F L O R I D A S TAT E UNIVERSIT Y B R O A D WAY ' S N E X T H I T MUSICAL : T H E PH O N Y AWA RDS NOVEMBER 1, 2023
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OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 3
FROM THE DIRECTOR
O
pening Nights at Florida State University is excited to bring the very best performing arts, music, dance, comedy, literature and visual arts to our campus and community. In November, we kick off the holiday season with two exciting performances beginning with Broadway’s Next Hit Musical’s The Phony Awards. This fully improvised performance features memorable characters, hilarious dialogue, song and dance. Who will win the award? November continues with Opening Nights’ first Goodwood Series concert at the Goodwood Museum and Gardens featuring GRAMMY® nominated Della Mae. Don’t miss these amazing ladies performing their heartwarming, bluegrass melodies. Finally, we end 2023 with a holiday concert for the whole family, featuring a family of musicians. MacMaster & Leahy Celtic Family Christmas will delight all ages with a family Christmas concert. Known as Canada’s
reigning couple of Celtic music, they are sure to delight. Join us at Opperman Music Hall on December 7. I cannot think of a better time and opportunity to become a member of Opening Nights and to show your support of our mission to present exceptional artists — a mission worthy of supporting and celebrating! These performances create a thriving cultural life in our community and create priceless educational experiences on campus and throughout the community. Ask any Opening Nights associate about these philanthropic opportunities. Thank you for sharing the first half of our 23–24 season with us. We look forward to many more outstanding performances coming your ways in Tallahassee’s Bicentennial Year, 2024.
Jennifer Wright Director, Opening Nights at FSU OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 5
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UPCOMING PERFORMANCES Florida State University Richard McCullough President Opening Nights Staff Jennifer Wright Director Allison Jordan Development Director Grace Atkins Program & Operations Manager
NOVEMBER 1
Broadway’s Next Hit Musical
7
Della Mae
Comedy, Improv
Bluegrass
DECEMBER 7
Brad Lister Business & Patron Services Manager
MacMaster & Leahy Celtic Family Christmas Celtic, Holiday
Calla MacNamara Education & Engagement Manager
JANUARY
Noelle Enright Marketing & Communications Associate
10 Elvis Costello
Amanda Cole Graphic Designer, FSU Marketing Rodney H. Johnson Assistant Director of FSU Marketing
Rock, Alternative
11
Jesse Cook
Flamenco, Jazz Guitar
18 Delirium Musicum
Contemporary Chamber Music
Opening Nights Development Council Eric Friall, Chair
24 Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson: “A Cosmic Perspective”
Ron Sachs, Vice Chair
Speaker
Gus Corbella, Immediate-Past Chair Susan Stratton, Secretary Kathleen Daly Brooke Hallock David Mica, Jr.
FEBRUARY 1
Sons of Serendip
7
The Simon & Garfunkel Story
11
PRISM
Heather Mitchell Nan Nagy Tom Nelson Florida State University Office of the President College of Fine Arts College of Motion Picture Arts College of Music College of Social Sciences & Public Policy
FSU Panama City University Communications University Relations
Contemporary Classical Crossover
Broadway Style Tribute
University Band
12 The Vienna Boys Choir Choral
14 Complexions
Contemporary Ballet
Dance
Cover photo by James Dillenburg OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 7
Herb & Mary Jervis Congratulations Opening Nights for fostering the Arts in Tallahassee for the past 25 years. The students, faculty, and staff of FSU and the citizens of north Florida have been enriched by your efforts. We eagerly await what the next 25 years will bring.
Proud to partner with Opening Nights to provide cultural Opening Nights, Opening Doors isopportunities a partner programfor of the Boys Prime Meridian Bank,and FSU Opening Nights, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Bend Girls Clubs of the Big Bend. Now in its third year, the program provides on-campus experiences for Club members to inspire a vision of future opportunities in the areas of engineering, nursing, hospitality, and (coming media W Asoon) LMA R T .and C Othe M arts.
2023–24 MEMBERS
AS OF 9/9/23
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H Member for 10+ years
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OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 11
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“
I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. – Thornton Wilder
The FSU license tag program is proud to be a sponsor of Opening Nights. Support the arts—and FSU students— by getting your FSU tag today! Visit mytag.fsu.edu for more information.
”
Saluting OPENING NIGHTS
at Florida State University
WEST PALM BEACH / TALLAHASSEE 8OO.78O.86O7 WWW.SEARCYLAW.COM
Thank you to our In-Kind Sponsors Beth & Lawton Langford Endowment
Louise Ireland Humphrey Excellence Fund
Culture Builds Florida
National Endowment for the Arts
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Lee Hinkle Proud Supporter of Opening Nights and Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin Thank you for bringing artists to our community
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Photo by Nick Carter
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 The Moon • 7:30 PM
Broadway's Next Hit Musical: The Phony Awards Every song is fresh. Every scene is new. Every night is different. It’s all improvised and it’s all funny. The hysterical Broadway’s Next Hit Musical (BNHM) is the only unscripted theatrical awards show. Master improvisers gather made up, hit song suggestions from the audience and create a spontaneous evening of music, humor, and laughter. The audience votes for their favorite song and watches as the cast turns it into a fullblown improvised musical—complete with memorable characters, witty dialogue, and plot twists galore. BNHM has been seen recently at The Triad, Tribeca Film Festival, and at the New York Musical Theater Festival, among many others.This program will run approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.
“At last! A musical of, for, and by the people.” — Time Out NY
Continued on pg. 19 OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 1 7
TALLAHASSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
THEATRE TCC!
2023-24 SE A SON
COME JOURNEY WITH US!
Something Wicked This Way Comes By Ray Bradbury When the carnival comes to town, two boys unearth the terrifying and horrible secrets that lurk within Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show and learn the consequences of wishes, as a sinister and evil force is at work in Green Town, Illinois.
October 12-14 at 8 p.m. October 20 & 21 at 8 p.m. October 22 at 2 p.m.
The Shape of Things By Neil Labute A young student drifts into an ever-changing relationship with an art major while his best friend’s engagement crumbles, unleashing a drama that peels back the skin of two modern-day relationships.
November 16-18 at 8 p.m. December 1 & 2 at 8 p.m. December 3 at 2 p.m.
Legally Blonde Book by Heather Hach Music and Lyrics By Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin The ultimate tribute to girl power, Legally Blonde will take you from the UCLA sorority house to the Harvard halls of justice with the timely coming-of-age story of Broadway’s brightest heroine.
April 4-6 at 8 p.m. April 12 & 13 at 8 p.m. April 14 at 2 p.m.
TCC.FL.EDU/THEATRETCC | THEATRETCC@TCC.FL.EDU
Broadway's Next Hit Musical: The Phony Awards Continued from pg. 17
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
The lights go down. The overture begins. Pretty much your typical musical theater experience so far, yes? No! Tonight will be different! Why, you ask? Because this musical has never been seen before! In fact, it has not even been conceived, written or rehearsed! And yet it will appear, complete with script, music, lyrics and choreography, before your eyes this evening. This is the exciting process at the heart of Broadway’s Next H!T Musical. We will step onstage free of any pre-performance ideas and allow ourselves to be inspired by what you, our audience, write on a small piece of paper—a story to unfold as we perform it. We are empowered by the notion of creating a memorable song, complete with melody and lyrics. We dance to choreography invented as it is executed. BNHM, improvisation at its best, will amaze and delight you, and leave you with the experience of seeing what has never before been seen and what will never be seen again. Broadway’s Next H!T Musical can only be described as magic! broadwaysnexthitmusical.com
WHO'S WHO IN BROADWAY’S NEXT HIT MUSICAL GARY ADLER (Music Director) served as the musical director for Broadway's Avenue Q for its entire 6.5 year run. Other NYC conducting credits include The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Kinky Boots, The Fantasticks, and Next to Normal. He co-wrote the longrunning Off-Broadway musical Altar Boyz, for which he received Drama Desk nominations for both his music and lyrics. Gary also wrote and arranged for Disney Channel’s Johnny and the Sprites starring John Tartagila. He has been playing improv piano for longer than he would care to admit.
HEIDI GLEICHAUF (Performer) is an actress, singer and improviser who hails from Franklin, Massachusetts. She is a proud graduate of Hofstra University where she studied Musical Theatre and received a BFA in Theatre Performance. Recently Heidi originated the role of “Sandy” in the well-received off-Broadway musical With or Without You, soundtrack available on Spotify and other streaming services. Heidi writes and does voiceover work for the popular children’s YouTube channel “TBTV Toy Adventures” and has collaborated with Dreamworks Studios to create original content for their “Universal Kids” YouTube channel. HeidiGleichauf.com DREW LAUSCH is a Brooklyn-based comedian, writer, producer, actor, and an “oversharing flirt” (NY Press) originally from Fargo, North Dakota. He recently filmed an episode of MTV’s Singled Out and made his headlining debut at La Zoom Room in Asheville, North Carolina. Drew performs regularly at New York venues such as Chelsea Music Hall, Public Hotel, The Bell House, Union Hall, West Side Comedy Club, and at least one pizza parlour in the East Village. Drew’s “easy confidence and stage presence” has been likened to a “dinner date that’s going really well” (Theatre Jones, TX). Drew has a “strong, hilarious, and provocative point of view,” (Dallas Comedy House) but most importantly, he started flossing this year. DEB RABBAI (Co-Artistic Director, CoProducer, Performer) is an original member and co-creator of Broadway’s Next Hit Musical. A native New Yorker, Deb has worked as an OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 19
Sally Karioth & Amanda Karioth Thompson thank Opening Nights for their commitment to the arts in our community
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Janet R. Thornton
actor, improviser, singer and voiceover artist for the last 25 years. Deb became the Co-Artistic Director of BNHM in 2009 and has proudly witnessed its progress into the hilarious hit it is today. A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, Deb spent 10 years performing and teaching improvisation with Freestyle Repertory Theatre (TheatreSports New York), 5 years performing with ComedySportz NY and 7 years with the Chicago City Limits national touring company. Deb is a highly experienced teacher of improvisation and acting, having worked at NYU, Marymount Manhattan College, The American Comedy Institute, NY Film Academy and American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Deb successfully created programs that teach curriculum through improvisation—these programs have been integrated into public schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Deb has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and in national commercials for MasterCard, Wendy’s and Zyrtec. Deb has done countless voiceovers, ranging from radio and TV advertisements to video games and anime films. DebRabbai.com ROB SCHIFFMANN (Co-Artistic Director, Co-Producer, Performer) has worked and toured as a professional improviser and musician for over 17 years. As a two-time MAC (Manhattan A s s o c i at i o n of Cabarets and Clubs) Award winner and the recipient of the 2011 INNY (Improvisation News) Award for Best Improv Coach, Rob’s
musical and improv talents are known across the country. He has taught and directed improv at The School for Film and Television, Weist-Barron, and the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. A graduate of Oberlin College, Rob performed regularly with Chicago City Limits before joining Broadway’s Next Hit Musical in 2001. BNHM’s master improvisers started their success at the famous NYC cabaret club Don’t Tell Mama as well as with the New York Musical Theater Festival. Rob became Co-Artistic Director in 2009 and continues to perform with the hysterical troupe throughout the country and at their resident theater, The Triad in NYC. Called “sharper than a pound of cheddar cheese” by reviewfix.com, Rob has showcased his skills on The Daily Download and The CBS Early Show. Rob’s musical talent is also evident with the New York based acoustic-pop band, The Hillary Step; he is the main writer, lead singer, guitarist, and Music Director. robschiffmann.com PAT SWEARINGEN (Performer) is an actor living in NYC. His hometown of Danville, Illinois has also produced Dick Van Dyke, Bobby Short, and Gene Hackman so here's hoping some of that rubbed off on him! He is currently a featured performer and instructor at the Peoples Improv Theater in NYC. Favorite musical performances in the field of parodies have been as Doc Brown in That 80's Time Travel Movie, Freddie Krueger in A Bad Dream on Elm Avenue, Caesar in The Hungry, Hungry Games, and more traditionally as Frump in How To Succeed.. and Crazy Old Maurice in Beauty and the Beast. Check out his comedy acting reel at Pat Swearingen Comedy Reel on YouTube OPENINGNIGH T S .F SU.ED U | 2 1
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