2021 Cold Read Program by Syracuse Stage

MARCH 23 - 28, 2021

PRESENTS

F E S T I VA L C U R AT O R

Kyle Bass PRODUCTION

A S S O C I AT E D I R E C T O R

S TA G E M A N A G E R

VIDEO EDITOR

O F E D U C AT I O N

Laura Jane Collins*

Erin Brett

Brenna Merritt

Kate Laissle

Robert Hupp

Jill A. Anderson

Kyle Bass

Artistic Director

Managing Director

Associate Artistic Director

Festival Intern: Soumya Tadepalli† Stage Management Interns: Nate Coffey†, Jack Norman† Production Assistant: Carrie Degraw† SEASON SPONSORS

SUPPORT COMES FROM

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. † Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama. March 23 - 28, 2021 1

ON THE FUTURE OF NEW PLAYS Tuesday, March 23 Part of the Syracuse Symposium, this virtual panel of Cold Read artists offers a rare opportunity to witness how creative artists envision a future and develop new work. How do these writers generate new ideas? What will playwriting look like in a post-Covid-19 America? How will their work impact the future of playwriting? Live Discussion: 6:00 – 7:00 PM Panelists include: Kyle Bass, Syracuse Stage Associate Artistic Director and Cold Read Festival Curator | Kate Hamill, Festival Playwright-in-Residence | Chesney Snow, Festival Solo-Artist-in-Residence | Evan Starling-Davis, Write Here Featured Playwright | Robert Hupp, Syracuse Stage Artistic Director

EVENT GUIDE

he 2021 Cold Read Festival promises seven exciting virtual events that feature new work hot from the imaginations of some of the freshest voices writing for theatre today.

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COLD OPEN Wednesday, March 24 A festival preview event that will feature conversations with Festival artists about their plans and goals for their work during the Festival. Live Discussion: 7:00 – 8:00 PM ............

UNDER CONSIDERATION Thursday, March 25 Join us for a reading of a new play by a cast of professional actors that is under consideration to be included in an upcoming season. Queen by Madhuri Shekar will be directed by Kareem Fahmy. Pre-Recorded Reading: Available to view 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM. Live Discussion: 8:30 PM, with Bob Hupp, Kyle Bass, and Kareem Fahmy.

WRITE HERE

DRAFT/PAGES

Friday, March 26

Sunday, March 28

Featuring the work of a promising regional playwright, Madness, In The Clearing of Blue, by Evan Starling-Davis. Directed by Rufus Bonds Jr. Pre-Recorded Reading: Available to view 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM. Live Discussion: 8:30 PM, with Kyle Bass, Evan Starling-Davis, and Rufus Bonds Jr.

A reading of The Piper, a brand new play in progress by Kate Hamill, directed by Meredith McDonough. Pre-Recorded Reading: Available to view 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM. Live Discussion: 8:30 PM, with Kyle Bass, Kate Hamill, and Meredith McDonough. The Piper was developed with the support of PlayPenn with the author as a Haas Fellow.

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SOLO ACT Saturday, March 27 A workshop production of a new piece, Aquaplane (working title), by performing artist Chesney Snow (with collaborator Faye Chiao). Pre-Recorded Performance Available to view 12:00 AM – 11:59 PM. Live Discussion: 8:30 PM, with Kyle Bass and Chesney Snow. ............

CRAFT Q&A: THE ART OF PLAYWRITING WITH KATE HAMILL

COLD READ BONUS March 23 - 28 Available throughout the week will be a video recorded reading of a new play by Kyle Bass. Directed by Robert Hupp, the 30-minute one-act play stars Kate Hamill and Jason O’Connell as estranged lifelong friends who reunite at a wedding and confront the wounds, losses, and resentments of the past, testing the resilience, dependability, and adult emotional complexities of friendships forged in childhood. This special event is a fundraiser for the Cold Read Festival. It may be accessed free of charge with a donation suggested.

Sunday, March 28 Join Cold Read Festival's Playwright-in-Residence Kate Hamill for a virtual Q&A session on the craft of playwriting. This discussion will be moderated by Syracuse Stage associate artistic director and Cold Read Festival curator Kyle Bass. Live Discussion: 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

UNDER CONSIDERATION

PRESENTS A READING OF

QUEEN BY

Madhuri Shekar DIRECTED BY

Kareem Fahmy World Premiere produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois; Chay Yew, Artistic Director Erica Daniels, Managing Director. Queen was produced in New York at Astoria Performing Arts Center, Astoria, NY (Jesse Marchese, Executive Director / Dev Bondarin, Artistic Director), directed by J. Mehr Kaur in February 2019. Developed by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois, Chay Yew, Artistic Director, Chris Mannelli, Managing Director, As part of Ignition 2015. Queen was developed in The Blank Theatre's Living Room Series (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director) in Hollywood, CA. Queen received developmental support at the Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival, Whidbey Island. March 25, 2021

CAST

(in order of appearance) Lipica Shah*.........................................Sanam Shah Helen Cespedes*...................................Ariel Spiegel Jason O'Connell*..........................Dr. Phillip Hayes Nik Sadhnani*......................................Arvind Patel

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The director of this production is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. © 2020. This audio-visual presentation was produced by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Corp. All rights reserved. This audio-visual presentation is authorized for non-commercial use only. Further distribution of this presentation by download, streaming, reposting, broadcast, telecast, or in any other manner or medium, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights, and actionable under applicable copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protectingartists Warning: federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted audio-visual materials. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five (5) years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

WRITE HERE PRESENTS A READING OF

MADNESS, IN THE CLEARING OF BLUE BY

Evan Starling-Davis DIRECTED BY

Rufus Bonds Jr March 26, 2021

CAST

(in order of appearance) Blake Brewer†............................................................Spirit Robert Denzel Edwards...............................................Nilo AJ Adams Brown ...................................................O’Lena Cameron Walker.........................................................Blue

† Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama. The director of this production is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

SOLO ACT PRESENTS A WORKSHOP PERFORMANCE OF

AQUAPLANE [WORKING TITLE]

Chesney Snow M U S I C D I R E C T O R / C O - C R E AT O R

Faye Chiao March 27, 2021

CAST

Chesney Snow Faye Chiao

DRAFT/PAGES PRESENTS A READING OF

THE PIPER BY

Kate Hamill DIRECTED BY

Meredith McDonough The Piper was developed with the support of PlayPenn with the author as a Haas Fellow.

March 28, 2021

CAST

(in order of appearance) Jason O'Connell*...........................................................The Piper Jamie Ann Romero*................................................................Jane Christy Escobar*.................................................................Amelia Kimberly Chatterjee*.......Talia, Cheryl, Gretchen, Yoga Instructor Wade McCollum*........................................................Robert/Rat Babak Tafti*..........................................................................Chris

COLD READ BONUS PRESENTS A READING OF

THE CUTANEOUS RABBIT ILLUSION BY

Kyle Bass DIRECTED BY

Robert Hupp March 23 - 28, 2021

CAST

(in order of appearance) Kate Hamill*...........................................................Bunny Jason O'Connell*.........................................................Jack

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Rufus Bonds Jr is a professor for musical theatre performance in the Syracuse University Department of Drama. Professionally, he continues his national and international work as a director, actor, and writer. Mr. Bonds performed in London the title role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Carnegie Hall welcomed Mr. Bonds as the BaritoneSoloist for Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music. Broadway: Rent, Once on This Island, and Parade, winning a Drama Desk nomination for Best Supporting Actor. National tours include The Color Purple as Mister, Lion King as Mufasa, Miss Saigon as John. Directing projects include Lysistrata, Shakespeare’s R&J, Once on This Island, Mama Mia, Tarzan, The Wiz, Into The Woods, The Wizard of Oz, and Children of Eden. Mr. Bonds is a Eugene O’Neill semi-finalist for his play The Sisters of Rosewall High. “Faith”

parents for their love and support. @ blakemaxwellbrewer AJ Adams Brown is an actress, artistic consultant, and designer. AJ holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre production from the University of Arizona. She owns Annette’s Originals, a creative consulting and design business. She has performed on community, regional, and professional stages and in local, regional, and national commercials, corporate, and educational training videos for nearly four decades. She toured the Northeast as the lead actress in the one-women productions Malache’ and Herstory, the latter of which she wrote, directed and designed. She has taught children and young adults as a teaching artist throughout the Syracuse City School District, Syracuse University, School of the HeArts, and at various summer programs in upstate New York for many years. Currently, she greatly values her role as a standardized patient at SUNY Upstate Medical University and a patient educator for Clarkson University, Le Moyne College, SUNY Oneonta, and the Sexual Assault Nurses program where she acts as patients with specific ailments in sessions to provide physicians, medical students, and other healthcare professionals the opportunity to develop patient centered practices, such as interview-

Blake Brewer is a senior musical theatre major at Syracuse University hailing from Los Angeles, California. At the Department of Drama, Blake has been seen as Mr. Black in The Wild Party, Richie in A Chorus Line, and Monsieur D’Arque/ Gaston understudy in the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Many thanks to his

A R T I S T I C S TA F F ing and communication skills, and to hone their physical exam techniques. As former associate artistic director for The Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, a community outreach component of the African American Studies Department at Syracuse University, she facilitated creative collaborations among professional, student, and community performers and artists. Her educational background coupled with the earlier work experience as an event manager for the Gardenia Entertainment Complex, casting director for Syracuse Language Systems, and an office coordinator for the Community Writer’s Project gave her great hands-on administrative and interpersonal skills in the entertainment industry. She is self-motivated, focused, and friendly. She is a natural caregiver that loves all life, family, and friends. She walks her journey in hopes that all encounters leave enlightened with an enhanced quality of life. AJ was born in Syracuse, the youngest child, brought into this world guided by the loving hands of her maternal grandmother surrounded by her family; her father, the late Stanley E. Adams, mother Bertha Adams, an older brother Stanley Paschelli of California, and an older sister, Dicy Ayriette Shepard of Cheektowaga, NY on August 1, 1959. She lives with her 88 year old mother in a senior community in Lakeland. AJ is a grateful and loving caregiver for her mother who has

Alzheimer’s. She involves herself in volunteer efforts, as a spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Association in hopes that one day this condition will no longer exist. Helen Cespedes (she/ her) Broadway: The Cripple of Inishmaan. OffBroadway: Fefu and Her Friends and Timon of Athens (TFANA), Paul Swan is Dead and Gone (Civilians), The School for Scandal (Red Bull), A Picture of Autumn (The Mint). Regional credits include Doug McGrath’s world premiere adaptation of The Age of Innocence directed by Doug Hughes (McCarter/Hartford), Taking Steps (Barrington Stage Co.), The Women of Padilla (Two River), the world premiere of José Rivera’s Another Word for Beauty (Goodman Theatre and NYSF), The Importance of Being Earnest (Williamstown and The Old Globe). Film/TV: The Way I Remember It, The Knick. Helen trained at The Juilliard School where she received the John Houseman Prize. Kimberly Chatterjee. Off-Broadway: Kate Hamill’s Pride & Prejudice (Primary Stages); New York Times Critics’ Pick and Drama Desknominated Life Sucks (Wheelhouse Theater Co); Dance Nation (Playwrights Horizons); The Tempest (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Regional:

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Dance Nation (The Wilma); Noises Off (The Guthrie); Kate Hamill’s Pride & Prejudice (world premiere), As You Like It, Macbeth, Measure for Measure (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, two seasons); As You Like It (Folger Theatre). Television: High Maintenance. Training: NYU New Studio on Broadway, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She currently volunteers with Be An Arts Hero, a national non-partisan grassroots movement that emphasizes arts and culture’s contribution to the economy. www.KimberlyChatterjee.com

with the Duffy Institute for New Opera; and her musical Fountain of You, written with playwright Tasha Gordon-Solmon, will receive a workshop with Zeiders Theater. She is excited to be (virtually!) at Syracuse Stage developing this new performance piece with Chesney Snow. Faye holds degrees from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop. FayeChiao.com Robert Denzel Edwards is extremely excited to be making his Syracuse Stage debut with this amazing play. Previous credits include: It’s A Wonderful Life (Jake Laurents), The Fan (Evaristo), Still Waiting (Vincent), Waiting for the Host (Vincent), A Christmas Carol (Fred), and Kinky Boots (Ensemble). Robert would like to thank God and everyone who has supported him and his career up to this point. You can catch Robert next month as “Grif ” in PRPAC’s upcoming production of Kill Move Paradise. @robertdenzeledwards www.robertdenzel.com

Faye Chiao is a composer and performer of musical theatre, opera, and concert music. Faye has been honored with awards from The Presser Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, and OPERA America. She has been an artist-in-residence at New Victory Labworks, The John Duffy Institute for New Opera at the Virginia Arts Festival, and Boston Chamber Symphony, and has received residencies at Barrington Stage Company, Millay Arts, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her work has been commissioned by Kenyon College, Prospect Theater, Single Carrot Theater, Hear Her Song, Houston Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and the 24-Hour Musicals. Coming up, her opera Island of the Moon, written with playwright Anton Dudley, will receive a workshop

Christy Escobar. TV: Blindspot (NBC), Dietland (AMC), Loser Leaves Town (HBO), The Rehearsal (Broadway On Demand). Film: The Man in the Woods, Who We

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Are Now, Untitled Short Film About White People, The Brick Wall, Anomalous, Viral Beauty, Bright Morning, as well as the upcoming feature films Under the Lantern Lit Sky and The Falling World. New York theatre work includes Beginning Days of True Jubilation (SOCIETY Theatre), Scissoring (INTAR), Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Atlantic), The Hollow (The Brick), Lady Macbeth and Her Lover (Director’s Company), The Artist of the Beautiful (Metropolitan Playhouse), and the legendary Katharine Hepburn in her original solo show Hello, Red! Regionally, she created the role of Julie in the world premiere of Queen of Basel (Studio Theatre), in addition to Bad Jews (Long Wharf), The Great Gatsby (Virginia Stage Company), Murder on the Nile and Fantastic Mr. Fox (Dorset Theatre Festival), Around the World in 80 Days (Berkshire Theatre Group). She received the New Dramatists Charles Bowden Award for her contributions in developing new plays in the American theatre. She is a proud member of SOCIETY Theatre. M.F.A. - NYU Graduate Acting, B.F.A. - UC Santa Barbara.

The Civilians, Geva Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Portland Stage, Silk Road Rising, San Diego Rep, and Berkeley Rep. Kareem’s plays, which include A Distinct Society, The Triumphant, Pareidolia, The In-Between, and an adaptation of the acclaimed Egyptian novel The Yacoubian Building, have been developed at the Atlantic Theatre Company, New York Stage & Film, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Northlight Theatre, Target Margin Theater, The Lark, Fault Line Theater, and Noor Theater. Fellowships/Residencies: Sundance Theatre Lab, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Phil Killian Directing Fellow), The O’Neill (National Directors Fellow), Second Stage (Van Lier Directing Fellow), Soho Rep (Writer/Director Lab), Lincoln Center (Directors Lab), New York Theater Workshop (Emerging Artist Fellow & Usual Suspect). Kareem is co-founder of the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at The Lark and of Maia Directors, a consulting group for organizations and artists engaging with stories from the Middle East. M.F.A.: Columbia University. www.kareemfahmy.com

Kareem Fahmy is a Canadian-born director and playwright of Egyptian descent and is currently a TCG Rising Leader of Color. He has directed and developed new plays at theatres around the country, including MCC, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The New Group, New Dramatists,

Kate Hamill is an actor/playwright. Wall Street Journal Playwright of the Year, 2017. She’s very pleased to be back at Syracuse Stage where she recently did Talley’s Folly

A R T I S T I C S TA F F (Sally Talley), Noises Off (Poppy Norton-Taylor), and Pride & Prejudice (Lydia/Lady Catherine/playwright). Her work includes her play Pride & Prejudice at Primary Stages/HVSF (in which she originated role of Lizzy (nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award), Sense & Sensibility at Bedlam (originated role of Marianne. Winner, Off-Broadway Alliance Award; nominee, Drama League Award); Vanity Fair at the Pearl Theatre (originated the role of Becky Sharp; nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award), Mansfield Park at Northlight (originated role of Mary Crawford), Little Women at Primary Stages and the Jungle, Dracula at Classic Stage Company (originated role of Renfield), Emma, and Scarlet Letter (both upcoming; scheduled world premieres were postponed due to COVID-19). Her plays have been produced off-Broadway, at A.R.T., the Guthrie, Seattle Rep, PlayMaker’s, Folger, OSF, Trinity Rep, Pittsburgh Public, Dorset Theatre Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of DC, Dallas Theater Center, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf, A.C.T, and more; upcoming at the Guthrie, McCarter Theatre, and more. She is currently developing a new adaptation of The Odyssey for A.R.T., a Christmas play called Scrooge for Senate; several original plays (Prostitute Play – O’Neill NPC Semi-Finalist, The Party, The Piper - O’Neill NPC Finalist, PlayPenn Fellowship); and In the Mines (a folk musical). Her made-for-Zoom

play BadAss GalBoss PowerHour (MANDATORY MEETING) will premiere with Primary Stages in the spring. Kate has been one of the mostproduced playwrights nationwide for three seasons running (2017-2020). www.kate-hamill.com Wade McCollum is a multi-award-winning actor, composer, and writer/director who has been seen on Broadway in Wicked, in the West End in the world premiere of It Happened in Key West, in the Broadway tours Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Jersey Boys, Off-Broadway in Triassic Parq, Secondary Dominance, and as “Ernest Shackleton” in Ernest Shackleton Loves Me at 2nd Stage. While in Boston with Shackleton he garnered the prestigious Boston Critic’s Association Norton award for Best Actor in a Musical. Ernest Shackleton Loves Me can currently be seen on BroadwayHD.com. Some of Wade’s TV and film credits: Madame Secretary, Prodigal Son, The Knick, Nightcap, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Options, Grandpa’s Kaleidoscope, Delicate Instruments, and as Nolan Grigsby on Submissions Only. Other favorite acting credits include: The Narrator in Fly by Night, Dracula in Steven Dietz’s Dracula, Batboy in Batboy the Musical (Drammy Award, Best Actor), Jeffrey in Jeffrey, Prior in Angels in America, Charlotte/others in I Am My Own Wife, Laucelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice, Cousin Kev-

A R T I S T I C S TA F F in in Tommy, Jake in A Lie of the Mind, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Crumpet in The Santaland Diaries, Emcee in Cabaret, (DallasFortWorth theatre critic’s award, Best Actor) and Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Ovation, Los Angeles Critics Circle, Drammy and Garland Awards). As a composer his critically acclaimed hit rock musical One was work-shopped at PCPA Theatrefest and played a sold-out, extended run at IOTC in Portland Oregon, and his original musical about Hermann Hesse The Other Shore has been work-shopped at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab, 59e59th St. in NYC, and most recently Wade directed a showcase at NYC’s Classic Stage Company produced by Sonnet Repertory Theatre.

of show], and Opus (BATCC Award, best director). Other SF credits include the premiere of Miss Bennett - Christmas at Pemberly and A Steady Rain at Marin Theatre Company, The Lily’s Revenge (with Taylor Mac) and the premiere of Another Way Home at the Magic Theatre. Regionally, favorites include Noises Off (Guthrie), Cyrano (HVSF / Two River Theatre), Fair Use (Steppenwolf ), Eurydice (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Book Club Play (Dallas Theatre Center) and the D.C. premiere of the musical Summer of ’42, and the US premiere of NSFW (Roundhouse). In New York City, McDonough has developed work with Playwrights Horizons, Red Bull, Atlantic Theater Company, Keen Company, the Women’s Project, and Ars Nova. She was the associate artistic director of The Orchard Project, the new works director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, a Drama League Fellow, an alum of The Women’s Project Directors Lab, a Kesselring Award Panelist and was on the board of SDC for six years. McDonough received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her M.F.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

Meredith McDonough was the associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons where favorite directing includes both parts of Angels in America, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and The Last Five Years. In the Humana Festival she directed the premieres of Marginal Loss, Dot, brownsville song (b-side for trey), and Airness, amongst others. Before ATL, she was the director of new works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, Calif., where she directed the world premieres of Triangle, Upright Grand, and Auctioning the Ainsleys, as well as Now Circa Then, [title

Jason O’Connell. Previous Syracuse Stage credits include Salieri in last spring’s Amadeus and Matt in last fall’s Talley’s Folly (with wife Kate Hamill), as well as directing

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Pride & Prejudice for Stage’s 2019 season. Jason’s Off-Broadway credits include Judgment Day at Park Avenue Armory (with Luke Kirby and Harriet Harris), Harold Ryan in Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Wheelhouse/The Duke on 42nd St.), Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice (Primary Stages), Bottom and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Pearl), Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility, and Trigorin in The Seagull (both with Bedlam). Jason recently played the title role in his own adaptation of Cyrano (co-written with Brenda Withers) at Two River Theater and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. He is also the writer/performer of the solo shows The Dork Knight (Joe’s Pub, Primary Stages, etc.) and Fat and Scant of Breath (The Wild Project, TADA, etc.). Jason won the 2014 NYIT Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in Don Juan in Hell (also cited as one of the year’s best performances by The Wall Street Journal), has appeared on multiple episodes of NBC’s Law & Order franchise, and is a founding member of NYC theatre company The COOP.

The Legend of Georgia McBride and others (Denver Center Theatre Company); US premiere of Shakespeare in Love and others (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals; Arvada Center; International: Maxim Gorky Theatre Vladivostok, Russia. Television: New Amsterdam, The Punisher, House of Cards. Film: Viper Club. Nik Sadhnani is a born and raised New York actor. Off-Broadway: India Pale Ale (Manhattan Theatre Club); The Trial of The American President (Lion Theatre). Regional: Queen (Geva Theatre Center); The Invisible Hand (Cleveland Play House); Disgraced (Syracuse Stage); Disgraced (Asolo Rep); She Eats Apples (Boston Playwrights’). Film credits include Netflix’s The Week Of (with Adam Sandler), Standing Up, Falling Down (with Billy Crystal), and Island Queen (with Jesse Tyler Ferguson). TV credits include FBI, Law & Order: SVU, The Code, Big Dogs, Surina & Mel, Alternatino and a recurring role on Hulu’s The Path.

Jamie Ann Romero. First National Tour: The Play That Goes Wrong; Off Broadway: Dracula (Classic Stage Company); Mary Page Marlowe (Second Stage Theater); Select Regional: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Paper Mill Playhouse);

Lipica Shah (she/her) is an NYC-based actor, voice actor, and singer who thrives on collaboration, with a passion for new play development. She has originated roles at Manhattan Theatre Club, Mixed Blood

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, and The New Group, among many others. Her screen work includes roles on television shows for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, USA, HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central. Hear her in the English dubs of Pokémon, A Silent Voice, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Great Pretender, and more. In her spare time, she enjoys solving crosswords in pen, lighting one-match campfires, and running for inordinate amounts of time outdoors. Lipica cofounded 1497 (an initiative to support and uplift talent of South Asian descent and challenge their underrepresentation in the American film and television industry), is in the co-host cohort of The Collective Perspective: Reclaiming and Reshaping Theater podcast, and serves as a national volunteer partner for Girl Scouts of the USA. www.LipicaShah.com

play House of Joy received its world premiere at Cal Shakes in August 2019, and her new play Dhaba on Devon Avenue was slated to premiere at Victory Gardens in April 2020, and is postponed until we emerge into a new post-pandemic life. Her other plays include Queen (2019 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, Outstanding Original Full Length Script; Edgerton New Play Award), In Love and Warcraft (Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Award), A Nice Indian Boy, Antigone: Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s, and the TYA play Bucket of Blessings (Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Original Work - TYA). Her plays have also been developed or showcased at Center Theatre Group, the Old Globe, the Kennedy Center, the Hedgebrook Playwrights Festival, South Coast Repertory, the Movement Theater Company, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ma-Yi Theatre, NY Stage & Film, and Juilliard. She has an M.F.A. in dramatic writing from USC, and a dual Master’s degree in global media and communications from the London School of Economics and USC. She is an alumna of the Ma-Yi writers lab and the Center Theatre Group Writers Workshop, and a co-creator of the Shakespearean web series Titus and Dronicus. She was a staff writer for the upcoming HBO show The Nevers, and her feature film adaptation of Evil Eye is currently in postproduction.

Madhuri Shekar is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. She was born in California and grew up in India, and is currently based in Jersey City. She is an alum of the Juilliard Playwriting program, a fellow at New Dramatists, and the 2020 winner of the Lanford Wilson Playwriting Award. Her audio play Evil Eye debuted on the Audible bestseller list in May 2019, and won the 2020 Audie Award for Best Original Work. Her

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Chesney Snow is a Drama Desk winner and three time artistin-residence at Harvard University. Most recently he wrote and appeared in Soil Beneath: An Empirical Decay for Primary Stages Off-Broadway and Two River Theater’s production of Oo Bla Dee written by Regina Taylor and directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson. Composer/lyricist for the McCarter Theatre and Long Wharf Theater’s 2018 Crowns, he also appeared in McCarter Theatre’s Princeton and Slavery Plays directed by Carl Cofield. He recently composed music for the 2020 audio play Walks of Life episode 4 for the La Jolla Playhouse and the Blindspot Collective. His critically acclaimed choreopoem The Unwritten Law premiered at Dixon Place (NY) in 2017. A pioneering figure in American beatbox culture he originated the role of Boxman at Primary Stages and on Broadway in In Transit at Circle in the Square. Snow headlined Carnegie Hall twice with Distinguished Concerts International and produced and starred in the music documentary American Beatboxer, which was placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and numerous other archives throughout the United States. He was a 2020 guest artist at Princeton University. He served as a performer and teaching artist for the United States Department of State in 2018

and 2020. Snow works as a teaching artist and activist and frequently teaches in schools, prisons, and universities. Evan Starling-Davis is a New York-based narrative artist, producer, and curator, excavating the everyday stories pushed beneath the margins of our society. As a digitalage, Black, and queer Afro-diasporic griot, Evan’s work breaches the hard facts, personal truths, and surreal realities we bury ourselves in. Currently, Evan is a doctoral student of literacy education at Syracuse University, with a focus on curatorial studies and XR technology; devising and facilitating art-based literacy spaces, and programming within communities reflective of their own. Evan’s interdisciplinary projects have been featured in numerous galleries, museums, and theatres internationally. He’s a 2018 INKTANK Fellow via Rising Circle Theater Collective, a 2018-19 Syracuse University McKean Scholar, a 2019-20 Louise B. and Bernard G. Palitz Art Scholar, a 2019-20 special mention James Baldwin writer-in-residence via Les Amis de la Maison Baldwin, a 2020-21 Saint-Paul de-Vence James Baldwin scholar-in-residence, in addition to being recently selected as a 2020-21 Humanities NY Public Humanities Graduate Fellow. https://soe.syr.edu/ student-profile-evan-starling-davis/

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Babak Tafti was last seen on stage as Cassio in The Public Theater’s production of Othello at Shakespeare in the Park. He will next be seen in Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul at Playwrights Horizons. Other recent stage credits include Against the Hillside at EST; The Profane for Playwrights’ Horizons; and Small Mouth Sounds for Ars Nova and the Signature Theatre, directed by Rachel Chavkin. Recent TV credits include recurring arcs on Succession and Legacies, as well as guest stars on Ramy, Bull, Murphy Brown, New Amsterdam, Quantico, and Elementary. He also starred in the independent feature Swallow which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Cameron Walker is a performing artist from Chicago, IL. He has appeared in productions at the Redhouse Arts Center, including Beauty and the Beast (Maurice), The Wizard of Oz (Uncle Henry) and Bring It On (Cameron); Baldwinsville Theatre Guild in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Mitch) and Willy Wonka (Candy Man); CNY Playhouse in Our Lady of 121st Street (Flip); and Breadcrumbs Productions in Pansy Craze (The Innocent). Back in Illinois, during his days at Quincy University, he studied music production and communication and theatre, performing in and directing various children’s theatre productions. Cameron is extremely grateful to be a part of this play reading and would like to thank Evan and Syracuse Stage for the opportunity.

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Erin Brett is thrilled to be back for her second Cold Read Festival. She is a full time stage management journeyman at Syracuse Stage in her 16th season. Her credits at Stage include The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Bomb-itty of Errors, Hairspray, and Amadeus. She has also had the pleasure of working at The Dallas Theatre Center, Mt. Washington Valley Theatre Company, and Rochester City Ballet. She is extremely thankful to be one of the lucky few

performing arts employees that has not lost work during these unprecedented times. Erin holds a B.A. in theatre from Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, OH. She lives in Syracuse with her plethora of cats. Nate Coffey is a senior stage management major from Chicago, Illinois. Previous credits include: King John, As You Like It, King Charles III (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and The

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Wizard of Oz (Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-productions), Pride & Prejudice (Syracuse Stage), Miss Electricity (Syracuse Stage/ Department of Drama Children’s Tour), The 2020 Syracuse Fashion Week, Mansfield Park, and Little Shop of Horrors (Department of Drama mainstage), Jack or the Submission (Department of Drama studio project), A Scarlett Letter and The Conference of the Birds (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). Nate also served as a PA on the first national tour of Fiddler on the Roof. In addition to his stage management work, Nate has served on the lighting teams of Next Fall, The Seagull (Department of Drama mainstage), The Children’s Hour, Venus in Fur, and For Colored Girls… (Department of Drama studio projects). Thank you to everyone involved in The Cold Read Festival for sparking a little joy when we need it most.

Around the World in 80 Days (Hangar Theatre). She has also worked on several productions with Rochester City Ballet. LJ is a graduate of the stage management program in Syracuse University’s Department of Drama. Carrie DeGraw is currently a sophomore at Syracuse University studying theatre management in the Department of Drama. Even though Carrie is new to working in theatre, she has always been involved in the arts. Carrie danced for many years as well as being a theatre enthusiast all her life. This school year she has been assisting with creating the new Syracuse University Department of Drama library. Carrie is so excited to be working with Syracuse Stage for the first time for this year’s Cold Read Festival. Kate Laissle is the associate director of education at Syracuse Stage. During her tenure, she started the Young Adult Council, Education Advocacy Board, and facilitated the Young Playwrights Festival and the first sensory friendly theatre performance in Central New York. She is the driving force behind Theatre for the Very Young: an interactive theatre for children under the age of five that tours to different locations. Passionate about theatre for young audiences, she founded the Tiny Giants Theatre Company that toured children’s theatre shows through southeast Ohio. Previous work experience includes Looking-

Laura Jane Collins is happy to be a part of the 2021 Cold Read Festival. Additional Syracuse Stage credits include: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Talley’s Folly, Amadeus, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Elf The Musical, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Next to Normal, The Magic Play, Stupid F***ing Bird, Chinglish, Scorched, and The Boys Next Door. Regional credits include: Grease, South Pacific, Anne of Green Gables: A New Folk Rock Musical, Ghost (The Rev), The Foreigner, Third, The Hound of the Baskervilles,

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F glass Theatre Company, Studio Be, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. She holds a B.F.A. in theatre production technology and design as well as a M.Ed. in critical and cultural studies in education from Ohio University.

currently serving as production manager for The Black Box Players and is an intern in the production office at Syracuse Stage. Jack is excited to be graduating in May and is looking forward to doing mask-less theatre in the very near future.

Jackson Norman (he/him/his) is a senior stage management major at Syracuse University from Westport, Connecticut. At the Department of Drama, Jack’s stage management credits include stage manager, On the Lake (mainstage), assistant stage manager, Crazy For you (mainstage), stage manager, The Children’s Hour (studio project), stage manager, Venus in Fur (independent project), and stage management intern, Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production). This is Jack’s second time interning on the Cold Read Festival. Jack is also

Soumya Tadepalli is a sophomore theatre management student at the Syracuse University Department of Drama and is very excited to be interning this semester at Syracuse Stage as the Cold Read 2021 Festival intern. Previously, Soumya has served as the marketing and publicity intern at Syracuse Stage, assistant stage manager for the Department of Drama’s production of Romeo and Juliet, and as a casting assistant for The Matchmaker, also at the Department of Drama. Soumya is thrilled to be a part of this year’s Cold Read and can’t wait to watch all the readings, talkbacks, and workshops.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR Robert Hupp is in his fifth season as artistic director of Syracuse Stage. He recently directed Annapurna, Talley’s Folly, Amadeus, Noises Off, Next to Normal, and The Three Musketeers for Stage. Prior to coming to central New York, Robert spent seventeen seasons as the producing artistic director of Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock. He

directed over 30 productions for Arkansas Rep ranging from Hamlet to Les Miserables to The Grapes of Wrath. In New York City, Robert directed the American premieres of Glyn Maxwell’s The Lifeblood and Wolfpit for the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble. He also served for nine seasons as the artistic director of the Obie Award-winning Jean Cocteau Repertory. At the Cocteau, Robert’s directing credits in25

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR clude works by Buchner, Wilder, Cocteau, Shaw, Wedekind and the premieres of the Bentley/Milhaud version of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, Seamus Heaney’s The Cure at Troy, and Eduardo de Filippo’s Napoli Millionaria. He has held faculty positions at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College and, in Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Hendrix College. Robert served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Theatre Communications Group and

has served on funding panels for the New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, the Theatre Communications Group, the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. While in Arkansas, Robert was named both Non-Profit Executive of the Year by the Arkansas Business Publishing Group, and Individual Artist of the year by the Arkansas Arts Council. He and his wife Clea ride herd over a blended family of five children, one dog, and two cats.

MANAGING DIRECTOR in Hiiumaa, Estonia. Previously, Jill spent five years in the production office at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage, after working as a stage manager in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Massachusetts. In addition to her work at Stage, Jill is an instructor in the Theater Management program of the Syracuse University Department of Drama, building on her work with high school and college students elsewhere, including at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Jill was recognized as part of the Central New York Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” awards in 2017 and has served on numerous municipal and non-profit boards. Jill is delighted to call Central New York home, but will always be a proud cheesehead, originally hailing from Marshfield, Wisconsin.

Jill A. Anderson has served as managing director of Syracuse Stage since 2016. Jill is responsible for Stage’s nearly $6.5 million operating budget and has oversight of fundraising, marketing, and operational matters within the organization. Prior to joining Stage, Jill spent a decade as general manager at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. During her tenure, the O’Neill completed a $7 million capital campaign and campus expansion, doubled its operating budget, and was honored with a 2015 National Medal of Arts and the 2010 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Under the O’Neill’s aegis, Jill also developed the Baltic Playwrights Conference, an annual international new play development retreat held 26

A S S O C I AT E A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R / F E S T I VA L C U R AT O R Kyle Bass is the author of Possessing Harriet, which received its world premiere at Syracuse Stage, was subsequently produced at Franklin Stage Company, and will be produced next year at the East Lynn Theater Company in New Jersey. His new play salt/city/blues will have its world premiere in Syracuse Stage’s 20/21 season, and Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country, his one-person play about a young James Baldwin, commissioned by Syracuse Stage, will be produced as part of Syracuse Stage’s Backstory program early next year. Script consultant on Thoughts of a Colored Man, Kyle is a two-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (for fiction in 1998 and playwriting in 2010), a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, and Pushcart Prize nominee. His other full-length plays include Tender Rain, Baldwin vs. Buckley: The Faith of Our Fathers, Bleecker Street, and Separated, a piece of documentary theatre about the student military veterans at Syracuse University, which was presented at Syracuse Stage and at the Paley Center in New York, directed by Robert Hupp. Kyle is the co-author (with Ping Chong) of Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo, which had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage and was subsequently produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York, and the libretto for

an opera based on the life and music of legendary folk singer and guitarist Libba Cotten, commissioned by the Society for New Music. As dramaturg, Kyle worked with acclaimed visual artist Carrie Mae Weems on her theatre piece Grace Notes: Reflections for Now, which had its world premiere at the 2016 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, subsequently produced at Yale Rep and the Kennedy Center. As a screenwriter, Kyle is the co-author of the original screenplay for the film Day of Days (Broad Green Pictures, 2017), which stars award-winning veteran actor Tom Skerritt. His plays and other writings have appeared in the journals Callaloo, Folio, and Stone Canoe, among others, and in the essay anthology Alchemy of the Word: Writers Talk about Writing. Kyle has taught in the Colgate Writers Conference, has been guest lecturer in playwriting at Hobart & William Smith Colleges, was faculty in the M.F.A. Creative Writing program at Goddard College from 2006 to 2018, and from 2005 to 2018 he taught playwriting in Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and theatre courses in the Department of African American Studies, and was the 2019/20 Susan P. Stroman Visiting Playwright at the University of Delaware. Kyle is currently full-time faculty as assistant professor in the Department of Theater at Colgate University where he previously served as the Burke Endowed Chair for Regional Studies. Recipient of the 2021 27

A S S O C I AT E A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R / F E S T I VA L C U R AT O R Impact Award for Artist as Manager, presented by the Arts Administration Program of Le Moyne College, Kyle holds an M.F.A. in playwriting

from Goddard College, is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and is represented by The Barbara Hogenson Agency.

WHO WE ARE Syracuse Stage is the non-profit, professional theatre company in residence at Syracuse University. We are nationally recognized for creating stimulating theatrical work that engages Central New York, and for our significant contribution to the artistic life of Syracuse University, where we are a vital partner in achieving the educational mission of the University’s Department of Drama. OUR MISSION Syracuse Stage tells stories that engage, entertain, and inspire us to see life beyond our own experience. OUR VISION Reimagining what's possible for regional theatre–through active inclusion, innovative outreach, and bold productions–Syracuse Stage shapes the culture and social vitality of Central New York, enriches the Syracuse University student experience, and fosters change in ourselves, our communities, and our world. O U R C O R E VA L U E S People - Actively including diverse individuals, communities, ideas, and perspectives. Passion - Commitment to integrity, excellence, and enthusiasm in our work. Curiosity - Fostering an innovative and adaptive environment that elicits wonder.

A B O U T S Y R A C U S E S TA G E Originally constructed as the Regent Movie House in 1914, the physical space of Syracuse Stage has seen many films, musicians, actors, and artists pass through its doors over the course of the past century. The Syracuse Stage that exists today is a nonfor-profit professional theatre company founded in 1974, and a longstanding League of Resident Theatres (LORT) member. Since its inception, Stage has produced over 300 shows, both plays and musicals, within its walls. Now, Stage produces six to seven shows per season, while also offering educational programs to students, various pre- and post-show events, and fundraising events each year. Stage is Central New York’s only LORT theatre and one of the largest performing arts organizations in the area. Stage has a strong commitment to giving the community access to a range of high-quality productions; it is equally committed to bringing in actors, designers, and directors who are among the leading theatre professionals, both locally and across the nation. ANTI-RACISM PLEDGE Syracuse Stage stands firmly against racism and discrimination. We pledge to stand with under-represented and oppressed communities and to advance antiracism in all aspects of our work, including the outward facing, public dimension of our creative endeavors and the less visible internal practices of the organization. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Syracuse Stage respectfully acknowledges the Onondaga Nation, firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the indigenous people on whose ancestral lands we now stand. IN THE COMMUNITY Stage has collaborated with a myriad of institutions in the Syracuse area. Community partners include AccessCNY, ARC of Onondaga, ARISE, ArtRage, CNY Reads, Interfaith Works of Central New York, La Casita, McMahon / Ryan Child Advocacy Center, Onondaga Historical Association, Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, SUNY Upstate Medical University, the VA Medical Center, and Vera House. Additionally, the educational department collaborates with many CNY schools.

SPONSORS

Raymour & Flanigan Furniture. There's entertaining, and then there's enriching people's lives. Thank you for doing both with such talent, artistry and passion. We all owe you a standing ovation, Syracuse Stage, for showing us the ups and downs– and everything in between–of the human condition. Congratulations!

The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of the arts in Central New York. We recognize the deep importance live theatre plays in shaping the cultural and social vitality of our community. In these challenging times, theatre brings us together (safely and virtually) to be inspired and celebrate the richness of the human experience. We are delighted to continue to support Syracuse Stage and the 2021 Cold Read Festival.

Raymour & Flanigan believes in taking care of the communities where our associates live and work.

We’re proud to support Syracuse Stage.

We are proud to support the local theatre in Syracuse! www.RaymourFlanigan.com

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S Y R A C U S E S TA G E B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S CHAIR

Nancy Green Managing Member Edward S. Green & Associates PRESIDENT

Herman R. Frazier* Senior Deputy Athletics Director Syracuse University IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR/VICE CHAIR

Rick Shirtz Regional President NBT Bank TREASURER

Amir Rahnamay-Azar* Chief Financial Officer Syracuse University SECRETARY

Sharon Sullivan Community Volunteer AT-LARGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Phil Turner Pastor Bethany Baptist Church Jill Anderson** Managing Director Syracuse Stage Janet Audunson Assistant General Counsel National Grid George S. Bain Freelance Editor and Writer Barbara Beckos Retired Syracuse Stage Nancy Byrne Community Volunteer Steve Chase Senior Vice President BPAS Dr. Ruth Chen* Professor of Practice Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Robin Curtis NYS Lic. RE Asso. Broker Hunt Real Estate ERA Zellar Homes Rep. Richard Driscoll Sr. Commercial Banking Relationship Manager Commercial Banking Division NBT Bank Denise Dyce* Director of Labor Relations Syracuse University Helene Gold Private Voice & Piano Instructor

Neil Gold Retired VP Gold Pure Food Products Jacki Goldberg Community Volunteer

Molly Mulvihill VP, Market Manager Enterprise Business & Community Engagement Bank of America

Bea González Retired - Vice President for Community Engagement Syracuse University

TeNesha Murphy Research and Communications Officer Office of the County Executive, Onondaga County

Larry Harris EVP and CFO Saab, Inc.

Fran Nichols Chair Emeritus, Syracuse Stage Eric Mower + Associates

John Huhtala Relationship Manager Middle Market Commercial Banking Chase

Marc Nichols Executive VP & General Counsel Saab, Inc.

Robert Hupp** Artistic Director Syracuse Stage Cydney Johnson* Vice President for Community Engagement and Government Relations Syracuse University Rebecca Karpoff* Professor of Practice, Musical Theater/Coordinator of Vocal Instruction, Musical Theater Syracuse University Department of Drama Kathy Kelly Health Educator, PNP, retired Larry Leatherman Retired Bristol-Myers Squibb, MOST Dan Lent Vice President Citizens Bank

Mona Paradis Stadium International Trucks Virginia Parker Retired Educator Annette Peters Marketing Director Advance Media New York Molly Ryan Partner, Goldberg Segalla LLP Robert Sarason Retired Lawyer, Organizer, Fundraiser L. John Steigerwald IV Marketing and Sales Representative Cathedral Candle Company Melvin T. Stith Dean Emeritus, Whitman School of Management Syracuse University Cora Thomas Radio Host and Office Manager, WAER

Anthony Malavenda Retired - Duke’s Root Control Rocco Mangano Partner Mangano Law Office, PLLC Julia Martin Partner Bousquet Holstein Kevin R. McAuliffe Partner Barclay Damon Suzanne McAuliffe Retired Educator Rod McDonald Bond, Schoeneck & King Samantha Millier Associate Attorney Mackenzie Hughes LLP

Michael S. Tick* Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts Syracuse University Dr. Amy Tucker Chief Medical Officer SUNY Upstate Medical University Mel Williams US Department of Transportation Ralph Zito** Chair Syracuse University Department of Drama Michael Zoanetti VP Senior Wealth Advisor Tompkins Financial Advisors *University Trustee **Ex-Officio

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F

Artistic Director.............................................................................................................Robert Hupp Managing Director.....................................................................................................Jill A. Anderson Associate Artistic Director....................................................................................................Kyle Bass P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F

Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann Associate Director of Production Operations..........................................................Dianna Angell Company Manager and Production Management Associate......................................Brian Crotty Events Manager and Production Management Assistant......................................Audrey Flynn Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King Carpenters................................................................................Brian McBurney, John Gamble Student Employee..............................................................................................Mehak Saroha Scenic Charge Artist...................................................................................................Emily Holm Assistant Scenic Artist...........................................................................................Phillip Dyke Props Supervisor............................................................................................................Mara Rich Lead Props Carpenter..........................................................................................Colin Braeger Props Artisan....................................................................................................Jessica Culligan Student Employee................................................................................................Sage Hulings Costume Shop Manager..........................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Assistant Costume Shop Manager.....................................................................Amanda Moore Cutter-Drapers.................................................................Catherine Hennessy, Kathryn Rauch First Hand.........................................................................................................Victoria Lillich Stitchers.......................................................................................Emily King, Katelyn Yonkers Craftsperson/Shopper.........................................................................................Sandra Knapp Wardrobe and Wig Supervisor...............................................................................Jaylene Ogle Student Assistants.......................................................................................Christina Forestiere Lighting and Projection Supervisor..................................................................David M. Bowman Electrician…….......................................................................................................Jed Daniels Electrics Apprentices...............................................................Sydney E. Curran, Susan Pipolo Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer......................................................Jacqueline R Herter Assistant Audio Engineer/A1..........................................................................Kevin O’Connor Sound Apprentice/A2........................................................................................Daniel McLain Production Stage Manager....................................................................................Stuart Plymesser

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F

Stage Manager..............................................................................................Laura Jane Collins Stage Management Journeymen........................................................Erin C Brett, Em Piraino A D M I N I S T R AT I V E S TA F F

General Manager....................................................................................................Michael McCurdy Comptroller..............................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale Human Resources Manager/Business Associate.......................................................Kathy Zappala Director of Information Management & Technology...................................Garrett Wheeler-Diaz Box Office Manager.....................................................................................Courtney Richardson Audience Services Manager........................................................................................Jacob Ellison House Managers...................................................................Patricia Condello, Ella Lafontant, Adam Secor, Donna Stuccio Bartenders.....................................................................Michelle Cannizzo, Meg Pusey-Anthis Director of Development............................................................................................Wendy Rhodes Development Manager.......................................................................................Stefania Ianno Development Assistant..............................................................................Ryan Duncan-Ayala Director of Education & Community Engagement.......................................................Joann Yarrow Associate Director of Education.............................................................................Kate Laissle Education Interns...............................................Corinne Ferrer, Alex Giganti, Ethan Harpole, Alex Keane, Puaseisei Patu-Tanielu Director of Marketing and Communications..............................................................Joseph Whelan Group/Corporate Sales Manager..........................................................................Tracey White Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications......................................Joanna Penalva Patron Campaign Specialist.........................................................................Nori Gartner-Baca Senior Designer, Creative Content....................................................................Brenna Merritt Graphic Designer............................................................................................Jonathan Hudak Executive Assistant...........................................................................................................Wallis Dean Artistic Student Intern.............................................................................................Soumya Tadepalli Sign Language Interpreters....................................................Brenda Brown, Jim Brown, Jessie Falke, Sue Freeman, Mae Harrington, Joanne Jackowski, Zenna Preli, Trisha Schwartz, Tessa Wall Open Captioning...................................................................................................Michael McCurdy Audio Description...................................................................................Kate Laissle, Joseph Whelan Community Services Officers.......................................................Stacey Emmons, Joseph O'Connor Custodians.......................................................................Dave Hall, Tony Rogers, Candance Velario