playwise ON STAGE AND OFF
JANUARY 21 through FEBRUARY 13, 2011
The smash Broadway hit of 2010!
BY DAVID MAMET DIREC TED BY SCOT T ZIGLER WHAT’S INSIDE: TALKING ABOUT RACE
by Sarah Ollove, Production Dramaturg
MOCK TRIALS
by Sarah Ollove, Production Dramaturg
WE CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT RACE IN AMERICA
by David Mamet
P H I L A D E L P H I A T H E AT R E C O M P A N Y
C E L E B R AT I N G O U R 3 5 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y S E A S O N
We put our energy into the arts. Arts and culture organizations have an impact of more than $1 billion on our local economy. Through PECO-sponsored programs we help people of all ages and backgrounds enjoy and experience the arts throughout our region. PECO is proud to be the Production Sponsor of Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of RACE by David Mamet. We applaud PTC for its selection of dramatic works which explore themes of diversity.
Find out more at www.peco.com/community Š PECO Energy Company, 2011
Dear Friends, When I attended a performance of RACE on Broadway last year, my response was rather unexpected. As soon as the quartet of actors began speaking, I found myself welling up – clearly not the standard reaction to a Mamet play. What overtook me was the notion that I was back in the presence of Mamet himself and not one of the hundreds of playwrights who have been influenced by the man these last thirty years. I was at the source, once again experiencing his singular style and razor blade intellect. This time, however, his gifts were deployed in service of spurring public debate about the nearly undebatable subject of race relations. Combined with some artfully woven gender and class issues, RACE was the kind of play that we at Philadelphia Theatre Company have been mining from the beginning, making it a perfect choice for our 35th Anniversary Season. Like much of Mamet’s work, RACE is that rare play where art, entertainment, public discourse and commerce converge. We have no illusions that an evening at the theater will change the world in an instantly measurable way, but we can certainly start by building a production finely tuned to Mamet’s sensibilities which can provide a platform for honest and urgent conversation. If you do this often enough, you can certainly impact a community, if not the world. To this end, we are delighted that our production of RACE is in the knowing hands of director Scott Zigler, a longtime Mamet colleague and collaborator who is also a founder and former Artistic Director of the Atlantic Theater Company. I hope you have the opportunity to read his inspiring Director’s Notes in this Playwise. We are very proud to be partnering with NewCORE (the New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity), Penn’s Project for Civic Engagement and WHYY in creating one of these platforms on January 31 to which we invite you to participate. We also have made some wonderful new friends at WURD Radio who are also specialists in crafting civic dialogue. As of this writing, they are designing an exciting conversation to be held February 5th. Stand by for more details. Finally, we would like to thank our Outreach Sponsor, Blank Rome, LLP for helping us to spread the word and our wonderful Production Sponsor, PECO, for their excellent citizenship and for understanding how live theater can bring us together as a community.
Sara Garonzik Producing Artistic Director
A Letter from the Production Sponsor of RACE: PECO PECO is pleased to once again partner with Philadelphia Theatre Company to sponsor a thought-provoking play around ethics and diversity issues. This season, it’s David Mamet’s Broadway hit Race. Diversity is a core value at PECO. We look for opportunities through our arts and culture grants to celebrate and explore diverse themes and experiences. We have always been pleased with PTC’s selection of multi-cultural plays, the artistic quality of their productions and their efforts to attract students and non-traditional audiences. At PECO we encourage our employees to participate in one or more of our seven Employee Network Groups: EAAMA (Exelon African American Members Association), OLE (Organization of Latino Employees), NEW (Network of Exelon Women), AACES (Asian Americans Committed to Exelon’s Success), Pride (LGBT), EMAC (Exelon Military Actively Connected) and PECO Young Professionals Group. We view our diversity as a competitive advantage. Thanks for joining us in supporting the arts and everything good that happens when we, as audience members, look at ourselves and our world in a new way. Sincerely,
Denis P. O’Brien Executive Vice President, Exelon President and CEO, PECO
Thank you to our 2010/2011 season sponsors Race Production Sponsor
35th Anniversary Ticket Sponsor
be par t of ar t
Race Community Outreach Sponsor
Official Airline
Official Media Sponsor
Philadelphia Theatre Company presents
Sara Garonzik Producing Artistic Director
Kathleen Kund Nolan Interim Managing Director
RACE
David Mamet
by
featuring
Jordan Lage John Preston
Ray Anthony Thomas
Set & Lighting Design
Kevin Rigdon
Casting
Costume Design
Theresa squire
Director of Production
Janet Foster Local Casting
Nicole Lewis
Bruce charlick
Amy dugas browin
Technical Director
Michael cristaldi
Production Stage Manager
michael D. Domue
Production Dramaturg
Sarah Ollove
Directed by
Scott Zigler January 21 - February 13, 2011
RACE is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. Original Broadway production produced by Jeffrey Richards Jerry Frankel Jam Theatricals JK Productions Peggy Hill & Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz Scott M. Delman Terry Allen Kramer/James L. Nederlander Swinsky Deitch Bat-Barry Productions Ronald Frankel James Fuld Jr. Kathleen K. Johnson Terry Schnuck The Weinsten Company Marc Frankel Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Stewart Mercer
Cast Jack.........................................................................................Jordan Lage* Susan.....................................................................................Nicole Lewis* Charles.................................................................................John Preston* Henry...................................................................Ray Anthony Thomas* *Member of Actors’ Equity Association
Time: The Present Location: A city Intermission: 15 minutes
The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. All electronic devices such as beepers, cell phones, and watch alarms must be turned off prior to the performance.
THE ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS EMPLOYED IN THIS PRODUCTION ARE MEMBERS OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, THE UNION OF PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE DIRECTOR IS A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS, AN INDEPENDENT NATIONAL LABOR UNION. THE SCENIC, COSTUME, LIGHTING AND SOUND DESIGNERS IN LORT THEATERS ARE REPRESENTED BY UNITED SCENIC ARTISTS LOCAL USA-829, IASTE. PHILADELPHIA THEATRE COMPANY IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE OF REGIONAL THEATRES (LORT). A CONSTITUENT MEMBER OF THEATRE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, INC. (TCG), A MEMBER OF THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CULTURAL ALLIANCE (GPCA), THEATRE ALLIANCE OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA (TAGP), THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. PHILADELPHIA THEATRE COMPANY PROUDLY PARTICIPATES IN THE BARRYMORE AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THEATRE, A PROGRAM OF THE THEATRE ALLIANCE OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA. ONE OPEN CAPTION PERFORMANCE IS PROVIDED FOR EVERY PRODUCTION TO OUR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING PATRONS. ONE AUDIO DESCRIPTION PERFORMANCE IS PROVIDED FOR OUR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PATRONS. LARGE PRINT, BRAILLE AND AUDIO CASSETTE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
Support for Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Accent on Accessibility Program Comes From: Independence Foundation Louis N. Cassett Foundation
Wachovia Fargo Foundation
who’s who Jordan Lage (Jack) Philadelphia Theatre Company: Love! Valor! Compassion! Broadway: Race, Speed-the-Plow, Inherit the Wind, Glengarry Glen Ross, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, The Old Neighborhood, Our Town, A Few Good Men (national tour). Off-Broadway: Keep Your Pantheon, Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening, The Water Engine, Edmond, The Hothouse, Mojo, Distant Fires, Boys’ Life. Film: You Don’t Know Jack, Salt, Body of Lies, Michael Clayton, World Trade Center, The Believer, Things Change. Drama Desk award, AUDELCO Award nomination, Barrymore Award. Founding member, Atlantic Theater Company, NYC. Nicole Lewis (Susan) Broadway: Hair (Tony Award Best-Revival), Rent, Lennon. Off-Broadway/Regional: Measure for Measure (Public Theater) Happiness (Lincoln Center workshop); Boy Gets Girl (Manhattan Theater Club); The Me Nobody Knows (NYC workshop); Constant Star (Hartford Stage); The Tempest (Williamstown, Act I Co.); The Threepenny Opera & Tartuffe (A.C.T.) Once on This Island, Children of Eden, and The Wiz. TV/ Film: Law & Order, SVU, Mercy, As the World Turns, Naked Brothers Band, London Betty. BA, Yale University; MFA, A.C.T. San Francisco. Thanks to The Mine, CESD, Janet Foster, MCS, Jeremy, Ryan and my beloved friends and family. John Preston (Charles) most recently appeared as Dr. Wilson in the Slant Theater Project’s production of Binge at the Drilling Company in NY. Other recent roles include Bart Henely in the Mint Theater’s production of So Help Me God , Cameron Parker in Taboos (U.S. Premiere) at Soho Playhouse, Lord Leonard Astor in Peter and the Starcatchers at La Jolla Playhouse, As You Like It at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Bernard Kersal in The Constant Wife at Asolo Rep, Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Unexpected Guest at Syracuse Stage, Rough Crossing and Ladies of the Camelliias at Yale Rep. He spent most of his theatrical career as an Associate Artist and Resident Company Member of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival,where he performed such roles as Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Caliban in The Tempest, Edmund in King Lear, and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Film & TV: Ready?OK!, Law & Order and As the World Turns. Ray Anthony Thomas (Henry) Philadelphia Theatre: Gabriel in Fences (Arden Theatre, Barrymore Award nomination). Broadway: original company of Race. Off Broadway: member of the Atlantic Theater Company - Edmond, Human Error, The Beginning of August, Distant Fires, The Lights. Other Off Broadway: Volunteer Man (Obie award), Kindness (by Adam Rapp), Too Much Memory (Fringe award- best production), The Exonerated, Saved or Destroyed, Black Eagles (MTC), Play to Win (Andelco award nomination), Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Public Theatre). Regional: To Kill a Mockingbird (Detroit Free Press Award), Proctor in The Crucible as (Syracuse Stage), A Raisin in the Sun (City Theatre, Pittsburgh), Boy Willie in Piano Lesson (Actor’s Theatre of
Louisville), Ceasar in Gem of the Ocean (Milwaulkee Rep) In the Blood (Guthrie), Top Dog/Underdog (Pittsburgh), Master Harold… (Westport Playhouse). Film & TV: Pariah (accepted at Sundance), Shutter Island, Manchurian Candidate, Half Nelson, Imaginary Heroes, Changing Lanes, Our Song, Random Hearts, Malcom X, Jacob’s Ladder, Law & Order (numerous apprearances), Sopranos, Rescue Me, Oz, The Hoop Life (series regular), The Jury, Conviction, Spin City, I’ll Fly Away (Emmy consideration). David Mamet (Playwright) is the author of various plays and screenplays and has directed ten films. He is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company and the author of the bestselling Theatre; Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business; The Wicked Son; Three Uses of the Knife; and True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor. His book of cartoons, Tested on Orphans, is available at www.sfelectricworks.com and his graphic novel, The Trials of Roderick Spode: The Human Ant, is currently available in bookstores. Scott Zigler (Director) Phildelphia Theatre Company debut; Broadway: The Old Neighborhood by David Mamet; Off-Broadway: Dust(World Premiere); Atlantic Theater Company founding member and past Artistic Director: Premiere of Tom Donaghy’s adaptation of The Cherry Orchard; The Woods; Sure Thing; Strawberry Fields; Suburban News; As You Like It; National Tour: Oleanna ; Regional: Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Cryptogram, A Fair Country; American Repertory Theater: Romance; world premiere of Ellen McLaughlin’s Ajax in Iraq (ART Institute); Copenhagen; Animals and Plants; Absolution; The Cripple of Inishmaan; The Old Neighborhood (world premiere); Other Regional: Glengarry Glen Ross (McCarter Theatre); The Cryptogram (Alley Theatre); Spinning Into Butter (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). Mr. Zigler has taught acting at universities around the country as well as in Canada, Italy, and Australia. He is the past Director of the Atlantic Theater Acting School and currently serves as Director of the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theatre School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. He is co-author of the widely used text A Practical Handbook for the Actor. Kevin Rigdon (Scenic and Lighting Designer) credits include the Broadway productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Old Neighborhood, Buried Child, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Song of Jacob Zulu, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Grapes of Wrath, Speed the Plow, Our Town, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Caretaker and Ghetto. London credits include Waiting For Godot, You Never Can Tell and Orphans on the West End; Speed the Plow and The Grapes of Wrath for The Royal National Theatre; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Barbican; American Buffalo, and Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants. Productions for the Peter Hall Company include The Importance of Being Earnest, Measure For Measure, Waiting For Godot, Much Ado About Nothing, and Man and Superman. Off-Broadway Mr. Rigdon’s designs include Distant Fires, Orphans, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, American Buffalo, Oleanna, Edmond, Prairie Du Chein, The Shawl, Road, Balm in Gilead, and A Nightingale Sang..., and True West. He was the resident designer for Steppenwolf Theatre from 1976 to 1997 during which he designed the scenery, lighting, and costumes for more than 110 productions. He is currently the Associate Director/Design for Houston’s Alley Theatre where he has designed more than 50 productions. Mr. Rigdon is the recipient of two Tony Award nominations, seven Joseph Jefferson Awards, two American Theatre Wing Design Awards, and the Drama-Logue Award. Mr. Rigdon is Head of Graduate Design at the University of Houston.
Theresa Squire (Costume Design) has been designing costumes in New York for over 10 years. Although she designs mainly for theatre, her work has also been seen in dance, film, print, industrials and commercials. Theresa has designed for the Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, 2nd Stage, Keen Company, The New Group, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, The Hourglass Group, The Flying Machine, Soho Rep, iTheatrics, The Chautauqua Theatre Company, The Dorset Theatre Festival, The Cherry Lane, Epic Theatre Company, DR2 Kids Theatre, Long Wharf, Virginia Opera, Tami Stronach Dance and Parsons Dance. Her costumes were seen on Broadway in High Fidelity and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Janet Foster (Casting) Centerstage: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; The Importance of Being Earnest; ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore; Fabulation or, The Re-education of Undine; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Matchmaker; A Little Night Music; Hearts; Arsenic & Old Lace; Trouble in Mind; The Boys from Syracuse; Death and the Maiden. Broadway: The Light in the Piazza, (Artios nom.); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Lennon; Taking Sides (co.). Off Broadway: Westside Theater: DUST, Endpapers; True Love; The Dying Gaul; The Maiden’s Prayer; Dream True; Trojan Women; A Love Story; Playwrights Horizons: Floyd Collins, The Monogamist, A Cheever Evening, Later Life. Regional: Kennedy Center: Golden Child; Westport Country Playhouse: Intiman; Dallas Theater Center; Berkeley Rep; Pittsburgh Public; Yale Rep; Prince Music; Goodman; Steppenwold; A.R.T.; Cal Shakes. Film/TV: The Deal; Advice from a Caterpillar; Cosby; Tracey Ullman Takes on New York. BBC World Services radio dramas The Day That Lehman Died (Peabody Award) and Severed Threads. Amy Dugas Brown ( Local Casting) is a freelance casting director, audition coach and senior lecturer at University of the Arts. She is currently a project director with the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, hiring and directing actors to portray a variety of emotions for the creation of videos and photographs for future research that will examine emotional perception in brain disorders. She spent ten seasons as Associate Artistic Director at Arden Theatre Company and is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University. She is married to Philadelphia actor Ben Dibble and together they have three enthusiastic preschoolers. Sarah Ollove (Production Dramaturg) is excited to be working with PTC for the second time, following her work on the reading of Diana Fithian’s Flats and Heels. Sarah is a local freelance dramaturg who holds an MFA in dramaturgy from the ART/MXAT Institute for Advanced Theatre Training. In addition to PTC, she has enjoyed working with Arden Theatre Co, Theatre Exile, ART, and Signature Theatre Company in New York among others. Thanks to Scott, Jackie, Sara, and the PTC staff for a great experience! Michael D. Domue (Production Stage Manager) comes to PTC after spending the fall with the Rockettes and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Prior credits include Master Class starring Tyne Daly, A Streetcar Named Desire and Company at the Kennedy Center; Off-Broadway credits include Mike Daisey’s: The Last Cargo Cult, The Ruby Sunrise and Knives & Other Sharp Objects with The Public Theater. Regional productions include Camelot, Cabaret and A Christmas Carol with Trinity Repertory Company along with 6 years at Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American Plays. Additionally he has spent 15 seasons at Totem Pole Playhouse, as resident lighting designer and production manager.
Michael Cristaldi (Technical Director) has been with PTC since 2000. He is proud to be a part of the growing and vibrant theatre arts scene here in our wonderful city. Staldi has traveled the country and all over the world as TD for Enchantment Theatre Company, freelanced at almost every theatre in town, and has designed lights for the Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 3 and for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival. He also co-produced the 2008 “Unofficial Fringe Late-Night Cabaret.” Staldi credits his success to Allentown College (now DeSales University), his wonderful family, and his incredible wife, Stacey. Bruce Charlick (Director of Production and Theater Operations) is in his 14th season with Philadelphia Theatre Company. Bruce’s career in theater spans four decades, including: The Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and Temple University’s Department of Theatre. In his “spare” time Bruce enjoys his family of three children, a dog, and wife of over 30 years. Kathleen Kund Nolan (Interim Managing Director) A seasoned theater manager, Kathleen served as Interim Managing Director at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre in 2008 where she had previously enjoyed a long association as General Manager. She continues to serve as a trustee on McCarter’s Board where she is Vice President for Development. Philadelphia theatre-goers might recall that Kathleen served as Business Manager for five years at the Philadelphia Drama Guild, and prior to that held positions with Pennsylvania Stage Company, Cleveland Playhouse and the North Shore Music Theatre. In addition to serving on the Board of McCarter Theater, Kathleen also serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and the Tofte Lake Center. She and her family live in Newtown, PA. Sara Garonzik (Producing Artistic Director) has directed and produced for Philadelphia Theatre Company since 1982, and introduced more than 130 world or regional premieres of major new American plays and musicals to Philadelphia including new work by Terrence McNally, Bill Irwin, Jeffrey Hatcher, Christopher Durang, John Henry Redwood, Tracey Scott Wilson, Naomi Wallace and Bruce Graham, among others. In 1991 she was named to the Philadelphia Theatre Company Board of Directors. Other service has included: Board Member of ArtReach and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA); theater panels for the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio State Councils on the Arts; theater panels for The Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, the McKnight Foundation Advancement Awards for Playwriting and the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and as a judge for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She is listed in “Who’s Who of American Women” and was named one of Business Philadelphia’s and Philadelphia Magazine’s “People to Watch.” She was recently elected to The Court of Honor of Distinuished Daughters of The Philadelphia High School for Girl by their Alumnae Association and has recieved the President’s Award from the Philadelphia Young Playwrights. In 2007, she received the Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women, an honor she proudly shared with Dawn Staley and Terry D’Alessandro. In June 2008, she received the first Arts Pioneer Award created by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. She currently serves as a Board Member of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, as President of the Board of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and on the advisory board of PlayPenn, a new play development organization.
2010-2011 SeaSon
philadelphia theatre company
ACT OUT!
Summer Theatre Ca mp for Teens 13–18
PTC Summer Conservatory:
actout Summer Session 2011:
June 20 - July 1 ((9:30am – 4:00pm)
Week #1 – July 11 - July 15; Week #2 – July 18 - 22; Week #3 – July 25 - July 29
In this intensive course, teens will spend 2 weeks working together as an ensemble of writers, actors, directors, and sound and lighting designers to create and produce an original one-act which will be presented on July 1st. Students will work with professional teaching artists and theater technicians to fully produce their piece. Fee: $725
(10:00am – 4:00pm with an optional warm-up at 9:30am)
With PTC’s flexible single week sessions, you can attend one, two, or all three weeks of ActOut Summer Session. Students spend mornings cycling through classes in playwriting, acting, directing, and design. Afternoons are spent with their company actively exploring theater concepts, building an ensemble and deciding what pieces to put on stage in our Theater Lab each Friday at 2:00pm – friends and family are encouraged to attend. Fees: $350 for 1 week; $675 for 2 weeks; $ 1,000 for 3 weeks.
SPeCial CombinaTion offer!
Receive $50 off PTC Summer Conservatory if you also register for any week of ActOut Summer Session!
215.985.0420 or PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org/education
A LETTER FROM A PTC CORPORATE MEMBER, COLEMAN|NOURIAN On behalf of Coleman|Nourian, welcome to Philadelphia Theatre Company in its home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre and get ready to explore the highly sensitive topic of race, as presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, David Mamet. This is another example of the entertaining and thought-provoking productions for which Philadelphia Theatre Company has been known for 35 years. PTC’s work has clearly enriched many lives and opened countless minds over those years. Since 1985, our firm has been headquartered in Philadelphia and has been a trusted recruiting and staffing resource to the area’s legal community. We, along with our clients, share a commitment to giving back to our community. We are proud that part of that commitment has involved our support of Philadelphia Theatre Company, a key component of the vibrant cultural environment that makes Philadelphia such a great place to live and work. We are also proud of our colleague, Michael Coleman, and his service to PTC as a long time Board member, former President and current Co-Chair of the Board. As we begin 2011, we wish you all a wonderful New Year filled with peace and prosperity.
Robert B. Nourian Managing Principal Coleman|Nourian
Director’s Notes Scott zigler “Race is the most incendiary topic in our history,” says a character in David Mamet’s play Race. As we cannot change our history, we cannot eliminate the need for a continuing open and frank discussion about the different ways each of us experiences our citizenship. Privilege, economics, opportunity, and influence differ for all of us. What we must never do is assume we understand another person’s experience, whether we share some form of group identity with them or not. I grew up in the theater believing that “color-blind casting” was a small step that we could take to try and address the past sins of America’s dominant culture. Then in 1996, August Wilson shook the American Theater with his landmark address “The Ground on Which I Stand,” delivered to the Theater Communication Group’s National Conference. In this address Wilson labeled color-blind casting as “Cultural Imperialism.” Later, many black actors I knew disagreed with Wilson on that point, while supporting his call for greater funding for theaters run by African-Americans and producing work by and with AfricanAmericans. In his speech Wilson also said: “I believe that race matters—that it is the largest, most identifiable and the most important part of our personality. It is the largest category of identification because it is the one that most influences your perception of yourself, and it is the one to which others in the world of men most respond.” Yet I know any number of people of varying racial identities who would disagree with that statement as well. But the final paragraph of Wilson’s speech began with these words: “I believe in the American theatre. I believe in its power to inform about the human condition, its power to heal, its power to hold the mirror as ’twere up to nature, its power to uncover the truths we wrestle from uncertain and sometimes unyielding realities. All of art is a search for ways of being, of living life more fully.” I hope most of us can at least agree on that, and I hope that in some small way this production can contribute to that search.
Scott Zigler
Talking About Race Sarah Ollove, Production Dramaturg
JORDAN: Ray and I have known each other for twenty-two years now, we’ve done a lot of plays together, and it’s been a great experience. I’m looking forward to him turning in another stellar performance, and making it a really lovely place to come to work every night, as has always been the case.
SCOTT: I think audiences don’t necessarily recognize so much right now how through much of the twentieth century there was really a tradition of ensembles in America …. There’s a shorthand that people get when they work with each other over a long period of time, and you can’t underestimate the value of that shorthand in the rehearsal process. In a normal process—which is perfectly fine—you get five people in the room who don’t really know each other at all. The first week is spent feeling each other out: how does the person work? What kind of language do they respond to? And to get past that right away--which you get with ensemble members or people who have worked together a lot--it’s just a more efficient rehearsal and allows you to really get at the work itself, into the script itself, into the characters themselves much more quickly.
RAY: Yeah, I agree, whatever he said is true. Back at you.
PTC: We’re in the second week of rehearsal now. What’s capturing your focus?
JORDAN: The same goes for Scott, too. I’ve known Scott for over a quarter-of-a century now, and we’ve always had a great working relationship. After the Broadway run [of Race] finished in August, I went up to visit Scott and I mentioned to him, “Hey just on the off chance that you get asked to direct Race,” which was probably a pretty good chance, knowing Scott’s relationship with David, “I just want to let you know that Ray and I want to be involved in that production.” [laughter].
RAY: Just trying to fill in all the crevices of it. I’m really enjoying working with Nicole and John, just trying to get with them now and see how they’re discovering the play and things within it….
PTC sat down with Scott Zigler, director, Ray Anthony Thomas (Henry), and Jordan Lage (Jack) to talk about the production and the play. All three are associated with the Atlantic Theatre Company, the theatre and acting school founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy. Ray and Jordan were both tapped by Mamet to understudy the Broadway run of Race. Below is an abridged version of that conversation. PTC: Are you looking forward to working together again?
RAY: We put our oar all in. JORDAN: So it happened, by coincidence, that very morning that I saw him, he had gotten the offer from Philadelphia to direct Race at PTC.
JORDAN: I’m really hearing the play, or rehearing it. I feel myself much more attuned to what the other people are saying as opposed to saying my lines and checking out when anybody else speaks. [laughter] No, I feel really attuned to what other people are saying and in so doing I’m picking up on subtleties that I had not really experienced when I worked on it last year. RAY: Well, I think that’s the main difference. That big theatre on Broadway is all about pushing it out. I feel like this is a more intimate take on it. I’m really enjoying that aspect of it, just inhabiting the character
more than putting it out there for people to hear it. SCOTT: We love [the Suzanne Roberts Theatre] for this play. It’s a great choice on Sara’s part, because it’s a really good environment for the play. I think the audience is going to feel a lot more like they’re in that room with those people. PTC: Are there themes from the play that you found resonating in your own life? RAY: Today we were talking about how [in the Broadway production] they were really trying for my character not to appear as this angry black man, but you know, there aren’t that many black men in their fifties who aren’t angry. And this time I’m allowing more of that to just sort of impel [Henry] in the decisions he’s made in his life and the way he conducts his business, because if nothing else, it’s more logical. JORDAN: What distinguishes this play from a lot of other well-intentioned plays that deal with themes of race in America is that some other plays seem to sort of assuage liberal white thinking about race. As a white person you come out of these plays going “well, that makes me feel good because it has reinforced how I feel about the larger picture of race in America, and therefore I can pat myself on the back,” and this play, I don’t think does that. I think its nature is far more unsettling in what it has to say. SCOTT: One of the things that the play brings out is the sort of white liberal perception that: “If I strive to not be racist, I will solve the problem of racism—at least in my own orbit.” And the thing that I begin to understand more and more—and it’s sad in the way the play is sad—is that there really are no solutions. The most we can do is become more comfortable discussing the situation. We’re never going to become a country that wasn’t found on the chains of slavery. That’s our history….All we can do, I hope, is go: “help me understand what the
situation is and then we’ll deal with it as best we can together.” The play brings out how we’re scared to talk about race and that we think not talking about race is a solution to racism, which clearly it’s not. It makes clear that, at the end of the day, the best you can hope for is a more open conversation, because you cannot change history. RAY: The play talks about guilt, as well, when you come to the realization that the world is the way it is and you didn’t realize it was that way. And you think “Now what am I going to do?” SCOTT: No one wants to give away the ending, but [there is] a moment where a character, who was completely certain that an action was not in any way racist, is helped to see it from the other person’s point of view…. I think our biggest problems in discussions of race or sex or gender or sexual preference come from an inability to see from the other person’s point of view…. I can say something meaning it one way, but I have to understand that it’s going to be heard based on the other person’s experience, not solely based on my intention. JORDAN: One of the things the play does successfully is to sort of throw the lie to the monolithic idea of race. How people generalize about the races: “all whites do this” and “all blacks do that,” and it’s certainly not true, you can’t make those kinds of generalizations. SCOTT: It’s so important that the play has two black characters who are in opposition to each other… . I mean everyone’s a member of a community, but that doesn’t mean everyone in those communities thinks the same things or experiences the world the same way. You need to embrace both the fact of individuality and strength of community at the same time, and not favor one over the other. And I think the play actually
does a good job of bringing out that idea.
Mock Trials Sarah Ollove, Production Dramaturg
T
he courtroom has long been a place where America shines a spotlight on its most divisive issues. Two sides argue facts and present opinions, each guaranteed to have their say and oftentimes larger societal issues loom larger than the individual plaintiffs in a trial. Writers often employ legal settings in order to explore the larger problems of society. Not only is conflicting interest unavoidable in trials, but the inevitability of a verdict that could go either way provides a tale with reliable tension. Race remains one of America’s most difficult to talk about subjects. In Race, David Mamet takes advantage of the structure of a criminal case to allow his characters and the audience to examine issues of race in America. Here are some of its more famous predecessors that also tackle the subject: To Kill a Mockingbird: Favorite literary father Atticus Finch bravely defends Tom Robinson, a black man, charged with raping Mayella Ewell in Alabama in the 1930s. Falsely accused, Tom is subjected to an unfair trial by an all white jury. Written by Harper Lee from the perspective of Atticus’s spitfire daughter, Scout, the novel contains an extended scene inside the courtroom. Scout might be too young to fully understand what she witnesses at Tom’s trial, but her reportage captures the flavor of a Depression era courtroom and the biases contained within. Screenwriter Horton Foote and director Robert Mulligan adapted Lee’s novel into a film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus. The American Film Institute recently awarded the film several honors including naming it the best courtroom drama and Atticus Finch the top screen hero of the last 100 years. Atticus’s walk out of the courtroom after the verdict is often cited as among the most memorable scenes in film history.
Twelve Angry Men: The story takes place in real time as an all white male jury deliberate over a murder case in which a young Latino man is accused of killing his father. Eleven out of twelve jurors vote the boy guilty, but one holdout—Juror 8—believes there is reasonable doubt. The teleplay follows his attempt to win the other jurors to his side by forcing the others to confront their racial and socio-economic prejudices and provides a snapshot of a country on the verge of the Civil Rights movement. The film version of this story holds the AFI’s second spot on its list of best courtroom dramas, though none of it takes place in the actual courtroom. Since appearing as a live broadcast from CBS in 1954, Reginald Rose’s original teleplay has been adapted into a play and a feature film. Bonfire of the Vanities: Tom Wolfe’s 1987 novel captures a New York City characterized by racial tension and the excesses of Wall Street. Wolfe was inspired by two real cases in New York in the 1980s in which two young black men, Willie Turks and Michael Griffith, were murdered when they accidentally stumbled into white neighborhoods. Big shot financier Sherman McCoy and his mistress take a wrong turn on their way from JFK Airport and end up in the Bronx. Approached by two AfricanAmerican men, they panic and hit one of the young men with their car. Bronx District Attorney Abe Weiss pushes for McCoy’s indictment for manslaughter. Frequently responsible for sending minorities to prison, Weiss sees an opportunity to appeal to his constituents by recasting himself as a legal “minority avenger.” The novel follows the media circus created by the case, the formal legal procedures leading up to a full trial, and the backroom wheelings and dealings of the major players. A Time to Kill: The John Grisham novel came out in 1989, closely on the heels of Bonfire of the Vanities, but takes place in a Deep South that feels closer to Harper Lee than Thomas Wolfe. In 1996, it became a popular film starring Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey, whose young daughter is raped and nearly killed by two KKK members. The men are arrested, but are likely to be acquitted because of the deep-seated racism of the area. Hailey decides to take justice into his own hands, gunning the two down outside the courthouse. The rest of the movie centers around Hailey’s trial and the efforts of his attorney, Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) to combat the hold the KKK has on the community. Brigance struggles to
get justice for both Hailey and his daughter by arguing that rape is rape no matter what the victim’s race.
We Can’t Stop Talking About Race in America by David Mamet
Reprinted with permission from The New York Times PRESIDENT OBAMA, like his predecessor President Bill Clinton, has suggested that this country engage in a dialogue about race. But what has our 230-year national experience been but a dialogue about race? Our earliest drama on the subject, “Metamora,” by John Stone (1829), concerns the relations between the Massachusetts settlers and Prince Philip of the Wampanoags. So does the novel “Hope Leslie” by Catherine Sedgwick (1827). Much of the contentiousness that characterized the First Continental Congress centered on the subject of slavery. Since then the Fugitive Slave Law, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott decision, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 14th Amendment and so on, down to the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the trial of the Scottsboro Boys, the internment of the Japanese, busing, affirmative action and the 2008 election, have kept the subject alive in the national discourse. My current play, “Race,” is intended to be an addition to that dialogue. As a Jew, I will relate that there is nothing a non-Jew can say to a Jew on the subject of Jewishness that is not patronizing, upsetting or simply wrong. I assume that the same holds true among African-Americans. In my play a firm made up of three lawyers, two black and one white, is offered the
David Mamet
chance to defend a white man charged with a crime against a black young woman. It is a play about lies. All drama is about lies. When the lie is exposed, the play is over. Race, like sex, is a subject on which it is near impossible to tell the truth. In each, desire, self-interest and self-image make the truth inconvenient to share not only with strangers (who may, legitimately or not, be viewed as opponents) but also with members of one’s own group, and, indeed, with oneself. For just as personal advantage was derived by whites from the defense of slavery and its continuation as Jim Crow and segregation, so too personal advantage, political advantage and indeed expression of deeply held belief may lead nonwhites to defense of positions that, though they may be momentarily acceptable, will eventually be revealed as untenable.
(Though its acceptability may be understandable, the notion that a wise Latina woman is better qualified to dispense justice than a white man is no less tragic or absurd than the opposite assertion.)
whites in the audience: Is it possible that a 70-year-old black man hates the whites? Let me enlighten you. You cannot find a 70-year-old black man who does not hate the whites.
Drama may be used to buttress popular beliefs (see agitprop, the Soviet apotheosis of the tractor, and issue plays generally), but tragedy, like psychoanalysis, must strive to uncover those beliefs so unacceptable that their existence has been unconsciously repressed and would be consciously denounced. Tragedy’s end is their resolution. Here, as Aristotle teaches, heroes realize their previously repressed knowledge and are, by the revelation, freed from repression and transformed.
This made sense to me. (I apologize to the esteemed Mr. Rock for what I am sure is a clunky paraphrase.)
Most contemporary debate on race is nothing but sanctimony — efforts at exploitation and efforts at restitution seeking, equally, to enlarge and prolong dissent and rancor.
“But what has our 230year national experience been but a dialogue about race?
”
The question of the poor drama is “What is the truth?” but of the better drama, and particularly of tragedy, “What are the lies?” I have never spent much time thinking about the themes of my plays, as, I have noticed, when an audience begins to talk about the play’s theme, it means the plot was no good. But my current play does have a theme, and that theme is race and the lies we tell each other on the subject. Chris Rock, in his last tour, addressed the subject of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and asked, rhetorically and on behalf of the
There has always been, at the very least, a little bit of hate between blacks and whites in this country, with each side, in its turn, taking advantage of its political strength (as who does not?). But that relationship is also perhaps like a marriage. Both sides at different times are bitching, and both at different times are bailing, but we’re all in the same boat. We are bound to each other, as are all Americans. Bound though subdivided, not only by race, but by religion, politics, age, region and culture. And we not only seem to be but are working it out. Contemporary considerations of diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action, reparations and so on are, I believe, the beginning of the final wave of the exceptionalism of the black American experience. These difficult, divisive questions, like those of abortion, gun control, gay rights and illegal immigration, are and will continue to be adjudicated in the legislatures, the courts and the public consensus — until the dialogue is done. When will it be over? It will be over, like any marital fight, at an unforeseeable time, when it has run its natural course. The length and tenor of that course are unknown to the participants, who, as in a marital fight, are each convinced, above all things, that the fight will be prolonged until his or her own side has triumphed. But as in a marriage the dialogue will take its own course until fatigue, remorse and finally forgiveness bring resolution.
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ON STAGE February 2011 Parenting 101: The Musical Off Broadway Productions 12/9/2010 - 3/6/2011 (215) 893-1999
Recent Tragic Events Players Club of Swarthmore 1/28/2011 - 2/12/2011 (866) 811-4111
Plaza Suite Hedgerow Theatre 2/10/2011 - 3/6/2011 (610) 565-4211
Hairspray The Ritz Theatre Company 1/6/2011 - 2/5/2011 (856) 959-5230
Uncle Vanya The Actors’ NET 1/28/2011 - 2/13/2011 (215) 295-3694
Death Trap Players Club of Swarthmore 2/11/2011 - 2/26/2011 (866) 811-4111
A Moon for the Misbegotten Arden Theatre Company 1/6/2011 - 2/27/2011 (215) 922-1122
Cats New Candlelight Theatre 1/28/2011 - 3/20/2011 (302) 475-2313
A Skull in Connemara Lantern Theater Company 1/13/2011 - 2/6/2011 (215) 829-0395
Heeere’s Tony! Act II Playhouse 2/2/2011 - 2/20/2011 (215) 654-0200
YoungVoices Monologue Festival Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2/16/2011 - 2/19/2011 (215) 665-9226
Crazy for You The Broadway Theatre of Pitman 1/14/2011 - 2/6/2011 (856) 384-8381
Nocture Flashpoint Theatre Company 2/2/2011 - 2/26/2011 (215) 665-9720
Lucy Delaware Theatre Company 1/19/2011 - 2/6/2011 (302) 594-1100
The Fall of Troy: Troilus and Cressida and the Trojan Women Collingswood Shakespeare Company 2/3/2011 - 2/27/2011 (609) 221-2991
Sojourner First World Theatre Ensemble with Hedgerow Theatre 1/20/2011 - 2/6/2011 (484) 461-8748 Enchanted April MN Players 1/21/2011 - 2/5/2011 (610) 353-9181 Lidless InterAct Theatre Company 1/21/2011 - 2/13/2011 (215) 568-8079 The Little Prince Bristol Riverside Theatre 1/24/2011 - 2/12/2011 (215) 785-0100 The Glass Menagerie Resident Ensemble Players 1/27/2011 - 2/27/2011 (302) 831-2204
Waiting For Lefty South Camden Theatre Company 2/4/2011 - 2/20/2011 (856) 409-0365 Private Lives The Stagecrafters 2/4/2011 - 2/20/2011 (215) 247-8881 The Cherry Orchard Villanova Theatre 2/8/2011 - 2/20/2011 (610) 519-7474 Big Love Temple Theaters 2/9/2011 - 2/20/2011 (215) 204-1334 The Empire Builders The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium 2/9/2011 - 2/27/2011 (215) 285-0472
Artaud Unbound EgoPo Classic Theater 2/16/2011 - 2/20/2011 1 (800) 595-4TIX Don Juan Quintessence Theatre Group 2/16/2011 - 3/13/2011 1 (877) 238-5596 All the King’s Men Resident Ensemble Players 2/17/2011 - 3/6/2011 (302) 831-2204 Lieutenant of Inishmore Theatre Exile 2/17/2011 - 3/13/2011 (215) 218-4022 Jack and the Beanstalk Players Club of Swarthmore 2/18/2011 - 2/26/2011 (866) 811-4111 Arabella Academy of Vocal Arts 2/19/2011 - 3/1/2011 (215) 735-1685 Master Class The Ritz Theatre Company 2/24/2011 - 3/26/2011 (856) 959-5230 Emperor’s New Clothes Storybook Musical Theatre 2/28/2011 - 3/13/2011 (215) 659-8850
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Bella: The Color of love Starring Theresa Tova Written by Theresa Tova and Mary Kerr Directed by Alistair Newton Design by Mary Kerr Musical Direction and Compositions by Matt Herskowitz Thursday, April 28; Friday, April 29; Saturday, April 30 at 8:00pm and Sunday, May 1 at 2:00pm Bella: The Color of Love, a new world premiere inspired by the life of Bella Chagall, wife and muse to marc Chagall, is a theatrical and musical journey from russia to the lights of Paris to america. featuring yiddish diva Theresa Tova, this dazzling musical cabaret takes us into the world of a creative woman living in the shadow of one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. a feast for the eyes and ears, Bella: The Color of Love is a not-to-be-missed production in this year’s Philadelphia international festival of the arts (Pifa).
Marc Chagall, “Double-Portrait with a Wine Glass” photo © 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Pari
Location: The Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. PhiladelPhia inTernaTional fesTival of The arTs 2011 april 7, 2011 - may 1, 2011 insPired By The kimmel CenTer
Tickets: $25 when you use the code “Chagall” (Regularly $29) Student tickets with ID: $15 Visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org or Call 215-985-0420
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Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust A at the recommendation of Carole Haas Gravagno
Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2 at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas
Don and Lynne Rosenblit
Mr. and Mrs. Jon Harmelin
Sally Lyn Katz
Neal and Sheila Schneider
KieranTimberlake Associates
The Lida Foundation
Shire Pharmaceuticals
Monika Krug
Jerry and Cookie Riesenbach
Richard and Dale Levy
Carol Saline and Paul Rathblott
James T. Smith and Debra I. Klebanoff
Kim and Rob Roberts The Fulcrum Foundation
Bryna and Andrew Scott
LIncoln Financial Foundation
Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams, Jr.
Kenneth M. Rutherford
Laura and Richard Steel Tracey B. Weiss and William I. Goldberg Special thanks to our many other donors.
Philadelphia Theatre Company Seat Naming Campaign Name a seat today and become an indelible part of the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. We invite you to place your name, that of a loved one, or your business on one or more of the seats in the theatre. An elegantly engraved plaque with your specified text will be placed on the back of a seat on the orchestra or mezzanine levels of the theatre. Reasons to Name a Seat Today: •
You enjoy and care about theatre and Philadelphia Theatre Company
•
You’d like to make a meaningful contribution that supports our work
•
You’d like to recognize a special person, occasion, or institution
•
You’d like to honor the memory of a loved one
•
You need to find the perfect gift for the person who has everything
For information about naming a seat, please call the Development Office at 215-985-1400, ext. 115
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35 Seasons of Premieres! P TC’s mission is centered around the development and production of imaginative and entertaining contemporary theater focused on the American experience that both ignites the intellect and touches the soul.
Under the ongoing artistic direction of Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik, PTC supports the work of a growing body of diverse dramatists and takes pride in being a home to scores of nationally recognized artists who have participated in more than 130 world and Philadelphia premieres. Our PTC@PLAY new play project provides residencies and commissions while having developed over 75 scripts, half of which have gone on to production or publication. Philadelphia Theatre Company’s exceptional history of producing moving and provocative new work for the stage includes the world premieres of The Happiness Lecture (a PTC commission conceived by Bill Irwin), Terrence McNally’s Master Class (1995); Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel (1996); David Ives’s Lives of The Saints (1999); J.T. Rogers’s White People (2000); No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs by John Henry Redwood (2001); Barbra’s Wedding by Daniel Stern (2002); A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher (2003); Bruce Graham’s According to Goldman (2004); Adrift in Macao by Christopher Durang and Peter Melnick (2005); and Some Men by Terrence McNally (2006), all of which were then produced in New York and other cities. Among its numerous other honors are the 45 Barrymore Awards that PTC has garnered over the years, including the 2008 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Education & Community Service, Best Theater Company or Theatre Company of the Year from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, City Paper, Philadelphia Style Magazine, Philadelphia Gay News and the Arts & Business Council Award (twice) for Arts Management Excellence and its partnership with Dranoff Properties. With its loyal subscription base and expansive education and outreach programming, PTC is now in its fourth season in its beautiful home on the Avenue of the Arts, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, confirming its status as a major player in the American national theater scene.
Productions with National Impact Red Hot Patriot: The Kick -Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret and Allison Engel Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2010 Golden Age by Terrence McNally Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2010 The Kennedy Center, 2010 Unusual Acts of Devotion by Terrence McNally Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2008 La Jolla Playhouse, 2009
The Happiness Lecture Conceived & Performed by Bill Irwin, PTC Commissioned, 2008 Some Men by Terrence McNally Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2006 Second Stage, 2007 Adrift in Macao Books & Lyrics by Christopher Durang Music by Peter Melnick Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2005 Primary Stages, 2007
A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2003 Coconut Grove Playhouse, Cincinatti Playhouse and Manhattan Theatre Club, 2005 Geffen Theaer, 2007 Barbra’s Wedding by Daniel Stern Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2002 Westside Arts Theatre, Off Broadway, 2003 Invisible Theatre, 2006
No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs by John Henry Redwood Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2001 Primary Stages, Off Broadway, 2001 Detroit Repertory Theatre, New Repetory Theatre, 2003 White People by J.T. Rogers Philadelphia Theatre Co. 2000 Salt Lake Acting Company, 2001 Atlantic Theater Company, 2009 Shakespeare & Company, 2009
Lives of the Saints by David Ives Philadelphia Theatre Co.1999 Berkshire Theatre Festival, 1999 Birdy by Naomi Wallace adapted from William Wharton Philadelphia Theatre Co.1998 Women’s Project, Off Broadway, 2003
Bunnny Bunny by Alan Zweibel Philadelphia Theatre Co.1996 Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off Broadway 1997 Master Class by Terrence McNally Philadelphia Theatre Co.1995 Tony Award for Best Play Broadway, Kennedy Center, Mark Taper Forum, National Tour, 1995-1999
Philadelphia Theatre Company Productions Key Code
All productions are Philadelphia premieres unless otherwise note v
World Premiere
l Co-Production n East Coast, Professional or American Premiere m Production moved on to NY or other regional theater. the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (2007 - Present) 2009 - 10 Humor Abuse by Lorenzo Pisoni and Erica Schmidt The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel v Golden Age by Terrence McNally v Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret Engel & Allison Engel Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson 2008 - 09 v Unusual Acts of Devotion by Terrence McNally 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother by Kate Moira Ryan & Judy Gold Resurrection by Daniel Beaty At Home at the Zoo by Edward Albee Grey Gardens book by Doug Wright, Music by Scott Frankel, Lyrics by Michael Korie 2007 - 08 v Being Alive music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, conceived and directed by Billy Porter M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang Third by Wendy Wasserstein v The Happiness Lecture by Bill Irwin
plays & Players theater (1982 - 2007) 2006 - 07
n Murderers by Jeffrey Hatcher
The Frog Bride by David Gonzalez v Nerds://A Musical Software Satire by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Erik Weiner, music by Hal Goldberg l In The Continuum by Danai Gurira & Nikkole Salter Orson’s Shadow by Austin Pendleton 2005 - 06 vm Adrift in Macao book & lyrics by Christopher Durang, music by Melnick Ben Franklin: Unplugged by Josh Kornbluth in collaboration with David Dower After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage vm Some Men by Terrence McNally 2004 - 05 Trumbo by Christopher Trumbo with Bill Irwin The Story by Tracey Scott Wilson Elegies: A Song Cycle by William Finn Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg
The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and Members of the Tectonic Theater Project 1999 - 00 l Dinah Was: The Dinah Washington Musical by Oliver Goldstick v White People by J.T. Rogers Wit by Margaret Edson Side Man by Warren Leight 1998 - 99 How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel vm Lives of the Saints by David Ives Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moisés Kaufman The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh 1997 - 98 Full Gallop by Mark Hampton and Mary Louise Wilson Minutes from the Blue Route by Tom Donaghy A Question of Mercy by David Rabe nm Birdy by William Wharton, adapted by Naomi Wallace
2003 - 04 Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks 1996 - 97 Nickel and Dimed by Joan Holden v According to Goldman vm Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel by Bruce Graham Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel l Sylvia by A.R. Gurney The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia? by Edward Albee Seven Guitars by August Wilson 2002 - 03 Fully Committed by Becky Mode King Hedley II by August Wilson The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown vm A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher 2001 - 02 Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies n The Infidel by Bruce Norris The Play About the Baby by Edward Albee vm Barbra’s Wedding by Daniel Stern 2000 - 01 m Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher vm No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs by John Henry Redwood This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan
1995 - 96 Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher I Am A Man by Oyamo Broken Glass by Arthur Miller Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally 1994 - 95 All in the Timing by David Ives Keely and Du by Jane Martin The Woods by David Mamet vm Master Class by Terrence McNally 1993 - 94 Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies The World Goes ‘Round by John Kander and Fred Ebb n “2” by Romulus Linney Night Sky by Susan Yankowitz
1992 - 93 Prelude to a Kiss by Craig Lucas Mountain by Douglas Scott with Len Cariou v Tiny Tim is Dead by Barbara Lebow Lips Together, Teeth Apart by Terrence McNally 1991 - 92 National Anthems by Dennis McIntyre Miss Evers’ Boys by David Feldshuh n Lady-Like by Laura Shamas vm Nagasaki Dust by W. Colin McKay 1990 - 91 Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet The Cocktail Hour by A.R. Gurney with Celeste Holm n Pill Hill by Samuel Kelley 1989 The Middle of Nowhere songs by Randy Newman and Tracy Friedman 1988 - 89 Elaine’s Daughter by Mayo Simon The Voice of the Prairie by John Olive Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet Hannah Senesh by Lori Wilner and David Schechter adapt: of Senesh diaries Avner the Eccentric with Avner Eisenberg 1987 - 88 vm Stauf by Eric Saltzman and Michael Sahl co-produced with the American Music Theater Festival Orphans by Lyle Kessler Southern Exposure: n Sister and Miss Lexie by Eudora Welty, adapt. by Brenda Curran; and From The Mississippi Delta by Endesha Ida Mae Holland vm Hospitality by Allan Havis Out! by Lawrence Kelly First fully-mounted production 1986 - 87 Williams & Walker by Vincent D. Smith vm Citizen Tom Paine by Howard Fast with Richard Thomas, co-produced with The Kennedy Center Days and Nights Within by Ellen McLaughlin As Is by William M. Hoffman
1985 - 86 Painting Churches by Tina Howe Split Second by Dennis McIntyre. Co-produced with Freedom Theatre. Original commissioned from Grover Washington, Jr. Great American Sideshow: One Acts by Romulus Linney, Alan Zweibel and Robert Pine Extremities by William Mastrosimone 1984 - 85 Terra Nova by Ted Tally Geniuses by Jonathan Reynolds To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday by Michael Brady Fool for Love by Sam Shepard 1983 - 84 Getting Out by Marsha Norman True West by Sam Shepard Strange Snow by Steve Metcalfe Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson 1982 - 83 Wings by Arthur Kopit Lone Star/Laundry & Bourbon by James McLure Final Passages by Robert Schenkkan Dylan Thomas by Jack Aranson with Jack Aranson 1981 - 82 When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder by Mark Medoff The Vietnamization of New Jersey by Christopher Durang Nuts by Tom Topor
various theatres (1975 - 1981) 1980 - 81 The Rimers of Eldritch by Lanford Wilson Alice Through The Looking Glass company developed by Lewis Carroll Hooters by Ted Tally Jesse and the Bandit Queen by David Freeman Getting Out by Marsha Norman 1979 - 80 Streamers by David Rabe The Insanity of Mary Girard by Lainie Robertson The Emperor Jones by Eugene O’Neill Dementia 80 by Don Steele
1979 Ashes by David Rudkin The Exhibition by Thomas Gibbons Some of My Best Friends are Women by Don Steele and Edward Earle 1978 The Seagull by Anton Chekhov The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie by Albert Innaurato The Persecution of Eugene Waterman by Louis Lippa The Final Concert Tour of Mickey Colossus by Peter Mattaliano A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare Center City Soap by Dorothy Louise 1976 - 77 The Lion and the Lamb by Joseph Orazi Future Tense by John Sevcik The Keeper by Karolyn Nelke 27 Wagons Full of Cotton by Tennessee Williams Mars by Clay Goss She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (Theatre in the Court) Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (Theatre in the Court) 1976 Marlowe by John Yinger Rain by W. Somerset Maugham, adapted by Colton and Randolph The Crossing/As I Lay Dying A Victim of Spring by David Rabe & Leslie Lee The Three Daughters of M. Dupont by E. Brieux Translation by Pauline Jones Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (NewMarket) 1975 The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice Sargeant Musgrave’s Dance by John Arden Between Now and Then by Leslie Lee
about our home The Suzanne Roberts Theatre, designed by KieranTimberlake Associates, is owned and operated by Philadelphia Theatre Company and is the Company’s first permanent home. PTC is proud that the creation and development of its home, in partnership with Symphony House developer Carl Dranoff, has become a model for civic redevelopment; one that capitalizes on the ability of the arts to reinvigorate districts for residential and commercial revival. The Theatre’s design honors PTC’s mission to produce and develop new American plays and musicals. The space is contemporary, elegant and urbane, and features a 160’ double height glass facade on the Avenue of the Arts. The interior is defined by a uniquely warm and sculptural 365 seat mainstage auditorium with a proscenium arch of interlocking leather tiles, a spacious and contemporary mezzanine, and a planned 100 seat flexible second stage for new play development, intimate performances, and educational programming. Our stage house significantly enhances our ability to respond to the most imaginative visions of our creative teams with its spacious wings, soaring fly gallery, and trapped stage. The Theatre offers a full range of public amenities with an on-site box office, ample public restrooms, a concession stand, and lobbies designed for patron comfort and engagement with the City visible through large expanses of glass. The grand staircase leads from the main floor to the double height mezzanine lobby. The Theatre’s contemporary universal design makes it one of the country’s most accessible performing arts venues and supports one of PTC’s core values ensuring that our artistry is accessible to everyone in our community.
about suzanne Roberts Philadelphia Theatre Company is honored to name its home after Suzanne Roberts--actress, playwright, director, educator, producer and philanthropist. For more than 40 years, Suzanne has been a leading champion of the Philadelphia theater community. An actress by training, Suzanne has engaged as an artist in meaningful public service with projects as diverse as performing in dramas to inspire the purchase of war bonds during World War II to national appearances in plays discouraging racism and alcoholism. Demonstrating the breadth of her artistry, Suzanne has performed on many stages throughout our region in plays from Shakespeare to A.R Gurney. She has also performed in a variety of media including radio and television and is well known to audiences as the creator and host of the Emmy Award winning “Seeking Solutions with Suzanne.” One of Suzanne’s lifelong passions has been using theater to improve the lives of young people. Through the Suzanne Roberts Cultural Development Fund, she has supported the outreach work of theater and dance companies in sharing their creativity with school children and young adults. Portrait of Suzanne Roberts by Alan Kole. Photo of Mainstage of Suzanne Roberts Theatre, home of Philadelphia Theatre Company, by Mark Garvin
for your information Box Office Hours:
During Productions: Mon - Fri: 10am to showtime Sat - Sun: 12pm to showtime Between Productions: Mon - Fri: 10am to 5pm Sat - Sun: closed
Open Captioned Performances: 2/12/11 at 2pm
For audience members who are hearing impaired. A large LED captioning screen, positioned beside the stage, scrolls text of the lyrics/dialogue in tandem with the lyrics/dialogue of the performance.
Assisted Listening Devices:
State-of-the-Art assisted listening headsets that use an infrared signal to wirelessly deliver all dialogue, music and sound from the show at a personally adjustable volume are available for free at every PTC performance through the House Manager or concessionaire.
Audio Described Performances & Sensory Workshops 2/12/11 at 2pm
For audience members who are blind or low vision. Assistive listening devices are provided, through which a trained audio describer fills in the visual details and action on stage, live while it is being performed. A sensory workshop is provided before the show in which teaching artists provide in depth explanations of the visual aspects of the show, with patrons often invited on stage to touch and experience the set and costumes. Large Print and Braille programs available upon special request. Contact the box office to make a reservation for this workshop and/or performance. PTC’s accessibility programming is sponsored by the Lincoln Financial Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ Accessibility to the Arts in Pennsylvania for Individuals with Disabilities Program. Accessibility technology in the Suzanne Roberts Theatre was made possible by a grant from the Lincoln Financial Foundation.
Photography
The use of photographic or recording devices is strictly prohibited. Please note: The audience may be photographed by PTC staff for archival and publicity purposes. If you prefer that your likeness not appear in PTC materials, please notify the House Manager.
Group Ticketing & Events
Contact PTC’s Group Sales Manager, Carol Flannery at 215.985.1400 x304
Student Matinees, In-School Workshops, and Summer Camp
Contact PTC’s Education Department at 215.985.1400 x106
Facility Rentals
Contact events@philadelphiatheatrecompany.org
Volunteer Opportunities
Contact PTC’s Patron Services Manager, Meg Morris at 215.985.0420 x105
Advertising Opportunities
Contact Angela Madgin at 215.985.1400 x112 or amadgin@philadelphiatheatrecompany.org
Parking and Public Transportation
The Theatre is easily accessible by the Walnut/Locust and Lombard/South SEPTA Broad Street Subway stations, 15th/16th PATCO station, Route “C” bus, or taxi. On-site parking is available at the InterPark lot, as well as nearby garages along Broad Street. PTC Subscribers can pick up $2-off parking vouchers for the Interpark or Ez-Park lot at the Box Office.
Restrooms, Elevator, Water Fountains
LADIES’ & MEN’S ROOMS are located on the orchestra level of the Theatre. All restrooms are ADA compliant. The ELEVATOR is located to the left of the concession stand which may be used to reach the mezzanine level. WATER FOUNTAINS are located outside the restrooms.
Lost & Found
If you have lost or found an item, please see the Box Office or House Manager. PTC is not responsible for loss or theft of personal belongings.
Lobby Video Installation
The klip//collective is dedicated to creating high-end, large-scale and unique video installations. klip//collective transforms architectural spaces into immersive visual experiences. For more information visit www.klip.tv/about.html.
Put a little PEP
in your PTC experience
EdwardAlbee Albee Edward
Faith Prince, Angela Lansbury, Terrence McNally
Peter Peter Melnick, Melnick, Christopher Christopher Durang Durang
FREE Patron Enrichment programs For Race Race in PhiladelphiA - 1/31, 7:00pm Please join us on Monday, January 31 at 7pm for a moderated discussion of Mamet’s play, its meaning for you, and its relevance to Philadelphia. The evening is co-sponsored by NewCore (the New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity), Penn’s Project for Civic Engagement and WHYY. See the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of Race before January 31 in order to participate. RSVP for this event: 215.985.0420 Book Club - 1/27, 6:30pm Join us for snacks as we discuss, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (available at any bookstore or online at Amazon.com). RSVP: bookclub@philadelphiatheatrecompany.org Night Out! - 2/3, 6:30pm Sponosored by The Brothers Network Mix and mingle with friends from the LGBTQ community.
All PEP events are FREE! Photos by Paola Nogueras
2010/11 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Priscilla M. Luce, President Julia Ericksen, Ph.D., Vice President Neal Schneider, Vice President Neal Cupersmith, Treasurer Brigitte Daniel, Secretary Michael M. Coleman, Co-Chairman E. Gerald Riesenbach, Esq., Co-Chairman Lynda Barness Marilyn Birnhak Richard Burke John C. Carrow Sara Garonzik Alice L. George Frank Giordano Glenn Gundersen Kenneth Kaiserman* Sally Lyn Katz Monika Krug* Carol Clark Lawrence Dale Penneys Levy James M. Meyer, CFA Donald Rosenblit, Chairman Emeritus* Carol Saline Jordan Savitch Elliot Schwartz Bryna Silver Scott, Esq. James T. Smith, Esq. Harriet Weiss Alan Widra Members Emeritus Joanne Harmelin Sheldon L. Thompson* Bettyruth Walter, Ph.D. Tracey Weiss, Ph.D.
PHILADELPHIA THEATRE COMPANY STAFF Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik Interim Managing Director Kathleen Kund Nolan Assistant to the Producing Artistic & Managing Directors Sharon Kling Business Manager Patricia Lustig Director of Development Sophie V. Steuer Manager of Donor Relations Charles R. Grafman Development Associate Meg Jones Director of Marketing & Communications Amy Lebo Marketing Associate Angela Madgin Publicist Deborah K. Fleischman Group Sales Manager Carol Flannery Patron Services Manager Meg Morris Box Office Manager Sarah Blask Assistant Box Office Manager Liz Fontenla Box Office Associates Jessie Pasquariello, Carla Emanuele, Liam Daley, Sara Blomquist House Manager Ron Hunter Director of Education Maureen Sweeney Resident Teaching Artist & Programs Associate Mindy A. Early Teaching Artists Carla Emaunele, Jan Michener, Melody Tash Literary Manager and Dramaturg Jacqueline Goldfinger Literary Interns Veronica Decker Annie Halliday General Office Assistant Rashanda Freeman Production staff Director of Production & Theater Operations Technical Director & Theater Operations Manager Associate Production Manager/Company Manager Facilities Supervisor Assistant Stage Manager Props Master Sound Supervisor Wardrobe Supervisor Light Board Operator/Programmer Scenery: Assistant Scenic Designer Assistant Costume Designer Production Interns
*denotes past president
Race was rehearsed at the New 42nd Street Studios
Dresser
credits Cover Design Scenery Auditor
Bruce Charlick Michael L. Cristaldi Bridget A. Cook Chris Butterfield Danielle Commini Melissa A. Cristaldi Daniel A. Little Maxine Johnson Sam Henderson Proof Productions Inc. Jacob Davis Amanada Jenks Melissa C. Mann Julian Fernandez Hallie Keyser diccico battista communications Scenery First, Inc. Larson Allen
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OPEN HOUSE Sundays, 1-3pm
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