MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM BOOK BY JAMES LAPINE
DIRECTED BY CLAY HOPPER
MUSIC DIRECTOR • KATYA STANISLAVSKAYA
April 25 - 28, 2024
Over the years, I have spent hours with Georges Seurat’s painting A Sunday on la Grande Jatte-1884 . It hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago, an extraordinary art museum.
Seurat’s Sunday is brilliant. From a distance, it grants a glimpse at a moment of 19th century leisure. Up close, it reveals the labor of its construction. Everything—the people, the umbrellas, the grass, and even the blend of colors—is a trick of the eye accomplished by the skillful placement of an estimated 200,000 points or dots.
The rare musical to win the Pulitzer Prize, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George is a masterpiece. It centers Seurat’s passion for a dot. It gifts us with a dazzling perspective shift. It asks profound questions about the meaning, value, and importance of art.
Thank you for joining us at Booth. We built this theatre for you.
Harvey Young Dean, BU College of Fine ArtsAPRIL 25 - 28, 2024
JOAN & EDGAR BOOTH THEATRE
820 Commonwealth Ave. Brookline, MA
Music & Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by JAMES LAPINE
Directed by CLAY HOPPER
Music Director
KATYA STANISLAVSKAYA
Scenic Designers
CRISTINA TODESCO
CLEO BROOKS
Costume Designer
DANTE GONZALEZ
Lighting Designer
CONOR THIELE
Production Stage Manager
SIENNA SICILIANO
Production Manager
HANNAH ECKERT
Sound Designer
GAGE BAKER
Project Manager
BEC KARLIN
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Welcome to Sunday In the Park with George and welcome to the beautiful Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre and the College of Fine Arts Production Center. This wonderful place of art making was designed and built as a laboratory for students to practice and share their craft, creativity, and knowledge during their time at BU. While what you see on stage is the outward-facing result of that work, the building consists of four floors of production studios, design studios, classrooms, and fabulous learning. This is just a taste of the swirl of activity that exists in Booth Theatre each and every day. The ideas on stage start on the top floor of the building on the drawing tables and desks of the designers and artisans. They drift down to the cutting tables and dress forms of the costume shop, and land loudly on the ground floor where metal is welded and environments are painted. All of this activity happens under the watchful mentorship of faculty, staff, and visiting artists. Sometimes we take for granted the extraordinary places and spaces we currently inhabit, but I wanted to take this moment to fully appreciate the fullness of Booth Theatre as a crucial laboratory and mission central environment for all.
I know you will enjoy what you see today, but I also hope you will explore and take note of the spaces behind and above the work you are watching to realize the enormous effort for realizing a production like this that tells the very story of making art and striving for something more.
Susan Mickey Director, BU College of Fine Arts School of Theatre
DOT / MARIE
JULES / BOB GREENBERG
YVONNE / BLAIR DANIELS
SOLDIER #1 / ALEX
CELESTE #1 / DOT COVER / WAITRESS
CELESTE #2 / ELAINE
NURSE / PHOTOGRAPHER
OLD LADY / NAOMI EISEN
BOATMAN / CHARLES REDOMOND
FRANZ / LEE RANDOLPH / GEORGE COVER
FRIEDA / BETTY
MR. / BILLY WEBSTER / BOY / FRANZ COVER
Keith Robinson
Sarah Coleman
Liam McCarron
Arabella Benjamin
Leo Flora
Mairéad O’Neill
Ava Cronin
Taline Banks
Charlotte Compo
Buff Thiesmeyer
Jack Greenberg
Christine Dvorak
EJ Hanson
DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
MUSIC DIRECTOR
CHOREOGRAPHER
DRAMATURG
PRODUCTION MANAGER
ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION MANAGER
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
DECK STAGE MANAGER
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Clay Hopper
Gabby Cadden-James
Katya Stanislavskaya
Emma Weller
Annika Helgeson
Hannah Eckert
Lauren Davis
Sienna Siciliano
Katelyn Thompson
Sophie Pugh
Margaret Deely
Nora Kempner
Victoria Pascrell
SCENIC DESIGNERS
ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER / PROJECTIONS DESIGNER
SCENIC CHARGE ARTISTS
LEAD SCENIC ARTIST PROPS COORDINATORS
COSTUME DESIGNER
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNERS
PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN
CONVENTIONALS PROGRAMMER
LIGHT BOARD OP. / LIGHTING CREW
FOLLOW SPOT OP. / LIGHTING CREW
SOUND DESIGNER
ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER
SOUND ENGINEER
ASSISTANT SOUND ENGINEER
A2 / SOUND CREW
A3 / SOUND CREW
PROJECT MANAGER
TECHNICAL DESIGNER
JUNIOR TECHNICAL DESIGNER
Cristina Todesco
Cleo Brooks
Maggie Shivers
Sarah Lloyd
Lily Bitner
Noah Dunlap
Ethan Vettese
Cleo Brooks
Dante Gonzalez
Taylor Needleman
Conor Thiele
Molly Beall
Lena Broach
Ivy Comery
Ailsa Smith
Grant Powicki
Madelyn Carrillo
Jaxon Ackerman
Gavin Mariani
Star Crane
Gage Baker
Jessie Chen
Irene Wang
Sebastian Sachs
Kat Mehler
Rhea Davies
Bec Karlin
Rachel Schladenhauffen
Lizzie Anderson
HEAD WARDROBE CREW
WARDROBE CREW
HEAD DRAPER
ALTERATIONS DRAPER
FIRST HAND DRAPERS
Delaney Jankanish
Lance Shook
Riley Higgins
Sasha Nemo Lato
Saber Stetson
Emily Livingston
Esther O’Shea
Duncan Michael
Aldi Hegger
Julianna Devaney
Sofia Nastri
Ava Luman
Vyannie Saldaña Barrientos
MILLINERY AND CRAFTS PHOTOGRAPHER
Yao Kuang Lee
Katie Nelson
CONDUCTOR / PIANO CELLO
HARP HORN
PERCUSSION
SYNTHESIZER REEDS
VIOLIN
Katya Stanislavskaya
Lauren Roberts
Yvonne Cox
Jack Krugman
Derek Wohl
Ben Laham
Christian Arroyo Castillo
Zack Bacak
Christina Junga
Svens Skriveris
Widely considered a founding work of neo-Impressionism and a marker for the birth of modernity, Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, adapted the latest scientific research in perception and color theory to what Seurat called Divisionism, a novel technique we now know as Pointillism.
His choice of subjects was equally groundbreaking, indeed outrageous to the sensitivities of the period. He depicted subjects from the underclasses, servants, soldiers, children, dock workers, and animals. His choice of setting for the painting was no less scandalous, as La Grande Jatte was an epicenter of, and a retreat from, urbanization. Having been transformed from an industrial site into a public park, it was frequented by prostitutes, the working classes and high society types as well.
However, this revolutionary artwork was disconcerting to many. This was perhaps because of what the painting presaged: an era of atomization, modern displacement of the Romantic worldview, and the utter upheaval of society brought on by industrialization.
Or perhaps it was their stillness, their meticulously composed forms, or simply the cold, almost objective eye that seemingly observed the subjects of the painting that led people to find it as unsettling as they did.
This production of Sondheim’s modernist masterwork, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, seeks to grapple with the dissonance between the beauty of the work and its implications for the notion of humanity being central to art.
The play is ostensibly about the act of artistic creation, its obstacles, and its ecstasies. But on a deeper level it is about how the forces that Seurat unleashedor simply exposed - in his painting can evolve into the lifeless mercantile art world we see in act two, and indeed, thse very world we live in now.
The character of George, the two versions of which are separated by two acts and 100 years, are both beset by an inability to see through. Act one’s George cannot see the collateral damage done to the humanity surrounding him by his single-minded focus on his earth-shattering innovation, and act two’s George cannot see humanity at all, dedicating his creative energy instead to building machine-artworks that sparkle brightly yet reveal nothing. Both men suffer from the extraction of the human from art’s reason for being.
Without the centrality of humanity, concepts meant to reveal beautysuch as design, order, composition, balance, and harmony - become a cage for it. And much like the characters in the painting depicted in the play, it becomes stifled, lifeless, yearning to be free of its constraints.
Liberation comes in the form of the character of Dot...and the exquisite, transcendent harmonies in the two versions of SUNDAY end each act. They sing to the revelation of the sublime in the ordinary. They are the sound of seeing through, of being liberated by the radical reassertion of humanity as the center of not only art itself, but what art is for.
- Clay Hopper, Director
Clay Hopper (Director) Formerly the Associate Artistic Director of Olney Theatre Center and Director of both the National Players and the Summer Shakespeare Festival at OTC. Directing credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Amadeus. Hopper also directed Farragut North by Beau Willimon and Triumph of Love on Olney Theatre Center’s Main Stage and Call of the Wild, a musical adaptation of Jack London’s novel by Jon Lipsky, first as a workshop at Boston University, then as a touring production for The National Players on tour 59, culminating in the world premiere on Olney Theatre Center’s Main Stage in 2009. Other OTC credits include Clay running the Classic Repertory Company, the flagship education of New Rep Theatre from 2012 – 2016, bringing classic plays and adaptations of 20th-century novels to audiences throughout New England.
At BU, Clay has been engaged in research involving emerging technologies in a narrative context and has been developing a novel software application for the design of generative, interactive projections in the theatre, Random-Actor.com
Other credits include On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning at Contemporary America Theatre Festival Actor’s Lab. In 2002, Hopper founded and produced a new play series called New Works/After Hours at Lincoln Center Institute’s Clarke Studio Theatre.
Off-off-Broadway: A Home Without by Robert Westfield, Different Zen by Clay Hopper with Third Eye Rep, Earthworms by Albert Innaurato with The Working Group, Triage by Chris Shiea with Miranda Theatre, and The Interrogation by Murphy Guyer with The Miranda Theatre. Hopper has formerly taught at Woolly Mammoth’s Theatre School and College of Wooster, where he directed King Lear and was visiting assistant professor in 2006. As assistant director, Hopper has worked at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company.
Katya Stanislavskaya (Music Director) is a composer/lyricist, music director, and educator. Honors as a musical theater writer include the Weston New Musical Award, Thornton Wilder Fellowship, the Harrington Award (BMI), the Dramatists Guild Fellowship, and residencies at MacDowell, Catwalk, New Dramatists, and Goodspeed Musicals. Recent music director credits include Prospect Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and ACT of CT. Katya holds an MFA from NYU-Tisch, and is Associate Professor of Musical Theater at Boston Conservatory @ Berklee.
Dante Gonzalez (Costume Designer) (he/ they) has hyphens for days. Dante is from Texas, and is grateful for his loved ones and communities in the south, northeast, and beyond. He has been designing, performing, and writing with BU for the last four years, and is also currently having his playwriting debut, Orpheus in the Overworld, at Fresh Ink Theatre (dir. Shira Gitlin). They look forward to graduating this May! @dante_theatrics.
Esther O’Shea (Draper) (they/them) is an undergrad Costume Production major at BU. They have a background in Marine Construction. Esther designed costumes for their band, Oddly Porcelain’s, first music video over the summer of 2023 which has been selected for the Las Vegas Music Video Awards. They were a draper for Mankind, Orlando, Cendrillon, as well as other BU productions, and they look forward to continuing their studies in the School of Theatre!
Saber Stetson (Draper) A Junior undergrad in the Costume Production program here at BU, Saber has previously worked as a stitcher, first hand, and cutter/draper. Lending their talents to shows such as Little Women, Mankind, and Orlando.
Sofia Nastri (Draper) is a second-year graduate student in the Costume Production program here at BU. Her work here at BU includes Little Women, La Hija de Rappaccini and Cendrillon. She looks forward to making more beautiful work in the future and would like to thank her friends and family for all their support through the years.
Gabby Cadden-James (Assistant Director) is a junior stage management major. Previous work at BU includes The Moors, The Nina Variations, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, and Directors’ Project. She is incredibly excited to be working in a directing capacity, and extends gratitude to the whole Sunday company.
Kat Mehler (A2/Sound Crew) is a first-year in the Design, Production, and Management Core. She is grateful for the opportunity to work as the A2 for Sunday in the Park with George. Thank you to the cast, crew, and team. Enjoy the show!
Rhea Davies (A3/Sound Crew) is a freshman in DP&M with a concentration in costume design and production. She is very excited to be working on this show with everyone!
Ivy Comery (Production Electrician) is a sophomore lighting design major, born and raised in Atlanta. Previous credits include Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, Fucking A, and One Penny Down Ivy would like to thank her friends, family, and wonderful team for all of their support!
Ailsa Smith (Assistant Production Electrician) (she/her) is a first year lighting design major and is originally from Sudbury, MA. Other BU credits include Alice Tierney, One Penny Down, The Drunken City. She also works as a freelance designer and technician in the Boston area. She’d like to thank her friends and family for their support.
Emma Weller (Choreographer)(she/her) is a German-American actor, director, and movement artist pursuing a BFA in Theatre Arts Performance (Dance Minor & Movement Concentration). Selected theatre credits: Orlando (Queen), Revolt. And She Said. Revolt Again. (Ensemble/Movement Captain), Mac Beth (MacDuff/Movement Captain), What The Living Do (Featured Performer), Sister Act (Mother Superior), and The 39 Steps (Anabella Smith/ Company). Emma has trained and performed with Frantic Assembly in London, and with Accademia Dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. She loves
female rage, magical realism, sapphic stories, and scented candles. emmaweller.com & @em.sophia
Jaxon Ackerman (Follow Spot Op./ Lighting Crew) is a first-year (soon to be) acting major from NYC, who can’t wait to further invest his time into Sunday in the Park and acting as a whole. This is one of his favorite shows of all time and even though he can’t act in it (yet!), any aspect of participating in the production is something he’s more than happy sinking his teeth into.
Gavin Mariani (Follow Spot Op./Lighting Crew) Gavin, class of ’27, is an Acting major at BU from western MA. He is also getting a concentration in musical theater and is excited to be working on this show!
Shrutant Ramaswamy (Lead Usher) I am from Mumbai, India. I am at BU doing an Acting major with a minor in film & eventually dance. I have a background in physical theatre, modern dance, and the Stanislavski method. With my time at CFA I hope to augment my abilities and frankly unlearn the ways of acting I have conditioned my novice mind to. My goal is to be as open-minded to learning as my mind can permit, and always approach new and odd concepts with excitement and joy. I truly believe in pushing yourself to your limits and bringing all that you have to the table.
Sophie Pugh (Production Assistant) is a first-year Theatre Arts major with a musical theatre concentration. So excited to be a production assistant for this show. Big love to everyone involved!
Margaret Deely (Production Assistant) (she/her) is a Boston University student completing her BFA in Acting with the School of Theatre Class of 2027. The West Virginia native has worked professionally in a production of The Sound of Music. Following the show’s run, she attended Interlochen Arts Academy as a Voice and later Acting student. She has numerous credits as an actor and composer in productions like The Penelopiad, Promenade, and The Women of Lockerbie. She is also credited for directing a one-
faculty--both past and present.
Nora Kempner (Production Assistant) (she/her) is a first-year Costume Design and Production student, and she is so excited to be working on this fantastic musical. Thank you to the most amazing management team!
Victoria Pascrell (Production Assistant) is a first-year DP&M Major confirmed to enter the Stage Management curriculum. Her work as Production Assistant is the beginning of her collegiate management career. It’s been a pleasure working with such an admirable management team!
Lance Shook (Wardrobe Crew) (BFA, Scene Design) is a designer and director from Austin, Texas. Select production credits include Sunday in the Park with George, Cendrillion, The School for Lies, and Alice Tierney with Boston University, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, In the Heights, and the regional premiere of Alice’s Wonderland with Summer Stock Austin, Petrificationology with UT Austin, and The Wizard of Oz, Matilda, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Black Snow, and The Importance of Being Earnest with Lake Travis Music Theatre and Viking Stages. Administrative credits include Texas Performing Arts/Broadway in Austin, Spoleto Festival USA, Impact Arts, Summer Stock Austin, Texas Medal of Arts, and The Heller Awards. LanceShookDesign.com.
Riley Higgins (Wardrobe Crew) is excited to wrap up her first year at BU with this fantastic show! She would like to thank all of her friends that have shown her love and support this year.
Molly Beall (Assistant Lighting Designer) (she/her) is a fourth year undergrad lighting student. Recent work includes: Hydrogen Jukebox (Lighting Designer), Fucking A (Assistant Lighting Designer and Programmer), and Art House (CoLighting Designer). Thank you to BULX for always being so great to work with!
Lena Broach (Assistant Lighting Designer) (she/her) is a junior lighting design major from North
design for Orlando and One Penny Down. She also serves as the president of BU’s Trans Listening Circle. Lena is grateful for the support she’s received from her friends, this year especially so.
Grant Powicki (Conventionals Programmer) (he/him) is thrilled to be working on another musical at BU!! His love for music and theater have come together once again as he works with the rest of the amazing LX team to program this show. His previous and upcoming work can be seen at GrantPowicki.com
Conor Thiele (Lighting Designer) is a freelance lighting designer based out of NYC and Boston who specializes in new and exciting live performance. Conor is currently in his second year at Boston University attaining his MFA in Lighting Design. Select BU credits include: El Nogalar, Verge Dance (2023), Alice Tierney, and The Nina Variations.
Katelyn Thompson (Deck Stage Manager) (she/her) is a senior Stage Management major who has worked on countless shows during her time at BU. Select credits include: Assistant Stage Manager for Cendrillon, Stage Manager for Fucking A, Stage Manager for Delinquents Never Stay For Long, and Stage Manager for Uncle Vanya. Katelyn would like to thank to her family, friends, and faculty for supporting her in this amazing journey and is so grateful this is her final show at BU before graduation!
Lauren Davis (Associate Production Manager) (she/her) is a first year MFA Production Management student from Oak Lawn, IL. She is grateful to be part of the BU management community and has so enjoyed collaborating with Hannah this semester to tackle the challenge of bringing order to the whole. Lauren would like to extend her thanks and congratulations to the full Sunday in the Park with George team for all their hard work, as well as thanks to her partner Zac and her family for their support always.
Hannah Eckert (Production Manager) (she/ her) is a third-year Production Management student and is excited for this to be her tenth and final production here with the School of Theatre. She would like to specifically thank her family for all their support, and especially her dad who is the reason why she got involved in theater in the first place.
Sienna Siciliano (Production Stage Manager) (she/her) is a senior BFA Stage Management major and a Deaf Studies minor. She has worked on several shows at BU, such as stage managing Alcina, Our Town, Three Sisters, Exit the King, and assistant stage managing Alice Tierney, Aurora Borealis 2023, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Directors’ Project 2022, and Patterns of Wind. Sienna is very excited to end her academic career interning at Boston Ballet and stage managing Sunday in the Park with George!
Maggie Shivers (Assistant Scenic Designer / Projections Designer) is a second-year MFA Scenic Design candidate at Boston University. This is her third show to work on in Booth theatre after Assistant Scenic Design for Let the Right One In, and Scenic Designer for Orlando this last fall. This is also her third time working on projection design and would like to thank Clay and Cristina’s faith and support in her to take it on! To check out more of her work, visit her website, MaggieShivers.com
Cleo Brooks (Props Coordinator) is a Scenic Design major at Boston University, and has worked on numerous BU productions such as Little Row Boat, Mankind, and Alice Tierney. She also runs the social media pages for BU’s Quadball team, a division one sport at BU!
Sarah Lloyd (Scenic Charge Artist) is a senior scenic design major who has worked on several shows including Art House, Our Town, and Cendrillon. She hopes to continue work in props and scenic design in the future. She would like to thank her friends and family for their continued support.
Lily Bitner (Scenic Charge Artist) (she/her) is a Scenic Design major at Boston University, who
has worked on several BU shows such as Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, Hydrogen Jukebox, and Cendrillon. Lily would like to thank her family and friends for their overwhelming support!
Sebastian Sachs (Assistant Sound Engineer) (they/them) is a sophomore studying Theatre Arts with concentrations in Sound and Production Management. They are very excited to work with this amazing team. Past BU credits include One Penny Down, Fucking A, Art House, El Nogalar, and Let The Right One In.
Gage Baker (Sound Designer) is a sound designer currently wrapping up his MFA in Sound Design. Design credits include Catastrophic Theatre (The Turn of the Screw, Innominate), Rec Room (The Children, The Moonlit Princess, Dance Nation), Boston Playwright’s Theatre (Driving in Circles, Mr Parent, Alligator-a-Phobia in 3D), and Moonbox Productions (Legally Blonde). When not designing plays and musicals, he mixes the Boston company of Blue Man Group. gagebaker.com
Lizzie Anderson (Junior Technical Designer) is a sophomore Technical Production major, and is excited to be working on this production! She has also worked on other BU productions like Orlando and Hydrogen Jukebox. She’d like to thank her friends and her family for their support, and the George team for being awesome.
Bec Karlin (Project Manager), a senior in the Technical Production program, is very grateful to have been apart of such a wonderful final performance for their final year at Boston University. They would like to thank their team, Rachel and Lizzie, and well as the entire TP department for all their help and support. They also would like to thank their friends and family for supporting them during the past four years.
Rachel Schladenhauffen (Technical Designer) is a junior Technical Production major from the Boston area. She is so grateful to have been involved in this process, and would especially like to thank Bec and Lizzie for their amazing support. •
Boston University School of Theatre presents
Written by Fredrico Garcia Lorca • Directed by Yo-EL Cassell
Translated by Richard O’Connell & James Graham-Lujan
April 25 – 28
• GRAD COLLAB PROJECT
By Tina Howe • Directed by Taylor Stark
April 27 – 28
SPRING SEMESTER SPRINGBOARD PROJECTS
TROPHICALLY CASCADED
By Rachel Harris
April 27
MY DEAR FRIEND WAGNER
By Lana SageApril 28
ManSpread
By Ava LaRoche
May 1
Find more info about these productions and other upcoming projects at bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season
Lauren Roberts (Cello) is a Boston-based cellist who earned her bachelor’s degree in cello performance from Utah State University, where she studied with Anne Francis Bayless and the Fry Street Quartet. Especially passionate about new music and chamber music, she has worked with composers such as Jungyoon Wie and Gabriela Lena Frank to premiere new works. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in cello performance at Boston Conservatory, where she studies with Rhonda Rider.
Yvonne Cox (Harp) is an active freelance Harpist in the cities of Boston and Las Vegas. She recently completed her MM from the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Jessica Zhou, Principal Harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Cox is a versatile musician and frequently performs a diverse range of musical styles including solo, orchestral, chamber, and contemporary works. Ms. Cox has had the opportunity to perform with the many wonderful Boston-based organizations such as the Boston Lyric Opera and has attended many music festivals throughout the United States and Canada such as the PRISMA Festival Orchestra in Powell River, British Columbia; Miami Classical Music Festival in South Beach Miami, Florida and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra in North Carolina. In her spare time, Yvonne enjoys pretending to be a celebrity chef in her kitchen and playing with all the puppies she comes across!
Jack Krugman (Horn) is a Horn player located in the Boston area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in French Horn Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has performed professionally throughout the United States. He has held positions as the Principal Horn of the New England Philharmonic as well as performing as a substitute of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. During the 2023 season, Jack also performed Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Orchestra as a soloist with the Horizon Ensemble. He is a student of French Horn Pedagogue and former Cleveland Orchestra member Eli Epstein.
Ben Laham (Piano) is a pianist and composer currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music in composition at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Outside of his degree, he enjoys engaging with many genres and musical avenues, both in and outside of the conservatory. Among his musical aspirations, he would like to be a music director during his career.
Christian Arroyo Castillo (Reed) is native of San Diego, California where he graduated from San Diego State University with a B.M. in Music Education. He moved to Boston in 2021 to pursue a M.M. in Multiple Woodwind Performance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and has stayed in the area since, working as a freelance musician and music educator.
Zack Bacak (Reed) is an award-winning multiinstrumentalist performer, composer, and educator based in the Boston area. A graduate of Florida State University, Zack has performed with artists and groups
from across all genres such as Anna Gasteyer, John Clayton, Wycliffe Gordon, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and the Disneyland All-American College Band. Since arriving in Boston, Zack has studied with artists such as Miguel Zenon, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Frank Carlberg, and Ken Schaphorst. In 2019, he founded the Hopkinton Summer Jazz Intensive, a week long program from grades 6-12 to study and gain experience playing jazz regardless of their instruments and backgrounds. Currently, Zack can be found leading his own groups, as well as performing with the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and with visiting theatre shows at the Boston Opera House and Hanover Theater.
Christina Junga (Violin) Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, Christina Junga began playing violin at the age of six. Christina earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee under Sharan Leventhal’s tutelage. She is an Interlochen Arts Academy graduate who studied under Paul Sonner. Christina has performed with various ensembles at the New World Center and Symphony Hall and has recorded in Studio A at Power Station at Berklee NYC. In recent years, she has premiered new works by composers and collaborated with dancers and other artists. She is a founding member and performer of Ensemble Affettuoso, a Boston-based ensemble dedicated to spreading excitement and enthusiasm throughout the performance of pre-classical music. She is also a section violinist in the Cape Ann Symphony. Recent summer credits include performances with the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival as an orchestra and opera fellow. In addition to performing, Christina shares her love of music as a private instructor, fostering the talents of young violinists.
Svens Skriveris (Violin) a Boston-based violinist, chamber musician, and freelancer, was born in Rīga, Latvia. Sven completed his Bachelor’s, Graduate Performance Diploma and Master’s Degree in Violin Performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee under Markus Placci. During his studies, Sven was a member of the Conservatory’s Honors String Quartet in 2016-17, as well as in 2022-2023, under the guidance of the Lydian String Quartet member and professor of music Judith Eissenberg. Sven received Honorable Mentions in the Conservatory Concerto Competition in 2017, 2018, and 2021. An active chamber musician, Sven has participated in the Summer Chamber Music Institute at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, the Fivesparks Chamber Music Workshop in Harvard, MA, and the Scotia Festival of Music 2019 in Halifax, NS. As an orchestral violinist, Sven has performed with the Grammy-winning State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga in 2012 and was a member of the esteemed Neue Philharmonie München international youth orchestra in Germany, performing at the Passion Play Theater in Oberammergau, Bavaria between 2013 and 2017 and has given solo performances at festivals in Lithuania, Latvia, Canada, and the United States. Sven regularly performs with the Melrose Symphony, Cape Ann Symphony, North Shore Philharmonic, and Quincy Symphony. •
him) has been singing and acting since his youth. He performed and studied at Boston Children’s Theatre for four years before receiving a classical acting certificate from LAMDA and working towards a BFA in Acting from Boston University. Keith is a passionate and determined actor. Keith has worked on numerous independent films through Emerson College and Boston University. His most recent credits include: Legally Blonde (Warner) at Moonbox Productions, The Great Gatsby an American Musical (Nick Carraway) at Marblehead Little Theatre, Save the Whales (Todd) at Boston Playwright’s Theatre. Keith has immense gratitude for the many teachers and mentors who have helped him in his artistic path; thank you. KeithRobinsonActor.com Instagram: keith_robs
Sarah Coleman (Dot/Marie) (she/her) is very excited to be a part of Sunday in the Park with George for her last show at BU! This May, she will be graduating with her BFA in Acting with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Favorite BU credits include Mac Beth (Witch 3), Once (Voice 1/Choreographer), and Sense & Sensibility (Lucy Steele). She would like to thank the entire cast and crew of SITPWG, as well as her parents, friends and mentors for their unwavering support! www.sarahcoleman.actor | @sarah4coleman (IG)
Liam McCarron (Jules/Bob Greenberg) is a senior at Boston University on track to receive a BFA in Acting this spring. He is excited to be performing again with his classmates, after having last been seen as Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler. He is beyond thrilled to share this beautiful story with friends, family, and the School of Theatre community.
Arabella Benjamin (Yvonne/Blair Daniels) (she/her) is a Junior getting her BFA in Acting at Boston University. Some of her favorite performances at Boston University include Sense and Sensibility (Fanny Dashwood), The Spitfire Grill (Effy), and new work entitled Like Flies: A Rage Play. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London this past summer, where she performed in As You Like It (Pheobe). Along with her theatrical endeavors, she also works on a Podcast streaming on Spotify! For more information: linktr.ee/ellabenjamin. Many thanks to the cast and crew, and her family and friends for their constant love and support!
excited to take part in his second production at BU, after playing Mr. Morse in THE HOT L BALTIMORE. Past work: Dr. Zyclo in ANON(YMOUS), Nick Bottom in SOMETHING ROTTEN, Ceyx and Phaeton in METAMORPHOSES. Thank you to the cast and crew, and to his friends and family for the support. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Mairéad O’Neill (Celeste #1/Waitress & Dot/Marie Cover) (she/her) is a sophomore Acting Major with a Music Theatre Concentration, hailing from NYC. Previous BU credits: ONE PENNY DOWN, LIVE AT 855, & LIKE FLIES: A RAGE PLAY. Select NY theatre work: I AND YOU (Penguin Repertory Theatre), WE <3 MR MARSDEN (Keen Company) and several concerts at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Her voice can be heard on the awardwinning “Mars Patel” youth podcast. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA. Love and thanks to the whole company, mom & dad, Marcus Huber, and the dearest friends <3 maireadoneill.net @maireadnyc
Ava Cronin (Celeste #2/Elaine) (she/her) is a second year Acting major with a Musical Theatre concentration, excited to be making her Booth debut! Select theatre credits include: ANONYMOUS (BU, Sophomore Acting Project), WORLD GOES ROUND (Lead Soloist), TOP GIRLS (Angie/Dull Gret), LEGALLY BLONDE (Serena). Ava is an alumni of the Walnut Hill School for The Arts, where she majored in musical theatre. She would like to thank her family, the cast, and crew for their endless support.
Taline Banks (Nurse/Photographer) (she/ her/hers) is a sophomore acting major, and she’s absolutely thrilled to be part of Sunday in the Park with George! Some of her favorite roles include Rona Lisa Peretti (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Mrs. Peacock (Clue: Virtual Edition), and Sonia (Godspell), for which she was nominated for a Montclair State University Foxy Award. Taline is also a musician, having studied both classical voice and piano, earning the New Jersey Music Teachers’ Association Ten Year Plaque of Excellence in Piano Performance, Bronze Medal of the National Young Maestro Competition (Young Artist Division), and the Grand Prize of the Metropolitan International Vocal Competition (Musical Theatre division). Since coming to BU, Taline has taken a distinct interest in voice and speech work (Linklater, Knight-Thompson,
and Vocal Combat), as well as comedy writing, improvisation, and stand up comedy. Taline thanks the entire cast and crew for the hard work and love they put into Sunday, and her family for their love and support, and hopes you all enjoy the show.
Charlotte Compo (Old Lady/Naomi/Dance Captain) (she/her) is a New York City native and a sophomore Acting major, concentrating in Music Theatre and minoring in Dance. This is her first mainstage production at BU! Past work: BPT/BU New Works workshop of LIKE FLIES: A RAGE PLAY, singing backup for Kevin Gates at Red Rocks Ampitheater, “Wendla” in SPRING AWAKENING and a performance with the New York Pops. She is an alumni of LaGuardia Arts High School, where she majored in drama and vocal music. Love and thanks to the cast & crew. charlottecompo.com Spotify: @charlottecompo Letterboxd: @chachawatch
Buff Thiesmeyer (Boatman/Charles Redomond) is a senior Acting major from Grover Beach, California. His past works at Boston University include The School For Lies, Delinquents Never Stay For Long, Uncle Vanya, Shakespeare in Love, and Everybody. Buff has had the time of his life learning and growing as a member of the BU community. He would like to thank his family for their support and making his BU experience possible, and also the class of 2024 for taking the journey with him.
Jack Greenberg (Franz/Lee Randolph/ George Cover) (he/him) BFA Theater Arts, Music Theater Concentration. BU credits include Sense and Sensibility, Delinquents Never Stay For Long, Priscilla. Boston Regional: John Proctor is the Villain (The Huntington), Romeo and Juliet (CSC2), Macbeth (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), The Soldier’s Tale (Aston Magna Theater Company). BADA Oxford Program Alum. So grateful to my family back in NC, The Boys, Sondheim, and all the teachers I have had in my life.
Christine Dvorak (Frieda/Betty) (she/her) is a Senior Acting Major from Miami, Florida. She is so grateful to be a part of Sunday as her last BU show EVER and to be able to perform with all of her closest friends. Some favorite past credits include: the title role in Hedda Gabler, Death in Everybody, and Shelby in Steel Magnolias. Christine would like
to thank God, her family, and BU for introducing her to her favorite people. Enjoy the show!
EJ Hanson (Mr./Billy Webster/Boy/Franz Cover) is a senior acting major from Minnesota. Recent credits include Fucking A, Uncle Vanya (BU) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company).
Avery Russey (Mrs./Harriet Oawling/ Celeste Cover) is a second year acting major excited to be making her Booth debut in Sunday In The Park With George. This is her second BU production, having been a part of the Next Stage Workshop production of Priscilla this past fall. She would like to thank her mom, dad, and Alex as well as her cast and crew for their continued support and hard work throughout this process!
Matthew Beagan (Louis/Dennis/Young Man) is an actor and musician from Annapolis, Maryland. While currently earning a BFA in Acting from Boston University, he is also completing a BA in Mathematics. In addition to performing, he owns and runs a food truck in the summers back home. @smashupburgers. He sends gratitude and love to everyone who has supported him along the way. Recent theatre credits include: Once (Andrej), Shakespeare in Love (Ralph/Nurse), and Fucking A (First Hunter).
Emily Fortunato (Louise) is 9 years old and in the third grade at Claypit Hill School. She is thrilled to join BU for the first time! She was last seen in Oklahoma! at Reagle Music Theatre. Her favorite activities are reading, piano, drums, gymnastics, playing with her guinea pigs and her hamster! Many thanks to her family and friends!
Natalia Mikhaylova (Louise) is thrilled to make her stage debut as Louise in the BU School of Theatre production of Sunday in the Park with George. Natalia is currently in the 3rd grade, and she has been taking singing, piano, dance and art lessons since she was 5. This year she got 1st place in the classical voice category at the 2024 NE Regional Student Auditions by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, 1st place for classical voice at the 2024 Red Maple Competition (Canada), and 1st place at the 2024 Eastern US Dancesport competition in the Silver Latin dance category. Natalia loves all things fashion, music, theater, and to cuddle with her cat. •
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholarartists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in music, theatre, and visual arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of precollege, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa .
The School of Theatre at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University is a leading conservatory for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession. These programs of study are enriched by the School’s access to the greater liberal arts programs at Boston University. The School of Theatre values the notion of “the new conservatory” and seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work.
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