The Niceties
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Madison
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Forward Theater Company
FORWARD THEATER COMPANY presents
THE NICETIES by Eleanor Burgess
Directed by Jen Uphoff Gray & DiMonte Henning
Scenic Designer Lisa Schlenker**
Lighting Designer Greg Hofmann**
Costume Designer Jazmin Aurora Medina
Composer & Sound Designer Christie Chiles Twillie**
Props Master Pamela Miles
Stage Manager Sarah Deming-Henes*
Video Editor/Consultant Kathy Wittman The Niceties is generously sponsored by:
This play was 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, and The Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times. Season Sponsors: The Evjue Foundation, Inc., Distillery Design, The Madison Concourse Hotel, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
** Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829
“The Niceties” is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
www.concordtheatricals.com The world premiere of The Niceties was co-produced in the 2018-2019 season by the Huntington Theatre Company (Peter DuBois, Artistic Director; Michael Maso, Managing Director), Boston, MA; Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer), New York, NY; and McCarter Theatre Center (Emily Mann, Artistic Director/Resident Playwright; Michael S. Rosenberg, Managing Director), Princeton, NJ. Originally developed at the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in July 2017, under the leadership of Ed Herendeen, Producing Director, and Peggy McKowen, Associate Producing Director. Developed in part at PORTLAND STAGE COMPANY, Anita Stewart, Executive & Artistic Director. ©This audio-visual presentation was produced by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Corp All rights reserved. This audio-visual presentation is authorized for non-commercial use only. Further distribution of this presentation by download, streaming, reposting, broadcast, telecast, or in any other manner or medium is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights, and actionable under applicable copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists WARNING: Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted audio-visual materials. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000.00 fine.
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F O R WA R D T H E AT E R C O M PA N Y S TA F F ARTISTIC Artistic Director...................................................................................................................Jen Uphoff Gray Artistic Associate....................................................................................................................Karen Moeller ADMINISTRATIVE Managing Director................................................................................................................ Julie Swenson Director of Development.................................................................................................... Julia Nicholas Director of Marketing.............................................................................................................. Scott Haden Company Manager..................................................................................................................Celia A. Klehr Business Manager....................................................................................................................Alex Moskoff Audience & Donor Relations Manager......................................................................... Samara Safarik PRODUCTION Stage Manager....................................................................................................... Sarah Deming-Henes* Technical Director..................................................................................................................Kevin Zimmer Assistant Stage Manager.............................................................................................................Abbi Hess * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
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F O R WA R D T H E AT E R C O M PA N Y B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S Rozan Anderson, UW Hillel Foundation Dave Chaimson, Full Compass Systems Dr. Charles Ford, UW Division of Otolaryngology Dr. Amy Gilman, Chazen Museum of Art Marci Henderson, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin, Badgerland Roth Judd, Government Integrity Advisor Hallie Kuenning, WPS Health Solutions Donna Moreland, Wisconsin Dept. of Safety and Professional Services Jolen Neumann, Janus Galleries Kathie Nichols, Sort Sol Group Susan Pigorsch, Pigorsch Media Design Carol “Orange” Schroeder, Orange Tree Imports Dr. Jason Stephenson, UW School of Medicine & Public Health Steve Suleski, CUNA Mutual Group, retired Ted Waskowski, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP Jennifer Winding, QTI Group F O R WA R D T H E AT E R A DV I S O R Y C O M PA N Y William Bolz* Jim Buske Jo Chalhoub Sarah Day Jono De Leon Dennis Dorn
Mike Fischer Clare Arena Haden Michael Herold Maureen Janson Karen Olivo* Jake Penner
Rána Roman Nadja Simmonds Noele Stollmack Sam D. White *On sabbatical
F O R WA R D T H E AT E R C O M PA N Y A L U M N I Forward Theater would like to thank the former Board and Advisory Company members that contributed to our success: Ann Archbold Colleen Burns John Frautschy Richard Ganoung Shannon Heibler Monica Kilkus
Advisory Company Jessica Lanius Casey Martin Georgina McKee Gwen Rice Scott Rött Frank Schneeberger
Chad Bartell Rebecca Baumbach Carousel Bayrd Donna Beestman Tim Crisp Am Curet Burt DeHaven Jane Elder Ellen Foley Tom Frazier
Board of Directors Jon Furlow Marta Gialamas Marcia Kasieta Gail Kohl Shana Lewis Gregory Monday Erika Monroe-Kane Dean Richards John Russell Karen Saunders
Kirk Stantis Susan Sweeney Michele Traband Charles Jennings Trieloff, II Jack Forbes Wilson Kimberly Megna Yarnall Joe Shapiro Joseph Shumow Scott Thornton Brent Wagner Sherry Wagner-Henry Erin Wenzel Lynn Wood Ledell Zellers
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F R O M T H E C O - D I R E C TO R / A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R ... J E N U P H O F F G R A Y Among the many “pivots” we have needed to make during this 2020-2021 season (and oh, how weary we are of needing to use that word!) was to find a replacement script to substitute for our planned production of Admissions. Digital rights for that play were not available, and we knew with certainty that we wanted to offer our productions to you in your home in order to keep your safety as our primary focus. Honestly, this ‘problem’ was more of an opportunity for us — it enabled us to put into our season a play I’ve been absolutely in awe of since I first read it in 2018. The Niceties delves deeply into one of the greatest needs of our current world — the need for courage and commitment from each of us to have the difficult but necessary conversations that will allow our country to continue its journey towards justice and opportunity for everyone. The dialogue between the characters in The Niceties — professor Janine and student Zoe — comes tantalizingly close to showing us a path forward. I hope that watching this play inspires you to be just a little braver in your own conversations. I firmly believe that good stories, told well, have the power to provide such inspiration. And I’d be remiss not to mention here just how much inspiration I have received from the artists and technicians working on this story. Their brilliance, honesty, and willingness to — yes — pivot has been extraordinary. F R O M T H E C O - D I R E C TO R ... D I M O N T E H E N N I N G History: the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. However, history has taught us that the consequences of the past have the potential to permeate into the present, and for the past 250 years the racial and social justice consciousness of America has been boiling. Which is where we begin our story of The Niceties, in March of 2016 perhaps one of the most consequential election years (besides the year that was 2020) in modern American history, and the single statement “ A successful American Revolution was only possible because of the existence of slavery.” What binds us as Americans are the facts of our nation’s history. The facts. The irrefutable facts that have shaped this nation. As you watch this play, I urge you to reflect on where you see yourself in each of these characters. What are the ways in which you are already engaging in healthy dialogue? What are the ways in which you can improve? Look, we have to start somewhere and what this play offers is a glimpse into the many conversations thousands of Americans are having today. In classrooms, in offices, in barbershops, in every corner of this country. It also offers a glimpse into the real experiences Black Americans are facing today. One of the most beautiful elements of this play that Eleanor Burgess offers is the opportunity for the audience to continue the dialogue. It leaves room for you, the audience, the American citizen, to make it right. Let’s be on the right side of history.
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A CLOSER LOOK…DR A M ATURG MIKE FISCHER Learning How to Listen Five years ago, Yale University sent an email urging students to think twice before donning Halloween costumes that might be insensitive and therefore offend. A Yale lecturer responded by wondering whether such an email was necessary, while worrying that universities were sliding toward “censure and prohibition.” The ensuing, rapidly escalating furor – involving the relationship between elite colleges like Yale and their often marginalized students of color – made national news. It also inspired 2007 Yale graduate Eleanor Burgess, who closely followed what was happening at her alma mater, to write The Niceties. “I became obsessed with it,” Burgess recalled, in an interview with Forward Managing Director Julie Swenson. “My friends saw a need to pick a side,” Burgess said to Swenson. “Either academic integrity is the most important thing and academics have the right to say anything and anyone who complains is a coddled, whiny snowflake. Or protecting the experience of students of color and underprivileged students is all that matters and we need a reckoning for those who make them uncomfortable.” “My friends lost the ability to talk to each other,” Burgess continued. “There was no middle ground.” In 2015, the center’s failure to hold could still be surprising; it shocked and saddened Burgess. In 2021, a place with no middle ground has become the ground on which we stand. Set in early 2016, The Niceties suggests how and where we went wrong. America, Revised When we first meet them in March 2016, Janine is a white, tenured history professor in her early 60s, at the top of her game. Zoe, 20 and Black, is one of her brightest students. They’re reviewing a draft of Zoe’s paper, which contends that the American Revolution was stillborn, failing to become as radical as it might have been because of slavery. White privilege, Zoe suggests, impeded working-class whites from seeing their true interests; they ultimately settled for less because they liked what they had. Janine doesn’t buy it. Their ensuing efforts to get to yes rapidly morph into mutually exclusive and emphatically stated no’s. Along the way, there’ll be micro-aggressions aplenty from Janine and a map of misreadings from Zoe, in ways that sharpen all that divides them – and which, on the two occasions when I’ve seen this play live, sharply divided audiences. People respond as strongly to this play as Janine and Zoe do to each other, and for the same reason: what’s at stake here isn’t so much Zoe’s paper as what that paper is about. Like Janine and Zoe, we’re wrestling with the shape and meaning of American history. Like Janine and Zoe, we’re increasingly less able to do so without assuming the worst of each other. But Burgess didn’t write The Niceties to revel in our basest instincts and underscore all the ways we’re divided. As she has repeatedly said in interviews, The Niceties also holds out hope that we might do better, thereby coming to a fuller understanding of our shared history. Janine and Zoe’s conversation can be heartbreaking. But it’s worth noting that they keep talking, trying to find common ground long past the point when many of us The Niceties
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A CLOSER LOOK…DR A M ATURG MIKE FISCHER
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might have shut down and gone home. “Both of these women can be noble,” Burgess writes in an introductory note to the play. “Both of them can be charming. Both of them can be petulant, snotty, arrogant, overwhelmed and immature. Let them be people. And resist the temptation to think of only one of them as a mouthpiece for the truth. When it comes to the facts of history, almost everything that both of the women in this play say is right.” “These two women both have so much of how I look at the world in them,” Burgess said in a 2018 interview. “They each represent half my brain, half my world view. They both think the way I think.” Learning to Be Nice That dialogic ability to hold two opposing truths in one’s head at the same time – listening to both and believing one can learn from each – aligns with older definitions of “nice,” from which we get “niceties.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “nice” meant “scrupulous” and “sensitive,” long before it became synonymous with blandly pleasant. “Nice” also meant “particular” and “precise,” “strict” and “careful.” It meant “delicate,” and in need of “delicate handling.” It meant “not obvious or readily apprehended; difficult to decide or settle; demanding close consideration of thought.” And, finally, it meant “attentive.” In short, the niceties are all those things we were once able to take for granted in our conversations, allowing us to collectively shape the narrative of who we and our country are and should try to become. Even when – especially when – we disagree. To steal from MIT professor Sherry Turkle, who has written so passionately and well about how social media is destroying our ability to actually talk to one another, being nice allows us to be “fully present to one another,” so that we might “learn to listen.” Smart as they are, neither Janine nor Zoe are very good listeners; each of them then compounds that failure to listen by automatically assuming that her interlocutor isn’t listening. This play doesn’t just draw blood because Janine and Zoe fight. It also hurts because both women say so much worth pondering, without ever fully being heard. Burgess suggests that we can be better than this, and theater regularly proves her right. “Theater,” she once said, “is a place to gather as a group of humans to watch stories that wrestle with the big questions,” without presuming that such questions will have simple answers. “The real work begins,” Burgess continues, “once the curtain goes down, and the work is up to the audience.” “Get in conversations,” she urges. “Stay in conversations.” Here’s a New Year’s resolution worth keeping: As we listen together to Janine and Zoe, let’s challenge ourselves to join Burgess and hold both of their points of view in our heads. I’d like to think that in a Forward talkback and then in our everyday lives, that exercise might foster empathy. Who knows? Maybe it will even allow us to be a bit nicer to one another. – Chicago, January 10, 2020
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F R O M T H E B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S ... S T E V E S U L E S K I “Creating a home base for Wisconsin theater professionals….” These are the first eight words of Forward Theater’s mission statement. They represent one of our most fundamental commitments which you, our audience and donors, have so generously supported since Forward’s founding over eleven years ago. Now, as the pandemic rages and decimates theater companies across the country, we continue to do all that we can do to sustain Wisconsin theater professionals, to maintain their “home base.” We are doing this: - By honoring all of our contracts with them for the 2020-21 Season, no matter what this Season ends up looking like, what form it will take. This provides them with a paycheck, credit for health coverage, and other resources for basic survival. - By providing artistic work for them in all sorts of new and innovative ways. This allows them to practice their craft, and derive satisfaction and purpose from doing the work they’ve been called to do. - By reassuring them that they have a home in Forward when so many other parts of their support structure may be crumbling. This gives them the confidence that they can count on us no matter what as they attempt to maintain their careers in theater. You, our loyal subscribers, single ticket buyers, and donors, have risen to a new level in your support of Forward as we stay true to our mission in these troubled times. You have subscribed for season tickets and purchased single tickets in numbers that blew away our expectations when live performances and theater gatherings are probably not going to happen for a while. You have opened your hearts and your minds to new ways of experiencing theater as we experiment with Zoom-like formats, filmed productions, creative readings and other innovations that were beyond our imagination before the start of the pandemic. And you haven’t skipped a beat in the level of your financial support as you’ve increased your donations since the beginning of the crisis. We enthusiastically welcome you to the second production in our 2020-21 Season, a season unlike any other. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your relentless support in helping us, no, enabling us, to continue to provide a “home base” for Wisconsin theater professionals — a “home base” in the truest sense of what having a home means.
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F R O M T H E A DV I S O R Y C O M PA N Y... J O C H A L H O U B & M I C H A E L H E R O L D
On behalf of the Advisory Company, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy 2021. As 2020 was coming to a close, there was much use of the metaphor “the light at the end of the tunnel.” Even though the “tunnel” was much longer than any of us could have imagined, we would like to thank you, our audience members, for keeping Forward’s journey well-lit with your financial and emotional support. We hope that we have helped you, as well, with our production of The Lifespan of a Fact, and the three fall play readings we offered to our subscribers. We here on the AC like to think that theater provides a much-needed diversion and a sense of hope, but we can’t do it without you. Thank you for keeping Forward going strong and providing employment for our artists, and please join us in keeping those who continue to struggle in your thoughts. Together, we will all get to the other side. Now, enjoy The Niceties starring Samantha Newcomb and AC member Sarah Day. Michael Herold & Jo Chalhoub, Advisory Company Co-Deputies
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G O I N G F O R WA R D – A C O N V E R S AT I O N We invite you to consider the topics below and discuss them with your fellow audience members, whether they’re on Zoom, in person (socially distanced, of course), or other members of your household. We also hope you will join the cast at the scheduled live talkbacks, where audience and artists will gather on Zoom to discuss these and any other issues brought to light by today’s show. And please keep the conversation going by sharing your thoughts on our Facebook page. Let’s start the conversation: • As you watched the play, did you find your allegiances shifting? When did each character’s point of view or argument really speak to you? Were there ever times when an argument/point of view made you feel defensive? • Did this play affirm or challenge what your understanding of “history” is? If so, how? If not, why? • In the discussions about what it takes to succeed in higher education and in a career, which character’s point of view did you support most, and why? • What were the characters’ “blind spots” as human beings relating to each other and the world? How did that affect their relationship? After seeing this play, can you identify any “blind spots” of your own? To learn even more about the play, playwright, and Forward Theater’s production, please consider watching our pre-show talk, which is available to view from our virtual lobby.
L A N D AC K N OW L E D G E M E N T Acknowledging Ho-Chunk Nation’s ancestral lands, Forward Theater and Overture Center for the Arts celebrate the rich traditions, heritage, and culture that thrived long before our arrival. Overture respectfully recognizes this Ho-Chunk land and affirms that we are better when we stand together.
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THE NICETIES by Eleanor Burgess CAST Janine Bosko.................................................................................................................................. Sarah Day* Zoe Reed...................................................................................................................... Samantha Newcomb This digital production includes a 10-minute intermission *Performers appear courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. ARTIST BIOGR APHIES Sarah Day (Janine Bosko) Sarah is grateful to be given this opportunity to learn a little bit of new technology, and be astounded by the incredible team that has put together this beautiful piece for all of you. She is a member of the Advisory Company of Forward Theater, and a Core Company member at American Players Theatre. Most recently, at FTC, she appeared in Aaron Posner’s Life Sucks. This past summer she was seen in many of APT’s Zoom plays including James DeVita’s An Improbable Fiction. Many, many thanks to Jen, DiMonte, Sarah, Abbi and Samantha....you make my world a better place. And to the FTC audience...You are our artistic home... and we are all forever grateful for your generous support!
Samantha Newcomb (Zoe Reed) Samantha is grateful to be joining the Forward team for the first time. Through the magic of technology, she joins the cast all the way from Portland, Oregon. She has recently been seen at American Players Theatre (Macbeth, Twelfth Night), and Children’s Theater of Madison (Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol). In Chicago she has worked with Lifeline Theater, A Red Orchid Theatre, The Factory Theater, and The Comrades. Samantha is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University. Thanks to Mom for being an amazing production assistant. To be making art that matters right now is the greatest gift.
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PRODUCTION ARTIST BIOGR APHIES Jazmin Aurora Medina (Costume Designer) is a Chicana costume designer thrilled to be working her first show with Forward Theater Company. She has a BA in costume design and wardrobe from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and is currently pursuing a BFA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jazmin was selected as one of thirty-four US ‘Young Emerging Designers’ for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial for her costume design work on Eurydice at UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha. She has also won ‘Best Costume Design’ for the musical Double Vision at the 2020 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Previous professional credits have included Milwaukee Chamber Theater, Florentine Opera, and First Stage. Find more of her work at jazminaurora.com or @jazminnauroraa on Instagram.
Yellowman (Fleetwood Jourdain); In The Red and Brown Water (Northwestern); Homeland 24 (Music for Theatre CHICAGO); America 2.0 (Definition Theatre); The Pandemic Trilogy, The Clearing and Alone. In 2019, Christie was awarded the Footlights Best Musical Direction Award for a Professional Production (Skylight Music Theatre’s Five Guys Named Moe), and a Rachel Rockwell Fierce Women Behind The Table, award for Music Direction by Porchlight Music Theatre. In 2018, she earned a BTAA nomination for Best Music Direction (Yellowman). In 2017, she was a Chicago Broadway World Finalist for Best Music Direction, (Big Fish). Regional credits include Skylight Music Theatre’s Five Guys Named Moe, Newsies, and The Gospel at Colonus and the Chicago premier of Porchlight Music Theatre’s Minnie’s Boys.
Eleanor Burgess (Playwright) Eleanor Burgess’s work has been produced across the United States, including at Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre Center, Geffen Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company, the Alliance Theatre, Writers Theatre, and Milwaukee Rep, and developed with The New Group, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, the Lark Play Development Center, and the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop. She has been a member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages, Page 73’s writers’ group Interstate 73, The Civilians’ R&D Group, and New York Theatre Workshop’s 2050 Fellowship. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, she studied history at Yale College and Dramatic Writing at NYU/Tisch.
Sarah Deming-Henes (Stage Manager) At FTC Sarah has joyfully stage managed in the Playhouse Skeleton Crew, Fun Home, Heisenberg, Life Sucks, Mary Jane, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, Every Brilliant Thing, and as much of The Amateurs as the COVID-19 Pandemic would let her. Most recently, Sarah learned a whole bunch stage managing FTC’s virtual production of The Lifespan of a Fact. Sarah’s proudly stage managed at many other Wisconsin based theaters, including 14 seasons at American Players Theatre – and 13 years in Milwaukee, for theaters including: First Stage, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. In 2019 she delighted in stage managing Boswell at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and had fun guest lecturing on Stage Management at UW-Parkside. Many thanks to her family and friends for unfailing kindnesses. And an acre of gratitude to the FTC Staff & Board, and, you, the audience, for going above, beyond, and online to keep theater alive and appreciated in Wisconsin!
Christie Chiles Twillie (Sound Designer/ Composer) is a Music Director, Piano Conductor, Vocal Coach, Sound Designer and Composer. She has Music Directed over 40 productions, and written original scores for several plays and films including, A Raisin in the Sun (Invictus Theatre); 14
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PRODUCTION ARTIST BIOGR APHIES DiMonte Henning (Co-Director) is grateful to be a Co-Director for The Niceties. Previous Forward Theater Co. credits include Skeleton Crew and Learning to Stay. DiMonte serves as Artistic Director of theater-arts organization Lights! Camera! Soul! and received his formal theater training from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with additional training from Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Emerging Professional Residency. In addition to serving as Artistic Director for Lights! Camera! Soul!, DiMonte has performed regionally with the following theater credits: Stick Fly (Writers Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Lobby Hero (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Wiz (First Stage), Our Town (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Dreamgirls (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Black Nativity (Black Arts MKE), and Deathtrap (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre). TV credits include: Guest starring roles on NBC’s Chicago PD (Seasons 4&6), UBER, Disney’s Encore!, Cousin Subs, and Harley-Davidson. Abbi Hess (Assistant Stage Manager) is ecstatic to be working on her first season at Forward! Originally from Waukesha, she graduated Carroll University with her B.A. in Theatre Arts and History. Last season, she was a Stage Management Resident at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Past favorite credits include: Bare and Wonderland (Outskirts Theatre Co.); Mary Poppins (Sunset Playhouse); Mamma Mia (Lake Country Playhouse); Next to Normal and Hamlet: A Cover (Carroll University); 2 Pianos 4 Hands and The Legend of Georgia McBride (Milwaukee Rep). She is grateful to every person that she has worked with that has got her to this point, especially her talented SM teams throughout the years, the supportive Forward staff, and her amazing family, of course!
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Greg Hofmann (Lighting Designer) Previous Forward designs include To Peter Pan On Her 70th Birthday, Marjorie Prime, Outside Mullingar, Mr Burns, Silent Sky, and 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. Selected other work: Ride the Cyclone, Alliance Theatre, ACT Theatre, MCC Theatre; Nell Gwynn, Mary Stuart, Road Show, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Permanent Collection, Madison Repertory Theatre; Wizard of Oz, Elf, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mamma Mia, Hairspray, Oklahoma, Tommy (Jeff Award Recipient), Mary Poppins, Annie, and 42nd Street, Paramount Theatre; Rock of Ages, The Game’s Afoot, Les Miserables, and Oliver!, Drury Lane Theatre; A Loss of Roses, Vieux Carre, and Brighton Beach Memoirs, Raven Theatre; A Wrinkle in Time, Welcome to Bronzeville, Anatole, First Stage; Matilda, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Music Lesson, Anne of Green Gables, Children’s Theater of Madison. Greg has also designed over 50 productions for Cedar Fair Amusement Park across the country. Please visit www.hofmannlightingdesign.com for more information. Pamela Miles (Props Master/Scenic Charge Artist) is delighted to return to Forward for her seventh season. She is so proud to be a part of this generous and courageous company. Pam lives in Spring Green, WI where she has worked at American Players Theatre for eleven seasons as the Associate Scenic Charge Artist, as well as completed four fall shows as the Scenic Charge Artist. Other companies she has painted for include: Arizona Broadway Theatre, Children’s Theatre of Madison, Madison Ballet (Dracula: A Rock Ballet), and the Summit Credit Union Inspiration Branch project. She has performed the role of Props Master for the Black Theatre Troupe in Phoenix, AZ and American Players Theatre’s Mary’s Wedding.
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PRODUCTION ARTIST BIOGR APHIES Lisa Schlenker (Scenic Designer) is excited to return to the Forward Theater family and is learning more every day about making stories as films. Lisa enjoys a diverse professional life with a variety of Wisconsin based theatres as a scenic designer, and also serves as Florentine Opera Company’s Production Manager. Avocationally, Lisa can be found giving care to Wisconsin’s native bats at Wisconsin Humane Society Wildlife Center, where she is an active wildlife rehabilitator. Lisa’s book with co-author Sandra Strawn: The Properties Director’s Tool Kit is available on Amazon.com. Recent design work: The Blacksmith (Opera Lafayette debut); The Tragedy of Carmen (Florentine Opera); Leona Lionheart (Kohl’s Wild Theater); Doc Danger (Milwaukee Opera Theatre); WindJammers, Dairy Heirs, We Like It Where, Dad’s Season Tickets (Northern Sky); Mary Jane (Forward); Fires in the Mirror (MCT); Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep); Happy Days (Renaissance Theaterworks). Thank you for supporting live local theatre! Jen Uphoff Gray (Co-Director) is the artistic director of Forward Theater Company – this is her 22nd production here. Regionally, she has directed for Madison Rep (The Diary of Anne Frank) and Milwaukee Shakespeare (Love’s Labors Lost). She mounted the National Tour of Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, and served as Associate Director for the Broadway productions of Copenhagen, Sam Mendes’ Cabaret, The Blue Room (starring Nicole Kidman) and The Life. Jen grew up in the Madison area, holds a degree in Dramatic Literature & Stage History from Harvard College, and is the proud parent of Jamie, Seeger and Arden.This one is dedicated to Lydia Zula Pope Caraway Dyett. Love you, Roomie.
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Kathy Wittman (Video Editor & Consultant) has designed video projections and interactive media for opera and theatre companies including Heartbeat Opera, Pioneer Valley Symphony, Suffolk University Theatre, The Florentine Opera Company, Odyssey Opera, and Queer Soup Theatre. In addition to projection design, she is the founder and principle artist at Ball Square Films, a video production company that specializes in documentary photo and video for the performing arts. Current and favorite clients include the Huntington Theatre Company, Merrimack Rep, Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, The Boston Early Music Festival, Blue Heron, New England Conservatory, Heartbeat Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, White Snake Projects, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Kevin Zimmer (Technical Director) has worked with Forward Theater since the 2009-2010 season, first as Master Carpenter and now as Technical Director. In addition, he worked as a Master Carpenter for Madison Repertory Theatre, Master Carpenter for CTM, and Shop Foreman and Carpenter for American Players Theatre. Additional credits include professional work in the theatre community in St. Louis and as a welder at the St. Louis City Museum.
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C O R P O R AT I O N , F O U N DAT I O N A N D G OV E R N M E N T S U P P O R T Thank you for your commitment to bringing exceptional professional theater to Madison area audiences. The Great Performance Fund for Theater, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation $100,000+ US Federal Paycheck Protection Program $50,000 - $99,999 State of Wisconsin Covid-19 Cultural Organization Program $30,000 - $49,999 Madison Gas & Electric The Shubert Foundation
$5,000 - $9,999 Cuna Mutual Group Custer Plumb Financial Services Dane Arts DeWitt LLP Marriott Daughters Foundation Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren Wisconsin Arts Board
$2,500 - $4,999 Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation Stafford Rosenbaum Attorneys US Bank $1,000 - $2,499 The Cap Times First Business Bank Husch Blackwell Steve Brown Apartments
I N D I V I D UA L G I V I N G In a typical year, ticket revenue covers only 50% of the full cost of presenting live theater. Annual fund donors bridge the gap and enable Forward Theater to provide exceptional theater experiences for area audiences and give professional actors, designers, writers, and directors an artistic home. This year, your gift means even more. You’re helping us develop new, innovative programming to stay connected with our audiences and the community while continuing to pay our artists. You’re keeping us strong and ensuring our future. THANK YOU! We are pleased to recognize contributions received between January 1, 2020 – January 4, 2021. If you notice any errors in acknowledgement or have questions about donation options, please contact Julia Nicholas at 608-234-5001 or jnicholas@forwardtheater.com. To make a tax-deductible donation to Forward Theater online or learn about donor benefits, visit our website at forwardtheater.com. To mail in a contribution, please use the following address: Forward Theater, P.O. Box 14574, Madison, WI 53708.
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THE MADISON CLUB YOUR GATEWAY TO EXPERIENCE THE BEST THE CITY HAS TO OFFER
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We support visions for our future. We’re committed to the programs and organizations that work to enrich the quality of life for everyone in our community. By sharing the goal of molding leaders through education and community support, their vision and energy will create a better future for us all. usbank.com/ourcommunity U.S. Bank is proud to support the Forward Theater. Capitol Square Madison Branch 1 South Pinckney St. | Madison, WI 53703 608.252.4000
Member FDIC. ©2021 U.S. Bank 473003c 01/21 The Niceties
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F O R WA R D L E A D E R S Forward Leaders show a strong personal commitment to Forward Theater’s mission by making annual gifts of $1,000 or more. $25,000+ W. Jerome Frautschi Steve & Jacqui Suleski
Mary & Scott Kolar Fritz Kruger & Kathy Lawler Tim Lardinois Roger & Sheryl Lepage Laura Lindner $15,000 - $24,999 $1,000 - $2,499 Susan & Jonathan Lipp Joe & Mary Ellyn Anonymous (2) Efrat Livny & Ken Baun Sensenbrenner Anonymous Janet & Jay Loewi Janet Zimmerman (Colleen Burns Fund) Lovers of the Arts Merry Anderson Sally & John Mather $10,000 - $14,999 Steve Bablitch & Kathleen McElroy Maurice & Sybil Better Elaine Kelch Don & Mary Metz Nancy Ciezki & Richard & Janneke Baske Diane Kostecke Dean & Nancy Baumgardner Jane & Duane Miller Chad & Jolen Neumann Lawrence & Julie Midtbo Norm & Barbara Berven Bess Nicholas Pleasant T. Rowland Kit & Phil Blake Tom & Julia Nicholas Diane Bless John & Jane Norman $5,000 - $9,999 Nancy & Lou Bruch Zorba & Penny Paster Diane Ballweg Nick & Becca Curran Joan Philip & Dave Boyer Catherine Bloomer Bill & Jan DeAtley Judith Pierotti Jon & Brenda Furlow Martin Densch Pam Ploetz Thomas Hurst & Kleo (Colleen Burns Fund) Linda Reivitz Baruth Kritz Carla & Michael DiIorio Susan A. Riedel Nancy Leff & KC Lerner Mary Ann Doll & DeeDee & Bing Rikkers Don & Toni Richards Michael Williamson Jim & Michele Rohan Alexandra & William Dove Bruce Rosen & Diane Seder $2,500 - $4,999 Victoria & Tim Enright James & Carol Ruhly Anonymous Ed Feige & Elizabeth Palay Rozan & Brian Anderson Mike Fischer & Elaine Griffin Susan & Michael Schall Linda & John Schilling Beth Bovis & David Feldstein Marla & Larry Frank Dean & Carol Schroeder Peggy & Christopher Bugg Susan French & Lynda Sharpe Jane Coleman Brian Driscoll Joe & Jeanne Silverberg Jean Espenshade Jerry & Betty Fuller Tim & Pat Size Charles N. Ford & Deirdre Garton The Stephenson Family Sharon L. James Thomas & Joanne Gobel Abby & Kurt Suckow Dolores & Paul Gohdes Peter Gray & Jennifer Cheri Teal Kathleen Harker Uphoff Gray LaRynda Thoen & Roth & Lynne Judd Betty & Walter Gray Neil Salyapongse David & Paula Kraemer Connie & Wayne Grogan Peter Tropman & Richard & Meg LaBrie JoAnn Gruber-Hagen & Virginia Graves Jun & Sandy Lee Doug Hagen Jane & David Villa Karen & Allan Moore Marci Henderson Lee & Mary Waldhart Kathie Nichols Bob Hodgson & Dot Steele Theodora Zehner Pamela Oliver & John Lemke William & Anne Hunnex Ledell Zellers & Terry & Jean Prahl John & Karen Icke Simon Anderson Ann Rifenberg Monica Jaehnig Susan & Jim Zerwick John & Mary Schroeder Clark Johnson & Judith Zwirlein Jane Taves Martha Pernokas
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Don Tubesing & Nancy Loving Tubesing Fran Wong & Tom Reps
A N N UA L F U N D $500 - $999 Anonymous (3) Susan & Christopher Alban Holly Anderson Craig & Ann Aswegan Jean M. Bahr Chuck Bauer & Chuck Beckwith Larry Bechler Donna & George Beestman Ellen & Tim Bell Anna Biermeier & Roger Hanson Anna J. Campbell Sherry & Doug Caves Dave and Audra Chaimson Keith & Linda Clifford Fred & Wendy Coleman Betty & Corkey Custer Janet & David Daniel Tom & Greta DeCoster Walter & Londa Dewey Cynthia DiCamelli Kim & Bill Donovan Katie Dowling-Marcus & Ben Marcus Jim & Jessica Doyle Carla Draper & Peg Carlson Eve Drury & Peter Beatty Cedric C. Ellis Oliver Eng Adam R. Erdmann Paul & Lari Fanlund Jim & Evey Fleming Mary & Jay Gallagher Paul Gibler & Tom DeChant Amy Gilman & Doug Patterson Dianne Greenley Nancy & Peter Gunder Jane Hamblen & Robert Lemanske Larry Hamlin Mary Hampton & Barbara Voelker Patricia Hanson & Terri Bleck Margaret Harrigan & Richard Ross Honorable Paul B. Higginbotham (Ret.) & Tina Maroni Rod & Jean Jacobson Vince Jenkins & Stefanie Moritz Rosemary & Lee Jones Mary Kateada & Frank Schneeberger Birke Knipping & Ryan Parks Steve & Lorene Kowalsky Michael & Megan Kushner Pete & Jill Lundberg,
Ronald S. Luskin & Terry Ruzicka Stewart Macaulay Lee Marquardt Kathleen Massoth & Bruce Edmonson Mark McColloch & Theresa Roetter Ron Mensink LuAnn & Joe Meyers Binit Mohanty & Amy Lenard David Myers Fred Newmann & Carolyn Hegeler Betsy & Doug Nordstrom Marilyn Oberst Linda Baldwin O’Hern & Vince O’Hern Kelly Jean Ohl & Jeff Goldman Lynette & Rex Owens Scott Paler Russell & Paula Panczenko Susan Paskewitz Reynold V. Peterson Beth & Peter Rahko Barb Rex & Jim Eggler Ron Rosner & Ronnie Hess Kelda Roys & Dan Reed Tim & Ann Salutz Bela & Ruth Sandor Willa Schlecht Howard & Diane Schuck Ron & Diana Shaw Sonjia Short & Michael Croft Philip Shultz & Marsha VanDomelen Joseph Shumow Bud & Lisa Smith Charles Snowdon & Ann Lindsey Joe & Phyllis Stertz Marjorie Stewart Julie Swedarsky Susan Sweeney Julie Swenson John Thompson & Jane Bartell Scott Thornton Karen Updike Selma Van Eyck Peter & Alice Waldron Charles & Elizabeth Wallman Susan Young Bob & Cindy Zellers Benefactors ($250 - $499) George Affeldt Carla & Fernando Alvarado Beth Ament & Steve Pudloski Marge & Bruce Anderson
Jim & Marilou Angevine Alice & Richard Appen Rima & Michael Apple Dr. Joe & Kate Arena George Austin & Martha Vukelich-Austin Rose Barroilhet A Barry Marshall & Wendy Beck Rachel & Daniel Bennett Holly Berkenstadt Paula Bonner & Ann Schaffer Patricia Brady Martha & Charles Casey Lynn Christensen Russell & Leslie Coff Carol Cohen Coleman James Couser & Kathryn Middleton Mike & Donna Crane Nancy Daly Michael & Judith Dereszynski Kathy & Dennis Dorn Alison Dorner J. Doyle Deidre Dunn Fred & Ivy Edelman William & Lynne Eich Jim & Jean Elvekrog Clayton & Belle Frink Sandra & Norris Glick Jane Grogan & Bob Blitzke Eileen Hanneman Paula Haseman Rachel & Gil Hillman Cynthia S. Hiteman Christopher Holland Carol Holtsapple Grace Homb Hickory Hurie Margaret & Paul Irwin Jerome & DeeDee Jones Deb Jurmu Joan Karan Liz King & Rick Kiley Jennifer N. Kraemer Peggy Krecker James Krikelas Ed Krinsky & Mary Jane Armstrong Jo Laird Matt Larson Diane Lauver Roma Lenehan Jill Maidenberg & Richard Thal Maija Maki-Laurila The Niceties
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Forward Theater Company
A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
Dan & Mari McCarty Bev & Chan McKelvey Sue Milch & Wilton Sanders Tamara Moe Mark & Nancy Moore Donna V. Moreland Lauri Morris & Jim Cole Tess Mulrooney Robert Mutton & Vera Ames Dan & Joyce Muxfeld Martha Nawratil Gregg Nettesheim & Maggie Steele Dan O’Brien Casey & Eric Oelkers Jennifer Ondrejka & Tom Rudy Ruth & Seymour Parter Evan & Jane Pizer Don & Carol Reeder Sandi Reinardy & Keith Furman Barbara Samuel James & Suzanne Scheuerman Marcia Schmidt Carolyn Senty David & Margaret Sharpe Dan & Marcia Smith Bob & Jo Sparks David & Sue Stone Arlene & John Strikwerda William & Edie Swift Steve & Jeannie Tomasko Ward & Elizabeth Tucker Paul & Emily Tveite Mary Weber Marybeth Wilk & Katherine Brophy Barbra Winter Lynn Wood Jennifer A. Younger William Zarwell & Robin Chapman Susan & John Zientek Patrons ($100 - $249) Anonymous (8) Sharon Abrams Julius & Hilde Adler Mark & Carol Albertini Ray Aldag & Deb Douglas Bob & Paula Alt Danny & Linda Andersen Gary Anderson Peggy Anderson Anne Arnesen Barbara J. Arnold Nancy & Steve Arnold Charles & Elizabeth Barnhill
Jeffrey & Angela Bartell Douglas & Mary Bates Robert Bauer Cindy & Orion Bawdon David & Connie Beam Norlin Benevenga Joan Benson & Michelle Hills Thomas W. Benson Susan & George Benton Richard & Luise Beringer Bennett Berson & Rebecca Holmes Rikhil Bhavnani & Dustin Brown Harvey Black Philip Blackwell Terry Bloom Shawn J. Bolduc John & Jan Bonsett-Veal William Bradley & Jill Anna Ponasik Malcolm & Penny Brett Daniel & Joyce Bromley Diane & Rick Broughman B. Bradford Brown & Maribeth Gettinger David & Claudia Brown Mary Lou Brown Thea Brunsell Barbara Buenger Linda Bunger Sandy Carlson Colleen & Pete Chase Mo & Melissa Cheeks Grace & Jack Chosy John Chosy & Tamara Bryant Louis & Shirley Chosy Jennifer Christensen Barbara Clapp Charlie & Joyce Clark David & Wendy Coe Betty & Steve Cohen Linda Cohn Mike & Cindy Collins Margaret Corbae Louie Cornelius & Pris Boroniec Patricia Cronin Wade DallaGrana & Chris Antonuzzo Betsy Curtis D’Angelo Mike Davis & Julann Jatczak Geke De Vries Jocelyn DeWitt & Kurt Riegel Donalea Dinsmore Cari & Stephen DiTullio David Dohler Renae & Todd Donkle Melinda Dorris
Marilyn Dreger Susan & Joe Drennan Theresa Drinka Stan & Jean Druckenmiller Richard & Doris Dubielzig Susan Eichhorn Jane Elder & Bill Davis The Elson Family Rita Emmenegger Susan England & James Stirniman Tom & Kelley Engle Phyllis Ermer Mary Kay Fahey Hildy Feen Cindy Fillingame Ted Finman & Jean Azemove Alan Fish & Susan Goodwin Charles Ford Virginia Francis Byron & Janet Frenz Kristin Friel & Jeff Durkee Jacki & Milt Friend Christine & Charles Frinak Barbara Furstenberg Genevra Gallo-Bayiates & Andy Bayiates Casey Garhart Jan Garske Christopher & Erin Glueck Louise Goldstein & Bruce Thomadsen Robert & Georgia Graves Marsha & Bruce Gregg Karen Gunderson & Joanie Kanter Susan Haimes Jan Hall Rich & Lori Hamann Kriss Hamilton & Paul Goldschmidt Maria Hanson Donald Hart Philip Haslanger John Hayward & Susan Roehlk Neil & Nancy Christy Heinen John & Elizabeth Heiner Patricia & Paul Heiser John & Sarah Helgeson Bruce & Kathryn Heling Tom & Margaret Henzler Karen Hester Diane Highsmith Douglas & Karen Hill Nancy & Bill Horns Andrew Howick & Mary Stelletello The Niceties
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A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
Jim Hudson & Diane Martin Ed Hughes Jean Hughes Richard & Roberta Johnson Richard Jordan Martin & Rita Kades Jean Kasten Elisabeth U Kato Dan & Leslie Kemp Pamela & John Kitslaar Monica Klehr Carol Klukaczewski Larry M. Kneeland Milka & Ivan Knezevic Doug Knudson & Judy Lyons Voula Kodoyianni & Tom Record Penny & Jerry Koerner Andrew Krikelas Terry & Jean Kringle Carrie Kruse & Ellen Pryor Jude Kuenn Hallie Kuenning Richard & Judy Kvalheim Steve & Susan LaBelle
Larry LaMar & Mary Struckmeyer Jan & Bob Langdon Peggy Larson Janet & Douglas Laube David Lawver Tim & Gillian Lechmaier Kathryn Lederhause & Daryl Sherman Phyllis Lefcowitz Dale & Barbara Lenz Victor & Judy Levine Shana Lewis & Rob Magasano Madeline & Barry Light Diane & Bill Littman Tom & Stacy Littrell Elaine Lohr Joe Lowndes Gary Lyons & Jayne Squirrell Helen Madsen Mary & Eileen Maher Karin Mahony & Adam Balin Rabbis Bonnie Margulis & Jonathan Biatch
Douglas & Joan Maynard Mary Ann McBride Colleen McCabe Nancy McCartan Mike & June McCowin Carolyn & Bill McKinney Mike & Sally Miley Chuck Mitchell & Sally Weidemann Alison Mix Millie Moffett Nancy Mohs Kitty Moore Jennifer Morgan Paul & Marjorie Morgan Norman Moses & Carrie Hitchcock Patricia Ann Mullins Judith Munger Laura Baldus Murphy Aleta Murray Carla Nagle Leah Narans Sharon Nellis
SUSTAINING OUR ARTISTS CAMPAIGN As part of our long-standing commitment to supporting Wisconsin artists, we’re paying full artist contracts for each mainstage production as well as our Monologue Festival (142 contracts; each at $15/hr or more) this season. Our heartfelt thanks to these donors for specifically making gifts to honor and help fund the salaries of the talented artists working on all of the projects that make up our vibrant 2020 2021 season. $5,000 W. Jerome Frautschi Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation $2,500 David & Paula Kraemer Jun & Sandy Lee
$1,000 Bill & Jan DeAtley Mary Ann Doll & Michael Williamson Victoria & Tim Enright John & Karen Icke Joan Philip & Dave Boyer James & Carol Ruhly Linda & John Schilling Jane & David Villa Additional Support Katie Dowling-Marcus & Ben Marcus Beth & Peter Rahko
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A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
John Nelson Phyllis Nelson Al & Aileen Nettleton Arthur Nicholas Jules & Judy Nicolet Heather Ockler William O’Connor & Krista Roys Gail O’Neal Bonnie Orvick Ann Ostrom Jennifer Parker Pat Parks Allan & Patricia Patek Penny Patterson & Sheila Faulkner Tim & Tammy Peyton Steve & Rita Pieroni Hans & Susan Pigorsch Jerald & Dian Polly Sharon & Ken Poniewaz Sylvia & Thomas Poppelbaum Dave Puchalsky Sandra & Chris Queram Mary & Ken Quinn Peg Rasch & Dave Stute Rick & Sally Raschick Sherry Reames Richard & Donna Reinardy Ed & Mary Lou Reisch Anne & Buck Rhyme Jan Robertson Brian D Rodeck Alexandria Roe Susan Rogers Joyce & David Rolnick David Ronis Sarah Rose Robert & Nancy Rudd Steven & Lennie Saffian Christine J Johnston John & Sarah Schaffer David & JoAnn Schoengold Gary & Barbara Schultz Barb Schuster Patrick & Marlys Semple John & Liz Senseman Dee & George Seyfarth Claire Shaffer Bassam Shakhashiri Virginia A. Shannon V + A Sheldon Karen Sielaff Maureen Skelton Meg Skinner Ted & Ina Smolker Lee Sorenseon
Anne Spurgeon & David Woods Steve Stern & Florencia Mallon Jurate Stewart Mary Stoffel & Rich Novotney Karl Stoll Johanna Streyle Jim Struve Charles & Diane Stumpf Edith Sullivan Laurie Swimm Mindy Taranto & Ken Mericle Richard & Marcia Taugher Barbara Tesch Ann Thering & David Eide James Thomas Don & Joanna Thompson Karen Timberlake Lynn Tolcott Russell & Karen Tomar Rebecca & John Tradewell Carol Trapp Elizabeth Tuttle The Ullrick family Charles Uphoff Peter Uttech Andree Valley Marjorie Van Handel Teri Venker Michael Verveer Jane & Michael Voichick Judith & Skelly Warren Beth Weber & Duane Beckett Ann F. Wenzel Erin Wenzel Hank & Judith Whipple Barbara White Carl White Tripp & Nancy Widder Ann & David Wilson Meg Wise & David Tenenbaum Marcia Wright Paul & Tracy Wrycha Douglas Yanggen Tom & Karen Zilavy Karen & Doug Zweizig Friends ($25 - $99) Anonymous (5) Christine Ahern Rita Applebaum Barbara B. Arnold Heather Arnoldussen Laura Batzer Kelsey Baubie Anne Beal Susan Benjamin
Janine Bessemer Eric Beuerman Jill Bidlingmaier Jan Blakeslee Carole Blemker Judy Bluel Anastasia Bormann Gail M. Brassard Burneatta Bridge Michael Bridgeman Richard Brualdi & Mona Wasow Anna Bruckner Catherine Buege Jim & Stephanie Buske Lisa Byers & John Calderone Carol & John Cantwell Joanne Chalhoub Katherine Charlton Lauren Cnare & Ralph Russo Jim Cory Jane Crandall Sharon Crowson Daniel & Barbara Danahy Ian Davies & Marta Meyers Eve & Carl Degen Meredith Degen Laura J. Deming Susan Dinauer Carole Doeppers Jennifer Draeger Marnie Dresser Sally Drew Nancy Cross Dunham Chris Eckerman & Joe Ripp Jennie M. Ehrmann Ms. Lori Elmer David Falk & Jo Anne Robbins Nancy Feingold & Doug Green Holly Feldman Connie Finnegan & Joe Spolar Janet & Paul Firgens Edith First Peter Fisher & Cyndy Galloway David & Maureen Flanagan Barbara & David Flesch Evelyn Fox Cynthia France Jack & Sandra Frazee Marian Fredal Russell & Suzanne Gardner Janice Gehrke Ed & Sara Gleason Karen Godshall Janice Gratch & Steve Wilensky Tom & Jeri Grogg Kristin Groth & Ed Jepsen
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A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
Lauren & Christopher Gruber Emily Gruenewald Pat Guhleman & Joel Wall Geraldine Gurman Michael Haeft & Martha Schwer Carol Harm Lois Harr Timothy Harrington Jr. Martin & Eileen Harrison Sharon Harrison Ellen Hartenbach Kristine Heimerl & Harry Stein Kathryn Heiser Brian & Annette Hellmer The Helmstadter Family Abbi Hess Nona Hill & Clark Johnson Bill & Sara Lee Hinckley Les & Susan Hoffman Sarah Hole & Eileen Mershart Amy Horst Kirsten Houghton Judy Howard & Amy Scarr Lea A. Hulsey Jean & Steven Huxmann Ann Jablonski Marcia Jablonski Joan Jacobsen & Julie Woodward Doug & Kathy Johnson Stan & Leann Johnson Edward Jordan Donna Kapheim Lois Karn Eileen Kelley Bob & Marita Kelter Suzanne & Steve Kilkus
Rob Kimbro Gregg Kissel & Jean Bae Sarah Klein Mary Klink & Jim Giesen Diane Knauff Kris Knight Alan & Linda Knox Teresa Kobelt Merilyn Kupferberg Ann Lacy Virginia Leavy Donna Leet Joanne & Bob Lenburg Eugenia Lerum Susan S. Lloyd Juli & Rex Loker Anne Lucke Lesleigh Luttrell Patricia Maddox Gordon & Donna Malaise Mary Malaney Dr. Dorothy Anne Marcic Peter & Marjorie Marion Jeanne Marshall Barbara Martin Peg Martin Janet McChesney Laura McGuire Gene & Sondy McLinn Ed Meachen & Francine Tompkins Marylynne Mehl Janet Mertz & Jonathan Kane Gene & Marjorie Miller Richard Miller Susanna & Patrick Mooney Grant Moore
Nikki Muenchow & Chris Jarosh Lisa Monro Fred Nepple Christian Neuhaus Jerry & Amy Nickles Beverly Nilles Amy & Bruce Noble Norman & Darlene Olson Rita Olson Carol Ottenstein Deb & Chris Pape Ellen Paul David Pausch & Karen Saari John Penisten Debi Peters Lauren Peterson Wendy & Lester Proctor Meghan Randolph Mary Rendall Satya Rhodes-Conway Evan & Catherine Richards Phil Richarson H. Robbins Sara Roberts Elaine Rosenblatt Marlene Ross Mary & Kendall Rouse Tom Royston Jane Sadusky Diane Samdahl Lisa Saywell Sarah Schaettle Gary A Scheele Patrick Schley Mary Ellen Schmit Maureen Schuck Sarellen Schuh
IN MEMORY In memory of Dr. Robert Dott George Affeldt
In memory of Bill Owen Kathleen McElroy
In memory of Susann “Suzy” Griffiths Christine Ahern Anna Bruckner Linda Bunger Maija Maki-Laurila Colleen McCabe
In memory of Dan Pierotti Judy Pierotti
In memory of Judith Klehr Scott Thornton Phyllis Lefcowitz
In memory of Patricia Struck Larry Bechler In memory of Louise Uphoff Charles Uphoff
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A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
Richard & Nancy Schultz Christie Schwank Kristine Selk Erica Serlin & Ken Kushner J. Peter Shaw & Pam Nash Judy & Ben Sidran Debra Simon Suzannah Sisler Brittaney Smith Thomas & Sandra Solheim
Bill & Roberta Sonzogni Susan Sprague Anita C. Sprenger & Michael Cain Sylvia Stalker Howard Steinberg & Barbara Andrews Linda Stephens Prudence Stewart David & Luanne Storley
Elaine B. Strassburg Jodi Streicher Sally Strosahl David Sulman & Anne Altshuler Myron & Margaret Talcott Danielle Thai David & Kathy Tiffany Dorothea Torstenson Elizabeth Tuschern Ann Ulatt
IN HONOR In honor of Matt Daniels Laura Baldus Murphy
In honor of Jean Holliday Huxmann Steve Huxmann
In honor of Don & Barb Dinsmore Donalea Dinsmore
In honor of Miranda Jones James & Nancy Youngerman
In honor of Josephine B. Fischer Jane & Duane Miller
In honor of Celia Klehr and the Little Players of Norman, Oklahoma Monica Klehr
In honor of Mike Fischer Susan Haimes In honor of Chuck Ford Carla & Fernando Alvarado In honor of the consistent, enthusiastic, and ongoing support for Forward Theater Co. that Chuck Ford has shown over the years. Hats off, Chuck! Charles Ford In honor of Forward Theater Sally Strosahl In honor of the Forward Theater Staff Rabbi Bonnie Margulis & Rabbi Jonathan Biatch In honor of Forward Theater’s New Play Festival Mary Hampton & Barbara Voelker In honor of Frances R Goldstein Louise Goldstein & Bruce Thomadsen In honor of Kathy Harker Pam Ploetz 28
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In honor of Celia Klehr David Ronis In honor of Diane Kostecke & Nancy Ciezki Gary A Scheele In honor of Julia Nicholas’ Birthday The Helmstadter Family Art Nicholas Bess Nicholas In honor of Kathie Nichols Jenny & Nick White In honor of Julie Swenson Ellen & Tim Bell In honor of Maddie Ullrick The Ullrick family In honor of Louise Joan Backer Uphoff Jo Laird
A N N UA L F U N D
c o n t.
Tom & Sue Ullsvik Peg Unger Jeanne & Bruce Venzke Mary Vilker Betty Volquardsen Randall & Marilyn Wade Kate Walker Lorette Wambach
Joseph Warnemuende Karen Weatherwax Deborah K Weber Peter Weiler Robert L Weiss Joyce Wells Jenny & Nick White Elizabeth Whitesel
Cheryl Wittke Curtis Wittwer Kathryn Wodtke James & Nancy Youngerman Peg & Tom Zanzig Allyn Ziegenhagen Marjorie & Steven Zwickel
M ATC H I N G G I F T O R G A N I Z AT I O N S Alliant Energy Foundation First Weber Realtors IBM US Bank
INTERESTED IN GIVING MONTHLY? You can give in a convenient, ongoing way! STEP 1
Visit forwardtheater.com
STEP 2
Click Support in our banner to begin an online donation
STEP 3
Fill in the amount you’d like to contribute per month in the gift amount section
STEP 4
Then under CHOOSE A FREQUENCY, select “Monthly” Each month, we’ll charge the amount you specify. $8.34/month = $100/year $20.84/month = $250/year $41.67/month = $500/year
Become a FORWARD LEADER $83.34/month = $1,000/year
Your regular support provides a strong foundation we can rely on. THANK YOU! The Niceties
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T H A N K S TO O U R F R I E N D S O F F O R WA R D T H E AT E R VO L U N T E E R S ! Volunteers help Forward Theater by staffing events, helping with mailings and other office support. If you would like more information, please visit our website at Forwardtheater.com or contact Company Manager Celia Klehr at 608-234-5001 2020-2021 Volunteers: Tammy Albrecht Rima Apple Lewis Bosworth Michele Brucker Carla DiIorio Michael DiIorio Dolores Gohdes Paul Gohdes Steve Kilkus Amy Kozak Kathryn Lederhause
Mary Metz Sue Milch Tess Mulrooney Rex Owens Jessica Podemski Barb Sanford Lynda Sharpe Daryl Sherman Dot Steele Cheri Teal Theodora Zehner
Due to the unusual circumstance of producing theater during the time of Covid-19, most of our artists are working from their own homes. We would like to express our deep gratitude to their housemates that have suddenly found their homes have become a rehearsal room, stage and video studio. A huge round of applause goes to: Mel Andrade Melissa Gilliam Steve Gillingham Peter, Jamie, Seeger, and Arden Gray Kelly McGee Hess and William Hess Naheen Henning Trinae Williams Henning Maggie Hofmann Dora and Jesus Madina Barbara Newcomb Manual Twillie Jr. Christian Williams Forward Theater Company is a member of the Madison Arts Production Center (MAPC), which provides high quality, functional, affordable production space, equipment, and theatrical inventory for Madison area artists and arts organizations. For information on rentals and membership options go to ctmtheater.org.
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YOUR DREAMS DESERVE A SUPPORTING CAST Hard work. Determination. Sacrifices. At American Family Insurance, we know what it takes to make your dreams a reality. That’s why we work so hard to protect them. From behind the scenes to center stage, we’ll surround you with support every step of the way. Learn more at amfam.com
American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. 6000 American Parkway, Madison, WI 53783 © 2021 017611 – 1/12
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