After the death of his father, meek Jason finds an outlet for his anxiety at the Christian Puppet Ministry in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. Jason’s complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and—most especially—his mother are thrown into upheaval when Jason’s puppet, Tyrone, takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. Hand to God explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.
This event is open to Berklee students, faculty, and staff with a valid Berklee ID, and invited guests only.
Program Information
Director's Note
In my first year here at the Conservatory, I remember being on Zoom in my childhood bedroom in a script analysis class. We read a ton of plays, many I had never heard of before. One of our first assignments was reading Hand to God. I remember getting the play in the mail, laying in my bed, and reading something like I had never read before. That day, I told myself if I ever directed a play, it would have to be this. Fast forward to last year, filling out the application for the directing specialization, I said this same thing. I could not get this play out of my head. It has genuinely been a dream come true having the opportunity to direct this. This play is one to remember, and so is this cast. To them, I will be forever grateful for allowing me and my creative team to make art that is not everyone’s cup of tea. I know this will be true for some of the people reading this note. I hope, if anything, it can open your mind to the truth that underlies this story: one of love, loss, the different ways in which we grieve, and the ties that bind us together as humans.
Cast
JASON/TYRONE – Grayson Reed (he/him)
MARGERY – Maggie Wisniewski (she/they)
TIMOTHY – Liam Reardon
JESSICA – Sydney Shuck (she/her)
PASTOR GREG – Nate Scullion (he/him)
Production Credits
CREATIVE TEAM:
Director – Bella Donneruno (they/them)
Assistant Director – Bridget Delaney (she/they)
Stage Manager – Gabe Seplow (he/him)
Puppet Designers – Bridget Delaney (she/they), Charlie Zuckerman (he/him)
Lighting Designer – Brogan Nelson (she/her)
PRODUCTION STAFF:
Zack Box Technical Director – Audrey Kimball
CONCERT SERVICES STAFF:
Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov
Special Thanks
Special thank you to my beautiful cast and crew. I could not have done it without you all. Thank you to my family for always being there for me and my crazy ideas. Thank you to Chris Webb and Angie Jepson for trusting me with this story. I couldn’t have done it without you both, truly. And thank you to my other directors for your consistent and unwavering support.
Boston Conservatory thanks audience members for viewing this program information online. This paperless program saved 110 sheets of paper, 12 gallons of water, and 10 pounds of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
