Cleveland’s Classic Company at the Hanna Theatre presents
March 24 – April 8, 2023
March 24 – April 8, 2023
On behalf of our artists, staff and Board of Trustees, welcome to the second half of Great Lakes Theater’s 61st season!
Our mission, “to bring the pleasure, power, and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience,” guides our mainstage productions and our educational programming. We believe theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and actions, and provide our student audiences a glimpse of a broader world and the wellspring of learning made possible through the arts.
We cannot wait to take you on a journey to the fertile Forest of Arden as we continue our season with a company favorite, Shakespeare’s enchanting comedy, As You Like It. This title has special meaning for us as it was the first play at Lakewood Civic Auditorium that our company produced under the leadership of Arthur Lithgow in 1962, as well as the first show we produced in the Ohio Theatre in 1982 when we became the first resident company of Playhouse Square. With its charismatic characters — led by the beguiling Rosalind, undoubtedly one of Shakespeare’s greatest roles — and beautiful language, it is not hard to see why we return to it time and again.
There is more to come following As You Like It ! The curtain rises on the grand finale to our 61st season this May as we bring the gorgeous, vibrant musical celebration of Fats Waller, Ain’t Misbehavin,’ to the Hanna Theatre stage. We are overjoyed to share this longawaited production with you (it was cancelled several times due to the pandemic) and thrilled for you to experience this brilliant show in our intimate Hanna Theatre! We know you won’t want to miss this tremendous tribute to the jazz legend.
As always, we offer our deepest gratitude to those who have given their generous support this season. As you read your program and look around the theater tonight, you will see the names of many friends, partners, corporations and foundations whose donations make all of this possible. We encourage you to join these donors by becoming a Great Lakes Theater family member with your gift. In addition, we extend our sincere gratitude to all of our sponsors and Annual Fund donors/members, with continued appreciation to our partners of over 40 years at Playhouse Square, and the tireless efforts of our Board of Trustees, dedicated administrative staff, gifted artists and the tremendous generosity of this community.
We hope to see you in our audience again soon.
Charles Fee Producing Artistic Director Bob Taylor Executive DirectorThe mission of Great Lakes Theater (GLT), through its mainstage productions and its education programs, is to bring the pleasure, 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 century –– and provides for the occasional mounting of new works that complement the classical repertoire.
Classic theater holds the capacity to illuminate 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 education 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 people make joyful and meaningful connections between classic plays and their own lives.
The company’s commitment to classic theater is magnified in the educational programming surrounding its productions. Since its inception, GLT has had a strong presence in area schools, bringing students to the theater 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 handful 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 determination to make this community a better place in which to live, and its commitment to ensure the legacy of classic theater in Cleveland.
Presents
BYDIRECTED BY CHARLES FEE
Company
Lynn Robert Berg*
Danny Bó
Michael Burns
Jodi Dominick*
Jonathan Dyrud*
Scenic & Lighting Designer
Rick Martin
Movement Director
Boe Wank
Mandie Jenson*
Maggie Kettering*
Adam Naaman Kirk
James Alexander Rankin
David Anthony Smith*
Nick Steen*
Costume Designer
Kim Krumm Sorenson
Production Stage Manager
Nicki Cathro*
M.A. Taylor*
Ángela Utrera*
Boe Wank*
Joe Wegner*
Jerrell Williams
Composer & Sound Designer
Matthew Webb
Assistant Stage Manager
Imani Sade*
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
Great Lakes Theater Youth Savings subscriptions are subsidized by a generous gift from Eaton.
ORLANDO, youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys Nick Steen*
OLIVER, his elder brother .................................................................... Jonathan Dyrud‡*
ADAM, servant to Oliver and friend to Orlando............................................... M.A. Taylor*
DENNIS, servant to Oliver Adam Naaman Kirk
ROSALIND, daughter to Duke Senior Jodi Dominick*
CELIA, Rosalind’s cousin, daughter to Duke Frederick .............................. Mandie Jenson*
TOUCHSTONE, a court Fool Maggie Kettering*
DUKE FREDERICK, the usurping duke ........................................... David Anthony Smith*
CHARLES, wrestler at Duke Frederick’s court Jerrell Williams
LE BEAU, a courtier at Duke Frederick’s court ................................................ Boe Wank*
FIRST LORD Michael Burns
SECOND LORD .......................................................................... James Alexander Rankin
DUKE SENIOR, the exiled duke, brother to Duke Frederick David Anthony Smith*
JAQUES, a Lord attending Duke Senior ............................................... Lynn Robert Berg*
AMIENS, A LORD Danny Bó
CORIN, a shepherd M.A Taylor*
SILVIUS, a young shepherd in love Joe Wegner*
PHEBE, a shepherdess ............................................................................. Ángela Utrera*
AUBREY, a goat-keeper Michael Burns
SIR OLIVER MARTEXT, a parish priest......................................... James Alexander Rankin
FORESTERS Michael Burns, Adam Naaman Kirk, James Alexander Rankin, Jerrell Williams
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Generous support for Spotlight was provided by Donald F.
and Anne T. Palmer Researched and written by: Margaret Lynch Design by: Stacy Mallardi-StajcaR, Casual Images Graphic DesignBy the time William Shakespeare (15641616) wrote As You Like It — probably in the fall of 1599 — he was already well established on the London theater scene. He was a principal shareholder, writer and actor in the company that performed under the patronage of Henry Carey. Carey had served since 1585 as Queen Elizabeth’s Lord Chamberlain, the senior officer of her royal household. Elizabeth invited the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to perform at court more often than any other London theater company of the day.
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men also performed in public theater spaces. In the fall of 1599, they celebrated the opening of a grand new purpose-built home, the Globe Theatre. Legend has it — though it isn’t documented — that As You Like It was the Globe’s inaugural production. A crest above the playhouse entrance bore a motto “totus mundus agit histrionem” — or “all the world’s a playhouse”— that is echoed in the opening words of the comedy’s most recognized monologue: “All the world’s a stage.”
Shakespeare had already been chided in print as an “upstart crow” in 1592. But in 1598, at a time when playwrights were rarely credited, his name appeared on the title page of one of his plays, the first quarto edition of Love’s Labour’s Lost. Also in 1598, schoolmaster Francis Meres singled
Shakespeare out in an influential review of contemporary theater. On August 4, 1600, the Stationers’ Register, a clearinghouse for the publishing trade, noted that an edition of As You Like It would be “stayed” until it could be determined if the publisher had obtained the script legally. Pirated editions were a marker of popularity. The 1600 volume must have been suppressed; the text for As You Like It only survives in the First Folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays, which was assembled by theater colleagues in 1623.
As You Like It may have been linked with Shakespeare’s rising status in another way. Whenever recurring bouts of the plague threatened to close the London theaters, high-ranking aristocrats invited the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to perform in their country homes. The descendants of William Herbert, the third Earl of Pembroke, passed down a family tradition that As You Like It was the play chosen when Herbert employed Shakespeare’s company to perform for King James on December 2, 1603, at the Herbert family’s country house in Wiltshire while the plague ravaged London.
The play’s title gives a nod to Shakespeare’s mastery as a theater maker at that point. By 1599, he was confident that he knew what his audience liked and was sure that he could deliver it.
Romantic comedy was one of the genres that his
audiences wanted. Shakespeare had penned comedies at least since 1592, when he produced A Comedy of Errors. His earlier comedic efforts relied heavily on farcical slapstick. But with the three comedies he produced between 1598 and 1600 — Much Ado About Nothing (1598), As You Like It (1599) and Twelfth Night (1600) — Shakespeare moved into more sophisticated territory, exploring the power dynamics between men and women in love — even as he still employed the disguises and mistaken identities of the earlier work.
Like most of the writers of his time, Shakespeare rarely invented entirely new stories. His more mature comedies tended to draw on English translations or imitations of Medieval Italian or French romances. Shakespeare found the intertwined cross-dressing and usurping plotlines of As You Like It in Thomas Lodge’s Rosalynde, Euphues Golden Legacie, which had been published in 1590. Lodge, in turn, drew on a Middle English prose romance called The Tale of Gamelyn, in which a younger brother sought to seize his inheritance back from an older brother by winning a wrestling match.
Thomas Lodge was someone Shakespeare would have known either personally or by reputation. Son of a mayor of London, a graduate of Trinity College, Oxford, and a law student at Lincoln’s Inn, Lodge was one of the so-called “University Wits.” The trendy “wits” included writers Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, Thomas Nashe, George Peele and John Lyly. Shakespeare, the son of a Stratford glover, wasn’t part of the university crowd. But they took notice of him and he of them. Greene was the one who jealously dubbed Shakespeare an “upstart crow” in 1592.
Marlowe was Shakespeare’s most celebrated rival. In As You Like It, Shakespeare repeated a line from Marlowe verbatim. Mention in the play of a misunderstanding that “strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room” may refer to the manner of Marlowe’s death. The author of Doctor Faustus was killed in 1593 during a fight in a tavern, supposedly over the bill (or “reckoning”).
When Thomas Lodge added the character name Euphues to the title of his prose romance, he aligned himself with the elevated prose style of John Lyly, the fashionable author of Euphues: The
Thomas Lodge’s romance, in turn, drew on the anonymous Medieval English Tale of Gamelyn, which was once thought to be a draft for one of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Depicted here is the title page of The Knight’s Tale, in the Ellesmere Manuscript of Chaucer’s Tales (ca. 1400-1410).
Anatomy of Wit (1578) and Euphues and his England (1580). Although Shakespeare satirized the ornate “euphuistic” style in Love’s Labour’s Lost, the witty speeches of Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and Rosalind in As You Like It display its influence.
These two mid-career comedies centered their lively wit on a strong female character. In Shakespeare’s day, women were portrayed on stage by boy actors. The fact that Shakespeare created Beatrice and Rosalind, two of his most memorable women, within the same year suggests that a particularly talented boy actor was available to play these indelible women ca. 1599. Today’s theater artists and audiences are intrigued by the ironies of a boy actor playing a woman disguised as a man who falls in love with a man while in male disguise, as Rosalind does. Were Shakespeare’s audiences so accepting of the convention of boy actors that they overlooked the gender-bending complexities, or were they knowing sharers in the intended fun?
The talent available in the Lord Chamberlain’s
Christopher Marlowe was a rising star in the London theater world whose life was cut short in 1593. Author of The Tragical Historie of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Marlowe was the pre-eminent rival of Shakespeare’s.
Men may have influenced the comedic nature of As You Like It in another way. The first major “clown” that Shakespeare wrote for — Will Kempe — excelled at improvisational physical comedy. Kempe was an attraction in his own right: he sometimes received top billing on the title pages of plays in which he performed. But Kempe left the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in mid-1599, perhaps because he would not subordinate his outsized comic talents to serve the plays.
Robert Armin took over the roles that Kempe originated, including the doltish Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. But in As You Like It, Shakespeare showcased Armin’s more intellectual wit for the first time in the character of Touchstone, the court jester who “knows himself to be a fool.” Many roles in a similar vein would follow: Armin played Feste in Twelfth Night (1600) and the Fool in King Lear (ca. 1605), for instance.
As You Like It may also have been shaped by the musical talent on hand in Shakespeare’s London. Robert Armin was also a singer, and may have
Robert Armin took over the “clown” roles for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1599. An actor and singer, he also wrote plays himself. Depicted is the title page of Armin’s History of the two Maides of Moreclack, printed in 1609.
Music permeates As You Like It. The script specifies four songs. One of them, “It was a lover and his lass,” also appears in a First Book of Ayres, which was released by madrigal composer Thomas Morley in 1600.
boosted the presence of music in the play. One of the songs, “It was a Lover and His Lass,” was set to music by Thomas Morley, an organist at St. Paul’s Church London and proponent of the multi-voice madrigal style. Whether Morley pilfered Shakespeare’s lyrics or Shakespeare borrowed Morley’s melody or both cribbed the same popular song, the play’s music further illustrates Shakespeare intermixing with the artists of his day.
Oral tradition held that As You Like It was performed on two high-profile occasions: the opening of the Globe Theatre in 1599 and a performance for King James at a country home in 1603. Another longstanding oral tradition alleged that Shakespeare himself originally played the role of the faithful retainer Adam. However, these claims remain unverified.
As You Like It has always been a crowd pleaser, but the play posed a dilemma for English actor-managers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Actor-managers typically liked attention. But the action of the play does not call for the kind of dynamic male hero or anti-hero that many leading actors favored. Two of the earliest actor-managers, Colley Cibber and David Garrick, chose to play Jacques, the melancholy courtier who speaks the play’s memorable monologue about the Seven Ages of Man. In the next generation, Charles Kemble chose instead to play Orlando, the play’s male love interest.
A veteran of Thomas Betterton’s company, Mrs. Elizabath Barry performed Rosalind in 1772. Barry was not a celebrated beauty, and this print does not accentuate her femininity.
By contrast, prints of the statuesque Sarah Siddons, of the noted Kemble family, emphasized her figure.
Since leading ladies had their own followings and audiences enjoyed seeing them in cross-dressing “breeches” or “trouser” roles, the play was produced. Elizabeth Barry, who frequently partnered on stage with Thomas Betterton, one of the leading actor-managers of the Restoration Period, tackled the role of Rosalind with zest. Other noted Rosalinds of the 18th and 19th centuries included Sarah Siddons, of the theatrical Kemble family, in the 1790s; Ellen Tree, wife of actor-manager Charles Kean, in the 1830s; socialite Lillie Langtry in the 1880s; and Ada Rehan, the leading lady of Augustin Daly’s American theater company, in the 1880s and 1890s.
Socialite Lillie Langtry turned to the stage as a way to make money and became a star comedienne, playing Rosalind in the 1880s.
The role of Rosalind continued to attract the leading ladies of the 20th century. Vanessa Redgrave gave a triumphant performance in a celebrated 1961 production of the Royal Shakespeare Company. But leading men continued to vacillate about which male role to play. Laurence Olivier took on Orlando in his first Shakespeare film role in 1936, whereas David Tennant inhabited the role of Touchstone in the RSC’s 1996 production.
In homage to the legend that the Globe Theatre opened with As You Like It, Great Lakes Theater chose to present the genial comedy as its very first production in 1962, and as its inaugural production in Playhouse Square in 1982. Great Lakes Theater has produced it eight times during the tenures of artistic directors Arthur Lithgow (1962), Larry Carra (1969, 1975), Vincent Dowling (1982), Gerald Freedman (1996) and Charles Fee (2005, 2014, and 2023).
In As You Like It, witty words and romance play out against the disputes of divided pairs of brothers. Orlando’s older brother, Oliver, treats him badly and refuses him his small inheritance from their father’s estate; Oliver schemes instead to have Orlando die in a wrestling match. Meanwhile, Duke Frederick has forced his older brother, Duke Senior, into exile in the Forest of Arden.
Duke Senior’s daughter, Rosalind, and Duke Frederick’s daughter, Celia, meet the victorious Orlando at the wrestling match; Orlando and Rosalind fall in love. Banished by her uncle,
Rosalind assumes a male identity and leaves with Celia and their fool, Touchstone. Orlando flees Oliver’s murderous plots.
In the Forest of Arden, Rosalind, in her male disguise, forms a teasing friendship with Orlando. Oliver, searching for Orlando, reforms after Orlando saves his life. Rosalind reveals her identity, triggering several weddings, including her own with Orlando and Celia’s with Oliver. Duke Frederick restores the dukedom to Duke Senior, who leaves the forest with his followers.
Ask Great Lakes Theater’s producing director Charles Fee about As You Like It, and his enthusiasm pours forth. “It’s difficult not to love As You Like It,” raves Fee. “It’s an absolute masterpiece.”
Central to the play’s mastery, in Fee’s view, is the character of Rosalind. “Without any doubt, she is one of the greatest roles ever written. She sees through pretense, posing, male vanity — just as all of Shakespeare’s best women do,” he says. “Rosalind sees though the cliches of love and dismantles them even as she embraces love. Her mission is to teach Orlando how to be in love, and she’s going to teach all of us.”
Part of Rosalind’s appeal for contemporary American audiences is the way she speaks. Shakespeare’s source material for the play was written in prose, not poetry, and the playwright retained prose for the majority of Rosalind’s lines. “She’s so direct and so clear,” observes Fee. “She speaks just like we do.”
One of the joys of presiding over a resident company of actors is matching roles to people.
Veteran company member Jodi Dominick plays Rosalind in this production. It’s a role that both she and Fee have long wanted her to tackle.
The world of the play is also a major part of its appeal for Fee. The rigid and male-dominate court contrasts so strikingly with the freeing forest. “The forest is healing,” remarks Fee. “Everyone feels it. It can’t be dispelled by the persistent melancholy of Jacques. Even the usurping duke experiences a conversion in the forest. All of Shakespeare’s comedies end in marriage, but this one ends in five!”
As You Like It has been called the happiest of Shakespeare’s plays. Fee charged his designers with conveying the happy, healing nature of the
Costume designer Kim Krumm Sorenson’s renderings feature structured, Edwardian-era court dress, which is the setting at the beginning of the play. The dark color palette and fabric texture changes as the characters move into the forest of Arden. Featured renderings include Duke Frederick and Rosalind & Celia at court; Orlando and Rosalind as “Ganymede” in the forest, and Touchstone’s colorful patched jacket.
Forest of Arden. Whether it’s conceived of as the Forest of Ardennes on the border of France or the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s native Warwickshire or both, the forest in this production is not a wild, untamed place but rather a pastoral landscape where sheepherders and farmers live and work. In scenic designer Rick Martin’s interpretation, stone walls, fences, barn wood and green fields evoke a rural “built environment.”
Martin notes that the action of the script takes place as summer turns to fall. Golden and red leaves blanketing green fields “create a vivid, colorful space that contributes to a sense of happiness,” explains the designer.
Clothing designed by Kim Krumm Sorenson reinforces the contrasts in the script and in the scenic environment. As the court gives way to the freer, less period-specific world of the forest, severe dark Edwardian-era clothing gives way to rich, autumnal hues and the soft textures of plaids, tweeds and wools. “The forest is a timeless place,” notes Sorenson, “with contemporary touches. Our audiences don’t need this to be a full-on period production. I love that about
our audiences. It’s a lot more fun for everyone.” “Visible mending” or patching older comfortable clothes — an old practice that’s become trendy again — becomes a metaphor in the production for the restorative power of the forest.
“The years we’ve all just gone through have been brutal,” concludes Charles Fee. “It’s a gift to be able to go to the Forest of Arden. There couldn’t be a better time for this play.”
Lynn Robert Berg*
Jaques
Twenty-one seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Roles include Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), Brutus (Julius Caesar), the title roles of Macbeth and Richard III, Don Pedro (Much Ado About Nothing), Charlie Cowell (The Music Man), The Ghost and Player King (Hamlet), Zoltan Karpathy (My Fair Lady), Gremio (Taming of the Shrew), Malvolio (Twelfth Night) and Frank Ford (The 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.
Danny Bó
Laborer 1/Amiens
Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Danny Bó is a Junior Music Theatre Major at Baldwin Wallace University. He was recently seen as Subway Ghost in Ghost: The Musical at Beck Center for the Arts. Other credits include Into The Woods, The Sound Of Music, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, and Romeo & Juliet. He would like to thank his family and mentors for their ongoing love and support.
Michael Burns
Lord 1/Forester 3/Aubrey
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous credits at GLT include Peter Cratchit/Dick
Wilkens/Master Richard in A Christmas Carol and Balthazar/Ensemble in Romeo and Juliet. ISF credits include 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) and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jaxton in The Thanksgiving Play, Ensemble in Sweeny Todd, Film Student in Heddatron and Broughton in Journey’s End (Boise State University). Michael received his B.A. in theater 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!
Jodi Dominick*
Rosalind
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, Richard III and The Tempest. Jodi 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.
Jonathan Dyrud*
Oliver
Six seasons with Great Lakes Theater
GLT/Idaho Shakespeare Festival roles include Petruchio in The Taming of
the Shrew, Banquo in Macbeth, Hamlet in Hamlet, King Ferdinand in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Anthony Marston in And Then There Were None, Edmund in King Lear, Tony Wendice in Dial “M” for Murder. Other credits include Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Antipholus of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors and New York: Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Hip to Hip Theater Company). Regional credits include Froth and Friar Peter in Measure for Measure, Medvedenko in The Seagull (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Jaxon Clifton in Thanksgiving Play, Father Flynn in Doubt (Lean Ensemble Theater) Training: BFA Southern Oregon University.
Mandie Jenson*
Celia
Four seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Mandie is a New York-based actor originally from Olympia, Washington. Great Lakes Theater credits include Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew co-production with Idaho Shakespeare Festival and The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; and Martha/Fan in A Christmas Carol. Favorite credits include Maria, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Luciana, The Comedy of Errors (Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival); Arabella, Animal Crackers and Isabel, The Pirates of Penzance (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Sally Brown, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Idaho Repertory Theater); Johanna, Sweeney Todd (Virginia City Players); and My Crazy Love (Oxygen Network). Mandie received her BFA in musical theater from the University of Idaho. “Love to CB!’’
Maggie Kettering* Touchstone
Six seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous shows include Sense and Sensibility, The 39 Steps, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, A Christmas Carol, Love’s Labour’s Lost, And Then There Were None, and Blithe Spirit. Additionally, she has worked with Peninsula Players (Miss
Holmes, Outside Mullingar, Lend Me a Tenor), Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Holmes and Watson), House Theatre (Season on the Line - Joseph Jefferson nomination), Shakespeare Theatre Company (Henry IV, parts 1 and 2), TimeLine Theatre (My Kind of Town) and Northlight Theatre (Season’s Greetings - Jack Springer Award). Maggie is a resident of Chicago, an Ironman finisher, and a believer in Snuffleupaguses.
Adam Naaman Kirk
Dennis/Forester 2
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous GLT shows include Much Ado About Nothing (Ensemble/Claudio and Conrade understudy) and The 39 Steps (production assistant). Regional credits include School of Rock and Ragtime (Ensemble/ Coalhouse understudy) at Cain Park; The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric) at Near West Theatre; Intimate Apparel (George Armstrong) at Kent State; and Candide, Iolanthe, and Babes In Arms (Ivor De Quincy) with the Ohio Light Opera. Special thanks to JAM and the Kirks.
James Alexander Rankin
Lord 2/Forester 4/
Oliver Martext
Eight seasons with Great Lakes Theater
James is grateful to have the opportunity to step back onto GLT’s mainstage. He has worked with Great Lakes’ educational outreach tours since 2012 with Much Ado About Nothing and A Christmas Carol. James is a Local EMC actor, and a proud member of the Northeast Ohio community. Recent work includes King Lear with Beck Center, Venus in Fur with None Too Fragile, Our Country’s Good with Seat of the Pants. Other theaters include Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, French Creek and Convergence Continuum. James would like to thank his family, David H, Lisa O and Robert E. Enjoy.
David Anthony Smith*
Duke Frederick/Duke Senior
Twenty seasons with Great Lakes Theater
At GLT, roles include Andrew Wyke in Sleuth, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Iago in Othello, Sergius in Arms and the Man and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Twenty seasons with The Idaho Shakespeare Festival include 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 feature films: The Hanoi Hilton, Terror in Paradise, Field of Fire and Judgment Day.
Nick Steen* Orlando
Ten seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous roles include Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Macduff in Macbeth, Colonel Brandon in Kate Hamill’s Sense and Sensibility, 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, Spotify and Social Media. He has endless gratitude for his family and for the love of his life, Nicki. NickSteen.com
M.A. Taylor*
Adam/Corin
Eighteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
A proud new resident of Ohio, he’s previously been seen in Romeo and Juliet, Peter; Much Ado About Nothing: Verges; A Christmas Carol, Charity Man, Old Joe; Julius Caesar: Calphurnius; Macbeth: Murderer; and
The Fantasticks: Old Actor. Favorite roles include Doolittle: My Fair Lady, Puck: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Carter/Dr. Wyatt: Witness for the Prosecution, 3rd Actor: Complete Works of William Shakespeare and Count Dracula: Dracula. Other companies include Resident Ensemble Theater, Boise Contemporary Theater and Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theater Training Program. Special thanks to his Families (Genetic & Professional). Forever to Dougfred and Kathryn.
Phebe
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
From Asturias, Spain, She was last seen in GLT as Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Ghost of Christmas Past/ Ensemble in A Christmas Carol and Miranda in The Tempest, and is so excited to come back this spring! She has assistant-directed City of Altar and Teen Dad at the Sin Muros play festival at Stages Theatre in Houston. Ángela earned her acting/directing BFA from Sam Houston State University.
Boe Wank*
Le Beau/Movement Director
Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Boe is amped to return to his theatrical home! Previous shows include Mamma Mia! (LTSF), Much Ado About Nothing (LTSF/ISF/ GLT), Julius Caesar and The Music Man (both ISF/GLT). National tour: Kathleen Marshall’s Tony Award-winning revival of Anything Goes
Selected regional credits include Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (LeFou) A Chorus Line (Mike), Singin’ In The Rain (Cosmo), West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma, Legally Blonde and 42nd Street. Proud BWMT alum, big brother, and Brooklynite. All gratitude and love to Vicky, Charlie, Sara, Jackie, the brilliant fellow artists and humans who make Great Lakes Theatre shine and, above all else, my family. For Steph.
Joe Wegner*
Silvius
Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Off-Broadway: Judgement Day (world premiere) (Park Avenue Armory). Regional theater: Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado about Nothing, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew (Great Lakes Theater, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival), Archduke (world premiere) (Center Theater Group), Joe spent four seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, some favorite shows include: A Wrinkle in Time (world premiere), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Romeo and Juliet, Guys and Dolls (Wallis Annenberg Center), The School for Lies (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), In the Blood (Mixed Blood Theatre). TV/Film: Tales of the City (Netflix). Education: BFA, Southern Oregon University. joewegner.net
Jerrell Williams
Charles the Wrestler/ Forester 1
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous work includes Conrade and understudy as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. Jerrell is a veteran, a martial artist and dancer from Birmingham, Alabama. In his second season with Great Lakes Theater, Jerrell is excited and honored to return as Charles the Wrestler and Forester 1. A special thank you to Charles Fee, Sara Bruner and everyone who made this possible. “Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Much love and enjoy the show.” @jerrellofalltrades
Adam Bash, Katelyn Baughman, Bennie Bender, Danny Bó , Michael Burns, Jake Diller, Rachel Gold, Adam Naaman Kirk, James Alexander Rankin, Boe Wank*, Jerrell Williams
Charles 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, professional 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 companies, in which more than 60 plays have been shared since 2002. In 2009, Charles was honored to receive recognition for his leadership 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 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 B.A. 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!
Chris DuVal
Fight Choreographer
Debut season with Great Lakes Theater
Chris is pleased to be returning to Great Lakes Theater having previously worked on Romeo and Juliet last season. He has worked across the country at such regional theaters as South Coast Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Denver Theatre Center, Laguna Playhouse, Pioneer Theatre Company, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, Utah Opera, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Orange County, and 19 years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Chris is a Certified Teacher and Fight Director with the SAFD, a Master Teacher with DAI, a second degree black belt in Aikido, an associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, and is a professor of acting and stage combat in the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah. He is the author Stage Combat Arts, published by Methuen.
Rick Martin
Scenic Designer/Lighting Designer
Twenty seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Many productions with GLT include Julius
Caesar, The Tempest and Hamlet. Opera includes Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte (La Monnaie, Brussels – scenery), Mitridate, Re di Ponto (La Monnaie, Brussels – scenery and lighting), Le Diable dans le beffroi, La Chute de la Maison Usher (Opéra national de Paris – scenery and lighting) and BUTTERFLY – d’après Madama Butterfly de Puccini (Opera de Limoges, France – lighting). Concerts include Harawi (Opèra Comique, Paris – scenery and lighting) and Le martyre de Saint Sèbastien (Citè de la Musique, Paris). Coming up: Serse (Opéra de Rouen, France – lighting) and Rusalka (Opéra Grand Avignon, France -–lighting). Member: United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE.
Kim Krumm Sorenson
Costume Designer
Fifteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Kim is pleased to be back in Cleveland and working with the Great Lakes Theater company. She is a resident designer for Great Lakes Theater and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and has designed too many Shakespearean plays to count, several of them multiple times. In addition to designing for regional theaters throughout the country, Kim is currently an assistant costume designer for Hamilton. She lives in New York City with her husband Scott and their new cat Chester, and is the proud mother of Carly and Gem.
Matthew Webb
Sound Designer/Composer
Sixteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Matthew is music director for music theater at Baldwin Wallace University. Previous Great Lakes Theater sound designs include
The 39 Steps, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, A Christmas Carol (Radio Play), Julius Caesar, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and Hamlet. He has served as music director for Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, Mamma Mia!, The Fantasticks, Sweeney Todd, Guys and Dolls, Sondheim on Sondheim, Cabaret, Bat Boy and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Elsewhere: Wild Party, Into the Woods, Kinky Boots (Baldwin Wallace University), Be More Chill, LIZZIE (Playhouse Square), Ghost, Scottsboro Boys and Once (Beck Center). Many thanks to Charlie, Sara and his incredible parents, Carol and Jerry.
Nicki Cathro*
Production Stage Manager
Seven seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Previous production stage manager credits include A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, Little Shop of Horrors, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest and Julius Caesar. Other credits include assistant stage manager credits for Sense and Sensibility,
Sleuth, The Music Man, Witness for the Prosecution, Misery, Macbeth and Pride and Prejudice; production assistant credits for Hamlet, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and ASM for Every Brilliant Thing at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. She earned a BFA in radio, television and film from the University of North Texas, is a member of AEA and is thankful to work with her husband and friends!
Imani Sade*
Assistant Stage Manager
Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater
Imani is so excited to be back at The Hanna for her third season! Previous GLT credits include Sense and Sensibility, Little Shop of Horrors, The 39 Steps and The Music Man Other past credits include LIZZIE (The Beck Center), Into the Woods (Baldwin Wallace University), Jersey Boys Streaming (Playhouse Square) and Greenwood: An American Dream Destroyed (Karamu House). Imani would love to thank her family and friends for their love and support.
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
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 making 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
The George Gund Foundation
John P. Murphy Foundation
$50,000 to $99,999
David and Inez Myers Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
John & Barbara Schubert
$25,000 to $49,999
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 grateful! Check out the full list of donors online.
“Intermission”
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
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 February 1, 2023. The Great Lakes Theater family is grateful for their support!
Anonymous (6)
Cherie Arnold & David Pavlich
Walt & Laura Avdey
Mary S. Baker
Thomas & Joan Baker
Ms. Lisa Bennett
Scott & Pam Benson
Brian & Teresa Bester
Kim & Bart Bixenstine
Bernice A. Bolek
Kip T. & Catherine Bollin
Mr. William Bost
H.F.° & J.C. Burkhardt
Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP
Robert Carlyon
Mr. Jason Chance
The Alvah Stone & Adele Corning
Chisholm Memorial Fund
Mr. Edward A. Chuhna
Patricia Brownell & James Collins
Ms. M. Judith & Mr. Ronald J. Crocker
Gail Cudak
Mr. Mark DiDonato
John & Maryann Doucette
Michael Dunn
Rebecca Dunn
Bob & Kay Eikenburg
Katharine Elek
Evans Charitable Foundation
Gene & Patricia Ewald
Mr. Joseph Ferritto
Mr. & Mrs. Fishwick
Dianne V. Foley
$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
The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation
Michael Frank & Pat Snyder°
Carla & Jim Gallagher
Larry & Jean Gilbert
Joe Giuffrida
Dr. Sidney Goldstein
David Gotwald & Peter Franzen
The George Gund Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Hahn
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur C. Hall III
Meredith Hester
Lynn & Mark Hofflund
Carrie Hujarski
Susan K. Jagoda
Robert & Linda Jenkins
Jan Jones
Will & Susan Kirchner
Drucilla Knutsen
The Lehman Family
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Letts
Ms. Cathy Lincoln
Eva & Rudolf Linnebach
The Lubrizol Foundation
Andrea & Michael Lyons
Rita & Charles Maimbourg
Prof. James Marino & Ms. Brooke Conti
Mr. & Mrs. Steve McMahon
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Glenn & Susan Morley
The Music and Drama Club
Nordson Corporation Foundation
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
Linda & Bob Katz
Larry & Joy Kent
Ursula Korneitchouk
Stephen & Carolyn Kuerbitz
Chris & Laura Larson
Barbara & Mark Mazzone
Helen & Harry Mercer
David & Leslee Miraldi
Toni & Linda Moore
Mr. Gerald Norton
David Oldham
Mr. & Mrs. James M. Petras
Mr. & Mrs. Wilmer M. Piper
Larry & Susan Rakow
Tom L. & Helen Rathburn
Reinhold & Ginny Roedig
Mr. & Mrs. Todd Rustad
Pauline Ryder
Sarah & Bryan Salisbury, a Donor
Advised Fund of Renaissance Charitable Foundation
Doris A. & Richard E. Schultz
Alan & Debbie Shubert
Theresa A. Simek
Jack & Terry Southworth
Christopher & Gail Steward
Sean & Tabitha Swick
Jaclyn & Alexander Szaruga
Becky Tesar
Holly Tomasch
Lori Trehan
Dr. Joanne M. Uniatowski
Nancy-Anne Wargo
Mr. & Mrs. Paul L. Wellener IV
Lance Whitson & Terry Juhn
Dorothy A. Whittenberger
Mr. & Mrs. Harold L. Williams
Mr. Warren I. Williamson & Ms. Lael A. Kilpatrick
Thomas & Suann Winczek
Thomas M. & Barbara A. Wladyka
Gerry & Jeanne Wojciechowicz
Mr. Bruce Zake
The Music and Drama Club
Barbara B. O’Connor
Max Rabinovitsj & Mary W. Trevor
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
Karl & Carol Theil
Jeanette H. Thomas
Chris & Mary Weaver
Brian Wynne & Patrick Cozzens
Mr. Lee C. Zeiszler
John & Jane Zuzek
$250
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
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 supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
$125 to $249
Anonymous (5)
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
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
Lauren Kawentel
William & Marion Kettering
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Knowles
Mike Kupiec & Pat Murphy
Ms. Leslie Lahr
Jeremy Lewis & Daniel Napolitano
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
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
Ben & Amy Schaum
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
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 Tomasch
Carol Dolan by: Mary Dolan & David Haracz
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
Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival
Interns 1977-78 (A Merry Band of Players) by:
Mary Beidler Gearen
Maddie Halapy by: The Halapy Family
Denise Horstman Keen by: George Leggiero
Catherine Tanner by: Christie Lucco & Michael Devlin
Bob Taylor by: Mitch & Liz Blair
Charles, Lidia & Alexa Fee
Cancio & Susan Castro by: Christine Castro
Charles “Chuck” Dickson by: Georgianna T. Roberts
Elsie Glassford by: Angela Kovacs
William W. Jacobs by: Ms. Deborah Glosserman
Bob Kirkpatrick by:
Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Chernus
Elizabeth Manolio by: Joseph M. & Meribeth A. Pannitto
Michael John McGann by: Desiree Ball
Dougfred Miller by: Vince Reddy
Carole Nicolosi by: Ms. Joyce L. Adams
Dr. James Sheridan by: Donna Sheridan
James Weiss by: Holly McTernan
William W. Jacobs by: Ms. Deborah Glosserman
Samantha Jacobs & Aubrey Wynne
Many companies, like the ones listed below, match all or a portion of their employees’ charitable 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
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) 252-8717 for more information.
Officers
Janice Campbell, President
Barbara Chernus, Recording Secretary
Bernice Bolek, Corresponding Secretary
Nanci Kirkpatrick, Treasurer
°Deceased: The legacy of these generous donors lives on for future generations.
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.
Two-week session! Monday - Thursday
june 12 - 22, 2023
Great Lakes Theater Camp is a summer drama camp with musical theater elements that immerses students in interactive and educational theater-based activities. Theater Camp is a unique opportunity for students to work with and learn from Great Lakes Theater’s professional teaching artists in a fun, safe and supportive environment.
at Brook Park Elementary School | a summer camp for students ages 6-17
For more info: GreatLakesTheater.org/camp
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
Christopher Dean
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*
Uma M. Rajeshwar
Georgianna T. Roberts†
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 opportunities 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 members. This revolutionary producing model has realized its vision and exceeded expectations while simultaneously resulting in notable audience growth for each company.
Leadership
Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director
Bob Taylor, Executive Director
Management Team
Associate Artistic Director ........................ Sara Bruner
Director of Educational Services ................Kelly Schaffer Florian
Managing Director Todd Krispinsky
Resident Artist & Interim Production Manager Jaclyn Miller
Director of Educational Programming..... Lisa Ortenzi
Director of Administration...................Stephanie Reed
Director of Marketing & Communications Kacey Shapiro
Development
Development & Donor Relations Manager .................................................. Jeremy Lewis
Patron Services Coordinator Marilyn Niksa
Marketing
Audience Cultivation Coordinator.............. Amy Essick
Education
Education Outreach Associate David 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
Assistant Production Manager Lindsay Mandela
Company Manager Lauren Tidmore
Technical Director ...................................... Mark Cytron
Assistant Technical Director ............ Richard Haberlen
Master Carpenter Lindsay Loar
Carpenters Val Kozlenko, Bill Langenhop, Ralph Melari, Gary Zsigrai
Properties Master ............................ Bernadine Cockey
Assistant Properties Master..................... Gina Meluso
Charge Scenic Artist Ruth Lohse
Costume Director ........................... Esther M. Haberlen
Assistant Costume Shop Manager/Tailor .....Leah Loar
Design Assistant/Crafts Artisan Zachary Hickle
Crafts Assistant Joseph Bruch
Draper Diana Sidley
Lead First Hand .........................................Tina Spencer
Junior First Hand ..........................................Gwen Kunz
Stitchers ..................Jen Goldstein, Serenity-Grace Tate
Wardrobe Supervisor Cheyenne Moore
Wardrobe Crew Joseph Bruch, Serenity-Grace Tate
Resident Hair & Wig Supervisor Iran Micheal Leon
Master Electrician ................................... Tammy Taylor
Electrics Assistants .... Colleen Albrecht, Eben Wieneke
Audio Supervisor Josh Brinkman
Production Assistant Jules Ringler
Text Coaches Lynn Robert Berg, David Anthony Smith
Run Crew ............................. Ralph Melari, Gary Zsigrai
Hanna Theatre Crew ............................. Thomas Boddy, Shaun Milligan, Lester Parker Jr., Nathan Tulenson
Health & Safety Team Jaclyn Miller, Amy Essick, Lindsay Mandela, Lauren Tidmore
Great Lakes Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and operates under agreements 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, directors, choreographers, and designers, respectively, in the United States.
1501 Euclid Ave., Suite 300
Cleveland, OH 44115
P: (216) 241-5490
F: (216) 241-6315
W: GreatLakesTheater.org
Assistant Scenic Artist James Todd
Playbill Editor: Linda Feagler
For advertising information, please contact Matthew Kraniske: 216-377-3681
For questions or service that may provide a quality, entertaining experience, please see the House Manager on duty. A RedCoat usher can direct you to their office location.
Smoking, including electronic smoking or “vaping,” is not permitted indoors at Playhouse Square.
Your feedback is important. For matters that are not immediate or for additional questions you may have, please access our online comment form at playhousesquare.org/contact-us. We read and share all comments with the staff and meet often to discuss how we can improve upon your experience at Playhouse Square.
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Buy your tickets ONLY from the Playhouse Square Ticket Office, at playhousesquare.org, by phone at 216-241-6000 or your licensed group/travel leader. (We cannot guarantee validity or admittance for tickets purchased elsewhere, nor can we issue replacement tickets if they are lost or stolen). Help us keep ticket prices affordable and fair for everyone.
Cameras, including cameras on cell phones and other personal handheld devices, audio/video recorders and flash photography are strictly prohibited.
The experience of a live performance can be ruined by the interruption of ringtones, vibrating phones or conversation. The magic of a darkened theater can be disrupted by the light of someone text messaging as well. Please be considerate to others and remember to turn off your cell phone for the duration of the show.
Becoming Dr. Ruth
Becoming Dr. Ruth
Meet Vera Stark The Musical Box
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Meet Vera Stark Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty The Shalva Band
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Turner Musical
Flanagan’s
Flanagan’s Wake Becoming Dr. Ruth Meet Vera Stark Balanchine’s Serenade/Symphony of Life Limón Dance Co.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Flanagan’s Wake By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina Flanagan’s Wake
Meet Vera Stark
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Superstar/Helen Welch
Tina Ain’t Misbehavin’ K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Hiccup Junie B.’s/Guide to School Step Afrika!
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Dear Evan Hansen
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Dear Evan Hansen
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Dear Evan Hansen Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Dear Evan Hansen
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Tom Papa
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Samantha Bee Menopause The Musical
Dear Evan Hansen
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Menopause The Musical Natalie Merchant
Dear Evan Hansen
Ain’t Misbehavin’
K. Ludwig’s Moriarty Miranda Sings
2023 Dazzle Awards
John Mellencamp John Mellencamp Cleveland Celtic Ensemble Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous, Nat Geo Live!
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