University Theatre Department of Theatre and Drama University of Wisconsin-Madison presents
BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL
Story & Book by Keythe Farley & Brian Flemming Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe November 17 - December 10, 2011
Mitchell Theatre Director – Molly Richards Music Director – Jake Aebly Choreographer – Kat Lieder Set Designer – Cynthia Dean Costume Designer – Sarah Woodworth Lighting Designer – Erik S Barry Sound Designer- Jack Sayre Technical Director –Cole Muth Stage Manager – Jennifer Current Dramaturg – Leigh Henderson Licensed under agreement with Weekly World News Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Original New York Production by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Riot Entertainment, Robyn Goodman, Michael Alden, Jean Doumanian and the Producing Office. Original cast recording available on RCA/Victor. BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL was developed in New York City at The Directors Company, Michal Parva, Artistic/Producing Director. BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL had it initial production at The Actors’ Gang in Los Angeles, CA. The Authors wish to acknowledge the generous support provided through the Richard Rodgers Development Award and the Richard Rodgers Production Award. The Richard Rodgers Awards are administered by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. There will be a post-performance discussion with the actors after the Thursday, December 8th performance. This production is made possible with grant support from The College of Letters and Science Anonymous Fund. University Theatre 1
THE CAST Meredith Parker ............................................................................................ Meghan Randolph Dr. Thomas Parker.................................................................................................... Scott Harman Edgar............................................................................................................... Joshua David Atkins Shelley Parker................................................................................................ Alexandria Odekirk Sherriff................................................................................................................ Halynn Batterman Rick, Lorraine, Mr. Dillon, Animal, Meredith’s Dad...............................................Will Endres Ron, Maggie, Clem, Animal, Young Meredith.................................Haley Kosup-Kennedy Ruthie, Ned, Animal, Meredith’s Mom......................................................................Alli Rekow Mrs. Taylor, Roy, Reverend, Animal...............................................................Matthew Huston Bud, Daisy, Pan, Doctor, Institute Man...................................................................Stuart Mott THE BAND Jake Aebly.......................................................................................................................... Keyboard Erin Crabbe........................................................................................................................ Keyboard Kyle Traska........................................................................................................................ Percussion Rockwell Rice........................................................................................................................... Guitar Jake Ripp-Dieter..........................................................................................................................Bass Place Hope Falls, West Virginia. Population 500
MUSICAL NUMBERS Act I Overture The Cave Hold Me, Bat Boy Christina Charity Ugly Boy Whatcha Wanna Do? A Home for You Another Dead Cow Dance with Me Darling Mrs. Taylor’s Lullaby Show You a Thing or Two Christian Charity (reprise) May I Have This Dance? A Home for You (reprise) Parker’s Epiphany Comfort and Joy
AC K N OW L E D G E M E N T S Electronic Theatre Controls, Middleton, WI
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Act II A Joyful Noise Come On Down! Let Me Walk Among You A Joyful Noise (reprise) All Hell Breaks Loose Stop the Bat Boy! Three Bedroom House Babe in the Woods Children, Children Burn, You Freak, Burn More Blood/Kill the Bat Boy! Inside Your Heart Is All That You Taught Me A Lie? Apology to a Cow Hello, Father Revelations I Imagine You’re Upset I am Not a Boy Hold Me, Bat Boy (reprise)
F R O M T H E D I R E C TO R O F T H E AT R E P R O D U C T I O N Welcome to our production of Bat Boy: The Musical. We come to the mid-way point in this season’s offerings. This production also marks an important point for MFA in Directing candidate Molly Richards, as this is her thesis project. Working on the creative team of this project are also MFA students in Design and Technology, Cynthia Dean on sets, Eric Barry on lights, Sarah Woodward on costumes, Cole Muth on technical direction. University Theatre is the producing side of the Department of Theatre and Drama here at UW-Madison so along with providing theatre-going experiences for you, our wonderful audience, this is where our students (both graduate and undergraduate) get to put into practice what they learn in our classes. We are proud of our students and their work and we are very appreciative of the support that you give by attending our productions. Please consider becoming a Friend of UT and enjoy the show. Aloha, David Furumoto
D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E S Welcome to Bat Boy The Musical! It’s a fun, fast-paced and crazy show based on the 1992 Weekly World News article of a half boy- half bat found in a cave in West Virginia. With a premise like that, we can expect larger than life situations and laughter to ensue. The creators, Farley, Flemming, and O’Keefe smartly use humor to present a very real story of the misunderstood outsider. It is a situation that appears in every community around the world since the beginning of time. Our humanity craves acceptance, but fear and lack of understanding not only keep us from accepting, but can cause us to lash out at the thing that is unlike what we might call “the norm.” The character of Bat Boy is similar to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein monster, or the beast in Beauty and the Beast. Relevant to our immediate society, we can equate Edgar’s story with the frighteningly increasing number of suicides due to bullying. The theme is spelled out in some of the lyrics from the opening number, Hold Me Bat Boy: “You are here not to laugh but to learn. Listen to his ungodly shriek; watch what they put him through. Heed the tale of a filthy freak- who’s just like you!” We’ve had an amazing time solving the many challenges of this production and magically making it look easy. I’d like to thank the production team, the cast, and crew for everyone’s hard work and undying commitment to every detail. We are excited to share our work with you. So, welcome to Hope Falls, West Virginia! Molly Richards
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I N A WO R L D G O N E B AT T Y... Killer Androids Breeding Like Flies! … Glow-in-the-Dark Monkey is the Missing Link! … Man Cuts His Leg Off - & It Hops 75 Yards All By Itself! … Space Alien Skull Talks and Sings! … Mr. Rogers’ Ghost Terrorizing Children …
Bat Boy Found in West Virginia Cave! There May Be Thousands More Just Like Him, Say Scientists America was first introduced to Bat Boy on the cover of the June 23, 1992 issue of the Weekly World News. The article reported that the three- or four-yearold, two-foot-tall “strange creature” was being kept in a private hospital for study by his discoverer, Dr. Ron Dillon. According to Dillon, “The boy appears to be human but he is unlike any other human I’ve ever seen. His eyes are twice as big as they should be and his ears are like satellite dishes. This boy clearly belongs to a race of people who live miles beneath the Earth’s surface. And it is my guess that they evolved bat-like features and abilities to enable them to survive in total darkness.” However well he was evolved to live in a dark cave, Bat Boy was clearly also well adapted to life on the pages of a tabloid newspaper. With the first Bat Boy issue a huge seller, it wasn’t long before the Weekly World News brought Bat Boy back. He escaped from Dillon’s lab, launching a coast-to-coast manhunt. For years, the Weekly World News milked Bat Boy’s story. He bit a ten-year-old girl in Orlando. He was captured by a Las Vegas businessman and held captive in a garage, fed on Spam and table scraps. 4 University Theatre
He was later captured again by the FBI. He was hospitalized in Chicago after getting hit by a truck and reportedly received over 300,000 get-well cards. He bit Santa Claus. In the new millennium, stories about Bay Boy have grown ever more extravagant and absurd. His adventures are far too numerous to trace here in detail, but highlights include his 2001 enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps; his 2001 romantic pursuit of Jenna Bush; his 2002 capture by Argentine bandits; his 2003 flight in the space shuttle; his 2003 joyride in a stolen Mini Cooper; the 2004 revelation of his role in the capture of Saddam Hussein by U.S. Special Forces; his brief 2004 marriage to Britney Spears; his 2009 capture of Santa Claus; and his 2010 MacArthur “genius grant.” The Weekly World News has shown him posing with George W. Bush, biting the Queen of England, campaigning with John Kerry, and auditioning for American Idol. The paper even reported that a time traveler from the future revealed that, in 2028, Bat Boy will be the President
I N A WO R L D G O N E B AT T Y ( c o n t .) of a United States “overrun with, and ruled by, hideous mutants and freaks.” Although the Weekly World News ceased print publication in 2007, ending a nearly thirty-year run, Bat Boy lives on at the Weekly World News website. You can buy Bat Boy T-shirts, Bat Boy comic strips, Bat Boy bobbleheads, Bat Boy smartphone and laptop skins, Bat Boy plushies, Bat Boy magnets, Bat Boy messenger bags, or a tell-all Bat Boy book. The Weekly World News website even claims to be selling the Mini Cooper in which Bat Boy led police on a three-state chase. Over the years, the Weekly World News has featured innumerable animal-human hybrids. Bigfoot. Wolf Child. A dolphin with human arms. Manda (a panda with a human face). A half-human, half-alligator in a Florida swamp. Hundreds of fish with human legs that washed up on the beaches of the French Riviera. What is it about Bat Boy and his not-quitehuman brethren that so captures the nation’s imagination? According to anthropologist Judith L. Goldstein, “the tabloids create a parallel universe through inclusion, which takes the form of the constant creation of new hybrids and the sympathetic coverage of human oddities … The invention of new and extreme forms of strangeness make the more conventional differences based on class, race, gender, and ethnicity found outside the parallel universe of the tabloids seem less significant by replacing them with specious species-like difference” (24). In other words, our affinity for these fictitious hybrids and oddities might show us how to transcend our real differences. Through Bat Boy, we glimpse a possibility for a utopian future of inclusiveness. Given that the Weekly World News has already offered us a distinctly dystopian vision of the future in which President Bat Boy presides over
“subhuman monkey men in Congress, terrifying ghouls in the Pentagon” and “normal humans become second-class citizens,” it’s not surprising that some scholars disagree with Goldstein’s rosy interpretation of Bat Boy and the Weekly World News. Anthropologist S. Elizabeth Bird, who finds tabloids “predictable, repetitive, and eventually, depressing,” (For Enquiring Minds, 5) convincingly accuses American tabloids in general and the Weekly World News in particular of implicit racism and explicit homophobia (For Enquiring Minds, 73). Bird’s reading of the ultra-conservative morality underlying the Weekly World News’ story selection, celebrity gossip, and writing style is almost impossible to reconcile with Goldstein’s idyllic interpretation of Bat Boy. And that’s even before we begin to talk about the Weekly World News’ notorious ongoing “Ed Anger” opinion column, the key to which, according to its original writer, “was to insult as many people as you could” (Sloan 173). Probably the reasons that people are drawn to Bat Bay are as various and contradictory as Weekly World News readers themselves. Although many people write off tabloid readers as, in the words of literary scholar Harold Schechter, “people of distinctly narrow means and limited education,” (101) Weekly World News readers are really a diverse bunch. As Bird points out, while some readers believe the tabloid content, others read for entertainment “in a determinedly ‘ironic’ way” (For Enquiring Minds, 114), “as a type of self-conscious joke” (For Enquiring Minds, 116). Even readers who take their tabloid reading more seriously tend to be “quite selective about the particular phenomena they chose to believe in” (For Enquiring Minds, 120). “They believed,” Bird explains, “what reinforced things they already believed in” (Who Reads, 14). Thus, there is probably no simple explanation for the broad appeal that Bat Boy holds for University Theatre 5
I N A WO R L D G O N E B AT T Y ( c o n t .) a varied readership. Utopia or dystopia may be a matter of perspective. We all have to decide for ourselves whether to accept Bat Boy as a representative of a previously undiscovered humanoid species, an idiosyncratic mutation, a secret government experiment gone wrong, the product of a tabloid writer’s overactive imagination, or even the result of “one-sized-fits-all corporate policies, bean-counting mentalities, and
assembly-line methods” (Sloan 179-80). But if we are in an optimistic frame of mind, we could perhaps do worse than to take Weekly World News CEO Neil McGinness as sincere when he tells us, in the typically tongue-in-cheek style of the Weekly World News that “Bat Boy should be loved as one of us … mutant bat species are living creatures just like us. Perhaps even more like ourselves than ourselves” (xi). Leigh Henderson, Dramaturg
WORKS CITED Bird, S. Elizabeth. For Enquiring Minds: A Cultural Study of Supermarket Tabloids. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1992. Print. ---Interview with Frank Jossi. “Who Reads Supermarket Tabs?” American Journalism Review 15 (Sept. 1993): 14-15. Humanities Full Text. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. Goldstein, Judith L. “The Origin of the Specious.” Differences 15.1 (Spring 2004): 24-7. Humanities Full Text. Web. 8 Oct. 2011. McGinness, Neil. “A Letter of Introduction.” Going Mutant: The Bat Boy Exposed! By Barry Leed, Neil McGinness, and the editors of Weekly World News. New York: Scribner, 2010. xi. Print. Perel, David and the editors of the Weekly World News. Bat Boy Lives! New York: Sterling, 2005. Print. Schechter, Harold. The Bosom Serpent: Folklore and Popular Art. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1988. Print. Sloan, Bill. “I Watched a Wild Hog Eat My Baby!”: A Colorful History of Tabloids and Their Cultural Impact. Amherst: Prometheus, 2001. Print.
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P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Assistant Stage Managers.........................................................Mike Hennessy, Lisa Marten Carpenters................................................................... Halynn Batterman, Christine Merchut, Nerrissa Dyett, Katherine Nahh, Andrew Thomas, Brenna McGinley Prop Master.........................................................................................................Courtney Nelson Painter.............................................................................................................................. Ashley Dye Costume Assistant.......................................................................................................... Chris Nier Wardrobe Supervisor.................................................................................................Julia Kinney Master Electrician.................................................................................................Dustin Moench Light Board Operator............................................................................................... Niketa Miller Sound Board Operator.............................................................................................. Jeff Parulski Follow Spot Operator...................................................................................................... Neil Kresl Technical Shop Crews.......................................................Shannon Higgins, Katie Behrend, Hadieh Tazangi, Brinn Hill, Ashley Olson, Elissa Alster TH 160..............Cyle Agee-Rodriguez, Greta Becker, Katie Busalacchi, Mel Capperino, Grant Dettmering, Aliza Feder, Kaitlee Fluegel, Brinn Hill, Peter Hiller, Jami Klagos, Haley Kosup-Kennedy, Mary LaFore, Kuma Lee, Kenzie Luce, Cassy Marzette, Ashley McHose, Ross Morey, Allie Mott, Rita Moua, Whitney Nelson, Emilia Núùez, Alli Rekow, Rachel Rubenstein, Evelyn Sadowski, Jon Vanphravong, TH 161/361/363/561..........Stephanie Vidalakis, Jennifer Current, Iliana Rother-Lynn, Julia St. Pierre,Samantha Blank, Abby Gadbois, Halynn Batterman, Jennie Mintz, Hadieh Tazangi, Katie Behrend, Steph Quinnell, Shannon Higgins, Brinn Hill, Caelin Ross, Dijana Savic, Ashley Olson, Elisa Alster, Chris Nier
December 2-18, 2011 The Drury Theatre at the Bartell Visit www.fourseasonstheatre.com University Theatre 7
W H O ’ S W H O ( c o n t .) Actors Joshua David Atkins (Edgar) is a senior majoring in English Education from Green Bay, WI. Recent credits include Brad in The Rocky Horror Show and Jack in Into the Woods for Madison’s University Theatre. Thanks as always to my amazing friends, my brothers, and my wonderfully supportive family. Special thanks to The Understudies Improv Team for letting me take a hiatus to do the show and to my friends in the Education Program for your support! Halynn Batterman (Sherriff ) is thrilled to be finishing her college career with her first University Theatre production. Recently, she has spent much of the last 4 years working as director/choreographer for the West De Pere Summer Musical Program on productions of Godspell, Once Upon a Mattress, The Wedding Singer, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It’s been a great privilege to get back on stage to work with such a talented cast and crew on such a fun and heartwarming show. She would like to especially thank her parents, family and friends for all their amazing love and support. Will Endres (Rick, Lorraine, Mr. Dillon, Animal, Meredith’s Dad) is ecstatic to be joining the talented ranks of University Theater. Recently appearing in Dirty Little Showtunes and ‘Z-Town: the Zombie Musical,’ Will is pleased to continue his musical extravaganza with Bat Boy. Thank you to Molly, Jake, and Kat for your wonderful direction and for providing the opportunity to fulfill two of my theater fantasies: playing a woman and frolicking in an animal orgy. Check. A loving thank you to the entire cast and crew, to my family, and to Ray for waiting so patiently until I finally have a life again. Scott Harman (Dr. Thomas Parker) is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student whose primary research interest is the intersection between acting and cognitive science. M.A. - University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign; B.A. - Alma College. He has served on the faculty of Parkland 8 University Theatre
College, Alma College, and the Interlochen Arts Camp. He has worked as a theatre professional and educator in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. This show marks Scott’s UT debut. He appeared last year as Shorty in the Antagonists’ production of Elephant’s Graveyard. As always, thanks to friends and family for support and guidance. Matthew Huston (Mrs. Taylor, Roy, Reverend, Animal) is a senior majoring in Marketing and Psychology. However, he has always had a passion for the stage. Recent performance credits include My Fair Lady (featured dancer), South Pacific (chorus), and Wisconsin Singers (singer/dancer). This is his first time performing with UT and he is ecstatic to work with the talented cast and crew! He thanks his family and friends for their support and all of you for coming out! He hopes the “Joyful Noise” you are about to hear brings you “Comfort and Joy”! Haley Kosup-Kennedy (Ron, Maggie, Clem, Animal, Young Meredith) is a senior Theater & Drama- acting specialist major. She feels so lucky to be a part of Bat Boy: The Musical. She has previously appeared in UT’s The Rocky Horror Show and [title of show]. Haley is also a dancer and choreographer for UW’s hip-hop dance crew, Hypnotiq. She would like to thank her mother for being the wind at her back, her grandparents for coming to some truly weird shows, her Alli for being the best showmance ever, and Molly Richards for making her the man she always knew she could be. Stuart Mott (Bud, Daisy, Pan, Doctor, Institute Man) is absolutely batty to be back on the Mitchell stage in this production of Bat Boy! Previous roles include Ed in You Can’t Take it With You, Hunter in [title of show], Steam Shovel Operator in Elephant’s Graveyard, and Woof in HAIR. Stuart is a junior majoring in Theatre & Drama as an Acting Specialist with a certificate in Integrated Liberal Studies. Thank you to Molly and Jake for including me in this awesome show, to the cast for the amazing time,
W H O ’ S W H O ( c o n t .) and of course, to my family for their neverending love and support. Meghan Randolph (Meredith Parker) is thrilled to reprise the role of Meredith in Bat Boy after playing it in the Detroit premiere. Meghan is the founder and director of MTM, a theatre company producing lesser known musicals. (www.mtmadison.com). Her performance credits include the North American tour of Cats (Jennyanydots/ Grizabella cover), The Threepenny Opera with Madison Opera, soloist in concert with Ricky Ian Gordon and local appearances with Madison Rep, Strollers, Four Seasons, The Bricks, Jigsaw Entertainment and MTM. Behind the scenes, Meghan has also been directing for 10 years. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Michigan. Alli Rekow (Ruthie, Ned, Animal, Meredith’s Mom) is a senior acting specialist also majoring in English and she couldn’t be more pleased to be ending her time with University Theatre with this show. Previous UT credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Columbia) and [title of show] (Susan). Many thanks go to Molly and Jake for seeing her as the Appalachian rancher she was born to play. She would also like to thank Pete, Lis, and Kake for continuing to come see some truly bizarre shows, Haley for making speech superfluous by being able to read her mind, and lastly her roommates, who taught her everything she knows. Alexandria Odekirk (Shelley Parker) is a senior acting specialist and is excited to be apart of Bat Boy. This is her second university show, the other being Lady from the Sea as Hilde. She was last seen onstage as Ballet Girl in the Antagonist Theatre’s production of Elephants Graveyard. When not working on the show, she spends her time ballroom dancing with Madtown Ballroom Performance Team. She is grateful to them, family, friends and her boyfriend for support with the show. She feels this show was fantastic to be a part of and it even challenged her rapping skills. Enjoy the show!
Artistic/Production Staff Molly Richards (Director) earned her BA in theatre from Baldwin Wallace College. Currently she is a third year MFA directing student at the University of Wisconsin where last spring she directed Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl. Also for UT, she assistant directed Blood Wedding and Grapes of Wrath with Norma Saldivar, and Into The Woods with Pam Kriger. Locally she has directed The Wild Party for Music Theatre of Madison and Suessical for Children’s Theatre of Madison. She also recently directed Suessical and A, My Name is Alice in upstate New York at Stagedoor Manor. She comes here from New York City where she specialized in developing new works at such theatres as Theatre Row Studio, The Duplex, The Barrow Group, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, The Gene Frankel Theatre, and Theatre for the New City’s Lower East Side Arts Festival. Regionally, Molly has worked at The Cleveland Playhouse and Great Lakes Theatre Festival. This winter, she will be assisting Eric Rosen on a new play at the Alliance Theatre. As a performer, Molly has toured the country with Chamber Theatre Productions and Arts Power. Her favorite company to perform with is Mercury Summer Stock, where she spent 12 consecutive summers getting to play some of the best roles of her career. Jake Aebly (Music Director) is excited to once again be serving as musical director for his alma mater. Jake graduated from UW Madison in 2010 with a degree in music composition and theatre and has been working in Madison as a composer, singer/pianist and teacher ever since. You may have heard his musical direction in previous UT productions such as [title of show] and Dames at Sea, or various other Madison productions including Dirty Little Show Tunes, Goodnight Moon and Sweeney Todd. He would like to thank the cast and crew for their talent and hard work, his partner for putting up with his schedule, his music teachers for making him practice and all of you for supporting the arts. Enjoy the show! University Theatre 9
W H O ’ S W H O ( c o n t .) Kat Lieder (Choreographer) is currently pursuing a PhD in Theatre Research with the Department of Theatre and Drama at UW Madison. Her most recent project aims to evaluate the ways in which popular Hindi cinema memes are replicated and revised in political street theater performances in Delhi. She has choreographed Urinetown, City of Angels, The Last Unicorn, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and directed Seneca’s Phaedra, The Great Nebula in Orion and How I Learned to Drive.
Past costume design credits include You Can’t Take it With You, Twelfth Night, Assassins!, Intimate Apparel, Ruthless!, The Secretaries, God’s Ear, Mary’s Wedding, Road to Mecca, Fugitive Songs, Point of Revue, Polaroid Stories, and Katatonika (world premiere, 2009 Prague International Fringe Festival). She is currently designing UT’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, which opens next spring. She would like to thank Jeffrey for everything and her family for all of their love and support.
Cynthia Dean (Scenic Designer) is a third year MFA candidate in Scenic Design. Past UT designs include You Can’t Take It With You, Yum Yum Room, and Narukami The Thunder God.
Erik S Barry (Lighting Designer) is excited to be involved with Bat Boy: The Musical. Erik is in his final year as an MFA student, studying Lighting Design. Designs for UT include [title of show], The Rocky Horror Show, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Lady from the Sea and was an assistant to Tom Littrell on Into The Woods. Next semester, he will be designing Pedro and the War Cantata. He dedicates this and every
Sarah Woodworth (Costume Designer) is a 2nd year MFA student in Costume Design and received her Bachelors in Theatre Design and Technology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
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W H O ’ S W H O ( c o n t .) performance to the memories of Mom and Dad, and reminds Sara, Karen, and Iris that he owes it all to them. Jack Sayre (Sound Designer) is a composer, sound designer, and educator. He has lent his talents to over 30 theater productions over the last 15 years for Madison theaters; The Madison Rep, CTM Productions and UW Theater. Recent UW Theater productions include; War Of The Worlds, Hair, Into The Woods, and Grapes Of Wrath. Jack also teaches sound design at Madison Media Institute where he has been known to use theater work as a roving classroom for some of his students permitting them to observe the theater production process, and where appropriate, take a technical role in the show. Cole Muth (Technical Director) is in his final year of studies at UW-Madison. In the spring he will be graduating with an MFA in Design and Technology. Cole has also previously studied at UW-Platteville and Northern Illinois University. He is also the owner/ operator of Stagewerks, LLC; a theatrical design and consultation firm based out of Southwest Wisconsin. Some of
Cole’s recent credits include: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Beauty and the Beast, The Yum Yum Room (US debut production), and You Can’t Take It With You. Cole would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support. Cole would also like to thank the wonderful faculty and staff at UW for their leadership and guidance. Jennifer Current (Stage Manager) is a senior Theater and Drama major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is very excited to begin her final year at UT with this production. Other credits include: [title of show] (ASM), You Can’t Take It With You (ASM), Grapes of Wrath (SM), Spelling Bee (SM), Lady From the Sea (SM), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ASM). Jennifer would like to thank the cast and production team as well as her fabulous assistant stage managers. Also, a Huge thank you to her roommates and friends for their understanding and support throughout this process. Finally, thank you to Mom, Dad, and Allison. Nothing is possible without your love and encouragement. Enjoy the show!
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DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DRAMA FACULTY, ACADEMIC AND CLASSIFIED STAFFS
Department Chair ............................................................................................ Ann M. Archbold Acting/Directing Faculty/Staff .....................................Patricia Boyette, David Furumoto, Norma Saldivar, Patrick Sims, Susan Sweeney Design/Technical Faculty/Staff ..........................................Ann M. Archbold, Gail Brassard, Jim Greco, Dan Lisowski, Casey Martin, Chuck Mitchell, William Moser, David Stewart Theatre Research Faculty/Staff .................................... Aparna Dharwadker, Kristin Hunt, Michael Peterson, Mary Trotter, Michael Vanden Heuvel, Manon van de Water Theatre for Youth Director ..................................................................... Manon van de Water Theatre for Cultural and Social Awareness Director.......................................Patrick Sims Lecturers..........................................................................Maureen Janson, Roseann Sheridan Department Administrator.............................................................................Melinda Menard Departmental Office Staff..................................Terri Bonner, Jean Hauser, Brenda Weiss Undergraduate Advisor............................................................................................Jim Stauffer U N I V E R S I T Y T H E AT R E S TA F F Director of Theatre Production .................................................................... David Furumoto General Manager............................................................................................... Michele Traband Production Manager..............................................................................................David Stewart UT Technical Director...............................................................................................Dan Lisowski Scene Studio Supervisor.....................................................................................Chuck Mitchell Costume Studio Supervisor ........................................................................................Jim Greco Electrics and Sound Studio Supervisor ............................................................Casey Martin UT Office Manager...............................................................................................Cindy Schkirkie House Managers ...............Mary McAvoy, Carol Carlson, Erin Hood, Liz Foster-Shaner PR/Marketing Assistant ...................................................................................... Molly Richards Graphic Design Support....................................................................................... Tim Hamilton Literary Manager..................................................................................Megan Marsh-McGlone Scene Shop Assistants................................................... Cynthia Dean, Katy Lai, Cole Muth, Allyn Weber, Niffer Phlager Lighting Assistants.................................. Erik S Barry, Jonathan de Leon, Brandi Mitchell Costume Assistants...................................................................Katie Gray, Sarah Woodworth F R I E N D S O F U N I V E R S I T Y T H E AT R E The FRIENDS of UT is a group of individuals that serves as a support organization for UW Madison’s University Theatre, providing members with opportunities to connect with and offer support for student actors, dramaturgs, directors, and designers involved in University Theatre productions. FRIENDS of UT plan and host receptions prior to productions, enjoy exceptional performances together, and work to encourage broader awareness and appreciation of the UW Department of Theatre and Drama throughout the community. Funds raised by FRIENDS of UT will provide much needed production support, including technical enhancements such as state-of-the-art equipment upgrades, as well as special guest artist residencies that will support the training of our students. In the past, Friends of UT have enjoyed invitations to a special post-performance reception with Olympia Dukakis as well as a pre-performance discussion with show directors. They sponsored a visit with Anthony Rapp (from the original Broadway cast of RENT). Funds raised were used to support a Suzuki acting workshop with Brandeis Professor Eric Hill and several guest sound designers. 12 University Theatre
F R I E N D S O F U N I V E R S I T Y T H E AT R E ( c o n t .) The group sponsored a day trip for FUT members and UT students to Ten Chimneys in Genesee Depot, WI. Recently, the group attended a performance of the play Ten Chimneys being produced by the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. We are proud to share the names of the FRIENDS of UT with you throughout this season. If you would like to become a Friend of University Theatre, simply call the University Theatre office at 608-262-1582 or contribute online at utmadison.com F R I E N D S O F U N I V E R S I T Y T H E AT R E FRIEND ($50-$249) Norlin & Cynthia Benevenga Prof. Barbara Buenger Laura & Barry Burden Kristine & James Drewry Roger & Elizabeth Gray William & Sharon Koenen Bonnie D. Lewis Eric Mueller & Torrie Kopp Mueller Heather & Samuel Murn Peter & Donna Napoleone Ernest Peterson Guy Plunkett III & Joanne Harper-Plunkett
Steven Scholze & Michael McFadden Maureen Skelton Bob & Sharon Stephenson David & Shirley Susan Louis & Julie Swedarsky Katherine & Bailey Walsh A. Erick Weber John & Nancy Webster Elwyn & Evelyn Weible Jeanne Whitish Hal & Shirley Winsborough Mary Zellmer
ANGEL ($250 and up) Merry Anderson Dennis Dorn Shana Lewis & Robert Magasano Tim & Pat Size Jon Sorenson Tim & Rhonda Current CORPORATE ($250 AND UP) Distillery Design Electronic Theatre Controls
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C O N T R I B U T I O N S T O T H E D E PA R TM E N T O F T H E AT R E A N D D R A M A
(from January 1 to Sept 15, 2011) $1,000+ George E. Olsen $500-999 Russell Howes $250-499 Timothy R. and Rhonda K. Current Dennis L. and Katherine A. Dorn Leonard C. Harman, Jr. Jon E. Sorenson Daniel S. and Cecilia H. Yang $100-249 Cynthia R. and Norlin J. Benevenga Katherine M. Charron
Kirk A. Domer Gretchen J. Michlitsch Peter and Donna Napoleone Ernest J. Peterson Stacie J. Pierce Bernice R. Ruswick Harvey Sweet $1-99 Merry K. Anderson Barry C. and Laura R. Burden Peter M. and Susan Cole Timothy R. Dewart Rebecca B. Entel Sarah Hasan Fannie E. Hicklin James H. Lieberthal
Robert D. Magasano and Shana R. Lewis Heather L. and Samuel Murn Nicholas L. Neds and Lindsey Hoel-Neds Guy D., III and Joanne H. Plunkett Kathryn M. Rohe Shirley J. and David J. Susan Louis H. and Julie S. Swedarsky Katherine C. and Bailey G. Walsh, Jr. Evelyn B. and Elwyn L. Weible William R. and Christine M. Wiegert
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All services performed by students under the supervision of licensed instructors.
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H OW TO C O N T R I B U T E There are many ways to contribute to the Department of Theater and Drama, including: •Gifts of appreciated securities, personal property, and real estate •Deferred gifts such as bequests, trusts, and life income agreements •Permanently endowed scholarships, fellowships, and professorships named for a relative or friend For more information about all giving opportunities, please call Jon E. Sorenson at the UW Foundation, (800) 443-6162 or (608) 262-7211. Please make your check payable to University of Wisconsin Foundation and mail to University of Wisconsin Foundation, US Bank Lockbox, PO Box 78807, Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807. Indicate that your contribution should be credited to the Department of Theater and Drama.
F O R YO U R I N F O R M AT I O N Cameras and Recorders: No photographs or recordings may be made during the performance. Restrooms: Restrooms and drinking fountains for patron use are located in the lower level of the theatre lobby. Wheelchair accessible facilities are available on the lobby level. Please use lower level facilities unless special needs dictate otherwise. Emergency Calls: Doctors and parents are asked to leave the campus security phone number, 264-2677, with their service or sitter. Please inform the house manager of your seat location if the possibility of a call exists. In order not to disturb other patrons, please turn off all paging devices, electonic devices, cell phones and watch alarms. Latecomers: Performances begin promptly. Latecomers will be seated only at a suitable break, which in some cases may not be until intermission. Exchanges and Refunds: No refunds are given, but exchanges may be made up to 24 hours prior to the ticketed performance date when tickets are available. Patrons who cannot use their tickets are asked to contact the Vilas Hall Box Office 24 hours in advance of the performance. Postdated tickets have no value and cannot be exchanged. Unused tickets can be donated to the theatre for resale, the proceeds of which will go to improvements of the theatre. Ticketing: Any person entering the theatre must have a ticket. Babes in arms can not be admitted. UT discourages bringing small children to the theatre except when the production is specifically for young audiences. Accessibility: University Theatre can accommodate your special needs. Call 265-2787 for information regarding wheelchair accessibility and hearing-assist systems. Parking: Parking passes are available for purchase by arts patrons in UW owned parking lots close to venues. Call Campus Arts Ticketing at 265-2787 for more information. University Theatre 15
TheaTer
Wisconsin union
2011- 2012 Great History. Bright Future.
T r av e l a d v e n t u r e s e r i e s :
colorful mexico!
with fran & brooke reidelberger monday & Tuesday, november 28 & 29, 2011, 7:30pm Jazz series
Village vanguard jazz orchestra
opening: Uw-madison jazz orchestra saTurday, february 4, 2012, 8pm
Gaelic storm Friday, february 17, 2012, 8pm
bela fleck & the flecktones THursday, march 1, 2012, 8pm The Wisconsin Union Theater Season is programmed by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Student Performing Arts Committee. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. A Wisconsin Union DirectorAte experience
608-265-arTs , Memorial Union, 800 langdon st. www.uniontheater.wisc.edu
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