Written by: Selina Fillinger
Director: Stephanie Lynge^
Production Manager: Robert P. Robins^
Props Designer: Erika Capin
Technical Director: Warren Goodwin
Fight Director: Tiza Garland
Scenic Designer: Mihai Ciupe
Costume Designer: Helen Dominguez
AEA Stage Manager: Amber Wilkerson*^
Lighting Designer: Morgan Lessman
Sound Designer: Amanda Nipper
Master Electrician: Jay Mathey
Voice & Dialect Coach: Susan Schuld
The Hippodrome Theatre recognizes and acknowledges that it resides on the historic territories of the Timucua and Seminole peoples who long inhabited this land.
Actors’ Equity Association Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”), founded in 1913, is the U. S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks
Hippodrome programs are sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts & Culture; Visit Gainesville Alachua County, and by the City of Gainesville, Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Playbill by Isabella Lara.
Please do not use the entrances and exits during the performance. The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
THE CAST
Harriet.
Nichole Hamilton*^ Jean
Atkins*^ Stephanie
. . Paulina Machado
Dusty.
. Sophia Paige
Bernadette.
.Michelle Bellaver*^
Chris.
.Aneisa J. Hicks*
THE SETTING
The White House. Perhaps not the current administration, exactly - but broad strokes of past presidents, combined with stress dreams of future ones.
Originally produced on Broadway by SEAVIEW 51 ENTERTAINMENT GLASS HALF FULL LEVEL FORWARD SALMAN AL-RASHID RUNYONLAND PRODUCITONS SONY MUSIC MASTERWORKS ONE COMMUNITY JAY ALIX AND UNA
JACKMAN JONATHAN DEMAR IMAGINE EQUAL ENTERTAINMENT LUCAS KATLER DAVID J. LYNCH LEONID MAKARON MARK GORDON PICTURES LIZ SLAGER TED SNOWDON NATALIE GORMAN/TISH BRENNAN THROOP And THE SHUBERT ORGANIZATION MARK SHACKET, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
“POTUS” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Hippodrome productions are supported in part by: the National Endowment for the Arts, the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, Visit Gainesville Alachua County, and by the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Department.
*Appearing through an Agreement between the Hippodrome Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
^ Member of The Hippodrome Theatre’s company members
There will be one 15-minute intermission
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists
PRODUCTION SPONSORS
Alta Printing and Carly Spoto Photography
PRODUCTION CO-SPONSORS
Sherwin Williams Painting and Alliance Credit Union
Artistic Director’s Note
The Hippodrome Theatre’s 51st Season - Empower
Welcome to the Hippodrome’s 51st Season.
From its inception in 1973, the Hippodrome Theatre has brought stories to the stage that explore and celebrate the human condition. 50 years ago six determined individuals, (Marilyn Wall, Bruce Cornwell, Greg Von Hausch, Kerry (McKinney) Oliver-Smith, Mary Hausch , Owen Wechsberg) took a leap into the unknown, creating a theater that challenged expectations.
And what a challenging time this is. While the pandemic is (mostly) in our rearview mirror, its financial impacts on the whole of regional theater are still reverberating. Theaters across the country reopened with audiences down 50% in 2021, and the Hippodrome was no exception. Nationwide, audience numbers are back to 70% attendance and again, the Hippodrome is right on target.
We are coming back. The issue is Regional theater needs a longer runway than the federal pandemic funding supplied, and again The Hippodrome, while beating the national trend, is facing similar issues. But we are strong and resilient! Even as we cut back the number of full productions in our season, we are building new creative programming into the main stage, basement, and cinema spaces. You will have even more opportunities this coming season to experience the power of theater and community storytelling.
So what better theme could we have this season than Empower. You, our community, empower us. This collaborative art form brings us all together to experience something special, something that connects us to each other, which is powerful and strong. Art springs from times of struggle and change as we try to navigate our world. And, just like the characters in our plays, the Hippodrome is weathering this challenge and tackling our future head on.
Thank you for being a part of our community and keeping Gainesville Hipp.
-Stephanie Lynge^ (Hippodrome’s Artistic Director)Director’s Note
Welcome to the Tony Nominated play POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.
Really, the title says it all. This spot-on feminist spearing of political posturing, arrogant men, and the women who keep things running behind the scenes is the first truly feminist farce. By that I mean, the first farce where women are the main characters, driving the action. Women are never the joke here, they’re the ones making the joke and no subject is taboo. And I mean no subject.
So why this play? The women in this farce are messy, crude, and barely holding their world together, juggling kids, lovers, work, and of course the utter and total collapse of the political administration they work for. Their world is out of control, they are buffeted by failures at every turn. Real, raw, flawed human beings. Is the world different at the end of this play. No. Are all of their problems solved. No. But they are working together, and whatever come, they have stepped off the hamster wheel to face what happens next . And that is inspiring and hopeful.
So buckle up, get ready to laugh and squirm as we take this journey with this amazing and crazy group of women.
-Stephanie Lynge^ (Director)Author’s Bio
Selina Fillinger
Selina Fillinger is an LA-based writer and performer. Original plays include The Collapse; Something Clean; Faceless; and The Armor Plays: Clinched/Strapped. Selina recently made her Broadway debut with her seven-woman farce, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Her plays have been developed at Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Alley Theatre, St. Louis Repertory Theatre and Northlight Theatre. She’s currently commissioned at South Coast Repertory and Roundabout. She was a Hawthornden Fellow and a resident of McCarter’s Sallie B. Goodman Artist’s Retreat; Something Clean is the recipient of the 2019 Laurents/Hatcher Award and Clinched/Strapped received the 2019 Williamstown Theatre Festival’s L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award. POTUS was on the 2019 Kilroys List. Selina writes for the third season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show and is developing a feature for Chernin/Netflix.
WHO’S WHO IN POTUS
Nichole Hamilton*^ (Harriett)
Nichole first set foot on the Hipp stage in 2008 and is excited to return to this artistic home. Hipp roles include Becky in Becky’s New Car, Mrs. Kendall in The Elephant Man, The Creature in All Girl Frankenstein, Gabriela in Boeing Boeing, The Governess in The Turn of the Screw, and Ellen in Over the Tavern. Regional credits include Olivia in Sex with Strangers (Hipp/Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), Barbara Grant in Perfect Strangers, Mrs. Givings in In the Next Room (freeFall), and the Mo Gaffney track in Parallel Lives (North Carolina Stage Company). Nichole currently serves as an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at New Mexico State University.
Kelly Atkins*^ (Jean)
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive is Kelly’s sixteenth production at the
Hippodrome. Some past favorites include The Toxic Avenger, Hand to God, the title role in Alice in Wonderland, and two productions of The Great American Trailer Park Musical as Pippi, the stripper. Most recently, she appeared here at the Hipp as Raquel de Angelis in Living on Love, and as Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir, and at the Alhambra Theatre as Donna in Mamma Mia. Other notable performances: Hello, Dolly with Sally Struthers, Lend Me a Tenor with Jamie Farr, world premiere of Amorous Crossing with Loretta Swit. Film/ TV: Recount, America’s Most Wanted, numerous commercials, guest hosting on Designing Spaces. Concert engagements: soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Connecticut, national finalist in the American Traditions Vocal Competition.
Paulina Machado (Stephanie)
Paulina Machado is a third-year BFA Acting major, and this will be her first Hippodrome Theatre Production. She is extremely excited and grateful for this fantastic opportunity. Some of her previous credits include Yemaya’s Belly (Maya) and Marisol (Marisol Understudy), Anything Goes (Mrs.Harcourt). She has recently directed her first show entitled “Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons”. She wants to thank her family and friends for their constant love and support. Viva Venezuela!
Sophia Paige (Dusty)
Sophia is thrilled to be a part of this hilarious story for her final show as a student at UF. You may have previously seen her as Phoebe in the Hippodrome’s production of As You Like It or Reba in the Hipp’s staged reading of Dry Land. She also has credits from the University of Florida, such as June in Marisol. She is honored to be taking the stage with one of her favorite professors, Michelle, and looks forward to finishing out her time in Gainesville with this cast and crew. She thanks her family for their never-ending support and her professor’s at UF for their knowledge and guidance over her four years.
Michelle Bellaver*^ (Bernadette)
Michelle Bellaver is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Performance at the University of Florida. She is a director, actor, and writer working in theatre and film. She is a company member of the Hippodrome Theatre and has co-produced the Hippodrome’s New Works Festival since 2020. Most recently, she directed the Hipp Unplugged staged reading of Dry Land and was seen on The Hipp stage in Running Mates. Other Hippodrome performances include the plays Don’t Dress for
Dinner, Zombietown, A Christmas Carol, and Other Desert Cities. Film: Saint: 5 Etudes for Joan of Arc (Writer and Director), The Selling (Actor), Final Remains (Actor). Stage: Bad Egg (Artist Residency: Playwrighting, The Tank NYC; Purple Rose Theatre Company), Manar (Actor, La Mama NYC and Rough Draft Festival NYC), Olive Kitteridge (Actor, Word for Word/Z Space SF), How I Learned to Drive (Actor, Nuance Theatre NYC), Marie Antoinette (Director/Barry University). Michelle is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity.
Aneisa J. Hicks* (Chris)
Aneisa Hicks: Chicago: The Ripple, The Wave that carried me home, Graveyard Shift (Goodman Theatre), Hurricane Diane (Theater Wit). Regional: The Ripple,The Wave that carried me home (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Mountaintop (TheatreSquared), Pride and Prejudice (Long Wharf Theater), Her Portmanteau (American Conservatory Theater). Television: A League of Their Own, Chicago Med, The Chi, The Exorcist, Chicago Justice, Empire.
dL Sams (Margaret)
dL Sams is thrilled to be joining the cast and creative team of POTUS at The Hippodrome! Select credits include Broadway: Clyde’s. Film: Luckiest Girl Alive, Confetti, A Holiday in Harlem, Ode To Joy. Television: And Just Like That, Blue Bloods, Godfather of Harlem, Dietland, Orange Is the New Black. Special heartfelt thanks to Jimmy Brooks. Lots of love to friends and family.
Stephanie Lynge^ (Director)
Stephanie Lynge (Director) is an accomplished actor, director, producer, teacher and coach. Stephanie has enjoyed a career of more than 27 years in professional
theater and education. Since 2013 she has worked on more than 50 productions at the Hippodrome either as an actor, director, choreographer, or dramaturg. She was seen on stage in The Wolves and Let The Right One In. Her other acting credits include performances in New York City on Broadway and Off Broadway at Lincoln Center, BAM, Jean Cocteau Rep, and the York Theater Workshop. Regional theaters include Freefall, Goodspeed Opera House, Sacramento Music Circus, Pasadena Playhouse, Rep Theater of St. Louis, Flat Rock Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seaside Music Theater, as well as several National Tours. Directing credits include the Hippodrome’s Every Christmas Story Ever Told, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Sex With Strangers, The Blameless, and Lone Star Spirits as well as plays at the 45th Street Theater (NYC), New York Musical Theater Festival, and the University of Florida. Stephanie has served as a Visiting professor at Indiana University, and an Adjunct professor at New Jersey City University and University of Florida. After receiving her BA in Musical Theater from Indiana University, Stephanie lived and worked as an actor in New York City for over 20 years. Stephanie holds a Master of Fine Arts in acting from University of Florida and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association since 1996.
WHO’S WHO IN POTUS
Amanda Nipper (Sound Designer) Amanda is thrilled to be in her eleventh season at the Hippodrome. Other regional credits include Cape Fear Regional Theatre: Jesus Christ Superstar, Legally Blonde: The Musical, and The Parchman Hour: Songs and Stories of the ’61 Freedom Riders, and as the mix engineer in Fayetteville, North Carolina at Dorset Theatre Festival: Keep moving forward.
Amber Wilkerson*^ (AEA Stage Manager) Amber is a professional Stage & Event Manager. She has been affiliated with the Hippodrome Theatre since 2003, first as Properties Intern, then as Assistant Stage Manager before moving to New York City to pursue a career in theatre. She returned to the Hipp as the AEA Stage Manager of A Christmas Carol in 2005 & 2006. She has worked professionally for The Metropolitan Opera (NYC), The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (Madison, NJ), North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, MA), and Times Square New Year’s Eve 20062010 (NYC). In 2006, Amber served as a Production Assistant on the Broadway musical, Grey Gardens. Amber spent five years working with Manhattan Theatre Club as a Subscriber Services Representative and two years as a House Manager at Playwrights Horizons, both in New York City. Originally from Maryland, she holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Salisbury University. Amber is a proud member of the Hippodrome Company and the Actors’ Equity Association.
Jay Mathey (Master Electrician) Jay is excited to be starting his very first season at the Hippodrome. He recently graduated from Florida Southern College and was involved in numerous shows as Props Master, Assistant Master Electrician, and Master Electrician. He is proud to have worked on many shows at FSC’s historic Buckner Theater including Songs for a New World, Godspell, Tom Jones, The Diary of Anne Frank, Carrie, Something Rotten!, and many more.
Helen Dominguez (Costume Designer) is completing her MFA at the University of Florida where she also received her BFA in costume design. Helen loves the art of storytelling through clothing and the power it holds to influence people and culture.
She is honored to have represented the United States as an Emerging Artist at the Prague Quadrennial 2023 for her work on Agbedidi: Beginnings (UF). Other credits include Yemaya’s Belly, Three Sisters, Remove Before Flight, Agbedidi, sir-kus (UF), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Murderers, and Happy Days (University of Wyoming). All her thanks and love to her family who are her support and heart. All glory to God.
Morgan Lessman (Lighting Designer) Morgan is an MFA candidate studying Lighting Design at the University of Florida. Her latest work includes Dance 23 (UF), Man of La Mancha (Lighting Asst., Asolo Rep Theatre), Rhinoceros (Assoc. LD, UF), Outside-In (IMPACT Dance), Cinderella (CDA Dance), and She Kills Monsters (CSU). Morgan would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for all their guidance and support. Additional work at morganlessmanld.com.
Erika Capin (Props Designer) Erika is thrilled to be designing props for her eighth show at the Hippodrome! She has done a little bit of everything in theatre since childhood – acting, directing, stage managing, etc., but she really found her niche when she was introduced to the wonderful world of props more than 20 years ago. Her creations have appeared on many different stages around Gainesville, most recently in Silent Sky, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Running Mates, Mountaintop, Murder for Two, The Revolutionists, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Gypsy, and The Blue Period of Milton Van der Spuy. When she isn’t making props or working at her day job protecting the environment, Erika also enjoys designing jewelry, playing trivia, and taking care of her assortment of friendly cats and dogs.
Susan Schuld (Accent/Dialect and Text Coach) has been acting and vocal coaching nationally for over 25 years and is an Associate Professor of Voice and Speech here at the School of Theatre and Dance. M.F.A in Acting from Rutgers University, Designated Linklater Teacher, Certified Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and a National Michael Chekhov Association Teacher.
Tiza Garland (Fight Director) is an Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Florida where she teaches in the MFA, BFA, and BA programs. Her primary teaching responsibilities include teaching the Movement for the Actor courses, Stage Combat, and Period Styles Movement. She is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). She is a Certified Teacher with the National Michael Chekhov Association, and she is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), a Certified Teacher with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC), and a Senior Teacher with Dueling Arts International. Past productions at the Hipp include she has performed with Havoc Movement Company as Van Helsing in Dracula: The Failings of Men.Professor Garland has a varied movement training background. She is a classically trained actor and has trained with the Dah Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia in Grotowski-based work, she has studied Meyerhold’s Biomechanics with Gennadi Bogdanov, as well as trained with the United Stuntmen’s Association in Seattle, Washington. She has attended the Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder, Colorado where she trained in various aerial dance techniques and apparatus. Professor Garland is a Certified Movement Analyst (CMA) of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA). She is a Certified Teacher with the National Michael Chekhov Association and she is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), a Certified Teacher with the British
Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC), and a Senior Teacher with Dueling Arts International.
Mihai Ciupe (Scenic Designer) Originally from Romania, Mihai Ciupe received a double MFA degree in costume and set design from Carnegie Mellon University and his BFA from Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. During his MFA he was awarded the George Kimberly Scene Design Award and the Oren Parker Award in Design and Production. Prior to the United States he was resident scenographer at The National Theatre of Cluj, Romania. During his former years he traveled extensively in Europe in tours with the shows that he designed, getting exposure to the various schools of theatre from England, Scotland, Hungary, France, and Yugoslavia. As a designer he worked with some of the greatest Romanian directors: Gabor Tompa, Alexandru Dabija, Iulian Visa, Mihai Manutiu, Victor Ion Frunza. In1991 he received a scholarship to attend The London International Festival of Theatre. Since 1995 he is a member of The United Association of the Romanian Fine Artists in the scenography section. In1999 he joined the theatre and dance faculty at University of Florida, where he was assigned to start the graduate program in Set Design. By 2013 his graduate students won The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Award three times: in 2005, 2007 and 2013. During his tenure at UF he has built a strong artistic relationship with The Hippodrome State Theatre, the only professional theatre in North Central Florida, where he has designed the sets for over twenty-five productions. He has continued to work professionally at national and international level.
Warren Goodwin (Technical Director) Warren joined the Hippodrome in 2004 as a carpenter in the scene shop, and assumed the role of Master Carpenter in 2006. In addition to helping build over a hundred of Hippodrome sets, Warren served as coscenic designer on The Christians and The Wolves. He is thrilled to be currently serving as Technical Director. In his free time, Warren enjoys painting, and is an accomplished local artist. You can often find his work on display next door at Maude’s Cafe.
Robert P. Robins^ (Production Manager) Bob is enjoying his 40th season here at the Hippodrome, where he has designed lighting for over 700 Hippodrome productions and events. He has worn many Hipp hats throughout the decades: Lighting Designer, Production Manager, Facility Manger, IT Manager, AEA Stage Manager, TYA Tour Stage Manager, Safety Officer, Intern Recruiter, Light Board Operator, Sound Mixer, Mainstage State Tour Technical Director, and Bartender, just to name a few. Bob also continues to provide lighting designs throughout the country, working with clients that include architects, theatres, dance companies, industrial events, schools, colleges and universities, municipalities, various types of small and large companies, and homeowners. He proudly holds a BFA in Theatre Production from the University of Florida.
NONPROFIT PARTNERS
Community Foundation of North Central Florida Matheson History Museum
Pride Community Center of North Central Florida (PCCNCF)
