PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P1
MISSION: La Jolla Playhouse advances theatre as an art form and as a vital social, moral and political platform by providing unfettered creative opportunities for the leading artists of today and tomorrow. With our youthful spirit and eclectic, artist-driven approach, we will continue to cultivate a local and national following with an insatiable appetite for audacious and diverse work. In the future, San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse will be considered singularly indispensable to the worldwide theatre landscape, as we become a permanent safe harbor for the unsafe and surprising. The day will come when it will be essential to enter the La Jolla Playhouse village in order to get a glimpse of what is about to happen in American theatre.
CHRISTOPHER ashley ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
P2 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
OUR MISSION
A MESSAGE FROM THE artIstIc dIrector The show you will see today, Hands on a Hardbody, is a La Jolla Playhouse original — a new work that was commissioned by us, developed in a series of workshops, and is now receiving its world-premiere on our stage. New plays and musicals are the lifeblood of the American theatre, and I am extremely proud to offer a home for the best and brightest artists here at the Playhouse. A few years ago, Doug Wright, who first came to the Playhouse with I Am My Own Wife in 2001 and later with his adaptation of August Strindberg’s Creditors, brought me his idea for a new musical: an adaptation of the award-winning documentary Hands on a Hard Body. The story tracks 24 people at an East Texas car dealership who enter a contest for a brand new hardbody truck. The contestant that keeps at least one hand on the truck the longest gets to drive it off the lot — winning both the keys to the truck and to his or her very own American Dream. Doug was describing a musical unlike any other. He grew up in Texas and I had no doubt he would capture a slice of life and that “true grit” spirit that drives the people of Longview where the contest took place. I didn’t hesitate to commission him and his collaborator, lyricist Amanda Green, to put this story on paper. Doug and Amanda, after a trip to Longview, Texas, decided to shape their musical around ten of the contestants. They rounded out their creative team with Phish guitarist and composer Trey Anastasio, director Neil Pepe (Artistic Director of New York’s Atlantic Theater Company) and Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the film Black Swan, for musical staging. Through the course of three developmental workshops, the musical grew into a starkly profound look at hardscrabble Texans facing all manner of personal and economic obstacles to their individual American dream. As they stand around the truck, day in and day out in the blazing sun, with minimal breaks and no sleep, we hear their intimate stories and bear witness to the brutal toll the contest takes on each of them. What makes them endure when their bodies want to stop? After all, it’s just a truck. Over the course of the show, what at first appears to be a simple contest transforms into a testament to quintessential American values — competition, the desire for a better life, the belief that anyone who works hard can win and, ultimately, the power of community.
A MESSAGE FROM THE manaGInG dIrector We like to say that La Jolla Playhouse is “where American Theatre is born.” There is no better example of that than our production of Hands on a Hardbody. Not only did we commission this musical but everything you see on stage was designed and built in our shops by the men and women of the Playhouse production staff – check out page 14 of your program for some great photos of the team at work. It’s also interesting to note that the Nissan Hardbody truck was originally created around the corner from the Playhouse at the Nissan Design America Center. Ours is an innovative, creative and forward-thinking community and we are proud to play our part as we develop new works of theatre. In fact, #HOHB (if you want to follow the show on Twitter) is the 70th world premiere and the 40th commissioned work @LJPlayhouse since 1983. And yes, that is a Playhouse-branded hardbody truck driving around the streets of San Diego. And yes, you can often find me behind the wheel. Please do wave and give a little honk if you see us. Especially if it’s me as I’m still trying to remember how to drive a stick shift.
@MrMikeRosenberg
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P3
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE presents Michael S. Rosenberg Managing Director
Christopher Ashley Artistic Director
BOOK BY
DOUG WRIGHT
lyrics by
AMANDA GREEN
MUSIC BY
TREY ANASTASIO & AMANDA GREEN
MUSICAL STAGING BY
Benjamin Millepied directed BY
NEIL PEPE Featuring
Keith Carradine*, Allison Case*, Hunter Foster*, Jay Armstrong Johnson*, David Larsen*, Jacob Ming Trent*, Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone*, Mary Gordon Murray*, Jim Newman*, Connie Ray*, Jon Rua*, Mike Sears*, Keala Settle*, Dale Soules*, Scott Wakefield*, William Youmans* Music DirecTOR Scenic Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer ARRANGEMENTS ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTs VOICE AND DIALECT COACH Dramaturg PRODUCTION Stage Manager First Assistant Stage Manager Second Assistant Stage Manager Casting Associate Producer Production Manager
Zachary Dietz Christine Jones Susan Hilferty Kevin Adams Steve Canyon Kennedy TREY ANASTASIO & CARMEL DEAN MATT GALLAGHER PHIL THOMPSON Shirley Fishman Linda Marvel* Erin GIOIA Albrecht* Emily Hayes* Telsey + Company Dana I. Harrel Linda S. Cooper
Hands on a Hardbody is based on the documentary film by S.R. Bindler and Kevin Morris
P4 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
THE CAST (in alphabetical order)
JD Drew............................................................................................................................ Keith Carradine Kelli Mangrum........................................................................................................................ Allison Case Benny Perkins........................................................................................................................Hunter Foster Greg Wilhote...................................................................................................... Jay Armstrong Johnson Chris Alvaro............................................................................................................................David Larsen Ronald McGowan..........................................................................................................Jacob Ming Trent Heather Stovall..................................................................................... Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone Virginia Drew.......................................................................................................... Mary Gordon Murray Mike Ferris.............................................................................................................................Jim Newman Cindy Barnes............................................................................................................................. Connie Ray Jesus Peña......................................................................................................................................Jon Rua Norma Valverde.......................................................................................................................Keala Settle Janis Curtis..............................................................................................................................Dale Soules Frank Nugent.....................................................................................................................Scott Wakefield Don Curtis/Dr. Stokes......................................................................................................William Youmans Setting The Floyd King Nissan Dealership, Longview, Texas While our musical, Hands on a Hardbody, is based upon the events portrayed in a documentary of the same name, certain story points are fictitious. Although some of the characters are based on characters in the documentary, and in some cases bear their names, many of the facts about their lives and much of the dialogue have been invented for dramatic purposes. It is our intention to capture the spirit of the film and we have freely used dramatic license in trying to accomplish that. Hands on a Hardbody is performed with a 15-minute intermission. Associate Choreographer .............................................. Jason Fowler
Assistant Costume Designer ......................................Erick Sundquist
Associate Scenic Designer ........................................Brett J. Banakis Associate Sound Designer .......................................Walter Trarbach
Assistant Lighting Designer..........................................Wen-Ling Liao ‡ Lighting Design Assistant............................................. Kristin Hayes ‡ Stage Management Assistant.......................................Laura Zingle
Assistant Director ........................................ Akeem Baisden-Folkes
Production Assistant...................................................... Sarah Kolman
Assistant Music Director and Copyist ................................Jeff Tanski
Music Department Assistant................................... Russell Angelico
Associate Costume Designer...................................Tricia Barsamian
Understudies Mike Sears (Don Curtis/Dr. Stokes) and William Youmans (JD Drew)
Acknowledgements Sound Equipment provided by Sound Associates Lighting Equipment provided by ELS Additional Musical Equipment provided by Cohen Keyboards Sharp Business Systems Special thanks to Peter and Richard Fitzgerald, Troy Downey from A.P.E. Wraps, Anne Poyner * Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. This theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association. ‡
UC San Diego M.F.A. Candidates in residence at La Jolla Playhouse 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.
PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P5
MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT ONE It’s a Human Drama Thing Alone with Me Master Benny’s Winning Strategies A Little Somethin’ Somethin’ If I Had a Truck My Problem Right There Burn That Bridge I’m Gone Joy of the Lord Stronger Hunt with the Big Dogs
ACT TWO on a Hardbody Born in Laredo It’s a Fix Used to Be God Answered My Prayers The Tryers Joy of the Lord (Reprise) Keep Your Hands on It
MUSICIANS Music Director/Conductor/Keyboards...................................................................................................................................Zachary Dietz Assistant Music Director/Keyboards.......................................................................................................................................... Jeff Tanski Acoustic, Electric Guitars/Mandolin....................................................................................................................................Adrian Demain Pedal Steel/Lap Steel/ Electric Guitar.................................................................................................................................... Rick Schmidt Electric Bass.....................................................................................................................................................................Mark Vanderpoel Drums........................................................................................................................................................................................Cliff Almond Contractor................................................................................................................................................................................Lorin Getline Rehearsal Piano................................................................................................................................................Zachary Dietz, Jeff Tanski Synthesizer Programmer.........................................................................................................................................................Randy Cohen Music Copying.......................................................................................................................................... Jeff Tanski and Zachary Dietz
All musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.
P6 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
THE COMPANY Keith Carradine, JD Drew Broadway: Hair; Foxfire (Outer Critics Circle Award); The Will Rogers Follies (Tony Award nomination); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Off-Broadway: Wake Up It’s Time to Go to Bed (NY Public Theater); Mindgame (Soho Playhouse); A Lie of the Mind (The New Group). Regional: Another Part of the Forest (Seattle Repertory Theatre); Detective Story (Ahmanson Theater); U.S. premiere of Stuff Happens (Mark Taper Forum); New Year’s Eve (George Street Playhouse). Films include: McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Emperor of the North, Thieves Like Us, Nashville (Academy Award, Composer: Best Song, “I’m Easy”), The Duellists, Pretty Baby, Choose Me, The Long Riders, Southern Comfort, The Moderns, Cowboys and Aliens. TV includes: Deadwood, Dexter, Crash, Damages, Missing. Allison Case, Kelli Mangrum is excited to be back in her native Southern California and grateful to be part of the Hands on a Hardbody crew! She originated the role of Crissy in the Tony Award-winning revival of Hair (Off-Broadway, Broadway, West End). Favorite credits include Sophie in Mamma Mia! (Broadway); Nemo in Finding Nemo: The Musical (Disney); Por Quinly and The Only Child (South Coast Repertory). Workshops: The Book of Mormon, Hands on a Hardbody, Dogfight. TV: Nurse Jackie, NYC 22. Film: The Blue Eyes, Patient 001. B.A. in Drama from UC Irvine. Couldn’t do it without my favorite people in the world, who inspire me every day: Thanks Mom, Dad, Parks, Ashley, family, friends, teachers. LOVE! Hunter Foster, Benny Perkins La Jolla Playhouse: Little Miss Sunshine. Broadway: Million Dollar Quartet, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award nominations), Urinetown (Outer Critics nomination), Les Miserables, Grease, Footloose and King David. OffBroadway: Burning, Happiness (Drama Desk nomination), Ordinary Days, Frankenstein, Dust, Modern Orthodox, Urinetown (Lucille Lortel nomination). Regional: Kiss of the Spider Woman (Signature Theatre—Helen Hayes nomination); The Government Inspector, Martin Guerre (Guthrie); Mister Roberts (Kennedy Center); Children of Eden (Paper Mill); Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, Boeing Boeing (Cape Playhouse). National Tours: Cats, Martin Guerre, The Producers. As a writer, wrote the books for the musicals Summer of ’42, which opened Off-Broadway in 2001; Clyde ‘n Bonnie: A Folktale, which opened in 2012 at the Aurora Theatre in Atlanta, GA; and The Hollow, which premiered in 2011 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. Mr. Foster is a graduate of the University of Michigan. Love to my wife, Jen Cody. Jay Armstrong Johnson, Greg Wilhote Broadway: Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abagnale Jr. standby), Hair (Claude u/s). Off-Broadway: Wild Animals You Should Know (MCC). First National Tour: A Chorus Line (Mark). Regional: Pool Boy (Nick - world premiere, Barrington Stage); Hairspray (Link - Weston Playhouse); Godspell (Jeffrey - Casa Mañana). Workshops/Readings: Small Engine Repair (Chad); “8” on Broadway (Spencer); Newsies (Jack); Tío Pepe (Jamie); Tales of the City (Mouse); Dogfight (Eddie Birdlace); Bring It On (Steven); Mrs. Sharp; Darling. Concerts: 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, Birdland; The Kennedy Center; Joe’s Pub. Film: Sex & the City 2. TV: Law & Order: SVU, The Apprentice.
David Larsen, Chris Alvaro Broadway: Tunny in American Idiot; Tony (u/s) in Billy Elliot; Bobby in Good Vibrations. TV: three episode guest star on Boston Public. Regional: Rolf in The Sound of Music (Hollywood Bowl); Pippin in Pippin (Bay Street Theatre); Emmett in Legally Blonde and Paul in Married Alive! (Marriott Lincolnshire); Richie Cunningham in Happy Days (Goodspeed). Education: Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. To provide hope and healing to our veterans of war, please visit at http://ptsdusa.net/. Jacob Ming Trent, Ronald McGowan Broadway: Shrek the Musical (original cast, Papa Ogre; understudy Shrek). Off-Broadway: The Merchant of Venice (TFANA); On the Levee (Lincoln Center Theater); Widowers’ Houses (Epic Theatre Ensemble). National Tour: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (first national), Continental Divide (Time Magazine’s Theatre Event of the Year), The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Mr. Ming Trent has also appeared in workshops and productions with The Acting Company, American Conservatory Theater, London’s Barbican Theatre, Birmingham Rep, Berkeley Rep, Crossroads Theater, Pittsburgh City Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, New Georges, Playwrights Horizons, The Public and Yale Rep. TV: Bored to Death, Law & Order, Unforgettable. Film: Forbidden Love. Education: A.C.T. MFA Program. Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Heather Stovall most recently played Dede Halcyon-Day in the world premiere of Tales of the City (American Conservatory Theater). Other credits include the national tour of Legally Blond:The Musical (Elle Woods/ ensemble); Sophie in Departure Lounge (SPF); Vixen in Angels: The Musical (The Strand); Amber in Hairspray (Paper Mill Playhouse) and Pam in Urban Cowboy (Gateway Playhouse). Screen credits include NBC’s Grease: You’re the One That I Want (Spiritual Sandy) and the film 27 Dresses. A graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, Ms. Monteleone is currently the “Savvy Girl” host on 24SAVVY.com. KathleenMonteleone.com. Mary Gordon Murray, Virginia Drew appeared this season as Bess in Who’s Your Mommy (York Theatre); Fraülein Schneider in Cabaret (Reprise) and Margret in The Light in the Piazza (Bay Cities CLO). Broadway credits include the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods; Belle in Little Me, for which she received a Tony Award nomination; Footloose; Coastal Disturbances; Grease; Play Me a Country Song and The Robber Bridegroom. Off Broadway, Ms. Murray was in the original casts of The Spitfire Grill, A...My Name Is Alice and The Knife. On television, she has portrayed Laura Bush in DC: 9/11, spent years as Becky on One Life to Live, and has guest starred from The Ghost Whisperer to L.A. Law. Ms. Murray is delighted to return to La Jolla Playhouse, previously working here playing Gussie in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.
PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P7
THE COMPANY Jim Newman, Mike Ferris Broadway: Curtains (Parson Tuck), Minnelli on Minnelli, Steel Pier (Happy), Sunset Boulevard and The Who’s Tommy. Encores!: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Millard). First National Tour: Kiss Me Kate (Bill Calhoun); Big! (Josh Baskin) and Joseph...Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond (Levi). Off-Broadway: Almost Heaven (John Denver); Newsical! (George Bush/Osama Bin Laden); Destry Rides Again (Destry); A Good Swift Kick and Up Against It (NYSF). TV: Tony Awards (1997 and 2007), Hope and Faith, All My Children, One Life to Live, The View, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Magic of Music on NBC, and The Name Game on Nickelodeon. Film: Out of Sync, with L.L. Cool J and The Big Gay Musical. Connie Ray, Cindy Barnes Broadway: Next Fall, The Heidi Chronicles. OffBroadway: Next Fall, Smoke on the Mountain (which she also wrote), among others. Off-Off-Broadway: Fast Eddie, Forgetting Frankie, Catfish Loves Anna. Ms. Ray has written and performed extensively for Manhattan Class Company. Film: Flags of Our Fathers, Thank You for Smoking, About Schmidt, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, Ice Princess, Hope Floats, Stuart Little, The Time Machine, Idle Hands, My Fellow Americans, among others. TV: Star of NBC and Disney Channel’s The Torkelsons, The Big C, Law & Order: SVU, Justified, Entourage, Worst Week, George Lopez, My Name Is Earl, Greek, among many others. Jon Rua, Jesus Peña Broadway: Sonny in In the Heights. Off-Broadway: Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Second Stage Theater); Damn Yankees (City Center’s Encores!). Regional: Alejandro in Somewhere (Old Globe Theatre; Craig Noel Award nomination), Twig in Bring It On: The Musical (Alliance Theatre, world premiere). Workshops: Hands on a Hardbody (La Jolla Playhouse); Stuck Elevator (Sundance Theatre Lab Banff); Pan, Bare, Stardust Ballroom, All Fall Down (Intar); Kingdom (Public Theatre); Lincoln Center’s American Songbook. TV: Law & Order. Choreography: Broadway Bares, NBA/NCAA Entertainment, Union Square, assistant for In the Heights, Bring It On, NYCC’s The Wiz, Insanity. For Mom, Dad, Gabrielle, Station 3 and GOD. www.JonRua.net. Keala Settle, Norma Valverde KIA ORA!!! Thank you so much for supporting live theater by being here tonight. Who cares what I’ve done in the past: we’re all here now, so LET’S ENJOY THE EVENING!!! GAME ON!!! Love you Mum and Dad.
Dale Soules, Janis Curtis Theatre includes: Broadway: debut in the landmark musical Hair (Jeanie); Dude (Shadow); The Magic Show (Cal) co-starring with magician Doug Henning and introducing Stephen Schwartz’s songs “Lion Tamer” and “West End Avenue”; The Crucible (Sarah Good, Richard Eyre dir.); Whose Life Is It Anyway; and most recently Grey Gardens (covering and playing Edith Bouvier Beale, Michael Greif dir.). Off-Broadway: Marsha Norman’s Getting Out (Arlene); Jet Lag (Builders Association); The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite, Blithe Spirit and The Water Engine (Atlantic Theatre Co.); Pericles (Red Bull); and many productions with The Public Theatre, MTC, Mabou Mines, and Lincoln Center. Regional: Paris Commune (La Jolla Playhouse); Candide (Guthrie); Macbeth (Centerstage); Romeo and Juliet (Dartmouth); All’s Well That Ends Well (Yale Rep.); Well (Vermont Stage); Doubt (Gulfshore Playhouse). TV/Film: American Playhouse, Sesame Street, Maurice Sendack’s Really Rosie, Law & Order, The Messenger. Awards: New Dramatists (for dedication to new work and extraordinary contribution to theatre), SUNY (Richard Porter Leach Fellowship). Ms. Soules is a teacher, oral historian and a Usual Suspect with NYTW. Scott Wakefield, Frank Nugent has appeared on Broadway in It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues and Ring of Fire. Off-Broadway credits include: The Joy Luck Club, Still Getting My Act Together…, The American Clock and Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge. Mr. Wakefield has performed regionally at Cincinnati Playhouse, Seattle Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory, Missouri Repertory, Delaware Theatre Company, Asolo Repertory, Alliance Theatre Company, Syracuse Stage and many others. He has garnered best actor awards for his portrayal of Will Rogers (Boston and Honolulu), Woody Guthrie (Tampa and Kansas City) and Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Cortland/ Syracuse). Mr. Wakefield is an avid singer/songwriter and has two acclaimed CDs of original music, Vegetarian Nightmare and Older Than Dirt, available at ScottWakefield.com and iTunes. William Youmans, Don Curtis/Dr. Stokes La Jolla Playhouse: Dracula, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, Sweet Bird of Youth. Broadway: Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Farnsworth Invention, Finian’s Rainbow, Baz Luhrmann’s La Boheme, Titanic, Big River, The Little Foxes (with Elizabeth Taylor). Off Broadway: Horton Foote’s The Widow Claire, Tony Kushner’s Brundibar/Giraffe, Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show, Alan Menken’s Weird Romance. Film: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Mrs. Soffel, A League of Their Own, Nadine, Fresh Horses, Compromising Positions. TV: The Little Match Girl, Separate But Equal, lots of cop shows.
» continued on page 28 P8 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
la Jolla Playhouse THROUGH THE YEARS
1992 Des McAnuff directs The Who’s Tommy which later earns five Tony Awards; photo by Ken Howard .
1947 Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer found La Jolla Playhouse. For 18 summers, Hollywood luminaries such as Ginger Rogers, Groucho Marx, Vivian Vance and Dennis Hopper explore their craft in La Jolla.
1993 The Playhouse receives the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
1983 After 19 years of tireless fundraising by dedicated supporters, the Playhouse re-opens under the direction of Des McAnuff.
2001 The Playhouse introduces the Page To Stage Program with Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife. The subsequent Broadway production is awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; photo by Joan Marcus.
2007 Christopher Ashley is named Artistic Director; photo by Carol Rosegg.
2004 The world premiere musical Jersey Boys plays for 15 weeks. It later earns four Tony Awards, including Best Musical; photo by Scott Humbert.
2010 Following a successful run at the Playhouse in 2008, Christopher Ashley’s production Memphis wins the PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P9 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical; photo by Kevin Berne.
When an auto dealership in Longview, Texas launches an endurance contest as a marketing promotion to attract customers, ten economically-strapped strangers enter and embark on a journey that puts their hearts, bodies and minds to the test in ways they could not have imagined. Each believes they have the nerve, tenacity and strategy to keep at least one hand on a brand-new hardbody truck the longest, and that they will get to drive it off the lot. Only one can win, but for all involved the truck holds the key to their own private American dream.
addItIonal readInG: “hands on a hardbody”: s. r. bIndler on teXas, trucks and determInatIon http://www.indiewire.com/article/hands_on_a_hardbody_s._r._bindler_on_texas_trucks_and_determination
top ten endurance races http://www.forbes.com/2005/03/30/cx_ns_0330feat_ls_print.html
P10 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
&
the ComPetitive edge enduranCe Contests Dance marathons were an American endurance phenomenon of the 1920s and 1930s in which couples danced almost non-stop for hundreds of hours (for as long as a month or two), competing for prize money. These partially-staged performance events originated as part of a jazz-age fad for human endurance competitions, such as flagpole sitting, sports car and bicycle racing. The desperation Americans endured during the Great Depression was mirrored by the grueling dance contests in which some contestants became delusional or hysterical, talked to an imaginary person, or cracked under the pressure to perform when their bodies were taken over by intense fatigue. By the 1960s dance marathons disappeared but the fascination for endurance contests continues, now observed by millions on television, e.g., “The Biggest Loser,” “Survivor,” and “Amazing Race”, alongside marathons, bike races, triathlons, and the like. On the lighter side, the Guinness Book of World Records cites all manner of endurance records, from juggling and drumming to the heaviest vehicle pulled over 100 feet,
deepest cycling underwater, and hula hoop contests.
What is required to succeed when bodies are pushing forward under extreme limits? Athletes, coaches and sports psychologists often cite “mental toughness” as a prerequisite, with an image of oneself that one has to live up to and lack of fear of failure as being important keys to endurance. The ability to focus and not be distracted, and not allowing oneself to be overtaken by doubts helps contestants overcome pain and, despite the pressure of competition, to persist. Athletes have described mental toughness as “not being affected by anything but what’s going on in the race.” Psychologists cite a “psychological edge” that enables mentally tough competitors to cope under pressure, including unshakable self-belief, desire, motivation, the ability to deal with anxiety, and pushing back against pain and hardship. While mental toughness is a key factor in competition, the physical effects of lengthy endurance contests can undermine the advantages of a competitor’s “psychological edge.” Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to fluctuations in body temperature, pulse and blood pressure that can short-circuit memory, creative thinking and the ability to problem solve. Hallucinations and distorted reality can cause psychosis, and dehydration can cause delirium and muscle deterioration. When the body cannot continue to perform, the adage of “mind over matter” no longer holds sway.
&
THE
hands on a hardbody
ameriCan dream
“[The American dream] is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement…. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” - James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America, 1931 “If you really want something, keep your hands on it.” Benny Perkins’ mantra won him a pickup truck in the past, and he’s back to win again. Each of the contestants in Hands on a Hardbody has their own reasons for entering the brutal contest that takes them to physical, mental and spiritual extremities. On the one hand, it’s just a truck, but it’s also a symbol of their personal American dream.
What is the American dream? The values that have been attributed to the American character stem from our nation’s origins, as stated in the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The ability to compete fairly, achieve, reinvent the self, open a door to a new future and move toward our dreams by working hard, taking risks and grabbing opportunity when it presents itself, is ingrained in the American psyche — as is reaping the rewards of steadfast motivation and determination in achieving one’s goals. Those who are born here grow up believing in these ideals; those who are not, come to America because of them. But these are tough times for the American dream, and our economic reality puts our ideals to the test. An opportunity to
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realize the American dream can sometimes present itself in the form of a material object of desire — a free truck, for example. But going about winning it is where the American character comes in. The Hands on a Hardbody contestants step up and out of the forgotten underclass created by our economic recession. They put everything on the line, striving with every fiber of their being to outlast their neighbor — not just to win but to affirm their place in the fabric of American life. In the end, there are no losers among the Hands on a Hardbody contestants. They competed fair and square, and each walked away with a new sense of self and of community in an experience of a lifetime. And as Heather, the young woman with Cinderella dreams, proves — there’s more than one chance to win in our American life. -By Shirley Fishman
PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P11
HANDS ON! The Hands on a Hardbody creative team, Doug Wright, Amanda Green, Trey Anastasio, Neil Pepe and Benjamin Millepied, reveal their thoughts about their respective journeys deep into the heart of Texans, as they create a new musical at La Jolla Playhouse.
DOUG WRIGHT Book Writer
T
exas is a mythic place — hyperbolic, sometimes manic — and has a sportive sense of humor about itself. As a native Texan, these are things that still touch me about my home, even though I left it thirty years ago. I grew up in a Dallas suburb, and our play is set in rural East Texas near the Piney Woods. Despite my big-city origins, I still absorbed a dollop of authentic Texas trail dust. My dad was an amateur Will Rogers; he’d perform rope tricks at our birthday parties, and sometimes take us to the Mesquite rodeo on Friday nights. When I was in the high school drama club, I’d drive to small towns like Tyler, Longview and Nacogdoches to compete in one-act play contests and at forensics tournaments. In country gymnasiums and cafetoriums, I’d soak up works by Chekhov, Shaw and Shakespeare, all delivered in a distinct twang. In the sixth grade, our class took a field trip to the Alamo, displaying the same awed reverence that Catholic pilgrims reserve for the Vatican. As I work on this show, certain memories from my childhood come flooding back. P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
I remember serving Thanksgiving dinner at a ball bearing factory outside Corpus Christi, where my cousin Alan worked in management, filling the plates of factory workers with turkey, cornbread stuffing, and red beans. In those days, this country was still a manufacturing mainstay, creating tangible products instead of obscure financial derivatives and exportable pop culture. The characters in our show could’ve been plucked from that assembly line, or from the Dr. Pepper plant in Waco, or the Mrs. Bairds bakery in Grand Prairie. Now those opportunities have diminished, and those same people are resorting to unusual lengths to achieve economic security, like standing around a truck for days on end under a scorching sun. As we were writing the musical, Amanda, Trey and I became convinced that it could speak to our current economic climate. We went to Longview to meet the contestants from the documentary and saw the financial difficulties they faced. One in five Texans lives in poverty, yet the state boasts forty-four billionaires. We live in a culture that values corporations over the common man; in the Hands on a Hard Body competition, a multinational company promised participants fabulous dividends, but only if they first endure back-breaking exploitation. That said, there’s something undeniably heroic and even inspirational in the
way the characters approach the contest. They see potential for salvation and deliverance from their work-aday problems, if only they can win a shiny new truck. It’s a vehicle that can bring them income, mobility, even transcendence. While the contest at first seems like a kitschy sideshow, a roadside carnival attraction, it’s actually a lifedefining moment for the intrepid souls who participate. I hope Hands on a Hardbody explores the double-edged sword that is the American Dream. On the one hand, it’s a Horatio Alger promise that anyone who works hard can succeed. But coursing beneath that maxim is another, more enigmatic one: Darwin’s survival of the fittest.
AMANDA GREEN
Music & Lyrics
R
obb Bindler, the director of the wonderful documentary Hands on a Hard Body, has said that being “on the truck” and making the film was the gift PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P12
that keeps on giving. Similarly, making this musical has been a labor of love and a project we feel passionately about. The first gift was the opportunity to work with the spectacular Doug Wright. In 2005, Doug and I watched the DVD of the film. I started out laughing and shaking my head at the absurdity of the contest, and ended up inexpressibly moved. The contestants surprised me: they were complex, funny, full of heart and revealing — with dreams, frailties, foibles and also strengths they didn’t know they possessed. They were in turn ironic, sly, sincere, and always human. As a writer, I also loved the way they expressed themselves. Song ideas popped into my head right away: “A truck to a Texan is just like his hat….”, “If you can’t hunt with the big dogs….,” ”My problem right there….”, etc. Not only did I fall in love with their Texan turns of phrase, I fell in love with them. When the Playhouse agreed to support our musical with a formal commission, we took our first trip to Texas to visit some of the contestants. Writing songs for Hands on a Hardbody would be the first time I’d written for living, breathing people; they weren’t just characters in a play. I felt beholden to treat them with respect and authenticity. Doug and I searched for a year to find the right composer. At that point, I had a bunch of lyrics and bits of melody that I kept humming to myself — how I imagined the music would sound. I’d written plenty of songs before, but had never composed for a whole musical. When Doug heard me sing the lyrics with the melodies I’d devised, he just said, “You should go for it.” So I did. I have always loved Texas, alt country music and Americana. Lyle Lovett, Mary Gauthier, Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Julie and Buddy Miller, Robert Earl Keen — these were some of my influences. But while music writing flowed, there were songs and moments
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that needed something more than I felt I could deliver. Which is where the astonishing Trey Anastasio came in. Trey and I were introduced several years ago by a friend. We immediately hit it off and began writing songs together. I didn’t talk to Trey much about the show, but I secretly wanted to slip some of the lyrics to him. One night he came to hear me sing some of my show tunes at a club in New York, and even joined me on stage to sing a song of ours. Later that evening, Trey confessed that he loved musicals. He had written one while in school and had always wanted to work on another. My husband took me aside and said, “Why don’t you ask Trey to work on Hands on a Hardbody?” Luckily for Doug and me, Trey was inspired by the documentary in the same way. The first song he and I worked on together was the opening number, and he kicked it out of the gate! The range of his musical sophistication, expertise and unparalleled rock bona fides bring an incredibly exciting, dynamic authenticity to the music. One of the things the three of us decided early on was that we wanted to write songs that the contestants might actually listen to and like themselves. We hope we succeeded. It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with them and with Neil Pepe, Benjamin Millepied, and our cast and crew. I hope you enjoy your time “on the truck” as much as we have!
TREY ANASTASIO Music
A
manda and I were introduced to one another in New York by a mutual friend, who was also an acquaintance of Doug’s. She mentioned that she and Doug were looking for a musical collaborator on a show about contestants who spent days with their hands on a truck in order to win it. I watched the documentary and started to do some research. I could see that it had the potential to be a great show. My first thought after reading the script was that it reminded me a bit of Twelve Angry Men. It’s turned out to be more than I ever imagined. We had dinner with S.R. Bindler in New York, who told us about walking past the truck at 2:00 am and seeing the contestants, in silence, standing beneath the fluorescent lights. He said it felt like a ritual to him. That aspect of the play is what fascinates me the most. I’ve always been interested in music as ritual. At one concert with Phish, we played in a field for 70,000 people from 11:00 p.m. until sunrise — eight straight hours without a break, with people dancing the entire time. I remember the feeling we all shared when the sun came up, a sense of the audience and the band unified. After standing together for hours, there was a shift in perspective. It didn’t seem as important to be “good” at music — what was important was the shared experience. Going through it together. I was fascinated by the idea that these contestants would be both exhausted and stuck within two or three feet of complete strangers with whom they were in competition for something that they all desperately needed. Writing for a musical is entirely different from writing pop music. In pop music, you can make purely musical decisions — you can venture off into a motif for a couple of seconds. You might add a few bars because it sounds cool to hold out a long note. In a musical, the songs have to be about the development of a character. Choices are determined
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by the lyric, story and intention of the character. A rhyme or the length of a pause in a sentence has to be dramatically appropriate. There can’t be any extraneous musical ideas. It may seem like a limitation, but it’s actually the opposite. It’s a completely different kind of discipline and focus — it has to come 100% from the story. I’ve written a lot of songs and, for the most part, the singer is singing in my voice. The characters in Hands on a Hardbody each have their own voice. It presents an opportunity to explore emotions that I wouldn’t be able to reach in the songs that I record. It’s liberating to write a song for a character who is experiencing a spiritual change in the play. I’m hoping that the universal, human truths of the characters’ lives as expressed by the music, songs, book, staging and performers will touch the audience as deeply as it has touched me.
and imaginative, while supporting the drama of the story and songs? The challenge is to come up with the right theatrical idea, the rules to the movement which give it a unique kinetic signature. The next challenge is to make sure the dancing feels organic and unforced, and also stays true to each character and the ensemble. For the audience, the musical staging should appear seamless and always bring them into the moment, enhancing their understanding as well as their enjoyment of the entire show.
NEIL PEPE Director
W BENJAMIN MILLEPIED
Musical Staging
W
hen I read the Hands on a Hardbody script and listened to the music, I was immediately taken with it. I was moved by the characters’ quest for this particular truck that they believed would solve what was not working in their lives. Choreographing for a musical is not so different from a ballet. Since most of the characters center their movement around a truck for most of the show, my first thoughts were about how it would work conceptually. How do we make the movement in all the scenes interesting
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hen the documentary film of Hands on a Hard Body first came out, friends told me about it and I thought it inspired. Contestants standing around a truck for days seemed odd, absurd and very American. The more I heard about the film, it struck me as a surprising story about ordinary people with their eye on a prize that could change their lives, and what they would endure to win it. When Doug and Amanda were interested in meeting me about the possibility of directing a musical adaptation of the film, I rented it. What fascinated me was its potential to access something about what’s going on in America that few people want to deal with — the forgotten working class and what’s happened to them. The challenge for me is how to stay true to the heart of the piece without having the characters appear as one-
dimensional, and not fully fleshed out human beings. This musical has an incredible heart; it’s in the family of those American works that try to grapple with who Americans really are and what they’re going through at any given time in our history. The truck is a symbol of everybody’s version of the American dream, but it’s also a material thing. The thought is: if I get this house, piece of land, lifestyle, girlfriend, into this country club, it will somehow make me whole. The truck represents possibility and fulfillment, but the deceptive nature of the American dream is that you may get it, but it can also get you. It’s certainly something to strive for, win, challenge yourself to achieve, but it can be skewed and out of balance if you think that winning a material thing is going to bring happiness. The Hands on a Hardbody contest is an endurance contest, and you can’t underestimate that. These people are standing up for four or five days without sleep. The more exhausted the contestants are, the more they let their guard down and the more they connect with each other and who they truly are. What I love is the idea of people coming to terms with the limitations of where they are in their lives, and being heroic in trying to do something about it. I’m reminded of the John Lennon lyric — “A working class hero is something to be.” I hope the audience sees and celebrates the value of these people who are trying to get by. Having produced a number of musicals at my own theatre (Atlantic Theater Company in New York City), directed a number of shows on and off-Broadway, and having been a musician and blues/rock guitarist for a while, I’m tremendously excited by the opportunity to marry a love of great playwriting, great music and stories that somehow speak to the truth of the times in which we live.
A HUMAN DRAMA KIND OF THING S.R. Bindler’s 1997 award-winning film, Hands on a Hard Body, documented an endurance contest at a Longview, Texas Nissan dealership in which 24 people entered to win a brand new hardbody truck. The contestant that kept at least one hand on the truck the longest got to drive it off the lot. What appeared at first to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick, revealed a microcosm of humanity and community that affirmed the contestants and the American spirit. Bindler recalls his experience of filming the contest.
I happened upon the contest by chance in 1992. On break from college and back home in Texas for the summer, I was out with friends at a local tavern and had seen the dealership lights still on at two in the morning. I wandered over and saw five blearyeyed contestants standing with their hands on a truck, not moving. It was bizarre, a strange spectacle — utterly boring yet oddly captivating. I asked how long they had been there and was told “days.” I asked what was in it for them, and they told me, “the truck.” I watched for maybe thirty minutes. Nothing happened. Or at least nothing I could see. But a year later I was still thinking about those people and that truck. Why were they there? What were their stories? How long would they stand? In 1995, I went back with cameras and a small filmcrew. We interviewed the contestants and filmed the contest. And after distilling a hundred hours of footage down to ninety minutes, everyone could finally see what I couldn’t that summer night: that a human drama about the American Dream was playing out around the truck. Storytellers look for metaphor; documentarians have always looked for big ideas in the small and seemingly mundane. The eventual winner of the truck summed it up by saying, “If you really want something, you have to keep your hands on it.” What was that something? Money? Glory? God? A loved one? We will all eventually stand around our own truck. How will you fare? Will you win or lose? Hold on or let go? Maybe what we learn is more valuable? Maybe when the lesson is learned it’s time to let go? Truth is subjective. When you make a documentary this becomes abundantly clear. When editing, I felt an enormous responsibility to represent the contestants as truthfully as possible — as I experienced them. They had put themselves out there, vulnerable before our cameras. When Doug Wright approached me about making a musical about these people and the contest, I had to consider many things. Mainly I had to feel certain he (and the team he put P15 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
together) would become the contestants’ second champion and guardian. If you spend any amount of time with Doug you quickly recognize a deep humanity. His work reflects this and he has wonderful insight and integrity. He’s also from Texas, two hours from where I grew up and the contest took place. So, it was this combination that, as we say in Texas, “got ‘er done.” Doug and Amanda Green, the gifted lyricist and cocomposer with Trey Anastasio, director Neil Pepe and the Hands on a Hardbody company have furthered the distillation process that the documentary started, resulting in a celebration of the event and of life itself — a potent mix of happiness, heartache, sorrow, joy, compassion, anger and finally, love. After seeing the first developmental workshop of the musical in New York last year I found myself walking down Broadway, humming the melody to the fantastic closing song and thinking about Benny, Norma, Ronald, JD and the rest of the contestants, and how they would feel after seeing themselves singing and dancing on stage. I think they’d be very pleased, even inspired, that their story continues to touch so many people. I pictured them all in the audience smiling, laughing and clapping their hands. On a personal note, I have to acknowledge the other filmmakers who made the documentary with me so many years ago: Kevin Morris, Chapin Wilson, Julia Wall and Michael A. Nickles.
– S.R. Bindler, Director Hands on a Hard Body documentary film PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe P15
La Jolla Playhouse’s production departments are well versed in creating the physical environment for numerous world premieres on our stages. But for Hands on a Hardbody, they took on the challenge of creating the “title” character—a hardbody truck that spends almost the entire performance center stage. Each department has been involved in outfitting a truck for the show, as well as one for the rehearsal room—from making it sturdy enough for actors to climb on, yet light-weight enough to move around the stage. They’ve also developed a way for the production team to remotely control its lights, horn and dashboard functions. After purchasing a special truck to use in the show, the scenic, prop, electric and sound shop staffs each got their “hands” on it to help realize the designers’ vision and get it ready for its Playhouse debut! P16 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
Chris Borreson, Technical Director “With Show Carpenter Kyle Ahlquist and Carpenter Mason Peterson taking the lead, we prepared the truck for the show, shaving 2800 lbs off its weight, reinforcing the roof, bed, and hood, and turning it into a fully percussive and dance-able character. Although we spent four weeks gutting it, there was a major effort to maintain the truck’s authenticity – we wanted to make the vehicle able to do everything that a normal truck would, while still fulfilling the staging needs. The collaboration between the design team and production staff was phenomenal, allowing for a lot of great ideas and experimentation. Good thing we had the rehearsal truck to practice on.” Mike Doyle, Lighting Supervisor “To make various lights in the truck operate on cue, La Jolla Playhouse electricians Mike Lowe and Andrea Ryan replaced all of the internal wiring in the truck with a system that works wirelessly and is controlled from the booth during the show. The modifications allowed us to operate standard automotive electronics like headlights and tail lights, as well and theatrical additions such as lighting in the wheel wells and additional interior lighting to highlight the actor’s faces. All of this is powered by standard car batteries and controlled with a state-of-theart wireless dimming system.” Deb Hatch, Prop Master “Our involvement was early in the process, finding the show truck to purchase on ebay. We also shopped for a black rear step bumper and black rims for the wheels. Props Artisan Ryan Lewis has been involved in the reinforcement of the hood and roof and cut the handles in the truck bed cover. We went over the rehearsal truck very carefully, checking for sharp edges and places where there was grease. Soft Goods Artisan Betsy Egan cleaned the seat with a toothbrush and built the custom black truck cover for the top of the show out of china silk. Prop Shop Foreman Will Widick will be wrapping the vehicle as one of the last projects before it goes on stage.” Joe Huppert, Sound Supervisor “The sound department needed to provide the sounds of windshield wipers, horn and other effects. While we ended up using the truck’s own horn, we also put a wireless, battery-powered speaker in the bed of the truck through which we could play recorded effects. Recorded effects weren’t enough though, as the composer wanted to use the truck as a percussion instrument for the cast to play during some of the numbers. This meant we also put four wireless microphones on the truck in strategic locations, so that the sounds the actors generate can be amplified and mixed with the band. Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Kyle Ahlquist, Show Carpenter; Mason Peterson, Carpenter; Kyle Ahlquist, Show Carpenter - photos by Dana Holliday; Mason Peterson, Carpenter - photo by Kyle Ahlquist; Set Designer Christine Jones; Co-Composer Trey Anastasio (left) and Director Neil Pepe - photos by Terri Rippee.
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WI TH OUT WALL S
When La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley came up with the idea for Without Walls (WoW), he kept returning to a single sentence: “La Jolla Playhouse is defined by the art we create, not the spaces in which it’s performed.” Part of the excitement of developing new work is the thrill of breaking with tradition, taking risks and sprinting out of your comfort zone. By presenting and developing cutting-edge, site-specific shows throughout the San Diego community, WoW takes audiences outside the confines of our conventional performance spaces and introduces them to a new way of experiencing a live theatrical event. Supported by a generous grant from The James Irvine Foundation, WoW was inaugurated last September with David Leddy’s Susurrus. When audience members arrived at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas, they were handed headphones, an iPod and a map of the garden. At eight different sites in the beautiful garden, audiences listened to eight different parts of a haunting, moving audio play. An instant critical and commercial hit, Susurrus extended its sold-out run and won the 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Theatrical Event. In February, 2012 the Playhouse revved up its second WoW production: a presentation of Moving Arts’ The Car Plays: San Diego. In this one-of-a-kind theatrical experience performed inside a series of parked cars, audiences of two people move from vehicle to vehicle, enjoying five 10-minute plays that unfolded just inches away. The Playhouse teamed up with dozens of San Diego-based writers, actors and directors to present audiences with a thoroughly unique examination of our car culture. Another immediate success, The Car Plays garnered rave reviews, with an extension selling out just hours after it was announced. The Playhouse recently announced that it will hold a Without Walls festival in Fall, 2013. Designed to give audiences as diverse a set of site-specific experiences as possible, the WoW Festival will bring many exciting international and national artists to San Diego for the first time, and allow us to continue our partnership with local artists. In addition to the return of The Car Plays, the Playhouse has commissioned renowned artists like playwright and Chair of the UCSD graduate playwriting program Naomi Iizuka and puppeteer Basil Twist (Dogugaeshi) to create brand-new, site-based works specifically for the festival. Whether at a treasured landmark, a favorite community gathering spot or at your local mall, WoW performances will continue to be intrinsically connected to the people, places and history of San Diego. Once outside the boundaries of a theatre, the performers, audience and passersby become moving parts in a living theatre piece – showing that art lives in ideas and people, not within walls. Without Walls issupported by a grant from:
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Above: Will Tulin in The Car Plays: San Diego - photo by J. Kataryzna Woronowicz; bottom (from left): David Leddy’s Susurrus; Basil Twist-photo by Terri Rippe.
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3 NEW MUSICALS , 2 WEST COAST PREMIERES AND A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY
BLOODAND GIFTS
West Coast Premiere
june 12 july 8
THE
Page To Stage Musical
NIGHTINGALE july 10 august 5
DIRECTED BY
NEILthPEe-PE Plow
La Jolla Playhouse Commission
Speed-
april 27 june 17 BOOK BY
LYRICS BY
DOUG WRIGHT AMANDA GREEN MUSIC BY
TREY ANASTASIO AND AMANDA GREEN MUSICAL STAGING BY
DIRECTED BY
BENJAMIN MILLIPIED NEIL PEPE
BY
BOOK AND LYRICS BY
DIRECTED BY
STEVEN SATER
J.T. ROGERS LUCIE TIBERGHIEN
Spring Awakening
MUSIC BY
DUNCAN SHEIK
Spring Awakening
DIRECTED BY
MOISÉS KAUFMAN 33 Variations
Based on the film Hands on a Hard Body by S. R. Bindler
Based on true events… For ten strangers, it’s more than a contest — it’s the American Dream.
From Washington, DC to Afghanistan, J.T. Rogers’ cat-and-mouse game reveals the secret spy war behind the Cold War. “A superb new play.” – The New York Times
CHOOSE YOUR PACKAGE
A haunting song tempts a young Chinese emperor into the dangerous world beyond the walls of the Imperial Palace.
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P20 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
SEE THEM ALL! MUSIC AND LYR
THE FLAMINICSG BY LIPS
ANILIAD
West Coast Premiere
CONCEIVED AND
Jesus C
august 11 september 9
DIRECTED BY
ROBERT FAGLES LISA PETERSON “A combination of a naturally exciting narrative and the engaged, virtuosic performance” – The New York Times “100 intelligent, emotional minutes” – The Huffington Post
YOSHIMIBATTLES
PINK ROBOTS
Pulitzer Prize Winner
september 18 october 21
BY
Based on Homer’s THE ILIAD, TRANSLATED BY
World Premiere Musical
GLENGARRY
GLENROSS DENIS O’HARE AND LISA PETERSON
DIRECTED BY
NUFFrstar DEShrMiscAt Su pe
BY
DIRECTED BY
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STORY BY
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY
DIRECTED BY
WAYNE COYNE AND DES McANUFF THE FLAMING LIPS DES McANUFF
“In the nearly 30 years since it first burst upon the scene, Glengarry Glen Ross hasn’t lost an ounce of its ferocity, relevance or impact.” – Artistic Director Christopher Ashley
“It’s wonderful and poignant and powerful — a perfect combination of my fantastical robot-world vision and McAnuff’s internal, humanistic version of what that music is.” – Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips
If you love Hands on a Hardbody, don’t miss the rest of the thrilling season!
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PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P21
On
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2 SUMMER
Attend:
July 2 – August 10, 2012
Master on stageClasses with artist at La Jolla sw Playhous orking e Classes ta working ught by profess in the the io atre indunals stry Conserva tory Alum ni college And ma panel and masnt y more exciting workshop er classes ! s
Each summer, the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse offers an intensive six-week acting experience for high school students grades 10 -12. This program is designed for performers who want to develop the skills for a career in the professional theatre.
How to Apply Contact La Jolla Playhouse’s Education & Outreach Department at (858) 550-1070 x101 or visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org. Application process includes: • Online application with essay questions • Two letters of recommendation • Participation in a group workshop • Audition • Interview
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Company
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s First Read -Through s + De signer/Dir ector Pre sentation + Te s chnical R ehearsals + P erforman ces
Tuition for the six-week program is $1,800. Class space is limited to 20 students. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation Scholarship Fund.
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Plus, att in La Jolleand major mome nts mainstag Playhouse e shows:
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ng You
hop s k r o s’ W r e orm Perf
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Tuition
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*In observance of the July 4th holiday, these workshops will be 9 sessions instead of 10.
Red 2: July 9 – July 20
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students entering grades 3-5 One-week workshop:
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Yellow 1: June 25 – July 6* $383 Subscribers 9:00 am – 4:30 pm daily
$450 Non-subscribers
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Yellow 2: July 9 – July 20 Tuition Yellow 2 9:00 am – 4:30 pm daily
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SPECIAL THANKS to those who gave so generously to the Playhouse’s Gala 2012 education paddle raise: Tony and Margaret Acampora, Kathleen and Gary Acosta, Lisa and Steven Altman, Christine Ashworth, Michael Bartell and Melissa Garfield Bartell, Lisa Betyar and Karl Walter, Dave Bialis, Paula Marie Black, Barbara Bloom, Gail and Ralph Bryan, Todd and Debby Buchholz, Annie Finch and Doug Carlson, Marsha and William Chandler, Florence Cohen, Leslie and Thomas Coll, David C. Copley, Drs. Edward and Martha Dennis, Ellen Sarver Dolgen and David P. Dolgen, Susan E. Dubé, Michael and Juanita Eagle, Victor Felix and Julie Nunes-Felix, Valerie and Gregory Frost, Wendy Gillespie, Miles Grant, Tammy and Larry Hershfield, Jennifer and Doug Houser, Osborn and Dea Hurston, Debby and Hal Jacobs, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Salim and Alice Janmohamed, Jeanne Jones and Don Breitenberg, Lewis and Patricia Judd, George and Gail Knox, William and Lynelle Lynch, Margret and Nevins McBride, Christy and Alan Molasky, Marci and Ronnie Morgan, Cheryl and Bill Naumann, Ronald and Lucille Neeley, Kathy Paulin, Scott Peters, Lori and Kenneth Polin, Julie and Lowell Potiker, Vivien and Jeffrey Ressler, Marilyn and Michael Rosen, Alex and Laleh Roudi, Camille and David Saltman, Judy and Stephen Smith, Dr. and Mrs. David Smotrich, Iris and Matthew Strauss, Deborah and Tom Trimble, Mary Lindenstein Walshok, Ph.D., Sheryl and Harvey P. White, Jennifer Winward, Jill and Bruno Wolfenzon, Marilyn and Michael Yeatts.
PLEASE JOIN THEM IN GIVING THE GIFT OF LIVE THEATRE TO OUR COMMUNITY’S CHILDREN. Contact Jessica Burger at (858) 550-1070 x142 to make a donation today.
don’t miss our illuminating audience events La Jolla Playhouse offers unique opportunities for audience members to delve deeper into Hands on a Hardbody with these special performance series options:
TALKBACK TUESDAY: Join cast and crew for a discussion following the performance. Talkback Tuesday performances are Tuesday, May 8 & May 15. Sponsored in part by INSIDER: Meet with a Playhouse staff member prior to the performance for an insider’s discussion about the play. Insider performances are Wednesday, May 23 & Saturday, May 26 matinee. DISCOVERY SUNDAY: Join special guest speakers after the performance as they explore the themes of the production. Discovery Sunday performances are Sunday, May 27 following 2:00pm performance. Sponsored in part by
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LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE SPONSORS SEASON SPONSORS:
PRODUCTION SPONSORS:
Joan and Irwin Jacobs From two world-premiere musicals to a Pulitizer Prize-winning play and from a re-imagined classic to a Page To Stage workshop, we truly can stamp this season “Made in La Jolla!” Congratulations to Chris, Mike and the entire Playhouse team.
Lon and Denise Bevers As fans of the man…Who made the golgi apparatus cool…And the man who was his own wife…We can hardly wait to see…This new play come to life!
Gail and Ralph Bryan We’re proud to support the Playhouse this season and especially proud to sponsor Hands on a Hardbody, a new American musical about a life-changing endurance competition.
PAULA MARIE BLACK I am thrilled to welcome Doug Wright, Neil Pepe, Trey Anastasio, Amanda Green and Benjamin Millepied, the entire cast and crew to the La Jolla Playhouse Family. Put your hands together and give them a big San Diego welcome.
Audrey S. Geisel, Dr. Seuss Fund/ San Diego Foundation Seuss celebrates another fantastic season with La Jolla Playhouse!
BARBARA BLOOM Here’s to the American Dream and all who seek it. Congratulations to La Jolla Playhouse for birthing a musical that celebrates it!
Sheri L. and Stuart W. Jamieson Christopher Ashley and his team proudly carry on the tradition of the Playhouse as a safe harbor for unsafe work. Cheers to another great year!
Dowling & Yahnke Dowling & Yahnke salutes the Playhouse’s tireless commitment to providing us with the gift of world-class performances in our backyard. Their dedication to excellence, creativity and culture remains paramount to making San Diego “America’s Finest City. “
Becky Moores My family and I are tremendous fans of La Jolla Playhouse. I am delighted to help bring this incredible season to San Diego for all to enjoy. Vivien and Jeffrey Ressler The Playhouse is an artistic home to our family. We are honored to support this glorious new season as we reflect on the joy the Playhouse has given us for so many years. Rich Family Foundation We are pleased to lend our support to La Jolla Playhouse to promote the hard work, dedication and atmosphere that creates and launches new productions. Colette and Ivor Royston We’re so thrilled to see the outstanding work coming out of the La Jolla Playhouse over the past 26 years of our involvement. Congratulations to the Playhouse for their creativity and stellar leadership. Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust La Jolla Playhouse is an important and vital part of the San Diego arts community. We look forward each season to a wide variety of engaging plays, intriguing stories and original theater. We are proud to support the Playhouse. Steven Strauss and Lise Wilson What a season ahead of us! It seems like old times witnessing the incomparable collaboration between Des McAnuff and La Jolla Playhouse in creating yet another stunning world premiere musical Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots! Additional institutional support provided by:
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FRONT PORCH COMMUNITIES Front Porch retirement communities Casa de Mañana in La Jolla and Wesley Palms in Pacific Beach are pleased to sponsor La Jolla Playhouse. Front Porch communities celebrate the art of the individual and the spirit of community. We salute the Playhouse for its exceptional commitment to creative excellence and innovation. JULIE AND LOWELL POTIKER La Jolla Playhouse stands at the vanguard of American theatre. The powerful and exciting works that emanate from its talented team and collaborators enrich both our own community and society at large. We are proud to lend our sponsorship to such a worthy endeavor! Procopio Procopio is proud to support La Jolla Playhouse and applauds its tremendous efforts to empower our community through the performing arts, and to set the stage for the future of American theatre. As a local organization whose impact spans the globe, the Playhouse inspires our philanthropic spirit and commitment to the cultural vitality of our community. US BANK There is not a finer arts organization than La Jolla Playhouse. From daring debuts to Broadway-bound premieres, there truly is a show for every one of our customers, employees and stakeholders to enjoy. Through our partnership, we are able to express our support of the arts to myriad people, as so many diverse groups are attracted to La Jolla Playhouse and its fine work. Hands on a Hardbody is also supported by the La Jolla Playhouse 2012/2013 New Musical Initiative, made possible through the generous support of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan and The Jordan Ressler Endowment Fund.
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: CORPORATE CIRCLE $100,000 +
$25,000 +
$20,000 +
$15,000 +
$10,000 +
$5,000 + Allianz Global Investors Capital • Avalon Ventures • Forward Ventures / Carson Royston Group LLC Holland America Line • Macy’s Foundation • Nordstrom • ResMed Inc. • SD Scientific, Inc. • Torrey Pines Bank • US Trust
CORPORATE MATCHING COMPANIES Bank of America • Caterpillar • Google • Goodrich • Hewlett-Packard • H&R Block • IBM International • Intuit • Pfizer • Qualcomm Incorporated Sempra Energy • U.S. Bank • Union Bank • Wells Fargo
IN-KIND CIRCLE Wright & L'Estrange
Advanced Time Concepts • Daniel Norwood Photography • Floral FX • St. Petersburg Vodka
MEDIA SPONSORS
Opportunities for corporations to partner with La Jolla Playhouse are numerous and varied, each providing exclusive benefits and recognition. For information, please contact Jill McIntyre at (858) 550-1070 x137. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P25
La Jolla Playhouse
Board of Trustees Clockwise from top left: Lucille Neeley; Edward Dennis; Lynelle & William Lynch; Gail Knox; Board Chair Michael Eagle with former Chair Ralph Bryan; Michael Yeatts with wife Marilyn. Photos by Daniel Norwood Photography.
MICHAEL EAGLE Chair JEFFREY RESSLER First Vice-Chair LYNELLE LYNCH Second Vice-Chair TIM SCOTT Third Vice-Chair Michael bartell Treasurer margret mcbride Secretary TRUSTEES Gayle Allen Weston Anson Dave Bialis Paula Marie Black Barbara Bloom Ralph Bryan* Robert Caplan Linda L. Chester Flossie Cohen Doug Dawson Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D. Susan E. Dubé Victor M. Felix Suzanne Figi Marye Anne Fox, Ph.D. Gregory Frost Wendy Gillespie Hanna Gleiberman Kay Gurtin Hanaa Hensersky Debby Jacobs Joan Jacobs Sal Janmohamed Jeanne Jones Gail Knox Lucille Neeley Reenie O'Dea
Julie Potiker Steve Relyea Donald Rosenberg Ivor Royston Camille Saltman Susan Polis Schutz Judith C. Smith David Smotrich Amy Spielman Steven M. Strauss* Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. Michael Yeatts Mark Zebrowski Barbara ZoBell HONORARY TRUSTEES David Copley John Goodman Geri Ann Warnke* Robert Wright, Esq. EMERITUS TRUSTEES Richard Atkinson, Ph.D. Rita Bronowski (1917-2010) Milton Fredman (1920-2005) Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.* Marian Jones Longstreth (1906-1997) Hughes Potiker (1925-2005) Ellen Revelle (1910-2009) 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
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR I am delighted to welcome you to this performance of Hands on a Hardbody and the launch of the Playhouse’s 2012/2013 season. As I enter my second year as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I am deeply honored to be a part of the Playhouse leadership team and to tout our recent accomplishments. This past March, the Playhouse celebrated at its annual Gala, where we enjoyed exquisite entertainment and cuisine, as well as selections from our generous Playhouse wine hosts’ private collections, all while raising much-needed funds for our Education & Outreach and New Play Development programs. Speaking of play development, this past year the Playhouse saw four of its projects move on to successful productions in New York, including the Playhouse-commissioned Milk Like Sugar, the 2009 Page To Stage production of Peter and the Starcatchers, the hit musical Bonnie & Clyde, and the acclaimed Stratford Shakespeare Festival presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar. Meanwhile, the Playhouse-born Jersey Boys and Memphis remain major hits on Broadway and on national tour. All of these projects demonstrate our mission to develop new work and to serve as a home for artists to explore their craft. The Playhouse Board plays a critical role in upholding this mission, by helping to secure the resources the institution needs to continue providing unfettered creative opportunities for the leading artists of today and tomorrow. Once again, on behalf of my fellow trustees, thank you for joining us for another astounding Playhouse season. I look forward to working with all of you on continuing the Playhouse’s legacy of success throughout 2012 and beyond.
MICHAEL EAGLE
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES P26 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT $100,000 + City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture The James Irvine Foundation Helen K. and James S. Copley Foundation The Shubert Foundation, Inc. The William Hall Tippett and Ruth Rathell Tippett Foundation $50,000 - $99,999 The County of San Diego Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust $25,000 - $49,999 The National Endowment for the Arts Edgerton Foundation Las Patronas The Parker Foundation; Gerald T. & Inez Grant Parker Sidney E. Frank Foundation
$10,000 - $24,999 The Ariel W. Coggeshall Fund; the Creative Catalyst Fund; and the Colonel Frank C. Wood Memorial Fund of The San Diego Foundation, in Partnership with the James Irvine Foundation Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation San Diego Scottish Rite Community Foundation The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation $5,000 - $9,999 Price Family Charitable Fund John and Marcia Price Family Foundation $1,000 - $4,999 National Alliance for Musical Theatre The City of Encinitas & Mizel Family Foundation Community Grant Program The Sutherland Foundation
The Samuel I. & John Henry Fox Foundation City of Chula Vista, Performing and Visual Arts Grant The Arthur and Jeanette Pratt Memorial Fund The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation La Jolla Kiwanis Foundation $250 - $999 Rising Arts Leaders, San Diego’s Emerging Leaders of Arts and Culture, and The San Diego Foundation in partnership with the James Irvine Foundation The Philanthropy Club Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation, and the 3rd Grade Class of Solana Vista Elementary School La Jolla Playhouse would like to thank Las Patronas and The County of San Diego for making the 2011/2012 Mandell Weiss Theatre Lighting Retrofit possible.
County of San Diego
Wish you could print tickets at home? So do we. La Jolla Playhouse would like to thank The Parker Foundation for granting a generous lead gift to our technology fund, which will bring new features to our patrons’ experience, such as Print at Home ticketing and online photo previews of the view from the seats. Please donate today at www.LaJollaPlayhouse.org/technology to match the foundation’s grant and help us reach our goal. Every dollar helps!
List as of April 3, 2012
how philanthropic legacy planning could benefit you and help build the Playhouse endowment. Regardless of the size of your estate or the size of your gift, we would be honored to be counted among your philanthropic priorities.
Ellen and Roger Revelle helped revive La Jolla Playhouse in the early 1980s. For more than 20 years, they helped sustain live theatre through volunteer leadership and charitable giving. Now they are helping endow the Playhouse for future generations through a bequest in their estate. The Revelle Society is dedicated to telling the story of Ellen and Roger Revelle’s visionary philanthropic legacy. La Jolla Playhouse hopes you will be inspired by the Revelles to review your financial and estate plans to consider
Create a lasting legacy through The Revelle Society. Learn more about philanthropic legacy planning for gifts that: • Cost you nothing during your lifetime • Generate income for you during your lifetime • Preserve wealth for your family Please contact Deborah Trimble, Director of Development, at (858) 550-1070 x140 or dtrimble@ljp.org for a confidential consultation.
These generous supporters have been so inspired and, in turn, are inspiring others: Christopher Ashley Scott Aylward Cynthia Bolker Ralphº and Gail Bryan Leslie J. Cohen* Ted Cranstonº Armando de Peralta, Sr.* Grace Margaret Duhamel* Sherrilyn and Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.º Bob Jacobs
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Charmaine*º and Maury* Kaplan John O'Dea Margaret F. Peninger* Jeffrey and Vivien Ressler Ellen* and Roger* Revelle Michael S. Rosenberg Ruth Shepherd* Mickey Stern Steve Straussº and Lise Wilson
Kathryn Sturch Willard P. VanderLaanº Arthur and Molli Wagner Geri Ann Warnke º and Joseph F. Kennedy, M.D. Mandell Weiss* Gary L. Wollbergº Anonymous (1) *denotes deceased ºdenotes past Board Chair
PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P27
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: INDIVIDUAL DONORS Directors' Circle $100,000+
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Dr. Seuss Fund at The San Diego Foundation Rao and Padma Makineni Becky Moores Directors' Circle - $50,000+
Gail and Ralph Bryan Faiya Fredman Sheri L. and Stuart W. Jamieson Tamara and Kevin Kinsella Vivien and Jeffrey Ressler Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Bob and Mindy Rich Colette and Ivor Royston Steven Strauss and Lise Wilson Directors' Circle - $25,000+
Anonymous Christopher Ashley Michael Bartell and Melissa Garfield Bartell Denise and Lon Bevers Paula Marie Black Barbara Bloom Linda Chester and Dr. Kenneth Rind Florence Cohen Michael and Juanita Eagle Debby and Hal Jacobs Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation William W. Karatz William and Lynelle Lynch Ronald and Lucille Neeley Julie and Lowell Potiker Molli and Arthur Wagner Ph.D. Directors' Circle - $15,000+
Anonymous (2) Kenny and Marleen Alhadeff, In Honor of Christopher Ashley Joseph M. Cassin Ellen Sarver Dolgen and David P. Dolgen Susan E. Dubé Valerie and Gregory Frost Gurtin Fixed Income Jeanne Jones and Don Breitenberg George and Gail Knox Don and Stacy Rosenberg Tim and Emily Scott The Crawford Smith Foundation Amy and Charles Spielman Directors' Circle - $10,000+
Tony and Margaret Acampora Weston Anson and Susan Bailey In Honor of Adelaide Bailey Drs. Edward and Martha Dennis Silvija and Brian Devine Eric and Marsi Gardiner Wendy Gillespie Gleiberman Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation P28 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
Frank and Betsy Grasso Deni and Jeff Jacobs Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Des McAnuff Margret and Nevins McBride Dr. Howard and Barbara Milstein Judy and Alan Robbins Camille and David Saltman Gad and Suzan Shaanan Dr. and Mrs. David Smotrich Inner Circle - $5,000+
Kimberly L. Beane and Michael S. Rosenberg Arthur Brody and Phyllis Cohn Christa Burke and Walt Dittmer Leonard and Susan Comden Dorothy and Anthony Dain Andrea Gilbert Miles Grant Jeanne and Gary Herberger Eileen and Leonard Herman Joel and Rosanne Holliday Mary Beth Jernigan, In memory of Richard H. Jernigan Paul and Samara Larson Carol and George Lattimer Barbara Lee Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky and Family Barbara and Carl Maggio Prof. Marianne McDonald Laurie Dale Munday and Marcia Green Paula and Brian Powers Laurel and Paddy Rainwater Rita Bronowski Trust Becky Robbins Murray and Janet Rosenthal Marvin and Tina Simner Mickey Stern Iris and Matthew Strauss Susan and Richard Ulevitch Pamela J. Wagner Mary Lindenstein Walshok, Ph.D. Karin E. Winner Karl and Barbara ZoBell Inner Circle - $2,500+
Anonymous (2) Mrs. Jane Bastien Robert Brunst Leichtag Family Foundation Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Karen and William Dow Homer and Nina Eaton Ron and Devora Eisenberg– Great News! Joan R. Fisher Bill and Judy Garrett Ross and Mary-K Gilbert John and Angie Longenecker Betsy Manchester Shearn and Linda Platt Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Peter and Peggy Preuss Larry and Robin Rusinko Geri Ann Warnke Laura Spielman Williams
Gary L. Wollberg and Dr. Yumi Miyamoto Inner Circle - $1,000+
Anonymous (3) Ahern Insurance Brokerage/ Brian Ahern Edward L. Anderson and Joan E. Parsons Jeremy Asher Robert Baizer and Diane Jacobs Baizer Ginger and Ken Baldwin Joan and Jeremy Berg Charles Bergan and Lisa Kanetake Sondra and Robert Berk Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Dale and Marshall Block Loyce R. Bruce Todd and Debby Buchholz Daniel and Deborah, Michael and David Carnick Jack and Carol Clark Pamela Coker Stephanie Cooper and John Clarke Corinna Cotsen and Lee Rosenbaum Stacy Cromidas and Ruth Gilbert Marty and Sheldon Diller Dr. Ralph B. Dilley Barbara and Dick Enberg Drs. Marianne and Robert Engle Daniel and Phyllis Epstein Jennifer and Kurt Eve Inge Feinswog Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Susan Finkelstein Nancy Fisher and Mike Salt Susanna and Michael Flaster Ellen Fujikawa Dr. Irma Gigli Lee and Frank Goldberg Drs. Tom and Cindy Goodman In Honor of Whitney Goodman Arthur and Marlene Greenberg Pat and Rick Harmetz Leonard and Elaine Hirsch Gerald and Ingrid Hoffmeister Fund at The San Diego Foundation George and Maryka Hoover Richard and Janet Hunter Ruth and Paul Jacobowitz Pat JaCoby Anthony and Joyce Joseph Lewis and Patricia Judd Jim and Jennifer Kelly Bill and Linda Kolb Rosalie Kostanzer and Mike Keefe Joan and Robert Kroll Dr. K.B. Lim and Linda Lee Lim Estelle and Hamilton Loeb Jain Malkin Inc. Jasna Markovac and Gary Miller Linda and Dan Masters James and Anne McCammon Valorie McClelland
Holly McGrath and David Bruce Dr. Ken Melville and Dr. Sabina Wallach Dawn Moore and Lawrence Alldredge Gregg Motsenbocker Esther Nahama Lyn Nelson Dr. Mark Niblack Sally and Howard Oxley F. Richard Pappas Dr. Paul Pearigen and Dr. Kim Kerr Maryanne and Irwin Pfister Lori and Kenneth Polin Claire Reiss Kathy Roeder and Stan Morris Richard and Laura Romero Mr. and Mrs. Mason Rosenthal Sara Rosenthal, M.D. and Julie Prazich, M.D. San Diego Branch English Speaking Union - Alice Kirby Warren and Beverly Sanborn Robert and Lora Sandroni Judge and Mrs. H. Lee Sarokin Herb Schnall in memory of Ann Schnall Morton and Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz Sigesmund Family Dr. Edward and Evelyn Singer Kevin G. Snover Stone Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation Place D. Tegland Eloise Fletcher Thomas J. Marie Tuthill Bill VanderLaan Jim and Kathy Waring Jo and Howard Weiner Carrie and Wayne Wilson Howard and Christy Zatkin Jack and Sandy Zemer Emma and Leo Zuckerman Ovation Club - $500+
Anonymous (1) Stella Durham in Memory of Joyce Ashe Barbarella Restaurant Dr. and Mrs. Jorge Barrera Dr. Kim E. Barrett Mona Baumgartel and John DeBeer Bill and Sharon Beamer Arnold and Esther Belinsky Joni and Miles Benickes Amnon and Lee Ben-Yehuda Kay Chandler and Chris Bertics The Bodenstab Family Helen and Douglas Boyden Joan and Lou Chesner Leslie and Thomas Coll Daniel Collins and Nancy Shimamoto Gigi Cramer Mark and Jenny Dowling Ara Drobnies Jacqueline and Stanley Drosch
Bob Duffield Esther and Robert Feier Drs. Bessie and Ron Floyd Dr. Charles Freebern Mr. and Mrs. James R. Furby Susan and Steven Garfin Kathryn Goetz Dr. Carol A. Harter and Mr. William D. Smith Suzanne and Lawrence Hess Dr. Peter and Mrs. Megan Hoagland Sharon and Robert Hubbard Dr. David S. Johnson Wendy S. Johnson Rob and Kathy Jones Natasha Josefowitz Jo Ann Kilty Jerry and Martha Krasne Friends of Encanto Richard and Sherry Levin Sally and Luis Maizel Carole and Henry Manfredo Mary Lou Matthews Hon. James A. and Victoria M. McIntyre Te and Anabel Mintz Dr. and Mrs. Charles Mittman Helga and James Moore Dr. Katherine L. Morse and Mr. David L. Drake Dr. Rodney and Barbara Orth Brigit and Alan Pitcairn San Diego Concierge Association Scarano Family Foundation at The San Diego Foundation Beverly and Howard Silldorf Alan and Esther Siman Herbert J. and Elene Solomon Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Phoebe and Gene Telser Charles and Rita Tesar David and Tina Thomas Doris A. Trauner M.D. and Richard Stanford Cynthia Walk Graydon and Dorothy Wetzler Ovation Club - $250+
Anonymous (3) Mary Beth Adderley Rich and Mary Lou Amen Charles and Barbara Arledge Susan Atkins and Crystal Weathers Dr. Judith Bardwick Beverly L. Bartlett and Barbara Sailors Dr. Aviva Berlin Gerlinde and Greg Beuerlein Michael and Wendy Carey Glenn and Lynne Carlson Larry Carter Steven and Adina Chinowsky June Chocheles J. Clark & M. Thorstensen Peter B. Clark Ed and Melissa Cook
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: INDIVIDUAL DONORS Alicia Covill Dr. Pedro and Carol Cuatrecasas Betsy Dam Bruce and Joanne Dane Marcus and Ann De Barros Wayne and Liz Dernetz Wally and Linda Dieckmann David Donovan Deirdre Elliott, M.D. Maria Ferry Barbara M. Finn Dieter Fischer’s Mercedes Service, Inc. Ms. Pauline Forman Susan Forsburg and Lisa Churchill Drs. Jan and Helane Fronek Pam and Hal Fuson Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gans Joyce M. Gattas Drs. Charles and Nancy Girvin Gary Gist Michael and Brenda Goldbaum Carolyn and Jimmie Greenslate James and Carrie Greenstein Dr. Jeffrey Hall and Fern Platt Blake Harper and Janice Deaton Thomas Harvey and Bonnie Drolet Tracy Hatfield In Memory of Cheryl L. Sarno Marie Heavey Jamie Henson and Robert Houskeeper Blue Herron Cottages Richard and Veronique Ho Bill and Nancy Homeyer Fonda Hopkins Ed and Linda Janon Jay and Kendra Jeffcoat Neil and Vivien Joebchen Barbara and Casey Johnson In Memory of James & Adrienne Jones and Edward & Betty Thomas Roy and Bobbie Josepho Robert Kaplan and Marina Baroff Mick and Sherrie Laver Dixon and Pat Lee Marvin and Reinette Levine Leonard Levy Karen and Mark Liebowitz Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong Gerald and Ann Lipschitz Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Mathew and Barbara Loonin Karen and Charles Macbeth Russell Mangerie Heidi and Peter Maretz Lance and Jan Mason Edward and Barbara Mayers Christa McReynolds Laura and Eric Michelsen Dr. and Mrs. Paul E. Michelson Story and Richard Moreno Marilyn Moriarty Beatrice E. Pardo Susan C. Parker Dr. William and Beth Penny Don and Nola Picht
Dr. Kevin Rapeport and Dr. Angeli Hill Ravet Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Jodyne Roseman Manuel and Paula Rotenberg Carole Sachs Mark and Theresa Sadoff Parag Sanghvi Dr. and Mrs. Simon Sayre Mario and Anna Scipione Jeff and Jean Selzer Sandy and Stella Shvil Drs. Ron and Marilyn Simon Clark and Kathryn Smith Carol and Stuart Smith Norman and Judith Solomon Gary and Susan Spoto Francy Starr Cynthia Stauffer and Melinda Arnold Dr. Jennifer Stewart and Mr. Scott Harrison Harriet and John Taylor Reed and Solange Thompson Kelly and Elisa Thomson Michael Tierney and Andrea Migdal Aldad and Ommid Vakili Scott Vandenberg Katharine Sheehan and Frederick Walker Marybeth Ward Gary and Debbie Wasserman Mel and Isabelle Wasserman Susan and Eric Weisman Frankie and Allen White Mr. Stephen Worland Brendan and Kaye Wynne Howard and Judy Ziment Ovation Club - $150+
Anonymous (6) Ben and Debra Abate Raul Arthur and Lisa Albanez Timothy W. Alexander Sharon and Terry Allen Dr. Philip O. Anderson and Dr. Veronica Valdes Polly Ball Gene and Ed Barth Billie Bearden Patricia Behrend Phylaine Bemel-Schermerhorn Eve Benton and Malcolm Bund Jan and Robert Bitmead Leslie and Dorothy Blair Bob and Joyce Blumberg Sue Boiko and Martin Schwartz James B. Bond, CLSB Drs. Jeffrey and Jennifer Braswell Mary E. Brewer Jerre and Aylin Bridges LaVerne and Blaine Briggs Ray and Bonnie Brooks Jeffrey Brown Hal and Linda Brown Dr. and Mrs. Simon C. Brumbaugh Margot Burger and Jerry Dame
Julia Carson Mr. Neal P. Chazin L. Owen and Ruth Clinton Michael and Ellise Coit Mary Cory Lili Vidal Mr. and Ms. Peter Crea Annette Cross Danny and Beth Dabby Mr. and Mrs. Gary David Ted and Deanna DeFrank Kevin Deguise Dawn and Dutch Dershem Bob and Chris Dilworth The Ditty Family Capt. Robert and Elaine Donnelly Beth and Stephen Doyne The Drummond Family Steven Due Jinx Ecke Virginia Eddy Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Edelson Amy Corton and Carl Eibl Steven and Amy Epner Helen Trahan Farschon Muriel Filman Mr. and Mrs. Ross Fisher Mr. and Mrs. Standish Fleming Susan Foerster Anne Q. Fomon David Fox and Lydia Thompson In Honor of Faiya Fredman Elizabeth Austin and David E. Freedheim David Garcia Steve and Janet Gaspari Dr. and Mrs. Arnold Gass Arline and Daniel Genis Roberta and James George Wayne and Martha Gerth Alan and Marleigh Gleicher Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Glenn Gloria and Neal Gobar Dick Gordon Drs. Daniel and Ulrika Green Dinia Green William and Candy Griffith Harry Griswold and Stephanie Webber Theodore Gryga Pat and Pepper Guevara Sandra Hale Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Hall Mary Hardwick Jeff and Joel Shirley A. Harper Barbara Hench Diana and Mike Hill Hon. Herbert Hoffman Ret. Dr. and Mrs. Michael Holland Isabella Furth and Everett Howe Kent and Candace Humber Randy and Carrol Jackson Dr. Arthur and Beatriz Jacobson Nora and Alan Jaffe David and Betty Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Myron Joseph Michael and Nancy Kaehr Jennifer Kagnoff
Dr. and Mrs. Martin Kagnoff Maurine Kellman Julie and Kern Kenyon Cynthia and John Klinedinst Karen Krupinsky Robert and Elena Kucinski Helen Kupka Juan and Alexis Lasheras Dr. and Mrs. Elliott Lasser Veronica and Miguel Leff, Esq. Marshall and Judy Lewis Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation David MacCormack Bonnie Macritchie Sue and Peter Madsen Barbara Malk Janet Malone David Mandell Mr. Joseph Marron and Dr. Deborah Hofler Gary and Barbara Marsella Harold and Beverly Martyn Tom and Ina Masten Peggy Matthews Wallace McCloskey Dennis A. McConnell In Honor of Thos. L. Crist & George A. LaPointe Dr. and Mrs. Robert Meredith Dr. and Mrs. Eli Mishuck Isaac and Nancy Mizrahi Carrie Morrow Susan Motenko Martha Mutschler Ann Nathan Joani Nelson Dr. and Mrs. Steven Ornish Paula Tallal and Colleen Osburn Robert Otto Michelle Parker Mr. and Mrs. Michael Paurazas Susan Peinado Ernie and Mary Pennell Dr. and Mrs. John Person Don and Robyn Phillips Marina Piccioni Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Poggenburg Howdy and Sharon Pratt Kevin Quinn Cynthia and Gilbert Raff Mike and Laura Ravine Bill and Jacqui Reavey Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Reich David and Melissa Rewolinski Deborah Reynolds Kathy Rhodes
Joy and Lawrence Rogers George and Karen Sachs Raymond and Marcia Sachs Barbara J. Saltman Jocelyn and Peter Schultz Robert Singer and Judith Harris J & J Slobodny Dr. Robert and Mrs. Jacquelyn Slotkin William and Gloria Snyder Steven and Phyllis Spierer Ray and Lauren Stainback Susanne Stanford and Tom Matthews Karla and Edward Stockton Dr. Michael Sutherland and Linda Greenberg Scott T. Swazey Mary and Tim Swift Stephanie and Alan Tarkington John and Gail Tauscher Michael Thorsnes Edward and Karin Threat Bill and Lee Tollefson Hal Walba Michael and Beth Wapner Nancy and Tim Waters Jane Wheeler Caryl Lees Witte Norah and William Wolff Peter and Donna Worcester Paul and Kathryn Zucker List as of April 1, 2012. We apologize for any errors or accidental omissions. Please contact the Individual Giving Office at (858) 550-1050 x142 if you would like to change your listing.
IN GRATITUDE: The La Jolla Playhouse Board of Trustees and staff wish to express their deepest appreciation and gratitude to Vivien and Jeffrey Ressler for establishing the Jordan Ressler Endowment Fund. With the creation of this endowment, the Playhouse will receive much-needed annual support for the express purpose of developing new work and sustaining key artistic projects throughout the creative process.
PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P29
THE COMPANY
Doug Wright, Author won the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for I Am My Own Wife in 2004. The play was developed at the Playhouse as the institution’s inaugural Page To Stage workshop production. He received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for his book for the Broadway musical Grey Gardens. He also authored the book for the stage incarnation of Disney’s beloved film The Little Mermaid. In 2009, he adapted and directed August Strindberg’s Creditors for La Jolla Playhouse in a production that was named Best Adaptation of the Year by the San Diego Critics Circle. His stage work has been seen internationally in countries from Japan to Romania. Mr. Wright won an Obie Award for his play Quills. He went on to write the screenplay adaptation, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and received the Writer’s Guild of America’s Paul Selvin Award. The film garnered three Academy Award nominations and was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review. Other notable film work includes production rewrites on major releases at Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and The Weinstein Company. For director Rob Marshall, he penned the television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic, which received seven Emmy Awards. Mr. Wright currently serves on the boards of the New York Theater Workshop, Yaddo and the Dramatists Guild. He is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and of the Writer’s Guild of America. Amanda Green, Composer/Lyricist co-wrote the lyrics for Bring It On: The Musical, which opened at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles this past November and is currently on a national tour. On Broadway, she wrote the lyrics for High Fidelity. Tapped by Arthur Laurents, she wrote additional lyrics for the revival of Hallelujah Baby (Arena Stage, directed by Mr. Laurents). She co-starred/wrote the lyrics for For the Love of Tiffany: A Wifetime Original Musical (NY Fringe Festival). Winner of The Jonathan Larson Award and Abe Ohlman Award for Excellence in Songwriting. She has written episodes of The Wonder Pets for Nick, Jr. and comic essays for Playboy Magazine. In addition to Hands on a Hardbody, Ms. Green and Trey Anastasio have penned songs, some of which he performs with his bands Phish and TAB. Ms. Green performs her songs everywhere from Birdland to The Bluebird Café in Nashville. Her revue, Put a Little Love in Your Mouth! The Songs of Amanda Green, sold out at Off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theater and Joe’s Pub. CD available at www. greenpiecemusic.com. Trey Anastasio, Composer Composer/guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio is a founding member of Phish. One of the most successful and innovative rock bands of the last 30 years, Phish has built a career on uncompromising musicianship and spectacular live performances. Mr. Anastasio – who also tours regularly with Trey Anastasio Band – has received GRAMMY® nominations for his recordings with Phish and for his solo work. He has collaborated with such artists as Dave Matthews, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Toots and the Maytals, B.B. King and The Roots, and – as part of the trio Oysterhead – Les Claypool (Primus) and Stewart Copeland (The Police). Named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Mr. Anastasio has performed his original compositions with numerous symphonies, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The New York Times hailed Mr. Anastasio’s Carnegie Hall performance with the New York Philharmonic as “that rarest of rarities, a classical-rock hybrid that might please partisans from both constituencies.” He is currently at work on a new solo album, which will be released this fall.
P30 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
Neil Pepe, Director directed the acclaimed Broadway revival of Speed-the-Plow starring Raul Esparza, Jeremy Piven and Elisabeth Moss, as well as the recent Broadway production of David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre, starring Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight. Since 1992, he has been the Artistic Director of the award-winning Atlantic Theater Company, which has produced more than 125 plays, establishing itself as one of the premiere Off-Broadway theater companies. OffBroadway, he recently directed the world premiere of Happy Hour by Ethan Coen, continuing their collaboration after Offices and Almost an Evening. In the fall, he directed the world premiere of Adam Rapp’s Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling at the Atlantic. Other recent shows include the revival of Frank Gilroy’s The Subject Was Roses at Center Theatre Group, starring Martin Sheen, Frances Conroy and Brian Geraghty; David Mamet’s Keep Your Pantheon and School; Jez Butterworth’s Parlour Song, his third collaboration with the playwright following the American premieres of The Night Heron and Mojo; David Pittu’s What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling and its transfer to New World Stages; David Mamet’s Romance and its run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; Howard Korder’s Sea of Tranquility; The Beginning of August by Tom Donaghy, starring Mary Steenburgen at South Coast Repertory and Atlantic; Harold Pinter’s Celebration and The Room; and the revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo starring William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall and Mark Webber, which had its initial run at the Donmar Warehouse in London before moving to New York. Benjamin Millepied, Musical Staging Born in Bordeaux, France, Benjamin Millepied began his dance training at the age of eight with his mother Catherine Millepied, a modern dancer. He studied classical ballet at the Conservatoire National de Lyon and later at the School of American Ballet - the official school of the New York City Ballet - becoming principal dancer at the company in 2001. A sought-after dancer and choreographer with an extensive repertoire that includes featured and premiere roles in works by Balanchine, Robbins, Wheeldon, Martins, and Ratmansky, among others, Millepied has directed the Morris Center Dance Workshop and has held the post of Choreographer-in-Residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York. Millepied’s works have been commissioned, premiered, and presented in collaboration with the Grand Théâtre de Genève; Paris Opera Ballet; Metropolitan Opera; New York City Ballet; Joyce Theatre New York; Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, and many others. For a full list of works, visit benjaminmillepied.com. In 2010, Millepied choreographed and starred in Darren Aronofsky’s feature film Black Swan. In the same year he was made Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. The 2012-13 season will inaugurate the newly-conceived L.A. Dance Project - an art collective that aims to establish new models for creative collaboration with the goal of reaching out to broader audiences. Mr. Millepied’s upcoming projects include choreography for a world premiere for the New York City Ballet and an animated feature for Quad Productions. Benjamin Millepied is the face of Yves Saint Laurent’s new fragrance “l’homme libre.” Zachary Dietz, Music Director is thrilled to be joining the Hands on a Hardbody family! Recent Broadway credits include In the Heights and Wicked. Other recent credits include Dogfight, Yellow Brick Road and The Single Girls Guide, a developmental musical with Capitol Repertory Theater. Mr. Dietz is a graduate of The Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Much love to my family and to C.
THE COMPANY
Christine Jones, Set Designer Broadway: American Idiot (Tony Award), Everyday Rapture, Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), all directed by Michael Mayer; The Green Bird, with director Julie Taymor (Drama Desk nomination). Off-Broadway includes: Coraline (Lucille Lortel); The Book of Longing, music by Philip Glass, based on the poems of Leonard Cohen (Lincoln Center Festival). Currently she is designing Rigoletto for the Metropolitan Opera. She is the Artistic Director of THEATRE FOR ONE, and is an Adjunct Faculty member at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Susan Hilferty, Costume Designer Ms. Hilferty has designed more than 300 productions for theatres across America and internationally. For La Jolla Playhouse: 80 Days, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Lesson from Aloes, Down the Road, Elmer Gantry, Figaro Gets a Divorce, Fortinbras, Gillette, How to Succeed…, Le Petomane, My Children! My Africa!, Playland, The Captain’s Tiger, Creditors, The Matchmaker, The Misanthrope, The Tempest and Two Rooms. Recent work: Taylor Swift’s Speak Now! world tour. Broadway: Wonderland, Sondheim on Sondheim, Spring Awakening (Tony nomination), Lestat (Tony nomination), Assassins, Into the Woods (Hewes Award, Tony nomination). Her numerous awards include the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Wicked. Kevin Adams, Lighting Designer Broadway credits include: American Idiot (Tony Award), Spring Awakening (Tony Award), Next to Normal (Tony nomination), Hair (Tony nomination), Passing Strange, The 39 Steps (Tony Award), On a Clear Day..., Everyday Rapture, Hedda Gabler and Take Me Out. Solo shows for John Leguizamo, Eve Ensler, Eric Bogosian, Anna Deveare Smith and Sandra Bernhard. Off-Broadway: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rent, Carrie, new work by Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Richard Greenberg, Kander and Ebb, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, Charles Mee, Neil Simon and Paula Vogel. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. www.ambermylar.com Steve Canyon Kennedy, Sound Designer was the production engineer on such Broadway shows as Cats, Starlight Express, Song & Dance, The Phantom of the Opera, Carrie and Aspects of Love. His Broadway sound design credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Catch Me If You Can, Guys and Dolls, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Jersey Boys (Drama Desk Award), Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, Hairspray, The Producers, Aida, Titanic, Big, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Carousel and The Who’s Tommy (Drama Desk Award). He is married to actress Loni Ackerman and together have two sons, Jack and George. Special thanks to my Associate, Walter Trarbach. Phil Thompson, Voice and Dialect Coach has been a text and accent coach for the past 15 years, working on more than 100 productions at theatres across the country. He is a master teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, and teaches voice and speech at UC Irvine, where he also heads the MFA program in Acting.
Shirley Fishman, Resident Dramaturg Now in her 11th season at the Playhouse, Ms. Fishman recently served as dramaturg on American Night, Surf Report, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bonnie & Clyde, Creditors, Herringbone, Unusual Acts of Devotion, the Playhouse’s production of Xanadu and UC San Diego’s The Revenger’s Tragedy directed by Christopher Ashley. At the Joseph Papp Public Theatre she dramaturged such projects as Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters, Two Sisters and a Piano by Nilo Cruz, Tina Landau’s Space, among others. She serves as a Playwright’s Dramaturg for UC San Diego’s Baldwin New Play Festival. She has been a Creative Advisor/ Dramaturg at the Sundance Theatre Lab. She is an M.F.A. graduate of Columbia University’s Theatre Theory/Criticism/Dramaturgy program. TELSEY + COMPANY, Casting Broadway/Tours: Porgy and Bess, Bonnie & Clyde, Godspell, Chinglish, SPIDER-MAN, Sister Act, Catch Me, Priscilla, The Addams Family, Memphis, Rock of Ages, Wicked, Bring It On. OffBroadway: Rent, Million Dollar Quartet (and Tour, Chicago), Atlantic, MCC, Signature. Film: The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Joyful Noise, Friends with Kids, Margin Call, Howl, Sex and the City, Jonah Hex, I Love You Phillip Morris, Rachel Getting Married, Dan in Real Life, Then She Found Me, Across the Universe, Ira & Abby, Rent, Pieces of April, Camp. TV: “Smash,” “A Gifted Man,” “The Big C.” www.telseyandco.com. Bernie Telsey CSA, Will Cantler CSA, David Vaccari CSA, Bethany Knox CSA, Craig Burns CSA, Tiffany Little Canfield CSA, Rachel Hoffman CSA, Justin Huff CSA, Patrick Goodwin CSA, Abbie Brady-Dalton CSA, David Morris, Cesar A. Rocha, Andrew Femenella, Karyn Casl, Kristina Bramhall. Linda Marvel, Production Stage Manager Broadway: Fela!, 33 Variations, The Little Dog Laughed, How to Succeed in Business… La Jolla Playhouse: The Scottish Play, 33 Variations. Off-Broadway: premieres of Sam Shepard’s The God of Hell and Michael Weller’s Beast, and productions at Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, NYTW, MCC and TFANA. Regional: Long Wharf Theatre, Centerstage Baltimore, Olney Theatre, Pittsburgh Public and Westport Playhouse. Currently, Ms. Marvel is the Production Supervisor for Seven, a documentary theatre piece performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. Erin Gioia Albrecht, Assistant Stage Manager previously worked on the La Jolla Playhouse productions of Milk Like Sugar, Creditors, The Third Story and No Child…. Other regional credits include August: Osage County, Dividing the Estate, Jane Austen’s Emma, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, The Madness of George III, King Lear, Cyrano de Bergerac, Coriolanus and Bell, Book and Candle at The Old Globe. Her New York credits include The Third Story (MCC Theater), Marvin’s Room (T. Schreiber Studio), The Great American Desert (78th Street Theatre Lab) and The Chekhov Dreams (Manhattan Theatre Source). Ms. Albrecht obtained her M.F.A. in Stage Management from UC San Diego. Emily Hayes, Assistant Stage Manager International credits: Continuum: Beyond the Killing Fields (TheatreWorks Singapore, Brazil Tour 2011); Peter Pan (King’s Head Theatre, London). Additional credits: Fourteen Flights (New York International Fringe Festival); after the quake, Assassins (Company One, Boston); Hula Hoop Sha-Boop (Florida Studio Theatre). Other credits include Spring Awakening, The Revenger’s Tragedy, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (UC San Diego). Ms. Hayes received her M.F.A. in Stage Management from UC San Diego. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P31
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE LEADERSHIP Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director 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.
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.
Michael S. Rosenberg, Managing Director was appointed Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse in April, 2009. During his first three years, he has worked in partnership with Artistic Director Christopher Ashley to produce ten world premieres, six Playhouse commissions and the hit musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, Limelight and Little Miss Sunshine. He was also instrumental in bringing the Page To Stage workshop of John Lequizamo’s Diary of a Madman to the Playhouse, which transferred to Broadway. 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, 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
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 currently serves as Artistic Director at Canada’s Stratford Festival.
Debby Buchholz, General Manager has served as general manager of La Jolla Playhouse since 2002. She is a member of the Executive Committee and 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.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PLAYHOUSE PARTNERS The Playhouse Partners donate their time, service and skills to support and promote La Jolla Playhouse. This active, friendly group provides many ways to become involved, such as leading backstage tours, organizing special events for the cast and crew, and staffing the gift shop and information desk. In return, Partners receive many exciting benefits, from attending special events to learning more about the backstage world of the theatre, all while representing one of the foremost regional theatres in the country. La Jolla Playhouse is deeply grateful for the Partners’ efforts on behalf of the theatre. A full listing of the Playhouse Partners is available online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org. For more information about the Playhouse Partners, please visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org, or contact Jessica Burger at (858) 550-1070 x142 or jburger@ljp.org.
Partners Carmen Mannarino and Lois Bradbury prepare Company Breakfast.
P32 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
L-R: Lois Bradbury, JoAnne O’Dea, Reenie O’Dea and Teresa O’Dea
PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P32
NEW DIRECTIONS directed by Liam Clancy & Eric Geiger
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featuring world premiere dance and dance theatre by our talented MFA graduates and undergraduates
Productions include: ElizabEth i by Paul Foster Dancetheatrethesisworks titus andronicus by william shakesPeare winterworks Dance balDwin new Play Festival with Four worlD Premiere Plays
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June 6 - 9 Sheila & Hughes Potiker Theatre
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THEATRE.UCSD.EDU 858.534.4574
PATRON SERVICES PATRON SERVICES is located in the lobby area of each theatre. A representative is available to answer questions and hand out assisted listening devices, restaurant guides, performance schedules and subscription information. BARS AND CONCESSIONS are open one hour prior to curtain and during intermissions. To avoid the rush, intermission beverages can be ordered before the show. Concessions by:
CAMERAS AND RECORDING DEVICES are strictly prohibited in the theatre. Please check these items with the House Manager and turn off your camera phone. PARKING is free for subscribers; $2 for the general public on weekdays (free on weekends). Upon arrival to campus, please enter your parking space number and pay the automated paystations located by the information kiosk. Spaces that are not paid for are subject to ticketing by UC San Diego Campus Police. DOCTORS AND PARENTS expecting calls during the performance should leave their names and seat numbers with the House Manager before the show. Leave the following number with your service: (858) 550-1030.
ACCESSIBILITY
La Jolla Playhouse provides wheelchair-accessible seating and parking. Wheelchair seat locations are available for wheelchair users and a companion at all performances; be sure to advise the reservationist that you require a wheelchair location. Additionally, a golf cart is available to assist patrons with accessibility needs to and from the parking lot. Please notify the Box Office 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.The Playhouse also provides assisted listening devices for patrons who are hard of hearing. Devices are available, free of charge, at the Patron Services Center prior to performances (subject to availability). Listening Devices Provided in Part by
ACCESS One performance of each production is designated as an ACCESS performance. These performances feature American Sign Language interpretations for the deaf and hard of hearing and live audio description for blind/low-vision audience members. Pre-show sensory tours provide design information to enhance the production experience for blind/ low-vision patrons as well. The ACCESS performance for Hands on a Hardbody takes place on Saturday, May 19, 2:00 pm performance.
LATECOMERS or PATRONS WHO LEAVE THEIR SEAT DURING THE PERFORMANCE will be admitted to the standing room section of the theatre at the discretion of the House Manager. They may take their assigned seats at intermission. La Jolla Playhouse accepts no responsibility for inconvenience to latecomers. Safety in the Theatre District La Jolla Playhouse is constantly working with the UC San Diego Police Department and UC San Diego Transportation and Parking Services, which operates the parking lot and security system, to maintain and improve security conditions for patrons and staff members. Additionally, patrons and staff are welcome to use UC San Diego Community Service Officers (CSOs) for an escort to their cars by calling (858) 534-WALK (9255). Further questions regarding security may be addressed to UC San Diego Police at (858) 534-HELP (4357). BABES IN ARMS Out of respect for fellow audience members and the performers, babes in arms are not permitted in the theatre during performances. PLEASE SILENCE all electronic devices including cellular phones, watches and pagers before the performance. THEATRE TOURS Tour the stages and production shops of the Playhouse facilities and learn more about the history of La Jolla Playhouse and the role that it plays in the community. Tours are available to groups for a nominal fee. PErFORMANCEs MAGAZINE P33
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
STAFF
Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director
ARTISTIC
ADMINISTRATION
Associate Producer Dana I. Harrel Resident Dramaturg Shirley Fishman Literary Director Gabriel Greene Director Emeritus Des McAnuff Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley Rick VanNoy Artistic Assistant/Local Casting Director Marike Fitzgerald Commissioned Artists Trey Anastasio, Mark Bennett, Keith Bunin, Amanda Green Kirsten Greenidge, Joe Iconis, Naomi Iizuka, Gregory S. Moss, Ernie Nolan, Basil Twist, Alfred Uhry, Doug Wright
General Manager Debby Buchholz Associate General Manager Jenny Case Assistant General Manager Katherine Stout Human Resources Manager Derrick McGee Corporate/Legal Counsel Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange Theatre/Legal Counsel F. Richard Pappas, Esq. Executive Assistant to Michael S. Rosenberg Christopher Hines
PRODUCTION
FINANCE
Production Manager Linda S. Cooper Assistant Production Manager Cate O. Barger
SCENE SHOP
Technical Director Chris Borreson Assistant Technical Director Mike Schwent Scene Shop Foreman David Weiner Master Carpenter Mike Curtis Staff Carpenters Bill George, Tom Lucenti, Ty Meservy Staff Show Carpenters Kyle Ahlquist, Preston Spence Shop Carpenters Mihai Antonescu, William Bender, Jacob Bruce, Matt Clark, Stephen Kromka, Stephen Lutz, Andrew Lynch, Mason Petersen Shop Helper Doug Collind
PAINT SHOP
Charge Scenic Artist Joan Newhouse Assistant Charge Artist JR Bruce Scenic Artist Edee Armand, Dwaine Best, Vicki Erbe, Kristen Flores, Syd Stevens, Faith Swickard, Tiffany Tucker
PROPERTIES SHOP
Prop Master Debra Hatch Associate Prop Master Jenny Fajerman Prop Shop Foreman Will Widick Soft Goods Elizabeth Egan Lead Artisan Ryan Lewis Props Artisan Ryan Lewis, Carlos Wauman
COSTUME SHOP
Costume Shop Manager Sue Makkoo Costume Shop Supervisor Ingrid Helton Costume Shop Foreman/Tailor Lissa Skiles First Hand/Master Stitcher K-Joy Lehmann-Way Drapers Sarah Maisel, Joan Mathison Wigs Lisa Wylie First Hands Jan Blankenship, Claudia LaRue Crafts Corey Johnston, Christy Jones Stitchers Rebecca Fabares
ELECTRICS
Lighting Supervisor Mike Doyle Assistant Lighting Supervisor Kathryn Sturch Staff Electricians Mike Lowe, Ramon Wenn, Matt Wilson Electricians Kristyn Kennedy, Patricia Lesinski, Areta MacKelvie, Andrea Ryan
SOUND/VIDEO
Sound/Video Supervisor Joe Huppert Assistant Sound Supervisor Rachel LeVine Sound Shop Foreman Steve Negrete Sound Technicians Rene Barger, Chris Luessmann Shaun McAdams Video Engineer Eric May P34 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINe
COMPANY MANAGEMENT
Assistant Company Manager Heather Losey Company Management Assistants Karissa Ferlin, Jonathan Orara Director of Finance John O’Dea Assistant Director of Finance Mary Harris Comptroller Brian Bailey Payroll AP Jill Valdez Production Accountant Sharon Ratelle IT Systems and Data Manager Roy Waters
DEVELOPMENT
Director of Development Deborah Ann Trimble Associate Director of Development, Corporate Relations Jill McIntyre Associate Director of Development, Government & Foundation Relations Erin M. Knight Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving Antonello Di Benedetto Special Events Manager Elizabeth Galloway Development Database Manager Marcus Myers Individual Giving Associate Jessica Burger Special Events Coordinator Laura Jackson Assistant to the Director of Development Hermione Gilpin
MARKETING
Director of Marketing Mary Cook Director of Public Relations Becky Biegelsen Associate Director of Marketing Mia Fiorella Multimedia Designer Dana Holliday Communications Specialist Deanna Chew
TELESALES / TELEFUNDING
Telesales and Telefunding Manager Steven Kang Subscription Sales / Fundraising Associate Paul Preston Subscription Sales / Fundraising Representatives Suzanne Eliasson, Thomas Trimble, Dorothy Varonin, Blair Whitcomb
BOX OFFICE
Box Office Manager M. Nikki Cooper-Grigalunus Box Office Assistant Manager Alicia Viola Box Office Lead Operators Samuel Carr, Pearl Hang, Steven Lone Box Office Reservationists David Armstrong, Amanda Prodinski
Michael S. Rosenberg, Managing Director EDUCATION & OUTREACH Director of Education & Outreach
Stephen McCormick
Education & Outreach Associate Marisol Best Education & Outreach Coordinator Nicole Keepers Audio Describers Mernie Aste, Brian Berlau, Tina Dyer, Shari Lyon, Kay O’Neil, Helen Warren Ross, Deborah Sanborn, Janet Schlesinger, Sylvia Southerland ASL Interpreters Angela Glebock, Billieanne McLellan ASL Volunteers Bonnie Fountain, Esther Shen Teaching Artists Jennifer Barclay Newsham, Brian Bose, Rebecca Dennis, Lucas Dominguez, Erin Gordon, Cory Hammond, Wendy Maples, Johamy Morales, Katie Palmer, Lori Petermann, Erika Phillips, James Pillar, Mary Reich, Megan E. Robinson, Craig Rovere, Spencer Smith, Cynthia Stokes
INTERNS
Marisa Acosta, Abigail Caywood, Sophia Suejin Chung, Monique Goeders, Samuel Jue, Victoria Le, Danita Lee, Andrew London Park, Tylar-Nicole Pendgraft-Clabby, Carmen Quiñones, Brittney Scolari
2011/2012 STUDENT BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Carmen Quiñones (Chair), Lila Gavares (Vice Chair), Kayla Solsbak (Secretary) OPERATIONS
Director of Operations Ned Collins Operations Associate Jen McClenahan
FRONT OF HOUSE
House Manager John Craft Assistant House Managers Katherine Cordova, Amy Covington, Megan Danielson, Philip Kerkstra, Cameron McMartin, Eric Nickerson, Heather Wolf Janitorial Professional Maintenance Systems
HANDS ON A HARDBODY STAFF
Show Carpenter Kyle Ahlquist Automation Operator/Deck William Bender Deck Tarin Hurstell, Andrea Ryan Props Runner Carlos Wauman Wardrobe Supervisor Debbie Callahan Hair & Wig Maintenance/Dresser Lisa Wiley Light Board Operator Mike Lowe Follow Spot Operators Patricia Lesinski, Kristyn Kennedy Sound Engineer Dave Horowitz Deck Sound Chris Luessmann Moving Lights Programmer Jay Penfield