topdog UNDERDOG
bySUZAN-LORIPARKSdirectedbyGREGGT.DANIEL
P1 Program
Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes and donors
6 In the Wings
Ainadamar: the Fountain of Tears, a dance of dictators and poets, at L.A. Opera; El Otro Oz, inspired by The Wizard of Oz, at Kirk Douglas Theatre; Poulenc Trio at CalTech.
12 All Access
Patrons with disabilities benefit from new or recently improved technologies and programs at the city’s major performing-arts companies.
17 House in the Hills
Designer Una Malan steps out of her showrooms to present her distinctive furnishings and pieces from acclaimed artisans in an exhibition home.
22 Pasta Passion
Funke by Evan Funke in Beverly Hills is an elegant expression of centuries-old techniques learned from master pastaiolas in Italy.
32 Parting Thought
Performances’ program platform for shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device.
Image: Boating Party (detail), about 1877–78. Gustave Caillebotte. Oil on canvas. Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Painting listed "national treasure" by the French Republic, acquired with the exclusive patronage of LVMH, major patron of the Musée d'Orsay, 2022. Photo: Grand Palais RMN (Musée d'Orsay) / Franck Raux. Text and design © 2025 J. Paul Getty Trust
Congrats, You’ve Picked a Great Performance! Check out the
PUBLISHER
Jeff Levy
EDITOR
Benjamin Epstein
ART DIRE CTOR
Carol Wakano
CONTIBUTING WRITERS
Roger Grody, Libby Slate, Caleb Wachs
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Glenda Mendez
PRODUCTION ARTIST
Diana Gonzalez
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Walter Lewis
ACCOUNT DIRE CTORS
Kerry Baggett, Jean Greene, Liz Moore
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Christine Noriega-Roessler
BUSINESS MANAGER
Leanne Killian Riggar
MARKETING/ PRODUCTION MANAGER
Dawn Kiko Cheng
DIGITAL PROGRAM MANAGER
Audrey Duncan Welch
DIGITAL MANAGER
Lorenzo Dela Rama
Contact Us
ADVERTISING
Walter.Lewis@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com
WEBSITE Lorenzo.DelaRama@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com
CIRCULATION
Christine.Roessler@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com
HONORARY PRESIDENT
Ted Levy
For
Phone: 310.280.2880 Fax: 310.280.2890
Visit Performances Magazine online at socalpulse.com
Performances Magazine is published by California Media Group to serve performing arts venues throughout the West. ©
Adrift
Here and opposite: scenes from Scottish Opera’s 2022 staging of Ainadamar
OF DICTATORS AND POETS
SPANISH STAGE ACTRESS Margarita Xirgu spent half of her acting career in exile, mourning the death of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, whom she couldn’t convince to flee Spanish dictator Francisco Franco’s reign of terror. Lorca had once been on the verge of writing his way into a new Golden Age in Spain—but dictators have no use for poets. Grammy Award winner Osvaldo Golijov’s dramatic flamenco-inspired score meets a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang in Ainadamar, a work the Los Angeles Times calls “one of the most moving and meaningful operas of our time.” L.A. Opera resident conductor Lina González-Granados leads its company premiere April 26-May 18 at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. María Martínez plays Margarita Xirgu, who recounts Lorca’s life and last days in the Spanish Civil War. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack steps into the role of Federico García Lorca, the man whose pen proved as dangerous as any pistol. 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.8001, laopera.org
OPERA
Emerald Quinceañera
CLICK YOUR HEELS tres veces and take a transformative journey with TheaterWorksUSA’s reimagined production of El Otro Oz
Inspired by The Wizard of Oz, the bilingual family musical is infused with salsa, merengue, and Mexican folk music. The show was a New York Times Critic’s Pick variously described as inspired, imaginative, inventive, tender, moving, ebullient and funny. It’s at the Kirk Douglas Theatre March 29-April 13. In it, a teenager approaching her 15th birthday—named Dora,
not Dorothy—struggles with her family’s traditions and dreads her impending quinceañera. Swept away to a strange new land—which she explores with new friends the Scarecrow, the Iron Chef and the Mountain Lion—she learns to embrace and celebrate her cultural identity. Book is by Mando Alvarado and Tommy Newman, music and lyrics by Jaime Lozano and Newman, and original direction by Elena Araoz. 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772, centertheatregroup.org
From left: Rafa Reyes, Gerardo Esparza, Mayelah Barrera and Juan Danner. Below: Regina Carregha, left, and Indra Palomo.
POULENC PLUS
CHAMBER
MUSIC
OVER ITS 20-YEAR history, the Poulenc Trio has consistently earned critical acclaim. The New York Times praised its “elegant rendition” of Piazzolla’s tangos, the Washington Post commended the group for its “convincing elegance, near effortless lightness, and grace.” Pianist Irina Kaplan Lande teaches at the Peabody Institute; oboist Aleh Remezau is known for his particularly expressive playing; Bryan
Young serves as principal bassoonist at the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. Boris Allakhverdyan, principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, joins the threesome for its Sundays With Coleman chamber event March 30 at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium. Program highlights include works by Francis Poulenc, Mikhail Glinka, Gioachino Rossini and contemporary composer Viet Cuong. 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, 626.793.4191, colemanchambermusic.org
From left: pianist Irina Kaplan, bassonist Bryan Young, oboist Aleh Remezau.
ALL ACCESS
Patrons with disabilities benefit from new or recently improved technologies and programs at the city’s major performing-arts companies. / by LIBBY
C HENNING SAYS she has the best seat in the house for L.A. Opera performances. And if it’s not the best, it’s certainly a most unusual one.
For one matinee per production, and by request at other times, Henning sits in a booth above one of the chandeliers adorning the walls of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion’s auditorium.
Looking down to the stage, orchestra pit and seats, she’s there to provide audio description to operagoers who are blind or have low vision. She speaks via her microphone to those patrons’ headsets, verbally bringing to life the singers’ essential actions and, as she puts it, “painting vivid pictures” of the people, scenery and costumes onstage.
SLATE /
JC Henning provides audio description for blind and low-vision opera patrons
Across the Music Center plaza at the Ahmanson Theatre, ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters Francine Stern and John Arce perch on stools in front of the first rows of seating at audience right. They face deaf or hardof-hearing theatergoers, enacting the show onstage through signing and facial expressions. Signed performances take place opening night, at one other performance per production and by request.
Providing accessibility to the performing arts for people with disabilities, by these and other methods, is a key mission for arts companies and venues, benefiting both showgoers and the presenters.
Offering disability services “aligns with our overall goals to be more inclusive,” says Andressa Royer, senior manager of audience development and marketing events for Center Theatre Group; CTG’s three venues include the Ahmanson and Mark Taper Forum downtown and Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
“We also see accessibility as an audience development tool,” Royer says, “to welcome new audiences and have them return, to make theater a safe space for those who may have been marginalized or not really thought about.”
Henning, who also works at CTG, Pasadena Playhouse, Hollywood Bowl and the Ford, has been an audio describer since she did the Ahmanson’s Death of a Salesman in 2000, but says the practice is still recent for most of L.A. She’s been at L.A.
/CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
Center Theatre Group’s American Sign Language interpreters John Arce and Francine Stern
THE COLEMAN CHAMBER MUSIC ASSOCIATION
“Music... life to everything”
Praised for their warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esmé Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany by four musicians who were already friends and shared common interests and passions in music, the arts, and life. In 2018 the quartet won the first prize as well as sweeping four special prizes at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London, and also became HSBC Laureate of the Académie du Festival d’Aix. The quartet’s name— Esmé—is derived from medieval French and means “beloved.”
The Poulenc Trio has earned critical acclaim over its 20-year history, with the New York Times praising their “elegant rendition” of Piazzolla’s tangos and the Washington Post commending them for honoring their namesake with an “intriguing and beautifully played program” that exuded “convincing elegance, near e ortless lightness, and grace.” Pianist Irina Kaplan Lande teaches at the Peabody Institute, oboist Aleh Remezau is renowned for his “incredibly expressive” playing (Vancouver Sun), and Bryan Young is principal bassoonist at the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. Guest Boris Allakhverdyan is principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
FREEWAYS: LACO FELLOWS CONCERT
MAR 8 | 8 PM | LA LGBT CENTER
Lara Downes CREATIVE PARTNER LACO Fellows
VANGUARD: FARRENC’S NONET
APR 5 | 7:30 PM | THE WALLIS
APR 6 | 7:30 PM | THE HUNTINGTON ♀
Margaret Batjer DIRECTOR OF CHAMBER MUSIC ♀A Special Event Highlighting Women Composers.
MAR 15 | 7:30 PM | ALEX THEATRE
Jeannette Sorrell CONDUCTOR Awadagin Pratt PIANO
BOURGEOISIE: MOZART + HAYDN + HANDEL
APR 19 | 7:30 PM | ALEX THEATRE
PIONEERS: MARTÍN +SCHUMANN + PRICE
APR 20 | 4 PM | THE WALLIS
Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR Lara Downes PIANO
DON’T MISS LACO’S EXHILARATING
ORCHESTRAL
2024/25 SEASON
VISIONARIES: MARTÍN + BEETHOVEN
MAY 10 | 7:30 PM | ALEX THEATRE
MAY 11 | 4 PM | THE WALLIS
Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR Nemanja Radulović VIOLIN
BAROQUE
CELESTIALS: MOBLEY + VIVALDI
MAY 20 | 7:30 PM | THE WALLIS
CURRENT
CURRENT: ROOTS
MAY 17 | 7:30 PM AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST
Tessa Lark CURATOR, LEADER + VIOLIN
MAY 22 | 7:30 PM | THE HUNTINGTON
Margaret Batjer DIRECTOR OF CHAMBER MUSIC
Reginald Mobley COUNTERTENOR
David Washburn TRUMPET
BAROQUE
MAESTROS: MARTÍN + BACH
MAY 31 | 7:30 PM | THE WALLIS
JUN 1 | 4 PM | THE HUNTINGTON
Jaime Martín MUSIC DIRECTOR + SOLO FLUTE
BOOK YOUR NEXT CORPORATE EVENT, CONFERENCE, OR MEETING WITH HOPE & GRAND EVENTS AT THE MUSIC CENTER - WHERE WE TRANSFORM MOMENTS INTO UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES.
SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE
WELCOME TO topdog/underdog
Dear Friends,
In just a few weeks, our Playhouse will celebrate its 100th birthday. Throughout this past century, our theater has served as a steadfast beacon and gathering place for our community, offering solace, connection, and catharsis during wars, economic upheavals, and natural disasters.
When we gather within these historic walls during challenging times, we join countless others who found strength, inspiration, and unity here through the power of shared storytelling. This tradition continues with the performance you’re about to experience.
Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog stands as a towering achievement in American theater—she became the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002. This gripping tale of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth, weaves themes of family, race, and destiny into a rich story. Parks' masterful use of language, rhythm, and symbolism has influenced a generation of playwrights and expanded the boundaries of contemporary theater. Her raw, unflinching examination of African American identity and sibling rivalry has established the play as a cornerstone of modern dramatic literature and is studied as an essential text of 21st-century drama.
Great theater, especially works that confront profound human struggles, can help us process our own challenges as we witness others navigate their darkest hours. Through Lincoln and Booth's story, we see how family bonds both nourish and test us, how history shapes our present, and how hope endures even in moments of despair.
Thank you for being here today.
DANNY FELDMAN Producing Artistic Director
FEB 15 – MAR 16, 2025
LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE: THE MUSICAL
MAY 14 – JUN 8, 2025
A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2
SATURDAY, APR 5, 2025
PLAYHOUSE PARTY ANNUAL GALA BENEFIT
2025–2026
NEW SEASON COMING SOON!
THE BEST SUMMERS ARE PLAYHOUSE SUMMERS!
Playhouse Players Summer Camp: an incredible 2-week adventure for young theatermakers ages 7 through 12, come dive under the sea with Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR.
Our (slightly) older friends ages 11 through 15 can
For highschoolers ages 14 through 18, we’re
musical boot
theater camp
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE
DANNY FELDMAN
26 – MAR 23, 2025
topdog UNDERDOG
Producing Artistic Director Presents By
SUZAN-LORI PARKS
Starring
BRANDON GILL BRANDON MICHEAL HALL
Scenic Design TESSHI NAKAGAWA
Original Compositions TRU
Costume Design ANGELA BALOGH CALIN
Original Guitar Composition and Musical Performance Coaching
JOYCE GUY
Lighting Design JARED A. SAYEG
MARITRI GARRETT Movement Consultant
Card Consultant WHIT "POP" HAYDN
Casting RYAN BERNARD TYMENSKY, CSA
Intimacy & Fight Coordination SASHA NICOLLE SMITH
Sound Design JEFF GARDNER
Hair & Make-up Consultant
SHELIA DORN
Stage Manager ALYSSA ESCALANTE
Technical Director/ Production Supervisor BRAD ENLOW
Press Representative DAVIDSON & CHOY PUBLICITY
Associate Producer JENNY SLATTERY
Directed by
GREGG T. DANIEL
This production is underwritten in part by our very generous Honorary Producers Tammi and Lenny Steren.
Produced on Broadway by Carole Shorenstein Hays, Waxman/Williams Entertainment, Bob Boyett, Freddy De Mann, Susan Dietz, Ina Meibach, Scott Nederlander, Ira Pittelman, Hits Magazine, Kelpie Arts, Rick Steiner/Frederic H. Mayerson, The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival.
Original New York production by The Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, George C. Wolfe, Producer
Topdog/Underdog is presented by a special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service imprint. (www.dramatists.com)
Pasadena Playhouse sits on the land of the Gabrielino-Tongva and Kizh people, who historically inhabited the area around present-day Pasadena. We honor their contribution to this region and give thanks for the opportunity to live, work, and perform on their unceded ancestral lands.
“Our crown has already been bought and paid for. All we have to do is wear it.” —JAMES BALDWIN
“Comedy and Tragedy can exist at the same time.”
—SUZAN-LORI PARKS
Topdog/Underdog is a play about family. Two brothers, having been abandoned by their parents (physically and emotionally), struggle to form a meaningful familial bond with one other. But how does one overcome a legacy of abandonment and betrayal to forge a newer and healthier relationship?
The play is also rooted in the search for and attainment of the American Dream. Both brothers desperately vie for agency, empowerment, and ultimately the ability to survive. However, both brothers lack the tools for social mobility and turn to the hustle of three-card monte as one of the few resources available for advancement. America’s cities continue to witness the acute divide between the haves and the have-nots, the top dogs and the underdogs.
The playwright offers us a look into the lives of two Black men who experience love, loss, and a search for identity. Ms. Parks also invites us to experience the joy, humor, and lifelong familiarity that exists between the men while juxtaposing their existence in poverty, racism, and violence. There are moments within the play that suggest that a healing process can take place if only the brothers can overcome the pain of their past. While the odds might be against them, I’d like to think we want to root for the Underdogs.
Here's to Belief,
GREGG T. DANIEL Topdog/Underdog Director
Brandon Gill, Gregg T. Daniel, Brandon Micheal Hall; Photo by Jeff Lorch
In July 2001, American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ newest play, Topdog/ Underdog, made its debut at the Public Theater in New York City under the direction of George C. Wolfe, starring Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. After a soldout run, the play moved to Broadway in the spring of 2002. That year, Parks made history when Topdog/Underdog was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. She was the first African American woman to receive the award. 20 years later, Topdog/ Underdog opened again on Broadway at the Golden Theater in 2022 and won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play in 2023.
Parks, the author of numerous plays, screenplays, and a novel, has been called “a pioneer” in playwriting for her development of new forms and styles. Among her accolades, Parks, a former writing student of James Baldwin, received an Outer Critics Circle Award in 2002 for Topdog/Underdog, is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant, and was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People of 2023” by TIME magazine. In November 2022, Parks was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
Pasadena Playhouse brings Topdog/Underdog to our historic stage during a challenging time for our community. Parks’ darkly comic play, and the historical events of this nation that run parallel to its production, continues to unveil new layers of social complexity and humanness in this uniquely American play.
Other Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks:
Sally & Tom, Plays for the Plague Year, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Musical, White Noise, The Book of Grace, In the Blood, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, The America Play, Father Comes Home From The Wars Parts 1, 2, and 3, and Fucking A.
Brandon Gill, Brandon Micheal Hall; Photo by Jeff Lorch
CAST
BRANDON GILL
BRANDON MICHEAL HALL
CAST
Booth
BRANDON GILL
Lincoln BRANDON MICHEAL HALL
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Stage Manager ALYSSA ESCALANTE
Assistant Stage Manager BRIAN SEMEL
Topdog/Underdog will be performed with one 15-minute intermission.
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
WHO’S WHO
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE
Pasadena Playhouse, the official State Theater of California and recipient of the 2023 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is internationally recognized for its significant role in the development of American theater. One of the most prolific theaters in the country, the Playhouse has staged thousands of original productions since its founding in 1917 including premieres of works by Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, Suzan-Lori Parks, Gloria Calderón Kellett and hundreds more. For decades, its pioneering School for Theater Arts was a training ground for actors and theatermakers who went on to make significant contributions to the entertainment industry. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Danny Feldman since 2016, Pasadena Playhouse’s productions and community programs are centered on its founding idea of being a living force in its community, making theater for everyone. Today, the Playhouse continues to advance the American theater and serves as a hub for the top theatermakers of our time.
BRANDON GILL
Booth
Brandon is excited to make his Pasadena Playhouse debut. A proud New Yorker, he’s a graduate of The Juilliard School. Recent: “Guildenstern” in the NY Public Theater’s Hamlet (Shakespeare in the Park), directed by Kenny Leon. Theater: Originated the role of “Fred” in Broadway’s Tony Award-winning production of A Christmas Carol, Bella (Playwrights Horizons, Lucille Lortel nomination – Best Featured Actor, dir. Robert O’Hara), The Last Goodbye (Old Globe, dir Alex Timbers), World Premieres of Brandon Jacob Jenkins’ Neighbors (Public Theater) & Too Heavy For Your Pocket (Roundabout). Brandon’s narrated several NY Times Bestselling authors including Black Panther: Dreams of Wakanda. TV/Film: Chicago P.D., NCIS: New Orleans, Bashira, Radium Girls, Marvel's The Punisher, Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU
BRANDON MICHEAL HALL
Lincoln
Brandon Micheal Hall a graduated from SCGSAH 2011 and Juilliard 2015. He made his Broadway debut in Roundabout’s Tony-nominated production of Trouble In Mind, opposite LaChanze and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright. He is best known for his starring roles in the CBS hit drama God Friended Me and the ABC comedy The Mayor. Brandon most recently appeared in Netflix’s feature Girl Haunts Boy, Peacock’s Poker Face, and the independent feature Audrey’s Children. Other film and TV credits include Chloe, Search Party, The Surrogate, Injustice, Power, Always A Bridesmaid, Broad City, The Characters, and Unforgettable
SUZAN-LORI PARKS Playwright
Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright) is the first AfricanAmerican woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Other awards include MacArthur Genius Grant, Gish Prize. Theatre: Topdog/Underdog (Pulitzer), Porgy and Bess (Tony Award®), 365 Days/365 Plays, Father Comes Home from the Wars (Part 1, 2 & 3), Fucking A, Plays for the First Hundred Days, The Book of Grace, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World aka the Negro Book Of The Dead, Venus, Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Musical, The America Play, Watch Me Work, In the Blood, Plays for the Plague Year. Film: The United States vs Billie Holiday, Girl 6. TV: Genius: Aretha (Creator/Writer/Showrunner). Novel: Getting Mother’s Body. Parks writes songs and fronts her band Sula & The Noise. She is a former writing student of James Baldwin.
GREGG T. DANIEL Director
Gregg T. Daniel directed West Coast revival/Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles,1992/Mark Taper Forum. August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, Radio Golf, Seven Guitars, Gem of the Ocean/A Noise Within. James Ijames' Kill Move Paradise/Odyssey Theatre. Denver Center’s world premiere of Beaufield Berry’s In The Upper Room Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop/Garry Marshall Theatre. West Coast premieres: Mfoniso Udofia’s Her Portmanteau/Boston Court Theatre, Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm’s Br’er Cotton/Lower Depth Theatre, francisca da silveira’s Can I Touch It, Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs/Rogue Machine. Revival: Alice Childress' Wedding Band Antaeus Company. Gregg is the current Artistic Director of Lower Depth Theatre. (www.Lower-Depth.com)
TESSHI NAKAGAWA Scenic Designer
Tesshi Nakagawa is excited to return to Pasadena Playhouse where he previously designed The Sound Inside (2023) and Uncle Vanya (2022). Hailing from Tokyo, Japan, Tesshi Nakagawa has established a distinguished career as a Scenic Designer/Art Director in the Theater, Film, and Commercial industries. His theatrical designs have been showcased at numerous renowned venues throughout the Los Angeles area, including A Noise Within, Boston Court Pasadena, South Coast Repertory, East West Players, Antaeus Theatre Company, and more. He is currently an adjunct professor at East Los Angeles College. Graduate of UCLA. For more information, visit www.tesshi.com
ANGELA BALOGH CALIN
Costume Designer
Angela is excited to collaborate with Gregg again. Costume and scenic design: Seattle Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, South Coast Repertory, Asolo Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory, Hollywood Bowl, Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Orlando Shakespeare, Pasadena Playhouse, A Noise Within Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Antaeus Theatre, and the National Theatre in Bucharest – Romania. Awards: Los Angeles Critics Circle, Cleveland Drama Critics, Backstage, Garland, and the LADCC Lifetime Award for Outstanding Achievement In Theatrical Design. She is a resident artist at A Noise Within Theatre. M.F.A in Costume and Scenic Design from the National Academy of Arts in Bucharest – Romania. www.angelacalin.com
JARED A. SAYEG
Lighting Designer
Jared A. Sayeg is a nine-time Ovation Award Nominee and Winner of the Ovation, Stage Raw, Garland, and LADCC Kinetic Lighting Awards. Broadway: The Illusionists, Bravo Bernstein, Gotham Glory (Carnegie Hall). Regional: Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Playhouse, 5th Avenue Theatre, Sacramento Music Circus, Reprise, Ensemble Theatre Company, Laguna Playhouse, Indiana Rep, Virginia Stage Company. On the West End, he designed Rolling with Laughter at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Jared was on the design teams for the Broadway productions of PRIMO, The Woman in White, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury. Jared became the youngest member of the United Scenic Artists-Local 829 and serves as the Vice-Chair to the executive board. www.jaslighting.com
JEFF GARDNER
Sound Designer
At Pasadena Playhouse: One Of The Good Ones, Inherit The Wind, The Sound Inside, Miracle On 34th Street, It’s A Wonderful Life. Select credits include Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in The Universe at the Mark Taper Forum. Elsewhere: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Cleveland Play House, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Baltimore Center Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Los Angeles: Geffen Playhouse, The Wallis, A Noise Within, Boston Court Pasadena, Antaeus Theatre Company, IAMA Theatre. Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award, Stage Raw, and LA Drama Critics Circle Award Winner. Jeff can be seen at L.A. Theatre Works where he regularly performs live sound effects. jeffthomasgardner.net.
TRU
Original Compositions
Tru (Philip Patrick Harper) is a first-generation Belizean-American artist and composer from Leimert Park, CA. Drawing from his cultural heritage, Tru’s work intersects sound art, performance, and multimedia installation. He has collaborated with institutions such as Center Theatre Group, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, The Whitney Museum, Ballet BC, and Netherlands Dance Theatre. Tru’s practice as a composer centers on the fusion of experimental sound with storytelling, technology, and social history.
MARITRI GARRETT
Guitar Composition and Musical Performance
Coach
Maritri Garrett is a remarkable independent artist whose music reflects the depth of her diverse musical background. A composer, multiinstrumentalist, singer, and educator, her songs tell honest stories of life, love, and loss, offering healing and solace to all who listen. Maritri holds a unique blend of academic achievements, including a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Fisk University, a Bachelor of Science in Composition, and a Master of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from Howard University. Her skillful versatility with instruments like the piano, guitar, bass, cello, and percussion sets her apart. Having performed with and opened for musical legends like Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, Maritri continues to captivate audiences with her emotionally powerful compositions and soulful performances.
JOYCE GUY Movement Consultant
Joyce is an actress, playwright, filmmaker, and choreographer. Choreographed: A Raisin in the Sun, Gem of the Ocean, Seven Guitars, and Much Ado About Nothing at A Noise Within (ANW); Choir Boy at Dezart Performs and Can I Touch It at Rogue Machine. Won 2023 LA Drama Critics Circle and LA Theatre Bite Awards for ANW’s Much Ado About Nothing. For Les Blancs at Rogue Machine, won the NAACP Award for Best Choreography Local. Screen/ TV: Moneyball, The Santa Clause, Found, General Hospital, Clickbait, to name a few. Studied West African dance for over 30 years. She’s the director/ producer of Dancing Like Home, a documentary about dance from Senegal, West Africa. She has a B.S. from Hampton University.
SASHA NICOLLE SMITH
Intimacy & Fight Coordination
Sasha is thrilled to make her Pasadena Playhouse debut! Theater credits include: The Lonely Few, Fat Ham, The Engagement Party, The Mountaintop, The First Deep Breath (Geffen Playhouse), The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Ms. Blakk For President (Steppenwolf Theatre), Familiar (Steppenwolf Theatre), How To Catch Creation (Goodman Theatre), A Raisin in the Sun (Guthrie Theater), The Bluest Eye (Virginia Stage Company), Toni Stone (Milwaukee Rep), Trading Places (Alliance Theater), Smart People (Writers Theater). Film/Television: Beef (Netflix), Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon), Swarm (Amazon), Tiny Beautiful Things ( Hulu), Your Place or Mine (Netflix), That ‘90s Show (Netflix), How I Met Your Father (Hulu), Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), among others.
SHELIA DORN
Hair & Makeup Consultation
Theatre: Don't Touch My Hair, Sleeping Giant, American Idiot (Mark Taper/CTG), Jelly's Last Jam (Pasadena Playhouse), Twelfth Night (Actors Co Op), Three Sisters (LA, LGBT Theatre), Fat Ham, Black Cypress Bayou, Mountaintop (Geffen Playhouse), Piano Lesson, King Hedley II, The Bluest Eye, Radio Golf, Seven Guitars, All’s Well End’s Well, The Book of Will, Anna In the Tropics, Gem of the Ocean, (A Noise Within). The Great Jheri Curl Debate, (East West Players), Shelia, donates her talents to Amazing Grace Conservatories, aspiring artists ages 7-18.
WHIT "POP" HAYDN
Card Consultant
Whit "Pop" Haydn was named Stage Magician of the Year in March 2015 at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. He is the winner of seven Performer of the Year awards from the Magic Castle, the clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Arts. He has opened for Jerry Seinfeld, the Smothers Brothers, Loretta Lynn, and others. He’s performed on cruise ships including Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Diamond Princess. He was the chief magic consultant on Norman Jewison's major film Bogus starring Whoopi Goldberg, Gerard Depardieu, and Haley Joel Osment. Other consultations: Discovery Channel's Houdini, People Came to See Him Die, David Copperfield's Orient Express, Franklin and Bash (Sony), Bunheads (ABC Family). TV/film: Haunted Collector (Discovery), Dealt
WHO’S WHO
RYAN BERNARD TYMENSKY, CSA
RBT Casting
Ryan’s versatility in the world of casting speaks for itself. For the last decade, Ryan has cast many theater productions in Los Angeles and New York, including many shows at Pasadena Playhouse and The Wallis. Their portfolio also includes notable TV and film projects such as the Wicked movies, This Is Us, Atypical, and many more. Ryan puts inclusion and diversity at the heart of everything they do. Their mission is to celebrate and actively advocate for performers who reflect the full spectrum of human diversity to help expand a multiplicity of narratives; narratives that reflect the real world we live in and challenge conventional boundaries that currently exist in the entertainment industry. rbtcasting.com. @rbtcasting
ALYSSA ESCALANTE
Stage Manager
Alyssa is a Los Angeles-based stage manager and proud graduate of Occidental College. She is excited to be back at Pasadena Playhouse. Her Playhouse credits include The Sound Inside, Stew, and Hold These Truths. Most recently she finished Waiting for Godot at Geffen Playhouse. Alyssa has worked at many of the regional and small theatre companies in Southern California such as The Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, Boston Court Pasadena, Troubadour Theater Company, and Musical Theatre West. Additionally, Alyssa worked with SITI Company on their production of The Bacchae at the Guthrie Theater and was an in-town substitute on Hamilton with its Eliza Company at the Pantages Theatre.
BRIAN SEMEL
Assistant Stage Manager
Brian is a producer, writer, and occasional performer from NY. He spent five years as the lead producer and writer of a touring political comedy show for Crooked Media but quit because our politics are unfathomably depressing. Since then, he's been producing performing arts festivals around Southern California for Community Arts Resources, as well as comedy shows in the back of taco shops and backyards for his friends. He joined the Playhouse as a PA on La Cage aux Folles and will stick around as long as they’ll have him. He loves theater, his dog, organized labor, reading in parks, screaming into the void, and dancing the night away.
A LIFELONG LOVE. A LASTING LEGACY.
JOIN THE GILMOR BROWN SOCIETY TODAY.
For over a century, a dedicated community of artists and supporters have come together to make extraordinary theater at Pasadena Playhouse. By including the Playhouse in your will or estate plan, you can ensure that the award-winning art and passion we bring to the stage will continue to thrive for the next 100 years.
Making a planned gift is a simple and meaningful way to show your lifelong love of theater. For more information, please visit pasadenaplayhouse.org/legacy .
If you have already included Pasadena Playhouse in your will, estate plan, or future giving, please let us know! We would be delighted to offer you a special membership in the Gilmor Brown Legacy Society, named in honor of our legendary founder.
For more information, please contact Katelin Urgo
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Chair
Erin Baker
Interim Vice Chair
Y-Vonne Hutchinson
Treasurer
Bonnie Wongtrakool
Secretary
Leigh T. Olivar
TRUSTEES
Erin Baker
Sheri Ball
MaryLou Boone
Dennis Cornell
Brandon Dickerson
Peggy Ebright
Danny Feldman
Beth Fernandez
Julie A. Gutierrez
Cristina Hernandez
Melanie Holden
Y-Vonne Hutchinson
Jane Kaczmarek
Brad King
Harmon Kong
Brandon Levin
Jim McCarthy
Ken McCormick
Alfred Molina
Leigh T. Olivar
Bingo Roncelli
Jeff Smith
Ann Sunshine
Patricia Barajas Tavera
Bernhard von Thaden
Bonnie Wongtrakool
CHAIR EMERITI
David M. Davis
David DiCristofaro
Michele Dedeaux Engemann
Sheila Grether-Marion
Kerry McCluggage
BOARD MEMBERS EMERITI
Valerie Amidon
Carol Burnett
Linda Griffey
Ralph Hirschmann
Frank Kleemann
Dennis Lowe
Tad Lowrey
Rao Makineni
Abel Ramirez
Kathy Arntzen Roat
Anne Rothenberg
Lyn Spector
Elliot Stahler
Corky Hale Stoller
Mike Stoller
Greg Stone
Leslie Tolan
Martha Williamson
IN MEMORIAM
David Angell
Theodore Fitch Behr
Betty Ann Koen Brooks
Bill Galloway
Albert Lowe
Margaret Sedenquist
Lilah Stangeland
Roger Stangeland
James Watterson
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
THANK YOU
We gratefully acknowledge the following contributions received over the past year through January 17, 2025. For questions or corrections, please contact Matt Tornero at mtornero@pasadenaplayhouse.org.
$100,000+ Anonymous
Apriem Advisors
Erin & Jeremy Baker
Jane Kaczmarek
Brad & Pamela King
Ellen & Harvey Knell
Terri & Jerry Kohl
Sarah & Eric Miller
Leigh T. & Harry Olivar
Lilah and Roger Stangeland Family Trust
Tammi & Lenny Steren
Barbara Jean Wolpert/Wolpert Family Trust
$50,000 - $99,999
Suzi Dietz & Lenny Beer
Heather & Paul Haaga
Bill Resnick & Michael J. Stubbs
$25,000 - $49,999 Anonymous
Avery & Andrew Barth
Mary Lou Byrne & Gary W. Kearney
Stephen & Susan Chandler
Dennis Cornell
Michele & Roger Engemann
Bruce Goldsmith
Cristina Hernandez & Jeffrey Bernstein
Julie & Don Hopf
Jennifer Lee & Alfred Molina
Tad Lowrey
Bingo & Gino Roncelli
Ann & Steven Sunshine
Judith & Wes Whitmore
$10,000 - $24,999 Anonymous
Linda Antonioli in loving memory of Kenny Antonioli
The Caplin Foundation
Chantal & Steve Bennett
Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation Donor Advised Fund
Robert and Allison Coe
The Sahan Daywi Foundation
Stephanie & Leo Dencik
Gail & Jim Ellis
Estate of Susan L. Petelik
Dorothy Falcinella
Judith & Stanley Farrar
Stephanie Flagg
Jane Gordon & Dennis Levitt
Sue Haynie Horn/Horn Family Trust
Donna J. Leonhard
Michael Mackness & Eric Sigg
Greta & Peter Mandell
Sheila Grether-Marion & Mark Marion
Steven A. & Marianne M. Mills
Tracy & Ken McCormick
Beth Price
Shannon Quinn
Kathy Rose
Sarah & Daniel Rothenberg
Gene J. Torncello
Nicole & Bernhard von Thaden
Shine Wang in honor of my parents, Mr. & Mrs. Ling Lang Wang
The Wang Family
Dr. Frank & Shelley Williams
$5,000 - $9,999
The Angeloff Family
Anonymous (2)
Richard Azarloza
Barajas Tavera Family
Carlton Calvin & Mary Blodgett
E. Thomas Brewer
Diana Buckhantz
Lynn & Carl Cooper
Brandon & Chelsea Dickerson
Patti & Jim Dolan
Carole Fritz
Pamela Girard & Shayne Smith
Peter Golden
Kate & Kristopher Good / WHH Foundation
Debra L. Grieb & John Mickus
Beth & Rob Hansen
Dr. Stephen Henry & Rudy O’Claray
Sue Jandial
Christopher Kreiling & Ruben Hassel
Anita & Vince Lawler
Brandon Levin
Megan Mekjian & Christian Hall
David and Margaret Mgrublian
Ceil & Wendell Mortimer
Robert J. Muehlhausen
David Nagy
Eileen O’Leary
Rogolsky Family Foundation
Sarah & Jim Shelton
Susan Shieldkret & David Dull
Laurie & Jeffrey Smith
Lyn Spector
Karin & Sean Stellar
Susan Stevens
Mickey & Nickie Williams
Bonnie Wongtrakool & Beong-Soo Kim
James & Beth Zapp
$2,500 - $4,999
Anonymous
The Babb-Hutchinson Family
Meghan & Monte Baier
Jarrett Barrios & Danny Feldman
Sheri & Andy Ball
Carol M. & Barrett P. Bingaman
Meta & Jay Berger
Kevin Callahan & John Sims
Mary Lea & Bill Carroll
Ross Clark
Joe & Dottie Clougherty
Martha Coffey
Riley Cole
Amanda Crick & Glenn Pfeffer
Todd & Michele Doney
Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin
Victoria and Mark Eaton
Peggy Ebright
Dr. Annette Ermshar & Associates
Leslie Falick and Norman Koplof
The Espinoza Family
Lisa Field
Ms. Vivien Stanley Foran
& Dr. William F. Foran
Brad and Lisa Freer
Brenda Galloway
Beth Gertmenian
Julie A. Gutierrez
Kiki & David Gindler
Linda & Jay Griffey
Elizabeth & Brian Hall
Cherie & Mark Harris
Philip Hawkey & Dena Spanos-Hawkey
Ronald and Susan Hoffman
Chris & Melanie Holden
Madeleine Horton
Carl L. Levinger
Shelly & Dennis Lowe
Bill Cohn & Dan Miller
Thomas & Samira Moran
Richard Motika & Jerrie Whitfield
Richel & Kenneth Nash
Frank J. Ochoa
Richard Oosterom & William Ferry
J.R. & Chip Ossman
The Pearl Family
Lucy Pliskin
Sara & Dinesh Sadhwani
Jan & Carl Siechert
Paul and Patricia Sinclair
Kristan & Philip A. Swan
John Thorne
Richard von Ernst & Thomas Castañeda
Steven Warheit & Jean Christensen
Derek Whitefield & Gary Dahle
$1,000 - $2,499
Anonymous
Andy Abowitz
Vanessa Anaya
Nancy McAniff Annick
Alison Ashford
Deborah Beveridge
Susan Bleecker
Garry Bormet
Paula Brand
Gabrielle Bruveris
Dave & Zoie Carney
Lesley Chiou
Hannah and Michael Coan
Marty & Bruce Coffey
Renate & Mel Cohen
The Colburn Family Foundation
Araceli Cole
Geoffrey Cowan & Aileen Adams
Phyllis Currie
Michael DeLuca
Martha Denzel
Kevork George Dulgeryan
Katherine & Jerry Eberhardt
Kerry Ehrin
Michael Enomoto
Sandy & Mark Esensten
Jackie & Don Feinstein
Beth Fernandez
Karen Gallagher
Olga Garay-English
Fariba Ghaffari
David Grannis
Patricia Grubman
Daniel Guerrero
Ryan Guiboa
Gail Gunther
Donald & Denise Hahn
Annette Hanks
Susan Hauk
Holly Hawkins
Charles Hay
Daniel Healy
Lorena Hernandez
Tracy & Richard Hirrel
John Horn
Marguerite Hougasian
Gary Hunter
Gary & Lois Ingham
Amy & Alan Karbelnig
John E. Kinikin
Edward & Joy Klein
Eugene Korney & Penny Grosz
Lena & Mark Labowe
Emily & Michael Laskin
Joanne Lee
Kimberly Leong
Steven G. Madison
Ilene Marshall
Carol and Bob McCrary
Alice McIntosh
Robert McManus
Alexander Menenberg
Christopher Meyer & Gary Holm
Mary Anne & Lary Mielke
Sharon Mintie
Sue & Monty Mohrman
Olivia & Peter Moore
Cheryl & Judd Morris
Laura Mosqueda
Arnold Mulder
Jan Furey Muntz
Nancy & Phil Naecker
Janice Ohta and Fred Weiss
Joe Olender
Teresa Payton
Diana Peterson-More
Mary E. Petit and Eleanor Torres
Dr. Dianne Philibosian
Gloria & Don Pitzer
Carolyn & John Poer
Richard Polanco
Meenakshi Ponnusamy
Jennifer Price-Letscher
Stephen Ratliff
Edward Romano
Paal Salvesen
Tim & Jeanne Sakata Patterson in honor of Gordon Hirabayashi
Lorraine Schield
Mark Schuster
Jeannie Sears
Joel & Jil Sheldon
Carol Shelton
Laurie and Robert Silton
Gabby Silvi
Laura Slovin
David & Gail Snyder
Andrea Sossin-Bergman & Paul Bergman
Kate Steele
David & Keppie Sullivan
Randall & Mari Tamura
John D. Taylor
Andrea Van de Kamp
Valerie Gumbiner Weiss & Aaron Weiss
Paul Tellström & Carl Whidden
Carolyn Wilson & Patrick Connor
Cheryl Wold
Robert & Deborah Wycoff
Eleanor Lee Zaks
Robbie & David Zeidberg
Amy Zeidler
$500 - $999
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Juan & Michelle Alfonso
Anonymous
Vivian Auslander
Justin Babb
Don Bacigalupi
Bruce & Judy Bailey
Patricia Barron
Stan Bartosiak
Richard Bayer
Patricia Beauchamp
Wayne Bemis
Gary & Shirley Best
Carole Black
Bill & Claire Bogaard
Thomas Bogaard
Irene Boyd
Louise & John Brinsley
William Brownlie
Gale Caswell
Maggie Chatman
Wendy Chang
Leslie and John Clayton
Phyllis Crandon
Linda Davidson-Guerra
Debbie DeRing
Snehal Desai
Art Dhallin
Lalo and Catherine Diaz
J. Dallas Dishman
Qing Duncan
Janet Ellis
Terry Feuerborn
Liz Feldman
Yvonne & Craig Flint
Stephany Folsom
Carol Gabel
Betty Jo Gaddy
Maureen Gelberg
Gracella C. Gibbs
Margarita Gomez
Dennis Greer
Terry Grill
Roberta Haft
Rose Ann Hall
Emily & Henry Hancock
Deborah Healy
Antonia Hernandez & Judge Michael Stern
Deborah Hoffman
Will Hong
Freya & Mark Ivener
Gary T. Izumi
Lynda Jenner & J. Patrick Whaley
Richard Kaplan
Ellen R. Ketels
Katy Kindman
Lauren Koenig-Plonskier
Janet & David Lazier
Gerald Loeb & Frances Richmond
Nolanda & Joe Love
Clark & Karen Linstone
Rose and Warren Loui
Luther & Carol Luedtke
Aaron Mark
Bridgette Marsh
Paul McAndrews
Jim & Amanda McCarthy
Rachael McCracken
Jane McCullough
Lori A. McKenna
Ingrid Merker Kovacs
Christopher Meyer & Gary Holm
Brian Miller
Joan & Phil Miller
Mark Miller
Michelle Montague-Mfuni & John Martinez
Thomas Moore
John Moschitta
Suzy Moser
Robert & Terri Mulein
Margaret Murphy
Jacquelyn Myers
Kristine Narens
Michael Newman
Jo Ochoa
Michael Oppenheim
Garrett Paine & June Thurber Paine
Alexandra Patsavas
Anthony & Carolyn Pearson
Charlie and Sandra Plowman
Andrea & Jeff Pomerance
Harold Ray
Donald Roback
Carli Rogers
Ed & Linda Richmond
Azin Samari
San Marino Rotary Charities
William Sargent & Nancy Wischhusen
Curtis and Mary Ellen Sather
Kaela Schoon
John Scott
Gerald Silver
Daniel Silverman
Ronald Slates
Julie Stern
Mark Swenson & Craig Coburn
Hamed Tavajohi
Laney Techentin
Brian Thomas
Andrew J. Tiedge
Eileen T’Kaye & David Bischoff
Sally & Rafael Tornero
Laura Treister
James Tucker
Robin Underwood & Rebecca Rieck
Greg Vanni
Timothy Vient
Margaret Villarreal
Audrey & George D. Voigt
Carrie Walker
Stephen & Nova Wheeler
Jim & Mary Weidner
Ellen Weinstein
Ty Williams
Roxanne Wong
George Wu
David Woodley
PARTNERS
FOUNDATION PARTNERS
Ahmanson Foundation
The David Lee Foundation
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
The Fitzberg Foundation
The Helen & Will Webster Foundation
Jess & Palma Morgan Foundation
Michael J. Connell Foundation
Milo W. Bekins Foundation
Perenchio Foundation
The Rose Hills Foundation
Shekels Charitable Foundation
Weingart Foundation
MEDIA SPONSORS
Contributions received after January 17,2025 will be acknowledged in the next program.
GILMOR BROWN SOCIETY
The Gilmor Brown Society recognizes legacy givers who have honored the Playhouse by including the theater in their own will or trust. We are grateful for the legacy of the following individuals whose generosity allows this organization to continue serving our community.
Anonymous
Lenore Almanzar
Ellen Bailey*
In Memory of Judie Bartell
Caroll
Carol M. & Barrett P. Bingaman
Estate of Evelyn Bray
Darrell Brooke
Marjorie Cates
Ross Clark
Gary Dahle & Derek Whitefield
Estate of Agnes Duncan
Peggy Ebright
Estate of Harriet L. Freeman
Estate of Ada Gory
Linda & Jay Griffey
Virginia Hawkins
Sue Haynie-Horn & John Horn*
Sheila Grether-Marion & Mark Marion
Doug Jones & John Sanger*
Annelies Kischkel
Estate of Pauline Ledeen*
The Joanie Marx Trust
Adele Morse
William & Adele Nevins
Shirli Nielson*
Estate of Charles Pierce
Shirley Reed Trust*
Frederick Ricci*
Estate of Constance Ropolo
A. Jerald Saladana
Estate of Margaret H. Sedenquist*
Sandra Shaw*
Lyn Spector
Lilah* & Roger* Stangeland
Estate of Bill Watters
Jim Watterson
Barbara Jean Wolpert*
*Gift Realized
ADA compliant devices donated by Monte Cedro.
LEADERSHIP
Danny Feldman
Producing Artistic Director
Justin Glasson
Chief Development Officer
Julie A. Gutierrez
Interim Vice President of Facilities & Engineering
Jacquelyn Myers
Chief Financial Officer
Jenny Slattery
Associate Producer
Rachyl Spacca
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Alex Wang
Chief of Staff
ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE
Victoria Casanova
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Kristen Hammack-Eaton
Payroll & Finance Administrator
Scott Savoie
Controller
DEVELOPMENT
Zindzi Hammond-Hanson
Development & Special Events Assistant
Michael McKee
Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations
Sam Palmer Director of Events
Matt Tornero
Senior Manager of Donor Relations
Katelin Urgo
Assistant Director of Individual Giving
EDUCATION
Arie Levine
Education Director
Sam Rotengold
In-School Programs Coordinator
Sarah Mass
Education Programs Coordinator
FACILITIES
Maria Lupe Flores
Custodian
Rosa Salcedo
Custodian
MARKETING & COMMUNIC ATIONS
Omar Avedanke
Senior Director; Creative, Content & Communications
Spencer Berry
Graphic Designer
Davidson & Choy Publicity
Press Representative
Matt Iannantuoni
Marketing & Communications
Operations Coordinator
Brandon Karrer
Communications Manager, Content & Media Relations
Brianna Kinsman
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Nelly Mueller
Director, Advertising & Audience Development
Nathaniel Peterson
Video Production Specialist
PATRON SERVICES
Shelby Amses
Patron Services Supervisor
Nikko Arce
Patron Services Associate
Sam Ciavarella
House Manager
Aoife Fagan-Riddle
Patron Services Associate
Lara Glennon
Patron Services Associate
Rafael Goldstein
Patron Services Associate
Noah Grater
Patron Services Associate
Ruben Hernandez
House Manager
Anna Hibbert
House Manager
Amanda Kochey
House Manager
Kevin Lauver
Associate Director, Patron Services
Emily Minnotte
Associate Director, Front of House
Payton Morelli
Bartender
Carol Osborn
Audience Engagement
Gaby Ostrove
Patron Services Associate
Erik Shaw-Wojciechowski
Bartender
Tammi Steren
PRODUCTION/ARTISTIC
Brad Enlow
Technical Director
/ Production Supervisor
Bonnie McHeffey
Company Manager
Amanda Tralle
Producing Assistant
Sammy Womack
Assistant Company Manager
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
PRODUCTION STAFF
Stage Manager
Alyssa Escalante
Assistant Stage Manager
Brian Semel
Production Assistant
Rebecca K. Hsia
Assistant Director
Katie Mencken
Assistant Scenic Designer
Angelene Storey
Associate Sound Designer
Andrea Allmond
Costume Supervisor
Whitney Oppenheimer
Deck Chief
Matt Petosa
Head Electrician
Vsev Krawczeniuk
Assistant Electrician
Fiona Jessup
Lead Audio
Amelia Anello
A2
Nico Chamberlin
LX Programmer/Board
Operator
Keannak Parvaz
Wardrobe Head
Arielle Walker
Props Head
Douglas Puskas
Lead Scenic Painter
Johnny LeBlanc
Head Carpenter
Anthony Arevalo
Assistant Carpenter
Jacob Nava
Carpenters
Maui Ayachi-Sumeo, Alexis Garduno, Isa Mitsuharu, John Povilaitis, Cameron Wall
Electricians
Victor Bustos, Steven Garcia, Ashley
Johnson, Amahl Chekh
The staff page is up to date as of Feb 2, 2025. Please visit our digital program for any additional changes.
House Manager
Jocelyn Wadland
Patron Services Associate
Sammie Zenoz
Bartender
Khalil, Frankie Paglianti, Matt Petosa, Matt Pettis, Armon Rivera, Brandon Zavala
Board of Directors
President
Beth Fernandez
1st Vice President
Barbara Cruse
2nd Vice President
Nancy Ashcraft
Treasurer
Lawrence Yu
Secretary Sharon Zaslaw
Directors
Doris Arima, Raquel Burgess, Ross Clark, Karie Henley, Barbara
Jacoby, Lillias Krezel, Patti La Marr, Florence Lang, Beverly Meissner, Shirley
Miller, Emily Minnotte, Patrick Oliva, Betty Parnell, Natalya Pashkova, Sienna Salce, Tammi Steren, Farryl Weitzman Advisory
Lenore Bond Almanzar, Nancy Ashcraft, Carolyn Di Pane (Chair)
IN THE THEATER
FOR EVERYONE’S ENJOYMENT
As a courtesy to the artists and patrons, we ask you to please turn off cell phones, all electronic devices and anything that may light up the area around you prior to the performance. Please refrain from talking and any disruptive noise-making during the performance. Neither photography nor the use of electronic recording devices is allowed during performances.
LATE ARRIVALS
In consideration of our artists and patrons, late seating will take place during the first appropriate break in the performance at the discretion of Management. House Management may need to direct late arrivals to alternate seats. For the convenience of latecomers, the performance in progress may be viewed and heard on the monitors in the lobby.
AGE RESTRICTIONS
Children under age 6 will not be admitted into the theater. We ask that everyone in your party, regardless of age, be able to sit quietly through a performance without disrupting other patrons or the artists. Patrons of all ages must have a ticket to enter the theater and must sit in the seat indicated on the ticket.
ACCESSIBILITY
We are committed to making theater accessible to all patrons. Assisted-listening devices can be checked out in the lobby before the performance using a photo ID. The third Sunday matinee performance for every Mainstage production offers Open Captioning with Audio Description. For more information regarding accommodations and services, please contact Patron Services or ask the House Manager.
The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
This theater operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The technical employees of the Pasadena Playhouse are represented by the INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF THEATRICAL STAGE EMPLOYEES, MOVING PICTURE TECHNICIANS, ARTISTS AND ALLIED CRAFTS, OF THE UNITED STATES, ITS TERRITORIES AND CANADA, AFL-CIO,CLC: Local 33 Stagehands, Local 706 Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Local 768 Theatrical Wardrobe Local 800 Art Director’s Guild. The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.
Lighting rentals furnished by PRG.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Pasadena Playhouse is committed to a safe and mutually respectful environment for all patrons, staff, volunteers, and artists. By purchasing a ticket and entering any of our venues you agree to maintain reasonable and appropriate behavior at all times. To help ensure all patrons have a positive experience, we ask that you Respect Others, Behave Appropriately, Follow Instructions, Respect the Space, Be Considerate of Others, and Report Concerns . Scan here for our full Code of Conduct :
We reserve the right to refuse service and cease relationships with anyone who engages in disorderly conduct or harassment without refund or compensation for loss.
CONTACT PATRON SERVICES
Email boxoffice@pasadenaplayhouse.org Phone 626-356-7529
BOX OFFICE & PHONE HOURS
Tuesday - Saturday 12 PM - 6 PM Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM
BOX OFFICE HOURS Tuesday - Saturday 12 PM - 6 PM Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM
On performance days, the Box Office windows will remain open 15 minutes after the show begins.
Please note hours are subject to change due to observed holidays.
HOUSE IN THE HILLS
Designer Una Malan steps out of her showrooms to fill an exhibition home, Una Casa Privada, with her distinctive furnishings as well as pieces from acclaimed artisans. / by ROGER GRODY /
AT HER LOS ANGELES showroom, Una Malan offers pieces and products by world-renowned artists and craftspeople sought out by discerning interior designers and homeowners. Alongside those thoughtfully curated items, the designer presents her own collection of furnishings, which express a certain timelessness even when they flirt with the edgy or avant-garde.
The designer had a passion for drama early in life and later enjoyed a successful career as an entertainment
industry talent agent. She observes a definite synergy between her current discipline and the performing arts.
“I’m constantly creating diverse environments, resulting in different feelings or moods, not unlike actors in a stage performance,” Malan explains. The Una Malan showroom, in the La Cienega Design Quarter, exhibits complementary products in appealing vignettes.
Her merchandise is also showcased at Una Casa Privada, a luxury home nestled in the hills above
Living room at Una Casa Privada
Sunset Boulevard. Unlike traditional showrooms, this setting provides an immersive experience in which complementary pieces are presented in an authentic residential context.
Accessible by appointment only, Una Casa Privada offers an entirely new perspective for prospective clients; it both transforms how they shop for high-end furniture and reinforces the connection between architecture and interior design.
The site, and her showrooms in L.A. and San Francisco, “aren’t just spaces but living expressions of me," Malan says. "They evolve as I evolve. A sense of elegance and timelessness runs throughout, as well as a peaceful quality, even when it’s playful."
According to Malan, her father was a sculptor and she finds a sculptural quality
in her own creations.
As for the other designers and artisans she represents, Malan says, “My aesthetics are enhanced by the presence of pieces from other artists that bring my collection to life, that reflect a shared creativity.”
Una Malan is the exclusive U.S. dealer for United Kingdom-based Cameron Design House, which pairs its aesthetics with bespoke sizing, configurations and finishes. Representative are Cameron’s Aura and Salo chandeliers, whose ethereal, circular rings are suspended midair by delicate, nearly invisible cables.
Malan is particularly fond of lighting from Joseph Pagano Studios; she admires the founder’s craftsmanship and the constant evolution of his collection. London-based Haberdashery creates spectacular sculptural
Clockwise from top left at Una Casa Privada: Designer
Una Malan, game table, and kitchen dining area
lighting installations that transform spaces into art exhibitions.
Malan’s own Soho swivel chair and Olive chaise both reflect a marriage of timelessness and playfulness; her eponymous collection is known for its graceful contours and elegant simplicity. The collection suits contemporary architecture but also works in transitional and even traditional homes.
The designer’s Pulse line is edgier: Its tables and credenzas offer whimsical, curvilinear forms.
Indoor-outdoor lifestyles are de rigueur in Southern California; Malan’s minimalist Chiswick collection offers versatile, customizable options for patios and terraces.
Her Tulum outdoor collection, featuring
hand-chiseled wood bases, has a more artisanal quality; no two products are identical.
With its ample wall space and natural light, Una Casa Privada allows the opportunity to effectively showcase art. Currently displayed are works by French paintersculptor Aude Herlédan, whose organic forms are often injected with vibrant colors.
British painter Sarah Payne and Los Angeles-based Hilary Taub are among other acclaimed artists whose works can by acquired through Una Malan.
Una Malan, 800 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. 310.734.7077, unamalan.com
Una Casa Privada by appointment only; unacasaprivada.com
Here and above: two vignettes in the Una Malan showroom
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
This exuberant group travels the world sharing the beauty of Mexico with original choreography, elaborate costumes, and the finest dancers. Founded in 1952, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández has wowed more than 30 million spectators with traditional dances from Mexico.
The Drummers of Japan
Hito no chikara
Power of Human Strength
Making its fifth appearance at The Soraya, YAMATO returns with Hito no chikara, The Power of Human Strength. Packed with high energy and the traditional sounds of Japan, every YAMATO performance (they’ve done more than 4,000 so far!) engulfs audiences of all ages in the sound of Taiko.
PASTA PASSION
Funke by Evan Funke in Beverly Hills is an elegant expression of a craft based on centuries-old techniques.
/ by BENJAMIN EPSTEIN /
ELABORATE DIM SUM palaces, neighborhood ramen and pho joints, all manner of Italian destinations…. The unassuming noodle plays a profound role in our food culture.
When Netflix reprised its acclaimed Chef's Table series with its take on noodles, the fresh pasta guru featured in the first episode
was not from Milan or Florence, but sixthgeneration Californian Evan Funke.
For those who have seen that episode, a visit to Funke by Evan Funke in Beverly Hills can feel like a pilgrimage.
Known locally for his Felix Trattoria in Venice and Mother Wolf in Hollywood, the
WONHO FRANK LEE
Pappardelle with duck ragu and Piave cheese
SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2025 AT 7PM
Carmina Burana’s evocative lyrics, drawn from medieval poetry, speak of love, lust, and the inexorable wheel of fortune. This exhilarating showpiece — arguably the most iconic choral work of the twentieth century — is paired with the world premiere of choral re-imaginings of five Indian folk songs by Swan Family Artist-in-Residence Reena Esmail.
JENNY WONG, CONDUCTOR 88 SINGERS, LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS, NATIONAL CHILDREN’S CHORUS, 3 SOLOISTS, ORCHESTRA
Clockwise from left: linguine with Manila clams; Evan Funke in the pasta lab; agrumi salad; rooftop Bar Funke.
Santa Monica-born Funke in fact has restaurants from Las Vegas to Miami. Funke Beverly Hills is his hometown showplace for a passion he refined and elevated in Bologna as the very unlikely protégé— being both American and male—of two women considered master pasta makers.
The restaurant, which opened in 2023, is in a 1930s building. At its heart is a minimalist exhibition two-story “pasta lab” where Funke and his team create fresh handmade pastas.
Most of the interior pays homage to the structure’s art deco roots through a contemporary lens. Luxury Italian marbles and Loro Pianadesigned linen wall coverings convey modern elegance. Art works include pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ed Ruscha. Three levels, three scenes:
• The main dining room features marble tables and wraparound red booths; it’s illuminated by an installation featuring a galaxy of hand-blown Murano glass pendants.
• The second level offers additional seating with a higher-energy vibe and bar.
• Rooftop lounge Bar Funke features a translucent rose-quartz
bar and looks out directly onto the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Beverly Hills City Hall.
Start with sfincione in bianco, an unforgettable Sicilian focaccia with wild oregano, fairly bursting with olive oil.
Sfizi—“whims”—include a filet mignon tartare, antipasti South Pacific blue prawns in salsa verde, insalate a salad of persimmons and burrata. The agrumi is an off-menu, often-offered, highly recommended salad with thin-sliced citrus, red
onion and anchovies.
Similarly bright, thanks to its agrumato (citrusolive oil) finish and Meyer lemon, is the Amalfitana pizza with mozzarella, cipolla rossa, pepperoncino and pecorino dolce. Other pizzas from the wood-burning oven include one featuring wild and cultivated mushrooms.
Which brings us to the starring pastas. The menu lists a handful of dishes featuring pasta shapes hand-made on the premises plus one “al momento” described by your server.
Each dish names its region of origin and the pastaiola whose recipe it’s based on.
The tagliatelle features the ragu bolognese that Alessandra Spisni of Bologna’s La Vecchia Scuola taught Funke to make on Chef's Table. The unusual busiate—a long corkscrew, up to six inches—was finished with a pistachio pesto from Florence-based chef Benedetta Vitali.
A quartet of familiar pasta shapes are extruded, i.e., machine-formed, for dishes such as spaghetti all’arrabbiata and
tonnarelli cacio e pepe.
Those seeking secondi find a branzino and a market-price 60-day-dryaged bone-in ribeye—but we’ll keep working our way through the pastas.
Veteran pastry chef Shannon Swindle oversees the desserts as well as the bread and pizzas.
Topping his list of dolci is the seasonally changing Meringata, recently pomegranate granita, medjool dates and meringue rosettes on yogurt panna cotta. A chocolate torte with caramel salato, milkchocolate cream and
The main dining room at Funke Beverly Hills. Opposite: blue prawns in salsa verde and, below, the Romagna cocktail
devil’s food has more universal appeal.
Italian-inspired cocktails include the Romagna, an old-fashioned with alpine botanicals; the Piemont sour combines mezcal, grappa and rhubarb three ways to surprisingly elegant ends. Not surprising: The wine list is Italian. Fact is, Funke had us at wine and bread—and they’re reason enough to return. 9388 S.
/CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
Opera since 2022 and the Bowl since 2023.
For each production, she reads the script or libretto and attends rehearsals and/or performances to familiarize herself with the work.
“In audio description, the key elements are to get in the essential nonverbal action and to do it as much as you can without talking over the artists,” she says. “We try to use picturesque language—not ‘he walks,’ but he ambles, he struts, he pauses, he limps.”
An actress-singer
herself, Henning utilizes her skills through vocal expression, tone, breath control and memorization. “If you’re describing a comedy, you need to let a little bit of levity into your voice,” she says.
“As a singer, it’s espe-
cially helpful when I’m watching a musical to know ‘this is where they catch the breath,’ ‘this is where they sustain the note’—and to get out of the way of the singers when it’s an important cadenza in an opera aria.”
“We try to use picturesque language—not ‘he walks,’ but he ambles, he struts, he pauses,
he limps.”‘—JC HENNING
For opera, she times her reading of supertitles so that patrons can experience the action as the rest of the audience does.
CTG was also an early user of ASL interpreting; Stern began with the organization in the 1980s
Los Angeles Jewish Health...Energizing Senior Life!
Nonprofit Los Angeles Jewish Health, formerly Los Angeles Jewish Home, is committed to excellence in senior care for all.
Our comprehensive selection of living options and awardwinning care meets seniors where they are in life, providing individualized services focused on mind, body, and spirit. Scan Me!
and Arce in the early 1990s. Their job, Arce says, is to use ASL, facial expressions and other physical cues to relay the dialogue and capture “the essence of the speaker— their emotional state.”
Says Stern, “We add the style, spirit and energy of who’s speaking without stealing focus— those [onstage] are the performers. We indicate sound effects, like a gunshot or doorbell or car crash, with a visual cue.”
Rhythm and timing are essential. “You have to give the audience time to look at the actors— they’re looking back and forth from us to the stage,” Arce says.
ASL is always evolving, often because of younger audiences; new terms relate to streaming and other technology, popular brand names and slang.
All CTG venues have audio description and ASL interpreting; the Ahmanson also has open captioning, which may be added at the Taper.
The organization is researching the use of closed captioning on patrons’ own devices. It expanded its use of ASL with Green Day’s American Idiot last fall at the Taper; in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre, the musical was performed in both
MAR 22, 2025
STEFAN JACKIW, violin
ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK Baroque Suite
PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony
STRAVINSKY Suite from Pulcinella BEETHOVEN “PASTORAL” SYMPHONY
MAY 3, 2025
WILLIAM HAGEN, violin
SAMUEL JONES Hymn to the Earth
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1
March 29th at 7 PM
Brett Mitchell MUSIC DIRECTOR
American Sign Language and spoken English, serving as the launching point for new ASL additions.
“We start from the question, ‘How do we make the best art?’” says Khanisha Foster, CTG’s director of equity, belonging and engagement.
CTG brought in instructors from L.A.’s ASL Shop to teach the language to front-ofhouse staff and other team members. It added box-office accommodations for deaf patrons.
CTG has also utilized ASL interpreters who might better represent
a particular production, such as Black interpreters for a Black-themed show.
On another accessibility note, it has implemented some sensory-sensitive performances, beginning with a recent youth-oriented show, Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
“We learned so much in that process, about even just leaving a few rows open in the front or the back of the house for folks who might not be able to sit for a whole performance for whatever reason,” Foster says.
“They don’t have to leave, they don’t have to miss the art.
“Sometimes, it’s the show itself—we dim some lights.” For American Idiot, it was the
Custom designed or ready made garments, restyling, alternations, cleaning, glazing and storage.
performers who benefited, with a specially built low-stimulation rehearsal hall that offset the effects of the high-stimulation punk-rock musical. There are plans to build a
Accessibility is a key mission at Center Theatre Group.
permanent low-stimulation space.
The Wallis in Beverly Hills offers many of these services, and accessibility extends to its website. Under the heading “We Value Digital Inclusion” is a statement.
“In our effort to help provide a fully accessible and optimized experience for our website visitors,” it reads, “thewallis.org has taken careful measures to help ensure an enhanced user experience, whether the website visitor is using ... a screen reader, magnifier or other assistive technology.”
The website is monitored by AudioEye, software ensuring that thewallis.org meets what’s known as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and affords website users the opportunity to report any accessibility concerns.
“The thing to keep in mind,” says Foster of accessibility efforts, “is that if we’re lucky enough to live long enough, at some point we all will experience a disability.
“So it’s not ‘other,’ it’s not someone else. We are creating spaces for each other and for ourselves. It’s a rich opportunity for us to share space and to make great work and not be left out in the cold when it’s our turn.”
reprogrammed !
Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts
DROP DOWN MENU Table of app contents.
REGISTER
Stay arts-engaged, access past programs.
THE ESSENTIALS Acts, scenes, synopses, repertory and notes.
CONTRIBUTORS
Donors and sponsors who make it all possible—you!
NO RUSTLING PAGES, no killing trees . . . the digital Performances program platform has proved to be one of the more enduring recent theater innovations.
The touchless platform provides the programs for 20 Southern California performing-arts organizations, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ahmanson Theatre to San Diego Opera, where the app made its debut.
Among a variety of features, it provides cast and player bios, donor and season updates, and numerous
other arts-centric features.
Audiences receive a link and a code word that instantly activate the app; QR codes are posted, too.
Screens go dark when curtains go up and return when house lights come back on.
Updates—such as repertory changes, understudy substitutions and significant new donations —can be made right up to showtime, no inserts necessary.
Other plusses include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.
Find whatever it is you want to know—easily.
SIGN IN
Link to your performing-arts companies and venues. SEARCH
THE PLAYERS
Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.
WHAT’S ON
What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.
For those who consider printed programs to be keepsakes, a limited number, as well as commemorative issues for special events, continue to be produced. Collectibles!
Meanwhile, there is less deforestation, consumption of petroleum inks and programs headed for landfills.
For the ecologically minded, the platform gets a standing ovation.
The digital Performances is but one more reason for audience excitement. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. —CALEB
WACHS
Boldy Restaged as one Magical Show
Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling ended her epic sevenvolume series of novels with a tantalizing teaser: an epilogue titled “Nineteen Years Later,” in which Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron, now grown, are preparing to send their children off to school at Hogwarts. That brief chapter inspired the spectacular stage production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, now embarking on its first national tour. Jack Thorne’s Tony Award-winning play, based on an original story by Rowling, Thorne, and director John Tiffany, takes audiences on an unforgettable adventure in which two generations travel through time to save the wizarding world.
The newly expanded Potter universe seamlessly blends movement, magic, and good old-fashioned storytelling, centering on Albus Potter (the middle child of Harry and his wife, Ginny) and Scorpius Malfoy (son of Harry’s rival Draco Malfoy). “I’ve always had the sense that Hogwarts was a world that belonged on stage,”
says Tiffany, a Tony winner for his direction.
“I could see suitcases floating and cloaks whirling; arches and columns that could become trees in the forbidden forest. What’s amazing about the fantasy world of Harry Potter is that it allows you to explore the human experience in a magnified and dramatic way.”
Indeed, as they crafted a magicfilled narrative with Rowling’s input and encouragement, Thorne and Tiffany never lost sight of the story’s humanity. “There were two things I was interested in conveying,” the playwright says. “The first was what it’s like to go to Hogwarts when you don’t fit in, because I was a person who struggled in school. I’m drawn
to outsiders, and so are John and Jo [Rowling]. The other was the notion of what it means to be put in a place you’re uncomfortable with. What would happen if one of Harry’s kids ended up in a house [at Hogwarts] where he thought he didn’t belong, and then discovered through friendship that he did?”
The touring production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child includes all the breathtaking effects and stunning staging that helped make the play an international hit, attracting enthusiastic theatergoers of all ages. “The magic is there,” promises Tiffany, “and we’re excited to bring the show to as many people as possible. We feel a responsibility to do justice not just to Harry Potter but to theater as an art form. We want this play to be like nothing anyone has ever experienced.”
Hollywood Pantages
