Charles Dickens’ a christmas Carol MIMI OHIO THEATRE November 25-December 23, 2022
Cleveland’s Classic Company Presents
CHINA BEFORE COMMUNISM “A Must See!” —Broadway World Presented by Ohio Falun Dafa Association ShenYun.com 216.241.6000 February 4-5 ALL-NEW PROGRAM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Great Lakes Theater’s 34th-annual production of Gerald Freedman’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. More than 800,000 people have experienced this production in its overquarter century on stage at the Mimi Ohio Theatre, nearly half of whom were students and children, many seeing their very first play. We are truly grateful to Mr. Freedman and his extraordinary design team for giving Great Lakes Theater and our entire region this fantastic gift of theater, which has transcended generations and united our community in powerful and meaningful ways.
We are indebted to so many people for the enduring success of A Christmas Carol. The artists and technical staff keep it as fresh as the day it opened, while those who have supported our work on Dickens’ masterpiece over the years make it possible for future generations to enjoy. We express special thanks again this year to the John P. Murphy Foundation, whose support of A Christmas Carol began with our original production in 1989 and has continued since. We also appreciate the continued support of this season’s production sponsor, U.S. Bank! In addition, we encourage you to look through this playbill at the list of individual members, corporations and foundations that support us. Please consider joining them with a year-end contribution to Great Lakes Theater.
This winter/spring, we invite you to join us across the street at the intimate Hanna Theatre as we continue our 61st season. We hope to see you at our productions of the delightfully Austen-tatious romantic comedy, Sense and Sensibility; Shakespeare’s enchanting romantic comedy As You Like it; and the Tony Award-winning musical celebration of Fats Waller, Ain’t Misbehavin’. Finally, we wish you a very happy holiday season from the entire Great Lakes Theater family.
We hope to see you in our audience again soon.
Fee Producing Artistic Director
Bob Taylor Executive Director
SPOTLIGHT ON
Sensory-Friendly Supporters
Great Lakes Theater is grateful to Akron Children’s Hospital and The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation for supporting our sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol which made live theater accessible to students/adults on the autism spectrum, their families, and other patrons who needed a friendly audience environment.
3 GreatLakesTheater.org WELCOME
Charles
ABOUT GREAT LAKES THEATER
The mission of Great Lakes Theater (GLT), through its mainstage productions and its education programs, is to bring the plea sure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience.
Since the company’s inception in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but GLT’s commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of theater and time periods –– including the 20th cen tury –– and provides for the occasional mounting of new works that complement the classical repertoire.
Classic theater holds the capacity to illumi nate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and actions, revel in eloquent language, preserve the traditions of diverse cultures and generate communal spirit. On its mainstage and through its educa tion programs, GLT seeks to create visceral, immediate experiences for participants, asserting theater’s historic role as a vehicle for advancing the common good and helping peo ple make joyful and meaningful connections between classic plays and their own lives.
The company’s commitment to classic theater is magnified in the educational pro gramming surrounding its productions. Since its inception, GLT has had a strong presence in area schools, bringing students to the the ater for matinee performances and sending specially trained actor-teachers to the schools for weeklong residencies developed to explore classic drama from a theatrical point of view. GLT is equally dedicated to enhancing the theater experience for adult audiences. To this end, GLT regularly serves as the catalyst for community events and programs in the arts and humanities that illuminate the plays on its stage.
Great Lakes Theater is one of only a hand ful of American theaters that have stayed the course as a classic theater. As GLT celebrates more than a decade in its permanent home at the Hanna Theatre, the company reaffirms its belief in the power of partnership, its deter mination to make this community a better place in which to live, and its commitment to ensure the legacy of classic theater in Cleveland.
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Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square 216.241.6000 / GreatLakesTheater.org generous support provided by: “...a drama company of exceptional quality...” -The Wall Street Journal Shakespeare’s Enchanting Romantic Comedy Mar. 24 - Apr. 8, 2023 A Delightfully Austen-tatious Romantic Comedy Feb. 10 - Mar. 5, 2023 Sense and Sensibility TICKETS START AT $20! • PATRONS 25 & UNDER PAY $15!
Based on the novel by Jane Austen Directed by Sara Bruner & Jaclyn Miller
By Kate Hamill
Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square Enjoy exhilarating productions in an intimate theater setting.
By William Shakespeare Directed by Charles Fee
Presents
AND ORIGINALLY DIRECTED
BY GERALD FREEDMAN
Zain Abbas
Leilani Barrett*
Laura Welsh Berg* Lynn Robert Berg* Michael Burns Mateus Leite Cardoso Aled Davies* Jodi Dominick* Demi Eidson
Sutton Garver Maddie Halapy Jackson Kalina Jillian Kates* Matt Koenig* Morgan Lehman Jessie Cope Miller* Marlowe Miller
Esme Page
Company Costume Design James Scott Lighting Design Mary Jo Dondlinger Jeff Herrmann Sound Design Tom Mardikes Stan Kozak
Music Adaptor/ Arranger Robert Waldman
Music Director Matthew Webb Choreographer David Shimotakahara Production Stage Manager Nicki Cathro* Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Kelso*
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States Great Lakes Theater student subscriptions are subsidized by a generous gift from Eaton. There will be one fifteen-minute intermission. The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
7 GreatLakesTheater.org Mimi Ohio Theatre | Nov. 25 – Dec. 23, 2022
Avery Pyo David Anthony Smith* Nick Steen* M.A. Taylor* Parker Towns Ángela Utrera* Hanako Walrath Joe Wegner* Scenic Design John Ezell Gene Emerson Friedman
CHRISTMAS CAROL
With generous support from:
BY CHARLES DICKENS
ADAPTED
A
Charles Fee Producing Artistic Director
at Playhouse Square
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Cleaveland Family
Father, who will become Bob Cratchit Nick Steen* Mother, who will become Belle and Fred’s Wife Laura Welsh Berg* Miss Elizabeth, who will become Fan Hanako Walrath Master Richard, who will become Dick Wilkins Michael Burns Miss Abigail Maddie Halapy Master Robert Esme Page Miss Polly
Morgan Lehman Master William, who will become Tiny Tim
Sutton Garver/Parker Towns Samuels, who will become Ebenezer Scrooge
Lynn Robert Berg* Muggeridge, who will become Christmas Present
Leilani Barrett* Jane, who will become Mrs. Cratchit
Jodi Dominick*† Nephew Fred Joe Wegner* First Charity Man
M.A. Taylor* Second Charity Man
Davies* Street Singer................................................................................................... Jackson Kalina Sled Boy....................................................................................... Sutton Garver/Parker Towns Skate Girl
Marlowe Miller Street Children.................................................................................... Demi Eidson, Avery Pyo Marley David Anthony Smith* Christmas Past
Ángela Utrera* Boy Scrooge.................................................................................. Sutton Garver/Parker Towns Adolescent Scrooge
Esme Page Mr. Fezziwig........................................................................................................Aled Davies* Young Scrooge
Joe Wegner* Mrs. Fezziwig
Jillian Kates* Fezziwig Guests Leilani Barrett*, Laura Welsh Berg*, Michael Burns, Mateus Leite Cardoso, Jodi Dominick*†, Maddie Halapy, Jessie Cope Miller*, Esme Page, Hanako Walrath
Cratchit Family
Peter Michael Burns Martha Hanako Walrath Belinda Madeline Halapy James .................................................................................................................. Esme Page Sarah
Morgan Lehman
Mateus Leite Cardoso, Matt Koenig* Lighthouse Keeper David Anthony Smith* Helmsman M.A. Taylor* Cynthia Jillian Kates* Topper
Miners
Matt Koenig* “Ignorance”
Sutton Garver/Parker Towns “Want”
Morgan Lehman Christmas Future.................................................................................... Mateus Leite Cardoso Rich Men…
Davies*, Matt Koenig*, David Anthony Smith* Joe the Keeper
M.A. Taylor* Laundress Jillian Kates* Charwoman Jodi Dominick*† Undertaker David Anthony Smith* Debtor Leilani Barrett* Debtor’s Wife Jessie Cope Miller* Soloist Demi Eidson Delivery Boy Zain Abbas Scene: London, 1864, and in the imagination of the listener † Dance Captain *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
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Generous support for Spotlight was provided by Donald F. and Anne T. Palmer Written and researched by: Margaret Lynch Design by: Stacy Mallardi-StajcaR, Casual Images Graphic Design
A CHRISTMAS CAROL northeastohio’straditionholidayFavorite SPOTLIGHT AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO
CHARLES DICKENS’
SPOTLIGHT ON A CHRISTMAS CAROL
From inspiration to the stage SPOTLIGHT
carved/
his large-scale vision for the original production – including the gargoyles that populate Scrooge’s bedroom, a 19' tall cornucopia, and a festive “Christmas Fantasy” finale scenic element. Great Lakes Theater’s scene shop has referenced Ezell’s original renderings to faithfully match his visual instructions when restoring the painted Styrofoam elements ever since.
In the spring of 1988, Great Lakes Theater made an enterprising decision: to invest in a lavish new take on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. Opening night, in November 1989, was 18 months away, but there wasn’t a moment to lose.
There was money to raise. The theater’s production team estimated that the ambitious show would cost $550,000, which was double the amount budgeted for a typical production at the time. The theater’s then-board-chair John Collinson agreed to take the lead in securing corporate support at an unprecedented level. There was a script to develop. Artistic director Gerald Freedman had a vision for the adaptation: he would frame it within the context of a family reading Dickens’ story aloud before bedtime. The “frame story” would allow Freedman to incorporate Dickens’ narrative voice, as well as evoke the intimacy of the writer’s own public readings where Dickens famously strove to make the audience feel — as he explained to a friend — “as if we had been sitting around the fire.”
There was spectacle to create. Freedman and scenic designer John Ezell were determined that the production would fully exploit the resources of the Ohio Theatre, which served as the home venue for Great Lakes Theater at the time. The Ohio Theatre’s trap doors, fly space and counterweight system were ideally suited for
creating the dramatic scene changes and other stage tricks needed for a ghost story.
There were things to be built. “As the set design evolved,” production manager Tony Forman later explained, “it became clear that there was not enough space in the Ohio Theatre to go quickly and effectively from location to location with complete sets.” Moveable set elements would have to suggest different locations, and technical director Martin Simonsen would have to figure out the turntables, pulleys and levers needed to make them move. But the set elements could only glide quickly if they were lightweight. Victorianera filigrees and other scenic elements had to be carved out of Styrofoam — including a 19-foottall cornucopia filled with 5,000 grapes the size of ping-pong balls. Costume designer James Scott sketched renderings for 80 costumes, 30 of which would be built from scratch by three drapers and five seamstresses. Freedman didn’t originally plan for music to play a major role in the production, but music began to seep in, and sound designer Stan Kozak soon found himself organizing allnight recording sessions.
And then there were practical problems for actors and stagehands to solve. For his sudden and fearsome entrance as the ghost of Jacob Marley, actor John Buck Jr. found that he had to crouch on a ladder with eight lengths of chains arrayed around him, his head and shoulders
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Scenic designer John Ezell championed the use of innovative methods and materials, such as
painted Styrofoam, in order to realize
pulled in and ready to rear up against the trap door above him. Two stagehands had to help him manage the chains and navigate the ladder. Onstage, Buck developed a way of flicking the chains, twisting and untwisting them around himself so that they wouldn’t get caught on the grates needed for the fog machines. Soundboard operator John Reilly drilled with him so he could precisely time clanking sound effects with Buck’s movements.
Out of such attention to detail, stage magic was conjured. Designed to be repeated multiple seasons, the show is now in its 34th year. Maintaining the production requires the same painstaking commitment each year. The wear and tear of time cannot show on the production’s elaborate costumes and set pieces, which are refurbished on a rotating basis.
In its long history, the Great Lakes Theater production of A Christmas Carol has always hewed to Gerald Freedman’s original direction. But its annual restaging has given opportunities to emerging directors within the company. Victoria Bussert, who arrived in Cleveland as a directing
intern to Freedman in 1985, restaged the piece 12 times over the years, more than any other director. Other longtime company members have stepped up in turn to ensure the ever-fresh vitality of the theater’s cherished holiday tradition. ❅
SPOTLIGHT ON A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Actors John Buck Jr. (left) and William Leech (right) portrayed the iconic roles of Jacob Marley and Scrooge in the 1990 staging of A Christmas Carol
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A Christmas Carol’s Scenic Designer John Ezell, with Technical Director Martin Simonsen, surveys Styrofoam carving in the Great Lakes Theater scene shop.
playnotes: A Christmas Carol
SPOTLIGHT ON A CHRISTMAS CAROL
As the year 1843 wore on, Charles Dickens was increasingly hard-pressed. Although the 31-year-old writer had already authored six suc cessful novels, his latest entry, Martin Chuzzlewit, was selling poorly. His publishers wanted their advance back. His spendthrift father stoked his worries. His wife Catherine was pregnant with their fifth child. He needed a best-seller.
A Christmas Carol was one for the ages. Scrooge — the very name has entered dictionaries as a synonym for miser. His phrase, “Bah, humbug,” is still on our lips. In the United States alone, a million copies of the story have been sold. But the book was a gamble at the time.
in 1892
By 1843, the young man already had the wildly successful Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby to his name. But fear of financial failure dogged him. Born in 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens, the second of eight children, the novelist later described his father as “a jovial opportunist with no money sense.” The elder Dickens spent several months in Marshalsea Debtor’s Prison in 1824. His 12-year-old son had to go to work in a rat-infested shoe polish factory. Undaunted by his scant schooling, the younger
“The beauty and blessing of the story ... lie in the great furnace of real happiness that glows through Scrooge and everything around him. ... Whether the Christmas visions would or would not convert Scrooge, they convert us.”
– G. K. Chesterton
An image of Dickens at the shoe polish factory, included in one of the earliest biographies of Dickens
A portrait of Charles Dickens painted by Francis Alexander during Dickens’ American tour in 1842, a year before he published A Christmas Carol
SPOTLIGHT
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Dickens pursued respectability relentlessly. Between 1827 and 1836, he vaulted from law clerk to court stenographer to court reporter to newspaper sketch writer to author of The Pickwick Papers. And yet, with improvident parents and siblings and a growing family to support, the writer could not rest.
Charles Dickens first gained attention with humorous sketches published in newspapers and periodicals under the pseudonym Boz. He pioneered the practice of releasing fictional work in serialized form, several chapters at a time, usually once a month. But Dickens and his publishers decided to present his new seasonal story in a hardcover volume, bound in crimson cloth, with pages edged in gilt. Dickens financed the printing himself, in return for a cut of the profits. The gamble might have paid off. Released on December 19, the first run of 6,000 copies of A Christmas Carol ran out by Christmas Eve. The second and third editions sold by year’s end, and
there were 11 printings in 1844. However, high production costs, competition from a cheap pirated edition and a lawsuit against the pirating printer ate up most of the profits. Dickens didn’t relieve his financial pressures, although he notched a timely and timeless accomplishment.
The festivities that we still associate with Christmas — trees and cards, family gatherings, carol-singing and seasonal food and drink — were just becoming popular in England in the 1830s and 1840s. Queen Victoria and her German-born husband were popularizing his native holiday custom of decorating live evergreen trees indoors. Antiquarians were publishing anthologies of old English carols and ballads. The Oxford Movement was promoting the restoration of ritual to Anglican worship. Dickens had already written several brief Christmas sketches in 1835 and 1836. The time was right in 1843 for a longer piece that indulged the growing taste for holiday cheer.
A child-centered depiction of Christmas resonated with Dickens’ personal mythology. Commentators have noted that he often put children at the heart of his work. Witness Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Pip of Great Expectations. Dickens’ sunny memories of early childhood, eclipsed by his family’s indigence, left an indelible mark. In A Christmas Carol, a bitter man finds redemption in compassion for his own lost childhood and the crippled Tiny Tim. As the story’s narrator proclaims, “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at
and mental excellence.”
– THE ATLANTIC, 1868
SPOTLIGHT ON A CHRISTMAS CAROL
“That such a book should find an enduring place in the affectionate admiration of mankind is an inevitable result of the highest moral
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Eight illustrations by Punch caricaturist John Leech also marked the first edition of A Christmas Carol as a prestige publication.
CHRISTMAS CAROL
Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.”
The childhood theme of A Christmas Carol may have also prompted the ghost story form. Later in life, Dickens often recalled how his nanny told gruesome ghost stories. Four of the five stand-alone Christmas stories that he would publish between 1843 and 1848 would contain elements of the supernatural.
But the Christmas setting also spoke to Dickens’ profound sympathy for impoverished children in industrialized cities. In A Christmas Carol, two “Charity Men” solicit money from Scrooge for poor families at Christmas. “We choose this time,” they explain, “because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.” In Great Expectations, Dickens would write of childhood as a time when “there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice.”
SPOTLIGHT ON
The injustices felt by poor children were on Dickens’ mind in 1843. Earlier that year, he toured tin mines in Cornwall, where children labored in filth. He visited a so-called “ragged” or “charity school” in London — before the advent of universal public education — and was appalled by the students’ destitution. He originally planned to write a political pamphlet titled, An Appeal to the People of England, on behalf of the Poor Man’s Child. While he did give a speech about educational reform in Manchester that October, he decided that a Christmas story might have greater impact.
Abstract ideas about education give way in Dickens’ story to spectral images: “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy.” Arguments raged in the newspapers of the day. Economist Thomas Robert Malthus, an older contemporary of Dickens, observed the
Images of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert celebrating Christmas with their family, such as this 1850 engraving from Godey’s Lady’s Book, helped to popularize Christmas trees.
paradoxical cycle of plenty, population growth, overcrowding and population-thinning diseases. Philosopher Thomas Carlyle countered the laissez-faire capitalist approach to social problems, mocking: “Are there not treadmills, gibbets; even hospitals, poor-rates, New PoorLaw?” In Dickens’ story, Carlyle’s litany becomes a searing refrain — “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”— while Scrooge gives chilling voice to the common perception of Malthus’ solution for overcrowding: “If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” We’re still reckoning with Dickens’ probing questions and clinging to the humanity and hope in his answers. ❅
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(continued)
playnotes
“A Christmas Carol is a national benefit and to every man or woman who reads it, a personal kindness.”
– William Makepeace Thackeray
A
Actors
Lynn Robert Berg*
Samuels/Ebenezer
Scrooge
Leilani Barrett*
Muggeridge/Christmas Present/Debtor/Ensemble Four seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows on stage include Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Richard II, Merchant of Venice, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, August Wilson’s Radio Golf, Intimate Apparel and Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower. Film credits include Real Steel, Dog Eat Dog, Curvature and The Big Ugly. Other theaters include Ensemble Theatre Cleveland, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland Play House, The Beck Center, The Second City Cleveland and ACME Hollywood, California. He is grateful once again to share the stage with the phenomenal members of GLT and for the support of his loving family.
Laura Welsh Berg*
Mother/Belle/Fred’s Wife/ Ensemble
Seventeen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Credits with GLT include, most recently, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Julius Caesar (Cassius), Pride and Prejudice (Lizzie), Mamma Mia! (Rosie), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Rosaline), And Then There Were None (Vera), Macbeth (Witch) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Mistress Ford). She has a BA in theater from Baldwin Wallace University, and an MFA in acting from the Theatre School at DePaul. Laura is currently an assistant professor of acting and direct ing in the Music Theatre Program at Baldwin Wallace University, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Twenty-one seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Credits include seven sea sons as Scrooge ( A Christmas Carol), Brutus (Julius Caesar), the title roles of Macbeth and Richard III, Friar John (Romeo and Juliet), Don Pedro (Much Ado About Nothing), Charlie Cowell (Music Man), The Ghost and Player King (Hamlet), Zoltan Karpathy (My Fair Lady), Gremio (Taming of the Shrew), Malvolio (Twelfth Night) and Frank Ford (Merry Wives of Windsor). Other credits include Bill Austin (Mamma Mia), Don Armado (Love’s Labour’s Lost), Watson (Hound of the Baskervilles) and Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; Hucklebee (The Fantasticks), Mayhew (Witness for the Prosecution), Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet) Jonas Fogg (Sweeney Todd) and Polixenes (The Winter’s Tale) at Idaho Shakespeare Festival; and Short Shakespeare MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Michael Burns
Master Richard/Peter Cratchit/Dick Wilkins/
Ensemble
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Michael Burns is absolutely thrilled to be returning to GLT for the annual tradition of A Christmas Carol. Previous cred its include GLT: Balthazar/Ensemble in Romeo and Juliet. ISF: Ensemble in Witness for the Prosecution and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Shakesperience Educational Tour). Other credits include Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra (Boise Bard Players)
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THE
ARTISTIC COMPANY
and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jaxton in The Thanksgiving Play, Ensemble in Sweeney Todd, Film Student in Heddatron and Broughton in Journey’s End (Boise State University). Michael received his BA in the ater arts at Boise State University. He is thankful for every opportunity that has led him to this moment, and the support he has received along the way! For Coachie!
Mateus Leite Cardoso Christmas Future/Ensemble
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
He was last seen in GLT’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Mateus is so excited to be a part of a Cleveland Christmas classic!
Aled Davies*
Mr. Fezziwig/Second Charity Man/Rich Man 1/ Ensemble
Twenty-two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Credits include Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors, Father Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing, Prospero in The Tempest, Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC in Witness for the Prosecution, Seyton the Porter in Macbeth, The Gravedigger in Hamlet, Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady, The Old Actor in The Fantasticks, Scrooge/Samuels in A Christmas Carol, King Lear in King Lear, John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Your Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dorn in The Seagull, Deputy Governor Danforth in The Crucible and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. A proud and appreciative member of Actors’ Equity since 1984. GO BROWNS!
Jodi Dominick*
Jane/Mrs. Cratchit/ Charwoman/Ensemble
Fourteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include Witness for the Prosecution,
The Music Man, Mamma Mia!, Julius Caesar, Wait Until Dark, Les Misérables, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Sweeney Todd, The Mousetrap, Cabaret, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, An Ideal Husband, The Imaginary Invalid, My Fair Lady, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Richard III, The Tempest. Jodi has spent 12 seasons at The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, GLT’s sister company. Other theaters include New World Stages, Hudson Backstage Theater, The Beck Center, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Hayworth Theatre, Dobama Theatre and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Jodi is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music.
Jillian Kates*
Cynthia/Mrs.Fezziwig/ Laundress
Nine seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Select previous GLT roles include Stephano in The Tempest, Marian in The Music Man, Portia in Julius Caesar, Donna in Mamma Mia!, Jane in Pride and Prejudice, Lily in The Secret Garden Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Texas/Sally u/s in Cabaret. She also appeared in the Ensemble of the Broadway National Tour of Wicked, and covered the roles of Glinda and Nessarose. A proud graduate of Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music, she’s Oklahoma-raised, Brooklyn-based. So much love to the supremely talented creative team, cast, crew and office staff members that make up this magical place. @smallfirevintage
Matt Koenig*
Topper/Miner/Rich Man 3/ Ensemble
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include Mamma Mia! and Pride and Prejudice. Past credits include Utah Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, Garry Marshall Theatre, McCoy Rigby Entertainment, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, LA Philharmonic,
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at Playhouse Square
PCPA, etc. Matt is an assistant professor at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, and received his MFA from UC Irvine.
Jessie Cope Miller*
Debtor’s Wife/Ensemble Nine seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Recent shows include Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Romeo and Juliet at ISF and A Christmas Carol, Chaining Zero, The Tempest, The Music Man and Julius Caesar. She also played the Witch in Into the Woods during Great Lakes Theater’s inaugural season at the Hanna Theatre, and spent four seasons at The Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, GLT’s sister companies. Other regional credits include Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Love’s Labour’s Lost, In The Heights, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Hello Dolly! and Pippin. She is a proud alum of the Baldwin Wallace Musical Theatre program and now an even prouder member of the acting faculty of the Baldwin Wallace University School of Theatre and Dance. Actors’ Equity member since 2005. Much love and thanks to the entire company! For family and friends and for Dougfred, Always.
David Anthony Smith* Marley/Lighthouse Keeper/ Rich Man 2/Undertaker
Twenty seasons with Great Lakes Theater Credits at GLT include Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Iago in Othello, Sergius in Arms and the Man, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 20 seasons with The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, including performing the title role in Henry V. Other theaters include The Old Globe, Laguna Playhouse, South Coast Rep; and the Shakespeare festivals of Utah, Colorado, Rhode Island, Nevada and Lake Tahoe. In addition to numerous television appearances, David has starred in four fea ture films: The Hanoi Hilton, Terror in Paradise, Field of Fire and Judgement Day.
Nick Steen*
Father/Bob Cratchit/ Ensemble Ten seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous roles include Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Macduff in Macbeth, Caliban in The Tempest, Laertes in Hamlet, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Lombard in And Then There Were None, Orestes in Elektra and Clifford in Deathtrap Nick holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Evansville, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the American Conservatory Theater. He’s also a voice actor whose work can be heard on Hulu and Spotify. He has endless gratitude for his family and for his love, Nicki. www.NickSteen.com
M.A. Taylor*
First Charity Man/ Helmsman/Joe the Keeper/ Ensemble
Nineteen seasons at Great Lakes Theater M.A. is pleased to let A Christmas Carol bring light again to Northeast Ohio. Previous credits include Verges, Much Ado About Nothing; Calphurnius, Julius Caesar; Carter/Dr. Wyatt, Witness for the Prosecution; Murderer, Macbeth; Puck, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Reynaldo, Hamlet; Feste, Twelfth Night; and Doolittle, My Fair Lady. He also worked at Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Resident Ensemble Players, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Boise Contemporary Theater and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP). Many thanks to his families (genetic & profes sional). May this Holiday Season bring Peace on Earth. To the blessed memory of those lost.
Ángela Utrera
Christmas Past/Ensemble Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Originally from Asturias, Spain, Ángela was last seen
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at Playhouse Square
on GLT’s stage as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Miranda in The Tempest and is so excited to come back this fall. She has assis tant-directed City of Altar and Teen Dad at the Sin Muros play festival at Stages Theatre in Houston. Ángela earned her acting/direct ing BFA from Sam Houston State University.
Hanako Walrath
Miss Elizabeth/Fan/Martha Cratchit/Ensemble
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous GLT credits include The 39 Steps (Pamela/ Margaret/Anabella u/s), Romeo and Juliet (u/s), and Much Ado About Nothing (u/s). Other recent theater credits include The Sound of Music (Liesl) and South Pacific with the Cleveland Orchestra, Lizzie, Kinky Boots, and Spring Awakening. Hanako is a senior music theater major at Baldwin Wallace university and is thrilled to be grad uating with a Bachelor of Music in the spring! Lots of love to Mom, Dad, Maiko, and her puppy Romeo.
Joe Wegner*
Young Scrooge/Nephew Fred/Ensemble
Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Off-Broadway credits include Judgement Day world pre miere (Park Avenue Armory). Regional theater includes Much Ado about Nothing, The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew (Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival); Archduke world premiere (Center Theater Group); Guys and Dolls, A Wrinkle in Time world premiere, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Very Merry Wives of Winsor Iowa, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land and Romeo and Juliet (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Guys and Dolls (Wallis Annenberg Center); The School for Lies (Arkansas Repertory Theatre) and In the Blood (Mixed Blood Theatre). TV/Film credits include Tales of the City (Netflix). Education: BFA, Southern Oregon University www.joewegner.net
Young Company
Zain Abbas
Delivery Boy/Ensemble
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Zain was most recently seen as Archie in 13: the Musical (Fine Arts Association). Other favorite roles include Dandy Dan (Bugsy Malone, Beck Center for the Arts) and the Artful Dodger (Oliver!, Olde Towne Hall Theatre). This summer, he studied in NYC at Broadway Artists Alliance and at i-Theatrics (Mason, School of Rock Youth Edition). Zain is an eighth-grader at Lee Burneson Middle School. Special thanks to Helen Todd, Amy Wooley, his family and friends and GLT!
Demi Eidson Soloist/Street Child Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Demi is thrilled to join GLT’s A Christmas Carol! Previous shows include Annie, Seussical, Cinderella, The Addams Family and The Music Man. Theaters include The Beck Center, Near West Theatre and Fairview Park Fine Arts Theatre. Demi enjoys dancing at Sound Motion Dance Academy, and is a seventh-grader at Lewis F. Mayer Middle School where she is part of the choir and cheer team. Thanks to her family and friends for always loving and supporting her!
Sutton Garver Master William/Tiny Tim/ Schoolboy Scrooge/Sled Boy/“Ignorance” Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Sutton is a third-grader who, in addition to theater, enjoys softball, volleyball, basketball and soccer. She recently appeared in Aladdin Kids at Cassidy Theater and Shrek Jr. at French Creek Theater. She is very excited to be a part of this production and sends much love to her parents and sisters!
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Maddie Halapy
Miss Abigail/Belinda Cratchit/Ensemble Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Maddie is in seventh grade at Laurel School, and is thrilled to be making her GLT debut! Previous shows include Annie (Molly), The Sound of Music (Gretl Von Trapp), Charlotte’s Web (Wilbur), Miracle on 34th Street (Susan Walker) and 13 The Musical at The Willoughby Fine Arts Association. Maddie would like to thank her family and friends for their support and GLT for this amazing opportunity. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Jackson Kalina Street Singer/Street Child Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include 13: The Musical; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Charlotte’s Web; and Honk! at the Fine Arts Association. Jackson is a sixth-grader at Willowick Middle School.
Morgan Lehman Miss Polly/Sarah Cratchit/“Want” Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Big Bad, Willie Wonka Kids, Not Your Average Fairytale and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other theaters include Stage Door Studios, Rubber City Theatre, Western Reserve Playhouse and Ohio Youth Ensemble Stage. Morgan is a cheerful-and-al ways-singing 9-year-old fourth-grader at Sharon Elementary. When she’s not on stage, she enjoys cheerleading, dance, vocal les sons, tumbling and playing with her brother Brady and guinea pigs, Cookie and Rex.
Marlowe Miller Skate Girl/Ensemble Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Marlowe is very excited to return to A Christmas Carol! Other local credits include Sled Boy/Young Scrooge in ACC, Ivanka in Once at the Beck Center and the youngest band member in Great Lakes’ production of The Music Man. In addition to acting, Marlowe loves playing video games, drawing and writing stories. Marlowe also loves bas ketball and started playing the drums. Thanks and love go out to family and friends!
Esme Page
Master Robert/James Cratchit/Adolescent Scrooge Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Previous roles include Brigitta in The Sound of Music with Baldwin Wallace University Musical Theatre Program at Blossom and in The MAD* Factory’s production of the same, and Little Red in The MAD* Factory’s pro duction of Into the Woods. Esme is 13 years old, a guitarist and competitive gymnast, and is a costumer and member of the Youth Board with The MAD* Factory. She lives in Oberlin, Ohio, with her family and pets.
Avery Pyo Street Child/Swing Four seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include A Christmas Carol, The Music Man, South Pacific, Rise, Around the World in 80 Days and Willy Wonka Jr. Other theaters include Near West Theatre, Western Reserve Playhouse, Buckeye Community Theatre and Ohio Youth Ensemble. She is thrilled to be returning to the stage to be part of this iconic produc tion. Avery would like to thank her family for helping her to continue chasing her dreams.
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Parker Towns
Master William/Tiny Tim/ Schoolboy Scrooge/Sled Boy/“Ignorance” Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include The Sound of Music, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Baldwin Wallace at Blossom Music Center, as well as Mad Factory. Her next show will be Annie, with Spotlight Society at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Parker is eight years old and has every intention of grad uating from Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music when she is older.
Understudies
Zain Abbas, Adam Bash, Aled Davies*, Jake Diller, Grace Feidt, Jennifer Jarvis, Jillian Kates*, Ava Mastrone, Jessie Cope Miller*, Marlowe Miller, James Rankin, Dan Rice, M.A Taylor*, Ángela Utrera*
Directors
Gerald Freedman
Original Director, Adaptor Gerald Freedman is Dean Emeritus of the School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, one of the leading undergraduate acting conservatories in the nation. A book about Gerald’s life and teach ings, “The School of Doing,” was published last year, and is available at the GLT gift shop and online. An Obie Award winner and the first American invited to direct at the Globe Theatre in London, Gerald is regarded interna tionally for his direction of productions of classic drama, musicals, operas, new plays and television. He served as leading director of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival from 1960 to 1971, the last four years as artistic director. He was co-artistic director of John Houseman’s The Acting Company from 1974 to 1977, artistic director of the American Shakespeare Theatre from 1978 to 1979 and artistic director of Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1985 to 1997. Gerald has staged 29 of Shakespeare’s plays, along with dozens of other world clas sics. He made theater history with his off-Broadway premiere of the landmark rock
musical Hair, which opened the Public Theater in 1967. Broadway direction includes The Robber Bridegroom; The Grand Tour; the revival of West Side Story, co-directed with Jerome Robbins; the premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business and Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Gerald also directed opera productions for the Opera Society of Washington (Kennedy Center), the San Francisco Opera Company and the New York City Opera. Prior to becom ing Dean of the UNC School of the Arts, he also taught at Yale and Juilliard. A native of Lorain, Ohio, he received both his BS and his MA (summa cum laude) from Northwestern University, and trained with Alvina Krause, Emmy Joseph and at The Actors Studio.
Charlies Fee
Producing Artistic Director
Twenty-one seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Directing credits at GLT include Much Ado About Nothing, Sleuth, Witness for the Prosecution, A Christmas Carol, Misery, Macbeth, Hamlet, And Then There Were None, Dial “M” for Murder, Deathtrap, Blithe Spirit, Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hay Fever, The Importance of Being Earnest, Arms and the Man and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). Charles holds a unique position in the American theater as producing artistic director of three independently operated, pro fessional theater companies: Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio (since 2002); Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise, Idaho (since 1991) and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village, Nevada (since 2010). His appointments have resulted in a dynamic and groundbreaking producing model for the com panies, in which more than 60 plays have been shared since 2002. In 2009, Charles was honored to receive recognition for his leader ship by the Cleveland Arts Prize as a recipient of the Martha Joseph Award. Other awards include The Mayor’s and Governor’s awards for Excellence in the Arts, Idaho. From 1988 to 1992, he held the position of artistic director at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in California. He has also worked with The Old Globe, La
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Jolla Playhouse, the Milwaukee and Missouri repertory theaters, Actor’s Theatre of Phoenix and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival. In addition to his work with the companies in Ohio, Idaho and Nevada, Charles is active within the community. He has served as a member of the strategic planning committee for the Morrison Center, as producer of the FUNDSY Award Gala (’96, ’98 and 2000), and as producer of the 1996 Idaho Governor’s Awards in the Arts. Charles has served on the board of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Downtown Rotary Club. He received his BA from the University of the Pacific and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Along with his wife, Lidia and daughter, Alexa, Charles resides in Boise, Cleveland and Lake Tahoe — a feat that is only possible because of the incredible love and support of his family, and the generous communities he serves!
Sara Bruner
Associate Artistic Director
Seventeen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Directing credits include Oregon Shakespeare
Festival Alice in Wonderland; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis The Cake; Arizona Theatre Company Cabaret; Great Lakes Theater/Idaho Shakespeare Festival Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, The Taming of the Shrew and A Christmas Carol (four years); and Idaho Shakespeare Festival directed/adapted educational tours of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night and The Taming of the Shrew. Other theaters include Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, Drop Dance Collective and Baldwin Wallace University. Acting credits include Norma McCorvey in Roe (world pre miere) at Arena Stage and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Viola and Sebastian in Twelfth Night, Sue Trinder in Fingersmith (world premiere), LeFou in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Charles Wallace in A Wrinkle in Time (world pre miere) at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Sara has been a company member at Great Lakes Theater for ten years, Idaho Shakespeare Festival 19 years and Oregon Shakespeare
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Festival for five years. Education: Executive MBA, Boise State University. Awards: 2018 Princess Grace Award for directing.
David Shimotakahara Choreographer
Thirty-three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
David Shimotakahara was a member of the Atlanta Ballet, Boston Repertory Ballet, Kathryn Posin Dance Company and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. He performed with Ohio Ballet under the direction of Heinz Poll from 1983 to 1998. In 1998, he founded GroundWorks Dance Theater, for which he is Executive, Artistic Director. Based in Cleveland, the company is committed to creating and producing new work in dance. Mr. Shimotakahara has choreographed for opera and theater with Cleveland Opera, Great Lakes Theater, Cleveland Play House and the Dallas Theater Center. From 1996 to 2018, he received eight Individual Artist Fellowships for Choreography from the Ohio Arts Council. In 1998, he received a McKnight Foundation Fellowship from the Minnesota Dance Alliance to create new work in the Minneapolis, St. Paul communi ties. Mr. Shimotakahara was awarded the 2000 Cleveland Arts Prize for Dance. In 2002, his work with GroundWorks Dance Theater was voted “One of 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. In 2007, he received the OhioDance award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of the Dance Artform. In 2010 and 2014, Mr. Shimotakahara was a recipient of a Creative Workforce Fellowship, a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, funded by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
Matthew Webb Music Director
Seventeen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Matthew is music director for music theater at Baldwin Wallace University. Credits include The Wild Party, Into the Woods, Spring Awakening, Kinky Boots and others As music director for Great Lakes Theater, credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Mamma Mia!, Beehive, Forever Plaid, The Fantasticks, Sweeney Todd, Sondheim on Sondheim, Guys & Dolls, Cabaret, Bat Boy,
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Christmas Carol and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Other credits include Lizzie (Playhouse Square), Once (Beck Center) and Hair (Cain Park and Kent State). Previous sound design at Great Lakes includes The 39 Steps, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and Hamlet Many thanks to Charlie, Sara, and his incredible parents, Carol and Jerry.
Designers
Mary Jo Dondlinger
Lighting Designer
Thirty-four seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Career design credits include productions for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, The Irish Repertory Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, TheatreWorks (Hartford) and many others. Mary Jo has long been associated with the York Theatre Company off-Broadway where she designed the original production of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), as well as many other musicals and plays. Most recent credits at Great Lakes Theater are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Fantasticks, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd and Sondheim on Sondheim.
John Ezell
Scenic Designer
Forty-five seasons with Great Lakes Theater
An award-winning associate artistic director and director of design at GLT under Vincent Dowling, Gerald Freedman and James Bundy, he has designed for Broadway; New York Shakespeare Festival; NY Public Theatre; Crossroads Theatre; Roundabout Theatre; Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger; Williamstown; Berkshire; Old Globe; Coconut Grove; Asolo State Theatre; Arizona Theatre Company; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Dallas Theatre Center; Indiana and Kansas City repertory theaters; Cincinnati Playhouse; Hong Kong Repertory Theatre; Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa; the Istanbul Cultural Olympics; Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts; Lyric Opera; Blackstone
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Theatre and Second City in Chicago; Cincinnati Ballet; Royal Danish Ballet; Royal Theatre in Copenhagen; Swedish Riksteater and the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm; and CBS, PBS-TV and Swedish State Television. His drawings have been exhibited in New York, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Prague and Brussels. His work received the Award for Experimental Television Art in Milan, Italy; two Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards for Excellence; and 15 national Critic’s Circle awards, including the 2011–2012 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for best professional sets at the historic Westport Country Playhouse. He is a Fellow of the College of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Gene Emerson Friedman
Scenic
Designer
Thirty-two
seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Gene has designed Gerald Freedman’s adap tations of A Christmas Carol and People Who Led to My Plays, as well as The Dearest Friends, The Boor, The Enemies, The World of Sholom Aleichem and What the Butler Saw
(Great Lakes Theater Festival). Other designs include Calderon’s Life is a Dream (New York’s Lincoln Center); Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello and Romeo and Juliet (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival); Second City Does Arizona (Arizona Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol, Death of a Salesman, Master Class and I’m Not Rappaport (Kansas City Rep); The Music Man, Carousel and La Cage aux Folles (Stages Saint Louis); and Death and the Maiden (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). Gene is architectural historian of the Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe [1629] at Zuni Pueblo, and serves as archivist and curator of the Casa de Santo Nino, also at Zuni. He is a tenured associate professor of design at UMKC. His fine art, “Stages Of Conversion,” has been seen at multiple galleries.
Jeff Herrmann
Lighting Designer
Seventeen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Selected designs for GLT include Much Ado About Nothing, The Music Man, Mamma Mia! The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
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Cabaret, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady and Little Shop of Horrors, all joint productions with Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Other ISF productions include I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; The Spitfire Grill; and Little Shop of Horrors. Jeff is the chair of theater and dance and the resident scene designer at Baldwin Wallace University. He holds an MFA in scene and lighting design from Southern Illinois University and is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.
Stan Kozak Sound Designer
Thirty-six seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Stan Kozak, among his more than 50 design credits, most recently designed sound for Bat Boy: the Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Comedy of Errors. His work in 1979 and 1981 with Geraldine Fitzgerald on Streetsongs at GLT led to the original cast album. Mr. Kozak was the resident sound designer for four seasons at the Porthouse Theatre Company, including productions of Driving Miss Daisy, Niteclub Confidential and And a Nightingale Sang. His collabora tions with Victoria Bussert at BaldwinWallace College include productions of Chess, Hair, Cabaret, West Side Story, Tommy in Concert, the Ohio premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion and one of the first nonprofessional productions of Phantom of the Opera. For Cain Park, his design cred its include Secret Garden; Fiddler on the Roof; Bat Boy: the Musical; Tick, tick... Boom; Nine; The Wiz; and Pippin. Mr. Kozak has also designed sound for Dobama Theater, Cleveland Opera, Beck Center, the Jewish Community Theater and TrueNorth Cultural Arts. He has served as sound designer for the All-City Musical for the last nine seasons, as well as for the Ideastream Gala concert with Bebe Neuwirth in 2005. He was honored to be among the first group of LORT sound designers to achieve recogni tion in USA 829.
Tom Mardikes Sound Designer
Thirty-three seasons with Great Lakes Theater Tom Mardikes most recently designed sound for GLT’s summer 2005 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. His past designs have been for Julius Caesar, The Dybbuk, King Lear, Hamlet and The Cherry Orchard He has worked on more than 250 professional productions nationwide, where he has designed for Kansas City (formerly Missouri) Rep, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Starlight Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre, the Dallas Theatre Center, Syracuse Stage, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the Roundabout, Buffalo Studio Arena, Alley Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. In the spring of 2015, he designed sound for Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing for Repertory Theatre St. Louis and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He is a professor and the head of graduate sound design training at the nation ally prominent professional theater-training program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2005, he co-founded Kansas City Actors Theatre that has successfully produced acclaimed productions with its artist-led, art ist-driven mission.
James Scott Costume Designer
James Scott has designed costumes for pro ductions of works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini at regional theaters and opera houses across the country. Among his favorite pro ductions are Love’s Labour’s Lost for the New York Shakespeare Festival; Ten Little Indians, Arcadia, The Miracle Worker and The Most Happy Fella for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; The Merchant of Venice for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Norma and Il trovatore for the Minnesota Opera; Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Washington Opera; MacBeth, Othello and The Taming of the Shrew for the Acting Company’s national tours; Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg for the Sundance Theatre; and Sweeney Todd, I pagliacci and Il viaggio a Reims for the Portland Opera in Oregon. His production credits for Great
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Lakes Theater span more than 20 years, and include Romeo and Juliet, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Rough Crossing, As You Like It and A Little Night Music. Mr. Scott is a graduate of New York and Brown universities, and attended the School of Law at The City University of New York. He is also an elite figure skater and is thrilled that Cleveland hosted the Gay Games in 2014. He would like to dedicate the design for this production in memory of Susan Gregg, director of Fallen Angels for Great Lakes Theater.
Robert Waldman
Music Adaptor and Arranger
Thirty-three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Robert Waldman has written primarily for the theater. He began his career as a protégé of Frank Loesser, and his music has been heard in Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo at Cleveland Play House and Edgardo Mine at the Guthrie Theater, as well as in GLT’s pro duction of Glass Menagerie; in New York in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy, The Heiress and Voices in the Dark; and Lincoln Center’s Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Ivanov, Dinner at Eight, The Rivals, Jon Robin Baitz’ A Fair Country and Ten Unknowns. Most recently, his work was heard in Wendy Wasserstein’s Third, David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre and Peter Parnell’s The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket. Waldman composed the score for Broadway’s Here’s Where I Belong and The Robber Bridegroom, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, as well as winning most recently the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival in NYC, and Florida’s Poinciana and Parker Playhouse’s revue of Lois Wyse’s Funny You Don’t Look Like a Grandmother His music has been heard in Arthur Laurents’ 2 Lives; Hartford Stage’s musical, America’s Sweetheart; Long Wharf’s As You Like It and The School for Scandal; Washington Shakespeare Theater’s Richard II and The Country Wife; as well as the Kennedy Center musical, Swing. Performances of Mr. Waldman’s compositions have been heard in films, on television, in ballets and in numer ous commercials and concert halls. Illustrated collections of some 40 of his piano composi tions for children have been published by G.
Schirmer — among them A Swing Bag, A Rag Bag, A ¾ Bag and A Santa Bag. He has received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in musical theater, the Dramatists Guild of America’s Flora Roberts Award for Outstanding Music for the Theater and the JEFF Award in Chicago for Best Original Music for Driving Miss Daisy
Stage Management
Nicki Cathro*
Production Stage Manager
Seven seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Production stage manager credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest and Julius Caesar; Assistant stage manager credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Sleuth, The Music Man, Witness for the Prosecution, Misery, Macbeth and Pride and Prejudice She was the production assistant for Hamlet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other theater work includes ASM for Every Brilliant Thing at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. Nicki earned her BFA in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas and is a mem ber of AEA. She is overjoyed to be back in the theater with her husband and friends.
Sarah Kelso*
Assistant
Stage Manager
Six seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, The 39 Steps, Sleuth, Million Dollar Quartet, Beehive the 60’s Musical and A Christmas Carol. Credits for the 12 seasons with Idaho Shakespeare Festival include Ain’t Misbehavin’, The 39 Steps, Sleuth, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Million Dollar Quartet, Beehive the 60’s Musical, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Forever Plaid, The Fantasticks and Steel Magnolias. Credits for ten seasons with Boise Contemporary Theater include The Wolves, With Love and a Major Organ, Good Bitch Goes Down, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and A Skull in Connemara. Sarah is a graduate of Boise State University’s Department of Theatre Arts.
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DONOR APPRECIATION
The trustees, staff, and artistic company of Great Lakes Theater express our deepest gratitude to the hundreds of supporters of Cleveland’s Classic Company. The donors listed below and on the following pages made generous gifts to our Annual Fund between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. “I can no other answer make but thanks.” Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene iii
Help Make a Difference
Great Lakes Theater serves more than 100,000 students, adults, and artists annually through our Hanna and Mimi Ohio Theatre mainstage productions and education programs throughout Northeast Ohio. Please consider joining the Great Lakes Theater family by mak ing a gift today!
To learn more about Donor Membership and other gift-giving opportunities, visit us online at GreatLakesTheater.org/Support, or contact Jeremy Lewis, Development & Donor Relations Manager at (216) 453-4457 or jlewis@greatlakestheater.org.
$100,000 and above
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Ohio Arts Council
$50,000 to $99,999
The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation
The Cleveland Foundation
The George Gund Foundation
John P. Murphy Foundation
David and Inez Myers Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
John & Barbara Schubert
$25,000 to $49,999
The Community Foundation of Lorain County Kulas Foundation
The Reinberger Foundation Arthur L. Thomas
Over 800 patrons generously donated the value of their tickets back to support Great Lakes Theater during pandemic-related disruptions during our 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22 seasons. This vital “intermission” support has enabled us to raise our curtain once again. We are truly grate ful! Check out the full list of donors online.
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“Intermission”
Ticket Donors
SOCIETY
Annual Fund donors of $1,000 and above are members of Great Lakes Theater’s “Shakespeare Society” and are entitled to exclusive benefits, including access to special services, events, and opportunities to connect deeply with Cleveland’s Classic Company. To learn more, contact Jeremy Lewis at (216) 453-4457.
$10,000 to $24,999
The Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation
Gail Cudak
Carol Dolan & Greggory Hill
Eaton
Fifth Third Bank
Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
Robert° & Janet E. Neary
The Nord Family Foundation
Nordson Corporation Foundation
Donald F. & Anne T. Palmer
Georgianna T. Roberts
Ms. Ana G. Rodriguez
The Shubert Foundation
Thomas G. & Ruth M. Stafford
The Stocker Foundation
The Family of Jill Hearey
The Treu-Mart Fund, a supporting organization of the The Cleveland Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
U.S. Bank
The Thomas H. White Foundation, a KeyBank Trust
Robert C. & Emily C. Williams
$5,000 to $9,999
Dalia & Robert Baker
Carol A. Barnak
Fred & Mary Behm
Mr. Todd M. Burger & Ms. Kristie Beck Bill & Judie Caster
Evelyn Dolejs
Natalie Epstein
Elizabeth Grove & Rich Bedell
The Harry K. and Emma R. Fox Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Hartwell
Diane K. Hupp
Paul R. Keen & Denise Horstman Keen
Donna M. Koler
Rita & Charles Maimbourg
Thomas A. Piraino & Barbara C. McWilliams
Tim & Lynn Pistell
Greg Pribulsky & Donna Heinz
A.J. & Nancy Stokes
$2,500 to $4,999
Anonymous
Chuck & Bonnie Abbey
Beth A. Adams
Michelle R. Arendt
Walt & Laura Avdey
Kim & Bart Bixenstine
Mitch & Liz Blair
Glenn R. & Jeanette G. Brown
Homer Chisholm° & Gertrude Kalnow
Chisholm Fund
George A. M. & Heather Currall
Timothy J. Downing & Ken Press
Charles, Lidia & Alexa Fee
Dianne V. Foley
Lynn M. Gattozzi & Glenn Myers
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur C. Hall III
Katie Kennedy & Doug White
Faisal Khan & Angela DiCorleto Ms. Catherine M. Kilbane & Mr. Donald H. Bullock
Mr. & Mrs. John J. Lane, Jr.
The Laub Foundation
Victor C. Laughlin, M.D. Memorial Foundation Trust
Susan & John Lebold
David & Denise Maiorana
Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Mayer
Jack E. McGrath
Karen Nemec
The NRP Group LLC
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick W. O’Connor
Dr. Scott & Mrs. Judy Pendergast
Michael & Barbara Peterman
Rick & Paula Reed
Kim Sherwin
Sally J. Staley
Geoff & Catherine Tanner
Kris & George Tesar
Mr. & Mrs. Paul L. Wellener IV
$1,000 to $2,499
Anonymous
The Alvah Stone & Adele Corning
Chisholm Memorial Fund
Gary D. Benz & Betsy A. Karetnick
John & Laura Bertsch
Kip T. & Catherine Bollin
Joanne R. Bratush
Jack & Janice Campbell
Donald & Annamarie Chick
Christopher & Nancy Coburn
Mrs. Anthea Daniels & Mr. Matthew Burke
Mr. Mark Davis
Rebecca Dunn Dr. Howard Epstein
The Giant Eagle Foundation
James Graham & David Dusek
Rich & Barbara Gray
The Gries Family Foundation
Drs. Thomas & Cynthia Gustaferro
Geoffrey Michael Heller Memorial Fund
Mary Elizabeth Huber
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. James & Rosemary Koehler
Jim & Paula Lang
Eva & Rudolf Linnebach
Ken & Mary Loparo
Mr. & Mrs. John S. Lupo
Mr. & Mrs. William E. MacDonald III
Katie McVoy & Justin Cernansky
Jennifer & Peter Meckes
Roy & Cindy Moore
Mr. & Mrs. John C. Morley
Deborah L. Neale
Michael Novak
M.B. Perkins Donor Advised Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Wilmer M. Piper
John & Norine Prim
Linda Schlageter
Katherine Stokes-Shafer
Anita Stoll & Pete Clapham
Diana & Eugene Stromberg
Mr. Frederick & Mrs. Elizabeth G. Stueber
James L. Wagner
Nancy-Anne Wargo
Mary C. Warren
Mr. & Mrs. Harold L. Williams
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THE SHAKESPEARE
Square
at Playhouse
Welcome! The following individuals made their first gift, returned as active donors, or increased their gift to Great Lakes Theater’s Annual Fund during the period of July 1, 2022 through October 5, 2022. The Great Lakes Theater family is grateful for their support!
Anonymous
Akron Children’s Hospital
Bernice A. Bolek
Mr. William Bost
Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP
Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Chernus Mr. Edward A. Chuhna
$750 to $999
Robyn & David Barrie
Gary & Joanna Graeff
Mr. & Mrs. Brian Lawler
Jeff & Nancy Reinhart
Otmar & Rota Sackerlotzky
Randall & Sara Shaner
Dr. & Mrs. Lynn A. Smith
Christopher & Gail Steward
$500 to $749
Ms. Carol Arbaczewski
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Baehr
Mary S. Baker
Gary & Kay Bluhm
Julia & Ben Brouhard
Eileen Kennedy & Greg Cloyd
Jim & Berni Cockey
Audrey DeClement
Barry & Suzanne Doggett
Jennifer Dowdell Armstrong
Michael Dunn
Evans Charitable Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Fairchild
Mr. Joseph Ferritto
Deborah A. Geier
Janet & Patricia Glaeser
Mrs. Edith Hirsch
Gary Nemeth & Gail Jones-Nemeth
Thomas Jorgensen & Jocelyn Ruf
Bernie & Nancy Karr
Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Katz
Larry & Joy Kent
Ursula Korneitchouk
Stephen & Carolyn Kuerbitz
Chris & Laura Larson
Barbara & Mark Mazzone
Helen & Harry Mercer
David & Leslee Miraldi
Toni & Linda Moore
The Music and Drama Club
Barbara B. O’Connor
Mr. John Rampe
Tom L. & Helen Rathburn
Mrs. Sharon L. Rogers
Jacob Scholl & Charlotte A. Estafen
Dina & Richard Schoonmaker
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Scoggin
Jack & Terry Southworth
Rex & Judy Stanforth
The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation
Katie Kennedy & Doug White
Mr. George Leggiero
Eva & Rudolf Linnebach
The Lubrizol Foundation Medical Mutual of Ohio
Karl & Carol Theil
Jeanette H. Thomas
Mary W. Trevor
Chris & Mary Weaver
Brian Wynne & Patrick Cozzens
Mr. Lee C. Zeiszler
John & Jane Zuzek
$250 to $499
Anonymous
The Thomas and Joann Adler
Family Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Judie & Bruce Amsel
Joel & Teresa Andreani
Mr. & Mrs. Benham S. Bates
Mrs. Kathryn Berkshire John & Jeannene Bertosa
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Beyer
Mike & Carole Brown
V. Elizabeth Brown Cindy & Tim Carr
Rollin & Anne Conway
Dr. & Mrs. Kevin D. Cooper Gilbert & Lisa Corwin
Pete & Margaret Dobbins
Mr. Theodore Elrick Jon & Mary Fancher Bill & Terri Frey
Carla & Jim Gallagher
Elizabeth Hecht & Peter Savoy
Doug & Suzanne Hicks
Mr. Herbert J. Hoppe, Jr.
Robert & Linda Jenkins
Stephen L. Kadish
Deb & Gar Kaminski
Charles King & Catherine Keating
Bob° & Nanci Kirkpatrick
Michael & Lynn Kleinman
Ronald G. Kollar
Mr. & Mrs. Mark D. Kozel
Robert & Jennifer Larson
Daniel Leschnik
Kenneth E. & Anne R. Love
The Mersol Family Bill & Marilyn Miller
Steve Z. & Mary Gibbs Mitchell
Glenn & Susan Morley
Ms. Barbara H. Nahra
Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Patalon
Ms. Diane L. Pauley
Frederick Perry
Ms. Lori Riga
Dr. Edward J. Rockwood
Sarah Sessions Reid
Mr. James Sonday
Frank & Vicki Titas
Martha C. Tomb
Lori Trehan
The Music and Drama Club
Nordson
Sarah & Bryan Salisbury, a Donor Advised Fund of Renaissance Charitable Foundation
Christopher & Gail Steward Mr. Bruce Zake
Lauren Kawentel
William & Marion Kettering
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Knowles
Mike Kupiec & Pat Murphy
Ms. Leslie Lahr
Jeremy Lewis & Daniel Napolitano
Ken Vinciquerra & Louise Acheson
Mr. & Mrs. James L. Wamsley III
Dr. & Mrs. Gregory A. Watts
Jerry & Carolyn Webb
Ms. Jean Wingate
Juliet Zavesky
Zilber Family Foundation, a sup porting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
$125 to $249
Anonymous (4) Cheryl Barnes
Pam & Scott Benson
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Berges
Roger Bielefeld
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Blackman
Susan Bobey
John Bolton
Larry & Andi Carlini
Robert Carlyon
Gary Ciolli
Joanne Clifford
John & Donna Clifford
David & Gayle Cratty
Ronald Cross
Daniel Divis
John & Maryann Doucette
Bob & Kay Eikenburg
Mr. & Mrs. L. William Erb
Clyde & Janice Evans
Gene & Patricia Ewald
Mr. & Mrs. Fishwick
David V. Foos
Ms. Gay Maire Goden Ms. Linda Grau
John Greene
Jean E. Gubbins
Richard & Jo Anne Harris
Curt & Karen Henkle
Thomas Higgason
Lynn & Mark Hofflund
Ms. Marie Ivkanec
James & Gale Jacobsohn
Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Janson Marilyn & Howard Karfeld
Gregory & Vickie Leyes Brian & Renee Lowery
Antoinette Miller
Tim Miller
Tom & Mary Neff
Ms. Brenda Norton Mr. Gerald Norton Joan M. Oravec
Brian Perry & Ka Pi Hoh Mr. David Porter
Bette Prendergast
James & Susan Prince John & Betsy Quinn Dr. James E. Racic
Frank Rausche
Ms. Jacqueline Y. Rhodes
Robinson Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Rosen
Doris A. & Richard E. Schultz
Mr. Richard Shirey
William E. Spatz
Susan St. John Mr. Glenn S. Steffens Sean & Tabitha Swick
Jeffrey Tasse
Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Tatman
The Edward & Katherine Thomas Family
Dr. & Mrs. Ken Tomecki Dr. Joanne M. Uniatowski
Mary Velotta
Christine & Daniel Vento
Kimberly Vivolo
Mr. & Ms. Michael Wagner
Ms. Kathleen Waits
Mr. David Wildermuth
Thomas M. & Barbara A. Wladyka James & Sandra Wood John & Dianne Young
$75 to $124
Anonymous (2)
Lori Adler
Thomas & Joan Baker
Ms. Carol Barasha Ms. Kimberley Barton
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Mr. Thomas D. Basco
Tom & Dorothy Bier
Amelia & Heather Blonsky
Dr. & Mrs. Dieter F. Bloser
Mr. & Mrs. Charles P. Bolton
Richard & Mary Ann Brockett
Kathy Caldwell
Ms. Patricia Campbell
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cercone
Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Charlick
Mr. Edward A. Chuhna
David & Carol Consolo
Dr. & Mrs. Dale H. Cowan
Ms. Linda Cowie
George & Mary Crehore
Judith Darus
Mr. Brad Dawson
Chris & Mary Ann Deibel
Mr. Alex Derkaschenko
Mrs. Mary Helen Doherty
The Eldridge Family
Dr. J. Robert & Carol A. Fowler
Kurt & Barbara Fretthold
Mr. Gregory Fritz
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Gabb
Jeffrey M. Gamso
Ms. Pamela S. Goetsch
Virginia T. Goetz
Marian Hancy
Iris & Tom Harvie
Debra & Tom Hayes
Jean Heller
Mr. Steven M. Izen & Mrs. Susannah Muskovitz
Ron & Mary Ann Janke
Dr. Kalish R. Kedia
Ms. Kerry King
Albert & Karen Kirby
Bill & Susan Kirchner
Benjamin R. Kirkpatrick
Ms. Amanda Kost
Richard B. Kotila
Ms. Margaret K. Krall
Jacob Kronenberg & Barbara Belovich
Charles Kruger
James & Tayna Lewan
Timothy Liston
David & Cheryl Lundgren
Susan E. Lust
Robert MacDougall
Kenneth & Joan MacGillivray
Paul S. Malchesky
Ms. Anne Martin
Ms. Shari Mathisen
Ms. Constance May
Lynda & Charlie Mayer
Mr. John A. Mazzella
Cathy J. McCall
Ms. Allison E. McCallum
Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. McDonald
Jeanette McGovern
Jean McQuillan
Elizabeth Meister
Ms. Cheryl A. Moskwa
Mr. John M. Moss & Mrs. Karen J. Moss
Mr. & Mrs. Oliver° & Mary Emerson
Joseph M. & Meribeth A. Pannitto
Lou M. Papes
Christa Petryszyn
Mr. & Mrs. Harold I. Pittaway III Chandana A. Reddy
Judy & Clifford Reeves
Kathryn & Heath Reinhardt
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald P. Rencehausen
William Robak
Carolyn Rufo
Stephen Ruscher
Bryan Salisbury
Cindie Carroll-Pankhurst & Mark Salling
Schaum Family
Ms. Meredith M. & Mr. Oliver E. Seikel
Donna Sheridan
Dr. Dave & Faye Sholiton
Mr. & Mrs. Vernon C. Sponseller
Todd & Patty Standen
Betsy Sullivan
Laura Lee Sutera
Ian & Kara Suzelis
Marcia J. Terstage Ms. Leslie N. Thomas
Anne Unverzagt & Richard Goddard
Natalie & James Vloedman Thomas Wagner & Malinda Smyth Rev. & Mrs. David M. Walker William Wallis Mr. Raymond Washio Lance Whitson & Terry Juhn Thomas & Suann Winczek Dr. Thomas Zarlingo Patrick M. Zohn
Endowment Fund
Gifts to the Great Lakes Theater Endowment Fund were received from the following donors between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Edward Godleski
Gifts were received in honor of:
Melanie Bordelois by: Sylvia Bordelois
Jack & Janice Campbell by: Holly & Bruce Tomasch
Carol Dolan by: Mary Dolan & David Haracz
Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival Interns 1977-78 (A Merry Band of Players) by: Mary Beidler Gearen
Natalie G. Epstein by: Marilyn Bedol Chad & Andrea Deal Mr. Gene DiVincenzo Dr. Lauren Goldman Mr. & Mrs. Henry Goodman Rabbi Eddie & Dr. Roxanne Sukol Wulf & Moira Utian Mr. David I. & Mrs. Ann K. Warren
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Wasserstrom Mr. Adam Weinsein Mr. & Mrs. Steven Wiesenberger
Denise Horstman Keen by: George Leggiero
Catherine Tanner by: Christie Lucco & Michael Devlin
Gifts were received in memory of: Charles “Chuck” Dickson by: Georgianna T. Roberts
Elsie Glassford by: Angela Kovacs
Bob Kirkpatrick by: Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Chernus
Carole Nicolosi by: Ms. Joyce L. Adams
Dr. James Sheridan by: Donna Sheridan
James Weiss by: Holly McTernan
William Jacobs by: Ms. Deborah Glosserman Samantha Jacobs & Aubrey Wynne
Matching Gift Corporations
Many companies, like the ones listed below, match all or a por tion of their employees’ charita ble giving. Is your employer a matching gift company? Find out by contacting your employer or the Great Lakes Theater Development Office at (216) 453-4457.
The Albert M. Higley Co. Dominion Foundation
Eaton
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
The Lubrizol Foundation
Nordson Corporation Foundation
The Perkins Charitable Foundation
PNC Foundation
Progressive Insurance Foundation
Schneider Electric North America Foundation
The Women’s Committee
Formed in 1961, the committee is Great Lakes Theater’s longest standing volunteer support group. Members act as hosts for our actors, provide support in our administrative office and at events, and cheer us on throughout the season. If you would like to become a member, call Joanne Hulec at (216) 2528717 for more information.
Officers
Janice Campbell, President
Barbara Chernus, Recording Secretary
Bernice Bolek, Corresponding Secretary
Nanci Kirkpatrick, Treasurer
Thank you to our donors! Every effort is made to ensure that our donor records are current and correct. Please contact the Great Lakes Theater Development Office at (216) 453-4457 to share an update or request a revision.
°Deceased: The legacy of these generous donors lives on for future generations.
29 GreatLakesTheater.org
at Playhouse Square
TRUSTEES
Chair
Samuel Hartwell*
President
Kim Bixenstine*
Secretary
Elizabeth A. Grove*
Treasurer
Kathleen Kennedy*
Trustees
Beth A. Adams
Michelle Arendt
Jennifer Dowdell
Armstrong* Walter Avdey*
Dalia Baker
Gary D. Benz
Kip T. Bollin
Todd M. Burger*
William Caster*
Gail L. Cudak
George A. M. Currall
Anthea Daniels
Carolyn Dickson†
Barry Doggett†
Carol Dolan*
Timothy J. Downing*
Dr. Howard G. Epstein*
Natalie Epstein†
Dianne V. Foley*
Lynn M. Gattozzi
Arthur C. Hall III* David M. Hopkins
Mary Elizabeth Huber
Diane Kathleen Hupp
Faisal A. Khan*
John W. Lebold*
Andrea S. Lyons
William MacDonald III†
Charles Maimbourg*
David M. Maiorana
Ellen Stirn Mavec†
John E. McGrath†
Katie McVoy*
Ingrid A. Minott*
Janet E. Neary†
Michael Novak
Michael J. Peterman†
Timothy K. Pistell† David P. Porter† Gregory Pribulsky*
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
Uma M. Rajeshwar
Georgianna T. Roberts†
Ana G. Rodriguez
John D. Schubert†
Peter Shimrak†
Thomas G. Stafford*†
Sally J. Staley
Diana W. Stromberg
Catherine Tanner*
Kristine M. Tesar* Arthur L. Thomas Nancy Wellener
* Executive Committee † Life Trustee
In 2002, Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland, Ohio) and Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Boise, Idaho) conceived a unique, strategic producing alliance designed to maximize return on organizational investments, increase production efficiencies, create long-term work opportu nities for artists and share best practices. In 2010, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (Incline Village, Nevada) joined the collaborative — further contributing to the momentum of the producing prototype’s success. The long-term results have been remarkable. The alliance’s three independent, 501c3 regional theaters have shared over 60 jointly-created productions — each featuring long-term, multi-city employment opportunities for artistic company mem bers. This revolutionary producing model has realized its vision and exceeded expectations while simultaneously resulting in notable audience growth for each company.
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Leadership
Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director
Bob Taylor, Executive Director
Management Team
Assistant Costume Shop Manager/Tailor ..... Leah Loar Crafts Artisan ..........................................Zachary Hickle Crafts Assistant Joseph Bruch Draper Tina Spencer
Resident Hair & Wig Supervisor Iran Micheal Leon Stitcher Jen Goldstein Wardrobe Supervisor Cheyenne Moore Wardrobe Crew Joseph Bruch, Zachary Hickle, Tina Spencer, Serenity-Grace Tate Master Electrician Tammy Taylor Audio Supervisor
Kacey Shapiro
Associate Artistic Director Sara Bruner Director of Educational Services Kelly Schaffer Florian Managing Director Todd Krispinsky Director of Educational Programming Lisa Ortenzi Director of Administration Stephanie Reed Director of Marketing & Communications
Artistic
Josh Brinkman Dialect Coach ............................................. Matt Koenig Production Assistant ....................... Michael Montanus Young Company Supervisors ............... Jaime Nebeker, Imani Sade
Run Crew
Miller Development Development & Donor Relations Manager Jeremy Lewis Patron Services Coordinator Marilyn Niksa Marketing Audience Cultivation Coordinator Amy Essick Education Education Outreach Associate
Artistic Associate
Josh Brinkman, Richard Haberlen, William Langenhop, Lindsay Loar, Ralph Melari, Michael Montanus, Tammy Taylor, Gary Zsigrai Mimi Ohio Theatre Crew
Thomas Boddy, Shaun Milligan, Lester Parker Jr., Nathan Tulenson Health and Safety Team Jaclyn Miller, Amy Essick, Lindsay Mandela, Lauren Tidmore
Special Thanks
Hansen School Residency Program
Actor-Teachers
Noelle Elise Crites, Kelly Elliott, Gabe Heffernan, Tim Keo, Amaya Kiyomi, Olivia Morey, Avery LaMar Pope, A’Rhyan Samford, Asia Sharp-Berry
Production
Company Manager
Lauren Tidmore Production Office Assistant Lindsay Mandela Technical Director Mark Cytron Assistant Technical Director Richard Haberlen Master Carpenter Lindsay Loar Carpenters Ralph Melari, Gary Zsigrai Properties Master
Cockey Assistant Properties Master
Meluso Costume Director
Esther M. Haberlen
Great Lakes Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and operates under agree ments with LORT, Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Musicians, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and the United Scenic Artists, which are unions representing professional actors, stage managers, musicians, stagehands, direc tors, choreographers, and designers, respectively, in the United States. LORT Playbill
GreatLakesTheater.org
1501 Euclid Ave., Suite 300 Cleveland, OH 44115 P: (216) 241-5490 F: (216) 241-6315 W: GreatLakesTheater.org
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STAFF
Editor: Linda Feagler For advertising information, please contact Matthew Kraniske: 216-377-3681
SETTING THE STAGE
for Success
We believe that all Cleveland youth should have access to high-quality arts education. Through the generosity of our donors, we are investing to scale up neighborhoodbased programs that now serve 3,000 youth year-round in music, dance, theater, photography, literary arts and curatorial mastery. That’s setting the stage for success. Find your passion, and partner with the Cleveland Foundation to make your greatest charitable impact.
(877) 554-5054 www.ClevelandFoundation.org/Success
Tri-C Creative Arts Dance Academy