proudly presents
Das Barbec端 Book and Lyrics by Jim Luigs Music by Scott Warrender
cast Morgan Briggs...................................................................................................................................... Actor 1 Kristin Lutzeier...................................................................................................................................... Actor 2 Emily Goldberg.................................................................................................................................... Actor 3 Dylan McGill.......................................................................................................................................... Actor 4 Drew Longo........................................................................................................................................... Actor 5 t h e at r e s ta f f Director....................................................................................................................................Micheal A. Kott Artistic Director............................................................................................................................Dante Orfei Managing Director.....................................................................................................Melanie Lamoureux Music Director............................................................................................................................John Warren Choreographer...........................................................................................................................Sarah Bright Scenic Design.........................................................................................................................Michael Nedza Lighting Design...........................................................................................................................Dante Orfei Costume Design...................................................................................................................Lindsay Prerost Multimedia Design..............................................................................................................Micheal A. Kott Stage Manager...................................................................................................................... Keenan Powell House Manager.......................................................................................................................... Anna Garcia Theatre Staff............................... Bryant Arteaga, Antonio Barrios, Jim Horvath, Robert Jadach, Marian Lamoureux, Dolly Orfei, Natalie Stepanek, and Diana Visk band Sharon Knickerbocker...............................................................................................................Keyboard 1 Bobby Dietz...................................................................................................................................Keyboard 2 Ed Stauber................................................................................................................................................ Guitar Ayako Kikuchi.......................................................................................................................................... Violin Brent Roman.................................................................................................................................. Percussion
Das Barbec端 is presented through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. 45 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 Das Barbec端
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musical numbers ACT 1 Ring of Gold in Texas...................................................................................................................................Full Cast Wandrin’ Man Segments................................................................................................................. Wotan, Fricka What I Had In Mind.......................................................................Gutrune, Brünnhilde, Siegfried, Gunther Hog-Tie Your Man....................................................................................................................... The Norn Triplets Makin’ Guacamole!.............................................................................. Milam Lamar, Needa Troutt, Gutrune Rodeo Romeo............................................................................................................................Siegfried, Gutrune County Fair................................................................................................................................................Brünnhilde Public Enemy Number 1............................................................................................. Texas Rangers, Alberich ACT II Little House..............................................................................................................................................Fricka, Freia River of Fire........................................................................................................................................................ Wotan If Not For You.................................................................................................................................. Wotan, Alberich Slide A Little Closer............................................................................................................Siegfried, Brünnhilde Barbecue For Two................................................................................................................ Brünnhilde, Gutrune After the Gold Is Gone............................................................................................................The River Maidens Wanderin’ Man................................................................................................................................Siegfried, Fricka Turn the Tide..................................................................................................................Brünnhilde, Erda, Wotan Fire and Water................................................................................................................................................Full Cast SETTING: The action of the play takes place smack dab in the middle of Texas. There will be one 15-minute intermission. The use of flash photography and video recording devices without the written permission of the management is prohibited. Please remember to silence or turn off your cellular phones and other messaging devices.
f r o m t h e d i r e c to r ’ s c h a i r What do I love about this piece? You don’t have to know opera to get it! (spoken with a drawl). Commissioned by Seattle Opera in 1991 to counteract the heaviness of Wagner’s “Ring,” Das Barbecü played Off Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre in 1994. Like its counterparts in “Der Ring Des Nibelungen,” Das Barbecü tells of lovers Siegfried and Brünnhilde who seek happiness, love and a magical ring of gold. This show is just fun! Growing up in Oklahoma, I was first attracted by the music of Das Barbecü. I get a warm feeling deep inside when I hear a country ballad, and this show has some of the best ever written. One critic described Das Barbecü this way: “Conjure up your basic Texas hootenanny, complete with lassos, long-neck beers and guitars. Marry that image with Wagner’s Ring Cycle in all its melodramatic intensity. These improbable, no impossible, bedfellows come deliriously together in a splendidly giddy musical.” In his notes about the play, Mr. Luigs says: “The creators of West Side Story re-worked Shakespeare’s play (Romeo and Juliet), placing his story in a modern American setting. Scott and I did the same with Das Barbecü. True, our style for the piece is overtly comic, but we weren’t out to comment on Wagner any more than Laurents, Bernstein and Sondheim were out to skewer Shakespeare. Just think Texas!” We have gathered a truly wonderful talented cast to perform for you tonight. I hope that you get as much enjoyment from tonight’s show as I do. Micheal A. Kott Director 2
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
cast profiles Morgan Briggs (Actor 1: Gutrune, Norn, Texas Ranger, Freia, Y-Vonne Duvall, Rivermaiden, Valkyrie, Tambourine Girl) Morgan is happy to be a part of Das Barbecü. Most recently Morgan appeared in Billy Pacholski’s Assassins. Other Chicago credits include: Evita (Harper Theatre Ensemble) and The Apple Tree (Illinois Theatre Center). Regional credits include: Footloose (Theatre West Virginia), High School Musical (Shawnee Summer Theatre), High School Musical (Maples Repertory Theatre) and King Arthur’s Quest (Missoula Children’s Theatre). Morgan graduated with a B.A in Theatre from Illinois State University. Emily Goldberg ( Actor 3: Brünnhilde, Norn, Texas Ranger, Rivermaiden) Chicago native and recent graduate from The Boston Conservatory, is excited to make her JPAC debut! She most recently performed in Oliver at Light Opera Works and in Goldberg Variations: Sondheim to Hammerstein at Davenport’s Piano Bar & Cabaret. Many thanks to her friends, family, and mentors!
in old Western films and Marvel’s Thor comic books helped him to prepare for this enigmatic production. Former credits include Night Watch and A Tale of Two Cities (JPAC), Henry V (Promethean Theatre) and The Sign of the Four (City Lit). You can also see him this May in the upcoming premiere adaptation of A Study in Scarlet with Promethean Theatre Ensemble. Many thanks to his family, Meg, and Kevin for their unending love and support. Kristin Lutzeier (Actor 2: Narrator, Fricka, Erda, Needa Troutt, back-Up Singer, Katsy Snapp, Rivermaiden, Valkyrie) Kristin is excited to return to the JPAC stage for the sixth time in Das Barbecü! Kristin holds a BFA in Musical Theater from the Chicago College of Performing Arts Theater Conservatory and has been performing in and around Chicago since she graduated. Her favorite JPAC roles include Miss Skillon in “See How They Run” and Paulette in “Legally Blonde”. She would like to thank her parents for all their love and support.
Dylan McGill (Actor 4: Wotan, Gunter, Hagen, Texas Ranger, Giant) Dylan is proud to make his debut at JPAC. Dylan earned his B.F.A. in musical theDrew Longo (Actor 5: ater from the Boston ConSiegfried, Norn, Milam servatory, and has made Lamar, Alberich, Giant) Chicago his home before Drew is thrilled to be back in his third show at Jedlic- attending graduate school for Drama. He has ka Performing Arts Center. performed in Ohio, Boston, New York, and ChiHe graduated with a B.F.A. cago among other areas of the country. He spent the past summer in La Comedia Dinner in Drama from New York Theater’s production of Seussical, The Musical. University’s Tisch School Dylan has won numerous Musical Theater of the Arts, and returned to his native Chicagoawards and in other artistic avenues he is a publand area to pursue a career in theater. While not overly familiar with Texas culture or German lished author and sponsored choreographer. He mythological operas, he found that his interests thanks the Koopsens from Kalamazoo!
c r e at i v e s ta f f p r o f i l e s Dante J. Orfei (Artistic Director, Lighting Designer) has been the Artistic Director at the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center for over 25 years. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has produced and directed a travel documentary titled European Sojourn, which aired on PBS. Dante also directed the U.S. Premiere of the musical Metropolis and worked
closely with the show’s creator, Academy and Grammy Award-winner Joseph Brooks on the development of the show. Dante directed the national regional theatre premiere of Brooks’ most recent Broadway show, In My Life. He has studied with Tony Award-winners Harold Prince and Jules Fisher. He directed the Midwest Regional Premiere of the Queen rock musical, Das Barbecü
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We Will Rock You, and has also directed the World Premiere of Nefertiti – The Musical, as well as Premiere Chicago Productions of Little Women, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love, Blood Brothers, Jekyll and Hyde, The Baker’s Wife, and numerous plays by Olivier Award-winning playwright Ray Cooney, including the U.S. Premiere of Cooney’s It Runs in the Family. Dante has directed well over 175 stage productions on the professional, dinner theatre and academic levels. Micheal A. Kott (Director, Multimedia/Sound Designer) has directed numerous plays and musicals both stateside and in Europe, including his critically acclaimed production of Murderer, by Anthony Shaffer. His JPAC directing credits include Doubt, Lilies of the Field and The Boys Next Door. Michael is also a veteran performer at the JPAC having been involved in 18 shows over the last 12 years. Among his favorites are Blood Brothers, Moonlight and Magnolias, Peter Pan, and Tuesdays with Morrie. He is very grateful to Dante Orfei for his friendship, support, encouragement and trust. Micheal played the scene-stealing Psychic in Brain Damaged Film’s 2008 release Secrets of the Clown, available at www.blockbuster. com! Micheal is the founding director of the Green Door Theatre in Garlstedt, West Germany. Currently he is the Artistic Director of Master’s Backstage Players in Carol Stream, Illinois. Micheal was also an ensemble member of Cenacle Theatre in Chicago, where he acted and directed numerous productions. Mike is the multimedia specialist for Morton College by day and at night divides his time among the various theatres in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. He is very thankful to Dr. Felicity Thoet for her guidance and direction. She is a wonderful director and I thank her for her knowledge. John Warren (Music Director) is excited to collaborate on another JPAC production. Previous music directing credits here include It’s A Grand Night for Singing, Sunset Boulevard, and Legally Blonde. No stranger to the JPAC stage, John has performed in both Phantom of the Opera and Man of La Mancha. John is the head of music studies at Morton College, and he is excited to get a chance to work with another wonderful group of musicians in Das Barbecü!! Sarah Bright (Choreographer) is a Chicago based choreographer and performer, and quite pleased to be working with JPAC again. Former 4
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center
productions here include A Grand Night for Singing, The Muckle Man, Grey Gardens, Man of La Mancha, and The Miracle Worker. Other Chicago credits include roles with CityLit Theatre, Light Opera Works, The Artistic Home, The Drama Group, and others. Sarah has also choreographed and performed in Germany in productions of Grease, Annie, California Suite, and Godspell and in England in a production of Proof. Much thanks to the cast of Das Barbecü for their talent and hard work, and to Christopher and Devon for their continued love and support. Michael Nedza (Scenic and Properties Designer/ Technical Director) has been designing throughout the Midwest for over 25years. He has designed over 75 shows here at the JPAC. Some of the designs he is most proud of include, last season’s Sunset Boulevard, Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, In My Life, We Will Rock You, Jekyll and Hyde, and 1776. Michael has been recognized twice with the “Award of Merit” from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Melanie Lamoureux (Theatre Manager) Melanie Lamoureux is thrilled to be joining the JPAC team. She has performed on the JPAC stage many times, most recently as Annie Sullivan in the 2011 production of The Miracle Worker. She is the Artistic Director of BAMtheatre, a youth educational theatre company based in Hinsdale, IL, where she has directed and produced over 20 musicals including Into the Woods, Violet, and Chicago. This year, Melanie will also be teaching in the music department at Fenwick High School. She holds a Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Toronto, and a Masters of Music (Musical Theatre) from the Boston Conservatory. Lindsay Prerost (Costume Designer) is excited to be costuming her fourth show for JPAC; recently costuming Legally Blonde. Lindsay is also the theatre assistant/designer at Downers Grove North High School and has costumed 4 one act plays including Bus Riley’s Back in Town, Relative Strangers, Law and Order Fairytale Unit and A Backwards Fairytale. Lindsay has also designed hair and makeup for many shows including Sunset Boulevard, Grease, Phantom of the Opera and University of Chicago’s Nutcracker Ballet.