MY NAME IS ASHER LEV stagebill

Arden Theatre Company presents the WORLD PREMIERE

By Aaron Posner, adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok Directed by Aaron Posner Artistic Consultant Adena Potok

January 8 - March 15 40 N. 2nd St., Phila., PA 19106

Arden Theatre Company presents

MY NAME IS ASHER LEV

By AARON POSNER, adapted from the novel by CHAIM POTOK Artistic Consultant ADENA POTOK Scenic Designer DAN CONWAY

Costume Designer ALISON ROBERTS

Lighting Designer THOM WEAVER

Sound Designer JAMES SUGG

Dramaturg MICHELE VOLANSKY

Assistant Director ADRIENNE MACKEY

Stage Manager ALEC E. FERRELL*

Casting AMY DUGAS BROWN and STEPHANIE KLAPPER CSA

Directed by AARON POSNER January 8 - March 15, 2009

Honorary Producers CAROLE HAAS GRAVAGNO VIRGINIA AND HARVEY KIMMEL ARTS EDUCATION FUND This play is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Supported in part by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts This play was developed with the support of PlayPenn, Paul Meshejian, Artistic Director.

My Name is Asher Lev adapted by Aaron Posner from the novel by Chaim Potok was commissioned by Arden Theatre Company. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S.

Arden Theatre Company receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Media Sponsor:

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WELCOME FROM THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

photo by John Flak

Welcome.

Terrence J. Nolen

The Arden’s mission is to tell great stories by great storytellers and, for the past twenty years, literary adaptations have been a cornerstone of our work.

Never was the process of bringing a novel to the stage more exciting than in 1999 when Chaim Potok and Aaron Posner worked together to adapt Chaim’s classic novel The Chosen. Not only was their play embraced by our audiences here in Philadelphia, but The Chosen continues to be produced at theatres across the country. On opening night, Chaim gave Amy and me a signed copy of My Name Is Asher Lev saying,“This should be the next one.”

Thus, in 2005, when we launched the Arden’s commissioning program, it seemed fitting that one of our first commissions be to Aaron to adapt that very book

A commission is our investment in a new play. Michael Hollinger likens commissioning to planting seeds (or bulbs in the case of Tulipomania, a new musical we commissioned from Michael and composer Michael Ogborn about the 17th century Dutch tulip bulb craze). With a commission, we invest in the play and the playwright. I think commissions will play an increasingly important role in the artistic future of this theatre.

Commissions also provide an opportunity to work with extraordinary new writers and thereby expand our artistic reach. In addition to Aaron and “the Michaels”, we have commissioned plays from Jordan Harrison and Rogelio Martinez, two up-and-coming playwrights whose work we greatly admire. More seeds.

Our thanks to the Independence Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and to the Edgerton Foundation for their generous investment in this production. New plays can be risky and expensive. They need workshops (our version of research and development) and sufficient rehearsal time, which the Edgerton Award specifically supports. Yet bringing a new play to life is the most exciting work we do here at the Arden. When everything comes together, nothing is more rewarding.

I am grateful that we have an audience who is willing to embrace new work and proud to be part of a community that is dedicated to the creation of new work. Thank you for being part of this world premiere production. With this new play, we are thrilled to return to the world of Chaim Potok and to welcome Aaron back to the Arden. Enjoy.

Terry

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CAST

Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Heller * Asher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Karl Miller* Woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabra Zackman*

UNDERSTUDIES Melissa Kolczynski, Douglas Overtoom, Peter Roccaforte

Arden Theatre Company is a professional company employing members of Actors’ Equity Association. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S. Please check houseboards for program changes.

Taking pictures and/or making visual or sound recordings is expressly forbidden.

The Arden operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org

Arden Theatre Company proudly participates in the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, a program of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

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DIRECTOR/ADAPTOR’S NOTES I started talking with Chaim Potok almost a decade ago about how his remarkable novel, My Name Is Asher Lev, might work on stage. We’d just worked together on adapting his novel The Chosen, and I was excited to explore another of his master works. Like The Chosen, I find My Name Is Asher Lev to be intelligent, passionate, and moving. Many think of it as his most emotionally autobiographical novel, and the fact that it is told in the first person and covers more than 20 years makes it a particular challenge for adaptation.

I am thrilled to be finally bringing this journey to fruition with this production.

Aaron Posner

As a novelist, Chaim was engaged in exploring core conflicts: Conflicts within a family; within a community; and, very often, within an individual. He was deeply interested in the way human beings of passion and commitment chart their unique and difficult paths through life. And because his writings are equally rich in heart, mind and spirit, his stories have an extraordinary power to intrigue, illuminate, and inspire. I am sorry you could not all be there for the fascinating conversations our explorations have led to in rehearsals. It has been a pleasure and an education simply to get to spend such significant time in Chaim’s unique universe.

I have also been honored to work closely with his wife, Adena Potok, on this adaptation and this production.

After Chaim’s death in 2002, Adena and I picked up the conversation Chaim and I had begun about this amazing story, and it has been wonderful to have her be an integral part of the journey of bringing this book from the page to the stage.

I would like to thank and acknowledge several other individuals who have been helpful during the development process as well. In addition to the actors and designers whose name you see elsewhere in the program who are part of this iteration, I would also like to thank actors Jesse Bernstein, Kathryn Peterson, David Ingram, Suzanne O’Donnell and Eric Hissom, director Danny Goldstein, Paul Meshejian and his wonderful PlayPenn operation where we did a great workshop, and the many others who have offered helpful comments and suggestions. This play operates just a little bit differently than anything I have ever done, and it has been a fun and fascinating process of discovery.

I would also like the thank the entire extended Arden Theatre family: Terry and Amy, of course; the excellent staff; the passionate board; the many exceptional artists and technicians; and the ever-generous funders, including my good friends Carole Haas Gravagno and Virginia and Harvey Kimmel, who are honorary co-producers, and the Independence Foundation whose support over many years has been so extraordinary.

I am honored to be among the first playwrights commissioned by the Arden, and it has been wonderful to come home to the Arden for this production.

Last, but far from least, I would like to dedicate this play and this production to my parents, Michael and Sharon Posner, on the occassion of their 50th wedding anniversary. Obviously, I owe them everything, and I am eternally grateful.

Thank you for being here and being a part of it.

Warmly, Aaron Posner

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Carole Haas Gravagno and Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• We are honored to serve as Honorary Producers of My Name Is Asher Lev, adapted and directed by Aaron Posner. We are sure that many of you have fond memories of The Chosen, which Aaron adapted alongside the late Chaim Potok to critical and audience acclaim in 1999. All three of us have a tremendous amount of respect for Aaron’s work, particularly on that play, and we are grateful for all the work he has done to help make the Arden the theatre it is today.

Carole remembers that after The Chosen opened, she told Aaron that he must do Asher Lev next. Nearly ten years have gone by, but it has been well worth the wait. Carole had the opportunity to attend a public reading of Asher Lev last year at the Arden. If there had been any lingering doubts about the chance for success (and really, how could there have been?), that reading sealed the deal. Aaron had done it again. He’d adapted a great novel into another great new play that fully conveys Chaim Potok’s original intent. Like his novel, the show you are about to see has beautiful language, a stirring main character, and it is, indeed, a great story.

For Harvey and Virginia, Aaron has always been someone they have admired as a playwright, a director, and a friend. He was one of the first to help them participate in the Philadelphia theatre community. His commitment to his work is unsurpassed. The energy with which he surrounds all of us enriches all our lives.

So too shall this production.

My Name Is Asher Lev is a classic coming-of-age tale. It is a story about art, about family, and—like the best Arden stories—about a community. How wonderful that all of us get to see it come to life on stage at the Arden, under the direction of Aaron Posner, one of this theatre’s founders and still a lifelong member of our Arden Family Tree.

Enjoy the show!

—Carole Haas Gravagno and Virginia and Harvey Kimmel, Honorary Producers

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WHO’S WHO ADAM HELLER (Man) The Arden: Caroline, or Change. Broadway: Caroline, or Change; A Class Act; Victor/Victoria; Falsettos; Les Miserables.

Off Broadway: Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (CD/ Ghostlight); Endgame; The Immigrant; Merrily We Roll Along; Normal. National tours: Titanic; Falsettos. Regional: Old Globe; Williamstown; Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration; Alley Theatre; Hartford Stage; Hartford Theaterworks; Barrington Stage; Goodspeed; Coconut Grove Playhouse. TV: The Sopranos (penultimate episode); Law & Order (all); Oz; Queens Supreme. Graduate: NYU/Tisch.

KARL MILLER (Asher) Off-Broadway: Alice in War (SPF ’07), columbinus (New York Theatre Workshop), Regional: The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Signature Theatre), Sometimes a Great Notion (Portland Center Stage), Passion Play, a cycle (Arena Stage), Hamlet, The Seagull, Arcadia (Rep Stage), The Tattooed Girl, Passing the Love of Women (Theatre J). He was twice nominated for the Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Lead Actor, and he is a resident company member of Rorschach Theatre in Washington, DC.

GABRA ZACKMAN (Woman) Regional: Love Song (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Metamorphoses (Hartford Stage, Missouri Rep, Florida Studio Theatre); Measure for Pleasure (FST); Three seasons with The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival including All’s Well…, Twelfth Night, and Cymbeline; Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford Theatre, CT); and Taming of the Shrew (Georgia Shakespeare, Nebraska Shakespeare). NY: On the Verge (John Houseman; Edinburgh); Train Story (Adam Rapp); new plays at Juilliard, Soho Rep, Lincoln Center Studio, Harold Clurman, Premiere Stages, Lake George Theatre Lab and EST. Graduate of Northwestern and MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre’s ACA in DC. TV: Law and Order.

DAN CONWAY (Scenic Designer) At the Arden, and directed by Mr. Posner: Franklin’s Apprentice, The Pavillion, and Crime and Punishment. Recent projects include: the premiere of David Adjmi’s Stunning for The Woolly Mammoth Theatre; the premiere of Marsha Norman and Jason Robert Brown’s Trumpet of the Swan for The Kennedy Center; The Giver for The ASOLO Theatre; Radio Golf for The Studio Theatre; and MacBeth as directed by Mr. Posner and Teller for The Two River Theatre and The Folger Theatre.

ALISON ROBERTS (Costume Design) is in her ninth season as Arden’s Costume Supervisor. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from Rowan University and an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from Illinois State University. In addition to her staff position, she has designed costumes for The Pavilion, Northeast Local, Proof, Franklin’s Apprentice, The Underpants, Dancing at Lughnasa, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Assassins and The Piano Lesson. She has worked as a freelance artist for companies including Theatre Exile, 1812 Productions and Jeanne Ruddy Dance.

THOM WEAVER (Lighting Designer) now happily makes his home in Philadelphia. Recent projects: Frog and Toad (Two River), Two Rooms (Lion Theatre, NY), Five Fingers of Funk (Children’s Theatre Company), Twelfth Night (Cal Shakes), Eleanor and Pageant Play (BTF), Aaron Posner and Teller’s Macbeth (Two River, Folger), and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (CENTERSTAGE). Other: Two River Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Delaware Theatre Company, Spoleto Festival USA, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Yale Rep, and multiple offBroadway productions. 2007 AUDELCO Award for King Hedley II (Signature Theatre, NY). Education: Carnegie Mellon and Yale.

JAMES SUGG (Sound Designer) is an actor, sound designer, composer and 10 year member of Pig Iron Theatre Company with whom he has created 10 original works. He has also worked with Seattle Rep, Actors Theater of Louisville, Folger Theater, The Wilma, the Arden, Headlong Dance Theater, Rainpan 43 and Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental amongst many others. His work has been recognized with four Barrymores for Outstanding Sound Design, an Obie (Hell Meets Henry Halfway) and the F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Theater Artist. He is the composer of the musicals A Murder, A Mystery And A Marriage (an adaptation by Aaron Posner of the short story by Mark Twain), James Joyce is Dead and So Is Paris (Pig Iron), The Sea (an electric chamber opera) and Cherry Bomb.

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WHO’S WHO CHAIM POTOK (Author) (1929 – 2002) was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Poland.

Potok’s years in an Orthodox household and schooling through college stood in stark conflict with the world of literature and art that early captured his imagination. Later he found in Conservative Judaism, with its emphasis on historical evolution of Jewish texts, an intellectual home where his love of Judaism and of secular culture could dynamically interact. Upon ordination he served as a US Army chaplain serving 16 months in Korea in the mid-50’s with combat medical and engineer battalions. In 1959 Potok and his young family first settled in Philadelphia where he was scholar in residence at Har Zion Temple and pursued a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote The Chosen in Jerusalem, the same year he wrote his dissertation. In 1967 he became editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society of Philadelphia. He taught writing at Johns Hopkins University and a popular course in philosophy to the Benjamin Franklin Honors Fellows at his alma mater. The Chosen was followed by other famous works such as The Promise, My Name Is Asher Lev and The Gift of Asher Lev. He also wrote plays and children’s literature in addition to non-fiction and short stories.

AARON POSNER (Director/ Playwright) is a co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Arden, and is currently the Artistic Director of Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, New Jersey. He has directed more than 40 productions at the Arden over the last 20+ years. He received a Barrymore Award for his direction of A Midsummer Nights Dream which opened the F. Otto Haas Theatre in 1998, and one (with Chaim Potok) for their adaptation of The Chosen in 1999. Aaron has worked as a director and playwright at major regional theatres including the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, The Alliance Theatre, and many more. The Chosen, and his musical (with composer James Sugg), A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage are published by Dramatists Play Service. He has won two Helen Hayes Awards, and is an Eisenhower Fellow. He is married to actress, teacher, and four-time Barrymore nominee, Erin Weaver. They live in Middletown, NJ.

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ADENA POTOK (Artistic Consultant) From the time of her marriage to Chaim Potok in 1958 Adena was his first reader and editor until his death in 2002. She brought to this role a broad and intensive Jewish background and a deep love and critical eye for writing.

Her professional and communal life has been in the fields of social work, education, and theatre. She is chairperson of the Board of Theatre Ariel, Philadelphia’s oldest Jewish theatre, and editor-in-chief of The Philadelphia Jewish Voice, a monthly online journal that addresses the important social political and cultural issues facing the Jewish community. Adena served as artistic consultant to playwright/director Aaron Posner for My Name Is Asher Lev. MICHELE VOLANKSY (Dramaturg) is an assistant professor of drama at Washington College. She serves as the dramaturg for the PlayPenn New Play Development Conference and has served as guest dramaturg at theaters across the country, in addition to her staff time at Actors Theatre of Louisville (1992-95), Steppenwolf Theatre Company (1995-2000) and Philadelphia Theatre Company (2000-2004). She is a recipient of the Elliot Hayes Award for Dramaturgy and a past-President of LMDA. She is co-author, with Bruce Graham, of The Collaborative Playwright. Volansky is also a doctoral candidate at the University of Hull (England), writing about the critics Kenneth Tynan and Frank Rich.

ADRIENNE MACKEY (Assistant Director) is a director whose body of work includes The Ballad of Joe Hill at Eastern State Penitentiary, Echo (Phily Fringe), Recitatif (Philadelphia Live Arts), and most recently The Giant Squid. She has been awarded the CEC’s New Edge Residency and the Independence Individual Artist Fellowship. For Mum Puppettheatre she adapted and directed Master and Margarita and performed in the Barrymore nominated ensemble for Animal Farm.

Look for Owning Up to the Corn at the CEC this January.

ALEC E. FERRELL (Stage Manager) is happy to be returning to the Arden. Previous Arden work includes Candide (Asst. SM) and his Barrymore Award-denied role as Backstage Dog in Go, Dog. Go! Alec worked previously at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and Pennsylvania Youth Theatre. Graduate of Albright College with a B.A. in Theatre. Many thanks to the Arden for teaching an intern how to make a life in the theatre.

STEPHANIE KLAPPER (Casting) Klapper Casting’s work has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, on television and film, and heard on radio. Currently on Broadway: Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate. Selected recent Off-Broadway projects include: A Dangerous Personality; Continuous City; King of Shadows; Frankenstein (the new musical); None of the

WHO’S WHO Above; an oak tree. For Primary Stages numerous plays, most recently A Body of Water; Buffalo Gal; Something You Did; and In the Continuum (NY, International and National Tour), and TACT’s Bedroom Farce. NY Casting for Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights (Berkeley Rep. and Kansas City Rep.) Mirror of the Invisible World (Goodman Theatre); The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead (Cincinnati Playhouse); Old Wicked Songs (Vienna English Theatre). Ongoing projects for Capital Repertory Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Milwaukee Rep; Roundhouse Theatre; Virginia Stage Company, New Theatre, New York Classical Theatre; Clarence Brown Theatre, and Vermont Stage Company (amongst others). Numerous independent feature films.

Ms. Klapper is a member of the Casting Society of America and the League of Professional Theatre Women.

TERRENCE J. NOLEN (Producing Artistic Director) is the Producting Artistic Director and co-founder of Arden Theatre Company. Favorite Arden productions include all-Philadelphia casts of All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Grapes of Wrath and Hedda Gabler and such musicals as Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures, Falsettos, Violet and Caroline, or Change. Terry directed the inaugural production of Arden Children's Theatre, Charlotte's Web. He has directed six world-premiere plays by Michael Hollinger, three by Dennis Raymond Smeal, and Michael Ogborn's Baby Case. Terry has been nominated for 19 Barrymore Awards for his directing work at the Arden and received awards for The Baker’s Wife, Sweeney Todd, Opus, Winesburg, Ohio and Assassins. He directed Michael Hollinger’s Opus at Primary Stages in New York City and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Director. His short film The Personal Touch was nominated for an Emmy Award.

AMY L. MURPHY (Managing Director) A Philadelphia native, Amy co-founded the Arden in 1988 with Terry Nolen and Aaron Posner. She is especially proud of the Arden Professional Apprentice program and its contribution to the Philadelphia cultural community.

A graduate of Susquehanna University, Amy received the university’s first-ever Young Alumni Achievement Award. She completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders-Arts which is a joint program of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation and National Arts Strategies. Amy has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey State Arts Council and the Executive Committee of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). Amy was named a Hepburn Fellow 2008-9 by the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College.

ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life the greatest stories by the greatest storytellers of all time.

We stage five productions each season as part of our mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children’s Theatre, the city’s first resident professional children’s theatre program. We create and produce new work through our new-work development program, the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden Professional Apprenticeship program trains future theatre leaders, and our theatre classes teach children and teens about the craft of making plays. Our access program, Arden For All, makes our work available to the entire community through subsidized tickets and books for economically disadvantaged young people. We also offer sign language-interpreted, captioned and audio described performances and Pay-What-You-Can final dress rehearsals that benefit other nonprofits. The Arden has received six Philadelphia Magazine “Best of Philly” Awards, the Arts & Business Council’s Arts Excellence Award, five City Paper “Reader’s Choice” Awards, four Philadelphia Inquirer “Theatre Company of the Year” citations, and 44 awards and 211 nominations from the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia’s Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. Arden Theatre Company, a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company, is a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Old City Arts Association. The Arden operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

SPECIAL THANKS • East End Salon • Ricola USA, Inc. • Lynn Rosen and Evan Schwartz and their sons Cooper and Oren Schwartz (Arden Drama School students)

The Arden would like to extend special thanks to: Suzanne and Bill Becker for opening their home to our artists.

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INTERVIEW WITH ADENA POTOK We are fortunate to have Adena Potok, widow of author Chaim Potok, serving as the artistic consultant on our production of My Name Is Asher Lev. Associate Artistic Director Amy Dugas Brown got the chance to sit down with Adena (along with Arden’s five Professional Apprentices) during rehearsal to chat.

Amy: What was Chaim’s process on My Name Is Asher Lev? Was it an easy birth?

Adena: None of his novels was an easy birth but this one was something that he had been stewing in his mind for a long, long time. Back when he was a kid, about seven or so, in New York City, and this had to be in 1936. Times weren’t so great. His family was by this time made uncomfortable financially because of the depression. They had lost whatever money they had when the bank of North America failed. So, they were pulling themselves up. A man came around to the school yard where the kids where playing. He would stand on his heels and look very bedraggled. He asked where the school office was. He was offering drawing lessons for, I think, a nickel a kid. Chaim’s family was very happy to get him off the street, because it was polio season.

You had to be careful. Through these lessons, he found that he liked to draw.

As he drew more he graduated from line drawing to drawing cartoons and then paints – watercolors and oils.

He shared his room with his brother. It smelled of turpentine and oils. It was not welcome. They didn’t know that it was poisonous then. And his father said “Enough of this. You are 12 years old getting on 13. You need to start preparing for your Bar Mitzvah.” So Chaim gave it up and really didn’t do much drawing at all except for one or two (pieces) in the course of years – one when he was at college, and one maybe when he was at the seminary.

I met him as a painter on the basketball court of the camp where we were both division heads and bunk counselors. He had the day off and I had my kids up there for a hot game of dodge ball. And I saw him painting, and I had never seen that aspect of him. So the long and short of this answer is that he gave up painting and wanted to go back to it. Never did. Then after we were married and I was pregnant with my second child, I found him one day, he had come back from work and he was leaning over the bed painting.

Between him and the bed was a canvas board. He had just bought one because he had the urge. That year, our daughter bought him an easel for his birthday. She was three. And then he really began to go back to it.

(l-r) Back row: Maura Roche, Gary Thayer, Katherine Fritz, Hillary Rea, Bobby Bangert. Front row: Amy Dugas Brown, Adena Potok

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INTERVIEW WITH ADENA POTOK By the time he had moved back to Philadelphia, he was painting pretty seriously. He went to the Museum School and to the Main Line Center for the Arts, just to get some background. And at one point he wondered what would have been if he hadn’t quit when his father said to. And, so, Asher Lev is born.

Now, the actual writing – he generally used to say that he wrote in his head for two to five years before he put a word down on paper. This one came more quickly, probably because it was just welling up. The actual writing took close to a year and a half to two years.

Amy: What was your role in his artistic process?

Adena: He would come to me with questions. He would go into a (she mimes a trance-like state). I remember the first time I interrupted him when he was like this. We were talking, (and he went into this state) and I said something and he didn’t answer, so I said ‘Chaim!’ And he said,‘Oh! I just lost an idea.’ I never did that again!

When he started to write, and when he was ready to show it, I was the one to whom he showed it. He would ask for my response. He used to call me his first reader and his first editor. That was my job.

Amy: What was his visual art like after he wrote My Name Is Asher Lev? Adena: I think he really began to paint more vibrantly after that. I remember, he had painted a lot before but really…his….I never really thought of that before, thank you for the question. The paintings he had done before he gave birth to Asher Lev were ok, they were paintings. But afterwards he had touched his own artistic core. The work he did afterwards was much fuller, much deeper.

The paintings he had done before he gave birth to Asher Lev were ok, they were paintings. But afterwards he had touched his own artistic core. The work he did afterwards was much fuller, much deeper.

Amy: What about his work do you feel like is well suited for theatrical adaptation?

Adena: The conflict. The conflict. He was able, in this book, well, in all his books…He never faced good against evil. He faced good against another good. And how they fit each other and sometimes toward each other. The characters are deeply committed to what they believe. And they believe it’s their destiny. The characters are deeply committed to what they believe.

Apprentice Bobby: You mentioned that you were his first reader; do you remember reading every draft of Asher Lev? How did it evolve?

Adena: Not specific feedback, but if something was a little unclear or if I thought the sequencing was unclear…I would general ask him what he meant by things. He was the writer, and I was the commentator. I don’t think he ever called me his Rashi, Rashi was the most popular commentator on the Bible.

Amy: Do you have a favorite novel of his?

Adena: Probably whenever I read one, that one is my favorite. The one that apparently affected me the most was the one around which I dreamt of the characters and that was The Book of Light. I really don’t know why. I can’t pick one. Who’s your favorite child?

Amy: I know who my most challenging child is! But, no, I can’t pick a favorite. Do you revisit his work often? Now that he is gone, do you feel that you can be with him in that way?

Adena: It is a way of being with him. I find that experience very nourishing.

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CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT $100,000 & above The 1976 Foundation Hamilton Family Foundation Independence Foundation Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development The Pew Charitable Trusts The Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts The Wallace Foundation William Penn Foundation $50,000 to $99,999 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com+ Shubert Foundation $15,000 to $49,999 Campbell’s Soup Foundation Comcast Corporation Claneil Foundation Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Edward M. Story Memorial Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation Evantine Design+ Fox Chase Bank Harmelin Media Hirsig Family Foundation of the Philadelphia Foundation Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Kieran Timberlake Associates, LLP Lincoln Financial Group Foundation McLean Contributionship Medical Legal Reproductions+ National Endowment for the Arts PECO The Philadelphia Foundation PNC Bank Target Corporation $7,500 to $14,999 Anonymous Boeing Corporation Gallagher Family Memorial Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Philadelphia Cultural Fund Philadelphia Humanities Council PNC Charitable Trust Verizon

$2,500 to $7,499 The Addis Group Allegiance Bank Arronson Foundation Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc. Barefoot Wine + Barra Foundation Berwind Brook J. Lenfest Foundation Caroline Alexander Buck Foundation Caroline J. S. Sanders Charitable Trust Catering by Design+ Civic Foundation Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation Eagles Youth Partnership+ Larry Farnese Anne M. and Philip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation Graboyes Commercial Window Co. Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation The Haley Foundation The Hassel Foundation Hatboro Beverages+ Independence Blue Cross Karr Barth Associates Merck, Inc. National Association of Musical Theatre Nordstrom, Inc. Paul E. Kelly Foundation Philadelphia Activities Fund Samuel S. Fels Fund Studley, Inc. Susquehanna Bank Tierney Communications The Victory Foundation Wachovia Foundation Walter J. Miller Trust Zipcar Philadelphia+ $749 to $2,499 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC Citizens Bank Foundation Dilworth Paxson, LLP Dramatists Guild Fund, Inc. Garfield Refining Co. Albert M. Greenfield Co., Inc. Jenkintown Building Services+ Johnson and Johnson Louis N. Cassett Foundation Manko Gold Katcher and Fox, LLP Maxwell Strawbridge Charitable Trust

$749 to $2,499 continued Media Copy+ Park America+ Philadelphia Activities Fund Quaker Chemical Foundation Ann Shaw Foundation Union Benevolent Association Walker Foundation Whole Foods Markets+ $749 and under Actors' Equity Association Foundation Bluecoat Gin+ Corporate Synergies Eclat Chocolates+ Pennsylvania Womens Forum The Rittenhouse Foundation William Goldman Foundation +denotes gifts of services or goods

Matching Gift Partners Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation AXA Financial DCR Environmental Services Inc. Dilworth Paxson LLP Endo Pharmaceuticals ExxonMobil Foundation Federated Department Stores Foundation Gannett Foundation GE Foundation GlaxoSmithKline IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Independence Foundation Johnson and Johnson Matching Gifts Program Merck Partnership for Giving Merrill Lynch National Philanthropic Trust Penn Virginia Corporation Philadelphia Foundation PNC Foundation Quaker Chemical Corporation Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sap America, Inc. Subaru of America Foundation United Way The Vanguard Group Foundation Wachovia Foundation Matching Gifts Program

Make a donation through your workplace United Way program.

Our Donor Choice Number: 14198 Contributions made through the United Way support our work with children.

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SYLVAN SOCIETY MEMBERS 2008/09 Sassafras Grove ($10,000 and Above) Mr. Frederick W. Anton, III Mr. and Mrs. Albert M. Greenfield, III Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust A, recommended by Carole Haas Gravagno Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust A, recommended by John Otto and Dr. Janet Haas Mr. and Mrs. N. Peter Hamilton Hirsig Family Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Arts Education Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation Holly Kinser The Suzanne F. and Ralph J. Roberts Foundation Cherry Grove ($5,000-$9,999) Dorothy Delbueno Marie and Joseph Field Matthew and Marie Garfield Ms. Elizabeth Gemmill Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust B, recommended by Leonard C. Haas Barbara and Leslie Kaplan Peggy and Steve Morgan Charles Rose and Mindy Goldberg Rose Monica Horan and Philip Rosenthal Hether, Don and Sarah Smith Anonymous Terry and Amanda Foster Spahr, through the Betty and Wes Foster Family Foundation Rosalyn and Stephen Weinstein Lee and Christopher van de Velde June and Steve Wolfson Family Foundation Filbert Grove ($2,500-$4,999) Mrs. Valla Amsterdam Sally and Michael Bailin Carol and Tom Beam Lois G. Brodsky Chip Capelli Anne M. Congdon Robert M. Dever Ann Diebold Bob and Nancy Elfant Tim and Ellen Foster Narinder and Patricia Garg Bonnie Graham Glenn Gundersen and Susan Manix Paul Kelly Josephine Klein

Anonymous Sally Walker and Tom Gilmore Ted and Stevie Wolf Mulberry Grove ($1,000-$2,499) Brian Abernathy and Elizabeth Ireland John Alchin Peggy Anderson Arden Professional Apprentice Class 15 Bethany Asplundh Jim and Janet Averill Sheryl and Allen Bar Giséle Sambar Bathish Ivy Bayard Sandy and Mickey Bernstein John Bitman Louis Bluver Jean G. Bodine Patty Bowman Tony Braithwaite+ Bernard Brewstein and Ellen Rosenthal DeDe and Tony Brown Thomas Burke and Rick Fountas Laurada Byers Jean Canfield* Priscilla and John F. Clement Jeffrey Coon+ John and Susan Coleman Joy De Jesús and Jamie Reynolds Ben Dibble+ Michael A. Donato and Peter R. Sonzogni Deb Dorsey and Mike Green Jaimie and David Field Jeanne Fisher* Oliver M. Ford Sandi Foxx-Jones Richard Frey+ David and Christina Fryman Lou and Rhoda Fryman Linda and David Glickstein Thomas Golabek Terry Graboyes Marcy Gringlas and Joel Greenberg Chara and John C. Haas David and MaryJane Hackney Ronna F. and Robert Hall Mr. and Mrs. Jon Harmelin Don and Lynn Martin Haskin Jane and Steve Heumann Karen and Mark Hite Susan Jacobson and Michael Golden Mr. and Mrs. D. Scott and Carol Kelley Caroline Kemmerer Kenneth and Eve Klothen Bill and Beth Landman

Winnie and Eric Lien William A. Loeb Larry and Barbara Magid Drs. Robin and Saifuddin Mama Lewis R. and Sue Ann Marburg Gloria and Dan Mariano Jean S. Markovitz John J. McCawley* Andrea Mengel and George A. Ritter Seymour Millstein A.C. Missias Ann and George Morris Ellen and Michael Mulroney Amy L. Murphy Ron and Suzanne Naples Terrence J. Nolen Michael Norris and Matt Varrato Diane Palmer Thomas Petro and Kristine Messner Dr. and Mrs. Joel Porter Anonymous Ann and Frank Reed, through the Malfer Foundation Kurt and Mary-Ann Reiss Phyllis and Martin Rosenthal Mike Salmanson and Tobi Zemsky Marilyn Sanborne and Richard Labowskie Jane Scaccetti Julianna Schauerman Dolly Beechman Schnall and Dr. Nathan Schnall Richard and Amanda Smoot David and Daria Spingler Kathleen A. Stephenson William K. Stewart Foundation Keith and Jim Straw Adelaide Sugarman and Marshall Greenberg Harvey B. Swedloff Marguerite V. Rodgers and James H. Timberlake Eileen Heisman Tuzman and Martin Tuzman Tom and Pat Vernon Sandy and Michael Wax Richard E. Woosnam and Diane Dalto Woosnam Ellen Yin+ *Denotes a gift made through The United Way +Denotes a gift of goods or services

Arden for All is supported by a generous gift from

Virginia & Harvey Kimmel

The Sylvan Society recognizes individuals who make annual gifts of $1,000 or more. The exceptional generosity of these donors enables the Arden to tell great stories by having the resources to achieve the highest level of artistic quality. Sylvan Society benefits bring members closer to our work and deepen their appreciation for the role they play in the Arden’s success. To join the Sylvan Society or for more information, please contact Manager of Individual Giving, Angela DuRoss, at 215.922.8900, ext. 25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org.

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ANNUAL DONORS 2008/09 $500 - $999 Rebecca and John Adams Stan and Lisa Altman Robert and Almut Breazeale James and Mary D Brown Debbie and Alan Casnoff Carol Caswell Barbara R. Cobb Ellen Deacon Charlotte and Mickey Feldman Carole M. Foley* Mary Geisz Susan Kellogg and Dick Hoffman Edith Klausner Kenneth D Kopple Ruth and Peter Laibson Frank and Sally Mallory Donald J. Martin and Richard Repetto Stephanie and Michael Naidoff Barbara and Don Parman Michael and Judy Paul Paul Rabe and Cheryl Gunter Sherri and Abe Reich Franklyn and Cintra Rodgers Carmen and Donna Romeo Jerry and Bernice Rubenstein Philip and Susan Schlegel Robert and Karen Sharrar Karen and Jon Sirlin Eric Tamulonis and Deirdre Gibson Dr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Vasso $250-$499 Iris Melendez and Henry R. Adamczyk, Jr. Ron and Joyce Bayer Joann White and William Beckett Richard and Joan Behr Edward and Myra Bell Pat and Tom Bender Peter and Lynne Berman Barry and Marilyn Bevacqua Frank and Suzanne Binswanger Linda and Alden Blyth Joseph and Mary Lou Breidenstine Ruth E. Brown Mr. Joseph Casey Caroline Castagno Nelly and Scott Childress Marc and Margie Cohen Zoe Coulson Ruth Miller Cox Jean and George Dowdall Sue and Robert Evans Anne Ewers

Ruth and Andre Ferber Malcolm and Martha Fick Mr. Allan P. Freedman Ellen and David Freeman Buzz and Linda Gamble In memory of Bob Gallagher Charles Gear Terry Gillen Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Rita Goldberg Bill Hendrickson Patricia and Charles Kling Barbara and Leonard Klinghoffer Mary Ellen Krober Joanne Lawson Richard Lee Perry Watts and Samuel Litwin Jim and Pat Lockhart Culbertson Tina Manco Ted and Ronnie Mann Gloria McNutt Madeline Miller Keith and Liz Mosley Ken and Moira Mumma Paul Nutaitis and Robert Clark Laura Offutt and Steve Fukuchi Bob and Leila Peck John and Pinkie Philbrick John and Margaret Preg Dan Promislo Faye and Daniel Ross Alan Rothenberg Irwin C. and Carole M. Saft Ellen Schwartz Alex and Stefanie Seldin Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Shuster Frank and Catherine Signorello James Akerberg and Larry Simmons James L. Smith Drs. Richard and Rhonda Soricelli Marilyn and Dean R. Staats Robert and Sydney Stevens Anonymous Hella and Lew Volgenau Emily and Charles Wagner Marvin and Diane Waxman Marlene Weinberg Fred and Arleen Weinstein Allison Wilson and John Maher Paul and Barbara Yeagle Tom and Jackie Zemaitis

$125-$249 Carol and Bennett Aaron Emily Aiken Anonymous Janet and Roger Alwang Peggy Amsterdam Charles and Stephanie Andrews Alan and Sandy Ault Joe and Susan Baltake Judith Barrett Sheila Bell and Thomas Dodds Sydney and Doris Beshunsky Bikki Bevelhymer-Chiang Doris and Aaron Bitman Bernard and Pamela Brownstein Robert J. Butera John and Lucille Byrne Bob Carfagno Rhoda and Michael Coben Arminta and William B. Collins Dr. W. Robert and Margaret Cook Marta Dabezies Angelina and Michael DeAngelis Rita and Grace Denbo Rhonda Dickey Ellen Dipinto Larry and Pat Dixon Ellen and Max Dooneief Marie and Peter Dooner Linda V Ellsworth Paul and Adele Epstein Paul and Judith Farber Cynthia Heininger and James Feeney Mark and Rene Feitelson Ms. Joanne E. Fields Edwina Findley Drs. Barbara and Len Frank Dr. John and Elaine Frank Kenneth Frank Paulette and Paul Freeman Nancy and Richard Gabel David K. Gifford Micki and Larry Goldberg Grace Gonglewski and Eric Schoefer Bob and Jan Goren Judge Marvin R. and Mrs. Marcia O. Halbert Ona and Stephen Hamilton* Mary C. Harbison Susan Harries Barbara and Robert Hauptfuhrer Charles Head Betsy and Ted Hershberg Isidore and Sharon Hofferman Mr. Frank Hollick

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ANNUAL DONORS 2008/09 $125-$249 continued John Houle and Katherine Hayden Brian Husowitz Timothy and Carol Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Susan Kaiden Mr. Philip Kalodner Lucy Kaufman Steven and Patricia King Lonnie and Howard Klein Bernadette Koller Joan Kremer and Jim Luther Alice Milrod and Tony Krol Sylvia and Robert Lange Joan and Marc S. Lapayowker Robert and Leslie LaRocca Jeff Larsen Lorraine and late Richard Leff Murray and Lonnie Levin Robert and Laurel Lipshutz Will and Sandy Lock Mike and Helene Loeb William Lutz Robert Manning Mary Louise Martin Mr. and Mrs. James Matarese Linda McAleer and Maitlon Russell Tom McCarthy George and Judy McCarthy Patrick and Judith McCoyd Emmett and Patricia McVey Paul and Lee S Miller Marianne Miller Alan and Susan Miller Ilene and Steve Miller Martin and Sandra Miller Kathleen Moyer Jerome Napson William O’Connor Anonymous Stanton and Bernice Oswald Anonymous Mr. Richard Pariseau Sydney S. Pasternack Ms. Sandra Paul John and Judith Peakes Douglas and Mary Peck David and Sylvia Perelman David and Carolyn Peyster Helen Phillips Rhoda Polakoff Leslie Rescorla Joy Rickabaugh Francoise and Louis Rollmann Dulcie Romm J. Randall Rosensteel Bernard and Barbara Ruekgauer

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Janet Rupert Mark Sandberg Mary Ellen and Carl Schneider Warren and Carole Lee Schwomeyer Jane Beechman and Steven Segal Wallace M. Shaw Elaine L. Sherman Ellen Schwartz Siegel David and Carleene Slowik Richard and Doranne Smith Corinne Stahl John and Susan Stedman Robert Stewart and Barbara Barnett-Stewart Elaine and Sal Tagliareni Bob and Tina Tate Marion and Richard Taxin Doris M. Toll John Urofsky Malin Van Antwerp* Richard and Fenching Wainstein Michael Walraven and Mary Lou Starling Thomas Watkins Bob Weinberg and Eleanor Wilner Jim and Suellen Weiner Leslie and Ellen Welson Bertram and Lorle Wolfson Harry and MaryAnn Woodcock $75-$124 Maureen Alexander Jennifer and Brian Allebach and Family Dr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Andrews Helen Aster May and Ethan Ball Ron Baron Roberta Berg Constance and Richard Berman Michael and Rosalyn Bernstein Steve Zettler and Cordelia Biddle Thomas H Blackburn Myron and Sharon Blumberg Hazel Bowers Frank Boyer Michael P. Boyle Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Mary Pat Boyle Rosemary and Lee Brahin Gary Bramnick Mary and Billy Brooks David Brownlee Harold and Camille Buchanan Carol Buettger

Karen Marston and Greg Buzan Jessica Calter Francis and Christine Caravella Barbara Carmine Ronald and Christina Chang Elissa and Norman Chansky Jennifer Coffey Sue Cohen John Condello Robert and Frances Corlies Charles J. Coyle James Crawford and Judith Dean Daniel Dagle Daniel Devlin Carole Dichter Lisa Dimeo Margaret Chew Dolan and Peter Maxwell Beverly Dotter Catherine Dougherty William and Joan Douglas Judith Drasin Donald and Geraldine Duclow Anonymous Angela DuRoss Lois S Durso Sylvia Egnal Marcia Eisenberg Lorraine Kilmer Debbie and Jerry Epstein Wendy Epstein Jeffrey Farenback-Brateman Stephanie and Stanton Felzer Mitchell and Pia Fenimore Ronald and Barbara Fink Leonard and Leila Finkelstein John Fischer Deborah and Martin Fishbein Mr. and Mrs. Dan and Beth Fitzpatrick Ms. Judy Frank Helene and Michael Freidman Paula Freilich Miriam Galster Caroline Simon and Louis Gambaccini Stan Gibell David Glancey Carrie Glasby and Kathleen Karhnak Ms. Joan Gmitter Maxwell Gorson anonymous Priscilla Grosick Joyce K Hackman Jeanne and Murray Halfond Donald Hargreaves

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ANNUAL DONORS 2008/09 $75-$124 continued Linda Fowler Hartnett Douglas and Harriet Heath Jane Henderson Joseph Herbst Susan W Herron Grace Hershman Marcia and John Hiehle Dr. Charles K Hordis Arnold and Esther Horn Kerry Huntsman Sarah C. Jordan Barbara and Charles Kahn, Jr. Kenneth S. Kaiserman Thomas Lloyd and Jane Kamp Nancy Kane Ginny and Len Karabell Sandra R Karlson Anonymous Margaret Keller Cynthia Killion Gregory Kleiber Judy Kornfeld James Kronzer Ferne Kuhn Lisa Lee Russell Leib Marlies Levenger Jack and Donna Levin Natalie Levkovich Barbara and Dick Linde Dr. Edward Lundy and Debra Reiff Whit MacLaughlin and Catherine Slusar Donald and Nancy Maclay Lynn and Joe Manko Ronnie and Larry Margel Betty Margolis and Sidney Arenson Joseph A Marrazzo, Jr Mary Martello Richard and Julie May Deborah McKinley and David Rich Tom and Helen McNutt Pat and Gerald Mergen Samuel and Cecile Merion Douglas and Fredaricka Moffitt Daniel P. Monbourquette Ellen Monsees Jeff and Maxine Morgan Claire Moyer Dr.and Mrs. Stevens Munzer John and Shirley Neff Bonnie and Eliot Nierman Diane Nissen Etta and Chuck Nissman Kathy Nolen Edwards

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Alan and Caroline Novak Carol L. O’Brien Dave and Arline Olim Betsy Oliphant Brenda J. Oliphant Linda Osler Clare and Dwayne Osman Sandra Packel Alice and Albert Packman Mary Jo Pauxtis Jane G Pepper Mary and F. Laurence Pethick Dan and Lisa Pliskin Leslie and Curt Pontz Aaron Posner Nancy Post Avra and Harry Pressman Shirley and Charles Preston Linda Quam Robin Ratliff Karen and Mark Reber Mary Lou and Pace Reich Mary Jo Reilly Eleanor Reinhardt Kelly Resinger and John Beirne Clifford Ridley and Betsey Hansell Lorraine Riesenbach Dr. Elnora Rigik and Andrew Bushko Sharon and Mark Robb George and Zara Roberts John and Claire Rodgers Jane A. Rose, CPA/PFS Dr. Harry Rosenthal Edwin and Sally Rosenthol Diane Rurode Romayne and David Sachs Thekla Sacksteder Joan and Bill Saidel Michael Sanyour John and Elaine Schaefer Mr. and Mrs. A. Schmidt Ms. Kim Schmucki Bonnie Schorske Harold and Sharon Schwalm Jeanne C. Scott Frances Sheehan and Rick Gelman Susan Greene Betty and Arthur Sherman Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Showler Anne Shuff and Mike Creech Leslie E. Skilton Jason and Danielle Smereczynski Corey and Jonne Smith Richard Smith

Arthur P Staddon Leon Steinberg Paul Stone Bethy and Vinson Stouck Sharon and Robert Strochak Ruth P. Stuessy Shirley Swerdloff Paul Tate Richard and Anne Tax Pamela Thaxter Sunny and Len Thomas Linda and Keith Thomson Lisa Truckess Thomas and Francine Tudor Arturo Valenzuela Pam Ventrella Martin and Dorothy Vogel Clifford and Ann Wagner Oscar Weber Susan Weiss Samuel and M. Judith Wenzel Edward Wilk John and Donna and Jenna Wojcik Sam and Kuna Yankell Askold Zagars Joan D. Zeidner* Joseph and Renee Zuritsky * Denotes gift made through the United Way + Denotes gift of goods or services

The list acknowledges donors as of December 18, 2008. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies. Notify us by contacting Manager of Individual Giving Angela DuRoss at (215) 922-8900, x. 25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org. Although space does not allow us to list supporters whose gifts are less than $75, we gratefully acknowledge their contributions.

ONE MORE HOUR OF THE BABYSITTER EATING ALL YOUR FOOD THE NEW LATE NIGHT TRAINS. SEPTA now has late night trains on Friday and Saturday to and from Center City. Take the R5 to Paoli or Malvern along the Main Line, the R6 to Norristown via Manayunk, and the R7 to Trenton or NYC via NJT rail. Just remember to stock the fridge.

To learn more visit www.SEPTA.org or call 215.580.7800 SEP589_FNL_PlaybillAd_6x8_5.indd 1

9/4/08 5:52:15 PM

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BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS Board of Directors David Fryman, President N. Peter Hamilton, Vice President Andrea Mengel, Vice President Michael A. Donato, Treasurer Nancy Hirsig, Secretary Brian Abernathy Nancy Burd Karen Butler Regina Canfield Joy L. De Jesús Ellen P. Foster Matthew Garfield Elizabeth H. Gemmill Carole Haas Gravagno Albert M. Greenfield, III Ronna F. Hall Joanne Harmelin Lynn Martin Haskin, Ph.D. Steve Heumann Susan G. Jacobson Barbara Kaplan Virginia Kimmel Holly Kinser Richard L. Maimon John J. McCawley Amy L. Murphy Terrence J. Nolen Aaron Posner Charles H. Rose H. Hetherington Smith Harvey B. Swedloff Joseph A. Tammaro, Jr. Lee van de Velde Diane Dalto Woosnam Ellen Yin Board Executive Committee David Fryman, chair Brian Abernathy Jean Canfield Michael A. Donato Ronna F. Hall Peter Hamilton Nancy Hirsig Virginia Kimmel Andrea Mengel Charles Rose Hether Smith Lee van de Velde Board Development Committee Michael Donato, chair Peter Hamilton Lynn Haskin Lee van de Velde Diane Dalto Woosnam

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Education Committee Sheryl Bar Marla Diamond Dr. Dennis W. Creedon Dr. Carol Domb John King Jacqueline Matusow Ilene Miller Judy Paul Ilene Poses Facilities Committee Hether Smith, chair Richard Maimon John McCawley Myles Pettigrew Paul Thais Finance Committee Michael Donato, chair Nancy Burd Ellen Foster Elizabeth Gemmill Steve Heumann Martin Rosenthal Ed Stavetski Harvey Swedloff Personnel Committee Lee van de Velde, chair David Fryman Elizabeth Gemmill Charles Rose Advocacy Committee Brian Abernathy, chair David Glancey Terry Gillen Julie Hawkins Susan Jacobson Holly Kinser Institutional Giving Committee Jean Canfield, chair Michael Donato David Fryman Elizabeth Gemmill Carole Haas Gravagno Joanne Harmelin John McCawley Hether Smith Strategic Planning Committee Andrea Mengel, chair Ellen Foster David Fryman Ellen Yin

Individual Giving Committee Virginia Kimmel, chair Charles Rose, chair Sheryl Bar Giséle Bathish John Bitman Chip Capelli Joy L. De Jesús Terry Graboyes Wendy Greenfield Lynn Haskin Steve Heumann Nancy Hirsig Jill Kaplan Eric and Winnie Lien Ilene Miller Peggy Morgan Richard Quinn Steven Segal Harvey Swedloff Rosalyn and Steve Weinstein Diane Dalto Woosnam Ellen Yin Special Events Committee Ronna F. Hall, chair Gary Bramnick Tom Burke Karen Butler Chip Capelli Michael Donato Nancy Elfant Carmel D. Ferrandino Ellen Foster Sara Furey David Hackney Marlo Hall Jamie Joffe Barbara Kaplan Joanne Lawson Kelly Lee Barbara Link Bob Marburg Peggy Morgan Michael Norris Betsy Oliphant Dolly Beechman Schnall Brian Seaman Bill Swoope 2008/09 Honorary Producers’ Circle Frederick W. Anton, III Carole Haas Gravagno Barbara and Leslie Kaplan Harvey and Virginia Kimmel

A HOTBED FOR NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT It’s a busy time of year in the artistic office for it’s now, in the dark days of winter, that we plant the seeds that blossom into the shows you will see on our stages in the next few seasons. We are currently hard at work on five new plays. Two of them you will see on our stages this season – My Name is Asher Lev and Bruce Graham’s Something Intangible.

Before a show makes its way to you, it spends significant time in development in our Independence Foundation New Play Showcase program. My Name is Asher Lev is our first completed commission; this play was custom-built by Aaron Posner to premiere here at the Arden. Something Intangible, while not a commissioned piece, was workshopped here at the Arden last season and read aloud in front of a limited audience. Both scripts spent a couple of weeks in workshop rehearsals last winter with a full cast of actors, after which we put them on the schedule for this season. This summer, both received the Edgerton Award for New American Plays (as Wittenberg did last season), a national award that gives new plays additional rehearsal time. This extra time incontrovertibly results in a better script, asserts Bruce Graham, adding,“Extra time gives us the opportunity to explore the play in detail. It gives me the time to go away, rewrite, and come back with better pages. A new play is a real high wire act, and those extra days give us a much needed safety net.”

Kelly McCreary in the World Premiere, The Dinosaur Musical, 2005/06. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Erika Cuenca in the World Premiere, Opus, 2006.

Photo by Mark Garvin.

So, this season, you will see the fruits of last winter’s labor. And what of this winter’s labor? Well, in mid-December we conducted a one-week workshop of Dennis Raymond Smeal’s Meticulous Gentlemen, a play that weaves magical realism, knitting and The Nutcracker to explore issues of love, family and identity.

Together with actors Ian Merrill Peakes and Russell Leib, director Terry Nolen worked to probe the play’s intricate form and hot button issues. This January, we are conducting a four-day workshop of the musical we commissioned by Michael Hollinger and Michael Ogborn, currently titled Tulipomania. Mary Martello, Scott Greer and Liz Filios, among others, will help us give voice to this touching and funny comedy about how dreams and desires can dangerously turn into obsession. Finally, we will see the first draft of our children’s theatre commission The Professor and the Flea, by Jordan Harrison. It is our hope that by this spring we will have scheduled a workshop to work through this adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s final tale.

This kind of new play activity is not the national norm. A recent New York Times article touted the exceptional work we are doing in new play development. In the article, Todd London, artistic director of New Dramatists in New York City, asserts,“Word has gotten out that Philadelphia is quite hot in terms of both the work and the support for the work.” And that support of the work is key to our constant and consistent focus on new plays.

The resources provided by Independence Foundation lets us spend real time on each new script that excites us. That commitment, in turn, excites and inspires our collaborating artists, which in turn develops stronger Philadelphia playwrights and extends their reach. Again, in the Times, Polly Carl of the Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis states,“I think the Philadelphia scene has gotten more exciting over the last decade. And I’m hearing of more writers coming out of Philadelphia.”

This kind of coverage in the New York Times, the sacred text of the theatre industry, proves to us that we are doing something right, both as a theatre and as a community. You, too, are essential to this success, as an audience who embraces new work. We’ve posted this article outside of the theatre for you to take a look at during intermission or after the show and celebrate what we’ve been able to accomplish together.

We look forward to sharing more new work with you soon.

Amy Dugas Brown

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FOR TEENS WHO LOVE THEATRE! Just like some of you, I LOVE doing musicals. I did musicals all through high school and college and now it’s what I do professionally. This fall, I starred as Cunegonde in the Arden’s production of Candide, and now I’m back to teach you how to really sharpen your musical theatre skills. I remember my high school and college musicals so well, so I understand exactly what you want out of a class like this. I know I can help you work to be the best you can be in whichever show your school is doing this year. Or, if you’re new to musical theatre, I look forward to introducing you to this amazing art. I know we’ll have a lot of fun together all while really developing your voice and your acting. Check out the classes I teach online at www.ardentheatre.org Hope to see you this winter!

All the best, Liz

MUSICAL THEATRE AFTER SCHOOL CLASS $120 Six Mondays: January 5, 12, 19, 26 Feb 2, 9 6 through 8 graders meet from 4:30pm – 6pm 9 through 12 graders meet from 6pm – 8pm Instructor: Liz Filios

Are you interested in theatre, but don’t want to act or be on stage? I understand; I am a behind the scenes kind of guy, too. There’s a lot more to theatre than acting. Designers use sets, lights, props, costumes and sound to tell the story of a play. In my design class, you’ll learn about building set models, designing costumes, constructing props and even explore the world of lights and sound. Plus, I’ll give you a behind the scenes tour of our theatres and backstage areas, like the prop and costume shops and more. If you work backstage at your school and want to see how the pros do it, I hope you’ll take my class.

Or, if you have ever watched a show and wondered how something was done (like how an actor came out of the floor, or how a lighting effect changed the mood of a scene, or how the set moved and became something else), I’m the guy who can show you how it all happens.

Best – Jon Ward (aka Jonny Props)

SATURDAY MORNING DESIGN CLASS - $100 6 through 12 graders Five Saturdays: January 24, 31, Feb 7, 14, 21 from 10am – 12pm Instructor: Jon Ward

ONE DAY WORKSHOPS - $30 Perform a Song Saturday, January 17 from 1pm – 4pm 6 through 12 graders Instructor: Liz Filios Musical Theatre Saturday, February 28 from 1pm – 4pm 6 through 12 graders Instructor: Liz Filios

Liz Filios as Cunegonde in Arden Theatre Company’s Production of Candide. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Jon Ward the rhino that is used in James and the Giant Peach.

To see our full listing of Arden Drama School classes or to register, please visit ardentheatre.org.

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2009

SALONS

Get up close and personal with the Arden’s favorite artists! Salons are a lively, intimate way to get the inside scoop while sharing a glass of wine with the regions hottest theatre professionals. Hosted by Arden’s Associate Artistic Director Amy Dugas Brown, nothing is off-limits during these fun-filled, provocative evenings at the Arden.

THE ART OF ADAPTATION Thursday, February 5

SOMETHING INTANGIBLE Thursday, May 28

How does a beloved novel, such as Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev come to life on the stage? Get the inside perspective from playwright Aaron Posner and artistic consultant Adena Potok on developing a theatrical adaptation.

Actors Scott Greer and Ian Merrill Peakes, two of Philadelphia’s most dynamic actors, often share the stage. How did they work together to create the roles of these two brothers at odds? How has their onstage relationship changed as this new work developed from a reading to a full production?

A CRITIC’S PERSPECTIVE Thursday, April 2 What inspires a critic and what makes them cringe?

What are the steps they take from the moment they take their seat in the theatre to the moment the article goes to press? Join David Anthony Fox (City Paper) and Howard Shapiro (The Philadelphia Inquirer) for a dynamic and convivial discussion from a critic’s point of view.

BRUCE GRAHAM Monday, May 11 Bruce Graham, the playwright of Something Intangible and one of our most popular salon guests, returns for an in-depth discussion. An accomplished playwright (Coyote on a Fence, The Philly Fan, Belmont Avenue Social Club) and screenwriter (Anastasia, Steal this Movie), he will share insights into his process and stories ranging from stage to TV set to film screen.

Proud supporters of

ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY Harmelin Media is celebrating our 25th anniversary with the singular purpose of planning and buying the most efficient, effective and innovative media for our clients.

Corporate Office 525 Righters Ferry Road Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 P 610.668.7900 www.harmelin.com Joanne Harmelin, CEO Mary Meder, President

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THE SEAFARER Thursday, June 11 Conor McPherson’s twisting tale set in Baldoyle, Ireland presents several challenges for the actors. How do they balance humor and suspense in this story of an out-of-work chauffeur and the mysterious stranger who visits him? How do they inhabit the lives and language of these men? Join us as Bill Zielinski and Greg Wood share their experiences.

Salon dates and times are subject to change.

Saons are held from 6pm - 7:30pm at the Arden.

Reservations are encouraged by calling 215.922.1122. $25 each, buy three or more for $15 each, $10 for students In addition to the discussion, the ticket price includes a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Whole Foods.

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“THE SHOW MUST GO ON” Save the Date!

Sunday, March 15, 2009 A unique fundraiser of fun and games, to benefit Arden Theatre Company

For questions or more information, contact Angela DuRoss, Manager of Individual Giving at 215-922-8900 ext. 25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org.

—————— Master of Arts in—————

Villanova’s M.A. program combines both scholarly and practical approaches to theatre. Learn from faculty and staff involved in the region’s professional theatre industry.

Gain knowledge and experience in: • Acting • Directing • Dramaturgy

• Script Analysis • Theory and Criticism • Playwriting

Villanova Theatre has received 50 nominations and six Barrymore Awards since 1995!

610.519.4760 www.theatre.villanova.edu 28

Carl C. Granieri and Rachel Anne Stephan in The Illusion, 2008. Photo: Paola Nogueras

theatre

OLD CITY DINING PARTNERS PLUS

Looking for a great place to eat in Old City?

Try one of these fine establishments. Be sure to mention you heard about them from us!

Bookbinder’s 125 Walnut St. • 215.925.7027 • www.bookbinders.biz Old Original Bookbinder's has long been a Philadelphia landmark. For Joe DiMaggio, Lillian Russell, Richard Nixon, The Rat Pack, Bob Hope and a host of other celebrities, Old Original Bookbinder's was a special place to enjoy seafood, cocktails, and friendship. A complete renovation at the original location in 2005 ensured success for a new generation of luminaries and locals. Bookbinder's Executive Chef, David Cunningham drives famous classics such as Snapper Soup and Strawberry Shortcake to some very modern shores, while adding such signature dishes as Bouillabaisse, Seafood Cobb Salad and more.

Campo’s 214 Market Street • 215.923.1000 www.phillyhoagie.com A legacy of quality, this classic, deli-style restaurant has been churning out delicious sandwiches since 1947. Order any of the special soups, salads, and sandwiches from this Philadelphia kitchen and you’ll see why it’s “where the locals go.” –USA Today

Fork and Fork: etc 306-308 Market Street • 215.625.9425 www.forkrestaurant.com Fork continues to set the standard for New American bistro dining. The fresh, seasonal cuisine reflects international influences with an original twist. Part of Fork’s allure is its sophisticated interior, where the dining experience is anything but stuffy and uncomfortable. Open seven days a week, there is plenty of time before or after the show to enjoy lunch, dinner, or even just dessert. Come in to Fork:etc, our gourmet café for a quick and satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner. A private dining room and catering are also available. Reservations are recommended.

Patou 312 Market Street • 215.928.2987 www.patourestaurant.com From acclaimed French chef/owner Patrice Rames, Patou offers a menu ranging from casual hearth baked gourmet pizzas to the most elegant dishes from the Cote D’Azur. City Paper Reader’s Choice Award “Best New Restaurant”. Visit www.patourestaurant.com for all information.

Ristorante Panorama 14 N. Front Street • 215.922.7800 www.pennsviewhotel.com Featuring contemporary authentic Italian cuisine such as homemade pastas, tender veal and daily seafood specialties, Ristorante Panorama is located in the charming Penn’s View hotel, Front and Market Streets, Philadelphia. The wine program offers over 120 wines by the glass, and has received Sante’ Magazine’s “Wine Hospitality Award for Fine Dining,” Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence,” Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly,” and Decanter Magazine’s “Best Wine by the Glass Program in North America.”

Serrano 20 S. 2nd Street • 215.928.0770 Serrano has been a fixture in Old City since 1985.

With a reputation for serving international fare at neighborhood prices, it is the perfect place to visit, kick back and enjoy, to bring friends and make friends. After dinner, move the evening upstairs to the Tin Angel, our intimate acoustic café. Tin Angel has presented an astonishing array of stars from the world of blues, rock, folk and country and has earned a reputation as the best club of its size in the country.

Triumph Brewing Company 117 Chestnut Street • 215.625.0855 www.triumphbrewing.com Triumph Brewing Company is a sophisticated restaurant & brewery featuring regional American cuisine and hand-crafted freshly brewed beer.

Triumph is located in the heart of Old City.

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STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Producing Artistic Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terrence J. Nolen Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy L. Murphy Associate Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amanda Ditsky Associate Artistic Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Dugas Brown Artistic Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Read Artistic Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elana Boulos Literary Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dennis Smeal Director of Marketing and Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beth Yeagle Marketing Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abigael Reed Public Relations Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Janine Zappone Design Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristy Giballa Education Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maureen Mullin Fowler Education and Group Services Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sally Wojcik Manager of Individual Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angela DuRoss Manager of Institutional Giving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Rosenbaum Development Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tina Morrison General Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Peck Associate General Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Beth Simon Business Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney Spiker House Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Choinacky Box Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lynn Keily Assistant Box Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tamesha Hawkins Box Office Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Choinacky, Carla Emanuele, Shari English, Amanda Grove, Michael McElroy, Rachel Robbins, Ryane Studivant, Aubrie Williams Arden Professional Apprentices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bobby Bangert, Katherine Fritz, Hillary Rea, Maura Roche, Richard Sonne, Gary Thayer Arden Volunteer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jean Markovitz Casting Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Klapper CSA Casting Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Pardilla Assistant to Ms. Klapper and Ms. Pardilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carrie Virginia Lee

PRODUCTION STAFF Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney Riggar Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glenn Perlman Assistant Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jessica Day West Master Carpenter/Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will Lambrakos Production Stage Managers . . . . . . . . .Stephanie Cook, Alec Ferrell, John David Flak, Katharine M. Hanley, Elana Wolff Assistant to the Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katherine Fritz Costume Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alison Roberts Wardrobe Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asaki Kuruma Prop Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Ward Master Electrician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Stutzman Sound Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Austen Brown Charge Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristina Chadwick Electricians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Dabezies, Amanda Jenson, Georgia Schlessman Directing Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Schrager

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Don’t miss the rest of

ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY’S

2008/09 SEASON

Intangible

The Seafarer

SOMETHING INTANGIBLE

THE SEAFARER

April 9 - May 31

May 14 - June 14

World Premiere!

By Bruce Graham Directed by Terrence J. Nolen

By Conor McPherson Directed by David O’Connor

It’s Hollywood, 1940. Two brothers – Tony, an extravagant visionary, and Dale, a plain-speaking numbers man – run a studio on the brink of major movie innovation. As Tony labors to create his latest and greatest work of art, Dale struggles to deliver the ever-escalating funds to realize Tony’s vision.

It’s all for one and one for all – but will they kill each other in the process?

Broadway’s recent smash hit features a collection of misfits on Christmas Eve in Ireland. A group of men, tied loosely together by their affiliation with misfortune, spend a boozy night playing poker. As the evening progresses, the game playing takes a sinister turn and the stakes rise higher than anyone could have expected. Don’t miss this expert comedy and chilling ghost story that ups the ante on anyone running from their past.

Sponsored by Fox Chase Bank

Turn your ticket for My Name is Asher Lev into a 3-show subscription!

Call or stop by the box office and purchase tickets to both Something Intangible and The Seafarer and enjoy ticket discounts, parking and dining partner discounts, and easy and convenient ticket exchange privileges.

215.922.1122