The 2011/2012 Season is made possible by Joan & Irwin Jacobs, City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, The Shubert Foundation, Dr. Seuss Fund at The San Diego Foundation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Becky Moores, Gail & Ralph Bryan, Sheri L. & Stuart W. Jamieson, Des McAnuff, Vivien & Jeffrey Ressler, The Rich Family Foundation, Colette & Ivor Royston, Steven Strauss & Lise Wilson and Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust.
NOVEMBER 18 - DECEMBER 31 | WEISS THEATRE
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Lyrics by
TIM RICE
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER Directed by DES McANUFF Music By
This production made possible with the generous support of
Becky Moores
Individual Support Provided By: Michael Bartell & Melissa Garfield Bartell, Lon & Denise Bevers, Gail & Ralph Bryan, Michael & Juanita Eagle, Tamara & Kevin Kinsella, William & Lynelle Lynch, Jennifer Moores, Stephen A. Schutz & Susan Polis Schutz, Molli & Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P1 Cover and above image: Paul Nolan and members of the company of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar; photo by David Hou.
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS Michael S. Rosenberg Managing Director
Christopher Ashley Artistic Director
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of
LYRICS BY
TIM RICE
MUSIC BY
DIRECTED BY
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
DES McANUFF
CHOREOGRAPHER LISA SHRIVER MUSICAL DIRECTOR RICK FOX SET DESIGNER COSTUME DESIGNER LIGHTING DESIGNER VIDEO DESIGNER SOUND DESIGNER ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER ASSOCIATE MUSICAL DIRECTOR DRAMATURG FIGHT DIRECTOR STUNT COORDINATOR CASTING DIRECTOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION MANAGER LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
ROBERT BRILL PAUL TAZEWELL HOWELL BINKLEY SEAN NIEUWENHUIS JIM NEIL BRADLEY “SHOOZ” RAPIER LAURA BURTON CHAD SYLVAIN DANIEL LEVINSON SIMON FON BETH RUSSELL ELISSA HORSCROFT LINDA S. COOPER DANA I. HARREL
THE CAST
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LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MICHAEL EAGLE Chair SHEILA POTIKER (1929 - 2011) First Vice-Chair JEFFREY RESSLER Second Vice-Chair SUSAN POLIS SCHUTZ Third Vice-Chair MICHAEL BARTELL Treasurer MARGRET MCBRIDE Secretary TRUSTEES Gayle Allen Weston Anson Paula Marie Black Barbara Bloom Heidi Boruszewski Ralph Bryan* Linda L. Chester Flossie Cohen Doug Dawson Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D. David P. Dolgen* Susan E. Dubé Victor M. Felix Marye Anne Fox, Ph.D. Gregory Frost Hanna Gleiberman Kay Gurtin Hanaa Hensersky Debby Jacobs Joan Jacobs Sheri Jamieson Sal Janmohamed Jeanne Jones Gail Knox Lynelle Lynch
P8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
Lucille Neeley Reenie O'Dea Julie Potiker Steve Relyea Donald Rosenberg Ivor Royston Camille Saltman Tim Scott Judith C. Smith Steven M. Strauss* Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. Mary L. Walshok, Ph.D. Michael Yeatts Mark Zebrowski HONORARY TRUSTEES David Copley John Goodman Geri Ann Warnke* Robert Wright, Esq. EMERITA TRUSTEES Rita Bronowski (1917-2010) Marian Jones Longstreth (1906-1997) Ellen Revelle (1910-2009) EMERITUS TRUSTEES Richard Atkinson, Ph.D. Milton Fredman (1920-2005) Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.* Hughes Potiker (1925-2005) Roger Revelle (1909-1991) Willard P. VanderLaan, M.D.* Mandell Weiss (1891-1993) 1947 FOUNDERS Mel Ferrer Dorothy McGuire Gregory Peck *Past Chair of the Board
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On October 27, 1970, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, who would go on to become one of the most successful composer-lyricist teams in modern theatre history, released a double-LP “concept” album called Jesus Christ Superstar, which later became the smash-hit Broadway musical of the same name. Jesus Christ Superstar grew out of lyricist Tim Rice’s longtime fascination with Judas Iscariot, whom he conceived not as Jesus’ betrayer, but as a friend struggling with the implications of his growing celebrity. It was his third collaboration with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, after The Likes of Us (1965, but not produced on stage until 2005) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, first a pop cantata, then a “concept” album in 1969, which saw only limited performances in various English churches. Their new musical began with a single song “Superstar,” which was released in the U.K. in November 1969 to test the waters for any potential controversy. Although banned by many radio stations, the song was a success. It became an international hit; even the Vatican’s radio station played the song. Plans were made for a double album. Working with a cast that included Ian Gillan as Jesus, Murray Head in the role of Judas, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene, the recording took from March to July 1970 to complete in 60 sessions that included an 85-piece symphony orchestra, 6 rock musicians, 11 principal singers, 16 chorus singers, 3 choirs, a moog synthesizer and organ music that was recorded in a church. The recording was released as a “concept” album in the U.K. and then in the U.S. the following fall, spawning a Top 40
single with “I Don’t Know How To Love Him.” Although the musical would later find broad support among leaders of liberal Christian churches, early on it was considered too controversial to gain the financial backing necessary for a stage production. With Superstar, Rice and Lloyd Webber broke new ground in several ways. First, the idea of rock opera that included an amalgam of musical styles — from folk to heavy rock to ragtime — was still brand new. The Who’s Tommy had already been released, but no rock opera had yet been staged. Second, the idea that rock and roll was an acceptable language with which to tell this story was radical. Superstar found its place in a time when revolt was in the air. In the U.S., the early 1970s saw massive protests over the Vietnam war, Kent State shootings, publication of the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate scandal and Attica prison riot. The musical was presented for the first time on April 4, 1971 in a live concert performance by the Ravenswood Rock Group at New York’s Madison Avenue Baptist Church, sponsored by the Bel Canto opera. The first staged version was performed in June, 1971 by students at Southold High School in Southold, New York. Hundreds of unauthorized amateur and church
“
With the largest advance in Broadway history, Jesus Christ Superstar opened on October 12, 1971 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, directed by Tom O’Horgan. It made the covers of Time and Life magazines and, although it received mixed reviews and was considered controversial by religious groups, it went on to win five Tony Awards in 1972. The show closed on June 30, 1973 after 720 performances and has been produced internationally ever since.
We made him a type of Everyman. Judas did not think of himself as a traitor. He did what he did, not because he was basically evil, but because he was intelligent. He could see Christ becoming something he considered harmful to the Jews. Judas felt that they had been persecuted enough. As far as what Christ was saying, general principles of how human beings should live together — Judas approved of this. What Judas was worried about was that as Christ got bigger and bigger and more popular, people began switching their attentions from what Christ was saying to Christ himself. They were saying that Jesus is God, here is the new Messiah, and Judas was terrified because (a) he didn’t agree with it — he thought Christ was getting out of control and it was affecting him, and (b) Judas reckoned that if the movement got too big and people began worshipping Christ as a god, the Romans who were occupying Israel would come down and clobber them.
Right: Paul Nolan in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Photo by David Hou.
– Jesus Christ Superstar lyricist Tim Rice
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, 1970
productions sprang up overnight, eliciting lawsuits by the authors. The first authorized American concert took place on July 11, 1971 in front of an audience of 13,000 people in Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena.
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P18 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
THE TRIAL OF JESUS: AN ACCOUNT BY DOUG LINDER http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/jesus/jesus.html
CBC RADIO INTERVIEW W/ DES MCANUFF AND CAST www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2011/07/12/jesus-christ-superstar-on-q/
INSIDE JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, BY SCOTT MILLER http://newlinetheatre.com/jcschapter
JERUSALEM AT THE TIME OF JESUS, TIME MAGAZINE MOBILE www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999673,00.html
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR MUSIC www.youtube.com/user/LaJollaPlayhouse1947 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P19
MATT ALFANO Thaddeus Stratford: Camelot, West Side Story, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Music Man, Moby Dick. Elsewhere: Selected credits: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The Grand Theatre); Sweet Charity, Dance Legends (Drayton Entertainment); We Will Rock You (Mirvish); Anne of Green Gables, Canada Rocks (Charlottetown Festival); Verbatim, Rain (Helix Dance Project). Training: Advanced certificates in RAD, CDTA and ADAPT syllabi. Banff Ballet School, RWB School, and is an alumnus of the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Et cetera: In between performing gigs, Matt spends his time choreographing and teaching dance all across Canada with his co-owned dance workshop company, Shuffle Pop. “Nothing in my life could be done without the inspiration and support of my friends and family. Thanks, love, peace.”
MARY ANTONINI Elizabeth Stratford: Amazon in Peter Pan, Tina in King of Thieves, Rose in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rosalia in West Side Story. Elsewhere: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Helix Dance Project, The Vagina Monologues, Anton in Show Business, The Wizard of Oz. Television: credits include RenegadePress.com, The Incredible Story Studio. Et cetera: Mary is thrilled and honored to be a part of Stratford’s Jesus Christ Superstar cast. Special thanks to George, Stephen and Peter, Mum and Christine; and love to the Ladle.
JACQUELINE BURTNEY Mary (Martha’s sister) Recently: Camelot and Jesus Christ Superstar (Stratford). A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stratford/Mirvish). Elsewhere: Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Pippin, Carnival (Olga), Big Time Operator (Bambi) and Don Quixote (Kitri); Panopticon for The Dance Concept. Film/TV: Hellcats, Nikita (CW Network). Training: Graduate of Sheridan Institute’s Music Theatre Program, as well as a proud alumna of DIWC in Regina, Saskatchewan. Et cetera: Sends love to her Maj, Faj, Bro, Mocha and Edu for always being there. “Enjoy the show!”
JESSE ASH Associate Sound Designer Stratford: The Homecoming, Zastrozzi, The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Elsewhere: Dreamgirls, Legends, The Hobbit for The Grand Theatre (London, Ontario); Krapp’s Last Tape for Change Performing Arts (European tour, directed by Robert Wilson); Buddy, Ballad of the Young Offender, Oooh!, Trying for the Kingdom, The Haunted Hillbilly and the world premiere of Morris Panych’s Gordon with SideMart Theatrical Grocery (Montreal); Nativity for the National Arts Centre of Canada; La Déposition for Théâtre Misceo (Montreal, Quebec); more. Training: Jesse is a graduate in technical production from the NTSC and audio engineering from OIART. Et cetera: Sound designer for Robert Wilson’s Mind Gap exhibition for Norsk Teknisk Museum. Sound design instructor for the National Theatre School of Canada.
LAURA BURTON Associate Musical Director Stratford: Over 30 musicals, most recently Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (musical director) and West Side Story and Cabaret (associate conductor). Composing credits include Hamlet, Inherit the Wind, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear. Elsewhere (selected): Musical director of Rich and Famous (ACT), The Music Man (Citadel), A Christmas Carol (ACT and YPT), The Apple Tree (TNB), Anything Goes (STC). Composer for I Am My Own Wife (NAC); A Streetcar Named Desire (Walnut Street Theatre); The Misanthrope, Don Carlos (Soulpepper); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Canadian Stage); Thunder Perfect Mind (collaboration with Paul Gross, Toronto Free Theatre); Cyrano (Citadel). Accompanist for Brent Carver’s On the Harborfront in concert. Awards: Four Guthrie Awards, two Sterling Awards.
HOWELL BINKLEY Lighting Designer Howell is thrilled to reunite with Des McAnuff, with whom he collaborated on Jersey Boys, Guys and Dolls, The Farnsworth Invention, Dracula and How to Succeed… starring Matthew Broderick. Recent Broadway Includes: How To Succeed… starring Daniel Radcliffe (2011 Tony nomination), Million Dollar Quartet, Memphis, 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 (Tony nomination). Elsewhere: The Joffrey Ballet’s Billboards, and more than 60 pieces for Parsons Dance, which he co-founded with David Parsons. Six musicals in repertory for the Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration. Awards: Five-time Helen Hayes Award recipient; 1993 Sir Laurence Olivier Award and Dora Award, Kiss of the Spider Woman; 2006 Henry Hewes Design Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Tony Award, Jersey Boys.
MEGHAN CALLAN Assistant Stage Manager Stratford: Assistant stage manager of The Homecoming, The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, West Side Story, Cyrano de Bergerac, Oliver!, Fallen Angels, Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls, The Swanne: Princess Charlotte (The Acts of Venus), My Fair Lady, Twelfth Night, The Sound of Music, Hamlet and Fiddler on the Roof. Elsewhere: Meghan has worked at many of the largest theatres across Canada including the Shaw Festival, the Citadel Theatre and the National Arts Centre. She has also had the opportunity to work in stage management on events for corporate clients such as General Motors, Toyota Canada International, Nissan and the Retail Council of Canada. Et cetera: Meghan sends her love and thanks to Peter, Ella and Beatrice.
ROBERT BRILL Set Designer Stratford: The Tempest, Macbeth, Caesar and Cleopatra. Elsewhere: Broadway: Guys and Dolls, Assassins (Tony nominations); The Story of My Life, Cabaret, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Good Body, Laugh Whore, Anna in the Tropics, Design for Living, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Buried Child, The Rehearsal. Collaborations with Des McAnuff include Faust (Met/English National Opera), Wozzeck (San Diego Opera), Sinatra (Radio City) and numerous productions for LJP, including The Wiz, Tartuffe, Much Ado and Fortinbras. Other credits: White Noise (Chicago), Robin and the Seven Hoods (Old Globe), On the Record (Disney), An American in Paris (Boston Ballet), A Clockwork Orange (Steppenwolf) and the world premiere of Moby Dick for Dallas Opera (San Diego 2012). Founding member of Sledgehammer Theatre. Awards: 2004 Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration; 2011 La Jolla Playhouse Gala Honoree.
MARK CASSIUS Matthew Stratford: My One and Only and Oklahoma! Elsewhere: Mark was a member of the renowned a cappella group The Nylons (1997-2005). Theatre credits include Ragtime and Shenandoah (Broadway); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Elgin Theatre and Canadian national tour); Miss Saigon (Princess of Wales Theatre); Dreamgirls (Stage West Calgary and Theatre Aquarius); Sweet Charity and Dance Legends (Drayton Entertainment); A Starbright Christmas (D2 Entertainment). Film: Anchor Baby (Nigerian/Canadian feature). Awards: Legend Award (World A Cappella Association). Et cetera: Music producer/director, composer, writer and teacher. “Heartfelt thanks to the family life has given me. For the love of Art.”
P20 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE
BRUCE DOW King Herod La Jolla Playhouse: Robert, Jane Eyre. Broadway/NYC: Robert, Jane Eyre; Jacey Squires, The Music Man; Bishop Dobson, Anything Goes (benefit, Lincoln Center Theater); Prismatic, Grenadine, Neil Wechsler’s 2008 Yale Drama Award Winner (reading, tctnyc.org). Stratford Shakespeare Festival: Trinculo, The Tempest, starring Christopher Plummer; Pseudolus, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Emcee, Cabaret; Dromio of Syracuse, Comedy of Errors; the Baker, Into the Woods; Luther Billis, South Pacific; Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Guys and Dolls; Speed, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries (Shaftesbury/Granada); Rick Mercer Report (CBC); The Tempest (Bravo!, Melbar). Recordings: Keepin’ Out of Mischief, Lucky to Be Me (available in lobby, at iTunes and Amazon). Cabaret: Cabaret West, Chicago Cabaret Professionals, MACnyc. Training: BFA Acting, MFA Directing, UBC. Website: www.brucedow.com.
CHILINA KENNEDY Mary Magdalene Stratford: Lois Lane (Kiss Me, Kate), Eva Perón (Evita), Maria (West Side Story), Philia (Forum). A proud member of the 2009/10 Birmingham Conservatory. Elsewhere: Chilina recently reprised Philia in Forum at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. Other credits include Guest Artist for an evening with Jason Robert Brown at Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio; The President (Lydia), Wonderful Town (Eileen), Summer and Smoke (Nellie), Mack and Mabel, Gypsy, Major Barbara, Follies – In Concert (Shaw Festival); Reprise Concerts (St. Lawrence Centre); Variations on a Nervous Breakdown (TIFT); The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish); Mamma Mia! (Sophie) (U.S. first national tour); Anne of Green Gables, Emily (Charlottetown Festival); On Albert Street, Seussical – The Musical (Aquarius); A Chorus Line, The Last Resort (Stage West). Recordings: Chilina is featured on CBC’s Celebrate the Seasons and has recorded with Burt Bacharach.
SIMON FON Stunt Coordinator Stratford: West Side Story, Macbeth, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Zastrozzi, Bartholomew Fair, Phèdre, Peter Pan, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Rice Boy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; King Lear (Birmingham Conservatory). Elsewhere: With over 400 professional credits stretching across Canada from Stratford to Yellowknife, Simon specializes in all areas: weaponry, aerial flying and unarmed combat (Eastern and Western). Most recently Simon has worked on Dora-winning projects The Mill, Hamlet (Necessary Angel) and When We Were Birds. Executive Director and founder of Riot ACT, earning 17 nominations and eight awards in their past four years, including Simon for Male Action Performer of the Year, 2009 AOF Festival, California. Websites: www.simonfon.com and www.riotact.ca.
MARC KIMELMAN Assistant Choreographer Marc recently choreographed Off-Broadway’s Play It Cool at the Acorn Theatre, Theatre Row. New York City Ballet: Seven Deadly Sins (assistant to Lynne Taylor-Corbett). Phish’s New Year’s Eve Concert at Madison Square Garden (associate choreographer). Film/Television: Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, Love Letter From an Open Grave. Regional: A New Brain, Jon & Jen, West Side Story, High School Musical, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors. Benefit Concerts: Company, Assassins. Performance Highlights: Katy Perry, Deborah Cox, Neil Young, Chaka Kahn, Hairspray feature film and two seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (West Side Story, Cabaret, A Funny Thing… Forum, The Trojan Women). Et cetera: “Many thanks to Des, Lisa and Bradley, and all my love to family and friends.” www.marckimelman.com.
RICK FOX Musical Director, Director of Music for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Stratford: New musical arrangements/musical supervisor for Kiss Me, Kate and musical arrangements/musical supervisor for Jacques Brel… Musical director: Evita, West Side Story, Cabaret; musical supervisor, Forum; composer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Caesar and Cleopatra. Elsewhere: Broadway: Blood Brothers, Rent. Off-Broadway: Once Around the City. Toronto credits include The Lord of the Rings (world premiere), We Will Rock You, The Producers, The Lion King, Rent, The Who’s Tommy, Phantom of the Opera and Annie Get Your Gun at Massey Hall. Film/TV/Recordings: Rick produces CDs and has composed music, arranged and conducted TV specials, including a PBS special with Colm Wilkinson and Patti LuPone. Awards: Four Dora Awards (nine nominations) for musical direction. RYAN GIFFORD Bartholomew Stratford: Oliver!, South Pacific. Elsewhere: Selected credits: Joey Primo in Rock of Ages, Dirty Dancing (North American premiere) (Mirvish); Tap Dogs (2010 North American tour); Munkustrap in Cats (Neptune); Big Deal in West Side Story (Citadel); Brigadoon, Country Legends, Oklahoma! (Drayton); White Christmas (Aquarius). Film/ TV: Score: A Hockey Musical (2010 TIFF opener), Once Upon a Mattress (ABC/ Disney), Michael Jackson’s This Is It (Columbia Pictures), The John Dore Show, Road to Avonlea. Training: Second City. Awards: Mr. Dance of Canada. Et cetera: Proud member of the MGT. Ryan would like to thank his family for all their support, his friends from “the ’shwa” for always having his back, and everyone at the Talent House for getting him to the place he loves the most: the stage.
DANIEL LEVINSON Fight Director Elsewhere: A certified fight master with Fight Directors Canada, Daniel is the owner of Rapier Wit, Canada’s oldest stage combat school and production company. Daniel is a founding member of the Riot ACT stunt team. As well as the Stratford Festival, Daniel has fight-directed for such companies as Volcano Theatre, Canadian Stage, Actors Repertory Company, Shakespeare in the Square, Factory, Shakespeare in the Rough and RBC Festival of Classics. He teaches stage combat internationally, and is the resident stage combat instructor at Sheridan College and University of Toronto at Mississauga. Workshop highlights: Fight Directors Canada National Workshop (Banff, Victoria, Toronto, Montreal), Boston University, Arcadia University, the International Scuola Brancaleoni Stage Combat Workshop (Italy) and the Paddy Crean International Art of the Sword Workshop (Banff). Training: Daniel holds a BFA (acting) from York University. Website: www.rapierwit.com.
KAYLEE HARWOOD Sarah Stratford: Guenevere in Camelot, Sarah in Jesus Christ Superstar. Elsewhere: Selected credits: Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Citadel Theatre); Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Western Canada Theatre); Cosette in Les Misérables (Arts Club); A Year With Frog and Toad, Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical (Carousel Theatre); Mr. Pim Passes By, South Pacific (Chemainus Theatre Festival); Woman Idiot Lunatic Criminal (shameless hussy productions); Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Dorine in Tartuffe (TWU). Training: Trinity Western University. Awards: Two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (Vancouver) in 2010: Outstanding Performance for A Year With Frog and Toad, and the Sam Payne Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Et cetera: Based in Vancouver, Kaylee is so happy to be back on the west coast making her U.S. debut.
MIKE NADAJEWSKI Peter Stratford (selected): Mordred in Camelot, Mike in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well... Paris, Hero in A Funny Thing Happened... Forum, Glad Hand in West Side Story. Elsewhere: Happy End, The President, The Yalta Game, Follies, Mack and Mabel (Shaw Festival); Fiddler on the Roof (Manitoba Theatre Centre); Cotton Patch Gospel, Lend Me a Tenor, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Boy Friend (Drayton Entertainment); Pélagie (Canadian Stage, National Arts Centre); The Mousetrap (Saidye Bronfman Centre); Kiss Me, Kate, Harvest Moon Rising, One Night Stand (Talk Is Free Theatre); Larry’s Party (Canadian Stage, National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre Centre); Little Women (Victoria Playhouse); ’Twas (Theatre Orangeville); Emily, Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival). Et cetera: Co-founder of Talk Is Free Theatre, in Barrie, Ontario. “Thank you my beautiful wife and little lad.”
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE P21
MARCUS NANCE Caiaphas Broadway/Off Broadway: Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème; Kismet, Of Thee I Sing (Encores!); Cinderella (City Opera). Stratford: Jesus Christ Superstar, Moby Dick, The Music Man, My One and Only. Regional: Four Saints in Three Acts (Chicago Opera Theater); Beauty and the Beast (Grand Theatre, Western Canada Theatre); Dark Star Requiem (Luminato); Floyd Collins, Pal Joey (Shaw Festival); Porgy and Bess (Toronto Symphony); Annie Get Your Gun (Massey Hall); Elsewhereless (Tapestry Opera); Show Boat (Livent); Tosca (Hawaii Opera); Rigoletto (Tacoma Opera); The Barber of Seville (Monterey Opera). Film: The Producers. Recordings: Debut solo CD The Voice Next Door (available in the theatre store); La Bohème, Ragtime, Show Boat (cast recordings). Awards: Metropolitan Opera National Council. Training: BA, voice, Fresno State University. Website: marcusnance.com. Et cetera: “I dedicate this performance to the late Rev. Richard Nance Jr.”
LAURIN PADOLINA Rachel Stratford: Swing in Camelot and Rachel in Jesus Christ Superstar. Film/TV: Happy Slapping, Spectacular!, Centre Stage: Turn It Up, The L Word, Eureka!, Aliens in America, Reefer Madness, Catwoman. Et cetera: Laurin is blessed to be a part of the touring company with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and she is equally thrilled to be making her debut at the internationally renowned La Jolla Playhouse. “This one’s for you, MOM!”
JIM NEIL Sound Designer Stratford: Sound designer for Evita, Peter Pan, Forum, Caesar and Cleopatra, The Importance of Being Earnest, Cabaret, The Music Man and over 25 other productions in the last 14 years. Elsewhere: IATSE Head of Audio for the Grand Theatre, London, Ontario, Canada, since 1983; over 200 productions in that time. Numerous co-productions with various theatres across Canada, including the Manitoba Theatre Centre, National Arts Centre, Theatre Aquarius and Citadel Theatre. Et cetera: Played drums professionally for over a decade in the 1970s. Won a Juno Award with the David Bradstreet band in 1977. “Special thanks to the Grand Theatre and IATSE Local 105 for giving me the opportunity to pursue my sound design career.”
STEPHEN PATTERSON James the Lesser/Priest Stratford: Page in Camelot, As You Like It, Jacques Brel… Elsewhere: Guys and Dolls in Concert (NAC Orchestra); James Bond/ABBA in Concert (Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra); Bob in White Christmas (MTC, Meptune); Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (North American tour – Drayton); Che in Evita, Chris in Miss Saigon, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Jeff in Brigadoon; The World Goes ‘Round (Drayton); Marius in Les Misérables (Broadway, U.S. national tour); Laurie in Little Women (first U.S. national tour); Bobby Strong in Urinetown (Canadian Stage); Jerry in The Full Monty (Stage West); Twist and Shout (Grand); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Aquarius); Gilbert in Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown). Recordings: Stephen’s CD, Tonight at Eight, is available on his website: www.stephenpatterson.tv. Stephen resides in Stratford with his wife, Robin Hutton, and their two sons, Hutton and Wesley.
SEAN NIEUWENHUIS Video Designer Selected Credits – Theatre: Evita, Peter Pan, Cabaret (Stratford); Larry King – Standing Up (touring); Anne of Green Gables (Confederation Centre). Opera: Faust (Metropolitan Opera); Nixon in China (Vancouver Opera/San Francisco Opera); Lillian Alling, The Magic Flute (Vancouver Opera). Film: David Suzuki – The Last Lecture. Event: Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Et cetera: Sean’s studio, Sensory Overload Productions Inc., designs and produces visual content for a variety of industrial and broadcast clients, largescale projection design projects and interactive multimedia installations.
BRADLEY “SHOOZ” RAPIER Associate Choreographer Original member of Canada’s pioneering street dance group StreetScape. Relocated to U.S. after winning Canadian Talent Search. Founder/Artistic Director of award-winning group The Groovaloos (So You Think You Can Dance, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Wayne Brady Show, Grand Champions: Superstars of Dance on NBC). Co-creator, director of choreography, co-producer of critically acclaimed Off-Broadway and touring production Groovaloo – Freestyle. TV Choreography: Lincoln Heights, Days of Our Lives, TVLand Awards, Image Awards, Becoming, 2gether. Awards: The Ovation and two NAACP Awards – Best Musical Choreography (Once on This Island, City Kid), Hip Hop Choreography Award, American Choreography Award nomination. Credits: Diana Ross, Queen Latifah, Brian McKnight, Fatboy Slim, Boys II Men. Website: www.bradleyrapier.com. Et cetera: “Huge thanks to Des McAnuff, Lisa Shriver, Julie McDonald, Pamela Cooper and my beautiful family!”
PAUL NOLAN Jesus Christ Stratford: Orlando (As You Like It), The Winter’s Tale, Tony (West Side Story), Valvert (Cyrano), Bobby (Cabaret), Slim (Oklahoma!), King Lear. Elsewhere: Beast (Beauty and the Beast) (Persephone), Jesus (Jesus Christ Superstar) (Stage West Calgary, Sunshine Festival), Curly (Oklahoma!) (Aquarius), Henry (Jasper Station) (Lighthouse Festival), Danny (Grease) (Stage West Mississauga), Bill (Kiss Me, Kate) (Sunshine Festival), Huck (Big River) (Drayton), Young Hercules (Hercules) (Disney), Lucentio (Romancin’ the One I Love) (Winter Garden), Rafe (One Night Stand) (London, England), Mamma Mia! (Mirvish). Recent travels included a trip home to Saskatchewan, where he created a concert of musical-theatre songs with Chilina Kennedy in support of Regina’s Golden Apple Theatre Company. Film/TV: Bridegroom (The Gospel of John), Alex (Shapeshifter), Schumacher (Strike!), Cruel Intentions 2, On My Mind. Training: Birmingham Conservatory (2009), Randolph Academy. Awards: John Hirsch Guthrie Award (2010).
KATRINA REYNOLDS Esther Stratford: Camelot. Elsewhere: Karisma in Hair (Canadian Stage); Michelle in Dreamgirls (Stage West Calgary); Mack and Mabel and Hotel Peccadillo (Shaw Festival); Bird Girl #3 in Seussical (Theatre Aquarius); Lorelle Robinson in Dreamgirls (MTC, Theatre Aquarius and the Grand Theatre); featured singer in One Hit Wonders and Motown Gold (Stage West Mississauga and Calgary); Tina Turner in The Wedding Singer (Stage West); Little Inez in Hairspray (Charlottetown Festival). Training: Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Et cetera: Kat would like to thank her wonderful and supportive parents, Nelson and Brenda Reynolds. “I couldn’t do it without you guys!”
MELISSA O’NEIL Martha/Maid by the Fire Stratford: Jesus Christ Superstar, Camelot. Elsewhere: Selected credits: Beauty and the Beast (Bella; Ross Petty Productions); Dirty Dancing (Mirvish Productions); High School Musical (Gabriella) and Dance Legends (Drayton Entertainment); British Invasion (Stage West Calgary). Recordings: Her four-times-platinum single, “Alive,” and certified gold self-titled debut album are available nationwide and online through Sony/BMG Canada. Website: melissaoneil.com. Et cetera: Melissa is thrilled to be in this incredible company. “Thanks to Talent House and everyone at Stratford who made this journey possible. This one’s for Mom and Loaf.”
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JENNIFER RIDER-SHAW Swing Stratford: Camelot, Kiss Me, Kate, Evita. Elsewhere: For Ross Petty Productions: Robin Hood. For Drayton Entertainment: The Wizard of Oz. For Theatre Aquarius: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. For Rainbow Stage: Hairspray. Training: Jennifer is a proud graduate of Sheridan Institute’s music theatre performance program (2009) as well as RDC’s acting program (2006). Et cetera: “Thanks and love to Ken, Cindy, Ruth, Hugh, Julie, Katherine, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Bruce and the TH gang. Happy holidays!”
MELISSA ROOD Assistant Stage Manager Elsewhere: From the Middle East to the Arctic and throughout North America with Stratford Shakespeare Festival (11 seasons), Canadian Opera Company (10 winters), Nightwood Theatre, Human Cargo Theatre, National Arts Centre, Pacific Opera Victoria, Belfry Theatre, Globe Theatre, Suddenly Dance, Canadian Stage, Mump & Smoot, Green Thumb Theatre for Young People, Haig-Brown Society, Princess Cruises, and David Atkins Enterprises for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Asian Games (with a cast of just under 10,000) in Doha, Qatar. Training: Sheridan College. Et cetera: Melissa is an active volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, serves on the Board of Directors for PAL Stratford, is a social-work student at the University of Waterloo and coaches the technical-production students at Sheridan College and the National Theatre School.
JULIUS SERMONIA James Stratford: Kiss Me, Kate (Nathaniel), Evita, Forum, West Side Story (Chino), Cabaret, My One and Only (New Rhythm Boy), Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes (Luke). Elsewhere: Forum (Stratford/ Mirvish); final Broadway company and U.S. national tour of Cats (Mistoffelees); Contact (first U.S. national tour); Miss Saigon (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera); The Drowsy Chaperone (Manitoba Theatre Centre); Cinderella (Ross Petty); Sweet Charity (assistant choreographer) (Stage West Calgary); West Side Story (Chino) (Citadel/Theatre Calgary); Hair (Karma) (Canadian Stage); Beauty and the Beast (Grand, Drayton/Aquarius); Pleasure Island, Kids of the Kingdom (Disney World, FL). Awards: Tyrone Guthrie Award (Dora Mavor Moore). Et cetera: Julius would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support.
MATTHEW ROSSOFF Swing Theatre: North American tour of Fiddler on the Roof with Topol and Harvey Fierstein, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (August Wilson Theater), Camelot and Jesus Christ Superstar (Stratford Shakespeare Festival), Disney’s When You Wish (TUTS), A Chorus Line (Coastal Carolina), White Christmas (Carousel), Guys and Dolls (Drayton), West Side Story (Citadel/Theatre Calgary), Hello, Dolly! and Fiddler on the Roof (Vancouver Playhouse). Film: Reefer Madness (Showtime), Once Upon a Mattress (ABC/Disney). Choreography/Teaching: Soul Kitchen (Joe’s Pub), High School Musical (Paper Mill Playhouse, associate), Juilliard School, Circle in the Square, Broadway Connections. Training: UBC (BA), Circle in the Square, certified yoga instructor. Et cetera: A Vancouver native now residing in New York City, Matthew is honored to be here at the La Jolla Playhouse. “Thank you, Talent House. Love and gratitude to my family.”
LISA SHRIVER Choreographer Broadway: The Farnsworth Invention, Ring of Fire, The Story of My Life. Selected Credits: Take Flight and Fetch Clay, Make Man (McCarter Theatre); Yellow Face (Public Theater); Where’s Charley? (Goodspeed Opera House); Stephen Sondheim’s 75th Birthday Celebration (New Amsterdam Theatre). Stratford: Caesar and Cleopatra, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, The Grapes of Wrath. Additional: Director/choreographer of Motherhood: The Musical and An Evening of Guys and Dolls Music with Tony Bennett, Marisa Tomei and Vanessa Williams. Choreographer of Phish’s New Year’s Eve Concert at Madison Square Garden, 2011. Assistant choreographer on eight Broadway shows. Selected Film: A Beautiful Mind; Hysterical Blindness; Tony ’n’ Tina’s Wedding; House of D; A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey. “Many thanks to Des McAnuff and to Pamela Cooper and Steve Gaeto at The Cooper Company. Love to Brian and Viola.”
BRIAN SCOTT Stage Manager Stratford: Brian has stage managed twenty-one productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival over seventeen seasons. Of those, four have been directed by Des McAnuff: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, As You Like It and this production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Elsewhere: In the United States, Brian’s stage management credits include Jonathan Miller’s production of King Lear (Lincoln Center Theater), as well as four seasons at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., where he stage managed Don Carlos, The Duchess of Malfi, Epicoene and Coriolanus for Michael Kahn.
LEE SIEGEL Simon Zealotes Elsewhere: Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (Thousand Islands Playhouse), Old Deuteronomy in Cats (Drayton Entertainment and Neptune Theatre), John in Miss Saigon (Drayton Entertainment), Wayne (Curtis understudy) in Dreamgirls (Canadian cast premiere – Stage West Calgary, MTC, Theatre Aquarius and The Grand, London, Ontario), OCE Niagara, Smokey Joe’s Café (Stage West Mississauga), Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar (GCP). Websites: Lee Siegel (actor/director) on Facebook and www.myspace.com/LeeSiegel. Et cetera: “Much love to my incredible family, Mom, Dad, friends and foes who may have come and gone but taught me so much about life; to the Talent House gang and Bruce for seeing something in a young guy from Niagara; to God (thank you!); and to you, our audience: thank you for supporting the arts! Enjoy!”
JAZ SEALEY Thomas Stratford: Twelfth Night, Curio; The Misanthrope; Kiss Me, Kate, Hortensio; Evita. Elsewhere: Joseph…, Judah (Grand); A Christmas Carol, Ghost of Christmas Present (Aquarius); Robin Hood, Lil’ Sean John (Ross Petty); Dirty Dancing, Tito understudy (Mirvish); High School Musical, Chad (Drayton); Beauty and the Beast, Beast understudy (Neptune); Guys and Dolls (MTC/Theatre Calgary/Citadel and Port Hope); Seussical, Wickersham (MTYP); She Loves Me, Arpad (Dry Cold); The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, Joseph…, The King and I, Big (Rainbow Stage). Film/TV: Make It Happen (Weinstein); Everybody’s Doing It (MTV). Training: Royal Winnipeg Ballet, University of Manitoba, Grant Park Performing Arts. Et cetera: Jaz is so excited to be a part of this wonderful cast and would love to thank his friends and family for all their support. “Love to My Mignon. Habbagoodah Mom!”
CHAD SYLVAIN Dramaturg Elsewhere (all as dramaturg unless otherwise noted): The Who’s Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Broadway); Slavs! (Steppenwolf); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Arms and the Man (Center Stage); The Who’s Tommy, How to Succeed..., assistant dramaturg of Three Sisters (La Jolla Playhouse); The Lost Highway (The Old Globe); Hamlet, The Cherry Orchard (Foothill Theatre Company). Film/TV: Researcher, Cousin Bette. Training: MFA, University of California, San Diego. Et cetera: Chad is thrilled that his first-ever production with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival should find its way to his old stomping grounds.
JASON SERMONIA John Stratford: Anything Goes and Guys and Dolls. Theatre: The Lion King – Las Vegas company; Dirty Dancing, We Will Rock You, The Lion King – Mirvish Productions; West Side Story, Peter Pan – Citadel Theatre. Film/TV: Chicago, Honey and A Brave New Girl. Et cetera: “Love and thanks to my family, friends, MM and the T. House Gang for their love and support.”
PAUL TAZEWELL Costume Designer Stratford: The Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Caesar and Cleopatra. Elsewhere: Broadway: Memphis, In the Heights, The Color Purple, Bring in ’da Noise… (Tony nominations); Lombardi, The Miracle Worker, Guys and Dolls, Caroline, or Change, A Raisin in the Sun, Drowning Crow, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty, On the Town, Fascinating Rhythm, Def Poetry Jam. Off-Broadway: Ruined, McReele, Flesh and Blood, Fame, Boston Marriage, Harlem Song. Regional theatre: Guthrie, New York Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theater, Oregon Shakespeare, Alliance, Pasadena Playhouse. Opera: Faust (English National Opera), Porgy and Bess (Chicago Lyric, San Francisco Opera, L.A. Opera, Washington Opera), Magdalena (Théâtre du Châtelet), Little Women (New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera), Treemonisha (St. Louis Opera). Awards: Three Helen Hayes Awards plus Lucille Lortel, Jefferson, Princess Grace and Irene Sharaff awards.
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TRISTAN TIDSWELL Associate Lighting Designer Stratford: Assistant lighting designer of The Homecoming, As You Like It, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Do Not Go Gentle and King of Thieves. Elsewhere: Lighting designer of The Gondoliers, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Clarkson Music Theatre); Rigoletto (Opera York); The Frog Prince (Solar Stage Children’s Theatre); Cinderella (Brampton Lyric Opera); Choreographic Works 2009, The Three Birds, Choreographic Works 2008 (Ryerson Theatre School); In Transit (Only Human Dance Collective). Assistant lighting designer of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Broadway, Toronto), La Bohème (Canadian Opera Company). Training: BFA Honours, Ryerson Theatre School. Awards: 2009 Wally Russell Lighting Internship and Scholarship with the Canadian Opera Company. Website: www.tristantidswell.com.
JONATHAN WINSBY Phillip Stratford: Stewpot/Buzz Adams in South Pacific. Elsewhere: Enjolras in Les Misérables, Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Chris in Miss Saigon, Paul in Company and My Fair Lady (Arts Club Theatre); Rapunzel’s Prince/Wolf in Into the Woods (Patrick Street Productions); Jinx in Forever Plaid (Magnus Theatre); Miss Saigon (Drayton Entertainment). Training: BA Theatre from the University of British Columbia. Awards: Jessie Richardson nominations – Into the Woods and My Fair Lady. Et cetera: Jonathan is honored to be sharing the stage with his father, Sandy. “Love and thanks to Mom, AM&T and beautiful Ava.”
LEZLIE WADE Assistant Director Stratford: Assistant director, As You Like It, Fuente Ovejuna. Elsewhere: Directed Canadian première of Dog Sees God (Rubinoff Productions), A Man of No Importance and Elegies (Acting Up Stage Co.). Other directing credits include Queen Milli of Galt (Theatre Aquarius), Rent (Theatre Sheridan), The Yalta Game (Shaw Festival); resident director of Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Roth/Rubinoff Productions), The Toxic Avenger (Dancap); assistant director of Mack and Mabel and Summer and Smoke (Shaw Festival). Awards: Dora nomination, best director, A Man of No Importance; two-time Pauline McGibbon nominee; Guthrie Award 2007. Other: Lyricist in Lehmen Engle BMI workshop, New York City; member of Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction – Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Website: www.lezliewade.com.
SANDY WINSBY Andrew Broadway: Ragtime (Tateh standby) and U.S. national tour. Stratford: Four seasons: Jesus Christ Superstar, Camelot (Sir Sagramore), King of Thieves (Mercer), Peter Pan (Noodler), HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, The Mikado, The Gondoliers. Elsewhere: Four seasons with the Charlottetown Festival in P.E.I. (Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables); two seasons with the Shaw Festival in Ontario (Alexius in The Chocolate Soldier); original Canadian productions of Cats (Gus the Theatre Cat), Les Misérables and Beauty and the Beast; Candide (Voltaire et al.), Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera; Annie Get Your Gun with Billy Ray Cyrus (Buffalo Bill), Annie (Daddy Warbucks), Evita (Perón)… Over 100 productions in all, with theatre and opera companies across Canada and in Europe. Et cetera: Writer and director. “Very proud and pleased to be performing with my son!”
AARON WALPOLE Annas Stratford: Angie the Ox/Nicely and Big Jule understudy (Guys and Dolls), Quartet Tenor #2 (Anything Goes). Elsewhere: Lonny (Rock of Ages) (Mirvish); Big Bopper (The Buddy Holly Story), Herman (Sweet Charity), Bouley (Damn Yankees), ensemble (One Hit Wonders), Canadian Explosion, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Stage West); Eddie/Dr. Scott (The Rocky Horror Show) (Theatre New Brunswick); Hank (Nursery School Musical) (Berkeley Street Theatre); Parker (Rock and Roll) (Grand Theatre); Aaron (The Compleat Works…), Fleshcreep (Jack and the Beanstalk) (Gayety Theatre); Roger (Grease) (Citadel Theatre), Moose (Crazy for You) (Huron Country Playhouse). Film/TV: Breakout Kings (A&E series); feature films Felling Shadows, Silent but Deadly, Deacons for Defense; Canadian Idol, season 3 (thirdplace finalist). Recordings: Debut self-titled album available in stores across Canada through Sony/BMG Canada. Training: Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance Program. Website: www.aaronwalpole.com.
JOSH YOUNG Judas Iscariot Stratford: The Grapes of Wrath (Connie Rivers), Evita (Che), Kiss Me, Kate (Paul). Elsewhere: Les Misérables (Marius, U.S. tour), West Side Story (Tony, 50th-anniversary international tour), A Little Night Music (Henrik, Baltimore Center Stage). Training: Pennsylvania Governors School for the Arts; BFA, Syracuse University. Awards: 2010 Broadway World Toronto Award (best actor in a musical) for Che in Evita. Website: Visit www. josh-young.com, iTunes or the Playhouse gift shop to pick up Josh’s self-titled debut album or the brand-new Still Dreaming of Paradise, a mix of re-imagined Broadway songs and pop classics. Et cetera: Josh thanks Gary Griffin and Rick Fox for bringing him to Stratford, and Des McAnuff, Antoni Cimolino and the Festival’s patrons for the honor of a second season there.
A member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. The Stratford Shakespeare Festival gratefully acknowledges the contributions of I.A.T.S.E. Locals 357, 924, and 828. 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.
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DES MCANUFF Artistic Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Director of Jesus Christ Superstar Director Emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse Two-time Tony, Olivier and Dora Award-winning director Des McAnuff attended Ryerson University and was part of Toronto’s burgeoning theatre scene in the 1970s. During his tenure as Artistic Director, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival has mounted 60 productions and Mr. McAnuff has directed 7 productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Twelfth Night (2010) The Tempest starring Christopher Plummer, As You Like It, Macbeth starring Colm Feore, A Funny Thing..., Romeo and Juliet, and Caesar and Cleopatra starring Christopher Plummer. In 2012, his fifth season as Artistic Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, he will direct Henry V and Christopher Plummer’s one-man show A Word or Two. He is Director Emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse, where over 18 years as Artistic Director he directed more than 30 productions of Shakespeare and other classics, new plays and musicals. His adventurous leadership won La Jolla a Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre and sent 15 productions to Broadway, beginning with Big River in 1985, which received Tony awards for Best Director and Musical, and A Walk in the Woods in 1988. Broadway: Guys & Dolls, Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention, Jersey Boys (Tony and Olivier awards: best musical), Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Tony Award), How to Succeed..., The Who’s Tommy (director/co-author with Pete Townshend, Tony and Olivier awards: best director; Olivier: best musical), A Walk in the Woods, Big River (Tony awards: best director and musical). Other New York: Crazy Locomotive, Mary Stuart, his play Leave It to Beaver is Dead. Australia: new musical Dr. Zhivago (February 2011) Opera: Faust at NY’s Metropolitan Opera (2011) and English National Opera (2010) and Wozzeck at San Diego Opera. Film: Cousin Bette and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (director), The Iron Giant (producer) and Quills (executive producer). Stratford’s Caesar and Cleopatra and The Tempest were also filmed for wide Canadian theatrical release to sold-out audiences across the country. In June 2011 he was honored with a doctorate from Ryerson University and in 2005 he received the prestigious Julia Hansen Award for lifetime achievement in directing.
ANTONI CIMOLINO General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Mr. Cimolino is General Director of North America’s leading classical theatre and the largest arts organization in Canada, producing a 12play season in four venues with more than 1,000 employees and an annual budget of $60 million. In this, his 24th season at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, he directed the Grapes of Wrath. This winter he will direct Enron at Theatre Calgary, and in 2012 the Festival’s 60th season, he will direct Cymbeline by William Shakespeare. Among his other accomplishments, Mr. Cimolino was instrumental in establishing the Festival’s Endowment Foundation, which has raised more than $50 million to date, as well as in the renovation of its Avon Theatre and the creation of its Studio Theatre. His many acting credits at the Festival include Romeo, opposite Megan Follows as Juliet. His Stratford directing credits include Bartholomew Fair, with Tom McCamus; Coriolanus, with Colm Feore and Martha Henry; As You Like It, featuring original music by Barenaked Ladies; King John, with Stephen Ouimette; Love’s Labour’s Lost, with Brian Bedford; Twelfth Night, with William Hutt; The Night of the Iguana, with Seana McKenna; and Filumena, with Richard Monette. He recently served as Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the inaugural Culture Days, a coast-to-coast celebration of culture and the arts in Canada, and has spearheaded the Festival’s involvement in a joint project with CUSO-VSO, Canada’s international volunteer co-operation agency, to establish a performing arts and educational centre in the city of Suchitoto, El Salvador. He is currently chair of the Ontario Tourism marketing Partnership Corporation. In 2009, Mr. Cimolino received an honorary doctorate from the University of Windsor.
CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse Mr. Ashley has served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director since October, 2007. During his tenure, he has helmed the Playhouse’s productions of A Dram of Drummhicit, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Restoration and the acclaimed musicals Xanadu and Memphis, which won four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. 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, Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley also directed the feature film Jeffrey and 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.
MICHAEL S. ROSENBERG Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse Mr. Rosenberg was appointed Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse in April, 2009. During his tenure, he has worked in partnership with Artistic Director Christopher Ashley to produce eight world premieres, six Playhouse commissions and the hit musicals Bonnie & Clyde (now on Broadway) and Limelight. He was also instrumental in bringing the Page To Stage workshop of John Leguizamo’s Diary of a Madman to the Playhouse (recently played on Broadway as Ghetto Klown). Additionally, he fostered the growth of the Playhouse’s award-winning Performance Outreach Program (POP) tour, achieving the most performances at local schools in Playhouse history. 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 and Amy Sedaris. He has been a part of the producing teams for the Broadway productions of Grey Gardens and American Buffalo and the national tour of Little House on the Prairie.
DEBBY BUCHHOLZ General Manager of La Jolla Playhouse Ms. Buchholz has served as General Manager of La Jolla Playhouse since 2002. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT). 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, DC. 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.
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The County of San Diego
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