Presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater & Music Theater
Manual For A Desperate Crossing by María Irene Fornés
Run Time
Approximately 50 minutes, no intermission.
Content Advisory
This play depicts desolation, arduous migration, severe dehydration, and death.
Special Notes
Please silence all electronic devices including cellular phones and watches, and refrain from text messaging for the duration of the performance.
Accessibility
Every performance includes open/live captioning (CART) in English and Spanish. Wallace Theater is an accessible venue with an assistive listening system. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information at our various locations. Students in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.
Cast
Balsero 1: Luis Miranda ’29*
Balsero 2: Ryan Gao ’28*
Balsero 3: Amelia Wray ’28*
Balsero 4: Ramon Espinoza ’26
Balsera A: Olivia Romano ’29
Balsera B: Sophia Raes ’28*
Balsera C: Lucy Shea ’27*
Production Team
Director: Didi Vekri ’27*
Set Designer: Shelley Yang ’28
Costume Designer: Keating Debelak
Costume Design Shadow: Suheyla Akman ’28
Lighting Designer: Elena Milliken ’26*
Sound Designer: Ryan Gonzales ’26
Projection Designer: Didi Vekri ’27*
Projection Programmer: Nina Li GS
Dramaturg: Elena Milliken ’26*
Stage Manager: Soa Andriamananjara ’29
Assistant Stage Manager: James-Allen Leyba ’28
Assistant Stage Manager: James Morales ’26
Student Stitchers: Charlotte Young ’27, Anne Xu ’26, Raven Reid ’28
Run Crew: Callisto Lim ’28
Intimacy/Fight Director: Jacqueline Holloway
*denotes a student minoring in the Program in Theater & Music Theater
Faculty Advisors
Elena Araoz, Faculty Project Mentor
Jane Cox, Faculty Advisor (Lighting)
Yoshi Tanokura, Faculty Advisor (Scenic)
Chesney Snow, Co-Producer
Talkback: February 27
Following the February 27 performance, join Elena Milliken in conversation with Assistant Professor of Anthropology and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) Amelia Frank-Vitale, whose research explores how people manage and make sense of an ever-expanding U.S. border regime in the Americas. The conversation will include Professor Frank-Vitale’s fieldwork with deportees and the instability of immigration, her experience with migrant caravans in Central America, and the centrality of narrative in both theater and anthropology (i.e. the power of a story).
A Note from the Project Proposer
Theatermaking has single-handedly been the most transformative element of my time at Princeton. So many of my most joyful, fulfilling, overwhelming, messy, and beautiful memories took place as a result of the shows I’ve worked on. Manual for a Desperate Crossing is both a return to the core parts of my Princeton theater experience and another beast entirely.
It’s been just about a year since I was first introduced to this text (by Amelia Wray, a castmember, funnily enough). I was immediately captivated by the material world of the show: made of haphazardly thrown together items colliding with the treacherous climate of the sea. Intrigued by the repetition and the characters’ shared voice, I had no idea how challenging it would be to actually bring this show to life. Manual is an experiment in finding the simple and essential heart of a story and leading with that.
I’m so incredibly grateful that Didi agreed to direct this piece. She signed on before we even nailed down the script, when all of my ideas were really just questions. I’m honored that I’ve gotten to see her bring her dynamic eye, reassuring groundedness, and playful spirit to many pieces, but it feels extra special for her to join me on this one. Spending hours parsing through stage directions, reorganizing our visual research, debating character webs, and dragging our way through logistics means I can only see this show through the world we built together.
I knew from the start that finding the right team of collaborators ready to embrace the strangeness of the show was essential. Somehow, we lucked out. Getting to sit with Ryan at the tech table, astonished by his sound wizardry, I can’t help but think of our freshmen selves who were first learning our design disciplines when we met. Shelley’s instinct towards uncovering the essentials and Nina’s quick grasp of how to integrate disparate media defines the visual language of the show. Keating makes magic with her costumes, capturing the essences of characters better than I could ever articulate in words. To Soa and James2, thank you for figuring out how to possibly notate the mishmash of movement and items and hours of your life probably spent mopping. I’m so grateful to our incredible team of actors: Luis, Ryan, Amelia, Ramon, Olivia, Sophie, and Lucy. Thank you for sticking with us and for throwing your bodies (literally) into the work.
Maybe this would’ve been better left for soppy letters at the end of the year, but I can’t thank the faculty and staff of the program in theater enough for the years of mentorship they’ve provided. Jane is a beacon that guides me towards becoming more myself, as a theater maker and a person. Tess’s mantra of “strong ideas, loosely held” is possibly the best advice I’ve ever received, even if it took me a while to listen. Every class I’ve taken and professor I’ve learned from leaves a mark on the way I make theater and is visible in the show before you. Whether they are officially tasked with mentoring me or not, each member of the scene shop, stage management office, lighting team, costume shop, and front of house office has taught me a lesson on the importance of craft, of thoughtful questions, of clear communication (and detailed paperwork), of playfulness, and on how to be a good person in this world that I will take with me far beyond graduation.
Thank you,
Elena Milliken
Project Proposer & Lighting Designer
A Note from the Director
It is a privilege to make theater, and even more so to do it with the support of the most incredible people. I feel nothing but immense gratitude to everyone who made this project possible, and you all deserve hundreds more flowers than the concise shoutouts I’ll attempt here.
To my cast: Luis, Ryan, Amelia, Ramon, Olivia, Sophie, and Lucy. Thank you for trusting me with this beast of a show and bringing it to whole new heights with your talent and individuality. I am amazed at your ability to continuously give it your all in rehearsals while always making space for levity. To many more woosh-bongs and delicious soup (soup) ((soup)).
To my SMs, my rocks! I’m so glad to have figured out the lethal combo that is Soa + James^2, which, for those who haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing, is an unstoppable force full of competence and humor. Thank you for single-handedly keeping this show afloat, and never think that your hard work goes unnoticed.
To my oh-so talented designers, I am in awe of everything you do! Shelley, thank you for all the mental 4D chess games you had to go through to figure out the logistics of this play. Ryan, your Google Sheet cueing list is so beautiful that it could make a grown man cry. I’m so glad you chose Manual for your 28th tech week. Nina, I am eternally grateful to all the late-night programming sessions that were really just a pre-game for your late-night Architecture sessions. Keating, you forever changed my LCA routine: a costume shop visit is now a top priority! Allie, thank you for always committing to the bit; everything you touch turns to gold (even PVC pipes).
To the LCA staff, who is the lifeblood of this production: I appreciate and cherish every single one of your emails – and I mean it. Thank you, Matt, Tim, Jesse, Torrey, Milan, Jacqueline, Chesney, Chloe, Carmelita, Kay, Melissa, Tracy, Miriam, Caitlin, Steve, Jon, Inkyung, and everyone else who has helped make this show possible.
To my faculty advisors: Elena, Jane, Tess, and Yoshi. From your focused tech week notes to our THR400 moodboards, your mentorship means everything to me. Thank you for making me feel so loved by this program.
Lastly, the biggest thank you to Elena, who trusted me with her baby (her thesis) and continues to baffle me with her sheer talent in every single discipline. You are a massive inspiration to everyone around you! Your wit, dedication, and generosity are unparalleled, and I aspire to be more like you every day. Sophomore Didi would be thrilled to learn how close we have gotten (she thought you were the coolest girl ever!).
To call myself a new theatermaker would be a downright lie, but the amount of things I learned through this process made me feel like a rookie, in the best sense of the word. It feels like a whole new part of my brain has been unlocked! So, thank you to Fornés and Manual for a Desperate Crossing, for proving to me that it is worth engaging with challenging material, for teaching me new ways to connect with a different culture, and for reminding me why making art is important. I am so excited to share this piece with the world!
Thank you,
Didi Vekri
Director
Land Acknowledgement
This production has elected to not use a traditional land acknowledgment. Land acknowledgements are often performative and empty, made to signal our values yet not functionally improve the lives of native people. We must move beyond words and reckon with our history and engage in action that meaningfully supports tribal sovereignty, cultural preservation, and reparative justice.
As a university community, we must champion the further development of Native American and Indigenous studies at Princeton. To students, we urge you to take courses in the field. We push Princeton to go beyond acknowledging its position on unseeded Lenape land and we encourage you to consider how you can give your money, time, land, or tangible resources to indigenous people and organizations in your community. Look into supporting organizations like Seeding Sovereignty and local groups like Princeton Mutual Aid. Thank you.
—provided by the student leadership team behind Manual for a Desperate Crossing
Lewis Center for the Arts
Chair: Judith Hamera
Executive Director: Marion Friedman Young
Director of Program in Theater and Music Theater: Jane Cox
View a list of Program in Theater & Music Theater faculty & guest artists
For a look at all the people working behind the scenes to bring you this event, view a list of LCA staff members.
The programs of the Peter B. Lewis Center for the Arts are made possible through the generous support of many alumni and other donors. View a list of LCA Supporters
