Presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater & Music Theater and cosponsored by Princeton’s Humanities Council.
When Pages Breathe: American Black/Out
Co-Directed by Chesney Snow and Anya Pearson
Run Time
Approximately 1 hour, 20 minutes, with no intermission.
Content Advisory
This production explores difficult themes of American history and includes graphic language as well as images that include sexual assault and state sanctioned murder. It is strongly advised that audience members take the space and care that they need during this presentation. Content may not be suitable for audiences under the age of 18.
Special Notes
Please silence all electronic devices including cellular phones and watches, and refrain from text messaging for the duration of the performance.
Accessibility
The Wallace Theater is an accessible venue with an assistive listening system. The 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, December 6, will feature open/live captioning (CART). Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information about our various locations.
Cast
Destine Harrison-Williams ’26*
Chesney Snow
Anya Person
Production Team
Co-Directors: Chesney Snow, Anya Pearson
Lighting Design: Louise Sanches Barbosa ’27*
Sound Design: Grace Wang ’26*
Run Crew: Kimberlynn Bjurstrom ’26*, Benny Wertheimer ’27*
Visual Art Direction: A.K. Lovelace
Original Music: AJ Khaw
*denotes a student minoring in the Program in Theater & Music Theater
Faculty Advisors
Tess James, Lighting Faculty Advisor
Chesney Snow, Co-Producer
A Note from the Director
Thank you for joining us for the third When Pages Breathe series. It is my hope that over the years you have enjoyed the conversations, performances, workshops, and installations exploring how the performing and visual arts bring literature to life. With a very special thanks and remembrance of William Noel, we are deeply grateful for his guidance and vision which inspired us to begin and continue to inspire us today. He is still deeply missed.
— Chesney Snow
Additional Programming
Dec. 5 Talkback
Post-Show Talkback following the December 5 performance with playwright Gloria Majule, Anya Pearson, Chesney Snow, and Destine Harrison-Williams, moderated by Assistant Professor of Theater Rhaisa Williams. Open to public.
Dec. 6 Panel Discussion
A Post-Show Panel Discussion follows the 2 p.m. performance on December 6 with alumni Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. ’09 and abigail jean-baptiste ’18, Anya Pearson, and Chesney Snow moderated by Jallicia Jolly, Visiting Scholar in Princeton’s Center on Transnational Policing and the Effron Center for the Study of America. Open to public.
Dec. 7 The ForWord Collective presents “Free-For-All”
Join the student group The ForWord Collective for an evening showcasing student and community voices in their rawest form. Featuring original spoken word performances, food, & live music. Come to listen, engage and be present together. Open to University community.
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.
For more information about ways you can engage with and support the Indigenous community on campus please visit the website of Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAI) at Princeton University, Natives at Princeton and Princeton Indigenous Advocacy Coalition.
Lewis Center for the Arts
Acting Chair: Stacy Wolf
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
