Madstone_A Christmas Story_11-12

Book by JOSEPH ROBINETTE Music & Lyrics by BENJ PASEK & JUSTIN PAUL Choreographed by WARREN CARLYLE Directed by JOHN RANDO

DEC 14-30, 2011

Visit Footlights.com for more information

1

Don’t miss A Holiday Fantasea, now through Jan. 2

rm On Earth fo

illions of y

ears.

e only. mited tim li a r fo m quariu At Shedd A

P R E M I E R CO R P O R AT E PA RT N E R S

2

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

{con tents

}

{staff

}

Steve Presi Marcus dent /Pub lishe Chic Volum r M a J anu ary/F e 18, Issu go V att Thiel e ice P ebru e3 resid ary 2 ent 012 Tracy Chica go’s Direc Frank SE Perfo tor o rming E A SHOW f Ope !

Arts ratio Abbe Guid ns e y M o G o r r pg. 4 e a p h A CH Socia ic Desig RISTM n AS Phot l Media G er/ THE M STORY ogra pher uru/ USIC AL! C a itli pg. 11 Lead n Full er Prog DININ ram G&N Desig Sara IGHT ner h Sa LIFE llm Lead pg. 3 Grap ann Publi 0 hic D shed esign Inc. T by Marc Geor er ge C us Pr he co P w o n r moti i o k tent d in th li n u sk ction o of an is pu Spec i y a ns, bli s ialist write ol el y on cation is rticl e E r i c the r an T bas Prod a ylor refl e d does n opinion o ed uctio ct th ot ne f its Prom n Ass e c istan staff. otions, In opinion o essaril y K t a rin M c., Fo f Mar The c a o c e r t u A c n li s ccou us ghts, ter p is at nting rogra or its the s perfo mc ol e rm Kell y omis ing arts discretio ontent sio gro no Acco Locke their ns, or inc up. Any f the untin error onsis respo g Ass s, ten ns comm istan Chris ents ibility. Inq cies are t shou Mana Stravinsk ld be uiries or i ging di Edito Sharrow acco rected r rding Myrn l y. a Mana Petlicki (Chic ging Edit o a go Editi r on) Sher r Robin y Brisch Mich Krakaue e r Barb ll e Vande a Milw ra Kluth nhouten a Sal e ukee Adv s ertis ing Will M .

Debb McAulif fe Chic ie Best a go A Sal e dver s tising Kim H Cour odges t Madi ne y Neck s Sal e on Adver ar s tising Gary Site Wong Serv ices

CHICAGO • MILWAUKEE • MADISON 888-376-3700 • fax 262-782-9797 Visit Footlights.com for more information

3

Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.

Photo taken by Footlights Photographer Abbey Moore

PERFORMING ARTS GUIDE

see a show! scan this QR code with your smart phone or go to www.Footlights.com and find the events page.

4

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

THE JACKIE WILSON STORY Black Ensemble Theatre Musical brings new insights into the complicated life of Jackie Wilson, one of the world’s greatest entertainers and singers.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET Apollo Theater A twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together in 1956 for an unforgettable jam session.

Playwright Jon Steinhagen

Author Ralph Ellison

Ongoing Black Ensemble Theatre 773-769-4451

Ongoing Apollo Theater 773-935-6100

THE CARETAKER Writers’ Theatre An unlikely trio desperately try to connect but always miss the mark.

Through March 25 Vernon Avenue Theater 847-242-6000

MR. RICKEY CALLS A MEETING Lookingglass Theatre Company It’s 1947 and Jackie Robinson is about to break the color-barrier as the Major League’s first black ballplayer.

THE CHICAGO SKETCH COMEDY FESTIVAL Stage 773 Eleventh annual Sketchfest promises eight days of performances, jampacked with funny.

BLIZZARD ‘67 Chicago Dramatists A carpool of confident businessmen evolve into cowards and criminals during Chicago’s worst snowstorm.

Jan. 4-Feb.19 Lookingglass Theatre 312-337-0665

INVISIBLE MAN Court Theatre Classic story of a young African American’s search for his identity blazes with luminous theatricality and truth.

A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING Jedlicka Performing Arts Center Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most glorious songs all in one beautiful production.

Jan. 12-Feb. 19 Court Theatre 773-753-4472

Jan. 5-15 Stage 773 773-327-5252

Jan. 5-Feb. 12 Chicago Dramatists 312-633-0630

Jan. 13-28 Jedlicka Performing Arts Center 708-656-1800

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE Big Noise Theatre Company A free-spirited neighbor shows a blind young man a world beyond his experience.

Jan. 13-Feb. 5 Prairie Lakes Theatre 847-604-0275

NANCY DREW AND THE SIGN OF THE TWISTED CANDLE The Theatre School at DePaul University Nancy must search every corner of a spooky mansion to solve the mystery of a disappearing fortune.

Jan. 14-Feb. 28 Merle Reskin Theatre 312-922-1999

Find the ticket links for every show on Footlights.com

Tickets

5

6

CONCERT III: THE JOURNEY, THE DREAM Chicago Sinfonietta Music director Mei-Ann Chen continues Maestro Freeman’s cherished annual tradition of paying tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan. 15-16 Wentz Concert Hall and Symphony Center 312-236-3681

ENRON TimeLine Theatre Company One of the most infamous scandals in financial history becomes a dynamic new theatrical event.

Jan. 17-April 15 TimeLine Theatre 773-281-8463

GLORIOUS! THE CURIOUS SAVAGE Racine Theatre Guild True story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the “Diva of Din.” Endearing social misfits vs. greedy stepchildren.

BACHELORETTE Profiles Theatre Ten years after high school, three unhappy friends show up for a not-quite-invited bachelorette celebration.

HESPERIA Writers’ Theatre An honest exploration of the complicated topics of love, sexuality and religion.

Jan. 20-Feb. 5; March 2-18 Racine Theatre Guild 262-633-4218

THE BLUEST EYE Northwestern University The powerful and poignant tale of the struggle to understand and embrace our own identities, adapted from Toni Morrison’s acclaimed debut novel.

Jan. 27-Feb. 5 Josephine Louis Theater 847-491-7282

A LIE OF THE MIND The Theatre School at DePaul University When abuse tears their marriage apart, a couple struggles to find their separate ways in the West.

Feb. 1-12 Merle Reskin Theatre 312-922-1999

UNNECESSARY FARCE First Folio Theatre Doors slamming, clothes flying and bagpipes bleating add to the hilarious mayhem in this bawdy comedy.

THE FOREIGNER Provision Theater A group of devious characters deal with a stranger who they think knows no English in this comedy classic.

Feb. 1-March 4 Mayslake Peabody Estate 630-986-8067

WADE IN THE WATER: SPIRITUALS Chicago a cappella An inspiring and jubilant new concert celebrating the power of the spiritual.

Feb. 3-12 Four venues 773-281-7820

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

Jan. 20-March 11 Profiles Theatre 773-549-1815

Jan. 24-March 18 Tudor Court 847-242-6000

Feb. 1-March 18 Provision Theater 866-811-4111

HUNGER Lifeline Theatre A Russian botanist must protect a cache of valuable seeds during the 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad.

Feb.3-March 25 Lifeline Theatre 773-761-4477

DATING WALTER DANTE Raven Theatre His first wife may not have died accidentally. His second wife is missing. Why is Laura dating Dante?

Feb. 7-March 24 Raven Theatre 773-338-2177

VENUS The Theatre School at DePaul University In 1810, Sarah Baartman leaves her African home in search of respect, love and streets paved with gold.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE Loyola University Chicago “Some rise by sin and some by virtue fall” in Shakespeare’s comedy of ethics, sexuality and deception.

Feb. 8-19 Greenhouse Theater Center 312-922-1999

SPRING AWAKENING Northwestern University Celebration of youth and selfdiscovery features “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade” (Entertainment Weekly).

Feb. 9-19 Mullady Theatre 773-508-3847

Feb. 10-26 Ethel M. Barber Theater 847-491-7282

Order Mouthwatering Gifts 100% SatiSfactiOn Guaranteed giant strawberries | #1 seller | over 20 million berries dipped

hand-

ber dipped from r i e s $

19 99

Save 20%

*

www.berries.com/tempting or call 1-888-590-2131

Discount may not be combined with additional offers. Good only on items over $29.99.

Expires: 12/31/11 *Discounts do not apply to gift cards or certificates, same-day delivery, shipping and handling, taxes or third-party hosted products (e.g. wine). Discounts will appear upon checkout and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.

Find the ticket links for every show on Footlights.com

Tickets

7

8

SUPERIOR DONUTS Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. Tracy Letts’ heartwarming comedic tale of an unlikely friendship in a diverse Chicago neighborhood.

Feb. 14-March 25 Angel Island 773-871-0442

CONCERT #3 Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra Program features Gershwin’s “Cuban Overture” and other Spanishthemed selections.

Feb. 19 North Shore Center for the Performing Arts 847-673-6300

A CATERED AFFAIR Porchlight Music Theatre A couple must decide whether to spend their life savings on the family business or give their only daughter a lavish wedding.

WINTER CONCERT North Shore Concert Band Concert features the world premiere of a new work based on the hymn, “Lobe den Herren.”

Feb. 18-April 1 Stage 773 773-327-5252

Feb. 19 Pick-Staiger Concert Hall 847-432-2263

THE PETRIFIED FOREST Strawdog Theatre Company A roadside hostage drama shows the rewards and consequences of taking action during a time of desperation.

THE NORTH PLAN Theater Wit What would ordinary Americans do if the United States government fell into tyranny?

Feb. 23-March 31 Strawdog Theatre 773-528-9696

ORNITHOLOGY: THE MUSIC OF CHARLIE “BIRD” PARKER The Chicago Jazz Ensemble Saxophonist Miguel Zenon and a string ensemble join Chicago Jazz to celebrate the legendary musician.

SEE HOW THEY RUN Jedlicka Performing Arts Center This farce is chock full of mistaken identities, vicars and, of course, plenty of slamming doors.

Feb. 24 Harris Theater for Music and Dance 312-334-7777

SPRING CONCERT SERIES Loyola University Chicago Orchestra, University Chorus, Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band perform.

Feb. 27-March 1 Mundelein Center 773-508-3847

THE PRICE Raven Theatre Two long estranged brothers must sort through their deceased parents’ belongings.

Feb. 28-April 14 Raven Theatre 773-338-2177

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

Feb. 23-April 1 Theater Wit 773-975-8150

Feb. 24-March 10 Jedlicka Performing Arts Center 708-656-1800

© Gadi Dagon.

THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN DePaul Opera Theatre This imaginative opera, sung in English, brings the pastoral rhythms of the forest to life with a touching tale of a street-smart female fox.

March 9-11 Merle Reskin Theatre 312-922-1999

THE GONDOLIERS University of Chicago Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company and the University’s Chamber Orchestra perform a tale of class distinctions, mixed identity and love,

March 9-11 Mandel Hall 773-702-9075

AUDITORIUM THEATRE 4 EASY WAYSTheatre Auditorium TO PURCHASE Experience TICKETS the best in music and dance.PHONE:

2011-2012 Season Auditorium Theatre 800-982-ARTS

800.982.ARTS (2787) ONLINE:

Ticketmaster.com BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY

BOX OFFICE:

50 E. Congress Pkwy

Larry’s Listening

TOO HOT TO HANDEL: THE JAZZ GOSPEL MESSIAH January 14 & 15, 2012

BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY

SUBSCRIPTIONS & GROUPS 10+:

312.431.2357 FOLLOW US ON

March 17 & 18, 2012

Lawrence Bommer wants to know what YOU think about ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE theater — and so do we!

THEATER auditoriumtheatre.org AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE GISELLE March 22 – 25, 2012

April 11 – 15, 2012

www.footlights.com/ chicago/blog

Find the ticket links for every show on Footlights.com

Tickets

9

MANILOW FEBRUARY 2, 3 & 4

Tickets available at The Chicago Theatre Box OfďŹ ce, Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone 800-745-3000. thechicagotheatre.com manilow.com livenation.com Barry Manilow is a registered trademark of Hastings, Clayton and Tucker, Inc. All rights reserved.

GERALD GOEHRING ROY MILLER MICHAEL F. MITRI PAT FLICKER ADDISS PETER BILLINGSLEY MARIANO TOLENTINO LOUISE H. BEARD MICHAEL FILERMAN SCOTT HART TIMOTHY LACZYNSKI BARTNER/JENKINS ENTERTAINMENT ANGELA MILONAS BRADFORD W. SMITH PRESENT

Book by

Music & Lyrics by

JOSEPH ROBINETTE

BENJ PASEK and JUSTIN PAUL

Based upon the motion picture “A Christmas Story” © 1983 Turner Entertainment Co., distributed by Warner Bros., written by

JEAN SHEPHERD, LEIGH BROWN and BOB CLARK and upon “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” written by

JEAN SHEPHERD Starring

JOHN BOLTON

GENE WEYGANDT

CLARKE HALLUM

with

RACHEL BAY JONES

JOHN FRANCIS BABBO JONATHAN BURKE ANDREW CRISTI SALLY ELTING NICK GASWIRTH NICHOLAS DANIEL GONZALEZ CASEY GORAB DREA GORDON LESLIE HENSTOCK CARL KIMBROUGH MATTHEW LEWIS SEAN McKNIGHT MARA NEWBERY LYN PHILISTINE CHARLIE PLUMMER ALEX PUETTE JOHNNY RABE KAYLA REA J.D. RODRIGUEZ EMILY RUDOLPH JAKE BENNETT SIEGFRIED MARGUERITE WILLBANKS GEORGE ANDREW WOLFF KIRSTEN WYATT and

ADAM PELTY as Santa Set Design

Costume Design

WALT SPANGLER

TOM WATSON

Music Coordinator

General Management

TALITHA FEHR

ALCHEMY PRODUCTION GROUP CARL PASBJERG & FRANK SCARDINO Orchestrations

LARRY BLANK

HOWELL BINKLEY

Hair and Wig Design

JAMES GRAY

JUSTIN PAUL

Lighting Design

ELIZABETH HOPE CLANCY

Associate Choreographer Vocal Arrangements

KAREN MASON as Miss Shields

National Press Representative

KEITH SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES

Marketing

CURIO PRODUCTIONS

Music Direction and Supervision

IAN EISENDRATH

KEN TRAVIS

Casting

STEPHANIE KLAPPER, CSA

Production Stage Manager

TRIPP PHILLIPS

Sound Design

Technical Supervisor

FRED GALLO

Associate Producers

DANCAP PRODUCTIONS, INC. JEFFREY JACKSON RIC ZIVIC Dance Music Arrangements

GLEN KELLY

Choreographed by

WARREN CARLYLE Directed by

JOHN RANDO M A G G I E S E IWorld D E LPremiere produced by Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Eric Rosen, Artistic Director, Jerry Genochio, Producing Director; Cynthia Rider, Managing Director maggie@madstoneproductions.com Subsequently produced by The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington, David Armstrong, Executive Producer and Artistic Director, p 212.712.2700 Bernadine C. Griffin, Managing Director and Bill Berry, Producing Director c 917.843.8436 www.madstoneproductions.com

[ SPONSOR LOGOS ]

front

Visit Footlights.com for more information

11

C A S T O F C H A R AC T E R S ( i n

or der of appe ar ance)

Jean Shepherd...................................................................................................GENE WEYGANDT Foley Artist............................................................................................................. NICK GASWIRTH Ralphie.................................................................................................................. CLARKE HALLUM Mother..............................................................................................................RACHEL BAY JONES Randy..................................................................................................................... MATTHEW LEWIS The Old Man............................................................................................................. JOHN BOLTON Schwartz...............................................................................................JAKE BENNETT SIEGFRIED Flick..............................................................................................NICHOLAS DANIEL GONZALEZ Esther Jane...............................................................................................................DREA GORDON Mary Beth.................................................................................................................. CASEY GORAB Scut Farkus......................................................................................................CHARLIE PLUMMER Grover Dill..................................................................................................JOHN FRANCIS BABBO Other Children........................................SALLY ELTING, JOHNNY RABE, EMILY RUDOLPH Miss Shields............................................................................................................. KAREN MASON Fantasy Villain............................................................................................................. ALEX PUETTE Delivery Men........................................................................JONATHAN BURKE, ALEX PUETTE Policeman...........................................................................................GEORGE ANDREW WOLFF Fireman.............................................................................................................. JONATHAN BURKE Doctor............................................................................................................................ ADAM PELTY Nurse.........................................................................................................................KIRSTEN WYATT Flick’s Mother......................................................................................MARGUERITE WILLBANKS Santa Claus.................................................................................................................. ADAM PELTY Chief Elves............................................................................ ANDREW CRISTI, KIRSTEN WYATT Insistent Boy..............................................................................................................JOHNNY RABE Little Nancy.................................................................................................................SALLY ELTING Goggles Kid...............................................................................................JOHN FRANCIS BABBO Waiter.......................................................................................................................ANDREW CRISTI Waitress.................................................................................................................. EMILY RUDOLPH Neighbors, Shoppers, Parents, Students, Townspeople, Elves and Others............................................................. JONATHAN BURKE, ANDREW CRISTI, NICK GASWIRTH, LESLIE HENSTOCK, KAREN MASON, ADAM PELTY, LYN PHILISTINE, ALEX PUETTE, MARGUERITE WILLBANKS, GEORGE ANDREW WOLFF, KIRSTEN WYATT UNDERSTUDIES and SWINGS Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the appearance.

For Ralphie Parker: Carl Kimbrough; The Old Man: Adam Pelty; Jean Shepherd: George Andrew Wolff; Mother: Leslie Henstock; Randy: John Francis Babbo; Miss Shields: Marguerite Willbanks; Santa Claus: George Andrew Wolff Swings.................................................................................SEAN McKNIGHT, MARA NEWBERY Child Swings.......................................... CARL KIMBROUGH, KAYLA REA, J.D. RODRIGUEZ STAGE MANAGEMENT Production Stage Manager................................................................................TRIPP PHILLIPS Stage Manager.......................................................................................................... AMY GORNET Assistant Stage Manager........................................................................... JASON HINDELANG DANCE CAPTAINS Dance Captain..................................................................................................... SEAN McKNIGHT Assistant Dance Captain.................................................................................. MARA NEWBERY

12

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

SCENES & MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT I Overture............................................................................................................................... Orchestra Prologue: A Radio Studio at Station WOR, New York City – December 24, 1975 Scene 1: The Parker Family House and Yard – December 1, 1940 “Counting Down to Christmas”...................................................... Ralphie and the Parkers Scene 2: Higbee’s Department Store Window – Soon Afterward “At Higbee’s”..................................................................................................................... Company “Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun”............................................................Ralphie and Jean “Counting Down to Christmas” (Reprise)....................................... Ralphie and Company Scene 3: The Parker Family House and a Small Portion of the Outside Yard – The Next Day “The Genius on Cleveland Street”........................................................................The Old Man Scene 4: A Path Leading to School – Soon Afterward “When You’re a Wimp”.....................................................Ralphie, Schwartz, Flick, and Kids Scene 5: The Classroom – A Few Minutes Later “Ralphie to the Rescue!”......................................................................... Ralphie, Miss Shields, The Old Man, Mother, Randy and Company Scene 6: The Parker House – A Week Later “What a Mother Does”.........................................................................................................Mother Scene 7: The Schoolyard / Classroom – The Next Day “A Sticky Situation”.....................................................................Raphie, Flick, Schwartz, Kids, Policeman, Fireman, Doctor, Nurse, Flick’s Mother and Miss Shields Scene 8: The Parker House – Late Afternoon That Day “A Major Award”...............................................The Old Man, Mother, Neighbors and Kids Scene 9: Outside, the Car Parked in Front of the Parker House – Evening, December 13 “Counting Down to Christmas” (Reprise).............................................................The Parkers Scene 10: On the Road – Immediately Following “Act I Finale”....................................................................................................................... Company

Visit Footlights.com for more information

13

SCENES & MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT II Entr’Acte.............................................................................................................................. Orchestra Scene 1: The Parker House – Later That Night “He’s Blind”.........................................................................The Old Man, Mother and Ralphie Scene 2: A Path on the Way to School – The Next Morning Scene 3: The Classroom – A Few Minutes Later “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!”................................................................. Miss Shields and Kids Scene 4: The Schoolyard – Immediately Following “When You’re a Wimp” (Reprise)........................................................................................... Kids Scene 5: The Parker House – A Few Minutes Later “Just Like That”.......................................................................................................................Mother Scene 6: Santa’s Station at Higbee’s – Christmas Eve “Up on Santa’s Lap”.......................................Santa Claus, Elves, Kids, Ralphie and Randy Scene 7: The Parker House – Christmas Eve “Before the Old Man Comes Home”......................................................................The Parkers Scene 8: The Boys’ Bedroom – A Half Hour or So Later “Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana”..........................................Ralphie, Randy and Kids Scene 9: The Parker House – Christmas Morning “Christmas Morning”....................................................................................................The Parkers “Ralphie to the Rescue” (Reprise)...................................................... Ralphie and Company Scene 10: A Chinese Restaurant – Immediately Following Scene 11: The Parker House – Soon Afterward “A Christmas Story”.......................................................................The Parkers and Company

14

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

ORCHESTR A Traveling Musicians: Conductor – CYNTHIA KORTMAN WESTPHAL Associate Conductor/Keyboard I – LOGAN MEDLAND; Reed I – MICHEL GOHLER; Trumpet I – JIM KEEN; Drums – TAURUS LOVELY; Music Coordinator –TALITHA FEHR, TL Music International Chicago Musicians: Reed II – PAUL MCGINLEY; Reed III – JIM GAILLORETO; Reed IV – PETER BRUSEN; Reed V – BOB BARRIS; Trumpet II – CAREY DEADMAN; Trombone I – MICHAEL JOYCE; Trombone II – DAN JOHNSON; Trombone III – TOM MATTA; Harp – MARCIA LABELLA; String Bass – TOM MENDEL; Keyboard II – CHRIS SARGENT; Percussion – JEFF HANDLEY; Local Contractor – Services All Music/TIM BURKE Music Preparation DONALD OLIVER & PAUL HOLDERBAUM / Chelsea Music Service, Inc. The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited.

Please turn off your cell phones and pagers prior to the beginning of the performance. flowers | plants | centerpieces | gift baskets | gourmet gifts

Looking for a Holiday Gift that will really impress?

SPecial OFFer : 20%* off Any qualifying gift* from

Hurry! Order rigHt nOw and take 20%* off

Visit ProFlowers.com/Heart or call 888-682-8594 *Minimum product purchase of $29.99. Does not apply to gift cards or certificates, same-day or international delivery, shipping & handling, taxes, or third-party hosted products (e.g. wine). Discount will appear upon checkout and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Offer expires 12/31/2011.

Join over 12 Million People Who Have Found a Better Way to Send Flowers

Visit Footlights.com for more information

15

WHO’S WHO JOHN BOLTON (The Old Man). Mr. Bolton originated the role of Grady in Broadway’s Curtains. He was in the original Broadway companies of Monty Python’s Spamalot, Contact and Titanic, all three of which won the Tony for Best Musical, and in the hit revivals of How to Succeed... and Damn Yankees. He recently played George in Same Time, Next Year and Harold Hill in The Music Man. TV: “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Good Wife,” “Gossip Girl,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Ed,” “Heart and Soul,” “All My Children,” “As the World Turns,” “Guiding Light,” “The Late Show.”

GENE WEYGANDT (Jean Shepherd). Mr. Weygandt is perhaps best known as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked on Broadway and in Chicago, as well as two other recent Stephen Schwartz shows: Working and Snapshots. Also on Broadway, Mr. Weygandt originated the role of Paul in Big: The Musical. He is a three-time recipient of Chicago’s prestigious Joseph Jefferson “Best Actor in a Musical” Award. Film: The Birdcage, The Babe, and The Pager.

Television: “Home Improvement,” “Cybill,” “Murphy Brown,” “Drew Carey,” “Ellen,” “Coach,” “U.S.A. High,” “University Hospital,” “The Beast,” and “Oh, Baby.” He’s also a voice-over actor you’ve likely heard hundreds of times.

CLARKE HALLUM (Ralphie). Clarke is grateful to be returning to A Christmas Story, the Musical! to be a part of this fantastic production.

It was an amazing experience to play “Ralphie” last year at the 5th Avenue Theatre and to be in the cast recording! Past productions include The Secret Garden, Willy Wonka and Beauty and the Beast.

Thanks to Richard Liedle, Jacob Rodvelt-Gamlieli, Nancy Carson, Troy Fisher and my Capital Playhouse family. Special thanks to all my family who are on the road with me.

16

RACHEL BAY JONES (Mother). Broadway: Women on the Verge (standby/performed Lucia); Hair (Mother, Buddhadalirama); Meet Me in St. Louis (Lucille).

Tours: Grand Hotel (Trude); Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel); Rent (Berlin Company; German language version). Off-Broadway: The Actress in Hello Again (Drama League honor, Transport Group); Boys from Syracuse (Encores!). Regional: Sylvia (title role) at Berkshire Theatre Festival; Anna, opposite Lou Diamond Phillips, in King and I; Urinetown (Penelope Pennywise Carbonell Award); Johnny Guitar (Vienna); English and Spanish language versions of Evita (Eva); and others.

JOHN FRANCIS BABBO (Grover Dill, Randy understudy). A Chicago native, John’s previous credits include: A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim) at the Goodman, Sweeney Todd (Ensemble, u/s Tobias) at Drury Lane, Night and Day (Alastair) with Remy Bumppo and Medea (Son) at the Merle Reskin. John is in 5th grade, plays travel soccer, and studies piano and violin.

JONATHAN BURKE (Delivery Man, Fireman, Ensemble). OffBroadway: Urban Stages: Langston in Harlem (Junior Addict).

Tours: Cats (Mungojerrie). Regional favorites: Hangar Theatre: Rent (Angel); Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: Hairspray (Seaweed); Baltimore Centerstage: The Wiz. Commercials: Daffy’s & BabyBel Cheese. BFA, Ithaca College. Thanks to God, family, John, Warren, Ian, James, DDO, & DAH! I love Christmas!

ANDREW CRISTI (Chief Elf, Waiter, Ensemble).

Off-Broadway/Cast Album: Jake in Freckleface Strawberry (New World Stages).

Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merry-Go-Round, Gateway, Fireside. Industrial/voiceover: Pricewaterhouse Coopers, TD Bank. BFA: NYU/ Tisch (CAP21). Special thanks to Karen H. and the entire ACS team. For Mom, Dad and my favorite aunts! www.andrewcristi.com

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

WHO’S WHO SALLY ELTING (Little Nancy, Ensemble). Sally has done TV commercials since she was three. She was Peter Pan in Neverland with The Entertainment Project.

Her film work includes two independent movies and Superman, Man of Steel. She attends Queen of Angels School in Chicago where she lives with her family and beloved dog, Lollipop.

NICK GASWIRTH (Foley Artist, Ensemble). NY/ Regional: Yeast Nation (FringeNYC), James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed), Minnie’s Boys and Knickerbocker Holiday (York Theatre), The Full Monty (Westchester Broadway), Candide and A Year With Frog and Toad (Arden Theatre Co). BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). Proud member AEA. Love you, Pants.

NICHOLAS DANIEL GONZALEZ (Flick).

Credits include Oliver!

(Charlie Bates, Children’s Dance Captain), Gallery Players; Sesame Street (Kid: “Word on the Street”). Television: PSA: “Anti Bullying” (Middle School Student), short film. He would like to thank his amazing family and friends and his manager and agents!

Nicholas is a proud member of Actors Equity.

It’s a sticky situation!

CASEY GORAB (Mary Beth). Casey is thrilled to be making her national stage debut!

Theater: Gypsy (Baby Louise), Annie (Annie), The Music Man (Gracie Shinn), The Sound of Music (Gretl).

Performed with the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, Christmas 2010. Thanks and love to Mom, Dad, Ryan, family, friends, Mista C., Ray, Bobbie and Deb/The Entertainment Group.

DREA GORDON (Esther Jane). Drea (14) is ecstatic to be part of this wonderful tour!

Credits: A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Joseph..., Whistle Down the Wind (5th Avenue), The Music Man (Seattle Symphony). Thanks to the 5th, Ian, Benj, Justin, Jeannette, Kat, Mo, and The Northwest School for your support. Love to my family.

LESLIE HENSTOCK (Ensemble, Mother understudy). A Michigan native, Leslie holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. OffBroadway: Frankenstein (Original Cast Recording). Tours: The Light in the Piazza (Clara u/s), Les Miserables (Cosette). Regional: Maria in The Sound of Music, Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof.

TV: HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” Founding member of the cabaret group, People You May Know. www.lesliehenstock.com.

CARL KIMBROUGH (Swing, Ralphie understudy). Credits include Saint-Ex (Francois), Weston Playhouse; Suprema (Pete), Eugene O’Neill; La Boheme (A Boy) and Brundibar (Pepicek), Asheville Lyric Opera; Oliver! (Artful Dodger), Asheville Community Theatre; and Green Eggs and Ham (Sam I Am), Atlanta Symphony.

Experience includes Atlanta Boy Choir and Cantare Youth Choirs. Proud member of Actors’ Equity and thankful for his God-given talent.

MATTHEW LEWIS (Randy). Matthew is excited to reprise this role, which he played last year at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Other stage credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, and the title role in Oliver! Vocal training includes The Northwest Boychoir and Victoria Whitlow. He thanks his family and agent, Nancy Carson.

Visit Footlights.com for more information

17

H

• Comprehensive Calendar of Events

Photo: Milwaukee Rep

H

W

GIVE A

HHH

HHH

LY W E E KE T T I C K AYS

• Feature Articles • Timely Arts News • Celebrity Video Blogs • Dining Guide • And more!

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOUR ONLINE GUIDE TO THE PERFORMING ARTS

WHO’S WHO KAREN MASON (Miss Shields). Broadway: Wonderland, Hairspray, Mamma Mia! (Drama Desk nom), Sunset Boulevard, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Torch Song Trilogy. OffBroadway: And the World Goes Round, Carnival (Drama Desk nom).

CDs: Right Here, Right Now (MAC 2009 CD of the Year), Sweetest of Nights, When The Sun Comes Out, Better Days (1998 Emmy Award), Not So Simply Broadway, Christmas! Christmas!

Christmas!. TV: “L&O,” “L&O: SVU.” SEAN McKNIGHT (Swing, Dance Captain) was last seen touring the country with Shrek the Musical. Other New York/National Tour credits include: Curtains, The Producers, 42nd Street, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt, Annie Get Your Gun (Tommy Keeler), Girl Crazy, Stairway to Paradise, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Kennedy Center: Ragtime, Carnival, and Mame. Go Blue!

MARA NEWBERY (Swing, Ass’t Dance Captain). Mara is honored to be a part of this new musical.

Recently, she was on the Equity 1st National Tour of Shrek the Musical (Dance Captain). BFA, Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. Love and thanks to God, Mom and Dad, John, jpot, and CTG. Proud member AEA. Jeremiah 29:11.

ADAM PELTY (Santa Claus, Doctor, Ensemble, The Old Man understudy, Fight Captain). Broadway: The Scarlet Pimpernel (original choreography/ Elton), Cyrano the Musical (Valvert), Steel Pier, Joseph… (Simeon), A Christmas Carol (Fred), and Titanic (Fleet).

Chicago: The Drowsy Chaperone (Jeff nomination) at the Marriott, Spamalot at Drury Lane. Adam has served on the faculties of NYU, Ithaca College and Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Founder of Moveable Arts, a Broadway education company. Most notable achievement: 15-year-old son, Noah.

LYN PHILISTINE (Ensemble). Broadway/ Tours: Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), directed by Mike Nichols, Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt, Disney’s On the Record.

Off-Broadway/Regional: My Secret Garden, The Fartiste (La Goulue), Golf (Leading Lady), Oliver!

(Nancy), Sugar Babies (Soubrette), ACL (Cassie), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary), Spelling Bee (Miss Peretti). BFA-CCM. Love to Christopher.

CHARLIE PLUMMER (Scut Farkus). Charlie Plummer is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story, The Musical! NY Theatre: Yeast Nation

by Greg Kotis/Mark Hollman, Far From Heaven, Playwrights Horizons, directed by Michael Greif. Film/TV: Twylight Zones (Paramount/David Chase); Michael Thompson (recurring) on “Boardwalk Empire. Thanks to Brilliant Talent Management and Generation TV. ALEX PUETTE (Fantasy Villain, Delivery Man, Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of A Christmas Story, The Musical!

National Tours: Young Frankenstein (u/s Monster), Legally Blonde. Regional: 42nd Street, The Producers, The Muny; A Chorus Line (Greg), West Virginia Public; Fiddler…, Kansas City Starlight. Proud grad of the University of Michigan...Go Blue! Love and thanks to family and friends for all their support!

JOHNNY RABE (Insistent Boy, Ensemble) is excited to be part of this wonderful show.

Credits include The Music Man and For the Boys (Marriott Theatre) and Shadowlands and Wizard of Oz (Provision Theatre). Johnny thanks the team of A Christmas Story, The Musical! for this great opportunity and his parents and brother, Jimmy, for their love and support.

Visit Footlights.com for more information

19

WHO’S WHO KAYLA REA (Swing), age 11, is thrilled to be making her professional debut in A Christmas Story, The Musical! Past productions include Children’s Letters to God, Seussical the Musical, and Annie. Next up...Gypsy at Drury Lane Theater, Oakbrook, Illinois, January 2012. Many thanks to her family, friends, and Miss Ginny from The Dance Company!

EMILY RUDOLPH (Waitress, Ensemble). A NW native, Emily is ecstatic to be on her second national tour with A Christmas Story, The Musical!. She toured as Tessie with the last National Tour of Annie.

Besides other exciting projects, Emily lends her voice as Annie with “The Magic Treehouse” web site. Heartfelt gratitude to the producers, Chicago friends, and family.

J. D. RODRIGUEZ (Swing). Credits include The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Ollie), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie) and Scrooge.

J.D. loves soccer, football, baseball, basketball, golf, hanging with friends, his dirt bike, video games and entertaining his sisters Taylor and Sophie. J.D. thanks his Mom & Dad and sisters for their love and support.

JAKE BENNETT SIEGFRIED (Schwartz).

Jake is thrilled to rejoin the cast of A Christmas Story, The Musical!. He first appeared as Randy Parker in the World Premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical! at the KC Rep. Special thanks to his family, teachers and the team at Shirley Grant for this opportunity. Learn more about Jake at www.jakebennettsiegfried.com.

Give The Gift That Will Thrill Everyone!

Save

10801

$

Gift Giving is Easy with Omaha Steaks!

The Grilling Collection 4 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins 4 (4 oz.) Boneless Pork Chops 2 (4 1/ 2 oz.) Stuffed Sole with Scallops & Crabmeat 8 (3 oz.) Gourmet Franks 4 (4 oz. approx.) Boneless Chicken Breasts 4 Stuffed Baked Potatoes Reg.

$158.00,

4999

top sirloins

pork chops

stuffed sole

gourmet franks

chicken breasts

stuffed baked potatoes

2 FREE Gifts with purchase 6-Piece Cutlery Set

And FREE Cutting Board to every shipping address Limit of 2 Packages and 1 Cutlery Set & Cutting Board per address.

Standard shipping & handling will be applied per address. Offer expires 12/31/11.

$

Now Only....

Call 1-877-523-7109 and ask for 45102EMX ©2011 OCG | OmahaSteaks.com, Inc. 13878

20

www.OmahaSteaks.com/gift68

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

WHO’S WHO MARGUERITE WILLBANKS (Flick’s Mother, Ensemble, Miss Shields understudy).

Broadway: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche). National Tours: Young Frankenstein (Frau Blucher u.s.), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Secret Garden (Lily/Martha u.s.). Marguerite has performed extensively in regional theatres and with symphony orchestras across the U.S. and can be heard on several motion picture soundtracks including Disney’s Enchanted. Much love and thanks to my incredibly supportive husband and family!

GEORGE ANDREW WOLFF (Ensemble, Jean Shepard and Santa Claus understudy). National: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chicago Company).

Regional: Sweeney Todd, Ragtime (Drury Lane), Guys and Dolls, Hairspray, A Christmas Carol, Light in the Piazza, The Producers, Sunset Boulevard (Marriott Theatre), Willy Wonka, The

Emperor’s New Clothes (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Cats (TATC), Treasure Island (Fulton), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Bailiwick Repertory), Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot (Ravinia), and Side by Side by Sondheim (Jeff Award Nomination). For Susan and the boys.

KIRSTEN WYATT (Nurse, Chief Elf, Ensemble). Happy to be portraying the third elf of her career. Broadway: Elf (Santa’s Elf), Shrek (Shoemaker’s Elf), Grease (Frenchy, 2007 revival), High Fidelity (Anna), The Pajama Game (Poopsie), Urinetown (Little Becky Two Shoes), and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy/Sally standby). TV: “Naked Brothers Band,” “ATWT,” “AMC.” Love to Sean.

JEAN SHEPHERD (Originating Author). One of the most nostalgic, humorous storytellers of his day, Shepherd wrote for several magazines and his articles were published in a series of books including The America of George Ade, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, A Fistful of Fig Newtons and The Ferrari in the Bedroom.

Shepherd’s radio broadcasting career began in Cincinnati in 1948. He eventually moved to

give great Because a gift is personal, no ordinary gift will do. Find the perfect gift this holiday that tells a story. Captures a moment. Creates a memory. Give Red Envelope. Give great.

Shop early and save an additional 20%

more than

300 NEW gifts

save an additional

20% *

Discount does not apply to gift cards or certificates, same-day delivery, shipping and handling, taxes, third-party hosted products (e.g. wine), or Bose® products. Discount will appear upon checkout and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Offer Expires 1/31/2012

RedEnvelope.com/hug or call 1.888.378.7745

Visit Footlights.com for more information

21

WHO’S WHO WOR Radio in New York. He performed entirely without scripts. From 1971 to 1994, Shepherd became a screenwriter, writing and producing numerous television and cinema works. In 2005, Shepherd was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Broadcast Cable Hall of Fame.

BENJAMIN “BOB” CLARK (Motion Picture Director/Co-Screenwriter) was an actor, director, screenwriter and producer. Mr. Clark directed a diverse collection of both blockbuster and cult hits including Black Christmas, Murder by Degree, Tribute and Porky’s. Working from Jean Shepherd’s book, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Mr. Clark directed, and co-wrote with Shepherd and Leigh Brown, the motion picture A Christmas Story. Films that followed included Rhinestone, Turk 182!, From the Hip, Loose Cannons, and Baby Geniuses.

JOSEPH ROBINETTE (Book) is the author or co-author of fifty-two published plays and musicals. His works have been produced in all fifty states and in seventeen foreign countries. Twelve of his works have been translated into foreign languages and another five have been anthologized. His plays have been produced by Lincoln Center, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Barter Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Coterie Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Theatreworks USA and the BBC, among others.

Robinette collaborated with E.B. White on the authorized stage version of Charlotte’s Web, and he wrote the musical version with Charles Strouse (Annie and Bye, Bye, Birdie). Other authorized dramatizations include Stuart Little, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Chocolate War. Robinette is the recipient of numerous playwriting awards, including the AATE’s Charlotte Chorpenning Cup and Best Dramatization of the Year for Sarah, Plain and Tall. In 2006, he received The Children’s Theatre Foundation of America medallion for his “body of dramatic works for children and young people in the United States and beyond.”

BENJ PASEK AND JUSTIN PAUL (Music/ Lyrics). Current projects: James and the Giant Peach (Goodspeed, The Kennedy Center) and Dogfight (commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater). Other works: Edges (licensed by Music Theatre International, 150+ productions worldwide), Sesame Street, “Johnny & the Sprites” (Disney TV series), Duck for President and If You Give a Pig (Theatreworks USA).

Concerts: Australia’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival, The Kennedy Center, Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater. Honors: 2011 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2011 Sundance Institute Fellowship, 2011 ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, 2011 ASCAP Songwriters Fellowship Award, 2007-

22

2008 Dramatists Guild Fellowship, 2007 Jonathan Larson Award (youngest winners in foundation history), 2010 Fred Ebb Award finalists, Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project with American Musical Theatre Project, “50 to Watch” from Dramatist Magazine. They are proud graduates of The University of Michigan.

Benj sends special thanks to his loving and supportive parents, brothers and friends, and to the entire ACS family for accompanying him on this incredible journey. Justin sends love to his wife, Asher, and his amazingly supportive family.

Thanks and praise to God for this opportunity!

Want more info? pasekandpaul.com.

JOHN RANDO (Director) is the ‘02 Tony and Outer Critics’ Circle Award winning director of Urinetown, The Musical. Other Broadway credits include The Wedding Singer, A Thousand Clowns, and Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. With New York City Center Encores! he has directed several highly acclaimed productions: On The Town, Damn Yankees, Face the Music, Of Thee I Sing, Pajama Game, Do Re Mi, Strike Up the Band and upcoming Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. His 2009 production of The Toxic Avenger Musical garnered the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. Off-Broadway credits include: Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Class Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Primary Stages, Theaterworks USA, and The Acting Company, among many others. He has worked extensively in the American regional theater including: American Conservatory Theater, Alley Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Old Globe Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Signature Theater, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Barrington Stage Company, Cleveland Playhouse, and Virginia Stage Company, among many others. In 1992, he was a Drama League Directing Fellow. He has served on the advisory board of both the Drama League Director’s Project and The Acting Company. His professional accomplishments were recognized by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with the 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award.

WARREN CARLYLE (Choreographer). Broadway credits include the critically acclaimed Follies, Finian’s Rainbow and A Tale of Two Cities. OffBroadway credits include Girl Crazy, On the Town, Juno, and Stairway to Paradise (City Center Encores!); Working (Zipper), Slut! (ATA).

Regionally, he has directed and choreographed Becoming Chaplin (La Jolla Playhouse), Buddy’s Tavern (The O’Neill Theater Center), and Lucky Guy (Goodspeed). He has choreographed Mame (Kennedy Center), The Pirates of Penzance (Paper Mill, Goodspeed, Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography), The Baker’s Wife (Goodspeed), and Pageant

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

WHO’S WHO (Second City Chicago). In his native England, his work has included Me and My Girl (UK Tour, Director as well, Best Production 2007 Theater Goers Choice Award), The Goodbye Girl (1st UK National Tour), Pageant (Vaudeville Theater), Sondheim’s Moving On (Bridewell Theater), and Scrooge (European Tour). 2010-2011 Season: Choreographed Randy Newman’s Harps & Angels at the Mark Taper Forum, Follies at the Kennedy Center, Camelot at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and is the creative producer for An Evening With Hugh Jackman which premiered at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. He is represented on film and television by Deception starring Hugh Jackman (20th Century Fox), “Hope and Faith” (ABC), “An Evening at the Boston Pops” (PBS), and Elton John’s “Made in England” video. As Associate Choreographer he has contributed to The Producers (Broadway, worldwide and film), Oklahoma! (Broadway) and Center Stage (film).

As a resident director and choreographer, Mr. Carlyle’s productions have included Jolson (London, Toronto), Fosse (London), and Oklahoma! (London).

IAN EISENDRATH (Music Direction and Supervision) is the Director of New Works and Music Supervisor at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, where he has been Music Director/ Conductor for A Christmas Story, On the Town, Sunday in the Park with George, Cabaret, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Miss Saigon. He was the Associate Music Director/Associate Conductor for the world premiere of Disney’s Aladdin at the 5th Avenue and Music Director for a new production of Cabaret at Theatre Under The Stars in Houston, the American Musical Theatre of San Jose and the Ordway Center in St. Paul. He has conducted three seasons of The Nutcracker at the Pacific Northwest Ballet and has worked extensively at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Ian has a degree in conducting music theatre from the University of Michigan.

CYNTHIA KORTMAN WESTPHAL (Conductor).

Broadway: The Lion King, The Gershwins´ Fascinating Rhythm, Miss Saigon. National Tours: pianist for Andrea Bocelli. National Tours/Detroit: In the Heights, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Spamalot, Wicked, 25th Annual...

Spelling Bee, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Peter Pan, The King and I, Annie. Regional Theatre: Randy Newman´s Faust, Heartbeats. TV: “Good Morning America,” “The Rosie O´Donnell Show,” “PBS Great Performances.” Proud faculty member of Musical Theatre Dept., University of Michigan.

LARRY BLANK (Orchestrations). Larry is a three-time Tony-nominated orchestrator for his orchestrations on Broadway for Catch Me If You Can (with Marc Shaiman), White Christmas

and The Drowsy Chaperone. Larry has had the pleasure of arranging/conducting for Barbra Streisand, Betty Buckley, Michael Crawford, Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Horne, Christine Andreas, Joe Williams, Yanni, Marvin Hamlisch, Bernadette Peters, Steve Lawrence, Vikki Carr, Pete Fountain, Elaine Stritch, Lorna Luft, Elaine Paige, Jason Alexander, Martin Short, Georgia Brown and many others.

WALT SPANGLER (Set Design). Recent projects include the Broadway revival of Desire Under the Elms, Turn of the Century, directed by Tommy Tune, La Traviata for Lithuanian National Opera, and the acclaimed King Lear, directed by Robert Falls. For The 5th Avenue, Walt has designed sets for On The Town, Mame and Oklahoma!, directed by Bill Berry. waltspangler.com.

ELIZABETH HOPE CLANCY (Costume Designer).

Broadway: Passing Strange, The Goat, Bobbi Boland, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. West End: A Few Good Men. Dublin: Death of a Salesman (Gate). Off-Bway: Measure for Measure (NYSF), Hamlet (TFANA), A Dybbuk, In the Blood (Public), Playwrights Horizons, CSC, Signature, Vineyard, Rattlestick. Regional: A Christmas Story (KC Rep, 5th Ave), Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper, Hartford Stage, Huntington, Long Wharf, OSF, Geffen Playhouse, Intiman, Seattle Rep, many others.

M.F.A., Yale School of Drama.

HOWELL BINKLEY (Lighting Designer).

Recent Broadway works include: How To Succeed starring Daniel Radcliffe (2011 Tony nomination), Million Dollar Quartet, Lombardi, Memphis, West Side Story (2009 Tony nomination), Guys and Dolls, Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, In the Heights (2008 Tony nomination), Jersey Boys (Tony Award Winner), Avenue Q, The Full Monty, Parade, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony nomination/Olivier Award Winner), and How To Succeed starring Matthew Broderick. Also: The Joffrey Ballet’s Billboards and designs for more than sixty pieces for Parsons Dance which he co-founded with David Parsons. Six musicals in rep for The Kennedy Center’s Sondheim Celebration.

KEN TRAVIS (Sound Designer). Broadway designs: Memphis, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, Steel Magnolias. Numerous regional theaters and companies including: 5th Avenue, La Jolla Playhouse, LA CTG, Seattle Rep, Banff, Guthrie Theater, Dallas Theater Center, McCarter Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The New Group, NYSF Public Theater, CSC, Signature Theater NYC, SoHo Rep, Vineyard Theater, The Civilians, Mabou Mines, and festivals and national tours across Europe and the USA.

Visit Footlights.com for more information

23

WHO’S WHO TOM WATSON (Hair & Wig Design). Wig/ makeup department head (Metropolitan Opera). He has designed wigs for 50+ Broadway productions. Broadway designs include On a Clear Day…, How to Succeed…, Wonderland, House of Blue Leaves, Born Yesterday, Addams Family, Million Dollar Quartet, Rock of Ages, Wicked, Promises, Promises, Elling, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, South Pacific, Sondheim on Sondheim, A View from the Bridge, and Sunday in the Park with George.

Succeed..., and A Christmas Carol on Broadway or the road. Many Encores!, off-Broadway, regional productions, and university-level teaching.

JAMES GRAY (Associate Choreographer).

Credits include Peg O’ My Heart (director/ choreographer, MITF Best Musical Award); Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (Susan Stroman’s Associate Director/Choreographer for national tour and dance captain/Igor understudy for original Broadway company); The Producers (dance captain and Carmen Ghia understudy in original London company with Nathan Lane; the Broadway company and movie musical version). London West End credits include Me and My Girl and the original companies of Mack and Mabel and Beauty and the Beast.

JASON HINDELANG (Assistant Stage Manager).

Broadway: Born Yesterday, Finian’s Rainbow, Passing Strange, Pal Joey, The Ritz, The Coast of Utopia, and Awake and Sing!. Regional: Shirley Valentine (Long Wharf), The Last Five Years, Macbeth, A Man for All Seasons, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, The Night of the Iguana, and Amadeus (Berkshire Theatre Festival).

GLEN KELLY (Dance Arrangements). Music supervisor and arranger for The Producers and Young Frankenstein. Other Broadway credits include The Book of Mormon, The Scottsboro Boys, Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone, Beauty and the Beast, All About Me, The Frogs, High Society, Steel Pier, Dance a Little Closer and A Christmas Carol. For NYCB, he arranged the music and co-wrote the libretto for Double Feature. Other ballet credits: Thou Swell (for NYCB) and But Not for Me for the Martha Graham Company.

TALITHA FEHR (Music Coordinator). National tours: Mamma Mia!, Come Fly Away, Legally Blonde, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Chicago, A Dancer’s Life, Movin’ Out, 101 Dalmatians. International/Asian tours: West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Swing!, Cinderella, and The King and I. Broadway: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Pirate Queen and the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening/Closing Ceremonies.

FRED GALLO (Technical Supervisor). Fred founded PRG and is president of Scenic Technologies.

Through four decades, Fred has engineered, fabricated and supervised the technical aspects of hundreds of Broadway shows, Las Vegas spectaculars, theme parks and movies.

In addition to holding patents for theatrical equipment, he consults on theatrical rigging systems throughout the country.

TRIPP PHILLIPS (Production Stage Manager).

Born Yesterday, Lombardi, Finian’s Rainbow, Pal Joey, Passing Strange, The Ritz, Jersey Boys, White Christmas, Princesses, 42nd Street, Swing!, Ring Round the Moon, Dream, The King and I, How to

24

AMY GORNET (Stage Manager). The 5th Avenue Theatre: A Christmas Story, Guys and Dolls, On the Town, Sunday in the Park with George, Catch Me If You Can, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Mame.

Other credits include: Seattle Children’s Theatre, ACT Theatre, Intiman, Village Theatre, The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre and Stages St. Louis.

ALCHEMY PRODUCTION GROUP (General Management) is headed by partners Carl Pasbjerg and Frank Scardino, who have been responsible during their lengthy careers as general managers and producers for dozens of live stage attractions. Current Broadway: Memphis, National Tour of Memphis. Upcoming: Prince of Broadway. Prior productions include Donny & Marie – A Broadway Christmas, Follies, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, Ragtime, 700 Sundays, The Pirate Queen, Fosse, Jekyll & Hyde, Steel Pier, Show Boat, Candide, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Guys and Dolls, to name a few, in addition to their many touring and Off-Broadway shows. www. alchemyproductiongroup.com KEITH SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES (Press Representative) works in entertainment, lifestyles and corporate industries. Clients include 250 Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring productions; Tony Awards; The New York Times; Focus Features; Universal Pictures; programs on major television and cable networks; Kimpton Hotels; Brian Boitano; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Bolshoi Ballet, Montreal Jazz Festival and others. ksa-pr.com STEPHANIE KLAPPER (Casting). Her work has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, and on television, film, and the Internet. Projects she has been involved with have won numerous awards including the Tony, OBIES, Artios, Pulitzer Prize winners/nominees, Sundance Audience Award, Cannes Prize Du Publique and Comic Con awards. Ongoing projects in New York and for many regional theatres. Numerous independent feature films. Member of Casting Society of America and League of Professional Theatre Women.

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

COMING EVENTS

BRYAN ADAMS

KATHY GRIFFIN

JANUARY 17

JANUARY 20 & 21

DAVID GARRETT

PETER FRAMPTON

3pm & 8pm

FEBRUARY 25

JANUARY 28

AN EVENING WITH

YANNI

MAY 2 & 3

FRANKIE VALLI

& THE FOUR SEASONS JUNE 2

A N ATIONAL L ANDMARK

GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT CHICAGO’S MOST ICONIC THEATRE!

To purchase tickets for events or tours: , 800-745-3000, thechicagotheatre.com Visit Footlights.com for more information

25

WHO’S WHO GERALD GOEHRING (Producer) is a Grammynominated producer (Best Spoken Word for Children) and has produced over sixty national and international tours. He has been Executive Director of the Tony Award®-winning National Theatre of the Deaf and the acclaimed national touring company, Connecticut Children’s Theatre. Productions include Patty’s Green, The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t, Oh, Figaro, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, The Giving Tree, The Velveteen Rabbit, Sleepy Hollow, Seneca Falls, Definitely Doris, Frankenstein, a New Musical and Raisin Cane. Mr. Goehring is currently Executive Director of the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts.

ROY MILLER (Producer) produced the Broadway productions of West Side Story (2009 revival and current national tour), The Pee-wee Herman Show, Ragtime (2010), [Title of Show], The Drowsy Chaperone (winner of five 2006 Tony Awards), Mark Twain’s Is He Dead?, High Fidelity, I’m Not Rappaport (2002), and the tours of A Chorus Line (2002) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2000). For Paper Mill Playhouse, NJ (1991-2004), Mr. Miller produced over eighty shows including Crazy For You (PBS broadcast); Follies (Ann Miller); Gypsy (Betty Buckley); Animal Crackers (Kristin Chenoweth); and Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden. Current: Artistic Director, Surflight Theatre, NJ. MICHAEL F. MITRI (Producer) was a lead producer of Frankenstein, A New Musical (OB 2007). He was an associate producer of the independent film I’ll Believe You (2007) and also has produced animated films with Los Angeles-based Enteraktion Studios under a co-production arrangement with studios in China. Mr. Mitri currently is Co-Executive Director of the non-profit Community Film Theater located in Fairfield, CT. PAT FLICKER ADDISS (Producer), a native New Yorker, graduated from Finch College. Producer Broadway: Promises, Promises; Little Women; Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life; Bridge & Tunnel; Spring Awakening; The 39 Steps; Passing Strange; War Brides (NYMF Festival 2007). Off-B’way: The Fantasticks (currently), Housewives of Mannheim, Shout. London: Spring Awakening and Shout.

Produced reading series of new plays and musicals at the National Arts Club, Algonquin Roundtable Tea. Member: the Broadway League, League of Professional Theatre Women, on the boards of NJ Rep and Premieres. Won the TRU Spirit Award 2010. Her current passion is to work with kids to end BULLYING. PETER BILLINGSLEY (Producer) has been a member of the Hollywood community since the age of three, appearing in film and television in the 1970s before rising to fame

26

with the holiday classic A Christmas Story.

Since then Billingsley has taken his talent behind the camera, producing the blockbuster hits The Break Up, Four Christmases, and Iron Man. He earned an Emmy nomination for producing the TV show “Dinner For Five” and has most recently directed the hit film Couples Retreat starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.

Currently, he’s executive producing the TBS pilot “Sullivan & Son” starring comedian Steve Byrne.

MARIANO TOLENTINO (Producer). Broadway: Rock of Ages, The Mountaintop, Memphis, West Side Story, Catch Me If You Can, In the Heights, Drowsy Chaperone, Ragtime, Rock N’ Roll, Is He Dead?, Sunday in the Park with George, Talk Radio.

North American tours: Memphis, Rock of Ages, West Side Story, Drowsy Chaperone. London: Drowsy Chaperone, Make Me a Song, Marguerite.

Australia: Rock of Ages. AFTG-TINGWOT! LOUISE H. BEARD (Producer) most recently produced Del Shores’ Yellow (LA Times Critic’s Choice). Broadway: Ragtime, Finian’s Rainbow, The Pee-wee Herman Show, The Scottsboro Boys, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Chinglish, Bonnie and Clyde. Off Broadway/National: Through the Night, Leslie Jordan’s My Trip Down the Pink Carpet, A Sordid Affair, Del Shores: My Sordid Life and Executive Producer of Jason Dottley’s Billboard Top 20 single “Party Round the World.”

MICHAEL FILERMAN (Producer). Credits include the Tony Award-winning Norman Conquests as well as Tony nominees American Idiot, Blithe Spirit, Frozen and The Homecoming, along with the revival of Driving Miss Daisy, November and Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America, as well as this season’s Chinglish. Off-Broadway: Our Lady of 121st Street and Tea at Five. Television: executive producer of “ Knots Landing,” “Falcon Crest,” “Flamingo Road” and “Sisters.”

SCOTT HART (Producer) is proud that A Christmas Story is his first venture into the world of commercial theatre producing. Scott is an accomplished actor and award-winning director with a 35-year career that includes Off-Broadway, tours, stock and regional productions. He is thrilled to now add “producer” to his resume.

TIMOTHY LACZYNSKI (Producer) produced The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway. He is Executive Producer of the non-profit Surflight Theater in NJ, with a mission to develop and guide new works to a wider life. Mr. Laczynski is also an entrepreneur specializing in strategic management and financial planning for startup ventures.

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

WHO’S WHO BARTNER/JENKINS ENTERTAINMENT (Producer). Robert G. Bartner and Michael A. Jenkins both have extensive theatrical backgrounds, including Broadway, national tours and London productions. Recent credits together include: Guys and Dolls, Boeing Boeing (Tony®, Drama Desk), Legally Blonde, Sixteen Wounded, Flower Drum Song and Brooklyn the Musical. National tours: Legally Blonde, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only.

ANGELA MILONAS (Producer) is excited to be involved with A Christmas Story, The Musical! This is her first producing venture and she has been on the project since its first developmental production at KC Rep. Ms. Milonas is also producing Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway. She is the proud mother of Tyler, Katrina, & Dylan Milonas.

DANCAP PRODUCTIONS, INC. (Associate Producer). Launched in 2007 by Aubrey Dan is a commercial Broadway style theatre company that presents and produces in Toronto, throughout Canada, and around the world. Lead Producer of Prince of Broadway, a new musical celebrating legendary Broadway director and producer Harold “Hal” Prince. www.dancaptickets.com JEFFREY JACKSON (Associate Producer) is an accomplished writer, filmmaker and media professional who began his career in the world of advertising. As a playwright, his first two works have been published and professionally produced, with his most recent, Two Point Oh, winning Michigan’s Wilde Award for best new play.

RIC ZIVIC (Associate Producer). Grammynominated Producer and Composer, Ric Zivic executive produced the critically acclaimed holiday film, The Christmas Secret, starring Beau Bridges and Richard Thomas, the highest rated CBS film in its premiere year and now a favorite Christmas classic. He has received Daytime Emmy and Golden Eagle Awards for family programming.

KANSAS CITY REPERTORY THEATRE (Original Production). Under the leadership of Artistic Director Eric Rosen, Managing Director Cynthia Rider, and Producing Director Jerry Genochio, Kansas City Repertory Theatre is one of the nation’s leading resident professional theatres.

With productions of excellence that are diverse, literate and timely, the Rep provides education and outreach services for as many as 100,000 patrons and 10,000 school children annually. To learn more, visit KCRep.org.

Seattle’s 5TH AVENUE THEATRE is acclaimed as one of America’s leading musical theater companies. Under the leadership of Executive Producer and Artistic Director David

Armstrong, Managing Director Bernadine Griffin, and Producing Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue has premiered 12 new musicals over the past 11 years, five of which have moved to Broadway, including Hairspray (2003 Tony Award Best Musical), Memphis (2010 Tony Award Best Musical), The Wedding Singer, Shrek and Catch Me If You Can. www.5thavenue.org MADSTONE PRODUCTIONS (Co-Presenter) is a New York-based producer and promoter of theater, concerts and live experiences.

Founded in 2005, Madstone currently produces 2011 New York sensation Sleep No More, a multiple award-winning immersive experience conceived by London theater company Punchdrunk. Madstone is also the producer and presenter of worldwide Irish music sensation and platinum-selling artist Celtic Woman, which has toured the globe for six years. And debuting this month, Madstone is excited to introduce audiences across North America to Human Nature, an exceptionally talented quartet from Australia who will tour the country in 2012. Madstone is proud to co-present the Chicago debut of A Christmas Story, The Musical! with Patriot Productions.

PATRIOT PRODUCTIONS (Co-Presenter). Jerry Goehring and Mike Mitri are the principal partners of Patriot Productions, LLC (www.PatriotonBroadway.com), which was founded to acquire, develop and produce new theatrical projects for the national and international markets. Jerry and Mike first worked together as lead producers on the acclaimed Off-Broadway musical production of Frankenstein (www.FrankensteinTheMusical. com), which premiered at 37 Arts Theatre in Fall 2007. Subsequent productions across the U.S. and in Europe have made this one of the most sought after musical interpretations of the legendary story. Patriot Productions has been the lead producer of A Christmas Story, The Musical! (www.AChristmasStorytheMusical. com) since its inception, including all developmental runs at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (2009) and at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater (2010). Future projects include a new musical adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s award-winning story Because of Winn-Dixie, currently in development.

ALLIED LIVE (Chicago Marketing and Advertising) is a full-service entertainment marketing and advertising agency representing numerous Broadway shows, national tours, performing arts institutions and experiential entertainment entities throughout North America. Current clients include: (Tour) Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia!, Hair, Traces, West Side Story, STOMP, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Blue Man Group, Burn the Floor, In the Heights, Feld Entertainment, (Washington, D.C.)

Visit Footlights.com for more information

27

WHO’S WHO Washington National Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Strathmore Performing Arts Center (Los Angeles/West Coast), Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl, Center Theatre Group, Reprise Theatre Company, Music Center, Cirque du Soleil, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, Hollywood & Highland Center, Broadway By The Bay, Westfield Malls Century City (Chicago), Million Dollar Quartet, Hubbard Street Dance, Lookingglass Theatre, A Christmas Story, The Musical! and The Doyle and Debbie Show.

THE SILVERMAN GROUP, INC (Chicago Press).

Culminating its 12th year in business, The Silverman Group, Inc. is a prominent Chicagocentric public relations boutique specializing in the arts and leisure fields - from theater, dance and music, to film, comedy and hospitality.

Small, but mighty, The Silverman Group’s impressive list of current clientele includes the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, Chicago Loop Alliance, Chicago Public Media, Chicago Sinfonietta, Cirque du Soleil, City Winery Chicago, Facing History and Ourselves, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, Grant Park Music Festival, The Joffrey Ballet, Luna Negra

Dance Theater, Old Town School of Folk Music expansion project, and the TBS Just For Laughs Festival. For more information, please visit www.silvermangroupchicago.com GROUP THEATER TIX (Chicago Group Sales).

Tami Manton, owner of Group Theater Tix, created and continues to operate the group sales operation for Chicago’s Apollo Theater, home to the hit musical Million Dollar Quartet.

Group Theater Tix has successfully sold groups for many hit shows including Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh; The Odd Couple, starring Barbara Eden; If You Ever Leave Me, I’m Going with You, starring Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor; Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, Leaving Iowa, Altar Boyz, Church Basement Ladies, Forbidden Broadway, Menopause the Musical, and The Doyle and Debbie Show. Additionally, Group Theater Tix has worked for many Chicagoland venues, including The Mercury Theater, The Royal George Theater, The Drury Water Tower Place Theater, and the North Shore Center for The Performing Arts in Skokie. Group Theater is proud to be working on A Christmas Story, The Musical! For more details, visit www.grouptheatertix.com

Half-price tickets to all of your favorite theatres, plus exceptional ones you’ve yet to explore.

We are local, friendly theatre geniuses rooted in Chicago.

IN THE LOOP

72 East Randolph across from the Chicago Cultural Center

MAGNIFICENT MILE

163 East Pearson in the Water Works Visitor Center

BUY HALF-PRICE TICKETS ONLINE AT

HOTTIX.ORG 28

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

S TA F F F O R A C H R I S TM A S S TO R Y, T H E M U S I C A L GENERAL MANAGEMENT ALCHEMY PRODUCTION GROUP Carl Pasbjerg Frank Scardino NATIONAL PRESS REPRESENTATIVE KEITH SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES Brett Oberman Scott Klein Logan Metzler Bill Coyle TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR Fred Gallo ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR Chad Woerner PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Tripp Phillips COMPANY MANAGER Jennifer Graves Stage Manager................................................................................... Amy Gornet Assistant Stage Manager............................................................Jason Hindelang Associate to General Managers................................................Amanda Coleman Assistant Company Manager..................................................Michele Haberman Dance Captain............................................................................... Sean McKnight Assistant Dance Captain................................................................Mara Newbery Fight Captain......................................................................................Adam Pelty Creative Consultant.......................................................Red Awning/Jack Viertel Associate Music Director ............................................................. Logan Medland Assistant Set Designer .......................................................................... Jisun Kim Costume Coordinator ..........................................................................Eva Maciek Assistant Costume Designer .............................................................. Lena Sands Costume Shoppers..................................................Rebecca Lustig, Kate Milazzo Costume Tailor ....................................................................................Paul Chang Costume Drapers.....................................................Shirley Berling, Lisa Conrad, George Hudacko, Sandy Lazar, Michelle Richmond, Ted Stark Costume Knitter.................................................................................Brian Kohler Associate Lighting Designer..............................................................Ryan O’Gara Assistant Lighting Designer.......................................................... Amanda Zieve Moving Light Programmer..............................................................Chris Herman Associate Sound Designer............................................................ Alex Hawthorn Production Electrician.....................................................................Randy Zaibek Production Properties Supervisor...................................................Chris Pantuso Production Sound Supervisors................................ Phillip Lojo, Paul Delicioppo Head Carpenter................................................................................... Jacel Evans Assistant Carpenters...................................................... Tara Gaige, Chris Kiddle Automation Carpenter............................................................ Cheyenne Benson Head Props..................................................................................... Gregory Davis Assistant Props................................................................... Kurchta Rae Harding Head Electrician...........................................................................Alan L. Schuster Assistant Electrician/Spot Operator................................................. Scott Butler Assistant Electrician/Deck.................................................John Paul Nardecchia Head Sound................................................................................ Jason Choquette Assistant Sound............................................................................... Tony Pittsley Wardrobe Supervisor.................................................................... Pamela Raines Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor...................................................... Suzan Cerceo Hair Supervisor...................................................................... Patricia M. LaRocco Sub Music Director/Conductor..................................Cynthia Kortman Westphal Score Preparation .....................................................................Brendan Whiting Keyboard Programmer............................................................ Jim Harp/Sythlink Associate Keyboard Programmer................................ Gary Georgette/Sythlink Rehearsal Pianists................. Logan Medland, Brendan Whiting, Chris Ranney Rehearsal Drummer........................................................................ Taurus Lovely Music Department Intern.................................................................Chris Ranney Casting Assistants................................... Lauren O’Connell, Tyler Albright (NY); Jaclyn Hennell (Chicago) Tour Booking..................................................................... AWA Touring Services: Alison Spiriti, Matt Chinn, Sean Mackey Media & Marketing............................................. Curio Productions: Jeff Jackson Chicago Marketing and Advertising..................Allied Live, LLC: Laura Matalon, Suzanne Santos, Cindy Raymond, Vanessa Jones, Doug Blemker, Kerri-Ann McGinty, Rebecca Wingfield

Chicago Press............... The Silverman Group, Inc.: Beth Silverman, Erin Colnon Chicago Group Sales...............Group Theater Tix: Tami J. Manton, Miguel Perez Promotions & Special Events Manager..........................................Kristina Wicke Merchandising Tour Manager...........................................................Bill Gabbard Legal..........................Beigelman, Feiner & Feldman, P.C.: Pamela Golinski, Esq. Accountant............................Rosenberg, Neuwirth & Kuchner: Mark D’Ambrosi Comptroller........................ Rosenberg, Neuwirth & Kuchner: Patricia Pedersen Insurance......................C&S International Insurance Brokers, Inc.: Debra Kozee Travel Agent...................................................... Frosch Travel: Kristine Stortroen Production Assistants........................................Sarah Petty, Cassandra Flowers Assistant to the Director...................................................................Max Gosman Press Interns......................................................... Alicia Barnes, Lindsay Strouse Casting Interns.............................................Elizabeth Bancroft, Katja Zarolinski Children’s Supervisor ................................................................. Steven Macarus Children’s Tutoring.............................On Location Education: Deborah Metzger Tutor............................................................................................Carolyn Dunning Production Photographer................................................................Carol Rosegg CREDITS Scenery construction by Production Resource Group, RA Reed Productions; Automation Systems by PRG Scenic Technologies; Lighting Equipment provided by PRG Lighting; Sound Equipment provided by Masque Sound; Elf and Santa boots by Carol Brookover; Additional costumes constructed by Chicago Custom Costume.

SPECIAL THANKS Dramatic Publishing Company; Kansas City Repertory Theatre; Sean M. Dane, Michael Schall and the KC Rep Prop Shop; Gayla Voss and KC Rep Costume Shop; Jeff Jackson, Curio Productions; 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle; Irwin Zwilling, Rich Agins, Chris Sergel, Ray Wu; Stephen McCoy; Janet Lauer and Carole Dibo of Wilmett Children’s Theatre.

Rehearsed at Oriental Theatre Rehearsal Studios, Chicago The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

The musicians employed in this production are members of the American Federation of Musicians.

The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.

United Scenic Artists represents the designers and scenic painters for the American Theatre.

Backstage and Front of the House Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (or I.A.T.S.E.).

The Press Agents & Company Managers employed in this production are represented by the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers.

This production is produced by a member of The Broadway League in collaboration with our professional union-represented employees.

Visit Footlights.com for more information

29

footnotes

By Jonathan Abarbanel CRITICS OF THE WORLD UNITE! Chicago certainly is going global in 2012 with the G8 and NATO summits scheduled for May at McCormick Place, and a gathering of Nobel Peace Prize winners at the University of Illinois at Chicago just ahead of the summit. But theater will have a global presence here, too, as the Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) meets in Chicago next autumn for the first time in a decade.

The IATC is an international NGO (nongovernmental organization), organized under UNESCO statutes, with 60 nations as members or observers. The Executive Committee meeting will bring delegates from China, Korea, Japan, Canada, France, Great Britain, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Portugal, Iran (if visa issues don’t get in the way) and the United States. The international critics will gather here by invitation of the American Theatre Critics Association, of which this writer and Footlights managing editor Myrna Petlicki are members.

The critics are coming!

30

TAKING BACK THE ARTS Just a year ago, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs made waves when it was forced into a shotgun wedding (Mayor Daley held the shotgun) with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and, at the same time, outsourced operation of its cultural programming to the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture. Some 30 department staffers were let go, among them all the program specialists in theater, music, dance and visual arts, a few of whom were picked up by the Office of Tourism and Culture to do the same jobs. In the wake of creating a new Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Cultural Commissioner Lois Weisberg resigned in protest after 21 years in her post.

Shortly after being sworn in as Mayor in May, Rahm Emanuel selected Michelle T. Boone as his new Cultural Commish. Now, in her first making-waves action, Boone has announced that DCASE has taken back programming functions from the Office of Tourism and Culture, effective Jan. 3, and is in the process of creating 14 new positions, all of them for cultural programmers! In addition, DCASE will devote 2012 to the development of a comprehensive cultural plan for the city. It will be the first such plan since 1985, and it will fulfill an Emanuel campaign promise.

THEATER SEASON “DISASTROUS” Am I the only one who thinks the Chicago theater season is a catastrophe? First, Lookingglass Theatre commemorated the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 with THE GREAT FIRE (now closed) and then the Neo-Futurists marked

Footlights Performing Arts Magazine

the Iroquois Theatre disaster of 1903 with BURNING BLUEBEARD (closes Dec. 30, the precise 108th anniversary of the Iroquois fire and stampede). Still to come is the Lookingglass season finale, a world premiere musical no less, about the Eastland disaster of 1915, called EASTLAND (begins June 6), in which 844 people died on a ship which never left its mooring in the Chicago River.

Gosh, it makes you put a bad hair day in perspective, doesn’t it?

THE GREAT FIRE lit up the Lookingglass Theatre stage. Photo by Sean Williams

dining & nightlife scan this QR code with your smart phone or go to www.Footlights.com and find the dining/nightlife page.

2845 N. Clark St. 773-528-9050 www.lacreperieusa.com

Mediterranean Small Plates West Loop • Chicago 312•226•3110 | niarestaurant.com

Open Christmas Eve Covered, Heated & Comfortable Smoking Area Live Music Seven Nights A Week!

Business Casual Dress Code

Enjoy Chicagoland’s Finest Seafood in an Elegant Setting

French American Cuisine

ar ob n

Menu Includes Superb Fish, Prime Sirloin and Lamb

Theater-Goers: Mention this ad and receive $25 off your dinner of $75 or more

@ re dh e

ad p ia

No Cover

(Not valid New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day) Not valid with other offers.

One per table. Expires October 2012 16 W. Ontario | 312.640.1000 www.redheadpianobar.com

505 Main St. • Evanston • 847.864.3435 Valet Parking • www.oceanique.com

Visit Footlights.com for more information

31

Building A Community One Unique Person At A Time.

ct , a re t T h e n e xl t h e c ultuf city

is the best — al

so iew d v e h t , e the theatr nte wa s y a l i f e . We a l w ol. po a place with a t -sea We ’ r e f r o n t - r o w o ,s kind of people y we’re read

for

Th

e A dmi ral at the Lake. i t ’s to t wha he t you’d expec ar from fo rm a life coach and er pat W ent attorney: ha p u t is liv ing without rsu ing your pa ssio ns?

Ig u

ess

Jim & Lois Hobart art enthusiasts, devoted urbanites

VIBRANT LAKEFRONT LIVING WITH A COMPLETE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE THROUGH LIFECARE. Welcome Center | 1055 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 7 Chicago, IL 60660 | (773) 433-1800 www.Admiral.Kendal.org