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SEP 2 - SEP 30
ROBERT & MERCEDES EICHHOLZ FOUNDATION
RONNI LACROUTE
DAVID & CHRISTINE VERNIER
SEE SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS FOR $40 WITH CODE SMS40
Dominique Morisseau
by
SEP 2 - SEP 30
by
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
NOV 25 - DEC 30
by
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Split Britches
SEP 8 - SEP 12
by
Joe Landry
DEC 6 - DEC 30
Lucas Hnath
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JAN 27 - MAR 3
Hansol Jung
MAR 10 - APR 7
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ROBERT & MERCEDES EICHHOLZ FOUNDATION
RONNI LACROUTE
DAVID & CHRISTINE VERNIER
by
Bess Wohl
OCT 7 - NOV 4
by
Mike Lew
JAN 6 - FEB 3
by
Lauren Gunderson
APR 28 - MAY 26
SKELETON CREW BY DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU
Dámaso Rodríguez, Artistic Director/Interim Managing Director
CAST Faye................................................................................. Shelley B. Shelley+ Dez.................................................................................. Vin Shambry^* Shanita............................................................................ Tamera Lyn + Reggie............................................................................. Bobby Bermea* Performers....................................................................... Jeff George, Leslie North, McKensie Rummel CREATIVE TEAM Director........................................................................... William (Bill) Earl Ray Scenic Designer................................................................ Megan Wilkerson^# Costume Designer........................................................... Wanda Walden Lighting Designer............................................................. Miranda Hardy Sound Designer............................................................... Sharath Patel^ Dramaturg....................................................................... Luan Schooler Stage Manager................................................................ Carol Ann Wohlmut^* Props Master.................................................................... Robert Amico Production Assistant........................................................ Karen Hill + Board Op......................................................................... Jason Coffey Choreographer................................................................ Kemba Shannon Fight Choreographer........................................................ Jonathan Cole~ Intimacy Director............................................................. Amanda K. Cole Voice & Language Consultant.......................................... Mary McDonald-Lewis^ Skeleton Crew was developed at the Lark Play Development Center, New York City and the 2014 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Sundance Resort. Winner of the 2014 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize at Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley, CA. Artistic Director, Jasson Minadakis; Managing Director, Michael Barker. World Premiere presented by Atlantic Theater Company, New York City, 2016. Skeleton Crew is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
TIME: 2008 SETTING: Detroit, Michigan RUN TIME: 2 hours and 15 minutes including one 15 minute intermission The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited. * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Actors’ Equity Association, founded in 1913, represents more than 49,000 actors and stage managers in the U.S. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. www.actorsequity.org ^ Artists Repertory Theatre Resident Artist # The scenic, costume, lighting, projection and sound designers are represented by United Scenic Artists + Equity membership candidate ~ Stage Directors & Choreographers Society This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
LORT League of resident theatres
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A MESSAGE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DÁMASO RODRÍGUEZ I AM THRILLED you are joining us for the Portland premiere of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew, the kick-off to Artists Rep’s 36th season of timely, provocative, and intimate theatre. Today’s production marks Morisseau’s overdue local debut. With productions of this play rapidly opening across the country, along with her plays Paradise Blue and Detroit ’67 that comprise The Detroit Project, and the Temptations musical Ain’t Too Proud opening this fall on Broadway, I expect you’ll soon have many opportunities to get to know the full range of this extraordinary writer’s potent, sensitive, and riveting work. In a recent interview about Skeleton Crew for Broadway World, Morisseau was asked what she hoped audiences would leave with after the curtain call. She responded, “A deeper love and respect for the working class and the people of Detroit.” Her reply is a reminder of theatre’s power to broaden our view of the world without ever
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leaving our seats. It’s travel for the mind and heart. I hope you enjoy this chance to get to know and respect Faye, Reggie, Shanita, and Dez as I have. I also hope this is just the first of many visits you’ll make to Artists Rep this season. We’ve spent months preparing a dynamic mix of fresh, funny, compelling, and exhilarating theatre experiences for you. It’s our goal to bring you the most timely, thought-provoking, and entertaining new plays being written today. As always, we are grateful that you are here and look forward to having you back to Artists Rep soon! Until then,
Dámaso P.S. If you want to see at least three more shows this season, we hope you’ll consider subscribing. Please call or visit our Box Office, and we’ll be happy to tell you more.
SEASON SPONSORS
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PLAYWRIGHT’S BIO
DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle), which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem, and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre), Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre), and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages). Dominique is an alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. Her work has been commissioned by Steppenwolf
Theater, Women’s Project, South Coast Rep, People’s Light and Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Penumbra Theatre. She most recently served as Co-Producer on the Showtime series Shameless. Following its record-breaking run at Berkeley Repertory Theatre last summer, her new musical Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations opened at The Kennedy Center (Washington DC) and The Ahmanson (Los Angeles) this season, and is set to open at The Princess of Wales Theater (Toronto) in October. Awards include: Spirit of Detroit Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-Cooper Prize, TEER Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Audelco Awards, NBFT August Wilson Playwriting Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, OBIE Award, Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, and being named one of Variety’s Women of Impact for 2017–18.
TAKING PHOTOS IN THE THEATRE Audience members may take photos in the theatre before and after the performance and during intermission. If you post photos on social media or elsewhere, please credit the amazing designers who made this show possible! MEGAN WILKERSON
WANDA WALDEN
MIRANDA K. HARDY
SHARATH PATEL
SCENIC DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
SOUND DESIGN
Please note: Photos are strictly prohibited during the performance, and photos of the stage are not permitted if an actor is present. Video recording is not permitted at any time.
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DIRECTOR’S NOTE Morisseau’s play reflects in tone some of August Wilson’s signature style, with language resplendently rich in depth of character, detail, and density. There is such complex discovery on this challenging journey. As it follows the play’s four main characters it’s not just set in Motor City; these characters become the integral motor of the city and its core vitality.
FIRST OF ALL, I want to thank Dámaso Rodríguez for this grand opportunity to direct Dominique Morisseau’s play Skeleton Crew, and also the staff and crew of Artists Rep for their support. I first encountered Ms. Morisseau as an actor in her play Sunset Baby. I fell in love with her artistry, her use of language, and her connection to the human spirit. I soon discovered her other works: Detroit ‘67 and Paradise Blue, which along with Skeleton Crew comprise a trilogy called The Detroit Project. When Skeleton Crew was first announced as part of Artists Rep’s season, it piqued my interest as a director. And here I am. As I embarked on this journey I immersed myself in the play’s unique world, eager to explore and share new, yet relevant, life experiences and perspectives. The joy I celebrated as an actor in Sunset Baby I found again as the director of Skeleton Crew.
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In a 2008 New York Times opinion piece by Mitt Romney, he wrote, “Let Detroit go bankrupt.” This was a crushing statement, cruel and dismissive to the real people who lived in Detroit and worked in its troubled auto industry. But Skeleton Crew is not a eulogy for Detroit, even as its characters confront a sense of its impending doom and inevitable decline. They must figure out how they’re going to carry on, in spite of the disintegration around them. View
All of art is a search for ways of being, of living life more fully. –August Wilson this gripping, gritty play as a metaphor for the plight of Detroit as any American city in 2018. Skeleton Crew shows us how to push beyond the demeaning epitaph of a city and its desperate inhabitants. It is my hope that you as an audience will find special connection to these four characters that represent all working class people of America with dignity and potent resolve to move forward. Sincerely, William (Bill) Earl Ray
DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC BY LUAN SCHOOLER
D
ominique Morisseau’s roots in Detroit are deep. She grew up in the College Park neighborhood, in the house where her parents still live. She has an extended family of three hundred people there, plus more from her husband’s side of the family.
Skeleton Crew is part of Morisseau’s The Detroit Project, three plays set in Detroit at transformational moments in the city’s history. Paradise Blues is set in 1949 in a Detroit neighborhood, when jazz icons Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others performed before the neighborhood was destroyed to make way for urban renewal projects. Detroit ’67 is set during the riots that tore the city apart. Skeleton Crew is set in 2008, when the recession was devastating the auto industry and leading the city to bankruptcy.
Born in 1977, she attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (only 40 miles from home), studying theatre. In the largely white theatre department, she found that she was not being challenged with juicy In many ways, The Detroit Project is a love roles that she could identify with and was letter to her hometown. She has spoken spurred to write her first piece for the of the horror theatre: The Blackand anger that ness Blues—Time IT FELT PERVERTED. THIS IS THE to Change the Tune MOTOR CITY. THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE flooded her when she heard Mitt (A Sister’s Story). MAKE CARS. NOW IT’S BECOME A Romney say “Let Although it was CITY WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN Detroit go bankoriginally conceived rupt” during his as a play for three THEIR CARS. 2008 campaign. actresses, more and She was stung by more African Ameriwhat seemed to be cavalier ignorance, and can women on campus wanted to be a part appalled by the idea that all the people of of it and the cast grew to twenty. The expeDetroit—the factory workers, the teachrience revealed to her the importance for ers, waitresses, all those who put together all people to see themselves represented modest lives through hard work and steadion stage, in stories, in all forms of artistic ness—should be punished for the greed expression—and led to her deep commitand excess of corporate executives. Like ment to writing about people on the fringes almost everyone in Detroit, Morisseau has who are all too often overlooked, unseen, family and friends who lost their jobs and and unheard. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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1802 Detroit becomes a chartered
1899 Ransom E. Olds opens
city. By 1815 the population is about 850.
Detroit’s first auto manufacturing plant.
1805 Detroit burns to the ground.
largest city, with a population of about 286,000.
While rebuilding, the city adopts the motto: Speramus meliora; resurgent cineribus. (We hope for better things; it shall arise from the ashes.)
1902 Detroit is America’s 13th
1908 Ford’s Model T is produced and becomes the most popular automobile in the country.
1850 Bernhard Stroh opens Stroh Brewery Company.
1896 Henry Ford test-drives his first automobile—the Ford Quadricycle— on the streets of Detroit.
1930s The automobile industry is dominated by the “Big Three:” Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, all based in Detroit.
1950 Detroit’s population hits 1.85 million, making it America’s fourth largest city, with 296,000 manufacturing jobs.
THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN CITY
1959 Berry Gordy founds Motown
2008 President George W. Bush gives
Records and changes the direction of popular music.
a provisional $17.4 billion bailout to General Motors and Chrysler.
1973–74 The gasoline crisis sends
2009 Chrysler and General Motors
consumers to more fuel-efficient foreign-made cars, starting a long period of crisis for Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers.
declare bankruptcy. Median sale price on homes falls to $7,000.
2011 Detroit’s population falls to 713,777, a 25% drop from 2000 and the lowest level in 100 years.
2013 City of Detroit files a Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition, marking the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in history.
1975 Jimmy Hoffa, head of Teamsters Union, disappears. His body is never found.
1992 Moody’s Investors Service cuts Detroit’s credit rating to junk status.
1999 Stroh’s Brewery Company is sold to Pabst (Los Angeles) and Miller (Milwaukee).
2001 The city’s credit rating rises to a solid investment grade, only to slide back to junk status again by 2008.
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WHAT’S A
UNION? THE MAIN PURPOSE of labor unions is to give workers the power to negotiate for better working conditions and benefits through collective bargaining. Instead of a single worker with limited power attempting to negotiate, the workforce negotiates as a whole via elected representatives. Everyone benefits when workers are taken care of, which is why when employers invest more in training and equipment it boosts productivity and improves workplace morale. Unions allow workers to fight for better wages and consistent pay raises, along with benefits that often include health insurance, retirement savings, paid sick leave, and even vacation time in some cases. Union members elect their own officers and representatives, determine goals as a group, and choose the rules by which their unions operate for the common good of all of the workers
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involved. In order for companies to treat workers fairly while also turning a profit, a balance between the two groups must be formed. Companies recognize that they can take steps to make a workforce more safe, stable, and productive through training, better equipment, and resources while unions recognize the needs of employers to be competitive within their markets. When a deal is struck between these two groups the stability of both sides becomes more secure.
YOU’VE JOINED THE UNION
– NOW WHAT?
In Skeleton Crew, Faye is the union factory representative for the United Automobile Workers (UAW), aka The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America. Since the end of the 19th Century, American workers have
joined together in unions to exercise a voice in their own livelihoods. Originally founded in the 1930s, the UAW grew exponentially from the mid-1930s to the early-1950s by successfully organizing sit-down strikes and harnessing the power of collective bargaining. Even though the UAW was known for securing high wages and benefits for autoworkers, the union went into a steady decline in membership due to the economic turmoil of the Great Recession (late 2000s to early 2010s). The automotive industry took an epic hit due to the massive economic decline and resulted in the creation of a destitute lower class, particularly in Detroit. Sudden massive layoffs are a huge concern for Faye, Dez, Shanita, and Reggie because employees who lose their jobs in a layoff usually have no
guaranteed right to severance pay. Though there are some states with laws in place that require notice for employees, there is the looming possibility of no such law in Skeleton Crew. With Faye’s retirement around the corner, the imminent threat of a factory closure and the rising tensions between the company representatives and workers pushes her into a moral dilemma. Does she advocate for her fellow workers or does she wait it out until retirement, exhausted from a lifetime of fighting? Though Faye is the union representative she is torn between self-preservation and her duty to negotiate for her fellow workers, an unfair judgment that many workers had to face during actual automotive factory closures and resulting layoffs. Source: www.uwua.net
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J DILLA AND THE EVOLUTION DURING OF HIP-HOP SKELETON CREW BY KISHA JARRETT
n the stage directions of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew, she describes the “sound of auto plant machinery that hums and rattles while the hip-hop drum beats [J Dilla-inspired] blend into the rhythm, creating a cacophony of working class hustle.” Hip-hop music and ambient factory sound play an important part in establishing the world of Skeleton Crew, set in an auto plant in 2008 Detroit, especially the influential sound of J Dilla. Detroit’s James Yancey, aka J Dilla, was born into a musical family (his mother, a singer and his father, a piano and bass player) in 1973. According to his mother, he could match harmony pitch-perfect as a baby and began creating his own beats at age 11. In 1996, a 23-year old J Dilla formed the group Slum Village, and he garnered the attention of Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul for his inventive melodies and rich drum sounds as a producer. In the 90s (often considered the golden age of hip-hop), rap split between two major factions: harder ‘gangster’ rap and neosoul. Neo-soul sound was conscientious rap interwoven with smooth and melodic R&B and was comprised of groups like D’Angelo, Mos Def, Common, Me’Shell Ndegéocello, and Q-Tip, while the harder sound was comprised by artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Dr.
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Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z among others. By the end of the 90s, J Dilla had created and produced original songs for some of the biggest musical acts of the time including Janet Jackson, The Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes, Brand New Heavies, and Something for the People, and he even won a Grammy for his work with A Tribe Called Quest. During the Dirty South rap years of hip-hop (thought to be from 1997 to 2007), groups from Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis dominated the R&B and rap charts with a specific sway and swagger to their sound. Hard-hitting producers like Shawty Redd dropped beats still considered to be some of the best of the genre. This time period
Questlove & J Dilla
ushered in acts like Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Three 6 Mafia, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Chamillionaire, and saw the rise of OutKast, Killer Mike, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, and T.I. among others. Sampling has always been a hip-hop mainstay, but in 2008 when the beats switched back to the familiar 4/4 time signature, the combination of sampling and usage of auto-tune created a musical influence that reached far outside the hip-hop community. No rap album demonstrated this better than with Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III. This style was quickly adopted by pop musicians, is still employed today, and has even found its way into mainstream country music.
J Dilla
A Tribe Called Quest
Donuts Cover Art
While the 4/4 time signature was traditional, J Dilla looped in three, five, and seven bars which made his sound completely unique and was why he was a pioneer of the Motor City hip-hop landscape. His distinctive drum sounds and grimy, organic sound palette revolutionized hip-hop production, and echoes of his innovative use of samples can be heard in the work of Kanye West and Bilal. Dilla died in February of 2006, three days after his birthday and the release of his final album Donuts due to complications with Lupus. His legacy lives on through the artists that he worked with and his music, which he largely gave away for free while he was alive. You can hear some of J Dilla’s work on the Artists Rep Spotify playlist.
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LESS
MONEY,
MORE
PROBLEMS Detroit through the Great Recession
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A once shining example of wealth in a major U.S. city, Detroit was the birthplace of the automotive industry in the country, the home of Motown Records, and had millions of other factory jobs. With its hold on the automotive market, Detroit’s factories and production lines cranked out cars and car parts that were shipped all over the world.
After World War I, the growing demand for auto assembly workers was increasingly limited by the restrictive U.S. Immigration Act of 1924, which set quotas on the number of new immigrants allowed access to the U.S. from certain countries. In response, the automotive industry turned to hiring African Americans, many of whom were leaving the Jim Crow South in the post-war agricultural slump affecting the nation. By the 1950s, Detroit had the highest median income and rate of homeownership of any city in the country. Fifty years later, the city was in a major struggle for survival. Decades of white flight, the migration of white city-dwellers to the suburbs to escape the influx of minorities, along with the after-effects of the race riots of 1967, paired with the collapse of the city’s manufacturing foundation— especially the automobile industry—caused the economic slump that
housing industry are more vulnerable to recessions. Dropping from a population of about two million during the 1950s to the almost 700 thousand today, Detroit is now the skeletal remains of a once bustling city. Empty apartment buildings, houses, and factories encompassing a third of the city’s real estate sit stripped of their former glory—abandoned and overrun by nature. Across the U.S., the collapse of manufacturing was exacerbated by the recession and led to alarming unemployment rates and financial ruin coupled with severe urban decay. The hopes of many to achieve the American Dream—a stable income and a home in the suburbs—has deteriorated with the richest 1% of Americans holding onto more financial wealth than the rest of the population. Since the 1970s, wages have stagnated regardless of the rising cost of living. An entire generation of aspiring working middle-class homeowners was wiped out by the recession, as shown by the character Faye in Skeleton Crew. The Great Recession simply served to aggravate the long-term trend towards the deepening racial and financial inequality in the country. After the rising economic upset the only hope Faye has left is the promise of her retirement package. As the play unfolds the evidence of just how far the decline of the once booming automobile industry becomes clear. This
An entire generation of aspiring working middle-class homeowners was wiped out by the recession, as shown by the character Faye in Skeleton Crew. decimated the financials of both the city and its people. Metro and low-income areas where the population suffers from lack of education endure more severe recessions because those inhabitants have a tougher time finding or keeping jobs during periods of economic decline. Additionally, inner city economies dependent on a fluctuating
was the reality of hundreds of workers who were left in the dark about their own futures. With the feeling of nothing left to lose and personifying the city of Detroit, the workers in Skeleton Crew hold out for their city’s motto: Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus (We hope for better days; it shall rise from the ashes). Source: www.equitablegrowth.org
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DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU: An American Classic continued from page 7
then their homes to the recession. When visiting home a few years ago, she and her husband talked with a young woman who was living in her car. Morisseau says, “It felt perverted. This is the Motor City. This is where people make cars. Now it’s become a city where people are living in their cars.”
between friendship and security, between ethics and survival. They are warm, funny, competitive, astute, and under normal circumstances, loyal to the last—but in the ‘new normal’ can they really afford to be loyal?
choose between sacrifice and selfishness,
Lucky Detroit. Attention is truly being paid.
Dominique Morisseau stands shoulder to She began writing her The Detroit Project shoulder with great American writers like plays in 2011, and Skeleton Crew is the August Wilson, Arthur Miller, and Cliflast of the three, premiering in January ford Odets. Like them, her concern for the 2016. To write it, she interviewed people dignity and grace of the ‘little guy’ permeates who’d worked at the work, embodying all levels in auto what Linda Loman “I WANT THE PEOPLE OF MY CITY plants, from says of her salesman TO FEEL THAT THEY HAVE BEEN those on the husband, “attention IMMORTALIZED IN ART, THAT THERE’S floor, retirees, must be paid.” She managers, and has also been comSOMEONE WHO SEES THEM AND union workers, pared favorably to RECOGNIZES THEM AND LOVES THEM and was deeply Tennessee Williams ENOUGH TO SCRIBE THEM.” impressed by for the deeply rothe pride that mantic musicality everyone had or powerful rhythm when talking of her language. Her about their work. She also pulled from gift to Detroit—and to all of us—is to truly the experiences of her family and friends, see, to truly represent, to truly stand for folding the stories of her loved ones into people who are too often overlooked. She her characters’ plights. says, “I want the people of my city to feel that they have been immortalized in art, Like all of her work, Skeleton Crew is a that there’s someone who sees them and deeply compassionate, fiercely moral play. recognizes them and loves them enough Her characters are caught in traps they had to scribe them.” no hand in building, continually having to
CONTRIBUTORS: The dramaturgical material for this playbill was collected and written by Logan Starnes, Luan Schooler, Kisha Jarrett, and Mary Beth Leavens.
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GET INTO THE WORLD OF SKELETON CREW BOOKS THE MOST THEY EVER HAD BY RICK BRAGG THE MANGLE BY S.L. STONER THE TURNER HOUSE BY ANGELA FLOURNOY
MOVIES & TV SHOWS 8 MILE (2002) FOUR BROTHERS (2005) MAN PUSH CART (2005) NORMA RAE (1979) I AM SOMEBODY (1970)
MUSIC J DILLA (DONUTS, 2006) SLUM VILLAGE (FANTASTIC,VOL.2, 2000) COMMON (LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, 2000) DIONNE WARWICK (JUST BEING MYSELF, 1973) LIL WAYNE (THA CARTER III, 2008)
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CAST BIOS SHELLEY B. SHELLEY Faye Shelley is excited to make her debut performance at Artists Rep. A current resident of Portland, Shelley has performed on stages from Karamu House Theatre (Cleveland, OH), to Jubilee Theatre (Fort Worth, TX), to many Portland venues. Some of her more memorable roles are Bessie DeLaney in Having Our Say (Jubilee Theatre), Mary Black in Gospel of Lovingkindness, Grandma in Smoldering Fires, and Cecilia Gilchrist in A Sunbeam (PassinArt Theatre), Viola Pettus in American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose (Teatro Milagro), Shakeina in My Walk Has Never Been Average (August Wilson Red Door Project), and Beryl in Slipped in Between Things (Well Arts). Shelley’s film credits include The Music Within, Mama Earth, and The Sacred. Her television credits include two episodes of Grimm. Her commercial work includes Dr. Pepper, Consumer Cellular, Courtesy Ford, Legacy Health, Oregon Lottery, and Kroger/Fred Meyer. Upcoming opportunities to see Shelley on stage include reprising the role of Narrator in Black Nativity for PassinArt Theatre, and the role of Linda in Curve of Departure in the inaugural season of Chapel Theatre Collective. Shelley gives thanks to God for life, love, and talent. She dedicates this performance to her sisters Gloria Morman, Carolyn Carter, and Susan James.
VIN SHAMBRY Dez Vin Shambry is honored to be back on stage at Artists Rep, where he is a Resident Artist. His previous Artists Rep productions include Magellanica, Intimate Apparel, and Superior Donuts, for which he won a 2011 Portland 18
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Drammy Award for Lead Actor. He has performed with Oregon Children’s Theatre, Staged!, Portland Opera, and CoHo Productions. Before returning home to Portland, Vin performed on Broadway as Tom Collins in Rent and John in Miss Saigon, and toured nationally with Rent, Miss Saigon, Honk!, and Big River. Vin was voted Portland’s Best Actor by Willamette Week Reader’s Poll (2016), and has won three Portland Drammys (2011) and an Audelco Award for Best Actor in a Play for Black Man Rising (2006). Vin has a BFA in Musical Theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC (2005). Vin is an accomplished published writer and acclaimed live storyteller whose work can be heard on The Moth podcast. He is also working on a collection of short stories about his childhood. vinshambry.com
TAMERA LYN Shanita Tamera Lyn is blessed to make her stage debut at Artists Rep. A Southwest Atlanta native, she is setting her sights on the boundless world of creative art as a young black woman. A graduate from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance, Tamera is working as an actor, director, assistant director, producer, and marketer with professional theatres throughout the city. Tamera Lyn is also producing her own visual work with Sunflower Creations; a production vessel that she created as an undergraduate. There, she has created original short films, social commentaries, promotional content, and a documentary. She has produced her work independently, and continues to collaborate with artists in Portland. Tamera Lyn leads with a Humble Beginning. Humble Life. Humble Spirit. Watch her bloom at tameralyn.com.
CAST BIOS BOBBY BERMEA Reggie Bobby Bermea returns to the Artists Rep stage where he previously has been seen in Blue/Orange, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Topdog/ Underdog, Exiles, Between Riverside and Crazy, and A Raisin in the Sun, for which he received a Drammy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Bermea has also received a Drammy for Best Actor in a Lead Role for The Brother/ Sister Plays (Portland Playhouse) and one for Ensemble (as well as being a finalist for lead actor) for The Set-Up (Cygnet Productions). Bermea is coartistic director of The Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project, a proud member of Sojourn Theatre, a founding member of Badass Theatre, and a long-time member of Actors’ Equity Association. He has worked in theatres literally from New York, NY to Honolulu, HI. Bermea has appeared at La MaMa in New York, Centerstage in Baltimore, Kansas City Repertory, Vortex Repertory in Austin, Albuquerque Little Theatre in Albuquerque, NM, Hawaii Theatre in Honolulu, HI, Intiman, ACT, The Group, The Langston Hughes Cultural Center, A-Ha, The Empty Space, and The New Mercury Theatre in Seattle, and the Cleveland Public Theatre in Cleveland, OH. Other theatres in Portland Bermea has performed with include Sojourn Theatre, Tygres Heart, Profile Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Teatro Milagro, and BaseRoots Theatre. Next he’ll be directing Fires in the Mirror at Profile Theatre and then co-directing (with Jamie M. Rea) Topdog/Underdog for Street Scenes at the Chapel Theatre. Look out in the spring for Bermea to appear in the CoHo Productions/Beirut Wedding co-production of Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train. “Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
JEFF GEORGE Performer Jeff George trained with Ballet Arts of Minnesota and Broadway Dance Center in New York. He performed on the East Coast Tour of Sesame Street Live and then moved on to travel the world for the next six years performing on various Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Jeff now lives in Portland and has taught at a number of studios in the city including BodyVox, Northwest Academy, and the Multnomah Athletic Club. Jeff has had the opportunity to dance with many Portland companies, such as BodyVox, Polaris, Dancing People, SubRosa, Broadway Rose, Lakewood Theatre, Stumptown Theatre, Artists Rep, Pixiedust Productions, and Do Jump, where he got to join the company on Broadway. Jeff just closed Guys and Dolls with Broadway Rose theatre, and is very excited to be joining the cast of Skeleton Crew.
MCKENSIE RUMMEL Performer McKensie Rummel is from Sacramento, California. She moved to Portland to study theatre and is now entering her second year with the Portland Actors Conservatory. She is thrilled to be making her professional debut in Skeleton Crew.
LESLIE NORTH Performer Leslie is a Memphis native who is thrilled to be performing in her first production with Artists Rep. She is currently a second-year student at the Portland Actors Conservatory, and looks forward to getting familiar with more local actors and theatres. Her ARTSLANDIA.COM
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CAST & CREATIVE TEAM BIOS Portland credits include two readings at the 2018 Fertile Ground Festival (Petite Dams, Hell Door Boogie). Some of her Memphis credits include Squaring Up (Project One Collaborative Arts), The Amen Corner (Southwest Tennessee Community College), In the Red and Brown Water (Hattiloo Theatre), The Laramie Project (Emerald Theatre), and The Boy from Oz (Theatre Memphis). Leslie is grateful to her friends and family for their support and would like to thank Artists Rep for this great opportunity.
WILLIAM (BILL) EARL RAY Director William (Bill) Earl Ray is a director and actor with 40 years of experience in the business. William is pleased to be back at Artists Rep after such a long absence. His last direction at Artists Rep was Ain’t Misbehavin’ and he acted in Artists Rep’s A Raisin in the Sun as Walter Lee Younger. Some of William’s other directing credits include A Raisin in the Sun and Having Our Say, starring Ms. Irma P. Hall (Big Mama of Soul Food movie fame, and A Family Thing), Beehive, The 60’s Musical, The Gin Game, The Gospel at Colonus, Fires in the Mirror, A Song for Coretta, The Gifts of the Magi, Seven Guitars, A Soldier’s Play, The Glass Menagerie, A Lovesong for Miss Lydia, Annie Get Your Gun, Jerry’s Girls, Two Trains Running, Agnes of God, The Heiress, Sea Marks, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Lilies of the Field, and many more. Some of William’s acting credits include The Whipping Man, Master Harold and the Boys, The Meeting, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Driving Miss Daisy, Misery, God’s Favorite, Two Trains Running, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Dirty Work, Cobb, Miss Evers’ Boys, The Sunset Limited, The Piano Lesson, Audience, Of Mice and Men, A Streetcar 20
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Named Desire, Simply Heavenly, Bank Job, Amen Corner, and many more. TV and film credits include The Tuskegee Airmen, The Gas Café, Cadillac Ranch, The Temp, Dr. Giggles, Terror in the Towers, Better Off Dead, Walker Texas Ranger, and more. William is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild and is a graduate of the Evergreen State College with a Bachelor of Arts in the performing arts.
MEGAN WILKERSON Scenic Designer In her five seasons at Artists Rep Megan has designed: scenery for The Humans, Caught, The Importance of Being Earnest, American Hero, Feathers and Teeth, The Understudy, and Xmas Unplugged, scenery and projections for Exiles and The Skin of Our Teeth, and most recently projections for Magellanica. This season she’ll be designing scenery for Small Mouth Sounds, A Doll’s House, Part 2, and The Revolutionists here at Artists Rep, and Tiny Beautiful Things at Portland Center Stage. An Artists Rep Resident Artist, Megan is also a member of the women’s theatre company The Rivendell Theatre Ensemble in Chicago and a founding member of the artistic collective Bad Soviet Habits. Since arriving in Portland, Megan has had the pleasure of working with Teatro Milagro (Óye Oyá, American Night), Third Rail Repertory Theatre (The Realistic Joneses, Lungs, The Events), Profile Theatre (The Secretaries, Blue Door), defunkt theatre (The Children’s Hour), Theatre Vertigo (Jekyll & Hyde, The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents), and Northwest Classical Theatre (Wait Until Dark, Mary Stuart). Prior to Portland, Megan spent 10 years in the Midwest where she worked with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, The Skylight Opera, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Michigan Opera Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. As Design Assistant, Megan spent two seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival (American Night, The Music Man, Ruined) and has long-running relationships with designers Marjorie Bradley Kellogg and Michael Ganio that have led to work on diverse national projects such as Kenny Leon’s production of the modern opera Margaret Garner to Bill Rauch’s Pirates of Penzance here in Portland. Megan is a proud member of United Scenic Artist Local 829. meganwilkerson.com
WANDA WALDEN Costume Designer Wanda’s first production for Artists Rep dates back to 1989. Her recent costuming credits include An Octoroon and We are Proud to Present. She also created a visual representation of these productions that was displayed in the lobby. Wanda’s other credits include Profile Theatre (The Secretaries), Oregon Children’s Theatre (And in This Corner: Cassius Clay), Portland Actors Conservatory (All My Sons, Marisol), Controversy Theater (Sibling Rivalry), Portland Playhouse (How I Learned What I Learned), and Vanport Mosaic (Left Hook, Hercules didn’t Wade in the Water, American Summer Squash, Cottonwood in the Flood). Wanda is Resident Costumer for PassinArt Theatre, where her credits include Two Trains Running, Repulsing the Monkey, The Gospel of Lovingkindness, Black Nativity, Smoldering Fire, and Tommy J & Sally. Wanda has an art studio in Oakland, California and has been commissioned twice to do the “Worship in Pink” artwork for breast cancer awareness for the Susan
G. Komen Foundation in Oregon and SW Washington. Wanda is the Artistic Director of Retrospect Productions, a theatrical modeling company. Wanda is also a prolific writer of historical scripts, including Soul Shadows, Turn Back and Get your History, Blues me, Jazz me and Rock me in Rhythm, Harlem on my Mind, DeJavue, and Tribute to Maya.
MIRANDA K. HARDY Lighting Designer Skeleton Crew marks Miranda’s first show with Artists Rep. She is an associate company member with the Portland Experimental Theater Ensemble, most often fulfilling the role of lighting designer. Her work in Portland has been with PETE, Profile Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Laura Heit, Lewis & Clark College, Reed College, and Oregon Children’s Theatre. Prior to moving west she made work in NYC and internationally focusing on light, but also collaborating on original work and puppetry. Other company affiliations include Banana Bag & Bodice, Latitude 14, Object Collection, and Tiny Elephant. Miranda holds an MFA from CalArts.
SHARATH PATEL Sound Designer Sharath was raised between Appalachia and India while spending the following years studying across Europe and New England. Before arriving in the Pacific Northwest, he spent nearly a decade as a lead sound designer in New York City. Recent design highlights include I and You, Between Riverside and Crazy, Grand Concourse, The Price, Tribes, The Motherfucker with the Hat (Artists Rep); WIG OUT! (American Repertory Theatre/Company OneBoston); Ibsen in Chicago (Seattle Repertory Theatre); The Crucible, The Royale (ACT Theatre-Seattle); As You ARTSLANDIA.COM
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CREATIVE TEAM BIOS Like It (California Shakespeare TheaterOakland); Coriolanus: Fight Like a Bitch (12th Avenue Arts-Seattle); Free Outgoing (East West Players-Los Angeles); 26 Miles, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Buried Child (Profile Theatre-Portland); The Piano Lesson, Jitney, King Hedley II, The Brother Sister Plays (Portland Playhouse). Regional/International credits include designs in New York City, Washington D.C., Boston, Norfolk, Raleigh, Aspen, India, France, England, Germany, and Romania. He has previously served as a visiting assistant professor, lead designer, guest artist, instructor, or lecturer at Reed College, Yale, Fordham, Columbia, Willamette, Ohio, Portland State, and Butler Universities. Sharath is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA) and is an Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. He holds an MFA in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama and is very proud to a Resident Artist at Artists Rep. sharathpatel.com
LUAN SCHOOLER
CAROL ANN WOHLMUT
Dramaturg
Stage Manager
Luan was born in West Texas, where she trailed her big sister into dance classes and community theatre. When she was 12, the family packed up and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where play practice and recitals continued to consume her. After being kicked out of high school, she was eventually accepted into the theatre program at CalArts. One thing led to another and a life in theatre was launched. Over the years, she morphed from acting, directing and writing, into dramaturgy and literary management. She has worked with many theatres around the country, most notably with Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska (where she met and married the marvelous Tim), Denver Center Theatre 22
Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Berkeley Rep, and developed new plays with exceptional artists including David Edgar, Naomi Iizuka, Salman Rushdie, Dominique Serrand, Leon Ingulsrud, Lisa Peterson, Paula Vogel, and Molly Smith. In the Mid-Aughts, she took a sabbatical from theatre to open a cheese shop, but happily left it behind to return to theatre. In 2015, she joined Artists Rep to launch Table | Room| Stage, the theatre’s new play development program. Here, she is developing work with Yussef El Guindi, Larissa FastHorse, Andrea Stolowitz, Linda Alper, Dael Orlandersmith, Hansol Jung, Steve Rathje, Anthony Hudson, and Susannah Mars. She also does production dramaturgy on most of Artists Rep’s shows, recently directed The Thanksgiving Play here, and keeps her thumb in a variety of other pies (including working with Lisa Peterson on her translation of Hamlet for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play On! Project).
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Carol Ann has been the Stage Manager for over 30 plays at Artists Rep, where she is a Resident Artist: The Weir, Art, The Shape of Things, Copenhagen, Topdog/Underdog, The Lobby Hero, Mercy Seat, Enchanted April, The Seagull, Assassins, Mr. Marmalade, Mars on Life – The Holiday Edition, Rabbit Hole, Blackbird, Three Sisters, Design for Living, Othello, Ah, Wilderness!, Mars on Life – Live!, The Cherry Orchard, God of Carnage, Red Herring, Ithaka, Mistakes Were Made, The Playboy of the Western World, Blithe Spirit, The Invisible Hand, The Liar, Broomstick, Mothers and Sons, Grand Concourse, Feathers and Teeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Octoroon, The Humans, and The
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS Thanksgiving Play. In addition, Carol Ann has been a properties artisan, production manager, board operator, and even an accountant for a variety of theatres in the Portland area over the past 30+ years. These theatres include Portland Center Stage, Portland Rep, Stark Raving Theater, New Rose Theatre, triangle productions!, Musical Theater Co, Metro Performing Arts, Northwest Children’s Theatre, and Carousel Co. Carol Ann also guest lectures on the topics of stage management and making a living in theatre arts at various educational facilities.
ROBERT AMICO Props Master Robert Amico is a Props Artisan, Puppet Fabricator, and performer and is excited to be returning to Artists Rep for a second season. He has worked as the Props Master for Artists Rep’s productions of An Octoroon, Caught, and Magellanica. He was recently the Puppet and Props Coordinator for Oregon Children’s Theatre’s production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, where he also performed as a puppeteer and received a Drammy for Outstanding Achievement in Puppetry as part of the cast. He has also worked as a Props Artisan and Puppet Fabricator for Michael Curry Design and for several Portland Center Stage productions including The Little Shop of Horrors, Oregon Trail, and Fun Home. He has also performed as a Puppet Designer and puppeteer for The Tall Tales of Paul Bunyan, a show Robert co-wrote and produced as part of the 2017 Fertile Ground Festival. On weekends, he works at Portland Escape Rooms as a zombie and airship captain, leading guests through interactive escape experiences. Robert graduated magna cum laude from Lewis & Clark College, with a BA in Studio Art and a minor in Theatre.
KAREN HILL Production Assistant Karen is happy to be at Artists Rep for her fifth season. She has worked on Magellanica, The Humans, An Octoroon, The Importance of Being Earnest, Marjorie Prime, A Civil War Christmas, American Hero, Grand Concourse, Miracle Worker, Cuba Libre, and Exiles. She also works at Portland Shakespeare Project, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Profile Theatre, and the Portland Opera as a Stage Manager and Production Manager. She is grateful every day that she gets to create beautiful art, and would like to thank her husband, Mike, for his continued support of this crazy lifestyle.
JASON COFFEY Board Op Jason is thrilled to be back for his 16th season at Artists Rep as a Board Op. He has been a part of such notable productions as Between Riverside and Crazy, An Octoroon, American Hero, Marjorie Prime, The Talented Ones, Broomstick, Mothers and Sons, Invisible Hand, as well as numerous productions dating back to the 2002/03 season. Not only has Jason worked backstage for Artists Rep, but he also had the privilege of being onstage in A Streetcar Named Desire as Steve Hubbell back in 2008. Jason has been working professionally as an actor and technician/stage manager since 1994, with many other companies including Triangle Productions!, Milagro Theatre, Northwest Children’s Theatre and The 3rd Floor Sketch Comedy Troupe. Most recently, he stage managed the 2nd Annual Portland Sketch Comedy Festival at The Siren Theater, as well as Hedwig and The Angry Inch, An Act Of God, and The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey at Triangle Productions!. ARTSLANDIA.COM
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CREATIVE TEAM BIOS Jason has also been seen on an episode of Leverage and has done several local industrial films and commercials.
KEMBA SHANNON Choreographer Kemba received her BFA from Towson State University and trained at the Alvin Ailey American Theater, Martha Graham School, The Edge, Lula Washington, Peridance, and Morgan State University. She has taught dance classes at UCLA, Loyola Marymount, El Camino College, Portland State University, and others. Kemba’s stage credits include The Lion King (LA cast), The Color Purple (Broadway cast), Zumanity (Cirque du Soleil), Aida, and FAME. Kemba’s ambition and drive have won her world recognition with musical icons such as Madonna (Drowned World Tour), P!nk (Try This World Tour), Celine Dion (Taking Chances World Tour), Rihanna (Nike RockStar World Tour), Kanye West, R. Kelly, and Fantasia to name a few. Her television credits include American Dreams (NBC), Oscars (Chicago Performance), MTV Music Awards (P!nk performance), the Emmys (Kristen Bell performance), World Music Awards (Kanye West and R. Kelly performances), NAACP Awards, and the Grammys. Kemba currently teaches at Arts Communication Magnet Academy in Beaverton, Oregon where she teaches dance to over 200 kids every day. She would like to thank her parents, teachers, and friends for believing in her.
JONATHAN COLE Fight Choreographer This is Jonathan’s tenth season choreographing at Artists Rep, and his sixth season as Resident Fight
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Choreographer here. He has worked throughout the northwest as a director, actor, and fight director, and is a tenured faculty member of the Theatre Department at Willamette University. He is a Society of American Fight Directors Certified Teacher of stage combat, and co-owns Revenge Arts, one of the largest stage combat consortiums in the United States. His choreography is most often seen on Artists Rep’s stage, and has also been seen at Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Portland Shakespeare Project, Clackamas Repertory Theatre, and Profile Theatre. He is proud to be a Full Director/Choreographer with the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
AMANDA K. COLE Intimacy Director Amanda is delighted to return to Artists Rep after her Intimacy Direction on last season’s Between Riverside and Crazy. Amanda is a movement director, intimacy and violence choreographer whose work has been seen throughout the LA area and the Pacific Northwest at such venues as CalArts, LACMA, Human Resources LA, Willamette University, Portland Shakespeare Project, and Portland Community College. Amanda is a fierce advocate for safe, sustainable, and respectful practice around the staging of intimacy and violence in the industry. She is currently an Intimacy Director candidate with Intimacy Directors International. Amanda is recommended by the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) as an Advanced Actor/ Combatant. She is also an associate teacher with Revenge Arts Stage Combat. Amanda holds an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts.
STAFF Artistic Director/Interim Managing Director: Dámaso Rodríguez
EDUCATION + ARTSHUB/ AUDIENCE SERVICES
ARTISTIC
Director of Education & Audience Services: Karen Rathje
Producing Director: Shawn Lee Associate Producer: Kristeen Willis Crosser Director of New Play Development & Dramaturgy: Luan Schooler Company Manager & Casting Director: Vonessa Martin Lacroute Playwright-in-Residence: Andrea Stolowitz Resident Fight Choreographer: Jonathan Cole Resident Voice & Language Consultant: Mary McDonald-Lewis
Education & Audience Services Associate: Miranda Russ Education Interns: Chidube Egbo, Katie Blank Music Events Specialist: Susannah Mars House Managers: Deborah Gangwer, Valery Liptak, Shelley Matthews, Tara McMahon, Joe Myhra, Miranda Russ, Andrea Vernae Concessions: Paul Jacobs, Geraldine Sandberg, Jennifer Zubernick
DEVELOPMENT
Literary Intern: Logan Starnes
Development Director: Sarah Taylor
Resident Artists: Linda Alper, Ayanna Berkshire, Bobby Brewer-Wallin, Chris Harder, Michelle Jazuk, JoAnn Johnson, Kevin Jones, Val Landrum, Sarah Lucht, Susannah Mars, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Michael Mendelson, Allen Nause, Amy Newman, Vana O’Brien, Rodolfo Ortega, Sharath Patel, Gregory Pulver, John San Nicolas, Vin Shambry, Andrea Stolowitz, Joshua J. Weinstein, Megan Wilkerson, Carol Ann Wohlmut
Individual Giving & Sponsorship Manager: Molly Moshofsky
ADMINISTRATIVE Director of Finance & Administration: Jim Neuner
Development Intern: Clare Kessi
PRODUCTION Technical Director: Nathan Crone Scene Shop Foreman: Eddie Rivera Master Carpenter: Charlie Capps Scene Charge: Sarah Kindler Master Electrician: Ronan Kilkelly Sound Technician: David Petersen Costume Shop Manager: Clare Hungate-Hawk Facility & Operations Associate: Sean Roberts
Finance Associate: Vonessa Martin
Production Intern: Haille Lantz
Management Associate: Allie Rangel
Scene Shop Interns: Garrett Paul Brown, Gordon Victoroff, Natalie Bailey
MARKETING + BOX OFFICE Director of Marketing & Audience Development: Kisha Jarrett Graphic Designer & Marketing Associate: Jeff Hayes Audience Development & Marketing Associate: Mary Beth Leavens Patron Services Manager: Christina DeYoung Data Analyst & Ticketing Manager: Jon Younkin Box Office Systems Associate: Jack Ridenour Box Office Associates: Stephanie Magee, Miranda Russ
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Barr, Chair Jeffrey Condit, Vice-Chair Cyrus Vafi, Treasurer Patricia Garner, Secretary Marcia Darm, MD, Past Chair
Julie Ball Tom Gifford Erik Opsahl Michael Parsons Pancho Savery Andrea Schmidt
FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Publicist: Nicole Lane
Carpenters: Ben Serrau-Raskin, Michael Wax
Marketing Intern: Isak Keller
Electricians: Alan Cline, Cameron McFee, Christopher Stull, Michael Wax, Molly Gardner
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OUR SUPPORTERS We built the set, sewed the costumes, adjusted the lights, called the cues, and rehearsed, and rehearsed, and rehearsed. YOU GENEROUSLY DONATED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. TAKE A BOW. This list celebrates Artists Rep donors of $100 or more who gave between June 1, 2017 and August 1, 2018. Join this cast of characters with a gift today. Call Sarah Taylor at 503.972.3017 or visit www.artistsrep.org.
GAME CHANGERS ($100,000+)
Anonymous (1) Robert & Mercedes Eichholz Foundation James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation
VISIONARIES ($50,000-$99,999)
The Collins Foundation The Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts Education & Access Fund Ronni Lacroute The Shubert Foundation David & Christine Vernier
PRODUCERS ($25,000-$49,999)
Oregon Cultural Trust The Estate of David E. Wedge
PATRONS ($10,000-$24,999)
Anonymous (2) Ausplund Tooze Foundation The Boeing Company Ginger Carroll, in memory of J. Michael Carroll Bob & Janet Conklin Margaret Dixon The Kinsman Foundation Romy Klopper The National Endowment for the Arts – Art Works The Oregonian Rafati’s Catering Charlotte Rubin Arlene Schnitzer Marcy & Richard Schwartz John & Jan Swanson
Darci & Charlie Swindells William Swindells, Jr. Work for Art, including contributions from more than 75 companies & 2,000 employees
STAGEMAKERS ($5,000-$9,999)
Anonymous (3) Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE) Julia & Robert S. Ball Karl & Linda Boekelheide Marcia Darm MD & Bruce Berning Jeffrey G. Condit Dark Horse Wine Steve Fenwick & Martha Wilson Denise & Robert Frisbee Dan Gibbs & Lois Seed Tom Gifford & Patti Fisher Polly Grose Hotel deLuxe The Jackson Foundation Arthur & Virginia Kayser Drs. Dolores & Fernando Leon Hugh & Mair Lewis Charitable Fund of the Southwest Washington Community Foundation Lynn & Jack Loacker Kristine Olson Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency Lorraine Prince Ed & Rosalie Tank US Bank OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($2,500-$4,999)
Anonymous (1) Mike Barr Patti Brewer & Nick Giustina Molly Butler & Robin Manning Kitt & Butch Dyer Patricia & Bennett Garner Philip Collier Smith Diane Herrmann Intel Corporation Matching Gifts Leslie R. Labbe Leonard & Susan Magazine The Mark Spencer Hotel Allen & Frances Nause Bob & Linda Palandech Patricia Perkins Alan Purdy Miriam & Charlie Rosenthal Steve & Trudy Sargent Pancho Savery James G. & Michele L. Stemler Tonkon Torp LLP
BACKSTAGE PASS ($1,000-$2,499)
Anonymous (3) Ruth Alexander F. Gordon Allen & Janice M. Stewart Phyllis Arnoff The Autzen Foundation Cheryl Balkenhol Banner Bank Bruce Blank & Janice Casey Denise Carty & Roger Brown Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Richard & Nancy Chapman Michael & Lynne Chartier
Nathan Cogan Family Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Barbara & Tom Cooney Allison Couch & Tom Soals Susan Dietz Richard & Betty Duvall Marc Franklin & Mary Lou Moriarty Carol Fredlund & John Betonte Free Geek Jane & Howard Glazer Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Jan & Dave Halsey Curtis Hanson Marlene & Clark Hanson Richard Hay Pam Henderson & Allen Wasserman Higgins Restaurant Cody Hoesly & Kirsten Collins Barbara Holisky & Gary McDonald Mark Horn & Mark Wilkinson Sarah & Alan Horton Jessie Jonas Juan Young Trust Kristen & Michael Kern Jody Klevit Bruce & Cathy Kuehnl Ann Laskey Kirsten & Christopher Leonard Jim & Eva MacLowry Carter & Jenny MacNichol Susannah Mars & Gary Johnson Laurie & Gilbert Meigs Katherine Moss Deanne & Wilfried Mueller-Crispin Megan Murphy Erik & Raina Opsahl Pacific Power Foundation Kay Parr
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OUR SUPPORTERS CONTINUED Joan Peacock, in loving memory of Ben Buckley David Pollock Gregory Pulver & Rick Woodford Wendy & Richard Rahm Julia Rea & Jim Diamond Bonnie & Peter Reagan Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Robert Reed Richard & Mary Rosenberg Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Joanne & James Ruyle Marilynn & Richard Rytting Dr. & Mrs. William Sack David Saft & Laura Lehrhoff Dianne Sawyer & Pete Petersen Drea Schmidt & Emilee Preble Marian & Elihu Schott Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Roy Schreiber & Carole Heath Wayne D. Schweinfest Norm & Barb Sepenuk Bert Shaw & Liana Colombo Elizabeth Siegel The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, in honor of Marcia Darm Marilyn & Gene Stubbs Marcia Truman Cyrus Vafi Elaine & Ben Whiteley
SUPERSTARS ($500-$999)
Anonymous (1) Kay & Roy Abramowitz Adventure Connection Amelia Albright & Aaron Woldrich Susan Bach & Douglas Egan Patsy Crayton Berner Richard & Leslie Bertellotti Lesley Bombardier Nita Brueggeman & Kevin Hoover
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Dan Brook & Teresa St. Martin Ellen Cantwell Charles & Barbara Carpenter Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation Sherrill Corbett & Scott Pillsbury Jim & Vicki Currie Carol Daniels Edward & Karen Demko Norma Dulin & James Barta Cheri Emahiser Leslye Epstein & Herman Taylor Peg & John Espie Kyle & Charles Fuchs Susan & Dean Gisvold Jason Glick & Kristen Kyllingstad Lynn Marchand Goldstein Melissa & Bob Good Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Al & Penny Greenwood Paul Harmon Dick Hamlet & Corinne McWilliams Dawn Hayami Mike & Judy Holman Judy & John Hubbard Icenogle Family Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of the Renaissance Charitable Foundation Joan Jones Judith & Gregory Kafoury Beth & Chris Karlin Keeton Corporation Carol Kimball PJ Kleffner Elisa & Steven Klein Leslie Kolisch & Roland Haertl Deborah Kullby Susanne Dziepak Kuhn Linda & Ken Mantel Dr. Robert & Kimberly Matheson Dan McKenzie Robert & Jessica McVay Dolores & Michael Moore Don & Connie Morgan Verne & Aki Naito Native Arts & Cultures Foundation
Neilsen Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation David & Anne Noall Northwest Film Center Linda Nelson & Ted Olson Alfred & Eileen Ono Patrick Lumber Company Matching Gift Program Ron Pausig Julie Poust Olliemay Phillips Dee Poujade John Ragno Scott & Kay Reichlin Vernon Rifer & Linda Czopak DĂĄmaso RodrĂguez & Sara Hennessy Ursula Scriven Jinny Shipman & Dick Kaiser Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Nick & Sandra Snell Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Scott Stephens & Leslie Houston Wendy Sternberg & Winhard Bohme Greg & Martha Struxness Donald & Roslyn Sutherland Julie Tank & Jim Prihoda Sarah & Robert Taylor Paul Thompson & Portia Sipes Trew Gear Estate of Margaret Weil Karen Whitaker Carole Whiteside Pam Whyte & Ron Saylor Andrew Wilson & Dr. Ronnie-Gail Emden
INSIDERS ($250-$499)
Anonymous (2) Chuck & Meg Allen Kris Alman & Mike Siegel Bob Amundson & Sully Taylor Linda Barnes & Robert Vanderwerf F. Blair Batson
Eric Beach Bob & Kathleen Bevins Ann Brayfield & Joe Emerson Sonia Buist, M.D. Lauretta Burman Cambia Health Foundation Don Caniparoli & Sarah Rosenberg Cecile Carpenter Chuck Carpenter & Carl Brown Elaine & Arnold Cogan Maura Conlon-McIvor Harriet Cormack Debbie Cross & Paul Wrigley Robert Daasch & Linda Schaefer Graham & Peggy Crow Nancy & Jon Decherd Barbara & George Dechet Wolfgang Dempke & Alise Rubin Linda Dinan Steven Dotterrer Kari Easton Carmen Egido & Abel Weinrib Elizabeth & John Ehrsam Marilyn Kay Epstein George & Donna Evans Jim & Betty Ferner Donna Flanders & Carl Collins, in honor of Cody Hoesly Larry & Marilyn Flick Paul Gehlar Don & Marlys Girard Barbara & Marvin Gordon-Lickey Roswell & Marilynn Gordon Paul & Teresa Graham Allan Griffin Candace Haines Judith A. Henderson Edward & Leah Hershey Stephen & Sharon Hillis Kirk Hirschfeld Lynette & Don Houghton Joni & Bill Isaacson Janice & Benjamin Isenberg Philanthropic Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Marianne KeddingtonLang & William Lang Edward & Elaine Kemp
THANK YOU! Karen Kemper Carol & Jeff Kilmer Sally & Lucien Klein Ted Labbe & Kelly Rogers Barbara LaMack & Jim Kalvelage Bill & Shelley Larkins Roger Leo Literary Arts Steve Lovett & Connie Sullivan John Lynch Mary Lyons Michael & Deborah Marble Earlean Marsh Laurie & Jay Maxwell Ruth Medak Paul Miller Scott & Jane Miller Robert Nimmo & Linda Jensen Stephanie Oliver
Phoenix Media Andrew & Peggy Recinos Helen Richardson & Don Hayner Jane Robinson & Michael Sands Charles & Judith Rooks Rebecca Ross Rick & Halle Sadle Natalie Sue Schmitt Erika Schuster & Clay Biberdorf Mary Ann Seth-Wish & John Wish John Shipley H. Joe Story Milan & Jean Stoyanov David & Rosemarie Sweet Teutonic Wine Company Mary Troxel Paul Vandeventer
Janet F. Warrington Carl Wilson & Evan Boone Maureen Wright & Lane Brown Cynthia Yee Janet Young & Robert Hinger Alan & Janet Zell Kurt & Heather Zimmer
FRIENDS ($100-$249)
Anonymous (6) Christine Abernathy Aesop Anders Printing Company Thomas Robert Anderson Kristin Angell Linda Apperson Ruby Apsler ArborBrook Vineyards
Elizabeth & Stephen Arch Ernest & Tina Argetsinger Herman Asarnow & Susan Baillet Arlene Ashcraft Nancy Ashton Ruth Beiser Bach Matt Baines Debbie & John Bakum Ann Balzell & Joe Marrone, in memory of Deforest Arn Piper George Bateman Mary Beach Alan & Sherry Bennett Pam Berg Dr. Dana Bjarnason Dawn Bonder Teresa & James Bradshaw James Breedlove Nancy & Gerry Brown
Your generosity helps Artists Rep #KeepArtInPortland
When you make a gift to our theatre, you support so much more than Artists Rep. Gifts allow us to open our doors for: • Fresh voices via Table|Room|Stage • 200+ local artists employed & ArtsHub organizations • 1,200+ high school students
12% ACTORS 4% DESIGNERS/DIRECTORS 22% CREW & STAGE MANAGERS 1% NEW PLAY COMMISSIONS
attending Free Student
3% PLAYWRIGHT ROYALTIES
Matinees & workshops
7% FRONT OF HOUSE
Questions? Contact our Individual Giving & Corporate Sponsorship Manager Molly Moshofsky at mmoshofsky@artistsrep.org or 503.241.9807 ext. 129.
$60 TICKET
yearly by Artists Rep
6% SHOW BUILDING MATERIALS 13% ADMINISTRATION 11% FUNDRAISING 5% FACILITIES 16% MARKETING
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CONTINUED Patrick & Barbara Christian, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Margaret & Donn Bromley Marlene Burns & Jon Dickinson Thomas A. Burns Ida Rae Cahana Douglas Campbell Michael Carter & Teresa Ferrer Jean Carufo & Barbara Engelter Tom & Anne Caruso John & Kathryn Cochran Chamber Music Northwest
Lou & John Chapman Valri & Vince Chiappetta Molly Cochran & Sam Ellingson Bradley Coffey Ilaine Cohen Anne Conway & Louis Baslaw Gerald Corn Linda Crane Elaine & Earl Davis Carolyn DeLany-Reif Jewel Derin Deschutes Brewery Elaine & Bill Deutschman Lisa Dodson
Seasonal Food for all occasions
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Jeanne & Lauren Donaldson Judith E Posey & Edward J Doyle, MD Anne Driscoll The Ellermeiers Laury Ellis & Kathy Fode Jim & Joan English Nevill Eschen Davis Evans Bill Failing & Michele Bowler-Failing Susan & Gabriel Farkas Jeff Feiffer Dave Felt & Lynda Wendel Sherry Fishman Chris Fletcher & Pamela Abernethy & Elizabeth Abernethy Katie Flynn Heidi Franklin Amy Fuller & Frank Wilson George Fussell John & Chris Gardner Kay Gage & Ketan Sampat Vanessa & John Gebbie Susan GendeinMarshall & Lee Marshall Linda Gipe George Goodstein Gretta Grimala HP Matching Gifts Kathleen Haley & Steven Wax Gail & Irvin Handelman Ulrich Hardt Meredith Hartley & Jeremiah Pyle Thomas Hellie & Julie Olds Joe & Diana Hennessy Jon Henrichson Sarah Hershey Ava & Charlie Hoover Charles & Margaret Hickman Ron & Barbara Higbee Jon Hirsch Eric & Keena Hormel Hot Diggity Pet Sitting Steve & Kris Hudson Beth Hutchins & Pete Skeggs Carol & T.A. Hull Deborah Indihar Constance Jackson & Xavier Le HĂŠricy Jeri Janowsky & John Crabbe Betsy Jeronen
Katharine Jansen Kay & Steve Jennings Colleen & Jeff Johnson Phyllis Johnson Erika & Tom Kane Nancy G. Kennaway Heather Kientz Doris & Eric Kimmel Larry King & Daniel Hutchison Frederick Kirchhoff Anneliese Knapp David & Susan Kobos Tom & Judy Kovaric Robert & Helen Ladarre Connie & John Larkin, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Elyse & Ron Laster Mary Lou & Ross Laybourn Jeanette Leahy Mark Lee & Lisa Bork Reed Lewis Wallace & Janet Lien Richard Lewis & Meg Larson Mari & Louis Livingston Ralph London Reva Ricketts & Marc Loriaux, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Leslie Louderback Henry C. Louderbough Dr. Christine Mackert Sheila Mahan Michelle Maida & James Hager Jim & Midge Main Sara Marchus Ellen Margolis Ms. Nancy Matthews Lynn Mayer Debra Mazer Meg McGill & Mark Ramsby Carla McKelvey Anne McLaughlin Kathy McLaughlin Andy C. McNiece & Nancy L. Haigwood Katie McRae Mariellen Meisel Michael Mendelson & Tim Thompson Sam Metz & Margaret A. Jennings, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal William Meyer JJ Miner Monique’s Boutique Michael Morgan & Nancy Babka Diane Morris
Molly Moshofsky & Will Matheson Nancy & Art Moss Patrick & Patrick Mulcahey Molly Jo Mullen, Alternative Dispute Resolution Judy Munter New Deal Distillery Anna Nicholas NIKE Matching Gift Program Marcy Norman North Country Productions, Alan & Sharon Jones Terry O’Brien Kevin O’Donnell Oregon Symphony Nancy Park Kathy Parker Beth Parmenter & Alan Miller Michael Parsons & Katelyn Randall Katherine Patricelli & Dennis Reichelt Gordon & Sondra Pearlman Carla Pentecost Robert Pescovitz Pierre & Linda Pham
Kevin Phaup Donna Philbrick Sue Pickgrobe & Mike Hoffman Janet Plummer & Donald Rushmer Roger Porter Portland Opera Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club Jay & Barbara Ramaker Mani & Nazanin Rahnama, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Harry & Susan Rectenwald Dick & Linda Reedy Ed Reeves & Bill Fish Betty & Jacob Reiss, In Memory of Andy Glass Bob & Marilyn Ridgley Kathryn Ross Ellen Rubinstein Ms. Cara Rozell Jane Sage William & Meredith Savery Magda Schay Jean Scott & Myrth Ogilvie Joyce Semradek
Dorothy & John Shaner, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Gil Sharp & Anne Saxby Laurel & Dan Simmons Neil Soiffer & Carolyn Smith Olivia Solomon Karen & Charles Springer Barbara & Bill Stalions Stash Tea Company Pat & Larry Strausbaugh Julia Surtshin & Richard Sessions Gary Taliaferro Julie A. Tanner Leslie Taylor & Doug Beers Tektronix Matching Gifts Robert Thinnes Tracy Thornton David Tillett Robert Todd George & Dawn Tsongas, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal Roberta & Ward Upson Kaye Van Valkenburg & David Maier
Phil VanderWeele & Joan Snyder David & Julie Verburg Alec Vesely Janet Vining & Eric Vega Pamela Vohnson & David Streight Sue & Jim Walcutt Marilyn Walkey & Mike McClain Judi & J. Wandres Ann& Bob Watt Maureen K. Wearn & Frederick Wearn, MD Joan & David Weil, in memory of Charlie Rosenthal M. Howard Weinstein Gary Weiss & Family Ann Werner, in honor of Rosalie Tank Larry & Erleen Whitney Anthony Wilcox Richard Winkel Lawrence W. Woelfer Sabina Wohlfeiler Ed Woodruff Susan Woods Kathleen Worley Deb Zita & Maryka Biaggio
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STARTS OCT 7 Tired of not living their ‘best life,’ six broken individuals gather at a wellness center in the middle of the woods for a weeklong silent retreat to breathe and reset. As the voice from an omniscient guru drones on in broken selfhelp speech, the attendees struggle to find their inner calm while awkwardly combating their mental and physical desires. Over the course of five days, the group inexpertly attempts to navigate through hurt feelings, crippling faux pas, and exposed vulnerabilities to reach enlightenment. Absurdly funny and profoundly poignant, Small Mouth Sounds encourages us all to put down the phone and just be in the moment.
