Other Desert Cities Program

Support the Division of Theatre & Dance Your gift to the ETSU Division of Theatre & Dance will be combined with those from other donors to address the most immediate needs of the program or to support our students through our diverse scholarship program. Your support is invaluable! Please feel free to fill out the donation form below and mail to: ETSU Division Of Theatre & Dance PO Box 70626 Johnson City, TN 37614

Thank you for becoming a member of the Ensemble and for your ongoing support of the ETSU Division of Theatre & Dance. We look forward to celebrating our accomplishments with you far into the future and hope you will come back to ETSU for one of our many performances and academic opportunities in theatre & dance.

ETSU is an AA/EEO Employer TBR 130-053-13 .664M

Special Thanks We would like to thank each of the following for their support of this production and of ETSU’s Division of Theatre & Dance.

October 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. & October 20 at 2:00 p.m.

B u d F r a nk T h e a t r e

Cast Brooke Wyeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whitney Baxter Polly Wyeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Stephens Lyman Wyeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nyle Pierson Silda Grauman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney Spencer

Dr. Gordon Anderson, Dr. Bert Bach, Dr. Amber Kinser, Dr. Katherine Weiss, Megan Fannon and her PR students, Anita DeAngelis, Heidi Ehle, Lise Cutshaw, Christine Waxstein and the Theatre Office Staff, Lori Ann Manis, Barter Theatre, Jennifer Hill and University Relations, SORC, Larry Smith and ETSU Photographic Services, Libby Tipton and Disability Services, Emily Werner, Alan LaClair, Perma-R Industries, Academic Technology Services, and Catch 22 Tobacco Accessories .

Special Arrangements To request disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346 one week prior to opening night; attempts will be made to fill late requests, but these cannot be guaranteed.

Trip Wyeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trenton Fines

Artistic Staff Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Cronin Scenic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delbert Hall Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Krista Guffey Makeup Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Severt Lighting Designer & Technical Director . . . . . . . Melissa Shafer Sound Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Koenig

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Division of Theatre & Dance’s

2013 2013--2014 Season Production Crew

Tradin’ Paint By: Catherine Bush November 21-23, 2013, at 7:30 p.m.

November 24, 2013, at 2:00 p.m.

Bud Frank Theatre

Six Characters in Search of an Author By: Luigi Pirandello February 27-28, March 1, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.

March 2, 2014, at 2:00 p.m.

Bud Frank Theatre

Dance Concert 2014 April 10-12, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.

April 13, 2014, at 2:00 p.m.

Bud Frank Theatre

Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabby Wexler Wardrobe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raven Dyer & Corie Johnson Light Board Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haley Manis Sound Board Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reagan Williams Deck Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristen Roark

Production Staff Box Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Waxstein Scene Shop Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Koenig

Production Assistants Brock Cooley, John Hall, Anna Heim, Josh Holley, Gabby Wexler, and the students enrolled in Stagecraft I, Freshman Theatre Seminar, Theatre Lab There will be one 10-minute intermission.

Produced by special arrangement with

Tickets can be purchased at www.etsu.edu/theatre For more information call the Theatre Office at (423) 439-6511 or email theatre@etsu.edu

Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

Director’s Note Other Desert Cities is quite simply one of the best new plays of the past decade. Winning Tonys and Obies for its Off and Broadway runs, it was also short listed for the Pulitzer. It is a funny, loving, but also heartbreaking look at families and the secrets they share and most often do not share. It is also, as my colleague Melissa Shafer remarked, a “true page turner”; you cannot wait to find out, not “who dunnit” but what was done and what is “in the book”.

Those of us who labor with love as Theatre artists know what I am about to say but I would like to share with you, our audience, the reason we do what we do, what Theatre always must be. It must be “on the stage not on the page” and for this to happen a village must come together. The theatre and dance faculty chose this 20132014 season in light of previous seasons and with regard to the needs of our current Theatre & Dance majors and minors. We then decided who would direct and design which shows and the process began. As the director of Other Desert Cities, I asked my designers, Professors Hall (scenic), Shafer (lighting), and guest artist from the Barter Theatre, Krista Guffey (costumes), to share with me their insights and visions of the play as I shared mine with them. What you see on the stage this evening is the collaborative vision of all of these amazing artists. The set, lighting, and costume choices inspire the actors and the director, who return the favor, all hoping to inspire the other artists to find even more exciting ways to bring this beautiful play to life. Originally, Dr. Hall wanted a grand piano on the stage where the bar is now. This had

Courtney Spencer (Silda Grauman) is a 20-year-old junior and a theatre major and dance minor at ETSU. Some of her previous roles include Edith the maid in Blithe Spirit and Claire in Beautiful Bodies with the ETSU Division of Theatre and Dance as well as Gilmer in Godspell with the Northeast State Community College Theatre Department. Courtney is the sub-board president of the ETSU student theatre organization, Patchwork Players, and is a member of Alpha Lamba Delta National Honor Society. She would like to give a big thanks to her mother for her support, to Pat Cronin for the wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as an actor, and a huge thanks to everyone who helped make this show possible.

Lauren Stephens (Polly Wyeth) is a Fine and Performing Arts Scholar at ETSU. As a nationally ranked actress in high school, she won several awards for Dramatic Interpretation, Solo Acting, and Poetry. Her previous theatre roles include Pamela in ETSU Patchwork Player's The 39 Steps, Helena in Bristol Theatre's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and various characters in last fall's ETSU main stage production Caesar 2012. Lauren has been seen on film in projects such as The Gatherers, The Traveler's Hat, and several Video Bakery shorts that can be found on youtube.com. She cannot thank her friends, family, and fellow cast members enough for their unconditional support. She hopes you enjoy the show as much as she has enjoyed working on it.

Gabby Wexler (Stage Manager) is a sophomore at ETSU. She is a double major in history and theatre with a minor in teacher education. She is a Fine and Performing Arts Scholar and a member of the history department’s Honors-in-Discipline program. Some of her previous roles include Gayle in Almost, Maine at Daniel Boone High School, Abby Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace at Daniel Boone High School, and the Lady in Waiting in The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood at Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. Previously, she has acted, directed, and worked in scene shops and technical booths, but this is her first production as a stage manager. She extends her appreciation to the production team, cast, and crew for making this a memorable learning experience. Enjoy the show!

Nyle Pierson (Lyman Wyeth) is a freshman at ETSU. He is a Theatre major with a minor in Digital Media. Some of his previous roles include Tony Kirby in You Can't Take it With You, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, and Reverend Parris in The Crucible, all at Independence High School. He hopes to get the ball rolling with his first appearance on the ETSU stage and wishes to thank his director, Patrick Cronin and his wonderful cast for being so accepting of him through the rehearsal process. Enjoy the show!

Jonathan A. Severt (Makeup Designer) is a senior Theatre major and History minor at ETSU. The Division of Theatre & Dance has given Jonathan opportunities to expand his skills and knowledge in the areas of costume, makeup, and scenic design, and has helped to improve his acting techniques. While Other Desert Cities is his first production at ETSU, Jonathan has been participating in theatre since high school. He was the Stage Manager and a performer in Wilkes Community College’s Snapshots and played Hopkins in Southern States Community College’s The Crucible.

While school has been his primary focus, he is excited to once again be working in the theatre. He would like to thank the faculty in Theatre & Dance for their hard work and dedication to their students. Please enjoy the show!

Melissa Shafer (Lighting Designer) is a Professor of Theatre at ETSU. Her areas of specialization are Scenic and Lighting Design and she also serves as the Division’s Technical Director. She is a native of the St. Louis area and received her MFA in Theatrical Design from Southern Illinois University. Melissa is the co-author (with colleague Karen Brewster) of the book The Fundamentals of Theatrical Design published by Allworth Press. Her freelance design credits include work with the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia; Manbites Dog Theatre in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; The Civic Theatre of Central Florida; The Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Southern Danceworks; Milligan College; Kennesaw State University; Lambuth University; St. Louis Community College at Forest Park; and Western Nebraska College.

both of us talking for several days about what this would do to the text and we finally agreed that there would be no piano but this journey of “piano, no piano” is what brought us to tonight. The last scene of the play is difficult to stage, as you will see, and thanks to Melissa Shafer, for many years a co-creator of multiple productions, helped me move from a set and a space that we did not need and that would not have helped the flow of the play, to what you will experience tonight at the end of Other Desert Cities. This ending, so crucial to the play, also was inspired by Ms. Guffey who saw a solution to a costume change and to Scott Koenig our sound artist who helped us all find the music that underscores this piece to its end.

It is not my intention to make this another “thank you list” but I do hope you will think about all of the people who made this evening possible. This program, the posters, and the publicity that were all over campus and the Tri-Cities were made possible by Christine Waxstein, Megan Fannon, Joe Smith, and the outstanding University Relations Office. Without Dean Rebecca Pyles and the Honors College, most of the actors and the technical staff would not be here tonight, for there would be no support to fund their efforts. As a theatre artist for over 50 years, I am keenly aware of all of the people it takes to bring a script to life and to take it “from the page to the stage”; it does indeed take a village.

-Patrick Cronin, director

Bios Whitney Baxter (Brooke Wyeth) is a freshman at ETSU. She is a theatre major and a University Honors Scholar. Some of her previous roles include Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Providence Academy, Cinderella in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Smith Studios, and the Act II Cinderella in the Barter Youth Academy’s production of Into the Woods. She is ecstatic to be performing in Other Desert Cities with such a phenomenal cast and director, and looks forward to more exciting productions at ETSU. She would like to thank her Heavenly Father for giving her talent for performance, and her Savior Jesus for always being with her through every production process. Enjoy the show!

Patrick Cronin (Director) has appeared in over 150 plays across the country and in over 200 TV shows and films. Among these, Jamie in Long Day’s Journey into Night, Arthur in Camelot, Henshaw in Merton of the Movies with Richard Thomas, Brock in Born Yesterday with Betty Grable, and Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman at The Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork City, Ireland, as part of The Gathering. He reprised this role at the National Theatre of Serbia in Belgrade in June 2013. TV roles include the Bra Salesman on Seinfeld, Sparky on Home Improvement, The Wonder Years (for which he received an Emmy Nomination), the TV Movie Lucy and Desi, and his latest role on Army Wives. He is the proud partner of Dr. Amber Kinser and the father of James and Charlie and stepfather to Chelsea and Isaac.

Trenton Fines (Trip Wyeth) is a sophomore at ETSU. He is a double major in Theatre and Elementary Education. His recent roles include Flavius/Lucius/1st Plebeian in Caesar 2012 at ETSU and Kenny in Hell Bent with the ETSU Patchwork Players. This summer, Trenton combined his majors and worked at a 4-H Summer Camp in Northern Virginia and taught performing arts. He would like to thank his amazing fellow cast and crew members for creating such a family and such a wonderful atmosphere to work in. He would also like to thank Pat Cronin for giving him a very exciting chance.

Trenton truly hopes you enjoy tonight's performance of Other Desert Cities.

Krista Guffey (Costume Designer) holds a BFA in Costume Technology from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Currently the Group Sales Manager at Barter Theatre, she has previously been the Costume Shop Manager and Costume Crafts Artisan. Krista has designed and created costumes for Barter Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre, University of North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Institute, and for high school color guards and Drum Corps International Drum and Bugle Corps. She also worked in the Creative Costuming/Buying Department for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Delbert Hall (Scenic Designer) is a Professor of Theatre & Dance at ETSU and has been its scenic designer since 1986. Dr. Hall earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida, and an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is an ETCP Certified Rigger and an ETCP Recognized Trainer. He has flown performers in over 300 productions nationally, including productions at many of the major regional theatre companies in the U.S. He has worked with internationally known directors, such as Debbie Allen and Christopher Renshaw, and flown major performers and celebrities such as the Backstreet Boys. He has designed performer flying systems and equipment that are used by other flying effects companies and aerial groups. Dr. Hall regularly does rigging for aerial dance productions and teaches rigging classes and workshops across the country.

Scott Koenig (Sound Designer) is the Scene Shop Manager and Lab Instructor for the Division of Theatre & Dance. He began his theatre career a quarter-century ago working as a Production Intern for then Off-Broadway producer Richard Frankel. A mere three years later Scott became the Resident Sound Designer for the Barter Theatre, making him the youngest in its history. Scott's design work, not only in sound but in scenery and lighting as well, has been enjoyed in well over 60 professional productions in six different states. In 2003 Scott shifted his focus to Academic Theatre, earning a Master of Arts in Teaching Theatre. He worked previously at Northeast State Community College, teaching, designing, mentoring, and also directing plays including Frankenstein, the premier show at the Regional Center for the Performing Arts.