THE LONELY FEW

Cast Of Characters

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Adam JOSHUA CLOSE

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

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

DAMON DAUNNO

LAUREN PATTEN

Amy ..........................................................................................

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

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

CIARA RENÉE

HELEN J SHEN

THOMAS SILCOTT

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 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

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

The Royale (Merrimack Repertory Theatre); To Kill a Mockingbird (Alliance Stage Company); 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.

THOMAS SILCOTT (he/him) 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:

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 shop, 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

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.

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

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 Work-

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

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 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

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/con- ducted 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.

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/Television: 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.

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.

GIL

CATES,

JR. Executive Director

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

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, 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.