Blue Door stagebill

Page 1

By Tanya

Barfield Directed by Walter Dallas

January 14 - March 21



ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

Blue Door

By TANYA BARFIELD

Lyrics by TANYA BARFIELD Music by LARRY GILLIARD, JR. Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

DANIEL CONWAY

ALISON ROBERTS

Lighting Designer

Sound Design & Additional Music

THOM WEAVER

ROBERT KAPLOWITZ

Fight Choreographer

Dramaturg

CHARLES CONWELL, SAFD

JACQUELINE E. LAWTON

Vocal Coach

Assistant Director

RENEE K. ROBINSON-WAY

MALIKA OYETIMEIN

Stage Manager

ALEC E. FERRELL* Directed by WALTER DALLAS January 14 - March 21, 2010 Arcadia Stage Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting Arden Theatre Company.

Applause, please, for our Media Partners:

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. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S. Playwrights Horizons presented the New York Premiere of BLUE DOOR in 2006. BLUE DOOR was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Commissioning Program. BLUE DOOR was first produced by South Coast Repertory. A workshop of BLUE DOOR was presented by New York Stage and Film and The Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar. BLUE DOOR was developed in part with the assistance of the Sundance Institute Theatre Laboratory. BLUE DOOR is presented by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., in New York.

Arden Theatre Company • 40 N. 2nd Street • Philadelphia, PA 19106 • 215.922.1122 • ardentheatre.org


WELCOME from the Producing Artistic Director

With this Philadelphia premiere of Tanya Barfield’s Blue Door, I am thrilled to bring back director Walter Dallas and actor Kes Khemnu, who worked together on our 2008 production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. And I am so pleased to have Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. – one of Philadelphia’s greatest actors – make his Arden debut.

Terrence J. Nolen

Over the years I have offered many different roles to Johnnie, and he has always turned me down. It seemed like every time we had a perfect role, he had another commitment. I’ve gotten close to Johnnie several times. His wife, Patricia Scott Hobbs, choreographed (magnificently) our production of Caroline, or Change and their son, Johnnie Hobbs, III, was in our production of The Arabian Nights. But the stars aligned on Blue Door, and I couldn’t be happier to have Johnnie appearing as Lewis in this play. I first saw Johnnie in a production of Two Trains Running that Walter directed at the Philadelphia Drama Guild in 1994. Johnnie and Walter have worked together for over twenty years, creating a body of work at Freedom Theatre and inspiring a new generation of theatre artists at The University of the Arts, where Johnnie is the head of the acting program and Walter served as Chair of the Theatre Department. One of the many students inspired by Johnnie and Walter was Kes Kehmnu: Johnnie was his teacher at Freedom, and, before receiving his MFA from Yale, Kes studied acting at The University of the Arts. Blue Door is in part an exploration of the role of storytelling in shaping and preserving family legacies. I am honored that artists with such a deep-rooted, shared legacy have come together to bring this story to life. We are currently working to finalize plans for our 2010/11 season. We are negotiating rights for a musical I have long wanted to direct; developing a new play by a fantastic new playwright that we hope to premiere; holding readings of several classic plays with all-star Philadelphia casts; and looking at several new adaptations of great stories. We will let you know as soon as details are firmed up, but we do hope that you will take a “leap of faith” and commit to joining us next year. Details are on the back cover and in your stagebill insert. Thank you for being a part of this theatre.Your enthusiasm and support inspires us.

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Cast Lewis.................................................................................................................................... Johnnie Hobbs, Jr.* Simon/Rex/Jesse......................................................................................................................... Kes Khemnu* Understudies

Christopher Davis and Robert Anu Hubbard The play occurs between 1851-1995.

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.

BLUE DOOR January 14 - March 21 Sun

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[previews] opening night (SOLD OUT) *post-show discussion ^Captioned and Audio Described Recommended for 9th grade students and older

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DIRECTOR’S Notes “I don’t know where—who—I don’t know why I am. All these years, I don’t know why I am.” -Lewis, Blue Door Director Walter Dallas asked a few friends:

“How Do You Know Who You Are?”

Walter Dallas

“Wow... what an amazing question.You only know who you are after there is a serious, and potentially life shattering inner confrontation. This confrontation is a war between the many aspects or ‘people’ you believe yourself to be. I believe that a confrontation of this magnitude results in a victor (or victors) and may actually result in the ‘death’ of many aspects of who you ‘think’ you are. But, it is then and only then that you KNOW who you really are.” -Kash Goins, GoKash Productions “When you and God are the only beings qualified to define who you are; when you accept and embrace the limitless possibilities that make your life unique and continue to allow yourself permission to change, grow and adapt; ...then, I would say, you know who you are. At that point, you can spend the rest of your life, living up to your own expectations.” - Lisa Summerour, Actor “One of the many ways in which we know who we are is by what we see and ‘sense’ in the reflection of those who mean most to us; through their words, behavior, and more importantly, by their ‘involuntary’ energy vibration they help us to ascertain our true nature and identity.” -Roscoe Orman, Actor/Writer “When we put out a call to GOD and the Universe, answers come back in the form of help for our questions. A few years ago, the bottom fell out from under me and my more than two decades of work in radio (which was my passion), disappeared. I couldn’t find an on-air job anywhere in the country. Both of my maternal grandparents (who were both writers) appeared in my dreams and signaled me to write commentary. Next my paternal grandmother (who was a great southern cook) appeared in another dream and I began writing about food and started catering. My point is that GOD and our Ancestors always tell us who we are and will lead us to our callings, if only we would listen closely to their voices.” -Fatimah Ali, Walking in Faith “I like to think of my identity as a state of becoming someone. Each day someone or something adds to me and who I am becoming. So I know who I am from seeing myself continue to develop...striving and never yielding. Never abandoning my past, that would be foolish, but growing just a bit larger so I can see myself more clearly.”

-James Ijames, Actor

Ghana Odyssey

by Walter Dallas

You’ll notice a photo display in the lobby and on our website.These photos were taken by the director of Blue Door,Walter Dallas. Below is a truncated account of the origin of these beautiful photographs. For Mr. Dallas’ full story, please stop by the easel in the lobby or read more online at ardentheatre.org. In 1975, I decided to make my first serious attempt at playwriting. I quit my teaching position, sold my car, and moved to Hawaii to condo-sit for a friend who was going to Africa for a year. He had received a grant to create an African study-guide for the Hawaii school system. I finished the play, Willie Lobo, Manchild, shortly before my friend was to leave. The grant included funding for a


“I feel like I am still answering that question. I don’t always know and that’s why the moments when I do are so striking. I know who I am when my daughter says Mom. I know who I am when I am onstage and I make people laugh. I know who I am when I am doing something that scares me.” -Jen Childs, Artistic Director of 1812 Productions “I know who I am physically by looking in the mirror everyday. More covert aspects of my life require that I rely on how people react to me. Then there is the family where people can be a little more open to speak their minds, generally within the familial background of love and bonding. There is also the purely spiritual aspect of me that is determined by my relationship with an infinite authority whose shaping of my destiny depends entirely on my faith and relationship with Him. The extent of that relationship helps in determining my overall accountability for my life in relationship with others. That divine authority helps me to shape my personality, and influences who I am, and what I will become in future, both in this life and hereafter.” -Dr. John Djisensu, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana “You know who you are when there is no conflict between what you do, what you love, and what you believe.” -Lee Edward Colston, Actor/Playwright/Director “The reflection in the mirror always tells us, and in many ways we always know, but it’s hard to admit we are afraid, weak and terrified in a universe we cannot explain with any more than a mention of an unknowable God.” -Charles Fuller “It seems that so much of what I am and who I am is actually manifested in others. For example my happiness comes from what my children are and do. My sense of fulfillment comes from seeing others’ lives changed for the better. And most of all I feel that the more I fade in the background and I am able to allow others to shine, to progress, to achieve their goals and find happiness, I find my own freedom and contentment.” -Bente Lillethun, Humanitarian, South East Asia “Walter’s question is tricky, because he asked HOW do you know who you are? That HOW points to something deeper than a definition, maybe even deeper than reason. My answer is that I do not know how I know myself: every time I pin me down, I slip away.” -Robert Christophe, Actor “That question is an ongoing quest and is tough to answer. I’m in my 20’s and it’s a beautiful struggle to find out that answer. But at the end of the day I know who I am because of my parents and my grandparents and so on and so on and so forth. My ancestors. Specifically the things I was taught from my family about the people that came before me. I know myself because of them. I know myself because of the experiences I personally have gone through. I know what I should and should not do. What is good for me, what is not and what I like but should not like. I know my limits but I also know that the sky’s the limit because I have tangible examples of success. Success in different forms. And I believe true and pure success comes from knowing who you are.” -Johnnie Hobbs, III

photographer. I knew nothing about photography, but volunteered, bought a modest camera, and read the user guide on the flight from New York to Dakar. The people in Ghana were the most welcoming people I had met in my life. The two weeks we were to spend there turned into six months! I remember commenting how much I liked a new friend’s shirt. After a while he left “to run some errands.” A short time later, he returned. The shirt had been washed, pressed, and gift-wrapped for me! He literally gave me the shirt off his back. Ghana seeped into my heart and has never left.

I saw generosity that influenced my writing, my approach to theatre, and to life itself. I’ve gone back many times. A few years ago I was gifted a beautiful mountainside plot of land in Berekuso, a suburb overlooking Accra, by my Yale classmate. It is Berekuso, in the country of the most beautiful people I have ever known, that I have selected as my final resting place when that time comes. In July 2009 I adopted and began supporting Hillside, a primary school in Accra, the capital. This year, Hillside expanded to include a junior high school that was given my name. My goal was to capture the heartfelt beauty and richly textured 7 emotion and elegance of these wonderful people.


Playwright Interview BLUE DOOR playwright Tanya Barfield kindly answered questions from production dramaturg Jacqueline E. Lawton. Here are some excerpts – for more of the interview, visit our blog at ardentheatre.org JEL: In Blue Door, we follow a family through generations from father to son, from Simon all the way to Lewis. What was your impulse to make your central figures men? TB: I didn’t “decide” on the play when I sat down to write it. If I had, I probably would have chosen to employ African-American women since there are fewer great roles written for women. But, the characters that spoke to me were male and so I wrote them. Perhaps, this is because there are more men in my family; perhaps, this is because my African-American legacy is traced through my father.

Tanya Barfield

JEL: Lewis has an intimate knowledge of math – Did you always know that Lewis’ was a mathematician? TB: There’s a line Lewis has in the play where he says, “I want to rise above the drudgery of existence and apprehend the eternal verities.” I spoke with a mathematician about the play (in order to verify that all the math was possible and accurate), and I asked, “Does it make sense to you that Lewis is a mathematician?” And he said, “Absolutely!” And I said, “Why?” And he said, “I can’t think of anything else he would be.” And I said, “Because I think the reason it’s interesting to me that Lewis is a mathematician is because not only does he want to get beyond race, he wants to get beyond the self.” I’m talking about the physical body, the drudgery of existence that everyone experiences – not just black people. And he wants to reach a higher plane – perfect symmetry of the world – the master design which is mathematical. And there’s that beauty in math that he’s looking for. So, it’s not only that he uses math to escape himself. He uses math in pursuit of something greater than the self. JEL: Through this night Lewis is able to truly understand what it is to be a success and what his ancestors have achieved. What message do you feel this play has at a time in America’s history when an African-American is now president of the United States? TB: I wrote Blue Door two years before most of America had ever heard of Barack Obama. If you had told me at that time that in two years a black man would be President, I would have laughed in your face. It was a dream I could not imagine. Blue Door is about moments in time; moments that are a piece of a legacy. For me, Barack Obama is a piece of the African-American experience. But, more than that, he represents part of the American experience. However cruel the post-slavery years of Jim Crow were, I am also interested in the moment of history in which Simon and Katie felt hope. That is why a moment of hope is the play’s climax – the last monologue in the play. JEL: What do think it is about this particular play that continues to resonate with audiences? TB: Ultimately, I believe there is universality to Lewis’s story. Storytelling and song has preserved many cultures’ communal identity and history. Oral history is not uniquely African-American. The Odyssey,The Iliad, and the Scandinavian Sagas are only a few famous examples from other cultures. Every culture has a legacy from which it’s birthed. I think it is part of human nature to be pulled by our ancestors, to feel their watchful spirits, to wish we knew their stories, to both scorn and adore them. In times of crisis (when our own self threatens to fragment), we might wonder if our ancestors could answer the basic question of identity. In this vast and complicated universe: who am I? It is only through memory that the soul of an ancestor is kept alive. If we forget our past, do we in some way forget ourselves?

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Who’s Who JOHNNIE HOBBS, JR. (Lewis) Blue Door marks the debut of Mr. Hobbs at Arden Theatre Company. Celebrating his 27th year in the fall of ‘09, Mr. Hobbs is a tenured associate professor at the Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts at The University of the Arts. In 1996 Mr. Hobbs was the recipient of the Mary Lou Beitzel Award for Distinguished Teaching. He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Academic Achievement Program and the advisor of the African American Student Union and the African Diaspora Collective. Recent directorial efforts were Cider House Rules Part I as well as Does Your House Have Lions–the poetry of Sonia Sanchez. The Legacy of Love Foundation–Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (Philadelphia Chapter)–recently honored Mr. Hobbs for his contribution in Arts & Culture. Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. is proud of his thirty plus years affiliation with the nationally recognized Freedom Theatre and attributes much of his success to the training and mentoring he received from Freedom Theatre’s co-founders, the late John E. Allen, Jr. and the retired Robert Leslie. The three-time Barrymore nominee has played key roles in many of Freedom Theatre’s most critically acclaimed productions. Most notably: Black Nativity, Black Picture Show, Simply Heavenly with Melba Moore and Zooman and the Sign with Virginia Capers (Los Angeles Premier). Mr. Hobbs has enjoyed critical success with the works of August Wilson: Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Two Trains Running, and King Hedley II. He has traveled to China and Japan through Philadelphia’s Sister City Program. Noteworthy film and television credits include principal roles in Star Stuff,The In-Crowd, Twelve Monkeys, Snipes, Up Close and Personal,The Wire, Rocky Balboa with Sylvester Stalone and most recently, Cover directed by Bill Duke. Mr. Hobbs also distinguished himself in a tour-de-force performance of Paul Robeson by Phillip Hayes Dean directed by Walter Dallas. KES KHEMNU (Simon/Rex/Jesse) Characters of the Baconion canon include: Puck, Sir Toby, Othello, Hotspur, Macduff, Mercrutio, Oberon, Petruchio, Don Jon, with various Shakespeare companies in Connecticut and elsewhere. Regional theatre from Rhode Island to Atlanta to Boston to New York to etc with the contemporary works, Alien Garden,The Piano Lesson (Barrymore nominee) Lesson Before Dying, Lobby Hero, Highland Mist (writer), The 11th Year, American Buffalo, amongst others. As a director, Ivanov with the Neptune Rep Co in NY, Othello and Macbeth with Forest Rep in CT, and Spiritual Porn (writer) with the Rooster Theatre Co in Manhattan. TV: Law and Orders, etc DANIEL CONWAY (Scenic Designer) Recent projects include: Dirty Blonde (Signature Theatre), Radio Golf (The Studio Theatre), Twenty-Six Miles (Two River Theatre in conjunction with Roundhouse Theatre), the premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s Trumpet of the Swan (Kennedy Center), Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe (Kennedy Center Family Theatre), the premiere of The Giver, (ASOLO Theatre in Saratoga), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Measure for Measure, Arcadia, and MacBeth (Folger Theatre). Mr. Conway has designed five shows for the Arden including: the premiere of Aaron Posner’s My Name Is Asher Lev, The Pavilion, and Crime and Punishment. A ten-time nominee, Mr. Conway received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Set Design in 2000 and in 2009 for the premiere of David Adjmi’s Stunning (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co). ALISON ROBERTS (Costume Designer) is in her tenth season as Arden’s Costume Supervisor. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from Rowan University and an MFA in

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Who’s Who Costume Design and Technology from Illinois State University. In addition to her staff position, she has designed costumes for numerous Arden productions. This season she designed both The History Boys and Rabbit Hole. You can also see her freelance design work with Theatre Exile and Act II Playhouse this season. Many thanks and love to her Arden family and her 4th St family. THOM WEAVER (Lighting Designer) Previously for the Arden: My Name Is Asher Lev. Designs in the area include: Wilma Theatre Company – Scorched (Barrymore nom), Coming Home, Becky Shaw. People’s Light – Snow White in Follywood. Delaware Theatre Company – It’s a Wonderful Life, All the Great Books,The Diary of Anne Frank. Theatre Exile – American Buffalo (Barrymore nom.). Two River Theatre – 26 Miles (also with Roundhouse), ReENTRY, A Year with Frog and Toad, Macbeth (also with the Folger), Bad Dates. Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival – Complete Works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other theatre credits include: Cal Shakes,Vital Theater Company, Children’s Theatre Company, CenterStage, Folger Theater, Syracuse Stage, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Signature Theater Company, Berkshire Opera, Urban Stages, Lincoln Center Institute, Lincoln Center Festival,York Theatre, Summer Play Festival, 37 ARTS, Spoleto Festival USA, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and Yale Rep. He is a member of Wingspace Design Group and a staff member of PlayPENN. Education: Carnegie Mellon and Yale. ROBERT KAPLOWITZ (Sound Designer) Joins the Arden for his first full Philly production as a new local artist. In NY, he received an OBIE for Sustained Excellence in Sound Design, and critical acclaim for the current Broadway production of Fela! His designs and compositions have been heard at the NYSF/Public Theater, Lincoln Center, NYTW, MTC, Signature, Roundabout, SoHo Rep, PS122, LAByrinth, 2nd Stage, Primary Stages, The Vineyard, MCC, the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Sundance, PlayPENN, and others; as much as he loves his work, he loves Kittson and Niall even more. CHARLES CONWELL (Fight Choreographer) is a Professor of Theater at the University of the Arts where he has taught stage combat for 23 years. He is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors. JACQUELINE E. LAWTON (Dramaturg) completed her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin in May of 2003. Currently, she resides in Washington DC, where she has worked at several theater companies as an actress, dramaturg, playwright and teaching artist. She is thrilled to be working with the Arden, Walter Dallas, and the entire Blue Door cast and production team. She would like to give special thanks to her family and friends. RENEE K. ROBINSON-WAY (Vocal Coach) has been studying music since the age of 8 and began her vocal studies at the age of 11. She possesses a unique ability to bring the best out in a vocalist and enjoys bringing music to life through others. Renee has worked with many local and world renowned artists and influenced many singers during her 25 years of teaching. She is a performing artist who sings and teaches in almost every genre of music. She has worked on many productions with Walter Dallas and has often been referred to by him as a musical “genius”. After working for the School District of Philadelphia and Freedom Theatre for 13 years, while freelancing, Renee has decided to return to school to pursue her education, aspiring to one day receive her Doctoral Degree in Vocal Music Pedagogy. TANYA BARFIELD (Playwright) is an African-American playwright and actress whose works have been presented both nationally and internationally with such festivals and companies as the Arena Stage, The Royal Court Theatre, the New York Theatre Workshop, Seattle Repertory Theatre, the Hartford Stage, The Guthrie Lab, and New York Stage Film. Her plays include: 121°

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Who’s Who West, Defacing Patriotic Property, Dent, Foul Play,The Houdini Act, Medallion, Of Girl Wolf and Wanting North, Pecan Tan,The Quick, Snapshot,Without Skin or Breathlessness, and The Wolves. She is also the author of the book for a children’s musical entitled Kofi’s Civil War. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School’s Playwriting Program and a recipient of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award. Blue Door was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. WALTER DALLAS (Director) is pleased to return to the Arden where he directed The Piano Lesson and was music director for Gee’s Bend. Blue Door reconnects Walter with two of his favorite actors with whom he has worked on over 20 productions, Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. and Kes Khemnu. Walter has long been a creative force on the American theatre scene: while earning his MFA at the Yale School of Drama, he was a director in the cultural wing of the New Haven Black Panther Party and a resident director at Yale University. He created Atlanta’s Proposition Theatre, Berkeley’s Black Ensemble Theatre, the School of Theatre at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, was Associate Artist at the Philadelphia Drama Guild, and was Artistic Director of Freedom Theatre where he wrote, produced and directed numerous world premieres including Lazarus, Unstoned, Cooley High, Black Nativity, and Sparkle. He also directed a record-breaking production of Porgy and Bess for the Philadelphia Opera Company. Walter was lead writer for the awardwinning documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown whose many international accolades include Best Non-Fiction Film of the Year by the National Society of Film Critics and four Grammy Awards. His work has been seen on television, on and off Broadway, at major theatres across America, and has taken him to Africa, the Caribbean, England, France, Russia and South America. Now living in the DC area, he is Senior Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland. Walter’s generous community involvement is global: last year he visited and adopted Hillside, a primary school in Accra, Ghana. In a show of appreciation for his support, Hillside’s new junior high school has been named the Hillside-Walter Dallas Junior High School. He has been invited to become an associate faculty member at the University of Ghana. For his creative work in South Africa, he received The Mover and Shaker Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Promotion of South African Arts and Culture. Founded recently by a young protégé of Walter’s in Accra, the Walter Dallas Children’s Foundation uses creative dramatics to teach young children the value of education, good health, and community service. Also a photographer, Walter often displays his work on Facebook, where it has received positive responses from professional photographers from around the world. In fact, it was on Facebook that Terry Nolen discovered Walter’s photography. The result of that “find” is the Walter Dallas: Blue Door Photography exhibition currently on display in the lobby of the theatre. MALIKA OYETIMEIN (Assistant Director) is excited to be on the creative team of Blue Door. Ms. Oyetimein is a Director in the Tri-State area and has held occupation as Assistant Director at Delaware Theatre Company (The Piano Lesson), Oregon Shakespeare Festival (A View from the Bridge), and Contemporary Stage Company (The Island, Exits and Entrances). It is truly an honor and pleasure to work with such a wonderful director and talented cast. She would like thank her loved ones for the constant support. ALEC E. FERRELL (Stage Manager) Past Arden credits include Rabbit Hole, My Name Is Asher Lev, Candide and Go, Dog. Go! Alec has also worked recently with Theatre Horizon, PlayPenn, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Member AEA, SMA. Many thanks to Cast, Crew and Staff. Love to Amy and the Dibblets. TERRENCE J. NOLEN (Producing Artistic Director) is 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

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Who’s Who Dennis Raymond Smeal, Michael Ogborn’s Baby Case, and Bruce Graham’s Something Intangible. Terry has been nominated for 23 Barrymore Awards for his directing work at the Arden and received awards for The Baker’s Wife, Sweeney Todd, Opus,Winesburg, Ohio, Assassins and Something Intangible. He directed Michael Hollinger’s Opus at Primary Stages in New York 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 languageinterpreted, 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, 52 awards and 234 nominations from the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia’s Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, and was named “Best Theatre Company” by Philadelphia Weekly in 2009. 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.

Arden Theatre Company wishes to thank: • East End Salon

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Arden Theatre Company


Corporate, Foundation & Government Support $100,000 & above Hamilton Family Foundation Independence Foundation Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development The Pew Charitable Trusts Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program 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 The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust National Endowment for the Arts Pennsylvania Council on the Arts The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com + Shubert Foundation $15,000 to $49,999 Campbell Soup Foundation Comcast Corporation Claneil Foundation Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Edward M. Story Memorial Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation 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+ PECO Philadelphia Cultural Fund Philadelphia Foundation Target Corporation Virginia Brown Martin Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation Matching Gift Partners ACE Charitable Foundation Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Foundation AXA Financial DCR Environmental Services Inc. Dilworth Paxson LLP Endo Pharmaceuticals ExxonMobil Foundation Federated Department Stores Foundation First Tennessee Foundation

$7,500 to $14,999 Anonymous Boeing Corporation Pennsylvania Cultural Management Initiative PNC Charitable Trust TD Bank The Vanguard Group Foundation Verizon $2,500 to $7,499 The 1976 Foundation The Addis Group Allegiance Bank Arronson Foundation Barra Foundation Brook J. Lenfest Foundation Caroline Alexander Buck Foundation Caroline J. S. Sanders Charitable Trust II Civic Foundation Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation Eagles Youth Partnership+ Ethel Sergant Clark Smith Memorial Fund Anne M. and Philip H. Glatfelter Family Foundation Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation The Haley Foundation The Hassel Foundation Hatboro Beverages+ IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Merck, Inc. Paul E. Kelly Foundation Rosenlund Family Foundation Susquehanna Bank The Victory Foundation The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation Walter J. Miller Trust Zipcar Philadelphia+ Make a donation through your workplace United Way program. Our Donor Choice Number: 14198

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

$750 to $2,499 Arronson Foundation Connelly Foundation Drumcliff Foundation Jenkintown Building Services+ Johnson and Johnson Louis N. Cassett Foundation Maxwell Strawbridge Charitable Trust Media Copy+ Quaker Chemical Foundation Rittenhouse Foundation Ann Shaw Foundation Stephen Starr Events+ Union Benevolent Association Walker Foundation BWF Foundation $749 and under Actors’ Equity Association Foundation Pennsylvania Womens Forum The Rittenhouse Foundation William Goldman Foundation +denotes gifts of services or goods

Is your business looking for a tax break in 2010? Receive a tax credit through the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program by supporting the Arden! EITC funds directly support our educational outreach program, Arden for All. To find out if your business is eligible, visit:www.ardentheatre.org/support/ eitc.html or contact Angela DuRoss, Development Manager at 215-922-8900 x25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org. Special thanks to EITC contributors Aqua America, Berwind Corporation, Harmelin Media and Susquehanna Bank

Contributions made through the United Way support our work with children.

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

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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 or for more information, please contact Development Manager, Angela DuRoss, at 215.922.8900, x25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org.

Cherry Grove ($5,000-$9,999) John Bitman^ Joseph and Marie Field Matthew and Marie Garfield Ms. Elizabeth Gemmill Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust B, recommended by Leonard C. Haas Barbara and Leslie Kaplan Josephine Klein Suzanne F. Roberts Cultural Development Fund Charles Rose and Mindy Goldberg Rose^ Monica Horan and Philip Rosenthal Terry and Amanda Foster Spahr, through the Betty and Wes Foster Family Foundation Anonymous Lee and Christopher van de Velde Rosalyn and Stephen Weinstein Filbert Grove ($2,500-$4,999) Mrs.Valla Amsterdam Carol and Tom Beam Lois G. Brodsky Anne M. Congdon Dorothy Delbueno Ann Diebold Bob and Nancy Elfant Tim and Ellen Foster^ Narinder and Patricia Garg Glenn Gundersen and Susan Manix David and MaryJane Hackney Ronna and Robert Hall^ Drs. Robin and Saifuddin Mama Peggy and Steve Morgan Kurt and Mary-Ann Reiss Sally Walker and Tom Gilmore^

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June and Steve Wolfson Family Foundation Mulberry Grove ($1,000-$2,499) Brian Abernathy and Elizabeth Ireland John Alchin Peggy Anderson Bethany Asplundh Jim and Janet Averill Sheryl and Allen Bar Giséle Sambar Bathish Ivy Bayard Sandy and Mickey Bernstein Reggie Blaszczyk and Lee O’Neill Louis Bluver Jean G. Bodine Tony Braithwaite+ Almut Breazeale Bernard Brewstein and Ellen Rosenthal DeDe and Tony Brown Nancy Burd Thomas Burke and Rick Fountas Laurada Byers Chip Capelli Priscilla and John Clement John and Susan Coleman Jeffrey Coon+ Joy De Jesús and Jamie Reynolds Robert M. Dever Ben Dibble+ Tobey and Mark Dichter Michael A. Donato and Peter R. Sonzogni Marie and Peter Dooner Deb Dorsey and Mike Green James R. Fairburn and David A. Wickard Stephen Falchek Jeanne Fisher Oliver M. Ford Sandi Foxx-Jones Richard Frey+ David and Christina Fryman* Lou and Rhoda Fryman Terry Graboyes Bonnie Graham Marcy Gringlas and Joel Greenberg Chara and John C. Haas Mr. and Mrs. Jon Harmelin Don and Lynn Martin Haskin Jane and Steve Heumann Susan Jacobson and Michael Golden Mr. and Mrs. D. Scott and Carol Kelley Caroline Kemmerer

Holly Kinser Kenneth and Eve Klothen Joseph Kluger and Susan Lewis Bill and Beth Landman Winnie and Eric Lien William A. Loeb Larry and Mickey Magid Richard Maimon and Susan Segal Lewis R. and Sue Ann Marburg Gloria and Dan Mariano Jean S. Markovitz John and Amy McCawley* Andrea Mengel and George A. Ritter J. Williams Mills III* Seymour Millstein A.C. Missias Ellen and Michael Mulroney Amy L. Murphy and Terrence J. Nolen Ron and Suzanne Naples Michael Norris and Matt Varrato Dorothy R. Novick and Peter N. Kenney Diane Palmer Thomas Petro and Kristine Messner Dr. and Mrs. Joel Porter Aaron Posner and Erin Weaver Ann and Frank Reed, through the Malfer Foundation Phyllis and Martin Rosenthal Julianna Schauerman Dolly Beechman Schnall and Dr. Nathan Schnall, in loving memory of Laurie Beechman Hether, Don and Sarah Smith Richard and Amanda Smoot Kathleen A. Stephenson William K. Stewart Foundation Keith and Jim Straw Adelaide Sugarman and Marshall Greenberg Harvey B. Swedloff Justin Thomas Marguerite V. Rodgers and James H. Timberlake Eileen Heisman Tuzman and Martin Tuzman Thomas and Patricia Vernon Sandy and Michael Wax Richard E. Woosnam and Diane Dalto Woosnam MIke Salmanson and Tobi Zemsky Ellen Yin+ * denotes gifts made through the United Way +denotes gifts of services or goods ^includes a matching gift

ARDEN FOR ALL is supported by a generous gift from Virginia and Harvey Kimmel

GRANFALLOON 2010

Sassafras Grove ($10,000 & above) Mr. Frederick W. Anton, III Sally and Michael Bailin^ 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 Anonymous


SAVE THE DATE ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY

GRANFALLOON Fri, June 11 • 7pm–12am

Comcast Center

1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia

Honoree: N. Peter Hamilton Honorary Co-Chairs: Rhonda and David Cohen Co-Chairs: Lee and Christopher van de Velde Join us at the top of the Comcast Center in Ralph’s Café for dinner, silent auction and a rousing cabaret. Then make your way to the Comcast lobby for dessert and dancing to the rocking sounds of LeRoy Hawkes and the Hipnotics.

For more information or to learn about corporate sponsorship, contact Angela DuRoss at 215-922-8900 ext. 25 or aduross@ardentheatre.org.

Thank You to our Supporters $500 - $999 Iris Melendez and Henry R. Adamczyk, Jr. Stan and Lisa Altman Ron and Joyce Bayer Barry and Marilyn Bevacqua Ruth E. Brown Debbie and Alan Casnoff Carol Caswell Christina Clay MD Barbara R. Cobb Jim and Pat Lockhart Culbertson Carole M. Foley* Hartley Family Charitable Fund Edith Klausner Alan and Elaine Klawans Kenneth D Kopple Mary Ellen Krober Mike and Helene Loeb Mrs. Grace Madeira Donald J. Martin and Richard Repetto Ann and George Morris Dan Promislo Whitney Quesenbery and John Chester Paul Rabe and Cheryl Gunter Franklyn and Cintra Rodgers Jerry and Bernice Rubenstein Marilyn Sanborne and Richard Labowskie* Eva and Marvin Schlanger Family Foundation Philip and Susan Schlegel Robert and Karen Sharrar Karen and Jon Sirlin Harold and Emily Starr Dorothy Tomassini $250-$499 Howard Aaronson Richard and Joan Behr Pat and Tom Bender Peter and Lynne Berman Mr. and Mrs. J. Robert and Marilyn Birnhak Bob Carfagno Mr. Joseph Casey Caroline Castagno Edwin G. Close, II Dr. W. Robert and Margaret Cook Ruth Miller Cox Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Denniston Shafiq Ebrahim Mr. and Mrs. Farenback-Brateman In memory of Bob Gallagher Charles Gear Bob and Jan Goren Susan Greene Barbara and Robert Hauptfuhrer Charles Head Douglas and Harriet Heath Betsy and Ted Hershberg Jim and Carolyn Hessinger David and Beth Medoway Kagan

Barbara and Jerry Kaplan Barbara and Leonard Klinghoffer Marilyn and David Kraut Clara and Jorge LaBrake Barbara Patterson Lobb Will and Sandy Lock Robert Manning George and Judy McCarthy Gloria McNutt Robert Mullin Paul Nutaitis and Robert Clark Susan Odessey and Paul Coff Laura Offutt and Steve Fukuchi Alice and Albert Packman Barbara and Don Parman Douglas and Mary Peck John and Pinkie Philbrick Mary Jo Reilly Joy Rickabaugh Ruth and Marvin Sachs Irwin C. and Carole M. Saft Harold and Sharon Schwalm Ellen Schwartz Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Shuster Frank and Catherine Signorello James Akerberg and Larry Simmons James L. Smith Marilyn and Dean R. Staats Elaine and Sal Tagliareni Dr. and Mrs. Stephen G.Vasso Hella and Lew Volgenau Michael Walraven and Mary Lou Starling Fred and Arleen Weinstein Mrs. Thomas A. Williams Nancy Wingo, in honor of Peter and Alta Hamilton Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Woodcock Paul and Barbara Yeagle Tom and Jackie Zemaitis Michael Zuckerman $125-$249 Carol and Bennett Aaron Ron Abrams Janet and Roger Alwang Anonymous Charles and Stephanie Andrews Alan and Sandy Ault Robert Bauer and Sandy Clay Bauer Susan Becker and Aaron Rubin Joann White and William Beckett Sheila Bell and Thomas Dodds Doris and Aaron Bitman Craig H. Boddorff* Ms. Reid Bodek Lily and Newman Bortnick Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Mary Pat Boyle Tony Braithwaite Joseph and Mary Lou Breidenstine Eadie and Allan Brooks

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Thank You to our Supporters $125-$249 continued Bernard and Pamela Brownstein Sheryl Roser Ms. Charlotte E. Cady Nelly and Scott Childress Mr. and Mrs. Fred and Karen Clark Jennifer Coffey John Condello Sandra and James Corry Charles J. Coyle Billie Coyne Mary Ann Dailey Daniel Devlin Larry and Pat Dixon Michael Dotsey Anonymous Linda V. Ellsworth Paul and Adele Epstein Paul and Judith Farber Cynthia Heininger and James Feeney Larry and Maureen Mullin Fowler Paulette and Paul Freeman Brenda Freitag Chaim Galfand David K. Gifford Tim and Carol Golden Robert and Patti Goodman Roseanne and David Grant Carl and Helene Gumerman Dona and Curt Haltiwanger Stephen Hamilton* Brian Hanna Mary C. Harbison Bill Hendrickson Mr. Frank Hollick Sarah C. Jordan Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kahn Phyllis Kauffman Lucy Kaufman Margaret Keller Susan Kellogg and Dick Hoffman Robert Klein Walter Kraft and Deborah Hung Joan Kremer and Jim Luther Joan and Marc S. Lapayowker Mr. and Mrs. Bob and Mary Lawler Richard Lee Lorraine and late Richard Leff Jack and Donna Levin Mr. and Mrs. Craig and Stephanie Lewis Robert and Laurel Lipshutz Karen Lisker Perry Watts and Samuel Litwin Lynn and Joe Manko Ted and Ronnie Mann Mary Louise Martin Faith J McDowell Alan and Susan Miller Paul and Lee S. Miller Ellen Monsees Keith and Liz Mosley

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Kathleen Moyer Jerome Napson Mary Ann Naulty Etta and Chuck Nissman Kathy Nolen Edwards Carol L. O’Brien William O’Connor Anonymous (2) Mr. Richard Pariseau John and Judith Peakes Bob and Leila Peck Mary and F. Laurence Pethick Helen Phillips Lisa Truckess Rhoda Polakoff Nancy Post John and Margaret Preg Anonymous Eleanor Reinhardt Teresa Reyes and John Hogenesch Fred Rizzo Graham and Betsy Robb Susan Rock Dulcie Romm Jane A. Rose, CPA/PFS, CFP Faye and Daniel Ross Bernard and Barbara Ruekgauer William F. Ryan Joan Ryder and Robert Ludwig Thekla Sacksteder Joan and Bill Saidel Lucille Schlack Mr. and Mrs. A. Schmidt Bonnie Schorske Ms. Adeline R Schultz Warren and Carole Lee Schwomeyer Leslie E. Skilton Phillip and Karen Spiker Celeste and Robert Starankovic Robert Stewart and Barbara BarnettStewart Ruth P. Stuessy Ken Sugarman and Robin Goldfaden in honor of M.Greenberg and A.S Anonymous Bob and Tina Tate Joel Temple John Urofsky Malin Van Antwerp Richard and Fenching Wainstein Susan Walther Rossana Jaffe Marvin and Betty Weiss Anonymous Christine Winkelvoss Sally Wojcik and Will Lambrakos Bertram and Lorle Wolfson Anonymous

$75-$124 David Acton George Ahern Anonymous Nan Alderson Mr. and Mrs. Brian Allebach Dr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Andrews Lauren and Joshua Averill Rita Axelrod May and Ethan Ball Sylvia Beck Lisa Becker Peninah Berdugo David and Nancy Bergman Steve Zettler and Cordelia Biddle Philip and Elaine Bobrove Ms. Rose Marie Bockman Frank Boyer Michael P. Boyle Martha Brandriff Charles Brennan Michael P. Buckley Carol Buettger Robert J Butera Karen Marston and Greg Buzan Regina Byrne John T. Callari Barbara Carmine Howard Cell Ronald and Christina Chang Leah Chaplin Mary Chomitz Annemarie Clarke and David Buch Sharyn F Clauson Rhoda and Michael Coben Sue Cohen Ms. Judy Cohen Arminta and William B. Collins Carol Copland Robert and Frances Corlies Zoe Coulson James Crawford and Judith Dean Emily and Bob Cronin Kimberly L. Crown* Daniel Dagle Roseann Muziani Deal Rita and Grace Denbo Carole and Marc Dichter Ellen Dipinto Ellen and Max Dooneief Sonya Dore Beverly Dotter Angela DuRoss Lois S Durso Marcia Eisenberg Jane Eisner Debbie and Jerry Epstein Wally and Jane Evans William Ewing Mark and Rene Feitelson Allan Fellner


Thank You to our Supporters Ruth and Andre Ferber Malcolm and Martha Fick Jonathan and Catherine Fiebach Fund of the Jewish Federation John Fischer Deborah and Martin Fishbein Marjorie Fiterman Holly and Greg Flanagan Camille Focarino and Joseph Dimaio Drs. Barbara and Len Frank Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Frank Dr. John and Elaine Frank Paula Freilich Paula Fuchsberg Joel Gardner and Holly Phelps John Geronimo Stan Gibell David Glancey Peggy Glover Ms. Joan Gmitter Joan and Marvin Goldberg Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Rita Goldberg Dr. and Mrs. William Goldfarb Kelley A. Grady* Priscilla Grosick Donald Hargreaves Linda Fowler Hartnett Gail Hauptfuhrer Beverly Hayden Ron Herman Susan W Herron Heidi Hertfelder Daniel and Monica Hilferty Isidore and Sharon Hofferman Dr. David Holtz Patricia and David Holtz Arnold and Esther Horn Kathleen Jacobs Aram and Jackie Jerrehian Gary and Debbie Johnson-McNutt Donald and Lorraine Jones Thomas Lloyd and Jane Kamp Donald and Mary Kane Sandra R Karlson Alex and Joanne Karras Scott and Margie Kasner Ira and Linda Katz Sheila Kessler Toni and Herb Kestenbaum Cynthia Killion John and Cheryl Kirby Patricia and Charles Kling Bernadette Koller Joel Koppelman James Kronzer Stephen and Helene Kunkel Peter and Peshe Kuriloff Anne B. Ladenson John and Joanne Lawson Sonya Lawrence* Robert Lazar

Lisa Lee Natalie Levkovich Edward Lichtenberg Daniel and Linda Litwin Melissa Lore* Virigina Lowe Anonymous Donald and Nancy Maclay Todd and Susan Makler Nina and John Mantione Lolly Marchant Ronnie and Larry Margel Milton and Renee Margulies Jean S. Markovitz Dr. Arlen Marks and David Smith Irwin Matusow and Barbara Rudnick Dr. Rosalie G. Matzkin Richard and Gretchen McCann Kirsten McCoy Dr. Donald Bakove and Margaret G. McLaughlin Celeste McMenamin Tom and Helen McNutt Rita Merkin and Morris Chomitz Cheryl Meyer Martin and Sandra Miller Douglas and Fredaricka Moffitt Daniel P. Monbourquette Lisa and Stephen Morano Jeff and Maxine Morgan Claire Moyer Carmen Mucci Kenneth and Susan Myers Mr. and Mrs. Gene Nicholls Bonnie and Eliot Nierman Carol Ann and Thomas O’Leary Brenda J. Oliphant Gerald O’Neill Linda Osler Clare and Dwayne Osman Stanton and Bernice Oswald Sandra Packel Sydney S. Pasternack Donald Plank Linda Quam Ellen Schlenker George and Zara Roberts Linda Robinson, Ph.D. and Peter Krill Claire Rocco Francoise and Louis Rollmann Chad and Jennifer Rosenberg Kenneth and Shelley Rosenberg Dr. and Mrs. Randy Rosenberg Dr. Harry Rosenthal Edwin and Sally Rosenthol David and Athena Ruhl Janet Rupert Diane Rurode Janet S. Saltzman Rita and Herbert Salzman John Sands

James and Anne Sauve Ruth Ann Schlesinger Ms. Kim Schmucki Carl W. and Mary Ellen Schneider Jeanne C. Scott Robert and Karen Serenbetz Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Showler Anne Shuff and Mike Creech Mel and Susanne Shuster Abigail and Richard Simkus Bob and Harriet Singer David and Carleene Slowik Bruce and Penny Smith Richard and Doranne Smith Anonymous Margaret R. Spencer Paula Spielberg Corinne Stahl Leon Steinberg Rita Stevens Paul Stone Bethy and Vinson Stouck Sharon and Robert Strochak Sally Switzer Richard and Anne Tax Marion and Richard Taxin Linda and Keith Thomson The Tobias Family Cathy J. Toner* Linda and Ken Traver-Neeld Peter Trentacoste Mailin Van Antwerp* Kathe Villanova Clifford and Ann Wagner Mr. John Waldie Beth Brooks and Bob Waterson Edward Wilk Theresa Williams Lydia Winderman Sam and Kuna Yankell Carol Yetter Diane and Gilbert Young Mr. and Mrs. Howard Yusem* Askold Zagars Francis A. Zampiello John and Donna Zappacosta Carlos Ziegler and Elizabeth Hasson Joan D. Zeidner* * Denotes gift made through the United Way + Denotes gift of goods or services This list acknowledges donors as of December 18, 2009. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies. Notify us by contacting Development Assistant Bobby Bangert at 215.922.8900 x46 or bbangert@ardentheatre.org. Although space does not allow us to list supporters whose gifts are less than $75, we gratefully acknowledge their contributions.

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Why I Support the Arden We had always been avid theatergoers. Although both of us grew up in very different areas (Roz in suburban Milwaukee and Steve in Brooklyn), our families actively attended the theater in our respective communities. When we married in the early 1980s we looked for theater opportunities that met our need for innovation as well as updated presentations of the great theatrical standards. For several years we regularly attended performances at the People’s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, and noticed in their playbills that many of the directors and performers whose work we really enjoyed also appeared at something called the “Arden” in Philadelphia. At the time, the Arden was located in St. Stephen’s Alley, a very short walk from work, so we decided to see what this group was offering. From the moment we attended our first performance, we were delighted by the shows presented in this small, intimate setting - one which drew us in as participants. After learning more about this troupe, its founders (Terry/Amy/Aaron), and their vision for the Arden we became subscribers. The Arden founders dreamed of moving to their own space in a larger facility designed so that it would allow them to produce a much wider range of shows without losing the sense of personal contact and audience involvement. When we were asked to contribute to the capital campaign to purchase and renovate the 2nd Street site it was easy to recognize this was really an opportunity to step up to the plate and concretely express our love for something we really enjoyed. We joined the Sylvan Society and have remained active contributors to the Arden ever since. We continue to support the Arden because we love their work and their commitment to artistic excellence, innovative education, and personal connections with their audiences and community partnerships. Each year we look forward to a new season with this wonderful regional theatre. Rosalyn and Stephen Weinstein Arden subscribers and Sylvan Society members

The Hamilton Family Foundation, longtime supporters of our work with kids, has challenged us and you can help! We must raise $50,000 in new or increased gifts by June 30! If we reach our goal, the Hamilton Family Foundation will match our efforts with a gift of $50,000 in support of Arden Children’s Theatre and Arden for All, our education outreach program. Providing access to theatre and in-school programming for kids in our region is an essential part of our mission. Make a gift today and help us to reach our challenge! for a challenging year

To make a gift, contact Angela DuRoss, Development Manager at 215-922-8900 ext. 25 or go online: www.ardentheatre.org/support.


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

Facilities Committee Hether Smith, chair Richard Maimon John McCawley Myles Pettengill Paul Thais

Brian Abernathy Nancy Burd Joy L. De Jesús Ellen P. Foster Matthew Garfield Elizabeth H. Gemmill Darrel A. German 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 Lee van de Velde Diane Dalto Woosnam Ellen Yin

Finance Committee Michael Donato, chair Nancy Burd Ellen Foster Elizabeth Gemmill Steve Heumann Martin Rosenthal Harvey Swedloff

Board Executive Committee David Fryman, chair Brian Abernathy 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 Peter Hamilton Lynn Haskin Lee van de Velde Diane Dalto Woosnam

Advocacy Committee Brian Abernathy, chair  David Glancey Terry Gillen     Julie Hawkins Susan Jacobson   Holly Kinser Institutional Giving Committee Michael Donato David Fryman Elizabeth Gemmill Carole Haas Gravagno Joanne Harmelin John McCawley Hether Smith 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 Peggy Morgan Richard Quinn Steven Segal Harvey Swedloff Rosalyn and Steve Weinstein Diane Dalto Woosnam Ellen Yin

Education Committee Sheryl Bar Marla Diamond Dr. Dennis W. Creedon Dr. Carol Domb John King Jacqueline Matusow Ilene Miller Judy Paul Ilene Poses Personnel Committee Lee van de Velde, chair David Fryman Elizabeth Gemmill Charles Rose Young Friends Committee Brian Abernathy Genvieve Goldstein Betsy Oliphant Brian Seaman 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

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Staff Administrative Staff Producing Artistic Director............................................................................................................. Terrence J. Nolen Managing Director ............................................................................................................................... Amy L. Murphy Associate Artistic Director ................................................................................................................... Edward Sobel Associate Producer........................................................................................................................... Matthew Decker Artistic Assistant ..............................................................................................................................................Erin Read Executive Assistant ......................................................................................................................... Christopher Hines Literary Manager........................................................................................................................................Dennis Smeal Director of Marketing and Public Relations............................................................................................. Beth Yeagle Marketing Analyst ..................................................................................................................................... Abigael Reed Marketing Associate...........................................................................................................................Leigh Goldenberg Design Manager..........................................................................................................................................Kristy Giballa Education Director.................................................................................................................. Maureen Mullin Fowler Group Sales Associate................................................................................................................................. Nanci Cope Development Manager.......................................................................................................................... Angela DuRoss Manager of Institutional Giving.................................................................................................................... Matt Ocks Development Assistant......................................................................................................................... Bobby Bangert General Manager........................................................................................................................................ Jennifer Peck Associate General Manager..............................................................................................................Mary Beth Simon Business Manager....................................................................................................................Courtney Spiker Martin Box Office Manager.........................................................................................................................................Lynn Keily Assistant Box Office Manager............................................................................................................... Corey Masson House Manager............................................................................................................................... Thomas Choinacky Box Office Assistants..............................................................Michael Durkin, Carla Emanuele, Elisabeth Kersey, Michael McElroy, Fred Ott, Maura Roche, Richard Sonne, Ryane Studivant Arden Professional Apprentices....................................Kristyn Hegner, Michael Hollinshead, Brittany Howard, Alan Johnson-McNutt, Mark Kennedy, Meredith Sonnen Arden Drama School Faculty.....................Bobby Bangert, Kala Moses Baxter, Matt Decker, Carla Emanuele, Liz Filios, Steve Gravelle, Jefferson Haynes, Millie Hiibel, Michael McElroy, Hillary Rea, Alison Roberts, Alexis Simpson, Scott Sheppard, Vanda Thomas, Anneliese Van Arsdale Arden Volunteer..................................................................................................................................... Jean Markovitz Artistic Intern ............................................................................................................................................ James Yandoli Marketing Intern ..............................................................................................................................Meghan McKeown Production Staff Production Manager........................................................................................................................... Courtney Riggar Technical Director................................................................................................................................. Glenn Perlman Associate Production Manager...................................................................................................... Jessica Day West Master Carpenter/Shop Foreman..................................................................................................... Will Lambrakos Production Stage Managers............................................. Stephanie Cook, Alec E. Ferrell, Katharine M. Hanley Assistant to the Stage Manager...................................................................................................... Meredith Sonnen Assistant Set Designer...................................................................................................................... Carissa Huizenga Assistant Lighting Designer............................................................................................................. Charles Dabezies Costume Supervisor............................................................................................................................. Alison Roberts Properties Master............................................................................................................................ Meredith McEwen Master Electrician.............................................................................................................................. Martin Stutzman Charge Scenic Artist...................................................................................................................... Kristina Chadwick Audio Engineer ...................................................................................................................................... Austen Brown Electricians .................................................................................................. Charles Dabezies, Georgia Schlessman

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When dining in Old City, we recommend these restaurants that support the Arden! All offer a special 10% discount to Arden patrons. Please ask your server for details. BISTRO ROMANO

120 Lombard St. • 215.925.8880 • www.bistroromano.com

This Historic Landmark, nestled in an 18th century granary, will stimulate your senses with an ambiance of candlelight and casual elegance while creating an unforgettable dining experience. Wine Spectator Award for our wine list! Voted a “Best of Philly” Restaurant, guests enjoy Bistro Romano’s acclaimed Regional Italian Cuisine and rave of the award-winning Caesar Salad prepared tableside and the romantic underground wine cellar for two. Please call for Wine Cellar and Mystery Theatre reservations. We are now celebrating our 21st year!

CAMPO’S

214 Market St. • 215.923.1000 • www.phillyhoagie.com

2009/10 Dining Partners

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

COSI

325 Chestnut Street • 215.399.0214 • www.getcosi.com

From our hand-tossed Signature Salad to our Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Sandwich served on warm flatbread, to the comfortable, urbane and contemporary atmosphere - Così is simply good taste. But we’re not just about sandwiches. Our distinctive menu offerings also include a wide variety of salads tossed to order, pizzas, soups, bagels, unique gourmet beverages and desserts. Something for everyone to enjoy - any time of day. Rated #1 in Fast Casual Restaurants by Parents Magazine.

FORK and FORK:ETC

306 Market St. • 215.625.9425 • www.forkrestaurant.com

Fork continues to set the standard for New American bistro dining. Chef Terence Feury’s fresh, seasonal cuisine reflects his passion for artisanal and local foods from home made pastas to house smoked pork chops. Part of Fork’s allure is its sophisticated beautiful 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. Our private dining room and catering services are also available for any party. Reservations are recommended.

FRANKLIN FOUNTAIN

116 Market St. • 215.627.1899 • franklinfountainphilly.blogspot.com

The Franklin Fountain is an old-fashioned 1920’s soda fountain and ice cream parlor that brings back magical memories of Americana through service of Sundaes, sodas and splits. Bowtie wearing soda jerks serve customers in an authentically replicated interior with real glassware and charm.

GIGI RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

319 Market St. • 215-574-8880 • www.gigiphilly.com

Fine dining food in a fun dining atmosphere. A local gem in Old City where everyone feels at home. A new American menu with an international flare.

RISTORANTE PANORAMA

14 N. Front St. • 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 St. • 215.928.0770 • www.tinangel.com

Serrano has been a fixture in Olde City since 1985 and is everything a neighborhood restaurant should be. 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. Comfort. Warmth. Home. After dinner, move the evening upstairs to the Tin Angel, our intimate acoustic café. From opening night, 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 St. • 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.


Accessibility at the Arden By Jennifer Peck, General Manager

Arden Theatre Company is committed to making our work accessible for everyone as part of our Arden for All program. We offer accessible seating, large print programs and assisted listening devices at every performance. We provide audio description for visually impaired patrons at two performances during each production’s run. Audio description is the addition of narration that conveys the settings, costumes, body language, and sight gags in a visual presentation or performance to help blind or visually impaired audience members understand important visual elements. VSA of Pennsylvania provide free equipment rental for our audio described performances. For our deaf and hard of hearing audiences, we offer open captioning twice during the run of each show. In 2002, the Arden was named a Keystone of Accessibility by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in the fall of 2009, we were named a Cultural Access Honoree by Art-Reach. Art-Reach and the Arden both recognize the power of the arts in improving the lives of people with disabilities or economic disadvantages. The Arden has partnered with Art-Reach and Hands Up Productions, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting service exclusively for the arts. This partnership resulted in an ASL interpreted performance of Our Town during our 2007/08 season and a shadow interpreted performance of A Year with Frog and Toad last season. Shadow interpreting means that instead of standing off to the side of the stage, the ASL interpreters move with the actors and blend into the show. Our first shadow interpreted performance of A Year with Frog and Toad was so successful that we added another with the encouragement of audiences and at the recommendation of our cast. One of our audience members who is deaf commented: “I enjoyed the performance immensely and it was a very rich experience for me. Why I said that is because I’m profoundly deaf and I felt included as an audience member witnessing this brilliant show. The cast of A Year with Frog and Toad incorporated some sign language into their songs and it was an absolute delight to see!” The Arden will present a captioned and audio described performance of Blue Door on Saturday, February 20 at 8pm and Sunday, February 21 at 2pm.

Sally Wojcik gives a sensory tour to audiences at the fully accessible performance of A Year with Frog and Toad sponsored by Art-Reach.


Meet

Romeo and Juliet

Evan Jonigkeit and Mahira Kakkar will star as the impetuous lovers in Romeo and Juliet later this season at the Arden. Beth Yeagle, Arden’s Director of Marketing and PR, talked with Evan and Mahira about their upcoming roles.

BY: Evan, you played the precocious student Dakin in The History Boys earlier this season with Frank X in the role of Hector. Now, you’re both returning…this time you’re Romeo and Frank X is your father, Lord Montague. Tell me about that. EJ: I’m thrilled to return. Any actor would be privileged to work with Frank twice in one season. Plus, the Arden sets the standard for great storytelling in Philadelphia and this is the quintessential story about love. In The History Boys, Hector taught his students to question authority and Dakin certainly questioned authority. Romeo – much like Dakin – is obsessed with pushing the boundaries of what’s currently acceptable. He defies his father - and his entire family – for this unbelievable girl. He goes for what he wants. And what he wants is undoubtedly Juliet. BY: Have you set eyes on your Juliet at this point (Dec 8, 2009)? EJ: Oh yeah. Mahira came to Philadelphia [from New York] to read for this part. We both got in one room with the director Matt Pfeifer and it all clicked. She is amazing. She’s so smart, so raw and wonderfully connected in how she understands her character. Plus she’s lovely. Just a stunning person inside and out. I can’t wait to work with her. BY: Have you done classical theatre before? EJ: Many times. I’ve actually played Romeo before – but this time around having a female Juliet will be new. BY: Excuse me? EJ: I was Romeo in Joe Calarco’s all male adaptation of Romeo and Juliet at Mauckingbird Theatre Company in 2008. Some other great roles I’ve had were Lysander in Midsummer Night’s Dream and Lysimacus in Pericles.

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BY: Tell me what you’re most looking forward to in this production. EJ: This show is great for adults but I love doing it for kids. It’s about being yourself and standing up and fighting for who and what you love – even if it’s totally against the rules. Romeo and Juliet are rebels. I love them. BY: Thanks, Evan. Mahira, tell me a little about yourself. MK: I was born in Calcutta, India and moved to the US to attend Juilliard. I’m really looking forward to coming to Philly– it will be my debut performance at the Arden – and I’m so honored that Terry Nolen thought of me for this part. BY: You have an interesting history with Terry… can you tell me about it? MK: Terry cast me in the role of Grace in Michael Hollinger’s Opus for the production at Primary Stages in New York City during the summer of 2007. BY: Opus was such a great success here at the Arden when we presented its world premiere in 2006. How did it go in New York? MK: Well, it was nominated for three Lucille Lortel Awards [New York’s off Broadway Awards for Excellence] and it’s the first play I’ve ever done where I sat in rehearsals completely enthralled. BY: What do you look forward to about Romeo and Juliet? MK: Having the audience connect – I hope! – to that intoxicating feeling of falling head over heels in love. The highs are just so high. Love is such a powerful emotion and one that is completely liberating. Plus, I’ve got to mention that Evan is very sexy.


WINTER SEMESTER 2009/10

Theatre classes for kids and teens KIDS’ CREW (Grades K-5)

One Day Workshops Saturdays, 1pm - 4pm: $30

IMPROV (Grades K-2) - February 6 ACTING (Grades 3-5) - February 20 COSTUME DESIGN (Grades 3-5) - March 6

Show Time Workshop_ Grades K-5. $40 per class

IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE: ACTING Mon, May 3, 4 - 6:30 pm

Directed by Matt Pfeifer Starring Evan Jonigkeit and Mahira Kakkar Krista Apple as Lady Montague Shawn Fagan as Mercutio Melayne Finister as Lady Capulet Scott Greer as Lord Capulet James Ijames as Benvolio Sean Lally as Tybalt Anthony Lawton as Friar Laurence Matt Lorenz as Paris Suzanne O’Donnell as Nurse Brian Anthony Wilson as Prince Frank X as Lord Montague

Romeo and Juliet on the Haas stage February 25 through April 4 Get tickets today! Recommended for people in 8th grade and older

Play-in-a-Day

10am - 3pm. Grades 1-5. $50 a class, 3 for $125.

January 18 (MLK Day)

January 23

March 6

Spring Break Camp

Grades K-5. Monday – Friday, 9am – 3pm. $300.

March 29 - April 2, 2010

TEEN COMPANY (Grades 6-12)

Saturday Classes

Five week Winter Semester: $100. Grades 6 - 12.

January 16,23,30, February 6,13

10am - 12pm: ACTING: Improv DESIGN: Aesop’s Fables 1 - 3pm: COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland

One Day Workshops

Saturdays, 1 - 4pm: Grades 6 - 12. $30 per class.

ACTING - January 16 MUSICAL THEATRE - January 30 IMPROV - February 6 AUDITION - February 27 SHAKESPEARE - March 6

Spring Break One Day Workshop ROMEO AND JULIET Wednesday, March 31

10am - 6pm (2pm performance of Romeo and Juliet) $80 includes theatre ticket An intensive full day Shakespeare workshop taught by Evan Jonigkeit (Romeo). Class covers speaking and performing the text and learning stage combat - all on our mainstage. The day culminates with viewing the Arden’s Romeo and Juliet.

Production Sponsor:

ardentheatre.org • 215.922.1122


CONNECTIONS THROUGH COLLABORATION By Matthew Decker, Associate Producer Three Fishermen in Ghana by Walter Dallas

The three men involved in Blue Door - Walter Dallas, Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. and Kes Khemnu- have almost twenty years of history between them. For this article, I had the pleasure of sitting down with them and learning about their past endeavors. Friends as well as colleagues, their collaboration began in the early 1990’s when Walter was named the Artistic Director at Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia. Freedom was where Johnnie Hobbs began his celebrated career as an actor, working on multiple productions at the theatre. The first collaboration with Walter Dallas was a production called Black Picture Show in 1994, which garnered Johnnie a Barrymore award nomination. This was just the beginning of a long partnership between the actor and the director, working on at least fifteen productions together. Dallas credits the immediate trust between the two that’s fostered their great partnership. “Johnnie is a receptive actor who takes direction beautifully and is willing to try new things. He is fun to be around, always receptive to new ideas, and has a sharp sense of humor. But after it’s all said and done, the trust factor that he and I share is my favorite thing about Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. as an actor.” “Walter is a very insightful, clever and provocative director who always asks interesting questions,” says Hobbs. “He creates a challenging, creative environment. And above all, he is great storyteller.” Johnnie and Walter told many stories together at the Freedom Theatre, as well as at the sadly defunct Philadelphia Drama Guild. Highlights of their collaborations include productions of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Philadelphia Drama Guild and Sty of the Blind Pig by Phillip Hayes Dean at Freedom. Another collaborative highlight was a play called Spunk at the Philadelphia Drama Guild, where the two first worked together with a young, exciting actor named Kes Khemnu. “Kes is a director’s dream,” says Dallas, ”His energetic ability to trust my suggestions, embrace them, and then take them to a level of brilliant execution that always surpasses the original idea.” Hobbs adds, “I loved working with him from the start. Kes is a very creative, whimsical and intelligent actor.” Dallas continues, “He just gets it while jokingly bringing fun and factoring his sharp creative prowess into the creative equation.” The three gentlemen’s lives interlace further with their affiliation with the University of the Arts, where Kes attended as an undergraduate. Walter Dallas taught at the college for ten years and created the School of Theatre. Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. has been teaching for twenty-seven years as an Associate Professor of Theatre, and is the current head of the acting program.

Cast and Crew of THE PIANO LESSON at the Arden (2008)

Though all were at the university at the same time, Hobbs or Dallas never formally taught Khemnu. The way he talks, he didn’t spend much time in the classroom at all. “I was usually found wondering the


hallways,” Khemnu says with a grin. (Perhaps he fared better while getting his Masters at Yale University – which is where, coincidentally, Walter also holds his M.F.A.) Following Kes’ time at University of the Arts, other projects together emerged, most notably various incarnations of the annual Black Nativty at the Freedom Theatre, which was directed by Walter and featured Johnnie, Zooman and the Sign at the Walt Whitman Art Center featuring Johnnie and Kes, and Arden’s The Piano Lesson, directed by Walter and featuring Kes in 2008. The three have not worked together in almost fifteen years, so it seems kismet that Blue Door has provided that opportunity. It’s fitting that a play about a man who is discovering his past should bring together three colleagues who are so closely linked. Dallas shares that sentiment, “When I was in Accra, Ghana last summer, I took a photograph of three fishermen working together in an effort to pull in a net full of fish from the sea. The three generations of this family (son, father and grandfather) remind me of my connection with Johnnie and Kes.” That connection is palpable when in the presence of the three gentlemen. You can feel their deep affinity for one another. They are aware of that bond, and hope that it will help bring Blue Door to life. Dallas adds, “Each of us brings years of experience, a dynamically shared relationship and extremely unique perspectives to the creative challenge of [presenting Blue Door]. By joining forces, we can create an ultimately rich history, and the possibility of powerful, living theatre about [fathers and sons].” We are lucky to have this rich, beautiful partnership working at the Arden, as well as in the Philadelphia theatre community. I look forward to future stories they tell together.

Want to find out more about your ancestors? Try these resources! IN PHILADELPHIA

Historical Society of Pennsylvania www.hsp.org 1300 Locust Street

One of the most complete and professional genealogy centers in the nation—and the largest in the Mid-Atlantic region. The society collects Wills and Deeds, Genealogical Scrapbooks and Research Folders, Church Records, Death and Burial Records, Census Records, Passenger and Immigration Records and much more.

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania www.GenPa.org 2207 Chesnut Street

Provides leadership and support in promoting genealogy through education, preservation, and access to Pennsylvania-related genealogical information.

NATIONALLY

FamilySearch.org

This free service provided by the Church of Latter Day Saints hosts family history, family tree, and genealogy records and resources from around the world, including databases for different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

ONLINE

Ancestry.com

Use this website to create your own family tree, upload pictures, and search census records. With their online network, fellow genealogy researchers can link their families together to expand their family background with just a few clicks.

EllisIsland.org

This website includes a free searchable database of all passengers that passed through Ellis Island. You can search by name, year of birth, year of arrival, point of origin, or name of ship.

Rootsweb.com

This website aggregates tens of thousands of different sites for the genealogy community, with a variety of search engines.

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• Eight house-brewed drafts • Monthly Brewer’s Reserve Barrel Tappings • Live music • Private parties An Arden Theatre Company Dining Partner


RE-INVENT THE EVENT

STEPHEN STARR EVENTS WWW.STARREVENTS.COM


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DON’T MISS the rest of the

ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY

2009/10 SEASON

Production Sponsor:

Directed by Matt Pfeiffer

FEB 25 - APR 11

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Lapine Directed by Terrence J. Nolen

MAY 27 - JULY 4

Convert your Blue Door ticket into a 3-show subscription, to see Romeo and Juliet and Sunday in the Park with George! You’ll save money compared to buying individual show tickets, enjoy easy exchange privileges, parking and dining discounts, plus behind-the-scenes opportunities.

ARDEN CHILDREN’S THEATRE

April 14 - June 6 Most enjoyed by families with children ages 5+

Production Sponsor:

Adapted by Jody Davidson Directed by Whit MacLaughlin Book copyright © 1985 Laura Numeroff Illustration copyright © 1985 Felicia Bond Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers

Stop by the box office, call 215.922.1122, or visit ardentheatre.org.


Leap of Faith 2010/2011 season Ever taken a leap of faith? We’re inviting you to now. Join us for all five plays of next season – without knowing any titles – and lock into the lowest prices we’ll offer. World premiere plays. Large scale musicals. Literary adaptations. Celebrations of community. Great stories by great storytellers. Please join us. Leap of Faith is available now through March 21 Check out the insert in your stagebill, stop by the subscription table, call the box office at 215.922.1122 or visit us online at ardentheatre.org

L to R: Caroline, or Change (2007), My Name Is Asher Lev (2009), Wittenberg (2008), Our Town (2008), Assassins (2007), Candide (2008), Opus (2006), The Piano Lesson (2008)


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