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NEW SWAN SPONSORS & DONORS MAJOR GIFTS Suzanne & Mike Fromkin Microsemi - Presenting Sponsor Patricia & Mike Fitzgerald Medieval Focused Research Alexandra & Steve Layton Bingham McCutchen Cheryll & Richard Ruszat Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth Laura & Joseph Alfieri Office of the Chancellor, UCI Carol & Ralph Clayman Claire Trevor School of the Arts, UCI Mary Gilly & John Graham Drama Department, UCI Patricia & Kenneth Janda Facilities Management, UCI Herbert Killackey, Vice Provost, UCI Graduate Division, UCI Katie & Jim Loss Environmental Health & Safety, UCI Event Management, UCI Parking & Transportation, UCI
NEW SWAN NAMED SEATS Rudi Berkelhamer & Al Bennett Christopher Blank Kathryn & Daniel Frost Frances Leslie Bryan Reynolds Anne Gilbert Bobi Keenan Joseph S. Lewis III Gail & Jim Lopes Daryn Mack Jack Miles Peggy & Alexander Maradudin Darrellyn Melilli
Susan Powers Bryan Reynolds Toni & Clara Martinovich Nira Kozak Roston Lorelei Tanji Marcia & Robert Ruth Sandra Rushing & Gail Polack Thomas & Elizabeth Tierney Molly White Paula Tomei & David Emmes Eli Simon & Sabrina La Rocca Deb Stansbury Sunday Betty Jo Little
SWAN SOCIETY MEMBERS All of the above plus: Gina Adams, Elizabeth Allen, Linda & Michael Arias, Christopher Blank, Brooke Booth, Ria Carlson & James Gerdis, Cynthia & Ross Elbling Corley, Lorie & Cliff Briggs, Mindy & Gary Chanan, Kate & Michael Clark, Barbara & Herbert Cohen, Karina & Steven Cramer, Tony Crowell, Caryn Desai, Sanjeev Dewan, Toni & Rad Dwyer, Mike & Patricia Fitzgerald, Philip & Katie Friedel, Michael Flachman, Anne Gilbert, Valerie Glass, Mandy & Cam Harvey, Frances Leslie, Virginia Hayter, Renee Harwick, David Israelski, Kathleen Kam & Michael Russell, Judy Kaufman, Larry & Ronna Lagin, Alice Lahtela, Martin Langer, Joseph S. Lewis III, Mildred & Martin Litke, Laura Long, Mike & Emma Lubetkin, Julia Lupton, Peggy & Alexei Maradudin, Dr. Paul Massatt, Sally & Jack McManus, Eileen & Ray Merchant, Lauren & Joshua Murty, Laura O’Connor, Richard Pattie, James Pitts & Barbara Finlayson-Pitts, Richard & Sterling Robertson, Ryna H. Rothberg, Debbie & Frank Rugani, Margaret & Larry Schneider, Robert Schuppe, Margaret Segalla, Jo & Bob Simon, The Stemler Family, Rosemarie Swatez, Mark Valdez, Daniel Woods
A LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dear New Swan Friend, Welcome to New Swan Shakespeare Festival! Here you are, waiting for the play to start, reading this program. How cool is that? If you were with us last year: Welcome back! If this is your first time in the New Swan Theater: Enjoy! Last year, Keith Bangs and I followed our instincts, jumped unexpected hurdles, and got used to folks questioning our sanity in building a 15-ton portable mini-Elizabethan theater. I am deeply indebted to friends and colleagues who said, “We get it. We share the dream. How can we help?” I can tell you that it takes old friends, new friends, and friends we don’t have yet to make an enterprise like this a reality. I cannot extend enough thanks to everyone who has joined our Swan family. And we thank everyone who has bought a ticket to see our plays this summer. Without your support, we would not be here. We give you a standing ovation. And what a joy it is to be here. We love our theater. There’s something about the intimacy, something about the feel of the wood, something about being so close to Aldrich Park. Can you feel the energy, even before the play begins? That’s what I’m talking about. The Swan brings out the best in all of us. Believe me when I say that we are ecstatic to perform for you. We want to share these great stories with you. And we are honored that you decided to come and share a couple hours with us. This season is dedicated to Dudley Knight, our friend and colleague who was to play King Lear. Dudley died after our company meeting on June 27. We miss him very much and his sudden passing shocked and saddened us. We continued rehearsing King Lear because we knew Dudley would not have wanted us to miss a beat. After rehearsals, as I headed home alone, I would hear Dudley’s sonorous voice reaching out to me, “Keep your spirits moving forward. The show must go on.” We miss you, Dudley. This one’s for you. Sincerely, Eli Simon
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM PLOT OVERVIEW Theseus, Headmaster of Athens Preparatory Academy, is preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, the Headmistress of the rival school. Their plans are interrupted by Egeus, father to Hermia, furious because he wants Hermia to marry Demetrius. Hermia is in love with Lysander and refuses. Hermia and Lysander escape and elope. They reveal their plans to Hermia’s friend Helena, who loves Demetrius even though his affection has turned to Hermia. Hoping to regain his love, Helena tells Demetrius of Hermia and Lysander’s plans and follows him into the woods on the edge of campus. These woods contain a band of fairies, including Oberon, the fairy king, and Titania, his queen. Oberon and Titania are at odds over a baby boy given to Titania, which Oberon desires to rear as his servant. Seeking revenge for Titania’s refusal, Oberon sends his servant, Puck, to find a magical flower that makes a sleeping person fall in love with the first thing seen upon waking. Oberon plans to use it on Titania but seeing Demetrius act cruelly toward Helena, he commands Puck to use it on him. Puck stumbles upon Lysander and mistakenly gives him the love potion. Lysander awakes to Helena and falls in love with her, abandoning Hermia. Realizing their error, Oberon and Puck dose Demetrius, so both men end upin love with Helena, who believes they are making fun of her. Hermia becomes jealous and turns on Helena. Puck then puts all four lovers to sleep. Meanwhile, a group of Athens Prep staff members, at the bidding of the drama teacher, Petra Quince, rehearse a play. When Titania awakes, the first person she sees is the school chef, Bottom, whom Puck has transformed into a donkey. Titania dotes on him. Eventually, Oberon obtains the baby boy from Titania, Puck undoes the love potion on Lysander, and by sunrise, all is as it should be. After the triple wedding, the lovers watch the staff perform their play. When the play ends and the clock tolls twelve, the lovers rush to bed, and the fairies bless the school and lovers.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM CAST LIST John Iacovelli
Katie Wilson
Scenic Designer
Costume Designer
Stacie Marie O’Hara
Penn Ross Jackson, Jr.
Keith Bangs
Matt Glenn
Lighting Designer
Production Manager
Stage Manager
Sound Designer &Compser
Randolph Thompson & Michelle Ditto Choreographer
Beth Lopes Director
Theseus Hippolyta/Peaseblossom Oberon Titania Puck Bottom Quince Flute/Moth Snout/Cobweb/Egeus Mustardseed/Philostrate Demetrius Helena Hermia Lysander
Oge Agulué BreAnne Murphy Sean Spann Amani Dorn Samantha Aneson Anthony Simone Rosemary Brownlow Zachary Hallett Colin Nesmith Vinny Tangherlini Joshua Blair Leslie Lank Bri McWhorter Zak Houston
To see bios, please visit our website: newswanshakespeare.com
A MIDSUMMERS NIGHT’S DREAM DIRECTOR’S NOTES A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the wild hallucination of William Shakespeare; a frenzied smorgasbord of love, humor, and magic. The life-blood of this chaotic adventure is transformation! Following four impetuous teenagers into an exotic and dangerous wood, we watch as relationships are built and destroyed. Love is transformed to hate, friends to enemies, and, more literally, a man is transformed into an ass! The youthful lovers are a key element of the play, so I set Midsummer in an environment that capitalizes on the tension between restriction and rebellion. A boarding school immediately comes to mind! From the lack of parental supervision, to the homogeny of uniforms, this seems like a perfect breeding ground for impetuousness, lust, and mischief. Theseus and Hippolyta are the heads of two rival schools. Theseus’s school, Athens Preparatory Academy, has acquired Hippolyta’s School for Girls and the two of them have been preparing for their upcoming marriage. Meanwhile, girls and boys have been intermingling for the first time and there is a tense frenzy in the air. The lovers are excitable, young students. The Mechanicals are staff members at Athens Prep, attempting to rehearse a play for Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. These men, normally cooks, janitors, and nurses, are completely out of their element in the spotlight, led only by the minimal theater knowledge of the drama professor, Petra Quince. Finally, the fairies are the guardians of these grounds, in the shape of gargoyles that come to life at night. When we begin our play, the King and Queen of this band of fairies are at odds with each other, fighting over a child. This quarrel has severe ramifications on the entire world, fairy and human alike! A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play about antithesis. Hermia versus Helena. Love versus lust. Sleep versus awake. It’s only in these extremes that we begin to remember what it was to be a youth on the verge of finding one’s self. Shakespeare uses the metaphor of magic as a way to examine the painstaking process of discovering who you are and whom you love. Through laughter and pain, sorrow and joy, Shakespeare takes us on a magical voyage of discovery. Thank you for joining us on the journey!
KING LEAR DIRECTOR’S NOTES King Lear, considered by many scholars and theater practitioners as the greatest achievement of Shakespeare’s prolific artistic life, was written between 1603 and 1606, in the Bard’s later years, as a contemplation of Man’s place in the world, and the natural order of love, power, justice, wisdom, family, life, and death. During the course of the play, Lear, Edgar, and Gloucester embark on journeys during which they are stripped of their titles, worldly possessions, and customary protections. In this kill-or-bekilled world, they are sent like animals out onto the wild heath to run for their lives. During their intensely personal travails, they come to realize the wisdom, compassion, and vision that is necessary to experience fully realized lives. They arrive at a deeper understanding of their place in the world; where death, as always, awaits, and rash, ill-considered actions have profound consequences. In King Lear, Shakespeare focuses our attention on the tumultuous twists and turns of life itself. As Kent says in the stocks, “Fortune good night. Smile once more. Turn thy wheel.” Here we see the natural order of things turned upside down and inside out. Fathers against sons, daughters against fathers. Kings fall. Evil rises. And how do we find balance amidst the treacheries that are foisted upon us? This is an apt question for all of us to answer; has life ever been anything less than a direct challenge to our very existence? Shakespeare seems to tell us that we must look to our own natures for solace, remembering all the while our animalistic essence, and aligning our actions through compassion, common sense, and love. For this New Swan Shakespeare Festival production, I wanted to strip things down, much as Lear’s daughters and the storm strip Lear to his essential being. This minimalist approach gave us direct access to the thematic underpinnings of the play. Although the storm scenes are utterly bombastic in nature, we were intent on focusing on the intimacy generated the close proximity we enjoy with you in the New Swan Theater. My fervent hope is that you hear and feel this Lear in a new way; a way that touches your soul.
KING LEAR PLOT OVERVIEW Lear, the aging English king, steps down but before he divides his kingdom amongst his three daughters, he tests them by asking how much they love him. Goneril and Regan, the eldest, give flattering answers. But Cordelia, the favored daughter, offers no saccharine words to him, only honest love, Lear, deeply offended, flies into a rage and disowns her. The king of France marries the now dowerless Cordelia and takes her to France. Lear and his men go to live with Goneril and Regan but they undermine the little authority that Lear still holds and refuse him shelter. Faced with their betrayals, Lear wanders on the heath during a great thunderstorm, accompanied by his Fool and loyal Kent and slowly loses his mind. Meanwhile, Gloucester’s illegitimate son, Edmund, tricks him into believing that his legitimate son, Edgar, is trying to kill him. Edgar flees for his life to the heath, disguising himself as the beggar, Poor Tom. Risking the wrath of Regan and her husband, Cornwall, Gloucester helps Lear in spite of the danger. Regan and Cornwall, accuse him of treason, blind him, and turn him out to wander the heath. There he is led by Poor Tom (his son Edgar in disguise) to Dover, where they meet Lear. In Dover, Cordelia leads the French army in an effort to save her father. Edmund woos both Regan and Goneril. Goneril’s husband Albany is sympathetic to Lear. Goneril and Edmund conspire to kill Albany. Gloucester, understanding that he trusted the wrong son, tries to take his own life, but Edgar saves him by leading him to an imaginary cliff. Events now begin to accelerate: The English defeat the French. Lear and Cordelia are captured. Edgar fights and kills Edmund; we learn of the death of Gloucester; jealous Goneril poisons Regan and then kills herself; Cordelia is executed in prison; and Lear dies out of grief at Cordelia’s passing. Edgar is left to rule the country under a cloud of sorrow and regret.
KING LEAR CAST LIST John Iacovelli Scenic Designer
Alan Terriciano Viola Composer
Gwyneth ConwayBennison
Anne Hitt
Stage Manager
Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz Lighting Designer
Costume Designer
Keith Bangs
Michael Polack
Fight Choreographer
Production Manager
Eli Simon Director
King Lear Gloucester Edgar Edmund Fool Kent Goneril Regan Cordelia Albany Cornwall Oswald France/Doctor Burgundy/Captain Taiko Drummer Taiko Drummer Servant/Drummer Soldier/Viola Servant/Drummer Soldier/Drummer
Henson Keys* Richard Brestoff* Zak Houston Joshua Blair Phil Thompson Sean Spann BreAnne Murphy Samantha Aneson Leslie Lank Colin Nesmith Oge AguluĂŠ Zachary Hallett Grant Markin Vinny Tangherlini Caress Mauhill Willie Shih-Wei Wu Michael Canas Morgan Hollingsworth Cory Mortimer Kevin Young
* Appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity To see bios, please visit our website: newswanshakespeare.com
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THE FANTASTICKS PLOT OVERVIEW The longest-running show in the history of the American theater, The Fantasticks opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village in the spring of 1960, where it remained until the production finally closed in early 2002. The Fantasticks logged a record-breaking 17,162 performances and news of the closing made the front page of The New York Times. In 1992, The Fantasticks won The Tony Award for Excellence and remains the only Off-Broadway show ever to have won a Tony (it can now be seen in NYC in a revival at the Snapple Theater Center). Hucklebee and Bellamy are a pair of small town fathers who are scheming to bring their children, Matt and Luisa, together in a romance. As a carnival arrives to bring some excitement to the sleepy village, the fathers persuade a mysterious interloper named El Gallo to stage a mock abduction of Luisa, which will hopefully prompt Matt to come to her rescue. However, while El Gallo’s plan succeeds, he also awakens his innocent charges to the darker and more disappointing side of love. A screen adaptation of The Fantasticks was shot and edited in 1995, but beyond a few preview screenings, it went unreleased until the fall of 2000. The film marked the dramatic feature of Teller (of the magic/performance art duo Penn & Teller) in a rare speaking role.
THE FANTASTICKS CAST LIST David Phillips Scenic Designer
Leanna Moore
Costume Designer
Anne Hitt
Stage Manager
Daniel Gary Busby
Dennis Castellano
Keith Bangs
Stacie Marie O’Hara
Vocal Music Director
Pianist/Conductor
Produdction Manager
Lighting Designer
Myrona DeLaney Director
El Gallo The Girl, Luisa The Boy, Matt The Girl’s Father, Bellomy The Boy’s Father, Hucklebee The Actor, Henry The Man Who Dies, Mortimer The Mute Harpist
Anthony Simone Tasha Tormey Derrick Gaffney Richard Brestoff* Robin Buck* Matt Koenig Hayley Palmer Madisen Johnson Taylor Censoprano
Understudies Luisa/Mute Matt
Haylee Cotta Morgan Hollingsworth
* Appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity To see bios, please visit our website: newswanshakespeare.com
THE FANTASTICKS DIRECTOR’S NOTES “Try to remember a time in September when life was slow and oh, so mellow...” Our production of The Fantasticks capitalizes on the beautiful environment created with this beautiful outdoor venue. The surroundings become our reality. The campus is our stage. As you read these notes, release control of your senses. Be awakened by the bird’s quiet call, the subtle chill and impending goosebumps, the urgings of your soul to dream on days long past. Remember those long warm summer nights when the cool breezes transported the fragrant smell of magnolias through the air? Magical evenings, perfect for the blossoming of young love. Romance is in the air. Such wonderful moments locked in time. Our memories seek refuge in their recall. Think on those long walks on the beach or silent hikes in the woods. Those stolen moments behind the old barn. Or the intrigue of a slow stroll down that deserted lane down the street. How often we ignore our longing to relive the past even if just for a moment... tonight let your heart linger on the possibility of an encounter on a beautiful evening such as this. Ah, but the sun will shine brightly all too soon, unmasking what before presented as glamour, as desire, as perfection. Can we avoid this fall? Must we be so harshly revealed? Traveling down the road of hardship and brokenness bring us to a consciousness, an awareness of the heart’s willingness to struggle with pain and loss while seeking to heal, forgive and move on. This flawed journey gives value to our relationships and purpose to the encounters. Some will see our little tale as a whimsical, happily-ever-after story with charming music and clever lyrics. Others will question the wisdom of the Fathers’ intervention in their children’s lives. And still others will analyze the motives of El Gallo and the Actors during the staged abduction. No matter whose path pulls your attention, travel with us back to a time when “life was so tender that love was an ember about to Billow...and follow...follow, follow, follow...”
NEW SWAN CORPORATE SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSOR
Montessori Schools of Irvine congratulates the New Swan on its OC Arts Award: Outstanding Contribution to the Built Environment
CLOWNMA dell’ARTE PRESENTS A NEW SWAN PRE-SHOW The ImpeCcable BriGarius & His Merry Minions Written by
Concieved by
Jeremy Charles Hohn Austin McCoy Alexander Makardish
Alexander Makardish Directed by
Austin McCoy Cast
Alexander Makardish Austin McCoy Rebecca Clause Krystal Pires-Patch Darya Harris Jacqui Jarvis
Demetrius
Edmund
Gloucester
Joshua Blair
Richard Brestoff
Soldier
Edgar
Morgan Hollingsworth
Zak Houston
Madisen Johnson
Oswald
Zachary Hallett
Derrick Gaffney
Amani Dorn
Haylee Cotta
Michael Canas
Robin Buck
Servant
Puck
Regan
Samantha Aneson
Lysander
Flute/Moth
Titania
Quince
Theseus
Cornwall
Oge Agulué
Rosemary Brownlow
MIDSUMMER
KING LEAR
The Mute
Matt, US
The Boy, Matt
Luisa/Mute US
The Boy’s Father
The Girl’s Father
THE FANTASTICKS
FESTIVAL
France
Grant Markin
Albany
Collin Nesmith
Fool
Phil Thompson
Kevin Yong
Servant
Philostrate/Mustardseed
Burgundy
Vinny Tangherlini
Tasha Tormey
Oberon
Kent
Sean Spann
Anthony Simone
Bottom
Snout/Cobweb/Egeus
Goneril
BreAnne Murphy
Hayley Palmer
Hippolya/Peaseblossom
Servant
Hermia
Helena
Cory Mortimer
Bri McWhorter
Cordelia
King Lear
Leslie Lank
Matt Koenig
Henson Keys
The Girl, Louisa
El Gallo
Mortimer
The Actor, Henry
CASTING
NEW SWAN PERSONNEL ARTISTIC Eli Simon, Artistic Director Phil Thompson, Co-Artistic Director, Voice & Text Coach Robert Cohen, Honorary Artistic Director Keith Bangs, Production Manager Ian Munro & Julia Lupton, Dramaturgs Leticia Garcia, Seminar Coordinator Sabrina Schloss, Assistant to Artistic Director, AD King Lear Natalie Elder, Festival Assistant Michelle Ditto, Assistant Director, Midsummer
DEAN’S OFFICE
SWAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Joseph S. Lewis III, Dean Deb Stansbury Sunday Assistant Dean Leslie Blough, Event Coordinator Lesly Martin, Marketing Director Anna Mueller, Executive Assistant Donna Summer, Graphic Design Megan MacDonald, Outreach Director
DEVELOPMENT Carolyn Canning-White Mitch Spann
HOSPITALITY & DINING SERVICES Jack McManus Long Bui
LIBRARIES Lorelei Tanji Bruce Bromberger Kevin Ruminson
PROGRAM DESIGN Olivia Simon
HOUSE MANAGMEMENT Natalie Elder Sabrina Schloss
Genevieve Simon Emma DeLaney
ADMINISTRATIVE & BUSINESS SERVICES Paige Macias
PARKING Jennie Clacken Andre Gaines
CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE Ramona Agrela
Suzanne Fromkin Mike Fitzgerald Steve Layton Robert Cohen Richard Rutzat Cheryll Rutzat Carolyn Canning-White Mitch Spann
DRAMA OFFICE Coco Nelson Marcus Beeman
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Rebekah Gladson Jim Brittel
EVENT SERVICES Jennie Clacken Andre Gaines Eunice Lee
BOX OFFICE David Walker
NEW SWAN PERSONNEL PRODUCTION Production Manager: Keith Bangs; Production Coordinator: Adrian Tafoya; Assistant Production Manager: Matthew Jackson; Costume Shop Manager: Julie Keen; Sound Supervisor: BC Keller; Lighting Supervisor: Ron Cargile; Master Electrician: Kristin Neu; Senior Wardrobe Technician: Erik Lawrence; Costume Assistant: Leanna Moore; Prop Supervisor: Marshal Kesler; Prop Design: David Phillips & Andy Broomell; Shop Foreman: Joe Forehand; Master Carpenter: Jeff Stube; Shop Personnel: Gyan McClaney & Geronimo Guzman; Carpenters: Joe Smith & Mike Lee; Assistant Stage Managers: Clare Wernet, Amanda Novoa, Gigi Greene, & Miranda Swineford; Assistant to the Stage Manager: Misa Moosekian; Production Assistant: Gilly Kelleher; Sound Board Operator: Kate Fechtig; Audio Crew: Mark Caspary; Scenic Crew: Lilly Liem; Light Board Operators: Adam Gomez, Angela Li & Erika Quintana; Costume Crew: Skye Schmidt, Jacklyn Uweh, Hannah Schwartz & Joyce Im
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Marc Gomez, Allen Shiroma, Amy Provorse, Dave Anderson, Paige Macias, Jim Brittel, Fred Bockmiller, John Walker, Pat Carlson, Lock Shop, Gene Sharbono & the Electrical Shop, Rob Rice, Aaron Uresti, Sherwynn Umali, Kevin Lane, Brad Barclay
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFTEY Alan Sahussanun, Fire Saftey Specialist; Scott Jackson, Campus Fire Marshal; Aaron Adams, Assistant Campus Fire Marshal; Steve Eros, Deputy Fire Marshal; Jason Delaney, Inspector; Dave Mori, Safety Engineer
ENGINEERS Mike Fotch, Brandow & Johnston; Josh Reynolds, Miyamoto International
VERY SPECIAL THANKS Chancellor Michael V. Drake, MD, Professor Don Hill, Drama Chair Daniel Gary Busby, David Emmes Jodaiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Drama Department, Libraries, Facilities Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Hospitality & Dining Services, SOAR, Nathan Phan, Professor Annie Loui, Miguel Marquez
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TWELFTH NIGHT ROMEO AND JULIET THE LAST FIVE YEARS