Intimate Apparel | July 25 – August 16

by Lynn Nottage
directed by Josiah Davis

sponsored by Leon Bresloff & Mary Bayer and  

In 1905, an African American seamstress supports herself by creating exquisite lingerie for wealthy Manhattan clients. When a letter arrives from a stranger, it awakens a desire within her that leads to the love that she’s yearned for, but it is nothing like she expected. This historical romance by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage creates a portrait of a young woman’s determination and the true meaning of intimacy.

Schedule
Thursday, July 25, 7:30 p.m. (Preview)
Friday, July 26, 7:30 p.m. (Opening)
Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 3, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. (Post-Show Discussion)
Tuesday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 7, 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 11, 1:00 p.m.
Friday, August 16, 1:00 p.m.
Production Team


Josiah Davis
Director
Meg Anderson
Set Designer
Michelle Handley
Costume Designer
Jennifer Fok
Lighting Designer

Rew Tippin
Sound Designer
Ingrid Pierson*
Stage Manager
Desery Pacheco
Assistant Stage Manager		  

Cast

Amber Baldwin*
Esther
Caitlin Duffy
Mrs. Van Buren
Kara Green
Mayme
Lawrence James*
George

Tessa Martin
Mrs. Dickson
Robert Najarian*
Mr. Marks		  

equity

*Member of Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

From the Director

I was struck by Lynn Nottage’s story about why she began to write this play. She says in an interview that her mother got sick from Lou Gehrig’s disease and soon after lost her voice. At the same time, her grandmother began developing dementia. These events happening simultaneously created an instant void inside of her. How would she ever be able to learn about her family history? Who could provide the answers to her questions? Cleaning her mother’s house, she found a passport photo of her great-grandmother holding her grandmother. Nottage knew nothing about the woman she was looking at, except she was a seamstress in New York and married a Panama man. She no longer had anyone to reveal her great-grandmother’s story. So she took it upon herself to fill in the blanks.

For so many Black people, especially in America, there is no access to the detailed stories of our ancestors. We know there is a bloodline who worked hard to give us a better life. Who created beautiful things with skilled hands. Who made messy mistakes. Who desired to be loved. Who endured prejudice, confusion, and loneliness. Who confronted the boundaries society built to contain them. Who dared to daydream of the future. Even though these stories aren’t recorded, we know they exist and are as intricate as Valenciennes’ Lace.

With this production of Intimate Apparel, I am taking up Lynn Nottage’s task of remembering. The experience of memory. Remembering that we all have a history. It is robust and we must reclaim it to honor those who came before us. Big and small.