JPAC-Grey Gardens

Proudly Presents

Book by Doug Wright Music by Scott Frankel Lyrics by Michael Korie Based on the film Grey Gardens by David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Mayer and Susan Froemke STARRING Mary Nigohosian Mary Hobein Jill Sesso Austin Cook Charles Lane Cowen Tessa Newman Steven Perkins Katelyn Smith Gary Saipe

Directed by Micheal A. Kott

Choreography by Sarah Bright

Music Direction by Adam Gustafson

Scenic & Properties Design by Michael Nedza

Costume Design by Jennifer Ring

Lighting Design by Dante Joseph Orfei

Multimedia Design by Micheal A. Kott

Assistant Music Direction by Rachel Morgan

Produced by Eddie Sugarman

Presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service 440 Park Avenue South - New York, NY Jedlicka Performing Arts Center 1

SET TING Grey Gardens takes place at an estate in East Hampton, New York in July of 1941 and 1973.

MUSICAL NUMBERS Prologue-1973 “The Girl Who Has Everything.............................................................................................. Edith Act One-1941 “The Girl Who Has Everything” ........................................................................................... Edith “The Five-Fifteen”...................................................................Edith, Gould, Jackie, Lee, Brooks “It’s Her”...............................................................................................Edith, Gould, Edie, and Joe “Mother Darling”...............................................................................................Edie, Edith, Gould “Goin’ Places”............................................................................................................... Joe and Edie “Marry Well” ..............................................................Major Bouvier, Brooks, Jackie, Lee, Edie “Hominy Grits”.......................................................................................Edith, Gould, Jackie, Lee “Two Peas in a Pod”................................................................................................Edie and Edith “Drift Away”.......................................................................................................... Gould and Edith “The Five-Fifteen” (Reprise)................................................................................................... Edith “Daddy’s Girl”............................................................................................................... Edie and Joe “The Telegram”............................................................................................................................ Edie “Will You?”.................................................................................................................................... Edith Act Two-1973 “The Revolutionary Costume for Today”............................................................................ Edie “The Cake I Had”........................................................................................................................ Edith “Entering Grey Gardens”............................................................................................... Company “The House We Live In”...............................................................................Edie and Company “Jerry Likes My Corn”.............................................................................................Edith and Edie “Around the World”.................................................................................................................... Edie “Will You?”(Reprise)................................................................................................Edith and Edie “Choose to be Happy”.............................................. Norman Vincent Peale and Company “Around the World” (Reprise)................................................................................................. Edie “Another Winter in a Summer Town”...............................................................Edie and Edith “The Girl Who Has Everything” (Reprise)........................................................Edith and Edie The use of flash photography and video recording devices without the written permission of the management is prohibited.

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CAST Act 1 Edith / Act 2 “Little” Edie...................................................................... Mary Nigohosian Act 2 Edith....................................................................................................................Mary Hobein Act 1 “Little” Edie................................................................................................................ Jill Sesso Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. / Jerry........................................................ Charles Lane Cowen Lee Bouvier..............................................................................................................Tessa Newman Jacqueline “Jackie” Bouvier..................................................................................Katelyn Smith George Gould Strong.................................................................................................Austin Cook J.V. “Major” Bouvier / Norman Vincent Peale........................................................ Gary Saipe Brooks Jr. / Sr............................................................................................................ Steven Perkins 2 Jedlicka Performing Arts Center

CAST PROFILES Mary Nigohosian (Act 1 Edith / Act 2 “Little” Edie) has played other staunch women on the JPAC stage including Giulietta Trapani in Aspects of Love and Elsie in Strangers on a Train. Other sage and sassy roles include Doris (Same Time, Next Year), Mrs. Gibbs (Our Town), Kate (Sylvia), Ellen (Luv), Charlotte (Charlotte’s Web), Sarah (Quilters), Kate/Lili (Kiss Me, Kate), Eliza (My Fair Lady), Amanda (Private Lives) and Aldonza (Man of LaMancha). Mary has worked with many other Chicago area theatres including Urban Theatre Co. (Forever Flamenco), Polarity Ensemble (The Good Harvest), Noble Fool Theatricals (Midlife! The Crisis Musical), Metropolis Performing Arts Center (Sylvia), Emerald City Theatre (Charlotte’s Web) and Porchlight Music Theatre (A Wonderful Life). Thank you, Michael, for the opportunity to bring the complex and colorful women of Grey Gardens to life in this production. Thank you David and Rosalie for your continuing support and encouragement.

Mary Hobein (Act 2 Edith) has appeared with numerous performance organizations throughout the Chicago area, including First Folio Shakespeare Theatre, Stage Right Dinner Theatre, Steel Beam Theatre, Lincoln Square Theatre, Michael Teolis Singers, William Ferris Chorale, and DuPage Opera Theatre. Favorite roles include the Wigmaker in Rashomon, Gianetta in The Gondoliers, Edie Boggs in Too Soon for Daisies, and Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor. She is an ensemble member of The Amazing Women’s History Theatre. She can be heard on CD as the soprano soloist in John Rutter’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria. She has recently added voice over and drama-

turgy to her bag of theatrical tricks. She is pleased to be playing a very real person in her first production at the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center.

Jill Sesso (Act 1 “Little” Edie) is thrilled to be making her Jedlicka PAC debut in a show that she adores. New York credits: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Ruth) with The Gallery Players. Chicago credits: Little Women (Beth) with Circle Theatre, Show Us Your Love (Brooklyn/Sheila) with Bailiwick Chicago, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (u/s for all females) with Noble Fools, The 48 Hour Musicals (Young Isabelle) with The Music Theatre Company.

Regional credits: Fascinatin’ Rhythm (Judy Garland), That’s Amore, Puttin’ On the Ritz, and Welcome to the 60s (female lead) with The New Huntington Theatre. Some other favorite credits include Die Fledermaus (Adele), On The Town (Hildy), Parade (Lola Stover), and Polly Baker (Crazy For You). Jill holds a BFA in musical theatre and is a proud graduate of Penn State University.

Much thanks to God for providing all the time, Eddie and Michael for this amazing opportunity, mom and dad for their never ending belief and support, Glenn for being Glenn, and you for supporting the arts!!!

Charles Lane Cowen (Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. / Jerry) is thrilled to return to the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center where he was recently seen as Sydney Carton in the regional premier of A Tale of Two Cities The Musical. Other Chicago credits include Romeo and Juliet with Two Pence Shakespeare and Never Have I Ever: The Musical with Heckle Her Productions at the Second City. Before coming to Chicago he was Associate Director for the Beechwood Theatre Company in Newport, RI where he acted in and Jedlicka Performing Arts Center 3

C A S T P R O F I L E S ( c o n t .) directed numerous one-act plays including his own adaptation of scenes from Shakespeare as well as improvisational shows. Charles has also worked with such prestigious companies as the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, WV, the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Tutto Theatre in Austin, Texas, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He holds a B.A. in Drama from the University of Dallas where he studied acting, directing, and puppetry.

Tessa Newman (Lee Bouvier) is very happy to return to Jedlicka - she was ‘Little Lucie’ in A Tale of Two Cities last spring. She is ten years old and this is her fifteenth play. Her favorite roles so far have been ‘Fan’ in Christmas Carol at Metropolis, ‘Zuzu’ in Wonderful Life at Theater at the Center, ‘Ramona’ in Ramona Quimby, ‘Annie’ in Annie, ‘Michael’ in Peter Pan and ‘Mrs. Mayor’ in Seussical. Tessa loves to play trumpet and was selected for Honor Band at her school district. Look for Tessa in an upcoming Lunchables print ad! She would like to thank her parents for acting as her chauffeurs, and her brothers Evan and Zack for their encouragement.

Katelyn Smith (Jacqueline “Jackie” Bouvier) is very excited to be back in her second show at JPAC after appearing in The Nutcracker Sings last year. She spent this past summer at Circle Theatre in The Philadelphia Story as Dinah Lord. Other credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Dixie), Gypsy (Baby Louise), Peter Pan (Lost Boy Tootles) and The Wizard of Oz (Munchkin). She has also been in several shows with Circle Theatre’s Youth group. Katelyn was recently inducted into the National Junior 4 Jedlicka Performing Arts Center

Honor Society through her school where she is the Student Council Secretary. Music is a huge part of her life and she is involved with her school and church chorus programs and plays the piano. Sending big hugs and thanks to Micheal, Adam, Eddie, the entire cast and crew and to all the special people in her life for their love, support and encouragement.

Austin Cook (George Gould Strong) Chicago credits include productions with: American Blues Theater, Theo Ubique, Second City, Theatre Building Chicago, Lil’ Buds Theatre, Beverly Theatre Guild and La Costa Theatre. Show credits include: It’s A Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! (composer/pianist), Some Enchanted Evening (music director) Fair and Unbalanced (music director), Little Shop of Horrors, (asst. music director), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (music director), Maps Cafe (co-composer) The Wizard of Oz (music director) 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (music director/co-composer), The Gift of the Magi (music director), The Last Leaf (music director), Favorite regional acting credits include: A Tale of Two Cities (Dr. Manette), A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit). Austin has worked closely with Walt Disney Entertainment’s Guy Petty and Dave Westerkov in productions such as Finding Nemo: The Musical and Toy Story: The Musical.

He wishes to thank Matthew Sitz (manager), friends and family for their continued love and support!

Gary Saipe (J.V. “Major” Bouvier / Norman Vincent Peale) is delighted to be returning to the stage of the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center, where he has previously

C A S T P R O F I L E S ( c o n t .) appeared as Mickey Fox in Forty-Five Seconds from Broadway, as Victor Fleming in Moonlight and Magnolias, and as Dad in Leaving Iowa. He has performed with numerous other theatre companies throughout the Chicago area, including Pegasus Players where he appeared in Broadway Bound (After Dark Award winner and Jeff Citation nominee), Bailiwick Repertory, The Profiles Performance Ensemble, Congo Square Theatre, Premiere Theatre and Performance, Stage Two Theatre, Tinfish Theatre, Mary Archie Theatre, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre and Element Theatre Company. Gary is the author of the play The Point Man and appeared in its world premiere at Stage Two Theatre.

For many years, Gary was one of the writers of, and a featured performer in, The Chicago Bar Association’s annual “Christmas Spirits” show, a nationallyrenowned musical political spoof. Gary and his wife, Tarryl, are the proud parents of Josh, Lara and Noah.

Steven Perkins (Brooks Jr. / Sr.) is thrilled to return to JPAC after appearing in Hairspray earlier this season! Previously he has been seen in Grease as Roger, Jesus Christ Superstar as Pilate and Godspell as Jesus. He would like to thank everyone for their support.

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 Awardwinner 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, 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 6 Jedlicka Performing Arts Center

well over 125 stage productions on the professional, dinner theatre and academic levels.

Micheal A. Kott (Director / Multimedia Design) is a veteran performer at the JPAC having been involved in countless shows over the last 12 years. Among his favorites are Blood Brothers, Moonlight & Magnolias, Peter Pan, and Tuesdays with Morrie. Micheal directed last season’s production of The Boys Next Door as well as this season’s The Muckle Man. He is very grateful to Dante Orfei for his friendship, support, encouragement and trust. 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. His directing credits include the critically acclaimed production of Murderer, by Anthony Shaffer. He can be seen in Brain Damaged Film’s 2008 release: Secrets Of The Clown. Mike is the multimedia specialist for Morton

C R E AT I V E S TA F F P R O F I L E S ( c o n t .)

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 he thanks her for her knowledge.

Michael Nedza (Scenic & Properties Designer / Technical Director) has been designing throughout the Midwest for over 20 years. He has designed over 50 shows here at the JPAC. His favorites include Tommy, In My Life, We Will Rock You, Jekyll and Hyde, Two into One, Joseph…, Me and My Girl, and 1776.

Michael is a Theatre Arts faculty member here at Morton College. Previously, Michael was the Technical Director at Moraine Valley College. While there he was recognized with the “Award of Merit” from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for his set designs of The Middle Ages (2001) and Picasso at the Lapine Agile (2006).

Adam Gustafson (Music Director) is the music instructor at Morton College.

He holds a Master’s degree in music composition from Roosevelt University and is completing his PhD in Interdisciplinary Arts from Ohio University.

Prior to joining Morton College, he was the director of information services at OPERA America, the national service organization for opera.

Rachel Morgan (Assistant Music Director) Rachel Morgan is a graduate of Wayland University in Plainview, Texas, where she received her Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance and Theater. Her composition/direction credits include The Burning, a full-length multi-media piece, The Tale of the Dragonberries, a children’s opera to be performed by children, and the pinhead music for The Elephant Man. She also enjoys writing for the theater, choreographing, and performing. Rachel is more than thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the JPAC on one of her favorite musicals. She wishes to thank her alma mater, her parents, and her husband, Jordy Williams.

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C R E AT I V E S TA F F P R O F I L E S ( c o n t .)

Sarah Bright (Choreographer) played the part of ‘Marina’ in JPAC’s recent production of The Muckle Man. Other Chicago credits include roles with The Artistic Home, Light Opera Works, Metropolis Performing Arts Center, The Drama Group, and Village Players. Before moving to Chicago, she performed in English productions of California Suite (Hannah), Annie (Grace Farrell), Godspell (Joanne), and Grease (Rizzo) in Germany. Other favorite roles include Violet in Violet, Yonah in Children of Eden, and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sarah recently finished performing in City Lit’s production of The Wind in the Willows.

Jennifer Ring (Costume Designer) has been enjoying a life in the theatre for over 20 years now. Since earning her degree from The University of Southern California she has worked in Los Angeles, Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Some of her other costume credits include JPAC’s production of The Muckle Man, Lysistrata at ECC, Les Liaisons Dangerouses, The Crucible and The Desk Set for the Albright Theatre Com-

pany in Batavia. She thanks Mr. Kott and the staff of JPAC for the opportunity to work on this production. Thank you and enjoy the show.

Eddie Sugarman (Producer) is Morton College’s Theatre Manager and Managing Director of the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Musical Theatre and went on to perform in regional theatre and in NYC for about a decade. Eddie appeared on Broadway in the original cast of the Tony award-winning musical Ragtime.

As a writer, his musical Meet John Doe has been produced across the country and its premiere at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. won two Helen Hayes Awards. Eddie has also won the Jonathan Larson Award, the ASCAPlus award and a grant from the National Alliance for Musical Theatre as well as having had the honor of serving on the Musical Theatre Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Western Springs with his wonderful wife Kara and his beautiful, crazy kids Sam and Lucy.

T H E AT R E S TA F F Technical Crew.................................................................................................. Arthur Stepenak,

Martin Vanegas, Karl Ziegler Office Staff........................................................................................................................ Diana Visk Ushers/Concessions................................................................ .Bob Jadach, Margie McGowe

Photo: Milwaukee Rep

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