Freaky Friday: Know Before You Go by La Jolla Playhouse

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Production Sponsors

BEGINS JANUARY 31

Debby Jacobs & Lindsey Jacobs

DISNEY’S

P1 The cast of Signature Theatre’s Freaky Friday; photo by Margot Schulman

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

We look forward to seeing you at La Jolla Playhouse at your upcoming performance of Freaky Friday. Below is some additional information about the production and the venue to enhance your theater-going experience.

PARKING Parking is free for all subscribers. For all others parking is $2 (subject to change), Mon-Fri. Upon arrival to campus, please purchase your parking permit from one of the automated pay stations located next to the information kiosk. Simply park, note your space number, and pay $2 at the pay station. Pay stations accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express or cash ($1 and $5), and do not give change. You will not need to return to your car. Parking is free on the weekends. ACCESSIBILITY A golf cart is available to assist patrons with accessibility issues to and from the parking lot. Please notify Patron Services prior to your performance if you are in need of this service; additionally, you may pull into the five minute parking in front of the theatre, and a friendly La Jolla Playhouse greeter will assist you. For more information about performances with open captioning, ASL interpretation and audio description, please see page 16.

Children under the age of 6 are not permitted in the theatre during performances unless otherwise posted. Unaccompanied minors ages 12 and under are not permitted in the theatre.

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DINING

James’ Place is the Theatre District’s on-site restaurant. Developed by renowned Sushi Master James Holder, the menu includes his signature sushi, as well as delectable dishes created with Prime and Angus cuts of beef, locally and sustainably harvested seafood, along with seasonal dishes. A lighter fare menu is also served at the newly-redesigned sushi/cocktail bar, featuring craft beer and California wines. James’ Place is open Tue-Fri 4:00 pm to close, and Sat & Sun 3:00 pm to close. For reservations, please call (858) 638-7778. For menu and hours, please visit jamesplacesd.com. We also recommend the following nearby restaurants:

Adobe El Restaurante and Mustangs & Burros at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 estancialajolla.com

Cusp Restaurant and Hiatus Poolside Lounge at Hotel La Jolla 7955 La Jolla Shores Drive La Jolla, CA 92037 cusprestaurant.com

Café la Rue and The Med at La Valencia Hotel 1132 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92037 lavalencia.com

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 8970 University Center Lane San Diego, CA 92122 flemingssteakhouse.com

Dolce Pane e Vino 16081 San Dieguito Road Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067 dolcepaneevino.com

Giuseppe Restaurants & Fine Catering 700 Prospect Street San Diego, CA 92037 giuseppecatering.com

Pamplemousse Grille 514 Via de la Valle, Suite 100 Solana Beach, CA 92075 pgrille.com Piatti 2182 Avenida De La Playa La Jolla, Ca 92037 Phone: 858-454-1589 piatti.com/lajolla Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery Playhouse Patrons Get 20% Off 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive La Jolla, CA 92037 rockbottom.com

A MESSAGE FROM THE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

MISSION STATEMENT:

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La Jolla Playhouse has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s premier charity evaluator.

La Jolla Playhouse has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s premier charity evaluator. P4

I was just out of college when I landed my very first paying job as a director on a five-actor, 50-minute musical adaptation of Mary Rodgers’ 1972 awardwinning children’s novel, Freaky Friday, designed to tour in a van to young audiences.

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I was enchanted by Mary’s depiction of teenage angst in her comedy about a sarcastic, selfinvolved girl who wakes up to find that she’s switched bodies with her mother. Her journey from abject annoyance to self-recognition felt so emotionally truthful. © Howard Lipin/U-T San Diego/ZUMA Wire

Mary composed the music and John Forster wrote the book and lyrics for the show. I remember sitting in Mary’s Upper West Side apartment when she played the music on her father’s piano — the same one on which Richard Rodgers composed Oklahoma. Despite being Broadway royalty, Mary was a smart, down-to-earth woman who knew her stuff. She was also warm and funny as she took me under her wing. Working on the show was a tremendous learning experience. Trying to figure out what worked and didn’t, and then going back to the drawing board, was so dynamic and exciting that I became hooked on new work. There’s a direct connection from my experience on Freaky Friday and my passion for the Playhouse’s Page-To-Stage workshop productions and DNA New Work Series. Since that time, Freaky Friday has had several iterations. Mary wrote the screenplay for the 1976 movie starring Jodie Foster, the Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis film followed in 2003, and there was also a short-lived TV version starring Shelley Long. But Mary’s book is the “mama” of all body-switch stories. “You would understand me if you could walk in my shoes” has become the mantra for all mother/ daughter relationships and their profound need for unconditional love and acceptance.

Thirty years have passed since my first encounter with Freaky Friday, and I feel I have come full circle. I’m working on a full-length, grownup version of Mary’s story with a creative team that shares my deep affection for Mary and her by-now classic book.

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS

DISNEY’S

Christopher Ashley Artistic Director

Michael S. Rosenberg Managing Director

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE AND ALLEY THEATRE

BOOK BY

BRIDGET CARPENTER

MUSIC BY

TOM KITT

LYRICS BY

BRIAN YORKEY

BASED ON THE NOVEL “FREAKY FRIDAY” BY MARY RODGERS AND THE WALT DISNEY MOTION PICTURES

CHOREOGRAPHED BY

SERGIO TRUJILLO DIRECTED BY

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY FEATURING NOAH BAIRD*, KATIE BANVILLE, JEANNETTE BAYARDELLE*, HEIDI BLICKENSTAFF*, EEAN COCHRAN*, JOSEPH DELLGER*, JESSIE HOOKER*, EMMA HUNTON*, DAVID JENNINGS*, STORM LEVER*, MARY JO McCONNELL*, JAKE HESTON MILLER*, TONY NEIDENBACH*, JENNAFER NEWBERRY*, CHRIS RAMIREZ*, JULIAN RAMOS*, JERMAINE R. REMBERT*, ALET TAYLOR,* JASON SWEETTOOTH WILLIAMS*, SUMI YU* MUSIC DIRECTOR MUSIC SUPERVISOR CO-ORCHESTRATIONS CO-VOCAL ARRANGEMENTS DANCE & INCIDENTAL ARRANGEMENTS SCENIC DESIGNER COSTUME DESIGNER LIGHTING DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNERS HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER CASTING DRAMATURG STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER PRODUCTION MANAGER

ANDREW GRAHAM BRYAN PERRI MICHAEL STAROBIN & TOM KITT CARMEL DEAN & TOM KITT TOM KITT BEOWULF BORITT EMILY REBHOLZ HOWELL BINKLEY KAI HARADA & BRIAN RONAN LEAH LOUKAS ERIC WOODALL, C.S.A./TARA RUBIN CASTING SHIRLEY FISHMAN PAUL J. SMITH* JULIANNE MENASSIAN* AMANDA NUSSBAUM* BENJAMIN SEIBERT

THE CAST (in order of appearance)

Ellie.......................................................................................................................Emma Hunton Katherine........................................................................................................Heidi Blickenstaff Torrey/Ensemble.........................................................................................................Alet Taylor Wells/Photographer/Ensemble.............................................................................Julian Ramos Pastor Bruno/Dr. Ehrin/Officer Kowalski/Ensemble....................Jason SweetTooth Williams Teen Ensemble.........................................................................................................Storm Lever Teen Ensemble...............................................................................................Tony Neidenbach Parker/Ensemble...................................................................................................Eean Cochran Ms. Meyers/Journalist/Officer Sitz/Ensemble.......................................Jeannette Bayardelle Fletcher........................................................................................................Jake Heston Miller Mike...................................................................................................................David Jennings Grandpa George/Mr. Blumen/Señor O’Brien/Ensemble....................................Joseph Dellger Grandma Helene/Mrs. Luckenbill/Mrs. Time/Ensemble...........................Mary Jo McConnell Hannah/Ensemble...........................................................................................................Sumi Yu Gretchen/Ensemble....................................................................................Jennafer Newberry Savannah/Ensemble............................................................................................Jessie Hooker Adam.....................................................................................................................Chris Ramirez Swings........................................................................... Katie Banville, Jermaine R. Rembert Setting: Outside Chicago, Present Day Freaky Friday will be performed with a 15-minute intermission.

UNDERSTUDIES Katherine...........................................................................................................................................................Alet Taylor Ellie.........................................................................................................................................................................Sumi Yu Fletcher............................................................................................................................................................Noah Baird Savannah/Gretchen.......................................................................................................................................Storm Lever Grandpa George................................................................................................................Jason SweetTooth Williams Mr. Blumen/Señor O’Brien/Mike/Pastor Bruno/Dr. Ehrin/Officer Kowalski...............................Jermaine R. Rembert Parker/Adam/Wells.............................................................................................................................Tony Neidenbach Ms. Meyers/Journalist/Officer Sitz/Mrs. Luckenbill/Mrs. Time/Hannah/Gretchen/Torrey....................Katie Banville Grandma Helene...........................................................................................................................Jeannette Bayardelle

ADDITIONAL ` STAFF Associate Director..............................................................Amy Corcoran Moving Light Programmer...............................Christopher Annas Lee Associate Music Director....................................................Wayne Green Assistant Costume Designers...............Steve Rotramel, Emily Graily Associate Choreographer.......................................Jermaine R. Rembert Production Assistant.......................................................Alyssa Swann Associate Scenic Designer..................................................Alexis Distler Stage Management Intern............................................Kayla Geleynse Associate Lighting Designer....................................................Ken Wills Freaky Friday is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com

MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT ONE Just One Day..................................................................................................................................... Company I Got This............................................................................................ Ellie, Katherine, Students, Teachers What You Got....................................................................... Katherine, Torrey, Journalist, Photographer Oh, Biology................................................................................................................... Ellie, Adam, Students Vows.......................................................................................................................................................... Mike Busted................................................................................................... Ellie, Katherine, Parents, Students Somebody Has Got to Take the Blame........... Katherine, Ellie, Dr. Ehrin, Señor O’Brien, Ms. Luckenbill I Got This (Reprise)........................................................................................................................... Katherine Watch Your Back............................................................................................... Ms. Meyers, Ellie, Students Parents Lie........................................................................................................................................ Katherine Just One Day (Reprise)...................................................................................................................... Company ACT TWO I’m Not Myself Today........................................................................................... Katherine, Ellie, Company Women and Sandwiches................................................................................................ Adam and Fletcher Bring My (Baby) Brother Home.................................................................... Katherine, Ellie, Mike, Officers Go......................................................................................................................................... Adam, Company After All of This and Everything....................................................................................................... Katherine No More Fear............................................................................................................................................. Ellie Just One Day (Reprise)/Today and Ev’ry Day.................................................................................... Company

ORCHESTRA Music Director/Conductor/Keyboard 1..............................................................................................................................Andrew Graham Associate Conductor/Keyboard 2............................................................................................................................................Wayne Green Concertmaster...................................................................................................................................................................Healy Henderson Cello............................................................................................................................................................................................Erica Erenyi Alto Sax/Tenor Sax/Clarinet/Flute/Oboe....................................................................................................................................John Reilly Trumpet/Flugelhorn...................................................................................................................................................................Steve Dillard Acoustic/Electric Guitars.........................................................................................................................................................Vince Cooper Electric Bass........................................................................................................................................................................Michael Pearce Drums/Percussion...................................................................................................................................................................Shannon Ford Orchestra Contractor..................................................................................................................................................................Lorin Getline Rehearsal Piano............................................................................................................................................................................Lisa LeMay Rehearsal Drums.....................................................................................................................................................................Shannon Ford Keyboard Programmer..............................................................................................................................................................Randy Cohen

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association. This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.

This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. La Jolla Playhouse is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for the nonprofit professional theatre.

All musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

THE COMPANY NOAH BAIRD, Fletcher Understudy La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Matilda (swing). National Tour: A Christmas Story (Randy). Regional: Brother Boo in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (The Old Globe); Moonlight Amphitheatre, SDMT. Enormous thanks to Barry Kolker, Sabina Kalfa, Devin Ilaw, Doug Babara, NB, friends and teachers. Proud to be performing back home and be part of the La Jolla Playhouse community. Love to Grandparents (Cherlins and Bairds), family and my awesome sister Talia! #tarditgrade. KATIE BANVILLE, Swing/Understudy: Ms. Meyers/ Journalist, Officer Sitz, Mrs. Luckenbill, Mrs. Time, Hannah, Gretchen, Torrey La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: A Doll’s House (The Old Globe); Dainty June in Gypsy, April in Company, Parade, Cabaret, choreographer for A Christmas Carol (Cygnet Theatre – Resident Artist); Louise in Gypsy, Clara in Passion (ion theatre company); Jenny Hill in Big Fish, Gingy in Shrek (Moonlight Amphitheatre); Andi Lee in 42nd Street, Ragtime, Chicago (San Diego Musical Theatre); Choreographer for Gutenberg! The Musical (Backyard Renaissance). Education: B.F.A. Music Theatre, Illinois Wesleyan University; M.F.A. Musical Theatre candidate, San Diego State University. www. katiewhalley.com JEANNETTE BAYARDELLE, Ms. Meyers/Journalist/ Officer Sitz/Ensemble La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Hair, The Color Purple. Off-Broadway: Shida, Best of Both Worlds. National Tours: The Color Purple, Deaf West’s Big River, Rent. Regional: Sister Act (North Shore/Theatre By The Sea); The 12 (DCPA); Shida, Best of Both Worlds (A.R.T). Film: Disney’s Little Mermaid III. Awards: NAACP Theater Award (Best Lead Actress in a Musical) for the role of Celie in The Color Purple, AUDELCO Award (Best Performance) for Shida. www.jeannettebayardelle.com. HEIDI BLICKENSTAFF, Katherine La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Ms. Blickenstaff appeared on Broadway in Something Rotten! (Bea Bottom, Outer Critics nomination), [title of show] (original creative team and cast), The Addams Family (Alice Beineke), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Ursula) and The Full Monty. Other New York credits include The Most Happy Fella (Cleo) at City Center’s Encores! and Now. Here. This. and [title of show] at The Vineyard Theatre. Her regional credits include Next to Normal (Diana) at Weston Playhouse, Elf (Emily Hobbs) at Paper Mill Playhouse, Dog and Pony (Jane/Bonnie) at The Old Globe, First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb at The Kennedy Center and Meet John Doe (Ann Mitchell, Helen Hayes Award) at Ford’s Theatre. TV credits: PBS: First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb. Education: Duke University. EEAN COCHRAN, Parker/Ensemble is excited to make his La Jolla Playhouse debut with this production! Previous credits include the international tours of Dreamgirls and Bring It On; Mamma Mia! national tour. Regional: A Bronx Tale (Paper Mill Playhouse); The Wiz (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Hairspray (Casa Mañana); Joseph…Dreamcoat and Tarzan (The Legacy Theatre). Mr. Cochran is a recent graduate of Abilene Christian University receiving a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. Much gratitude and thanks to God, his family and close friends for their support, Sofia and CESD, also to Eric Woodall and the creative team for this opportunity. Follow him @eeeeeanc. Psalm 149:3.

JOSEPH DELLGER, Grandpa George/Mr. Blumen/ Señor O’Brien/Ensemble is delighted to make his debut at La Jolla Playhouse. Broadway: Mr. Dellger played Father in Ragtime and The Coroner in the Tony Award-winning Porgy and Bess. He originated the roles of Magnus in Lestat and William Randolph Hearst in Scandalous. Off-Broadway: Mr. Dellger played Bellomy and Hucklebee in the longest-running musical in US history, The Fantasticks. Regional: Andre in The Phantom of the Opera (Curran Theater, San Francisco); Jacques Brel…Paris (Alliance Theater); Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Arvada Center); Father in Ragtime (Ford Theater, Chicago); Inspector Hanke in The Visit (Goodman Theater); General Waverly in White Christmas (Fulton Theater); Padre in Man of La Mancha (Goodspeed Musicals); Ben in Follies (Signature Theater); Tom Watson in Nerds (world premiere at Philadelphia Theater Co.); The Bishop in Les Miserables (TOTS); Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins at Westchester Theater. A proud member of Equity! For Cenie and the Chief. JESSIE HOOKER, Savannah/Ensemble La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. National Tours: Legally Blonde: The Musical. Off-Broadway: Tamika in SISTAS The Musical. Regional: Dorothy in The Wiz (SSMT); Rusty in Footloose (PCLO); Squeak in The Color Purple, Sarah in Ragtime (Milwaukee Rep); Jenny in Company (Geva Theatre); Annie in It Shoulda Been You (Stages St Louis). She has also performed in numerous readings/workshops of new upcoming musicals in NYC. Ms. Hooker would like to thank: her family, friends, La Jolla Playhouse and the Freaky Friday team, as well as her incredible agents at KMR. Love to her fiancé, Gil. Education: B.F.A. in Musical Theatre at Shenandoah Conservatory. EMMA HUNTON, Ellie La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Ms. Hunton’s Broadway credits include Spring Awakening and Next to Normal. She appeared Off-Broadway in RENT and in the national tours of Wicked, Next to Normal and Les Misérables. Her regional credits include Cruel Intentions, The Big Lebowski, Clueless at Rockwell. DAVID JENNINGS, Mike La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: After Midnight, Hands on a Hardbody, Mary Rodgers’ Once Upon a Mattress (with Sarah Jessica Parker), The Genius of Ray Charles (West End). 1st National Tours: Simon Sr. in Kinky Boots, Coalhouse in Ragtime, Curtis in Dreamgirls (opposite Jennifer Holliday), Andre in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Grammy Award nominee for 30th Anniversary Recording). Regional: Ted in the original Sara Bareilles production of Waitress, Eddie in Sister Act (Pasadena Playhouse); Jake in Side Show (Colony Los Angeles); Porgy in Porgy & Bess, Clopin in Notre Dame de Paris (Paris Las Vegas). TV: Blue Bloods, The Shield, Last Week Tonight, Christmas at The Grove.

THE COMPANY STORM LEVER, Ensemble/Understudy: Gretchen/ Savannah La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Dorothy in The Wringer (City Center). Regional: Savannah in Freaky Friday (Signature Theater, VA); understudy in Emotional Creature (Berkeley Rep); Siren in Kansas City Choir Boy (Arsht Center, FL). New York Theater: Jade in Fashion Academy (Vital Theater); Meredith in Good Swimmer (Prototype Festival); workshops: Duckling Donna, The Donna Summer Project (Signature Theater, NY). Educational: Emmie in Caroline, or Change, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Little Red in Into the Woods, Crystal in Little Shop of Horrors, Girl 1 in Spring Awakening. Education: B.F.A. University of Michigan. She’d like to thank her family, BRS/Gage and her BFAmily, MT15 for their constant love and support. MARY JO McCONNELL, Grandma Helene/Mrs. Luckenbill/

THE COMPANY CHRIS RAMIREZ, Adam La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Icon. Regional: Man of La Mancha (Barrington Stage); The Count of Monte Cristo (Pioneer Theater); In the Heights (Speakeasy Stage); Violet (Clarence Brown Theater); Blatantly Blaine (Peoples Improv Theater). Education: The Boston Conservatory and William Esper Studio. Deepest of gratitude to the cast and creative team, Harden-Curtis Associates, and my loving family. JULIAN RAMOS, Wells/Photographer/Ensemble La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. NYC: West Side Story (Carnegie Hall). Regional: Disney’s Freaky Friday (Signature); Josephine (Asolo Rep); MTWichita; RMRT. Education: Indiana University and The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Love and Thanks to The Mine, IUMT, EmAbsAl. For Mom. Insta: @_julianramos

Mrs. Time/Ensemble

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. National Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), All Shook Up, Sister Act. Off-Broadway: Soap Star, Menopause, The Musical (original cast). Regional highlights: original San Francisco productions of Forbidden Broadway, Nunsense, Sunday in the Park with George. TV: Pan Am, Masters of Sex, One Life to Live. M.F.A., American Conservatory Theater. Her longest running engagement to date is three years in the US Army Nurse Corps in the role of Captain. www.maryjomcconnell.com JAKE HESTON MILLER, Fletcher La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. New York: Radio City Music Hall, Rockette’s Summer Spectacular. Tour: The School of Rock Promotional Tour. Regional: Fletcher in Freaky Friday (Signature Theatre); Oliver in Oliver (Arena Stage); Tiny Tim in Scrooge No More! (Busch Gardens); Eep the mouse in Mother Goose Club (voice over). TONY NEIDENBACH, Ensemble/Understudy: Parker, Adam, Wells La Jolla Playhouse: Debut! National Tour: Roundabout Theatre Company’s Anything Goes. Regional: Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, TUTS, The Muny, Northern Stage, Pioneer Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Seaside Music Theater, Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and Jacob’s Pillow. New York credits include Off-Broadway, Metropolitan Opera, 65th and 70th annual Tony Awards, New York City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival and the HBO web series High Maintenance. Special thanks to the entire creative team! For Migs. JENNAFER NEWBERRY, Gretchen/Ensemble La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?. Regional: Nemo in Finding Nemo: The Musical (Walt Disney World); Shelley in Bat Boy: The Musical (The Abbey); Clara in The Light in the Piazza (Mad Cow Theatre); Martha in the all-female Production of 1776 (Mad Cow Theatre); Parade, Bye Bye Birdie and various shows aboard Disney Cruise Line, including Hercules: The Muse-ical. Education: B.F.A. from NYU Tisch School of the Arts: CAP21. Thanks to Tom, Tara Rubin Casting, and this spectacular creative team. Endless love and gratitude to my family: near and far, blood and chosen. You know who you are. John 13:34-35

JERMAINE R. REMBERT, Swing/Understudy: Mr. Blumen, Senor O’Brien, Mike, Pastor Bruno, Dr.Ehrin, Officer Kowalski La Jolla Playhouse: Memphis. Broadway: Memphis, La Cage aux Folles, Follies, Oklahoma, Swing, On the Twentieth Century, Funny Girl and Lindy Hop feature in Chance & Chemistry. Tour: West Side Story (European Tour); Swing, All Shook Up, Memphis (1st National Tour). New York: City Center: The Bandwagon (premiere); Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Lincoln Center: Camelot (with NY Philharmonic). Regional: The Goodspeed: My Paris (premiere, The Story of Toulouse-Lautrec); Gateway Playhouse: Will Rogers Follies. ALET TAYLOR, Torrey/Ensemble/Katherine Understudy La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. New York Theatre: The Boys from Syracuse, Li’l Abner, Sweet Adeline, One Touch of Venus (Encores! City Center). National Tour: The Producers. Regional: A Sign of the Times (Goodspeed); God of Carnage (Northport Playhouse); Guys and Dolls (Cabrillo); Justin Love (Celebration/Ovation nom, Best Actress); Having It All (Noho Arts/Ovation nom, Best Actress); The Producers (Vegas/ Paris Hotel). TV/Film: Law & Order SVU, The Path, Gotham, San Andreas Quake, First Family, Panty Soldiers (writer/in-production). More at alettaylor.com JASON SWEETTOOTH WILLIAMS, Pastor Bruno/Dr. Ehrin/ Officer Kowalski/Ensemble/Grandpa George Understudy

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Off-Broadway/New York: Once Upon a Mattress (opposite Jackie Hoffman), Bloodsong of Love, ReWrite, The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks, The Disappearing Man, Things to Ruin: The Songs of Joe Iconis. Regional: Pump Boys and Dinettes (Weston Playhouse); The Trouble with Doug (Theatre Works, Palo Alto); Nine Wives, True Love (Sharon Playhouse). Education: B.F.A. from Emerson College. SUMI YU, Hannah/Ensemble/Ellie Understudy La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Bucks County Playhouse); Yvette in Miss Saigon (Flat Rock Playhouse). Education: B.F.A. from Elon University. Thank you to my family, MT15, The Mine, Kona, and my wonderful husband Corbin for their endless love and support. www.sumiyu.com

THECOMPANY COMPANY THE BRIDGET CARPENTER, Book A television writer, producer and playwright, Bridget Carpenter created the event series 11.22.63 for Bad Robot based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, which debuted on Hulu February 15, 2016 and has been nominated for a WGA award. Prior to 11.22.63, she wrote and co-executive produced all five seasons of the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning series Friday Night Lights. She also was a coexecutive producer on Parenthood, and most recently, was executive producer/showrunner of Sundance Channel’s drama series The Red Road. Carpenter’s plays have been produced by Steppenwolf Theatre, the Public Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and many other theaters across the country. She has written several songs for film, including “Basmati Blues” and “Dear Dumb Diary.” Carpenter received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Princess Grace Award, the Kesselring Prize and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She also received Emmy and WGA nominations for Friday Night Lights. Her plays Fall, Up and The Faculty Room are published by Samuel French. Carpenter is an alum of New Dramatists. TOM KITT, Music/Co-Orchestrations/Co-Vocal Arrangements/ Dance & Incidental Arrangements received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal. His music for Next to Normal also received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Score. He is also the composer of If/Then (Tony Nom., Outer Critics Nom.); High Fidelity (Broadway); Bring it On, The Musical (co-composer with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway); The Winter’s Tale, All’s Well That Ends Well, and Cymbeline (The Public’s NYSF); From Up Here and The Madrid (MTC); Orphans (Broadway) and The Retributionists (Playwrights Horizons). Mr. Kitt was responsible for the music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for Grease Live!; Green Day’s American Idiot on Broadway and most recently, The SpongeBob Musical’s pre-Broadway engagement in Chicago. His work with Green Day also includes additional arrangements for their Grammy Award-winning album 21st Century Breakdown and their album trilogy, ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!. He received an Emmy Award as co-writer (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) for the 2013 Tony Award opening number, Bigger. Other Television Songwriting credits include a musical episode of Royal Pains, and songs for Penny Dreadful, and Sesame Street. As a musical director, conductor, arranger and orchestrator, credits include Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, 2Cellos featuring Lang Lang (Live and Let Die), The Kennedy Center Honors, 13, Debbie Does Dallas, Everyday Rapture, Hair, Laugh Whore, Pippin (Deaf West), and These Paper Bullets. BRIAN YORKEY, Lyrics received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score, for Next to Normal. He was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal, and his work on the show earned him the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Score. He partnered again with the Next to Normal team on If/Then (Tony Award nominee for Best Score), starring Idina Menzel. Brian co-wrote the libretto for The Last Ship (Outer Critics nomination, with John Logan), with a score by Sting. He is currently working on the original musical Jesus in My Bedroom, with composer Tim Symons, as well as stage musical adaptations of Magic Mike and the Tom McCarthy film The Visitor. He adapted Jay Asher’s bestselling novel 13 Reasons Why for Netflix, Paramount Television and Anonymous Content, launching on Netflix this March. Additional theatre credits include Making Tracks, which has played off-Broadway and regionally, the musical adaptation of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, and the play Book of Jobs with Alex Glover. Brian has directed off-Broadway and regionally and for seven years was associate artistic director at Village Theatre in Washington state, one of the nation’s leading producers of new musicals. He’s a graduate of Columbia University, where he was artistic director of the Varsity Show, an alum of the BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the WGA.

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CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY, Director has served as Artistic Director since October, 2007. During his tenure, he has helmed the Playhouse’s productions of Hollywood, Come From Away, Chasing the Song, His Girl Friday, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Dram of Drummhicit, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Restoration, Xanadu and Memphis, which won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. He also spearheaded the Playhouse’s Without Walls (WoW) series and the Resident Theatre program. Prior to joining the Playhouse, he directed the Broadway productions of Xanadu (Drama Desk nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), as well as the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Other New York credits include: Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, Wonder of the World, Communicating Doors, Bunny Bunny, The Night Hank Williams Died and Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley also directed the feature films Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, as well as the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship. SERGIO TRUJILLO, Choreographer La Jolla Playhouse: Chasing the Song, Memphis, Zhivago, The Wiz, Jersey Boys, Chasing the Song. Broadway: A Bronx Tale, On Your Feet (Tony Award nominee, Outer Critics Circle/Astaire Award), Best Musical Tony Award Winner Memphis, (Olivier/OCC Award, Drama Desk/Astaire Award nominations), Tony/Olivier Award-winning Jersey Boys (OCC/ Greenroom/Dora Awards, Drama Desk nomination), Addams Family, Next to Normal, Hands on a Hardbody (Drama Desk nomination), Leap of Faith, Guys and Dolls (Astaire Awards nomination), All Shook Up. Other theatre: Freaky Friday (Signature Theatre), Invisible Thread (Second Stage), Flashdance (National Tour). International: Tarzan (Disney), Peggy Sue Got Married (West End), The Sound of Music and West Side Story (Stratford Festival). Upcoming: Arrabal (ART), The Donna Summer Project (La Jolla Playhouse), The Detroit Project (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). BRYAN PERRI, Music Supervisor La Jolla Playhouse: Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin. Broadway: Wicked (current music director/conductor), Chaplin (music director, vocal and dance arranger). Broadway Touring: Next to Normal, Wicked, Altar Boyz. Off-Broadway: Second Stage: Dogfight, Vanities; York Theater: Is There Life After High School?. New York: New York Musical Theater Festival, New York Stage and Film. Other: Princess Cruises: music supervisor/co-orchestrator/arranger for Born to Dance; music director/arranger for Aaron Tveit; Ridgefield Playhouse: Resident Music Director for the Broadway and Cabaret series: Tommy, Broadway Backstage, Dancin’ Broadway, An Evening with Stephen Schwartz, Joel Grey in Concert. ANDREW GRAHAM, Music Director/Conductor La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. New York: Avenue Q, Wicked. Las Vegas: Spamalot, Avenue Q. National Tours: Wicked, Avenue Q, Pippin, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Seussical, The Music Man, Footloose. European Tours: Hair, Grease. Regional: Muny: Aida, Annie, Footloose; NSMT: Aida, Fame; Tuacahn: Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s When You Wish (world premiere). Education: Capital University in Columbus, Ohio; Trinity College of Music in London.

THE COMPANY MICHAEL STAROBIN, Co-Orchestrations La Jolla Playhouse: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Miss Sunshine, Dracula, The Musical, Merrily We Roll Along. Elsewhere: First Daughter Suite, If/Then, Annie, Dogfight, Queen of the Mist, People in the Picture, Sondheim on Sondheim, Next to Normal, Glorious Ones, Grinch, Adrift in Macao, Bernarda Alba, Spelling Bee, Assassins, Tom Sawyer, A New Brain, A Christmas Carol, Hello Again, Guys and Dolls, My Favorite Year, Falsettos, In Trousers, Sunday in the Park with George, Once on This Island, Closer Than Ever, Legs Diamond, Romance Romance, Carrie, Birds of Paradise, Rags, Three Guys Naked…, Von Richtofen. Film: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Life with Mikey, Home on the Range, Tangled, Lucky Stiff. CARMEL DEAN, Co-Vocal Arrangements La Jolla Playhouse: Hands on a Hardbody. Broadway: If/Then (musical director), Hands on a Hardbody (musical director/vocal arranger), American Idiot (musical director), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (vocal arranger/associate musical director). Off-Broadway: Everyday Rapture, Emotional Creature, Elegies: A Song Cycle, Belle Epoque. Other: Chita Rivera (musical director); Grammy Awards (performed with Green Day); Vocal Arranger for Phish (NYE 2013; Halloween 2016); 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening & Closing Ceremonies. BEOWULF BORITT, Scenic Designer La Jolla Playhouse: Come From Away. Broadway: Act One (Tony Award), The Scottsboro Boys (Tony nomination), Therese Raquin (Tony nomination), A Bronx Tale, Hand to God, On the Town, Sondheim on Sondheim, …Spelling Bee, LoveMusik, Rock of Ages, Chaplin, Bronx Bombers, Grace, The Two and Only. Off-Broadway: 100 shows, including The Last Five Years, Little Miss Sunshine and Miss Julie. Other Designs: The Seven Deadly Sins (New York City Ballet) and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He received a 2007 OBIE Award for sustained excellence. EMILY REBHOLZ, Costume Designer La Jolla Playhouse: Indecent. Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Oh, Hello, If/Then, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Recent Off-Broadway: Vineyard Theatre: Indecent; Second Stage: Dear Evan Hansen, The Way We Get By; Roundabout Theatre: The Robber Bridegroom; Shakespeare in the Park: The Tempest, Into the Woods; The Civilians: Pretty Filthy; Signature: Our Lady of Kibeho; Apollo Theater: Yardbird. New York: Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, Lincoln Center, MCC, The Atlantic Theater Company, Rattlestick, The Women’s Project and many more. DC Area: Shakespeare Theatre: Othello. Recent regional theater and opera: Santa Fe Opera: Don Giovanni; Opera Theater of St. Louis: La Boheme; The Goodman Theater: Another Word for Beauty. Education: M.F.A., Yale University. Emilyrebholz.com HOWELL BINKLEY, Lighting Designer La Jolla Playhouse: Hollywood, Come From Away, Chasing the Song, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Memphis, Xanadu, Cry-Baby, Zhivago, The Wiz, Private Fittings, Palm Beach, Jersey Boys, The Farnsworth Invention, Dracula, Eden Lane and How to Succeed... starring Matthew Broderick. Broadway: Hamilton (2016 Tony Award), After Midnight (2014 Tony nomination), How to Succeed... starring Daniel Radcliffe (2011 Tony nomination), West Side Story (2009 Tony nomination), Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, In the Heights (2008 Tony nomination), Avenue Q, The Full Monty, Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993 Tony nomination). Extensive Regional and dance works include The Joffrey Ballet’s Billboards, Co-Founder and Resident Lighting Designer for Parsons Dance. Proud recipient of the 1993 Sir Laurence Olivier Award and Canadian Dora Award for Kiss of the Spider Woman and the 2006 Henry Hewes Design Award, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Awards for Jersey Boys.

KAI HARADA, Co-Sound Designer La Jolla Playhouse: Side Show. Broadway: Allegiance, Gigi, Fun Home, On the Town, First Date, Follies (Tony Award & Drama Desk nominations), and Million Dollar Quartet. Other: Poster Boy (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Amélie (Berkeley Rep); Beaches (Drury Lane); Brooklynite (Vineyard Theatre); Little Dancer and First You Dream (Kennedy Center); Zorro (Moscow and Atlanta); Hinterm Horizont (Berlin); Sweeney Todd and Pirates of Penzance (Portland Opera); Head Over Heels and She Loves Me (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Rent (5th Avenue Theatre); and Barbie Live!. Associate design credits to Tony Meola include A Christmas Carol; Disney’s Der Glöckner von Notre Dame; Kiss Me, Kate; and Wicked. Audio Consultant for the recent revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Education: Yale University. BRIAN RONAN, Co-Sound Designer La Jolla Playhouse: Bonnie & Clyde. Broadway: Over 30 designs including Tuck Everlasting, The Last Ship, Beautiful, If/Then, Bring It On, Nice Work, The Book of Mormon, Anything Goes, American Idiot, Promises, Promises, Next to Normal, Spring Awakening, Curtains, Grey Gardens and The Pajama Game. Off-Broadway: Lazarus, Giant, Rent, Everyday Rapture, Saved, 10 Million Miles, Bug. Regional: Dancing in the Dark (The Old Globe); Bleacher Burns (Royal George); My Paris (Long Wharf Theatre). Awards: Obie, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Olivier and Tony Awards. TARA RUBIN CASTING, Casting La Jolla Playhouse: Miss You Like Hell, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Sideways, Most Wanted, The Wiz, The Farnsworth Invention, Palm Beach, Zhivago, Jersey Boys. Selected Broadway: Miss Saigon (upcoming), Falsettos, A Bronx Tale, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, Disaster!, School of Rock, Dr. Zhivago, It Shoulda Been You, Gigi, Bullets Over Broadway, Aladdin, Les Misérables, Mothers and Sons, Big Fish, The Heiress, How to Succeed..., A Little Night Music, Billy Elliot, Shrek, Guys and Dolls, Young Frankenstein, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, … Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway: Here Lies Love; Old Jews Telling Jokes; Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Regional: Yale Repertory Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Bucks County Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, The Old Globe. SHIRLEY FISHMAN, Dramaturg During fifteen years at La Jolla Playhouse, Ms. Fishman has worked on such plays and musicals as Hollywood, Tiger Style!, Indecent, Healing Wars, Come From Away, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chasing the Song, An Iliad, Hands on a Hardbody, 2016 POP Tour Alice Chan and many projects in development. At the Joseph Papp Public Theater she dramaturged such projects as Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, Two Sisters and a Piano by Nilo Cruz and Arthur Miller’s The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, among others. She serves as a Dramaturg for UC San Diego’s Wagner New Play Festival, and was the co-curator of the New Work Now! annual new play festival, Sundance Theatre Lab, Seattle’s 5th Ave Theatre, Denver Theatre Center, Magic Theatre, San Diego Rep, Native Voices at the Autry and Playwrights Project, among others. She is an MFA graduate of Columbia University’s Theatre Theory/Criticism/Dramaturgy program. PAUL J. SMITH, Stage Manager Stage manager of 17 Broadway and 8 national tours, most recently DISASTER, Amazing Grace, If/Then, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Shatner’s World, Bonnie & Clyde (world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse), Coram Boy, Twelve Angry Men, Little Mermaid, All Shook Up, Hairspray, Chicago, Carousel, Aida (Broadway, First National Tour and most recently Production Supervisor for Seoul 2016), Grease!, The Will Rogers Follies. Five events for Carnegie Hall including Sacred Ellington and Ask Your Mama with Jessye Norman, Showboat and The Sound of Music.

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THE COMPANY / PLAYHOUSE LEADERSHIP JULIANNE MENASSIAN, Assistant Stage Manager La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. New York: Pip’s Island, Peccadillo Theater Co, Active Theatre, Hudson Stage Co. Regional: Freaky Friday, Girlstar (Signature Theatre); Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mamma Mia! (John W. Engeman Theatre); Bad Jews (Studio Theatre); Yentl (Theater J); Titanic (Hangar Theatre); Water by the Spoonful (Lyric Stage Co. of Boston); Les Miserables, Annie Get Your Gun, Circle Mirror Transformation, Shrek (Weathervane Theatre). Tours: Cabaret, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, We the People. Other: The Beautiful Dream (Royal Caribbean). Special Events and Concert Coordinator 2015 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Education: Ithaca College. AMANDA NUSSBAUM, Assistant Stage Manager La Jolla Playhouse: DNA Series (Child of Colonialism), Come From Away, Romulus Kilgore’s Mobile Happiness Bazaar (2015 Without Walls Festival). Broadway: The Real Thing. Regional: tokyo fish story, Measure for Measure, The Last Goodbye, Summer Shakespeare Studio and Intensive (2014-2016) (The Old Globe). Education: M.F.A. University of California, San Diego.

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY, Playhouse Artistic Director Please see Mr. Ashley’s bio on page 10.

MICHAEL S. ROSENBERG, Managing Director has served as the Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse since April, 2009. Working in partnership with Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, he has developed and produced new work by Ayad Akhtar, Trey Anastasio, Amanda Green, Kirsten Greenidge, Quiara Alegría Hudes, John Leguizamo, Herbert Siguenza, Basil Twist, Doug Wright and The Flaming Lips. Playhouse collaborations have included projects with UC San Diego, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, The New Children’s Museum, San Diego Rep, Tectonic Theatre Project, the I.D.E.A. District and the cities of Escondido and Chula Vista. Previously, Mr. Rosenberg was Co-Founder and Executive Director of Drama Dept., a New York non-profit theatre company, where he produced new works by the likes of Douglas Carter Beane, Warren Leight, Isaac Mizrahi, Paul Rudnick and David & Amy Sedaris. His early work included stints at the Kennedy Center and the National Dance Institute. Mr. Rosenberg serves on the Boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, The San Diego Tourism Authority and the Theatre Communications Group, where he is on the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and chairs the Global Theatre Initiative Community. Follow him on Twitter: @MrMikeRosenberg

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ALLEY THEATRE is a nationally recognized theatre company lead by Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden. Founded in 1947, the Alley is a recipient of the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and has brought productions to Broadway, off-Broadway, New York’s Lincoln Center, 40 American cities and internationally to Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg throughout its 70 year history. Home to a Resident Company of actors, the Alley is one of the few professional American not- for- profit theatres to embrace this ideal. In 2015, the Alley underwent a major renovation to its iconic 100,000 square foot, two theatre complex. Attached to the theatre complex is a 75,000 square foot state-of-the-art production center that houses scenery construction, costumes, properties, wigs, lighting and sound design. Alley All New, the initiative to commission and develop new work year round, features the Alley All New Festival each season presenting workshops and readings of new plays and musicals in process. The Alley stages up to 12 productions and 420 performances annually. CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE Founded in 1915 and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is America’s first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences across Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.

DEBBY BUCHHOLZ, General Manager has served as general manager of La Jolla Playhouse since 2002. She is the Secretary of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and a member of its Executive Committee. In 2009, she received a San Diego Women Who Mean Business Award from The San Diego Business Journal. Previously she served as Counsel to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. She was a faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution’s program on Legal Problems of Museum Administration. Prior to The Kennedy Center, she served as a corporate attorney in New York City and Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of UC San Diego and Harvard Law School. Ms. Buchholz and her husband, noted author and White House economic policy advisor Todd Buchholz, live in Solana Beach and are the proud parents of Victoria, Katherine and Alexia. DES McANUFF, Director Emeritus served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director from 1983 through 1994, and from 2001 through April, 2007. Under his leadership, the Playhouse garnered more than 300 awards, including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Playhouse to Broadway credits: Jersey Boys (four Tony Awards); Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Tony Award); How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (five Tony nominations); director and co-author with Pete Townshend on The Who’s Tommy (Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Director) and Big River (seven Tony Awards), among others. Film credits: Quills, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Iron Giant (9 Animation Society awards) and Cousin Bette. Recipient of the Drama League’s 2006 Julia Hansen Award, Mr. McAnuff served as Artistic Director at Canada’s Stratford Festival from 2007 through 2012. He recently directed the hit productions of Sideways, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Playhouse.

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FR EAKY F RI DAY RE DUX: This Time with Music Dramaturg Shirley Fishman spoke with Freaky Friday’s book writer Bridget Carpenter, composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey about their approach to developing Mary Rodgers’ award-winning 1972 children’s novel into a musical.

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Shirley Fishman: How familiar were you with Mary Rodgers’ book, the 1976 movie starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, and the 2003 version with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis? Bridget Carpenter: I read the book when I was 11, locked in a bookstore — for real. It won my heart; I’ve loved and revered it ever since. I especially loved the teenage girl — she was smart, funny and self-centered. She was also sometimes achingly emotional with lots of opinions, but wasn’t snarky. The book made me want to do this show! Brian Yorkey: When I was a kid I had two challenging older sisters; I stole the book from one of them so I could read it. The brother/sister relationship in the book reminded me of my own with my sisters and I felt a deep connection to it. Tom Kitt: The Jodie Foster movie (Mary wrote the screenplay) was my first encounter with the story. I learned about the book later. SF: How did you get involved with adapting the book into a musical? BC: I was at a breakfast with my lawyers and I told them that I really wanted to write musicals. One of the lawyers said, “I think Disney is putting together Freaky Friday,” and I said, “Please, please get me into that room, because that’s the musical I would kill to write.” They did, and Disney hired me. TK: From the time we came on board, we continually looked to Mary’s book for inspiration and guidance. But we knew that since this was going to be a new adaptation, we needed to

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meet the challenge of creating a new world for Freaky Friday while making sure to honor and retain the emotion and spirit of Mary’s initial creation. SF: There are some differences in your version from the book and movies. What kind of discussions did you have about how to approach the story? TK: We were using Mary’s book as the basic concept, but were asking questions about what we would rework. BC: The thing is that Mary didn’t just write the book, she invented a genre — the mother/daughter body switch. There’ve been so many movies and plays that came after the book was published — the movie Big and the play Prelude to a Kiss wouldn’t have happened without Freaky Friday. She showed how much wit, buoyancy and emotional complexity the characters could have in that situation. BY: We didn’t want to change the heart of the book. Even though it was written decades ago, Mary’s voice is so specific that her teenage girl is still recognizable to us today. She captured all those things that teenage girls are, always have been and always will be. We wanted to preserve that. BC: I went to Mary and told her that I wanted to keep the core dramatic device of her story: the body switch between mother and daughter. And after that, I asked for the freedom to reinvent these characters and their circumstances to best reflect the mothers and daughters that I know right now. I wanted the mother to be working — and imperfect. I wanted the girl to be ordinary; I didn’t want her to have anything magical or special about her. Mary was incredible; she said, “Absolutely! I trust you completely with this story.”

SF: How did you come up with the idea of an antique hourglass as the device that prompts the mother/ daughter switch? BY: We wanted the body switch to be tangible, not just an obligatory magical event as it was in the book. The hourglass, as a gift from the deceased father/husband, precipitates their world turning upside down, and later brings them together. It worked for us both storytelling-wise and as a theatrical event. TK: We were also trying to come up with some kind of quest or journey that was unique to our version of the story. Once Bridget came up with the scavenger hunt idea, with the hourglass on the list of objects to look for, we were off and running. BC: I’d read an article in The New Yorker about the University of Chicago’s annual three-day scavenger hunt where every nerd goes nuts trying to solve insanely difficult clues. I thought it was such a geeky, funny idea. I could see a kid wanting to do something like that — go on a scary, magical adventure in the big city. TK: We decided to place the show in the suburbs, rather than a big city. In the book, the family lives in New York City and they’re used to its rhythms and challenges. But for suburban kids, the city is much more of an exciting unknown to explore. For those parents who have chosen to live outside of that environment (as mine did), I imagine that an all-night scavenger hunt taking place in the big city would be even more terrifying. SF: There are lots of present-day references in the show — in the dialogue, music, choreography and use of technology. How did you go about updating the story to reflect teenage life now? BY: You can go too far in placing a piece in the vernacular of a specific time period, particularly with teenagers. It could date a piece. Bridget wrote the teenagers in the show as completely contemporary. The references are current but don’t feel overly of the moment or aggressively updated. She translated Mary’s characters into teens that are familiar in our lives today. We had a rule: we could only use phrases that we knew the meaning of and would use ourselves – so we didn’t at any point seem like 40-somethings wanting to be teenagers.

TK: A wonderful thing about Mary’s book is her ability to write so authentically for these characters, and I wanted to bring the same quality to the music. In doing so, I needed to explore different tonalities in my writing. Rather than ask “How do I update the material,” I asked myself what would be the most truthful and emotional music for the characters in a specific moment. I was able to explore a number of different styles throughout the score but, at the end of the day, I always want to write something melodic and dynamic that makes the audience engaged and invested in the story. SF: It’s amazing that the teenage concerns in Mary’s book and the films are still present now — the death of a parent, bullying, the tug-of-war between parent and child, and desire for independence. BY: Teenage concerns haven’t changed that much. Circumstances have changed, particularly with social media. But at the heart of it — wanting freedom, to be understood and supported, the tug-of-war between parent and child — are still issues. Mary was writing from the heart about her relationship with her own mother; her voice, as embedded in the teenage girl, completely translates to today. SF: In what ways did you bring your own parenting experiences to the show? BC: I had a second child during the process of developing the show — and I’m a great multi-tasker! Also, I asked my daughter Rita to listen to Fletcher’s dialogue for authenticity. TK: I think our experiences as parents brings an authenticity to the story. I have three children and I think being a parent is an extraordinary adventure, filled with wonderful moments but also big challenges. The struggle to understand each other, have empathy and give each other enough space is a constant process. BY: Bridget and Tom’s point of view comes from being parents. I come from the point of view of a younger brother, so writing for the sister was kind of joyful. I’m now a proud uncle, and that’s where it stops! SF: Freaky Friday recently premiered at Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. and had a great run. What are your hopes for La Jolla Playhouse’s production? BC: It’s rewarding to have the opportunity to polish the show, refine the funny and wring every possible moment of truth out of it. TK: I’m thrilled that we have an entirely new audience for Freaky Friday that will continue to teach us about our material. And if the audience leaves the theater feeling a deeper love, appreciation, and understanding for their family — that’s a great thing.

Heidi Blickenstaff, Jake Heston Miller and Emma Hunton in Signature Theatre’s production of Freaky Friday; photo by Jim Saah

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AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EVENTS: FREAKY FRIDAY DISCOVERY SUNDAY

INSIDER EVENTS Join Playhouse staff for a special pre-performance presentation that gives an insider’s view of Freaky Friday. Saturday, February 18 at 1:15 pm Wednesday, February 22 at 6:45 pm