Court-ThreeTallWomen

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Ar t ist i c D i re ct o r CHA R L E S N E W E L L

E xe cut iv e D ir ec t or S T E P H EN J . A LB ER T

Dear Friends, My admiration for Charlie Newell’s artistry began well before I came to work for Court Theatre. In addition to hearing friends rave about his remarkable work at the Guthrie Theatre (where he apprenticed before coming to Chicago), I was able to experience his singular artistic vision first-hand when his minimalist Court productions of Carousel and Man of La Mancha traveled to Connecticut. The production that helped me decide to join Court as Executive Director with Charlie as my artistic partner, however, was last year’s The Year of Magical Thinking, directed by Charlie and featuring an award-winning performance by Mary Beth Fisher. That powerful theatrical experience proved to me that Court possesses in Charlie an incredibly rare asset, which made me excited about the prospect of helping Court realize its dream of becoming the Center for Classic Theatre at the University of Chicago.

Around the same time that Charlie assumed the position of Artistic Director at Court, American theatre was witnessing one of the greatest comeback stories in its history: the return of Edward Albee to prominence with his play Three Tall Women. At the time, I was Managing Director at the Alley Theatre in Houston (where Edward served as Artistic Associate), which produced Edward Albee’s Marriage Play. In that work, I witnessed his evolution as a playwright as he embraced sparse, terse language—very much influenced by the playwright Samuel Beckett—and saw how he not only championed the necessity of programming the works of Beckett at the Alley, but also directed a collection of Beckett’s one-acts. During this time, Edward also completed Three Tall Women, which amazed drama critics across the country who had thought that his voice was one that could be ignored, and that his days of delivering enduring works were over. Since then, he has maintained his undisputed place as one of America’s greatest playwrights.

This production of Three Tall Women represents the marriage of two of my favorite artists: Charlie Newell and Edward Albee. It is the second Albee play that Charlie has directed at Court, after 2004’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a production that Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal called “the finest production… [of the play] I’ve seen to date.” It also ushers in the next chapter of Charlie and Mary Beth Fisher’s amazing journey together.

I hope that you are enjoying a Happy New Year and that you’ll join us for the two remaining shows of our 2010/11 season, Sarah Ruhl’s sparkling adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (directed by acclaimed Chicago director Jessica Thebus) and an extraordinary new version of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, directed by Charlie Newell with music direction by Doug Peck.

Stephen J. Albert Executive Director

Court Theatre 1

nal Professio

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Ar t is t i c D i re ct o r CHA R L E S N E WE L L

E xe cu t iv e D ir ec t or S T E P HEN J . A LB ER T

EDWARD ALBEE’S

Thre e Tall Wom en Directed by

JAN 13 – FEB 13, 2011

CHARLES NEWELL Leigh Breslau

Scenic Design

Ana Kuzmanic, U.S.A.

Costume Design

Marc Stubblefield, U.S.A.

Lighting Design

Megan Geigner

Production Dramaturg

William Collins*

Production Stage Manager

Amber Johnson*

Assistant Stage Manager

Those Designers and Scenic Artists identified by U.S.A. are members of United Scenic Artists, I.A.T.S.E. Local USA829, AFL-CIO, CLC. *Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The World Premiere of the play took place at Vienna’s English Theatre, Franz Schafranek, Producer, June 1991.

The first U.S. production was by River Arts, Woodstock, New York, Lawerence Sacharow, Theatre Director.

The play received its New York City Premiere at the Vineyard Theatre.

Elizabeth I. McCann, Jeffrey Ash, Daryl Roth in association with Leavitt/Fox/ Mages presented the Vineyard Theatre production of the Play Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre in New York City.

THREE TALL WOMEN is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Sponsored by

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Professional Theatre at

CAST A....................................................................................Lois Markle* B...........................................................................Mary Beth Fisher* C ...............................................................................Maura Kidwell The Boy.......................................................................... Joel Gross Understudy: Susan Fay *Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

There will be a 15-minute intermission.

Court Theatre performs in the intimate Abelson Auditorium, made possible through a gift from Hope and Lester Abelson.

The use of cameras, videotape recorders, or audio recorders by the audience during this performance is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all phones, pagers, and chiming watches.

Court Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; a CityArts IV grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; the Cultural Outreach Program of the City of Chicago; and the National Endowment for the Arts. Court Theatre is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the American Theatre; the League of Resident Theatres; the Illinois Humanities Council; Arts Alliance Illinois; and the League of Chicago Theatres.

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PLAY NOTES

Frances Albee: Fiction in the Fact

by Megan Geigner

Three Tall Women earned Edward Albee his third Pulitzer Prize, and it is often credited with reviving his career; prior to its New York premiere in 1994, Albee had garnered little attention from the theatre community since the 1970s. Three Tall Women puts some autobiographical events from Edward’s life onstage, as well as biographical events from the life of his adoptive mother, Frances Cotter Albee.

Though it is tempting to read the play as a dramatization of Edward and Frances’s lives, Three Tall Women is not fact. The play is Edward’s rendering of his mother, a fiction that he created in the years following her death. Albee has said, “I wanted to … write as objective a play as I could about a fictional character who resembled in every way, in every event, someone I had known very, very well. And it was only when I invented, when I translated fact intact into fiction, that I was aware I would be able to be accurate without prejudice.”

ALBEE- Frances Cotter, March 24. Of Rye, N.Y. Beloved wife of the late Reed A. Albee. Proud mother of Edward. Funeral Services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, Rye, N.Y. Monday, March 27, at 11am. In lieu of flowers, contributions to United Hospital, Port Chester, N.Y. or the New York Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation would be appreciated.

Thus read the March 25, 1989 New York Times obituary for Frances, a woman with “star radiance,” “tremendous magnetism,” and who was once “irresistibly beautiful.”

It reveals much about Frances’s affluence and place in New York society but leaves much unsaid about her family relationships.

Frances lived what looked like a charmed life. Coming from a middle-class background, Frances married Reed Albee in 1925. Reed was heir to the KeithAlbee (and later Orpheum) vaudeville performers and theater chain fortune. When his father, Edward, died in 1930, Reed received millions of dollars, two estates in Larchmont, NY, and a private railcar for travels to the family’s home in Palm Beach, Florida. Reed lived in retired comfort with Frances, his third wife, and little Eddie, who had been adopted by the couple shortly after his birth in 1928.

Frances took advantage of the lifestyle her wealth afforded her. She showed horses, and the New York Times is filled with announcements of their winnings between the 1930s and 1950s. She was vice-chairwoman of the Westchester Country Club, a venue for Frances to wear her jewels and fine dresses to dinners, balls, galas, and other social engagements even after her show horse days. Frances also had the glory of a famous son: Edward, arguably one of the most famous American playwrights of the twentieth century, with whom she regularly met for holidays and events into her old age. continued Court Theatre 4

Mrs. Reed Albee, adoptive mother of playwright Edward Albee, sitting on a parked Cadillac at the Lawridge Horse Show in Port Chester, NY, May 13, 1934. (Photo by Bert Morgan/Getty Images) Court Theatre 5

PLAY NOTES What this picture of Frances’s life doesn’t reveal is her bigotry, Reed’s “I wanted to … write infidelity, or the fact that Edward left home in his early adulthood after as objective a play as I countless arguments with his parents, one of which resulted in Frances could about a fictional hurling a crystal ashtray at him. As a boy, Edward was thrown out of character who several schools and ultimately fell in resembled in every with a group of artists in the Village, behavior that utterly humiliated way, in every event, Edward’s society parents. Edward and Frances did not speak for seventeen someone I had known years and when Reed died in 1961, Edward did not attend the funeral. very, very well.”

Frances had a heart attack in 1965 and a family friend suggested that -Edward Albee Edward call her since she was alone and unhappy. For the next twenty-four years, Edward called Frances, went for visits, and brought her gifts. Frances attended his play openings, invited him to her country club and visited him at his home. Edward even brought his friends to meet her, who were impressed by her height (she was over six feet tall) as well as the grandness of her home.

Upon her death, Frances left Edward only a small fraction of her estate, though earlier versions of her will listed him as heir to all she owned. The rest went to charities (like the ones mentioned in the obituary) and institutions. Edward’s close examination of her assets revealed that she had sold many of her most valuable pieces of jewelry before her death and that her birth certificate showed her a year older than she claimed to be. Edward felt disinherited.

Like the obituary, Three Tall Women is only part of Frances Albee’s story. What is fact versus fiction, however, is not what is at stake. Three Tall Women is a beautifully crafted, darkly comic, rich drama that questions the nature of family relationships, lifestyles, and ultimately, human mortality. It is the investigation into the human condition that makes the fiction and fact of Frances Albee transcend her own life and makes the play something beyond a biography.

Megan Geigner is the Production Dramaturg for Three Tall Women and a student in the Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama Program at Northwestern University.

References: Mel Gussow. Edward Albee: A Singular Journey.

New York Times obituaries and society pages.

The Cambridge Companion to Edward Albee. Edited by Stephen Bottoms Court Theatre 6

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is proud to support Court eatre’s production of EDWARD ALBEE’S

THREE TALL WOMEN

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PLAY NOTES In Conversation with

director

Charles Newell

Before the start of rehearsals for Three Tall Women, Artistic Director Charles Newell spoke to Resident Dramaturg Drew Dir about his approach to directing plays by Edward Albee and how Three Tall Women has illuminated his own life experience.

Drew Dir: In 2004, you directed an earlier play by Edward Albee, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? What did you learn from directing that production that you’re applying to Three Tall Women?

Charles Newell: The thing that was probably the largest revelation was that Albee writes his text on the page as if it’s a musical score. By that I mean every comma, every dash, even the formatting on the page itself is information to take and use in rehearsal like one looks to a musical score to interpret the material.

That couldn’t be more true than in Three Tall Women, because this text has even more (in my estimation) scoring that gives you a sense not just of rhythm, not just of pauses and length, but actually of the internal thought process contained within the text itself. So after our wonderful experience in which Mr. Albee and I had some conversation about Virginia Woolf, we went on to have a glorious experience of that production with Kevin Gudahl, Barbara E. Robertson, Lance Stewart Baker, and Whitney Sneed. So I’ve been itching, dying to get back into the world of Edward Albee since that production, and to follow his score.

DD: Tell me about the three actresses you’ve cast in this play.

CN: We have an extraordinary company of the three actresses who play the three women—they are also all very tall!—as well as the young man who appears late in the play. So when—per a recommendation by the playwright himself—Lois Markle walked into the audition and began reading from the text, it was very clear to me that she understood exactly the thing we’ve been talking about, namely that Mr. Albee’s text is a score that one needs to follow in careful, rigorous detail.

It was the first time I’d ever met her but, as in the best kind of auditions, we immediately leapt into process.

After the glorious experience of working with Mary Beth Fisher on many works, most recently her one-woman Jeff Award-winning performance in The Year of Magical Thinking, I asked Mary Beth if she’d be interested in being B in Three Tall Women, and she said, “absolutely, let’s go get it.” And then, through a rigorous audition process, we have found someone who is brand new to me and to Court: Maura Kidwell will be playing C. continued Court Theatre 8

Barbara E. Robertson as Martha and Kevin Gudahl as George in Court Theatre’ s 2004 production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? directed by Charles Newell. (Photo by Michael Brosilow) Court Theatre 9

PLAY NOTES DD: How autobiographical is Three Tall Women, and how important were those details of Albee’s life to you in preparing to direct this?

CN: Well, in reading the various biographies, particularly the Mel Gussow biography on Mr. Albee, it was so clear that there were many specific references from his own life, from his adoptive parents, particularly his adoptive mother, that he brought to the text of Three Tall Women. But actually, if I may quote him directly from his foreword to the text, so you can get a sense of “Mr. Albee has where he sees it, he says—“Writers have tapped into how the the schizophrenic ability to participate in their lives and, at the same time, observe brain functions with themselves participating in their lives.

Well… some of us have this ability. someone who is in And I suspect it was this (frightening?) talent that allowed me to write Three Tall this late process of Women without prejudice, if you will. I realized that what I wanted to do was their life, and also write as objective a play as I could about a fictional character who resembled in has then found the every way, in every event, someone I had known very, very well.” humor in that.”

DD: Are you finding yourself personally connecting to this play?

-Charles Newell

CN: I’m sure many of us have all had the very challenging, very emotional experience of being with someone as they are at the end of their life, in the process of dying. In 2008, I had that extraordinary experience with my own mother. However, now that time has passed, and memories come back and I still dream about her like she’s still alive, one of the things I’m remembering is some of those conversations you have as you’re sitting at her bedside. As she was slowly losing her mental and emotional memory facility, some of the conversations that happened—because the brain was synapsing in all kinds of bizarre ways—were (in retrospect) hysterically funny! Because it’s like: ‘Where are we going now?’ She would jump back into an ancient memory thinking I was her mother, then she would jump to the present to me and castigate me as her son, and then go back to some early romances that she’d had… it was just fantastically, bizarrely, wonderfully funny. So when I read some of the scenes in Three Tall Women, memories of those conversations came back to me, and I think Mr. Albee has tapped into how the brain functions with someone who is in this late process of their life, and has also then found the humor in that. While we’re experiencing it, we maybe don’t recognize that humor, but in the theater, maybe we will.

Watch video of an extended version of the interview at www.CourtTheatre.org.

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PLAY NOTES Behind the scenes with the

ACTRESSES

During the second week of rehearsal, Artistic Director Charlie Newell allowed us to listen in as he chatted with actors Lois Markle, Mary Beth Fisher, and Maura Kidwell about Three Tall Women, actor process, and Edward Albee.

CHARLIE: Here we are, second week of rehearsal, and we’ve been looking very carefully at the “score” of the text—Mary Beth, what do you think about how precise Mr. Albee is? Is it fueling your process, or is it getting in the way?

MARY BETH: Well it’s always hard to talk about the work at this stage of the process because I’m not directing the play, so I haven’t been looking at it from the holistic point of view. I’m coming into it from the point of view of B, my character, and I can’t pretend to understand everything that’s going on in this play. I feel that the orchestration that he gives us in terms of “tiny pause,” “pause,” “silence,” all those things are very useful in terms of understanding a text that’s quite spare but at the same time really deep.

CHARLIE: Lois, I shared with you the Mel Gussow biography of Edward Albee, and we’ve been talking a lot about what is biographical in Three Tall Women. Have you found the biographical stuff fueling your process, or getting in the way?

LOIS: I think it’s both. It’s very fueling when you first read it. You say, “Oh my goodness, that’s who this woman is,” and then all of a sudden as you’re going along you say wait a minute, this is a fictional woman, and how much of that should I leave out, how much should I bring in, and I guess you finally have to say—to survive—I have to go where my instinct tells me, and hopefully (and probably) use a great deal of both the imaginative woman and the real woman.

CHARLIE: Maura, I wanted to ask you too—in a play that’s titled Three Tall Women, there is a natural triangulation among the three principal characters. What’s it like being on your point of the triangle?

MAURA: So far—and we really are early in the process, we just got on our feet exploring yesterday—I’m really starting to get the sense that my point in the triangle has a lot to do with walking into a world that I’m having to navigate. I’m having to learn the language and I’m being blindsided by how time and logic cease to exist in the way that I know it.

MARY BETH: What’s so beautiful about the play is that we know that the playwright wrote the play to make sense of a very challenging relationship in his life. It’s an act of great courage, and it’s also fun for us and challenging and juicy as actors to be able to also try to make sense of this person—what made her who she is.

LOIS: And it’s not just about the son and his mother; it’s the relationship between the three women, and the alliances that form and the enmities that form and how they switch. continued Court Theatre 12

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PLAY NOTES CHARLIE: I can’t remember a play that requires such quality of listening among the characters than this play does. I mean literally you have to understand how the other person’s brain works—the synapses, the thought process. Talk to me about what it’s been like to start this process with a new company of actors—I don’t think any of you have worked together before—with the demands of that kind of listening.

LOIS: All of us seem to have the challenge of not only listening, as actors always do, but of not hearing at certain points—hearing as actors but not hearing as characters.

MARY BETH: Or choosing to pretend to not hear.

LOIS: Right. And I think one of the things that this play fosters more than any other play I’ve ever done is a total reliance on each other. Because we’re dealing with a woman who’s not… who’s not linear, let’s put it that way. Who’s scattered and circular and yet has her own logic. And each of us has to just count on the other one to be there for each other.

MARY BETH: It also allows us to work with the tool that I think actors have the greatest abundance of: empathy. Because sometimes you might not hear something logically, or you might not be intellectually ready to understand what is contained in this pause or contained in this silence; however, you can feel something.

CHARLIE: In the coming week of rehearsal, we’ll be pushing—and I hope this terrifies you, because it terrifies me—how absolutely vicious and brutal these characters can be to each other.

LOIS: I think that very thing—the ability to go beyond the empathy—is also what’s funny. It makes the play horribly funny.

CHARLIE: Switching gears for a moment: Lois, could you just share with us a brief history of your experience with Mr. Albee, either in his work or in person?

LOIS: I’ve done A Delicate Balance, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The American Dream and The Sandbox, and a play called Albee’s Women, so I’ve done a lot of Albee. I’m a great admirer of his work; I think he is a genius.

CHARLIE: You know Mr. Albee himself.

LOIS: Strangely enough, through our dogs we became friends and… this will reveal something about him: I was called in to do American Dream and The Sandbox, when the leading person who had been playing it got sick, and I had to come in and learn the lines in nine days. It’s a bitch of a play to learn in four weeks, never mind nine days. But I had a little dog who Edward knew, and the first time he met her he called her a “dogette.” Whenever he met me he would say “how’s the dogette?”

Well, it was during a horrible period in rehearsals when I came home one night and my dog was dying. And I had to put her down. And the next day I came into rehearsal and sitting on my dressing table, on a yellow ruled pad with a pen (which is how Mr. Albee writes his plays) was a condolence note. And that did something for me to make him the kind of friend I will never forget.

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PROFILES LOIS MARKLE (A) is delighted to be working at Court Theatre. Among her many stage credits are: BROADWAY: Hedda Gabler, True West, and The Grapes of Wrath. OFF BROADWAY: The American Dream, The Sandbox, Measure for Measure, Camino Real, Curse of the Starving Class, I Am A Camera, The Middle Ages, and Cuba Si. National tours include: Present Laughter, Summer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and After the Fall. Some favorite regional credits include: Old Times, Toys in the Attic, A Delicate Balance, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Driving Miss Daisy, The Gin Game, Lost in Yonkers, Major Barbara, Albee’s Women, An Evening with Jon Robin Baitz, and Eleanor Roosevelt in Her Own Words. Among her film credits are: Torn Between Two Lovers, Breaking Up, Coming Apart, and The Sporting Club. Some TV work includes: The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order, and ABC Playbreak.

MARY BETH FISHER (B) has appeared at Court Theatre in The Year of Magical Thinking (Jeff Award Solo Performance), The Wild Duck, What the Butler Saw, The Glass Menagerie, Arcadia, Travesties, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Her Chicago credits include The Seagull, Rock n’ Roll, Frank’s Home, The Clean House, Dinner With Friends, Heartbreak House, The Guys, The Rose Tattoo, Boy Gets Girl, Spinning into Butter, Design for Living, Light Up the Sky, The Night of the Iguana, and Marvin’s Room (Goodman); Dead Man’s Cell Phone, The Dresser, and The Memory of Water (Steppenwolf); Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); The Laramie Project: Epilogue, The Little Dog Laughed, and Theatre District (About Face Theatre); and The Marriage of Figaro (Remy Bumppo). Her NY credits include: Frank’s Home (Playwrights Horizons); Boy Gets Girl (Drama League Honoree, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations), The Radical Mystique, and By The Sea…(Manhattan Theatre Club); The Night of the Iguana (Roundabout Theatre Company); and Extremities (Westside Arts Theatre). TV/film credits include: Ride Along, State of Romance, Without a Trace, Numb3rs, Prison Break, NYPD Blue, Profiler, Early Edition, Turks, Formosa Betrayed, Dragonfly, and Trauma. She received the 2010 Chicago’s Leading Lady Award from the Sarah Siddons Society.

Ms. Fisher is an Inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.

MAURA KIDWELL (C) is honored to make her Court Theatre debut. Maura was last seen in Lobby Hero at Redtwist Theatre, where she has been an ensemble member since appearing in Equus in 2007. Maura has also performed at The Gift Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, Provision Theater Company, Erasing the Distance, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Film work includes Lifetime Original Movie Close Quarters, Return to the Hiding Place, and Saving Shiloh. Maura is represented by Gray Talent Group.

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PROFILES JOEL GROSS (The Boy) is proud to make his Court Theatre debut. He just closed To Master the Art at TimeLine Theatre, where he also played Dakin in the Jeff Award-winning (Ensemble/Mid-Size Production) The History Boys. Joel has also worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Collaboraction, Strawdog Theatre Company, Dog & Pony Theatre Company, and The House Theatre of Chicago. Joel is a proud member of Gray Talent, and teaches teen acting workshops at Act One Studios and the Chicago Waldorf School.

CHARLES NEWELL (Artistic Director/Director) has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 35 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production.

Directorial highlights at Court include The Illusion; The Year of Magical Thinking; The Wild Duck; Caroline, Or Change; Titus Andronicus; Arcadia; Man of La Mancha; Uncle Vanya; Raisin; The Glass Menagerie; Travesties; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Hamlet; The Invention of Love; The Little Foxes; Nora; and The Misanthrope. Charlie has also directed at the Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), the Guthrie Theater (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award.

He has served on the Board of Theatre Communications Group, as well as on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Rigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Charlie is a multiple Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago’s highest theatrical honor) nominee and recipient. His production of Caroline, or Change at Court received 4 Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Production– Musical and Best Director–Musical.

EDWARD ALBEE (Playwright) was born on March 12, 1928, and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play About the Baby (1997), The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), and Occupant (2001). He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council, and President of The Edward F. Albee Foundation. Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

LEIGH BRESLAU (Scenic Design) is not a set designer. He is design partner at the architecture, engineering & planning firm of Trahan Architects of Chicago and Baton Court Theatre 17

PROFILES Rouge. Leigh has designed many performing arts venues including Symphony Center in Chicago and the Long Center in Austin, Texas. He has also been involved in renovations of Avery Fisher Hall in New York and the Lyric Opera and Ravinia Festival in Chicago, and was the master planner for Chicago’s Millennium Park. He continues to design theatres and other assembly buildings as well as institutional projects around the country with his new partner, the award-winning architect Trey Trahan. This is his fourth scenic design for Court Theatre, returning to join Charlie after having worked on Uncle Vanya, Titus Andronicus, and The Wild Duck.

ANA KUZMANIC (Costume Design) is thrilled to work at Court Theatre for the first time. She designed costumes for original Steppenwolf production of August: Osage County, including the runs on Broadway, National Theatre of London, Sydney Theatre Company and 2009-10 US National Tour. Other Broadway credits include Desire Under the Elms directed by Bob Falls and Superior Donuts directed by Tina Landau. In 2008 Ms. Kuzmanic designed costumes for Rock’N’Roll directed by Charles Newell at the Goodman Theatre, where she also worked on King Lear, Desire Under the Elms, A True History of the Johnstown Flood, and Seagull, all directed by Robert Falls. Ms Kuzmanic is the recipient of a Jeff Award for The Comedy of Errors directed by Barbara Gaines at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she recently designed Romeo and Juliet. Other credits include Lookingglass Theatre, Trinity Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, and McCarter Theatre. Her upcoming projects include Mary at the Goodman, The Hot L Baltimore at Steppenwolf and Willful at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Ms. Kuzmanic graduated from Faculty of Applied Arts and Design in Belgrade, Serbia and earned her Masters Degree in Stage Design from Northwestern University in 2004. She has been Assistant Professor of Costume Design at Northwestern University since 2007.

MARC STUBBLEFIELD (Lighting Design) is currently in his 10th year as Court’s Director of Production. Three Tall Women is his sixth design for Court, having worked with Artistic Director Charlie Newell on The Glass Menagerie and Arcadia, and Ron OJ Parson on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, and The First Breeze of Summer. He has worked at the Geffen Playhouse, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and the Alley Theatre, among others. He received a dual MFA in Production Management and Scenic Design from UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film and Television, and his BA in Technical Theatre from Rice University.

MEGAN GEIGNER (Production Dramaturg) is happy to return to Court Theatre after serving as production dramaturg for The Year of Magical Thinking last winter. Currently, she is also serving as dramaturg on The Regina Taylor Project at Northwestern University where she is a student in the Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama program. Megan was the production manager for the undergraduate theatre program at University of Chicago from 2008 to August 2010. She has worked at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Profiles Theatre, and the Sundance Theatre Lab. She is a member of the Jeff A/T Team and sits on the board of the NeoFuturists. She has taught theatre at Court Theatre 18

PROFILES University of Chicago, Illinois State University, Wilbur Wright College, and Heartland Community College. She holds an MA in Liberal Studies from Reed College and an MA in Theater History from Illinois State University.

WILLIAM COLLINS (Production Stage Manager) is in his fifth season at Court. Past shows include: Home, The Comedy of Errors, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Illusion, Thyestes, Arcadia, Uncle Vanya, and Carousel, among others. William has also worked with Redmoon Theater (Sink. Sank. Sunk…, The Cabinet), Peninsula Players Theatre, About Face Theatre, the Neofuturists, and Goodman Theatre. He also recently stage managed Sugar at Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre.

AMBER JOHNSON (Assistant Stage Manager) is very excited to be working with Court Theatre again, having previously worked on The Comedy of Errors. Other Chicago stage management credits include: The Colored Museum (Congo Square Theatre Company); The MLK Project (Writers’ Theatre); It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! (American Blues Theatre); Jersey Boys (substitute stage manager, Broadway in Chicago); Dreamlandia and La Posada Magica (Teatro Vista); I Do! I Do! and A View from the Bridge (American Theater Company); Faith Healer and The Violet Hour (Uma Productions); Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Company); As Much As You Can and Clouds (Dog & Pony Theatre Company); and Orange Flower Water (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Regional credits include Williamstown Theatre Festival and Michigan Shakespeare Festival. Amber graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BFA in Theatre with Stage Management emphasis.

STEPHEN J. ALBERT (Executive Director) is a founding Partner in Albert Hall & Associates, LLC, a leading arts consulting firm. Prior to forming the consulting practice, Albert was recognized as a leading arts manager. He has led some of America’s most prestigious theatres, including the Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group, Alley Theatre, and Hartford Stage Company. Albert began his career with the Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles where he worked in senior management positions for over a decade, rising to Managing Director. He went on to become Executive Director of Houston’s Alley Theatre where he led a turnaround that stabilized the organization, enabling the Alley to return to national standing and drove a capital campaign that secured the organization’s future. At Hartford Stage, his partnership with Mark Lamos resulted in some of the theatre’s most successful seasons and reinforced Hartford Stage’s position at the forefront of the regional theatre movement. During his tenure in Hartford, Mr. Albert led the initiative to create a 25,000 square foot, state-of-the-art production center, securing the donation of the facility and the funding for its renovation. Albert has served as both President and Vice President of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and as a board member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG). He has also written and produced a variety of productions for television, is an ACE award nominee, and has been an associate producer of numerous acclaimed Broadway productions. He is a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum, a graduate of the University of Southern California, and holds an MBA from the UCLA Graduate School of Management.

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“I enjoy great drama “at Court Theatre.

“I enjoy great service “at Hyde Park Bank.”

You know your neighborhood. It’s our neighborhood too.

We work and live here just like you.

We also take an active role in supporting the dozens of schools, places of worship, arts and social service organizations that make our community vibrant and strong. We’re proud to be Court Theatre’s season sponsor and largest corporate sponsor, bringing the annual Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival, as well as this season’s re-imagining of the Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess, to the Court stage.

Hyde Park Bank brings the best in banking home to you.

Come in, call, or visit us online today.

SM

1525 East 53rd Street, Chicago, Illinois 60615 1311 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637 Tel 773.752.4600 www.hydeparkbank.net Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC © 2010 Hyde Park Bank & Trust Co. 0810 Chris Strong photo: King College Prep High School students rehearse a scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for the Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival.

INFORMATION 5535 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (773) 753-4472 www.CourtTheatre.org

n Professio

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Mission Court Theatre is guided by a mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Underlying this mission is the goal of becoming a center for Chicago classic theatre, where the arts community looks for leadership in the ersity of iv n U e th creation, production, and study of classic theatrical works. Court works to fulfill this mission first through the rigorous exploration of dramatic texts, including the African American canon and musical theatre works; second, by expanding the canon of classic theatre through initiatives such as the Barbara E. Franke Commissioning Program for New Classics; and third, by ongoing institutional strategic planning, which currently includes the possibility of an expanded, state-of-the-art facility.

Named “the most consistently excellent theater company in America” by The Wall Street Journal, Court has a national reputation for excellence and innovation. Through five adventurous and compelling main stage productions per season, as well as a wealth of free symposia, post-performance discussions, and education programs, it endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by thoroughly examining and imaginatively reenvisioning classic works to illuminate timeless themes and uncover immediately relevant messages.

History Court Theatre was founded in 1955 as an amateur outdoor summer theatre at the University of Chicago. In 1971, classics professor Nicholas Rudall assumed the role of director and conceived Court’s tradition of translating and adapting classic texts for contemporary audiences; the theatre was then established as a professional company with Actors’ Equity Association in 1975. In 1981, Court built its current home, the intimate, 247-seat Abelson Auditorium, and in 1983 the theatre incorporated as an independent non-profit organization. Artistic Director Charles Newell (named “one of the city’s most significant artistic assets” by the Chicago Tribune) has led Court since 1994 and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert joined Court’s leadership team in August 2010.

With an operating budget of over $3 million, Court reaches nearly 35,000 patrons annually through its main stage productions, as well as 400 South Side high school students each year with intensive in-school and extracurricular programs, including an annual high school performance festival, and 3,200 Chicago-area teens through our deeply-discounted student matinee series.

Box Office Hours Monday through Saturday: 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Performance days: 12:00 pm until evening curtain.

TTY service is available by calling through the Illinois Relay Center, 1-800-526-0844.

Group discounts may be arranged by calling (773) 834-3243. Students and senior citizens receive reduced rates. University of Chicago students may purchase tickets for $10 with a valid U of C ID. Latecomers cannot be seated until a suitable break in the performance. At that time, the House Manager will direct latecomers to seats at the rear of the house. Patrons may take their ticketed seats during intermission.

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Vice Chairs Secretary Treasurer Trustees

Honorary Trustee Ex-Officio

Virginia Gerst Barbara E. Franke Timothy G. Goodsell Mary Anton Roland Baker David Bevington Leigh Breslau James Chandler James E. Clark Martha Clinton Joan Coppleson Paula D’Angelo Joan Feitler Lorna C. Ferguson Karen Frank Mary Louise Gorno Philip Gossett Jan Grayson Jack Halpern Kevin Hochberg Tom Kallen Ann Marie Lipinski Michael Lowenthal Stephen R. Patton Jerrold Ruskin Karla Scherer Marilyn Fatt Vitale Leon I. Walker Margaret Maxwell Zagel Stanley Freehling Stephen J. Albert Charles Newell Larry Norman Nicholas Rudall

PRODUCTION STAFF Floor Manager Assistant Director Assistant Lighting Designer Assistant Costume Designer Scenic Artists Assistant Technical Director Carpenters Assistant Master Electrician Wardrobe Supervisor Costume Shop Managers

Susana Pelayo Darcy McGill Claire Chrzan Melissa Torchia Scott Gerwitz,* Julie Ruscitti* Rupert Priniski Jason Feriend, Adina Wenig Christine Ferriter Samantha Holmes Alexia Rutherford, Emily Waecker

*Denotes a member of the United Scenic Artists union (USA).

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STAFF Artistic Director Executive Director

Charles Newell Stephen J. Albert

Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson Casting Director and Artists-in-the-Schools Director Cree Rankin Resident Dramaturg Drew Dir Teaching Artists Kamal Angelo Bolden, Tracey N. Bonner, Melanie Brezill, John Byrnes, Kam Hobbs, Ashley Honore, Tony Lawry, Mechelle Moe, Allison Rich Casting/Education Assistant Izzy Olive Kemper Casting Fellow Erin Kelsey Director of Production Assistant Production Manager and Company Manager Technical Director Properties Manager Costume Shop Manager Master Electrician Sound Engineer Advancement Consultant Assistant Director of Development for Special Events and Individual Giving Assistant Director of Development for Institutional Relations Development Manager Development Clerk Kemper Development Fellow General Manager Business Manager Management Assistant Community Programs Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications Associate Director of Marketing Marketing Associate Kemper Marketing Fellow Marketing Assistant Public Relations Box Office Manager Associate Box Office Manager and Database Admininstrator Assistant Box Office Manager Box Office Assistants

Marc Stubblefield Laura Dieli Ray Vlcek Lara Musard Erica Friesen Marc Chevalier Rory Murphy Elaine Wackerly Colette Gregory Jennifer Foughner Melissa Aburano-Meister Alma Elkaz, Nina Leung Amanda Fink Heidi Thompson Saunders Zachary Davis Brea Hayes Allison Rich Adam Thurman Traci Brant Milan Pejnovich Alicia Graf Julien Hawthorne Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc. Diane Osolin

Heather Dumdei Benjamin Brownson Jenna Blackburn, Kareem Mohammad, Kathleen Wolk House Manager Matthew Sitz Concessionaires Calen Cole, Bobby Morales, Jacob Tyrell Volunteer Ushers Courtesy of The Saints Court Theatre 23

CLASSIC CIRCLE The following individuals and institutions have made major gifts to the Classic Circle, Court’s premier giving society, and we are deeply grateful for the generosity of these donors. The list reflects gifts received through December 1, 2010. If you have a correction or would prefer to remain anonymous, please call (773) 834-0941.

Leadership Circle ($100,000 and above) Richard and Barbara Franke* University of Chicago

Producer’s Circle ($50,000-$99,999) Hyde Park Bank+ Joyce Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Polk Bros. Foundation+ The Shubert Foundation

Distinguished Patrons ($25,000-$49,999) Alphawood Foundation+ Mr. and Mrs. Robert Feitler Mr. and Mrs. James S. Frank The Julius Frankel Foundation Virginia and Gary Gerst The National Endowment for the Arts The University of Chicago Women’s Board Mr. and Mrs. David J. Vitale+

Grand Patrons ($15,000-$24,999) Helen N. and Roland C. Baker The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation Cultural Outreach Program, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Grant Thornton LLP Kevin Hochberg and James McDaniel

Grand Benefactors ($10,000-$14,999) James E. Clark and Christina Labate Martha and Bruce Clinton Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark Harper Court Arts Council

The Royal Court ($5,000-$9,999)

Stephen and Terri Albert Mary Anton and Paul Barron Michael D. and Jolynn Blair Family Foundation+ Ann and Richard Carr Joyce Chelberg Paula and Oscar D’Angelo Mr. and Mrs. F. Conrad Fischer Court Theatre 24

Illinois Arts Council The James S. Kemper Foundation+ Prince Charitable Trusts Karla Scherer Margaret Maxwell Zagel

Kirkland & Ellis LLP Sidley Austin LLP Larry E. Strickling and Sydney L. Hans Winston & Strawn LLP

The Irving Harris Foundation Mrs. Leonard J. Horwich Gayle H. Jensen Mr. and Mrs. Jack Karp, in honor of Karen Frank Ann Marie Lipinski and Steve Kagan Brooks and Howard Morgan

CLASSIC CIRCLE Nuveen Investments Stephen and Linda Patton Mrs. Brenda M. Shapiro

The Crown Society ($2,500-$4,999) Ms. Adela Cepeda Stan and Elin Christianson City Arts IV, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Joan and Warwick Coppleson Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Cruise Ms. Shawn Donnelley Dr. and Mrs. Willard A. Fry Ms. Mary Louise Gorno Jack and Helen Halpern Janet and Bob Helman Bill and Jan Jentes

Director’s Circle ($1,500-$2,499) Jay R. Franke and Pamela Baker Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman Mr. Harve Ferrill Mr. and Mrs. Mark Filip Julie and Ronald Gould Richard and Mary L. Gray Ms. Kineret Jaffe Tom and Esta Kallen Francesca Johns and Angelo Kokkino

Classic Circle ($1,000-$1,499) Anonymous Judith Barnard and Michael Fain Jean and John Berghoff David and Peggy Bevington Russell and Suzy Campbell Mr. and Mrs. James K. Chandler Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Custer Nancy and Eugene DeSombre Daisy A. Driss Philip and Phyllis Eaton* Eileen and Richard Epstein Mrs. Zollie Frank Timothy G. Goodsell Philip and Suzanne Gossett Ms. Patricia Hunckler Mr. and Mrs. Martin J. Koldyke Anne Kutak Francis L. Lederer Foundation Mrs. and Mr. Karen Lewis

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Townsend Sarita I. Warshawsky+

Michael Lowenthal and Amy Osler Robert McDermott and Sarah Jaicks McDermott William and Kate Morrison James Noonan and Dana Levinson Jerrold Ruskin Mr. James Stone Allison and David Thomas Elaine and Richard Tinberg Anne and William Tobey Anne and John Tuohy Fidelis and Bonnie Umeh

Ms. Nancy A. Lauter and Mr. Alfred L. McDougal Linda Herreid and Brian Meister Navigant Consulting Joan E. Neal and David Weisbach Kathleen Picken Michael Saidel Lynne F. and Ralph A. Schatz Joan and James Shapiro Mr. and Mrs. Donald Stewart

Charlene and Gary MacDougal Mr. and Mrs. John W. McCarter, Jr. David Moes and Jani Lesko Ms. Eunice Valdivia-Preston and Mr. Barry F. Preston Mr. and Mrs. James M. Ratcliffe Thomas Rosenbaum and Katherine Faber David and Judith L. Sensibar Nikki and Fred Stein Mr. and Mrs. Donald Stewart Mr. and Mrs. James Tonsgard Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Tully The Ultmann Family, in loving memory of John Mr. and Mrs. R. Todd Vieregg Leon and Rian Walker Thomas and Barbara Weil Charles and Sallie Wolf

*Special gifts made to support the Barbara E. Franke Commissioning Program for New Classics.

Includes gifts designated for Court’s Student Education Program.

+

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ANNUAL SUPPORT The following individuals and institutions have made gifts to Court Theatre, and we are deeply grateful for their generosity. This list reflects gifts received through December 1, 2010. If you have a correction or would prefer to remain anonymous, please call (773) 834-0941.

Patrons ($500-$999) Anonymous Brett and Carey August Sharon and Robert Barton Ms. Heather Black Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Blair, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Block Ms. Cheryl Bonander Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Booth Phyllis Booth Douglas Bragan Ms. Penny Brown and Mr. Jeff Rappin, in honor of Virginia Gerst Arie & Ida Crown Memorial Nancie and Bruce Dunn Kent S. Dymak and Theodore N. Foss Sylvia Fergus Mr. Bill Fraumann Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Freehling Joan M. Giardina Howard and Jacqueline Gilbert Mr. Jan Grayson Mr. and Mrs. Joel Guillory Gene and Nancy Haller David and Betty Hess Judith Kaufman

Contributors ($250-$499) Anonymous Filomena and Robert Albee Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Anderson Joan Archie Ms. Catherine Bannister Catharine Bell and Robert Weiglein Joan and Julian Berman Mr. and Mrs. David Blumberg Mary and Carl Boyer Brady and Geraldine Brownlee Bob and Peggy Cassey Mr. and Mrs. Howard Cohn Elizabeth Hartigan Connelly and Matthew Connelly Nelda Connors Barbara Flynn Currie Mr. Kermit Daniel Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Darnall Frederick T. Dearborn Eloise DeYoung Lisa and Rod Dir Mr. and Mrs. Richard Feitler Edie and Ray Fessler B. Ellen Fisher Court Theatre 26

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Lasinski Barry Lesht and Kay Schichtel, in memory of Jack Shannon John and Jill Levi Phoebe R. and John D. Lewis Family Foundation Mr. and Mrs. William Mason Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moeller Robert Moyer and Anita Nagler Bill Mulliken and Lorna Filippini-Mulliken Larry F. Norman Ms. Grayce Papp Edward M. Rafalski Ms. Martha Roth and Mr. Bryon Rosner Ms. Yolanda Saul Roche Schulfer Dr. Salvador J. Sedita and Ms. Pamela L. Owens Susan and Robert Shapiro Mary and Charles Shea Tim Burroughs and Barbara Smith Bill and Orli Staley Dr. Francis H. Straus II Ardis Tabb Otto and Elsbeth Thilenius Steve and Debbie Viktora Mr. and Mrs. David Wanger Ms. Lucia Woods Ms. Virginia Fitzgerald Dr. and Mrs. James L. Franklin Gerry and Stan Glass Ethel and Bill Gofen Mrs. Betty Guttman Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Hartfield Douglas and Lola Hotchkis Carrie and Gary Huff Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Jaffe Ms. Melody Johnson Michael Jones Ms. Anne Van Wart and Mr. Michael Keable Ms. Merrillyn Kosier and Mr. James Kinoshita, in honor of Marilyn Vitale Nancy and Richard Kosobud Larry and Carole Krucoff Steven and Barbara Lewis Mr. Michael C. Litt Mr. and Mrs. Joe Madden David E. McNeel Renee M. Menegaz and Prof. R. D. Bock Dorism and Glenn E. Merritt Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Mhoon Omar Miller

ANNUAL SUPPORT Mr. Clark Morris Ms. Sara Paretsky Irma Parker Ms. Jane Grady and Mr. Alan J. Pulaski Bruce Rodman William and Eunice Rosen Ms. Ann M. Rothschild Sharon Salveter and Stephan Meyer Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Scott Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Shannon Ilene W. Shaw Joan and Lynn Small

Elizabeth and Hugo Sonnenschein Dorie Sternberg George P. Surgeon Anne and John Tuohy, in honor of Virginia Gerst Edward and Edith Turkington Russell and MarleneTuttle Dr. and Mrs. W. H. Van Houten Daina Variakojis and Ernest Frizke Mr. Albert Wanninger Nicholas Weingarten and Cynthia Winter Mrs. Iris Witkowsky

Associates ($150-$249)

Judy Chernick Dr. Adam Cifu Elizabeth Fama and John Cochrane Mr. and Mrs. David Crabb Edna Crittenden Katherine and John Culbert Prof. and Mrs. Kenneth Dam Quinn and Robert Delaney Adam M. Dubin Rose B. Dyrud Sidney and Sondra Berman Epstein Ms. Mary Fisher Mr. Dale Fitschen

Anonymous Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Anderson Mort Arnsdorf and Rosemary Crowley Ted and Barbara Asner Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Berry Ms. Kathleen Betterman Henry and Leigh Bienen James B. and Dorothy Bishop Mr. Nathanial Blackman Jim and Sandy Boves Mrs. Rose Broome Carol Jean and Bernard Brown 5550 South Greenwood Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637 smartmuseum.uchicago.edu

Footlights ad half 1

THE TRAGIC MUSE Art and Emotion, 1700—1900

F e b r uA r y 1 0 t h r o u G h J u n e 5 , 2 0 1 1

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ANNUAL SUPPORT Paul Fong Dr. Sandra Garber Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Golden Mr. Ray Greenblatt Harris Bank Mr. Alton Harris Carrie L. Hedges Richard and Marilyn Helmholz Beth and Howard Helsinger Dorthea Juul Robert Kapoun Mr. and Mrs. Richard Keller Neil and Diana King Bill and Blair Lawlor Charles and Fran Licht James and Katharine Mann Michelle Maton and Mike Schaeffer Mr. and Mrs. Frank D. Mayer, Jr. Stacey and Patrick McCusker Sheila and Harvey Medvin, in honor of Joan Feitler Dean Miller and Martha Swift William and Kate Morrison, in honor of Joan Feitler Marianne Nathan and James Hugunin Elizabeth M. Postell

Footlights ad half 2

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Jerry Proffit Mr. Michael Raftery Mr. Cree Rankin Louise Lee Reid Tina Reynolds Nuna and Ennio Rossi Cecilia and Joel Roth Drs. Donald A. and Janet Rowley Alan and Allison Satyr Roberta and Howard Siegel Mrs. Geraldine S. Smithwick Alvarez Dr. and Mrs. Eric Spratford Franklin St. Lawrence Judith E. Stein Mr. and Mrs. Jerome F. Strauss, Jr. Casmir and Dorothy Szczepaniak Lynne A. Taylor and Timothy D. Smith Heidi Thompson Saunders and David Saunders Mr. and Mrs. John Twombly Elaine and Patrick Wackerly Mr. Ted Walch, in memory of Martha Newell Joseph Wolnski and Jane Christino Paul and Mary Yovovich Luigi Zingales

TAKE A BOW!

You help make classic theatre happen.

Named “the most consistently excellent theater company in America” by The Wall Street Journal, Court Theatre has a national reputation for excellence and innovation.

And just this fall, we received an industry-leading 18 Jeff Award nominations in honor of our 2009/10 season, including 3 out of the 6 nominations for Best Large Play!

With donor contributions accounting for 50% of our operating income, these successes would not have been possible without your support.

OPERATING INCOME

34%

Ticket Sales/Other

50%

16% Contributions

Endowment

Each season, our artists’ visions come to life because of generous donors like you.

Give Online: www.CourtTheatre.org/support Give by Phone: (773) 834-5293 Give in Person or by Mail: 5535 S. Ellis Avenue Chicago, IL 60637 Photo of James T. Alfred by Michael Brosilow.

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SPECIAL GIFTS Endowment Support and Planned Gifts Court Theatre greatly acknowledges the generous individuals and institutions who have supported Court’s artistic excellence by contributing to our endowment or making a planned gift.

Hope and Lester Abelson Family The Michael and Lillian Braude Theatre Fund Joan S. and Stanley M. Freehling Fund for the Arts The Helen and Jack Halpern Fund The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Anne Kutak Marion Lloyd Court Theatre Fund Michael Lowenthal Carroll Mason Russell Fund The Martha Paine Newell Fund for Emerging Artists A new endowment established by Timothy, Patricia, and Charles Newell in honor of their mother, Martha “Matt” Newell, will allow Court Theatre to support the work of early-career theatre artists. One emerging artist per year, identified by Court’s artistic and production staff, will be invited to work on Court productions as a Matt Fellow.

Court Theatre is grateful to the following donors for their inaugural gifts to The Martha Paine Newell Fund for Emerging Artists.

Mrs. Edwin A. Bergman Mrs. Daisy Driss Mr. Daniel E. Efner Ms. Isabelle P. Middendorf Mr. and Mrs. F. Ward Paine Mr. Ted Walch For more information on how to leave a legacy of support for the arts by making a planned gift or contribution to Court Theatre’s endowment, please contact Melissa Aburano-Meister at (773) 834-0941 or maam@uchicago.edu.

Court Theatre Facility Support The University of Chicago Court Theatre High School Performance Festival Sponsor Hyde Park Bank

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SPECIAL GIFTS In-Kind Contributions The following companies and individuals support Court Theatre through the donation of goods or services:

Art + Science Salon Helen N. and Roland C. Baker David Bevington The Big Easy Bistro Campagne Bloomingdale’s The Boeing Company Leigh Breslau Julie Burros James Chandler Chant Charleston Tea Plantation Chicago Botanic Garden Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Symphony Orchestra CJ’s Eatery James E. Clark C.M. Fasan Florist Joan and Warwick Coppleson Loreta Corsetti Paula and Oscar D’Angelo Digital Imaging Resources Dan Dry Exhale Spa Joan Feitler Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark Field Museum Jacqueline Firkins Sarah Fornace Four Seasons Chicago Four Seasons New York Fox & Obel Karen and James Frank The Gage Virginia Gerst Goodman Theatre Timothy Goodsell and Susan McGee Philip Gossett Grant Park Music Festival Harris Theatre Helaine and Peter Heydemann

Leslie Hindman Kevin Hochberg and James McDaniel Hyde Park Alliance for Arts & Culture KAP Graphics Steven Kaplan and Carol Rubin Tony Kushner Limelight Catering…food illuminated Lincoln Park Zoo Lookingglass Theatre Mary Mastricola and La Petite Folie David Moes Brooks and Howard Morgan Charles Newell and Kate Collins Northlight Theatre Old Town School of Folk Music Sara Paretsky Park 52 Doug Peck Piccolo Mondo Barrett Pitts Pizza Capri Ravinia Festival Regents Park, by Crescent Heights Robin Richman Rouge Steel The Saints Salon Blonde Kate Sheehy Sidley Austin LLP Skidmore, Owings & Merrill The Southern Spoleto Festival Steppenwolf Theatre Company Jessica Tampas Union League Club of Chicago The University of Chicago David and Marilyn Vitale Dennis Watkins Wishbone Restaurant Margaret Maxwell Zagel Court Theatre 31

DINING SPONSORS Receive 10% off at Court Theatre’s Hyde Park Dining Sponsors. Only one discount per ticket. Not valid with any other offers.

The Big Easy Cajun/Creole Cuisine 1660 E 55th St (773) 643-5500

Asian fusion 1509 E. 53rd St.* (773) 324-1999 *1 hour free parking behind Borders with validation

Casual Italian 1642 E. 56th St. (773) 643-1106

American Bistro 5201 S. Harper Ave. (773) 241-5200

Share the magic of Court Add a line or two of simple language to your will and keep Court performances running for generations to come.

For more information, please contact Heather McClean in the Office of Gift Planning at 773.834.2117 or giftplan@uchicago.edu.

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