The Feather Doesn’t Fall Far from the Wing: A Play with Music
Written, Composed, and Directed by Ayvaunn Penn
Written, composed, and directed by Ayvaunn Penn, The Feather Doesn’t Fall Far from the Wing: A Play with Music is the perfect elixir of poetry, song, and dance. It reimagines Lucifer’s fall from heaven while bringing into fantasy a sister who takes over as heaven's new minister of music and a jealous brother who can’t be trusted to keep her secrets.
Production Team:
Musical Director and Vocal Arranger: Brittany Steele
Production Stage Manager: R. Christopher Maxwell
Scenic Designer: Anna Driftmier
Costume Consultant: Imani Lia
Lighting Designer: Abby Hoke-Brady
Sound Designer: Ian Wehrle
Fight Choreographer: Ann Cooley
Co-Dance Choreographer: Allison Beler
Makeup Consultant: Lila Elias
Featuring:
Katy Early, Jonathan Frye, Darwin Del Fabro, Malcolm King, Emily Oliveira, Maggie Tully, Yeena Sung, Jae Woo*, and the vocal talent of Theresa Arthur, Liza Couser, Talent Davis, Hannah Kraft, Maïlys Arbaoui Westphal, Claire-Frances Sullivan, Phanesia Pharel, Eliya Rodeh, Judy Brown-Steele, Shannon Henderson, Talent Davis, Nathaniel Ryan.
Festival Staff:
Production Manager: CB Shotwell
Technical Director: John Trevellini
Director of Production: Joe Novak
Festival Stage Managers: Patty Garvey and Morgan Beach
Festival General Manager: Bethany Sharp
Marketing Director: Halla Tryggvadottir
Program Assistant: Zach Marlin
CU Program Assistant: Kate Mulley
Scenic//Props Coordinator: Anna Driftmier
Sound//Projection Coordinator: Ian Wehrle
Signature Lighting Coordinator: Abby Hoke-Brady
Signature Costume Coordinator: Sam Guglielmo
Production Resources: Jack Calk
Run Crew: Aaron Keller
Head of Playwriting Department: David Henry Hwang
Head of Stage Mgmt. Department: Michael J. Passaro
The Playwright’s Bio:
Ayvaunn Penn is in the final year of her Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting at Columbia University where she has the honor of being the School of the Arts Dean’s Fellowship recipient for the playwriting class of 2018. She is also a lyricist, composer, and director. She most recently served as assistant director to two-time Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson at the Billie Holiday Theatre and Golden Globe winner Regina Taylor at the Tony Award winning Goodman Theatre.
Prior to attending Columbia University, she earned a Master of Arts in Theatre with a double concentration in acting and playwriting at Louisiana Tech University. She was honored with: the 2015 Lula Mae Sciro Award for Theatre Excellence, the 2015 Arthur W. Stone Playwright Award, and also won first place in the graduate level research symposium for her presentation on Shakespeare's use of metre to define relationships between characters as well as portray a character’s nature. Her undergraduate degree was completed at Austin College with a BA in English and Philosophy.
Penn is the founder of Black And Making It — a press outlet featuring black artists on and off Broadway. A few interviewees include two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, two-time Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago, and Motown music legend turned playwright Berry Gordy. She is also the founder of the Bible & Penn Productions which uses theatre to help audiences, students, and actors engage scripture in new and exciting ways. Ayvaunn is: a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation 2017-2018 Observership Class; an inductee of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society; and a member of the Dramatist Guild of America.
