Belmont University Presents...
The39 The39 Steps Steps
Adapted by Patrick
Barlow
Directed by
Lilyanne Schwarz-Peterson
February 14th at 7:30 pm
February 14th at 7:30 pm
February 15th at 2:00 pm
February 15th at 2:00 pm
February 15th at 7:30pm February 15th 7:30pm
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE IS FOG, GUNS, GUNFIRE AND FLASHING LIGHTS.
If you need to step out, please be careful as there are many exits and entrances of actors. We ask that you do not return to the theatre until intermission or end of the show.
Artistic & Management Team
Director: Lilyanne Schwarz-Peterson
Producer: Brent Maddox
Stage Manager
Ally Anglim
Set & Properties Design
Josilyn Seftchick*
Technical Director
Jerry Stratton
Lighting Design
Anna Radley
Costume Design
Rachel Phinney
Sound Design
Sydney Tripp
*indicates member of APO
Cast
Richard Hannay.......................................................................................Eli Moore
Annabella/Margaret Pamela...............................................Melody Brooke Myers
Clown #1..........................................................................................Conner Boggs*
Clown #2...................................................................................Anna Rae Eppard*
Understudies................................................................................Jacoby Robinson Julia Baddour
Production Run Crew
Light Board Op.................................................................Brennan Hupenbecker
Sound Board Op.........................................................................Alayna Wilburn
House Manager.................................................................................Grace Cuda
Asst. House Manager....................................................................Johanna Wells
House & Box Coordinator.......................................................Erin Grace Bailey
Run Crew...................................................................................Cameron Walker Ashlynn Boyle
*indicates member of APO National Theatre Honor Society
Cast Bios
Eli Moore (Richard Hannay)
Oh, hello, friends! Just dropping by to introduce myself! I’m Eli Moore, a junior pursuing a B.F.A. in theatre performance, and allow me to be the first to say, I am so thrilled to be entertaining you for the evening. Might I add that you look lovely today. Quite dashing. Oh –where was I? Ah, yes, I have previously played the roles of Charles Wallace/Reader 7 in A Wrinkle in Time, Sam in Boy Meets Girl: A Young Love Story, Various Roles in 4 a.m., and another British man with an attitude, Blifil in Tom Jones. So, that’s me… Now then, I really must be going. This mystery won’t be solving itself! But perhaps we can have some supper soon? I’ll never pass up a spot of haddock… Ahem, have to run now! Keep an eye open for The 39 Steps, friend! And if anyone asks if a certain Richard Hannay ran by here, he certainly did not. Well –bye!
Melody Brooke Meyers (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela)
Melody Brooke Myers is very excited to be performing her first show at Belmont! She is a freshman BFA Theatre Performance major from Franklin, Tennessee. She would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her throughout the show process. She would also like to thank the people in the show for being super cool and for making her first show really fun to be a part of. She hopes you enjoy The 39 Steps and have lots of laughs!
Conner Boggs (Clown #1)
Conner is thrilled to clown around with you tonight! He is a sophomore majoring in BFA Theatre Education with a minor in Social Media Management from Olive Branch, Mississippi. Some of his funniest roles include Sir Robin/Herbert (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), Patrick Star (The SpongeBob Musical), Mr. Collins (Pride and Prejudice), Ms. Trunchbull (Matilda), and Uncle Fester (The Addams Family). When he’s not managing his 36 quick changes in this show, you can find Conner performing with Belmont’s premier sketch comedy group, Fall Follies, or working in the admissions office, recruiting future Bruins. Much like in real life, Conner juggles many roles in this production. Beyond acting, he has credits in directing, stage managing, and designing lights, costumes, and props, as well as contributing to arts education. Huge thank you to this team for everything! In the wise words of Professor Jordan, “This is the only place where you will find love. Where you really and truly belong.” So enjoy the show!
Anna Rae Eppard (Clown #2)
Anna Rae Eppard is a sophomore double majoring in “Theatre and Drama” and “Media and Entertainment Industries”. She is so excited to be playing the role of Clown #2. Her previous roles at Belmont University include The Ghost in Hamlet: Hold Off The Earth Awhile and Mr. Squirrel in Belmont Repertory Company's 2024 children's theatre production. Anna Rae would like to thank the crew, cast, and production team for an absolutely amazing experience!
Cast & Production Bios
Jay Robinson (BBC Radio Voiceover, Hannay & Clown #1 Understudy)
Jay, freshman theatre performance major, is elated to be a part of this hilarious production. It’s his first show at Belmont as an understudy. He is excited to learn all he can from his castmates and elevate this show to be the best it can be. Jay wants to thank
Lilyanne Schwarz-Peterson. for guiding us along this process, our stage manager Alexandra Anglim for keeping this train on its tracks, and our backstage crew for bringing the magic of theatre to life. Hopefully this show gets the old bones stirring again!
Julia Baddour (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela & Clown #2 Understudy)
Julia is a senior music major with a musical theater emphasis and is so honored to be a part of the cast for The 39 Steps. You may have previously seen her in the Black Box Theater pushing around the fake dead guy in the production of Lucky Stiff. She also can be seen around participating in the Bel Canto Choir and any Belmont USA ambassador event. She has had so much fun being in this show and hopes you enjoy! A special “Thankoo” to Lily and the entire cast for the good times and laughs.
Alexandra Anglim (Stage Manager)
Alexandra is a sophomore BFA theater Performance and Directing major. This is her first time taking on the role of stage manager. She has deeply enjoyed the experience and can't wait to continue learning and growing in this position. Alexandra is grateful for Lilyanne's kindness and support during this new experience.
Lilyanne Schwarz-Peterson (Director)
Lily has spent the last few years wrangling actors, deciphering barely legible handwriting, and convincing people that yes, directing is a real job. As a Theatre Directing student at Belmont University, she thrives on the magic (and occasional mayhem) of live performance, bringing stories to life with creativity and an unshakable love for well-timed dramatic pauses. Her upcoming projects include stage managing The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp, directed by Robert Coles and directing for a short play festival. She is especially excited to work with Eli Moore and Hope Kobus again after her first directing project at Belmont.
Production Staff
Set Crew
Emily Aeschbach Simon Armour Ashlynn Boyle Lauren Brown
Brielle Cohen Hayden Curry Michelle Easler Sophie Eastone
Grace Fields Zariya Foster Ellie Ferrara Chloe Henderson
Virginia Hirsch Ava Kolker Maurlea Long
Keegan McCarthy Brooke Miller Kuzey Palmer Cooper Powell
Anja Reimer Ella Schuman Brooklyn Starkey Zachary Ligasan*
Patricia Weispfennig Zoe Zink Ellie Thompson
Light Crew
Ashley Angerman Lillian Apostolou Lydia Baker Genesis Biondi*
Zebee Carnahan Grace Cuda Jack Freedman Michael Gualtieri
Paige Hardy* Claire Hickey Whitney Johnson Hope Kobus
Sarah Memmo Carter Stammel
Props Crew
Sofia Cross Jay Diestelkamp Reagan Lane Eli Moore
Victoria Pregent Savannah Raeder* Ky;ie Sumner
Costume Crew
Joshua Boyd Genevieve Bevell Daniella Flom* Emma Jones
Carolina Silander Ki’Ara Lynch Hannah Smith Caroline Morris
Lindsay Weidfelder* Carolina Wood
*indicates member of APO, National Theatre Honor Society
EFROMTHEDIRECTOR
Thank you for coming to this production of The 39 Steps, my senior capstone project at Belmont University. When I first read Patrick Barlow’s adaptation, I was immediately drawn to its clever theatricality and fast-paced humor Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s film a director whose work has fascinated me since childhood the play transforms a classic thriller into a wildly inventive stage experience
Barlow’s reimagining of this classic thriller blends suspense with humor, embracing the limitless possibilities of live theater. The story follows Richard Hannay, an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances after a chance encounter turns his world upside down. Pursued by both the authorities and a shadowy organization, he must navigate a world of espionage, deception, and ever-shifting identities
At its core, The 39 Steps is a play about disguise both literal and figurative Hannay constantly adopts new personas to survive, while those around him hide their true natures behind carefully crafted facades The Clowns, with their rapid transformations, bring this theme to life in a way that is both playful and essential to the story’s theatrical magic.
These ideas extend beyond the performances into the design. Lighting can manipulate shadow and exposure, obscuring or revealing key details Sound can shift unexpectedly, heightening moments of revelation The set, fluid and everchanging, reflects a world where nothing stays still for long
In this production, we invite you to lean into the illusion after all, in The 39 Steps, nothing is quite as it seems.
SPECIAL THANKS
DR. STEPHEN EAVES
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS
FRIENDS OF THE ARTS AT BELMONT
AMBER WHATLEY
JERRY STRATTON
TRACI LEDFORD
SHAWN KNIGHT
ERIN-GRACE BAILEY
BELMONT’S PROP MASTER GENERALS
ALIX BROWN, SUMMER CLARK, KEIRA MAUPIN, KAMARIA MCGINN, BERKELY MOORE, & JULIA ORR
PHOTOGRAPHER: JORDAN SCHWARZ-PETERSON
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