By Rajiv Joseph, directed by Stephen Stocking
CW: This production is set within a specific historical context and contains themes/language that are potentially offensive and disturbing as part of that historical context (anti-semitism, ableism, homophobic slurs).
Set in Russia over the course of 90 years, this thrilling and epic new play traces the stories of seven men and women connected by history, myth, and conspiracy theories. In 1920, the Russian writer Isaac Babel wandered the countryside with the Red Cavalry. Seventy years later, a mysterious KGB agent spies on a woman in Dresden and falls in love. In 2010, an aircraft carrying most of the Polish government crashed in the Russian city of Smolensk.
Director’s Note: Seven years ago, when I was a student at NYU Graduate Acting, I got lucky enough to be a part of a workshop process that would help playwright Rajiv Joseph bring to life a collection of ideas and stories that had intrigued him for years. After a couple weeks of research and improvisations, Rajiv went away and wrote the first draft of his new play Describe The Night that summer. Since that initial workshop, I’ve had the continued good fortune to work on the play as an actor in three productions and now as a director. I’ve found the play to be endlessly thrilling in its ambition and its generosity. Rajiv has done something extraordinary, weaving together three seemingly disparate but somehow inextricably linked stories in Russian history. Not only that, but he has created a vividly imagined world that balances absurdity and brutality, where lies intertwine with truth to an extent only paralleled by actual history.
I remember sharing research back in the 2014 workshop and first getting acquainted with the notion of state-sponsored “Truth.” Maybe it was American naivete, or the blindness of my own privilege, but I remember thinking this was an especially Russian phenomenon and that we had a much more solid and transparent grasp of fact in this country. Looking back now, it’s clear I was laughably and probably even dangerously mistaken. I see our present moment tragically reflected in many of the characters and themes in this play, and in that sense, I think it has only grown in relevance over the last seven years. But then the play also gives us the chance to witness the life-giving, soul-feeding power of imagination as a supreme force for good. Not to mention a few good laughs, we hope. — Stephen Stocking
Rajiv Joseph – Cromer Flory Guest Artist in Theatre, 2020-2021
About the Cromer Flory Guest Artist: Betty Schiewetz Cromer, Miami ’41, and her sister, Mary Eleanor Schiewetz Flory, Miami ’39, believed that fine arts were an essential part of their undergraduate experience. In honor of his sisters, Richard Schiewetz established an endowment for such a program with the Miami University Foundation, creating the Cromer/Flory Artist-in-Residence Fund. Each year, the fund supports a campus visit by an individual who enjoys a distinguished career as a performing musician, professional actor, director, or artist.
Rajiv Joseph Artist Talk
Rajiv Joseph’s virtual talk will be held Thursday, April 15, at 8:30 p.m. It is open to the public and will give attendees a deeper understanding of the playwright and his work including the intriguing world of Describe the Night. More details will be made available closer to the date.
Production Team
Stephanie Colby — Streaming/Recording Manager
Kevin Garcia — Video Editor
Chloe Ash Padilla — Titles and Graphic Design
Charlotte Perez — Stage Manager/Sound Designer
Grace Pierce — Dramaturg
Stephen Stocking — Director
Cast List
Isaac —Baxter Whitehead
Nikolai — Maddy Shilts
Yevgenia — Jamie Chmielewski
Mariya — Becca Goetz
Feliks — Justin Bourne
Vova —Jonathan Erwin
Urzula —Lauren Lewis
Stage Directions — Julia Guichard