The Christians Program by Syracuse Stage

THE CHRISTIANS APR 6 - 24

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R O D U C I N G A R T I S T I C D I R E C TO R

Dear Friends, Welcome to The Christians. One old adage warns us to never bring up politics, sex, or religion in mixed company. Over the last 10 months I have heard reactions to the title of this acclaimed new play that seem to adhere to the religious part of that adage. Some folks have been worried that the play is religious and others are fearful that the play might mock Christians or Christianity. Neither is true. But in today’s polarized world I understand how such perceptions are likely. This in and of itself illustrates the need for this play right now. Lucas Hnath is not at all coy or mysterious about

his intention. He announces it in a single line of dialogue: “I have a powerful urge to communicate with you, but I feel there is an insurmountable distance between us.” How true. We are a nation divided— across the aisle, across state lines, maybe even across the dinner table. And the more we increase the volume, the more we inflame the rhetoric and degrade the discourse, the less we listen.

avoided than discussed, except within the comfort zone of like-minded individuals. And so the insurmountable distance grows wider.

In the instance of this play, the discourse concerns a point of religious doctrine. It is interesting and intentional that the playwright never takes sides on this matter. I believe this is because he recognizes that the urge to communicate across an insurmountable distance applies to any number of current concerns: politics, abortion, sexual orientation, race, immigration, wealth distribution, affirmative action, equal pay, climate change, gun control, and yes, religion.

This play invites us to try. This play invites us to take the first steps toward bridging the insurmountable distance between us, and it does so with eyes wide open. Hnath is not naive. He knows there are costs—professional, social, personal. But maybe through the art of theatre, we can all be inspired to try.

Any one of us could create a list of comparable hot-button topics, topics more likely to be

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells us that we never really know another person until we crawl inside his skin and walk around in it. Even Atticus knows it is much easier said, much easier even to understand as a concept, than it is to do.

Warm regards,

Timothy Bond Producing Artistic Director

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E P R E S E N T S A N E V E N I N G W I T H

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 Concert at 9 p.m. SU SCHINE STUDENT CENTER HONORING: TIM BOND, BARBARA BECKOS, AND DIANA COLES CONCERT TICKETS GENERAL ADMISSION / BALCONY SEATING 315.443.3275 WWW.SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG GALA TICKETS INCLUDES COCKTAILS, DINNER & SILENT AUCTION CALL: KATHERINE KEENEY 315-443-2709 PRESENTED BY: THE SYRACUSE STAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SYRACUSE STAGE GUILD UNDERWRITTEN BY: JACKI AND MICHAEL GOLDBERG POMCO

PRESENTS

THE CHRISTIANS BY

Lucas Hnath DIRECTED BY

Tim Bond CO-PRODUCED WITH

The Wilma Theater ARRANGEMENTS & SCENIC DESIGNER

COSTUME DESIGNER

LIGHTING DESIGNER

ORIGINAL MUSIC

Matt Saunders

Helen Q Huang

Thom Weaver

Michael G. Keck

PROJECTION DESIGNER

D R A M AT U R G

S TA G E M A N A G E R

CASTING

Kate Freer

Kyle Bass

Laura Jane Collins

Harriet Bass

Timothy Bond

Diana C. Coles

Blanka Zizka

Producing Artistic Director

Interim Managing Director

The Wilma Theater Artistic Director

PRESENTING SPONSOR

SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS

Daniel Bingham & Gail Hamner

The Christians was commissioned by and premiered in the 2014 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Lousiville. The Christians is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

April 6 - 24, 2016

SEASON SPONSOR

WHO

Paul DeBoy Erika LaVonn DeLance Minefee Ames Adamson Julie Jesneck

Paul, a PASTOR his WIFE, Elizabeth the ASSOCIATE Pastor Joshua a church ELDER named Jay a CONGREGANT named Jenny WHEN

The 21st Century WHERE

America CHOIR

Cari Andrews, Yolanda Barksdale, Chris Botek, LaGreer Brown, Yolanda Brown, Meg Clary, Vinnie Cuevas, Tanya Cumber, Duane Davis, Caroline Festa, Kathye Goode, Winsome Graham, Khimberlé Guy, Jodi Halczyn, Corey Hudson, Sean Jordan, Kaitlin Leddy, Lanika Mabrey, Sheirel Mordaunt, Natalie Oliver, Kim Roth, Adriana Schaps, Jim Shults, Robin Smith, Colleen Snow, Jay Stone, Ann Sweet, Jenny Taylor, Cora Thomas, Sasha Turner, Erica Webber, Sherika Whitt Choir Director & Accompanist: Michael G. Keck The Christians will be performed without an intermission. P L AY S P O N S O R S H I P

Suzanne & Kevin McAuliffe, Opening Night, April 8 Frederick & Virginia Parker, Opening Night, April 8 Frederick & Virginia Parker, April 15, 8:00 p.m. ADDITIONAL CREDITS

Stage Management Apprentice: Marisa M. Andrews Light Board Operator: Laura Gisondi Sound Board Operator: Ryan Johnson Projection Operator: Chris Green Wardrobe Supervisor: Sarah Stark Official Hotels for Guest Artists: The Genesee Grande Hotel, Parkview Hotel

The Christians is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The actors and stage manager in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

THE CHRISTIANS BY LUCAS HNATH When I was younger, I was supposed to be a preacher, but I decided it would be too much responsibility. I didn’t want to worry about other peoples’ souls. I switched to pre-med. I didn’t want to worry about other peoples’ bodies. And so, I switched to playwriting. The expectation that I become a preacher did not come out of nowhere. I grew up in churches. My mother went to seminary when I was in middle school. During the summer months I’d sit next to her during her classes. I learned some Greek, some Hebrew. I

read books on stuff like hermeneutics. Some of it I understood. Some of it I pretended to understand. In seminary you learn a lot about translation. You learn about how there can be more than one way to translate a word. And you come to realize just how many words the Bible has that could be translated this way or that way. The act of interpreting the Bible carries with it a lot of responsibility. A friend from high school who ended up becoming a pastor recently said to me that pastors have to be very careful not to remake the gospel into their own image.

 Lucas Hnath. Photo: Playwrights Horizons.

But my question was, “How do we even avoid it?” For a few years, I taught expository writing at NYU. I’d have students read challenging texts by folks like Barthes, Berger, or Sontag. I was asking them simply to read and understand what these writers were saying.

I was struck by how often the students would project themselves into the meaning of the essays we were studying. The students were so eager to find ways to make the texts “relatable,” and in doing so, they would bend the words of the author to say something the author wasn’t actually saying.

OUR IMAGINATIONS SEEM TO BE SO LIMITED BY OUR EXPERIENCES, YOU HAVE TO WONDER IF IT’S EVEN POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING THAT SITS OUTSIDE OF OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. That word “relatable”. It implies that something can be understood because it’s like “me”. But what about the things that are nothing like “me”? Our imaginations seem to be so limited by our experiences, you have to wonder if it’s even possible to understand something that sits outside of our personal experiences.

A CHURCH IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO TO SEE SOMETHING THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. A PLACE WHERE THE INVISIBLE IS—AT LEAST FOR A MOMENT—MADE VISIBLE. That expository writing class became, in large part, about the task of encouraging students to be okay with not understanding. In the rush to understand, we get in the way of our ability to see something as it is. I can feel that rush to understand when people ask me, with respect to The Christians, what I personally believe. I refuse to answer the question. I’m not necessarily cagey about my beliefs (although I do sort of think that the attempt to put those beliefs into words will always result in a misrepresentation of said beliefs; I am very mistrustful of words), but I suspect that answering the question will somehow diminish the effect of the play. I can also feel it when I’m asked if the play is based on this preacher or that preacher. (Invariably, the answer is no. It’s based

on many preachers and many people who are not preachers, all thrown into a blender.) In these kinds of questions, I detect the desire to explain away something. I detect the desire to locate a single, visible point. And while the plot of The Christians is far from ambiguous, the play is a series of contradictory arguments. No single argument “wins”. There’s no resolution. That lack of obvious resolution can be uncomfortable, agitating. But with a lot of practice, we can also learn to take pleasure in the agitation. And maybe something more complex and true becomes visible within the agitation. I think back to my very brief pre-med days. I think back to a physics class I took. I think back to a picture from 18

the course textbook. I think of this picture often. The picture is of a very tiny particle. The only way you can see the particle is by colliding it with many other particles, from many different angles. (I tried to find this picture on the internet. I could not. I remember this being a thing, but maybe I made it up.) But here’s what I’m getting at. Here’s something I believe: A church is a place where people go to see something that is very difficult to see. A place where the invisible is— at least for a moment— made visible. The theatre can be that too. ...................................... This essay originally appeared in the Playwrights Horizons bulletin. Used with permission.

THE ROAD TO HELL BY JOSEPH WHELAN

He is a nasty little devil— bat-winged and simianfaced with a humanoid torso and limbs that terminate in horrific claws. With his right claw (hand?) he grabs from behind the right wrist of some naked wretch as with the left he prepares the flay the poor soul’s back.

“HELL BECOMES USEFUL WHEN YOU FEEL YOU ARE LOSING CONTROL OVER PEOPLE.” comes out of the period of Hieronymus Bosch,” according to Martin Palmer, a historian of world faiths. Palmer was quoted recently by The New York Times in an article about the exhibit “Hieronymus Bosch: Visions of Genius”.

Such is a corner of hell as rendered by Hieronymus Bosch in his painting “Visions of the Hereafter”, one of numerous terrifying images conjured by the painter in his career. Bosch completed this work between 1505 and 1515, a period that coincided with an assault on Catholic doctrine by dissenting theologians.

He adds: “You’ve got the rediscovery of Classical knowledge, you’ve got people drifting away, you’ve got Erasmus with his radical teachings, you’ve got Luther—the whole world is going to hell in a

“A lot of the imagery that we think of as being almost historic imagery of hell, a great deal of that

handbasket. Hell becomes useful when you feel you are losing control over people.” Palmer’s point is welltaken. Concepts and images of hell owe as much to art, literature, and philosophy as to the Bible. There is nary a whiff of Cotton Mather’s fire and brimstone in the Old

Testament, and in the New Testament, the two dozen or so references to a kind of hell are inconsistent in meaning and subject to interpretation. The early Christians did not write extensively about hell, and when they did, their ideas reflected the influence of Greco-Roman philosophy. The Christian no-

tion of hell as a literal place of eternal torment derives from later works, especially the apocryphal gospels, and more influentially, the writings of St. Augustine. To a substantial degree arriving at an understanding of hell as depicted in the Old and New Testaments requires

 “Visions of the Hereafter” by Hieronymus Bosch.

some linguistic analysis. In the Old Testament, only the Hebrew word sheol, meaning grave, is used to designate anything akin to hell. Sheol can be translated as “the place of the dead”, or as some suggest in a poetic vein, “the House of Dust and Darkness”. Although deemed an unpleasant place, sheol was never pro-

“A LOT OF THE IMAGERY THAT WE THINK OF AS BEING ALMOST HISTORIC IMAGERY OF HELL, A GREAT DEAL OF THAT COMES OUT OF THE PERIOD OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH” 21

 “St. Augustine” by Antonello da Messina.

posed as a place specifically for punishing evildoers or non-believers. All the dead, the good, the bad, the indifferent, ended up there. The ancient Hebrews shared this concept with contemporaneous cultures including the Sumerians and the Babylonians. The New Testament contains three Greek words that are variously translated as hell. Gehenna is mentioned 12 times and refers to a geographic location, the Gehenna Valley or Valley of Hinnom. Hades gets ten mentions, and like sheol means the place of the departed, the grave. Tartarus appears 22

just once with the specific designation that it is a place where wicked spirits or angels will be confined. Historically, Gehenna was a location beyond Jerusalem’s walls where the local population incinerated refuse. It came to be regarded with trepidation because of its association with King Ahaz and the pagan practice of burning children there as sacrifices to Moloch and Baal. In apocalyptic literature it became associated with the fire of hell and the punishment of the ungodly. In The New Testament, though, the term most often references the final destruc-

tion of evildoers. Hades is the Greek god of the underworld as well as the name for the underworld itself. Ulysses visits Hades in Homer’s The Odyssey. In Greek literature, the term had various meanings: the grave or tomb, the domain of the dead, the dead as a collective, ancestors. Again, while it is not a pleasant place, it is not a place of torment and pain. Tartarus is mentioned only in the Second Epistle of Peter and refers to a pit of dense darkness where God confines the fallen angels. However, Tartarus also derives from Greek mythology as a region below the netherworld to which the Titans were banished when overthrown by the gods. A more specified treatment of hell appears in various books of the Apocrypha. Chief among these is the Gospel of Nicodemus, a work written in two parts four centuries apart: The Acts of Pilate written in Greek dates from the second century CE, and a second part written in Latin dates from the sixth century CE. The second part contains an account of Jesus’ descent to hell, his

confrontation with Satan, and the salvation of those confined there.The Gospel of Nicodemus came into widespread use at the end of the third century even though it was not recognized as scripture. More influential in terms of codifying the concept of hell as a place of punitive torment was Augustine of Hippo who proposed the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment in The City of God, 426 CE. Augustine was influenced by Virgil and especially by Plato, whom he considered the perfect philosopher. Although legitimate questions may be raised about Augustine’s sometimes tortured reasoning, he managed a kind of synthesis of neoPlatonic ideas and JudeoChristian traditions out of which emerged several critical tenets. Among these are such fundamental Christian beliefs as the immortality of the soul, original sin, and the existence of a material hell where the bodies of the damned will be tormented with everlasting pain. “Hell, which is also called a lake of fire and brimstone,” Augustine writes, “will be a material fire, and will torment the bodies of the damned.” 23

SHEOL can be translated as “the place of the dead”, or as some suggest in a poetic vein, “the House of Dust and Darkness”.

HADES had various meanings: the grave or tomb, the domain of the dead, the dead as a collective, ancestors.

GEHENNA refers to a geographic location, the Gehenna Valley or Valley of Hinnom.

TARTARUS it is a place where wicked spirits or angels will be confined.

CAST Ames Adamson (Elder Jay). Recent regional credits: The Merry Wives of Windsor and Misalliance (The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Caught (InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia), Butler (The New Jersey Repertory Company). Butler will be remounted Off-Broadway this summer with Ames in the title role. He is a resident of Philadelphia and West Exeter, NY.

Theater), Tricks The Devil Taught Me (Minetta Lane), The Runner Stumbles (The Actors Company Theatre), Romania. Kiss Me! (The Play Co.), Mr. Marmalade (Roundabout), Abu Ghraib Triptych (Ensemble Studio Theatre), as well as the Drama League, Cherry Lane, Summer Play Festival, and HERE. Regional: Dancing at Lughnasa (Portland Stage Co), Cyrano de Bergerac (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Fallen Angels (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ), Grace, or The Art of Climbing and The Trip to Bountiful – Henry Award for Best Supporting Actress (Denver Center), The Gaming Table (The Folger), IN (Pioneer), 33 Variations (Capital Rep), A Thousand Clowns (Intiman), Thinking Of You (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Old Globe), The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Alliance/The Acting Co.), The Ruby Sunrise (Trinity Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville), Mary’s Wedding (San Jose Rep). TV/Film: The Affair, Person of Interest, Law & Order, Empire Falls (HBO), Feeling Tall, Fishy Business. Julie is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Paul DeBoy (Pastor Paul). Broadway: Mamma Mia! (also National Tour), Sight Unseen (Manhattan Theatre Club). Regional: All The Way (Denver Center for The Performing Arts), Eurydice (2nd Stage), My Fair Lady (Pioneer Theatre), The 39 Steps (Repertory Theatre of St Louis). Additionally, DeBoy has worked with: Cincinnati Playhouse in The Park, Kansas City Rep, The Walnut Street Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Olney Theatre, The Totem Pole Playhouse, Brown County Playhouse, and Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo. TV/ Film: Royal Pains, The Following, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Trial by Jury, A Dirty Shame by John Waters. Training: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, RADA. pauldeboy.com

Erika LaVonn (Elizabeth) returns to Syracuse Stage having last been seen here in her SALT nominated performance as Bernice in The Piano Lesson. Her recent roles include Eve Madison in What I Learned in Paris at Indiana Repertory Theater and the Arizona

Julie Jesneck (Jenny) is thrilled to be making her debut at Syracuse Stage. Broadway: Rock ’N Roll. Off-Broadway: Cherry Smoke (Working Theater), Mary Broome and Love Goes to Press (Mint

CAST Repertory, co-productions of The Mountaintop at Blumenthal Theatre and Guthrie Theatre. Erika spent three years on Broadway in The Lion King, and then worked coast to coast at theatres including Seattle Rep., Portland Center Stage, Actors Theater of Louisville, Kansas City Rep, Denver Center Theater Co., Hartford Stage, Steppenwolf Theater, and The Kennedy Center, as well as around the world at His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth, West Australia. Other credits include, Always Outnumbered, The Ditchdiggers Daughters, Law & Order: SVU, and War of the Worlds.

atre credits include: Honky (OffBroadway), Dust (Off-Broadway), Lights Rise on Grace (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.), Civil War Christmas (Huntington Theatre), Donnie Darko (American Repertory Theatre), Phoenician Women (Moscow Art Theatre), A-Train Plays (Neighborhood Playhouse), All The Way (New Stages Theatre), and Soldier’s Play (Arkansas Rep). TV credits include: Shades of Blue (NBC), Redrum (Investigation Discovery), and a new TBA Marvel Series (ABC/Netflix). DeLance is a company member of BrickaBrack Theatre Company in NYC. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Henderson State University and an MFA in Acting from the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre - Institute for Advanced Theatre Training @ Harvard University. More info available @ www. delance.net

DeLance Minefee (Joshua). Originally from Arkansas, DeLance is excited to be making his Syracuse Stage debut. Favorite the-

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Matt Saunders (Scenic Designer). Recent Off-Broadway includes, Futurity for Soho Rep and Ars Nova, Good Person of Szechwan at The Public Theater, The Tempest for The Public Theater at the Delacorte, and As You Like It for The Acting Company at The New Victory and Lincoln Center. Regionally, Matt has designed at the Mark Taper Forum, Huntington Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Spole-

to Festival, Arden Theatre Company, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Matt holds an MFA from Yale School of Drama (’12). He is a 2014 Pew Fellow in the Arts, as well as 2015 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University. Matt is the associate artistic director of the OBIE Award-Winning theatre company New Paradise Laboratories, and an assistant professor of design in the Department of Theater at Swarthmore College. mattsaunders.net

A R T I S T I C S TA F F Helen Q Huang (Costume Designer) has designed at Syracuse Stage for August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Two Trains Running. Design credits: Classic Stage Company, New York; The Washington Ballet; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; The Studio Theatre; Ford’s Theatre; Shakespeare Theatre Company; Arena Stage; Signature Theatre Company; Folger Theatre; Guthrie Theater; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis; Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Philadelphia Theatre Company; Utah Shakespearean Festival; Disney Entertainment; PlayMakers Repertory; Boston Lyric Opera. International: Set and costume design at National Opera House of China and the Central Television of China. Awards: Helen Hayes Award and Ivey Award. Other credits: costume design works in the exhibition Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance at The New York Public Library, Lincoln Center, and the Prague Quadrennial. Huang is a professor in the MFA Costume Design program at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Theatre), Thrill Me (York), Two Rooms (Theatre Row), Frankenstein (37 ARTS), Masked (DR2), Lincoln Center Festival, SPF, NYMF, Lincoln Center Institute, Lincoln Center Festival. In Philadelphia: Arden, PTC, Wilma, People’s Light, Walnut Street, PSF, Theatre Exile, 1812, Azuka, EgoPo, Headlong, New Paradise Laboratories, and Curtis Opera. Regional includes: Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Rep, Huntington Theatre, Portland Center Stage, CenterStage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Cal Shakes, Asolo Rep, Theatre J, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Folger, Roundhouse, Williamstown, Spoleto, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and Yale Rep. Three Barrymore Awards (21 nominations), two AUDELCO Awards, and four Helen Hayes Nominations. Education: Carnegie Mellon and Yale. Michael G. Keck (Arrangements & Original Music). Previously at Syracuse Stage, Michael was the music director/composer for To Kill a Mockingbird, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, The Whipping Man, Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Brothers Size, all directed by Tim Bond, as well as Gem of the Ocean directed by Timothy Douglas. Michael’s music has been featured at The Kennedy Center, Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, Guthrie Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alli-

Thom Weaver (Lighting Designer). For Syracuse Stage: The Underpants, Hairspray, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Spike Heels. NYC includes: Exit Strategy (Primary Stages), The Total Bent (NYSF), The Liquid Plain, How I Learned What I Learned, King Hedley II (Signature), Teller’s Play Dead (Player’s

A R T I S T I C S TA F F ance Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, and internationally at The National Theatre of Croatia, The Barbican Theatre Center, and Bristol Old Vic. As an actor, he has performed at McCarter Theatre Center, Alliance Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, La MaMa Experimental Theatre and Primary Stages in NYC, and many others. He received three Barrymore Award nominations, the AATE Distinguished Play Award, and has served as panelist for the NEA, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Meet the Composer. He is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, ASCAP, PEN and The Dramatists Guild.

The Clean House (Syracuse Stage). Her installation work has been exhibited at the National Building Museum, The Hammond Museum, 3LD, Front Room Gallery, and the World Wide Words Festival (Denmark). She has taught master classes at Harvard University, Syracuse University, Wesleyan, and New York University. Kate is a founding member of Imaginary Media Artists (www.imartists.com). Kyle Bass (Dramaturg) has served as production dramaturg on many Syracuse Stage productions, including To Kill a Mockingbird, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Blithe Spirit, Scorched, The Whipping Man, The Glass Menagerie, Moby Dick, The Brothers Size, Red, Caroline, or Change, Radio Golf, No Child…, August Wilson’s Fences, The Price, Little Women, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. He worked closely with Ping Chong on the creation of Tales from the Salt City, which had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage. As a writer, Kyle is a two-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, for fiction in 1998 and the 2010 fellowship in playwriting, a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. He is the co-author (with director-writer Kim Bass) of the original screenplay Day of Days. The film stars award-winning veteran actor Tom Skerritt and is scheduled for release in 2016. His stage plays include Wind in the Field, Bleecker Street, Fall/Out, produced by the Kitchen Theatre, The Heart of Fear,

Kate Freer (Projection Designer) is a multimedia designer and video artist for theatre, film, and installation. Off-Broadway and Downtown: Sunset Baby (Labyrinth Theater); Love Machine (Incubator Arts Project); Around the World in 80 Days (The New Theater at 45th Street); PS Jones and the Frozen City (The New Ohio); Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo (La MaMa, Undesirable Elements Festival); Bullet for Adolph (New World Stages); Chimera (HERE, Under the Radar 2012). Regional: Interior Designs (NJPAC, Jersey Moves); Pinkolandia (Two River Theater); Fahrenheit 451 (Aquila Theatre); Stuck Elevator (American Conservatory Theater); The Mountaintop (CenterStage);

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A R T I S T I C S TA F F published in the journal Stone Canoe; and Northeast, which appeared in the journal Callaloo. His one-man play Carver at Tuskegee was produced as part of Syracuse Stage’s BackStory! series. 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 City. Kyle is currently working with acclaimed visual artist and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Carrie Mae Weems on her theatre piece Grace Notes: Reflections for Now, which will have its world premiere at the 2016 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina in June. Kyle is also currently writing a new play titled Possessing Harriet, which is commissioned by the Onondaga Historical Association, and the screenplay adaptation of the novel Milk by Darcey Steinke. Kyle’s prose and other writings have appeared in the journals Folio and Stone Canoe, among others, and in the anthology Alchemy of the Word: Writers Talk about Writing. In addition to serving on many arts and writing competition panels, Kyle has been visiting writer at State University of New York at Oswego and has appeared as a guest on National Public Radio’s “Tell Me More,” discussing race in American theatre. He has taught in the MFA Creative Writing program at Goddard College since 2006. He also teaches playwriting at Syracuse University and at Colgate University. Kyle is Drama Editor for the award-winning journal Stone Canoe. He holds a MFA in Playwriting

from Goddard College and is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild of America. Laura Jane Collins (Stage Manager) continues her sixth season with Syracuse Stage having just completed stage management for Stupid F***ing Bird, The Santaland Diaries and Steve Martin’s The Underpants. She spends the majority of her time in Central New York with Syracuse Stage and Hangar Theatre in Ithaca. Regional credits include: In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Chinglish, Scorched, Good People, Two Trains Running, Moby Dick, Red, The Boys Next Door, and No Child... (Syracuse Stage); The Hound of the Baskervilles, God of Carnage, Around the World in 80 Days, 4000 Miles, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and Lend Me A Tenor (Hangar Theatre). New York credits include: Hillary: A Modern Greek Tragedy with a Somewhat Happy Ending (New Georges). Dance production credits include: The Who’s TOMMY—A Rock Ballet (Christopher Fleming). LJ is a graduate of the Stage Management program in Syracuse University’s Department of Drama, and she’s now based on Long Island. Harriet Bass (Casting) has been an independent New York casting director since 1989, casting for theatre, film, and television. In New York City, Harriet has cast for ABC/ TV, Fox Television Studios, Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre: NEW WORK NOW, The Minetta Lane

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A R T I S T I C S TA F F Theatre, The Women’s Project, La MaMa, E.T.C., New York Women in Film and Television, and The Jewish Repertory Theatre. She has cast the last three of the late August Wilson’s ten part play series: the original and touring productions of Radio Golf, the Broadway production of Gem of the Ocean, and the Off-Broadway production of Jitney. Selected regional casting credits include: Syracuse Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, Trinity Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Indiana Repertory

Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Longwharf Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Dallas Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and PlayMakers Repertory Theatre. Feature film credits include: Pushing Hands, directed by Ang Lee; Underheat, starring Lee Grant; First We Take Manhattan, produced by Golden Harvest Inc.; and Graves End, directed by Sal Stabile.

T H E W I L M A T H E AT E R The Wilma was founded in 1973 as the Wilma Project, and Blanka and Jiri Zizka of Czechoslovakia forged a strong artistic relationship with the organization in 1979, renaming it The Wilma Theater. After many seasons of producing work in venues throughout Philadelphia, the Wilma opened its 300-seat theater on Avenue of the Arts in 1996. Under the continued artistic leadership of Blanka Zizka, the theater has served as a leader within Philadelphia’s arts scene, while also training emerging artists through its workshop of-

ferings. The Wilma produces four mainstage productions each year, with programming that includes premieres of new work, subsequent productions of new plays, and reimaginings of classic texts. Recent Wilma productions included Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem (U.S. premiere); Attis Theatre founder Theodoros Terzopoulos’ adaptation of Antigone; and Paula Vogel’s Don Juan Comes Home from Iraq (world premiere), which was the result of a two-year collaboration with the playwright.

P L AY W R I G H T Lucas Hnath. Lucas Hnath’s plays include The Christians (2014 Humana Festival), Red Speedo (Studio Theatre, DC), A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the

Death Of Walt Disney (Soho Rep), Nightnight (2013 Humana Festival), Isaac’s Eye (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Death Tax (2012 Humana Festival, Royal Court Theatre), and The

P L AY W R I G H T Courtship of Anna Nicole Smith (Actors Theatre of Louisville). His plays are published by Dramatists Play Service. Lucas has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2011, and is a proud member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre. Lucas is a winner of the 2012 Whitfield Cook Award for Isaac’s Eye and received a 2013 Steinberg/ATCA New Play

Award Citation for Death Tax. He has also received commissions from the EST/Sloan Project, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, Playwrights Horizons, New York University’s Graduate Acting Program, and the Royal Court Theatre. Lucas holds a BFA and an MFA from New York University’s Department of Dramatic Writing.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Tim Bond is in his ninth season as producing artistic director of Syracuse Stage where he has directed To Kill a Mockingbird, Other Desert Cities, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, The Whipping Man, Two Trains Running, The Brothers Size, The Boys Next Door, Radio Golf, No Child..., Fences, The Price, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He has 27 years experience in leading regional theatres throughout the country. Previously, he served for 11 years as associate artistic director of the famed Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he directed 12 productions, including works by Shakespeare, August Wilson, SuzanLori Parks, Edward Albee, Lorraine Hansberry, Lynn Nottage, Octavio Soliz, and Pearl Cleage. Prior to that, Bond spent 13 years with the Seattle Group Theatre, serving as artistic director from 1991 – 1996. While there, he directed more than 20

plays including a number of world and West Coast premieres, and he oversaw the largest capital campaign in the company’s history, culminating in the completion of a new theatre complex in the Seattle Center. Bond has also directed at such prestigious theatres as The Guthrie, Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, The Cleveland Play House, A Contemporary Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Geva Theatre. Bond received a Theatre Communications Group/ National Endowment for the Arts Directing Fellowship Award and has twice won Backstage West’s Garland Award for Outstanding Direction for Les Blancs (1998) and Blues for an Alabama Sky (1997). He served on the board of directors of the Theatre Communications Group from 1993 to 1997. Bond holds a BFA from Howard University and an MFA in directing from the University of Washington.

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INTERIM MANAGING DIRECTOR Diana Coles is in her 31st season with Syracuse Stage and had planned to retire from her position as administrative director this past July. However, she was asked to fill in as interim managing director until the search is completed for that position. She is doing so gladly and enjoying “topping off” her career serving the theatre she loves and cares about. Prior to coming to Syracuse Stage, she had been business manager at Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Rep) following many years as concert and tour manager of the Office of Cultural Events for the University of MissouriKansas City. In that capacity, she managed the annual seven state tour of MRT and also sponsored residencies of major dance and theatre companies such as Stars of the American Ballet, Pilobolus, Alvin Ailey Dancers, The Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, St.

Louis Symphony Orchestra, Newport Jazz Festival, Guthrie Theatre, and The Acting Company. She served as assistant to the project director during construction for the UMKC Performing Arts Center, which housed the Conservatory of Music and the Spencer Theatre. In addition to having worked on the management side of over 280 LORT theatre productions in 50 years, she was a panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, Nebraska Arts Council Year Long Program Panel, and the Mid-America Assembly on the Future of the Performing Arts. She has been a consultant for MerryGo-Round Playhouse, Kansas City Ballet, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Avila College, Missouri Dance Theatre, Association of Community Arts Councils of Kansas, and the Unicorn Theatre.

PROGRAM BOOK Publications Director: Joseph Whelan, Graphic Designer: Jonathan Hudak, Advertising: Katherine Keeney, Cover: Larry Powell and Andrew Garman in The Christians at the 38th Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Photo: Michael Brosilow.

The Christians published April 6, 2016 The Syracuse Stage program is published seven times a year. For advertising rates and information contact the development office at 315.443.2709. Printed by Midstate Printing Corporation.

MISSION/VISION Mission: Syracuse Stage is a global village

turous, and entertaining productions of new plays, classics, and musicals, and offer interactive education and outreach programs in Central New York.

square where renowned artists and audiences of all ages gather to celebrate our cultural richness, witness the many truths of our common humanity, and explore the transformative power of live theatre. Celebrating our 43rd season as a professional theatre in residence at Syracuse University, we create innovative, adven-

Vision: Syracuse Stage illuminates the

many truths of our common humanity through the transformative power of live theatre.

A B O U T S Y R A C U S E S TA G E Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s

Chong. These visiting artists are supported by a staff of artisans, technicians, educators, and administrators who are responsible for all facets of the theatre from building sets, props, and costumes to marketing, development, and box office. A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Year after year their support and patronage contribute to the success of the theatre. Additional support from government, foundations, corporations, and Syracuse University helps to ensure the continued role of Syracuse Stage as a valued cultural resource for the community. Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation, and the East Genesee Regent Association.

premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 300 plays in 42 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 70,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves over 15,000 students throughout Central New York. Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country. America’s leading actors, directors and designers work and/or have worked at Stage including: Tony Award-winners Lillias White, Chuck Cooper, and Elizabeth Franz, Emmy recipient Jean Stapleton, Sam Waterston, John Cullum, James Whitmore, Ben Gazzara, and Ping

IN THE COMMUNITY An important aspect of the Syracuse Stage mission is to be an active partner and resource in the Central New York community. Each season Syracuse Stage is pleased to partner with a diverse group of community organizations in sponsoring and facilitating various programs, benefits, and events. Ongoing and past partnerships include Arc of Onondaga, The

Burton Blatt Institute, ARISE, InterFaith Works of Central New York, Hospice of CNY, SUNY Upstate Medical/St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Onondaga County, The Learning Place, AIDS Community Resources, Syracuse Homes, The Chadwick Residence, The Child Care Council of Onondaga County, and Vera House, among others.

N E X T AT

N EXT AT TH E

S YR A CU S E S TA GE

D EPA R T M ENT OF DRAMA

KEN LUDWIG’S BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY

A Flea in Her Ear

Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Based on a novel by Arthur Conan Doyle Directed by Peter Amster May 11 - 29

A new version of Georges Feydeau’s farce By David Ives Directed by Stephen Cross May 6 - 14 Opening Night: May 7

A madcap comedy spoof of Sherlock Holmes’ most famous case. Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) turns Arthur Conan Doyle’s frightening tale into a fast-paced, murderously delightful, comedy thriller as five actors take on a multitude of roles, including the famous sleuth and Dr. Watson. Like The 39 Steps (2010) only with a lot more howling! Peter Amster (The Fantasticks, Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Moby Dick, and A Christmas Carol) returns to Syracuse Stage to direct this inspired comedy.

In French playwright Georges Feydeau’s famous bedroom farce an insurance salesman wrongly accused of infidelity by his wife becomes entangled in a web of misunderstanding, intrigue, jealousy, and mistaken identity as ridiculous as it is complicated. Played at break-neck comic speed, this explosively funny delight rollicks with antic, pell-mell humor complete with slamming doors, revolving beds, and wildly amiss gun shots. Mon Dieu!

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

Brian Cimmet Professor of Practice/Music Director SU Department of Drama

PRESIDENT

Ann Clarke* Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts Syracuse University

Robert Pomfrey* President & CEO POMCO Group Louis G. Marcoccia* Executive VP & Chief Financial Officer Syracuse University CHAIR-ELECT

Fran Nichols* Vice Chairman Emeritus Eric Mower + Associates VICE CHAIR

Richard Shirtz* Regional President NBT Bank VICE CHAIR

Melvin T. Stith* Dean Emeritus, Whitman School of Management Syracuse University TREASURER

Bea Gonzalez* Dean, University College Syracuse University SECRETARY

Samantha Millier* Associate Attorney Mackenzie Hughes LLP Janet Audunson Senior Counsel National Grid Dan Berman Partner HancockEstabrook, LLP Timothy J. Bond** Producing Artistic Director Syracuse Stage Lorraine Branham Dean/Professor, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University Sandra Brown President Grandma Brown’s Beans, Inc. Nancy Byrne Community Volunteer Steve Chase Senior Vice President Harbridge Consulting Group

Pat Colabufo Human Resource Manager Wegmans Food Markets Diana Coles** Interim Managing Director Syracuse Stage Richard Driscoll* Sr. Commercial Banking Relationship Manager Commercial Banking Division NBT Bank Sandra Fenske VP & General Counsel Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company Helene Gold Private Voice & Piano Instructor Nancy Green* Investment Advisor Edward S. Green & Associates Larry Harris EVP and CFO Saab Defense and Security, USA Jeffrey Hoone Executive Director, Coalition of Museum & Arts Centers Syracuse University John Huhtala Relationship Manager Middle Market Commercial Banking Chase Gregg Lambert Dean’s Professor of the Humanities Syracuse University Larry Leatherman Retired Bristol-Myers Squibb, MOST Daniel D. Lent VP, Sr. Relationship Manager Key Bank Sara Lowengard Syracuse Stage Guild President Attorney Macht, Brenizer & Gingold, P.C.

Rocco Mangano Partner Mangano, Lucchesi and Collins Kevin R. McAuliffe Partner Barclay Damon Suzanne McAuliffe Retired Educator Rod McDonald Bond, Schoeneck & King Kevin O’Connor Sr. Resident Director & Sr. VP Investments Merrill Lynch Sharon Owens CEO Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility Southwest Community Center Virginia Parker* Retired Educator Annette Peters Marketing Director Syracuse Media Group James Reed Regional President Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Michelle Schultz Senior Director, HR Business Partner Human Resources AXA L. John Steigerwald IV Marketing and Sales Representative Cathedral Candle Company Sharon Sullivan* Community Volunteer Wanda Thompson Sr. VP of Operations Upstate Medical University Phil Turner Pastor Bethany Baptist Church Ralph Zito** Chair Syracuse University Department of Drama Michael Zoanetti VP Senior Wealth Advisor Tompkins Financial Advisors *Executive Committee **Ex-Officio

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E E M E R I T U S C I R C L E We are grateful to the following individuals who have served as Members of the Stage Board of Trustees and continue to support Syracuse Stage at the Circle level. Jim Breuer Mary Beth Carmen Eddie Green Joan Green Elizabeth Hartnett

Claude Incaudo Howard C. Johnson Jack Mannion Margaret Martin Eric Mower

Judy Mower Michael Shende Jack Webb

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E G U I L D B O A R D PRESIDENT

RECORDING SECRETARY

Sara Lowengard

Mary O'Hara

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

Julia Joyce Martin

Gretchen Goldstein

VICE PRESIDENT, MEMBERSHIP

Deborah Trent VICE PRESIDENT, FUNDRAISING

Jacki Goldberg VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLICITY

Melissa Vassenilli TREASURER

Ellen Lautz

Ray Abdella Elaine Cardone Roxanna Carpenter Sandi DiBianco Grace Flusche Kelly Gardner Donna Green Jessica Humphreville

Barbara Ianuzi Mary O’Hara Maryam Wasmund Ginny Yerdon Margaret Shirtz Stefan Berg Linda Lowengard Rosalind Schwartz Sheila Gangemi

SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION ADVOCACY BOARD Sara Bambino

David Fisselbrand

Jennifer Sabatino

CICERO-NORTH SYRACUSE

AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL

CATO-MERIDIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL

Matthew Phillips

Todd Benware

JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY

Elizabeth Defurio

Kathleen Pickard BAKER HIGH SCHOOL

NOTTINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL

Y O U N G A D U LT C O U N C I L Kristina Bell

Brennan Carman

Olivia Moffa

11TH GRADE, JAMESVILLE-DEWITT

12TH GRADE, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

10TH GRADE, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

HIGH SCHOOL

ACADEMY

Katherine Benware

Rose Collins

Geraldine Wason

12TH GRADE, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

11TH GRADE, JAMESVILLE-DEWITT

ACADEMY

HIGH SCHOOL

Lily Byrne

Marcus Johnson

Owen Volk

11TH GRADE, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

10TH GRADE, CATO-MERIDIAN

10TH GRADE, JAMESVILLE-DEWITT

HIGH SCHOOL

Anna Capria

Michael Mankiewicz

12TH GRADE, BAKER HIGH SCHOOL

12TH GRADE, JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

1OTH GRADE, G. RAY BODLEY HIGH SCHOOL

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. WITH YOUR HELP, SYRACUSE STAGE WILL ENGAGE OVER 21,000 STUDENTS IN CENTRAL NEW YORK DURING THE 15/16 SEASON. The John Ben Snow Foundation, Inc.

THE CHRISTIANS SPONSORS The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation is pleased to support the Syracuse Stage production of The Christians. We value what Syracuse Stage brings to the cultural fabric of Central New York, making it a better place to live and work. Congratulations on another exciting season of diverse plays. National Endowment For The Arts. The Christians is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees is proud to sponsor this production of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. This powerful play urges us all to seek ways of overcoming our differences and to find a way forward together. As such it is a most fitting conclusion to Tim Bond’s achievements as a director at Syracuse Stage. Since his arrival nine seasons ago, Tim has been an untiring champion of community, cultural diversity, and inclusion. His artistic vision is of a global meeting place where all are welcome to share in the transformative power of live theatre. We thank Tim for his artistic leadership of Stage, we congratulate him on a tenure well-served, and we wish him continued success as he takes up his new post at the University of Washington. Daniel Bingham & Gail Hamner

Daniel Bingham & Gail Hamner. We honor Timothy Bond and the artistic experts he gathers around him at Syracuse Stage for challenging audiences with the best work of contemporary and classical playwrights.

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS*

The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust

Richard Mather Fund

*Corporate, Foundation and Government support received in the last 12 months from $3,000 - $100,000 and above.

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E A N N U A L G I F T S Syracuse Stage depends on the generosity of contributions from individuals, corporations, businesses, foundations and government agencies. It is with much gratitude that we recognize the following donors to our annual campaign. Contributors listed below represent donations received in the past twelve months. For information regarding levels of contribution and benefits of each please contact the Development office at 315.443.3931 or visit syracusestage.org

C O R P O R AT E H O N O R R O L L $100,000+ Syracuse University $25,000 - $99,999 Genesee Grande Syracuse Media Group $14,000 - $24,999 M&T Bank POMCO Group $7,500 - $13,999 Bank of America – Children’s Tour Business Journal News Network Barclay Damon Chase iHeart Media KeyBank N.A. Lockheed Martin MST NBT Bank Syracuse New Times Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees WAER WRVO $5,000 - $7,499 Carrier Corporation

 = INCREASED GIFT,

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Lockheed Martin Employees Federated Fund Scherzi Photography + Video The SU Humanities Center presents as part of the 2015 Syracuse Symposium™ on Networks Syracuse Stage Guild Tompkins Financial Advisors Wegmans $2,800 - $4,999 Phoebe’s Urban CNY $1,500 - $2,799 Bond, Shoeneck & King, PLLC Bousquet Holstein PLLC McIntosh Box & Pallet Co., Inc. Syracuse Blue Print $1,000 - $1,499 Action Printwear, Inc.  Cooper Crouse - Hinds $500 - $999 Anoplate Corp.

Eastern Security Service Heritage Masonry Restoration Merrill Lynch Law Office of Keith D. Miller L. & J.G. Stickley $250 - $499 ACLS Mailing & Fulfillment Freeman Interiors Geddes Federal Savings Hebert Financial Strategies/ Dennis & Judy Hebert Liberty Mutual Reeves Farms Smith Contemporary Furniture/Smith Interiors Ltd The Mid-York Press, Inc. $75 - $249 Brady System Fulton Savings Bank Genuine Parts Company Giarrusso Building Supplies Sheats & Bailey PLLC Urist Financial & Retirement Planning Visual Technologies Ann Wolfson Associates

* = STAGE BOARD MEMBER, STAGE EMERITUS BOARD MEMBER, as of March 17, 2016

n = IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION

F O U N D AT I O N & G O V E R N M E N T H O N O R R O L L $75,000+ County of Onondaga, Administered by CNY Arts The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation $25,000 - $74,999 Central New York Community Foundation, Inc. John F. Marsellus Fund The Richard Mather Fund New York State Council on the Arts Shubert Foundation

$14,000 - $24,999 The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust Allyn Foundation $7,500 - $13,999 AXA Foundation The Gifford Foundation $2,800 - $7,499 The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Melvin & Mildred Eggers Family Charitable Foundation

$1,500 - $2,799 Bristol-Meyers Squibb Foundation Frank & Frances Revoir Foundation Theatre Development Fund, Inc. $1,000 - $1,499 Henry A. Panasci, Jr. Charitable Trust $250 - $999 Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation The Horowitch Family Foundation

ENDOWMENT & PLANNED GIFT DONORS $100,000 - $124,999 In Honor and Memory of Sheldon P. Peterfreund and Josephine A. Peterfreund

$5,000 - $7,499 Mary Louise Dunn Fund

$2,500 - $4,999 Dr. William J. Clark, Jr. Fund

INDIVIDUAL GIFTS All new and increased gifts this season are matched dollar for dollar by the Richard Mather Fund. Founders’ Circle $7,500 - $24,999 Paul Phillips, MD & Sharon* Sullivan Playwrights’ Circle $5,000 - $7,499 Daniel Bingham & Gail Hamner Bill & Nancy* Byrne Mary & Larry* Leatherman Judy & Eric Mower* Sandra Lee Fenske* & Joe Silberlicht Elinor Spring-Mills & Darvin Varon Producers’ Circle $2,800 - $4,999 George Bain Pete & Mary Beth* Carmen

Margaret, Amy & Bob Currier Helene* & Neil Gold Louis* & Susan Marcoccia Suzanne* & Kevin* McAuliffe Judith Sayles & David Murray Sally Lou & Fran* Nichols Frederick & Virginia* Parker Bob* & Kellie Pomfrey Mrs. Sherwin Radin The Spina Family Dr. & Mrs. Thomas R. Welch Directors’ Circle $1,500 - $2,799 Janet* Audunson & David Youlen Joan Christy & Thomas Bersani Nancy Seward & Tim Bond Cathy & Jim Breuer

Sandra* L. Brown Laurie Clark Kristin & Sidney Cominsky Ed and Susan Downing Therese & Richard* Driscoll Dana & Peggy Dudarchik Barbara & Michael Flintrop Joan & Eddie Green* Winifred E. Greenberg Ann & Larry* Harris Betsy Hartnett* Mr. & Mrs. Claude* Incaudo Peter Cannavo & Helen Jacoby Mr. & Mrs. Dudley Johnson Dr. & Mrs. Howard C. Johnson Randy & Elizabeth Kalish Bea Gonzalez* & Michael Leonard

Roberta & Rocco* Mangano Mr. John F.X. Mannion* & Mayor Stephanie A. Miner Nancy Green* & Tony Marschall Margaret* & Don Martin Kevin* & Michelle O’Connor Sheila R. Parker & John F. Parker, M.D. William & Rosemary Pooler Dene A. Sarason Elaine & Michael* Shende Leslie Kohman & Jeffrey Smith Dr. & Mrs. Sam Spalding Patricia & Melvin* Stith Cindy Sutton & Family Cherry & Peter Thun Linda & Jack* Webb Glenda & Larry Wetzel Laurie & Michael* Zoanetti Benefactors $1,000 - $1,499 Anonymous Maria & Paul Badami Marya & John Frantz and Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC Ann & Dan Lent Linda & Dan Lowengard Susan Beth Burgess & Michael S. Nilan Jan & David Panasci Sandra Hurd & Joel Potash Margaret & Richard* Shirtz George & Rita Soufleris Raymond & Linda Straub Stars $500 - $999 Marion Barbero Daniel* & Sarah Berman Jeffrey Bogart Rachel May & Tom Brockelman Drs. Alexander* & Margaret Charters Steven* & Seanne Chase Diana Coles Frank N. Decker John Druke Lew & Elaine Dubroff Jim & Patty Dungey Karen & Nat Dunn Clay & Dora Elliott Mary Ann Finn Grace & Michael Flusche

Sylvia & David Fry Allan & Nirelle Galson Michael & Jacki Goldberg Donna Graber Deborah Haines David Heisig & Donna Mahar Theodore Hansen David Jacobs John & Gloria Kennedy Penelope J.M. & Stephen M. Klein John MacAllister & Laurel Moranz Kim & Phillip Mazza Barbara Beckos & Arthur McDonald John P. & Elizabeth Y. McKinnell Jane Merrill Anne Morford Dorothea P. Nelson Nancy & Steve Rogers Tina Press & David Rubin Corinne & Lynn Smith James & Vicki Smith H. Paul Steiner Nancy Kramer & Doug Sutherland Wanda* Thompson Lorraine* Branham & Melvin Williams Angels $250 - $499 Mr. Timothy Atseff & Ms. Margaret G. Ogden Joanne & Jim Beckman Donna Marie & Michael F. Bocketti Dr. Sharon Brangman & Charlie Lester Susan & Thomas Brett Walter & Angel Broadnax Mark & Maren Brown Marlene A. Brown Marion L. Burke Craig & Kathy Byrum Ann* Clarke Pat Colabufo* Goodwin Cooke Mr. W. Carroll Coyne Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Dannible Bill & Terry Delevan Sandra Marie DiBianco Alan B. Dolmatch Walter & Linda Dudas Jonathan & Rosanne Ecker Anita & Allen Frank Melanie & Mark Fullerton

In Tribute Contributions have been made to Syracuse Stage to honor someone, celebrate a special occasion or offer an expression of sympathy in memory of a loved one.

Dr. & Mrs. Mark Adelson in memory of Laura Edell Sarah B. Alden in memory of Jacqueline Coley In Memory of Arlene Alpaugh Rose Erma Angotti in tribute of 43 years in real estate Juanita Balamut in tribute of Marion A. Sevier Mrs. Gwynne Bellos in honor of Dr. Neal S. Bellos Carrie Berse in memory of Betty Lourie Carol Bryant in honor of Virginia Parker Marion L. Burke in honor of Barbara B. Liptak Jim Clark & Sharon Gordon in honor of Betty Lourie and Lou Kempton The Central New York Community Foundation in memory of Betty Lourie Vicki & David Dansky in memory of Betty Lourie Susan G. Dorn in memory of Phillip K. Dorn Barbara Genton in honor of Donna Perricone Peggy Ginniff in honor of my parents Harold & Mildred Ginniff

Charles R. Gallagher Ernest Giraud Penny & Ernie Giraud Jerry & Beth Groff Dr. & Mrs. Donald M. Haswell Drs. Joe & Paula Himmelsbach Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Holstein Joyce Homan Randall LaLonde & Patricia Homer Carrie Mae Weems & Jeffrey* Hoone Elaine & Steve Jacobs Lex & Helen Joseph Robin & Mark Kasowitz Norma Kelley Stephen & Janet Kimatian Mary Rose Kott Ellen & Terry Lautz Marlene & Scott MacFarlane Candace & John Marsellus Albert Marshall Samantha* Millier Anne Morford John Palmer & Liz Morgenthein Betty Jane & Larry Myers Linda & Donald Napier Maria Maniscalco & James Nellis Dorothea & Douglas Nelson John & Joan Nicholson Michael & Maggie O’Connor Phyllis & Chuck Olmsted David & Susan Palen Ralph & Mary Lou Penner Robert & Jane Pickett Marilyn Pinsky Rissa & Michael Ratner James* & Theresa Reed Arnie & Libby Rubenstein Jane Burkhead & Robert Sarason Lois & Ted Schroeder Ellen Schwartz Marilyn & Mike Sees James W. Shults Rhoda Sikes Carol & Dirk Sonneborn Laurence Sovik Helene & George Starr L. John* Steigerwald IV Tiso Family Cynthia G. Tracy Anita Wagner Linda Webb – in support of Audio-Described Performances

Lynda & Terry Wheat John & Mitzi Wolf Mary Jane Woodward Supporting Cast $100 - $249 George & Sandra Abbott Dr. & Mrs. Jerrold Abraham Judy & Bud Adams Judith Adams Dr. George P. Adams & Mrs. Beverly C. Adams Sally Alden Kal Alston Robert & Jeanne Anderson Nathan Andrews Tony Antonello & Danielle Quintus Rosemary Baker & Stu Spiegel Holmes & Sarah Bailey Juanita Balamut Gail & Dennis Baldwin Ed & Joan Bangel Theresa & Dennis Bardenett Nancy Barnum Joseph & Linda Barry Andrew & Margot Baxter Gwynne Bellos Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Berger Roslyn Bilford Nicki Bisson Gerald & Barbara Black Gary & Fran Bockus Richard Bowman Virginia Brennan Jenifer Breyer Caroline & Nicholas Brust Carol Bryant Jennifer Bryer Helen Buck Mary & Bill Butler Naomi & Jim Cannon Joan Carlon Tom & Maryann Carranti Timothy McLaughlin & Diane Cass Dr. & Mrs. Raymond J. Cassady Susan Chappuis Joseph L. & Janice L. Charles Ann & Steve Chase Anthony & Carolyn Cimino Joan Cincotta Malcolm Clark Carolyn & Sam Clemence Dr. & Mrs. Paul S. Cohen Sylvia & William Cohen

Jacki & Michael Goldberg in tribute of Natalie Goldberg Syracuse MT Student Daughter Carol Jean in tribute of Bob & Blanche Everingham Tom & Christine Hafner in tribute of Peter Hafner Kip & Terri Hargrave in honor of Gus Hargrave & Rick Menke Kelly & Colleen Harrison in honor of Kathleen D. Harrig Kathlyn Heaton in honor of Sharon Waletzko Heidi Holtz in memory of Betty Lourie Doris King in memory of Austin Hoffman II Richard & Joan Kollgaard in honor of Don Buschmann & Tracey White Lorraine LaDuke in honor of Mrs. Cecile LaDuke Janet W. Lowe in honor of Bob Moss Gerald Mager in tribute of Thomas A. Brisk John Huppertz & Diane Mastin in honor of Fran & Sally Lou Nichols Carl Peterson & Margaret Maurer in memory of Jacqueline Coley Mr. Wallace J. McDonald in memory of Betty Lourie Richard Midlam in tribute of Barbara Midlam Lyn Morsillo & Vanessa Kalette in honor of Tracey White & Mary Kennett Janice Nelson in honor of Bea & Irving Solomon Brenda Neuss in tribute of Christine Lightcap In honor of Kathryn Mulligan

Martha Cole Mr. & Mrs. Robert Colley Michele Combs Margaret & David Compton Mr. & Mrs. Robert Congel Joan & Robert D. Conine William & Julia Consroe Orazio & Genevieve Covelli Elizabeth Cowan George Curry Jamie & Julie Cyr Peter & Margaret Darby Clive & Sandra Davis Carol Decker Paula A. Dendis Delores R. Dixon Susan Dorn Cynthia & Mark Dowd Greene Sharry Doyle Elizabeth & Evan Dreyfuss David & Robin Drucker Karen Dunn Nancy & Tony Ebersole S. Emerick Richard Ernst Susan Estabrook Cissie Fairchilds Lori & Christopher Farrell Tom & Jane Ferguson Marsha & Benjamin Ferrara James & Barbara Finlon Karen & William Fisher Molly Fitzpatrick Katherine Flack Robert & Terry Flower Geraldine Forbes & Sidney Greenblatt Len Fonte Kathleen Forrest Judith Fox Philip & Marilyn Frankel Jeff & Tess Freedman Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Freer Melanie & Mark Fullerton Carolyn & Sean Garner David & Bernice Gaynor Margaret Gelfuso Barbara W. Genton Michele & Carl Gildemeyer Frank & Anne Girardi Peggy Ginniff James Godleski Phyllis Goldman Robert & Karen Goldman Mrs. Lewis H. Goodman Linda Fabian Goodrich & Dennis Goodrich Lawrence & Dorothy Gordon

Drs. Michael & Wendy Gordon Judith & Samuel Gorovitz Joseph & Marie Grasso William J. Gray Stephen & Julia Graziano Dr. Roger & Vicki Greenberg Jerry & Beth Groff James M. Hahn Patricia Haggerty Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Halsey Mrs. Stuart Hancock, Jr. Carole & Mark Hansen Milena Hansen Margaret Harding & Joseph Whelan Bill & Kathy Harmand David & Lib Hayes Nancy & Bud Haylor Lionel Lee Hector Alan & Dorothy Heller Mary Hershberger Celaine & Victor Hershdorfer Jacqueline Hicks Camille & Mark Hill David & Sally Hootnick Marcia Hayden-Horan & Philip Horan Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hovey Guy & Patricia Howard John Huppertz & Diane Mastin Dr. Harold Husovsky & Dr. Susan E. Stred Jim & Sherri Hyla Virginia Jacob Richard Jaeger Janet Jaffe Anne Jamison & Peter Vanable Susan & Theodore Jarosz Mr. & Mrs. Jastrzab Sisters Janet & Joan James Aiello & Pam Johnson Pamela Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Johnson Thomas & Corinne Johnston Michael & Lynette Jozefczyk Marjorie T. & Joseph V. Julian Kankus Family Dr. & Mrs. Allan Kanter Jan & James Kaplan Dr. & Mrs. Philip Kaplan Carolyn & Gregory Keefe Jane & John Keegan Joan & Alexander Keilen David & Noel Keith Ed & Susan Kelley

Joy & Al Oliver in honor of Rebecca Oliver & Hillary Gale Susan A. Parker in honor of Virginia B. Parker Dr. Paul E. Phillips & Ms. Sharon Sullivan in memory of Betty Lourie David Relyea in honor of Paula Relyea Nancy Remchuk in honor of Timothy Bond Erica Rube in honor of Jackie Goldberg cochairing the Gala Elaine Rubenstein in memory of Betty Lourie Lorne & Ellen Runge in tribute of Betty Lourie Lois & Mike Schaffer in memory of Betty Lourie Nancy Scheutziw in tribute of Syracuse Stage Staff/Volunteers Mr. & Mrs. Jacob H. Schuhle in memory of William Whiting Mansukh J. Shah in memory of Indira M. Shah Mel Shindler in honor of Tracey White Corrine & Lynn Smith in support of Open Captioning H. Paul Steiner in honor of Renée & Ben & Tracey White Union Bank & Trust in Honor of Betty Lourie Carol Bryant & Richard Ward in honor of Virginia & Fritz Parker Lynda & Terry Wheat in memory of Betty Lourie JoAnne Wickman in honor of Arlene Alpaugh Janet Willis in memory of Genevieve Thuma

Jean Kimber Barbara & Richard Kimm Doris King Russell & Joan King Sally & Dick Kinsey Theresa & Stephen Kline Richard & Joan Kollgaard Dr. Sylvia Betcher & Martin Korn Kathy & Scott Krell Sheldon Kruth Jill Ladd Hume & Peggy Laidman Jay & Linda Land L. Lardy & E. Pennington Phyllis & Harlan LaVine Mark & Jeannette Levinsohn Bonnie Levy Elizabeth D. Liddy Edward & Carol Lipson Joanne Lloyd K.B. Lloyd Harlan London, Ph.D. Betsy Long John & Marian Loosmann Nicholas & Cathy Lozoponi Tom Miller & Mary MacBlane James & Patricia MacKillop John & Janet Mallan J.R. Manier Rick Manier Louis & Nancy Maresca Elizabeth G. Mascia Ann Marshall Frederick & Virginia Marty Mary K. Massad Michael Mattson Mr. & Mrs. Peter Mazzaferro Noreen & Donald McCrimmon William & Pamela McGarry Michael McGrath Pat McGrath Brian & Cheryl McIntyre Bev & Dave McKay Marilyn McKnight Brian McLane Diane Cass & Tim McLaughlin Nancy & M. James McPherson Dr. & Mrs. James L. Megna Mary & Eckart Meisterfeld Clifford & Marjorie Mellor Ann R. Melvin Ben & Julie Merchant Sis Merrell Elizabeth & Walter Merriam David Michelo & Peggy Ruzzie

Dan & Terry Miller Merrill L. Miller, M.D. Beth & David Mitchell June M. Mitchell James Mitscher Robert & Barbara Moore Tina Morgan Kathleen & James Muldoon Dr. & Mrs. Charles Muniak Mary Jane & Stephen Nathan Richard & Barbara Natoli Nancy Needham Brenda Neuss Cathryn Newton Dennis & Doren Norfleet Neil Novelli Brenda Neuss Robert & Beth Oddy Ute Oestreicher Howard McLaughlin & Mary O’Hara Sally O’Herin Albert & Joy Oliver Donna & Richard O’Neil Timothy & JoDean Orcutt Deborah O’Shea Kathy Palm Peter & Constance Palumb Susan Parker Kenn & Annette* Peters David & Susan Pickard Richard & Neva Pilgrim David & Linda Pitonzo Ann & Howard Port Kathy & Dan Rabuzzi Jean Raper Mark Re & Nancy Pasquale Robert & Christina Rhinehart Brian & Chris Rieger Julie & Boyd Rimel Michael Rogan & Cindy Wheeler Howard J. Rose Elaine Rubenstein Ellen & Lorne Runge Maria & Richard A. Russell Linda & Bob Ryan Don & Florence Saleh Richard & Jill Sargent Kelly & Tony Scalzo Jeffrey & Abby Scheer Robert Scheer Nancy Mudrick & Eric Schiff George & Sharon Schmit Mr. & Mrs. Jacob H. Schuhle Margaret Schuhle

Ruth Seaman Gracia & Kendrick Sears Thelie Trotty-Selzer & Jon Selzer Rick & Betsy Severance Craig Simmons Craig & Martha Smith Debbie & David Smith Judith B. Smith Robert & Sheila Smith Harold & Ruth Smulyan Gwen Kay & Jef Sneider Marcene Sonneborn Helen E. Stacy Anne Stagnitti Deirdre & David Stam John Steinburg & Karl Crossman Dr. Lawrence Stewart Jill & Ron Stratton Myrna & E.D. Sullivan Thomas Talbot Laura M. Terpening Christine & Richard Thomas Marguerite Conan & James A. Traver Charles F. Tremper Gregg Tripoli Jean & John Tromans Lennie Elizabeth Turner Dina & Gershon Vincow T.J. Vitale Fred & Patricia von Mechow Frank & Alice Vreeland Ann Vaccaro Kashi & Kameshwar Wali Mrs. Barbara Wanamaker Larry Volan & Sara Warner Dr. & Mrs. Donald Washburn Linda Webb--Audio Description Elizabeth Weinstein & Steven Shahan Ruth S. Weinstock Anna Giacobbe & Peter Welge Peter N. Wells Evelyn D. White Elizabeth & James Wiggins Garrett Wikoff Pauline & Robert Williamson Alex & Lola Winter Tina Winter Ivan & Bonnie Wolf Lori Ott & Jeffrey Woodward Kelly Wypych

Friends $75 - $99 Rose Erma Angotti John & Mary Ann Baichi Gail & Dennis Baldwin Leslie Bender Jon & Trish Booth G. Martin & Kathleen Brogan Bob & Kathy Brown Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Brust Dr. & Mrs. Deane Cady Tim Cassidy Joseph Cerroni & Linda Tassa Rosa & Lou Clark Mike & LaRae Cottrell Mr. & Mrs. D. Devendorf Charles & Kimberly Driscoll Mary M. Duffin Ronald Ferguson Cliff & Jane Forstadt David & Nancy Grant N. Gordon Gray Milena Hansen Julia & Daniel Harris

Miriam Hudecheck Elizabeth B. Humphreys Nancy Freeborough-Kaczmar Linda & Bob Kashdin Lois M. Easterday & Susan J. Lamanna Joanne Lloyd Paul G. Brown and Susan Loevenguth Louisa & Carlos Lopez Gerald M. Mager Robert Moore Janet S. Munro Deirdre Neilen Anita Pisano Steve & Kate Pynn Brian Silfer & Amy Romano John P. Ronan Terry & Marilyn Ryan Martha Sutter Joseph Serroni & Linda Tassa JoAnn Wallace Mark Watkins & Brenda Silverman Dianne D. Webb

Matching Gift Program The following companies will match gifts of their employees, retirees and spouses with a gift of their own to Syracuse Stage. Ask your personnel office for a matching gift form, send the completed form with your gift – and we’ll do the rest! AT&T Allied-Signal, Inc. American Express Company Avon Products, Inc. AXA Equitable Bank of America Borden, Inc. Bristol-Meyers Squibb Foundation CIGNA Corporation CNA Foundation Chemical Bank Chubb Group of Insurance Companies Citicorp & Citibank, N.A. Coopers Industries Foundation Crouse Hinds Co. – Cooper

Industries Deluxe Corporation Digital Equipment Corporation Emerson Electric Co. Equitable Life Assurance Society Farmer & Traders Life Ins. Co. Fireman’s Fund Insurance GE Foundation General Foods Corporation GlaxoSmithKline John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance The Home Depot Foundation Honeywell IBM Corporation J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Contact Us We endeavor to provide a complete listing of all donors in all individual giving categories. However, if your gift is not listed or is listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and contact the Development Office. at (315) 443-9848.

Johnson & Johnson Kemper National P&C Co. Key Foundation Lever Brothers Company Marine Midland Bank, N.A. McDonald’s Corporation Merrill Lynch Mobil Oil Corporation The MONY Group Mutual Life Insurance Co. NCR Corporation National Grange New York Telephone Niagara Mohawk Foundation Owens-Illinois, Inc. Pitney Bowes The Prudential Foundation Charles Schwab Radio Shack Rockwell Automation Trust SmithKline Beecham Labs The St. Paul’s Companies The Travelers Companies United Parcel Service United Technologies Corp. Verizon Welch Allyn Xerox Corporation

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E G A L A 2 0 1 5

UNDERWRITERS

Michael & Jacki Goldberg POMCO Group The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation AMERICANA BLUES TABLES

Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC Harbridge Consulting Group Helene & Neil Gold National Grid Sharon Sullivan & Paul Phillips, MD

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University University College of Syracuse University

DELTA BLUES TABLES

The Allyn Foundation Bank of America Barclay Damon, LLP Bousquet Holstein PLLC Faculy & Staff of Color Connection Group @ SU Hancock Estabrook, LLP David Katleski Ken Kavajecv & Verda Blythe

KeyBank KPMG LLP Mackenzie Hughes LLP ERIC MOWER + ASSOCIATES Ginny & Fritz Parker Rockacres Veterinary Hospital Sack and Associates Syracuse Stage Guild Upstate Medical University

GALA SPONSORS

Mary Beth & Pete Carmen M&T Bank NBT Bank Drs. Melvin & Patricia Stith Syracuse Media Group Austin, Alesandro & Josephson Group at UBS Financial Services Inc. GALA SUPPORTERS

Lynda & Terry Wheat

as of OCTOBER 1, 2015

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

Producing Artistic Director..........................................................................................Timothy Bond Interim Managing Director.........................................................................................Diana C. Coles Resident Dramaturg........................................................................................................Kyle Bass Artistic Assistant..........................................................................................................Chris Botek Director of Educational Outreach......................................................................Lauren Unbekant Education Outreach Manager.................................................................................Kate Laissle Education Assistant...................................................................................................Len Fonte In-School Arts Coordinator.........................................................................Emmett Van Slyke Lead Teaching Artist.............................................................................................Corinne Tyo Teaching Artists...................Megan Barbour, Jessica Bland, Caitlin Friedberg, Allison Popieski P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F

Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann Assistant Production Manager.................................................................................Dianna Angell Company Manager/Production Management Assistant..............................................Brian Crotty Student Work Study........................................................................Bianca Boller, Leola Powell Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King Master Carpenter...............................................................................................Simone Scalici Carpenters.................................................................................Phillip Dyke, Jordan Michaud Graduate Assistant...............................................................................................Eric Charlton Student Work Study.........................................................................................Emma Antenen Scenic Charge Artist...........................................................................................Holly K. LaGrow Assistant Scenic Artist.......................................................................Kristen Prescott-Ezickson Graduate Assistant...........................................................................................Loren Bartnicke Properties Coordinator...........................................................................................Mary Houston Props Carpenter..............................................................................................Tammy Goetsch Props Artisan...........................................................................................................Lisa Letson Graduate Assistant...............................................................................................Chelsea Jones Student Work Study.................................................Jessica Crawford, Emily Mae Timmerman Costumer................................................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Assistant Costumer............................................................................................Meggan Camp Cutter-Drapers.....................................................................Catherine Hennessy, Jennifer Peet First Hand.........................................................................................................Victoria Lillich Stitchers.....................................................................................Nicole Long, Katelyn Yonkers Craftsperson/Shopper.........................................................................................Sandra Knapp Wardrobe and Wig Supervisor.................................................................................Sarah Stark Hair Stylist......................................................................................................Kristina Scalone Student Work Study.........................Kathryn Bailey, Kiersten Kozbial-Wu, Charity Van Tassel Master Electrician............................................................................................David M. Bowman Assistant Master Electrician..............................................................................Miles Dudgeon Electrics Apprentice............................................................................................Laura Gisondi Student Assistants................................................Greg Folsom, Anna LiDestri, Roslyn Palmer Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer.......................................................Jonathan R. Herter Assistant Audio Engineer................................................................................Kevin O’Connor Sound Apprentice...............................................................................................Ryan Johnson Graduate Assistant................................................................................................Stefan Zoller Production Stage Manager....................................................................................Stuart Plymesser Stage Manager..............................................................................................Laura Jane Collins Stage Management Journeyman............................................................................Erin C Brett Stage Management Apprentice.........................................................................Marisa Andrews 58

S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F A D M I N I S T R AT I V E S TA F F

General Manager...............................................................................................................Jon Wilson Comptroller..............................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale Human Resources Manager/Business Associate..................................................Kathy Zappala Business Office Work Study Assistant.........................................................Emily Buonsignore Director of Information Management & Technology...................................Garrett Wheeler-Diaz Student Assistant..................................................................................................Justin Ramer Director of Ticketing & Subscription Services........................................................Miguel Tarrats Assistant Director of Ticketing and Subscription Services........................Courtney Richardson Assistant Box Office Manager.................................................................................Lisa Doerle Patron Sales and Services.....................................Brian Balamut, Jasmin Fink, Dennis Lennox Box Office Assistants.....................................Phelicia Ball, Danielle Bertolini, Sophia Blayney Stephanie Burnham, Elizabeth Carson, Luke Earle Allisha Edwards, Elizabeth Gardner, Rupert Krueger Michael Roach, Rebecca Yaciuk Director of Audience Services.......................................................................Wayne E. Yaddow, Jr. Evening House Manager....................................................................................Donna Stuccio Substitute House Manager.............................................................................Patricia Condello Student Assistant House Managers.....................Drew Deal, Matthew Mueller, Natalie Oliver Bartenders....................................Meg Pusey Anthis, Evan Davis, William Loeper, Hero Scott Work Study Ushers................................Mallory Astrow, McKenna Batterson, Sophia Blayney Michael Bodomov, Tucker Breder, Ezekiel Edmonds Allisha Edwards, Madelyn Geltch, Caleb Grochalski Collin Hotchkiss, Sarah Hubner, Lauren Hughes Aliana Kilmer-Setrakian, Melissa Lawson, Alexander Aranyi Low Jenna Najjar, Devina Sabnis, Hannah Schaffer Director of Development...............................................................................................Tina Morgan Assistant Director of Development................................................................Katherine Keeney Development Assistant...................................................................................Meggan Madden Development Consultant..................................................................................Barbara Beckos Angel Appeal Telefunding Manager....................................................................Kathy Zappala Graduate Intern..............................................................................................Kimberly Grader Development Intern..........................................................................................Rebecca Yaciuk Director of Marketing and Communications..............................................................Joseph Whelan Group/Corporate Sales Manager.........................................................................Tracey White Group Sales Assistant........................................................................................Amanda Kurey Marketing Manager...........................................................................................Joanna Penalva Public Relations Manager..............................................................................Kristina Starowitz Graphic Designers.................................................................Jonathan Hudak, Brenna Merritt Marketing Interns....................................Suzanne El-Nabli, Madison Flavin, Molly Goldberg Rebecca Hansen, Alex Long, Jari Wilson Interpreters for the Deaf.........................................Brenda Brown, Angelo Coppola, Mikki Evans Sue Freeman, Joanne Jackowski, Sarah Korcz Zenna Preli, Shaun Standford Open Captioning........................................................................................................Chris Botek Audio Description........................................................................Kate M. Laissle, Joseph Whelan Community Services Officer.................................................................................Stacey Emmons Custodians........................................................................Kitty Ashby, Les Edwards, Tony Rogers 59

ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCES 2015/16

THE CHRISTIANS

Sat. Apr. 16, 3:00 S Sat. Apr. 23, 3:00 AD Wed. Apr. 20, 2:00 O Sun. Apr. 24, 2:00 O

BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY

Sat. May. 21, 3:00 S Sat. May. 21, 3:00 AD Wed. May. 25, 2:00 O Sun. May. 29, 2:00 O

American Sign Language = S Sign Language Interpreted Performance Series supported in part by Welch Allyn, in memory of Susan Thompson. An American Sign Language Interpreted performance is offered for every production. For the most advantageous viewing, be sure to mention your interest in sign interpretation when reserving tickets. Open Captioned Performances = O Open Captioning is provided for two matinee performances of every production. A small screen, placed to the side of the stage, displays text corresponding to the play’s dialogue and other sounds. Open Captioning can be viewed from most seats in the theatre. However, for the most advantageous viewing, please contact the Box Office. Open Captioning is supported by grants from Theatre Development Fund’s TAP Plus Praagram, NYSCA and donations from individuals and corporations. Audio-Described Performances = AD Simultaneous live narration and pre-show description for blind and visually impaired patrons. Please call the Box Office in advance to reserve headsets. Audio Enhancement: Syracuse Stage offers an infrared hearing system for patrons with up to 70% hearing loss. Headsets can be reserved free of charge through the Box Office or at the Coat Room before curtain. Wheelchair Seating and Accessibility: Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible. Please call the Box Office at 315-443-3275 to arrange wheelchair seating.

G E N E R A L I N F O R M AT I O N SYRACUSE STAGE 820 East Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210-1508 Administration: 315/443-4008 Box Office: 315/443-3275 www.SyracuseStage.org SINGLE TICKET PRICES Evenings: Fri., Sat.: $50, $46, $30 Sun., Tues., Wed., Thurs.: $41, $38, $30 Matinees: Wed., Sat., Sun.: $48, $45, $30 Previews: $36, $33, $30 All tickets can be purchased at the Syracuse Stage Box Office or online anytime at www.SyracuseStage.org. Prices may vary for opening nights. DISCOUNTS Available for senior citizens and students. Call the Box Office for prices. GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE Available for groups of 10 or more; additional discounts for student/senior citizen groups. Call Tracey White: 315/443-9844. RUSH TICKETS Rush tickets are available for purchase at a discounted rate on the day of the show for all performances. Limited availability. BOX OFFICE HOURS The Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. noon to 6 p.m., and two hours before each performance. Box Office phone: 315/443-3275. Box Office fax: 315/443-1408. GIFT CERTIFICATES Call the Box Office or visit us online at SyracuseStage.org PARKING Entrance to the enclosed parking garage on Irving Avenue is on the corner of Madison Street and Irving, next to the Madison-Irving Medical Building. For hours of operation and parking costs, call (315) 475-4742. There is an open parking lot between Phoebe’s Garden Cafe and the garage maintained by Syracuse University. BEEPERS AND CELL PHONES For the actors’ safety and in consideration of the audience please turn off all cell phones; check your beeper and leave your seat number with an usher at the Coat Room prior to the performance. They will monitor your beeper and notify you if there is an emergency. FIRE NOTICE The exit indicated by a red sign nearest the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of an emergency, walk to that exit and follow the house staff’s directions. SMOKING POLICY The Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex is proud to be tobacco- and smoke-free. To help ensure a healthy and respectful environment, the use of all tobacco and tobacco-related products is prohibited on the property, including buildings, sidewalks, and parking areas. For more information visit: wellness.syr.edu/tobacco-free QUIET CHILDREN Quiet children over the age of five are welcome at Syracuse Stage performances. We do ask that adults remove disruptive children to the lobby.

TICKET EXCHANGE All tickets may be exchanged. Please call the Box Office 24 hours prior to the earliest performance involved in the exchange. Single ticket exchanges carry a $5 fee per ticket. Flex Pack holders may make one free exchange per show. Subscribers may make unlimited free exchanges; upgrade charges may apply. Subscribers who missed a scheduled performance and did not exchange may use their Extra Value Coupon or purchase a missed performance pass for $5. LATECOMERS In order to ensure the safety and concentration of the actors and the uninterrupted enjoyment of our patrons, latecomers will be seated at the earliest, appropriate break in the performance in the closest available seats. BUY IT IF YOU LIKE IT! Many of the items featured in our productions are available for purchase. For information contact Mary Houston, Props Master: (315) 443-2437. TO VOLUNTEER AS AN USHER If you would like to get a backstage view of Syracuse Stage, or would like to expand your social circle, this is the ideal opportunity for you. All we ask for is a positive attitude, a smiling face and the willingness to commit a few hours a month. Please call our House Manager at (315) 443-3219 for more information. OPEN CAPTIONING We are pleased to offer two open captioned performances for each mainstage play. Open captioning provides a simultaneous display of the play’s dialogue on a screen to the right of the stage. AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES Simultaneous live narration and pre-show description for blind and visually impaired patrons. Please contact Box Office in advance to reserve headsets. AUDIO ENHANCEMENT We offer an infrared listening system for patrons with up to a 70% hearing loss. Headsets can be reserved free of charge at the Coat Room before curtain. SIGNED INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES Tuesday evenings, the third or fourth week of each production, we offer performances for the hearing impaired. WHEELCHAIR ACCOMMODATIONS Syracuse Stage is wheelchair accessible. Please call the Box Office to arrange wheelchair seating. EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CONTACT To be reached in an emergency, please leave your name and seat location at the Coat Room when you arrive. This is the only way we can locate you. In case of an emergency you may be reached at (315) 443-9922. WWW.SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG Subscribe, purchase Flex Packs, gift certificates, and single tickets 24-7. Information, schedules, reviews and more. PLEASE . . . The use of cameras and recording devices is not permitted. Please do not bring food into the theatre. Drinks in Syracuse Stage’s Approved Theatre Containers may be brought into the theatre. Those containers are available for purchase at the Gift Shop in the Coyne Lobby. ADVERTISER SUPPORT Syracuse Stage encourages audience members to support the businesses advertised in our program.

PRESENTS

15 16 SEASON

KISS ME, KATE MUSIC AND LYRICS BY COLE PORTER BOOK BY SAM AND BELLA SPEWACK DIRECTED BY DAVID LOWENSTEIN MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANDREA LEIGH-SMITH PERFORMED IN THE ARCHBOLD THEATRE OCTOBER 2 - 10 OPENING NIGHT: OCTOBER 3

AGAMEMNON BY AESCHYLUS DIRECTED BY RODNEY HUDSON NOVEMBER 6 - 15 OPENING NIGHT: NOVEMBER 7

PETER PAN CO-PRODUCED WITH SYRACUSE STAGE LYRICS BY CAROLYN LEI GH • MUSIC BY MORRIS "MOOSE" CHARLAP • ADDITIONAL LYRICS BY BETTY COMDEN AND ADOLPH GREEN • ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY JULE STYNE • BASED ON THE PLAY BY SIR JAMES M. BARRIE • DIRECTED BY PAUL BARNES • MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET CHOREOGRAPHED BY ANTHONY SALATINO • FLYING EFFECTS PROVIDED BY ZFX, INC. • PERFORMED IN THE ARCHBOLD THEATRE • NOVEMBER 28 – JANUARY 3 • OPENING NIGHT: DECEMBER 4

PUNK ROCK BY SIMON STEPHENS DIRECTED BY ROBERT MOSS FEBRUARY 19 - 28 OPENING NIGHT: FEBRUARY 20

THE SPITFIRE GRILL A MUSICAL MUSIC AND BOOK BY JAMES VALCQ LYRICS AND BOOK BY FRED ALLEY BASED ON THE FILM BY LEE DAVID ZLOTOFF DIRECTED BY RALPH ZITO MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANDREA LEIGH-SMITH APRIL 1 - 10 OPENING NIGHT: APRIL 2

A FLEA IN HER EAR A NEW VERSION OF GEORGES FEYDEAU’S FARCE BY DAVID IVES DIRECTED BY STEPHEN CROSS MAY 6 - 14 OPENING NIGHT: MAY 7 *DRAMA SUBSCRIBERS WILL RECEIVE VOUCHERS REDEEMABLE FOR TICKETS TO PETER PAN . ETHAN SAVIET AND ANA MARCU IN PARADE. DIRECTED BY MARIE KEMP. MUSICAL DIRECTOR: BRIAN CIMMET. CHOREOGRAPHER: ANDREA LEIGH-SMITH. SCENIC DESIGNER: ALEX PETERSEN. COSTUME DESIGNER: VICKI R. DAVIS. LIGHTING DESIGNER: EMILY STORK. PHOTO: MICHAEL DAVIS.

RALPH ZITO, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA

S E A S ON S P ONS OR

TICKETS & SEASON PACKAGES AVAILABLE

vpa.syr.edu/drama | 315.443.3275 Follow us on:

SUDrama.VPA

@SUDrama_VPA

SEASON

15.16 STEVE MARTIN’S

THE UNDERPANTS BY STEVE MARTIN ADAPTED FROM CARL STERNHEIM

OCTOBER 21 – NOVEMBER 8

PETER PAN

LYRICS BY CAROLYN LEIGH MUSIC BY MORRIS "MOOSE" CHARLAP ADDITIONAL LYRICS BY BETTY COMDEN AND ADOLPH GREEN ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY JULE STYNE BASED ON THE PLAY BY SIR JAMES M. BARRIE FLYING EFFECTS PROVIDED BY ZFX, INC. CO-PRODUCED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA

THE SANTALAND DIARIES

THE CHRISTIANS

BY DAVID SEDARIS ADAPTED BY JOE MANTELLO

APRIL 6 – 24

DECEMBER 9 – JANUARY 3

KEN LUDWIG’S

STUPID FUC#ING BIRD

BY AARON POSNER SORT OF ADAPTED FROM CHEKHOV’S THE SEAGULL

BY LUCAS HNATH

BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY BASED ON A NOVEL BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 7

MAY 11 – 29

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

TICKETS AND SEASON PACKAGES BOX OFFICE: 315.443.3275 GROUP SERVICES: 314.443.9844 WWW.SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG

ADAPTED BY CHRISTOPHER SERGEL FROM THE NOVEL BY HARPER LEE

FEBRUARY 24 – MARCH 26

Lila Coogan, Aurelia Williams, and Mary DiGangi in Hairspray. Marc Safran Photography.

NOVEMBER 28 – JANUARY 3

SEASON SPONSOR:

Free Cannoli with ticket stub from e Christians. Limit one oﬀer per customer per visit.

741 North Salina St. Syracuse, N.Y. 13208 315.478.9583 fax 315.478.6152 www.BiscottiCafe.com Biscotticafe@yahoo.com Mon: Closed Tues, Wed, ur: 7am - 7pm Fri, Sat: 7am - 11pm Sun: 7am - 3pm