2. FABULATION
written by Lynn Nottage
produced by Blackstage Theater Company
directed by Brandon Jackson
assistant director and stage manager, Ariel Smith
scenic designer, Isaiah M. Wooden
choreographer, Catherine Howard
technical directors, Brad Moylan, Taurean Butler
graphic designer, Cameron Henry
dramaturge, Angela Schiller
Cast
undine Saroya Whatley
stephie / ensemble Catherine Howard
herve / guy / ensemble Nicolas Ruhl
grandma / ensemble Vanessa Patel
!"#$%$&'(&)*+& Justin Michael Reed
rapper / ensemble D’Shai Hendricks
father / ensemble Doc
allison / ensemble Ari Jones
BLACKSTAGE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK:
Stanford Drama Department
Institute for Diversity in the Arts
Program in African and African American Studies
Black Community Services Center
Black Student Union
ASSU
Note of Thanks...
There are many individuals to whom I owe a tremendous amount
of gratitude for their support of this production. I’d like to give a
very special thanks to Ariel Smith for the tremendous time and
effort you’ve put into this show. You’ve accepted challenge after
challenge, and we couldn’t have done it without you. On that same
note, I’d like to thank Isaiah Wooden for your extraordinary cre­
ative vision and your willingness to support a fellow artist.
I thank the wonderful cast for making it all the way to the end. You
certainly have many stories to share about this...experience. I’m
extremely proud of you and thank you again for trusting me with
your many talents.
I thank the Drama Department for their support of me and the en­
tire production. I especially want to thank Michael Ramsaur and
Tony Kramer for their incredible assistance during tech week.
Thanks, too, to all of my dearest friends who have put up with me
or have been gracious enough to understand why they haven’t seen
or heard from me these past weeks.
Last, but certainly not least, I thank God for blessing me with
many talents and allowing me to share those creative gifts with
you.

3. Director's Note,
Why Fabulation? This one’s extremely personal. In short,
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Stanford, I was thrust into an immediate culture shock. My
humble Chi­town upbringing had not prepared me for the
madness that is California, yet alone the dynamics of an elite
college campus. I arrived with two suitcases full of everything
I was able to bring on the plane with me, and, unlike many of
my peers, I came solo, not knowing anyone in the state, yet
alone on the campus.
Pretty soon, I began to realize how different my background,
particularly my family background, was compared to many of
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college. Moreover, I soon learned that many of my peers’ par­
ents were presidents of universities, doctors, lawyers, CEOs,
so on and so forth. One day, someone asked me what my par­
ents did. I made up some elaborate tale about my father who,
in reality, I hadn’t seen since I was 12. I even gave my mother
a glorious job as a senior manager at AT&T. In reality, she was
an operator, one of the lowest positions in the company. Ironi­
cally, she retired at the very position she started in 35 years
ago, after given a choice of a severe downgrade or being laid
off with thousands of others.
Like Undine, I should have said that my mother worked day
and night to provide for my younger sister and I. I should
have said that she spent every dime she had to put me through
school in hopes that I would eventually go places she hadn’t
the opportunity to go herself. I should have said that while my
father was absent, my mother was the best set of parents a kid
could have had. I suppose I’ve said all of that now.
I don’t know what your story is or how that compares to the
one you’ve been telling other folk. But, no matter where you’ve
come from, or where you are right now, your story is worth
telling, and don’t you dare forget it!
­ Brandon Jackson ’12
About Blackstage,
Blackstage is a student run theater company housed on the cam­
pus of Stanford University. Collectively, we are a diverse group
of practitioners committed to creating and producing innovative
theater that articulates and expresses the Black experience. As an
organization, we strive to provide opportunities for directors, pro­
ducers, performers and designers of all backgrounds to develop
and cultivate their talents. We are committed to sharing with the
Stanford community the important stories of our African past,
present, and future.
Blackstage Core:
A­lan Holt, Executive Director
Brandon Jackson, Artistic Director
Angela Schiller, Graduate Student Liaison and Master Dramaturge
Yaa Gyasi, Master Writer Chair
Rameerah Anderson, Director of Publicity
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Zahra Axinn, Drama Dept. Liaison
Brad Moylan, Technical Director
Taurean Keyonte Butler, Assistant Tech Director
There are a number of ways you can get involved with Blackstage.
For more information about performance, directing, producing or
design opportunities, please contact us at
blackstageadmin@gmail.com.

4. Bios...
Saroya Whatley (Undine) is a senior majoring in International Re­
lations. While this is her second drama production at Stanford, she has
danced with Stanford Dil Se and Sanchali. In the fall, she performed
in the Drama Department’s production of No Child... and is excited to
return to the stage in Fabulation!
Catherine Howard (Stephie, Ensemble) is a senior majoring in
International Relations and minoring in African and African American
Studies. During her time at Stanford, Catherine has been involved in
the Black Student Union, the Black Pre­Law Society, and is currently
an RA in Ujamaa House and the president of Moving Word: Expres­
sions of Faith, Stanford’s praise dance group. Catherine trained at
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Ailey School. She is thrilled to be making her acting debut in Fabula­
tion.
Justin Reed (Flow, Ensemble) is a 2010 graduate with a B.A.H.
in African & African American Studies and a Religious Studies minor.
Up until this point, he had no acting experience, but his older brother,
Matthew (Class of ‘09), performed in multiple productions at Stan­
ford... Justin likes to follow in Matt’s footsteps.
Nicolas Ruhl (Herve, Ensemble) is a senior who has recently
completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Technology and Society
(STS) and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Communication: Media
Studies. He spent three years playing for the Stanford Football team.
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appearance on stage.
Vanessa Patel (Grandma, Ensemble) hails from Los Altos, Cali­
fornia and is a coterm majoring in Management, Science & Engineer­
ing. Vanessa has been professionally trained in classical, folk and
modern South Asian dance for 15 years. On campus, she has been a
member of many Stanford dance teams: Basmati Raas, Dil Se and
Chardi Jawani.
D’Shai Hendricks (Rapper, Ensemble) is a freshman majoring
in Management, Science & Engineering, with a minor in Education.
He proudly represents the great state of New Jersey. Currently, he is
involved with Stanford NAACP, National Society of Black Engineers
(NSBE), VI Scholars and The Phoenix Project on campus. He wishes to
take his intellect and expertise into business and teaching. Fabulation
is his acting debut, but he wishes to continue to be a part of Blackstage
in the future.
Bios...
Doc (Father, Ensemble) is a native of South Central, Los Angeles.
Since arriving at Stanford, he has performed in productions of The
Corner, Bent and The Exonerated, while also being in various guer­
rilla theater pieces with STAMP. Fabulation$,($H"<:($4"A689$2'/$5'2+$
stage performance as a Stanford undergraduate, but he is grateful to be
working with the amazing Blackstage family. He dedicates this show to
his family and friends and thanks God for this opportunity to share His
glory.
Brandon Jackson (Director) is a junior majoring in Political
Science. He worked professionally as an actor in Chicago for over 10
years. He was most recently a cast member of the Drama Department’s
fall production of No Child. He would like to thank the Drama Dept.,
his production staff, and all of his friends for their continued support.
He is eternally grateful to this cast for the tremendous work they have
put into making the show a success: thank you for trusting me with
your incredible talents!
Ari Jones (Allison, Ensemble) is a junior at Spelman College in
Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in History with a minor in Spanish. She’s
currently participating in the Diversity Exchange Program at Stanford.
Ari’s performances in Fabulation$)26-$9&6$56(8$2<8,'G$&IJ&6,&'<&(0$2'/$
she’s excited about having the opportunity to try something new.
Ariel Smith (Assistant Director, Stage Manager) hails from
Houston, TX, but she has made a new home on the Stanford stage. You
may remember her dazzling performances in Bulrusher, The Vagina
Monologues, and A Raisin in the Sun or have had the pleasure to see
her dance with Catch a Fyah or Moving Word: Expressions of Faith. By
day, Ariel is a psychology student with plans of graduate study. Fabu­
lation marks Ariel’s debut behind the stage and has been both a chal­
lenging and enriching experience. She is glad to have taken this leap
under the tutelage of Brandon Jackson and to have grown alongside
the lovely faces you will see here tonight.
Isaiah M. Wooden (Designer) is a doctoral candidate in the Drama
Department. He is pleased to collaborate again with Blackstage and to
return to Fabulation, which he premiered in Washington D.C. in 2007.
He would like to extend his deepest gratitude to Brandon Jackson for
his clarity of vision, to the production team for their grace, and to the
Drama Department for their incredible generosity.