California State University, Fullerton UNIVERSITY CREDITS
Framroze Virjee, President, California State University, Fullerton
Carolyn Thomas Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Alexander Porter, Vice President, Administration and Finance/CFO
David Forgues, Vice President, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion
Amir H. Dabirian, Vice President, Information Technology
Tonantzin Oseguera, Vice President, Student Affairs
Gregory J. Saks, Vice President, University Advancement
COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
Arnold Holland, Ed.D, Dean
Dave Mickey, Associate Dean
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
Lara Farhadi, Senior Director of Development
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
Welcome to the fall performance season at Clayes Performing Arts Center. As you arrived, you may have noticed that the southwest corner of campus looked a bit different than when you last visited. I am thrilled to announce that the Visual Arts Modernization Project is well underway! The project will add two new buildings: a single-level structure comprised of the four existing galleries and a two-story building along State College Blvd, containing technology-driven classrooms, office space, a research library, and collaborative teaching and learning spaces. This newly reimagined visual arts complex will have a lasting impact on the college and the community, transforming how we teach, learn, engage with, and experience art.
Despite the disruptions to the college caused by this much-needed renovation, we are committed to delivering the same high-quality, pre-professional arts training our 2,800 students expect; this season’s offerings are no exception. Our thriving community of artists, technicians, and educators have combined their formidable skills to deliver a fall semester of programming shaped by the same diversity reflected on our campus. This September, the Begovich Visual Arts Lecture Series began introducing students and the public to a BIPOC slate of innovative and prominent arts professionals. On October 1, the School of Music’s Bill Cunliffe, Rodolfo Zuniga, and their jazz ensembles kick off October in Meng Concert Hall (along with a surprise guest!). Meanwhile, Theatre productions focus on personal and timeless struggles: Jessica Swale’s “Blue Stockings” tells the empowering story of four young women fighting against sexism for their right to a university education in 18th century England, and in “She Kills Monsters,” identity and fantasy converge to create a modern coming-of-age story. CSUF dancers and choreographers close the season with Fall Dance Theatre’s “Momentum,” centered on the human impulse to seek, strive, and move forward to motivate change.
As we begin the 2022 fall semester anticipating the transformative changes ahead, we remain dedicated to enhancing the academic and creative potential of the current students within this living laboratory for the arts. Their success is uniquely measured in phrases of choreography, lines of dialogue, sheets of music, and slabs of clay as our students actively work towards impacting the arts of the future. You demonstrate your unwavering commitment to our students when you attend productions, concerts, and exhibitions in the College of the Arts. Embrace the limitless possibilities their future holds. Support the College of the Arts at any level by donating to the Dean’s Fund for Excellence today (arts.fullerton.edu/giving).
Thank you for joining us. I’m so proud of our students and what they have created for you tonight. Enjoy the show! I know you will be equally impressed.
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
Heather Denyer
Amanda Rose Villareal
Voice and Movement
Anne James David Nevell
FULL-TIME FACULTY | Dance
Muriel Joyce
Lisa D. Long Debra Noble Alvin Rangel-Alvarado*
FULL-TIME STAFF
Department of Theatre & Dance Administration
Denean Dyson
Technical and Production Staff Mike August, Production Manager
Lois Bryan, Master Electrician
Matt Connelly, Amanda Horak Staff Scenic Lab Foremen
JR Norman Luker, Faculty Technical Director
Heidi Enzlin Cole, Charge Scenic Artist
Jen Frauenzimmer Business/ Production Coordinator
Terri Nista, Costume Lab Manager
Lori Koontz, Costume Lab Techncian
Ross Jones, TV Studio Technician
Jeff Lewis, Production Sound Engineer
William Lemley, Audio Technician
Bob West, Properties Master
Brigitte Bellavoine, Jennifer Schniepp & Craig Shields, Accompanists
Stephanie Tancredi
Box Office Manager & Safety Coordinator
Cathi Craig, Lead House Manager
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)
ENSEMBLE
CARNEGIE
ENSEMBLE
ENSEMBLE
ENSEMBLE
JOSEPHSON
Setting and
Scene
Scene
NBC Studio, New York City
Scene 3
Frank’s Apartment, New York City
Scene 4
Manhattan Courthouse, New York City
Act
Scene 1
Alvin Theatre, New York City
Scene 2
Gussie and Joe’s Brownstone, New York City
Scene 3
The Downtown Club, New York City
Scene 4
Charley, Company
Frank, Charley, Franklin, Gussie, Company
Scotty, Mary, Tyler, Charley, Frank, Joe, Jerome, K.T., Company
Joe, Frank, Mary, Beth, Charley, Company
1962...............................Gussie, Charley, Frank, Dory, Joe, Company
Frank, Beth, Pianist, Mary, Tyler, Dory
New York City –– 1957-1959…........................................Charley, Frank, Mary, Joe, 1st Girl, Beth, Frank Jr., Mrs. Spencer
Scene 5
A Rooftop on 110th Street, New York City
Charley, Company
MARK RAMONT
MARK RAMONT is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and head of the graduate and undergraduate directing programs. Since 2012, his directing students have taken top or runner up honors at the Region VIII Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival every year except for one, with a number of the Regional Finalists taking top honors at the National Festival. Prior to accepting his position at CSUF, Mark was the Director of Theatre Programming at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. He taught at Rice University and Sam Houston State University, and served as the Associate Artistic Director of NYC’s Circle Repertory Company. He has directed Off-Broadway and at major regional theatres. He received his BA from CSU Fullerton and his MFA in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin.
Director’s Note
Merrily We Roll Along is Stephen Sondheim’s most famous flop. It opened on Broadway on November 16, 1981 and closed 12 days later after 16 performances. It ended the long-time collaboration between Sondheim and his director/producer Hal Prince – and Sondheim himself thought he might never write another musical. Based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s play of the same name (which also had a relatively short run), Merrily the musical, like the play, tells the story in reverse: we begin at the end and end at the beginning. Some attribute its failure to this device; audiences found it confusing. Prince famously just prior to opening scrapped the costumes and replaced them with shirts with character names on them to alleviate the confusion. It didn’t help.
More likely, the problem is that we meet the characters at a point in their lives when they are at their lowest and meanest. Success has ruined them and destroyed their friendship. Typically, we meet characters at their most sympathetic in the beginning of a dramatic story – we fall in love with them before they do terrible things to one another, allowing us to hold onto that love and develop empathy and understanding for our “heroes”. Merrily asks us to wait until the second act to begin to see them at their best, at their most hopeful – and that can ask a lot of an audience, who tend to judge characters quickly and harshly. However, if we stick with Charley, Mary and Frank, we fall in love with them as we come to understand the complexity of the musical’s primary question: How did we get here? It’s a question that most of us ask ourselves in our later life as we find that our hopes and dreams for ourselves were never quite realized the way we thought they would.
Merrily has its dogged defenders who keep trying to make it work. Sondheim and his book writer, George Furth, did a major overhaul of the entire show in 1994 to try to fix it. Respected theatre companies have also tried their hand at it – and continue to try. In fact, Merrily will open in New York City this December in a production with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez.
Why do we keep trying to make it work? Because we love the score. Some believe it to be his finest work. But we want it to work because it mirrors the experiences of so many of us who went to NYC to try to make it in this business. “Opening Doors” is Sondheim’s
most autobiographical song and reflects the energy, hopes and disappointments he felt as he navigated the beginnings of a career in NYC. It mirrored my own excitement and frustrations as I arrived in NYC to start a career a year after Merrily closed. And “Our Time” articulates the hopes and longings so many of us felt when we arrived in New York with our sights set on Broadway. Sondheim’s score was the soundtrack to my early years in NYC. It inspired me, gave me hope and motivated me to keep at it. I hope it does the same for these young artists as they try to make their dreams come true in a very challenging world.
ABOUT THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR
MARTY AUSTIN LAMAR
MARTY AUSTIN LAMAR is an Associate Professor in the BFA Musical Theatre program at California State University, Fullerton. An accomplished musician, actor, and composer, some of Marty’s musical direction credits include Sunday in the Park with George, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Urinetown, Handel’s Messiah, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, Langston Hughes’s Black Nativity, The Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center, and Ain’t Misbehavin’. I am eternally grateful to my family and community that continue to support, encourage, and pray for me. Marty is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association.
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER
COURTNEY OZOVEK
COURTNEY OZOVEK is a dance artist, choreographer, educator, and lighting designer rooted in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. After completing her BA in Dance from CSU Fullerton, Courtney went on to earn her MFA in Choreography and Performance from CSU Long Beach. As an educator, Courtney is currently serving as the Dance Department Chair at The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts, proudly entering her eighteenth year on faculty at CSU Fullerton, and delighted to be joining the musical theatre department at Fullerton College. Her musical choreography credits include Cabaret, The Spongebob Musical, 35MM, Heathers, West Side Story, Lizzie, The King and I, Carousel, and more. Recently, she worked alongside Broadway choreographer, Patrick McCollum, as Assistant Choreographer, in the LA Philharmonic’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest Courtney continues to contribute to her personal performance as well as a member of Keith Johnson and Dancers and her concert dance work had been presented in California, Arizona, Alaska, and Guantanamo Bay as well as in shows at Universal Studies, Disneyland and private corporate events. Gratitude will be always held for my official right hand, Amber Dupuy. Thanks go out to a fantastically collaborative creative team, supportive production crew, and those working behind the scenes to make this show seamlessly roll along.
Assistant Director Kylie Powers
Stage Managers Arissa Avila, Samantha Sedor
Assistant Stage Managers
Heather McLane, Sheridan “Sher” Vieyra
Assistant Lighting Designer
Noemi Barrera
Assistant Hair/Makeup Designer
Keiv Lam
Assistant Scenic Designers Blythe Ryther, Liz Doubrovsky
Scenic/Prop Crew Elise Ruvira, Madison Ray, Matt Quintero, Phoebe Constantino, Emma Weber, Jeremy Swofford, Brooke Dengler
Assistant Costume Designer
Michelle Dalirifar
Lighting Board Operator Emily Baeza
Followspot Operators Ashley Eller, Michael Jamison
LX Programmer Trevin Ortega Audio Engineer Gavin Higa
Sound Crew Julianna Barlow, Laura Martinez, Paige Ragan Costume Crew Keira Ward, Linnea Lobban, Mickey Narez, Nathalia Morales, Chelsea Gandarilla, Amarena Roland, Priscilla Briggs, Shantelle Cueva Costume Maintenance
Lillian Hahn, Jonathan Shimizu
Makeup Crew Caitlyn Ilar, Celeste Pacheco, Kallisto Teng, Nyeli Rubio, Megan Guerra
Scenic Artists Nicole Bernardini, Diego Banda, Cecilia Esquivel, Zoe Agpaoa, Abby Rariden
House Managers Madison Dabalos, Josiah Sanchez, Maricela Sandoval
Production Office Assistants
Madeleine Lindbeck, Collette Rutherford Box Office Staff Madison Dabalos, Oscar Garcia, Sarabeth Johnson, CJ Lazatin, Josiah Sanchez
Faculty Mentors
Makeup Mentor Kathryn Wilson
Lighting Design Mentor Scott Bolman
Stage Management Mentor Shay Garber
Proceeding Safely: Clayes Performing Arts Center will match all current COVID-19 recommendations and guidelines provided by local health agencies and as outlined in CSUF President Fram Virjee’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.
* * *
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 collegelevel 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.
The College of the Arts extends its heartfelt gratitude to the following patrons who have supported our students and programs this past year through a generous gift of $1,000 or more to the College, the School of Music, Department of Theatre & Dance, and/or the Department of Visual Arts.**
$1,000,000 + Anonymous
$100,000+
Chapman University
The Andy Warhol Foundation
$25,000+
Alliance for the Performing Arts Anonymous Lee C. Begovich
Johnny Carson Foundation Leo Freedman Foundation Robin and Steve Kalota Music Associates Frank and John Olsen Frank J. and Jean Raymond John VanWey
$10,000+
Art Alliance
Affordable Housing Access Inc. The Blackbaud Giving Fund Marilyn D. Carlson Darryl Curran
Dwight Richard Odle Foundation
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund J.P. Morgan Charitable Giving Fund Ellen and Bill Groves Marianne Kreter
Eleanore and James L. Monroe Michael L. Mavrovouniotis Dr. Katherine S. Powers and Håkan O. Rosengren Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund Sue and Dr. Edward A. Sullivan The Thorsen Family
$5,000+
Drs. Voiza and Joseph Arnold Dr. Marc R. Dickey
Desiree Engel
Friends of Jazz MaryLouise and Ed Hlavac Morningside of Fullerton
Norma Morris
Jill Kurti Norman
Orange County Community Foundation
Terri and Bob Niccum Douglas G. Stewart
$1,000+
Judy L. Atwell Betsy and Eric Azariah Lucina and John Brennan Janet & Allen Bridgford Irene Chinn
Stephen W. Collier and Joann Driggers William S. Cornyn CEC Artslink
D. Barry Schmitt Revocable Trust
Susan and Richard Dolnick Lucetta A. Dunn
Shawna and Greg Ellis
Dr. Anne Fingal
Evelyn K. Francuz Fullerton Families and Friends Marsha Gallavan Jacquelyn Garrabrant Annette L. and Leon J. Gilbert Renee and John Gillespie Susan-Ellen Gilmont
Dr. Mark J. Goodrich
Dr. Margaret F. Gordon Susan Hallman Theresa Harvey James L. Henriques Trevor E. Illingworth
Dr. Robert Istad Michelle Jordan Gladys M. Kares Gwendolyn and Carlos C. Leija John M. Martelli and Paul Coluzzi
Karen and George Mast Thelma and Earl Mellott Sylvia Megerdichian Mary E. Moore
Patricia and Carl Miller Betty Murphy
Ann and Douglas Myles
Yoshino and Ujinobu Niwa Debra L. Noble
L. Palin
Kerry and John Phelps The Presser Foundation
Deanna and Arie Passchier Sheila Pinkle
Sharon and Dr. Anil K. Puri Mary and Jerry R. Reinhart Renaissance Charitable Foundation Nancy and Robert Rennie Christine Rhoades
Sandra and David Rhone Dr. Stephen M. Rochford Ann and Thad Sandford
D. Barry Schmitt
Louise P. Shamblen Martha Shaver
Ingrid R. Shutkin
Lorena L. Sikorski Carol Smith Sparkman Janet L. Smith Dodo V. Standring Robert Van Sternberg Douglas Stewart Verne Wagner
Dr. Sean E. Walker Debra Winters
Richard Wulff
YourCause, LLC
Very special care has been given to the preparation of this donor listing. Please contact Ann Steichen at (657) 278-7124 with questions or concerns.
