The Book of Holding On Program

Department of
Theatre & Dance

DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE

David Popalisky, Chair

THE BOOK OF
HOLDING ON

Book, Lyrics and Music by
Sarah Hirsch
A New Musical

World Premiere

May 21, 2021 7:00 p.m.
May 22, 2021 7:00 p.m.
May 23, 2021 2:00 p.m.
Live Streamed Performances

Directed By Jeffrey Bracco
Choreography By Pauline Locsin-Kanter
Music and Vocal Direction By Debra Lambert
Master Track Recording By Debra Lambert
Costume Design By Barbara Murray

Rebeckah Cox
Sound Design By Jeff Mockus
Virtual Background Design By Derek Duarte

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CAST (in order of appearance)

Emmeline “Emmy” Curtis Lucy Nino
Mom Sarah Beth Johnson
Dad Markus Wong
Tricia Hannah Cole
Jamie Gussman
Linnea Ashwood Joe Perry
Avi Siobhan Ortolano
Maddy Voorhees
Bianca
Grace

SYNOPSIS

A small town in New England, Early 2000s (post 9/11, before the rise of
social media)

THE BOOK OF HOLDING ON is about the human struggle to deal with
change. 13-year-old Emmy hates change but knows that she must learn
to accept it. So she starts a Buddhism group at school and writes an
imaginative collection of fables called The Little Book of Letting Go. But
when one change too many threatens Emmy’s perfect world, she de-
cides to sabotage all this change and “freeze the world.”

THE BOOK OF HOLDING ON is a whimsical, poignant exploration of
growing up and coping with change. The adolescents are played by
adult actors, suggesting that the central challenges depicted often last
throughout our lives.

There will be one 10-minute intermission.
Approximate running time is 95 minutes, including intermission
The production will also be available to stream from May 26-31, 2021.

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SCENES

Book Introduction
Scene One: Goodbye
Scene Two: Present Time
Scene Three: Sleepover
Scene Four: First Day of School
Scene Five: Meeting With Mr. Richter
Scene Six: The World is Ours Montage

Book Chapter One
Scene Seven: Party at Bianca’s House

Book Chapter Two
Scene Eight: Family Meeting
Scene Nine: Buddhist Give-away
Scene Ten: End-of-Semester Meeting/

Book Chapter Three
Scene Eleven: Later That Day

Scene Twelve: Montage
INTERMISSION

Scene Thirteen: Memories
Scene Fourteen: Courtyard
Scene Fifteen: Devising a Plan
Scene Sixteen: Another Meeting

Fairytale Freewriting
Scene Seventeen: Birthday Celebration
Scene Eighteen: Tricia’s Room/Montage

Scene Nineteen: Confrontation
Scene Twenty: Crisis/Emmy’s Decision

Scene Twenty-One: Apologies
Acknowledgements

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PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Overture Emmy, Ensemble
1. Letting Go Emmy, Linnea
2. Welcome to My Brain Avi, Bianca, Emmy, Linnea,
3. Highlight Lowlight Keep it Grace
Short Linnea, Emmy, Ensemble
4. The World is Ours Ensemble
5. The Squirrel Who Squirrelled Linnea
a Whole World Away Ensemble
6. Welcome to My Brain Emmy
(reprise) Ensemble
7. The Bear Who Couldn’t Bear Emmy, Ensemble
to Bare His Soul Mom, Emmy
8. Hold it In Emmy, Linnea
9. The Killer Whale Who Emmy, Tricia
Couldn’t Say Goodbye Emmy
10. Freeze Linnea, Emmy, Ensemble
11. Where Did it Go? Emmy, Avi, Ensemble
12. Welcome to My Brain (2nd Emmy, Linnea
reprise) Ensemble
13. Unbearable Trauma
13a. Fairytale Freewriting...
14. Unbearable Trauma (reprise)
15. World’s Worst Friend
16. Floating
17. Understand
17a. Acknowledgements
18. Letting Go (reprise)

PRODUCTION NOTE

Throughout the show, most of what you are seeing is being performed
live. The dance sequence was pre-recorded following SCU social dis-
tancing guidelines throughout rehearsals and has been edited to make
the dancers appear closer together.

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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

After I first read Sarah Hirsh’s script a few months ago, I was immedi-
ately taken by the charm and spirit of the show, but I kept checking the
title. For some reason, it lodged in my brain, not as The Book of Holding
On, but as The Book of Letting Go. Of course, this was for good reason,
since Emmeline Curtis, the newly-minted 13-year-old who is at the center
of the story, is writing a book within the show, called The Little Book of
Letting Go, which mirrors the ongoing struggles in her family and school
life. Whether holding on or letting go, I didn’t realize how critical both of
these actions would be for our ongoing process of bringing this brand-
new musical to life.
Sarah Hirsch, the amazingly talented composer and playwright of The
Book of Holding On, was incredibly generous with her work. She trusted
her baby to us to produce for the very first time and of course, due to
pandemic conditions, we were forced to figure out how to make it all
happen online. Thank you, Sarah, for letting go.
Everyone in the world has had their struggles this past year, but getting
the technology to work for 8 people to sing together online for rehears-
als every night is a monumental task, made possible by the persistence
and fortitude of our Musical Director, Debra Lambert. Carolyn Gugge-
mos and the whole team at SCU•Presents were just as instrumental in
their technical help. Pauline Locsin-Kanter, our choreographer, contrib-
uted her usual high-flying, inspirational and imaginative movement, even
in an online world. Our designers and production team worked diligent-
ly to make their magic happen. Lastly, the talent, flexibility and fun of our
uber-talented cast made this challenging journey an ongoing joy. Thank
you ALL for holding on.
For my part, I very much tried holding on, but through technical chal-
lenges, vaccine shots, Zoom fatigue, distance-learning and directing on
an electronic stage for the first time – I have to confess to, more than
once, letting go. With such an amazing team of collaborators to help
bring The Book of Holding On to life, I’m so glad I did.

During the last year, if you have felt overwhelmed, unsure of what comes
next or like things were out of your control, then The Book of Holding
On is for you. Enjoy the show…
6 -Jeff Bracco

PRODUCTION STAFF

Production Manager Heather Kenyon
Costume Shop Coordinator Patt Ness
Christina Malia Joseph
Assistant Director Lucas Simone
Stage Manager Ivy Janes
Mika Domingo
Assistant Stage Manager Jerald Enos
Assistant to the Choreographer James Republicano
Eddie Gilbert
Properties Artisan
Properties Assistant Leandro Damasco, Jr.
Live Stream Programmer and Jeff Mockus
SCU•Presents
Technician
Videographer
Online Audio Engineer
Multimedia Technical Support

ORCHESTRA

Keyboards & Instrumental Tracks Debra Lambert

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scot Hanna-Weir, SCU Dept. of Music
Scotty Arnold
Tony Asaro

Fern Silva, Michael Whalen, and the Department of Communications for
use of the TV studio to film the dance sequence.

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DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE

David J. Popalisky Pauline Locsin-Kanter
Department Chair Lecturer, Jazz/Tap
Assoc. Professor, Modern/ Ruth E. Mikusko
Choreography/Dance History
Department Manager
Aldo Billingslea
Professor, Kimberly Mohne Hill
Associate Professor,
Acting/Performance Studies
Jeffrey Bracco Acting/Voice
Lecturer, Virginia Munday
Adjunct Lecturer,
Directing/Acting/History Modern Dance
Karyn Connell Barbara Murray

Lecturer, Ballet/Pilates Professor,
Derek Duarte Costume Design/
Sr. Lecturer, Musical Theatre
Lighting Design
Jerald Enos Patt Ness
Lecturer,
Assoc. Professor, Costume Shop Manager
Scene Design David Sword
Barbara Fraser Sr. Lecturer,
Technical Director/
Professor, History/Directing Production Manager
Brian Thorstenson
Karina Gutiérrez Lecturer,
Assistant Professor Playwriting/
Multicultural Theatre History and Devised Theater
Performance Studies
Kristin Kusanovich
Sr. Lecturer, Modern Dance/
Theatre/Pedagogy

WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unautho-
rized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, video-
tapes or videodiscs. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and
may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a
$250,000.00 fine.
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DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE DONORS

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE ASSOCIATE ALAN OAKES
CAROLYN SILBERMAN* & TED BIAGINI KARYN CONNELL JENN PORET*
ANNE ROSENTHAL
CORTLAND & PUJA BOHACEK THU LU* TRICIA EATON-SAVITT
ROBERT DE MATTEI* MARY JEANNE OLIVA* & STEPHEN ESTES MIKE & COLLEEN SEXTON
BEN HEMMEN* DIANA STAHLNECKER
MARTIN KEANE SPONSOR
BARBARA MURRAY* PAULINE COLE DONOR
WICK MUSSON SUSAN CONNELLY ROBERT & PATRICE STEINER
DEBBIE CUCALON*
MICHAEL & VICKIE POITEVIN* DYLAN DELLA MAGGIORA* FRIEND
JUDY GILLETTE & JOHN PRICE HAROUT DIMIJIAN* SONYA VENUGOPAL
DEREK DUARTE
SCU PRESENTS JULIE C. FRICKLETON* *DENOTES ALUMN
BENEFACTOR LYDIA GREEN
LAUREN BAINES* JENNIFER JACOBS*
MELANIE BRACE TENNYSON JONES*
DAVID CONGDON* GAURAV KRIPALANI*
AMBER DE BUIZER* MANJU KUMAR
JERALD ENOS & CLEMENT STASI KRISTIN KUSANOVICH*
STEPHEN PARKS* RUSSELL MANGAN*
KIMBERLY MOHNE HILL

SCU•PRESENTS DONORS

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE KEITH INOUYE JUDY BOCCIGNONE DAVE LAND
MELANIE BRACE LAUREN JOHN ALINA BORCHARDT LAURA LENZA
JANET KLEINHOFER LISA BOWDEN BRUCE LESCHER
SPONSOR BETTE LINDERMAN CHRISTELLA BURTON MAUREEN LOCKE
ANDRE ABRAHAMIANS MARIA LONGSWORTH GREG CALLAGHAN TED LORRAINE
CHARLES BARKIS IAN MCCAMEY PATRICIA CARGNONI ASHLEY LUCAS
MONA-LISA BLOUIN ERICA MIKESH KAREN CARTER HANNAH LUSCHER
PUJA BOHACEK TULLY MOXNESS LOYACE CLEGG ROSLYN LYONS
KRISTEN BROWN SUSANNE MULCAHY JENNIFER COUTURE JAMES MAR
PATRICIA CAIN DARRYL NODA PATRICIA CURIA KATHY MATTINGLY
DEBRA DEMARTINI CHARLES NOYA SHARON DAHNERT MIKE METCALF
ANN DIGIOIA KRYS JEFF & PENNY OSORIO SANDRA DE ALCUAZ RUTH MIKUSKO
CHRIS. ESTEBAN KATIE PEUVRELLE OCTAVIO DE LEON MARY MILLER
CLAIRE HAWLEY MARIANNE POBLENZ HENRY DEARBORN
THERESA HRUBY-PERCELL JENN PORET JACK DUBIN CARL MIYA
ANN KRYS HENRY & CATHERINE RICARDO ERIC EKLUND JOANNE MIYAHARA
JOHN LEWIS ANNA RUTTER SEIKO FUJII
PAMELA ALLSTON MADDEN ANTHONY SAMPSON ELLYN GAICH LAN NGUYEN
BARBARA MURRAY PATTI SIMONE GREGORY GALATI RONALD OGI
CRAIG NAIRN DIANNE STAUFFER JULIE GARCIA LORETTE PIRIO
LAWRENCE NELSON NICK STEINER BONNIE GEORGE LIISA REYES
LAURIE POE LESLIE STOBBE CATHERINE GIBERSON KATHERINE SAMPSON
HUDSON WASHBURN JILL STOLARIK BARBARA GREEN-AJUFO WILLIAM SANTOS
LIZABETH YEE PATRICIA TENNANT SUSAN GRIFFIN PAM SAUNDERS
RICHARD UPTON DJUWITA HARJADI CINDIE SIMMS
DONOR BARBARA WADORS DIANE HEERWAGEN TOBIE SMITH
KATHERINE ALMAZOL JULEY YAKOMINICH JUDY HODKIEWICZ ANNE MARIE STARR
JAYNE BOOKER JASON YEE SANDRA HOWARD TARA STEELE
PHYLLIS BROWN ] VIKI INOUYE JULIA SULLIVAN
DAWN BURTON FRIEND PATRICIA IRWIN WESTON TIERNEY
BARBARA COLYAR CHASE ABRAMS DONNA JOHNS BETTY VERHOEVEN
LEANA DALTON BEVERLY ACUNA WENDY JOLLES NORMA WELLES
MICHAEL DIGIOIA MOLLY AUFDERMAUER TRACEY KAHAN TAMARA WELSH
LOTTIE ESTEBAN ROBERT BAINES WAYNE KAMIYA J WENTWORTH
FRANK FARRIS NICOLE BANKS JOEY KIPP KIMBER WOOD
JUDY FOOT
TUYET GILES JANE WU
ESTHER GOES JILLIAN YAKOMINICH
JULIE HENRIQUES
ERICA YEE
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING! BARBARA ZINICOLA

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