is proud to present
Beyond the Fringe A Revue
Directed by
David Mink
Previews March 29-31 Performances April 1-May 6 Madison Street Theatre, Oak Park, Illinois
Beyond the Fringe is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. Beyond the Fringe 1
A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E Welcome to Beyond the Fringe! Amazing that this play is over fifty years old and still remains as funny and smart today as when it was written and performed. All of the original writer/ performers of this material went on to great success in film and theatre. Peter Cook (Princess Bride, Who’s Line Is It Anyway) Dudley Moore (Ten, Arthur) Alan Bennett (writer The Madness of George the Third, History Boys) Jonathon Miller (dir. The Mikado, The Cherry Orchard) all came to prominence through Beyond the Fringe. We hope the same happens to our cast. We had been considering this show for our 2012 - 2013 season, but as fate would have it, when my friend Alan Ruck became unavailable to do Stones In His Pockets we decided to add it to our current season, which culminates this summer with Inherit the Wind and Richard the Third. By the way, you can join our summer season, at a discount, using your ticket stub for this show, please speak with someone at the box office if you are interested. I’d like to take this time to introduce you to our new Managing Director, Marissa McKown. Marissa joined us last month, taking over from interim Managing Director, Brianne Wilson. We are thrilled to add Marissa to our staff, she brings with her a fresh eye, unique experience and terrific energy to help Festival Theatre grow as well as supporting our vision for the future. She will be around now and then during the run, if you see her please say hello and I know she is eager to meet you! As always, a huge thank you to our board of directors, staff, and most importantly, to you our audience. We simply couldn’t do this without you. Festival Theatre is already working on our 2012-2013 season, very exciting stuff. With acts of deception, hidden identity and finding love – even in the bleakest of circumstances, we hope you will join us as we embark upon our season of discovery. Thank you,
Jack Hickey Artistic Director
D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E I first saw Beyond The Fringe in Los Angeles, in the late 60s or early 70s. As I recall, the production featured the original cast, who also wrote the show: Dudley Moore, already a popular cabaret performer, Peter Cook, well known for his other comic writings, Alan Bennett, who was in academia before Fringe, and Jonathon Miller, who had been a medical doctor. I had moved to Los Angeles to try my hand at movie and television acting, and I later found out the same was true of the Fringe performers. Dudley and Peter were especially curious about Hollywood, Alan and Jonathon less so. As we know, Dudley Moore was wildly successful in films, Peter Cook as well, to a lesser degree. Alan Bennett went on to write The History Boys, and The Madness of George III, and Jonathon Miller returned to medicine as a surgeon. I already enjoyed That Was The Week That Was and Laugh In on television, but Fringe was something special. To experience that witty, silly, absurd, clever and slightly political sense of humor live had me laughing until my cheeks hurt. I wanted to have something to do with this kind of craziness. And so, when Artistic Director Jack Hickey called me and asked if I would like to direct Fringe, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I hope you find this evening as much fun as I did those 40 some years ago. David Mink Director
2 Oak Park Festival
CAST Chris Ballou Maggie Graham
Jack Hickey* Mark Richard* Understudy: Nathan Spring
*Denotes Member of Actors’ Equity Association, Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
S C E N E B R E A K D OW N Act One Hello The Suspense Is Killing Me Civil War Take a Pew The Frog and Peach Words ... and Things A Bit of a Chat The End of the World
Act Two Gospel Truth Studio 5 Down The Mine One Leg Too Few Crime and Punishment Porn Shopping The Great Train Robbery So That’s the Way You Like It
B E F O R E T H E DA I LY S H OW W I T H J O N S T E WA R T, B E F O R E S N L’ S W E E K E N D U P DAT E , B E F O R E S N L , B E F O R E M O N T Y P Y T H O N There was Beyond the Fringe. Beyond the Fringe was first presented at the Edinburgh Festival, with a late-night time slot, August 22 in 19060. It later opened in London at the Fortune Theatre on May 10, 1961 and was first presented in New York at the John Golden Theatre on October 27, 1962. The show was Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore.
P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Director................................................................................................................................................ David Mink Production Manager........................................................................................................Annalee R Johnson Stage Manager..........................................................................................................................Robert W. Behr* Set Design.................................................................................................................................. Andrew Hildner Lighting Design...................................................................................................................... William McGhee Costume Design............................................................................................................... Lindsay Schmelling Sound Design........................................................................................................................................Kyle Irwin House Manager...................................................................................................................... Marissa McKown
BIOGR APHIES Chris Ballou (Ensemble) is appearing in his second season at Festival Theatre after last summer’s Shakespeare season of Henry IV (I & II) and Henry V. Chris is currently a candidate for a BFA in acting at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University where he was seen in The Cradle Will Rock,
Execution of Justice and Spoon River Anthology. He was last seen as Valere in Tartuffe (BoHo), Edmund in King Lear (Stonetown Theatre) Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Marius in Les Miserables and Guildenstern in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Chris would like to thank Festival Theatre for welcoming him back, his family and friends and of course, YOU- the audience.
Beyond the Fringe 3
B I O G R A P H I E S ( c o n t .) Maggie Graham (Ensemble) Beyond the Fringe marks Maggie’s second show with Festival Theatre, having appeared in the acclaimed Talley’s Folly in 2007. Since then, Maggie has worked with Theatre Wit, American Theatre Company, Stage Left, Redmoon, MadCap Productions, Cock and Bull and many others. She has also started a successful career in stand-up comedy and can be seen in numerous showcases around the city. A Second City Conservatory student, Maggie enjoys improvisational comedy and works with an Improv Team: Birds on a Sub. Every third Saturday of the month, you can check out “Looking for Love” at Collaboraction where she co-hosts an absurd live dating game show. Special thanks to her KY family, Michael Ann, Mapa, Dylers, Susan, and a very special petit-pois that she hopes is still laughing with her by the time this thing is published. Jack Hickey* (Ensemble/Artistic Director) is very pleased to be fooling around with this talented cast and continuing his long time association with David Mink. Jack is the Artistic Director for Oak Park Festival Theatre. Roles here include the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac, Falstaff in Henry IV, Fluellen in Henry V, Teddy in Faith Healer, Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit, Howard Bevins in Picnic, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This summer, in
Austin Gardens, Jack will take on the role of Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind which will open June 14. Jack frequently works for Shaw Chicago and in April will be playing Sir George Crofts in Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Previous appearances there include roles in Androcles and the Lion, Candida, The Philanderer, The Doctor’s Dilemma, The Apple Cart, John Bull’s Other Island. Jack has worked with many other theatres including The Goodman, Drury Lane, Oak Brook, Drury Lane, Evergreen Park, Remy Bumppo, and Chicago Dramatists. Favorite roles include that of Cyrano, Buckminster Fuller in the one man show R. Buckminster Fuller: The History and Mystery of the Universe at the Mercury Theatre, and Ko-Ko in The Mikado with Light Opera Works. Mark Richard* (Ensemble) Recent appearances include: Shaw Chicago (Androcles and the Lion), Timeline Theater (The Front Page), Chicago Shakespeare Theater (As You Like It), Oak Park Festival Theatre (Betrayal). Elsewhere he has appeared with Theatre Mir, Writers’ Theatre, Remy-Bumppo, About Face, Live Bait, Lifeline, and City Lit Theater (where he served as artistic director for seven years). Last fall he was not seen at Steppenwolf Theatre, where he understudied Bruce Norris’“Clybourne Park.” Favorite roles include Raymond Carver (The Hero’s Journey), Bertie Wooster (six productions), John Worthing (The Importance of Being Earnest), Andrei (Three Sisters), among many. He studied at Northwestern University and in London. He looks forward to rejoining Oak Park Festival Theatre this summer in Richard III.
PRODUCTION PROFILES David Mink (Director) returns to Festival Theatre where he directed Blithe Spirit; Murder By The Book; Julius Caesar; their first indoor production, Tartuffe; and their only “Dark Night Series” production, All My Sons. All received critical and popular acclaim. In 2004, he directed Lend Me A Tenor, for Theatre At The Center, Munster, Indiana. During his 10 years at Drury Lane Theatre Evergreen Park, he directed Wife Begins at Forty; The Last of the Red Hot Lovers; Play It Again, Sam; A Bed full of Foreigners; Murder By The Book; Perfect Wedding; Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.; A Talent For Murder; Funny Money; Suitehearts; Funny Valentines; Catch Me If You Can and Caught In The Net. For 5 years he was Artistic Director at Shady Lane 4 Oak Park Festival
Playhouse in Marengo, Illinois, also directing 39 comedies and farces, including Same Time, Next Year; Bell, Book, and Candle; and Taking Steps. He produced one of the first hits of the 1970’s Off-Loop theatre movement, All I Want, which won two Joseph Jefferson awards, and spawned a sequel, Some Kind Of Life. They ran in repertory for 17 months at the original Victory Gardens Theatre. A WLS–TV special, Bruce Hickey’s Uptown, was created around these plays and their characters. As an actor, David has appeared at The Goodman, National Jewish, Drury Lane, Victory Gardens, National Radio Theatre of Chicago, and theatres across the county. He is co-owner of Redmink Productions, an entertainment company, and lives
P R O D U C T I O N P R O F I L E S ( c o n t .) in Chicago with his wife, Melanie, and their two cats, Georgie and Lucas. Robert W. Behr* (Stage Manager) is pleased to be in his ninth season at Festival Theatre. A proud Actors Equity member since 1980, he has performed and stage-managed for many Chicago area theatres as well as in Toledo, OH, Muskegon and Saugatuck, MI and the Opera Company of the Eastman School of Music. He was last seen here as Sir Richard de la Lee in Robyn Hood. Bob is also a free-lance director as well as Festival Theatre’s treasurer. Andrew Hildner (Set Design) is a Chicago Based scene designer. Previous designs include Coppelia for the Rockford Dance Company, Voyager for the Leopold group, and properties for the Oak Park Festival Theatre’s Henry IV & V. He hopes you enjoy the show. Kyle Irwin (Sound Design) is pleased to be working with Festival Theatre again. Kyle can be found at the Broadway Play House as their head of sound. Annalee Johnson is thrilled to be working with Festival Theatre. After getting her degree from University of Illinois, she has meandered between a handful of theatres under a variety
of hats. Most recently she was the Production Manager with The Skokie Theatre. Many thanks to all those who support. William McGhee (Lighting Design) is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago; William has been working as a lighting designer and technician in Chicago for the past 10 years. Design credits include: Sirens, Citadel Theater and Fool for Love, Loyola University Theater. Technical credits include: Goodman Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Citadel Theater, American Theater Company, Nightblue, Zypher Dance, Fox Valley Rep., Luna Negra Dance, and House Theater, among others. He would like to thank the entire Oak Park team for the chance to be a part of this production. He would also like to thank Kate and Oscar for all the support. Lindsay Schmeling (Costume Designer) Originally from South Carolina, Lindsay has been enjoying the past year as a freelance designer around Chicago. Her past credits include Orpheus Descending with Shattered Globe, Run for your Wife and The Dinner Party with BrightSide, and Sirens with the Citadel Theatre. This is her fourth show with the Oak Park Festival Theatre.
SPECIAL THANKS Samuel French, Inc., Ann Gordon at Actor’s Equity Association, McCollom Realty Ltd., Downtown Oak Park, Oak Park Chamber of Commerce, Gary Balling and everyone at the Park District of Oak Park, Circle Theatre, Madison Street Theatre, Samuel French, Inc., Footlights, and you.
AU S T I N G A R D E N S B E N E F I T S F R O M YO U R S U P P O R T Festival Theatre summer performances are located in beautiful Austin Gardens. Originally owned by the Austin family, the park was willed to the Park District of Oak Park in 1944 along with a trust for long-term maintenance and improvements. The trust is locally managed in the hopes that it will continue to grow, in order to support the work of the Park District and Festival Theatre. If you are interested in coordinating a donation to the Austin Trust, please call Diane Stanke of the Park District of Oak Park at (708) 725-2022. Let her know you love the theatre and the park.
F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E ’ S S TA F F Artistic Director............................................................................................................................... Jack Hickey* Managing Director................................................................................................................ Marissa McKown Casting Director.................................................................................................................................... Lucy Carr Box Office Manager.......................................................................................................................Mary Liming
F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E ’ S B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S Co-President......................................................................................................................................Kevin Theis* Co-President...........................................................................................................................Belinda Bremner* Treasurer......................................................................................................................................Robert W. Behr* Secretary....................................................................................................................................... Molly Surowitz Members at Large ..........................................................Brad Bartels, Paul Engelhardt, Len Grossman, Dan Marco, Kevin O’Brian, Cliff Osborn, Edwin Wald Beyond the Fringe 5
Oak Park Festival Theatre is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, the League of Chicago Theatres, Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce, and Oak Park Area Arts Council.
AN AGENCY OF T H E S TAT E O F I L L I N O I S
Oak Park Festival Theatre is supported in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Oak Park Festival Theatre is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Villages of Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Oak Park Festival Theatre’s summer sound system is supported in part by The Saints, an organization of volunteers for the performing arts.
2 011- 2 012 C O R P O R AT E & F O U N DAT I O N S U P P O R T Over $5,000 Austin Trust Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Illinois Arts Council, a state agency $1,001 - $5,000 19th Century Club Senator Don Harmon Oak Park Area Arts Council Resurrection Health Care Chicago Saints $501 - $1,000 Thomas G. Brown Family Charitable Foundation Forest Park National Bank & Trust Francesca Fiore’s Molly Malone’s Sear’s Pharmacy Winberie’s Restaurant
$251 - $500 Book Table Dr. Boone Brackett Classic Pilates Community Bank of Oak Park & River Forest Duck Fat Restaurant EZMail Services Filoni Kinderhook Tap Knot Just Knits Oaklake Park Associates Oak Park Apartments Shirtworks UPS Store Vivid Seats West Cook YMCA Westgate Flowers $101 - $250 Chicago Bancorp Goodsearch Oak Park Jewelers Dr. Michael Rothman Susan M. Scherer Scoville Square Assoc.
Strand & Browne Stelton Motors Sugarcup Trading Molly Surowitz, Baird & Warner Up to $100 Andy the Good Handyman Jerry Bloom Croix Fashions Anew Fly Bird Forest Printing Frame Warehouse Evanston iGive.com Lynch Dental Center Partnership McCollum Realty Michael Fitzsimmons Decorative Arts Minuteman Press Murder Mystery Players Poor Phil’s Your Home Inspector
2 011- 2 012 D O N O R S Over $10,000 Belinda Bremner & Jake Dickens In loving memory of James Robert Bremner, Jr. $1,000 - $10,000 Jack and Torry Hickey $251 - $1,000 Richard & Patricia Akin Cynthia Barnard & Len Grossman 6 Oak Park Festival
Dale Calandra Elizabeth Howland & Dennis Zavac Krystyna D. Kiel Roberta L. Raymond Larson Mary Michell in memory of Margery Michell Georga K. and Allen Parchem Joyce Porter Chatka Ruggiero Kevin Theis C. Michael & Madeleine M. Weldon‑Linne
Up to $250 Mrs. John H. Andersen Carole Aston Margaret Bailey & Thomas Barwin Lydia Berger Jerry Bloom H. J. and S. Cartland Bode Ben Bogner Frederick J. Boland Dennis & Linda J. Bonner Rachael Bottorff
The Brown Elephant is pleased to announce expanded pickup areas! North/Northwest Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Northbrook West/Southwest Berwyn, Riverside, LaGrange, Countryside, Brookfield, Hinsdale, OakBrook Downtown/Loop South Loop, Bronzeville, Kenwood, Hyde Park If you don’t see your suburb or neighborhood listed, call 1-773-549-5943 Ext #1. More than 220,000 people visit and 740,000 items are sold annually at the Brown Elephant Resale Shops, located in Chicago and Oak Park, IL.
The revenue generated by donations and purchases at the Brown Elephant Shops help fund services for the more than 50% of Howard Brown Health Center clients who are under- or uninsured.
2 011- 2 012 D O N O R S ( c o n t .) F. David & Philomena Boulanger Christopher Boyer Nancy Bradbury Brooke Bremner Timothy & Elizabeth Browne Rachel Byer Margaret Callaghan Marie C. Castaneda Elinor Chapman Sylvia & Lawrence Christmas Nancy & Peter Clark Joseph Cogan Carol J. Conboy Adrianne Cury Robin Damsky Darren M. Dematoff Mary Beth Dermody James Dickert Dr. & Mrs. Peter W. Dietz Diana R. Drouillard Oliver D’Silva Lois E. Ebinger Paul Englehardt Joan Espana Stuart A. Feldman & Arielle R. Augustyn Dan and Beverly Feldt Robert Fischer Daniel O. Fisher Cheryl L. Flinn Donald G. Gancer Joan M. Giardina Deborah J. Gillespie Galen Gockel Edmund & Paula Goedert Kenneth Green
Elinor Hamer‑Crane Thomas J. Haney James Haptonstahl Angelo Hareas Cristy Harris John & Elizabeth Hickey Jerry Hills Judith M. Hoppe Elaine Hoyt Donna Hanlon Jensen Raymond A. Johnson Shirley Johnson Marian & Stan Kaderbek Carolyn A. Kalina Marion and Alexander Karczmar Gary Keller Robert L. & Ellen B. Kircher Evelyn Krueger Daniel S. Lamorte Arlene Lencioni Franette Liebow Amy Little Colette M. Lueck Tom Lynch Jeffrey P. Madden Dan Marco Patricia & Frederick Martin Cynthia Maziarka Roselen Murphy Marilyn Nolan Kevin K. O’Brien Clifford Osborn Lauren Paulson H. Nadine Petersen Maryellen Ponsford Teresa Powell
Deborah Preiser Howard Raik Christopher Rebstock Susan M. Roberts Timothy Ross Michael Rothman Maryanne Rusinak F.J. Schaal Susan M. Scherer Stephen J. Schmidt Peggy Tuck Sinko Patricia A. Skinner Ann M. Smith Joseph T. Smith Joan C. Spatafora Steven K. Spencer Donna J. Stephens Ken Stock Constance Strait Leslie Struthers Molly Surowitz Mila Tellez Margaret & Russell Umbricht Nancy & Richard Waichler Edwin Wald Sharon Watts & Arthur M. Spooner Tracey Wik Kate Wulle‑Dugan Victor & Iris Yipp Martha A. Yount Gale S. Zemel & David Mausner David Zizic Michele M. Zurakowski & John B. Flanigan
Oak Park Festival Theatre is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. OPFT gratefully accepts donations of all sizes and kinds. If your employer has a matching gift program, please send the necessary paperwork with your gift. Donations may be sent to P.O. Box 4114, Oak Park, IL 60303 or may be made online at OakParkFestival.com
LAKE STREET KITCHEN + BAR
M - Th F - Sa Su
11:30 am - 12:00 am 11:30 am - 2:00 am 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Lake Street Kitchen + Bar is located in the heart of downtown Oak Park, and features upscale eclectic dining and a full bar complete with artisan cocktails, global wines, and a large variety of local and craft brews in a relaxed atmosphere.
Olives and Small plates and Flatbreads...Oh my! 8 Oak Park Festival