tiny father Program

GEFFEN PLYHOUSE

TINY FATHER

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY

Hello folx. I’m Tarell Alvin McCraney, your artistic director at Geffen Playhouse. I am honored to welcome you to tiny father, our final play of the 2023/2024 Season. This intimate play explores the miracle of unplanned parenthood; offering a thrilling ride into the contemporary relationships that make up our world, and the unique ways we navigate life and love together. I thought it the perfect way to sum up our journey this season and to celebrate the season to come.

Our journey continues next season with Dragon Lady (Part I of The Dragon Cycle) from Sara Porkalob, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett starring Rainn Wilson, Aasif Mandvi, and Conor Lovett, Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, a.k. payne’s Furlough’s Paradise, and, in association with Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Alliance Theatre, Jake Brasch’s The Reservoir. The season offers

an incredible path through legacy, divine expectation, heartbreak, healing, and recovery. I am so excited we get to go there together.

The Brothers Size will open the doors to our new works lab in the Audrey Skirball Kenis theater and will kick off our big development plans for our intimate space—allowing our audiences a closer behind-the-scenes look at plays and live events in their earliest forms. Exciting work in the months to come. I hope to see you there.

For now, please enjoy tiny father.

Tarell Alvin McCraney Artistic Director

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

ART LIVES HERE

FEATURED WORK #12

Maison des Esprits (House of Spirits)

ARTIST

Francesca Lalanne

ON VIEW

June 12 – July 14, 2024

Geffen Playhouse celebrates 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.

Four Los Angeles artists have been invited to create original art works to be displayed in our lobby welcoming audiences. Our 2023/2024 Season is curated by Terrell Tilford (Band of Vices), the Creative Director of Art Lives Here and Geffen Playhouse alumnus.

The inherent connection between memory, trauma, and place is a thread that runs throughout my body of work. My works are inextricably linked to relevant and critical issues of our contemporary society; issues of shelter, mental health, emotional labor, amongst others. These themes are illuminated to viewers through the intentionality of my materials, color palette, and composition; including figures that portray suspended moments of cathartic releases, stares, and poses. My goal is to invoke an overlapping sense emotional space and architecture. My practice is an act of mark making; on metal and various surfaces, as unalterable as scars, yet etched in memory as a source of empowerment.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Francesca Lalanne was born in South Florida but spent the majority of her childhood in Haiti. Here, she experienced the beauty and magic of the nation and its people. Returning to Florida, Lalanne enrolled in Miami’s Design and Architecture High School. Channeling her life experiences into a passion for creativity she continued her artistic and academic pursuits achieving a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and in Fine Arts from Florida International University as well as her Master of Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology. Her success has led to the exhibition of her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions as well as public art installations and performances. She has been featured in notable publications including Artillery Magazine. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, Art Miami, Transformative Arts, Vielmetter Los Angeles, and recently Charlie James Gallery. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Welcome to the West Coast premiere of tiny father! On behalf of the Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors, I want to thank everyone who donated to this year’s Backstage at the Geffen event, honoring Colman Domingo and Larissa FastHorse. It was a beautiful evening in celebration of our honorees and raised vital support for our artistic, educational, and community engagement initiatives.

As the 2023/2024 Season begins to wind down, we are excitedly looking ahead to 2024/2025, which will be our first season chosen by Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney. The Gil Cates Theater will showcase a wide array of plays ranging from re-imagined classics to West Coast and world premieres. We are thrilled to be co-producing many of next season’s shows with fantastic partners nationwide, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Alliance Theatre.

In the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, Tarell will lead us through a refocusing of the space, reconnecting to our original vision at its opening in 2005. As Geffen Playhouse Founder Gil Cates, Sr. once said, “we will use this precious space to feed the seeds of theater and contribute our share to the canon.” Our intimate theater will serve as a lab for both artists and audiences to experiment, dream and grow.

Thank you for being an integral part of this exciting time at the Geffen! Enjoy the show.

Adi Greenberg Board Chair

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Adi Greenberg CHAIR

Dr. Gene D. Block

Gil Cates, Jr.

Executive Director / CEO

Mary Ann Cloyd Vice Chair

Merle Dandridge

Lauren Shuler Donner

Dr. Brad Edgerton

Bonnie E. Eskenazi

Mark Fleischer

Susan Nahley Fleishman

Brenda Garcia

Patricia L. Glaser

Eric Heer

Carla Malden

Brian Mann

Tiffany Mayberry

Tarell Alvin McCraney

Artistic Director

Mary Osako

Danny Passman

Holly Rice

Linda Bernstein Rubin

Matt Shakman

Richard Sherman

Cynthia P. Stafford

Howard Tenenbaum Chair Emeritus

Miranda Tollman

JaHan Wang

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

Bruce M. Ramer Founding Chair

Victoria Mann Simms

Andy Spahn

Steven Spielberg

Steve Tisch IN MEMORIAM

Gilbert Cates Founder

Marcia Israel-Curley

Audrey Skirball Kenis

Charles Kenis

Karl Malden

Ginny Mancini

Jerry Moss

Jerry Perenchio

Edie Wasserman

Lew Wasserman

Dr. Charles E. Young

LEGAL COUNSEL

Nikki Kerman Venable LLP

TINY FATHER

WRITTEN BY MIKE LEW

DIRECTED BY MORITZ VON STUELPNAGEL

SCENIC DESIGNER DAVID MEYER

COSTUME DESIGNER TILLY GRIMES

LIGHTING DESIGNER PABLO SANTIAGO

SOUND DESIGN & ORIGINAL MUSIC BY UPTOWNWORKS—NOEL NICHOLS, BAILEY TRIERWEILER & DANIELA HART

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER DARLENE MIYAKAWA

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ROSALIND BEVAN

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER LAUREN BUANGAN

OPENING NIGHT

CASTING DIRECTOR PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA

THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024

PRODUCTION SPONSOR OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

tiny father was developed by the Cape Cod Theatre Project, Hal Brooks, Artistic Director

tiny father was originally commissioned by Audible as part of the Audible Theater Emerging Playwrights Fund.

In 2022, tiny father received the L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting, jointly administered by the Anna L. Weissberger Foundation and Williamstown Theatre Festival.

tiny father received its Co-World Premiere in 2023 at Chautauqua Theater Company (Jade King Carroll, Producing Artistic Director; Emily Glinick, General Manager) in Chautauqua, NY and Barrington Stage Company (Alan Paul, Artistic Director; Maggie LaMee, General Manager; Branden Huldeen, Artistic Producer) in Pittsfield, MA.

TINY FATHER

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Caroline TIFFANY VILLARIN

Daniel MAURICE WILLIAMS

UNDERSTUDIES

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Daniel WESLEY

GUIMARÃES

Caroline ANN HU

Understudies never substitute for listed players unless specified.

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 Now

SETTING

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in a major American city.

RUNNING TIME

90 minutes

There will be no 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!

Assistant Scenic Designer

Jamie Phanekham

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PRODUCTION

Associate Costume Designer

Caity Mulkearns

Assistant Lighting Designer

Edgar Alamo

NICU Consultant

Emily Rogers

Voice Coach

Lauren Lovett

Production Assistant

Rebecca K. Hsia

Deck Crew

Sierra Haworth, Winky Kim

Deck Crew Swing

Sam Sully

Automation Operator

Enrique Garcia

Stage Supervisor

Mady Krise

Wardrobe Supervisor

Michayla Van Treeck

Scenery Built & Painted By F&D Scene Changes

Lighting Equipment Provided By 4Wall Entertainment

STAFF FOR TINY FATHER

Lighting Programmer

Nicole Jaja

Light Board Operator

Jesus Cambero Elias

A1s

Ilana Elroi, Bob Gilmartin

A2

Michael Svolos

A1 Swing

Everett Elton Bradman

Lead Scenic Carpenter

Philip Rossi

Properties Artisans & Carpenters

Sigourney Chin, Danny Dolan, Patrick Mulcare

Carpenters

Oliver Brink, Ezra Fisher, David Foubert, Enrique Garcia, Mason Irwin, Rowan Knight, Shadow LaValley, Greg Mueller, Beth Scorzato, Syd Shoell, Sam Sully, Michael Svolos, Eiden Weissblum

Scenic Painters

Vanessa Lara, Chandish Nester

Dresser

Kassidy Kleinsmith

Wardrobe Swing

Haley Ruby

Stitchers

Stephanie Castro, Kiko Cheyenne, Michayla Van Treeck

Electricians

Shannon Barondeau, Ezra Fisher, Justin Kelley-Cahill, Ezra Muthiah, James Tatsch

Sound Technicians

Everett Elton Bradman, Guillermo Cervera, Ilana Elroi, Michael Svolos, Stephanie Lynn Yackovetsky

PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Production Photographer

Jeff Lorch

Media Filming

Ramon Garcia

Design + Art Direction

Base Design

Photography

Justin Bettman

Sound Equipment Provided By DnB Design, Launch, Jon Sound Inc.

SPECIAL THANKS

UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Scene, Prop, Sound, and Costume Shops; Rehana Lew Mirza; Beth Blickers

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 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.

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.

TIFFANY

VILLARIN (she/her)

Caroline

Tiffany is delighted to be making her Geffen Playhouse debut and to be in collaboration again with Mike and Moritz. Select theater credits include originating roles in …what the end will be (Roundabout Theatre Company), Do You Feel Anger? (Vineyard Theatre and Actors Theatre of Louisville), Teenage Dick (The Public Theater co-production with Ma-Yi Theater Company), The Grown-Up (Actors Theatre of Louisville), peerless (Cherry Lane Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, and Marin Theatre Company—recipient of a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award), House Rules (Ma-Yi Theater Company). Film/TV credits include The Surrogate, Certainty, Shadow, New Amsterdam, The Good Fight, Law & Order: SVU, Elementary, Instinct, Bull, The Blacklist, Gotham. She has a B.F.A. from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is a member of The Actors Center.

MAURICE WILLIAMS

Daniel

Maurice is happy to be back at the Geffen Playhouse. He previously appeared as “Casey” in the 2015 production of Stephen Belber’s The Power of Duff. Other theatre credits include American Buffalo (L.A. Theatre Works), When January Feels Like Summer (Ensemble Studio Theatre), and Pitbulls (Rattlestick Theater). In Hollywood, Williams is co-writer and executive producer of Emmy Award–winning Entergalactic, and co-creator and executive producer of The Vince Staples Show, both watchable on Netflix. Temple made. UCSD M.F.A. (‘13) trained.

Mike Lew’s plays include tiny father (Geffen Playhouse, Barrington Stage Company/ Chautauqua Theater Company,

Audible; Cape Cod Theatre Project and Ojai Playwrights Conference workshops); Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse, Ma-Yi Theatre Company/ The Public Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Huntington, Pasadena Playhouse, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center); Tiger Style! (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, South Coast Repertory, Olney Theatre Center, The Huntington, La Jolla Playhouse, Alliance Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center); Bike America (Ma-Yi Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre); and microcrisis (Ma-Yi Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company). Alongside composer Sam Willmott he and Rehana Lew Mirza co-wrote the book to Bhangra Nation (La Jolla Playhouse, Birmingham Rep; Project Springboard and Rhinebeck workshops). Awards/Fellowships: Guggenheim, Dramatists Guild Council, New Dramatists, Mellon/HowlRound, Lark Venturous, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Foundation for the Arts, PEN America, Richard Rodgers, Lanford Wilson, Helen Merrill, Weissberger, Heideman, and Kendeda. Education: Juilliard, Yale.

MIKE LEW (he/him) Playwright

MORITZ VON STUELPNAGEL (he/him)

Director

Previously at Geffen Playhouse: Ava: The Secret Conversations written by and starring Elizabeth McGovern. Broadway: Theresa Rebeck’s I Need That starring Danny DeVito, Theresa Rebeck’s Bernhardt/Hamlet starring Janet McTeer, Noël Coward’s Present Laughter starring Kevin Kline (Tony nomination for Best Revival), Rob Askins’ Hand to God (Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Director). London’s West End: Theresa Rebeck’s Mad House starring David Harbour and Bill Pullman, Hand to God (Olivier nomination for Best New Comedy). Off-Broadway: Theresa Rebeck’s Seared (MCC Theater); Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play (Playwrights Horizons); Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick (Ma-Yi Theater Company/The Public Theater); Nick Jones’ Important Hats of the Twentieth Century (Manhattan Theatre Club); Nick Jones’ Verité (LCT3); Mike Lew’s Bike America (Ma-Yi Theater Company); Nick Jones’ Trevor (Lesser America); Rob Askins’ Love Song of the Albanian Sous Chef (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Mel & El: Show and Tell (Ars Nova); Michael Mit-

nick’s Spacebar: A Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman and Adam Szymkowicz’s My Base and Scurvy Heart (Studio 42). Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Huntington, Alliance Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Olney Theatre Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, South Coast Repertory, Barrington Stage Company, Chautauqua Theater Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and more. Upcoming: a nationwide tour of Westwood’s own Michael Shayan in his smash hit play avaaz. Moritz is the former artistic director of Studio 42, NYC’s producer of “unproducible” plays. www.moritzvs.com

DAVID MEYER (he/him) Scenic Designer

David is thrilled to be back at the Geffen for a second time. Geffen: Ava: The Secret Conversations Other Los Angeles Productions include: Grumpy Monkey, The Musical, Head Over Heels, The Father, Native Gardens, Belleville, King Charles III, Our Town (Pasadena Playhouse). Off-Broadway: A Sucker Emcee, The Way West, Empanada Loca, and A Family for All Occasions (LAByrinth Theater Company). Regional: Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Merrily We Roll Along. Feature Film Production Design: Flight Risk (upcoming 2024), Father Stu, Without Remorse (additional photography), Corporate Animals, John Wick: Chapter 2 (additional

photography), and Permission. Feature Film Art Direction: Joker: Folie à Deux (upcoming 2024), Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Top Gun: Maverick, Vice, Birdman, and The Wolf of Wall Street. David studied Architecture and Theater at Syracuse University and received his M.F.A. in Production Design for Stage and Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

www.davidmeyerdesign.com

TILLY GRIMES (she/they)

Costume Designer

Tilly is an Irish/Greek/English designer based in New York, a third-generation theater artist and new mom to Oskar. Awards/ Nominations: Balsamo Grant for Emerging Immigrant Artists, Irish Arts Design Award, The Irish Times Irish Theatre Award nomination, Onstage Critics Award, multiple Lucille Lortel Awards, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations. Recent/Forthcoming: Broadway: Shucked, I Need That; West End: Mad House. NYC includes: Roundabout Theatre Company, BAM, Manhattan Theatre Club, MCC Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater Company, Ars Nova, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. www.tillygrimes.com IG: @missTgrimes

PABLO SANTIAGO (he/him)

Lighting Designer

Pablo Santiago is a live performance and digital film lighting designer. Winner of the Kinetic Lighting Award for Distinguished Achievement in The -

atrical Design, Henry Award, Richard E. Sherwood Award, Stage Raw Award, and multiple Ovation Award nominations. Originally from Chiapas, Mexico, Pablo’s designs aim to find evocative images that embody the emotional moment of the show—images that can spark the imagination of the audience to worlds beyond the stage. Santiago has worked at Boston Lyric Opera, The Kennedy Center, Teatro Municipal São Paulo Brazil, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, Opera Omaha, Detroit Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Long Beach Opera, Prototype Festival, The Industry, Opera Columbus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera Santa Barbara, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, BAM Harvey Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theatre Center, The Broad, Kirk Douglas Theater, and Hollywood Bowl.

UPTOWNWORKS

Sound Design & Original Music

UptownWorks is a collaborative team designing for theater, film, podcasts installations, and other media. Credits include Problems Between Sisters (Studio Theatre, DC); Dangerous Days (Miami New Drama); Las Borinqueñas (Ensemble Studio

Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Pittsburgh Public Theater/Baltimore Center Stage); Murder on the Orient Express (Syracuse Stage); FIVE: The Parody Musical (Visceral Entertainment); Munich Medea: Happy Family (WP Theater/ PlayCo); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Baltimore Center Stage); tiny father (Barrington Stage Company/ Chautauqua Theater Company); Black Mother Lost Daughter (National Black Theatre); avaaz (South Coast Repertory); The Singularity Play (Harvard TDM); black odyssey (Classic Stage Company); Chicken & Biscuits (Asolo Repertory Theatre); Espejos: Clean (Hartford Stage/ Syracuse Stage); Which Way to the Stage (Signature Theatre, DC); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Berkeley Repertory Theatre/Goodman Theatre); Blue’s Clues & You! (Round Room Live); Queen (Long Wharf Theatre/A.R.T. New York); Fires in the Mirror (Baltimore Center Stage/Long Wharf Theatre); already there (The REACH at the Kennedy Center); Choir Boy, Today is My Birthday (Yale Repertory Theatre). See more of our work at www.uptownworksnyc.com.

NOEL NICHOLS (they/she) Co-Sound Designer, UptownWorks Noel is a regional sound designer and composer from Phoenix, Arizona. Select Designs: avaaz (South Coast Repertory, Olney

Theatre Center); The Sandwich Ministry (Skylight Theatre Company); I Love You So Much I Could Die (New York Theatre Workshop); Uncle Vanya Associate Sound Design, Lincoln Center Theater); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Berkeley Repertory Theatre/Goodman Theatre); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Baltimore Center Stage); Problems Between Sisters (Studio Theatre, DC); Today is My Birthday (Yale Repertory Theatre); Mojada (Indy Shakes).

M.F.A. in Sound Design from Yale School of Drama. Faculty in Sound Design at the University of Southern California. noelnicholsdesign.com

BAILEY TRIERWEILER (he/him) Co-Sound Designer, UptownWorks

Bailey Trierweiler is an NYC based sound designer and engineer. Select design credits include: Dangerous Days at Miami New Drama; The Slow Dance at 59E59; FIVE: The Parody Musical at Theater 555; To the Ends of the Earth at JACK; The Singularity Play at Harvard TDM; Concord Floral at Hamilton College; Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Baltimore Center Stage; black odyssey at Classic Stage Company; Chicken & Biscuits at Asolo Repertory Theatre; Fires in the Mirror at Baltimore Center Stage & Long Wharf Theatre. Select associate credits include: The Welkin at Atlantic Theater Company; Mad Hatter the Musical at Herberger

Theater Center; The Comeuppance at Signature Theatre; Kate at Connelly Theater & Pasadena Playhouse; Flex at Lincoln Center Theater. Education: M.F.A. in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama. www.btsounddesign.com

DANIELA HART (she/they) Co-Sound Designer, UptownWorks

Daniela Hart is a sound designer, composer, and filmmaker based in NYC. Selected theater credits include Las Borinqueñas (Ensemble Studio Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Pittsburgh Public Theater/Baltimore Center Stage); Murder on the Orient Express (Syracuse Stage); Hotel Happy (Houses on the Moon Theater Company); Munich Medea: Happy Family (WP Theater/PlayCo); Lady Day (Baltimore Center Stage); tiny father (Barrington Stage Company/Chautauqua Theater Company); black odyssey (Classic Stage Company); Espejos: Clean (Hartford Stage/ Syracuse Stage); Blue’s Clues & You! (Round Room Live); Queen (Long Wharf Theatre/A.R.T. New York); Fires in the Mirror (Baltimore Center Stage/Long Wharf Theatre); Happy Life (Soho Rep); Choir Boy (Yale Repertory Theatre); The Juniors (Colgate University); (The Making Of) How to Save the World in 90 Minutes (Cherry Lane Theatre); References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot (A.R.T., Harvard); Julius Caesar (Vermont Shakespeare

Festival); Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom (Rattlestick Theater). Daniela received their M.F.A. in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama and is the founder of UptownWorks. www.uptownworksnyc.com

ROSALIND BEVAN (she/her) Associate Director

After eight years in Boston, Rosalind has relocated back to Los Angeles. She recently was the associate director for Arrowhead at IAMA Theatre Company. Some of her directing credits include Stew at Gloucester Stage Company; No Child… and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 at Newton Theatre Company; Echoes and The 54th in ‘22, two short audio plays at The Huntington. And Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet, The Moors, and Proof as a guest director at Boston University. She assistant directed Witch at The Huntington. She has also directed a number of readings and workshops. Rosalind has led workshops about professional theatre and audition technique at various colleges and universities including Boston Conservatory, Northeastern University, Emerson College, Tufts University, and Wabash College. www.rosalindbevan.com

DARLENE MIYAKAWA (she/her) Production Stage Manager

Geffen Playhouse credits: POTUS, The Ants. Other Regional: South Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, Geva Theatre Center,

Barrington Stage Company, East West Players, Playwrights’ Arena, Getty Villa, SITI Company, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Dance: L.A. Dance Project (in Qatar), The Watermill Center Festival. Opera and Symphony: Long Beach Opera, Piedmont Opera, Opera San Jose, California Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Memphis, Tri-Cities Opera, New York City Opera, OPERA San Antonio, LA Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic.

LAUREN BUANGAN (she/her)

Assistant Stage Manager

Lauren Buangan is an Orange County and Los Angeles based stage manager. 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 Fat Ham and The Lonely Few at Geffen Playhouse and Coleman ’72, A Christmas Carol, Nina Simone: Four Women, and Million Dollar Quartet at South Coast Repertory.

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA (she/her)

Casting Director

Phyllis is an Artistic Associate and the Casting Director for Geffen Playhouse. Recent productions include: The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 (Artios Award), Every Brilliant Thing, The Power of Sail, Witch, and Barbecue. Before joining the Geffen, she cast for Steppen-

wolf 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) and the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile. 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.

Artistic Director

Tarell Alvin McCraney is Artistic Director of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for identifying, developing, and programming new works and re-envisioned classics. He sets the strategic artistic course for the Geffen’s Gil Cates and Audrey Skirball Kenis Theaters. McCraney is an award-winning writer, producer, and educator, best known for his acclaimed trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays His script In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue is the basis for the Oscar–winning film Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney

and Jenkins also won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. He is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre and a member of Teo Castellanos D-Projects in Miami, a graduate of New World School of the Arts, The Theatre School at DePaul University, and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick. He was recently Co-Chair of Playwriting at the David Geffen School of Drama, where he remains on faculty. He is an associate at the Royal Shakespeare Company, London, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Writers Branch).

GIL CATES, JR. Executive Director / CEO

Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Director / CEO 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 recently directed Displaced, 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. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University.

TARELL ALVIN M c CRANEY (he/him)

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE

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.

ACCESSIBILITY

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.

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

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.

We are proud to have the following artists in the 2023/2024 Writers’ Room:

ASHLEY AUGUST

JENNIFER CHANG & INARA GEORGE

PARIS CRAYTON III

CHRISTINA HAM

PALOMA NOZICKA

ALEXIS ROBLAN

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

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

CAN I GET YOU TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH MY EYES?

AN INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT MIKE LEW

BY OLIVIA O’CONNOR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE LITERARY MANAGER & DRAMATURG

OLIVIA O’CONNOR: tiny father is loosely based on the time in which your daughter was in the NICU for four months in 2019. I’m curious about how creating art that’s closely related to your own experience might in turn impact how you think about your life. In the years that you’ve been working on the show, has your perspective on that time in the NICU or on parenthood changed at all?

MIKE LEW: Whenever I start writing a play, it’s to try to actively process something big, knowing that the development life of a play is long and that you want to be grappling with subject matter that is complex and complicated enough that you’re gonna be actively sorting through it throughout that time.

So it’s not necessarily that writing the play has changed my perspective so much as I’m working out my perspective through the play. It is in some ways a time capsule, because it’s got a lot of minute detail about the time that we spent in the hospital. Early parenting experience—regardless of hospital stay—is difficult; you end up forgetting a lot. I’m grateful that I have this play as a document of that time, because I think that some of those details would escape me.

Another vein that I’m trying to piece through is the line between medical expediency and parental rights. We were second-time parents in the NICU. A lot of the people that were in there were first time parents, very wide eyed. Whereas we, at a certain point, were like, “I know how to do the newborn routine, and I choose to leave here.” And [the hospital staff were] like, “Well, you can’t.” So how do you negotiate the authority, or figure out what’s best for a child?

Another thing that I tried to tease out in the play is the layering of race within medical care. The casting is purposely two people of color from different races, both affected by systemic racism. [The play grapples with] how they each deal with that, how they both contribute to and are victims of it. And that is only something that we had a flash of in the hospital.

My responsibility as a playwright is to get you to invest in these characters. A lot of the maturation of the play has been separating out some of the autobiography and doing whatever I can to keep you locked into this evolving relationship.

OO: Were there any real medical professionals or memories that you found yourself drawing on to create Caroline and Daniel’s dynamic?

ML: I have a complicated relationship to medicine because my parents are both doctors and my mom’s a pediatrician. I spent a lot of my early childhood at nurses’ desks. [My mom would] put me at the nurses’ station and be like, I’m going to go check on some newborns and you can, you know, draw.

So I have a childhood association of being close to some of those nurses. And more generally, of intrinsically trusting the medical system—but also being an educated consumer. All of which is to say that my relationship with the medical staff in a patient position was weird, because I wasn’t super intimidated by the environment. It felt not like home at all, but it felt familiar.

On any given day, I think everybody’s doing their jobs, and a lot of people are really compassionate. But they’re catching you on your worst possible day for four months. I have a lot of both positive and negative interactions that I’m drawing from, and I remember a lot of it. Not necessarily the medical details, but the relationships, the people, I remember distinctly. I was seeing a lot of the subjectivity in something that [as a child] I either accepted as a given or thought of as objective.

OO: You and [director] Moritz von Stuelpnagel have known each other for, is it 20 years now?

ML: Yeah. Essentially my whole career. We started off as interns together at Playwrights Horizons. We were both the resident assistant directors for [the 2003-2004] season. He’s directed nearly all of my major plays, and I have a really deep collaboration with him.

This project in particular has been really delightful, because he became a parent in between the first time he directed the Audible recording and now. Watching his lived experience catch up to his craft has been so amazing. Something as simple as being able to give pointers on how to change a diaper and knowing that that’s not from a YouTube video or from research, but [from] literally having done it hundreds of times.

OO: tiny father was first commissioned as an audio play, then developed on Zoom, then developed in in-person readings, and finally had a full production last year. How has moving through each of those steps impacted your storytelling?

ML: The challenge of writing for audio was part of the appeal for taking on the Audible commission. How could you evoke this world without the normal tools that I have? And then the rest of it feels a lot more familiar. I didn’t have to retrofit it to be on stage; that was kind of my natural mode.

On a craftsmanship level, I’m always trying to challenge myself to avoid paths that I’ve taken before. I worked for Blue Man Group for a little while. You had these characters that don’t speak; what could I do? That made me reinvest in physical comedy. And here, [the challenge was] the two person structure.

I think about playwriting almost as going to the gym. In the grand holistic sense, it’s like, I want to be healthy. But on a micro level, it’s like, oh, I’ve really been avoiding leg day. I better write a play that’s all leg day to see whether I can do it.

The other thing that’s weird about this [play] is that it’s stylistically naturalistic, which is not the mode that I’m used to. Sitting in that style and not having my usual tricks to goose a scene has been a listening and growing exercise.

OO: Every playwright conceives of this differently, but is there is something that you hope audiences walk out of the theater contemplating, or an experience that you hope they have?

ML: A lot of my early experiences with playwriting have been feeling really passionate about saying something and then feeling misunderstood.

In this case, I’m processing this difficult, traumatic experience. I’m weighing my gratitude for the medical practitioners that saved our daughter’s life versus the frustrations that butted up about feeling ourselves infantilized and feeling like we didn’t have full authority over our own kid. And then also there’s this social component of when medicine is subjective, when it’s racialized. That’s the swirl that I hope is conveyed to the audience. But if the audience doesn’t hook in emotionally, then none of it matters.

I want you to live in this person’s shoes, have this experience, feel yourself pulled by the same forces that we felt ourselves pulled by. I don’t know that I’m trying to dictate a specific takeaway as opposed to, can I get you to see the world through my eyes?

To read more about tiny father, visit geffenplayhouse.org/blog.

PHOTO BY ERIK CARTER

THANK

“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

Award-winning actress, dancer, choreographer, director, producer, and Geffen Playhouse alum

THEATER IN EDUCATION HAS THE POWER TO IGNITE CHANGE

Geffen Playhouse is deeply committed to creating powerful and impactful arts education and engagement experiences that amplify, inspire, and encompass our diverse Los Angeles community. Our programs provide unique, in-depth access to theater and the arts for determined and ambitious youth and adults coming from historically excluded communities.

We invite all Angelenos to come home here. When you support our education and community engagement programs, you create a world of greater understanding, increased expression, and deeper compassion while enjoying your home away from home at this historic playhouse.

BY

PHOTO

JEFF LORCH

ANNUAL DONORS

Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund. Donors are listed at the Partner’s Circle level and higher for gifts made between April 1, 2023 and May 20, 2024. A full listing of our supporters can be found at geffenplayhouse.org/thankyou.

† Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors

^ Geffen Playhouse Founding Trustees

* Backstage at the Geffen 2024 Supporter

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

The Ahmanson Foundation

Jana & Trevor Bezdek*

California Arts Council

City National Bank*

Edgerton Foundation

Louise & Dr. Brad† Edgerton*

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William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg^ Fund for Arts Education at the Geffen Playhouse

Jerry & Terri Kohl

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Shubert Foundation

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Kate Capshaw Spielberg & Steven Spielberg^

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UCLA

UCLA Health*

INNOVATOR CIRCLE

$50,000 – $99,999

Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

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Holly Rice† & Vince Gilligan*

Richard† & Barbara Sherman*

PRODUCER’S CIRCLE

$25,000 – $49,999

Anonymous

Marcy Carsey*

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

The Walt Disney Company

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

Susan & Mark† Fleischer*

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The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation

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Mid-America Arts Alliance in Partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts

Los Angeles County Arts Commission

John McCrite & Juan Lopez*

Carol & Bill Ouchi

Paramount Pictures*

Lauren Shuler Donner†*

Allen Blue & Kira Snyder

State of California, Gov.’s Office of Business & Economic Development

Judith & Bruce Stern

Shel & Cynthia Stone

PLAYWRIGHTS’S

CIRCLE

$10,000 – $24,999

Anonymous

Pat & Sandy Adams

The Berlanti Family Foundation*

Capital Group*

Cast Iron Entertainment

Mary Ann Cloyd†*

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

Fielding Edlow

Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg*

Bonnie E. Eskenazi† / Greenberg Glusker LLP*

Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll

Eric Flamholtz & Yvonne Randle

Bob & Diana Friedman

Sue & Steve Glusker

Marcy Gross*

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In Memory of Morris A. Hazan

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Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark

Julie & David Kavner

Karen & Walter Loewenstern

Carla Malden† & Norman Beil*

Soundis & Danny† Passman*

Thomas L. Safran

Chris T. Schmidt*

Charles H. & Carol ‘Jackie’ Schwartz

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg

Charitable Trust

Marcia & Robert Shuwarger

Deborah Tavlin*

Steve Tisch^*

Marjorie & Joe Walsh*

Joanne & Ken Weinman

Aurora & Marc† Weinstock*

Karen & Rick Wolfen

CREATOR’S CIRCLE

$5,000 – $9,999

Eva Aaronson— In Memory of Bucky Hazan*

Laura & Harvey Alpert

Dr. Joan Denson & Dr. Victoria Berck

Shelly & Libby Bergen

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

Katherine Brown & Rene Mendoza

Jay Butterfield & Susan Ewert

Glenn & Lynn Cardoso

Marissa Caudill & David Merrill

Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo

Ginger Conrad

In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert

Marisa Davis

Mary Jo & Caleb Deschanel

Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin*

Barbara & Ed Dreyfus

In Honor of Virginia Field

Lynn T. Franklin

Sonia & Robert Freedman and Family

G2 Graphic Service, Inc.

Fariba Ghaffari

David & Kiki Gindler

Waterman and Glicksteen Families

The Goldenberg Family

Jill Grey

Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman

Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation

Michael & Jay Ireland*

Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt

David & Martha Kadue

Mannon Kaplan

Leslie King & Robert Welther

Norman Koplof & Leslie Falick

Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald*

Tania Lotia & Tamar Tokat

Marcia E. Williams & Gene Lucero

Dr. Jennifer Lucero

Renee & Meyer Luskin

Mara W. Breech Foundation

Cara Gardenswartz & David Melnick

Bradley & Lisa Mindlin—

In Memory of Sandra Tenenbaum

Dan & Margie Mintz

Rio & Frank Morse

Benedicta & Geoffry Oblath

Olympus Theatricals*

Cheryl Petersen & Roger Lustberg

Haley Pigman

Carolyn A. Poer & John M. Poer

Susan Rogers

Nancy & Ted Sanborn

Amy & Andy Schwartz

Steve & Paula Mae Schwartz

John Shustitzky & Christine Chakoian

Jerome & Joan Snyder

Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer

SPARK Theatrical*

Jay & Deanie Stein Foundation

Gerry Szeman & David Pavot

Anne C. Taubman

William & Karen Timberlake

Kathryn & Alan Van Vliet

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DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

$2,500 – $4,999

Aversa Foundation

Margaret Campbell Arvey

Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson

VJ Boyd

Paula Brand

Diana Buckhantz & the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation

Cindy Clark

Daniel Clivner*

Joanne Cohen

Linda & John Coleman

Tim Curtis & Shandon Youngclaus

Jacki & Murray Drechsler

Kathryn Falberg & Monique Predovich

Dennis & Jackie Fox

MaryAnn & Irwin Gold*

Harris Family Foundation

Zvia Hempling

Barbara Herman

Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson

Kelton Fund / David Kelton

Ann & Jonathan Kirsch

Stephanie Kramer

Alice Greene McKinney and E. Kirk McKinney, Jr. Fund

Cookie Miller

Thaine & Elizabeth Morris

Susan Oka*

Joyce & Harvey Reichard

Carol Risher

David A. & Karen Richards Sachs

Leonard Sharzer

Snyder Family Foundation

Mitch & Sherry Stein

Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela

Leslie White & Al Limon

Cherie Wrigley

DESIGNER’S CIRCLE

$1,000 – $2,499

Anonymous (2)

Miriam Aguiar

Jan & David Altemus

Patti Amstutz

Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum

Karen Bell & Robb Cox

Westmount Asset Management

Wendy & John Bergquist

John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey

Larry & Julie Blivas— In Honor of Phyllis Blivas

Susan Bloch-Kay & Stephen Kay

Dr. Adrienne Brandriss

Chancellor Albert Carnesale & Mrs. Robin Carnesale

Dr. Fanya Carter, Ph.D.

Peter & Heidi Cartmell

Gil Cates, Jr. †

Shelby & Lee Chaden

Martha J. Chase

Hyura E. Choi*

Christina De Armond*

Bert Deixler

Brock Dewey

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Duxler

Jeff Eckerle & Marilyn Osborn

Colleen M. Ellis

Terri & David Elston

Carl & Courtenay Enright

Lynne & Michael Feldman

Su Jin Feuer

Dr. Kimberly Finney

Burt & Nanette Forester

Joan & Charles Fox

Anita Dann Friedman & Harvey Friedman

Michael Gintz

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Lorain Goldberg

Mark & Molly Goldberg*

Ellie Goodman

Manuela & James Goren*

Barry Gribble

Victoria Jackson & Bill Guthy

Mary Hartley

Jackson Henry

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Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston

Jean Himmelstein

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

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Freya & Mark Ivener

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Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly

Corrinne Mann Kempinsky & Louis Kempinsky

Sharon Kerson

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Katherine Kleindienst & Marc Goldsmith

Dr. Leonard & Stella S. Kleinrock

Trice Koopman & Mark Freund

Nancy Koven

Lena & Mark Labowe

Rena & Craig Leeds

Carl Levinger

Linwei Li

Cathleen Fitzpatrick Linder

Judith Locke

The Malins Family Foundation

Brian† & Renee Mann*

Michael N. Marks

David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone

Sheryl McDonald & Denny Howard

S. McQueen & D. Whalen

Ali Meghdadi*

In Memory of Jane Hall

Norma & Larry Meyers

Joan & Phil Miller

Andrew & Laura Mintzer

Mark & Diane Neubauer

Ornest Family Foundation

Carol & Alan Ostroff

Ralph Page

Daniel Passman

Philip & Leslie Paton

Jacalyn & Paul Pepperman

In Honor of Frank & Betty Fouce

Phil & Agnes Peters

Leo & Nina Pircher

Ruth Popkin

Clark & Kathryn Porter

Dolores Rogers

Mary Ann Rosenfeld & Sheldon Kadish

Allison & Bennett Rosenthal

Oren Rosenthal

Gerald Sauer*

Susan Schwarz

Sylvan & Sandra Seidenman

Rita & Jose Sigal

Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross

Dr. Ira & Dawn Smalberg*

Ronald Smith

Kirk & Mei-lan Stark

Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis

Patrick Summers

The Tatasciore Family*

Audri & Stan Tendler

Ricardo Torres & Nat Damon

Catherine & Leonard Unger

Theodore H. Sweetser & Jane L. Valentine

Marcia & Charles Wasserman Ph.D

Deborah & Glenn Weinberg

Richard Yaffe

Arnold & Tricia Zane

Ellen & Arnold Zetcher

PARTNER’S CIRCLE

$500 – $999

Anonymous (3)

Toshka & Norman Abrams

Carol Ahmanson

Robert C. Anderson

Greg Angstreich

Eloise & Mark Appel

John B. Balen

Susan & Michael Bordy

Howard Brightman

Janet & Mark Brown

Diane Burbie

Elena & Jonathan Cates*

Diane Chernansky

Pam Coats

Steven & Linda Darling

Merle Dandridge†*

In Memory of Janet Birnkrant

Hedva & Dr. Dudley Danoff

Steven & Linda Darling

Susan Dashe

Kristin Diehl

Jan & Thea Drayer

Kay & Larry Driscoll

Elizabeth A. Evans

Su Jin Feuer

Terry Feuerborn

Paula Fins

Susan Nahley Fleishman†*

Carol & John Fox

Elaine & Larry Friedman

Kenneth J. Friedman & Marilynn J. Friedman Family Foundation

Lynn & Barry Friesen

Catherine Froloff

Stephen Galloway

Ann & Jim Gianopulos*

Bert & Benita Ginsberg

Dorit Goldstein

Howard Gradet

Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson

Michael & Candie Herman

James G. Hirsch

Robin & Edgar Hirst

Paul Gordon Hoffman & Sue Caren Hoffman

Kristin Hoover*

Drs. Sharon & Lou Ignarro

Dr. Vito Imbasciani

Robert & Gail Israel

Linda Janger

Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson Linda Kaplan

Cynthia A. King

Leana Kleinman & Jerald Johnson

Patricia Klous

Delores Komar & Susan Wolford

Kerry Korf

Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta

Christo & Jeanne Lavagnino

Rhonda K. Lawrence

Lydia & Chuck Levy

Leslie & Adam Lobel

Lawrence Madans

Wendie Malick

Eric & Eva Plaza Mandel

Mark Mandel

Tiffany Mayberry†*

Robin Mayemura

Douglas McAvoy, Jr.

Kathy & Jim McCaffery

Erin McKenzie

Tanner Medding— In Memory of Hollis Resnik

Christina Medigovich

Cynthia Melville

Thomas W. Mitchell

Leslie Mitchner

Dr. Gail Devlin Moradi

John Moschitta, Jr.

In Memory of Janet Birnkrant

Ron Myrick*

Bonnie Nash

Lorna Osunsanmi

Carol F. Phillips

Leo & Nina Pircher

Gloria & Michael Rausch

Faye Ray

Dr. Alexander Rivkin*

Mary Ann Rosenfeld & Sheldon Kadish

Valerie & Bennett Roth

Maxine Savitz

Cliff & Linda Schaffer

Lorin Schiff

Joel & Sonia Schneider

Nancy & Steven Schneider

Susan & Peter Schwab

John H. Scott

Marc Seltzer

Marlene Sklar & Joel Moskowitz

Karen Smits

Stuart Sobel

Andrew Stearn

Peggi Sturm

Mr. & Mrs. David Tann

Barbara & Larry Tenan

Johnson Thurston

Rebecca Vail*

Ira & Laurie Waldman

Elizabeth Wheat

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Whitman

Herbert Wolas

Albert Wolsky

Marian & Ted Zachary

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

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

STK | The ONE Group

W Los Angeles — West Beverly Hills

Wolfsglen

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

The Chairman’s Circle acknowledges the historical contributions of the following individuals, whose support of Geffen Playhouse made the original vision of our founder, Gil Cates, Sr., 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

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.

Tarell Alvin McCraney ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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 Coordinator

Dionn Richardson

Assistant to the Artistic Director

PRODUCTION

Jill Barnes

Artistic & Production Administrator

Alyssa Escalante

Production Coordinator / Resident

Production Stage Manager

Melissa Hartman

Technical Director

Patty Squibb

Technical Director

Alexandre Norkus

Automation Supervisor

Philip Rossi

Lead Scenic Carpenter

Rick Gilles

Properties Master

Daniel Lynn

Associate Properties Supervisor

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

Chloe Shi

Production Assistant

ADMINISTRATION

Sarah Sturdivant

Chief Financial Officer

Erick R. López

General Manager

Berenice Campos

Director of Human Resources

Janice Gompers

Payroll Manager & HR Admin

Youra Kim

Accounting Manager

Jake Jones

Staff Accountant

Clay Dzygun

Office Coordinator

Marguerite Harris

Receptionist

DEVELOPMENT

Sarah Weinberg

Chief Development Officer

Elizabeth Kegley

Director of Institutional Giving

Tracy Reich

Director of Individual Giving

Rachel Jacoby

Data Management Coordinator

Anika Waco

Donor Relations Coordinator

Zoila Lopez

Development Assistant

EDUCATION

Brian Allman

Director of Education & Community Engagement

Mark J. Chaitin

Manager of Education & Community Engagement

Paloma Nozicka

Education Associate

Sean Michael Boozer, Paris Clayton III, DeJuan Christopher Conner, Lyssa Deehan, Sidney Edwards, Ryan Hallahan, Aja Houston, Bethany Koulias, BJ Lange, Tiffany Oglesby, Tara Ricasa, Gerry Tonella, Maddy Wager

Teaching Artists

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

Director of Audience Services & Ticketing

Isaak Berliner

Social Media & Communications Manager

Gil Cates, Jr. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / CEO

Alyssa Tyson

Audience Services Manager

Jacob Feller, Jon-Paul Schaut

Box Office Managers

Brianna Barrett, Tori Eriavez, Peyton Fleming, Iyanla A. Guardado-Page, Pablo Hamlin, Miranda Heath, Jeffrey Limoncelli, Lauren Machain, Kayla Page

Box Office Staff

Theater Direct

Outbound Sales

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

Marlon Campos, Savanna Chute, Elizabeth Fritsch, Alia Mahboob, Taylor McClain, Shannon Noel, Autumn Oyemade, Adam Simers

Guest Services

Brynn Allen, Blaire Battle, Claire Booker, Lauren Curet, Enzo De Cunto, Cecily Dowd, Camille Edwards, Kosi Eguchi, Blake Elder, L. Elleseg, Sydney Fleischman, Ryan Foreman, Diane Hernandez, Aja Hinds, Keo Lacebal, Dylan La Rocque, Cassidy LeClair, Austin Merrill, Chloe Miles, Elena Scaringe-Peene, Lanae Wilks Ushers

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Abdelkrim 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