Framroze Virjee, President, California State University, Fullerton
Amir H. Dabirian, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Interim)
Alexander Porter, Vice President, Administration and Finance/CFO
David Forgues, Vice President, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion
Rommel Hidalgo, Vice President, Information Technology
Tonantzin Oseguera, Vice President, Student Affairs
Gregory J. Saks, Vice President, University Advancement
Arnold Holland, EdD, Dean
Dave Mickey, Associate Dean
Bonnie Li Victorino, Academic Resource Manager
Christopher Johnson, Budget Coordinator
Heather Guzman, Assistant to the Deans
Visual Arts Special Projects, Jade Jewett
Dr. Randall Goldberg, Director, School of Music
Dr. James Hussar, Chair, Department of Visual Arts
Jamie Tucker, Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance
Jennifer Frias, Director, Nicholas & Lee Begovich Gallery
John Spiak, Director, Grand Central Art Center - Santa Ana
Ann Steichen, Director of Development
Erika Ochoa, Support Group Coordinator
Julie Bussell, Director, Marketing & Patron Services
Stephanie Tancredi, Box Office Manager
Heather Richards-Siddons
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Alvin Chiu, Graphic Designer
Jason Pano, Social Media Strategist
Greetings from the College of the Arts! It’s so good to have you back, and we have an exceptional spring season planned for you. With programming ranging from groundbreaking theatre productions to World-Premiere concerts, our spring offerings seem to shine a bit brighter this semester. On January 28, we kicked things off with the Visual Arts Modernization Project Preview Event and groundbreaking ceremony. More than 100 invited guests joined us for a sneak peek of the project as they engaged with some of the latest technology-driven art tools, experienced AR/VR project demonstrations by visual arts students, and viewed scale models of the complex. When completed, this renovation will transform our campus and community, positioning CSUF’s visual arts program – the largest in the Cal State system – as a leader in cutting-edge art education and practice within the CSUs. Follow our progress and join us on this extraordinary journey at art.fullerton.edu/vamod
This season’s fresh slate of visual arts exhibitions and performing arts concerts and productions are sure to keep you coming back to campus! Beginning February 18, Begovich Gallery presents the exhibition “Figures, Poses, and Glances: The Coded Illustrations of J.C Leyendecker,” at MUZEO Museum & Cultural Center, exploring the coded depictions of queer culture in the eradefining images of this early twentieth-century American illustrator. The School of Music honors Black History Month with a performance of “Symphony No. 1 in E minor” by composer Florence Price – the first Black female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. In Theatre, Maria Cominis’ “Women of Zalongo” weaves together the experiences of four generations of Greek women into a story of resilience, struggle, and survival. And in May, our student dancers and choreographers collaborate in rhythmic, expressive movement as “Spring Dance Theatre” returns to the Little Theatre.
Our diverse programming mirrors the diversity of the College of the Arts and is a testament to the values we hold. We embrace the possibility inherent in each of our students and celebrate their successes alongside them on their path to becoming future artists, educators, performers, and arts professionals. As patrons, donors, friends, and family, I know you also champion their success. Demonstrate your commitment to the future of the arts by supporting the Dean’s Fund for Excellence at any level. Donate today at arts.fullerton.edu/giving.
I invite you to visit to campus our again for another performance, or to check out our progress as the Visual Arts Modernization Project moves into the next phase of construction. You may have even seen the walls of one of our new buildings going up along State College Blvd! Whatever brings you here, welcome. We are so proud to show you all that the College of the Arts at Cal State Fullerton has to offer.
Arnold Holland, Ed.D. Dean, College of the Arts
Jamie Tucker Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance
Alvin Rangel-Alvarado,* Vice Chair, Department of Theatre & Dance
FULL-TIME FACULTY | Theatre
Acting
Maria Cominis
Svetlana Efremova•
Eve Himmelheber
John Short
Jim Taulli
Design and Technical Production
Scott Bolman
Hyun Sook Kim*^
Fred Kinney*
JR Luker
Bill Meyer
Carolyn Mraz
Kathryn Wilson
Directing
Mark Ramont•*
Musical Theatre
Josh Grisetti•*
Marty Austin Lamar
Theatre Studies
Dr. Heather Denyer•
Amanda Rose Villarreal, PhD
Voice and Movement
Anne James
David Nevell•
FULL-TIME FACULTY | Dance
Muriel Joyce
Lisa D. Long
Debra Noble
Alvin Rangel-Alvarado*
*denotes program coordinator
•denotes area head
^denotes graduate coordinator
FULL-TIME STAFF
Department of Theatre & Dance
Administration
Denean Dyson
Technical and Production Staff
Michael August, Production Manager
Lois Bryan, Master Electrician
Matt Connelly, Amanda Horak Staff Scenic Lab Forepersons
Heidi Enzlin Cole, Charge Scenic Artist
Jen Frauenzimmer
Business/ Production Coordinator
Terri Nista, Costume Lab Manager
Lori Koontz, Costume Lab Techncian
Megan Gonzalez, TV Studio Technician
Jeff Lewis, Production Sound Engineer
William Lemley, Audio Technician
Bob West, Properties Master
Brigitte Bellavoine, Jennifer Schniepp & Ben Rempel, Accompanists
Stephanie Tancredi Box Office Manager & Safety Coordinator
Cathi Craig, Lead House Manager
www.facebook.com/CSUFTheatre
Instagram | @csuftheatre
Twitter | @csuftheatre
The Department of Theatre & Dance at California State University, Fullerton is fully and continuously accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (1974) and the National Association of Schools of Dance (1982)
Production Stage Manager
Miranda Vazquez
Scenic Designer
Yuri Okahana-Benson^
Technical Director Cody Baker
Costume Designer Carson Julian^
Lighting Designer Michael Rathbun^
Makeup/Hair Designer Kathleen Price*
Wig Styling Assistant Hayden Lalicker
Dental Prosthetics Fabrication
Lauren Wiedman
Sound Designer Lia Weed^
Fight Choreographer Michael Polak^
Intimacy Choreographer
Amanda Rose Villarreal*
Accompanist Jennifer Schniepp*
*Faculty/Staff ^Guest Artist
EDDIE BIRDLACE...........................................................................................Spencer Sharp
EDDIE BIRDLACE (ALTERNATE) .Braxton McGrath
ROSE FENNY.........................................................................................Naya Ramsey-Clark
ROSE FENNY (ALTERNATE)..............................................................................Paige Ragan
MARCY. ....................Gaby Garcia
BOLAND........................................................................................................Jackson Marcy
BERNSTEIN.........................................................................................................Ethan Davis
FECTOR.........................................................................................................Brennan Trudel
STEVENS ...............Madison Shuck
GIBBS.................................................................................................................Aaron Lister
LOUNGE SINGER..........................................................................................Owen DiSciullo
MAMA.. .................Katie Mathers
CHIPPY............................................................................................................Quinn O’Sonis
SUZETTE............................................................................................................Olivia Amigo
RICARDA.............................................................................................................Elise Ruvira
PEGGY..............................................................................................................Avery Morton
LIBRARIAN......................................................................................................Payton Homer
PETE/SERGEANT/BIG TONY......................................................................Jeremy Swofford
WAITER ..............Jordan Simpson
ENSEMBLE......................................................Olivia Amigo, Payton Homer, Katie Mathers, Avery Morton, Micah Nicholson, Quinn O’Sonis, Kellie Petrosian, Mikaela Ruiz, Elise Ruvira, Erick Sanchez
SWING...............................Micah Nicholson, Kellie Petrosian, Mikaela Ruiz, Erick Sanchez
Scene
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Josh Grisetti originated the role of “Marty Kaufman” in “It Shoulda Been You” on Broadway (for which he won the 2015 Clarence Derwent award and was nominated for the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards); he also starred in Broadway’s “Something Rotten!” and Neil Simon’s revival of “Broadway Bound.” Off-Broadway, Josh starred in “Enter Laughing” (Theatre World award winner; Drama Desk, OCC, Drama League and Lucille Lortel nominations), “Rent,” “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Red Eye of Love,” “Candida” and “After the Ball.” Tours: “Something Rotten!” (1st National) and “Prince of Broadway “(Japan). Favorite regional credits include “Camelot” (The Kennedy Center), “Matilda” (The Muny), “How to Succeed in Business…” (Reprise Theatre – Ovation & Garland award winner), “Beauty & the Beast” (La Mirada), “Funny Thing…Forum” (Williamstown), “Spamalot” (Las Vegas), “Where’s Charley?” (Goodspeed), and others. On television, Josh starred in “The Knights of Prosperity” (ABC), “Like Magic” (NBC) and “The Gates” (NBC), and guest starred on multiple shows including ”The Good Fight” for Paramount +, Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie,” and MTV’s “Made,” and currently recurs throughout Season 5 of Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Film credits include “The Immigrant,” “Revolutionary Road,” and “The Namesake.” Josh directed the regional premier of “Something Rotten!” at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, CA, and “It Shoulda Been You” at Musical Theatre Guild in Los Angeles. He authored the book, “God In My Head” (Tantor Media), an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the “Spirituality and Religious Psychology” category and currently serves as head of the B.F.A. Musical Theatre program at Cal State Fullerton. @joshgrisetti/ joshgrisetti.com
ABOUT THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Sarah Grandpre earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education and has over fifteen years of teaching and directing experience in Southern California. She is the founder, director and vocal arranger of Voices of Hope Children’s Choir; under her direction the choir earned the coveted “golden buzzer” and the title of semi-finalists on season 13 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” The choir most recently competed on “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars.” Ms. Grandpré and her choir had the privilege of performing with Josh Groban, Pentatonix and Tokio Myers in televised appearances on NBC’s “Red Nose Day,” “America’s Got Talent Champions” and ABC’s “WEDay.” She has served as a guest music and choral director in productions with Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University, 3D Theatricals, Vanguard University and Broadway on Tour Youth Theatre including “Spring Awakening,” “The SpongeBob Musical,” “Zanna,” “Don’t!,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” “The Gift of the Magi,” and “Broadway Lights the Holidays.” Ms. Grandpré is an accomplished soloist, with career highlights including: Brahms’ “Requiem” at Carnegie Hall, Beethoven’s “Mass in C Major” at Royce Hall and performing internationally with “Hour of Power, Live!” Ms. Grandpré teaches voice and musical theatre technique at Cal State Fullerton in addition to maintaining a successful private studio in Orange County.
@sarahgrandpre/ sarahgrandpre.com
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER
Courtney Ozovek, is a dance artist, choreographer, educator, and lighting designer rooted in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. Currently, she is a company member with Keith Johnson/Dancers from Long Beach. Courtney has presented concert dance works in California, Arizona, Alaska, and Guantanamo Bay as well as developed movement for shows at Universal Studies, Disneyland and private corporate events. Recently, she worked alongside award-winning Broadway choreographer, Patrick McCollum, as Assistant Choreographer, in the LA Philharmonic’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Previous musical choreography credits include “Cabaret,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “The Spongebob Musical,” 35MM,” “Heathers,” “West Side Story,” “Lizzie,” “The King and I,” “Carousel,” and more. She earned her M.F.A in Dance Choreography and Performance from CSU Long Beach and her B.A. in Dance from Cal State Fullerton. Courtney currently serves as the Dance Department Chair at the Young Americans College of the Performing Arts and is proud to be in her eighteenth year on faculty at CSUF supporting a variety of students on their individual journeys through dance and musical theatre.
This material is highly volatile and provocative. It holds a dark, unyielding mirror to American society which audience members should prepare themselves to face. Although the narrative takes place in the past, the themes and socially conscious content expose the lingering stench of toxic masculinity, sexism, and lack of empathy/ emotional intelligence that persist today. This piece is a warning that such toxic systems of oppression and dehumanization poison everyone within them, including those who think they’re on top. This production includes scenes that frequently use offensive language and offers portraits of sexual assault, violence against women/trans women, casual racism, body shaming, prostitution, war, death, and the cruelty/mockery of both women and various ethnic groups. We must be willing to confront such topics through the medium of theatrical storytelling, asking not only what we are observing, but also deciphering why.
This piece is often characterized as a story about forgiveness and empathy. While these are certainly core elements of the show’s final narrative, I believe the full breadth of this story is much more complex. It’s about confrontation. It’s about the poisons that are casually embedded in our society and the devastations they bring. It’s about revealing a potential antidote – this radically openminded empathy and hope – and praying that we can all find the courage to embrace the change required for salvation. It’s a cautionary parable set in brutal historical fiction.
In the end, I hope that this quote from Maya Angelou illuminates my vision for the power of forgiveness that must be understood in the context of “Dogfight” – a forgiveness equally balanced with self-preservation and accountability: “You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having the courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’ When you forgive somebody, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want to invite them to your table. Indeed not. It’s just means I am finished with you. I won’t – I don’t – forget. And I will not put myself in a situation where that can be done to me again. But I understand. So then you forgive. It relieves you. You are relieved of that burden of resentment. You really are lighter.”
– Josh Grisetti, Director, “Dogfight”Student Production Staff
Assistant Director Defne Agrali
Stage Manager Miranda Vazquez
Assistant Stage Manager
Tiffany Joy May, Abby Shannon
Assistant Lighting Designer
Connor Huch
Assistant Technical Director
Zoe Reisman
Assistant Hair/Makeup Designer
Alanna Hernandez
Assistant Scenic Designer Drea Little
Properties Assistant Brianna Kowalewski
Scenic/Prop Crew Emily Baeza, Ethan
Hall, Henry Passo, Johnny Mcgovern, Lillian Hahn, Parker Claudio
Assistant Costume Designer
Brigette Roberts
Lighting Board Operators Anais Barron
Followspot Operators
Alex Jerard, Mickey Narez
LX Programmer David Garcia
Audio Engineers Gavin Higa
Sound Crew Jordan Benitez, Simon Asher, Anela Brown
Costume Crew Caroline Lovett, Sydné
Piatek, Joshua Lea, Alex Bolanos
Makeup Crew Braden Michael Harrison, Brooke Halliday, Emmaleigh Irish, Grace
Gremel, Megan Guerra, Riley Blackwell
Scenic Artists Abby Rariden, Zoe Ng, Thomas Keenan, Evelyn Flynn, Elin Ruden, Mickey Narez, Cody Baker, Brienne Thurber
Box Office Staff Madison Dabalos, Jailene
Diaz, Oscar Garcia, Sarabeth Johnson and Josiah Sanchez
House Managers Madison Dabalos, Jailene Diaz, Heather McLane and Josiah Sanchez
Production Office Assistants Collette
Rutherford, Madeleine Lindbeck, Anthony Osborn
Faculty Mentors
Stage Management Mentor Shay Garber
Technical Direction Mentor JR Luker
Sound Design Mentor Rebecca Kessin
Department Notes & Policies
Proceeding Safely: Clayes Performing Arts Center will match all current COVID-19 recommendations and guidelines provided by local health agencies and outlined by CSUF’s Directive 22. When purchasing a ticket to a Clayes Performing Arts Center event, you agree to adhere to all COVID-19 safety entry requirements in effect at the time of the event.
Commitment to Diversity: The Department of Theatre & Dance affirms its commitment to inclusiveness in student learning and success in all areas of theatre based on merit and achievement, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, mental or physical disability, marital status or age.
Cell Phones & Electronic Devices: Cellphones and other electronic devices must be turned off prior to the start of the performance and at the beginning of the second half to minimize disruptions in the theater and ensure the enjoyment of all patrons in attendance.
The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited, and any recordings will be asked to be deleted.
Food & Drink Policy: Food and drink is not allowed in the venue, with the exception of bottled water.
If you do not follow these guidelines, you may be asked to leave.
Professional Artist Unions
Faculty, Staff and Guest Artists of the Department of Theatre & Dance are specialists in their respective disciplines. Within these groups, the following professional artist unions are represented:
AEA (Actors’ Equity Association)
AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists)
AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists)
IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees)
SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists)
SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Society)
USA (United Scenic Artists)
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, part of the Rubenstein Arts Access Program, is generously funded by David M. Rubenstein.
Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
Additional support is provided by The Honorable Stuart Bernstein and Wilma E. Bernstein; and the Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
This production is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The aims of this national theater education program are to identify and promote quality in college-level theater production. To this end, each production entered is eligible for a response by a regional KCACTF representative, and selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KCACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers and critics at both the regional and national levels.
Productions entered on the Participating level are eligible for invitation to the KCACTF regional festival and may also be considered for national awards recognizing outstanding achievement in production, design, direction and performance.
Last year more than 1,500 productions were entered in the KCACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KCACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.
