NOV 20–DEC 15, 2019 Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from Vivienne Support PlayMakers Who We Are Title Page Cast List Musical Numbers Program Notes Author Bios Actor Bios Up Next: Everybody Creative Team Bios General Information PlayMakers Staff Friends of PlayMakers Corporate and Foundation Partners Advertisers
PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
VIVIENNE BENESCH
Dear Friends, Almost one year ago, I was sitting in my living room with Zi Alikhan hearing about his genuine passion for revitalizing the American Musical Theatre canon. He spoke with evangelical zeal about the “classic” shows of yesteryear but made it clear that, as a young person of color in 2019, his interest was not in preserving them as fixed museum pieces, but mining them for all they have to offer us today. When we decided to program Ragtime as the centerpiece of our 2019/20 season, I recognized it as the perfect opportunity to bring Zi’s benevolent mission to PlayMakers. Our initial enthusiasm around programming Ragtime went beyond the worldclass artists we knew would leap at the opportunity to work on this contemporary classic, including Tony-nominated set designer Mark Wendland, rising-star Lux Haac on costumes, My Fair Lady lighting designer Masha Tsimring, and company and Triangle stalwarts like Tracy Bersley, Mark Hartman, and Eric Collins. Each artist proved ready to explore how a musical written 20 years ago, based on a novel written nearly 50 years ago about the American Experience at the turn of the last century can so clearly reflect the contemporary experience of the North Carolinians who walk into our theatre today. In our engagement programming—from the Here Us Now VR Experience offered nightly in the Paul Green Gallery, to the interactive map in our lobby, to our continued Where Are We NOW? post-show conversation series and beyond—we gave ourselves the challenge to gather and share “citizenship” stories from around our state. Our goal was to pick up where the show leaves off and bring its exercise in empathy home with us to North Carolina. In short, we hope you’ll walk out of the theatre tonight reflecting on your own family’s journey, while simultaneously humming Aherns and Flaherty’s gorgeous score as you do. And, if you’re a fan of beautiful music, keep the good times rolling with us this December as we welcome national jazz recording artist Yolanda Rabun back to PlayMakers for Songs of Holiday Cheer, hot off her sold-out run as Nina Simone. It’s shaping up to be a quite a holiday season here at PlayMakers. We’re grateful you’ve chosen to spend a piece of it with us. Warmly,
Vivienne
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Save the Date!
PlayMakers Gala Monday, April 27, 2020
Experience PlayMakers from a whole new perspective Featuring a unique culinary experience from AC Events by Ashley Christensen
For more information including sponsorship opportunities, please contact 6Amelia Stanley, Director of Development, at amelia.stanley@unc.edu
SUPPORT US It is my pleasure to serve this season as the chair of the PlayMakers Advisory Council and welcome you to our 2019/20 season. PlayMakers is part of a proud 100 year tradition of playmaking at Carolina. Our Legacy | NOW season gives us the opportunity to carry on this tradition as we transition to the future, while continuing our mission of engaging campus, town, and state communities through our programming.
PLAYMAKERS ADVISORY COUNCIL Amy Guskiewicz, Chair Betsy Blackwell, Vice Chair Duncan Lascelles, Vice Chair Joanne Garrett Deborah Gerhardt Joan H. Gillings Bobbi Hapgood Lisa Hazen Tom Hazen Janelle Hoskins Betty Kenan, emeritus Stuart Lascelles Robert Long Graig Meyer Julie Morris Florence Peacock Diane Robertson Wyndham Robertson Carol Smithwick David Sontag Jackie Tanner Mike Wiley Lisa Yarborough
When I walk out of PlayMakers after a show, I always say how lucky we are to have an award-winning theatre with such world-class performances right here in Chapel Hill. Through community philanthropy, we are privileged to serve the Triangle and beyond with K-12 programs, the PlayMakers Mobile touring initiative, and accessible services that bring the magic and power of theatre to underserved communities. Living in Chapel Hill for the past 24 years and raising our family here has created many fond memories sitting alongside family, friends, and visitors at PlayMakers. I am always amazed at the variety of shows offered each season, which often challenge my thinking, entertain, and move me…leaving me thankful for the gift this theatre provides. If you enjoy and believe in the power of the theatre as I do, I invite you to become a Friend of PlayMakers. Make a yearly gift to the annual fund, give a little each month as a Sustainer, or offer a campaign gift to strengthen PlayMakers’ vision for the future. Join me in supporting an organization that makes a difference in our community. And as Joan H. Gillings often says, “You will sit a little taller in your theatre seat, knowing you made a difference, too.” Thank you! Warmly,
Amy Guskiewicz
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PlayMakers is... “One of America’s Best Regional Theatres” (American Theatre Magazine), PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theatre company, proudly in residence on the dynamic campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The professional company was founded in 1976, growing out of a storied 100 year tradition of playmaking at Carolina. Our mission is to produce relevant, courageous work that tells stories from and for a multiplicity of perspectives. We believe that theatre can have a transformational impact on individuals and entire communities, and we are committed to making our work accessible to all. PlayMakers produces ten shows on two stages each year in our home venue, the Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art, bringing the transformative power of theatre to more than 50,000 audience members annually, from over 50 counties. At the very heart of the PlayMakers experience is one of the nation’s last remaining resident theatre companies, made up of accomplished performers, directors, designers, artisans, and technicians, and supported by exceptional graduate students in UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art. Our company works side by side with guest artists from all over the world and our alumni include Pulitzer Prize, Tony®, Emmy®, and Grammy Award® winners. Creating Tomorrow’s Classics, Today Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch is continuing PlayMakers’ tradition of producing vibrantly reimagined classics, large-scale musical theatre, and significant contemporary work, but is also broadening the company’s reach to become a home for new play development and a true hub of social and civic discourse in the region. Her first four seasons have already given life to eight important new American plays. Provoking Conversation Our hugely popular PRC2 series is programmed to provoke thought, stimulate discussion, and push the boundaries of the theatrical form. Every PRC2 production in the intimate Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre is followed by an “Act 2” opportunity for direct, dynamic engagement between audiences, artists, and subject matter experts.
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Theatre for the People PlayMakers Mobile is an initiative that seeks to contribute positively to the civic and social life of our region by taking world-class theatre out of our building and into the community. We create a streamlined production of one classic play each year and take it to schools, transitional housing facilities, and long-term treatment facilities around the Greater Triangle area. It’s all free of charge, since too often the people who can benefit from theatre the most are the ones who don’t have access to it.
WHO WE ARE
Leaving Eden, 2018. Photo by HuthPhoto A Hub of Engagement Beyond being the region’s go-to for dynamic and entertaining stories, PlayMakers is a home for memorable conversations that allow us to make connections with the work and with each other well beyond the experience of a production. In the Wings, Vision Series, and a host of other post-show discussions and unique engagement opportunities enrich our audience’s experience of the live arts. Passing the Torch PlayMakers’ award-winning Summer Youth Conservatory is the only professionally supported training program of its kind in the region. The Theatre Quest program provides camps to area middle school students, while the Theatre Intensive and Theatre Tech programs allow Triangle high schoolers to apprentice directly with professional directors, choreographers, musical directors, and technicians, culminating in a professional quality production on the PlayMakers mainstage for the whole community to enjoy. Eliminating Barriers With a commitment to eliminating barriers for attendance, PlayMakers offers All Access performances for our patrons living with disabilities, Community Nights where all tickets are just $15, and tickets reduced to just $10 for UNC students and $12 for all other students. Our Spotlight on Service program also offers complimentary tickets to local service organizations.
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PLAYMAKERS PRESENTS
RAGTIME
Book by
Terrence McNally
Music by
Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by
Lynn Ahrens
Based on the novel "RAGTIME" By E. L. Doctorow Director
Zi Alikhan Music Director Mark Hartman
Choreographer Tracy Bersley Scenic Designer Mark Wendland
Costume Designer Lux Haac
Lighting Designer Masha Tsimring
Sound Designer Eric Alexander Collins
Video/Projection Designer Alex Maness
Associate Director NJ Agwuna
Associate Choreographer Tristan Parks
Vocal Coach Tia James
New York Casting by Pat McCorkle, CSA
Stage Manager Charles K. Bayang
Dramaturgs Gregory Kable Jacqueline E. Lawton Assistant Stage Manager Elizabeth Ray
McCorkle Casting, Ltd.
NOV 20–DEC 15, 2019 Ragtime is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Lauren Kennedy is the recipient of the Louise Lamont Distinguished Guest Artist Award.
Eric Alexander Collins is the recipient of the Robert and Margaret Boyer Distinguished Guest Artist Award.
Many thanks to our Partner and Opening Night Post-Show Reception Sponsor, Jujube The Professional Theatre of the Department of Dramatic Art Adam VersĂŠnyi, Chair Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director Justin D. Haslett, Managing Director Produced in association with The College of Arts & Sciences The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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MEMORIAL HALL, CHAPEL HILL
HOLIDAY POPS TUES, DEC 10 | 7:30PM Joseph Peters, conductor
Beloved traditional and popular holiday music, including music from The Polar Express and The Nutcracker—plus a sing-along celebration of the season.
EXPERIENCE THE ULTIMATE TRIP THROUGH THE GALAXY!
THE PLANETS SUN, JAN 12 | 7:30PM
Gemma New, conductor Women of the NC Master Chorale
Salina Fisher: Rainphase Debussy: Nocturnes Holst: The Planets
Tickets start at just $20! ncsymphony.org | 919.733.2750
THE CAST In alphabetical order
Grandfather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Adamson* Ellis Island Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sergio Mauritz Ang^ Booker T. Washington/Harlem Ensemble. . . . . . . Anthony August* Ellis Island Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emily Bosco* Sarah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AnnEliza Canning* Father/J.P. Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Blair Cornell* Sarah's Friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toshia Cunningham-Swinson Little Boy/Henry Ford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ray Dooley* Younger Brother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Fine Little Girl/Emma Goldman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Gibson* Harlem Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liz Howard Harlem Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faith Jones Mother. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Kennedy* Evelyn Nesbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Elizabeth Keyes* Harlem Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyrone Kiaku Willie Conklin/Ellis Island Ensemble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lydia Kinton Harlem Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tristan Parks Coalhouse Walker Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fergie L. Philippe* Tateh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Poole^ Harry Houdini/Ellis Island Ensemble. . . . . . . Sebastiani Romagnolo
Time & Place
2019: Chapel Hill, NC/1906: New York, NY
There will be a 15 minute intermission
STAGE MANAGERS
Charles K. Bayang*
Elizabeth Ray*
*Indicates members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. ^Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
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THE MUSIC Act One
Ragtime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Company Goodbye, My Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mother Journey On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father, Tateh, Mother The Crime of the Century. . . . Evelyn Nesbit, Younger Brother, Ensemble What Kind of Woman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mother A Shtetl Iz Amereke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tateh, The Little Girl, Ensemble Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tateh, J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Ensemble His Name Was Coalhouse Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ensemble Gettin' Ready Rag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse, Ensemble Henry Ford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry Ford, Coalhouse, Ensemble Nothing Like the City. . . . . . Tateh, Mother, The Little Boy, The Little Girl Your Daddy's Son. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah New Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father, Mother, Younger Brother, Coalhouse, Sarah, Ensemble The Wheels of a Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse, Sarah The Night that Goldman Spoke at Union Square. . . . . . Younger Brother, Emma Goldman, Ensemble Gliding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tateh Justice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse, Sarah, Ensemble Till We Reach That Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Company
Musicians Music Director and Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hartman Percussion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul Hannah Reeds, Music Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne Leechford French Horn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Lewis Violin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tasi Mathews Bass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sinclair Palmer Keyboard 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Thompson
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Act Two
Entr’acte Coalhouse's Soliloquy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse Coalhouse Demands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Company What a Game!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father, The Little Boy, Ensemble Atlantic City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Nesbit, Harry Houdini, Father New Music (Reprise). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Father Atlantic City, Part II. . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Nesbit, Harry Houdini, Ensemble Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baron Ashkenazy Our Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mother, Baron Ashkenazy Sarah Brown Eyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse, Sarah He Wanted to Say. . . . . . Emma Goldman, Younger Brother, Coalhouse, Coalhouse's Gang Back to Before. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mother Look What You've Done. . . . . . . . . . Booker T. Washington, Coalhouse, Coalhouse's Gang Make Them Hear You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coalhouse Ragtime/The Wheels of a Dream (Reprise). . . . . . . . . . . . The Company
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PROGRAM NOTES Make Them Hear You: Ragtime's Progressive Rhythms By Gregory Kable
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963).
“No prison can hold me!” the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini assured his audiences. “No hand or leg irons or steel locks can shackle me. No ropes or chains can keep me from my freedom.” Houdini’s defiant assertion gave depth and immediacy to his acts on the illusionist circuit, increasing his personal profile and fame but also serving as a rallying cry for the America of his day. As the nation made its passage from the nineteenth into the twentieth century, respectively characterized as the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the bonds of Victorian morality and values were broken with alacrity. Everywhere the chimes of freedom were supplanting those clinking bars of confinement. Ragtime is set amid this heady period of transformation, dating roughly from 1900-1917, particularly during that initial decade when a new musical style and the dreams of a new century seemed to speak as one. But that push toward liberation wasn’t easy. The times were as notable for upheaval as for progress. In 1901, President William McKinley was assassinated only six months into his second term, an act qualifying any optimism about a new beginning. During Teddy Roosevelt’s tenure, capitalists, socialists, gradualists, and anarchists tumbled headlong over one another in trying to seize the public story and point the way ahead. Business boomed as trust-busting tried to reign in the monopolies that simultaneously drove and imperiled the economy. If government and industry often found themselves at odds, industry and labor fared no better. Union strikes came into their own as effective tools against exploitation while giving rise to a widening climate of hostility and suspicion. Immigration was at an all-time high; race relations at an all-time low. As urban centers struggled with exploding populations, class stratification grew tragically pronounced. Social violence was prevalent. And
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adding to the friction, women were reconceiving their roles and place in a changing society, accelerating both resistance to and the inevitability of radical change. On all fronts, America was redefining itself and confronting a host of issues which have long haunted that founding ideal of forming a more perfect union, and many of which stubbornly persist today. But, then as now, those unwelcome burdens confronted a resilient and potent spirit, and the very soundscape of the modern age reflected a deliberate break with convention. The ragtime music promoted by Scott Joplin and James Reese Europe was emancipatory, a conscious challenge to established hierarchies. In terms of its form, ragtime rejected the strict time signatures of marches and waltzes, through a “ragged” accompaniment which kept the beat fluid, slightly in front of or behind the melody, in that sense the perfect sonic metaphor for an unpredictable present. Socially, ragtime reclaimed a style which had been appropriated decades before by Stephen Foster through works like “Camptown Races” or “Swanee River”, and grossly debased through minstrelsy. The new sound was the syncopation of city life, a pleasurable act of subversion, and a manifestation of musical pride all at once.
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In the widest sense, the ragtime craze confirmed that the 20th century danced to a different drummer, an environment alien to the regulated pace of a metronome, and one in which difference beset America on every side. From that point forward, as lyricist Ira Gershwin would breathlessly notate in his diary, inspiration would come from life itself: "Heard in a day: An elevator's purr, telephone's ring, telephone's buzz, a baby's moans, a shout of delight, a screech from a 'flat wheel', hoarse honks, a hoarse voice, a tinkle, a match scratch on sandpaper, a deep resounding boom of dynamiting in the impending subway, iron hooks on the gutter.” The ‘fascinatin’ rhythms’ of Gershwin’s jazz age are the insistent voices of modernism embedded in the ragtime tempos preceding it.
In an equally reformist vein, E.L. Doctorow composed his 1975 novel Ragtime like later hip-hop DJs, spinning multiple tracks at once, deftly sampling history and fiction, forming a freestyle melody of creative inventions couched in the guise of journalistic reporting, a technique drawing much attention at the time. In one of his most revealing essays entitled “False Documents”, Doctorow accounted for this fusion of genres, allowing him to combine such seemingly disparate elements as a high profile historical murder with a fictional immigrant story, factual figures ranging from Houdini to Henry Ford, and crusaders Emma Goldman and Booker T. Washington intertwined with an updated protagonist from the German Romantic, Heinrich von Kleist, arguing that “there is no fiction or nonfiction as we commonly understand the distinction: there is only narrative.” Relatedly, in an interview on contemporary writing, Doctorow regretted with what he perceived as the modern novel’s “miniaturist” tendencies toward private and interior experience. His direction, in contrast, was away from such constriction in pursuit of what Doctorow characterizes “the big story”, continuing, “the big story is always the national soul--who are we, what are we trying to be, what is our fate, where will we stand in the moral universe when these things are reckoned?” As if in response, guest director Zi Alikhan has reimagined a Ragtime which feels utterly clairvoyant, speaking directly and urgently to our American moment. Like its diverse characters and their collective arcs of motion, transit, and states of becoming, this Ragtime unfolds within the contours of the 21st century, with all of the possibilities and fresh revelations such a bold approach entails. This is a production passionately invested in what all great American dramas, including its musicals, interrogate—American identity, our national way of life, the truth and illusions of the American Dream—while preserving the essential qualities of Doctorow’s novel, McNally’s adaptation, and Flaherty and Ahrens’ score. In each iteration, Ragtime’s song remains the same: dynamic, aspirational, symphonic, anthemic. In a word, American.
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AUTHOR BIOS
Terrence McNally Book
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Born in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1938, and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, playwright, librettist, and screenwriter McNally is acknowledged as one of the most prolific, searching, and acclaimed writers in American theatre. After graduating from New York’s Columbia University in 1960, his first play, This Side of the Door, was produced at The Actors Studio in 1962. His first Broadway project And Things That Go Bump in the Night proved one of the most controversial works of 1964-65. McNally took on the Vietnam War in his one-acts Next (1966) and Botticelli (1968), and the counterculture and political violence in 1971’s Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?. Noon (1968), Bad Habits (1971), and The Ritz (1975) pushed the envelopes of sexuality and farce, while Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune (1982) and A Perfect Ganesh (1993) confirmed McNally an artist of range and longevity. Among his most notable works are the plays confronting the AIDS crisis and gay identity ranging from the teleplay Andre’s Mother (1990), and Lips Together, Teeth Apart (1991), to Love! Valour! Compassion! (1994), and Corpus Christi (1997); his musical collaborations complementing Ragtime, The Rink (1984), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992), The Full Monty (2000), and Catch Me if You Can (2011); and his metatheatrical trilogy, It’s Only a Play (1985), The Lisbon Traviata (1989), and Master Class (1995). Most recently, McNally has been represented on and off-Broadway by Mothers and Sons (2014), Fire and Air (2018), the stage version of the Flaherty-Ahrens scored Anastasia, for which he served as librettist, and the 2019 revival of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Among his numerous honors, McNally received a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2019.
Stephen Flaherty Composer Lynn Ahrens Lyricist One of the best-known teams of the generation of musical theatre artists coming of age after the end of out-of-town tryouts, these versatile, award-winning selfdescribed “workshop kids” met at a 1983 BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City. Flaherty was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1960, and received his training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and New York University. Ahrens, a New York native, was born in 1948 and attended Syracuse University where she majored in advertising. Ahrens would contribute to the 1973 animated classic Schoolhouse Rock! before collaborating with Flaherty on their inaugural project, The Emperor’s New Clothes for the youthoriented TheatreWorks USA in 1985. This was followed by Off-Broadway’s Lucky Stiff in 1989, their first Broadway offering, the highly-acclaimed Once on This Island in 1990, and 1992’s adaptation of the Hollywood comedy, My Favorite Year. Ahrens partnered with composer Alan Menken on a musical version of A Christmas Carol for Madison Square Garden in 1994, before rejoining Flaherty for Ragtime (1996), the animated film Anastasia (1997), Seussical (2000), A Man of No Importance (2002), Dessa Rose, the autobiographical revue Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (both 2005), and The Glorious Ones (2007), among others. Their Rocky: The Musical premiered on Broadway in 2017, as did the stage version of Anastasia, reuniting them with Ragtime’s bookwriter McNally.
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CAST BIOS David Adamson Grandfather
PlayMakers: Company member for over 40 years. Recent shows and highlights include Bewilderness, She Loves Me, Leaving Eden, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, An Enemy of the People, Trouble in Mind, Into the Woods, Imaginary Invalid, Henry IV & V, Big River, As You Like It, Nicholas Nickleby, The Illusion, Hobson’s Choice, The Tempest, Cymbeline, The Seagull, Arcadia, Charley’s Aunt, Macbeth, Cyrano de Bergerac, Curse of the Starving Class. Off-Broadway: The Strike, The Ambassador, Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, Happy Birthday, Wanda June. Tours: Tracers, Drumwright, Appalachia Sounding. Regional: Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Love’s Labours Lost, Hamlet, Henry IV, A Christmas Carol (North Carolina Shakespeare Festival); Henry V, All’s Well That Ends Well (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Deathtrap (Old Creamery Theatre); Hamlet (Indiana Repertory Theatre). International: Telemacco, Bridge of Sighs (Fest in Hellbrunn, Salzburg, Austria). Other: Academic Advisor, UNC-Chapel Hill; Vietnam veteran.
Sergio Mauritz Ang Ellis Island Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. Company member in first year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. New York: Joker (National Queer Theater); Anna in the Tropics (The Gallery Players); Much Ado about Nothing (Classics in Color); Summertime (Between Two Boroughs); Empress of China (Yangtze Rep). Regional: Peter and the Starcatcher (Kitchen Theatre Company); Bruise and Thorn (PlayPenn); Mañanas de Abril y Mayo (Connecticut Free Shakespeare). Awards: 2011 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, National Commendation for Outstanding Performance in a Play for Boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. Education: BFA in Acting Brooklyn College; AAS in Early Childhood Education Hostos Community College; Vocal Music Major Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts and Performing Arts, NYC.
Anthony August Booker T. Washington / Harlem Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. Company member in first year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Regional: The Hunchback of Seville (Mildred’s Umbrella), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (The Ensemble Theater), Fade To Black Festival, This is Modern Art (The Landing Theatre Company), Macbeth (Encore Theatre). University: When the Ancestors Call, Dutchman, A Raisin in the Sun, Last Days of Judas Iscariot, The Mountaintop (Texas Southern University) Education: Texas Southern University, B.A. in Theatre. @kingslick @anthonyaugust
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Emily Bosco Ellis Island Ensemble
PlayMakers: Company member in third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Dairyland, How I Learned to Drive, She Loves Me, Sense and Sensibility; PlayMakers Mobile Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; PlayMakers Ground Floor Time Stands Still, Brilliant Traces. Regional: Significant Other (Theatre Raleigh); The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A Shayna Maidel (Bergen County Players). University: Richard II, The Importance of Being Earnest, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Boston University). Education: Boston University (B.A. in English), The Barrow Group Theater @emily.bosco.50 @embosc Company, Upright Citizens Brigade.
AnnEliza Canning Sarah
PlayMakers: Debut. Regional: The Muny (New York Musical), The Sound of Music (Alabama Shakespeare), Annie (Paper Mill Playhouse), REVIVAL: The Resurrection of Son House (Geva Theatre Center), Sonata 1962 (Feastival 2018), Theatre Wichita’s 2016 and 2017 Summer Seasons. Education: B.F.A, Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. @AnnEliza.C.S.1 @AnnElizaCS
Jeffrey Blair Cornell Father / J.P. Morgan
PlayMakers: This marks Jeff ’s 25th season with PlayMakers. Recently: Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive, Sipos in She Loves Me, and Darren (the Woodchuck) in Bewilderness. Some favorites: Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Caliban in The Tempest, Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, Roy Cohn in Angels in America, and Herr Schultz in Cabaret. New York: Two by Two, Down to Earth, Serious Business. Regional: Guthrie Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, among others. Education/Other: Carbonell Award nominations for Best Actor – Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me and Falsettoland (Caldwell Theatre – FL). Studied at HB Studios in New York with Uta Hagen, Austin Pendleton, and Elizabeth Wilson. Serves as Teaching Professor/Associate Chair in UNC’s Department of Dramatic Art.
Toshia Cunningham-Swinson Sarah's Friend
PlayMakers: Big River. Regional: They Didn’t Know, Via Dolorosa, The Story (EBC Fine Arts Ministry), Broke and Sexy. Other: Toshia is honored to have performed and recorded with several national recording artists over the last 15 years, including North Carolina’s Tony Award-winning Red Clay Ramblers.
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Ray Dooley Little Boy / Henry Ford
PlayMakers: Company member since 1989. Most recently: Dairyland, Life of Galileo, Bewilderness, She Loves Me, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Broadway: Macbeth. Off-Broadway: Three seasons with Classic Stage Company (OBIE Award for Distinguished Performance, Peer Gynt). International: European premiere of Doubt (Vienna’s English Theatre); Amadeus, The Lark (Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, Canada). Regional: Folger Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Shakespeare Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre Company, among many others. Film/TV: Trainhopper, Changeover, The Trial of Standing Bear, Stonebrook, One Life to Live, Guiding Light. Education/Other: MFA, American Conservatory Theater; BA, Hamilton College (Phi Beta Kappa). Professor Emeritus, UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Dramatic Art; C. Knox Massey Award for Unusual, Distinguished and Meritorious Service to the University. Member Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA. @rdooleync
David Fine Mother's Younger Brother
PlayMakers: She Loves Me, Tartuffe. Regional: Igor in Young Frankenstein (Asheville Community Theatre); Trinculo in The Tempest (NC Stage Company). University: Billy Flynn in Chicago (Pauper Players); Leo Bloom in The Producers (Company Carolina). Education: BA in Dramatic Art and Oenological Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 2020.
Julia Gibson Little Girl / Emma Goldman
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PlayMakers: Native Son, How I Learned to Drive, Bewilderness, She Loves Me, The Cake, My Fair Lady, Twelfth Night, An Enemy of the People, Into the Woods, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Love Alone, Metamorphoses, The Tempest. Broadway: Stanley, Uncle Vanya, ‘Night Mother. National Tour: The Exonerated. Off-Broadway: The Public, Shakespeare in the Park, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, New York Theatre Workshop, SoHo Rep, Origin Theatre Company, Irish Rep, The Rattlestick, among others. Regional: The Alley, American Conservatory Theatre, The Goodman, The Long Wharf, Yale Rep, George Street, The Arden, Milwaukee Rep, Philadelphia Festival Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and elsewhere. Film/ TV/Other: Michael Clayton, Changing Lanes, Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Spin City, So Close, One Life to Live. Narrated over 160 audio books. Directing includes: Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Epic Theatre Company, Gulfshore Playhouse, New London Barn, Portland Stage, Juilliard, NYU.
Liz Howard Harlem Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. University: Godspell, A View From The Bridge (Company Carolina), Rocky Horror Picture Show, Chicago (Pauper Players), Night Writers (Carolina Film Association). Education/Awards/Other: Founder & Executive Director of Black Arts Theatre Company, subgroup of the Black Student Movement. Director of Black Girl Interrupted (Black Arts Theatre Company). BA in Dramatic Art & BA in Journalism from UNC Chapel @Elizabeth.Teresita @ElizabethTeresitaHoward Hill, Class of 2021.
Faith Jones Harlem Ensemble
PlayMakers: She Loves Me; Summer Youth Conservatory’s Hairspray. Regional: Martha in Spring Awakening (North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre), The Radio in Caroline, or Change (Raleigh Little Theatre), Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit (One Song Productions). University: Queenie in The Wild Party (Company Carolina). Education: B.A. in Music from UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 2020. Awards: Triangle Rising Stars Best Actress 2015, National High School Musical Theatre Awards Best Actress Nominee.
Lauren Kennedy Mother
PlayMakers: Debut. Broadway: Spamalot, Les Miserables, Side Show, Sunset Boulevard. Off-Broadway: Vanities, Good Ol’ Girls. London: South Pacific (National Theatre). National Tour: Sunset Boulevard. Regional: Next to Normal, Mamma Mia (NC Theatre). Directing: Lauren is the Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Raleigh where she has directed such shows as The Bridges of Madison County, Vanities, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and starred in productions such as August: Osage County, Parade, Violet, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Big Fish.
Sarah Elizabeth Keyes Evelyn Nesbit
PlayMakers: Company member in third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Native Son, Life of Galileo, She Loves Me, Leaving Eden, Sense and Sensibility; PlayMakers Mobile Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Selected credits include The Skin of Our Teeth (TFANA); Usual Girls (EST); Horse Girls (Ars Nova); The Mysteries (The Flea); Solutions Grassroots Tour (International Wow Company). Regional: Measure for Measure, Macbeth (Scranton Shakespeare Festival); Hair, Little Bunny Foo Foo (Parallel 45); Dracula, Floyd Collins, and The Humana Festival of New American Plays (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Film/Television: On the Way North (OTWN); Boy Code (Cannes Film Festival Selection). Education: BA in Acting Fordham University Lincoln Center; Theatre major at Interlochen Arts Academy High School. @sarahbethkeyes @keyesse 27
Tyrone Kiaku Harlem Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. Regional: The Scottsboro Boys (Theatre Raleigh), Kinky Boots (Hangar Theatre), Winter in Eden (Burning Coal Theatre Company). Community: Pippin, Cinderella (Raleigh Little Theatre). Education: B.M. In Music Performance, Western Carolina University (2018).
Lydia Kinton Willie Conklin / Ellis Island Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. Regional: Beehive: The 60’s Musical, The Rocky Horror Show (Theatre Raleigh); Avenue Q, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hairspray, Spring Awakening, Cinderella (Raleigh Little Theatre); Hair (Theatre in the Park). Awards: Raleigh Little Theatre’s Cantey Awards: Best Cameo (2015 and 2017); Triangle Independent & Community Theatre Awards: Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress (2016). Education: Dean’s Vocal Scholarship (Vanderbilt University); Bachelor of Social Work (NCSU); Master of Social Work (USC-Columbia). Other: Theatre Raleigh Summer Series: An Evening with Jason Robert Brown (guest vocalist).
Tristan Parks Harlem Ensemble
PlayMakers: Life of Galileo, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Leaving Eden, My Fair Lady, The Crucible, PlayMakers Mobile A Midsummer Night's Dream and Measure for Measure. University: The Odyssey, Oklahoma!, Blues for Alabama Sky, Macbeth, The Little Prince, Chamber Music, Fabulation, or the ReEducation of Undine, The Normal Heart (University of Memphis). Education: MFA Professional Actor Training Program, UNC-Chapel Hill; BFA in Theatre, University of Memphis.
Fergie L. Philippe Coalhouse Walker Jr.
@fergsters95
PlayMakers: Debut. Broadway/National Tour: Hamilton. Regional: Parade (Merry Go Round Playhouse), Jesus Christ Superstar (MUNY) Twelfth Night, West Side Story, Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Fiddler on the Roof (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre), Violet (Heritage Theatre Festival). @fergsters95 Education: BFA, Elon University.
Adam Poole Tateh
PlayMakers: Company member in third year of UNC’s Professional Actor Training Program. Native Son, Jump, She Loves Me, Tartuffe, Dot, Sweeney Todd; Macbeth (PlayMakers Mobile); Time Stands Still (PlayMakers Ground Floor). Regional: Million Dollar Quartet (Heritage Theatre Festival); Big Fish, Significant Other, Lombardi, The Mystery of Edwin 28 Drood, A Few Good Men, Crimes of the Heart, The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee, Avenue Q (Theatre Raleigh); Grease (North Carolina Theatre), The Full Monty, Annie Get Your Gun (Theatre Workshop of Nantucket); The Glass Menagerie (Bartlett Theatre); Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Broadway Series South). Film/TV: Max Steel, Well Wishes, Adrenaline, Turn: Washington Spies, The Originals, Under the Dome, Revolution. Education: BA in Theatre (Performance Concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. @adammpoole @adam.poole.01
Sebastiani Romagnolo Harry Houdini / Ellis Island Ensemble
PlayMakers: Debut. New York: Sleep No More (Punchdrunk), The Grand Paradise, Seeing You, Romeo + Juliet (Lincoln Center), The Seagull (Roll the Bones); Broadway Labs: Spongebob Squarepants, War Paint. Regional: Music Man (Asolo Rep), Annie, Joseph….Dreamcoat (Mac-Hadyn), Acoustica Electronica (A.R.T), Hamlet (Blue Barn Theatre), Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret, On The Town, 25th…Spelling Bee, 42nd St, Anything Goes (Merry Go Round). University: State Fair, Company (NYU), Richard II, Antony + Cleopatra (RADA). Choreography: Assistant to Chris Gattelli (Spongebob Musical, War Paint), Mac Hadyn Theater (Berkshire Theatre Award-Outstanding Choreography), Cape Fear Regional Theater, Pace University, Atlantic Acting School, Yale Drama, Sarah Lawrence. Education: NYU | Tisch: CAP21| ETW, RADA.
Paul Green Foundation Paul Green’s mother instilled in her six children the love of music and literature; his father, hard work on the family farm. Paul was fascinated with the country fiddle tunes he heard as he walked the 2.5 miles to school in rural Harnett County and would stop by tenant farmers’ porches to listen and learn. As a teen holding the reins of a mule-drawn plow with one hand, he would hold a poetry book in the other and memorize poems. During his breaks from the scorching sun, he’d drive the mule under the shade of the trees and teach himself how to play the violin (the Stradivarius model, with instructions) he’d ordered from Sears Catalog for $2.50. When Green wrote The Lost Colony – his first of 17 outdoor dramas – he brought together music he’d written, other musical scores, lights and drama and created a new artform, Symphonic Outdoor Drama.
www.paulgreen.org
As wildly unprecictable as life itself. They say you can’t take it with you, but that won’t stop Everybody from trying! One of America's hottest young playwrights, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins gives this 15th century morality tale a much-needed lift of theatrical whimsy, as Everybody—hounded by Death—desperately searches among everything and everyone in hope of finding something to take along on life’s final journey.
JAN 22–FEB 9
This is theatre unlike anything you might have seen...it is not only provocative and involving, it is also funny. Wildly funny, HUFFINGTON in fact. POST
5 BRAVE ACTORS WILL BE
assigned their roles by lottery EACH NIGHT AS THEY fight to cheat Death.
Costume designs by McKay Coble
www.playmakersrep.org
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CREATIVE TEAM Zi Alikhan Director
PlayMakers: Debut. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo (Associate Director), Six Degrees of Separation (Associate Director). National Tour: Hamilton (Philip Tour, Resident Director), The Band’s Visit (First National Tour, Associate Director). Off-Broadway/New York: Development at Playwrights Horizons, LCT-3, New York Stage and Film, Ars Nova, The Lark. University: Juilliard, Yale, NYU. Education/Awards/Other: BFA, NYU/Tisch. Drama League Director’s Project and Artist Residency Program, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, Williamstown Directing Corps, MTC Alper Fellowship. Faculty, Pace University Musical Theatre.
Tracy Bersley Choreographer
PlayMakers: Movement coach and resident choreographer in her fourth season. As director/choreographer, Tracy Bersley has worked at such institutions as Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Lortel Theatre, Primary Stages, McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival and many award winning Off-Broadway companies, such as The Civilians and Red Bull Theatre. This spring, Tracy will be directing a transgender chamber opera, As One, for Carolina Performing Arts. She has served as professor or guest artist at Yale School of Drama, Princeton University, New York University, Purchase College, Columbia University/Barnard College and The Juilliard School. Tracy received her MFA in Directing from Syracuse University and is currently the head of movement for the Professional Actor Training Program in the Department of Dramatic Art at UNC-Chapel Hill, a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and a Drama League Fellow.
Mark Hartman Music Director
PlayMakers: She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Into the Woods, Cabaret, A Little Night Music, Othello, The Visit. Broadway: Sondheim on Sondheim (associate conductor), Avenue Q (associate conductor, music director), Miss Saigon, 1776 (Roundabout Theatre Company). Off-Broadway/Regional/Tour: West Side Story, Sunday in the Park with George (Guthrie Theater); His Royal Hipness (59E59); Waterfall (Pasadena Playhouse, 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle); Silence! The Musical; Funny Girl, 9 to 5, A Christmas Carol (North Shore Music Theatre); Guys and Dolls (Big League Productions); Working (Broadway in Chicago, The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory Theatre); Gray Gardens (Cape Playhouse); Pippin (Goodspeed Musicals, national tour); Chita Rivera: The Dancers of Life (The Old Globe); Finian’s Rainbow (Irish Repertory Theatre); The Fantasticks (Sullivan Street Playhouse, Jerry Orbach Theater). Concerts: The Happiest Millionaire, Oliver!, Camelot, Brigadoon, Pippin, Children of Eden (New York City premier). Other: Arranger and Music Supervisor of Magic To Do, a new Stephen Schwartz 33
revue with magic for Princess Cruises; recipient of three MAC Awards and the Backstage Bistro Award for Music Direction; Music Consultant on The Dead, 1904, a new immersive adaptation by Paul Muldoon of James Joyce’s masterpiece, currently in it’s third season in New York City.
Mark Wendland Scenic Designer
PlayMakers: Debut. Broadway: The Rose Tattoo, Six Degrees of Separation, Significant Other, Heisenberg, If/Then, Merchant of Venice (Tony nom.), Next to Normal (Tony nom.), Talk Radio, An Almost Holy Picture, Death of a Salesman. Wendland has designed scenery and costumes for over 100 productions OffBroadway and regionally. World Premieres include works by Eve Ensler, Florian Zeller, Terrence McNally, Michael John LaChiusa, Nilo Cruz, Eric Overmeyer, Halley Feiffer, Lisa Loomer, Tony Kushner, and Simon Stevens.
Lux Haac Costume Designer
PlayMakers: Debut. Off-Broadway/New York: Eureka Day (Colt Coeur/ Walkerspace), Ajijaak on Turtle Island (New Victory Theatre), R + J (Hypokrit Theatre Company/Access Theatre), The Review (Pipeline Festival/WP Theatre), ¡Figaro! (90210) (The Duke on 42nd Street), Nibbler (The Ammoralists/ Rattlestick Theatre), Macbeth, Powwow Highway (Amerinda/HERE Arts Center), A Lesson From Aloes ( Juilliard School of Drama), Woyzeck, FJF (The New Ohio), The Road to Damascus (The Director’s Company/59E59), The Erlkings (Theatre Row). Regional: Between Two Knees written by the 1491s (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Native Gardens (Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre, Portland Center Stage), Well Intentioned White People (Barrington Stage), Fall River, Syncopation, Trayf (Penguin Rep Theatre), Destiny of Desire (The Garden Theatre), Crossing the Line (Amphibian Theatre Company). Film: The Incredible Jessica James, Assistant Costume Designer (Netflix), #TEXIT (Short), The Music (Short), Violation (Short), Deluge (Short) Look Closer (Can’t You See the Signs (Music Video, Saun and Starr/Daptone Records), Across the Sea (NY Unit).
Masha Tsimring Lighting Designer
PlayMakers: My Fair Lady. Off-Broadway/New York: Sunday (Atlantic), Noura (Playwrights Horizons), Minor Character (Under the Radar), The Appointment (Lightning Rod Special/NYTW Next Door), Intractable Woman (PlayCo), Electric Lucifer (The Kitchen), Frontieres Sans Frontieres (Bushwick Starr), Ultimate Beauty Bible (Page73). West End/International: The Diary of John Rabe (NCPA Beijing, Berlin Staatsoper). Regional: The Christians, Into the Breeches, Romeo & Juliet (Chautauqua Theatre Co), Pride & Prejudice (Kansas City Rep), Our Town/Romeo & Juliet (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Kleptocracy (Arena Stage), As You Like It (CalShakes), The Price, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof (Triad Stage), Marriage of Figaro (Charlottesville Opera). Education/Awards/Other: MFA – 34 Yale School of Drama, Member USA829
Eric Alexander Collins Sound Designer
PlayMakers: She Loves Me, Temples of Lung and Air, The Crucible, We Are Proud To Present…, Peter and the Starcatcher. Regional: Newsies, A Night With Janis Joplin, Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar (North Carolina Theatre); Once, Big Fish, Rock of Ages, The Secret Garden (Theatre Raleigh); Macbeth, Lynn Taylor-Corbett’s Dracula and The Little Mermaid (all World Premieres) at Carolina Ballet; The Music Man, Idina Menzel (in concert), Natalie Merchant (in concert) for the North Carolina Symphony; The 39 Steps, Anon(ymous), The (Real) Merry Housewives of Windsor (NC State University Theatre). A 25-year veteran of the pro audio field, Eric Alexander Collins has worked across the U.S, Europe, and Austrailia in venues from Caesar’s Palace to the iconic Sydney Opera House. A North Carolina native, today Eric is proud to support the rich theatre community we have here.
Alex Maness Video/Projection Designer
PlayMakers: Native Son. Alex Maness is a photographer, filmmaker, and projection designer living in Durham. A graduate of Syracuse University, he is a past staff photographer for The Independent Weekly newspaper and is a co-conspirator at Shadowbox studio. Projection design for theater includes The Laramie Project, Dancing at Lughnasa, (Duke Theater Studies); Donald, Jade City Chronicles, Tarantino's Yellow Speedo, And the Ass saw the Angel, The Emotions of Normal People, Hunchback, (Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern); Wakey Wakey (Manbites Dog); In An Interrogative Mood (UNC-The Performance Collective). Projection design for dance includes Echo, No.19/Modulations, Show (collaborations with choreographer Justin Tornow) and They Are All (Culture Mill/American Dance Festival). Projection design for visual art includes Cinnabar, And Then The Sun Swallowed Me (collaborations with artist Heather Gordon).
NJ Agwuna Associate Director
PlayMakers: Debut. Off-Broadway/New York: Only Human, Till: A Musical, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, One For the Road, Lysistrata (New School of Drama); Hyacinth in the Mountains (14th St Y); Endangered (Eco Friendly Musical); what she found (FRIGID); Love and Information, FlipFlap and His Master, Then She Fell, and Sleep No More. West End/International: Freedom Train (TWUSA National Tour); Someone Dies at the End (Edinburg); Dracula: John Harkers Letters. Regional: Garbage (Maine Fringe & FRIGID); BLANKS (Fire This Time Festival & White River Junction, VT); Only Human (OCU). Film: The Amazing Spider Man 2 (1st PA) Television: Daredevil (Season 1 & 2), Jessica Jones (Season 1 & 2). Education/Awards/Other: Binghamton University (BA), Columbia University (MFA), DramaLeague Fellow, Outstanding Directing at NYMF, SDC Associate, Best Drama / Choreography for what she found at FRIGID, Teaching Artist with Tectonic Theatre Project.
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Gregory Kable Dramaturg
PlayMakers: Associate Dramaturg, 1997 to present. Productions include She Loves Me, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Peter and the Starcatcher, An Enemy of the People, Into the Woods, Private Lives, Clybourne Park, Red, Angels in America, Topdog/Underdog, The Subject Was Roses, Uncle Vanya, Violet: A Musical, and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Regional: American premiere of Pentecost, Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde (Yale Repertory Theatre). Directing: Love’s Labour’s Lost, A New Musical, Playing for Time, Lulu, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Sunday in the Park with George, Danton’s Death, Closer, The Lady From the Sea, Balm in Gilead, Jesus Christ Superstar, Therese Raquin, Hair, American Buffalo, Miss Julie, Curse of the Starving Class, Camino Real. Faculty: Department of Dramatic Art, UNC-Chapel Hill. Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama.
Jacqueline E. Lawton Dramaturg
PlayMakers: Jacqueline E. Lawton is a PlayMakers company member and resident dramaturg as well as a Professor in the Department of Dramatic Art, UNC-Chapel Hill. She was named one of 30 of the nation’s leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. Her plays include Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Intelligence; Love Brothers Serenade (semi-finalist, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference); Mad Breed; Noms de Guerre. She has worked as a dramaturg and research consultant at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival of New American Plays, Arden Theater, Arena Stage, Ensemble Studio Theater, Ford’s Theatre, Horizons Theater, Interact Theatre, Kennedy Center VSA Program, Round House Theatre, Theater J, Virginia Stage Company and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Education/Affiliations: MFA in Playwriting, University of Texas at Austin; James A. Michener Fellow. TCG Young Leaders of Color, National New Play Network (NNPN), Arena Stage’s Playwrights’ Arena, Center Stage’s Playwrights’ Collective and the Dramatist Guild of America.
Tia James Vocal Coach
PlayMakers: Company member for two seasons. Vocal coaching includes Sherwood, Skeleton Crew, She Loves Me, Bewilderness, Jump, Life of Galileo, and How I Learned to Drive, Your Healing is Killing Me. Director PlayMakers Mobile’s Macbeth and PlayMakers Ground Floor’s Constellations. Broadway: The Merchant of Venice. OffBroadway/New York: The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare in the Park). Regional: Richard III (Allentown Shakespeare); Loving and Loving (Stella Adler Studios); Much Ado About Nothing (Two River Theatre); Civilization (all you can eat) (Woolly Mammoth Theater). Television: Nurse Jackie, Treme. Teaching/ Coaching/Directing: UNC-Chapel Hill, NYU Graduate Acting, NYU Dance,
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Atlantic Acting School, Montclair University. Education/Awards: MFA NYU Tisch Graduate Acting Program, BFA Virginia Commonwealth University; Teacher Training under Scott Miller and John Patrick. Recipient of the 2014 NYU Graduate Acting Diversity Mentorship Scholarship, 2003 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship winner for Best Actor; 2019 Michael Chekhov/Zelda Fichandler Scholarship.
Charles K. Bayang Stage Manager
Charles is in his twelfth season with PlayMakers. Work at other regional theatres includes productions at Studio Arena Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Children’s Theatre. Charles holds an MFA from the University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Elizabeth Ray Assistant Stage Manager
PlayMakers: Company member in her third full season. Dairyland, No Fear & Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone, How I Learned to Drive, Jump, Skeleton Crew, Temples of Lung and Air, "A" Train, Tartuffe, Dot, The Cake, Into the Woods, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Private Lives. New York: Shows for Days (Lincoln Center Theater), In the Secret Sea (Theatre Row), Wallenberg, Requiem for Mr. B, Presto Change-O (Frankel Green Production Company), and Welcome to Shoofly (Playwrights Horizons). Work at other regional theatres includes productions at North Carolina Theatre, Theatre Raleigh, Palm Beach Dramaworks, and Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Elizabeth is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Pat McCorkle, CSA McCorkle Casting Casting Director
More than 55 Broadway productions including On the Town and Amazing Grace. Other casts include the Tony-nominated End of the Rainbow, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Ride Down Mr. Morgan, Amadeus, She Loves Me, Blood Brothers and A Few Good Men, among others. Notable Off-Broadway projects include Hit the Wall, Tribes, Our Town, Clever Little Lies, Falling, Freud’s Last Session, Almost Maine, Down the Garden Paths, Killer Joe and Driving Miss Daisy. Over 50 feature films include Premium Rush, Ghost Town, Secret Window, Basic, The Thomas Crown Affair, The 13th Warrior, Madeline, Die Hard with a Vengeance, School Ties, Splash. Projects for TV/new media include Sesame Street, Californication (Emmy nomination), Max Bickford, Hack and Chapelle’s Show. Feature films Child of Grace, Year By the Sea and Buyer and Seller are currently in production. mccorklecasting.com
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Vivienne Benesch Producing Artistic Director
Vivienne is in her fourth full season as a company member and Producing Artistic Director at PlayMakers, where she has helmed productions of Dairyland, Life of Galileo, Leaving Eden, The May Queen, Three Sisters, Love Alone, RED and In The Next Room. For 12 seasons, she served as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, presiding over the company’s transformation into one of the best summer theatres and most competitive summer training programs in the country. She directed over fifteen productions at CTC including an acclaimed reimagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Theatre, Opera and Dance companies. She brought CTC’s production of Amadeus, performed with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic, to the Virginia Arts Festival featuring PlayMakers company member Ray Dooley. Vivienne has also directed for the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Trinity Repertory Company, and Red Bull Theatre, among others. In 2018, she directed the world premiere of Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles for Detroit Public Theatre and will be directing it again on Broadway in the spring of 2020, starring Debra Messing. As an actress, Vivienne has worked on and off-Broadway, in film and television, at many of the country’s most celebrated theatres, and received an OBIE Award for her performance in Lee Blessing’s Going to St. Ives. Vivienne is a graduate of Brown University and NYU’s Graduate Acting Program. As an educator, she has directed for and served on the faculty of some of the nation’s foremost actor training programs, including The Juilliard School, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Professional Actor Training Program, Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program, and at her alma mater, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program. She is the 2017 recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award given by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
Justin Haslett Managing Director
Justin Haslett is in his fourth season as a company member at the helm of PlayMakers’ administrative operations. He has more than 15 years in notfor-profit theatre management experience. From 2007-2016, Justin served as Associate General Manager to Boston’s largest not-for-profit theatre, the Huntington Theatre Company, recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award. During his time at the Huntington, he oversaw production budgets, negotiated contracts with agencies and unions, managed Company Management, and worked with award-winning regional and national talent. Prior to his time at the Huntington, Justin served as Director of Development for Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, MA where he strengthened its foundation of engaged and generous community support. He also held multiple positions in development, marketing, and management/administration for the Yale School of 38 Drama, Yale Repertory Theatre, and the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
Justin holds an MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale School of Drama and a BA in Theatre and Anthropology from Bowdoin College. He currently serves as the Chair of the Chapel Hill Cultural Arts Commission, serves on the Carrboro Arts Committee and as a board member of the Orange Country Arts Commission, and teaches classes in theatre management at UNC-CH.
Michael Rolleri Production Manager
Michael is in his 33rd season with PlayMakers Repertory Company. He has been Technical Director, Project Manager, Exhibition Technician, and Lighting Designer for industrial shows in the Southeast region, as well as lead carpenter for films, the U.S. Olympic Festival, and scenic studios. He has also been a rigger in the Southeast region and has served on the executive board and as President of IATSE Local 417. Michael is a 30 year Gold Pin member of IATSE. An active member of United States Institute For Theatre Technology (USITT), he is a three-time winner at USITT's Tech Expo. He is a full Professor/Head of the Technical Production Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and was an instructor at High Point University and Tufts University. Education: MFA in Design and Technical Production, UNC-Greensboro.
919.929.1119 universityf lorist.com selfrisingf lower
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GENERAL INFO
Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art CB# 3235, UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3235 Box Office: 919.962.7529 Website: www.playmakersrep.org facebook.com/playmakersrep @playmakersrep instagram.com/playmakersrep playmakersrep.org/blog
Box Office Hours Monday-Friday 12:00 noon-5:00pm and 90 minutes prior to each performance. Use of Cell Phones and Other Electronics Texting and using cell phones, laptops, smart watches, and other devices that make sounds or emit light are strictly prohibited during the performance. It disturbs other patrons and the actors. Please turn all electronic devices to silent or off during the show. Cameras or Recording Devices Taking photographs or videotaping inside the theatre is strictly prohibited during performances. However, before the show, during intermission, and after the show, you are invited to take and share your photos of the stage and scenery.
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PLAYMAKERS Parking Come early to have a complete PlayMakers experience! Plan to arrive 30 minutes before the show so that you have time to park and pay (Monday-Thursday evenings only), find your seat, and enjoy the playbill with a drink or a light snack. There are several free and paid parking options available near PlayMakers. For more information and an interactive map of nearby parking options, please visit www.playmakersrep.org/parking Policy on Young Children As a courtesy to our patrons, it is the policy of PlayMakers not to admit children under the age of 5. All of our shows have age recommendations based on the content of each production. If you are considering bringing your child, please refer to our age recommendations, or contact our Box Office for further information. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Â Headsets for Hearing Impaired Patrons Our theatres are equipped with sound systems that amplify the sound from the stage. Patrons who wish to use the system may obtain headsets on a first-come, first-served basis from the coat check. Headsets must be returned immediately after the performance. Late Seating and Leaving Your Seat During the Performance In order to minimize disturbance to other patrons and the actors, late seating will be provided at the discretion of the house manager at an appropriate break in the action on stage. Patrons who need to be seated late must be escorted by house staff to seats at the rear entrance of the auditorium, which entails climbing a flight of stairs. Patrons can take their regular seat at intermission. We discourage patrons from leaving their seats during the performance. Be advised that you most likely will not be able to return to your regular seat; patrons will be reseated by house staff at the rear of the auditorium.
Thank you for your cooperation. 41
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Educate. Register. Empower. 43
PLAYMAKERS Administration
Vivienne Benesch, Producing Artistic Director Justin D. Haslett, Managing Director
ARTISTIC OFFICE
DEVELOPMENT
Tracy Bersley, Movement Coach/Choreographer Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Company Artistic Associate Tia James, Vocal Coach Gregory Kable, Dramaturg Jacqueline E. Lawton, Dramaturg Mark Perry, Dramaturg Alejandro Rodriguez, Associate Artistic Director Jeri Lynn Schulke, Engagement Associate Gwendolyn Schwinke, Vocal Coach Adam VersĂŠnyi, Dramaturg Student Assistants: Niajah Clark, Mya Graham, Gage Tarlton, Joshua Wahab
Lenore Field, Corporate Relations & Events Manager Shea Fitzgerald, Assistant Director of Development Amelia Stanley, Director of Development Students: Ashley Legoas, Jose Martinez, Madison Waters
ADMINISTRATION
Joe Emeis, General Manager Lisa Geeslin, Accountant Abbey Toot, Company Manager Lauren Vandemark, Business Operations Coordinator Hannah Hendren, Management Student Assistant Bailey Elrod, Work Study Student DRAM 193: Kayla Brown, Kayley Carpenter, Kiran Garcha, Amelia Jerden, Matthew Keith, Mikaela Mock, Emily Smith
MARKETING & AUDIENCE SERVICES Philip Guadagno, Audience Services Associate Brittany Petruzzi, Marketing & Comm. Associate Diana Pineda, Director of Sales & Marketing Thomas Porter, Box Office Manager Rosalie Preston, Associate Director of Marketing Box Office Students: Liam Becker, Ursula Gamache, Claire Goray, Matthew Gregoire, Chloe Jones, Josh Kegeris, Madison McFadden, Yaeelin Merino-Velasquez, Gillian Montgomery, Giuliana Palasciano, Naomi Smith Front of House Students: Robert Curtis, Aubree Dixon, Danny Ferguson, Grey Howard, Jonah Lawson, Matt Marks, Maggie McCullough, Jonathan Melton, Augustin Noguera, Morgan Nottke, Matthew Ricigliano, Kaitlyn Rivera, Nya Spinks, Jenna Zottoli Marketing Students: Dominic Antonietti, Elizabeth Holmes, Tamara Royster
Department of Dramatic Art Adam VersĂŠnyi, Professor and Chair
FACULTY David Adamson, Lecturer Judy Adamson, Professor Emerita Milly S. Barranger, Alumni Distinguished Prof. Emerita Vivienne Benesch, Professor of the Practice Tracy Bersley, Assistant Professor Jan Chambers, Professor McKay Coble, Professor Jeffrey Blair Cornell, Associate Chair, Teaching Prof. Ray Dooley, Professor Samuel Ray Gates, Assistant Professor Julia Gibson, Associate Professor Jennifer Guadagno, Teaching Assistant Professor David A. Hammond, Professor Emeritus Justin Haslett, Teaching Assistant Professor Kathryn Hunter-Williams, Teaching Assoc.Professor Tia James, Teaching Assistant Professor Gregory Kable, Teaching Professor Jacqueline E. Lawton, Assistant Professor
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Adam Maxfield, Teaching Associate Professor Triffin Morris, Professor of the Practice David Navalinsky, Associate Professor Bobbi Owen, Distinguished Professor Kathy A. Perkins, Professor Emerita Mark Perry, Teaching Assistant Professor Rachel E. Pollock, Teaching Assistant Professor Bonnie Raphael, Professor Emerita Michael Rolleri, Professor Gwendolyn Schwinke, Assistant Professor Aubrey Snowden, Teaching Assistant Professor Craig Turner, Professor Emeritus
STAFF Betty Futrell, Student Services Specialist Lisa Geeslin, Accountant Karen Rolleri, Business Coordinator Jamie Strickland, Business Officer Lauren Vandermark, Business Operations Coordinator
OUR 2019/20 SEASON Production
COSTUMES
Michael Rolleri, Production Manager
Jennifer Bayang, Assistant Costume Director Amy Evans, Wardrobe Supervisor Marissa Lupkas, Costume Collection Coordinator Triffin Morris, Costume Director Rachel Pollock, Costume Craftsperson Costume Production Graduate Students: Ellen Cornette, Alex Hagman, Cami Huebert, Jane Reichard, Erin Rodgers, Lauren Woods, Sherry Wu Isabella St. Onge, Undergraduate Assistant Costume Lab Assistants: Johanna Berg, Karmen Black, Meghan Chandless, Carla Cortez-Diaz DRAM 192: Leslie Beaver, Kayla Brown, Katia Carmichael, Peter Foster, Liz Howard, Lauren Ketwitz, Cole Kordus, Indigo Laibida, Molly Looman, Branson Pigg, Nya Spinks, Fabiola Torres-Lara
LIGHTING
Benjamin Bosch, Master Electrician Nicholas Guariglia, Undergraduate Assistant Work Study: Jahel Gomes, Madison Haines, Rebecca Henry, Kimberly Liles, Darrin Rountree, Hawthorne Weeks
SOUND Brandon Reed, Audio Designer/Engineer Marisa Clemente, Undergraduate Assistant Work Study: Aeron Scales, Matthew Wallace
SCENIC
Adam Maxfield, Technical Director Laura Pates, Assistant Technical Director Donald Quilinquin, Master Carpenter Jessica Secrest, Scenic Artist Technical Production Graduate Students: Gregory Condon, Paul Edghill, Patrick Hardison, Rocky Love, Kevin Pendergast, Nate Pohl, Kyle Spens Zach Eanes, Undergraduate Assistant–Scenery Livian Kennedy, Undergraduate Assistant–Painting DRAM 191: Jared Bowen-Kauth, Ciara DeJesus, Aubree Dixon, Jack Hazan, Joel Hockaday, Kezia Holder-Cozart, Jake Messer, Rob Piscitelli, James Stewart, Tanner Strong, Elizabeth Wheless Work Study: Afua Abonuhi, Joshua Bryant, James Faucette, Susan Huynh, Cole Kordus, Corinne Lavergne, James Pate, Amanda Roberts, Kennedy Routh Freeman, Caroline Webber
PROPS
Andrea Bullock, Properties Master Kenly Cox, Props Artisan Kira Lyon, Props Artisan Jessie Gleason, Undergraduate Assistant Work Study: Ciara Dejesus, Hannah Fatool, Kim Ngan Nguyen, Nhi Nguyen, Isabella Salazar
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Charles K. Bayang, Stage Manager Elizabeth Ray, Stage Manager DRAM 193: Mina Akbari, Janessa Annis, Aeris Carter, Alexis Colarusso, Mark Davio, Ciara Dejesus, Kethan Fadale, Jess Godwin, Titus Grant, Reese Griffin, Gabby Grois, Alyson Harris, Sydnie Kavanaugh, Indigo Laibida, Isis Mateos-Guevara, Allyx Miles, Zoe Neijna, Mustafa Oner, Michael Scofield, Carson Sifford, David Silvia, Brooke Smaltz, Kyle Taylor, Fabiola TorresLara, Madi Ugan, Joseph Walton, Blake Waud, Yichen Wu, Jikuan Xing Design Assistant: Alex Greene
PlayMakers’ Resident Acting Company
David Adamson Julia Gibson
Jeffrey Blair Cornell Ray Dooley Samuel Ray Gates Kathryn Hunter-Williams Tia James Sarita Ocón, Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship Professional Actor Training Program: Sergio Mauritz Ang, Anthony August, Emily Bosco, April Mae Davis, Brandon Herman St. Clair Haynes, Tori Jewell, Sarah Elizabeth Keyes, Khalil LeSaldo, Adam Poole, AhDream Smith, Dan Toot, Omolade Wey
For this Production of Ragtime
Nate Pohl, Technical Director Kevin Pendergast, Shop Lead Emily Jane MacKillop, Production Assistant Jordan Ross Weinhold, Orchestrator Marissa Lupkas, Assistant to Costume Designer Alex L. Baker, Rehearsal Pianist Ryan Gentry, Fight Consultant Drama Therapists: Barbara Kaynan, Cameron Wade Drapers: Ellen Cornette, Alex Hagman, Cami Huebert, Jane Reichard, Erin Rodgers, Lauren Woods, Sherry Wu
Sebastiani Romagnolo, Assistant Director
UNDERSTUDIES Sergio Mauritz Ang, Tateh Liz Howard, Sarah's Friend Tori Jewell, Swing Cover & Evelyn Nesbit Faith Jones, Sarah Tyrone Kiaku, Coalhouse Lydia Kinton, Mother & Emma Goldman Sebantiani Romagnolo, Father
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PlayMakers Repertory Company is a program of the Department of Dramatic Art, The College of Arts and Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, recognizes PlayMakers as a professional theatre organization and provides grant assistance to this organization from funds appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. PlayMakers is a beneficiary of the Elizabeth Price Kenan Endowment and the Lillian Hughes Prince Endowment. PlayMakers Repertory Company is a Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre. This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League Of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. PlayMakers is a proud partner of The Drama League, which advances the American theatre by providing a life-long artistic home for directors and a platform to dialogue with and between audiences.
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Proud Sponsors of the PlayMakers Repertory Company
Extended Stay Suites Chapel Hill
101 Erwin Road, Chapel Hill, NC 919.933.4848 ResidenceInnChapelHill.com
SummitHospitality.com
MAK
EA
Gif t.
MAK
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DiE A f f re Online
playmakersrep.org/give
Phone or Email
Shea Fitzgerald Asst. Director of Development shea.fitzgerald@unc.edu 919.962.2481
Send your check to: PlayMakers Repertory Company Development Department Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art CB 3235 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3235
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Ways to Give
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Since 1976, PlayMakers Repertory Company has brought world-class, innovative theatre to our community. Producing exceptional theatre season after season requires numerous resources and lots of hard work. But ticket sales only cover 50% of our annual costs, so we rely on the generosity of our community to help close the gap. A gift from you ensures that we can maintain the level of artistic excellence that PlayMakers is known for. Here are a few examples of what gifts from our community have made possible in recent seasons:
$100 Sponsored tickets for six high school students to attend a Student Matinee of Sense and Sensibility $250
Provided real ice cream for the entire run of She Loves Me
$500
Constructed the trick arrows in Robin Hood
$1,000 Fashioned a custom-made dress for Kathryn
Hunter-Williams in Tartuffe
Together, we have the power to transform lives through theatre – but we can’t create memorable, artistically excellent experiences without you. Make a tax-deductible gift to PlayMakers today and help keep high-quality theatre right here in Chapel Hill!
FRIENDS OF PLAYMAKERS PlayMakers is grateful to the members of the Friends of PlayMakers for their generous support. For more information about how to join this dynamic group of supporters, call the PlayMakers Development Office at 919.962.2481 or visit us at playmakersrep.org.
Director’s Circle ($10,000+)
Munroe and Becky Cobey * Joan H. Gillings * The Charles Goren and Hazen Family Foundation, Trustees Tom and Lisa Hazen Matt and Bobbi Hapgood * Chan and Monie Hardwick Brian Hargrove and David Hyde Pierce Mrs. Frank H. Kenan * + Charles W. Millard III Trust The Prentice Foundation * Robertson Foundation
Angel ($5,000–9,999)
Anonymous Betsy Blackwell and John Watson * Peter and Kim Fox * Joanne and Peter Garrett Tom and Lisa Hazen * Mr. Thomas S. Kenan, III * Kenan-Flagler Business School * Dr. and Mrs. Kimball King ~ D.G. and Harriet Martin * + Mr. and Mrs. William O. McCoy Jim and Florence Peacock * + Lauren Rivers and Janelle Hoskins * Coleman and Carol Ross SunTrust Bank * Trey and Jackie Tanner * + UNC-CH Arts and Sciences Foundation * UNC Office of the Chancellor * UNC School of Dentistry * UNC School of Education * Alan H. Weinhouse Jim and Bonnie Yankaskas
Investor ($2,500–4,999)
Richard and Deirdre Arnold ^ Andrew and Katherine Asaro ^ * + Ed and Eleanor Burke
Linda and Cliff Butler * Steve Butts and Addie Miller * Tom and Holly Carr Cauveh Erami and Maryam Azimi * Stuart and Duncan Lascelles * Mark and Julie Morris * + Panter Foundation Paragon Bank * Jean and Joseph Ritok *
Page to Stage ($1,500–2,499)
Anonymous (2) David and Judy Adamson * Chris Bavolack and Martha Huelsbeck Vivienne Benesch * + Steve Benezra ^ Cindy and Thomas Cook Hampton and Jolynn Dellinger * Jonathan Fleener and Lauren Leve * Dustin and Susan Gillings Gross * Kevin and Amy Guskiewicz * + David Howell Brad and Debra Ives * Joanna Karwowska and Hugon Karwowski ^ Brian and Moyra Kileff * Kim Kwok Kyser Foundation Scott Levitan and Patrick Francisco * Michael and Erika Lipkin Paul and Linda Naylor ^ Nick and Amy Penwarden Pam and Mike Reed * The Rev. Wendy R. and Mr. W. Riley Waugh Ford and Allison Worthy *
Partner ($1,000–1,499)
Anonymous Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Breaks Molly and Bob Broad Fran and D.R. Bryan *
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ilpalio.com
Italian Culinary Experience in the Heart of Chapel Hill. THOUGHTFULLY PREPARED. SIMPLY SERVED. DEEPLY CONNECTED.
June Clendenin Joy and Chet Douglass Dr. and Mrs. John P. Evans * Kent Fisher * John and Diane Formy-Duval Robert and Dana Greenwood Owen Gwyn Rich Haney and Karen Bradsher * Dr. Patrick H. Harman * Carol Hazard and Winston Liao Pam and Jim Heavner * Hill Family Fund 2 of the Triangle Community Foundation Bitty and Bill Holton Chris and Anna Hunter * Hannelore and Konrad Jarausch Dr. Lyle V. Jones Moise Khayrallah * Mark Kleinschmidt and Matt DeBellis * Vince and Katherine Kopp * Dr. Catherine Kuhn and Glenn Tortorici Shirley and Tom Kunkel Kathryn and Robert Kyle John and Alice May * Sandy and Ned McClurg ^ Holly and Ross McKinney Lee and Barbara Pedersen Kathy and Art Pope * Rich and Marilyn Jacobs Preyer Dr. Barbara Rimer and Mr. Bernard Glassman * Sallie Shuping Russell and Ed Spence * Dr. and Mrs. Edward Smithwick David Sontag * Michael and Barbara Walsh Jesse L. White, Jr. Clarence Whitefield Alan Young *
Backer ($500–999)
Virginia Aldige Howard and Penny Aldrich Pete and Hannah Andrews ^ William and Isabella Anlyan * David Ball and Susan Pochapsky Evelyn Barrow Reginald Barton John and Patti Becherer Diane Beckman + Stephen S. Birdsall Dr. Stanley Warren Black, III
Greg and Lisa Brown * Kai and Courtney Caraganis * Rosalie M. Cassidy Lisa Church * Dennis Clements and Martha Ann Keels Larry Cobb * Jeff Cornell and Maria Savage * Dede Corvinus + Bubba and Tina Cunningham * Bob and Connie Eby Mr. and Mrs. Philip W. Ewing Carolyn and John Falletta Kim and Stephen Fraser Beth Furr Galloway Ridge at Fearrington Peter Gordon and Jan Chambers * Joan Lipsitz Bernadette Gray-Little and Shade Little * Justin D. Haslett and Gia Podobinski * C. Hawkins ^ Brenda W. Kirby Joan Lipsitz and Paul Stiller Lois Knauff and Mike Maness Anand and Sandhya Lagoo Douglas and Nelda Lay Stephen and Karen Lyons Douglas MacLean and Susan Wolf Mary McMorris and Leonard Santoro Graig and Jennifer Meyer * James and Susan Moeser * Mary N. Morrow Linda W. Norris Pat and Mary Norris Oglesby Stewart Parker * David and Lisa Price Vikram Rao and Susan Henning Laura and Uday Reebye * Linda and Alan Rimer Alec Rhodes Mike and Sandra Roberts * Kirk and Fleming Samuels * Dhruva R.J. Sen, in memory of Dr. James Kimball King Vicki Shinoda Dr. and Mrs. William Stewart Jim and Judy Taft James Taup Bob and Marcia Vaughn * Michael Weil and Peggy Link Weil * David and Heather Yeowell
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Supporter ($250–499)
Anonymous Fouad Abd-El-Khalick and Lama Boufajreldin * Tony and Susan Barrella Adam Beck ^ Steven Beckmeyer * John W. Becton and Nancy B. Tannenbaum Shula and Steve Bernard Jim and Martha Bick Frank and Sally Binkowski Julie Blatt and Arthur Greenberg Julia Borbely-Brown ^ David Brehmer and Megan Matchinske Ken and Margie Broun Harold E. Burch Lucille Burkett-Hoffman ^ Keith Burridge and Patricia Saling Glenn and Patricia Camp ^ Philip and Linda Carl Susan Cassidy Norm and Portia Christensen Marshall and Phyllis Clements Joseph and Elizabeth Cook Tricia Daisley * Dr. Scott De Rossi and Dr. Katharine Ciarrocca *
Nancy and Mark Dewhirst Alec and Georgia Donaldson Dr. Carrie Donley Ray Dooley and Rebecca Bailey * Kathleen DuVal and Marty Smith Jo Anne and Shelley Earp Claire Ebbitt ^ Barbara and Chris Exton James Faber and Mary Musacchia Robert Farmer Jane and Jim Finch * Pat Fischer David and Meredith Fitch * Jaroslav and Linda Folda John and Ann Gabor W. Patrick Gale ^ Ruth and Art Gerber Ugo Goetzl Shawne Grabs * Albert and Mary Guckes Evan Gwyn and Erin Casey * Carol and Nortin Hadler Alan and Anne Haig, in memory of Dr. James Kimball King Toby and Cheryl Harrell Carolyn and Jim Harris David and Lina Heartinger Marianna Matthews Henry Don and Kay Hobart Terrence Holt and Laurie Langbauer Mr. and Mrs. David G. Hubby Gerda G. Hurow Lynne and Walter Jacobs ^ Charles and Ellen Johnson Cindy Kahler Jeanette Kimmel Lynn K. Knauff Richard and Lynne Kohn Dr. Leonard and Ruth Kreisman ^ Timothy A. Kuhn Marie E. Kulchinski Joseph J. Kusa Carol and Alexander Lawrence Jack and Molly Macauley, in memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Mort and Cheryl Malkin Dr. and Mrs. Robert N. McCall Sharon and Alan McConnell Ann and Webb McCracken C.B. McGrath * Larry McManus
Herbert and Jeanne Miller Dori Mitzi Cecelia D. Moore ^ Joe and Katrina Morrocco * Charles Mosher and Pamela St. John Karl Nordling Lois Oliver Rob Parker and Sarah Taylor * Michael Patrick Josephine Ward Patton Beth and Larry Peerce Linda Peterson, in memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Mark and Eugenea Pollock Robert and Joyce Anne Porter Jodi and Glenn Preminger Terry Rhodes * Sandra and Stephen Rich Drs. Sharon and Chris Ringwalt Margaret Anne Rook Merrill Rose * Dr. Michael Salemi Jan F. and Anne P. Sassaman John and Lucia Sehon Robert Seymour Barry Slobin and Carol Land Kyle and Jenn Smith Dr. and Mrs. Sidney C. Smith John and Carol Stamm Roy and Donna Swaringen Dr. Mary Lou Szymkowski & Dr. Lindsey Puryear Margaret Griswold Teasley Joe and Claudia Templeton The Tanner Law Firm * Bruce Tomason Hawley Truax and Jane Thrailkill * Barney and Vivian Varner Glenn Veit and Judy Kane Roger and Marlene Werner Katherine White Sandy and Jennifer Williams Ann and Frank Wilson
Clifford and Robin Bailin Guy and Ingrid Baird Kim Ball Dan and Susan Barco David and Neva Bartholomew Judith Barton Barry Bayus and Anna Chao Larry and Sheila Benninger Kitty Bergel Sandy Berman Robert and Christine Berndt Patricia C. Beyle Dorothy and Justin Biddle Dolores Bilangi Sara and Richard Bird Mr. and Mrs. David Birnbaum Jill and Dick Blackburn William and Patricia Blau Peter Bleckner Ed Blount Scott and Victoria Bouldin Donald A. Boulton Thomas W. Boyer Carol Brainard and Nancy Hardin Mitchell Breit
Patron ($100–249)
Anonymous (2) Dwight and Robin Allen Mary R. Amend Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Archie Tony and Bonnie Armer Margaret and Phil Baddour Phil and Ellen Baer
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William Brettmann ^ Mr. and Mrs. William Browder Lyndon E. Brown, PhD Renee A. Brown Zach and Ellen Brown * Patricia Bryan and Tom Wolf Edward and Sheila Burgard ^ David Burr and Rustine Unger Jim and Janie Craige Butler Douglas Call and Susan Warwick Dr. Leigh Fleming Callahan Paul and Amelia Carew Carolina Arbors Theater Club Susan Cates and Scott Warren * Clara Cazzulino Dr. Margaret Champion Beverly Long Chapin Richard Chase and Terry Parsons Norm and Portia Christensen Steve Clark and Becky Luce-Clark Ellen Clevenger-Firley Gary and Dianne Clinton Betty and Gilles Cloutier Anne F. Coenen Jonathan and Anita Cohn Julie Coleman Robert F. Coleman, III In memory of Susan Hurst Rappaport Geneva Collins and Theodore Fischer ^ Jeffrey Collins and Rose Mills Mr. and Mrs. Rudolf J. Colloredo-Mansfeld Mrs. Michael Colvin Marcella Congdon Jeanette and Matthew Cook Jay and Barbara Cooper Greg Copenhaver Marila Cordeiro-Stone Josephine Corro Dr. Mary Covington and Mike Patil Adrienne and John Cox Ellen and James Cox Lawrence S. Craige Hugh Cullman Julie Daniels Jan Davis and Scott Arnold * Patricia Lockwood Davis Bronwyn and John de Figueiredo Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bigelow DeMaine Aravinda Desilva and Amy Weil
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Todd Dickinson and Helen Kalevas Lucy and Trey Doak, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Caroline Donaldson and Ephraim Firdyiwek Kerry and Julia Draeger Dr. and Mrs. Claude Wallace Drake Max and Ann Drake Elizabeth Duquette, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Thomas and Joan East Connie Eble, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Bobette Eckland and Richard Kamens E.M. Eddy and D.A. O’Brien Elon and Elizabeth Eidenier Jan Elliott Paul and Patricia Elstro Jonathan Engel and Meryl Kanfer Donald and Audrey Esposito Jerry and Adelia Evans Melinda and Jim Evans Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Falvo Paul and Anita Farel Shauna and Tom Farmer Fearrington Friends of the Arts Laurice Ferris ^ Nancy Field Karen Fink Jon and Susan Fish Karen Fisher and Robert Warren Christina and Richard Folger Dorathea Foote ^ Maggi Gallagher and Don Castro Betty Garland Sarah Geer Adam and Jennifer Gerdts Tom and Victoria Gerig Mike and Bonnie Gilliom Raymond Givonetti, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King goingbarefoot.inc Scott Goldsmith Raymond and Susan Goodmon, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Mr. and Mrs. Henry Grabowski John and Lucy Grant Dorothy Gration Christina Graybard and Nicholas Mirra Terry Greenlund
Elizabeth Grey Linda Grimm Gail and Steve Grossman Shontel and Whitney Grumhaus Kay Gruninger Priscilla Guild Drs. Sid and Suzanne Gulledge Pickett Guthrie Gayla Halbrecht Dede Hall * Bruce Hamilton and Jennifer Weiss Jim and Mary Hayes Charlotte Henshaw Ellen Herron William Hicks and William Sadler Scott and Richard Hill Ann Hillenbrand Olivia Britton Holding, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Peter Hollis Ann Holloman Jewel Hoogstoel Mary Howes, In Memory of Jonathan B. Howes John and Joyce Hren Tamsie and Staples Hughes Abby Jablin Charles and Betty James Champa and David Jarmul Justin Johnson Robert and Cecelia Jolls Ann Moss Joyner Eve and Rudy Juliano Rynita and Eric Julien Bobby and Claudia Kadis Daniel and Linda Kaferle Richard and Sally Kahler Lisa, Emil and Emma Kang In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Drs. John F. and Joy S. Kasson Naomi Kaufman Tom Keeler and Dr. Keturah Faurot Charles R. Keith and Muki W. Fairchild Marie-Beatrice and Robert Keller Michael E. Kelly Sally P. Kennedy Kristi Kerins Carole and Gary Kibler Robin Kirk *
Ted and Marilyn Koenig Frank Konhaus and Ellen Cassilly ^ Lloyd Kramer and Gwynne Pomeroy Shrawan Kumar Randi and Brian Kurtzer Joseph Labenson Ted and Debbie LaMay Randy and Cathy Lambe Benjamin Landman and Jen Feldman, In honor of Ms. Betty-Ann Landman Betty-Ann Landman Robert Lauterborn, In memory of Sylvia Lauterborn William Leary Katherine C. Leith * John and Ruth Leopold Arnold and Annette Levine Joy Lewis and Frederick Annand Dr. Philip and Anne Lewis ^ Robert Lewis and Gloria Lightsey-Lewis * Betty and John Leydon Judi Lilley Erika Lindemann Clarissa Liu James and Mary Lou LoFrese Mildred and Patrick Long Robert and Anne Long Dr. and Mrs. Miles Lovelace Carol Lucas Peter and Dayna Lucas John Ludlow and Kathy Davies Sara Mack Dr. and Mrs. Donald Madison Samuel Magill and Eunice Brock William Mahony and Joyce Boucheron Scott and Ashly Maitland * H.R. and Betsy Malpass Elaine Mangrum Raleigh and Betsy Mann Lee and Elaine Marcus Rosalie Marcus Chris and Caroline Martens Shelley Masters Bill and Susan Mattern Dr. Jill McCorkle and Tom Rankin, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Ellen McDaniel Patrick Joseph McLane ^ Lee McLean
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Pat and Bob McQueen Diana Mead John and Bonnie Medinger Gerald Meinecke, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Cathleen Melton and Larry Greenblatt Carol and Eric Meyers Amey Miller and David Kiel Gary Milner * Roy and Bev Milton Susan Minnix and Ronald Manka Dana Mochel Karen Monaco and George Evans Gustavo and Joan Montana Elizabeth Moore Laura Moore and Brad Murray Merry-K Moos Joseph and Barbara Moran Rick Muise Margaret B. Mullinix Kate Murphy Judy Murray Lee and Ava Nackman Ursula Nebiker Betty Nies Nancy Oates Glenn E. O’Neal Marilyn and Peter Ornstein Barry and Lois Ostrow Heather and Russ Owen Jean Owen Norman and Roberta Yule Owen ^ Sarah Owens Elizabeth Paley and Stefan Zauscher Dan and Beverly Patterson, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Julie and Ronald Paxton Robert Peet Arnold Pender Diane Pettifor Nancy Smith Pfeiffer, In memory of Betty Smith Robert and Marilyn Pinschmidt Gordon and Jo Ann Pitz JoAnn K. Pizer-Fox Chris Plaks Dr. Martin and Barbara Poleski Katherine Porier
Gary and Susie Pratt Theodore and Margaret Pratt Todd and Nicky Purves Steven E. Quasny Dereck and Yolanda Rabun * Elizabeth Raft George and Carol Retsch-Bogart Margaret Rich, In memory of Dr. J. Kimball King Geraldine and Gary Richards Kay Richardson Richard and Sue Richardson Rif Riddick John and Betty Rintoul Dave and Gill Roberts * Louise A. Robinson Louise Romanow and Bill Swallow Frances Ross Judith L. Ruderman Mary Ann Ruegg John Sarratt Allie and Ian Scales ^ Carol Schachner ^ Jeffrey Schlosser Stephanie Schmitt Ernest and Mary Schoenfeld Jim and Cindi Schrum Janice and Richard Schulke Dr. Caryl Jane Schwartzbach Joan Seiffert Imran and Stacy Shah * Pat Shane Martha and Michael Shannon Andrew Shapanka William N. Sharpe, Jr. Douglas and Joan Shier Robert and Sandra Shreve Ron and Mary Sinzdak Sim Sitkin and Vivian Olkin Dr. Robert Sealock and Cecile Skrzynia Mike and Kim Slomianyj Peter and Rosalyn Smith Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Solomon ^ Kimberly W. Spurr John Stanley and Sara Emley * Susan F. Stedman Marian Stephenson
Cathy and Sefton Stevens Andy Stewart and Peggy Kinney ^ Lee and Barbara Strange Dr. Lishan Su ^ Ed and Lynne Sullivan James and Sarah Swenberg Beverly Taylor David C. Taylor Daniel and Linda Textoris Charles Thomas and Suzanne Maupin Estelle and Edward Thomas Patti and Holden Thorp Ara Tourian Mary and Thomas Trabert ^ Barrie Trinkle Nancy Tunnessen Nancy Tusa and Andy Brawn Robert W. Upchurch John and Donna van Arnold ^ Jerry and Sondra Van Sant Carol and Jim Vorhaus Deborah and Jonathan Wahl Sandy and Bill Wall Ina Wallace
Patrick Wallace and Laurie McNeil David and Marsha Warren Phil Washburn and Mary Jenne Anna Washington Nan Weiss Marlene and Ken Whitt Coleman Whittier Ernest Thomas Wilkes III Ben Williams William and Katherine Wilson Maureen A. Windle and Douglas Cary ^ Jane Pettis Wiseman Peter Witt Jerry Worsley Janice and Richard Woychik * Edward and Phyllis Wright David and Dee Yoder Justin Yung ^ John and Linda Zaremba ^ Sustainers Club Member + Women’s Point of View (WPOV) Supporter * PlayMakers Gala Supporter ~ Deceased
This list is current as of October 27, 2019. If your name is listed incorrectly or not at all, please contact PlayMakers Development Office at 919.962.2481. We will ensure you are recognized for your thoughtful support.
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OUR PARTNERS PlayMakers gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our corporate and foundation partners for the 2019/20 Season. Coffee Provided by Larry’s Coffee PlayMakers Gala Wine Sponsor Glasshalfull PlayMakers Gala Spirits Sponsor TOPO PlayMakers Opening Night Post Show Receptions provided by Il Palio Restaurant, Jujube, The Catering Company of Chapel Hill
PlayMakers’ 2019/20 Season is Made Possible in Part by Grants from
Foundation Support The Educational Foundation of America, Hartfield Foundation, Fund for the Triangle – Support for the Arts of Triangle Community Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, The Paul Green Foundation, Shakespeare in American Communities: National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, The Shubert Foundation, SunTrust Foundation, Theatre Communications Group Additional Funding for Guest Artists is Provided by Robert Boyer and Margaret Boyer Fund, Louise Lamont Fund, Emeriti Professors Charles and Shirley Weiss Fund Producing Council American Party Rentals, Glasshalfull, Jujube Restaurant, Linda’s Bar and Grill, Mebane Lumber, Residence Inn Chapel Hill, Spoonflower, Hyatt Place Durham/Southpoint, The Siena Hotel/Il Palio Restaurant Corporate Council Aloft, DeMaison Selections, Inc., University Florist
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Associates Cambria Suites, Craven Allen Gallery/House of Frames
OUR ADVERTISERS
32 25 16 52 2 59 50 10 42 22 53 12 29 47 39 43
American Party Rentals Carolina Performing Arts The Catering Company Craven Allen Gallery/ House of Frames The Forest at Duke Glasshalfull Il Palio Jujube Larry’s Coffee Linda’s Bar & Grill North Carolina Estates North Carolina Symphony Paul Green Foundation Residence Inn University Florist and Gifts You Can Vote
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All titles and dates subject to change.
PRC 2 The AM SH
DEC 20–21, 2019
JAN 8–12, 2020
I Project
BY JESSICA DICKEY
DIRECTED BY SARAH WANSLEY
A limited engagement concert.
The triumph of forgiveness and compassion.
JAN 22–FEB 9, 2020
MAR 4–22, 2020
JACOBS-JENKINS
y
DIRECTED BY
CA
E
o
v
BY BRANDEN
JULIUS
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTED BY ANDREW BORBA
ORLANDO PABOTOY
A comedy as unpredictable as life itself.
The Bard is back.
APR 8–26, 2020
APR 29–MAY 3, 2020
NATIVE
r
nS
e
Ga
BY KAREN ZACARÍAS
DIRECTED BY PATRICK TORRES
A comedy that is anything but neighborly.
AR
S
r B
Ee y
E
PRC 2
D S GE
BY JACQUELINE E. LAWTON
of Time
DIRECTED BY KAJA DUNN
The life and times of the marvelous Marvel Cooke, a World Premiere.
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