Alliance Theatre, Business Ideas, November/December 2024
ALLIANCE THEATRE
NOV 16–DEC 15, 2024
“What do you do?”
It’s the age-old question in today’s modern world that we sadly can’t avoid asking (or being asked) within the first fifteen minutes of meeting someone. Whether it be on a blind date or a chance encounter with an old neighbor who has just completed their graduate degree, we simply can’t help but turn to the low hanging fruit conversation starter: “What is your line of work?” or, more specifically, “How do you make your money?”
And, for some, this question breeds such insecurity; they will do anything to avoid being asked the question.
It’s no wonder so many of us (in particular our young people who have come of age during a pandemic, skyrocketing health care costs, and an egregiously unaffordable housing market) have lost faith in our economic system. It’s becoming harder and harder to put together a sturdy financial plan because it’s dependent on job security and employment opportunities that provide benefits. And if a potential job requires a college degree, is the student loan debt worth all of the “work” to become a “worker”?
Our 21st Alliance/Kendeda Competition winner, Milo Cramer, has written a piece of theatre that tackles these contemplations head on. And what is so brilliant about the story Milo has created is that he isn’t trying to answer these seemingly unanswerable questions. He is instead spotlighting the realities of our broken economic system with such relentless honesty (and a whole lot of humor), that we can’t help but see ourselves in the play’s relationships. We belly laugh at the absurdity of the transactional relationships between an exhausted barista and an egoistic customer, between an exasperated mother and a daughter rejecting convention. In a world where capitalism teaches us money is king and transactions are often prioritized over real human connection, how eye opening it is to truly ask ourselves — can money really buy our happiness?
What if, instead of the question “What do you do?,” we ask, “How do you spend your days?” This question sparks a great deal of self-reflection (which is so much more interesting than job titles). Are your days spent looking for opportunities to help those in need? Giving thanks for what you have? Having more interactions and less transactions? My hope is, after this performance, they just may be.
We are so glad you’re here.
Amanda Watkins Director of New Work
MILO CRAMER HOPES THE PLAY IS FUNNY
Playwright Braids Experiences into New Comedy
STORY BY Mashaun D. Simon
In the opening scene of Business Ideas, Patty, a 20-something-year-old coffee shop server, is having what appears to be a difficult and uncomfortable exchange with a customer.
It is early morning, about 7 am or so. The customer is not quite sure what they want, and Patty is trying their best to be both engaging and patient with the customer.
The coffee shop and Patty’s exchanges with several unique customers provide a backdrop for a mother’s effort to spend quality time with her daughter, while at the same time coming up with the next big business endeavor.
And this, for the most part, is what is at the heart of this year’s Alliance/ Kendeda Competition winner. In its 21st year, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition solicits plays from the leading MFA graduate programs in the country. The winner receives a one-of-a-kind full production as part of the Alliance Theatre regular season.
Written by Milo Cramer, an MFA graduate of UC San Diego, Business Ideas is directed by Theatrical Outfit’s Artistic Director Matt Torney and is having its premiere here at the Alliance from November 16 through December 15, 2024.
“This show [tries to address] how confusing it is to live in America, be a worker and a consumer; be in a family and in businesses and an employee,” Cramer said. “I don’t have words for, when you think about it, how confusing and overwhelming [it is] to think about [the challenges] of all of that.”
Very rarely are most of us aware of societal issues like the global supply chain when going to a store, said Cramer, or how any of the things we acquire make it to us. Going to the grocery store for most of us is the most mundane thing we will do without considering there is much more to it.
“[We have] a cursory engagement with a worker who’s a whole person. We only ever see a little fraction of who they are or their life,” he said. “To me it is so alienating and sad and spooky, but so normal.”
The cash register, he said, is a cultural fault line and, in the play, a site of intense confrontation.
“It’s a meeting place where, even though it’s a very, very mild one, shoppers and workers encounter each other,” he said. “And they can be very charged and horrible, and also very taken for granted.”
The story is inspired by a combination of life experiences that triggered thoughts and questions for him, but he never really had the opportunity to get any clear and fulfilling answers. The show, he said, attempts to discuss the dichotomies and contradictions of life.
“I worked at this café for six years. I was incredibly sad there, and I wanted to talk about it,” he said, adding that doing an entire play on someone working at a café seemed both very dumb and cliché for him. “My mom went to business school, but she never started a business even though she would dream of it often.”
In his family, which he describes as “kind of whimsical,” they would come up with business ideas, but they never made any of them happen.
“That was hard for me as a child, sometimes, to understand how precarious or not we were, or how serious or not that activity was,” he said. “And so, in the play they’re constantly trying to come up with business ideas, and they’re all bad.”
Playwright Milo Cramer
He wanted to say something about those experiences by braiding them together – describing the business scenarios as a “kind of pie in the sky” situation with the many customer service interactions that are icky and dehumanizing.
“But also, so rote and routine,” he said. “A complicated mirror in a mirror. I was looking for embodied, relatable ways to talk about the brutal inequities in our society and landed on customer service interactions and the cruelty of hope [that comes with] dreaming of business ideas…always being at the precipice, but nothing ever changes.”
For Cramer, being selected as this year’s Alliance/Kendeda winner is, to put it bluntly, “effing wonderful. As someone who is friends with several playwrights, they all have dreams of being produced. Being able to bring such a personal piece to Atlanta is fulfilling and humbling.”
“It never happens. You know? I have applied to so many things that, for some, you just get used to getting rejected. It is like playing a slot machine, hoping that this time you will win,” he said. “This win is amazing. It is so amazing. [What the Alliance is doing through the Alliance/ Kendeda competition] provides a lot of great support for new writers and voices. That is important. So, I feel incredibly grateful.”
Living in Connecticut, Cramer said he and his family would drive into New York to see plays when he was about 12 years old. It was a special time, he said.
“I remember seeing some shows and realizing that all the movies I loved were not artworks, not in the same way live theater is,” he said. “I remember at one point realizing that [the movies I loved were] synthetic toys. That does not mean I stopped loving them, you know what I mean? Live theater was a different experience, a different artwork that had like a real intention behind it and respects the audience.”
That time was such an important experience in his life. Now that he has gotten to this point in his career, he hopes audiences can have a similar experience like when he was 12 years old. He hopes they are moved and introspective; stimulated and engaged.
There is one other hope he has. “I hope the play is funny. Simple as that.”
THE NEXT BIG IDEA
WRITTEN BY Amanda Watkins
Who hasn’t sat in a room with a loved one and engaged in some spitballing around a great idea for a small business start up?
The term “small business” is a misnomer, as there is certainly nothing small about its impact. Small businesses fuel economic flexibility, create jobs, foster innovation and fill many needs within our local economies. In a global economy that is dominated by big businesses, it is even more imperative that entrepreneurial initiatives focus on seeds of business ideas that provide services based on real consumer needs, not necessarily profit margins.
And of course, many times these seedlings take off and become the Next Big Idea.
Here in our very own Atlanta, CEO and Founder Pinky Cole started the cheekily named Slutty Vegan as a way to provide healthy vegan food options for the community, and Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx) was looking for the right undergarment to provide a smooth look under pants. Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank dreamed up The Home Depot from a coffee shop in Los Angeles, with the vision that employees would personally walk customers through home repair or improvement. In Australia, Melanie Perkins (co-founder and CEO of the free-to-use online design platform, Canva) and her boyfriend Cliff Obrecht saw classmates struggling with design software at university and dreamed up a more accessible tool.
In the early 2000’s, when many cultural organizations in Atlanta were struggling, longtime arts supporter and financial advisor of the Kendeda Fund, Barry Berlin, approached the Fund’s founder, Diana Blank, about creating a program to strengthen the arts in Atlanta. They invited multiple arts organizations in the city to submit their own big idea that they would execute if finances were not a consideration. Susan Booth pitched the idea of a program that would result in a world
premiere by an emerging playwright fresh out of graduate school. From there, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Program took flight.
Over the course of 21 years, this big idea has led to 21 world premieres of new plays and a total of 107 up and coming playwrights gracing our rehearsal halls and stages. What started as an acknowledgment of a need (we must continue to invest not only in the development of emerging playwrights’ work, but also the producing of the work) has become a yearly steadfast commitment to five writers from various MFA playwriting programs across the country. Each year, one play graces the Hertz Stage, and four finalist plays receive rigorous development attention by way of workshops and public readings. What started as a dream became a reality, and this nationally renowned initiative has become a staple in the canon of Alliance Theatre’s new work initiatives.
Here’s to 21 more years of dreaming up the Next Big Idea.
Previous Alliance/Kendeda Competition winners The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd, DREAM HOU$E, and Furlough’s Paradise. Photos by Greg Mooney.
THE PROS AND CONS OF TIPPING CULTURE
WRITTEN BY Kailey Albus & Ashley Elliott
In 2024, we know the cadence of a service transaction like the back of our own hand:
“Hello! What can I get for you?” “I’ll have an X, with a side of Y, and do y’all have Z?” “Yes, of course. One X, one Y, and one Z — is that all?” “Yes, thank you.” “Perfect, here’s your total. And our tablet is just going to ask you one liiiiiiiittle question before you complete your purchase!”
In recent years, the expectations for tipping have reached new heights. Dubbed the era of “tipflation,” this increase has brought some customers to recognize the (severely underpaid) conditions of those in service but has brought others away from the practice entirely. Whether the customers recognize it or not, the implication remains: A service worker’s financial worth is dependent on how well they can please the customer. And that can mean serving up more than just a smile.
Positions become tip-dependent when the employee is making minimum wage — which varies between $5.15-$16.50 in the US depending on the state — or sub-minimum wage, typically requiring that the employee makes enough tips to compensate for lower hourly pay. When a majority of a person’s income relies on their ability to garner tips, the employee places an emphasis on presenting themselves in a way that garners tips — and the customer can recognize this.
This creates a power imbalance in the restaurant, with the customer having the upper hand over the server. A few obvious results are the customer feeling the need to not tip at all (after all, it’s the restaurant’s fault the server is paid unfairly, right?) and deducting tips based on what they deem poor service (which could be the fault of the back-of-house staff or simply the server not smiling enough).
Because women occupy most of the serving roles and are not in high-paying roles, this adds to the internal power imbalance, with men often evaluating performance and given the hiring and firing power. This can lead to a greater increase in the gender pay gap and keeps women in serving roles instead of being promoted to higher-paying roles.
People being paid minimum or sub-minimum wage must rely on tips to compensate for lower-paying roles, which just perpetuates the cycle of the power imbalance between the customer and the server. This also breeds an unsafe working environment where management can exploit employees or where employees feel they must exploit themselves, all for the sake of pleasing the customer.
A cultural shift is needed in the service industry, but this can start with individuals being cognizant of when and how much they tip. Or, at the very least, being kind when interacting with their server. Even just a “I’m great; how are you?” can go a long way.
JAN 18–MAR 2 2025
By IDRIS GOODWIN
Based on the book by WILLIAM STEIG
Produced in partnership with Seattle Children’s Theatre
NOV 9–DEC 24 2024
The holiday classic comes to life with beautiful live music in a Broadway-scale staging.
By CHARLES DICKENS
Adapted by DAVID H.
BELL
Directed by CAITLIN HARGRAVES
Original direction by LEORA MORRIS A world premiere stage adaptation of the beloved, Newberry Awardwinning picture book DOCTOR DE SOTO
ALLIANCE THEATRE
TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN
Jennings Hertz Artistic Director
CHRISTOPHER MOSES
Jennings Hertz Artistic Director
MIKE SCHLEIFER Managing Director
present
BY MILO CRAMER
SCENIC DESIGN CHIKA SHIMIZU
LIGHTING DESIGN ALBERTO SEGARRA
CASTING JODY FELDMAN
COSTUME DESIGN APRIL ANDREW CARSWELL
SOUND DESIGN JIMMY GARVER
STAGE MANAGER R. LAMAR WILLIAMS*
DIRECTED BY
MATT TORNEY
SPONSORED BY
Business Ideas was developed and originally presented by Clubbed Thumb as part of Winterworks 2020. Clubbed Thumb commissions, develops and produces funny, strange and provocative new plays by living American writers.
Scenic construction for the 2024/25 Season is generously supported by The Home Depot Foundation.
| programnotes
CAST
*COURTENAY COLLINS Georgina
*DEVON HALES Lisa
*COURTNEY PATTERSON Customers
*MICHELLE POKOPAC Patty
UNDERSTUDIES
VICKI ELLIS GRAY Georgina
KATIE IVEY Customers
ALIYA KRAAR Lisa/Patty
STAGE MANAGERS
*R. LAMAR WILLIAMS Stage Manager
MYAH HARPER Stage Management Production Assistant
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE
JOSEPH QUINTANA Assistant Director COURTNEY O’NEILL
Production Management Lead BRANT ADAMS Casting Assistant
FOR THIS PRODUCTION
AARON VOCKLEY
. Production Sound Engineer
JOSH CAMPBELL Sound Engineer
NEIL ANDERSON
Board Op/Programmer
ADIRAH ROBINSON Stagehand
SPECIAL THANKS
Alexander Babbage
The Posse Foundation
Meredith Johnson
Jill Martin
D’Ariel Myrick
January LaVoy
Carolyn Oursler
Kate Crabtree
*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
The Alliance Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an independent national labor union. The Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young Audiences (ASSITEJ/USA), The Atlanta Coalition of Theatres, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Midtown Alliance.
Photos may be taken in the theater before the performance, and following the performance. If you share your photos, please credit the designers.
Photos, videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited, is a violation of United States Copyright Law, and is an actionable Federal Offense.
This production is approximately seventy-five minutes long and has no intermission.
COURTENAY COLLINS (Georgina) is delighted to be back on the Hertz Stage in this timely play. Previous Alliance shows include two seasons of Courtenay’s Cabaret - Home for the Holidays, Working, The Geller Girls (Suzi Award), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well (Suzi Award), Cinderella and Fella, Into the Woods, & Smart Cookie (another Kendeda winner). She originated the role of Mrs. Greene in The Prom musical here at The Alliance Theatre then followed The Prom to New York for its Tony-Nominated run on Broadway. Courtenay most recently played Eulalie in The Music Man and Yente in Fiddler on the Roof (City Springs Theatre Company). She made her directorial debut with two One Person Shows - Mitchell Anderson’s You Better Call Your Mother and Super Jenny Levison’s Soup, Songs, & Savory Stories. Since life is finite and short, she is cramming as much as she can into this one glorious Pass. She teaches/coaches private voice lessons, designs jewelry for her company Vintage Spirit Designs, is a devoted member of the volunteer organizations The Sandy Springs Society & The Magnolia Garden Club. Always grateful to her sweet family, friends, and neighbors for their loving support. For further financial advice, please follow her on Instagram @courtenay.collins, @ccvocalstudio, or cameo @courtenaycollins.
VICKI ELLIS GRAY (u/s Georgina) [she/her] is happy to be a part of Business Ideas at the Alliance Theatre! She moved to Atlanta in 1987 to join the Alliance Theatre’s Acting Intern Program. She has been fortunate to perform at many of the great theaters around the city. Credits include Laurie in Pipeline, Lois in Wonder of the World, Paige in The Genes of Beauty Queens, Gloria in Voir Dire (Horizon Theatre), Flo in Picnic (Stage Door Players), McKee/ Michaelis in The Great Gatsby, Ruth
in Calendar Girls (Georgia Ensemble Theatre), Sherry in When Something Wonderful Ends (Actor’s Express), Grandma Gelman in Caroline, Or Change (Jennie T. Anderson Theatre). Vicki would like to thank her fabulous children and friends for their loving support.
DEVON HALES (Lisa) [she/her] was last on the Hertz Stage as a singing, dancing, bunny-loving baby, and she is excited to be back after so many years. Previous Alliance credits: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, Shakespeare in Love, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other Atlanta credits include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Light in the Piazza, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Dancing Handkerchief, and 110 In The Shade (Theatrical Outfit); Appropriate (Actor’s Express); I and You (Aurora Theatre); The Nether (Theatre Emory); and As You Like It, The Frog Prince, One Man Two Guvnors (Georgia Shakespeare). TV/Film credits: April Stevens in Netflix’s “Teenage Bounty Hunters,” “Stan Against Evil,” “The Resident,” “Creepshow,” “Your Worst Nightmare,” “Swamp Murders,” and Icon. For Mom, Xxoo.
KATIE IVEY (u/s Customers) [she/her] is thrilled to join the cast of Business Ideas at the Alliance Theatre! She graduated in 2021 from Brenau University with a BFA in Acting and studied at the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio in LA. Favorite credits include Serena in Legally Blonde, Addie in The Bra and Panty Club (Gainesville Theatre Alliance), and Ensemble in Footloose (Theatre Buford). Katie would love to thank her friends, family, and Cole for their constant love and support.
ALIYA KRAAR (u/s Lisa, Patty) [she/her] is honored to join the cast of Business Ideas at the Alliance Theatre!
Previous credits include Chava in Fiddler on the Roof (City Springs Theatre Company), Molly in Prayer for the French Republic (Actor’s Express), Rachel in Oh To Be Pure Again (Actor’s Express), Diane in The Wishing Place (Essential Theater Festival), and Jean Fordham in August: Osage County (Theatre Tallahassee). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Florida State University and was a member of the Actor’s Express Apprentice Company (‘22). She would like to dedicate her work to her mother, Sherry, her sister, Hannah, and her community of friends who have been constant beacons of support. Follow along for more: @aliya_rose914.
COURTNEY PATTERSON (Customers) returns to the Alliance after appearing in several productions including Everybody, Small Mouth Sounds, Disgraced, Geller Girls, and A Christmas Carol. She has performed on various stages around the city throughout her career and in several films, TV episodes, and commercials. Additionally, she has a thriving career as an audiobook narrator, having voiced over 300 titles to date. Thank you for supporting live theatre! Much love to Nick, Javier, Susan, Mom, and Dad. www.courtneypatterson.net
MICHELLE POKOPAC (Patty) [she/her] is happy to be back with the Alliance with this thoughtful story. She’s an actor, producer, dramaturg, and activist. In 2017, Michelle co-founded East by Southeast with Amee Vyas, helping connect Asian artists in Atlanta. She is passionate about community building through DEI work and encouraging inclusivity and authentic representation. BFA
Theatre Performance from Columbus State University, additional studies in Florence, Italy & Oxford, England. Much love to my family and Leo. Atlanta: Wait Until Dark, On the Verge, James and the Giant Peach (Georgia Ensemble); The Game, The Wolves (Horizon Theatre); A Christmas Story (Theatrical Outfit); Fun Home, Hometown Boy (Actor’s Express); Little Raindrop Songs, Alice Between, Slur, Play the Play with Cat the Cat (Alliance Theatre). Regional: Shoyu Tell, Señora Tortuga, A Thousand Paper Cranes (Lexington Children’s Theatre). Film/TV: FOX, Hulu, Lifetime, Marvel/Disney+, Netflix. Represented by People Store and Kreativ Media Partners. @pokopac @east_x_southeast
MATT TORNEY (Director) is the Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. Originally from Belfast, Matt worked as a freelance director in Ireland before moving to the US in 2006 to complete an MFA in directing at Columbia University. Since then he has both directed and produced theatre in New York, regionally in the US, and internationally, and his work has been nominated for numerous awards. Before moving to Atlanta, Matt served as Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC for six years, and was the Director of Programming for Origin Theatre for two years (where he directed Tiny Dynamite and Stop the Tempo). His recent work includes The Honey Trap by Leo McGann at Solas Nua in DC (nominated for ten Helen Hayes Awards including Best Director and Best Production), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (nominated for six Suzi Bass Awards including Best Director and Best Production), The Humans by Stephen Karam, The White Chip by Sean Daniels, An Iliad by Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare, A Hundred Words for Snow by Tatty Hennessy, Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards including Best Production), MotherStruck! by Staceyann Chin (nominated for two
Helen Hayes Awards including Best Production), Translations by Brian Friel, The Hard Problem by Tom Stoppard, and two ballets based on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Great Gatsby for Chamber Dance Co. Matt also has significant experience as an art director for TV and film.
MILO CRAMER (Playwright) is a writer and performer. Works include School Pictures (“best theater of 2023... absolutely wonderful” — New York Magazine), a one-person opera about the broken New York City school system, which premiered at Playwrights Horizons and was featured on NPR’s “This American Life”, and Cute Activist (“a brilliant match of material and theater… a fable for our times” — New York Times), a fabulist satire of social media, at The Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn. With New Saloon Theater Company, Milo spent 5 years devising and touring Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, a kaleidoscopic riff on Chekhov’s greatest hit, ultimately seen at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival in 2019 (“delightful… a spring-green forum on youth’s discontents” — The Village Voice). Milo is overjoyed to be doing Business Ideas here at the Alliance, where it won the 2024 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition Award. The play was previously developed by Clubbed Thumb in New York and Cygnet Theater in San Diego. Milo is a MacDowell Fellow, a recent graduate of Naomi Iizuka’s MFA playwriting program at UC San Diego, a grateful middle child, and an Aries. Milo is currently writing a musical about three oldfashioned sailors who are trying hard to have a meaningful life in their last 24 hours onshore before they’re shipped to die in an offstage war, but the Big Problem is these sailors Never Do Anything Right because they’re Just Too Silly.
CHIKA SHIMIZU (Scenic Design) is a New York based scenic designer. REGIONAL: Soft Power, Pacific
Overtures (Signature Theatre, DC), The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep), Sanctuary City (Pasadena Playhouse), Hamlet (DCPA), RENT (Paper Mill Playhouse), Moriarty (Cleveland Playhouse), Somewhere (Geva Theatre), The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage), Vietgone, Tiger Style! (TheatreSquared), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Yale Rep, CT Critics Circle Award nom). OFF-BROADWAY: Salesman之死 (Yangtze Rep, Henry Hewes Award nom), Bite Me (WP Theatre), Belfast Girls (Irish Rep), The Winning Side (Epic Theatre Ensemble), Awake (The Barrow Group). INSTALLATION: Un(re)solved AR installation (Ado Ato Pictures, SXSW Innovation Award, Emmy Award). MFA: Yale School of Drama. chikashimizu.com
APRIL ANDREW CARSWELL (Costume Design) Atlanta Design Credits: Alliance Theatre, Actor’s Express, Theatrical Outfit, Synchronicity, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Horizon, Oglethorpe University, Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Clayton State University, Emory University, The Walker School. Regional: Asolo Repertory Theatre, FSU Asolo Conservatory, Florida Studio Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, University of South Florida. Other: Adjunct Professor of Theatre at University of South Florida, Freelance Costume Designer & Technician, Former Asst. Costume Shop Manager at Alliance Theatre, Proud Mama, Avid Crocheter, Broadway World Atlanta Award Winner, Suzi Bass Award Nominee.
ALBERTO SEGARRA (Lighting Design) is a freelance Lighting Designer located in Washington, DC. Alberto Segarra holds a BA from the University of Puerto Rico and a MFA in Lighting Design from University of MarylandCollege Park. For the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, he has designed light for the following productions: Seed, choreography by Megan Morse-Jans; Way, choreography by Jessie Laurita-Spanglet; Under
the Mountain, choreography by Sarah Beth Oppenheimer; The Only Thing Is Itself, choreography by Nicole McClam; Insert [ ] Here, choreography by Sharon Mansur; My Tempest, choreography by Ana Patricia Farfan; Twilight LA;1992, directed by Caroline Clay; Wrestling with the Wip, choreography by Nicole McClam; Good Kids, directed by Seret Scott; and the operas Magic Flute and L’Occasione Fa Il Ladro, directed by Nick Olcott. Other credit designs include: El indio en América (Exhibition, 2006) at Museo de las Américas; Once on this Island; Celia… Vida y música; Hair; Cabaret; Salsa Gorda; La Charca; Tun Tun de Pasa y Grifería; Boeing Boeing; Dangerous Liasons; Glass Menagerie; El Josco; La llamarada; La Cage aux Folles; Evita & La Mina de Oro, for Teatro Repertorio, University of Puerto Rico; Ballet Concierto de Puerto, Rico´s Festival de Coreógrafos, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the opera Carmen and the play Oedipus. He is a founding member of Teatro Repertorio de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Mr. Segarra has worked as TD and Resident Lighting Designer for Andanza Compañía de Danza Contemporánea in San Juan Puerto Rico for 5 years. Currently two of his lighting designs; Romeo & Juliet and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are part of the London/New York base company Aquila Theatre Company 2015-2016 tour season. Mr. Segarra’s work will be featured in the following upcoming shows; Legacy Street (world premiere) directed by Mark Routhier, and Br’er Cotton (world premier) directed by Thembi Duncan. He is a member of United Scenic Artist, Local 829.
JIMMY GARVER (Sound Design) is a sound designer and composer based in upstate New York. This is his Alliance Theatre debut. His work has been heard at or commissioned by Ballet Hispanico, Lincoln Center’s Dance On Camera festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, the Smithsonian Institute (Hirshhorn,
American History, Natural History museums) Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre (DC), Studio Theatre Company (DC), A Contemporary Theatre, PS-122, Joyce SoHo, 92nd St. Y, Atlantic Theatre Company. Jimmy has also consulted on large, AI-powered, synthetic voice projects. (clients include Microsoft Research and Descript). The Brayver Concern — Jimmy’s sound art collaboration with his partner Rebecca Bray — creates audio-based interactive art installations. Their work has been shown throughout the Northeast U.S. They also convene a monthly audio salon from their home in the Catskills. He performs regularly with the Conduction Series (broadcast monthly on WGXC FM) and the improvisational ensemble Music for Furniture. This is his 8th project with director Matthew Torney. Choreographers Will Rawls, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ephrat Asherie, Peter Kyle, Diane CoburnBruning, and theatre directors Christopher Petit and Elizabeth Klob are frequent collaborators. More info on his website: www.bigbee.org
JODY FELDMAN (Casting) began her theater career as an actress in Atlanta before moving into administration as the Assistant General Manager at Frank Wittow’s Academy Theatre. It was at the Academy that Jody realized the importance of theatre to a city’s cultural values and identity. Feldman started her career at the Alliance as casting director in 1991 and added producer to her title and responsibilities in 2001. She has cast and produced more than 250 productions at the Alliance, encompassing a range of world premieres that include The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry, Blues for An Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, The Geller Girls by Janece Shaffer, In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney, more than 20 years of Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition-winning plays, such world and regional premiere musicals as Aida; The Color Purple; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring It On: The Musical; Tuck Everlasting;
Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; Harmony, A New Musical; The Prom; Trading Places, and finally exciting new plays developed specifically for children and families, which is integral to the expansion of audience and mission for the Alliance. Jody is most proud of the thriving Alliance community engagement and partnerships that recognize theatrical work as a catalyst for civic conversation and connection.
R. LAMAR WILLIAMS (Stage Manager) is an Atlanta native who studied theatre at Florida A&M University’s Essential Theatre. His 23-year tenure at the Alliance has included stage managing The Mountaintop, Fat Ham, The Boy Who Kissed the Sky, Hands Up; Hospice/ Pointing at the Moon, The Temple Bombing, Choir Boy, In Love and Warcraft, Bike America, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, 22 years of The Palefsky Collision Project and assistant stage managing a slew of great shows. Rodney is opening a new frontier in his career with new Dramaturgy and Directing opportunities. For Sensei, JDawn, Chelsea & Solari and all humanity — “changing the world 1 play @ a time!”
MYAH HARPER (Stage Management Production Assistant) [she/her] is very happy to be a team member of Business Ideas! Her previous credits include: The Chinese Lady, The Preacher’s Wife, Fat Ham, A Tale of Two Cities, Roob and Noob, Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale, and Oodles of Doodles (Alliance Theatre). Myah has also been a Teaching Artist with Alliance Theatre Education since the Summer of 2023. She is a Mississippi native and attended The University of Mississippi, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, along with specialized classes in Theatrical Design and Production. Myah would like to thank her family and friends for their never-ending love and support.
TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN
(Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) began her tenure at the Alliance
in 2016 as the BOLD Associate Artistic Director, assuming her current role in 2023. Originally from Zimbabwe, Kajese-Bolden combines her commitment to great art, deep education and community empowerment with an agile enthusiasm and unflappable, calm energy to inspire new possibilities. Kajese-Bolden honed her directing and producing skills as a freelance director working in regional houses across the country and on set. As a director and actor, she fosters deep ongoing collaborations with playwrights and has mounted innovative and critically acclaimed productions that merge elegant, theatrical designs with complicated human stories. A Princess Grace Award 2019 Winner for Directing, and Map Fund Award recipient as a director and actor, she has worked on and Off-Broadway as well as recurring roles in the Marvel universe “Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special,” Suicide Squad, “Hawkeye,” and CW’s “Valor,” “Dynasty,” HBO’s “Henrietta Lacks,” Ava Duverney’s “Cherish the Day,” among others. Up next, she is developing a new Opera, Forsythe County is Flooding: The Joy of Lake Lanier, and proudly serves on the ARTS-ATL Artist Advisory Council. “My mission is the pursuit of what connects our different communities and how we create art that liberates us to imagine a more inclusive future.”
CHRISTOPHER MOSES (Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) has been working in professional theatre for twenty years and in 2022 was given the Governor’s Award for Arts in Humanities for his body of work. In January of 2011, Chris took on the position of Director of Education at the Alliance Theatre, overseeing the Alliance Theatre Institute (twice recognized as an Arts Model by the Federal Department of Education), Theatre for Youth & Families, and the Acting Program. Since taking over this position, Chris has expanded the reach and impact by making the Alliance Theatre Education department a vital resource for advancing the civic agenda of
Atlanta. This work is accomplished through deep and sustained partnerships with social service organizations throughout the city. Under his leadership, the Alliance launched its Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young program, which provides fully interactive professional theater experiences for children of all abilities from ages newborn through five years old; the Alliance Teen Ensemble, which performs world premiere plays commissioned for and about teens; the Palefsky Collision Project, where teens produce a new work after colliding with a classic text; expanded the Alliance’s summer camp program to include over 3,000 children in multiple locations across Atlanta; and Alliance@ work, a professional development program designed for the business sector — the latest offering of which uses theatre practice to create a culture of civility in the workplace. In 2014, Chris added the title Associate Artistic Director, and has continued to expand the Alliance’s education offerings. During his tenure in this position, the Alliance has produced over a dozen world premiere plays for young audiences, including Pancakes, Pancakes! by Ken Lin, The Dancing Granny by Jireh Breon Holder, Max Makes a Million by Liz Diamond, and The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Madhuri Shekar. Currently, the Alliance serves over 100,000 students pre-k—12 each season, as well as over 4,000 adults through its extensive education offerings. In 2023, he was named Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre.
MIKE SCHLEIFER (Managing Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2014 as the General Manager and in 2016, assumed the role of Managing Director. During his time at the Alliance, Mike has led the administrative and producing team on over 100 productions including bringing Tuck Everlasting and The Prom to Broadway. He was one of the architects of the “On the Road” season while a multi-million dollar renovation of the Coca-Cola Stage
was underway. Mike is excited to have started the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at the Alliance and to serve on the board of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. Prior to Atlanta, he spent 13 years at Baltimore’s Center Stage working in several roles including Associate Producer, Production Manager and Resident Stage Manager. While in Baltimore, Mike was an adjunct faculty member at Towson University and has guest-lectured all over the country. Mike began as a Stage Manager and has dozens of stage management credits between his time in New York and working regionally. Mike is married to theater director and educator Laura Hackman and the proud father of two boys, Jack and Ben.
ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION
(AEA) Founded in 1913, AEA is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org
The Posse Foundation
Posse started in 1989 because of a student who said, “I never would have dropped out of college if I’d had my posse with me.” This simple idea of sending a team of students together to college so they could support one another was the impetus for a program that today has become one of the most comprehensive college success and youth leadership development initiatives in the United States.
Posse recruits high school seniors from across the country, works with them through an eight-month precollegiate training program, supports them through all four years of college, and helps them secure competitive internships and leadership-track jobs. Posse partner colleges and universities provide full-tuition leadership scholarships, faculty mentoring and other supports.
A Posse Atlanta Story
Recent College of Wooster graduate Jaylin Hudson has started his career as a financial advisory development track analyst with JPMorgan Chase & Co. The opportunity came after two successful summer internships with the Posse Career Program partner’s Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship.
As a Pathways Fellow, Jaylin was able to shadow financial advisory professionals at the firm’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. The following summer, his access expanded to include close work with investment advisors and hands-on projects in both departments. Ultimately, he hopes to return to his community to share his new skills and create pathways for wealth for those in need.
“I have always been passionate about helping others,” says Jaylin. “I want to improve financial literacy and advocacy for people in Atlanta.”
The Posse Career Program helps prepare Scholars and alum for the workforce and connects Scholars directly to industry-leading companies and organizations. Among other resources, Career Program partners offer exclusive access to internship applications and support with application materials—opportunities that have proven invaluable for thousands of Scholars, including Jaylin.
“Access to large financial institutions can be limited,” says Jaylin. “Eventually, I want to start my own financial literacy organization to make access to good financial advice more equitable.”
To learn more about The Posse Foundation, visit www. possefoundation.org or reach us at atlanta@possefoundation.org
Meredith Johnson Senior Career Program Specialist The Posse Foundation
Alliance Theatre Sets Wonder Free.
And what delights during performances ignites a brighter future. You can invest in better tomorrows by supporting access for youth to experience world-class theatre on a stage that’s all their own. Now is the time.
Introducing The Goizueta Stage For
Youth And Families,
a transformative new space designed to inspire young audiences year-round. Research shows that early access to live theater can significantly combat critical issues like low literacy rates and the urgent youth mental health crisis. To fulfill this promise, the Alliance Theatre is launching a $10 million Imagine Endowment to expand our capacity to serve more young people and sustain these enriching experiences in perpetuity. With this endowment, the Goizueta Stage will be a beacon of accessibility, welcoming children from all backgrounds and removing economic, geographic, and physical barriers to ensure that every child can engage with the magic of theatre for generations to come.
Support The Imagine Endowment
For more information about the Alliance’s Imagine Campaign or to make an endowment contribution, please contact:
Trent Anderson, Director of Development trent.anderson@alliancetheatre.org (404) 733-4710
Scan here to learn more, contribute, or view our full donor listing alliancetheatre.org/imagine
In a too-cute café, a desperate mother and daughter brainstorm get-rich-quick schemes to pay for college (or maybe to make ends meet?), while their hapless server tries to network with a revolving cast of customers, hilariously played by one actor. Inspired by playwright Milo Cramer’s own experiences with his enterprising mom, Business Ideas is an award-winning comedy about getting rich (or not?), and whether money really buys happiness — one cup of coffee at a time.
GET SOCIAL
Connect with us and other audience members on your Alliance Theatre experience. Share your comments and photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok with hashtags #BusinessIdeas and #AllianceTheatre. Plus, search your social media platforms with those hashtags for fun, behind-the-scenes content from our cast, crew, and creative team.
Ever wanted to be a part of the Alliance team? Here’s your chance! Join our volunteer ushers!
Commit to 20 hours of ushering at the Alliance and receive:
• Alliance Theatre swag!
• 15% off current ticket prices for all Alliance Theatre productions
• 20% off Alliance Theatre Acting Classes
• ONE complimentary ticket for ANY production in the current season
Visit alliancetheatre.org/usher for details.
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE THEATRE
Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The Alliance is led by Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses, and Managing Director Mike Schleifer. The Alliance is a recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award® for sustained excellence in programming, education, and community engagement. In January 2019, the Alliance opened its new, stateof-the-art performance space, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 135 productions including eleven that have transferred to Broadway. The Alliance education department reaches 90,000 students annually through performances, classes, camps, and in-school initiatives designed to support teachers and enhance student learning. The Alliance Theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence, and is dedicated to representing Atlanta’s diverse community with the stories we tell, the artists, staff, and leadership we employ, and audiences we serve.
OUR MISSION
To expand hearts and minds onstage and off.
OUR VISION
Making Atlanta more connected, curious, and compassionate through theatre and arts education.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
In the sincerest efforts to gain further understanding of the history that has brought us to reside on this land and to accept the knowledge that colonialism is a current and ongoing process under which we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation, we hereby acknowledge this native land of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
ofdirectors
OFFICERS
Chair
E. Kendrick Smith
Vice Chair
Allison O’Kelly
Treasurer
Glenn Weiss
Secretary
Jennifer Boutté
Immediate Past Chair
Jocelyn Hunter
Ex-Officio
Hala Moddelmog
LIFETIME DIRECTORS
Rita Anderson
Ken Bernhardt
Frank Chew
Ann Cramer
Linda Davidson
Laura Hardman
Hays Mershon
Richard S. Myrick
Helen Smith Price
Bob Reiser
Jane Shivers
H. Bronson Smith
Ben White
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kristin Adams
Norman Adkins
Kimberly Ajy
James Anderson
Farideh Azadi
Marc Balizer
Deisha Barnett
Alba Baylin
Maggie Blake Bailey
Bridget Blake
Kenny Blank
Terri Bonoff
Jennifer Boutté
Traci Bransford
Kristen Burke
Jeff Cashdan
Madeline Chadwick
Bruce Cohen
Miles Cook
LeighAnn Costley
Joe Crowley
Katie Fahs
Reade Fahs
Howard Feinsand
Rick Gestring
Richard Goerss
Claire Gotham
Lila Hertz
Jocelyn Hunter
Malvika Jhangiani
Alexander Johnson
Jane Jordan Casavant
Anne Kaiser
John Keller
Matthew Kent
Andjela Kessler
Jim Kilberg
Jesse Killings
Carrie Kurlander
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
Robert Masucci
Jean Ann McCarthy
Alan McKeon
Dori Miller
Jeffrey Miller
Hala Moddelmog
Phil Moïse
Allison O’Kelly
Victoria Palefsky
Jackie Parker
Paul Pendergrass
Anne Rambaud Herren
Stephanie Ray
Patty Reid
Margaret Reiser
Matthew Richburg
Robyn Roberts
Maurice Rosenbaum
Steve Selig
Kim Sewell
Mital Shah
Bill Sleeper
E. Kendrick Smith
Chandra Stephens-Albright
Charlita Stephens
Mark Swinton
Julie Teer
Lisa Bigazzi Tilt
Richard Valladares
Benny Varzi
Rebekah Wasserman
Glenn Weiss
Wai Wong
Todd Zeldin
ADVISORY BOARD
Advisory Board Co-Chair
Laura Hardman
Advisory Board Co-Chair
Phil H. Moïse
Luis Andino
Andrew Barrow
Chris Brodnan
Johanna (Toni) Brookner
Maranie Brown
Carol Caines
La’Keitha Carlos
Mamie Dayan-Vogel
Candice Dixon
Malaika Dowdell
Brandon Fleming
Les Flynn
Allen Fox
Natalia Garzón Martínez
Lydia Glaize
Emmanuel Glaze
Caroline Gold
Meghan Gordon
Tevin Goss
Jeff Graham
Aulona Graham-Simms
Dr. Eve Graves, Ph.D.
Erica Greenblatt
Della Guidry
Dr. Lindsey Hardegree
Campbell Hastings
Mallika Kallingal
Jodi Kalson
Dr. Laura Kelly
January LaVoy
Jennifer Lee
JoJasmin “Jo” Lopez
Carlton Mackey
Nelly Mauta
Tre’Von McKay
Robbie Medwed
Juan Mejia
Aprille Moore
Jane Morgan
Zach Nikonovich Kahn
Amy Norton King
Susan Sim Oh
Kathy Palumbo
Kisan Patel
Pedro Pavón
Marion Phillips
Daniel Regenstein
Michelle Robinson
Daniella Sandino
Wendy Schmitt
Dr. Shenara Sexton
Sarah Anne Smith
Alicia Thompson
Ana Urrego
Christopher Walker
Emily Washburn
Melinda Weekes-Laidlow
Angie Weiss
Joni Williams
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP
President, STARS
Andjela Kessler
Chairman, Theater
Advocates
Patricia Walsh
Chairman, Theater Ushers
Edwina Sellan
Chairman, Hospitality
Susan Stiefel
ALLIANCE SPONSORS
Alliance Sponsors are businesses, corporations, and institutions that have supported the work of the Alliance Theatre. We thank them for their generosity and support.
$500,000+
Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Lettie Pate Evans Foundation
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
$250,000+
Anonymous
The Coca-Cola Company
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Shubert Foundation
WestRock
$100,000+
Accenture
Chestnut Foundation
Helen Gurley Brown Foundation
Georgia Power
The Home Depot Foundation
Invesco QQQ
John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Fund
King & Spalding
Norfolk Southern
PNC
The Rich’s Foundation
Truist
Warner Bros. Discovery
Zeist Foundation
$50,000+
AT&T Foundation
Bank of America
Cadence Bank
City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Edgerton Foundation
Georgia Council for the Arts
Georgia Natural Gas
Google
Jones Day
Kendeda Fund
Liz Blake Giving Fund
Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
National Vision
Wellstar Foundation
$25,000+
Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, powered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Comcast
Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Graphic Packaging
The Imlay Foundation, Inc.
Johnny Mercer Foundation
Kaiser Permanente
Northside Hospital
Peach State Health Plan
Southwire
$10,000+
AEC Trust
Alexander Babbage
Alston & Bird
Do a Good Day Foundation
Eversheds Sutherland
George M. Brown Trust of Atlanta
Georgia-Pacific
John & Mary Franklin Foundation
SCANA Energy
South Arts
The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
$5,000+
American Institutes for Research
Anonymous
Frances Wood Wilson Foundation
Osiason Educational Foundation
Perkins&Will
Publix Super Market Charities
By attending our theater, you have made a powerful statement about how important the arts are to you. Make another statement of support louder than any standing ovation. Visit alliancetheatre.org and click on Donate.
Individual, foundation, and corporate donors contribute more than $10 million to the Alliance Theatre so that we are able to present exceptional theater and educational programming to our community. We are deeply grateful for your support. To find out more about the benefits of giving or to make your gift, visit us at alliancetheatre.org/waystogive or call 404-733-5157.
Listed below are pledges and gifts to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund.
PREMIERE SUPPORT
Spotlight $100,000+
Mr. James E. Gay*
The SKK Foundation
Dan & Garnet Reardon
Artistic Director’s Circle
$50,000+
Ms. Stephanie Blank
Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation
Chairman’s Circle
$25,000+
The Antinori Foundation Around the Table Foundation
Ann & Jeff Cramer
Heidi & David Geller
David & Carolyn Gould
Jocelyn J. Hunter
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ivester
Jesse Killings
Daniel Marks & Keri Powell
Rosemarie & David Thurston
Leadership Circle
$15,000+
Ali and Farideh Azadi
Maggie Blake Bailey & Andrew Bailey
Brian & Jennifer Boutté
Martha & Toby Brooks
Jane Jordan Casavant
Roxanne & Jeffrey Cashdan
Barbara & Steve Chaddick
Katie & Reade Fahs
Ellen & Howard Feinsand
Doris & Matthew Geller
Anne & Scott Herren
Jane & J. Hicks Lanier
Kristie L. Madara
Barry and Jean Ann
McCarthy
Phil & Caroline Moïse
Allison & Shane O’Kelly
Victoria & Howard Palefsky
Patty & Doug Reid
Bob & Margaret Reiser
Patricia & Maurice Rosenbaum
Linda & Steve Selig
Ms. Mital Shah
William & Margarita Sleeper
Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee Spangler
Mark Swinton
Tim & Maria Tassopoulos
Benny & Roxanne Varzi
Mr. & Mrs. Art Waldrop
Amy & Todd Zeldin
Director’s Circle
$10,000+
Ms. Kristin Adams
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Adkins
Mr. & Mrs. George Ajy
James Anderson
Deborah L. Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields
Deisha Barnett
Alba C. Baylin
Terri Bonoff & Matthew Knopf
Judge JoAnn Bowens
Madeline Chadwick
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Chubb III
Ezra Cohen Charitable Fund
Mr. Bruce R. Cohen
Miles & Nicole Cook
LeighAnn & Chad Costley
Joe Crowley & Phil Mack
Rick Gestring
Marsha & Richard Goerss
Claire Gotham
Doug & Lila Hertz
Malvika Jhangiani
Anne & Mark Kaiser
John C. Keller
Mr. Matthew D. Kent & Mr.
Joseph C. Miller
Mr. James Kieffer
James & Lori Kilberg
Brian & Carrie Kurlander
Timothy Hardy & Allegra
Lawrence-Hardy
Ms. Evelyn Ashley & Mr. Alan
B. McKeon
Dori & Jack Miller
Jeffrey Miller
Paul Pendergrass & Margaret Baldwin
Diane & Mark Perlberg
Wade Rakes & Nicholas
Miller
Matt Richburg
Robyn Roberts & Kevin Greiner
Mr. George Russell, Jr. & Mrs.
Faye Sampson-Russell
Dean DuBose & Bronson
Smith
Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith
Lynne & Steve Steindel
Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund
Richard & Melissa Valladares
Waffle House
Ms. Kathy Waller & Mr. Kenny Goggins
Mark & Rebekah Wasserman
Ms. Cathy Weil
Ramona & Ben White
Suzy Wilner
R. Wai Wong
BENEFACTORS
$5,000+
Anonymous
Russ & Cam Still
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh S. Asher
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas* J. Asher
Lisa & Joe* Bankoff
Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates
Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence
Natalie & Matthew Bernstein
Franklin & Dorothy Chandler
Ann & Jim Curry
Diane Durgin
Kathy & Jason Evans
Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette
Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Goldstein
Tad & Janin Hutcheson
Jason & Laurie Jeffay
Mr. Charles R. Kowal
Dr. & Mrs. John Lee
Burrelle Meeks
Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer
Charlita Stephens & Delores
Stephens
Susan & Alan* Stiefel
Maria-Ruth Storts
Chuck Taylor & Lisa CannonTaylor
Marjan & Navid Yavari
$2,500+
Anonymous (2)
Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen
Mr. Andrew Benator
Ms. Raluca Bighiu
Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust
Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe
Candace Carson
Melodie H. Clayton
Rita & Ralph Connell
Linda & Gene* Davidson
Marcia & John Donnell
Mr. Fredric M. Ehlers & Mr. David Lile
Mrs. Anuja Gagoomal & Dr. John Stites
The Robert S. Elster Foundation
Karen & Andrew Ghertner
Mr. David F. Golden
Shauna Grovell
Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman
Ariana Hargrave
Henry & Etta Raye Hirsch
Heritage Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael Hostinsky
Linda & Richard Hubert
Alexander Johnson & Susan Somersille Johnson
Mr. & Mrs. Wyatt T. Johnson
Judith Lyon & Ron Bloom
Lloyd & Mary* McCreary
Hala & Steve Moddelmog
Clair & Thomas Muller
Joan Netzel & John Gronwal
John & Helen Parker
Sam & Barbara Pettway
Ali & Layla Rahimi, ALYKA Health
Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak
Ms. Kristin L. Ray
Dana Rice
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg
Jane & Rein Saral
Ms. Donna Schwartz
Kashi Sehgal
Ms. Mallie Abdsharafat
Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod
Mr. David C. Shih
Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong
Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats
Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright
Julie Teer
Kathy Gillespie Tomajko
Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Weiss
Bryan & Carrie Williams
The Zaban Foundation
$1,500+
Anonymous
Judge Gregory A. Adams & Wanda C. Adams
Mr. E. Scott Arnold
Ellen Arnovitz
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Brookner
Marie & Brad Foster
Aubrey & Carol Bush
Susan & Edward Croft
Gail Crowder & Claude Wegscheider
Tim & Tina Eyerly
Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Flexner
Sandeep Goyal & Taylor
England
Della & Theo Guidry
Warren M. Gump
Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel
Ashley & Elton James
Boland & Andrea Lea Jones
Mark Keiser
Andjela & Michael Kessler
Amy & Jeremy King
David Long & Starane Shepherd
Ms. Addie P. Mathes & Mr. Richard Knittel
Greg & Gillian Matteson
Fabienne Moore
Dennis & Debra Murphy
Denis Ng & Mary Jane Panzeri
Mr. & Mrs. Armond Perkins
Peg Petersen
Dr. Denise Raynor
Ms. Tiffany Rosetti
Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg
Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III
Ms. Amy Speas
Dr. & Mrs. Harry Strothers
Judith & Mark Taylor
Valerie & Anthony Thomas
Stan & Velma Tilley
Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Vazquez
Ms. Avril Vignos
Mamie Dayan-Vogel & Steven Vogel
John T. & Patricia Walsh
Kim Boldthen & Carolyn Wheeler
Adrienne Whitehead
William & Nancy Yang
Noam Zelman & Susan Hirsch
PATRONS
$1,000+
Anonymous
Mr. Reza Abree
Mr. George T. Baker
David Cofrin & Christine
Tryba-Cofrin
Richard & Grecia Cox
Celeste Davis-Lane
Eve Joy Eckardt
Drs. Bryan & Norma Edwards
Howard & Ellen Eisenberg
Dr. Azy Esfandiari, City Springs Dental Studio
Dr. Marla Franks & Rev.
Susan Zoller
Louise S. Gunn
Monique & Justin Honaman
Drs. Cathie & Hugh Hudson
Ms. Floria Izadi
Veronica Kessenich
Christina Kramer
Mr. & Mrs. Asghar
Memarzadeh
Anna & Hays Mershon
Mr. Kasra Naderi & Mrs. Arezoo Akhavan
Debbie & Lon Neese
Deborah W. Royer
Jane E. Shivers
Nossi Taheri & Hope Vaziri
Mr. & Mrs. Alex Taylor
Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor
Lynne Winship
Mr. & Mrs. Brent Yamaato
ALLIANCE THEATRE
MONTHLY SUSTAINER SOCIETY
We would like to thank our donors who have committed to giving us a recurring monthly donation to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. Join today: www.alliancetheatre.org/sustainer
Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes
Mr. Faraz Ahmed
Mr. E. Scott Arnold
Dr. Evelyn Babey
Maranie Brown
Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker
Dean Jordan & Lee Burson
Karen & Harold Carney
Mr. Quentin David Cashman
Elizabeth Corrie
Christopher Cox & Draco Bohannon
Gray & Marge Crouse
Nash Ditmetaroj
Malaika Dowdell
Les Flynn
Christine & Andrew Fry
Emmanuel Glaze
Caroline Gold
Erica Greenblatt
Bryant Gresham & Alexander Bossert
Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller & Mr. William Miller
Lindsey E. Hardegree
Ms. Linda Hare & Mr.
Gerald Barth
Becca Hogue
Karen Jones
Kelley J. Jordan-Monné
Amy & Jeremy King
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kraft
Dr. Andrea W. Lawrence
Joyce Lewis
Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg
Christian & JoJasmin Lopez
Stephen Lynch
Alison Main
Heather & Jim Michael
Lori & Jonathan Peterson
Ms. Kendrick Phillips
Marion Phillips
Marc & Jean Pickard
Deborah G. Robinson
Mr. Howard Rowe
Barbara Schreiber
Tom Slovak & Jeffery Jones
Sarah Anne Smith
Charles Thompson
Ms. Stephanie Van Parys & Mr. Robert A. Cleveland
Caitlin Way
Ben Warshaw
Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon A. Williams
Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting
| matchinggifts&legacysociety 34
MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES
Many companies offer a matching gifts program for employees and retirees. You can double, or even triple, your gift at no additional cost to you simply by asking your employer! Think of how much further your donation can go.
We would like to thank the following companies who have matched contributions to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. To find out more about matching gifts, contact Emma Seif at emma.seif@alliancetheatre.org.
AIG Corporation
American Express
Aon Risk Solutions
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
AT&T
Bank of America/Merrill
BlackRock
Bryan Cave-Powell
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Chubb Charitable Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
Deloitte
Equifax Inc. Foundation
John and Mary Franklin Foundation
LEGACY SOCIETY
GE Energy
Georgia Power
Goldman Sachs Matching Gift
Goldstein
Google
Hearst Foundations
Home Depot Foundation
Honda Motor Co.
IAC, Inc
IBM
JPMorgan Chase
Kimberly-Clark
Lynch
MacArthur Foundation
Macy’s Foundation
McDonald’s Corporation
McMaster-Carr Supply
Microsoft Corporation
Norfolk Southern Corporation
Principal Financial Group Foundation
Prudential Financial
Publix Super Markets
Salesforce.com, Inc.
Sprint Truist
Thrivent Financial for Lutherns
Veritiv Corporation
Verizon Corporation
The Walt Disney Company
Wells Fargo
Yahoo!
Celebrating our supporters who have made a legacy gift to the Alliance Theatre.
The Legacy Society celebrates individuals who have made a planned gift to the Alliance Theatre. Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show your support and appreciation for the Alliance Theatre and its mission, while accommodating your financial, estate planning and philanthropic goals. With smart planning, you may increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as important, you will know that you have made a meaningful and lasting contribution to the Alliance Theatre.
To learn more about the Legacy Society, please contact Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl at lindsay.ridgeway-baierl@alliancetheatre.org.
Anonymous
Rita M. Anderson
Roland & Linda Bates
Kathy* & Ken Bernhardt
Anne & Jim Breedlove
Ezra Cohen
Ann & Jeff Cramer
Susan & Edward Croft
Sallie Adams Daniel
Linda & Gene Davidson
Terry & Stacy Dietzler
Diane Durgin
Elizabeth Etoll
Ellen & Howard Feinsand
Dorie Gallagher
James Edward Gay*
Laura & John Hardman
Nancy & Glen Hesler
P.J. Younglove Hovey
David A. Howell*
Lauren & David Kiefer
David Kuniansky
Virginia Vann* & Ken Large
Edith Love*
Lauren & John McColskey
Anna & Hays Mershon
Caroline & Phil Moïse
Winifred & Richard Myrick
Victoria & Howard Palefsky
Armond & Sharon Perkins
Jam Pomerantz
Helen M. Regenstein*
Margaret & Robert Reiser
Betty Blondeau-Russell*
Tricia & Neal Schachtel
Debbie* & Charles Shelton III
Jane E. Shivers
Roger Smith & Christopher Jones*
Ron* & Kathy Tomajko
Lee Harper & Wayne Vason
Terri & Rick Western
Ramona & Ben White
* deceased
ARTISTIC
Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Christopher Moses
Producer & Casting Director
Producing & Casting Assistant
Distinguished Artist in Residence
BOLD Associate Artistic Director
Director of New Work
BOLD Producing Associate
Jody Feldman
Brant Adams
Pearl Cleage
Marie Cisco
Amanda Watkins
Abrianna Belvedere
Director of Community Engagement, Partnership, & IDEA Daviorr Snipes
Spelman Leadership Interns Zara Thornton, SaRee Grimes, K’lah Morgan
Reiser Lab Artists Round 10 Emma Yarbrough, Cait Greenamyre, Melissa Word, Dalyla Nicole, K. Parker, Amanda Washington, Vynnie Meli, Jimmica Collins, and Cedwan Hooks
Production Management
Director of Production
Associate Directors of Production
Costume and Wardrobe Director
Costumes
Associate Costume Shop & Wardrobe Director
Design Assistant
Drapers
Crafts Master
1st Hands/Stitchers
Wardrobe Supervisor
Wardrobe
Wig Master
Director of Lighting & Projections
Lawrence Bennett
Courtney O’Neill, Haylee Scott
Laury Conley
Melanie Green
Summer Barnes
Tonja Petersen, Cindy Lou Who
Diana L. Thomas
Brett Parker, Tae Lingle, Fae Riemann-Royer
Hauzia Conyers
Monica Speaker
Lindsey Ewing
Electrics
Associate Director of Lighting & Projection
Rachael N. Blackwell
Steve Jordan
Staff Electricians Joy Diaz, Rochelle Riley, Neil Anderson
Properties
Props Department Director
Suzanne Cooper Morris
Props Artisans Parker Ossmann, Bruce Butkovich
Props Artisan/Buyer
Interim Technical Director
Associate Technical Director
Shop Supervisor
Lead Welder
Carpenters
Charge Scenic Artist
Scenic Artist
Director of Audio
Assistant Director of Audio
Scenery
Teaching Artists
Abigail Bowers, Abigail Kincheloe, Addison Peacock, Alexandria Walker, Allison Gardner, Andi Stanesic, Andrea Washington, Angel Fabian Rivera, Ann Marie Meeker, Anna McCarthy, Anna Oakley, April
Andrew Carswell, Aria Armstead, Audrey Myers, Autumn Stephens, Avery Sharpe, Barry Mann, Brad Raymond, Brandon L. Smith, Brantley Waller, Brie Wolfe, Brittani Minnieweather, Brittany Loffert, Caitlin Slotnick, Caleb Vaughn, Calyria Jyvonne Reynolds, Cara Mantella, Caroline Donica, Casey Navarro, Chanel Davis, Chase Anderson, Chelcy Cutwright, Chelsea Brown, Cece Campbell, Chloe Lomax, Christopher Nastasi, Clayton Landey, Coriana Raynor, Courtney Moors-Hornick, Da’Quan Cooney, Cody Benfield, Dan Triandiflou, Daniel Caffrey, Daniela Santiago, Danielle Montgomery, Davia Weatherill, David DeVries, David Kote, Deja Holmes, Dru Sky Berrian, E Haeberlin, Ebony Golden, Ebony Tucker, Elaina Walton, Ethan Davis, Eugene Russell, Gloria Martin, Hananya Allen, Hannah Chatham, Hannah Church, Harriet Bass, Hayden Weiss, Hollie Rivers, Imani Quinones, Isaac Breiding, Issa Solis, Ja’Siah Young, Jada Gorgor, James Patrick, James Williams, Javaron Conyers, Jeremiah Hobbs, Jessenia Ingram, Jetta Whitehurst, Jimez Alexander, John Doyle, Joseph Quintana, Josh Price, Julia Walters, Julie Woods Robinson, Julissa Sabino, Karen Aguirre, Kate Varner, Katherine Taylor, Katie Causey, Katie Wickline, Kierra Edwards, Kim Baran, Kira Rockwell, Kristian Martinez, Lamar Hardy, Lauren Alexandra, Laurin Dunleavy, Leah Thomas, Lee Osorio, Lilly Heidari, Lon Bumgarner, Lydia Rice, Maddy Roberts, Madeleine Noe, Madison Junod, Madison VandenOever, Marc Collins, Marcia Faith Harper, Marcia Harvey, Marielle Martinez, Marissa Kovach, Marquelle Young, Mary Claire Page, Mary Michael Patterson, Matt Baum, Matthew Caleb Brown, Maxwell H. Breaux, Maya Lawrence, Megan Cramer, Megan Wartell, Melissa “Mel” Ottaviano, Monteze Sutton, Morayo Otujo, Morgan Rysdon-Moulitsas, Myah Harper, Natalie Brown, Nicole Price, Nicolette Emanuelle, Patricia de la Garza, Patrick McColery, Phillia Prior, Rachel Da Silva, Razaria Denae Copeland, Riley Schatz, Rimothy Miracle Bennett, Robyn Sutton-Fernandez, Rodney Williams, Ryan Dinning, Sarah Mack Price, Sarah Oguntomilade, Sarah Wallis, Sariel Toribio, Shane Simmons, Shaniya Horton, Sharon Foote, Sierra Christensen, Stephen Ruffin, Tafee Patterson, Terence Lee, Theresa Davis, Tiffany Hobbs, Tramaine Jones, Tylia De’Armond, Vallea Woodbury, William Amato, Wynne Kelly, Zuri Petteway
Teen Ensemble Members
Alyssa Carr, Joshua Byrom, Saheim Patrick, Abigail May Watson, Jackson Millarker, Caleb Thomas, CJ Perkins, Adiya Stubblefield, Vanathi Parthiban, Ja’Kyah Jackson, Daniel McCall, Abigail Dougherty, Anshula Phadke, Eliana Leaks, Elliott Elliott, Kennedy O’Neil, Chloe Jarrett, Syrenity Hall, Helena Denton, Malaysia West-Lewis, Ella Dameron, Aja Najib, Taliyaah Muhammad, Rahul Daswani, Jeronimo Dye, Laila Drew, Chelsea Smith, Haley Smith
MANAGEMENT
Managing Director Mike Schleifer
Company Manager
Kimberly Townsend
Rigel Powell
Luke Robinson
Patrick Conley
Chris Seifert
Kevin Dyson, Paige Bergen, Marlon Wilson
Kat Conley
Amanda Nerby
Sound
Michael Carrico
Aaron Vockley
Sound Engineers Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Emma Mouledoux, Graham Schwartz
Stage Management
Stage Managers
Stage Management Production Assistants
National Vision Stage Management Fellow
Stage Operations
Liz Campbell, R. Lamar Williams, Barbara Gantt O’Haley
Samantha Honeycutt, Madeline Conrad
Xiaonan “Chloe” Liu
Stage Operations Manager
Assistant Stage Operations Manager
Flyman
Automation Stagehand
Scott Bowne
Kate Lucibella
Willie Palmer Parks
John Victor Mouledoux Jr.
Properties Stagehand Nic Stephenson
EDUCATION
Dan Reardon Director of Youth & Families
Naserian Foundation Head of Early Childhood Programs
