A strange meeting occurs in an asylum among eight women, who all believe they are influential women from history. The topic of the meeting: the men’s ward is going to kill them all. How can the women send a message to deter them from doing so? In the time that the meeting takes, how will the string that connects the women fray and eventually break as they lose their already tenuous grip on sanity?

JO YANKO  (Director ) is deeply thrilled to be making their directorial debut here at UB! They are a second-year student here at UB, and are in the process of pursuing a degree in theatre. While Chamber Music is the first show they have directed, they have previous experience with writing plays while attending Alleyway Summer Theatre Ensemble, and have performed in plays in ASTE and throughout their time in high school and at college. They would like to thank Jon Elston, Sara Bachraty, Penny Joseph, Carye Persico (the greatest person of all), and you for being here. Enjoy the show!

When I was 17, my theatre teacher, Susan Drozd, introduced Chamber Music to her production class, which I was in. I was quickly fascinated by this world that was defined by four walls, a door, and a window that was flung open in defiance of authority, and I knew I wanted to direct this show. Over the years, I patiently waited for my opportunity, and I soon found it in the form of the Student Directed Series here at UB.

Now that I’m finally here, putting on the show I’ve dreamed about for four years, I have to wonder what I want to say with my first show. I’ve always been a firm believer that the audience’s interpretation of a piece of art is far more important than its creator’s; as David Lynch once said, “...meaning, it's a very personal thing, and the meaning for me is different than the meaning for somebody else.” However, I feel like there are two things that I can share that show what my thought process was in creating this show:

1) At Erie County Medical Center’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, many patients have to wait 24 hours or more to be evaluated by a doctor, which is necessary for admission into the program. When they are first led to the psychiatry wing, they are escorted by a security guard who scans them with a metal detector. All patients, regardless of the type of psychiatric emergency they are experiencing, are placed in the same room.

CPEP is critically understaffed, and nurses are, more often than not, overworked and overwhelmed. This leads to gaps in communication between staff and patients, with many patients being unaware of how long they will have to wait, or the fact that they will be unable to leave until they are seen by a doctor. This situation is often deeply traumatizing to patients, putting their mental states in further jeopardy.

2) The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of both children and adults. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Many people experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder during the pandemic.” In other words, it can be very easy to go mad when your world is limited to four walls, a door, and a window that you fling open in defiance of authority.

THERESA BANKS  (Lighting Designer, Stage Manager) is a senior majoring in Theater with a concentration in design and production. They have worked on several of UB’s productions like 9 to 5: The Musical, Eurydice, ChoreoLab and Noises Off doing several different positions. Theresa is also on the EBoard for the club Dreams Affirmed, a club for BIPOC theater makers and performers, at UB. They hope to work more with lighting and stage management post grad. Theresa enjoys roller skating and going to concerts. They are very excited for this opportunity to work with the whole Chamber Music cast on this production and hopes everyone enjoys the show!

TOBIAS PFLUKE  (Sound Designer) is a senior in the Theatre BA program at UB. He is finishing up his final semester. After a full seven semesters of directing, designing, and performing, he's ready for the next big thing. If you're interested in his work, check out his projects in Impulse Dance Force, and UB Improv! Shout out to Kathleen Golde, who helped him get to where he is today.

ALEXIS QIAO  (Costume Designer) who just designed her very first show as the lead costume designer!! (yippee!) She is a theatre performance major at UB with a lot of passion in costume designing. Alexis has been working with Kami as her assistant for King Henry VI, Three Sisters and The Loved Ones (which is showing at The Irish Classical Theatre right now!). With these experiences, she finally gets an opportunity to test out what she learnt by taking the lead role in costume designing! Alexis would love to thank Jo for giving the opportunity and Kami for all the guidance! Please enjoy the show.

KAMBREA BLU  (Assistant Costume Designer), a Mexican-Filipino designer from Southern California, is now based in Buffalo, NY. She earned her MFA in Costume Design from the University of Florida in 2022, where she explored historical, cultural, and technical facets of costume. Currently a third-year PhD student in Theatre Research and Performance at the University at Buffalo, Kambrea’s designs merge her artistic skills with her cultural heritage for a distinctive approach.

For Chamber Music, she was excited to mentor Costume Designer Alexis Qiao and is always happy to see students reach new potential. Her recent work includes King Henry VI, which was reviewed in Shakespeare, the British Shakespeare Association journal. Her upcoming projects include The Loved Ones with Irish Classical Theatre, which opens in February 2025.

ALEXIS QIAO  (Woman Who Plays Records - picture above) is a Sophomore Theatre Performance BFA at UB. This is the third production she has participated in at UB. Her theatre journey started relatively late, when she was in high school, she participated in an original Chinese production that showed China during the Republic of China (ROC) period. Later, in her sophomore and junior years of high school, she directed and acted in two other original Chinese productions.

Alexis really enjoyed the process of rehearsing Chamber Music, and she would like to thank her Director Jo, Stage Manager Theresa and all the dear cast members. As the show is just about to begin, Alexis wants to say one last thing to the audience: don't worry too much about not understanding the absurdity of this play, because we are already living in it. Enjoy the show.

DANIELLE B WALKER  (Woman In Safari Outfit) is so excited to be making her acting debut at UB in this incredible SDS production. Danielle is a first year Music Theatre BFA honors student. Recent favorite credits include Steel Magnolias (Shelby), Urinetown (Little Sally), It’s a Wonderful Life (Mary), and Little Women (Amy March). Danielle also directed a Women in Literature Showcase this past summer and plans to direct Pride and Prejudice through her theatre company in Summer 2025. Last semester she worked behind the scenes for Fabulation, both as an RASM and Head Dresser. Later this semester you can see Danielle make her Mainstage UB debut as Mae in The Pajama Game! As always, much love to her crazy family, enjoy the show! Insta: @dbethw05

JUNO HUNTER  (they/he) (Woman With Notebook) is an actor, writer, and creative who will be graduating from the University at Buffalo this semester. They've performed in many shows at UB over the last four years, most recently including Outrage (Menocchio), Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play (Gibson/Homer), and Three Sisters (Solyony). They're excited to participate in this production of Chamber Music as their final show at UB and are grateful to have spent that time working with a creative team of their peers.

EMILIA VISCHI  (Girl In Gossamer Dress) is a junior transfer student with a major in Theatre Performance and a minor in Dance. She is honored to be making her UB debut in Chamber Music. Emilia will also be performing in The Secretaries later this semester as well as Dancers Workshop.

SADIE EVERHART  (Woman in Aviatrix Outfit) is overjoyed to be making her debut in UB’s Student Directed series! She recently transferred to UB, after spending a year in Pace University's BFA Acting program. Favorite credits include Nora Morton in Brighton Beach Memoirs with Rocking Horse Productions,  Storyteller in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Aurora Players, and Raizel Garncarz in Letters to Sala at East Aurora High School. She also recently worked on a short film Buffalo 10 and has contributed to other student and independent films. More at sadieverhart.com

ANIERIS RIVERA-COLON  (they/them) (* Original Cast of Woman in Queenly Spanish Garb) is a Puerto Rican sophomore majoring in Theatre here at UB. This is actually their very first production here and they are excited to be a part of the performance world.

OFEIBEA MICAH  (Woman in Armor) “Feebs” is a fourth year English major at the University at Buffalo. Last semester she played Ginette, Waitress, Marci in SDS production Almost, Maine. Last year she played the Buckingham/Salisbury track in the UB production of King Henry VI. In addition to theatre, she also has a background in comedy, performing with both UB Stand Up and Laugh, as well as her UB Improv troupe, Stop Texting This Number! Additionally, Feebs’ bestest friend ever, Caroline White Dexter, very beautiful and smart, is not in the show but should be mentioned for no reason at all!

EMILY PUTNAM  (Woman With Gavel) is thrilled to be making her acting debut at UB this semester in Chamber Music. Emily is a first year Music Theatre BFA student in the Honors College at UB. Her favorite works include Freaky Friday (Katherine Blake), The Lightening Thief (Annabeth), and The Addams Family (Ancestor, u/s Alice). Later this semester, Emily will make her mainstage debut in The Pajama Game! Emily would like to thank her family, current and former educators, and friends for their constant love and support! Insta: @emilyputnam18

BOLAJI IDOWU  (Man In White / Assistant) is an international sophomore student of the University at Buffalo pursuing a major in theatre. He is an aspiring actor who has made a few short acting videos in his spare time. Most recently, he performed as Old Baltus Van Tassel, Soldier 3, and Sleepy Hollow Boy 1 in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: A Radio Play, and Vershinin in Three Sisters. Apart from this, his other credits include a Nigerian summer performance course under the Pater’s Heritage Mission, and Bolaji is an aspiring comic artist and has done backstage work for other UB productions such as Renascence, Outrage and Zodiaque Dance Company.     

Theatre and Dance Department Chair: Eero Laine
Associate Department Chair, Producing Director: Lynne Koscielniak
Production Manager: Rick Haug
Assistant Production Manager: Ally Hasselback
KCT Technical Support: Matt DaVita
KCT Box Office Manager: Rob Falgiano
KCT House Managers: Ally Hasselback, Tom Tucker
Production Photographer: Ken Smith
Senior Staff Assistant: Tom Tucker

The UB Department of Theatre and Dance is a proud member of the UB College of Arts and Sciences. https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/

With a firm commitment to the advancement of creative research, experiential learning, and community engagement, the UBTHD 2024-2025 Production Season is administered by the Department of Theatre and Dance.

The UB Department of Theatre and Dance is a proud member of the UB College of Arts and Sciences. We acknowledge our full faculty and staff for their part in preparing students for work on stage and behind the scenes.

We thank UB Center for the Arts for their support in making these productions possible.

UB Theatre and Dance wishes to acknowledge the generous continued philanthropic support of Fox Run at Orchard Park, an official contributing sponsor of the UBTHD 2024-2025 season. Our season of programming is also made possible by ticket purchases and donations from patrons like you. We thank you for your continued support of our works. If you would like to further support THD, please visit: https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/theatre-dance/about/support.html