This document provides information about the play "Bent" including credits for the cast and crew. It was produced by Wandering Minds at Boston University and directed by Meg Boeni. The play explores the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany and the characters are fictional but based on real events. A note from the director discusses why she chose this play and the continued struggles for LGBTQ rights. Biographies of the cast and crew are also included.

2. “Bent” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
BENT is an original play that is not based on THE MAN IN THE PINK TRI-
ANGLE or any other book.
Bent was developed during a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater
Center’s
National Playwrights Conference in 1978.
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO
AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUT-
ING RECORDINGS ON ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS
STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR’S RIGHTS AND
ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE IN-
FORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
WWW.SAMUELFRENCH.COM/WHITEPAPE
Wandering Minds Presents
BENT
by martin sherman
DIRECTED BY
Meg Boeni
TECHNICALLY DIRECTED BY
Olivia Lanman
PRODUCED BY
Alex Wong & Emily McClure

3. CAST
Jeremy Altman ................................................. Max
John Thorsen ................................................. Horst
Luc Cesta ........................................................... Rudy
Nick McCann ................................................... Greta
Lee Condakes ................................ Uncle Freddie
Bryan Russo ...................................................... Wolf
Oliver Sherman................ SS Officer/Ensemble
Palash Jain
Phoebe Oler ........................................... Ensemble
Rabiah Rowther
Crew
Meg Boeni .................................................. Director
Olivia Lanman ..................... Technical Director
Kelly Tapager .............................. Stage Manager
Alex Wong ............................................. Producers
Emily McClure .
Swati Agrawal.........................................Costumes
Phoebe Horgan ............................................. Props
Alex Wong ...................................................... Lights
Sierra Tempas .
Bijan Abae ..................................................... Sound
Will Tietz ................................. Master Carpenter
Zack Kennedy ............... Build/Set Decoration
Mike Chan .

4. A note from the Director
It is still unknown how many gay men and women died in Nazi concen-
tration camps. But between 1933 and 1945, over 100,000 gay Germans were
rounded up, and more than half were eventually imprisoned. The characters
in Martin Sherman’s Bent are fictional, but the first scene takes place on a
real day in history: June 30th, 1934, Night of the Long Knives, when lead-
ers in the Nazi storm trooper ranks were murdered for allegedly planning a
coup, and Hitler used captain Ernst Rohm’s homosexuality as an excuse.
Lesbian and bisexual Germans (and what we now call LGBTQA rights
activists) were also targeted. The Nazis burned pamphlets, destroyed gay
clubs, and by 1934 could arrest men for as little as writing love letters to oth-
er men. As the Third Reich gradually took over Poland, Czechoslovakia, and
more of Europe, thousands of gays Europeans were castrated under court
order. “Pink triangle” prisoners in the concentration camps were frequently
beaten to death by other inmates, used for genetic experiments, and even
stood up for human target practice for the S.S. They were also targeted under
the “Extermination Through Work” program with the camps’ most punishing
physical labor.
After the war, they were the only Holocaust survivors who could be re-im-
prisoned for “repeat offences.”
Part of the reason I chose to present this play is that the fight is still not
over. We may have legalized gay marriage, but a gay couple can still be legally
fired from their jobs or refused work in 29 states. They can be banned from
renting an apartment together or visiting a partner in prison. Worldwide, ho-
mosexuality is still punishable by death in five countries and imprisonment
in many more.
The Holocaust tried to dehumanize people of all walks of life—Jews, political
protesters, Roma or gypsy people, and those with disabilities. Some of these
other persecuted souls are also represented in the play. But Bent isn’t all
dark—it has its moments of humor, confusion, and caring. In telling the sto-
ry of Max and his lovers, it explores all the different ways we deal with trage-
dy, and the extraordinary ways we overcome it. It reminds us that love is the
one thing that can never be exterminated.
Thank you for coming here to remember that.
Meg Boeni

5. Jeremy Altman CAS 2018 Max
This is Jeremy’s third show with Wandering Minds. Jeremy is currently a Sophomore
studying Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences on a Pre-Med track. He gets an aver-
age of 4-5 hours of sleep, but he still manages to stay sane (depending on who you ask).
On his free time, Jeremy enjoys watching Netflix, playing ice hockey, listening to music,
only playing “Wonderwall” on his guitar, and worshipping his dog, Taffy.
Meg Boeni CAS 2016 Director
Meg Boeni (Director) is graduating in one month and can’t even tell you where to direct
her mail. But she has hope. She has worked onstage and backstage with the Wanderers
for four years, and is incredibly grateful to be able to carry with her the joy, the learning,
and the support that she found here to wherever she wanders next. I’ll miss you guys.
Feed Oscar and don’t forget to put dish soap in the fake blood.
Luciano Cesta CGS/CAS 2019 Rudy
This is Luciano’s first show with Wandering Minds and at Boston University. Luciano
is in CGS but is moving on to CAS where he will be studying political science and inter-
national relations. His passions include politics, literature and theatre. He is extremely
exited to work with such an amazing and talented group of people who share not only a
passion for acting but a passion for history and story telling. For Luciano, this show has
been much more than just an experience in acting, but an experience in understanding
the dark pasts and realities for the LGBTQ, Jewish and other minority communities.
Mike Chan SED 2016 BUILD
Mike is a senior studying Elementary Education who wishes there was enough time in
the world to pursue storytelling as well. Some might say he actually has no idea what
he’s doing right now!
Lee Condakes COM 2016Uncle Freddie
Lee can’t believe he has the opportunity to come back to the stage after such a long hi-
atus, and is all too grateful for this opportunity. Thanks to Meg and Kelly for not killing
me by the end of this show, and thank you to Bea Arthur, Rue McLanahan, Betty White,
and Estelle Getty for seven years worth of cheesecake and for being a friend.
Phoebe Horgan CAS 2016Props Mistress
Phoebe had great fun finding period-accurate weapons for the show. Finding all the
other stuff was okay too. This is her last show doing tech for Wandering Minds, and
she’s feeling a little melancholy about that. Congrats to everyone on this great show, I’ve
probably cried over it like ten times by the time this is printed. You’re all stars!

6. Palash Jain CAS 2019 Soldier
Hey! I m Palash Jain an international freshman student at BU
I have done theatre previously in India, where I come from, and have actively partici-
pated in shows that were performed not only in English but in Hindi too. I was scared at
first as to how things will work out for me here. Although it has been a different experi-
ence but it is thoroughly enjoyable and the people you meet are the best ones you will
come across on campus. This is my first play at BU and I hope it goes well
Olivia Lanman CAS 2017 Technical Director
This is Olivia’s seventh show with Wandering Minds, and she couldn’t be more proud
of Bent’s fantastic cast and crew. The feeling of pride activates the brain’s emotion pro-
cessing circuit, which includes the amygdala, insula and ventral striatum. Shameful
situations also activate the same network, but according to recent studies, the emotion
circuit is more active when processing pride than when faced with shame. Stay proud,
friends.
Nick McCann COM 2017 Greta
This is my fifth Wandering Minds show in four years. I’m very grateful to have had the
opportunity to participate in Bent and many others. Congratulations to everyone in the
cast and crew for their tremendous efforts on the show and a special thanks to our in-
trepid director Meg for having the vision needed to mount such a production. Enjoy!
Emily McClure CAS 2016 Production!
Emily is so excited to once again producing with Alex Wong, who is probably (definitely)
one of the greatest people ever. Alex wants her to say hi to everyone. Emily can usually
be found wandering somewhere between Dunkies and SAO, where her phone thinks she
lives.
Phoebe Oler CGS 2019 Misc. person
Phoebe is from Connecticut. She is very excited about her first Wandering Minds show.
She attributes her love of performance to her mom who used to say “Sing to the fat lady
in the back row!” Phoebe loves her dog, spontaneous acts of kindness/dancing, and
Tina Turner.
Rabiah Rowther CGS/COM2018 Actor
Rabiah Rowther has lived in seven countries, so she can actually say she’s studied the-
atre around the world. She is currently a sophomore in CGS and is majoring in Film
& Television in COM. Bent is her second show with Wandering Minds. Other than be-
ing able to do highly realistic bird noises and a fantastic Scottish accent (according to
*some* people), she loves reading and binge-watching various TV shows. Enjoy the
show!

7. Oliver Sherman Questrom 2016 SS Captain
I am a senior with a focus in film, Chinese, Negotations, leadership and international
management. I am also the secretary of a Chinese club on campus and produce Chinese
films and am proud to have recently hosted a lecture and exhibition on Chinese contem-
porary art. I would like to thank my beautiful family, friends and girlfriend, Aries, for
their support.
Kelly Tapager CAS 2018 Stage Manager
Kelly is super pumped to be stage-managing with Wandering Minds for the first time,
after being on stage last semester in Bachelorette and The Complete Works of William
Shakespeare: Abridged. She’s super proud of the cast for bringing to life such a powerful
and meaningful show, and of the kick-ass director Meg Boeni, who is wonderful to work
with and full of awesome (if somewhat unfeasible) ideas. Enjoy the show!
John Thorsen CAS 2017 Horst
It’s exciting to return to stage acting after a two year break. I was encouraged by our
tech director to audition and was cast in the play before really knowing what it was
about. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised to encounter such a great script
and cast as this.
Will Tietz CAS 2016 Master Carpenter/Set Dec
Will likes tech, probably too much. This is his last time doing with WM; that makes Will
sad. He is also directing She Kills Monsters later this semester look on the back of your
program for more details. It’ll be cool.
Alex Wong Questrom 2016 Production
Alex has been with Wandering Minds since her freshman year. This is her second to last
show, so she will eventually get nostalgic once she is done stressing out about promo-
tional materials. BUT this is her last show producing with Emily McClure!! This reali-
zation is sad! But still working with her for the next show! Alex would like to thank her
friends and family for existing.
Alex Wong ENG 2016 Lighting
Alex is happy to once again work on a Wandering Minds production as lighting designer.
He has previously lit Almost, Maine and bobrauschenbergamerica.

8. Special thanks
BU Facilities Management & Planning
Student Activities Office
Student Activities Business Office
Stage Troupe
FedEx Office
CustomInk
Mary Paxton-Boeni
Samuel French, Inc.
Minou Arjomand
Jonathan Zatlin
Amy Rosenberg
Swati Agrawal
Elizabeth Sorensen
Allen the Aloe Plant
Gail
executive board
President ----------------- Phoebe Horgan
Vice President ------------ Jeremy Altman
Treasurer ------------------------ Will Tietz
Secretary ------------------- Oivia Lanman
Production Manager ---- Emily McClure
Technical Advisor ------------- Alex Wong
come see our next show
She Kills Monsters
April 21 & 22
LAW Auditorium
facebook.com/WMindsBU @WMindsBU people.buedu/WMinds