Theater Wit - Completeness

presents

Completeness

by Itamar Moses

Cast

Elliot...............................................................................................................................Matt Holzfeind Molly................................................................................................................. Kristina Valada-Viars* Lauren/Katie/Nell...................................................................................................................... Rae Gray Don/Clark/Franklin.......................................................................................................... Andrew Jessop Understudies........................................................................................... Jon Matteson and Alee Spadoni

Crew

Director.......................................................................................................................... Jeremy Wechsler Scenic Design..................................................................................................................... Joe Schermoly Lighting Design...........................................................................................................MIchael Rourke** Costume Design.................................................................................................................Janice Pytel** Video Design.................................................................................................................. Michael Stanfill Properties Design......................................................................................................... Karen LaCoursiere Original Music, Sound Design...............................................................................................Joseph Fosco Stage Manager.......................................................................................................................Sarah Luse* Production Manager......................................................................................................... Jarrod Bainter Assistant Director.................................................................................................................. Majel Cuza Assistant Stage Manager...................................................................................................... Katie Adams * Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional stage managers in the United States. ** Denotes member of USAA Thanks to The Saints for providing ushers for the performances.

Theater Wit thanks its generous institutional supporters, which include the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the Pauls Foundation, and the Service Club of Chicago. Additionally, this program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Completeness is produced by special arrangement with Mark Subias, United Talent Agency There will be one 10 minute intermission.

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BIOGR APHIES Matt Holzfeind (Elliot) is happy to make his Theater Wit debut. Chicago credits include: the title role in BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON (Bailiwick Chicago), ENRON (TimeLine Theatre), PORGY AND BESS (Court Theatre), PETER PAN (A PLAY) (Lookingglass Theatre), THE HIDING PLACE (Provision Theater), HONUS AND ME (Chicago Children’s Theatre), ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST (Writers’ Theatre), THE THREE PENNY OPERA (The Hypocrites), and ROMEO & JULIET (T.U.T.A.). As well as: THE THREE FACES OF DR. CRIPPEN, and THE SPIRIT PLAY (both with The Strange Tree Group, where he is a ensemble member); and work with The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, and Victory Gardens theaters. Regional credits include: THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, TITUS ANDRONICUS and SCAPIN (Utah Shakespeare Festival). Film credits include: RETURN TO THE HIDING PLACE, and BLACK BOX. He is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Drama.

Kristina Valada-Viars (Molly) has appeared in TIME STANDS STILL (Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Jeff Nom),OLIVES AND BLOOD (Neighborhood Productions@HERE), PONY (About Face), MONSTROSITY (13P), LOVE DRUNK (Abingdon), AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (u/s Broadway), THE MUSIC TEACHER (The New Group), THIS IS OUR YOUTH (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), 516 (NY Fringe). Film and Television: MOLLY’S GIRL (Best Actress in a Feature, Iris Prize Film Festival), THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR, BLACKBOX, LAW & ORDER, CI; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. Rae Gray (Lauren/Katie/Nell) is totally stoked to make her Theater Wit debut. Most recently she performed in THE BOOK THIEF at Steppenwolf Theatre where she also appeared in WEDDING BAND. Other credits: CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION (Victory Gardens); SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Ravinia Festival starring Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald); two seasons of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Goodman Theatre); THE REAL THING (Writers’ Theatre); INHERIT THE WIND (Northlight Theatre); CROOKED (Rivendell Theatre 2

Completeness

Ensemble); JAILBAIT (Profiles Theatre); MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Drury Lane Oakbrook); OLIVER and STATE FAIR (Marriott Theatre); STATE FAIR and A CHRISTMAS STORY (Theatre at the Center); AH, WILDERNESS! (Eclipse Theatre); SUMMER PEOPLE (The Gift); THE CRUCIBLE and CRY OF PLAYERS (TimeLine Theatre). Regional credits: THE NORTH CHINA LOVER (Berkeley Rep.) and MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Gateway Playhouse, NY). TV credits: NBC’S CHICAGO FIRE. Rae is a Rivendell Theatre ensemble member and a junior at the University of Chicago. http://raegray.tumblr.com/ Andrew Jessop (Don/ Clark/Franklin) received Jeff Award noms for his portrayals of Jeff in LOBBY HERO and Katurian in THE PILLOWMAN, both at Redtwist Theatre where he is the former Co-Artistic Director. Also at Redtwist, his directorial debut of MAN FROM NEBRASKA received the Jeff Award for Best Production in 2011. In April, Andrew will begin production on his first co-written screenplay, HOVERING. You can find more of Andrew’s past work at www.andrewjessop.com.

Special thanks to Jeremy and the wonderful cast and crew at Theater Wit! Jon Matteson (Understudy for Elliot, Don, Clark, Franklin) is thrilled to be involved in Completeness. This is his first production with Theatre Wit. Jon is a graduate from The University of Kansas and a proud Jayhawk. Jon is a company member with (re)discover theatre, which has finished their first season. Some of his recent credits with (re)discover include the title role in HAMLET and AN EVENING OF BECKETT. He can also be seen at The Annoyance and iO, where he has been playing with FICTION FOR THE POOR for two years. Jon would like to thank his friends, his family, and Lily for being so supportive.

Alee Spadoni (Understudy for Molly, Lauren, Kate, Nell) is excited to be in the company of such talented, hard working collaborators!

Chicago credits include work with Dog and Pony, State Theatre of Chicago, Straw Dog, Collaboraction and Adventure Stage.

Coming up next Alee will play Sarah in Edward

BIOGR APHIES

c o n t.

Albee’s Seascape at Oak Park Festival Theatre.

UArts Alum. Special thanks to Erica Sartini, Laura Durham and Elana Boulos of Two Birds Casting, Paola, Marc, Janice, Quinn, Suzanne, Robert, Cast, Crew, Beautiful Friends and Family for all of the love and support.

Itamar Moses (Playwright) is the author of the full-length plays OUTRAGE , BACH AT LEIPZIG, CELEBRITY ROW, THE FOUR OF US, YELLOWJACKETS, BACK BACK BACK, and COMPLETENESS, the musicals NOBODY LOVES YOU (with Gaby Alter), and FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE (with Michael Friedman and Daniel Aukin), and the evening of short plays LOVE/ STORIES (OR BUT YOU WILL GET USED TO IT).

His work has appeared Off-Broadway and elsewhere in New York, at regional theatres across the country and in Canada, and is published by Faber & Faber and Samuel French.

He has received new play commissions from The McCarter Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Wilma Theater, South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center, and The Goodman Theatre. On television, Itamar has written for both TNT’s MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE and HBO’s BOARDWALK EMPIRE. Itamar holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, MCC Playwrights Coalition, and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. He was born in Berkeley, CA and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. Jeremy Wechsler (Director) is the artistic director of Theater Wit where he has directed TIGERS BE STILL (Kim Rosenstock), THIS (Melissa James Gibson), THE FOUR OF US (Itamar Moses), SPIN (Penny Penniston), FEYDEAU-SI-DEAU (Georges Feydeau), MEN OF STEEL (Qui Nguyen), THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING) (Will Eno), TWO FOR THE SHOW (James Fitzpatrick and Will Clinger) and THE SANTALAND DIARIES (David Sedaris and Joe Mantello). He has directed over forty shows in the last fifteen years at various theaters, including: THE FLU SEASON (Will Eno), A TASTE OF HONEY (Shelagh Delaney – best show of 2007, The Wall Street Journal), THE PLAY ABOUT THE SQUIRREL (Mia McCullough), THE WHITE DEVIL (John Webster), THE REAL THING (Tom Stoppard), SZINHAZ (Itamar Moses), TITUS ANDRONICUS (Shakespeare), THE ROARING GIRL (Thomas Middleton), THIS IS THE RILL SPEAKING (Lanford Wilson), HAY FEVER (Noel Coward) NOW THEN AGAIN (Penny Penniston), A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY (Brian Friel), EUROPE (David Grieg), HENRY VI: BLOOD OF A NATION

(Shakespeare), THE PROMISE (Jose Rivera), LIFE IS A DREAM (Calderon), THE PRISONER’S DILEMMA (David Edgar), CABARET (Masteroff/Kander/Ebb) and THE THREEPENNY OPERA (Brecht/Weill). He has taught at several universities, is an artistic associate at Collaboraction and currently serves on the board of the League of Chicago Theatres.

His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work.

Joe Schermoly (Set Design) is a set designer, technical director and painter around town. His design work has been seen at Griffin Theatre (PUNK ROCK, NO MORE DEAD DOGS, PORT, CONSTANT WIFE), Strawdog Theatre (DUCHESS OF MALFI, MASTER AND MARGARITA, RICHARD III), Lifeline Theatre (THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, THE CITY & THE CITY), Sideshow Theatre (IDOMENEUS, THE UGLY ONE) Eclipse (BEYOND THE HORIZON, THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK) and more. He has also designed and built shows in London for The Finborough, Bush and Gate theatres among others. Joe studied set design at Northwestern University, is a proud Griffin Theatre company member and is the Technical Director at Lifeline Theatre. See more of his work at www.joeschermoly.com Michael Rourke (Lighting Design) is pleased to return to Theatre Wit where he previously designed NOW. THEN. AGAIN. (in, ironically, the ‘same’ space which is now completely different!). He has designed the lighting for over 100 productions in the Chicago area and has received a Jeff Award for KABUKI LADY MACBETH (on his third nomination), a Jeff Citation (NOW. THEN. AGAIN.), an After Dark Award (M. BUTTERFLY), and a Dean Goodman Drama Logue Award (MICHAEL, MARGARET, PAT & KATE). Over the past thirty years, he has designed over 300 productions in the U.S. and the U.K. He and his wife, Barbara Reeder (also a Lighting Designer), base their design & consulting company – Reeder & Rourke Lighting Design Unlimited, Inc. – in Chicago. Mr. Rourke is an adjunct faculty member of The Theatre School at DePaul University and has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Virginia.

Janice Pytel (Costume Designer) Recent Chicago credits include CONCERNING STRANGE DEVICES FROM THE DISTANT WEST (currently running at Timeline Theatre); CROOKED AND FALLING A: WAKE (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); DISGRACED (American Theatre Company); THE CARETAKER, THE DETECTIVE’S WIFE; A STREETCAR NAMED Theater Wit

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BIOGR APHIES

c o n t.

DESIRE; and PICNIC (Writers’ Theatre); SPUNK (Court Theatre); MIDDLETOWN (Steppenwolf ); and FESTEN (Steep Theatre), THE LONG RED ROAD (Goodman Theater). Broadway: 33 VARIATIONS; I AM MY OWN WIFE. Regionally she has worked with Alley Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Centerstage, Kansas City Rep., Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, Madison Rep., and Geffen Playhouse. Feature film: MARIACHI GRINGO (Speak Productions). Multi Media: CATHERINE SULLIVAN’S TRIANGLE OF NEED (Walker Art Center, Metro Pictures Gallery). Janice is a member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Her online portfolio can be found at www.janicepytel.com.

Michael Stanfill (Video Design) is originally from the Pacific Northwest, and moved to Chicago to attend Graduate School at Northwestern University where he earned an MFA in Lighting Design. After years designing for dance, theater, and the occasional roller derby bout, he began integrating Projections and Video into his Lighting Designs. He now freelances in the region as both a Lighting and Projection/Video designer. Recent projection projects include SUNSET BLVD. and CHILDREN OF EDEN (Timberlake Playhouse), THE STATE(S) OF AMERICA: THE REGINA TAYLOR PROJECT (Northwestern University), THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE (Red Tape), THE LIFE AND TIMES OF TULSA LOVECHILD (Roosevelt University), THE PROMISE, ENOLA (Side Project), POOL (NO WATER) (Vitalist), ASSASSINS (Chicago Humanities).

Karen LaCoursiere (Properties Design) began her love of design at an early age when she realized she liked things around her to look organized and pretty. After graduating from Illinois Institute of Art Schaumburg with her Bachelors in Interior Design she worked at Steppenwolf Theatre in the Properties Department. This fueled her love of theatre and satisfied her need to organize and make things look pretty. It was a win - win. Karen has lived overseas in Hong Kong, loves to travel, sail, do yoga and has two dogs (and a husband).

Joseph Fosco (Original Music, Sound Design) is a Chicago based composer and sound designer.

He has been nominated for a New York Drama Desk award, and 9 Jeff awards. He has received 3 Jeff Awards, 2 After Dark awards and an Orgie Theatre Award. Joseph is a company member of A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago.

He has also designed shows at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens 4

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Theatre, The Museum Of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Northlight Theatre, Marriott’s Theatre in Lincolnshire, Noble Fool Theatricals/Fox Valley Rep., Theater Wit, Porchlight Theatre and many others. Regionally he has composed music and designed sound at Barrow Street Theatre (NY), 29th Street Rep. (NY) and theatres in Seattle, Madison, and Milwaukee. In England Joseph has designed in London, Edinburgh, Brighton, and Manchester. Joseph has composed music for film, video, multimedia, and dance. Visit www. josephfosco.com for more information.

Sarah Luse (Stage Manager) is extremely excited to be working with Theater Wit for the first time.

Some of her favorite Chicago credits include THE RUBY SUNRISE, W;T, LONESOME WEST, and NIGHT AND HER STARS (The Gift), BONHOEFFER’S COST (Provision), CORONADO (Steep), and HEY! MR. SPACEMAN! (Strange Tree). Along with stage managing Sarah also does production management. Some of those credits include SPIRIT PLAY and GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD (Strange Tree) and A DOLL’S HOUSE and THE GRAPES OF WRATH (Infamous Commonwealth). Sarah is an artistic associate of The Strange Tree Group.

Jarrod Bainter (Production Manager) is a Lighting Designer and Technical Director from the central Illinois area. He is very proud to be Production Managing Completeness, his first project with Theater Wit. He is also a company member at Red Tape Theatre and The Fine Print Theatre. In addition he will be continuing in residence artistry at Chicago Dramatists Theater and Adventure Stage Chicago.

Majel Cuza (Assistant Director) loves working at Theater Wit and is honored to assisting Jeremy in this production. Majel has directed, production managed, and stage managed with many Chicago companies including Red Tape Theater, InFusion Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Soul Theater, Stage Left Theatre, Rivendell Theater Ensemble, Rubicon Theatre Project, Infamous Commonwealth Theatre and Halcyon Theatre.

Majel has also worked in film, most recently producing and directing short films, BOXES and DISOWNED AND DISPOSSESSED. Katie Adams (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to be working with Theater Wit for the first time. Previously she has stage managed for Chicago theatre companies including The House Theatre of Chicago, Lifeline Theatre, Steep Theatre Company, and Prologue Theatre Co. Katie is an alumna of Northwestern University.

DIRECTOR JEREMY WECHSLER INTERVIEWS PLAYWRIGHT ITAMAR MOSES Jeremy Wechsler: I know Completeness had a really long development process. When did you start writing it?

Itamar Moses: The commission that turned into Completeness I got from Manhattan Theater Club from as far back as, I’m going to say 2005, 2006? The commission was from the Sloan Foundation that backs plays about math and science. I would not have taken that grant had it not been the case that I already had a science related idea.

I had already been thinking about the Traveling Salesman Problem; I first learned about it in an electrical engineering course that I took in college. It came up as the reason why a long-enough random series of numbers and letters is impossible to crack: because if you run an algorithm that runs every possible combination, it seems like that should work, but in fact there are quickly so many combinations that it won’t work because it’ll take the computer fifty million years to try it. It stuck in my head; I liked the name, “Traveling Salesman Problem.” I wanted to write about a guy who’s trapped on the Traveling Salesman Problem, sort of, not realizing that that problem is at work in other aspects of his life. I had a lot of seeds based on a lot of different relationships, but it never really cohered. I didn’t really hit on a structure that felt like it contained a complete play until several years after that first commission.

You talked about how you had these seeds from real life , do you keep a running notebook of dialogue snippets that you want to use?

There might be a sentence fragment or two that I might keep in a text document in my computer, but—this is also something I should be careful about as I get older—I also have a steel trap memory for moments or dialogue, especially if something has an emotional impact at the time. I can recount entire conversations pretty accurately. What sticks in my brain, I end up using because the fact that it’s stuck in my brain means I’m compelled by it or it has some meaning or energy.

How did you come across the biology part?

I knew I didn’t want it to be a really soft science. There was an early version where I thought, “maybe she’s a botanist,” and my girlfriend was like “So the girl is doing some girl science?”

And I was like, “You’re right, let’s not do that.” So I wanted it to be an equally hard science, but I wanted it to deal with real world stuff, chemistry or biology. The chair of molecular biology at Columbia and one of his colleagues and I went for a drink in the East Village and I just grilled them for two hours while taking notes. What I needed, first of all on a plot level, what could a molecular biologist grad student need help with from a computer scientist to get that first inciting incident going. We talked about that, and what is the cutting edge in the field and as soon as this idea of protein interaction networks came up, as an early test you do to find what bonds with what, I thought “there it is.” It was one of those things where your right brain knows instantly “That’s it. That’s going to work.” And then it’s the very slow process of your left brain catching up. Why does that work? And how does that work?

When we did the reading last night, we were struck by this climactic moment that abruptly reflected the scope of their problems out in a generational context. I have been thinking a lot Theater Wit

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Itamar Moses Interview cont. about my 20s. And how sucky they were. But also, how does it suck in a different way now?

It isn’t that we’re the only generation that has a hard time making sense of romance, it’s just we have a hard time making sense of it, in a different way, that’s specific to our generation.

And the way you experienced that line in the reading and the way I intended it, was an acknowledgement that all future generations are going to have a problem. That harkens to the first thing Elliot does for Molly is write a genetic algorithm where every generation learns some things, but it’s an optimization process: it acts for some goal it never reaches.

And so Molly is just articulating the point that this generation is at on that curve, so it’s not to say, ‘well, this is really tough for us’, it’s saying, ‘we’re in uncharted territory’ and I think we are. We always are. Audiences in their 20s seem to really enjoy this play. Because it speaks to something that not a lot of plays speak to in quite this focused a way. Someone told me that after it was produced in New York all the second and third year acting students at Julliard became obsessed with it and started doing scenes from Completeness in their acting classes because it gave them an opportunity to play characters that thought, and talked like they do.

So that’s one big sub group, but that’s not to say to that older audiences don’t enjoy the play. There are two responses I’ve gotten from older audiences. One is “now I finally understand what my kid are going through, why they’re creating all these relationship problems for themselves and now I finally know what they’re going through.” Or they say “It’s always been this way. We had our own versions of exactly this.” But getting that this is the next generation dealing with the same problem. And science geeks seem to appreciate it.

I bet!

The science in the play is accurate. And I don’t think they’re used to seeing that and also being seen as people who sleep with one another. Which is true! Otherwise where would new scientists come from?

Does writing a romantic comedy make you more optimistic about love or more calculating because you have to construct it?

It’s a chicken and egg question because my romantic life has calmed down and stabilized a great deal in my 30s as opposed to my 20s. Am I able to write about things that actually might seem like they might work out because I have experienced that or has writing about it helped me get to that place? The answer is probably both and neither. I definitely remember feeling the opposite in my 20s – I could write relationship scenes in my 20s about things not working, and that to write something that was working felt like I was faking it, making something up, because I genuinely didn’t believe in it. And now I feel like I get love more.

Full interview available at http://www.theaterwit.org/blog

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Completeness

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Completeness

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Auto insurance through AAA. From the peace of mind experts.

For generations, we’ve provided countless policyholders with the protection and security of auto insurance through AAA. Customers who’ve switched to insurance through AAA have saved up to $358 a year with our exceptional rates. Discounts are also available for AAA Members, bundling with AAA home and life insurance, safe driving records, air bags, car alarms and more.

FAST, EASY, HASSLE-FREE QUOTE: 877-AAA-SAVE or AAA.com/GetaQuote

Insurance underwritten by Auto Club Insurance Association or MemberSelect Insurance Company.

Insurance Auto • Home • Life

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10/15/12 2:22 PM