LWT GALA GUIDE 2020

GALA GUIDE

A VIRTUAL BENEFIT concert

MONDAY

JUNE 8 2020

PRESENTED BY

GALA co-CHAIRs Patr icia F. B r ett, Ed .D. Dan ielle M. G in n etti

honorary CHAIR J ames B ar ger Regio n al Mar k et Pr esi dent KeyB an k

EMILIO MADRID. PETER HURLEY.

JENNY ANDERSON. CHRISTOPHER BOUDEWYNS.

performers

We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Unions:

AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS

AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS SAG-AFTRA

through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program.

NATHAN JOHNSON.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

LAURA BENANTI, award-winning actress, singer and author, now brings a longstanding dream to life as she gears up to release new solo music with Sony Music Masterworks.

She recently released a moving music video of a single, donating 100% of her earnings to FoodCorps. On the heels of her viral social media campaign, #SunshineSongs, she debuted the Sunshine Songs Concert series to bring joy through music to senior living communities, children’s hospitals, and beyond.

With leading Broadway roles ranging from the My Fair Lady revival and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower to She Loves Me, she garnered a Tony Award in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Gypsy. She recently released a book entitled M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom’s ABCs.

TRACEY CONYER LEE made her Long Wharf Theatre debut in the world premiere of On the Grounds Of Belonging. Other recent roles include Clairee in Steel Magnolias, Cynthia in Sweat, Ida Green in Into the Breeches, and Billie Holiday in Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill. Other acting highlights include original off-Broadway casts and Barrymore Award winning work at regional theatres including Yale Repertory Theatre and Westport Country Playhouse. Onscreen highlights include roles on “The Path,” “SMASH,” “L&O: Criminal Intent,” “Ed,” “All My Children,” and “Guiding Light.”

She is also a playwright whose works have received development or production in New York, Boston, Washington, DC, and Chicago.

KELLI O’HARA has established herself as one of Broadway’s greatest leading ladies. Her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in The King and I garnered her the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Grammy, Drama League, Outer Critics, and Oliver nominations. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Lehár’s The Merry Widow and returned as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Her concerts have gained international acclaim, spanning from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo. She is a frequent performer on PBS’s live telecasts, The Kennedy Center Honors, and performs often alongside The New York Philharmonic. She also received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Katie Bonner in the hit series “The Accidental Wolf.”

STEPHANIE J. BLOCK has received three Tony Award nominations in the last six years—a feat very few Broadway actors have attained.

Most recently, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, as well as winning The Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Award, for her star turn in The Cher Show. She is best known for her portrayal as Elphaba in the Broadway company of Wicked.

Her solo concert has been critically acclaimed and continues to sell out throughout the US and in London. Her solo album This Place I Know has been lauded by critics as “one of the best debut recordings to come out of the Broadway community in quite some time... 6 out of 5 stars.”

NORM LEWIS made history as The Phantom of the Opera’s first African American Phantom on Broadway and received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess. He appeared in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island and his role as Sweeney Todd in the Off-Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street earned him an AUDELCO Award. Starring in the upcoming Netflix film “Da 5 Bloods” by Spike Lee, he was recently seen in the NBC television special “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert!” and has a recurring role as Senator Edison Davis on the hit drama “Scandal.”

MASON ALEXANDER PARK is thrilled to return to Long Wharf Theatre following a critically acclaimed run as Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf in LWT’s reimagined I Am My Own Wife. Favorite credits include Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (1st National Tour), The Emcee in Cabaret (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Dr. FrankN-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show (Bucks County Playhouse), Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone (Pittsburgh Playhouse). Mason was the first male countertenor to play Miss Andrew in Disney’s Mary Poppins (Pittsburgh CLO). They were honored at the Kennedy Center as the 2013 Presidential Scholar in the Arts for Musical Theatre (documented in PBS’s “Becoming an Artist”).

ROBIN DE JESÚS’s first major role—a gay teen who gets beat up for wearing a dress to his prom—was in the independent film Camp, which gained a cult following. He is best known for playing the role of Sonny in the Broadway musical In the Heights, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He joined the revival cast of La Cage aux Folles as Jacob, the sassy housekeeper, which earned him his second Tony Award nomination in the featured category. He played the role of Boq in the Broadway production of Wicked. In 2019, he received a third Tony Award nomination for his role in The Boys in the Band.

MATTHEW MORRISON made his debut on Broadway in Footloose but his big break came when he was cast as heartthrob Link Larkin in the hit Hairspray. He was later nominated for a Tony Award for his role in The Light in the Piazza and received a Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for 10 Million Miles. He became a true household name when he was cast as Mr. Schuester in FOX’s musical comedy television series “Glee.” Recently he teamed up with Disney Music Group to release a carefully curated album of his fondest Disney memories, which covers several eras of the classic films.

BRYCE PINKHAM originated the role of Monty Navarro in the Broadway production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder which earned him a Grammy Award nomination as well as a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. He went on to star in the Broadway revival of The Heidi Chronicles as Peter Patrone and led the cast of Roundabout Theater and Universal Pictures’ Holiday Inn, performing in the role originally played by Bing Crosby in the classic 1942 movie. He also originated roles in Ghost the Musical and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson on Broadway and has a regular role in the PBS series “Mercy Street.”

CREATIVE TEAM

STAGED AT HOME A VIRTUAL BENEFIT CONCERT

A huge thank you to the entire staff at Long Wharf Theatre, with a special shout out to the Philanthropic Engagement, Marketing, and Artistic Departments for their extraordinary teamwork in a virtual pivot.

Travis Carbonella Mistina Hanscom Luke Hanscom Mike DEMATTEO

Video Producer Camera Operator Lighting Tech & Camera Operator Location Sound Mixer & Ronin Camera Operator

Madeline Sayet

Director

LWT STAFF FOR THIS PRODUCTION Hope Chávez Artistic Producer NICHOLAS BUSSETT Corporate Giving & Special Events Manager Nicole Bouclier Director of Production EMILY GOELER Producing Associate Dylan Callery Technical Director Allison M.J. Backhaus Charge Scenic Artist Brian C. Fagan Properties Manager Frank J. Alberino Assistant Properties Manager Caitlin Dalton Costume Shop Manager James Horban Lighting Supervisor Hunter Spoede Audio/Video Supervisor On the Grounds of Belonging A WORLD PREMIERE Ricardo Pérez González Playwright David Mendizábal Director Wilson Chin Set Design Ntokozo Fuzunina Kunene Costume Design Cha See Lighting Design Mauricio Escamilla Composition & Sound Design UNKLEDAVE’S FIGHT-HOUSE Fight & Intimacy Director I Am My Own Wife Daniel Tyler Mathews

Costume Design

The Chinese Lady Junghyun Georgia Lee Set Design Linda Cho Costume Design

THANKS

Long Wharf Theatre extends its deepest appreciation to the many generous sponsors, patrons and donors whose support has made this evening possible!

Richard & Barbara Franke, Ellie & Daniel Hurwitz, Ruby Melton & Gail McAvay, Roz & Jerry Meyer, Laura Pappano & Thomas Lynch, Seedlings Foundation American Polyfilm, Inc., Anonymous, Bill Aseltyne & Jeff Stryker, Sarah & Ping Hsieh, Mark Simon & Penny Bellamy Deborah Freedman & Ben Ledbetter, Doug & Liz Hansen, Charles & Gretchen Kingsley, John & Pat Zandy Linda & Vincent Calarco, Belinda Chan & Peter Schott, Elwood & Catherine Davis, Robin de JesĂşs, Dick & Marissa Ferguson, Melanie A. Ginter, Jim Horwitz & Sandy Allison, Jacqueline Koral, Ginger More, Mary L. Pepe, Craig & Pietrina Saxton, Schaffer Associates, Ted & Deb Schaffer, Tony & JoAnn Scillia, R. Lee Stump & Abigail Roth, Leonardo H. Suzio, Theatre Forward, Rita Trayner Nina Adams & Moreson Kaplan, Sam DeGennaro, Caroline Hendel & John Wysolmerski, Beverly Hodgson & John Leventhal, Lorraine & Jacob Lewis, Professional Facilities Management, Inc., Cindy & Mark Schoenfeld Rev. Hiram & Dr. Pat Brett, Cathy Edwards & Mike Wishnie, Oliver Kai, Maureen Lopes, NewAlliance Foundation, New Haven Pride Center, Barbara & David Reif, Lisa Stanger & Gregory Colodner PRESENTED BY

MEET OUR STAGED AT HOME RESTAURANT PARTNERS Click on the logos below to support our local restaurants!

Order your gala dinner THROUGH 2 PM ON MONDAY!* *excluding Mama Mary Soul Food and Sandra’s Next Generation

Don’t forget to mention you are ordering for Long Wharf Theatre’s gala in order to receive a branded cocktail glass. (two per household, while supplies last) For any questions please call our Restaurant Partner directly!

CLICK LOGO TO Order from full Menu:

CLICK LOGO TO Order from a special Long Wharf Theatre Menu:

DONATE

Long Wharf Theatre is a gathering place for all-embracing storytelling that investigates the lived experiences of our kaleidoscopic world.

Our virtual gala is an opportunity to celebrate those that make our work possible, while appealing for much needed support that advances our efforts to navigate extraordinary challenges. Staged at Home is a celebratory reminder of the joy and resilience our theatre provides, and your donation brings us closer to a more accessible and inclusive reopening when the world permits. Thanks again for your support and for sharing this moment of openness with us.

Donate online during the event HERE Text LWT to 76278 to sign up for Text-to-Give options SMS messages with instructions will also be sent throughout the event.

Donate by phone Call Angela Koeth at (203) 772-8257

Donate by mail

Long Wharf Theatre Attn: Development Department 222 Sargent Drive New Haven, CT 06511 Our mail is being securely held by the US Postal Service and is retrieved on a weekly basis. There may be a delay between the mailing of your gift and our acknowledgement of your generosity.

WHAT’S A GALA WITHOUT A STEP AND REPEAT?

LWT STAFF

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Jacob G. Padrón Kit Ingui

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Artistic Director Managing Director

ADMINISTRATION Nancy Meguerditchian Business Manager Reeshemah Norfleet Administration Manager Geoffrey Molloy AP/AR Specialist Katrina Lewonczyk Operations Manager

PATRON SERVICES Carolyn Stockage Patron Services Manager Kristin Dupre Flores Associate Patron Services Manager Griffin Kulp Patron Services Supervisor Betzabeth Castro, Audience Services Maig Smith, Representatives K’la Lawson

PHILANTHROPIC ENGAGEMENT ARTISTIC Elizabeth Monz Director of Philanthropic Engagement Hope Chávez Artistic Producer Madelyn Ardito Director of Learning Ann M.K. McLaughlin Associate Director of

Philanthropic Engagement

& Community Organizing Mildred Ruiz-Sapp Mellon Playwright-in- Nicholas Bussett Corporate Giving & Special

Events Manager Residence Development Operations Steven Sapp Mellon Playwright-in- Angela Koeth Manager Residence Emily Goeler Producing Associate

Joey Reyes Executive Assistant PRODUCTION

Cheyenne Barboza Community Partnership Nicole Bouclier Director of Production

& Literary Associate Dylan Callery Technical Director

Allison Backhaus Charge Scenic Artist MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Brian Fagan Properties Manager King Kenney Director of Marketing Caitlin Dalton Costume Shop Manager

& Communications James Horban Lighting Supervisor Deena Nicol-Blifford Associate Director of Hunter Spoede Audio/Video Supervisor

Marketing & Communications Jill Coulter Database Administrator Claire Zoghb Graphics Director Azaria Samuels Audience Development Coordinator