BJ Jones
Timothy J. Evans
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
presents
SUCH SMALL HANDS BY
ADAM SZYMKOWICZ DIRECTED BY
BJ JONES
ONLINE PREMIERE: JANUARY 31, 2021 Produced in association with Kane Repertory Theatre Daniil Krimer, Artistic Director
SPONSORSHIP
Support for new play development and this reading, available at no cost to Northlight mainstage and student audiences, is provided by:
Special Thanks
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CAST & PRODUCTION CAST (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) Francis Guinan*.............................................................................................................. Paul Rondi Reed*.................................................................................................................. Marie *Member of the Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION STAFF Stage Directions.......................................................................................Ellen Campbell Zoom Coordinator................................................................. Sophia Danielle-Grenier Discussion Moderator....................................................................... Leean Kim Torske
We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers’ Unions: ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS AMERICAN GUILD OF VARIETY ARTISTS SAG-AFTRA through Theatre Authority, Inc. for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program.
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PROGRAM NOTES FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR In the last month our dear friend and Northlight’s first Artistic Director Mike Nussbaum turned 97. 97! What an extraordinary story and human being. I have long said that I would like to grow up to be Mike Nussbaum. I can only hope. He does 100 push-ups a day. I don't do 100 push-ups in a decade. There aren't many that reach his age that are in that kind of shape. While Mike continues to defy our expectations, the truth is that aging is inevitable. Such Small Hands by Adam Szymkowicz is a story that may be all too familiar to many of our audience. So many of our friends and families grapple with diminishing capabilities of loved ones, whether physical or mental, and so many struggle with their own capacity to deal with those changes. What I find uplifting about Adam's play is that Rondi Reed's character, Marie, is so resilient and so valiant in her love for Paul, played by Fran Guinan. She has developed a vocabulary for survival that is truly impressive and endearing. The commitment to the vow embodied in the phrase "in sickness and in health," is both inspiring and honorable. Precious few have the wherewithal to deal with those challenges. I am so thrilled to bring this play to you. When I got the opportunity to work with Rondi and Fran on this piece at the invitation of Daniil Krimer at Kane Rep, I jumped at the chance. These actors are among the finest of Chicago's rich acting tradition and their ability to bring their life's experiences to these characters is unparalleled. I knew our audience would appreciate their work and Adam's delicate and beautiful play. Stay Positive, Test Negative!
BJ Jones, Artistic Director
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PROGRAM NOTES ABOUT INTERPLAY Since its inception in 2006, Northlight’s Interplay Program has invested in provocative new works by American and international playwrights, providing customized support in the critical stages of early play development. Through Interplay, Northlight seeks to serve the specific needs of the play and can provide playwright commissions, workshops with actors, and private or public readings. The public reading series—continuing online during the pandemic— is an instrumental part of the Interplay program, providing audiences the opportunity to participate in a part of the evolutionary process from initial idea to full theatrical production, including first-hand insight from the playwright. Also through the reading series, the playwright has the opportunity to hear audience response that is integral to shaping the play for full production. Including Such Small Hands, Interplay has supported the development of 41 new plays, 35 of which have gone on to full productions – some at Northlight and others around the country, including the Goodman Theatre, the Humana Festival, TheatreWorks, and off-Broadway. Four plays have continued on to acclaim at Ireland’s famed Galway International Arts Festival. That staggering success rate has established Interplay as a valuable incubator for new work in the American theatre, and has helped cement Northlight’s national reputation as an important contributor to the American theatrical canon.
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THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT
As we move forward into a new year, we reflect on all of the good this past year has brought us. Thanks to patrons like you, Northlight has been able to successfully adapt to current circumstances as we await the day when we can safely open our doors again! Here are just a few of last year’s highlights: We presented four concert performances of Live from the West Side, co-produced with regional theatres across the nation featuring stars of stage and screen. We produced a new Interplay reading of Felicia Oduh’s Mercy directed by Harry Lennix. We created new storytelling and writing programs with Levy Senior Center of Evanston, CJE Senior Life, and Roseland VIC. We expanded our partnerships with Chicago Public Schools through our new virtual version of the Speak Up! residency. We explored our passion for sustainable theatre practices to create bee and bat houses made from recycled show materials. We re-committed to doing ongoing, internal work in order to become a better anti-racist organization. mo is all because of you. We thank you for your All of this and more support and wish you a happy, healthy 2021.
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PROFILES ADAM SZYMKOWICZ (Playwright) Adam Szymkowicz’s plays have been produced throughout the U.S., and in Canada, England, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Greece, Mexico, Turkey, South Korea, Thailand, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia and Lithuania. His work has been presented or developed at Portland Center Stage, MCC Theater, Ars Nova, South Coast Rep, Playwrights Horizons, LCT3, LAByrinth Theater Company, The Lark, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Primary Stages and The New Group, among others. Published plays include Deflowering Waldo, Pretty Theft, Food For Fish, Hearts Like Fists, Incendiary, Clown Bar, The Why Overhead, Adventures of Super Margaret, 7 Ways To Say I Love You, Rare Birds, Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, Kodachrome, Mercy, and Nerve. His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Playscripts, Broadway Play Publishing and Original Works Publishing, and featured in New York Theatre Review, the Dionysian, NYTE’s Cino Nights, Geek Theater, and numerous Smith and Kraus and Applause books. He was the premiere Resident Playwright at The Chance Theater in Anaheim, CA and the first playwright to participate in Bloomington Playwrights Projects’ Square One Series. He has been to The Orchard Project and to JAW at Portland Center Stage, served twice as Playwright in Residence at the William Inge Center, and twice as a Dramatists Guild Fund’s Traveling Masters. Szymkowicz received two grants from the CT Commission on Culture & Tourism, and has been commissioned by South Coast Rep, Rising Phoenix Rep, and 6
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Texas State University, The NOLA Project, Single Carrot Theater, Majestic Rep, The Chance Theater and Flux Theater Ensemble. Adam received a Playwright’s Diploma from The Juilliard School’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program and an MFA from Columbia University where he was the Dean’s Fellow. Szymkowicz is a twotime Lecomte du Nouy Prize winner, a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writer’s Guild of America, and was a member of Primary Stages’ Dorothy Strelsin New American Writer’s Group, the MCC Playwright’s Coalition and of the very first Ars Nova Play Group. He has interviewed over 1000 playwrights on his blog. FRANCIS GUINAN (Paul) returns to Northlight where he previously appeared in By the Water, White Guy On The Bus, Stella & Lou, Season’s Greetings and Inherit the Wind. Chicago credits include The Night Alive, The Birthday Party, Time Stands Still, The Book Thief, American Buffalo, Balm in Gilead and Say Goodnight, Gracie (Steppenwolf); The Book of Joseph (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Twist Your Dickens, Pullman Porter Blues and The Seagull (Goodman); A Guide for the Perplexed (Victory Gardens, Jeff Award); and Rantoul and Die (American Blues). He appeared on Broadway in August: Osage County, The Grapes of Wrath and As Is. His television credits include Boss, Eerie, Indiana, ER, Frasier and several Star Trek franchise episodes. Mr. Guinan’s film credits include Abundant Acreage Available, The Last Airbender, Typing, Low Tide and Constantine.
PROFILES RONDI REED (Marie) previously appeared at Northlight in The Outgoing Tide opposite John Mahoney. She has been a member of the Steppenwolf Ensemble for 35 years, appearing in over 50 productions at Steppenwolf Theatre, her artistic home, and in Festival productions for Steppenwolf in Australia, Ireland, and the U.K. Rondi is a teacher / director in Chicago and has worked extensively in Regional Theatre, as well as Broadway and OffBroadway. She is the recipient of several awards for her work, most recently the Tony Award (Featured Actress) for her performance in August: Osage County, written by Tracy Letts and directed by Anna Shapiro. Rondi was also an original cast member of Wicked (Chicago) as Madame Morrible and reprised her role in the Broadway production. She can also be seen on the hit CBS series Mike & Molly as Peggy and in HBO films, You Don’t Know Jack with Al Pacino, and Normal with Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange. BJ JONES (Director/Northlight Artistic Director) is in his 23rd season as Artistic Director of Northlight. Mr Jones is a two-time Joseph Jefferson Award Winning actor and a three-time nominated director. He has directed the world premieres of Relativity, Charm, Faceless, White Guy on the Bus, Chapatti, The Outgoing Tide (Jeff Nomination), Better Late, and Rounding Third. Notably he has directed productions of Outside Mullingar, Grey Gardens, The Price, The Lieutenant of Innishmore, Curve of Departure, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. As a producer he has guided the world premieres of How A Boy Falls, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Shining Lives, The Last
Five Years, and Studs Terkel’s ‘The Good War.’ Additional directorial credits include Pitmen Painters (Jeff Nomination, Timeline); 100 Saints You Should Know (Steppenwolf); Glengarry Glen Ross (Susie Bass Nomination, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta); The Lady with All the Answers (Cherry Lane, New York); Animal Crackers (Baltimore Center Stage); Three Musketeers, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (Utah Shakespeare Festival), and four productions at the Galway International Arts Festival. As a performer, he has appeared at Northlight, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court and other theatres throughout Chicago. Film/TV credits include The Fugitive, Body Double, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Early Edition, Cupid, and Turks, among others. TIMOTHY J. EVANS (Northlight Executive Director) leads Northlight Theatre’s overall strategic, management and longrange initiatives. Prior to his arrival at Northlight, Tim spent over 20 years at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in management and producing positions. He created, curated and produced Steppenwolf’s acclaimed TRAFFIC Series including a partnership with Chicago Public Radio for subsequent broadcasts. Tim founded Steppenwolf Films, of which he is still a partner with Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry, to develop film and television projects. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the League of Chicago Theatres and on the theater selection panel for the Princess Grace Foundation Awards. He also serves on the USA selection committee for The Eisenhower Fellows, Philadelphia, PA. Previously, Tim served on the board of the Independent Film Project (IFP) and was a charter member of the Governor’s Task Force for Media Development.
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NORTHLIGHT STAFF & LEADERSHIP BJ Jones Artistic Director Timothy J. Evans Executive Director ADMINISTRATION Managing Director Janet Mullet Director of Advancement Kim Hoopingarner Events Manager Kelly Cosgrove Campaign/Advancement Administrator Christina Ward Director of Marketing & Communications Mara Mihlfried Marketing Manager Francisco Lopez Director of Finance Lisa Stern Associate General Manager/ Company Manager Victoria Martini-Rosowicz Finance Administrator/Group Sales Coordinator Michelle Blendermann Administrative Assistant Christine Ebeling EDUCATION Director of Education & Community Engagement Christina Lepri Education & Community Engagement Manager Alexi Siegel Teaching Artists Kaiser Ahmed Jessica Alldredge Sheldon Brown Kelsey Chigas Jazmin Corona Matt Farabee Tiffany Fulson Jasmine Henri Jordan Kate Leslie Edmund O’Brien Jeremy Ohringer Jenn Oswald Will Quam Wilfredo Ramos Jr Vanessa Strahan Gus Thomas Abby Thompson 8
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Apprentices Carly Boles Simran Deokule Abby Ferree Caleigh Havansek Alexis Tornez Martinez Nicholas Walker Lexy Weixel PRODUCTION Production Manager Emily Kneer Technical Director Bek Lambrecht Assistant Technical Director/ Assistant to the Production Manager Colleen Schuldeis Master Electrician Cory Drewry Audio Visual Engineer Jennifer Udoni-Sharp Costume Coordinator Darcy Hofer SERVICE PROVIDERS Public Relations Cathy Taylor PR, INC. Graphic Design Bridget Schultz BOARD OF TRUSTEES J. Douglas Gray, Chair Mark McCarville, President Julie Chernoff, Vice President Donna Frett, Vice President Craig Smith, Vice President Paul Lehner, Secretary E. Faye Butler Carole Cahill Christy Callahan Jennifer Christensen Timothy Evans, Executive Director Freddi Greenberg BJ Jones, Artistic Director Yves Lassere Dennis Marino Blythe McGarvie Susie McMonagle Atlee Valentine Pope Robert J. Regan Rahul Roy Kelly Ryan Evelyn Salk, Trustee Emeritus Reetu Gowdar Sanders Robert S. Silver Bob Silverman
Thomas D. Stringer Mark Tendam ADVISORY COUNCIL Trish Barr Anne Berkeley Steven J. Bernstein Karl Berolzheimer Gerhard Bette Edward Bradley Margo Brown Michael R. Callahan* Joe Cappo Marcia Caulkins Josh Chernoff Dennis Clarkson Beth Davis Dave Davis Paul Finnegan* Gene Frett Susan Gaud Craig Golden Eleanor Hall Tom Hazlett Karen Hunt Ann Jennett Susan Karol* Diana King Paul Lehman* James Lytle Matthew Magnuson Michelle Marvin Bradford Matson Marcia Mead Stillerman Ed Michael Carol Mullins Reverend Dr. Michael Nabors Merril Prager Roberta Rubin Toby Sachs Esther Saks* Sara Schastok Ralph Segall David Seidman* Jill Soderberg Ingrid Stafford Trimmy Stamell* Claire Sucsy Timothy P. Sullivan* John Syverstsen Greg Taubeneck Bernice Weissbourd Payson Wild Betsy Ziegler *Past President/Chairperson
NORTHLIGHT SUPPORTERS DONORS Northlight Theatre is deeply grateful to the following contributors for their generous support. This list reflects gifts received January 1, 2020 through January 1, 2021. If you would like your name to appear differently or prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Christina Ward at 847.324.1611 or cward@northlight.org. NORTHLIGHT VISIONARIES CIRCLE Producers $25,000 and Above Anonymous Jacqueline M. Brumlik Nan and Wally Greenough Carol and Jim Hansen Mark and Kathy McCarville Sam and Marianne Oliva The Sullivan Family Foundation Greg and Anne Taubeneck Family Fund Playwrights $10,000 - $24,999 Atlee Valentine Pope and Rick Pope Blythe McGarvie Carole Cahill Cindy Clark and Bob Regan Freddi Greenberg and Dan Pinkert Marci Eisenstein and John Treece Paul and Margaret Lurie The Nan and Walter C. Greenough Charitable Fund Directors $5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous(2) Vickie and Tim Burke Julie and Josh Chernoff Jennifer Christensen Susan and David Curry Donna and Gene Frett Susan Mabrey Gaud Doris Graber J. Douglas Gray Dorothy Harza Thomas and Gail Hodges Suzanne and Dan Kanter Carol and Steve Mullins Jim and Sujo Offield Will Sanders and Reetu Gowdar Sanders Robert S. and Sandra G. Silver Thomas D. Stringer and Scott E. Waller
Designers $2,500 - $4,999 R Bert Crossland Howard Dubin Joan and Kevin Evanich Abel and Judy Friedman Neil and Marge Gambow Craig Golden and Michal Heifitz-Golden Emily and Kevin Hansen Ann and Bernie Jennett Leslie and Paul Lehner Judy Newton Barbara and Daniel O'Keefe Pat Price William & Eleanor Revelle Rahul and Anuradhika Roy Keith and Ann Sarpolis Horst and Sara Schastok Ralph and Nancy Segall David and Christine Seidman Scott and Jill Seltzer Company $1,000 - $2,499 Anonymous(7) David Abrams Evelyn Alter Anne Berkeley Diane and Karl Berolzheimer Larry and Mary Boeder Betty A. and William J. Boyd Douglas Brown and Rachel Kraft Mary Anne and Joe Cappo Joyce Chelberg James and Patricia Corirossi Lyn and Andy Cushman James and Pam Elesh Bernard Friedman Willard A Fry, M.D. Steve Hagerty and Lisa Altenbernd Del and Ginger Hall Brenda Hansen Edward Harney Paul and Mary Ann Harvey Tom and Jan Hazlett Louise A Holland
Jon and Margaret Holsteen Kim and Kirk Hoopingarner Mitch and Mary Lou Horwat BJ Jones and Candy Corr Susan Karol and Glenn Warning Fred Klein Steve Krug and Lori Darling Julie Lepri Adele and Roland Martel Michelle and Jim Marvin Bob and Barb McCullough Joanell and Jim McKenna Marcia Mead Stillerman Lois Melvoin Brian Montgomery and Laura Armstrong Montgomery Lloyd Morgan Jordan and Jean Nerenberg Karen and Jim O'Brien Laurie and Michael Petersen Melanie and Dan Peterson Andrew Porte Lisa and Jeff Rosenkranz Craig Smith Janet Carl Smith and Mel Smith Frederick Sperling William and Ingrid Stafford Dr. Rhonda Stein and Dr. Ed Smolevitz Louise A. Sunderland JWT Family Foundation Michele Thompson Ginny and Steven Towbin Linda and Payson Wild Lawrence and Nancy Wojcik The Zunamon-Cunniff Family
To Make Your Gift Today Contact Christina Ward at 847.324.1611 or cward@northlight.org, or give online at northlight.org/donate
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