The Department of Performing and Media arts presents:

Baby Rock

Directed by:
Taylor Bazos

Adapted from the original Spanish play by
Carlos De Matteis

Cast
Tess Lovell - Anastasia
Adela Colorado - Catalina
Miné Okoloko - Josefina

Crew
Assistant Director: Fannie Massarsky
Music Director: Daniela Rodriguez-Chavez
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Adam Shulman
Costume Designer: Caroline Ryan
Stage Manager: Arlette Arroyo
Assistant Stage Manager: Melanie Acosta
Light Board Operator: Orion Tian
Guitarist: Lukas Danforth
Drummer: Benson Yee

Faculty Advisors
Dr. Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz
P.A. Angelopoulos

Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts
430 College Avenue
November 18th, 5:30 p.m.
November 19th, 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
November 20th, 2:00 p.m.

The vision of the Department of Performing and Media Arts is to nurture and mentor artists, performers, writers, and thinkers through the process of event programming. We recognize that all people should see their stories represented, and envision their stories as valuable.

We commit ourselves to creating spaces that actively seek to break down systems of oppression based on race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, and place of origin and empower all to be involved. We seek to stimulate thoughtful discussion and enact social change within our productions and our audiences. It is our goal to make our events accessible to the wider Cornell and Ithaca community, to strengthen bonds and engage inquiry, dialogue, and impact around social and cultural change.

In the 2022-2023 academic year we will help realize a wide range of students’ creative projects, from original plays, to solo performances, to readings, to choreographies, to acting, directorial, and curatorial projects. We are particularly happy that in addition to supporting live performances, we are now also supporting the production of student films. Enjoy the shows!

Sometimes, things in life just line up. A year ago, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. As if that weren’t great enough, I was placed in a homestay with the owners of a renowned theater located in the center of the city. In addition to making me feel more than at home, my host parents, Carlos De Matteis and Marina Skell, invited me to every show they produced and engaged with me in long conversations about the impact and importance of theater. It was about the same time that I had to submit a proposal for my honors thesis. I had racked my brain on all of the possible projects I could take on, when I saw Carlos’ version of Baby Rock, a children’s musical that filled seats day after day at his theater. That is when it all clicked. Performing Baby Rock at Cornell, a play about acceptance, diversity and life, would give it a whole new context to spread its imperative messages.

What I love about Baby Rock is that it uses theater to not only entertain, but to educate and bring people together. Not many shows are aimed at such a young audience, but it is never too young to start learning the value of diversity or the joy of speaking a new language. I think this show is relevant now more than ever, as we put an end to the pandemic and come together again as a community. I really hope that the show gives families a place to laugh, learn and enjoy time together.

Thank you to all of you who have given up an hour of your time to come to the U.S. premiere of Baby Rock. I hope that it will be an energy-filled, fulfilling, interactive experience. I am so appreciative of my absolutely incredible cast and crew for putting their time and effort into making my tiny idea a huge reality. I could not have done it without all of the help, talent and ideas that each of you have brought to the table. I am so happy to present a piece that is exactly what the show represents: a combined work of many different viewpoints and backgrounds that make it come to life.

Lastly, I cannot put up this production without acknowledging my parents, Jill and George Bazos, who talked me through anxiety-filled nights and never ceased to have faith in my crazy projects and ideas. And of course, for reading the thousands of email drafts that it took to make this production a reality.

Please enjoy this wacky, weird and wonderful production that has been made possible by the passion and support of so many people. Soak up the feel-good moments and the brand new words, and have fun! Oh and of course do not be afraid to dance along! Siéntate, relájate y disfruta!

Sincerely,
Taylor Bazos

Adela Colorado - Catalina
Adela Colorado is a fourth-year student in the College of Human Ecology studying Human Development with a minor in Performing and Media Arts. This is her first theater production at Cornell, but she was very involved in musical theater in her hometown of San Diego, California. At Cornell, she is a member of Sabor Latino Dance Ensemble and its former captain. She is so excited to play Catalina and would like to thank the cast and crew for an amazing and supportive experience.

Tess Lovell - Anatasia
Tess Lovell is so excited to be playing Anastasia in Baby Rock, her first musical at Cornell! She is a sophomore transfer student double-majoring in PMA and English. You may know her from the Whistling Shrimp or Festival 24. Her training includes LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, The Performing Arts Project, and UC Irvine Music Theatre. She hopes that Baby Rock leaves audiences a little more playful, open-minded, and loving than when they walked in.

Miné Okoloko - Josefina
Miné Okoloko is a senior, majoring in Applied Economics and Management, as well as minoring in Film. Her previous works for Cornell include Festival 24 and Film I Screenings. Her hope for the audience is for them to develop a deepened meaning of familial relationships and their influence on the younger generations they bring into the world.

Director: Taylor Bazos
Taylor Bazos is a director, writer and actress from New York. She was the artistic director for the original production of Geek the Musical in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland as well as off broadway. She also helped produce and manage the touring company of La Furia in Madrid and throughout Castilla de la Mancha, Spain. She has taught theater and improv in Cuenca, Ecuador, New York, Los Angeles, and Madrid and hopes to continue to bring the joy of theater to the next generation. As an actress, she has studied at the Stella Adler Acting Studio of Acting, New York Film Academy and Michelle Danner Acting Studio and has made various appearances in film and TV. Taylor is beyond grateful to have the opportunity to bring such a special piece to the Ithaca community and celebrate the arts with families of all ages!

Assistant Director: Fannie Massarsky
Fannie Massarsky is a Junior Psychology major and Performing and Media Arts minor. She has always had a great passion for theater, and is beyond excited to be working on such a unique and heartwarming show, especially since this is the first musical she’s been on the creative team for! Although this show is geared towards children, anyone can extract and relate to the moving themes of friendship, identity, and the bittersweet experience of growing up. Fannie wants to thank Taylor for the opportunity to assistant direct, and the entire cast and crew for being so dedicated, poised, and flexible. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Music Director: Daniela Rodriguez-Chavez
Daniela is a senior double-majoring in Math and Environment & Sustainability, with plans to go to graduate school next year. When not working on school or shows, you can find her cooking or hanging out with her friends! She has loved working on a show that fosters friendship across languages and hopes you enjoy rocking along!

Scenic & Lighting Designer: Adam Shulman
Adam Shulman (BFA/BA ‘23) studies Performing and Media Arts, Fine Arts, and Music in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and Architecture, Art & Planning. In Spring 2022, he designed the projections for The Pleasures of the Quarrel in Bailey Hall, and in Spring 2021, he presented After Nature had Drawn a Few Breaths, a projection and lighting installation on the exterior of the Schwartz Center. Adam designed the sets for Reach for the Sky (PMA, 2021), Asiamnesia (PMA, 2021), and L'Histoire du Soldat (Hubbard Hall, Cambridge NY, 2018). He is developing an honors thesis centered around an outdoor theater constructed from invasive species.

Costume Designer: Caroline Ryan
Caroline is a third-year Biology & Society major with intended minors in Law & Society and Education. She loves experimenting with costume design and makeup! She also loves to dance, and most recently performed as The Bride at Cornell’s Halloween Drag Bingo. She would like to thank Lisa for all her support in the costume shop and Taylor for her incredibly positive and welcoming attitude.

Stage Manager: Arlette Arroyo
Arlette Arroyo is a senior Performing and Media Arts major and Music minor in the College of Arts & Sciences. She designed the set for Marisol (Risley Theatre) and appeared as the Drinking Patroness in Haunted Natures, Hidden Environments (Schwartz Flex Theatre). As a first-time stage manager, she would like to thank Taylor for the opportunity to work alongside such an incredible cast and crew. She hopes the audience enjoys rocking along to a celebration of differences!

Assistant Stage Manager: Melanie Acosta
Melanie Acosta is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and is currently pursuing a degree in economics. Melanie has always enjoyed live performances and is now a part of the Baby Rock team as the Assistant Stage Manager for her first technical position! Melanie has greatly enjoyed going through the behind-the-scenes process of creating a show and hopes the audience enjoys seeing it as much as she enjoyed working on it.

Guitarist: Lukas Danforth
Lukas Danforth studies Government and German at Cornell and is the guitarist for the rock band The Fuse. The Fuse plays gigs within the Cornell community as well as venues surrounding Ithaca. Lukas decided to play in the Baby Rock band to try something new and play in front of a different audience.

Faculty Advisor: Assistant Professor Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz
Dr. Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz’s research is at the intersection of performance studies, illegality and citizenship, borderlands studies, critical phenomenology, and critical dance studies. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with a research and teaching focus on creative ethnography and (Afro)Latinx/Latin American undocumented cultural production. He’s an assistant professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts. Alongside Dr. Debra Castillo here on campus and colleagues at Syracuse and Colgate, he is also the co-founding member of the (Afro)Latinx, Latin American, Caribbean, and Indigenous Performance working group—which is open to the public. He was most recently a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Society for the Humanities from 2020 to 2022. He’s the former managing director of San Francisco’s Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers. Dr. Aldape Muñoz is a first-generation formerly undocumented scholar.

Faculty Advisor: Senior Lecturer P.A. Angelopoulos
Panagiotis Angelopoulos is an active theatre director and also professor of acting, theatre history and theory of direction. He studied at the famous Karolos Koun School and formed part of the professional theatre group in Athens for 6 years (1982-87). His interest to understand the contemporary Catalan and Spanish theatre has being a huge motivation not only in representing plays, both in his own company as well as in his studio work as a performing arts teacher, but also in translating and promoting local young talented authors. 

1610 Technical Production Lab: Andrew Aman, McKee Bond, Olivia Breitkopf, Tatiana Bustos, Ana Carmona-Pereda, Kaitlin Chang, Flora Ding, Peter Levine, Oscar Llodra, Ben Mehler, Elliot Overholt
Scene Shop Work-Study: David Bascom, Arianna Louise Marie Josue, Julianna Lee, Charlie Wright
Prop & Paint Work-Study: Jessica Ritchie
Costume First Hands: Isabel Berkenblit, Havily Nwakuche, Jill Parrino, Bella Peters
House/Building Managers: Idey Abdi, Cierra Baptiste, Kenneth Choi, Mari-Christina Clark, Safiyyah Franklin, Jack McManus, Jessica Pedro-Pascual, Nia Reid-Vicars, Ethan Sarpong, Matthew Saylor
 

PRODUCTION STAFF
Director of Productions and Events: Pamela Lillard
Technical Director: Fritz Bernstein
Assistant Technical Director: Savannah Relos
Props Coordinator: Tim Ostrander
Costume Shop Supervisor: Lisa Boquist
Master Electrician: Steven Blasberg
Sound Engineer: Warren Dennis Cross
Computer Support: Chris Christensen
Communications Manager: Gary Gabisan
Performance & Events Coordinator: Youngsun Palmer

Pedro De Matteis (Rehearsal tracks), Praise Makinde (Marketing assistance), Jill Bazos (Proofreading, ideas, emotional support), Zandt Lavish (Projection animations), Jimmy Noriega, J Ellen Gainor, Carolyn Goelzer, Christos Vlahos, Beth Milles.