Performances Magazine San Diego | La Jolla Playhouse, June 2024

DERECHO

July 23 – August 18

VELOUR: A DRAG SPECTACULAR

August 13 – September 8

PRIMARY TRUST September 24 – October 20

BEYOND THE FRAME

JULY 6 to AUG 30

Watch as art literally comes to life on stage, with people posing to look just like famous artworks. Plus, enjoy great stories, live original music, and exciting surprises. Look closely! See if you can catch them blinking – it's a magical night under the stars. Early ticket purchase recommended, this event is highly sought after and draws art enthusiasts from around the world. Don’t miss it!

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800.487.3378

PageantTickets.com

JULY 3 to AUG 30*

Discover your next piece of original art, listen to live music, chat with artists to learn firsthand about their art and grab a bite to eat. Elevate your art experience with fun and engaging art workshops, guided tours and more.

*Closed on July 4.

Check Website for Details

P1 Program

Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes, donors and more.

6 In the Wings

Fat Ham at The Old Globe; The Ballad of Johnny & June at La Jolla Playhouse; Tick, Tick... BOOM! at Cygnet Theatre; the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival at The Rady Shell; and more.

12 Feature: Henry 6 at The Old Globe

The Old Globe has outdone itself once again, adapting Henry 6 into an exciting twopart event this summer; thus completing Shakespeare’s entire canon of plays.

18 Books

Business books about the performing arts aim to guide both performers and their companies to a fulfilling and rewarding future.

32 Parting Thought

Performances’ new program platform for shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device

Pitch

Hint… Stay

PUBLISHER

Jeff Levy

EDITOR

Sarah Daoust

ART DIRE CTOR

Carol Wakano

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Glenda Mendez

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Diana Gonzalez

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Stephanie Saad Thompson

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Kerry Baggett

ACCOUNT DIRE CTORS

Walter Lewis, Jean Greene, Tina Marie Smith

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

Kerry.Baggett@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

WEBSITE

Lorenzo.DelaRama@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

CIRCULATION

Christine.Roessler@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

HONORARY PRESIDENT

Ted Levy For

NATURE’S EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. WE’LL HELP YOU SEE.

We live in a special place. With an amazing variety of plants and wildlife, all with a special story to tell. We help tell those stories through exhibits at the Museum, our outdoor programs, and by doing research that supports local conservation.

Nature’s everywhere we look, and that’s why we’re here for nature. See for yourself at sdnat.org.

Our work spans Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula. Pictured here, Tecolote Canyon, San Diego County.

PIROUETTE, PLIÉ ET J ETÉ

SOME OF THE best ballet companies in the U.S. will come together at the San Diego Civic Theatre on June 29 for the World Ballet Festival: Ballet Blockbusters—with dancers performing on the same stage throughout one electric evening. With introductions led by Master of Ceremonies Jester from Swan Lake, the repertoire includes performances by two special guests: New York City Ballet (NYCB) superstar ballerina Tiler Peck and NYCB principal dancer Roman Mejia—who will dance George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Selections also include scenes from classic works such as Romeo and Juliet, Carmen and Don Quixote; and the Black Swan Pas de Deux. sandiegotheatres.org And save the date for City Ballet of San Diego’s staging of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, July 19-20 at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater. Choreographed by Elizabeth Wistrich, the one-act production follows four Athenians who run away to the forest—only to have Puck the mischievous fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. Confusion, lust and hilarity ensue. cityballet.org

From left: City Ballet of San Diego’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; NYCB’s Tiler Peck, who will perform at the World Ballet Festival.

BALLET

JAZZ TO CLASSICAL

IF YOU LIKE your jazz smooth, head to The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park along San Diego Bay for the sixth annual San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, June 22-23, hosted by Eric Darius. This year’s lineup of musicians includes Kenny Lattimore, Spyro Gyro, Pieces of a Dream, Will Donato and Blake Aaron on Saturday; and Boney James, Gregory Porter, Alex Bugnon, Jeff Ryan and Greg Manning on Sunday. On June 28, the San Diego Symphony kicks off its 2024 Conrad Prebys Summer Season at The Rady Shell.

“Opening Night with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra” features conductor Gemma New and pianist Olga Kern—who will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3; Copland’s “Four Dance Episodes” from Rodeo; and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34, based on Spanish folk melodies. The evening’s portfolio also includes John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Both events include wine, libations, and food for purchase onsite; plus those scenic bay views. 222 Marina Park Way, embarcadero, 619.235.0804, theshell.org THEATER

Must-See Local Shows

STAGED AT THE Old Globe through June 23, Fat Ham is James ljames’ hilarious play inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The Tony-nominated, Pulitzer-winning comedy centers on Juicy‚ a young queer Black man. At a Southern family cookout, Juicy is confronted by the ghost of his father, who demands revenge for his murder. theoldglobe.org At La Jolla Playhouse, the world-premiere musical, The Ballad of Johnny and June, continues through July 7. The story follows iconic couple, Johnny Cash and June Carter, based on the book by Robert Cary and Des McAnuff. lajollyaplayhouse.org Before he wrote Rent, Jonathan Larson penned Tick, Tick… Boom! Cygnet Theatre presents the heart-grabbing musical, July 3-Aug. 4. In it we meet Jon, who waits tables while waiting for his big break as his 30th birthday approaches. cygnettheatre.com

MUSIC

From left: saxophonist Boney James; a mural of Johnny Cash (painted by Shepard Fairey in Sacramento).

CONCERTMASTERS CONVERGE

THE LARGEST GATHERING of concertmasters and principal players in North America will come together for the annual Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival,

now in its 36th anniversary year, June 20-29, led by Music Director Michael Francis. Take your pick of six dynamic concerts across these dates at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater and The Conrad in La Jolla. Highlights include Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, featuring pianist George Li, on June 20; Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 and works by Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré, featuring the San Diego Master Chorale and

soprano Erica Petrocelli, on June 22; Tchaikovsky’s Serenade, Op. 48, on June 25; and Closing Night, spotlighting Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, featuring violinist Stefan Jackiw. Participating musicians hail from North America’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Toronto Symphony and dozens more. mainlymozart.org

From top: the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival runs June 20-29; Music Director Michael Francis.

Shakespeare’s Canon Completed

The Old Globe Adapts Henry 6, an Ambitious Project that Completes Its Shakespeare Canon

by

STEPHANIE SAAD THOMPSON

UNTIL NOW, ONLY 10 theaters in the U.S. could say they have produced the entire canon of the plays of William Shakespeare. This month, The Old Globe will become the 11th, with one of its most ambitious projects to date—Henry 6, a worldpremiere adaptation of The Bard’s histories: Henry VI, parts I, II and III. Next year, the Tony Award-winning Old

Globe will celebrate its 90th anniversary. Until this year, it had produced 33 of Shakespeare’s 36 plays, with only the three rarely seen Henry VIs missing from the repertoire. What took so long?

“It’s

says Barry Edelstein, the Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director

The Lowell Davies Festival Theatre; William Shakespeare.

Free Admission by the 1915 Deed-of-Gi

• Acclaimed International Organists and Competition Winners

• Jeff Thayer & Raul P. Ramirez on Schumann, Brahms, Sarasate and Kreisler

• InSpirations Jazz & Organ Quintet from Montreal

• Concertos for Organ and Orchestra with Raul P. Ramirez soloist and Michael Gerdes Conductor

• Silent Movie Night with Buster Keaton's 1928 Steamboat Bill, Jr.

• Labor Day Classic Rock Concert

of The Old Globe and an acclaimed Shakespeare expert. “It takes enormous resources to put them on stage. There are 150 named characters, battle scenes, scenes with large crowds … It takes a big company like ours or one of the large Shakespeare festivals to do it properly.”

Edelstein has created, and also will direct, this new adaptation of Henry 6, which condenses the three Henry VI plays into two parts: One: Flowers and France, which will run from June 30 to Sept. 14; and Two: Riot and Reckoning, which will run from July 9 to Sept. 15, in repertory at The Old Globe’s charming outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

“Each of my plays has two acts,” Edelstein says. “The first play’s act one is Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part I; the first play’s

act two and part of the second play’s act one are Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part II; the rest of the second play is Henry VI Part III.” In all, Edelstein says, he cut about 3,000 lines from the total of about 9,000 Shakespeare wrote, keeping in the strongest material and honing the Bard’s often episodic style into a single storyline that hews to the main narrative.

“It’s a terrific yarn about jockeying for power, the intrigue, the maneuvering that canny leaders do,” Edelstein says. “The plays contain some deep political thinking about leadership, and what the values of a country should and can mean, and what happens when those pursuing personal power flout those values in the name of ambition.

/CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

“Lush

captured in story and song.”

— THE NEW YORK TIMES

Prepare for an evening of enchantment in CAMELOT, brilliantly adapted for intimate theatres. This Tony Award-winning fairy-tale musical resounds with such memorable songs as, “I Loved You Once in Silence,” “If Ever I Would Leave You,” and the title song, “Camelot.”

Based on the King Arthur legend, this epic story centers on the quest for democracy and justice. Transport yourself to a world of romance, revelry, and magic.

MAY 29-JUNE 23

Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Music by Frederick Loewe Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss

Barry Edelstein (far left) speaking at Thinking Shakespeare Live!

The Artistic Director's Circle Season Sponsors

Roberta C. Baade Charitable Fund

Denise and Lon Bevers

Theodor S. and Audrey S. Geisel Fund

Hanna and Mark Gleiberman

Kay and Bill Gurtin

Jeanne L. Herberger, Ph.D.

Joan and Irwin Jacobs

Sheri L. Jamieson

La Atalaya Fund

Rebecca Moores Foundation

Jordan Ressler Charitable Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Weston Anson - In Loving Memory of Susan Bailey Anson, Michael Bartell and Melissa Garfield Bartell, Gail and Ralph Bryan, Brian and Silvija Devine, The Estate of Pauline Foster, Lynn Gorguze and Scott Peters, Debby and Hal Jacobs, Perlmeter Family Foundation, Karen and Jeff Silberman, Les J Silver and Andrea Rothschild-Silver, Molli Wagner, Peggy Ann Wallace, Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust

MAY 28 – JULY 7, 2024

Dear Friends,

This letter is usually dedicated to a discussion of the show you’re about to see. However, in light of the recent passing of our beloved Joan Jacobs, we wanted to take this moment to celebrate her life and highlight the tremendous impact she has had on La Jolla Playhouse, UC San Diego and the San Diego community.

Anyone who had the good fortune of knowing Joan was enriched by her wit, warmth, wisdom and deep compassion. Her impact wasn’t measured merely by her nearly four decades on our board of trustees, but also by her tireless passion for – and championing of – our mission and values. She shared the Playhouse’s devotion to artistic risk-taking, as well as our commitment to being an incubator for new work. Simply put, no one else has been as committed to securing our future, nor as vocal about maintaining the Playhouse’s adventurous aesthetic. She held the Playhouse to a very high standard, and we were so much the better for it.

Joan held a firm belief in what San Diego could be, and she and her husband Irwin raised the bar for patrons of all the arts, always leading by example, putting the city’s cultural institutions firmly in the spotlight. Their support has been transformational to the Playhouse and to so many other important organizations in San Diego.

Joan was a great human being on every level: spouse, parent, friend, mentor, community member. She was always engaged. She was curious. She was feisty. She had opinions and she shared them – but she also always welcomed other ideas and perspectives. She and Irwin raised a family dedicated to giving back to their community, and that legacy can be felt everywhere.

Joan was an irreplaceable presence in our lives, and we will miss her terribly. Though it doesn’t begin to cover the magnitude of her extraordinary contributions, we are proud to dedicate our 2024/25 season to Joan Jacobs.

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY

THE RICH FAMILY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

DEBBY BUCHHOLZ MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

La Jolla Playhouse acknowledges the land on which our theatres sit as the unceded territory of the KUMEYAAY NATION. Today, the Kumeyaay people continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community. Their contributions to our region are tremendous and we thank them for their stewardship.

Christopher Ashley

The Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse

Debby Buchholz

Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse

BOOK BY

ROBERT CARY AND DES MCANUFF

MUSIC BY RON MELROSE

JOHNNY CASH, JUNE CARTER CASH AND OTHERS

MUSIC SUPERVISOR, ARRANGEMENTS AND ORCHESTRATIONS BY BYRON EASLEY

DIRECTED BY

CHOREOGRAPHY BY DES MCANUFF

FEATURING

MADDIE SHEA BALDWIN*, PAULA LEGGETT CHASE *, DREW WILDMAN FOSTER *, CHRISTOPHER RYAN GRANT* VAN HUGHES*, GABRIELLA JOY*, PATTI MURIN*, BART SHATTO*, CORREY WEST*

SCENIC DESIGN

COSTUME DESIGN

LIGHTING DESIGN

SOUND DESIGN

PROJECTION DESIGN

WIG DESIGN

MUSIC DIRECTOR

CASTING

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER

STAGE MANAGER

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS

SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER

GENERAL MANAGER

ARTISTIC PRODUCING DIRECTOR

ROBERT BRILL

SARAFINA BUSH

AMANDA ZIEVE

PETER FITZGERALD

SEAN NIEUWENHUIS

ALBERTO "ALBEE" ALVARADO

LISA LEMAY

TARA RUBIN CASTING/SPENCER GUALDONI, CSA/JACOLE KITCHEN

MICHAEL BELLO

EMILY FRANCH

DEAN REMINGTON*

VANESSA DODGSON-THOMAS*, MARIE JAHELKA *

BENJAMIN SEIBERT

RYAN MEISHEID

ERIC KEEN-LOUIE

THE CAST

(in alphabetical order)

Anita Maddie Shea Baldwin*

Carrie Paula Leggett Chase*

Carl Smith/Jack Cash/Marshall Grant Drew Wildman Foster*

Johnny Cash Christopher Ryan Grant*

John Carter Cash Van Hughes*

Vivian Gabriella Joy*

June Carter Cash Patti Murin*

Ray Cash/Sam Phillips/W. S. Holland Bart Shatto*

Luther Perkins/Rip Nix Correy West*

The Ballad of Johnny and June is performed with a 15-minute intermission.

UNDERSTUDIES

June Carter Cash

Maddie Shea Baldwin*

June Carter Cash/Carrie/Vivian Summer Broyhill*

Johnny Cash/John Carter Cash Michael Louis Cusimano*

Carl Smith/Jack Cash/Marshall Grant/Ray Cash/Sam Phillips/W.S.Holland/Luther Perkins/Rip Nix Cody Ingram*

Anita/Carrie/Vivian Bailey Day Sonner*

Understudies are never substituted for listed roles unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.

ADDITIONAL STAFF

Creative Producer to Des McAnuff Megan Dieterle

Associate Scenic Designer Justin Humphres

Associate Costume Designer Martín Lara

Assistant Lighting Designer Joel Britt

Associate Sound Designer Garth Helm

Associate Sound Designer Don Hanna

Associate Video/Projection Designer Erin Teachman

Sound Design Assistant Harper Justus‡

Lighting Design Assistant Joshua Heming

Dialect Coach Charley Layton

Dance Captain Correy West*

Production Assistants Jared Halsell, Olivia Huntley

Susie Dycus

People & Culture Consultants Cornerstone Consulting HR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Lighting Equipment Rental from PRG Broadway • Sound & Video Equipment Rental from Sound Associates

Scenic Engineering from First Tech LLC • The Citadel Theatre (Edmonton, Canada), Daryl Cloran, Artistic Director

Cover photo from first wedding anniversary, March 1, 1969, Anaheim, CA; courtesy of The John R. Cash Revocable Trust

PROLOGUE

“Living in the Country” (instrumental) – by Pete Seeger

“Railroad Bill” (instrumental) – traditional

“Freight Train” (instrumental) – traditional

“Wabash Cannonball” (instrumental) – traditional

“Blue Yodel #9” (instrumental) – by Jimmie Rodgers

“Ghost Riders in the Sky” (instrumental) – by Stan Jones

ACT 1

“Jackson” – by Billy Edd Wheeley & Jerry Leiber

“The Ballad of Johnny & June” – by Robert Cary, Des McAnuff & Ron Melrose

“I’ve Loved and Lost Again” (instrumental) – by Patsy Cline

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“Keep on the Sunny Side” – by Ada Blenkhorn & J. Howard Entwisle

“Will the Circle Be Unbroken” – traditional, public domain

“I Was There When It Happened” – by Fern Jones

“Hey Porter” – by Johnny Cash

“The Carter Family Tree” – by Robert Cary, Des McAnuff & Ron Melrose

"Cry Cry Cry” – by Johnny Cash

“No Swallerin’ Place” – by June Carter Cash & Frank Loesser

“I Walk the Line” – by Johnny Cash

“Get Rhythm” – by Johnny Cash

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“There You Go” (instrumental) – by Johnny Cash

“Guess Things Happen That Way” – by Jack Clement

“Country Girl” – by June Carter Cash

“Country Boy” – by Johnny Cash

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“Ring of Fire” – by June Carter Cash & Merle Kilgore

“We’ll Meet Again” – by Vera Lynn

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“If I Were a Carpenter” – by Tim Hardin

“Jackson (Reprise)”

ACT 2

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“Folsom Prison Blues” – by Johnny Cash

“A Boy Named Sue” – by Shel Silverstein

“Baby Ride Easy” – by Richard Dobson

“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” – by Kris Kristofferson

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“Solid Gone (Cannonball Blues)” – by A.P. Carter

“Hurt” – by Trent Reznor

“Ain’t No Grave” – by Claude Ely

“I’ve Been Everywhere” – by Geoff Mack, North American version adapted by Hank Snow

“Keep on the Sunny Side (Reprise)”

“Gone Girl” – by Jack Clement

“Wildwood Flower” – traditional, popularized by The Carter Family

“A Singer of Songs” – by Tim O’Connell

“Always on My Mind” – by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher & Mark James

“The Ballad of Johnny & June (Reprise)”

“Ring of Fire (Reprise)”

Please check the digital program for more information on the music.

Conductor/Keyboard

Lisa LeMay

Guitar 1/Guitar Tech Joe Payne

Guitar 2 Lorraine Hussey

Bass Ken Dow

Drums Kevin Dow

Trumpet Joe Harris

Subbing Conductor/Keyboard Lyndon Pugeda

Orchestra Contractor

Keyboard Programmer

Associate Keyboard Programmers

Music Preparation

Michael Pearce

Randy Cohen, Cohen Keyboards

Juan Matos, Nick Schenkel, Sam Starobin

Anixter Rice Music Service, Russ Anixter/Danielle Gimbal

Music Department Assistant Ira Norwood

ORCHESTRA

MUSIC STAFF

THE COMPANY

MADDIE SHEA BALDWIN*, Anita

A San Diego native! La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Bright Star. National Tours: Bright Star. New York Theatre: Flying Over Sunset (Playwrights Horizons/Workshop), Ladyship and A Wall Apart (New York Musical Festival), Elvis: The Musical (Workshop). Regional: The Sound of Music (Asolo Repertory Theatre), Born for This (Arts Emerson), Bright Star (The Kennedy Center), Back Home Again (Lesher Center), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Ace (The Old Globe). A huge thank you to the entire Johnny & June team for allowing me to be a part of this beautiful project and love to my sweet family. Jeremiah 29:11. @madeline__shea

SUMMER BROYHILL*, Understudy

La Jolla Playhouse: ....Hunter S. Thompson, Love All. Broadway: Hairspray. National Tours: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Hairspray. OffBroadway: The Independents, The Day Before Spring, Killer Therapy. Selected Regional: The Last 5 Years (Cathy, Virginia Stage), Tarzan (Jane, Tuacahn), As You Like It (Amiens, The Old Globe), and How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (Trixie, The Old Globe). Playwright, works produced by Playground San Francisco and Los Angeles. M.F.A.: Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Acting Program. summerbroyhill.com, IG: @summerbroyhill

PAULA LEGGETT CHASE*, Carrie

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut! 2020 Drama Desk

Featured Actress Award nomination (The Unsinkable Molly Brown). Broadway: Tootsie; On the 20th Century (Imelda Thornton); Bye, Bye, Birdie (Gloria Rasputin); Curtains; The Pajama Game; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Kiss Me, Kate; Damn Yankees!; Crazy for You (Mitzi; toe-tap); A Chorus Line (Broadway debut). Tours: A Chorus Line (Judy Turner), Cabaret (w/Joel Grey). TV/Film (selected): The Blacklist; 30 Rock (Randi); Younger (Jackie Dunn); The Sound of Music Live; Law & Order (Judge Dorothy Parnell); Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego (Medeva). Education: IU. TikTok: Antique Showgirl, IG: @paulaleggett, www.paulaleggettchase.com. Husband: David Chase, sons: Kyler and Dashiell.

MICHAEL LOUIS CUSIMANO*, Understudy

Michael is so proud to call San Diego home and thrilled to return to LJP! La Jolla Playhouse: Lempicka. Regional: The Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe); Natasha, Pierre … Great Comet, The Last 5 Years, On the 20th Century, Rocky Horror (Cygnet Theatre); Once, Million Dollar Quartet, Big Fish (Lamb’s Players); The Cherry Orchard, Desperate Measures (North Coast Rep); Metamorphoses (Ensemble Theatre Santa Barbara). Education: B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon and trained at the American Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre. Love and gratitude to Ryan!

DREW WILDMAN FOSTER*, Carl Smith/Jack Cash/Marshall Grant La Jolla Playhouse: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Sunset Boulevard and Doctor Zhivago. NYC: The Public, Theater Row, Red Bull, The Lark, Cherry Lane, New World Stages. Regional Credits include: The Old Globe, Dallas Theater Center, Shakespeare Theater of D.C., The Hollywood Bowl, Orlando Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, The MUNY and Asolo Rep (5 seasons). Drew was the artistic director of Shakespeare at the Manor from 2013-2019. He has been a regular guest artist and director at the Juilliard School since 2012. He holds a Master’s degree in educational psychology and a bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School (Houseman Award and Liz Smith Prize winner). Gratitude to Des. Favorite role: husband to Jesse and father to Rafael.

CHRISTOPHER RYAN GRANT*, Johnny Cash

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Thanksgiving Play, The Iceman Cometh, Million Dollar Quartet. National Tours: Million Dollar Quartet. Select Off-Broadway: Shakespeare in the Park (Delacorte), The Public, LCT3, Joe’s Pub, New World Stages, The Wild Project, IRT, Rattlestick, Cherry Lane and more. Select Regional: Yale Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre D.C., NY Stage & Film, The MUNY, Delaware Theatre Company, Two River Theatre, The O’Neill. Film: Baby Ruby, Glitch Baby, Rolling on the Floor Laughing, Hard Times for Softcore. TV: Chicago P.D., The Blacklist, FBI: Most Wanted, The Other Two. M.F.A.: Yale School of Drama. Proud member of AEA, SAG/AFTRA and the Actor’s Center.

VAN HUGHES*, John Carter Cash

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Almost Famous, Deaf West's Spring Awakening, American Idiot, 9 to 5, Hairspray. National Tours: American Idiot. Off-Broadway: Space Dogs (MCC), Whisper House (Civilians), Son of a Gun (Theatre Row), Saved (Playwrights Horizons). Regional: Almost Famous (Old Globe), When We're Gone (Lyric), Rocky Horror (Bucks County), A Little More Alive (KC Rep/Barrington). Film: Glimpse, Sex and the City I & II, Rachel Getting Married. TV: Law & Order: SVU & Criminal Intent, Royal Pains, One Life to Live, Six Degrees. Education: B.A. from Fordham University, NYC. Van is also a composer, music producer and arranger.

CODY INGRAM, (he/him) Understudy

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: Crime and Punishment: A Comedy (The Old Globe); Lucky Stiff (Scripps Ranch Theater); Ragtime, Kinky Boots, Matilda (Moonlight Amphitheater); Legally Blonde (New Village Arts); A Little Night Music, A Christmas Carol (Cygnet); The Full Monty (SDSU); The Producers (SDMT). Other credits include Sweeney Todd, RENT, Rock of Ages, Jekyll and Hyde (Wildsong Productions). Education: Graduate of the Meisner and Chekhov Integrated Training Studio. United States Coast Guard veteran and so excited to be a part of this cast! Much love to his wife Kimberly for her undying love and support. @codyingramofficial

GABRIELLA JOY*, Vivian

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. National Tour: The Color Purple. Off-Broadway: Five: The Parody Musical. Huge thank you to this incredible cast, crew and creative team for welcoming her with open arms. Much love to her family for their neverending support, and her incredible team over at Henderson/Hogan and Hyphenate Creative. @gabriellajoy_

PATTI MURIN*, June Carter Cash

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut! Broadway: Disney's Frozen, Lysistrata Jones, Xanadu. National Tours: Wicked, Beauty and the Beast. Off-Broadway: Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespeare in the Park), Fly by Night (Playwrights Horizons). Regional: Chicago, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors (the MUNY), Holiday Inn (Goodspeed), Emma (The Old Globe). Television: recurring on Chicago Med and Royal Pains. Many Hallmark movies including In Merry Measure, Love on Iceland and Mystic Christmas. Audiobook narrator for many acclaimed authors, including Christina Lauren, Katherine Center and Jodi Picoult. Education: B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University. Favorite role is mom of Cecily and Lorelai. Love to Colin for making it all possible. @pattimurin

BART SHATTO*, (he/him) Ray Cash/Sam Phillips/W. S. Holland

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: War Paint, Les Miserables, Hands on a Hardbody, Dracula: the Musical, The Civil War. Off-Broadway: Superhero (Second Stage). Regional: The Remarkable Mr. Holmes (North Coast Rep); Bridges of Madison County (Bucks County Playhouse); Million Dollar Quartet (Ogunquit Theatre); The Civil War (Ford's Theatre). Film: Freedom, Life of an Actress the Musical. Television: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Disney Jr.'s Gaspard and Lisa. Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Indecent, Best Actor (Chicago Indie Fest); Best Actor (New York Arthouse Film Fest). Thanks to Julia, Amy, Des and Tara. bartshatto.com

BAILEY DAY SONNER*, (she/her) Understudy La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Regional: Hair (The Old Globe); Hair (Two River); Rock of Ages (Cygnet); West Side Story (La Mirada); Smoke on the Mountain (Lamb's Players); Parade (3D Theatricals). Film: Netflix's The Prom Love to Mom, Dad, Quin, Will and all the four-legged babies. For Edward and Alan. @magicalbay on Instagram

CORREY WEST*, Luther Perkins/Rip Nix

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud, Nice Work If You Can Get It, South Pacific National Tours: Love Never Dies (1st National-US Premiere), Anything Goes (1st National), 42nd Street, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Chicago/Toronto). NY credits include: PBS Great Performances Season 50: Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway’s Best (Live from Lincoln Center), Showboat (NY Philharmonic/Live from Lincoln Center). Regional: American Prophet (Arena Stage Company); Beautiful (Theatre Aspen & The Rev); Oliver (Virginia Stage Company); …Spelling Bee (Arkansas Rep Theatre); Kiss Me, Kate (Cape Playhouse); Guys and Dolls (Barrington Stage Company). Instagram: @correywest

ROBERT CARY, Co-Bookwriter is thrilled to return to La Jolla Playhouse and continue his collaboration with Des McAnuff after providing book and lyrics for Palm Beach: The Screwball Musical, directed by McAnuff, as well as co-writing the book for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (LJP and Broadway). Robert is co-writer and co-lyricist of Flashdance (West End, US National Tour) and director of the feature films Ira and Abby, Save Me and Anything But Love. With Jonathan Tolins, he is co-writer of Grease Live and A Christmas Story Live (both Fox TV); additional book material for the Broadway revival of On the Town; the Carnegie Hall concert Get Happy: A Judy Garland Tribute; and the book of the new musical Take the Lead, to be presented at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2025 — but his proudest collaboration with Tolins remains the co-parenting of their children, Selina and Henry.

DES MCANUFF, Co-Bookwriter/Director is a two-time Tony Award-winning director and served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director from 1983 through 1994, and from 2001 through April 2007 where he staged over 30 productions of classics, new plays and musicals. Under his leadership, the Playhouse garnered the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. He is also the former Artistic Director of Canada’s Stratford Festival and co-founder of Broadway’s Dodgers. Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud, Summer, Doctor Zhivago, Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention, Jersey Boys (Tony and Olivier Awards: Best Musical), Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Tony Award: Best Special Theatrical Event), Dracula the Musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Who’s Tommy (Tony and Olivier Awards: Best Director), A Walk in the Woods, Big River (Tony Awards: Best Director, Best Musical). Selected New York: Fetch Clay, Make Man (NYTW); multiple productions at The Public and BAM. Stratford highlights: A Word or Two, Caesar and Cleopatra, The Tempest (all with Christopher Plummer), Twelfth Night (with Brian Dennehy). Opera: Faust (The Met, ENO). TV: 700 Sundays (HBO). Film: Cousin Bette (director, with Jessica Lange), The Iron Giant (producer, BAFTA Award) and Quills (executive producer). He has an honorary doctorate from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), and in 2012, he was awarded Canada’s Governor Generals National Arts Center Award and the Order of Canada. His new version of The Who’s Tommy recently opened on Broadway in March, 2024.

THE COMPANY

RON MELROSE, Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations

La Jolla Playhouse: Jersey Boys, The Wiz, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Summer. The Who’s Tommy makes twenty Broadway shows in forty-eight years. Helpmann Award winner (Australia’s Tony) for Jersey Boys music direction. Associate producer: several Broadway original cast albums. Composer: Fourtune (Off-Broadway); The Silver Swan (NEA Fellowship); The Missing Peace (Washington's Capitol Fringe); Early One Morning (liturgical one-woman musical); two Harvard Hasty Pudding shows; a gospel-based Requiem; Saturday Night Live Education: Harvard (philosophy), Westminster (choral conducting). A theatre career? Do it. You’ll work with geniuses and legends. Love to Alexandra and Jake.

BYRON EASLEY, Choreographer

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. Broadway: Camelot, Slave Play. OffBroadway: Waiting for Godot (TFANA); Richard III (Public Theater Shakespeare in the Park); X: Or Betty Shabazz v The Nation (Lucille Lortel nomination), The Bubbly Black Girl (City Center Encores); Langston in Harlem (SDC’s Joe A Callaway Award and Audelco Award). Regional: Choir Boy (Steppenwolf Theatre); Matilda (Helen Hayes nomination; Olney Theatre); Twelfth Night (Yale Repertory Theatre); Three Musketeers, Unison, The Wiz, A Comedy of Errors (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Five Guys Named Moe (Helen Hayes nomination; Arena Stage); Jelly’s Last Jam (Suzi Bass Award), Sophisticated Ladies (Suzi Bass Award; Alliance Theatre). Associate Arts Professor at NYU/Tisch.

ROBERT BRILL, Scenic Designer

La Jolla Playhouse: Love All, Bhangin' It, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Chasing the Song, His Girl Friday, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wiz and many others. Broadway: Hell’s Kitchen (Tony nomination), How to Dance in Ohio, Dancin’, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations (Tony nomination), Thoughts of a Colored Man, Assassins (Tony nomination), Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls (Tony nomination), Design for Living, Buried Child and others. Founding member of Sledgehammer Theatre, recipient of the Michael Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration, and an alum and member of the design faculty at UCSD.

SARAFINA BUSH, Costume Designer

La Jolla Playhouse: The Outsiders. Broadway: The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy, How to Dance in Ohio, For Colored Girls… (Tony Award nominee), Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (The New Group), To My Girls (Second Stage), Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Obie Award; Playwrights Horizons), Broadway Bounty Hunter (Greenwich House), Plot Points, Pass Over (LCT3). Regional: How to Dance in Ohio (Syracuse Stage), Life After (Goodman Theatre), Afterwords (5th Avenue), Nina Simone: Four Women (Berkshire Theatre Group), Slow Food (Geva Theatre), Cry It Out and The Royale (Kitchen Theatre Company). Education: B.A., Adelphi University.

AMANDA ZIEVE, Lighting Designer

is thrilled to be back at La Jolla Playhouse after designing The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical and Put Your House in Order. Other recent designs include: The Who's Tommy (Broadway/Goodman); Cabaret (Goodspeed); American Jade (Bucks County Playhouse); Into the Woods, Billy Elliot, Titanic (Signature Theatre); I Hate Hamlet (Maltz Jupiter); Sweeney Todd and Roof of the World (KC Rep). Her Playhouse Associate credits include: Fly, Escape to Margaritaville, Hollywood and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Other San Diego credits include: English, Crime and Punishment: A Comedy, Dial M for Murder, Hair, Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big San Diego Christmas Show, Tiny Beautiful Things, Barefoot in the Park, Native Gardens, The Wanderers and Rich Girl (The Old Globe); Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Evita, Cabaret, Rock of Ages (Cygnet). amandazieve.com

PETER FITZGERALD, Sound Designer

Thrilled to be back at La Jolla Playhouse with The Ballad of Johnny and June. This season on Broadway: Purlie Victorious. Designed sound for over 100 Broadway, Off-Broadway and Touring shows. Recent designs: KPOP, Great Gatsby Immersive, American Son and John Lithgow’s Stories by Heart. Past designs include Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out, 42nd Street, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Will Farrell’s You're Welcome America, Paul Simon’s The Capeman, City of Angels, The Will Rogers Follies, La Cage Aux Folles, Victor/Victoria, Gypsy. He designed sound for the NY Philharmonic’s award-winning productions of Carousel and Sweeney Todd. Peter is President of Sound Associates.

SEAN NIEUWENHUIS, Projection Designer

La Jolla Playhouse: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Sideways, Summer, JCS. Broadway: Summer, Dr. Zhivago, JCS. Opera/ Dance: Swan Lake (National Ballet of Canada); Madama Butterfly, Whiteley (Opera Australia); Gounod’s Faust (Metropolitan Opera); Macbeth (LA Opera); Nixon in China (Royal Swedish Opera, WOO Dublin, San Francisco, Kansas City); Going Home Star, Handmaid’s Tale (Royal Winnipeg Ballet); Manchurian Candidate (Minnesota Opera). Regional: Tommy, Spamalot, Man of La Mancha, Wanderlust, Cabaret, Evita (Stratford Festival); A Word or Two (Ahmanson); Rear Window (Hartford Stage). Event: Toronto 2017 Invictus Games Opening & Closing Ceremonies, Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies.

ALBERTO “ALBEE” ALVARADO, (he/him) Wig Designer

La Jolla Playhouse: SUMO, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Bhangin’ It, to the yellow house, The Last Tiger in Haiti (Makeup Design). Broadway: The Outsiders. Other regional credits: Clyde’s (Moxie Theatre); A Transparent Musical (Makeup Design; Center Theatre Group); La Boheme, Barber of Seville (San Diego Opera); Sweeney Todd, Little Women (opera), Don Giovanni, Kiss Me Kate (Seagle Music Colony, NY) and San Diego Junior Theatre. Education: B.A. from SDSU. Daniel, family & friends: Gracias for your unwavering support. “I’m here to amplify underrepresented voices. Representation matters. Your story matters.” IG: @saboralbee

LISA LEMAY, Music Director/Conductor

La Jolla Playhouse: Disney’s Freaky Friday, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Broadway: Disney’s The Little Mermaid. National Tours: Brooklyn: The Musical, All Shook Up, Disney’s The Lion King, A Bronx Tale, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Off-Broadway: Avenue Q (New World Stages). Regional: Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, Clint Black’s Looking for Christmas (The Old Globe); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Casa Mañana); Sweeney Todd (4th Wall Theatre-NJ); Urinetown (Costa Mesa Playhouse); Evita (San Diego Repertory Theatre); Pippin, Applause, City of Angels (Reprise LA); The Light in the Piazza, Sunday in the Park with George, Witnesses (CCAE Theatricals).

MICHAEL BELLO, Associate Director

La Jolla Playhouse: Associate Director for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Additional credits as Associate Director include The Who’s Tommy (Broadway, Goodman Theatre), Jersey Boys (UK / US tours, Off-Broadway, and upcoming live capture), and Summer (Broadway, 1st national tour and Norwegian Cruise Lines). Directing credits include Letters to the President (Goodspeed’s Festival of New Musicals, Great Hall at Cooper Union) and We Are the Tigers (Off-Broadway, LA’s Hudson Theater). B.F.A. Emerson College. www.MichaelBello.com

EMILY FRANCH, Associate Choreographer

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. New York: A Chorus Line (City Center Encores!), The Bedwetter (Atlantic Theater Company). Regional: Miss Bennet Christmas at Pemberley (Virginia Repertory Theatre), A Chorus Line (City Springs Theatre Company), White Christmas (Prather Entertainment). Disney Cruise Line MainStage Performer. NYU Tisch’s New Studio on Broadway associate professor. Education: B.F.A. from NYU Tisch.

TARA RUBIN CASTING/SPENCER GUALDONI, CSA, Casting

Selected Broadway and National Tours: The Outsiders, Back to the Future, Here Lies Love, Bad Cinderella, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, KPOP, Mr. Saturday Night, SIX, Ain’t Too Proud, King Kong, The Band’s Visit, Prince of Broadway, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, Falsettos, School of Rock, Bullets Over Broadway, Aladdin, Big Fish, Billy Elliot, Shrek, Spamalot, … Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, The Phantom of the Opera. Selected Off-Broadway: Sing Street, Trevor, Between the Lines, Clueless, Gloria: A Life, Smokey Joe’s Café, Here Lies Love. Regional: George Street Playhouse, Asolo Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe. Film: Here Today.

*

Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The theatre operates under an agreement between League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association.

The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

This theatre operates under an agreement between League of Resident Theatres and United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

DEAN REMINGTON*, Stage Manager

La Jolla Playhouse: The Outsiders, The Luckiest, Annual Gala, WOW Festival. National Tours: The Lion King, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Regional: Outside Mullingar, Manifest Destinitis (San Diego Rep); The Outsider (North Coast Rep); Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Pride and Prejudice, When the Rain Stops Falling, Every Brilliant Thing, Sharon, The Virgin Trial, The Wind and the Breeze, The Effect of Gamma Rays..., Shockheaded Peter, A Christmas Carol (Cygnet Theatre). International: Cameron Mackintosh’s Hey, Mr. Producer!, Grease, 42nd Street, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, Meet Me in St. Louis.

VANESSA DODGSON-THOMAS*, (she/her) Assistant Stage Manager

La Jolla Playhouse: Debut. National Tours: Disney’s Aladdin, Disney’s The Lion King. Off-Broadway: A Clockwork Orange. West End: School of Rock, Disney’s Aladdin, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables, Grease The Musical, Billy Elliot The Musical, Woman in White, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Punchdrunk: The Drowned Man, Sleep No More (Shanghai).

MARIE JAHELKA*, Assistant Stage Manager

La Jolla Playhouse: SUMO, Put Your House in Order, Hollywood, Ether Dome. Other regional credits include: The Inheritance (Geffen Playhouse); The XIXth, The Taming of the Shrew, Shutter Sisters, The Underpants, Native Gardens, The Wanderers, Red Velvet (The Old Globe); Once on This Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); A Chorus Line (Moonlight Stage Productions); The Humans, Aubergine, Evita and Violet (San Diego Repertory Theatre); The Last 5 Years, HIR, Shakespeare’s R&J, Mistakes Were Made (Cygnet Theatre); Hairspray, The Full Monty (San Diego Musical Theatre). She received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from University of San Diego.

All musicians are represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 325 San Diego.

This theatre operates under an agreement between La Jolla Playhouse and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 122.

La Jolla Playhouse is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for the nonprofit professional theatre.

UC San Diego M.F.A. Candidates in residence at La Jolla Playhouse.

PLAYHOUSE LEADERSHIP

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY, (he/him) The Rich Family Director of La Jolla Playhouse has served as La Jolla Playhouse’s Artistic Director since 2007. During his tenure, he directed the world premieres of Come From Away, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, Diana: The Musical, Memphis, Escape to Margaritaville, The Squirrels, A Dram of Drummhicit, Restoration and Chasing the Song, as As You Like It, His Girl Friday, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Freaky Friday and Xanadu. He also spearheaded the Playhouse’s Without Walls (WOW) initiative, the DNA New Work Series and the Resident Theatre program. Mr. Ashley recently directed Come From Away for AppleTV+

Diana: The Musical for Netflix. Other screen credits include Jeffrey and Lucky Stiff, and the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley’s Broadway credits include Come From Away (Tony and Outer Critics Circle Awards), Diana: The Musical, Escape to Margaritaville, Memphis (Tony Award nomination), Xanadu, Leap of Faith (Drama Desk Award nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). He also helmed productions of Come From Away in London (Olivier Award nomination), Toronto, Australia and on national tour. Other national tours include Escape to Margaritaville, Memphis, Xanadu, All Shook Up and Seussical: The Musical. Additional New York stage credits include Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla (Lucille Lortel Award nomination), Regrets Only, Wonder of the World, Communicating Doors, Bunny Bunny, The Night Hank Williams Died and Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. Mr. Ashley is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/ TCG Director Fellowship.

DES McANUFF, (he/him) Director Emeritus

See full bio on page 7.

DEBBY BUCHHOLZ, (she/her) Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse joined the Playhouse in 2002, serving first as General Manager before becoming Managing Director. She is a Vice President of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and a member of its Executive Committee. She is a recipient of a San Diego Women Who Mean Business Award from The San Diego Business Journal. Prior to joining La Jolla Playhouse, she served as Counsel to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. She was a faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution’s program on Legal Problems of Museum Administration. Prior to The Kennedy Center, she served as a corporate attorney in New York City and Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of UC San Diego and Harvard Law School. Ms. Buchholz and her husband, noted author and White House economic policy advisor Todd Buchholz, live in Solana Beach and are the proud parents of Victoria, Katherine and Alexia.

ERIC

KEEN-LOUIE, (he/him) Artistic Producing Director

joined the Playhouse in 2018 as Producing Director, before becoming Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at The Old Globe (Associate Producer and Associate Artistic Director) and The Public Theater (Assistant to the Associate Producer and Director of Special Projects). He assisted Broadway producer Margo Lion on Hairspray and Caroline, or Change. He is a graduate of Columbia University where he received his M.F.A. in Theatre Management & Producing as a Dean’s Fellow and New York University where he earned a B.A. in Dramatic Literature. He serves as Secretary on the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s Board of Directors. He is a proud third-generation Chinese-American and is married to Anthony Keen-Louie, a local mediator and Associate Ombuds at UC Santa Cruz.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

is a place where artists and audiences come together to create what’s new and next in the American theatre, from Tony Award-winning productions, to imaginative programs for young audiences, to interactive experiences outside our theatre walls. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, the Playhouse is currently led by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, and Managing Director Debby Buchholz. The Playhouse is internationally renowned for the development of new works, including mounting 110 world premieres, commissioning more than 60 new works, and sending 36 productions to Broadway – among them the hit musical Come From Away – garnering a total of 38 Tony Awards, as well as the 1993 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EVENTS JOHNNY AND JUNE

Talkback Tuesdays

Participate in a lively discussion with performers and Playhouse staff members immediately following these performances.

Tuesday, June 4 and 11 after the 7:30 pm performances

Access Performance

On select performances, La Jolla Playhouse provides American Sign Language interpretation for audience members who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing and audio description for patrons who are blind or have low vision.

Saturday, June 15 at 2:00 pm

Discovery Sunday

Join special guest speakers post-performance as they engage audience members in a moderated discussion exploring the themes in the play.

Sunday, June 23 after the 2:00 pm performance

A conversation between Johnny and June director/co-writer Des McAnuff, co-writer Robert Cary and Director of Artistic Development Gabriel Greene.

GG: How did you both become involved in The Ballad of Johnny and June?

DM: When I was approached to do this show [by the Cash estate], I went to Nashville to meet with [Johnny and June’s son] John Carter and we bonded instantly. The Playhouse connection is that his dad was close friends with Roger Miller, who wrote the songs for Big River, the adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that we did in 1984. That was Johnny Cash’s favorite Broadway musical. As soon as I came home, I made what I considered to be the obvious call, and that was to Rob Cary. We’ve collaborated on several projects, and while I don’t necessarily think of Rob as a “country cowboy,” he has an ability to master all genres.

RC: Des and I had enjoyed working together so much in the past, and it was exciting to find something that we were both passionate about. What appealed to me about this show was – because of the kind of music Johnny and June sang and because of the nature of their relationship – this was something that felt very intimate, with a very human, beating heart.

GG: What was your way in to this story?

DM: The idea of making it a story about Johnny and June’s lives together came from both of us; we felt very strongly that that’s the way to do it.

RC: As much as there is known about June herself, there seemed to be greater depths that we could explore. There’s a lot of fascinating contradictions and complexity and humanity that exists in the love story, but also exists very much apart from Johnny. June brought with her such a tremendous history and presence that it felt like we could really tell a compelling story with it.

GG: How involved has the Cash family been in the development of this work?

DM: John Carter has been our primary partner on this. He’s been tremendously helpful, because he’s not using this as a promotional tool for the Cash estate. He doesn’t want the romanticized fairy tale; he insisted we dig into the truth about his family.

RC: One of the great things about John Carter is he really does understand that the most important

thing is to see his parents as human beings. Their art will speak for itself, and his position as their child speaks for itself in the show. But he understands that seeing them as actual people and not as just icons is the way to tell an honest story. The way he approached it was, “why tell the story if it’s not honest?” – which is not always the experience you have in these kinds of situations.

DM: Drama comes from conflict and, to a large extent, from pain. John Carter was very forthcoming and essentially gave us license to open a vein.

RC: The joy of writing this show has been to try to see everybody as a full human being, not just a protagonist or an antagonist. It’s about exploring what is antagonistic within ourselves as we take our hero’s journey.

GG: How did you aim to distinguish this from other versions of their story, such as the 2005 film, Walk the Line?

DM: I think the movie is meant to be a kind of fairytale, and the basic thrust is that June saves Johnny. The movie did what it did perfectly well – it wasn’t intended to be a documentary, and the

performances were terrific. But John Carter made it very clear that that was not the whole story. The Ballad of Johnny and June is a dark story, but it’s ultimately extremely moving and uplifting because of the demons that they conquer together.

RC: An oft-heard phrase around addiction is “let it begin with me,” which means we’re all ultimately only able to help, or save, ourselves. What I find most moving about this story is that it’s not a narrative of a person coming into a troubled person’s life and teaching that person how to get their life together, because that’s not the way it works. It’s really that they abide; they go through the journey of being flawed human beings, and they stay together through that.

DM: Johnny and June were like a royal couple. There was almost an inevitability to this marriage. You have the Carters — the family that took country music, with its roots going back to West African instruments, Black music, and Appalachian music, and brought it into the modern era; and then you have Johnny, the reigning prince and heir apparent. It was a baton that was passed to him. In other words, it wasn’t just a personal romance; they saw themselves as having a responsibility as a couple. With some couples, that could drive them apart. But with Johnny and June, it was one of the things that really bonded them.

RC: Lots of music genres have artists who are deeply connected to their audience, but country musicians feel responsible to their audience. Not just to giving their audience a great show, but also giving them an authentic piece of themselves. Johnny and June felt that obligation, and sometimes it was a burden, but for the most part they thought of it as a great honor.

Not as a profit motive, but as a higher calling. They both were also people of deep, abiding faith.

DM: Think of the challenges they took on at the time: they’re running a major national television variety show. They have a newborn baby and they’re touring and they’re recording songs. Most marriages would crumble under that kind of pressure, and ultimately it seemed to just reinforce them and reinforce their bond.

GG: What can audiences expect on stage?

RC: What I love about the show is the idea that it’s constantly in motion – we’re going through their lives using the music. It’s the joy of seeing some songs performed as they might be performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and other songs are a part of our interior story, getting us to the next destination. Even our set is meant to resemble a train car, because Johnny had a long-standing relationship with songs about the railroad.

DM: To Rob’s point, it goes back to “Hey Porter” in the beginnings of Johnny’s career and kind of carries on from there. I think it does have real resonance, and it creates the foundation for this journey. When country music was born – the ‘20s, the ‘30s – we were in the Great Depression and Prohibition for a large part of that. Johnny and June both understood hard times, and I think that gives our story a kind of soul. This show is actually high velocity, but it’s also quite simple and very close to the audience. It has a kind of honesty, this piece; there’s not a lot of artifice. It’s got a lot of flesh on the bone and there’s not a lot of accoutrements.

RC: From an early stage, I said this project is “Des Unplugged,” because it does have this kind

of acoustic, very human, very present feel. Johnny and June were sophisticated artists, but they were also straightforward and simple, and I hope the show captures that.

DM: That’s a really great point. There were contradictions in them. I suppose that’s one of the things that makes them so stage worthy. This is, I dare say, an important story to take on: these two iconic figures that people think they know so well, and then we discover there are passageways and corridors that they went down that most people are just oblivious to. The depth of his addiction is mind-blowing, and the fact that they got through that and then got through her challenges and John Carter’s, it’s an amazing American story. 

(Top left page) Johnny & June performing at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernadino, CA on February 21, 1969. (Bottom right page) On the set of The Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium, 1971. Photos courtesy of The John R. Cash Revocable Trust.

BOARD SPOTLIGHT

WHY I SUPPORT THE PLAYHOUSE

My tenure with La Jolla Playhouse has been wonderfully fulfilling; from season subscriber to a member of the Board of Trustees, I have had a front-row seat to the risk-taking, creativity and artistic triumph that the Playhouse is known for across the country. Add in the POP Tour, DNA New Work Series, and Without Walls (WOW) Festival, and not only is La Jolla Playhouse a preeminent regional theatre – it’s central to developing new audiences and artists here in San Diego and beyond.

I’ve always liked that the Playhouse tackles complicated topics in its innovative works, and Des McAnuff and Robert Cary’s The Ballad of Johnny and June is no exception. The team behind this project is holding space for tough conversations. And that is the kind of challenge that the Playhouse presents to us. The kind of challenge that makes the Playhouse such a unique and important cultural institution. It is a catalyst for change, an invitation to harness the transformative power of theatre, and an inspiration for new ways of thinking. Scott and I are very proud to support La Jolla Playhouse as it continues to create the new and the next in American theatre.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SHERI L. JAMIESON

Chair

DENISE BEVERS

First Vice-Chair

MICHAEL FLASTER

Second Vice-Chair

ANNIE ELLIS

Secretary

SCOTT M. STANTON, Mintz

Treasurer

TRUSTEES

Weston Anson

Christopher Ashley**

Susan Gembrowski Baker**

Michael Bartell

David Brenner

Sanford Burham Prebys

Ralph Bryan*

Debby Buchholz**

Randy Camp

Robert Caplan

Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek

Lisa Casey

Ann Cathcart Chaplin

Qualcomm

Randall Clark*, Sempra

Mary Coleman**

Stephen Coleman, PNC Bank

Doug Dawson

Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D.

Susan Dubé

Hal Dunning

Emily Einhorn

Ray Flores**

Judy Garrett

Justin Gleiberman

Lynn E. Gorguze

Luke Gulley, Show Imaging, Inc.

Kay Gurtin

Clark Guy

Bank of America Private Bank

Dean Haas

Osborn L. Hurston, US Bank

Debby Jacobs

Joan Jacobs (1933-2024)

Pradeep K. Khosla, Ph.D.**

Chancellor, UC San Diego

Veronica Leff

Bena Leslie**

Lynelle Lynch*

Margret McBride*

Lorne Polger

Byron Pollitt

Karen A. Quiñones

David I. Reynoso**

Becky Robbins

Phillip Rudolph

Robin Rusinko

Shane Shelley, Morrison Foerster

Karen Silberman

Delicia Turner Sonnenberg**

Suzi Sterner**, UC San Diego

Andy Thomas, Evans Hotels

Marjorie Mae Treger**

Erin Trenda, Cooley, LLP

Mary Walshok, Ph.D. UC San Diego

Barbara ZoBell

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Peter Cowhey, Ph.D. UC San Diego

Ivan Gayler

John Goodman

Jeanne Jones

Julie Potiker

Steven M. Strauss*

Geri Ann Warnke*

Gary Wollberg*

Robert Wright, Esq. Wright, L’Estrange & Ergastolo

EMERITUS TRUSTEES

Rita Bronowski (1917-2010)

David Copley (1952-2012)

Ted Cranston (1940-2012)

Milton Fredman (1920-2005)

Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.* (1938- 2019)

Joel Holliday* (1939-2022)

Marian Jones Longstreth (1906-1997)

Hughes Potiker (1925-2005)

Sheila Potiker (1930-2011)

Jeffrey Ressler* (1943-2022)

Ellen Revelle (1910-2009)

Roger Revelle (1909-1991)

Willard P. VanderLaan, M.D.* (1917-2012)

Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. (1923-2015)

Mandell Weiss (1891-1993)

1947 FOUNDERS

Mel Ferrer

Dorothy McGuire

Gregory Peck

*Past Chair of the Board **Ex-Officio

List as of April 2024

Photo Credits: (Top row) Veronica and Miguel Leff; Luke Gulley and Isabelle Ashraf; (bottom row) (L-R) Debby Buchholz, Lynelle Lynch, Sheri Jamieson, Idina Menzel, Randy Camp, Christopher Ashley; Playhouse group gather for a backstage tour during a recent visit to NYC

Joan Jacobs was a guiding light on the Playhouse Board for nearly four decades, through her unwavering philanthropic efforts and deep personal committment to the growth of the Playhouse. Together with her husband Irwin, she was a constant presence at so many cultural events in the city throughout the years. She was funny and smart, and she made an immeasurable impact on our theater, our city, and far beyond.

La Jolla Playhouse was honored to be one of Joan's primary passions. She and Irwin have been the cornerstone – both literally and figuratively – of the ongoing success of the Playhouse since its rebirth on the UC San Diego campus over 40 years ago. Their tremendous dedication to this theatre over the years has made it possible for us to stay true to our mission as a safe haven for artists to develop the new and the next in American theatre. It is because of this commitment to and love for the work that has been born and developed here that we are dedicating the 2024/25 Season in Joan's honor.

Words cannot do justice in expressing how much she will be missed by everyone at La Jolla Playhouse.

THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY AND JUNE PRODUCTION SPONSOR

Mintz is proud to partner with La Jolla Playhouse, and we applaud their commitment to developing new plays and musicals and to serving the community with award-winning education and outreach programs. Founded in Boston in 1933, our 600 attorneys span eight offices, including Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Toronto, ON, and Washington, D.C. Throughout them all, we are united with the same commitment to the highest quality legal services for clients large and small on their most important legal matters. From all of us at Mintz, thanks for supporting La Jolla Playhouse and enjoy the show.

Astra Zeneca

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: ANNUAL SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUALS

THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR'S CIRCLE - $100,000 AND ABOVE

Roberta C. Baade Charitable Fund

Denise and Lon Bevers

Theodor S. and Audrey S. Geisel Fund

Hanna and Mark Gleiberman

Kay and Bill Gurtin

Jeanne L. Herberger, Ph.D.

Joan and Irwin Jacobs

Sheri L. Jamieson

La Atalaya Fund

Rebecca Moores Foundation

Jordan Ressler Charitable Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

SEASON SPONSORS -

$50,000+

Weston Anson, in memory of Susan Bailey Anson

Melissa and Michael Bartell

Gail and Ralph Bryan

Brian and Silvija Devine

Estate of Pauline Foster

Lynn Gorguze and Scott Peters

Debby and Hal Jacobs

Perlmeter Family Foundation

Karen and Jeff Silberman

Les J Silver and Andrea Rothschild-Silver

Molli Wagner

Peggy Ann Wallace

PLAYWRIGHTS CIRCLE -

$25,000+

The Paula Marie Black Endowment for Women's Voices in the Art of Theatre

Susan E. Dubé

Dwight Hare and Stephanie Bergsma

Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs

Jeff and Annie Jacobs

Jeff and Carolyn Levin

Lynelle and William Lynch

Margret and Nevins McBride

Maryanne and Irwin Pfister

Julie and Lowell Potiker Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Robin and Larry Rusinko

Pamela J. Wagner and Hans Tegebo

Philip and Margarita Wilkinson

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE -

$15,000+

Tony and Margaret Acampora

Christopher Ashley and Ranjit Bahadur

Stern Leichter Foundation

Debby and Todd Buchholz

Randy Camp and Susan Tousi

Amy Corton and Carl Eibl

Drs. Edward and Martha Dennis

Hal and Hilary Dunning

Daniel and Emily Einhorn

Annie and Charles Ellis

Sonali and Eric Fain

Michael and Susanna Flaster

Bill and Judy Garrett

Wendy Gillespie

Justin Gleiberman

Dean J. Haas

Stacy Brackon Jacobs

Jay Jeffcoat

Veronica and Miguel Leff, Esq.

Lorne Polger and Lori Weiner

Teresa and Byron Pollitt

Brian and Paula Powers

Jeannie and Gerry Ranglas

Becky Lynne Robbins Charitable Fund

Colette and Ivor Royston

Swanna and Alan Saltiel, Dan

Cameron Family Foundation

Karen and Stuart Tanz

Mary Lindenstein Walshok, Ph.D.

DIRECTORS CIRCLE -

$10,000+

Anonymous

Gary and Barbara Blake Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Holly McGrath, Highland Partners Charitable Fund

Pamela B. Burkholz

Mary and Adam Cherry, Big Blue

Sky Foundation

Randall and Michael Clark

Jendy Dennis Endowment Fund

Robin and Leo Eisenberg Family

Dan and Phyllis Epstein

Mrs. Ewart (Chip) Goodwin

Starr and John Grundy

Sherry and Larry Kline, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

Christy and Alan Molasky

Karen Quiñones, The Quiñones

Family Trust

Lynn Schenk

Linda J and Jeffrey M Shohet

Iris and Matthew Strauss

Barbara ZoBell, in memory of Ellen Whelan

CELEBRATION CIRCLE -

$5,000+

Anonymous

Dede and Mike Alpert

Mrs. Valerie Ewell Armstrong and Mr. Sam Armstrong

Rick and Donna Baldridge

Alisa and David Barba, Barba Charitable Fund

Joan and Jeremy Berg

Cindy and Steve Blumkin

Julie Bronstein, The ARJ Fund of The San Diego Foundation

Christa Burke

Robert Caplan and Carol Randolph

Pamela and Edward Carnot

Lisa and David Casey

Maureen and Lawrence Cavaiola

Gary and Marlene Cohen

Doug Dawson

Brett and Jennifer Dickinson

Nina and Bob Doede

The Fredman Family

Dennis Field and Douglas Galt

Drs. Bessie and Ron Floyd

Maria Frase

Fuson Family Fund at Schwab Charitable

David Newman and Samantha Goldstein, The Jasada Foundation

Beth Goodman

Carrie and Jim Greenstein

David and Claire Guggenheim

Judith and Chris Hamilton

Tammy and Larry Hershfield

Richard Heyman and Anne Daigle

Rosanne and Joel* Holliday

George and Maryka Hoover

Doug and Gail Hutcheson

Adam and Amy Jacobs

Jess Jacobs and Bryan Keller

Gina and Kent Johnson

Rob and Kathy Jones

Amy and Bill Koman

Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Labowe, Labowe Family Foundation

Brian and Joanna Leddin

Barbara and Mathew Loonin

Leslye Lyons

Michael and Catherina Madani

Patsy and David Marino

Brian and Tracy Melekian

Steve and Jerri Nagelberg

Wendy Nash

Grant and Aradhna Oliphant, The Conrad Prebys Foundation

Susan C. Parker

Bernard Paul and Maria Sardina

Susan Polis Schutz and Dr. Stephen Schutz

Judy Robbins

Laleh Roudi

Dawn and Phil Rudolph

Rick Sandstrom and Sandy Timmons

Jay and Julie Sarno

Tim and Emily Scott

Gad and Suzan Shaanan

Dawn and Ira Smalberg

Elizabeth and Joseph Taft

Revocable Trust

David and Tina Thomas

Greta and Steve Treadgold

Steven Strauss and Lise Wilson

Richard Winkler

Michael and Lisa Witz

Jill and Bruno Wolfenzon

Debbie S. Zeligson

Diane and Robert Zeps

ACTORS CIRCLE - $2,500+

Anonymous

Stephen Miller Baird,MD and Carol Davidson Baird

Barnard Family Charitable Fund

Dr. Kim E. Barrett

Joni and Miles Benickes

Liz Bernal and Suzanne LaTour

Steve L. Black and Kristen

Richards-Black

Barbara L. Borden

Michele Braatz

Loyce R. Bruce

John and Nancy Jo Cappetta

Gary and Lynette Cederquist

Diane Clarke

Peter Cowhey and Margaret McKeown

Elaine S Darwin

Ana De Vedia

Marguerite Jackson Dill

Karen B. Dow

Dr. Robert and Mrs. Ann Dynes

Joyce M Gattas, Ph.D.

Joseph and Barbara Giammona

Norm and Pat Gillespie

Jim Gilmore

Kimberly and Jeffrey Goldman

Beverly Goodman

Julie Hall, Oklahoma City Community Foundation

Nishma and John Held

COL. Michael and Diana Hill

Gerald and Ingrid Hoffmeister Fund, The San Diego Foundation

Dr. Warren and Karen Kessler

Shirley King and Arthur Olson

Michael H Kossman

Ms. Gale M. Krause, in memory of Jim Krause

Helen and Sig Kupka

Samara and Paul Larson

Dr. K.B Lim and Linda Lee Lim Foundation

Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky and Family

Lori and Joe Mahler

Holley and Robert Martens, Sandstone Foundation

Dennis A. McConnell

Alice Mitchell

Ilene Mittman, in memory of Dr. Charles Mittman

Gregg and Cindy Motsenbocker

Arlene and Louis Navias

Mark C. Niblack, MD

Janet and Larry Pollack

Dr. Julie Prazich and Dr. Sara

Rosenthal

Dr. William and Marisa Rastetter

True Life Center

Scarano Family Foundation at The San Diego Foundation

Maureen Elizabeth Sheehan

Alan and Esther Siman

Dr. Ed and Evelyn Singer

Dr. Robert Singer, in memory of Judith Harris

Dr. Doris Trauner and Mr. Richard Stanford

Erin Trenda

Jim and Kathy Waring

Linda Rankin and Rod Whitlow

Gary L. Wollberg and Dr. Yumi Miyamoto

Howard and Judy Ziment

Emma and Leo Zuckerman

INNER CIRCLE

- $1,000+

Robert Barile

Barbara Y. Beebe

Carolyn and Giovanni Bertussi

Larry and Cindy Bloch

Paige Bosacki Santos

The Boyd-Rawlings Family

Tatiana and David Brenner

John and Deborah Brincko

Elizabeth Brummitt and Robert Mellott

Anita Busquets and William Ladd

Cheryl and Greg Carlson

Cathy and Michael Casteel

Kay Chandler

Steven and Adina Chinowsky

Janet and Maarten Chrispeels

Wayne Saville and Laura Colban

Daniel E Collins and Nancy Shimamoto

Coral Courts Donor Advised Fund, Corinna Cotsen and Lee Rosenbaum

Stacy Cromidas and Ruth Gilbert

Gerral and Anne David

Denise and Gary David

Wally and Linda Dieckmann

Dr. Ralph B. Dilley and Brian Danielson

Mark and Jenny Dowling

Jacqueline and Stanley Drosch

W. Byron and Pamela Dunn

Toby Eisenberg

Doris and Peter Ellsworth, Legler Benbough Fund, San Diego Foundation

Jennifer and Kurt Eve

Karen and Steven Feitelberg

Dieter Fischer's Mercedes Service, Inc.

Paula Fitzgerald and Chris Nielsen

Jennifer Flack

Ray Flores

Dr. Laurie Forrest

Susan Forsburg and Lisa Churchill

Maygan Fowler

Robert and Mona Freels

Catherine R. Friedman

Jan and Helane Fronek

Valerie and Gregory Frost

Fran and Nick Frost

Steven and Cheryl Garfin

Tom and Carolina Gildred

Fred and Lisa Goldberg

Drs. Tom and Cindy Goodman, in honor of Whitney Goodman

The Lloyd Gorcey Charitable Foundation, Inc. in memory of Lloyd Gorcey

Bernard and Judith Greenspan

Grant Gurtin

Clark and Savonia Guy

Anonymous

Hon. Louise De Carl Adler

Ahern Capital, LLC

Philip Anderson and Verónica Valdés

Lynell Antrim

Ginger and Ken Baldwin

Judith Bambace and Brian Trotier

Kendall Hall, Fred Jones Family Foundation

Cherie Halladay

Koji and Angela Fukumura

Dr. Carol A. Harter and Mr. William D. Smith

Thomas Harvey and Bonnie Drolet

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE: ANNUAL SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUALS

Tom and Lynn Hawkins

Marcia Hazan and Mark Cammell

Jamie Henson and Robert Houskeeper

Dr. Peter and Mrs. Megan Hoagland

Ray and Kate Hong

Robert and Pat Hughes

Aaron and Susan Huniu

Osborn and Dea Hurston

Hilary and Selwyn Isakow

Neil and Vivien Joebchen

Wendy Johnson

Lewis and Patricia Judd

Angela and Matt Kilman

Anne M and Richard C Kruse

Gautam and Anjali Lalani

Tracey Lazarus

Dixon and Pat Lee

Michael Lee and Katharine Cline

Pamela Hamilton Lester

Rebecca Le Vasseur

Eliezer and Diana Lombrozo

Sally and Luis Maizel

Edna and Daniel Maneval

David Marchesani, CFA

Jasna Markovac and Gary Miller

Valorie McClelland

Bill and Mim McKenzie

Rob McManus

Dr. Ken Melville and Dr. Sabina Wallach

Kelly and Mike Moore

Judith B. Morgan

Sandy and Jesse Morgan

Ann L. Mound

Chandra Mukerji

Ann Nathan

Lyn Nelson

Xuan and Robert Northrop

Dr. Walter Olsen and Dr. Zdenka Fronek

Susan Padula

F. Richard Pappas

Drs. Kim Kerr and Paul Pearigen

William Pitts and Mary Sophos

Adele Rabin

Jennifer and Tom Ranglas

Russ and Marty Ries

Brett and Andrea Roggenkamp

Bingo and Gino Roncelli

Don and Stacy Rosenberg, Rosenberg Family Fund

David A. Roth and Toni D. Wolinsky

Joy Rottenstein

Oliver Ryder

Kristine and Denis Salmon

Beverly Sanborn, in memory of

Warren Sanborn

Herb Schnall, In Memory of

Ann Schnall

Neil R. Senturia and Barbara Bry

Teresa Shaffer

Richard Shapiro and Marsha

Janger

Mitchell and Elizabeth Siegler

Susan and Gerald Slavet

Leslie Branman-Smith

Rod and Dolores Smith

John and Lynn Spafford

Scott M. Stanton

Dale and Mark Steele

Cynthia Stroum, The Stroum Family Foundation

Michael and Pamela Swartout

Al and Stephanie Tarkington

John and Gail Tauscher

Place D. Tegland

Tom Templeton and Mary Ena Erlenborn

Dean Ujihara Charitable Fund

Karim Valji

Matthew and Diana Valji

Cynthia Walk

Lisa Walters-Hoffert

Bobbi Warren

Jo and Howard Weiner

Graydon and Dorothy Wetzler

Wayne Wilson

Philip and Claire Wise

Elaine Wolfe

Howard and Christy Zatkin

Barry and Barb Zemel

the Helene and Allan Ziman Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

CENTER STAGE CLUB$500+

Anonymous

Robin Allgren, MD PhD

Robert Baizer and Diane Jacobs

Baizer

Lisa Celia Balderston

Francis and Diane Bardsley

Patricia Bloodgood and Chris

Cleveland

Nina and Tony Borwick

Cherisse Brantz

Cliff and Lorie Briggs, in honor of Beatrice Briggs

Jaron Brooks

Jeanne Burton

Kyle Chan and Cathy Swindlehurst

June Chocheles

Denis M. Crane, in memory of Rilla Crane

Don and Julie DeMent

Ronald L Diepenbrock

Heather Dietsch

Kim and A.T. Ditty

Rosalyn and Tim Dong

Beth and Stephen Doyne

Bob Duffield

Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Edelson

James and Marti Eisenberg

Debroah and J Faulkner

Jason Feinstein

Debra Fields

Shannon-Frink Family Gift Fund

Anne and Mark Smith

Martha and Bill Gilmer

Russell H Ginns

Mayor Todd Gloria

Michael and Brenda Goldbaum

Judi Gottschalk

Stephen and Karen Gray

Ed Greulich

Pat and Pepper Guevara

Terry Gulden and Renée Comeau

Bettina Hahn Osborne

Margo Hebald

Bryan Hill

Christopher Hoff

Claudia Baranowski and Tom Horvath

Linda Howard

Beth Hulsart and Stephen L'Heureux

Mark Jacobs

Nora Jaffe

Mark Johnson

Dario and Dan Jones

David and Susan Kabakoff

Hamide Kayaci and Oktay Gumus

Brian Kearns

Jill and Michael Kelly

Rick and Beth Kent

Laura Killmer

Jerry and Martha Krasne

Karen Sage and Charles Laughlin

Mick and Sherrie Laver

Zita Liebermensch

Alejandro and Oleysa Lombrozo

Susan and Peter Mallory

Scott Markus and Luci Lander

Madonna Maxwell Omens

Carol Mazzetti

Wallace McCloskey and Lynn

Dolby

Maggi McKerrow, in memory of Judie McDonald

David and Patricia Meyers

Norma and Scott Miller

Helga S. Moore

Dr. and Mrs. Robert B Moore, in honor of Sheri L Jamieson

Story Ann Moreno

Greg and Andrea Moser

Susan Muha

Esther R. Nahama

Nico and Caroline Nierenberg

Kyomi O'Connor

Phyllis and Jerrold Olefsky

Beatrice E. Pardo

Pamela Partlow and Bruce

Maigatter

Ms. Virginia S. Patch

Ken Pecus

John and Paula Peeling

Dr. William and Beth Penny

Sheila and Ken Poggenburg

Shirin Poustchi and Reza

Ghajaripanah

Sanjiv Nanda and Urmi Ray

Margaret Riel and Hugh Mehan

Patrick Ritto

IN LOVING MEMORY Jordan Ressler, 1981-2004

Dr. Stephen and Cheryl Rockwood

Jodyne Roseman

Mary Ruiz

Bill and Dorian Sailer

Scott Sandel and James Marich

Todd R. Schultz

Barbara and Guy Shaw

Emily and Lia Shen

Debbie and Dr. Darren Sigal

Marshall and Leslie Sigesmund

Beverly and Howard Silldorf

Leslie Simon

Barbara Slater

Annie So

Norman and Judith Solomon

Gary and Susan Spoto

Charles Stephens and Eric Meijer

Dr. Nancy Stewarr, in memory of Dr. Charles Stewart

Lisa Noelle Stone and Matthew A. Lab

Carol and Mark Tager

William Tong and Marilyn Newhoff

Ray Lee and Teresa Trucchi

Twardowski Family

Ruth Passow Warburg

Ted Scott and Joan Weber

Jennie Jackson Werner

Jean M Wilkinson

Joyce H. Williams

Susan and Jock Wright

Brendan and Kaye Wynne

Susan Yee

Reflects giving to Annual Fund, Gala Underwriting and Paddle Raises from 4/1/23 –4/30/2024.

We apologize for any errors or accidental omissions. Please contact the Individual Giving Office at (858) 550-1070 x134 if you would like to change your listing.

A Film and Theatre graduate from Cornell University, Jordan was an adventurer with a passion for the arts. Here at La Jolla Playhouse, he served as an assistant to Des McAnuff on Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays and was the script supervisor for Jersey Boys.

The Jordan Ressler Charitable Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation was established by his parents, Vivien and Jeffrey Ressler, to honor their son and his love of theatre and film.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT SUPPORTERS!

They are a passionate group committed to strengthening the vitality of communities through arts learning opportunities and celebrating diverse voices throughout San Diego.

We are deeply grateful to all who have joined the Community Learning Circle with a gift of $10,000 and more:

Melissa and Michael Bartell

Denise and Lon Bevers

Wendy Gillespie

Hanna and Mark Gleiberman

Perlmeter Family Foundation

Lynn Gorguze and Scott Peters

Maryanne and Irwin Pfister

Julie and Lowell Potiker Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Jordan Ressler Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Robin and Larry Rusinko

Rebecca Moores Foundation

Swanna and Alan Saltiel,

Dan Cameron Family Foundation

Karen and Jeff Silberman

Peggy Ann Wallace

We also thank POP Tour supporters who have made gifts of $5,000 and more to sustain essential programming for our community:

Tony and Margaret Acampora

Dede and Mike Alpert

Christa Burke

Maureen and Lawrence Cavaiola

Doug Dawson

Amy Corton and Carl Eibl

Dean J. Haas

Barbara Loonin

Leslye Lyons

Elizabeth and Joseph Taft Revocable Trust

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

$100,000 +

$50,000 - $99,999

Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust

$25,000 - $49,999

County of San Diego

Laurents / Hatcher Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts: Creative Forces

$10,000 - $24,999

David C. Copley Foundation

Dutch Culture USA

Peggy and Robert Matthews Foundation

Performing Arts Fund NL

Price Philanthropies Foundation

San Diego Scottish Rite Community Foundation

Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation

William Hall Tippett and Ruth Rathell Tippett Foundation

$5,000 - $9,999

Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation

National Alliance for Musical Theatre

John and Marcia Price Family Foundation

$1,000 - $4,999

City of Carlsbad’s Cultural Arts Office

Samuel I. & John Henry Fox Foundation

Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

Netherland-America Foundation

Arthur and Jeanette Pratt Memorial Fund

Sutherland Foundation

Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF)

$250 - $999

Actors' Equity Foundation

In-Kind

Gary Sinise Foundation

List as of May 2, 2024

The military community plays a vital role in the San Diego community and La Jolla Playhouse has created numerous free programs to enhance the quality of life for veterans and help give voice to their experiences through the arts. The Playhouse’s MVP Initiative (Military and Veterans Programs) connects, inspires, and entertains through programs like the Veterans Playwriting Workshop (VPW).

VPW participants work with Playhouse teaching artists who are veterans themselves to develop playwriting skills, craft and share their stories, and find community and healing along the way. The multi-phase program is divided into three sections that can be taken as many times as desired: Beginner, Intermediate, and Development. For the Development phase, the Playhouse selects one to three plays created through VPW to produce for a weekend of public readings.

LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Community Programs

The Playhouse partners with members of local affinity groups to create productions for, by, with and in the communities we serve. In addition, we provide creative opportunities for artistic development and growth for various community groups.

In-School Programs

The Playhouse partners with school districts across San Diego County to place professional teaching artists in schools for intensive artist residencies aimed at providing young people with meaningful opportunities to learn about theatre. Through the Kennedy Center’s Partner in Education program, the San Diego County Office of Education and LJP team up to provide professional development for educators on how to enhance their existing lessons with theatre strategies.

JumpStart Theatre

This three-year program provides curriculum and mentorship for a team of middle school teachers to produce musicals in their schools for the first time. After three years, the school receives continued support to maintain a viable theatre program. Supported by the Peggy and Roberts Matthews Foundation and the Sutherland Foundation.

Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour

Each year, the Playhouse commissions a new play that addresses real concerns of today’s youth and brings a professional production to schools and community centers across San Diego County. Supported by US Bank.

Residencies and Partnerships

• UCSD MFA Residencies: 3rd-year UCSD MFA students participate in a residency within the Playhouse’s 6-show season.

• Resident Theatre Company: The Playhouse annually provides an artistic home and resources to a local theatre without a permanent space of their own.

• Good Neighbor Partnerships: The Playhouse offers opportunities to artists, theatre companies and collectives to use our spaces and resources for special projects that may not be possible without outside support.

Spotlight On Playhouse teaching artists lead classes for adults on Improv, Musical Theatre, Acting and Technical Theatre.

Student Matinees Special student matinees of selected mainstage productions are offered throughout the school year. An online engagement guide, pre- or post-show workshops, and a post-show talkback provides a deeper understanding on how a new play is uniquely developed with Playhouse staff. Supported by California Arts Council.

Young Performers’ Conservatory (YPC)

A 5-week intensive that prepares actors for serious college theatre programs; and Tech Theatre, which introduces young people to the various aspects of technical theatre. Supported by the Jordan Ressler Endowment Fund, and the Roberto Quiñones, Jr. Scholarship Fund.

Lead Supporters: California Arts Council | Qualcomm Foundation | San Diego Foundation

VALUES STATEMENT

Welcome to La Jolla Playhouse, where we believe that stories enhance the human experience, instill empathy and help us see the world in new ways. We respect all races, ethnicities, cultures, physical/cognitive abilities, ages, genders and identities, and endeavor to be an anti-racist and accessible organization that removes barriers to engagement. As a community of life-long learners who celebrate the spirit of play, we innovate and collaborate to bring theatre to life.

We practice empathy by listening, challenging our assumptions and staying open to all perspectives.

We respect and recognize the complexities of all lived experiences, identities and cultural backgrounds. We honor the Kumeyaay Nation, the original caretakers of the land on which our theaters sit. We will fight against anti-blackness, the many forms of racism directed at BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and all types of discrimination and harassment, to be a more inclusive space where everyone feels welcome onstage and off.

We work with our community to identify, understand and address ways to make our theatre more equitable and accessible.

We infuse the spirit of play into everything we do, sparking creativity, fun and life-long learning.

We innovate and take risks to propel theatre as an art form and as a pathway toward fostering belonging and enhancing human connection.

We collaborate by prioritizing inclusive practices from which diverse voices, talents and ideas can strengthen engagement and creative thinking.

We vow to grow and embrace these values. When we falter, we will hold ourselves accountable through transparent communication, measurable outcomes, selfreflection and humility. With great joy and a strong sense of responsibility, we commit to these values in every aspect of our work.

MISSION STATEMENT

La Jolla Playhouse advances theatre as an art form, telling stories that inspire empathy and create a dialogue toward a more just future. With our intrepid spirit and eclectic, artist-driven approach we will continue to cultivate a local, national and global following with an insatiable appetite for audacious work. We provide unfettered creative opportunities for a community of artists of all backgrounds and abilities. We are committed to being a permanent safe harbor for unsafe and surprising work, offering a glimpse of the new and the next in American theatre.

PATRON SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY

CONCESSIONS AND DINING

Designated wheelchair-accessible seating is available and accessible parking is provided by UC San Diego in the South Parking Structure (formerly known as Osler). Wheelchair seat locations are available for wheelchair users and a companion. Additionally, a golf cart is available to assist patrons with accessibility needs to and from the drop-off location. You may pull into the Passenger/Ride Share DropOff area and a greeter will assist you. The Playhouse offers assisted listening devices free of charge at the Patron Information Booth for any patron who would like amplified sound (subject to availability). Please provide a credit card or ID for temporary deposit. Listening Devices Provided in Part by

CHILDREN under the age of 6 are not permitted in the theatre during performances unless otherwise posted. Unaccompanied minors ages 12 and under are not permitted in the theatre. Out of respect for fellow audience members and the performers, babes in arms are not permitted in the theatre during performances.

Start your night off right with bar and concessions service from James' Place: serving beer, wine, sodas and individually-wrapped snacks. Additionally, James’ Place provides dining service starting at 5:00pm before evening performances.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Please visit lajollaplayhouse.org/ healthandsafety for our latest policy updates.

LATE SEATING

Should you arrive late for any performance or need to leave your seat during the performance, you may be asked to wait in the lobby until an appropriate moment. To minimize any disturbance to actors or other patrons, you may stand or be seated in the first available location by House Management even if not your assigned location. Please be advised that some performances may not allow for late seating or return to your assigned seat.

PARKING

AND SHUTTLES

For the latest parking and shuttle information, please go to lajollaplayhouse.org/parking

PATRON SERVICES is located in the lobby or courtyard of each theatre. A volunteer is available to distribute assisted listening devices and answer questions.

PHOTOGRAPHY/RECORDING DEVICES

Photography and video or audio recording of performances is strictly prohibited.

PLEASE SILENCE or turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones and watches, before the performance.

SAFETY IN THE THEATRE DISTRICT

La Jolla Playhouse is constantly working with UC San Diego Police Department and Transportation and Parking Services to maintain a safe and secure environment in the parking lots. Patrons are welcome to use the UC San Diego escort service by contacting UC San Diego Community Service Officers (CSOs) at (858) 534-9255 (WALK). Further questions regarding security, please contact UC San Diego Police at (858) 534-4357 (HELP).

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

STAFF

ARTISTIC

Artistic Producing Director Eric Keen-Louie

Director of Artistic Development Gabriel Greene*

Director of Experiences and Activations Mia Fiorella*

Associate Producer Amy Ashton

Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley Rick VanNoy*

Director Emeritus Des McAnuff

Directing Fellow Kat Yen

Commissioned Artists Todd Almond, Jeff Augustin, Sam Chanse, Fernanda Coppel, Ava Geyer, Idris Goodwin, Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Martyna Majok, Mona Mansour, Jess McLeod, MILCK, Lisa Peterson, Theresa Rebeck, Harrison David Rivers, Claudia Shear, Christopher Shinn, Octavio Solis, Jonathan Spector, Benjamin Velez, Keith Wallace, Cheryl L. West, Kristina Wong, Lauren Yee

Artist-in-Residence Maria Patrice Amon

LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT

Director of Learning Bridget Cavaiola Stone

Director of Arts Engagement and In-House Casting Jacole Kitchen

Learning and Engagement Manager and Casting

Associate Hannah Reinert

Learning and Engagement Coordinator

Danniel Ureña

Teaching Artists Julie Benitez, Lex Bezdeka, Leticia De Anda, Farah Dinga, Shairi Engle, Kristen Fogle, Shawn Foote, Melissa Glasgow, Kirsten Giard, Abby Huffstetler, Jeffrey Ingman, Erica Kahn, Justin Lang, Grace Lehman, Wilfred Paloma, Vanessa Reibel, Lorena Santana, Gill Sotu, Emily Stamets, Marjorie Treger

ASL Interpreters Lynn Ann Garrett, Anelia Glebocki, Candace Gordon, Billieanne McLellan, Geovanny Peña

ASL Volunteer Esther Shen

Audio Describers Mernie Aste, Brian Berlau, Tina Dyer, Shari Lyon, Deborah Sanborn, Sylvia Southerland, Michele Dixon, Lisa Illiana, Laurielynn Barnett

ADMINISTRATION

General Manager Ryan Meisheid

Associate General Manager Erica Martin

Corporate/Legal Counsel Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange

Theatre/Legal Counsel F. Richard Pappas, Esq.

COMPANY MANAGEMENT

Company Manager Grace Lehman

Assistant Company Manager Charlotte Perkis

Company Management Assistant Austin Mahn

FINANCE

Chief Financial Officer Laura Killmer

Controller Jared Jackson

Accounts Payable Manager Sharon Ratelle*

Human Resources Manager Jennifer Boaz

Payroll Matthew Zapata

Christopher Ashley*

The Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse

COMMUNICATIONS

Director of Public Relations Becky Biegelsen*

Director of Sales & Marketing Stephanie Zappala

Associate Director of Sales & Marketing Sonia Diaz

Communications Manager Grace Madamba*

Senior Multimedia Designer Nancy Showers*

Multimedia Designer Phyllis Sa

Marketing Manager Kevin Taylor

Social Media and Content Manager Samantha Laurent

Marketing Database Analyst Dani Meister

Marketing Assistant Mia Van Deloo

Patron Services Sales Specialist Paul Preston*

Sales Concierge William Guiney

PATRON SERVICES

Associate Director of Ticketing Services Pearl Hang*

Senior Patron Services Manager Travis Guss*

Patron Services Assistant Manager/Group Sales

Specialist Bill Washington

Lead Patron Services Representatives Rachel Lasker, Claire Michael

Patron Services Representatives Kita Barrientos, Devon Gonzales, Atalaya Gonzalez

OPERATIONS

Director of Operations Ned Collins*

Operations Manager John Craft*

Network Systems Specialist Daryl “Scooter” Davis

Office Administrator Debbie Berg-Swaton

FRONT OF HOUSE

House Manager Braulio Fernandez-Flores

Assistant House Managers Simonne Darbonne, Emily Klemmetsen, Amy Marquez, Gem Sorianno, Maria Torpey, Armando Navarro

Audience Concierges Sara Delgado, Chris Ferreria, Katana Fox, Sashank Kanchustambam, Olivia

Newell, Sam Lebedev, Angela Park, Teya Searles, Avery Simonian, Nare Terzyan, Emmett Torpey

PHILANTHROPY

Director of Philanthropy Keely Daximillion

Deputy Director of Philanthropy Rebecca Pierce Goodman

Assistant Director, Philanthropy Operations

Tony Dixon

Individual Giving Manager Taylor Lehmkuhl

Special Events Manager Nil Noyan

Corporate Relations Manager Katie Wallace-Coppo

Grants Specialist Dylan Gervais

Donor Relations Coordinator Kayla Alperson

Special Events Coordinator Gabriella Johnson

Philanthropy Coordinator Emma Pollet

Philanthropy Coordinator Anna Stanton

* Ten years or more with La Jolla Playhouse

Debby Buchholz*

Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse

PRODUCTION

Senior Production Manager Benjamin Seibert

Production Manager Becca Duhaime

Assistant Production Manager Julian Diaz

Production Office Manager Caren Heintzelman

Resident Stage Manager Alexa Burn

SCENE SHOP

Scenery Supervisor Jonathan Gilmer

Scenery Supervisor Kyle Pollitt

Scenery Specialist David Weiner*

Shop Foreman Christopher Chauvet

Carpenters Sam Bedford, Michael Brodsky, Benjamin Butler, Jason Foster, Keegan Graham, Nicholas Jackson, Marcus Laskey, Heather Rawolle, Elias Solis, Wally Wallace

Shop Helper Samantha King

Charge Artist Jennifer Imbler

Scenic Artists Alyssa Armstrong, Caroline Kvaas, Marie Mateo, Melissa Nalbach, Courtney Ware

PROPERTIES SHOP

Prop Supervisor Deb Hatch*

Prop Design Associate Zlatko Mitev

Prop Lead Artisan Rai Feltmann

Prop Artisan Ryan Lewis

COSTUME SHOP

Costume Supervisor Jennifer Ables

Resident Costume Design Assistant Desiree Hatfield-Buckley*

Costume Office Assistant Rebecca Rankin

Draper Sara Lindsey

First Hand Cody Grasher

Lead Crafts Artisan Tess Mattraw

Stitcher Sonya Levin

ELECTRICS

Production Electrician Kristyn Kennedy*

Electricians Michelle Aguilar, Hannah Beerfas, Jasmyne Birdsong, Alex Cluff, Xavier Luevano, Amber Montoya, Sandra Navarro, Jenner Price

SOUND/VIDEO

Production Sound & Video Dan Barsky

Head Audio Daniel Silva

Assistant Head Audio Mae Le

Sound/Video Technicians Camille Houze, Alfredo Madrigal, Sarah Rad, David Silva, Jeremy Nelson, Nathan Kunce, Nathan Pantaleon

Production Video Erin Teachman

JOHNNY AND JUNE CREW

Production Carpenter Michael Brodsky

Automation Nicholas Savage

Prop Runner (Lead) Melissa Nalbach

Assistant Props Topaz Cooks

Wardrobe Supervisor Junior Bergman

Wig & Make-Up Supervisor Kim Parker

Dressers Kate Morton, Miranda Sieber

Light Board Operator Xaver Luevano

Lead Followspot Operator Michelle Aguilar

Followspot Operator Jasmyne Birdsong

Electrics Swing Alex Cluff

Moving Light Programmer Wylder Cooper

Sound Engineer Robert Gilmartin

A2 Mae Le

Projection Operator Sarah Rad

YOU’RE HERE.

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INSIDER SCOOPS FROM THEATER AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS

It’s the new way to read the program, it’s

Run It Like a Business author

Aubrey Bergauer

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

BUSINESS BOOKS ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTS AIM TO GUIDE PERFORMERS AND COMPANIES TO A FULFILLING FUTURE.

/ BY LIBBY

SLATE /

SOME YEARS AGO, for a book on the topic, Renee Fleming was asked to advise aspiring performers about a career in the arts.

The lauded singer—who returns to Dorothy Chandler Pavilion downtown in June for an L.A. Opera recital —addressed technique and artistry but added: “I would suggest taking courses in digital editing and website creation, personal finance and even general business

and marketing. Learning the business side of the arts is crucial.”

The book to which Fleming contributed is The Artist’s Compass: The Complete Guide to Building a Life and a Living in the Performing Arts, written by Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of the Music Center. Published in 2016 by Touchstone and available online, the book is one of a handful of tomes focusing on the business side of the arts, designed to help those involved navigate the various challenges of arts careers and companies.

Published in February by BenBella

Books was Run It Like a Business: Strategies for Arts Organizations to Increase Audiences, Remain Relevant, and Multiply Money—Without Losing the Art by Aubrey Bergauer. Scheduled for publication this summer, undergoing revision at press time, is Champions for the Arts: Lessons and Successful Strategies for Engaging Diverse Audiences by Donna Walker-Kuhne.

Moore, a former American Ballet Theatre corps dancer who went on to become ABT’s executive director and then its CEO, wrote the book because, she says, “When I was a

young performer, and I moved to New York, I felt really lost. I felt like there were all these rules and things I didn’t know. And I never wanted another young artist to feel quite so lost.

“There just didn’t seem to be a primer out there that was straightforward, for people who were starting out.”

The Artist’s Compass draws on Moore’s experience as an artist and administrator, pointing the way for performers to assess strengths and set goals, choose schools, network, self-promote, find representation and give interviews, and learn about budgeting and other financial matters, intellectual property and copyright.

Eight years after publication, technology and social media have resulted in some changes, but most of its content

It’s important “to understand that being a star is not the point. To have a sustainable career, it’s about how you’re able to live this vision that you have, or make sure that you have these gifts to give. It’s not about your name in lights.”

remains relevant, such as finding one’s personal vision, artistic mission and definition of success.

“Why do you feel like you have something special to give to the world? Why do you think others would find it compelling? I think that’s a really important thing for an artist to consider,” Moore says.

“As is trying to understand that being a star is not the point,” she continues. “To have a sustainable career, it’s about how you’re able to live this vision that you have, or make sure that you have these gifts to give.

“It’s not about your name in lights.”

Much of Moore’s advice is useful for anyone, whatever the chosen path may be.

“No matter who you are, you’re going to face rejection and tough times,” she points out. “We all have our doubts, we have our down days, our days when we don’t feel like we’re being treated with respect or that our contributions are valued.

“We all need to figure out how to manage through, and then get up the next day and put your foot forward and keep

L.A.’s Music Center president/CEO and author Rachel S. Moore

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aimed at the right stuff.”

The arts are very much a business, Moore says— “There’s a reason they call it showbiz,” she notes— and that thesis forms the

—Aubrey Bergauer BOOKS

“For a symphony, people want to know, is the music a romantic comedy or is it a tragedy? What’s the theme? What’s the vibe? ‘Somebody conducts composer XYZ’ is not helpful to them.”

basis as well for much of Aubrey Bergauer’s career as a consultant, coach and speaker.

A former arts administrator herself—Bergauer was executive director of the Bay Area’s California Symphony for five years and audience development and online media manager of Seattle Opera—she has parlayed her knowledge and experience to work with clients throughout the U.S. and internationally. Local clients have included L.A. Opera, the Pacific Symphony and Santa

Dan Tepfer

Thomas Adès

Joyce Yang

Brandee Younger

Barbara Symphony.

Her book, Run It Like a Business, shares proven methods for applying principles of forprofit companies such as Apple, Netflix and Peleton to nonprofit arts organizations in order to increase audience engagement, revenue and donor base.

“As an industry, we’ve misidentified the problem and the solution as the product, the art itself,” says the San Franciscobased Bergauer, who grew up playing classical tuba and knew she want ed to be an arts administrator as a teen. “We have collectively been working on optimizing the product, at incredibly high levels, for hundreds of years—we should be really proud of the art.

“So then, what is the problem? It’s time to optimize everything else around that product— that’s where we have so much opportunity before us.”

Those opportunities include maximizing a company’s website— “the most public-facing ambassador for the brand,” Bergauer says —and using regular English rather than arts terminology, such as “aria” in opera, to explain to first-time visitors what’s going on.

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CONT’D. FROM PAGE 15

It’s especially meaningful to be presenting it when political campaigns will be in full swing during this election year. Anyone watching the plays will inevitably be reminded of certain people and situations in our current age. As with Shakespeare’s better-known works, it remains uncanny how a 400-year-old work of art seems to have predicted our modern condition.”

Although they were

written first, in the chronology of their action, the plays are sandwiched between the two Shakespeare histories that are probably the most well-known: Henry V and Richard III. The three plays were published separately and have often been performed separately; as well as combined in various adaptations into a single play; or, as with Henry 6, two plays.

Shakespeare’s histories were written 200 years after the actions they

describe; and the reigning monarch during his lifetime, Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, was directly descended from the kings he portrays. Written at the very beginning of Shakespeare’s career, and establishing his reputation as a playwright, the Henry VI trilogy chronicles the Wars of the Roses, which pitted the families of Lancaster and York in battle for the English throne. Following

the death of Henry V, leaving his 9-month-old son as heir, a lengthy period of instability led to the French getting their territory back and the eventual ascent of Richard III of York to the throne.

(The Wars of the Roses didn’t come to an end until Henry Tudor of the House of Lancaster defeated King Richard III in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, resulting in Richard’s death and Henry Tudor becoming King Henry VII.)

CLOCKWISE

LEFT: JIM COX (3); KEN JACQUES; JIM COX

Some Shakespeare productions over the years at The Old Globe’s outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre (clockwise from above): Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, All’s Well That Ends Well and The Winter’s Tale

But audiences don’t need to be familiar with English history or to have even seen any of Shakespeare’s other plays to enjoy Henry 6, Edelstein asserts. “The history is made quite clear, and if we do our job right, there will be no context needed. It’s terrific entertainment, an incredible spectacle that includes battles, a party, a popular uprising, witches … All the things audiences love about Shakespeare plays, from

‘San Diegans from all over the county took part in this process and will see the results on the stage, from workshopping set, props and costume designs ...’

his ingenious language to stirring soliloquies, vibrant characters and exciting action. The plays are so rarely done that audiences will feel like it’s something new—going on a journey of discovery that at the same time reminds them of his later, better-known plays.”

For such a large undertaking, The Old Globe wanted to tap into the San Diego community to help bring the production to life. With outreach to its supporter base and interested individuals through social media, emails and its community partners, The Old Globe’s Arts Engagement

department was able to activate hundreds of locals in a series of community workshops in different locations, from Oceanside to South Bay. “It was Barry’s dream to complete the canon in such a way that the community was part of making the show,” says Adena Varner, The Old Globe’s Director of Arts Engagement. “San Diegans from all over the county took part in this process and will see the results on the stage, from workshopping set, props and costume designs; to recording sounds in a live Foley workshop; to being filmed for crowd scenes and even a few appearing in walk-on roles.”

www.lajollakayak.com

Kayak the Caves of La Jolla

From top: an Old Globe scenic design workshop; Adena Varner.

For the crowd scenes, Varner says, the company staged a film shoot and recorded 250 different people saying lines from the play. These videos will be used in projections to give the impact of a large crowd in certain scenes without having to marshal dozens of people to be onstage. All the community members involved in the various creative activities were also offered complimentary tickets to see the plays and enjoy their own handiwork. Edelstein estimates 1,000 non-professionals from the community will have engaged in the art form of making theater by the time the plays open. “This production is really grounded in the community, which gives people one more reason to come see it,” he says.

“I really hope the audience sees themselves in the work,” Varner says.

The Lowell Davies Festival Theatre’s exterior and entry

JOHN P. WEISS

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to craft a red or white rose to add to a giant crown on the plaza in front of the theater, in an art project symbolizing the conflict between the houses of Lancaster (red) and York (white). “It’s all in the spirit of this event, with the work of Shakespeare becoming a catalyst of community creativity and touching so many lives.”

Henry 6 runs in repertory at The Old Globe’s Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, June 30-Sept. 15. For more info and tickets, visit theoldglobe.org

reprogrammed !

Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts

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THE ESSENTIALS

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CONTRIBUTORS

Donors and sponsors who make it all possible—you!

NO RUSTLING PAGES, no killing trees . . . The new Performances program platform, accessed on any digital device, is among the more enduring innovations to have come out of the pandemic. The 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.

The touchless platform 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 features include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.

For those who consider printed

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THE PLAYERS

Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.

WHAT’S ON

What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.

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.

When theaters and concert halls reopened after their long intermission, the digital Performances was but one more reason for audience excitement. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. —CALEB WACHS