The Lonely Few Program

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER

THE LONELY FEW

DIRECTOR

GIL CATES, JR.

Welcome to the Geffen Playhouse world premiere musical The Lonely Few !

This play was commissioned as part of Geffen Playhouse’s New Play Development Program, thanks to the generosity of Sandra Krause and William Fitzgerald. Major support for this world premiere production was provided by the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund.

The Lonely Few is an ambitious project and we could not have more collaborative, more supportive producing partners than FourthWall Theatrical to bring it to life on the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater stage. Rachel Bonds and Zoe Sarnak have created a beautiful, lyrical love story between two women searching for a sense of home, told in the most imaginative way. Thank you for joining us on this heartfelt journey.

I would like to take a moment and recognize my dear colleague and Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Matt Shakman. As of

February 2023, Matt has transitioned out of his formal Artistic Director role and will remain on our Board of Directors. Since arriving at the Geffen in August of 2017, Matt pushed the boundaries of what theater could be, and what theater can teach us. I am particularly proud of the work he spearheaded through our Geffen Stayhouse programming lineup, which allowed the Geffen to not only thrive during the pandemic closure, but to create an entirely new and innovative way of connecting people through the power of storytelling.

We are forever grateful to Matt for all of his incredible work and artistic leadership at the Geffen. A search committee has been working on the process of finding our next Artistic Director, and we look forward to what that future holds for our theater.

Thank you and enjoy the show!

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director

EXECUTIVE

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

ART LIVES HERE

FEATURED WORK #6 Mirror, Mirror

ARTIST

Joan Chéri Peake

ON DISPLAY

Feb. 1 – Apr. 9, 2023

As part of Geffen Playhouse’s Art Lives Here project, four Los Angeles artists have been invited to create original art works to be displayed in our lobby welcoming audiences during our 2022/2023 Season.

We celebrate the diversity in our audiences and our productions, and it is our mission to create, foster, and nourish an environment that is open and welcoming for all. We are a home for the arts, and we believe our physical space should also reflect and be representative of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do and the communities we support.

As theatre is one of the most social of the arts and demands society to examine itself in the mirror, this piece will create the relationship between theatre and oneself. In a society where social media plays a major role in our lives, selfies have become almost a daily ritual around the world throughout the 21st century. This work will allow the theatre community to come together and blend with our current social norm. Over the past decade, selfies have helped people stand out, and helped them prove that they are a part of something important. So, essentially this mirrored artwork will show the audience that they are a part of the theatre culture and that they deserve their flowers while they’re here!

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Joan Chéri Peake is a passionate, expressive, vibrant African American artist. At the young age of 5 she watched her mother create paintings from home, which instantly sparked

her love for art. Naturally, she was drawn to painting; her interest was cultivated during her teenage years and further developed when she decided to take her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Joan also had the desire to fulfill her love for fashion and decided to advance her education in New York City at Parsons New School for Design. Her sensual nature of art is inspired by femininity, pop culture, and her life experiences. Her aesthetic constantly allows her to explore new places, and new techniques.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT VISIT GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.ORG/ARTLIVESHERE

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AMY LEVINSON

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Adi Greenberg CHAIR

Victoria Alonso

Dr. Gene D. Block

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director

Mary Ann Cloyd

Vice Chair

Merle Dandridge

Dr. Brad Edgerton

Bonnie E. Eskenazi

Mark Fleischer

Susan Nahley Fleishman

Patricia L. Glaser

Welcome to The Lonely Few. It is always thrilling to produce a world premiere, but there is something particularly special when that world premiere is also a Geffen commission. From the moment writers

Rachel Bonds and Zoe Sarnak began their collaboration, we knew that they would create a beautiful and wholly original love story. It’s our joy to support new work, as every stage of its development—from conception to fully-realized production—is its own rewarding adventure.

The dynamic directing team of Trip Cullman and Ellenore Scott has brought this musical to life with incredible vibrancy and truth. Each director brings a perspective and level of expertise that has enhanced and elevated this show. Together with Rachel and Zoe, they have assembled a brilliant cast of actors and musicians, so talented they blow the roof off of this intimate theater. Coupled with a design team that has created an entirely immersive experience, The Lonely Few is unlike anything we’ve produced in the Audrey Skirball Kenis theater up until now.

I would like to thank our extraordinary partners at FourthWall Theatrical, Jana Bezdek and Jen Hoguet. Their continuous support and guidance made this show possible. I also want to thank our departing Artistic Director Matt Shakman, who championed this new musical throughout its development. His belief in making bold choices has changed the trajectory of this theater. We will miss his leadership, his insight, and his impeccable taste. I know we will continue to follow his example and swing for the fences with the work we do. It has been a pleasure and privilege.

Amy Levinson Associate Artistic Director

Victoria Mann Simms

Andy Spahn

Steven Spielberg

Steve Tisch

Dr. Charles E. Young Chair Emeritus

IN MEMORIAM

Gilbert Cates Founder

Marcia Israel-Curley

Audrey Skirball Kenis

Charles Kenis

Martha Henderson

Chair Emeritus

Loretta Everett Kaufman

Carla Malden

Brian Mann

Tiffany Mayberry

Mary Osako

Danny Passman

Holly Rice

Linda Bernstein Rubin

Matt Shakman

Richard Sherman

Cynthia P. Stafford

Howard Tenenbaum

Chair Emeritus

Marc Weinstock

FOUNDING TRUSTEES

Harold A. Brown

Kirsten Combs

Robert A. Daly

David Geffen

Herbert M. Gelfand

Chair Emeritus

Quincy Jones

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Glorya Kaufman

Frank G. Mancuso

Chair Emeritus

Ron Meyer

Jerry Moss

Bruce M. Ramer

Founding Chair

Karl Malden

Ginny Mancini

Jerry Perenchio

Edie Wasserman

Lew Wasserman

LEGAL COUNSEL

Nikki Kerman

Venable LLP

ADVISORY BOARD

John Sonego Chair

Stephanie Carson

Lori Collins

Ellyce R. Cooper

Debra Davis

Giovanna Desselle

Brenda Garcia

Ann Gianopulos

Priscila Giraldo

Eric Heer

Laura Kennedy

John McCrite

Audrey Povar

Eric Rollins

Scott Sandler

Cela Devine Sutton

Uma Swami

Miranda Tollman

Rebecca Vail

Laurie Ziegler

PHOTO BY ISAAK BERLINER

A PEEK INSIDE THE PROCESS

RACHEL BONDS & ZOE SARNAK BRING US INTO THEIR PROCESS WRITING THE LONELY FEW

PHAEDRA MICHELLE SCOTT: Where did the idea of The Lonely Few come from? What was the story you were interested in telling?

RACHEL BONDS: Zoe and I knew we were going to get to work together. We both wanted to make something with music, and I don’t come from the world of musicals at all. I was interested in making something that is on a smaller scale—like a Hedwig. Where the cast are also the musicians. Something that could maybe live in the world of a concert.

Zoe was interested in that idea because she had a group of songs that felt like they lived in a story together but potentially in a

less traditional musical structure. We started looking at this group of songs that she had with this idea that we were building up to a concert musical. I started interviewing her about her music—where did the songs come from? We found that most of the songs came from heartbreak, then we dug into it. Heartbreak, sexuality, and coming of age as a queer woman.

We started to shape the story from those interviews, and because we had the concert-model in mind, we wanted there to be a strong female-identifying protagonist—a frontwoman for the band—around whom we’d shape the whole story. Then we wrote and re-wrote and re-wrote. We were looking

INTERVIEW BY PHAEDRA MICHELLE SCOTT, DRAMATURG FOR THE LONELY FEW

L-R:

PHOTOS BY SAMMY TUNIS & JENICA HEINTZELMAN

Book Writer Rachel Bonds

Composer & Lyricist Zoe Sarnak

for a narrative that felt right, that made the story satisfying.

Then, when the pandemic started, we paused and thought—maybe we can make this into a film. We sat down to write out a treatment, and that’s actually when we found the story we wanted to tell. When we thought about it as a film.

PMS: When you shifted mediums, that’s when it clicked?

RB: That’s where we really hammered out a plot and narrative, and THEN we went back to the stage version and shifted the whole thing. We realized—it’s a love story. And it’s not just this one protagonist—it’s actually two. It’s a story about two women. It’s their love story. That’s how we cracked it.

Then we wrote a billion more drafts after that (laughs).

PMS: How does music influence storytelling?

ZOE SARNAK: What’s really beautiful about musicals in general is that characters should sing truth and changes, and explore pain or joy or transformation or catharsis that they can’t quite express through dialogue or words. They have to express it through music, and it’s true of all great musicals, I think.

For this one, the characters are all in moments of significant change. All six of them. All six of them are excavating struggle in the past, liminal space in the present, or moments in their lives when everything is about to turn over. Or they are stuck and feel like they may never change again. All of those things are so hard to verbalize because we are busy living our day-to-day lives. Music has the language, even before lyric, in the notes and the rhythms, as a way that we express ourselves. In this show, the

added bonus is that [the characters] are musicians, so it is their language. Music can unlock things inside of us that we don’t know yet even, and I think that is really expressed in this show.

PMS: We’re getting a lot of the emotional story of the characters through their relationships to musicianship as well. So, there might be hints that an audience member listening closely might pick up.

ZS: 100%. The blend of genres of the piece allows different characters to have different musical voices. Another thing I found really exciting in seeing it on its feet, is the way people play [their instruments] is also character development. I cannot wait for people to see The Lonely Few play as a band, and just how much you learn about their character by how they hold their instruments, or when they play them gently, or when they are headbanging. There is so much character that is expressed through how we sing, but also how we play. When we choose to play, and when we don’t, as well.

PMS: What’s something that you hope audiences walk away with?

RB: This is a love story between two women, and as far as I know in the musical canon, there is no musical that features this kind of queer love story as the structural central relationship. Zoe and I didn’t necessarily approach this from a place of politics. We approached it from a personal place, but by nature it is political, especially at a time when I think a lot of us feel scared about having our rights stripped away from us, and losing our access to choice over our bodies and who we can love.

The main thing we’re putting out there is that this is just a love story like any other. It’s

about standing in front of the community and being embraced by that community, even if you didn’t necessarily think that community would embrace you.

ZS: I thought about this a lot. Some days I think to myself, I want to write a queer love story in the most rich and celebratory of queerness way. I want to write a queer love story that is something that I would have always wanted to see when I was younger. It could be so special for so many people, and I think it is so important.

And also, it is a love story in the universal sense. I really believe that one of the most powerful things about this show is that it can celebrate queerness, while being a love story that anyone can see themselves inside of.

PMS: The musical focuses on artists and creating art; what’s some advice you would give to anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in the arts?

RB: My advice is to get your hands into as many mediums as you can. I think it’s really good to say yes to new things, even if you don’t know how to do them. It’s okay if you’ve never done it before, you can learn, especially if you have a background in theater, it makes you adaptable and potentially very good with people of all kinds.

ZS: Each show is different, but one of the things that was true about this show for me was—I wanted it to feel undeniably honest, always. There’s a lot of my personal life in the show. However, you can get caught up in thinking that the context you know [from lived experience] is in what you are doing. At the end of the day, you are writing for characters who are not you. Very importantly so.

I think the process for writing this show often for me has been putting myself in an

emotional place for any given character, and allowing it to connect to something unspoken and deep inside of me that brings out images and thoughts (and even memories). But then being ruthless about editing.

PMS: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

ZS: I am very thankful that this story is coming to life. It is such a labor of love over many years, and also it is an expression of a lot of truths that took me many years to feel comfortable sharing. For it to come to life and have people—such amazing artists so committed to it—have brought together this family of people. Feeling the energy already of people who want to connect to it is really meaningful. I want to thank every single person who comes because it’s a true labor of love.

I want to specifically thank Rachel, because I think it takes a really special writing partner to dive into stuff like this. It’s a gift to write with her.

RB: This has been a yearslong collaboration with Zoe. Because I don’t come from the world of musicals, she has taught me so much and it has been such a joy. It’s not like I’m off writing the book and she’s off writing the lyrics, everything we do has been so intertwined and she has taught me so much about structure and plot. Her brain works so differently than mine, and they are very complimentary. Our aesthetics are very similar and I just feel very grateful to have her and to make art with her. I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with her, and this has really become our child. It’s very close to our hearts.

To read more about The Lonely Few, visit geffenplayhouse.org/blog.

PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH FOURTHWALL THEATRICAL

THE LONELY FEW

BOOK BY RACHEL BONDS

MUSIC & LYRICS BY ZOE SARNAK

DIRECTED BY TRIP CULLMAN & ELLENORE SCOTT

SCENIC DESIGNER SIBYL WICKERSHEIMER

COSTUME DESIGNER SAMANTHA C. JONES

SOUND DESIGNER NICK KOURTIDES

MUSIC DIRECTOR MYRNA CONN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR MELISSA COLEMAN-REED

DIALECT & VOICE COACH TRÉ COTTEN

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER TALIA KRISPEL

LIGHTING DESIGNER ADAM HONORÉ

MUSIC SUPERVISOR BRYAN PERRI

ORCHESTRATIONS BY BRYAN PERRI & ZOE SARNAK

INTIMACY DIRECTOR SASHA NICOLLE SMITH

DRAMATURG PHAEDRA MICHELLE SCOTT

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS LAUREN BUANGAN & JULIAN OLIVE

OPENING NIGHT

CASTING BY BETH LIPARI, CSA & PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

THE LONELY FEW

CAST OF CHARACTERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Adam

Dylan..................................................................................

Lila .....................................................................................

JOSHUA CLOSE

DAMON DAUNNO

LAUREN PATTEN

Amy (thru 4/9) ............................................................................

JJ .............................................................................................

Paul..................................................................................

Amy (after 4/9)

CIARA RENÉE

HELEN J SHEN

THOMAS SILCOTT

NYLA SOSTRE

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.

TIME/SETTING

Present.

Rural Kentucky to Nashville.

RUNNING TIME

2 hours and 15 minutes

Including one intermission.

PLEASE NOTE

There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance. Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones. Thank you!

MUSICIANS

Keyboard/Fiddle/Guitar/Music Director MYRNA CONN †

Guitar RAMÓN BLANCO † / ERIK HIMEL

Bass MIKE HILL † / FEDE DELFINO

Drums CARL THOMSON † / GREG SADLER

†Opening Night Band

JOSHUA CLOSE (he/him)

Adam

Joshua Close stars in Monica opposite Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson, which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival to amazing reviews and an over 11-minute standing ovation. Josh can next be seen portraying Leonardo DiCaprio’s brother in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. He recently wrapped the TV miniseries Plan B opposite Patrick J. Adams. Recent credits include the MGM TV miniseries The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair for director Jean-Jacques Annaud, the feature Solace opposite Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell, as well as Kill the Messenger with Jeremy Renner. Previously, Josh garnered attention from his recurring role on FX’s Fargo playing “Chazz Nygaard,” the calculating and arrogant younger brother to Martin Freeman. Additional credits include: Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master and the FX series Justified. Before this, Josh starred opposite Jeremy Renner in ABC’s The Unusuals as well as The Pacific for HBO. Other credits include The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Diary of the Dead, and K-19: The Widowmaker for director Kathryn Bigelow.

DAMON DAUNNO (he/him)

Dylan

Damon Daunno received Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for his performance as “Curly” in Daniel Fish’s Tony–winning revival of Oklahoma!. On screen, Damon can be seen in the recurring role of “Killer” in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire. He stars opposite Lucy Hale in The Hating Game (Amazon), and has guest starred in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), and Blue Bloods (CBS). Damon originated the role of “Orpheus” in the off-Broadway production of Hadestown at New York Theatre Workshop and can be heard on the original soundtrack available on all streaming services. Other theater credits include: The Bengsons’ The Lucky Ones (Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical, Drama Desk nomination); Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma! (St. Ann’s Warehouse, Bard College); Dave Malloy’s Beardo; with UK based Kneehigh Theater Company: Brief Encounter (Broadway), The Wild Bride, Tristan & Yseult, and The Tin Drum. Damon has performed with orchestras throughout Russia and Europe. He is a multi-instrumentalist and has scored feature and short length films. He is currently working on an EP of original music available to stream soon.

@damondaunno

LAUREN PATTEN (she/her)

Lila

Lauren Patten was the breakout star of the Alanis Morissette/Diablo Cody musical Jagged Little Pill, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as the Grammy, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards. Other stage credits include Fun Home on Broadway, the off-Broadway smash The Wolves (The Playwright’s Realm), Days of Rage (Second Stage Theater), and the original L.A. production of Deaf West Theatre’s revival of Spring Awakening. On television, Lauren is best known as “Rachel Witten” on Blue Bloods (CBS), a role she has played for six seasons. She can also be seen on The Good Fight (Paramount+) and Succession (HBO). She has a starring role in the upcoming Hulu series Death and Other Details. As a musician, Lauren has played sold-out shows at Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, and Tavern on the Green with her band. Their EP is in the works.

@pattenlauren

CIARA RENÉE (she/her)

Amy (thru 4/9)

Ciara is currently shooting a season-long arc in the hit Showtime series Your Honor opposite Bryan Cranston. She recently shot the independent feature Paint opposite Owen Wilson. Ciara most recently starred as “Jenna” in Waitress, and before that was the first Black mixed actress to play “Elsa” in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway. Previously, Ciara starred in MCC Theater’s The Wrong Man alongside Joshua Henry, directed by Thomas Kail. She originated the role of “The Witch” in Big Fish and appeared as “The Leading Player” in Pippin on Broadway. She also originated the role of “Esmeralda” in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Paper Mill Playhouse and was “Peggy/Maria” in the final lab of Hamilton. Ciara splits her time between New York and Los Angeles and also directs/ produces. Her next directing venture is the off-Broadway production of Millennials Are Killing Musicals by Nico Juber. Other television: The Big Bang Theory, Facebook’s Strangers, Netflix’s Master of None, DC’s Legends of

Tomorrow

HELEN J SHEN (she/they) JJ

Helen J Shen is a New Yorkbased actor, writer, and composer. She most recently starred in Man of God at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. A classically trained pianist, she will debut her solo show SHEL-SHOCKED at 54 Below in January. They are a recent graduate of the University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre Program (Go Blue!). Thanks to her family, friends, John, the folks at A&R, and their childhood piano teacher who always reminded them to practice. @helenjshen

Barefoot in the Park (Laguna Playhouse); Fugard’s Coming Home (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Fountain Theatre in L.A., winning Best Supporting Actor from Backstage Theatre Awards, and an NAACP Image Award Best Actor nomination) and Painted Rocks (The Fountain Theatre in L.A., Stage Raw Best Actor nomination), and as musician “Slow Drag” in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Mark Taper Forum in L.A., Ovation Award for Best Ensemble).

Television credits include: Law & Order, Evil, New Amsterdam, Luke Cage, This Is Us, Hand of God, and Criminal Minds. Graduate of Salem State University with a degree in theatre, and an M.F.A from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Paul

He broke-out performing in national and international tours of the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk playing “‘da Voice.” Broadway: Sarah Ruhl’s Becky Nurse of Salem directed by Rebecca Taichman, Birthday Candles opposite Debra Messing. Off-Broadway: Fugard’s Boesman and Lena at the Signature Theatre. Regional: The Royale (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); To Kill a Mockingbird (Alliance Stage Company);

“I’m Black, I’m Queer, and I love it here!” Nyla Sostre is excited to join this beautiful cast and tell this story. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Nyla has come a long way from her humble beginning of singing in the MTA platforms with her guitar “Betty.” Debuting her acting career with the role of Peggy Schuyler in Hamilton, to most recently playing Annelle in Steel Magnolias at Weston Theater Company, Nyla is happy to mix the worlds of musical and realism in this pure and wander-ful piece of art. “Thank you to the MODs for allowing me to step into this role. Thank

THOMAS SILCOTT (he/him)

NYLA SOSTRE (she/her) Amy (after 4/9)

you Ciara for gorgeously paving the way, and the cast and crew for welcoming me. Huge thanks to Ashley Wible and the whole KMR family. Thank you Mami, te amo.”

ZOE SARNAK (she/her)

Composer, Lyricist & Orchestrations

Rachel Bonds is a playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and writer for scripted podcasts. Her plays have been developed or produced by Ars Nova, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theater Company, Atlantic Theater Company, McCarter Theatre Center, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, Studio Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. She is the recipient of the Weissberger Award, the Sky Cooper Prize, and the Heideman Award, as well as a Tow Foundation Fellowship. Her plays have been twice-named a New York Times Critic’s Pick. She recently finished writing The Boars’ Nest scripted series with Dub Cornett and Holly Gleason for Fresh Produce/ Audible, is currently developing her original scripted series, also for Audible, developing her play JONAH with Danya Taymor and Roundabout Theatre Company, and co-raising a family amidst a global pandemic. Originally from the mountains of Tennessee, Bonds is based in Brooklyn.

Zoe is a New York City-based composer, lyricist, and writer. She is the recipient of a 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant; a finalist for the Fred Ebb Award and the Kleban Prize; and original music composer for the award-winning production of A Crossing at Barrington Stage Company. Her work has been developed with and presented by Second Stage Theater, New York Stage and Film, The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Guggenheim, Geffen Playhouse, New York Theatre Workshop, WP Theatre, MCC Theater, and many others. Works include: Galileo (with Danny Strong and Michael Weiner), Empire Records (with Carol Heikkinen), Secret Soldiers (with Marsha Norman and Tori Sampson), Afterwords (with Emily Kaczmarek), Particle Fever (with David Henry Hwang and Bear McCreary), Afloat (with Emily Kaczmarek), Split (with Michele Lowe), tv/film projects in development with Sallie Patrick, Timothy Prager and Danny Strong Productions, and others to be announced. Her music has been featured by the New York Times Live, The Shannara Chronicles (Spike), Silent Witness (BBC), and in benefit concerts and albums for Everytown. www.zoesarnak.com

Also at Geffen Playhouse: Barcelona, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City, Choir Boy. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo, Choir Boy, Lobby Hero, Six Degrees of Separation, Significant Other. Select off-Broadway: Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, Yen, Punk Rock (Obie Award), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City (MCC Theater); Days of Rage, The Layover, The Substance of Fire, Lonely, I’m Not, Bachelorette, Some Men, Swimming in the Shallows (Second Stage Theater); Unknown Soldier, The Pain of My Belligerence, Assistance, A Small Fire (Drama Desk nomination), The Drunken City (Playwrights Horizons); Choir Boy (Manhattan Theatre Club); Murder Ballad (Manhattan Theatre Club and Union Square Theatre); The Mother, I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard (Atlantic Theater Company); Roulette (Ensemble Studio Theare); The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); The Last Sunday in June (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Century Center); Dog Sees God (Century Center); U.S. Drag (stageFARM); and several productions with The Play Company. London: The Colby Sisters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Tricycle Theatre). Select regional: Alliance

RACHEL BONDS (she/her) Book Writer

TRIP CULLMAN (he/him) Director

Theatre, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, Bay Street Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival.

by both The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times as one of the top theatrical events of that year. FourthWall is also proud to have supported Kimberly Akimbo (Broadway), Jagged Little Pill (Broadway, National Tour), Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theater) and the UK premiere of The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse).

SIBYL WICKERSHEIMER Scenic Designer

ELLENORE SCOTT (she/her) Director

Ellenore Scott is a New York based choreographer and creative director. Broadway: Funny Girl, Mr. Saturday Night. Off-Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors, Titanique. Other choreography credits include: So You Think You Can Dance, Single All the Way (Netflix), Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical. Scott’s work has been seen at The Bushwick Starr, The Old Globe, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre Center, Cherry Lane Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cape Fear Regional Theatre, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. As a performer, Scott appeared in numerous television shows (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Smash, and Glee, to name a few) and was a finalist and All-Star on So You Think You Can Dance Scott is the Artistic Director of ELSCO Dance, a contemporary-fusion dance company. As a content creator, Scott makes lifestyle, dance, and comedy videos for over 1 million followers on TikTok. @helloellenore

FOURTHWALL THEATRICAL Producer

Founded by Jana Bezdek and Jen Hoguet, FourthWall Theatrical’s first production, This American Wife (Fake Friends), streamed live in May 2021 and was recognized

Sibyl’s interests span design for live performance, installations, exhibitions, and design for mental health care initiatives. Her foundation as a theatrical set designer led Sibyl to co-author the book Scene Shift: U.S. Set Designers in Conversation with scenographer Maureen Weiss, published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis in August of 2022. Sibyl has designed for theatrical stages across the country, including A.C.T., Theatre for a New Audience, Steppenwolf Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Seattle Rep, Portland Center Stage, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. In the L.A. area, she has designed at Kirk Douglas Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, The Industry, Circle X Theatre Co., A Noise Within, The Actors’ Gang, and many more. Unique projects have included art installations in SoCal art galleries, Eric Idle’s What About Dick? (Orpheum/Netflix), and the stage for the daily giant dinosaur puppet performances at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Sibyl is also an Associate Professor at USC in the School of Dramatic Arts. sawgirl.com

SAMANTHA

C. JONES (she/her)

Costume Designer

Samantha C. Jones is excited to return to Geffen Playhouse as

a part of this wonderful work. She is a Costume Designer and educator with previous design credits at Geffen Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Paramount Theatre (Aurora), Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Writers Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Children’s Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Alley Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, First Stage Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Peninsula Players Theater, and others. Upcoming productions include: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Center Theatre Group), King James (Manhattan Theatre Club). Her work can be viewed at samanthacjones.com.

ADAM HONORÉ (he/him)

Lighting Designer

Adam Honoré is a Harlem based designer for plays, musicals, and live events. His résumé includes Broadway productions, regional shows, and international premieres. Adam is a Drama Desk, Henry Hewes, Elliot Norton, and Helen Hayes Award nominee; AUDELCO Award Recipient; and is listed on Live Design magazine’s “30 Under 30.” www.honorelighting.com

NICK KOURTIDES (he/him)

Sound Designer

Nick Kourtides designs for musical theatre and creates sound environments for devised ensemble works. He is the global sound designer for Magic Mike Live in Las Vegas, London, Berlin, Australia, and North America. Off-Broadway: Oratorio for Living Things

(Ars Nova), Black Light (Greenwich House Theater), The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova), The Object Lesson (NYTW, BAM), Elephant Room (St. Ann’s Warehouse), Carson McCullers Talks About Love (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), and Jomama Jones: Radiate (Soho Rep). Regional: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Play House, New York Stage and Film, McCarter Theatre Center, Center Theatre Group, Folger Theatre, Studio Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, and La Jolla Playhouse. Collaborations with Pig Iron Theatre Company include A Period of Animate Existence, Cankerblossom, Isabella, Chekhov Lizardbrain, and Mission to Mercury. With BalletX, Nick designed Sunset, o639 Hours at Wilma Theater, Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow, and Vail Festivals. Site-specific designs include works with PearlDamour, Lynn Nottage and Kate Whoriskey, and the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. He has taught Sound Design for Live Performance at Drexel University and Swarthmore College. Nick received the 2022 Lucille Lortel, 2015 Bessie, and 2006 Barrymore awards. www.nickkourtides.com

BRYAN PERRI (he/him)

Music Supervisor & Orchestrations

Bryan Perri most recently served as music supervisor and conductor for the Broadway production of Almost Famous. He was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for the world premiere cast album of Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots. Other credits as music director/conductor include the Broadway productions of Jagged Little Pill, Wicked, Chaplin, and the Broadway

National Tour of Next to Normal.

Bryan also music directed/conducted Superhero, Dogfight, and Vanities all at Second Stage Theater, and was music supervisor for Disney’s Freaky Friday premiering at the Signature Theatre in D.C. Bryan also received the Craig Noel Award for outstanding music direction for Almost Famous at The Old Globe in San Diego. Along with his husband Daniel C. Levine, Bryan is a proud founding member of ACT (A Contemporary Theater) of Connecticut, a regional Equity theater located in Ridgefield, Connecticut and also serves as their Resident Music Supervisor.

MYRNA CONN (she/her)

Music Director

Myrna Conn is a music director and composer based in New York City. Broadway: Pretty Woman (Key 1/Conductor & Key 2 sub). National Tour: Come from Away (Associate Conductor). Film: Spirited (Music Associate), Come from Away (Music Associate) New York music directing credits include Fountain (New Victory LabWorks), Bagels from Benny (92nd Street Y), and SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy (Feinstein’s/54 Below & UCB Theatre). Writing: Finding Nemo JR. & KIDS with Disney Theatrical Group (Music & Orchestration Adapter), The Story Pirates Podcast (Gimlet Media/Spotify). Proud graduate of Northwestern University.

MELISSA COLEMAN-REED (she/her)

Associate Director

Melissa Coleman-Reed is an international theatremaker: director, actor, producer, facilitator focused on the development of new works that foster activism and grow international collaborations. She is passionate about cultivating spaces for makers to

meet, train, and create. Directing credits include: Beneath the Bowtie by Katie Lindsay, Tova Katz, and Alexandra Kalinowski (Associate Director, Geffen Playhouse Writers’ Room); Untitled Baby Play by Nina Braddock (Associate Director, IAMA Theatre Company); You Didn’t Die by John Lavelle (IAMA Theatre Company), Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage; Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus; Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years (New Village Arts Theatre). Development/workshops: Ammunition Theatre Company, CalArts, Cal State LA, Playwrights’ Arena, The Blank Theatre, The Road Theatre Company, and The Inkwell Theatre LAB including: Long Division by Aja Houston, Day of Saturn by Leviticus Jelks III, and John Lavelle’s Inhalation (O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Finalist). Training: SITI Company, The BGB Studio, Berg Studios, Vangeline Butoh, Steppenwolf West, and Butoh Master Yoshito Ohno. Melissa is currently training to be an Intimacy Coordinator, is pursuing filmmaking, and is a master teacher at The BGB Studio.

SASHA NICOLLE SMITH (she/her)

Intimacy Director

Sasha is thrilled to be working at the Geffen again! Other theater credits include: The First Deep Breath (Geffen Playhouse), The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Ms. Blakk For President (Steppenwolf Theatre), Familiar (Steppenwolf Theatre), How To Catch Creation (Goodman Theatre), A Raisin in the Sun (Guthrie Theater), The Bluest Eye (Virginia Stage Company), Toni Stone (Milwaukee Rep), Trading Places (Alliance Theater), Smart People (Writers Theater). Film/Televi-

sion: Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu), Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon), Your Place or Mine (Netflix), That ‘90s Show (Netflix), How I Met Your Father (Hulu), Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), The Rookie: Feds (ABC), The Chi (Showtime), Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls (Amazon), Truth Be Told (Apple TV+).

TRÉ COTTEN (he/him)

Dialect & Voice Coach

Tré Cotten is a published and award-winning creator and educator. Based on the Kwakwaka’wakw Territory of North Vancouver Island, BC., Mr. Cotten has been featured in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times for his work as Dialect Coach on Regina King’s One Night in Miami... A Juilliard Teaching Fellowship Finalist (2021) and the keynote speaker for the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) Conference in 2021.

Film/TV credits: Dialect Coach on the CBC & BET’s Emmy-nominated period drama The Porter, and on Amazon’s newly released The Peripheral. He is currently in production as Acting & Dialect Coach on the new franchise film The Exorcist. He has an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Washington School of Drama. Raised in North Carolina, he is of proud Black and Indigenous descent. IG: @tre_cotten

PHAEDRA MICHELLE SCOTT (she/her)

Dramaturg

Phaedra Michelle Scott is a dramaturg based in New York City. Phaedra serves as a member of the Beehive Dramaturgy Studio (NYC). She is Resident Dramaturg for The New Harmony Project. Her credits include work at Audible Theater, American Ballet Theatre, MCC Theater, New Victory Theater, The Playwrights

Realm, Huntington Theatre Company, Cleveland Play House, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Playwrights’ Center. As a playwright, she is a member of Youngblood with Ensemble Studio Theatre, and an alum of Pipeline PlayLab, SPACE on Ryder Farm, and Great Plains Theatre Conference. She has been an arts and culture journalist for WBUR, Boston’s NPR station, and a content developer at the USS Constitution Museum. She is a crocheter, obscure history fan, and horror enthusiast.

www.phaedrascott.com

TALIA KRISPEL (she/her)

Production Stage Manager

Talia Krispel is thrilled to make her Geffen debut! South Coast Repertory: A Christmas Carol (2014-2022), Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook, Abundance, Amadeus, Pinocchio. 3-D Theatricals: Newsies, The Secret Garden. 5-Star Theatricals: The Addams Family, Newsies, Something Rotten!, Mamma Mia!, The Music Man, West Side Story, Matilda, Shrek The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan. Musical Theatre West: Oliver!. Broadway: Inherit the Wind, Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Legally Blonde (Workshop). Sound Stage

LIVE!: The Little Mermaid. ACT of CT: Mamma Mia!. Theatre By The Sea: West Side Story; Sister Act. Ogunquit Playhouse: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. North Shore Music Theatre: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Old Globe: The Times They Are A-Changin’ For Mychal, Mama, and Dad. IG: @teekrisp. www.taliakrispel.com

LAUREN BUANGAN (she/her)

Assistant Stage Manager

Lauren Buangan is excited to make her Geffen Playhouse debut with The Lonely Few. She holds a B.A. in Theater from UCLA, a Certificate of Achievement in Film from Orange Coast College, and studied drama at Queen Mary University of London. Her previous assistant stage manager credits include A Christmas Carol, Nina Simone: Four Women, and Million Dollar Quartet at South Coast Repertory.

JULIAN OLIVE

Assistant Stage Manager

Julian Olive is a proud graduate of Marymount Manhattan College and is excited to be making his Geffen Playhouse debut! His other credits include the National Tour of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; 5-Star Theatricals’ productions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Shrek, Matilda, West Side Story, The Music Man, Mamma Mia!, Something Rotten!, Newsies, and The Addams Family; Wolf Trap’s Summer 2021 Season; South Coast Repertory’s She Loves Me, Sweeney Todd, Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook, and A Christmas Carol; Bay Street Theater’s The Prompter (starring Tovah Feldshuh); Paper Mill Playhouse’s The Honeymooners; Second Stage Theatre’s King Liz; The York Theatre Company’s Wonderland; Hip to Hip Theatre Company’s As You Like It and Julius Caesar; Weathervane Playhouse’s Pippin, 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, Merrily We Roll Along, Blood Brothers, Avenue Q, South Pacific, and Peter and the Starcatcher; 3-D Theatricals’ Newsies; and Rubicon Theatre Company’s The Gin Game.

BETH LIPARI, CSA (she/her) Casting

Since 2006, Lipari has worked as a Casting Director on scores of film, TV, and theatre projects working with award-winning directors, producers, and film and TV studios in Los Angeles and worldwide. She is currently on a multitude of independent films and loves her job. She is the winner of 2 Artios Awards (Excellence in Casting), and a Media Access Award, which she was honored due to her casting of Deaf West Theatre’s Broadway production of Spring Awakening. She has had the honor of working most recently at the Hollywood Bowl, the Ahmanson Theatre, and The Wallis for staged productions. Lipari is a proud member of the Casting Society of America, BMI, and Teamsters Local Union 399. In her spare time, she composes music for film and dance. Her most important work are her two children, Isabella and Myles. It is her honor to work at the Geffen and to be a part of this amazing musical.

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA (she/her) Casting

Phyllis is an Artistic Associate and the Casting Director for Geffen Playhouse. Recent casting includes The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 and TRAYF. She has received 8 Artios nominations: Power of Sail, Man of God, Witch, Significant Other, Actually, Barbecue, Barcelona, and The Country House. Before joining the Geffen, she was the Casting Director for Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago where her favorites include Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre in London, and

Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Play), the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including Westwood Playhouse and Briar Street Theater in Chicago). Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival), The Song of Jacob Zulu, and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. She is a member of the Casting Society of America.

Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Director of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for managing the Geffen’s dayto-day operations; developing new, ongoing theater partnerships and leading its mission to inform, entertain and inspire diverse audiences with live theater of the highest caliber. Prior to being named Executive Director in 2015, Cates served as Geffen Playhouse Board Vice Chairman since 2012 and served as a producer and director in theater, film and television. His theater credits include the award-winning Names (Matrix Theatre Company) and Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage). Cates’ film credits include The Surface (starring Sean Astin and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Chris Mulkey), Jobs (starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, as

well as Geffen Playhouse alumni Matthew Modine and Ron Eldard) and the 2011 feature film Lucky (starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor and Ann-Margret). In addition, Cates co-produced and co-directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which premiered on Showtime. His other films include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning) and The Mesmerist (starring Jessica Capshaw and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris). Cates’ television directorial debut was an episode of the NBC comedy Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He is currently directing a documentary short chronicling the journey of one of the first refugee families to flee Ukraine and arrive in the U.S. after escaping the Russian invasion, set for release in 2023. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University.

During her tenure at the Geffen, Amy has spearheaded numerous programs for commissioning and developing new plays and has shepherded more than 150 plays into production. Dramaturgy credits include the commissions and world premieres of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still and Coney Island Christmas,

GIL CATES, JR. Executive Director

AMY LEVINSON (she/her) Associate Artistic Director

Jane Anderson’s The Quality of Life and The Escort, Amanda Peet’s Our Very Own Carlin McCullough, and Michael Mitnick’s Mysterious Circumstances

Other dramaturgy credits include Actually, Invisible Tango, Extraordinary Chambers, Build, Equivocation, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, Guards at the Taj, and Geffen Stayhouse virtual shows including Helder Guimarães’ The Present and The Future, and David Kwong’s Inside the Box. She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

BEHNAZ ATAEE Chief Financial Officer

Behnaz “Nazy” Ataee is Chief Financial Officer of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, she has oversight responsibility for accounting functions of the theater, including operating and capital budgets. In addition, she supports all IT and HR activities. Behnaz was named Chief Financial Officer in 2015 after serving as General Manager since 2002.

She first joined Geffen Playhouse in 1999. Previously, Ataee worked as a senior financial analyst for Ultratech Inc., an international semiconductor company based in San Jose. Prior to Ultratech, she was an auditor for Van Sloten CPA, after holding the position of Director of Accounting at FABS Management, where she was responsible for overseeing the finances of more than 25 non-profit organizations. As a financial professional with more than 30 years’ experience in for-profit and non-profit financial management and auditing, Ataee began her career in the Bay Area as a partner in a small tech startup. She holds a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.

THE NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Supporting artists is central to the mission of the Geffen Playhouse, and play commissions are a cornerstone of that support. To commission a playwright to write a play means making a commitment to their voice, craft, and vision, with the hope of sharing the fruits of their work on our stage.

The Geffen Playhouse’s New Play Development Program is made possible, in large part, through the leadership and generosity of donations from: The Edgerton Foundation, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Fay & Frank Mancuso, Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald, Hilary & Jack Angelo and Mary Bianco, The MOCA Foundation.

We are proud to have the following artists under commission:

LUIS ALFARO

JONATHAN CAREN

COLMAN DOMINGO

MICHAEL GOLAMCO

MEGHAN KENNEDY

MATTHEW LÓPEZ

MARTYNA MAJOK

CHELSEA MARCANTEL

QUI NGUYEN

STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR

JIEHAE PARK

JOHN POLLONO

ROBERT SCHENKKAN

JEN SILVERMAN

DAVID WIENER

CRAIG WRIGHT

LAUREN YEE

For more information on this program, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/newplays.

THE WRITERS’ ROOM

A group for Los Angeles-based playwrights, The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community of this city. During this one-year residency, playwright members gather monthly at the Geffen to share their work and receive feedback from their peers and the Geffen’s artistic staff, culminating in a play reading series.

Submissions for the 2023/2024 cycle of The Writers’ Room will open in early 2023. For more information, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/thewritersroom.

The Writers’ Room is made possible through the generous support of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and Jerry and Terri Kohl.

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTACT

Geffen Playhouse

10886 Le Conte Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90024

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

310.208.6500

Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm

AUDIENCE SERVICES

310.208.2028

Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Please visit geffenplayhouse.org for hours, parking and more information.

BOX OFFICE WINDOW

Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00pm – 6:00pm, as well as on performance days up until 15 minutes after curtain.

Please note: the box office window is unable to process exchanges or future sales one hour prior to curtain time on performance days.

ACCESSIBILTY

Geffen Playhouse is fully committed to providing access to patrons with mobility, visual and hearing impairments. Parking spaces directly outside the theater are zoned for drop off and pick up, as well as disabled parking spots for patrons with appropriate placards and plates. For more information, visit geffenplayhouse.org/access or call Audience Services.

LATE SEATING

Should you arrive late to the theater or vacate your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate pause in the action on stage. Some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating. To minimize disturbances to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available location by the house staff even if it is different from your assigned seat.

NO PHOTOGRAPHY

There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance. Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones.

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION

Geffen Playhouse is affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles, specifically the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Geffen Playhouse values its role as an important educational resource by providing students with master classes, workshops and internships. Students are also able to work and learn from distinguished visiting Geffen artists in areas of directing, playwriting, acting, design, dramaturgy, management and production.

Geffen Playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the university to enhance the theater’s programs and research.

PRODUCTION STAFF FOR THE LONELY FEW

Choreography Associate

Clarice Ordaz

Associate Sound Designer

Martin Carrillo

Costume Design Assistant

Alexandria Hoffman

Assistant Scenic Designer

Lily Lundine

Lighting Studio Associate

Shannon Clarke

Lighting Intern

Erik Alkire

Music Assistant

Alexandra Kalinowski

Additional Drum Arrangements

Damien Bassman

Copyist

Emily Grishman

Keyboard Programmer

Randy Cohen

Kemper Programmer

Rod Castro

Music Intern

Vanessa Gamble

Production Assistant

Julian Olive

Production Assistant Swing

Dani Jaramillo

Deck Crew

James Stanley

Wardrobe Supervisor

Stephanie Castro

Stitchers

Stephanie Castro, Kiko Cheyenne

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scenery Provided By Pfinix Creative Group

Lighting Equipment Provided By PRG Los Angeles

Audio Equipment Provided By PRG Broadway

SPECIAL THANKS

Lighting Programmer

Nicole Jaja

Light Board Operator

Christiana Saldibar

Light Board Operator Swing

Jesus Cambero-Elias

Electricians

Erica Ammerman, Shannon Barondeau, Ezra Fisher, Ezra Muthiah, Christiana Saldibar, James Tatsch

A1

Jon Roberts

A2

Michael Svolos

Guitar Tech

Soroush Rajabnik

Lead Carpenter

Philip Rossi

Carpenters

Austin Bosley, Oliver Brink, James Chew, Ryan Fischer, David Foubert, Enrique Garcia, Rob Hille, Shadow LaValley, Claudia Peterson, Sydney Shoell, James Stanley, Becca Sundberg, Eiden Weissblum

Properties Artisans & Carpenters

Christopher R. Baab, Mikayla Bettner, Sihourney Chin, Danny Dolan, Alec Long

Scenic Painter

Chandish Nester

Production Photographer

Jeff Lorch

Media Filming

Ramon Garcia

Design + Art Direction

Base Design

Photography

Justin Bettman

UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Scene, Prop, Sound, and Costume Shops; London Cleaners

THE WRITING TEAM WOULD LIKE TO THANK:

Nicholas Connors, Bryan Bauer, Tyne Rafaeli, and all the actors and artists who contributed their time and talent to the development of this piece.

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

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.

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.

The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

I’ve been working tirelessly to raise awareness about diabetes and its contributions to kidney disease, heart disease and more. It’s plagued my family for generations.

I am thrilled that UCLA Health is partnering with the Geffen because there is nothing like the arts to help address situations that need our attention, like health and wellness. The performing arts, like dance and theater, are transformative. I applaud UCLA Health and the Geffen Playhouse for coming together to help people.

—DEBBIE ALLEN

actress, dancer, choreographer, director, producer, and Geffen Playhouse alum

Award-winning

ANNUAL DONORS

Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund and Backstage at the Geffen. Donors are listed at the Partner’s Circle level and higher for gifts made between December 1, 2021, and January 24, 2023.

† Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors ^ Geffen Playhouse Founding Trustees

§ Geffen Playhouse Advisory Board * Backstage at the Geffen Supporters

In appreciation, Annual Fund donors enjoy a host of special benefits including house seats, complimentary drinks, receptions, and much more.

For more information, please call Tracy Reich at 310.208.6500 ext. 113.

PREMIERE CIRCLE

$100,000+

Anonymous

Jana & Trevor Bezdek*

California Arts Council

Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg^ City National Bank*

Edgerton Foundation

Louise & Dr. Brad Edgerton†*

David Geffen^ Foundation

The Adi† & Jerry Greenberg Foundation*

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Martha Henderson†

Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg^

Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg Fund for Arts Education at the Geffen Playhouse

Loretta Everett Kaufman† & Victor Kaufman*

Elizabeth & David Kerman

Jerry & Terri Kohl

Linda Bernstein Rubin† & Tony Rubin*

Shubert Foundation

Jodi & Howard Tenenbaum†*

UCLA UCLA Health*

INNOVATOR CIRCLE

$50,000 – $99,999

Marcia Israel-Curley Foundation

John McCrite§ & Juan Lopez

Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Holly Rice† & Vince Gilligan*

Matt Shakman† & Maggie Malone*

The Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation*

ARTISTIC CIRCLE

$25,000 – $49,999

Anonymous

Victoria Alonso†*

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Mary Ann Cloyd†

Merle Dandridge†*

The Walt Disney Company*

Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer & Melvin Keefer

Susan & Mark Fleischer†*

Carol & Paul Frimmer

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation

Patty Glaser† & Sam Mudie*

Samantha & Eric§ Heer*

Cindy & Alan Horn*

Erich and Della Koenig Foundation

Carla Malden† & Norman Beil*

Paramount Pictures*

Judith & Bruce Stern

PRODUCER’S CIRCLE

$10,000 – $24,999

Anonymous

Eva Aaronson In Memory of Bucky Hazan*

Pat & Sandy Adams

Beth Behrs & Michael Gladis

The Berlanti Family Foundation*

Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block†*

Mara W. Breech Foundation

Eileen & Harold Brown^

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Marcy Carsey*

Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg*

Bonnie E. Eskenazi†*

Eric Flamholtz & Yvonne Randle

Steve Freedman & Helen Sideris

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc.

Manuela & James Goren*

Marcy & Edgar Gross*

Alexander & Katie & Grey Grosvenor

In Memory of Morris A. Hazan

Nancy Heller & Fred Specktor

Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark

David & Martha Kadue

Glorya Kaufman^

Julie & David Kavner

Laura Kennedy§*

Lyn & Norman Lear*

Fay & Frank Mancuso^

Brian† & Renee Mann

Tiffany Mayberry†

Ron Meyer^

Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams*

Mary Osako†

Carol & Bill Ouchi

Soundis & Danny Passman†

Madeline & Bruce Ramer^

Thomas L. Safran

Ms. Carole B. Sager & Mr. Robert A. Daly^

Carol ‘Jackie’ & Charles Schwartz

Marcia & Robert Shuwarger

Sitrick Group, LLC

Sony Pictures Entertainment*

Cynthia P. Stafford†

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

Deborah Tavlin

Steve Tisch^*

Miranda§ & Brett Tollman*

U.S. Bank Foundation

Joanne & Ken Weinman*

Aurora & Marc Weinstock†

Ken Willner & Jim Stine

Karen & Rick Wolfen

Kevyn Wynn

PLAYWRIGHT’S CIRCLE

$5,000 – $9,999

Anonymous (2)

Jehan F. Agrama & Dwora Fried

Mellody Hobson / Ariel Investments, LLC*

Aversa Foundation

Robert E. & Maria H. Barron

David Bartman*

Judith & Thomas Beckmen

Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson

Robert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoff

Noora Raj Brown

Glenn & Lynn Cardoso

Marcy Carsey

Comcast NBCUniversal*

Ellyce R. Cooper§ & Barry Cohen / Sidley Austin LLP*

In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert*

Mary Jo & Caleb Deschanel

Susan & Jonathan Dolgen*

Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll

Susan Nahley Fleishman†*

Mimi & Marvin Freedman

Sonia & Robert Freedman and Family

Bob & Diana Friedman

Larry Gagosian*

Herbert M.^ & Beverly J. Gelfand*

Ann§ & Jim Gianopulos*

Kiki & David Gindler

MaryAnn & Irwin Gold*

In Honor of Richard Sherman / From Ken & Lori Goldman

Sue & Steve Glusker*

Noble & Jacquelynn Hansen

Mellody Hobson*

Barbara & Ronnie Kahn

Mannon Kaplan

Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall*

Willette & Manny Klausner*

Marla & Daniel Klein*

Kling Family Foundation / Allen & Jessica Kling

Wendy Kurtzman*

David Kwong*

Sherry Lansing Foundation*

Karen & Walter Loewenstern

Laurie MacDonald & Walter Parkes*

Stewart Mayeda

Merle & Jerry Measer

Rio & Frank Morse

Tina & Jerry Moss^ / The Moss Foundation*

Benedicta & Geoffry Oblath

Olympus Theatricals*

Shana & Don Passman*

Cheryl Petersen & Roger Lustberg

Judith Reichman, M.D.

Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer

Gil Schwartz Foundation

Richard & Barbara Sherman†*

The Simms/Mann Family Foundation^

Gussie Paster Sitkin

Snyder Family Foundation

Heather Thomas & Skip Brittenham*

William & Karen Timberlake

Gayle & Barry Tyerman

Marjorie Walsh*

Waterman and Glicksteen Families

The Waterman Family Foundation

Julie & Peter Weil

Joanne & Ken Weinman

Susan & Dan White

Marcia E. Williams & Gene Lucero

Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks*

Karen Zoller, M.D. & David Tillman, M.D.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

$3,000 – $4,999

Anonymous

Cathy & Shel Bachrach*

Shelly & Libby Bergen

Susan Bloch-Kay & Stephen Kay

Philip Blumenshine

VJ Boyd

Marissa Caudill & David Merrill

Don Dorsey

Anne Dougherty*

Jacki & Murray Drechsler

In Honor of Virginia Field

Lynn T. Franklin

Anita Dann Friedman & Harvey Friedman

Karney Guren Family Foundation

Deidre Hall

Alan & Michelle Heilpern

ICM Partners

Jerry Katell*

Nancy Koven

Renee & Meyer Luskin

Jane & Rand Marlis

Robin Mitchel & Kathleen Marshall

Michael R. Oppenheim

Carol & Alan Ostroff

Carolyn A. Poer & John M. Poer

Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt

John Shustitzky

Zackery Alexzander Stephens

Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis

Susan & Peter Van Haften

Peter & Denise Walsh

Alison Whalen & Steve Marenberg

Leslie White & Al Limon

In Loving Memory of Herman Ziegler*

CREATOR’S CIRCLE

$1,500 – $2,999

Anonymous (3)

AnonyMoose Foundation

Miriam Aguiar

Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Allen

Bonnie R. Arnold

Basch Family Foundation

Patricia & Mark Benjamin

Paula & Bruce Bennett

Yvette Bergeron & Dean Bailey

Wendy & John Bergquist

Susan J. Booth & Christopher Wadden

Dr. Wallace P. Brithinee

Katherine Brown & Rene Mendoza

Diana Buckhantz and the Vladimir and Araxia Foundation

Jay Butterfield & Susan Ewert

Lexy & John Carroll

Stephanie§ & Jonathan Carson

Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo

Caroline Choi*

The Christal Family

Cindy Clark

Larry Coben

Linda & John Coleman

Ginger Conrad

Tim Curtis & Shandon Youngclaus

J. Jason Daunter

Debra Davis§

Phil Davis

Pam Dawber & Mark Harmon

Dr. Joan Denson & Dr. Victoria Berck

Giovanna Desselle§

David & Joyce Evans

Lisa Field, Field Family Foundation

In Honor of Frank & Betty Fouce

G2 Graphic Service, Inc.

Brenda Garcia§

Cara Gardenswartz & David Melnick

Charlotte Gold

Ellie Goodman

Jack Grossbart & Marc Schwartz

The Guerin Foundation

Harris Family Foundation

Michael & Candie Herman

Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston

Jean Himmelstein

Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson

Iris Tuesday Productions

David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone

Freya & Mark Ivener

Victoria Jackson & Bill Guthy

Linda & David Kagel

Deborah & Ivan Kallick

Sally & Dr. Manny J. Karbelnig

Katherine Kleindienst & Marc Goldsmith

Carol Krause

Lydia & Chuck Levy

Trini Lewis

Judith & Dennis Locke

The Malins Family Foundation

Norma & Larry Meyers

Cookie Miller

Joan & Phil Miller

Mintz Family Fund

Laurie & Chuck Mondrus

Ron Myrick

Robert Nelson & Marguerite Renner

Conan & Liza O’Brien*

Michael Parks & Judith Hayward

Sallie Patrick

Daniel & Denise Perlstein

Phil & Agnes Peters

Ruth Popkin

Clark & Kathryn Porter

Audrey Povar§

Gary & Gail Rachelefsky

Joyce & Harvey Reichard

Carol Risher

Eric Rollins§

Wil Rosser

David A. & Karen Richards Sachs

Amy & Andy Schwartz

Susan Schwarz & Stuart Berton

Jerome & Joan Snyder*

John Sonego§ & Thomas Faughnan

Tom & Melanie Staggs

Andrew Stearn

Mitch & Sherry Stein

Cela Devine Sutton§

Theodore H. Sweetser & Jane L. Valentine

Rose Tarlow*

Marjorie Thomson

Catherine & Leonard Unger

Kathryn & Alan Van Vliet

Marcia & Charles Wasserman Ph.D

Judith Leslie Waxman & Leo Stytle

Gelena & Seth Weissman

Westmount Asset Management

John & Connie Weston

David Young

Alissa & Jordan Zachary

Ellen & Arnold Zetcher

Bobbi & Walter Zifkin

DESIGNER’S CIRCLE

$1,000 – $1,499

Dr. Richard Ackerman & Miriam Shakter

Henry Alpert

Jan & David Altemus

Margaret Campbell Arvey

Don Bacigalupi

Rob Bailis

Karen Bell & Robb Cox*

Lydia & David Bell*

Yvonne Bernard & Henry De Priest & Lookout Entertainment

Marjorie Blatt

Larry & Julie Blivas

In Honor of Phyllis Blivas

Carol J. Bradshaw

Paula Brand

Anthony Carbone

Margaret Casey

Elizabeth & Gil Cates, Jr.†*

Jane Cates

Shelby & Lee Chaden

Martha J. Chase

Sachiko T. Cochran M.D. & Joseph T. Araki

Lori§ & Jerry Collins*

Stephen Cook

Honorable Candace Cooper

Jen Crittenden & Bill Wrubel*

In Honor of Development*

Lauren Shuler Donner*

Jan & Thea Drayer

Ed & Barbara Dreyfus

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Duxler

Colleen M. Ellis

Terri & David Elston

Lynne & Michael Feldman

Dr. Kimberly Finney

Shari Foos

Burt & Nanette Forester

Dennis & Jackie Fox

Joan & Charles Fox

Diane Futterman

The Glass Family

Linda & Louis Goldsman

Jill Grigsby & Rett Bull

Scott Hartle

Murray & Gail Heltzer

Jackson Henry

Winifred C. Hervey

Robin & Edgar Hirst

Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox

Paul Gordon Hoffman & Sue Caren Hoffman

William Hoover & Jon Rupp

Drs. Sharon & Lou Ignarro

Gary T. Izumi

Brenda Marie Izzi

Marcie & Marc J. Jacoby

Carrie Johnson

Quincy Jones^

Patricia Keating

Trisha Kelley

King Nutronics Corporation

Dr. Phyllis H. Klein

Barton H. Kogan

Delores Komar & Susan Wolford

Norman Koplof & Leslie Falick

Charles Kristenson

Lena & Mark Labowe

Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta

Mindy Lauerlevin & Ed Levin

Rena & Craig Leeds

Gina Maria Leonetti

Carl Levinger

Cathleen Fitzpatrick Linder

Steven Llanusa

Tania Lotia

Eric James Lund

Michael N. Marks

Kathy & Jim McCaffery

Anne & Ronald Mellor

Andrew & Laura Mintzer

Thaine & Elizabeth Morris

Lon Morse & Toni Hollander Morse

John Moschitta, Jr.

Mark & Diane Neubauer

Albert & Barbara Nichols

Michael Nicklin

Deborah & Stacey Olliff

Tal Oren & Liana Morgado-Oren

Janie & Allan Orenstein

Ornest Family Foundation

Ralph Page

Ron Rafay

Lise Ransdell & Eric Augusztiny

Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman

Dolores Rogers

Allison & Bennett Rosenthal

Nancy Stephens & Rick Rosenthal and The Rosenthal Family Foundation

Lori & David Rousso

Nancy & Ted Sanborn

Jane & Bill Schopf*

Rita & Jose Sigal

Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross

Karen & Bill Skinner

Ronald Smith

Jill & Scott Spiwak

Lisa Stonich

The Tatasciore Family*

Anne C. Taubman

John M. Teeples & Nicolas Martinez, Jr.

Franklin David Tell

Audri & Stan Tendler

David & Cathy Thomas

Leon & Stephanie Vahn

Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela

Judith & Philip Winik

Cherie Wrigley

Richard Yaffe

Lisa Yen & Tom Bajoras

Judy & Chancellor Charles E. Young^

Elena & Drew Zager

Arnold & Tricia Zane

PARTNER’S CIRCLE

$500 – $999

Anonymous (8)

Toshka & Norman Abrams

Allan Africk

Gaby Allen & Rob Greenberg

Laura & Harvey Alpert

Patti Amstutz

Audrey & Martin Appel

Eloise & Mark Appel

Elizabeth & Marc Axelrod

The Baek Family

Cecilia Ball

In Memory of Patricia Beals

Jeme & Erica Benadon

Marilyn R. Blacker

Pamela & Bill Bohnert

Michael & Susan Bordy

The Bordy & Leibovic Families

Toby Bornstein

Steven Briggs

Howard Brightman

Marlene Bronson

Janet & Mark Brown

Colleen O’Beirne Brydon

Laura D. Campbell

Sean & Martha Carey Family

Sylvie & Peter Cartmell

Sandra Chan & Richard Pezner

Shirley Churgin

James Clark

Mike Clements

Devorah Colker

Heidi Jo Corey

Muriel Dance & Alvin Martin

Zoud Danko

Hedva & Dr. Dudley Danoff

Susan Dashe

Maxwell DeMille*

Brock Dewey

Kristin Diehl

Linda Dozier

Jeff Eckerle & Marilyn Osborn

Ronald Eng

Elizabeth A. Evans

Katherine A. Evans

Terry Feuerborn

Carol & John Fox

Kenneth J. Friedman & Marilyn J. Friedman Family Foundation

Catherine Froloff

Corinne B. Garson

Gordon Gerson

Jeff Gibson

Daniel Giesberg & Carol Lifland

Bert & Benita Ginsberg

Priscila Giraldo§*

Linda & Tom Givvin

Dina Goldstein

Dorit Goldstein

Ellen & Reginald Golla

Roger Gordon

Liz Gottainer & David Sadkin

Howard Gradet

Vera & Paul Guerin

Roberta L. Haft

In Memory of Jane Hall

Keith Hall

Pamela Halle

Jeff Haller

Lonnie Hamerman & Kenneth Freundlich

Steven & Sylvia Harrison

Mary Hartley

Zvia Hempling

Hella Hershson

Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman

In Loving Memory of Stan Hollander

Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob

Robert & Gail Israel

In Memory of Joseph Jacobs

Jessica Kaltman & Robert Reznik

Linda Kaplan

Elodie Keene

Jim Keily

William & Renee Kendall

Nancy Kenney

Sharon Kerson

Dr. & Mrs. Klausner

Leana Kleinman & Jerald Johnson

Dr. Leonard & Stella S. Kleinrock

Dorothy Klinger

Patricia Klous

Sharon & Joel Koppelman

Lynne Lainer

John & Sandra Langfitt

Christo & Jeanne Lavagnino

Rhonda K. Lawrence

Julie Leeds

Marla E. Levine

Lawrin & Linda Lewin

Renee Lonner

Daniel & Jennifer Low

Elizabeth Luster

Eric & Eva Plaza Mandel

Barbara Marshall

Deborah Marsten

Douglas McAvoy, Jr.

John McClure

Jeanne McDonald-Powers & Travis Powers

Sharon McQueen

Christina Medigovich

Cynthia Melville

Eileen & Paul Meshekow

In Memory of Gregory Millar

Mona D. & Steven J. Miller

Lee & Jeff Milman

Thomas W. Mitchell

Dr. Paula C. Moseley

Andrea & Patrick Murray

Bonnie Nash

Sabine Oishi

Susan Oka

Cory & Bill Oppenheim

Rollin Ransom & Chris Lacroix

Jennifer Redner

Elyse Resch

Marianne Reynolds

Linda & Erin Rice

Lindy Robbins

Edwin Robinson

Julie Rogers

Eric Rolnick

Peter Rose

Barry Rosen & Neil Bokal

Douglas Ross

Dr. Martin & Lorraine Ross

Peter & Andrea Roth

Lisa Rowley

Arlene & Peter Sacks

Scott Sandler§

Cliff & Linda Schaffer

Mary Lou Schanche

Jo Schiff

Mr. Bernard Schiffer

Gary & Karen Schneider

Joel & Sonia Schneider

Nancy & Steven Schneider

William Schreiber

Lester Schwartz

John H. Scott

Marc Scott

Susanne Shallon

Donna Shapiro & Angel Castillo

Peggy & Robert Shapiro

In Memory of Michael Sherman

Robert M. Shore

Nancy & Bruce Silverman

Marlene Sklar & Joel Moskowitz

Tricia Small

Amy Jo & Jeff Smith

M Leslie Stearns

Frances & Sy Strasberg

Mr. Kayser Sume & Dr. Renee Sabshin

Robert & Kristie Svaleson

Joanne Takahashi

Mr. & Mrs. David Tann

Gloria Tapanes

Barbara & Larry Tenan

Rebecca Vail§

Karen Van Kirk

Barbara Vickery & Martin Shapiro

Julia Wackenheim

Ira & Laurie Waldman

Bradley & Natalie Wallace

William Wallace

Jennifer Weiser

Aaron Widera

Kelly Weber Williams

Gia & Michael Wise

Herbert Wolas

Albert Wolsky

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, the leadership wishes to acknowledge the historical contributions of these individuals to the Geffen Playhouse who have made the original vision of our founder, Gil Cates, possible:

Anonymous

Annenberg Foundation

Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block†*

City National Bank*

Kirsten^ & Donald Combs

Maria Israel-Curley & Jim Curley

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc.

The David Geffen Foundation

Herbert M.^ & Beverly J. Gelfand*

Rabbi Uri D. Herscher & Dr. Myrna Herscher

Audrey & Charles Kenis

Lincy Foundation

Fay & Frank^ Mancuso

Tina & Jerry^ Moss / The Moss Foundation

Perenchio Foundation

The Shubert Foundation

The Simms/Mann Family Foundation

Skirball Foundation

University of California, Los Angeles

Wasserman Foundation

Judy & Chancellor Charles^ E. Young

IN-KIND SPONSORS

Thank you to our year-round in-kind sponsors for their incredible generosity and support of the arts:

Alligator Pear Catering*

Beam Suntory*

Cicada Club

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea*

Peroni Italia*

Skylight Gardens

Steinway & Sons*

STK | The ONE Group

W Los Angeles — West Beverly Hills

Donors at the $150 level and up are recognized on our website at geffenplayhouse.org/thankyou.

If your name has been misspelled or omitted from the list in error, please contact Tracy Reich, Director of Individual Giving at 310.208.6500 ext. 113.

ARTISTIC

Amy Levinson

Associate Artistic Director

Daniel Ionazzi

Producer

Phyllis Schuringa

Artistic Associate / Casting Director

Bella Luna

Company Manager

Olivia O’Connor

Literary Manager & Dramaturg

Lexy McAvinchey

Artistic Assistant

Colm Summers

Director in Residence

PRODUCTION

Renee Duron

Director of Production

Jill Barnes

Artistic & Production Administrator

Melissa Hartman

Interim Technical Director

Patty Squibb

Interim Technical Director

Alexandre Norkus

Automation Supervisor

Rick Gilles

Properties Master

Audrey Lastar

Costume Supervisor

Sarah Lindsley

Costume Shop Supervisor

Spencer Doughtie

Lighting & Projection Supervisor

Jesus Cambero-Elias

Assistant Lighting Supervisor

James Grabowski

House Sound Supervisor

Bob Gilmartin

Resident A1

ADMINISTRATION

Behnaz Ataee

Chief Financial Officer

Erick R. López

General Manager

Berenice Campos

Director of Human Resources

Peter Banachowski

Accounting Manager

Janice Gompers

Payroll Specialist & HR Admin

Youra Kim

Staff Accountant

Clay Dzygun

Office Coordinator

Marguerite Harris

Receptionist

Gil Cates, Jr. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DEVELOPMENT

Sarah Weinberg

Director of Development

Elizabeth Kegley

Director of Institutional Giving

Tracy Reich

Director of Individual Giving

Mark San Filippo

Director of Donor Stewardship

Christine Drew Benjamin

Director of Donor Engagement

Jessica Brusilow Rollins

Grant Writing Consultant

Allie Reasol

Development Assistant

EDUCATION

Brian Allman

Director of Education & Community Engagement

Paloma Nozicka

Education Associate

Sean Michael Boozer, DeJuan Christopher Conner, Lyssa Deehan, BJ Lange, Tara Ricasa, Kenzo Rice, Maddy Wagner

Teaching Artists

Brenden Cates

Education Intern

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Patrick Brown

Director of Marketing

Zenon Dmytryk

Director of Communications

Karen Gutierrez

Director of Advertising & Audience Development

Brian Dunning

Director of Content & Creative

Zack Hamra

Associate Director of Audience Services & Ticketing

Kevin O’Brien

Marketing Manager

Isaak Berliner

Social Media & Communications Manager

Janice Bernal

Box Office Manager

Alyssa Tyson

Box Office Manager

Jacob Feller

Part Time Box Office Manager

Vaneh Assadourian

House Seat Manager

Brianna Barrett, Rachel Jacoby, Sean James, Lauren Machain, Katie Sparks, Sarah Steuer, Sara Turken, Dennis Woullard

Box Office Staff

OPERATIONS

Jeni Pearsons

Director of Operations

Mel Yonzon

Front of House Manager

Amy Farkas

Lead Concierge

Rob Mersola

Event Manager

Sarah Chute, Anya Pryjmak, Emir Yonzon

Part Time House Managers

Sigourney Chin, Savanna Chute, Ki Duncan, Elizabeth Fritsch, Tony Jose Garcia, Alia Mahboob, Autumn Oyemade, Adam Simers

Guest Services

Brynn Allen, Lulu Altabbakh, Cristiana Barbatelli, Hannah Battersby, Blaire Battle, Avery Brown, Marlon Campos, Matt Clark, Sofia Constantine, Lauren Curet, Enzo De Cunto, Cecily Dowd, Camille Edwards, Blake Elder, Hector Eribez, Sydney Fleischman, Alejandro Hernandez, Aja Hinds, Meredith McClure, Austin Merrill, Ana Nguyen, Elena Scaringe-Peene, Areany Tolentino, Lanae Wilks Ushers

Chloe Shi (Administrative Lead), Cecilia Bonner, Bethany Koulias, Bradley Pierce, Elizabeth Rao COVID-19 Safety Managers

INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

Karim Bouzzit

Cloud System Administrator

Dream Warrior Group System Administrator

FACILITIES

MANAGEMENT

Art Guillen

Facilities Manager

Martin Ayala, Felipe Ayala

Building Maintenance

Mario Santillan-Perez

Custodial

Juan Carlos Umaña, Camerina Martinez

Cleaning Custodial

Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. This project was also funded in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. Geffen Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles.