The Department of Performing and Media arts presents:

Peerless

By Jiehae Park

Directed by
Angel Katthi '24

Black Box Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts
430 College Avenue

Thursday, September 28th, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 29th, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 30th, 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Cast
M - Noëlle Romero
L - Katherine Lynn-Rose
D, D's Brother - Oscar Llodra
BF - Karys Everett
Dirty Girl, Preppy Girl - Davis Norma Ouriel

Crew
Stage Manager: Tatiana Lucia Bustos
Set Design: Isa Goico
Costumes: Caroline Ryan
Lighting/Electrics: Jillian Parrino
Sound/Audio: Isaac Newcomb
Stage Crew: Reece Shiraishi, Ruby Ricisak, Eddie Lacson, Ethan Ordower, Nike Makoviak, Victoria Serafini

Content warning
Discussion of attempted suicide, moments of violence, graphic and racially charged language, body shaming, fat-phobia, ableist slurs

“Peerless” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Click HERE for an audience survey.

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 2023-2024 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!

To begin, I’d like to thank you for being here. Yes, I am congratulating you for navigating our labyrinthian performing arts building and for graciously allowing yourself to be squeezed into the seats of our beloved Black Box theater—but also in the spiritual, possibly meta-physical, human connection sort of way, thank you for being here.

I wanted to begin this statement with some grand quote from The Bard himself and rave on and on about performance, or culture, or society-at-large or The Future. But really, all I’ve been able to focus on for weeks is the one question posed to me by countless friends and family members: Which night should I get tickets for? A question which confused me at first, because I want everyone to attend whichever performance they please, and the show is technically performed the same way every night. The more I think about this question, of identical performances and singular moments in time, I’m struck by its relevance to a story like Peerless. I was recently introduced to this idea, from The Haunted Stage by Marvin Carlson, that every theatrical experience recycles aspects of our individual and cultural memories. That all plays and performances, except the very first production, contain remnants of the plays, performers and productions that came before it. The most direct interpretation of this would be acknowledging Peerless as simply a contemporary twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, but this story, in this moment in time, extends to each one of us.

This is a story about college admissions. Though our individual proximity to the admissions process itself is varied, it is very likely that you, in this room, on this stage, have already experienced this story. You contain within yourself, that teenager, who felt the weight of their entire future printed on an admissions letter. I ask you to reflect on that version of yourself. Yes, this is a story about the perils of unchecked ambition, reaching ends through violent means, and Fate. This is also a story about teenagers. New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde once tweeted, “… even when I was little, I knew that teenagers sparkled. I knew they knew something children didn’t know, and adults ended up forgetting.” Being a teenager is a mysterious experience. You’re in the dawn of your adult life—what do you even know? Not much, really. But your choices, the decisions you make in this brief, contentious window can alter the trajectory of the rest of your life. This is all to say—the story that we have prepared for you today is rooted deeply in the -isms of being a teenager. We ask you to understand our characters, even the more outlandish ones. Our story and our characters use stereotypes in order to subvert them, not to present those stereotypes as truth. We had so much fun creating this show, and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

This is a love story.

Angel Katthi

Noëlle Romero (she/they) is a senior in CAS majoring in Biology. She can often be found grabbing a bite at CTB or singing with The Chordials and After Six around campus. Noëlle is overjoyed to be a part of this production, alongside such incredible actors. She would like to thank everyone who helped put the show together and hopes that you enjoy the show!

Katherine Lynn-Rose is a Chinese-Canadian actor represented by Moxie Artists in LA/NY, passionate about Asian representation in the arts. She recently appeared as a semi-finalist in the second season of Canada’s Got Talent, performing her original songs addressing the pressures of the "model minority" stereotype. Katherine is absolutely thrilled to be a part of Peerless, a story that resonates deeply with her own high school experience.

Oscar Llodra, fourth-year Bachelor of Architecture student, only recently integrated into the Performance and Media Arts program at Cornell. Outside of Peerless, you'll find him collaborating with actors in a film installation on intimacy and connection titled "Them," taking trips to Auburn Correctional Facility to take part in theatre performance with the residents living there, and maybe climbing a tree for a better view of campus. But for now, Oscar is D. Enjoy the show.

Karys Everett is a junior at Cornell and is really looking forward to everyone seeing the hard work all the actors have put in pay off!

Davis Norma Ouriel is a junior studying Performing and Media Arts & Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She’s a performer, intimacy director, and intimacy coordinator. She’s brave. Brave enough to call herself a “mouth trumpetist,” as well. She’s grateful you’re here. Thank you for supporting Angel and all the friends that have worked tirelessly to make this production–––this precise moment together––possible.

Tatiana Bustos (she/her) is a senior English major with a concentration in dramaturgy and a minor in Performing and Media Arts. Tatiana has a professional background in theater education and theater administration. In the past, she has worked to support youth programming at Steppenwolf Theatre and The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Most recently, she served as an intern in the Marketing and PR department at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. This is her first production on campus at Cornell.

Nika Makoviak is deeply intrigued by the intricate process of political identity formation and the dynamic interplay between politics and culture. Beyond my academic pursuits, I am an ardent enthusiast of film production and music. I am committed to expanding my knowledge and skills in this field, eager to explore and master various cinematic techniques. My aspirations are twofold: to delve deeply into the theoretical realm of Political Theory and to engage in practical, hands-on experiences in Film Production.

Reece Shiraishi (freshman) is excited to be in his first production at Cornell. In high school, Reece worked as a spotlight operator and performed in the school's 2023 spring musical, Mary Poppins. In his spare time, Reece likes to golf, surf, and code.

Caroline Ryan, a senior majoring in Biology & Society with a focus on Women's Health, is also pursuing minors in Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Law & Society. They most recently designed costumes for productions "Baby Rock" (PMA Fall '22) and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" (Melodramatics Spring '23), and performed as Grassaline in "The Family Copoli" (PMA Spring '23). Catch Caroline next in "Chicago" (Melodramatics Fall '23). Beyond the stage and classroom, Caroline aspires to protect queer health and reproductive autonomy post-graduation. 

Victoria Serafini (they/them) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Performing & Media Arts. Their dissertation investigates lesbian representation in a variety of media forms. They are also a queer filmmaker specializing in film editing and set design/decorating.  

Faculty advisor: Aoise Stratford
Production Manager: Andrew Deppen
Senior department manager: Christopher Riley
Production stage manager: Sarah Bauch
Technical director: Fritz Bernstein
Assistant technical director: Savannah Relos
Props and paint coordinator: Tim Ostrander
Lighting/Video Supervisor: Michael Garrett
Costume shop manager: Lisa Boquist
Communications manager: Youngsun Palmer
Front Desk Assistant: Steven Streetman