Diana of Dobson’s by Cisely Hamilton This play has haunted me since I saw it in 2001 at the Mint Theater in New York, a wonderful Off-Broadway theatrical company that specializes in “forgotten” plays. This luminous production was one of the first I brought to the brand new Fairfield Theatre Company, where I was the founding Artistic Director. I have wanted to do it at GFA for years, and this seemed the right time and the right group of students. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed working on it! From the Mint Theater’s website: “The success of Diana of Dobson’s turned an unknown writer by the name of Cisely Hamilton into the toast of the English stage. Hamilton’s clever manipulation of conventions of the London stage offered theatergoers a romantic comedy that was at the same time thoroughly illuminating and thought provoking. Hamilton’s biting comedy turns the Cinderella myth on its head, telling the story of a fiercely intelligent Edwardian shop assistant who barely escapes a life of drudgery with a small legacy - but who cannot escape the social and economic strictures that oppose her. The play was an unexpected hit of the 1908 London season.” For context, the value of money: “5 bob” in 1908 = $40 today. 300 pounds sterling in 1908 = $48,000 today. -Stephen Stout
Thank You: Jeffrey Baykal-Rollins, Kendall Crolius, Dr. Sangeeta Dahwan, Jason Hannum, Alex Lind (poster design and graphics), and Trevor Stout.
Diana of Dobson’s Cast In order of appearance
Miss Smithers Kitty Brant Miss Jay Diana Massingberd Miss Morton Miss Pringle Mrs. Cantelupe Waiter at the Hotel Engadine Mrs. Whyte-Fraser Sir Jabez Grinley Capt. the Hon. Victor Bretherton Old Woman Bertha Old Woman Marget Police Constable Fellowes
Katysha Sorokin Nancy Duer Chloe Whelan Elizabeth Jones Caroline Smith Fiona Burton Kendall Caron-Quinn Fiona Burton Ayla Shively Gus Morfoot Max Morfoot Ella Woodbury Ava Stevens Joanne Park
Diana of Dobson’s Backstage and Technical Staff Production Stage Manager Assistant Director Stage Managers Costume Assistant Post-Production Tech. Assistant
Hannah Shairer Zach Friedman Liyana Asaria-Issa, Henry Chang, Bri McFarlane, Natilie Mikhaeel Zoma Tessema Antara Ghai
Diana of Dobson’s Student Biographies For sophomore Liyana Asaria-Issa this is her second time participating in a GFA theatre production. Last year she worked as a stage manager on the virtual Romeo and Juliet and is doing the same this year. She has had limited experience with theatre, but is loving it. Liyana wants to thank the cast and crew for being so welcoming and is looking forward to working with them again! Fiona Burton just started at GFA and is delighted to be in the play. She has enjoyed getting to know the cast even if she has never met them in person. Fiona is ecstatic to speak in a French accent because she is just slightly obsessed with accents. Zoom rehearsals have led to many discoveries - Fiona now knows that a feature on Zoom can make her face look like a dog. Kendall Caron-Quinn has always had an interest in the arts. When introduced to theatre in middle school, it became one of her biggest passions. She has been in shows such as the Middle School’s Xanadu, Lion King, The Wizard of Oz and the Upper School’s Little Shop of Horrors and Romeo and Juliet. Kendall can’t wait to entertain you as Mrs. Cantelupe in the online version of Diana of Dobson’s! Henry Chang is one of the stage managers working on the production of Diana of Dobson’s, and he is incredibly enthusiastic about this production. This is his third year being a part of GFA theatre, and he has enjoyed participating in each show so far! Outside of theatre, Henry enjoys playing baseball, drums, and some bass guitar. He also loves skiing and snowboarding, and winter by extension. Nancy Duer is a sophomore at GFA and is pleased to be a part of this year's Fall play, Diana of Dobson’s. She has been involved in past productions including: Little Shop of Horrors and played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Despite the chaos, Zach Friedman is finding comfort from his 6th GFA production. After acting for two years, this is his second show as Assistant Director, previously filling that role for Little Shop of Horrors. While he’s disappointed that his second to last GFA show is online, he’s enjoying the theatrical innovation taking place for the show. He wishes the best of luck to the cast & crew! Sophomore Elizabeth Jones previously appeared as Rosie in Bye, Bye, Birdie, Aunt Spiker in James and the Giant Peach, Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Bird Girl in Seussical at her old school. At GFA, she got to be the voice of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors and now gets to play Diana Massingberd in Diana of Dobson’s. Outside of school, Elizabeth enjoys playing the cello and traveling. This play will mark Bri McFarlane’s third production in GFA theatre. She enjoys the title of Stage Manager since it allows her to attend rehearsals, and
witness the actors turn the play into something unique. One thing she finds interesting is how quickly rehearsals can develop, and how her peers can teach themselves things like accents and monologues within weeks. She hopes to continue doing theatre in the future. Natilie Mikhaeel is a junior at Greens Farms Academy. She has been a Stage Manager for since her freshman year. She's participated in the 2019 Spring Play, 12 Angry Jurors, the 2019 Fall Musical, Little Shop of Horrors and now is pleased to be working on Diana of Dobson’s! Gus Morfoot began acting in kindergarten in productions at Crystal Theatre and later in a short film, In-between Worlds, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival. During middle school, Gus enjoyed participating in the musical each year, and attended summer Shakespeare workshops. After four GFA productions: Spamalot, Twelve Angry Jurors, Little Shop of Horrors and Romeo and Juliet, Gus is delighted to play Sir Jabez this Fall. Max Morfoot has had a passion for acting since elementary school. He acted throughout middle school, and has immensely enjoyed theatre during his three years at GFA. Max has loved playing a variety of roles including Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Sir Bedevere in Spamalot, and Juror #4 in Twelve Angry Jurors. Max is thrilled to play Captain Bretherton in Diana of Dobson’s! Joanne Park is a junior in the production Diana of Dobson’s playing the character Police Constable Fellowes. They have been in past high school productions for three years running. Despite the current circumstances, they are very excited for everyone and their family to see the play. Hannah Shairer is thrilled to be working as the Production Stage Manager in her fifth theatre production at GFA. She has been a stage manager and been working on props since freshman year. She has enjoyed working with everyone and is happy to be working with an exuberant cast and would like to thank the entire cast and especially the wonderful crew this year for being a magnificent company! Ayla Shively is delighted to participate in her second GFA Zoom production. Her previous credits include Juror 7 in 12 Angry Jurors, Audrey in Little Shop of horrors, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet last April. She hopes you will enjoy this production! Antara Singh-Ghai is a junior and this is her second year at GFA. She's participated in theatre since seventh grade, and Diana of Dobson's is her eighth show. Antara has also stage-managed multiple other plays at GFA and her old school, including Little Shop of Horrors and The Three Musketeers. She can't wait to see the final show!
Caroline Smith is a new junior at GFA. Until this year, she attended The Chapin School in Manhattan. Over the last few years, she has engaged in performing arts through both music (chamber ensemble, rock and jazz bands, self-producing) and theatre (Feste in Chapin’s 2020 production of Twelfth Night and Sholem Asch in Chapin’s 2019 production of Paula Vogel’s Indecent). Katysha Sorokin is thrilled to be a part of Diana of Dobson's this year. This will be her fourth production with GFA theatre, two of which have been virtual! She's loved getting to know this year's cast, and can't wait to perform with them. When 9th grade student Ava Stevens learned about Diana of Dobson’s, she was eager to get started. She had never heard of it and was thrilled to learn more and to create a character the kind of which she has never played before. Ava hopes you enjoy our production! Diana of Dobson’s is Zoma Tessema’s 2nd theatre production, and she’s happy to be the costume assistant for the play. Although she’s only a sophomore, she’s ecstatic to be working with such an amazing team of people while also learning about theatre. She wishes everyone luck and hopes you all enjoy the show! Chloe Whelan is thrilled to be performing in the Upper School performance of Diana of Dobson’s. She has been singing and dancing since the age of 4! Chloe plays piano and guitar, records music at Premier Recording Studios in Times Square, and dances. She is a dedicated musician and she spends any extra minutes of her day listening to musicals! Thanks to her teachers and family for believing in her! Ella Woodbury, a sophomore, is thrilled to return for her third GFA theatre production as part of the Diana of Dobson's cast. When Ella is not acting, you can also find her playing the violin with her string ensemble Vivace. She hopes that all you "dearies" enjoy the show!