Comedy of Errors by Poly Prep Country Day School

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Director’s Note Most people hear “Shakespeare” and think stuffy and boring. I think Shakespeare is fun, exciting, hilarious, and wild. So I offered our talented design team “Malibu Barbie Meets the Circus” as inspiration and vision for The Comedy of Errors. Together we have created something very special and we hope you enjoy it! Sit back and enjoy this whirlwind production of mistaken identity! Keith McDonald Director

A Note from the Performing Arts Department Finding a play that captures the attention of our Grades 9 and 10 students, while also engaging our community can sometimes prove to be a difficult task. The Comedy of Errors was the right fit for our students in a whole host of ways—its humor, Shakespearean prose, and energy only a few. But the play also calls to our attention the idea of identity and a questioning of the sense of self, which feels appropriate for this age group and speaks to our shared humanity. Although the play engages in buffoonery, puns, and chaos, its characters and situations are complex. I applaud our young actors for their willingness to push the limits. To say I am excited to welcome you to our theater, at the very cusp of the new arts building opening, for our first fall performance of the season, would be an understatement. Over the course of a very quick two months, the Grades 9 and 10 students you are about to see light up the stage have been dutifully rehearsing with our newest colleague, Keith McDonald. Through weather cancellations, holiday observances, safety precautions, and scheduling snafus, this troupe has been through it all, and kept us laughing regardless. Tonight, their antics will be on full display. Please join me in congratulating our director for his expertise and craft, our designers for their gorgeous and colorful vision, and lastly, our students for bringing such life to our stage. Ashley Hacker Performing Arts Department Chair

Cast Sander Swanson.................................................................................................Duke Solinus Nicolai Fahy....................................................................................................................Aegeon Gabby Watts........................................................................................................................Jailer Amara Johansson............................................................................Antipholus of Syracuse Sasha Londoner..................................................................................... Dromio of Syracuse Téa Sabbagh................................................................................................................... Adriana Olivia Chu........................................................................................................................ Luciana Carolina Lisk.......................................................................................Antipholus of Ephesus Maggie Cochran...................................................................................... Dromio of Ephesus Soleil Peña........................................................................................................................ Angelo Nicolai Fahy..........................................................................................Officer/Balthazar/Nell Gabby Watts................................................................................................................Merchant Olivia Chu....................................................................................................................... Aemelia

Production Staff Keith McDonald............................................................................................................ Director Kim Griffin..................................................................................................Costume Designer Daniel Patrick Hogan..................................................................................... Scenic Design David Higham............................................................ Lighting Design/Technical Director

Student Production Annakaecia Clarke........................................................................................ Stage Manager Victoria Eanes...............................................................................Assistant Stage Manager Tessa Cooper...............................................................................................Assistant Director Masoume Khonsari.................................................................................................Backstage Quin Marloe.......................................................................................................................Sound

Meet the Production Staff Keith McDonald (Director) Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Keith received a B.F.A. from The Juilliard School of Drama and his M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College. Additionally, he was trained in improvisation comedy with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. New York Theatre Credits: The Coast Starlight at Lincoln Center. Other theater credits include: Native Gardens at Arizona Theatre Company; Dracula and In the Heights at the Zach Theatre of Austin, In the Heights at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Edward II at MOCA Chicago and Red Cat Los Angeles, director Sam Gold; A Midsummer Night’s Dream at MOCA Chicago and Red Cat Los Angeles, director Joe Dowling; The Imaginary Invalid at Shakespeare Theatre of D.C.; Hope: Part II of a Mexican Trilogy with Center Theatre Group and the Latino Theatre Company of Los Angeles; Blue Man Group at Briar Street Theatre in Chicago. Keith’s TV work includes a recurring role on Law and Order SVU, and guest spots on Blue Bloods, FBI, High Maintenance, Go On, The Electric Company, Medium, CSI: Miami, Metro. He has been a principal performer in over a dozen national commercials and industrials for major brands and retailers. Kim Griffin (Costume Designer) has designed for theater, musicals, dance, and opera; collaboration with directors, the design team, and the actors is integral to her process from beginning to end. Kim has worked at theaters, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars, Ohio Light Opera, Stageworks Theatre, Boomerang Theatre Company, Opera in the Heights, and The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston. She has toured with the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Legends Blue Unit and has stitched for The Met Gala, Broadway shows, and national tours. She has also designed for Theatre for Young Audiences tours, along with university and high school productions. Kim is originally from Houston, Texas and earned her BFA in Theatre Design & Technology with a minor in music from Baylor University and her MFA in Costume Design from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. As part of the fulfillment of her master’s at MGSA, she studied at Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe, and The School of Historical Dress in London, England.

Daniel Patrick Hogan (Scenic/Set Designer) has designed scenery, props, hair, and makeup for numerous productions. As a scenic designer, his favorite projects include Little Shop of Horrors, The Seafarer, The Pirates of Penzance, In the Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and A Doll’s House. Recently, Daniel designed scenery for The Wallace Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd. He created an immersive, multi-levelled set that placed the audience in between different locations. His design utilized existing elements of the derelict Wallace Theatre and offered a unique viewing experience for each audience member. Daniel thoroughly enjoys transforming found spaces and designing new works. David Higham (Lighting Designer & Technical Director) is in his thirty second year at Poly, where he has been responsible for designing the lighting, sound, and scenery for over 170 productions. In addition to his work at Poly, Mr. Higham has designed lighting for productions at The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Irish Arts Center, The Women’s Project, The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and The National Shakespeare Company, among others. Mr. Higham also has worked as a lighting designer for several New York City architectural and landscape design firms.

Note about our theater lighting: Thanks to a generous gift from the late Robert Martinson ’59 in support of technical theater improvements, David Higham, Technical Theatre Director, has been working with lighting technicians from the Roundabout Theatre Technical Workforce Development Program to upgrade our lighting equipment. We’re currently installing 179 new LED lighting instruments as well as a new power and distribution system that will provide not only a more professional and flexible palette for design, but will also be significantly more energy efficient, reducing by 1/4 the wattage usage of every instrument. In addition to the theater lighting, we’ll be retrofitting 60 units to LED for use in the Chapel as well.

Our Production Would Not Be Possible without the Generous Support of: John Rankin Interim Head of School Michal Hershkovitz P’16, ’18 Assistant Head of School, Academics Sarah Bates Head of Upper School Michael S. Robinson Head of Arts Ashley Hacker Performing Arts Department Chair The members of the Performing Arts faculty, the Engagement & Communications Department, the Admissions Department, the Poly Prep IT Staff, the Facilities and Maintenance Department, the Security Staff, the Kitchen Staff, and the Upper School Deans.

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Join Us for These Upcoming Performing Arts Events Grades 11/12 Play: Antigonick by Anne Carson Friday, November 17, 2023 7:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Saturday, November 18, 2023 2:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Winter Arts Festival Friday, December 15, 2023 VISUAL ART | 6:00 PM | TOWER GALLERY MUSIC CONCERT | 7:00 PM | MEMORIAL CHAPEL Middle School Play: The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood by Mary Lynn Dobson Thursday, December 21, 2023 7:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Afternoon of Student Choreography Sunday, January 21, 2024 3:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Upper School Musical: The Prom Book and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, Book by Bob Martin, Music by Matthew Sklar Friday & Saturday, March 8 & 9, 2024 7:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Sunday, March 10, 2024 2:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Spring Dance Concert Friday, April 12, 2024 7:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Saturday, April 13, 2024 2:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE

Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming events!