Saturday, December 7, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Bart Luedeke Center Theater
Rider University
2083 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, N.J.
An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books
Rider University gratefully acknowledges the generous support of: The Martinson Family Foundation for its support of theater technology equipment & Richard and Heather Frye-Ginsberg for their support of our Rider Friend of the Arts patron program.
Reality television. We are rather obsessed with it. The notion that we have a front-row seat to the lives of total strangers. Big Brother The Bachelor The Real Housewives of….Wherever.
But how real is it? I venture to guess not much. And yet, we keep watching. Because we are besotted with the idea of possibility. We tell ourselves elaborate lies that what we are watching is real. That what is happening on the screen actually happened. Why? Because we want it to be true. The glorious fails. The incredible confessions. And, most of all, the dizzying highs when someone attains the seemingly impossible.
Nell Gwynn is a type of reality show – told through a theatrical medium. Every character in this play is based on a real person. The events they talk about and live through really happened. Yes, Jessica Swale has turned that history into a delicious fiction, but the reality is there. Nell Gwynn did exist – a girl from Cheapside who made unspeakable decisions to survive really did become the mistress of the King. Oh, and one of Britain’s greatest actresses.
But perhaps not quite the way Swale tells us. And that’s okay. We know it’s not real. Well, most of it isn’t. We don’t mind. After all, you’re sitting in a theatre right now – presumably reading this before the show or during the intermission – certainly NOT during the show! – ready and willing to accept the unreality of theatre itself. It’s like a fantastic onion – keep peeling the layers and you’ll soon not know what is real and what isn’t.
In this production, we have endeavored to take this even further. We break the fourth wall when it suits us. We bend time and space in terms of the design and approach. We do this to honor the magical space in between it all.
In researching the world of Nell Gwynn, I stumbled upon a poignant quote: “The facts about her life and character have been overlaid by fable and anecdote.” If that’s not the definition of a life lived through the lens of reality entertainment, I don’t know what is.
Thank you for joining us. Please support this wonderful program in any way you can. And we invite you explore that space between your own reality and fantasy – you might find something enchanting and delightful – much like our dear, dear Nelly.
Scenes
ACT ONE
SCENE 1 Prologue
SCENE 2 The Attitudes
SCENE 3 The Actor-ess
SCENE 4 Medea
SCENE 5 The Mask of Florimel
SCENE 6 First-night Nerves
SCENE 7 Hart’s Strumpet
SCENE 8 The Mistresses at War
SCENE 9 A Very Important Guest
SCENE 10 The Finest English Sausage
SCENE 11 The Enchanted Island
SCENE 12 Laxatives
SCENE 13 Territory
~ INTERMISSION ~
ACT TWO
SCENE 1 At the Palace
SCENE 2 Emergency Meeting
SCENE 3 War with the French
SCENE 4 Too Far
SCENE 5 Players or Patron
SCENE 6 Nell and Charles
SCENE 7 Charles Dissolves Parliament
SCENE 8 Meanwhile, Back at the Playhouse
SCENE 9 Royal Flush
SCENE 10 As Charles Lies Dying
SCENE 11 Ensemble Again
SCENE 12 Epilogue
The Cast
Nell Gwynn Isabelle Oliver
Rose Gwynn Sophia Porter
Nancy Kate Harbison
Old Ma Gwynn/Queen Catherine Liberty Ashe
Lady Castlemaine/Louise de Keroualle Chloe Le Breton
King Charles II Nicholas Franki
Charles Hart Ryan Torres
Thomas Killigrew Henry Breit
Edward Kynaston Ryan J. Kudless
John Dryden Jaden Misaro
Lord Arlington Brandon Semmel
Ned Spigget Eamonn McLoughlin
Ensemble Grace Mandel, Sophia Luna, Giorgia Dallasta, Jason Ramoth
Understudies
Nell Gwynn Grace Mandel
Rose Gwynn Nancy Roig
Nancy Sophia Luna
Old Ma Gwynn/Queen Catherine Sarah Hyman
Lady Castlemaine/Louise de Keroualle Sarah Hyman
King Charles II Jason Ramoth
Charles Hart Jason Ramoth
Thomas Killigrew Giorgia Dallasta
John Dryden Giorgia Dallasta
Lord Arlington Julia Almendra
Ned Spigget Phillip Schneller
Artistic Staff and Crew
Director Charlotte Northeast
Assistant Director Eleanor Conover
Assistant Director Cassidy Sweetland
Dramaturg Grace Wolf
Music Director Jim Weber
Associate Music Director/Accompanist Mitchell Wiley
Choreographer Deryn C. Kraner
Dialect Coach Marla Burkholder
Fight Choreographer/Intimacy Coordinator Dr. Sean McCarther
Production Stage Manager Ben Simonetty
Stage Manager Lizzie Holzworth
Assistant Stage Manager Nzinga Thompson
Assistant Stage Manager Lexi Vaksdal
Stage Management Mentor Jamel Baker
Technical Director Brandon Rush
Stage Carpenter Nick Franki
Scenic Designer Jeff Van Velsor
Lighting Designer Todd Loyd
Assistant Lighting Designer Ella Rybczynski
Light Board Operator Owen Creamer
Costume Designer Robin I. Shane
Assistant Costume Designer Charlotte Caldejon
Wardrobe Supervisor Jessica Diley
Wardrobe Runner Arianna Cardillo
Wardrobe Runner Rafael Ferreira
Wardrobe Runner Alexa Fillalan
Wardrobe Runner Saniyya McCloud
Wig Maintenance Claire-Elizabeth Patterson
Makeup Designer/Supervisor Jade Schaffer
Hair and Makeup Runner Helena Barsotti
Hair and Makeup Runner Mica Swingholm
Sound Designer Alyssa Gil-Pujols
Sound Engineer Craig Pincus
Sound Mixer Nate Fleischer
Sound Operator Mai Caslowitz
Sound Runner Alain Brutus
Sound Runner Evelyn Engels
Props Designer Clare Hanrahan
Props Supervisor Grayson Davidock
Production Documentarian Luke Studley-Roberts
Stagehand Aiden Kelly
Administrative Staff
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Kelly Bidle
Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Jason Vodicka
Director of Production Management Buck Linton
Director of Performance Management Kristen Rodgers
Associate Director of Performance Management Leandra Acosta
Coordinator of Performance Management Samuel Stephenson
Artistic Producer C. Ryanne Domingues
FOR BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON OUR CAST, CREW, AND ARTISTIC & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF VISIT OUR WEBSITE.
