ensemble), A Series of Small Cataclysms, and Loom (both with The Shattered Glass Project). Much love to the ITTOTB ensemble of creatives, as well as to Ian, Echo, and Clio, who are her heart…y las mariposas Tambien—I hope they’re flying free. More info on Carolynne’s work as an artist is available at www.carolynnewilcox.com.

Viviana Garza (she/her)

Understudy

Viviana is a brown queer Latine actor of Mexican descent currently living in Seattle. Originally from Southern California, Viviana has always fought against injustice and stood up for what is right. She originally came to Seattle to pursue work in public policy, but soon realized she could convey the messages of social justice and racial equity through the medium of the performing arts. Viviana is thrilled to be a part of this poignant work that brings to life one of her favorite books "In the Time of the Butterflies" in her debut working with this talented team and theater company. Viviana is honored to have performed in many wonderful shows including Reboot Theatre Company's "Cabaret" as the dance captain, Kit Kat dancer, and gorilla ballet dancer on pointe; Showtunes Theatre Company's production of "9 to 5" as Maria; and Centerstage Theatre Company's panto "Puss in Boots" as Princess Desiree.

Caridad Svich (she/her)

Playwright

Caridad Svich received a 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement. Her work has been seen in print, in person, hybrid and virtual stages at diverse venues across the US and abroad. Key plays in her repertoire include 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia Crash Land Falls…, Red Bike and The House of the Spirits (based on Isabel Allende’s novel). Theatrical & transmedia world premieres in 2021-23: The Book of Magdalene at Main Street Theater, Houston, Theatre: a love story at Know Theatre, Cincinnati, The House on the Lagoon, based on Rosario Ferre’s novel, at GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C. Eva Luna, based on Isabel Allende’s novel, at Repertorio Espanol in NYC, Ushuaia Blue at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and Bernarda Alba, the opera, at Cleveland Opera Theater, and a workshop play/film version of Memories of Overdevelopment with Workshop Theater in New York City. Meanwhile, her translation of Lorca’s Yerma will receive its world premiere at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the spring of 2023. Among her recognitions are an American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize, the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and National Latino Playwriting Award (which she has received twice). She has edited and/or authored several books on theatre, most recently Toward a Future Theatre published by Methuen Drama. Her second independent feature film Abilene (as screenwriter) is currently in post-production.

Ana María Campoy (she/her/ella)

Director

Ana María Campoy is a first-generation Chicana, theatre artist, educator, and advocate. As an arts educator and theatre artist she has worked with Olympia Family Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Village Theatre, ArtsImpact's Voices from the Fields, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival's FUERTE Festival. One of her most cherished acting roles includes Catherine in a bilingual adaptation of David Auburn’s Proof, which she also produced and translated alongside director Arlene Martínez-Vásquez, and is now under consideration for publication. She has toured nationally in Living Voices’s solo show, La Causa. She’s developed multiple bilingual scripts for Seattle Shakespeare’s Touring Productions such as: Romeo y Julieta, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Hamlet, the latter two she also directed. She continues to collaborate with Seattle Shakespeare Company as Associate Artist and is proud to be a Board Member for Sound Theatre Company. In addition to her work within the arts, she founded and now runs the volunteer collective, WashMasks Mutual Aid to provide PPE, support, and advocacy for migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families during throughout the pandemic (www.washmasks.org; @washmasks on Instagram). Deep gratitude and joy to the entire team. Much love to Jesse, Arlene, Roxana, Jay, Taryn, and Val. Para mis hermanas, Alejandra y Adriana.

Elizabeth Stasio (she/her)

Stage Manager

Liz is a local stage manager and theatre artist. Her particular specialties include chair wrangling and making things out of tape. Previous work with Book-It includes last season’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, as well as The Dog of the South and Slaughterhouse-Five. Other backstage and stage management credits include work with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Rep’s Public Works, 14/48, Annex Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and others. Big love to AMC, friend and collaborator extraordinaire, for this beautiful show and process.

Antonieta Carpio (she/ella)

Props Designer

Antonieta continues to strive to provide spaces for Brown, Black and Queer inclusive and intersectional narratives as a producer, designer, and dramaturg, particularly in the devised and immersive realm. Check her work out on instagram. Ha sido un sueño ayudar esta historia a través del objeto, mientras soñamos por un futuro mejor para todas nuestras hermanxs. Que Viva!

Andreya Pro (she/they)

Props Design Assistant

Andreya Pro is a queer, Latine actor, singer, and creative dabbler in the Seattle & South Sound areas. Holding her BFA in theatre performance, recently she’s worked with Pork Filled Productions, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Sound Theatre, and Tacoma Arts Live. Andreya is passionate about intersectional feminism, the supernatural, and their loved ones. They are very proud to make their Book-It debut with this beautiful, important production. ¡Viva revolución!

Francesca Betancourt (she/her)

Intimacy Director

Cessa is an actor, intimacy director, facilitator, and producer. She has worked as an artist and facilitator in Ireland, India, the Philippines, New York, Washington, Wisconsin, Maryland, Washington D.C., Florida, and internationally in the virtual world. She holds two BAs from Western Washington University, in Theatre Arts and Sociology, and has trained in Applied Theatre at City University of New York. Recent intimacy credits include In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play (Eastline Theatre, NY) Mrs. Caliban (Book-It), Two Mile Hollow (Intiman), and Hamlet and As You Like It (Seattle Shakespeare Company). She is currently a facilitator for Art With Impact and Intimacy, Directors, & Coordinators. Her work is based in trauma informed social/emotional arts practice, cultural competence, access, agency, and physical storytelling. 

Alyssa Kay (she/her)

Fight Director

Alyssa Kay is delighted to be working with Book-It again after most recently choreographing fights and intimacy for The Bonesetter's Daughter and The Turn of the Screw. A graduate of the UW School of Drama, she has worked as a fight choreographer, intimacy director, and movement coach for many local theaters including Seattle Shakespeare Company, ACT, Off Road Shakespeare, ReAct Theatre, and Pratidhwani. Alyssa currently serves as resident Fight & Intimacy Director for both Harlequin Productions and Seattle University and is an advanced actor combatant and regional representative with the Society of American Fight Directors. www.alyssakay.net

Sofía Raquel Sánchez (they/them/elle)

Choreographer

Please see Sofía's full bio in the CAST section

Gin Hammond (she/her)

Dialect Coach

Gin is a Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre grad and a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework™. Hammond teaches voice in many forms and can be heard on commercials, audiobooks, radio plays, and a variety of video games including BattleTech, DotA 2, State of Decay 1 & 2, and Halo 3 ODST. Around town, Hammond has also been a dialect coach for ACT Theater, 5thAve. Theater, Seattle Rep, Taproot, Seattle Children's Theater, Village Theater, and films, and is the co-founder of the MFA: Meditations for Actors mobile app.

Gloria Alcalá (they/them)

Music Director

Gloria Alcalá holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Cornish College of the Arts, and is a stage and screen actor, musician, and teaching artist based in Seattle, WA. For Gloria, working with the great artists of In the Time of The Butterflies has been a huge pleasure. Music direction/education: Village Theatre KidStage, Lakeside High School, Washington Ensemble Theatre. Acting credits: Cymbeline, Romeo y Julieta, The Tempest (Seattle Shakespeare Company), Wonder Boy (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Tin Cat Shoes (Washington Ensemble Theatre), Songs for a New World (Village Theatre), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Seattle Children’s Theatre), Native Gardens (Intiman Theatre), Bright Star the Musical (Taproot Theatre), Disenchanted (Mamches Presents - 2019 Gregory Award Nominee).

Aaron Norman (they/them)

Music Supervisor

Eduardo Mendonça (he/him)

Music Composer

Eduardo Mendonça has played, composed, and directed various genres of Brazilian popular music in the US, Canada, Nepal, and Brazil. A native of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Eduardo has performed for many notable personalities, including the 14th Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, and former South Africa President Nelson Mandela, and he was featured in the PBS American Masters documentary, Paul Simon: Born at the Right Time. Eduardo performed as guest artist and composer with the jointly sponsored Seattle Symphony-Carnegie Hall project “Link Up: The Orchestra Moves,” exploring the creative process of this passionate composer through melody and motif. Eduardo Mendonça traces his lineage to a royal African family bearing the hereditary title of Mamabeka ("prophet of the royal court"), as documented by the Instituto Geográfico e Histórico da Bahia. Eduardo is the Music Director for Show Brazil! and for iBuildBridges Foundation.

Michael B. Maine (he/him)

Projections Designer

Michael creates various forms of art in and with community to increase awareness about, and encourage conversation and action, around issues of social justice and equity. He describes himself as a socially-engaged creative who's art practice serves as a meditation to better understand the world in which we live and the systems we've constructed. Most of Michael's projects focus on identity, power and privilege, deviance, and social movements. He often creates and chooses projects based on the ability to work with those who hold respect for the work, collaborators, communities, audiences, and anyone/anything that will ultimately be impacted. The opportunity to work with this group of people who are working so intentionally to honor the Mirabal sisters, history of the Dominican Republic, the various communities represented in this region, and all who are participating in In The Time of the Butterflies is a dream realized for him.

Janelle Kimbrough (she/they)

Costume Designer

Janelle is grateful to be working with Book-It for the first time. Graduating from Western Washington University with their B.A in Theatre Arts, with a concentration in Costume Design. After moving back home to Seattle, Janelle has been designing their way through the Seattle Theatre Scene. Working with companies like Seattle Shakespeare, ArtsWest, and Village Theatre. They are working towards creating a more inclusive community, and are excited to see what the future holds.

Jerik Fernandez (he/him)

Sound Designer

Jerik is very excited to make his design debut with Book-It! Previous designs include Dears In Headlights (Dacha Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Dacha Theatre) He is part of the Young Hot Thespian (YHT) theatre collective.

Darren McCroom (he/him)

Lighting Designer

MFA Lighting Designer/Associate Professor Mr. McCroom has been a lighting designer for more than thirty years. Some of his regional design credits include: Apollo Theater. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alliance Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and Ford’s Theatre. International credits include works in: Rome, France, Teatro Unam, Mexico City, Mexico and South Korea. He is the recipient of the following awards and nominations: Falstaff Award for Throne of Blood by Ping Chong, Theatre Design and Technology (TD&T) award, 14th Annual Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Award Nominee Mr. McCroom is an alumnus of The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and teaches Lighting Design and Stage Management at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA

Bella Rivera (they/she)

Scenic Designer

Bella is so excited to design for Book-It for the first time! Bella is a Mexican-American scenic artist and designer originally from San Diego, CA. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Seattle University. Past projects include work with Seattle Public Theater, Seattle Shakespeare Company, ArtsWest, Village Theatre, the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and the Seattle Rep. Bella's most recent scenic design work was featured in The Shattered Glass Project’s Want, and she is looking forward to designing props for Village Theatre’s The Lightning Thief in the fall. Bella would like to thank her partner, Jenna, for her continued support. bellariveradesign.com

Maria-Tania Bandes B. Weingarden (she/her)

Dramaturg

Maria-Tania Bandes B. Weingarden holds a Ph.D. from Wayne State University in Theatre History with a focus on Directing. She is an artist/scholar who teaches Theatre in the department of Arts Media and Culture at University of Washington Tacoma. Some of her favorite productions as director include In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Mojada :A Mexican Medea and an all-female production of 1776. While her area of scholarly specialization is in Theatre History, more specifically Latine theatre, her research focuses on revolutionary theatre. Her book, Echoes of Revolution: Nicaragua, aims to expand the knowledge of the canon of works of Central American playwrights as well as explores both the successes and limitations of theatre that has undergone political turmoil. Her upcoming projects include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (dramaturg) at Tacoma Arts Live and Rock of Ages (Director) at Tacoma Little Theatre. This is Maria Tania’s first production with Book-It.

Selina Senn (she/her)

Production Assistant/Covid Compliance Officer

This is Selina's first show at Book-It, and she is super stoked to be working on such a beautiful story! She is grateful every day for waking up, and being able to work in a career she loves, and be surrounded by people she cares about. Previous credits include, Taproot, The 5th Ave, ArtsWest, Village Theatre, Centerstage, and many more!

Tierney Breana Valentine (she/her)

Assistant Stage Manager

From Anaheim California, recently worked on her first shows in Bellingham Washington such as Working: The Musical directed by Jim Lortz and Sonata Escondida directed by Ana Maria Campoy. After Graduating with Bachelors in Theatre from Western Washington University Making a Seattle debut!

José Amador (El)

Associate Director

José Amador couldn’t be more thrilled to be working on his first Book-it project; for it to be this particular work makes the experience an embarrassment of riches. Having just celebrated his 30th anniversary of moving to Seattle, you may have seen his work as an actor in Cafe Nordo’s ONĒRUS; as a playwright with either of his solo shows, EL HIJO PRODIGO or AGUE: A BODY HORROR; or as a director with Theater Anonymous’ IT’S A WONDERFUL LIVESTREAM 2020, Theater Schmeater’s TWO SISTERS AND A PIANO, or amador/stokes’ world premiere of DUELS. He can frequently be found making semi-regular contributions at The Seattle Star, as well as curating their weekly Sunday Comics.

Emily K Kight (she/her)

Costume Designer

Resources

Hola amigos,

Book-It is trying something new with this production. We know that watching a play like this, or any performance where violence or trauma occurs, can elicit intense emotions for both the artists on stage and the audience members. In case you would like to decompress after the show as you process and consider the themes of this story and the real lives of the Mirabal family, we wanted to provide some space and tools to do so. These offerings are courtesy of the In The Time of Butterflies team. Thank you for being here and for feeling with us.
 

MEDITATION

Take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes if helpful.

Focus on the temperature of the air you are breathing. 

Note the coolness of the air coming in and the warmth of the air coming out and take a second to honor that your body is shifting that air’s composition and temperature. 

Now, as you inhale, choose something from the show today that you’d like to take in with your breath and keep with you. It can be an image, a line, a theme, an actor’s performance, the new knowledge of something that happened, or an emotion or thought it is provoking for you. Hold that close as you breathe it in.

Now, as you exhale, choose something from the show you’d like to leave behind or in the theatre. This can be something tangible from the show, or an emotion or thought it is provoking for you. Fully release it as you breathe out.

Repeat if desired.

JOURNAL

If you like to process on your own through writing, try doing a 5 minute free write or draw around the following questions:

1. What does freedom mean to you?
2. What part of the story of IN THE TIME OF BUTTERFLIES resonates most with you?
3. How might you contribute to your own liberation, or the liberation and wellbeing of others in the next month?

STILL WANT MORE SUPPORT? CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES IN SEATTLE:

24 Hour Crisis and Suicide Hotline for King County

866-427-4747

Report Sexual Assault in Seattle

Counseling:

• Personal Counselor Recommendation:

Alyssa K. Griskiewicz, MA, ATR, LMHCA, RYT

Alyssa is a creative arts therapist and counselor who engages the healing power of the arts, mindfulness practices, meditation, yoga and social-justice informed psychotherapy to support wholeness and healing for people of all ages and identities. Sliding scale available. 

(w) www.ebbandflowadventures.org

(e) alyssa@ebbandflowadventures.org

(p) 508.523.9691

• Antioch Community Counseling Clinic

The AUS Clinica provided sliding scale counseling resources, including art and drama therapy in Belltown.

(e) clinic.aus@antioch.edu

(p) 206.268.4840

• University of Washington-- Department of Psychology 

The UW Clinic provides sliding scale psychotherapy and psychological assessment to residents of the Seattle metropolitan area

• UW Latino Center for Health
• Mental Health & Wellness Resources for Persons with Disabilities
• Asian American Counseling & Referral Service
• Multicultural & POC Counselor Database
• Therapy for Latinx : Seattle
• La Esperanza
• LGBTQIA+ Affirming Counselors in Seattle
• Consejeros que Afirman LGBTQIA+ en Seattle

Other Resources:

• Community
  • Black Emotional and Mental Health
  • El Centro De La Raza Community Resources
  • Recursos de la Comunidad de El Centro De La Raza

• Social Media
  • Actor Mental Health Informal Instagram Account 

• Books
  • The Body is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor 
  • It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
  • The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk 
  • Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown

Special Thanks

The Mirabal Family

Caridad Svich

Emily Kight

Miranda Suggitt

Sabrina Chacon-Barajas

Milvia Berenice Pacheco Salvatierra

Roxana Pardo Garcia

Arlene Martínez-Vázquez

Danielle Nieves

Anna Bowen

Victoria Kight

Roz Cornejo

Kerry Jacinto

Zenaida Smith

Martha P. Johnson

Sylvia Rivera

Susana Chávez

Will Wilhelm

Darian Clogston

Shermona Mitchell

Birdie Montgomery

Maria-Tania Bandes B. Weingarden

Williams Argenal

Jéhan Òsanyìn

Salvadorean Bakery & Restaurant 

La Brisa's Boutique

18th & Union

Enumclaw's Stationers 

Tacoma Musical Playhouse

Seattle Repertory Theatre's Props & Costume Shops

Seattle Children's Theatre's Costume Shop

Sound Theatre

Maria Manness

Teresa Thuman

Grecia Leal Pardo

Roy Arauz

Jesse Glick

Shameem Rakha

Cessa Betancourt 

Rosemary Jones

Donors

IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES 
DONOR LIST 

This list reflects gifts made between March 1, 2021 and August 31, 2022. 

Nobel Prize Sponsors ($25,000+) 

Arakawa Foundation 

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 

Grousemont Foundation 

Lucy Helm 

Margaret Kineke & Dennis West 

Sage Foundation 

Shirley & Dave Urdal 

Kris & Mike Villiott 

Pulitzer Prize Sponsors ($10,000+) 

Anonymous 

ArtsFund 

Laura & Greg Colman 

Jess Dishman 

Polly & Eric Feigl 

Stuart Frank & Marty Hoiness 

Harvest Foundation 

HerRay! Foundation 

King County Creative 

Office of Councilmember Jeanne Kohls-Welles 

Nancy Lomneth & Mark Boyd 

Lucky Seven Foundation 

Holly & Bill Marklyn 

Morgan Fund 

National Endowment for the Arts 

Mary Pigott 

Barb & Dan Radin 

Nancy & Warren Smith 

True-Brown Foundation 

Hugo Award Sponsors ($5,000+) 

4Culture 

Blaise Aguera y Arcas 

ArtsWA 

Patricia Britton & Stellman Keehnel 

Catherine Clemens 

Emily Davis 

Anne Fisher Ravens 

Clay Gustaves 

Ellen Maxson 

N. Elizabeth McCaw & Yahn W. Bernier 

Mary Metastasio 

Rebecca Monk 

Sherry Perrault & Michael Harding 

Seattle Office of Arts & Culture 

Christine & Josh Stepherson 

Booker Award Circle ($2,500+) 

Anonymous (2) 

John Aldaya & Tom DeFelice 

Diana Carey 

Loveday Conquest 

Beth Cooper & Dan Schuy 

Tina Ferguson 

Tina D. Ganguly & Tim Whitwell 

Delney & Gil Hilen 

Lisa & William Holderman 

Francesca Mercurio 

Monica Ramsey 

Lynne & Nick Reynolds 

Shirley Roberson 

Charyl Kay & Earl Sedlik 

Ruth & Jerry Verhoff 

Williams Companies 

Lordia & Jeremy Williams 

Crystal Wilson 

Christina Wright & Luther Black 

Newbery Award Circle ($1,000+) 

Anonymous (9) 

Monica Alquist & Gary Miller 

Virginia L. Anderson 

Joe Barrett 

Salli & Stephen Bauer 

Jenny & Larry Beeman 

Block Leavitt Foundation 

Marylou Brannan Charitable Fund 

Brett Burns 

Sylvia & Craig Chambers 

Jeannine Clarke & Tony Beeman 

Donna Cochener 

Colleen Strangeland 

Rose Cooper-Finger 

Diane Dewitt & Curtis Thompson 

Caroline L. Feiss & Gordon B. Davidson 

Suzanne Fry & Richard Moore 

Helen Goh & Jeff Kadet 

Lenore Hanauer Foundation 

Kate Hokanson 

Robert Hovden & Ron DeChene 

Lynn Hubbard & David Zapolsky 

Judith Jesiolowski & David Thompson 

Dave Johnson 

Marta Johnson & Johann Rocholl 

Mr. & Mrs. Gareld John Kneepkens 

Tami & Rob Kowal 

Leslie Fund, Inc. 

Tracy Middlebrook 

Richard Monroe 

Christopher Mumaw 

Whitney & Jerry Neufeld-Kaiser 

Cheryl Papadakis 

Cecilia Paul & Harry Reinert 

Raymond Family 

Paula Riggert 

Evelyne Rozner & Matt Griffin 

Dana Rudy 

Jain Rutherford 

Steve Schwartzman & Daniel Karches 

Seattle Center Foundation 

Seattle Office of Economic Development 

Marilyn Sherron 

Martha Sidlo 

Sarajane Siegfriedt 

Angela Smith 

Gail Tanaka 

Leigh Toner 

Nancy Ward & Toby Bright 

Hope Wiljanen 

Carol & Bryan Willison 

Caldecott Medal Partners ($500+) 

Anonymous (8) 

The Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel 

Tony Angell 

Jim & Marilyn Barnett 

Kayti & Chris Barnett-O'Brien 

Joan Barokas 

Susan Bean & Ray Walton 

Rebecca & Hugh Bergeson 

Beth Blosten & Tom Linder 

Catherine Bombico 

Kevin Brady 

Sally Snyder Brunette 

Sally & Curt Clausen 

Pam & Ollie Cobb 

Carol & Bill Collins 

Pamela Cowan & Steve Miller 

Carolyn & George Cox 

Sandy & Paul Dehmer 

Krijn DeJong 

Carol & Kelly Dole 

Nancy Donier 

Cornelia Duryee 

David Fandel 

Linda & Terry Finn 

Liz Fitzhugh & Jim Feldman 

Corinne Fligner & Mark Wener 

Caroline Fox 

Kai Fujita 

R. Brooks Gekler 

Lori Gicklhorn 

Diane Grover 

Michelle & Mark Hamburg 

Lisa Hanna 

Laura & Erik Hanson 

Sarah Horrigan 

Portia D. Jones & Jonathan Hibbs 

Sara & Robert Jordan 

Julia H Kalmus 

Monique Kleinhans & Bob Blazek 

Linda Korbus & Gregory Flood 

Akshay Kulkarni 

Leah LaCivita 

Donna & Ian LeGrow 

Amy & Eric Leonard 

Amy Levenson 

Jan Levine & David Kasik 

Julie Beckman & Paul Lippert 

Melissa & Don Manning 

Elizabeth Mathewson 

Ann McCurdy & Frank Lawler 

Mary Jean & Mel McDonald 

David Nelson 

Marco Ng 

Lori Oliver 

Brandon Paddock 

Deborah & Jeff Parsons 

Susan Pazina 

Anna & Edwin Peterson 

John Purdon 

Neave Rake 

Roberta Reaber & Leo Butzel 

Jo Ann & Jim Roberts 

Karen Robins 

Carl Robinson 

Darrell Sanders 

Lee Scheingold 

Selboe-Ojemann Fund 

Joana & Michael Shapiro 

Marcia & Peter Sill 

Goldie Silverman 

Ericka Stork 

Paul Stucki & Christina Chang 

Liann & Stephen Sundquist 

Michelle Valentine 

Jennifer Weis 

Paula & Bill Whitham 

Melinda Williams 

National Book Award Partners ($250+) 

Anonymous (6) 

Josh Aaseng 

Judith Alexander 

Cali and Susan Ashmun 

Cinnimin Avena 

Patti Baker 

Paula Becker and Barry Brown 

Jane Bender 

Tessa & Chris Bennion 

Leslie Bernstein 

Lindsay & Tony Blackner 

Judy Brandon & H. Randall Webb 

Philip Brazil 

Kim Brotherton 

Alice & Stan Burgess 

Janet Buttenwieser 

Nadia Caldwell 

P. Caswell 

Lucinda Clark 

Julie Conklin 

Jeanne Crisp 

Peg Curtin & Jim Wilder 

Robin Dearling & Gary Ackerman 

Marcia Donovan 

Anne & Don Downing 

Beth L. Dubey 

Julie Edsforth & Jabe Blumenthal 

Jonathan Eisler 

Jeremy Eknoian 

Sara Elward 

K. Denice and James Fortier 

Jean Gorecki & Dick Dobyns 

Carla Granat & Stephen Smith 

Pat Graves & David Nash 

Alle Hall & Cliff Meyer 

Robert Hankins 

Corina Hardin 

Barbara Hieronymus 

Jean Hilde & Hunter Fulghum 

Lauren Hill 

Linda Hoines 

Trish & Doug Honig 

Vicki Huggins 

Wendy Jackson 

Sharon Jensen 

Jane Jones & Kevin McKeon 

Kris Jorgensen & Margey Rubado 

Eileen Kirkpatrick & Noel Howes 

Nora Leahy & Gus Menary 

Koren Leggett 

The Lennon-Keegan Family 

Talitha Leonard 

Arlene Levy 

Kit Logue 

Valerie Lynch & Putnam Barber 

Lodi & Regan McClellan 

Anne McDuffie & Tim Wood 

Anna & Paul McKee 

Michael & Neal McMahan 

Sarah Meardon 

Jeanne Menary & Richard Winefield 

Tami & Joe Micheletti 

Gena Morgan 

Helen & Craig Mumaw 

Alex & Liam Mundy 

Mark Murray 

Karen O'Connor 

Karen Perry 

Shannon Phillips & Tarik Burney 

Myra Platt & Dave Ellis 

Kim Port & Norman Garner 

Ann Ramsay-Jenkins 

Meredith & David Regal 

Nancy Reichley & Tim Higgins 

Melitta Riley 

Eileen D. Simmons & Roger A. Berger 

Marilyn Sloan 

Cydly Smith 

Candace Smith & Steven Bolliger 

Vicki & Craig Sosey 

Aleisa Spain 

Jenness & John Starks 

Richard Stein 

Kathryn Yates Stevenson 

Deborah Swets 

Anne Terry 

Catherine Thompson 

Cynthia Todd 

Jo Usher 

Karen & Ron Van Genderen 

Lisa Verner 

Susan Ward 

Gregory Wetzel 

Bo Willsey 

Pen Faulkner Award Partners ($100+) 

Anonymous (28) 

Doug Adams & Scott Fitzgerald 

Gail Anderson 

Jessica Andrewartha 

Dana Armstrong 

Amy Arvidson 

Shawn Auld 

Anne & Roger Baker 

Jo Ann & Tom Bardeen 

William Barnard 

Kay Beisse & Susan Lerner 

Donna & Jack Bennett 

Julia Bent 

Koren Berggren 

John Bianchi & Scott Warrender 

Shari Bitcon 

Bonnie & Webb Bowie 

John Bradshaw 

Karen Brandvick-Baker & Ross Baker 

Reid Branson 

Rachel Brooks 

Becky Brooks & Jeff Youngstrom 

Adelaide Brooks & Robert Pennell 

Mary Buck & Kenneth Goldstein 

Zimmie Caner & Tom Edwards 

Michela Carpino 

Sheila Carter 

Paula Cipolla & Steven Albright 

Ann Colowick 

Mary & Robert Cooper 

Marianna de Fazio & Agastya Kohli 

Melinda Deane & Danny Wheetman 

Beth DiDomenico 

Susan M. Dyer 

Joan East 

Laura Ellis 

Marilyn Endriss 

Marlys Erickson 

Constance Euerle 

Xirui Feng 

Judi & Steve Finney 

Mary Ellen Flanagan 

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum  

Richard Frith 

Michael Froy 

Moira Fulton & Lee Daneker 

Thea & Phil Galante 

Clarence R. Gillett 

Faye & Dick Gillett 

Sylvia Gillett 

Siobhan Ginnane & Dan Whalen 

Dana Greenberg 

Mike Grimm 

Scott Guettinger 

Linda Haas 

Christie Hammond 

Marcia Harper 

Stacy Harris 

Carol Harris 

Cheryl Hartup 

Shuko Hashimoto 

Leanne Hawkins 

Carolyn Hayek 

Paul Heppner 

Lloyd Herman & Richard Wilson 

Stephanie M. Hilbert 

Sandy Hill 

Kenna Hoyer 

Cynthia Huffman & Ray Heacox 

Kimberly Hughes 

Gail Irving 

Kent Johnson 

Susan Jones 

Joan Kalhorn 

Paul Kassen 

Rosemary Kelly & Douglas Zatzick 

Nancy Kennedy & Scott Newcombe 

Michael Kern 

Robyn Klarman 

Deborah & Robert Knetzger 

Ted Kohler 

Kikue I. Kubota 

Susan M Lacy 

Cynthia Lair 

Jason Lamb 

Susan Landon 

Sonya Lawson-Salmasi 

Jeanne Leader & Stephen Ooton 

Diane Lefkow 

Sylvia & Wayne Levy 

Larry Lewin 

Heidi Lewis & Tom Wahl 

Bonnie Lewman 

Martha Lloyd & Jim Evans 

Kathryn Logue 

Mary Frances Lyons 

Nicole MacInnes 

Judy Mahoney 

Elaine Mathies 

Susan McCloskey 

Torrie McDonald 

Sara & Keith McMahon 

Gaye McNutt 

Ron Meckler 

Alida Mendes 

Andrea Menin 

Ryan Metler 

Margaret J. Meyer 

Marion & George Mohler 

Vivian Montoya & Jay Livey 

Beth Morrison & Geoff Crooks 

Nancy Morse 

Dorothy & Dick Moseley 

Susan Mozer 

Gretchen Novasio 

Pam & Tim O'Sullivan 

Lauren Offenbecher 

Patricia Pawelak-Kort 

Pamela Perrott 

Amy Pieper 

Wilson Platt 

Joanna Power 

Jill Purcell 

Jennifer Raymond 

Katharine Revello 

Karen & Eric Richter 

Carla Rickerson 

Therese Roberson 

Linda J. Robinson 

Beth Rollinger 

Ellen Roth 

Renee Roub & Michael Slass 

Emily Sands 

Lisa Sanman & Ebbe Roe Smith 

Julie Sarkissian 

Julie & Jeff Schoenfeld 

Lavonne & Josh Searle 

Patti & Mark Seklemian 

Mark Shafer 

Linda Shaw & Carl Christofferson 

Sally Sheck 

Laura Skelton & Thomas Buford 

Martine Smets 

Carol Smith 

Carolyn Smith 

Barbara Spear 

Patty Starkovich & Greg Allen 

Jane Stevens & Jerry Zimmerman 

Julie Stohlman 

Alex Stone 

Constance Swank 

Lori Taylor 

Jillian Taylor 

Melissa Terry 

Meranda Tuttle 

Jennifer Uhlar 

Nola Van Vugt 

George Von Fuchs 

Jorie Wackerman 

Sarah Wallace 

Angela Walls 

Elizabeth Warman 

Joella Werlin 

Laura Widdice 

Rob Williamson 

Tricia Willison 

Sarah Wilmot 

Michael M. Winters 

Jodie Wohl & Richard Hert 

Jill O. Wolcott & Mitchell J. Olejko 

Cynthia Wythe & Neal Erickson 

Gifts in Honor & Memory 

In honor of Jeannine Clarke 

Bobbi Kotula 

On behalf of Samantha Cooper 

Mary & Robert Cooper 

In memory of Caroline L. Feiss 

Gordon B. Davidson 

In honor of Stuart Frank 

Linda Hoiness 

In honor of Marty Hoiness 

Linda Hoiness 

In honor of Jane Jones 

Colleen Strangeland 

In honor of Jane Jones & Myra Platt 

Joan Kalhorn 

In honor of Margaret Kineke 

Anonymous 

In honor of Marilyn Murphy Meardon 

Sarah Meardon 

In memory of Mom & Dad 

Anonymous 

In honor of Becky Monk 

Marylou Brannan 

Alesia Spain 

In honor of Myra Platt 

Anonymous 

In honor of Earl & Charyl Kay Sedlik 

Kay Beisse & Susan Lerner 

In honor of Christine & Josh Stepherson 

Karen Brandvick-Baker & Ross Baker 

In memory of Bob Sundstrom 

Anonymous 

In memory of Cassandra Tate 

Anonymous 

Paula Becker & Barry Brown 

Keith Shipman 

In honor of Sound Designer Kyle Thompson 

Catherine Thompson 

In memory of Nancy MacKay Todd 

Cynthia Todd 

Book-It strives to be accurate with our acknowledgments. Please contact Development Associate Sara McMahon at saram@book-it.org with any changes or corrections.