Presented by the Programs in Theater and Music Theater.
What We’ve Lost and What We’ve Learned
Run Time
Approximately 105 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.
Content Warnings
This production contains some brief references to mental health struggles, mentions of alcohol use.
Special Notes
Please silence all electronic devices including cellular phones and watches, and refrain from text messaging for the duration of the performance. No flash photography permitted.
Cast
This cabaret showcases the talents of students Leila Abou-Jaoude ’22*, Ethan Boll ’22, Molly Bremer ’22*, Jani Dumapit ’23*, Chloe Horner ’22*, Cassandra James ’23*, Gaea Lawton ’23*, John Venegas Juarez ’25*, Jay White ’24*, and Reis White ’23.
Song List
“I Wish I Could Go Back to College,” Avenue Q
Full Cast
“I Can’t Imagine,” Vanities
Molly Bremer, Chloe Horner, Cassandra James
“Extraordinary,” Pippin
Jay White
“Alyssa Greene,” The Prom
Gaea Lawton
“Time Stops,” Big Fish
Molly Bremer, Jay White
“Hey Kendra,” 13 The Musical
Molly Bremer, Jani Dumapit, Gaea Lawton, John Venegas Juarez, Jay White
“Hungover,” Next Thing You Know
Leila Abou-Jaoude, Jani Dumapit, John Venegas Juarez, Reis White
“The History of Wrong Guys,” Kinky Boots
Cassandra James
“I See The Light,” Tangled
Ethan Boll, Chloe Horner
INTERMISSION
“Louder Than Words,” tick…tick…BOOM
Full Cast
“Safer,” First Date
Jani Dumapit
“Serious,” Legally Blonde
Cassandra James, John Venegas Juarez
“A Little Bit,” I Could Use A Drink
Reis White
“Diva’s Lament (Whatever Happened to My Part?),” Spamalot
Leila Abou-Jaoude
“When I Look At You,” The Scarlet Pimpernel
Chloe Horner
“…But I Don’t Want To Talk About Her,” I Love You Because
Gaea Lawton, Reis White
“Soft Place To Land,” Waitress
Leila Abou-Jaoude, Molly Bremer, Gaea Lawton
“You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Carousel
Ethan Boll
“Raise You Up/Just Be,” Kinky Boots
Full Cast
Musicians
Piano: Vince di Mura
Production Team
Director: Ethan Boll ’22
Music Director: Chloe Horner ’22*
Choreographer: Ines Aitsahalia ’22*
Lighting Designer: Magdalena Poost ’23*
Stage Manager: Alexandra Buzzini ’22*
Accompanist/Music Manager: Vince di Mura
Assistant Stage Manager: Jay White ’24*
Music Curators/Consultants: Chloe Horner ’22*, Halle Mitchell ’23*, Gaea Lawton ’23*, Reis White ’23
Emcees: Chloe Horner ’22*, Reis White ’23
Run Crew: Sandra Chen ’24*, Matthew Gancayco ’22*
* denotes a certificate student in the Programs in Theater or Music Theater
Faculty Advisors
Aaron Landsman
Director’s Note
When I conceptualized this show, we were experiencing the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no in-person classes, no social events, and no live theater, Princeton felt like a shell of itself—after all, it’s the people who make this institution the warm, vibrant place that it is. When we found out that we would be able to return to the stage in the Spring, I knew that I wanted my Music Theater thesis project to center on all of the incredible people on this campus and their immeasurable talents. This show is in the truest sense a reclamation of what we’ve all missed out on: friendships, relationships, and two years of memories. This cast has embraced this challenge, and I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to work with this amazing team of artists and friends as we rebuild the Princeton theater community. I hope that you leave this production of What We’ve Lost and What We’ve Learned with renewed joy and optimism for the future. We are so excited to share these songs with you.
— Chloe Horner, Thesis Proposer and Music Director
When Chloe asked me to direct this project, I was thrilled to be back in the theater after two years of isolation. I was excited to work on a project that focused on the performers themselves and the community we build while putting on a show. I focused my energy not only on making the project a theatrical success but also a meaningful bonding experience for the cast, since one of the goals of this project was to begin the work of building back the theater program. Chloe and I, along with several cast collaborators, chose songs that center mental health, relationship building, and other parts of the college experience that we’ve missed out on in our two years away. Rather than directing the songs as they appear in the context of their respective musicals, we decided to direct the actors as themselves so they are essentially performing their own experience (or lack thereof) on stage. One of the most meaningful aspects of directing this cabaret was working with the actors to figure out what parts of the songs they emotionally connected with, so we could bring a genuine performance to the stage. Thank you to the cast for exploring the full emotional range of these important pieces and for digging deep both in rehearsal and on stage. Enjoy the show!
— Ethan Boll, Director
Land Acknowledgement
An estimated 10 million Native Americans lived in North America before the arrival of European colonizers. Many thousands lived in Lenapehoking, the vast homeland of the Lenni-Lenape, who were the first inhabitants of what is now called eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
Princeton stands on part of the ancient homeland and traditional territory of the Lenape people. In 1756, the College of New Jersey erected Nassau Hall with no recorded consultation with the Lenni-Lenape peoples.
Treaties and forced relocation dispersed Lenape-Delaware to Ohio, Kansas, and Oklahoma. We acknowledge the violence of settler colonialism and pay respect to Lenape peoples past, present, and future and their continuing presence in the homeland and throughout the Lenape diaspora.
Current Princeton student activists and alumni are advocating for Indigenous students and studies at the University. For more information, see the websites of Natives at Princeton and Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition.
Lewis Center for the Arts
Interim Chair: Michael Cadden
Executive Director: Marion Friedman Young
Director of Program in Theater: Jane Cox
Producing Artistic Director, Theater And Music Theater Season: Elena Araoz
View a full list of the Program in Theater Faculty & Guest Artists
For a look at all the people working behind the scenes to bring you this event, view a full 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 full list of LCA Supporters »
