Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Program

WHERE THE ARTS TAKE CENTER STAGE

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Advertising: Joanna Penalva

Layout: Jonathan Hudak

Cover Artwork: Brenna Merritt

The Slutzker Family Foundation is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor for the 50th Anniversary Season, including Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill .

Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1917, Lillian Slutzker was a survivor. After fleeing Nazi control for England, she met her husband at a USO dance and later returned to his hometown of Rome, New York.

She dedicated her life to bettering her community. The Foundation’s purpose is to carry on her incredible legacy and fulfill her passion for Judaism, education, the arts, and enriching the community.

LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC AND MANAGING DIRECTORS

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, the second production in our 50th Anniversary season. We’re so glad you’ve joined us for this moving and powerful exploration of Billie Holiday and her world.

We come to this production with the knowledge that one of the most dedicated and devoted members of our Syracuse Stage community, Virgina Parker, passed away just a few weeks ago. This production is dedicated to her memory. She would have loved this show. Ginny was a long-time member of our Board of Trustees and, more significantly, one of the most vocal and enthusiastic supporters of our work. She gave tirelessly to this theatre. She engaged passionately in all aspects of the work. And she cared deeply about the people who work here.

Among her many talents, Ginny was a consummate note writer. If you hadn’t gotten a hand-written note from Ginny

asking you to support Stage, it was only a matter of time before you did. She also populated our in-boxes with the most thoughtful and insightful emails about the plays and playwrights she admired, about her concerns for the future of our field, about life in all its messy and wonderful manifestations.

We will miss Ginny Parker. She is irreplaceably woven into the fabric of the company. Ginny was the sort of patron other theatres can only dream about. With this production, we honor how she enriched our lives here at Stage while we celebrate her steadfast belief that the arts make our lives more interesting, meaningful and hopeful.

With warmest regards,

 ROBERT HUPP AND JILL ANDERSON.

PHOTO: BRENNA MERRITT.

Bob Hupp Artistic Director

Jill Anderson Managing Director

Virginia Barnes Parker

May 9, 1940 – September 23, 2023

This production is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Ginny Parker, longtime friend and supporter of Syracuse Stage. Trustee, Syracuse Stage Board of Trustees – 1996 - 2023

PRESENTS

BY

Lanie Robertson

MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS BY Danny Holgate

DIRECTED BY Jade King Carroll

MUSIC DIRECTION BY Gary Mitchell, Jr.

SCENIC DESIGNER

Brittany Vasta

Robert Hupp Artistic Director

PRESENTING SPONSOR

COSTUME AND WIG DESIGNER

Karen Perry

STAGE MANAGER

Laura Jane Collins*

Jill A. Anderson Managing Director

SEASON SPONSORS

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Mary Louise Geiger

CASTING Bass/Valle Casting

SOUND DESIGNER

Jacqueline R. Herter

Melissa Crespo Associate Artistic Director Kyle Bass Resident Playwright

MEDIA SPONSORS

PAY-WHAT-YOU-WILL SPONSOR

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill was first produced in New York by the Vineyard Theatre.

October 18 - November 5, 2023

TAKING PHOTOS IN THE THEATRE

Audience members may take photos in the theatre before and after the performance and during intermission. If you post photos on social media or elsewhere, you must credit the production's director and designers by including the names below.

Please note: Photos are strictly prohibited during the performance. Photos of the stage are not permitted if an actor is present. Video and audio recording is not permitted at any time in the theatre.

DIRECTED BY

Jade King Carroll

SCENIC DESIGNER

Brittany Vasta

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Mary Louise Geiger

COSTUME AND WIG DESIGNER

Karen Perry

SOUND DESIGNER

Jacqueline R. Herter

SPECIAL THANKS

Syracuse Stage offers a special thanks to Larry Luttinger and the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation for helping to make this production possible.

VIDEO RECORDING IN THE THEATRE

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists

CAST

(in order of speaking)

Tracey Conyer Lee*........................................Billie Holiday

Gary Mitchell, Jr.* ........................................Jimmy Powers

UNDERSTUDIES

Understudies never substitute for the listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of performance.

For Billie Holiday – Nedra Snipes*

BAND

Gary Mitchell, Jr.* – Piano DeVaughn Jackson – Bass

ADDITIONAL CREDITS

Dialect Coach for Nedra Snipes: Amani Dorn

Associate Scenic Designer: Yijun Yang

Production Assistant: Em Piraino

Stage Management Intern: Seb Arora

Wardrobe & Wig Supervisor: Dylinn Andrew

Electrician/Board Op: Travis Burt

Sound Assistant/A2: Garrett Frink

Spotlight Operator: Chris Green

Dog Handler: Caitlin Radziewski

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Scenic, Costume, Lighting, and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

CELEBRATING

50

IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY ON

There are places in the soul only music can reach. –Patdro Harris (director of Crowns and Ain’t Misbehavin’)

Looking at the record, it would be safe to say that musicals were not necessarily a priority for Arthur Storch. It took seven seasons for him to produce his first at Syracuse Stage, Side by Side by Sondheim, and in the 12 seasons that followed, he produced only five more: Dames at Sea, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Little Shop of Horrors, Oil City Symphony, and Pump Boys and Dinettes. That said, music was prominently featured in some well-known productions including the rock concertlike version of Tooth of Crime, with Ray Wise and Raul Aranas, and Shepard Sets, with Aranas and S. Epatha Merkerson and music composed and directed by the legendary jazz drummer Max Roach. (In 1989, Storch also took an assignment away from Stage directing Rudolf Nureyev in a national tour of The King and I.)

Cost, no doubt, was a factor in limiting the number of musicals slated for performance at Stage. They are very expensive to produce. Stage’s annual holiday musical, popular since 2000’s production of Peter Pan, is only possible because it is co-produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama, and therefore operates under contractual obligations different than Stage’s usual League of Resi-

2003

“ ”

Originally, [Spirituals] were slave songs filled with secret codes and messages. They were a celebratory cry in the face of enduring struggle. Spirituals are a haunting legacy of the drama of a people fighting to find a voice. An identity. They mirror the suffering of the human soul in all its forms. Loneliness. Sorrow. Distress. Poverty. Lamentation. But also happiness. Thoughts of peace. Hope. Fulfillment. Enlightenment. Accomplishment. Personal and

spiritual triumph.

- TAZEWELL THOMPSON

 NADIYAH S. DORSEY AND TRACEY CONYER LEE IN TAZEWELL THOMPSON’S CONSTANT STAR SEASON: 2003 – 2004. DIRECTOR: TAZEWELL THOMPSON. PHOTO: ALEX OTTAVIANO.

dent Theatre’s contract. Among other provisions, it allows Stage to cast many students in the show. The co-pro has proven to a be a win for Stage, a win for the Department of Drama, and a win for audiences. (More on the holiday co-pros in the program for A Christmas Carol.)

In his short tenure, Tazewell Thompson produced the musical revues Woody Guthrie’s American Song and Tintypes Post Syracuse Stage, Thompson has become very successful as a director and creator of opera. He has directed at opera houses around the world, including New York City Opera, Teatro Real, La Scala, L’Opera Bastille, among others, and received Emmy nominations for Best Director and Best Production for Porgy and Bess broadcast live

from Lincoln Center. He has directed frequently at the Glimmerglass Festival, where in 2019 his opera Blue (libretto and direction) had its world premiere. With music by Jeanine Tesori, Blue won the Music Critics Association of North America award for Best New Opera in 2020. While Covid impacted several scheduled productions of Thompson’s opera, Blue had its European premiere at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam and subsequently performed at the English National Opera.

Thompson returned to Stage in 2003 – 2004 to direct his play Constant Star, a music infused work based on the life of anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells. Thompson included 20 Spirituals in the show, beautifully sung by a cast of five,

1999

I would say it is the soul of the play because it

reveals the spiritual undertones. There is an aspect that is almost divination. The drumming, for instance, is conversation; it reflects the emotion of the community . . . Yoruba music and drumming are very specific and sacred in the way they can powerfully evoke whatever message has to come through.

-

KYSIA BOSTIC

including Tracey Conyer Lee who stars as Billie Holiday in this production. With echoes of Patdro Harris’ observation above, Thompson wrote in a program note: “Originally, [Spirituals] were slave songs filled with secret codes and messages. They were a celebratory cry in the face of enduring struggle. Spirituals are a haunting legacy of the drama of a people fighting to find a voice. An identity. They mirror the suffering of the human soul in all its forms. Loneliness. Sorrow. Distress. Poverty. Lamentation. But also happiness. Thoughts of peace. Hope. Fulfillment. Enlightenment. Accomplishment. Personal and spiritual triumph.”

Of course, the introduction of the Syracuse Stage/Department of

Drama co-production during Bob Moss’s tenure represents the most significant increase in the importance and frequency of musicals in Syracuse Stage seasons. Yet, even before Amanda Butterbaugh as Peter Pan soared toward “the second star on the right then straight on ‘til morning,” Stage achieved a significant first when longtime Department of Drama faculty members Gerardine Clark and Anthony Salatino teamed up with composers Dianne Adams McDowell and her husband James to create an original musical adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. Clark’s daughter Katharine provided additional lyrics. The show’s world premiere closed the 1996-1997 season as a theatre for young audiences (TYA) presentation

 THE WOMEN OF THE VILLAGE IN WOLE SOYINKA’S DEATH AND THE KINGS HORSEMAN SEASON: 1998 – 1999. DIRECTOR: MARION MCCLINTON. PHOTO: DOUGLAS WONDERS.

Joy is something you want to share. You can’t keep joy to yourself. His music is like that. It is music for participating. His music is the reason we go out on Saturday night. There’s something for everyone. When we listen to his music, we make connections with each other. It’s like we can be friends.

“ ”

- PATDRO HARRIS

before transferring to off-Broadway’s New Victory Theatre, where it was deemed “a colorful, cheery, tuneful, and spirited return to Ratty’s river” by the New York Times, and where sharp eyes spotted Paul Simon and Sting among the audience.

Broadway veteran Ken Jennings turned in a delightfully comedic performance as Alfred Doolittle in a scaled down version of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady (scored for two pianos) to close the 2004 – 2005 season. The cast also featured longtime Drama faculty members Elizabeth and Malcolm Ingram. Just a season before, associate artistic director Michael Donald Edwards guided the much less traditional Hedwig and the Angry Inch

by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, which was performed next door at the theatre at Hutchings.

Though not a musical, Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman featured outstanding traditional drumming by Adebisi Adeleke and Adesina Odukoya, which underscored much of the play’s action and drove Dianne McIntyre’s choreography, performed by dancers from the Syracuse community. Drawn from Yoruba songs and melodies, the music was integral to the performance, as composer/arranger Kysia Bostic explained: “I would say it is the soul of the play because it reveals the spiritual undertones. There is an aspect that is almost divination. The drumming, for instance, is

 DANIELLE HERBERT, JENNIFER FOUCHÉ, ANTHONY BOGGESS-GLOVER, STEPHEN SCOTT WORMLEY, AND LEXI RHOADES IN AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'. SEASON: 2016 – 2017. DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY PATDRO HARRIS. PHOTO: MICHAEL DAVIS.

conversation; it reflects the emotion of the community . . . Yoruba music and drumming are very specific and sacred in the way they can powerfully evoke whatever message has to come through.” The Yoruba musical tradition is deep as evidenced by fourth generation master drummer Adebisi Adeleke, whose great-grandfather was instructed by his local king to learn what is called the “talking drum.” The actual instrument Adeleke used in the production was 200 years old and originally belonged to his great-grandfather. (See sidebar on page 19.)

While Tim Bond made his directorial debut with August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a play steeped in the Blues and set in a recording studio, he, like

Storch before him, preferred straight plays (non-musicals). Essentially, Bond was content with one musical per season, the co-production. Still, in the first season he selected for Stage, he chose Regina Taylor’s rousing Crowns as the closer, and in the final season he selected, he included Ain’t Misbehavin’, a celebration of the music of the great Fats Waller, both directed by the irrepressible Patdro Harris, who delighted in the capacity of Waller’s music to bring people together in joy: “Joy is something you want to share. You can’t keep joy to yourself. His music is like that. It is music for participating. His music is the reason we go out on Saturday night. There’s something for everyone. When we listen to his music, we make connections with each other. It’s like we can be friends.”

2012

“ ”

Having previously played Caroline at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Oglesby was well acquainted with the role and composer Tesori was well acquainted with Oglesby’s talent. In fact, when Lincoln Center honored Tesori with an evening dedicated to her music, the composer requested that Oglesby sing “Lot’s Wife” from Caroline, or Change. It was that song that quite literally stopped the show at Syracuse Stage each performance.

 GRETA OGLESBY AND STEPHANIE UMOH IN CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. SEASON: 2011 – 2012. DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY MARCELA LORCA. PHOTO: T. CHARLES ERICKSON.

Among the highlights of Bond’s tenure would be another musical, Caroline, or Change, written by Tony Kushner with music by Tesori. The production introduced director Marcela Lorca to Stage audiences. Lorca would return to direct the searing contemporary drama Scorched by Lebanese-Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad and the comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang. Outstanding in an outstanding cast were local child actor Séamus Gailor as 8-year-old Noah Gelman (Kushner’s fictional stand-in) and the remarkable Greta Oglesby in the title role of Caroline Thibodeaux. Gailor would make a repeat appearance as Michael Darling in the 2015 – 2016 production of Peter Pan. Having previously played Caroline at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Oglesby was well acquainted with the role and composer Tesori was well acquainted with Oglesby’s talent. In fact, when Lincoln Center honored Tesori with an evening dedicated to her music, the composer requested that Oglesby sing “Lot’s Wife” from Caroline, or Change. It was that song that quite literally stopped the show at Syracuse Stage each performance.

When Bob Hupp arrived at Stage for the 2016 – 2017 season, he quickly set about exploring and realizing the potential benefits of including a second musical in each season. His first step was to add the Johnny Cash musical Ring of Fire to the end of the season. Then, in 2017 – 2018, Hupp directed Broadway veteran Judy McLean in the moving musical Next to Normal. One of only nine musicals to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Next to Normal earned three Tony Awards in 2009. With a rock inflected score by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal tackles subject matter more often found in drama. The musical delves into the impact of personal loss and struggles with mental health and addiction in the lives of a woman and her family. It requires a cast of impeccable musical skill and a capacity for emotional depth. Led by McLean, whose experience included more than 4000 performances in the long-running Broadway musical Mama Mia!, Hupp’s cast delivered performances at once achingly honest and emotionally complex. In a program note, Hupp explained his rationale for producing Next to Normal: “I picked this musical because as dark as it sounds, Next to Normal is full of optimism and hope—and love. It’s a musical about finding the light and never giving up.”

In the following season, 2018 – 2019, Jason Alexander came to Stage with a new concept for Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years. Alexander’s idea was to take Brown’s musical about the arc of a couple’s relationship and expand the theatricality by adding two dancers whose choreography (by Lee Martino) would mirror the

“

 TYLER FAUNTLEROY AND JUDY MCLANE IN NEXT TO NORMAL. SEASON: 2017 – 2018. DIRECTED BY ROBERT HUPP. PHOTO: MICHAEL DAVIS.

I picked this musical because as dark as it sounds, Next to Normal is full of optimism and hope—and love. It’s a musical about finding the light and never giving up.

- ROBERT HUPP

emotional journey. Hupp had worked with Alexander previously at Arkansas Rep and wanted to bring the celebrated actor/director to Stage if schedules allowed. When a window opened at the end of the 2018 -2019 season, the pair discussed five titles and settled on the only musical among them.

As Stage reopened post-Covid, musicals returned in full force, notably in two world premieres. Brian Quijada’s Somewhere Over the Border put a Wizard of Oz inspired spin on the true story of his mother’s journey from El Salvador to the United States when she was a young teenager. After a successful run at Stage, the show reopened in Chicago where it won the 2022 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical (midsize). The second world premiere musical, How to Dance in Ohio, opened the 2022 – 2023 season and has become the subject of exciting news as it is scheduled to open on Broadway in December. Despite a run shortened by Covid, the Stage production was an important step in the show’s development. Much of the cast remains the same, including the seven autistic actors who portray the young adults at the heart of the story. While two previous Stage productions have transferred to Broadway— Twice Around the Park in 1982 and Thoughts of a Colored Man in 2021—Ohio is the first musical to do so, a realization not only of the potential of the musical form at Syracuse Stage, but a testament to the company’s commitment to developing new work.

TALKING DRUM

| The term “talking drum” may be taken quite literally. Everything you can say in the Yoruba language, you can say with the talking drum. The tradition of the talking drum is as old as the Yoruba culture itself. Each king has his own talking drummer who has a special place in the palace. The drummer is the chief means by which the king communicates with the people. For instance, during the slave trade, the drummer could warn people the slave traders were approaching the village. The drummer also serves the king by announcing visitors to the palace or by performing standard duties, such as waking the king in the morning. Drumming remains integral to Yoruba culture today. For instance, politicians hire drummers to inform the public of their campaign messages and sometimes to even criticize opponents.

I am a fourth generation talking drummer. My great-grandfather was sent by the king of his town to the ancient city of Oyo to learn the talking drum. Oyo is the same city where the incident on which this play (Death and the King’s Horseman) is based occurred. He stayed in Oyo for five years before returning to his town. All talking drummers make their own drums. The drum I play has been handed down through my family and is 200 years old. The drum is a very versatile instrument. Every note you can play on a piano, you can play on a talking drum. –‘Bisi Adeleke, Master Drummer, February 1999

DESERVING OF SO MUCH MORE

No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music. –Billie Holiday

Nine years ago, when Audra McDonald won the Tony Award for playing Billie Holiday in the Broadway production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, she paid tribute to the legendary singer: “I want to thank all the shoulders of the strong and brave and courageous women that I am standing on . . . and most of all, Billie Holiday. You deserve so much more than you were given when you were on this planet. This is for you.”

The sad details of the dystopian existence that was Holiday’s life are well documented: the sexual abuse, the alcohol and heroin addiction, the bad relationships, the hounding by racist drug enforcement agents, and the death in 1959 at age 44 while under arrest and handcuffed to a hospital bed.

It would be easy to categorize Holiday’s life story as a tale of overcoming adversity to achieve a singular kind of artistic greatness. It is an approach she adopted herself in the autobiographical Lady Sings the Blues. But perhaps it is closer to the truth to say, as the writer Stuart Nicholson notes: nothing

 HOLIDAY AT THE DOWNBEAT JAZZ CLUB, NEW YORK, C. FEBRUARY 1947. PHOTO: WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB.

“ ”

There’s probably not a singer alive who hasn’t learned something about phrasing from Billie Holiday’s records. She changed the prevailing notion of a singer’s relationship to the material. No longer an entity to be interpreted or a tradition to be belted, the singer’s song became real life - or an intensely distilled experience of it - immediate, authentic, wholly owned.

- ARIEL SWARTLEY

 HOLIDAY AT CARNEGIE HALL, NEW YORK, N.Y., BETWEEN 1946 AND 1948. PHOTO: WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB.

I want to thank all the shoulders of the strong and brave and courageous women that I am standing on . . . and most of all, Billie Holiday. You deserve so much more than you were given when you were on this planet. This is for you.

“ ”

- AUDRA McDONALD

can quite “fully explain a life overtaken by the dark and destructive forces that inhabit human nature. Billie was never able to come to terms with her personal demons and much of her life was spent running away from them, retreating into the pursuit of pleasure, something that was in conspicuously short supply during her childhood.” Nicholson adds that Holiday achieved success not “because of her suffering” but “in spite of it.”

If the time of her life was cruel, the time

after her life has brought long overdue reward. The “so much more” she deserved arrived in an ongoing series of tributes and recognitions that began not long after death when, in 1961, she was voted to the Down Beat Hall of Fame. Shortly afterward, Columbia Records restored 100 of her early recordings. In the 1970s, Diana Ross portrayed her in the film version of Lady Sings the Blues. The 1970s also brought the first of 22 Grammy awards or nominations, including five songs and one album in-

 HOLIDAY AND HER DOG MISTER, NEW YORK, C. 1946. PHOTO: WILLIAM P. GOTTLIEB.

“ ”

The audience was hers from before she sang, greeting her and saying goodbye with heavy, loving applause. And at one time, the musicians, too, applauded. It was a night when Billie was on top, undeniably the best and most honest jazz singer alive.

- NAT HENTOFF

ducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame: “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be),” “Embraceable You,” and “Crazy He Calls Me,” and the album Lady in Satin. Three albums were awarded Best Historical Album: Billy Holiday: Giants of Jazz, Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings, and Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday. In 1987, she was awarded posthumously the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement. In 1994, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor, and in 1999, Time Magazine named “Strange Fruit” as the Song of the Century.

Billie Holiday has been recognized on the ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame and the Apollo Theater’s Walk of Fame. She has been inducted into The Ertegun Jazz, The Rock & Roll, and The National Women’s Halls of Fame. In a tribute for her induction ceremony to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the journalist Ariel Swartley wrote: “There’s probably not a singer alive who hasn’t learned something about phrasing from Billie Holiday’s records. She changed the prevailing notion of a singer’s relationship to

the material. No longer an entity to be interpreted or a tradition to be belted, the singer’s song became real life - or an intensely distilled experience of it - immediate, authentic, wholly owned.”

In addition to the recordings, though, Billie Holiday wowed even the most accomplished musicians with her live performances, the “in spite of” triumphs that also defined her life. In 1956, she played Carnegie Hall. Music critic Nat Hentoff was there: “The beat flowed in her uniquely sinuous supple way of moving the story along; the words became her own experiences; and coursing through it all was Lady’s sound—a texture simultaneously steel-edged and yet soft inside; a voice that was almost unbearably wise in disillusion and yet still childlike, again at the center. The audience was hers from before she sang, greeting her and saying goodbye with heavy, loving applause. And at one time, the musicians, too, applauded. It was a night when Billie was on top, undeniably the best and most honest jazz singer alive.”

–Joseph Whelan

BILLIE POEMS

“HOLIDAY”

by Ciona Rouse

Lady dresses herself in his name and gilds it even though he made himself a stranger.

Lady claims truth from her larynx looks the man in the eye, calls out his strange

bedfellows. Although the dart of her lips rise at dawn, the day is blue and glows something strange.

A lady’s father is killed today the way they killed her father then. Do you hear the strain gently pulse in her throat? Lady, too, is killed then, black and restrained, just the way a black lady still holds and releases and dies today.

“Billie”

by Adia Victoria

Lady placed just so onstage gardenias splayed open displayed mid-scream as crown upon her head their impossible white temporal, yes, yet–by images are myths made to rest the lady remains both siren and silent, wired upright, electric in our memory still. i wonder after the final note dragged out riding the collapse of your breath do you release rough arms and straining breast in the snatch of solitude you could collect when the curtain falls? do you ease out from under those gardenias?

do you smile at the petals so dead-ended, now touched by spreading brown?

“Treble”

by Caroline Randall Williams

This red in the bone / this blood in the home / this / high / yellow / moan oh its violent / all white / everything / is violent yes violent / yes / light / skin only mean one thing / trouble

trouble to get / trouble to wear / a hard story / a half mirror / this skin / mean my blood / trouble / a high / in the voice treble / junk for the high / trouble / get white in the head / it’s violent

do you see / this sweet brown in my hand / can you see me / seeing you see me dark my skin to play detroit / can you call me a lady for the treble hours / those high white notes of daylight / trouble / strain my vein / for that treble/

/it’s violent/ so I get alright / with my all white / hey can you hold that mirror / and my blues just this high / yellow / arm trying to get some on purpose junk in the blood

Poems reprinted with permission of the Blair House Collective. The Blair House Collective is a gathering, an act of will, a source of light, a fight for the right words. We write together, we secret carry together. We truth tell together. (@blairhousecollective)

CAST

Tracey Conyer Lee (Billie Holiday) is a multi-hyphenate artist living outside NYC. Her most recent onstage performances include singing with Broadway Inspirational Voices at the White House for the 1st annual Juneteenth celebration and receiving rave reviews playing Baneatta in Chicken & Biscuits at Asolo Rep. Ms. Lee has originated roles off-Broadway and regionally, performing in over 80 professional productions around the globe, yielding Carbonell, NAACP and Barrymore Awards. She appeared at Syracuse Stage 20 years ago in Constant Star. This marks Ms. Lee’s 7th production as the indomitable Lady Day. Currently recurring as Det. Claudia Ross on seasons 3-5 of FBI, other TV credits include The Path, SMASH, L&O: Criminal Intent, Ed, All My Children and Guiding Light. An MFA playwright, Ms. Lee’s work has been produced, optioned or developed in New York, Boston, DC, Vermont, Florida, Colorado, Nashville, Atlanta and Chicago. She has been published by Bloomsbury/Methuen and independently. This season her play, Rabbit Summer, will make its professional and her NJ (writing) debut at Mile Square Theatre, where she will also direct. Other directing credits include Sistas! The Musical off-Broadway, the Obie Award winning Fire This Time Festival, the Downtown Urban Arts Festival, Vanguard Theatre’s Illuminating New Voices festival and multiple workshops of plays and musicals in development. She is a proud audiobook narrator for Black authors of both fiction and non. For more www.traceyconyerlee.com

Gary Mitchell, Jr. (Jimmy Powers, Music Director, Pianist) is a multi-hyphenate artist who regularly collaborates with renowned singers, instrumentalists, artists, and ensembles throughout the world. Gary debuted as Noah “Horse” T. Simmons in The Full Monty at The Clink Theatre, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia; portrayed Jasbo Brown in Porgy and Bess at The Royal Danish Opera House-Copenhagen; and has been featured in myriad select appearances in Japan, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Mitchell has been featured at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Harlem Opera Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Dance Theater of Harlem, 54 Below, NAACP ACT-SO, Harlem Stage Theatre (Antigone in Ferguson), as Jimmy Powers in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, at Portland Stage Theatre (Portland, ME), The Cape Playhouse (Dennis, MA), New London Barn Playhouse (New London, NH) and he frequents Barrington Stage Theatre (Pittsfield, MA). He has also collaborated and performed with PBS, MTV, VH1, Steinway International, and Netflix, and he was Associate Music Director for the reading of Tituss Burgess’s The Preacher’s Wife. Previously, Gary was a bass vocal artist at Houston Grand Opera and Artist-in-Residence at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church-Houston, and now serves as Director of Music and Arts Administration at First AME Church: Bethel-Harlem. He

CAST

also conducts his group: Harlem Renaissance Chorale. He is formerly Artistin-Residence at Union Theological Seminary, a member of the professoriate: Tougaloo College, Texas Southern University, and Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University. Gary is member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc., PHA Aurora Lodge, Thee Jackson State University National Alumni Association (Life Member), The National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and Actor's Equity Association (AEA).

Nedra Snipes (u/s Billie Holiday) is excited to make her Syracuse Stage debut! Nedra is an actor, vocalist, producer, and director from North Carolina. Credits include: Nothing, Nothing (HERO Theatre) The First Deep Breath (U/S Geffen Playhouse); Clyde’s (Goodman Theatre and Center Theatre Group); Perseverance (Portland Stage); The Caterers, Should We Dance Instead? (Thrown Stone Theatre Comp.); The Three Musketeers , Antigone (The Classical Theatre of Harlem); Aida (Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (The Atlanta Shakespeare Company); In the Blood, The Cherry Orchard, Antony and Cleopatra, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, and Cardboard Piano (The Juilliard School). She is a proud alumnus of Howard University (B.F.A.) and The Juilliard School (M.F.A.). Nedra is represented by Innovative Artists Agency and Seven Summits Management. Nedrasnipes.com RNR

BAND

DeVaughn Jackson ( Bass ) is an award-winning bassist who has been playing bass since 8th grade. He got into jazz in high school, attended Onondaga Community College to study music for two years, and has been gigging in Central New York and beyond since he was 16. Other musicals he has played in include The Addams Family and The Color Purple. He currently works as a freelance musician/teacher; as a music instructor via Redhouse EDU, and as a substitute teacher at the Syracuse City School District. He is also working on several music projects, including his debut solo project which he is collaborating on with his dad, award-winning music and TV producer Charles “CJack” Jackson. One of the most recent, and epic, highlights of his career was playing bass for the legendary Fred Wesley–former trombonist and bandleader for the Godfather of Soul James Brown–in a recent concert at the Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse, NY.

ARTISTIC TEAM

Brittany Vasta (Scenic Designer) is a Brooklyn-based scenic designer for live performance. Recent work includes Octet (Signature Theatre & Berkeley Rep); Bill Irwin’s Harlequin & Pantalone (NY City Center); Fucking A (Fordham); Cardboard Piano (The Juilliard School); Life Sucks (Theatre Row); Happy Birthday Wanda June (The Duke); I thought I would die but I didn’t (The Tank); Sehnsucht (JACK); Gypsy (Theatre Aspen); Choir Boy (Portland Center Stage); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (PCS); Redwood (PCS); Welcome to Fear City (Kansas City Rep); August: Osage County (Resident Ensemble Players UDEL); My Name is Asher Lev (Portland Stage Company); Richard III (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ). Recent Associate Design: Chicken and Biscuits (Bway, Circle in the Square); The Green (Lincoln Center public art installation); The Lifespan of a Fact (Bway, Studio 54); Fairview (Soho Rep). Drama Desk nomination for set design of Octet. M.F.A., NYU. USA 829. brittanyvasta.com

Karen Perry (Costume and Wig Designer). Destiny of Desire (The Old Globe), Clyde's, We All Fall Down: world premiere (Huntington Theatre Co.), Wine in the Wilderness, Radio Golf, Love In Hate Nation: world premiere, Oo-BlaDee, King Hedley II, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Lives of Reason, Seven Guitars, Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine, Guadalupe in the Guest Room (Two River Theater Co.), A Raisin in the Sun (The Public Theater), Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical (People’s Light), My Lord, What a Night (Ford's Theatre Society), Lackawanna Blues (Manhattan Theatre Club), The Garden (La Jolla Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage), Mothers (The Playwrights Realm), runboyrun/In Old Age (New York Theatre Workshop), Jazz (Marin Theatre Co.), Lackawanna Blues, Good Grief (Center Theatre Group), Black Super Hero Magic Mama (The Geffen Playhouse), Fun Home (Baltimore Center Stage), Steel Magnolias, Hair, Miller, Mississippi, Dreamgirls (Dallas Theater Center), Oklahoma! (Theatre Under the Stars), Familiar, The Lion in Winter (The Guthrie Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre), Citizens Market, Wild With Happy (City Theatre Co.), Familiar (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.), Skeleton Crew (Center Stage), Sunset Baby (TheaterWorks Hartford), Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre), Dead and Breathing (Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre), stop. reset. (Goodman Theatre), Trouble in Mind (PlayMakers Repertory Company). Awards: 2023 Norton Award, Craig Award, 2 NAACP Awards, 2 Ovation Awards, 9 Audelco Awards, ATW's Henry Hewes Awards, and Lucille Lortel Award.

Mary Louise Geiger (Lighting Designer). Syracuse Stage: How I Learned to Drive. Broadway: The Constant Wife (American Airlines Theatre). Off Broadway: Partnership, Becomes a Woman, Conflict (Mint Theatre); Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, Good Television, The New York Idea (Atlantic Theatre), Until the Flood (Rattlestick); X, Or Betty Shabazz v. The Nation (Acting

ARTISTIC TEAM

Company); Nat Turner in Jerusalem, Forever, Oedipus at Palm Springs (New York Theatre Workshop); Kindness, Blue Door, The Busy World is Hushed (Playwrights Horizons); Mabou Mines DollHouse, Red Beads (Mabou Mines). Regional: ACT Theatre, 5th Avenue, Goodman, Huntington, Steppenwolf, Milwaukee Rep, Guthrie, Pioneer, Cleveland Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Center Theatre Group, LA Opera among others. Training: Yale School of Drama, Faculty: NYU Tisch. www.mlgeiger.com

Jacqueline R. Herter (Sound Designer) has served as resident sound designer at Syracuse Stage and Syracuse University Department of Drama since 1997. She shifted and combined theatrical design with video/film design for the 20/21 season. Herter has designed for Indiana Repertory Theatre, Studio Arena, the Wilma, Geva, Round House, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Virginia Stage, and the Hangar Theater as well as other theatres across the nation. Some favorite designs have been: Annapurna, Beauty and the Beast, Next to Normal, Mary Poppins, Nine, Hairspray, The Overwhelming, Caroline, or Change, The Miracle Worker, The Wolves, The Day Room, The Christians, Radio Golf, Parade, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Red Noses, The Real Thing, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, M. Butterfly, A Raisin in the Sun, A Lesson Before Dying, Copenhagen, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Inherit the Wind, and Big River.

Laura Jane Collins (Stage Manager) is delighted to continue her time at Syracuse Stage in the 2023-2024 season, beginning with Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Syracuse Stage credits include: How to Dance in Ohio (ASM), Tender Rain, Espejos: Clean, Matilda The Musical, Somewhere Over the Border, The Play That Goes Wrong, I and You, 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. Additional regional credits include: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Into the Woods, Footloose, 42nd Street, Grease, South Pacific, Anne of Green Gables: A New Folk Rock Musical, Ghost (The Rev); The Foreigner, Third, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Around the World in 80 Days (Hangar Theatre). LJ is a graduate of the stage management program in the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

Bass/Valle Casting (Casting) formerly Harriet Bass Casting, is a leading NYC boutique casting office. To know more about their upcoming projects and casting philosophy please visit www.bassvallecasting.com. Harriet Bass has cast for ABC/TV, Fox Television Studios, The Public Theatre: NEW WORK NOW, The Minetta Lane 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

ARTISTIC TEAM

Radio Golf, Broadway Gem of the Ocean, and off-Broadway Jitney. Harriet is also a leading educator in audition technique, side and monologue coaching, and the business of acting. She has taught at the nation’s top universities and professional training programs. Gama Valle is a director, playwright, screenwriter, children’s book author, and casting director. His casting credits include: The American Tradition, The Great Novel, Split Second, I Wanna Fuck Like Romeo and Juliet, among others. He is a proud member of New Light Theatre Ensemble and the recipient of the Van Lier Directing Fellowship at Repertorio Español. Gama received the First Prize in playwriting from Puerto Rico’s Institute of Culture for his play Queishd&Dilit. Their regional casting credits include: Mark Taper Forum, Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, Trinity Rep, San Jose Rep, Geva, Syracuse Stage, Pittsburgh Public, Merrimack Rep, Longwharf Theatre, Alliance Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Dallas Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, Portland Center Stage, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Feature films 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.

PLAYWRIGHT

Lanie Robertson. Lanie Robertson’s first plays The Insanity of Mary Girard and Back County Crimes are frequently performed by schools and community theatres. His play about Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, was produced on Broadway and in London’s West End with Audra McDonald. Many of his works are about iconic artists and the societal issues they faced: Nasty Little Secrets (Joe Orton), Woman Before a Glass (Peggy Guggenheim), Alfred Stieglitz Loves O’Keeffe (Georgia O’Keeffe), Nobody Lonesome for Me (Hank Williams), The Gardener (Claude Monet) and Blythe Coward (Noël Coward). His works have been produced at the Alley Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Annenberg Center, Arena Stage, Barrington Stage, the Edinburgh Festival, Festival d’Avignon, George St. Playhouse, Kennedy Center, Old Globe, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, Theatre de la Huchette, Theatre Petit Montparnasse, Theatre Silvia Montfort, Vineyard Theatre, Virginia Stage, the Walnut Street Theatre, Westside Arts Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival. His first novel is to be published in 2024. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, the Society des Auteur et Compositeurs Dramatiques and the Writers Guild, East.

DIRECTOR

Jade King Carroll . Regional: Red Velvet (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Detroit ’67 (McCarter Theatre co-production with Hartford Stage); Intimate Apparel, The Piano Lesson (McCarter Theatre); The Piano Lesson (Hartford Stage); Having Our Say (Hartford Stage co-production with Long Wharf Theatre); Trouble in Mind (Two River Theater & Playmaker’s Rep); Seven Deadly Sins -Wrath (Miami New Drama–Drama League Award); New Age (Milwaukee Rep); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Whipping Man, Native Gardens, Skeleton Crew, Bad Dates, Perseverance, How I Learned What I Learned (Portland Stage); The Revolutionists, Sunset Baby (City Theatre); A Raisin in the Sun (Perseverance); The Tempest, Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Chautauqua Theater Company); Seven Guitars, The Persians (People’s Light and Theatre); Still Life (Ancram Opera House); King Hedley II (Portland Playhouse); A Raisin in the Sun, Cardboard Piano (Juilliard); Laughing Wild, Redeemed, Skeleton Crew (Dorset Theatre Festival). Off-Broadway: Hello, From the Children of Planet Earth, (The Playwright’s Realm); Proof of Love (Audible at Minetta Lane/audiobook); Autumn’s Harvest (Lincoln Center Institute); New Golden Age (Primary StagesSusan Smith Blackburn nominated); Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money (Atlantic Theater - NYT Family Pick). Broadway: Associate Director The Gin Game, A Streetcar Named Desire. Audio Plays: Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom (Marvel, Ambies Nomination for Best Production); Proof of Love (Audible); Redeemed (Broadway Podcast Network/Dorset Theatre Festival); The Bleeding Class (Geva Theater); Isolated Incidents (Broadway Podcast Network). Awards: Paul Green Award from the Estate of August Wilson, Drama League, Gates Millennium Scholar. Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Robert Hupp is in his eighth season as artistic director of Syracuse Stage. He recently directed Our Town, The Play That Goes Wrong, Eureka Day, 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

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

credits include 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

Jill A. Anderson has served as managing director of Syracuse Stage since 2016. Jill is responsible for Stage’s more than $8 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 the National Medal of Arts and a 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 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 has been recognized as part of the Central NY Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” and serves 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.

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Melissa Crespo (she/her) has made a career of developing new plays, musicals, and opera around the country and abroad. She recently directed the world premiere of Bees and Honey by Guadalís Del Carmen off-Broadway at MCC Theater. Other favorite past credits include, Espejos: Clean by Christine Quintana (Hartford Stage & Syracuse Stage), form of a girl unknown by Charly Evon Simpson (Salt Lake Acting Company), and ¡Figaro! (90210) (The Duke on 42nd Street). As a playwright, her play Egress, co-written with Sarah Saltwick, had a world premiere at Amphibian Stage and won the Roe Green Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting at Cleveland Playhouse. As a producer, she is one of the Founding Editors of 3Views on Theater, an online publication conceived by The Lillys. Fellowships and residencies include: Time Warner Fellow (WP Theatre), Usual Suspect (NYTW), The Director’s Project (Drama League), Van Lier Directing Fellow (Second Stage Theatre), and the Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow (Arena Stage). Melissa received her M.F.A. in directing from The New School for Drama. https://www.melissacrespo.com

RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHT

Kyle Bass is the author of Tender Rain, which premiered at Syracuse Stage last season, and Possessing Harriet, which premiered at Syracuse Stage, was subsequently produced at Franklin Stage Company, at the East Lynne Theater Company, will be produced by HartBeat Ensemble (CT) this October, and is published by Standing Stone Books. salt/city/blues was produced at Syracuse Stage in the 21/22 season, and Citizen James, or The Young Man Without a Country, about a young James Baldwin, was commissioned by Syracuse Stage and has streamed nationally since 2021 and has been optioned for an international feature-length film. Kyle’s play Toliver & Wakeman was commissioned by Franklin Stage Company where it premiered this August. His libretto for Libba Cotten: Here This Day, an opera based on the life of American folk music legend Libba Cotten, was commissioned by The Society for New Music. With National Medal of Arts recipient Ping Chong, Kyle is the co-author of Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo, which premiered at Syracuse Stage and was subsequently produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York. His other full-length plays include Baldwin vs. Buckley: The Faith of Our Fathers, which has been presented at Cornell University, Colgate University, the University of Delaware, and Syracuse University, and Separated, a documentary theatre piece about student military veterans at Syracuse University, which was presented at Syracuse Stage and the Paley Center in New York, and Leeboe & Sons. He has also been commissioned by Theatre Nohgaku

RESIDENT PLAYWRIGHT

and is the co-author of the original screenplay for the film Day of Days (Broad Green Pictures, 2017). Kyle is a three-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (fiction in 1998, playwriting in 2010, screenwriting in 2022), a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. As dramaturg, he has collaborated with acclaimed visual artist and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Carrie Mae Weems and was the script consultant on Thoughts of a Colored Man, which premiered at Syracuse Stage in 2019 and opened on Broadway in 2021. His plays, screenplays, and other writings have appeared in the journals Callaloo and Stone Canoe, among others, and in the anthology Alchemy of the Word: Writers Talk about Writing. Kyle is an assistant professor in the Department of Theater at Colgate University, where he was previously the 2019 Burke Endowed Chair for Regional Studies. Previously, he was faculty in the M.F.A. creative writing program at Goddard College, and has taught at Syracuse University, and at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Kyle was the Susan P. Stroman Visiting Playwright at the University of Delaware and the Flournoy Visiting Playwright at Washington & Lee University. He 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. A descendant of African people enslaved in New England and the American South, Kyle resides and writes in Upstate New York where his family has lived free and owned land for nearly 225 years.

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.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Syracuse Stage respectfully acknowledges the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands we now stand.

OUR CORE VALUES

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.

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.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Stage has collaborated with a myriad of institutions in the Syracuse area. Community partners include 100 Black Men of Syracuse, 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.

ABOUT SYRACUSE STAGE

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 non-for-profit professional theatre company founded in 1974, and a longstanding League of Resident Theatres (LORT) member. Since its inception, Stage has produced over 350 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.

CHAIR

SYRACUSE STAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rocco Mangano Partner

Mangano Law Office, PLLC

PRESIDENT

Herman R. Frazier*

Senior Deputy Athletics Director Syracuse University

CHAIR-ELECT/VICE CHAIR

Richard Driscoll

Sr. Commercial Banking Relationship Manager Commercial Banking Division NBT Bank

TREASURER

Brett Padgett*

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Syracuse University

SECRETARY

Sharon Sullivan Community Volunteer

AT-LARGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Phil Turner

Pastor

Bethany Baptist Church

Jill A. 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

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

Denise Dyce

Associate Vice President of Labor and Employee Relations Syracuse University

Colleen A. Gaetano

Retired- Vice President Global Education & Artistry Estée Lauder Companies, NYC

Helene Gold

Private Voice & Piano Instructor

Jacki Goldberg

Community Volunteer

Bea González

Retired - Vice President for Community Engagement

Syracuse University

Nancy Green

Managing Member

Edward S. Green & Associates

Larry Harris

EVP and CFO 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

Retired - Health Educator, PNP

Larry Leatherman

Retired - Bristol-Myers Squibb, MOST

Dan Lent

Vice President Citizens Bank

Rob Lentz

EVP of Enterprise Operations Zeta Global

Maria Lesinski

Attorney Newman and Lickstein

Anthony Malavenda

Retired - Duke’s Root Control

Julia Martin Partner Bousquet Holstein

Suzanne McAuliffe

Retired - Educator

Rod McDonald

Bond, Schoeneck & King

Molly Mulvihill

Sr. Relationship Manager

Global Commercial Banking Bank of America

Fran Nichols Retired - Mower, Inc.

Mona Paradis Stadium International Trucks

Virginia Parker

Retired - Educator (1996 - 2023)

Molly Ryan Partner, Goldberg Segalla LLP

Robert Sarason

Retired - Lawyer, Organizer, Fundraiser

Melvin T. Stith

Dean Emeritus, Whitman School of Management

Syracuse University

Cora Thomas

Radio Host and Office Manager, WAER

Michael S. Tick* Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts Syracuse University

Dr. Amy Tucker Chief Medical Officer

SUNY Upstate Medical University

Andrea Waldman Community Volunteer

Maryam Al-Hindi Wasmund Chief Financial Officer Filtertech Inc.

Ralph Zito** Chair

Syracuse University Department of Drama

*University Trustee

**Ex-Officio

SYRACUSE STAGE EMERITUS CIRCLE

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

Joan Green

Elizabeth Hartnett

John Huhtala

Margaret Martin

Kevin McAuliffe

Eric Mower

Judy Mower

Michael Shende

Jack Webb

Michael Zoanetti

SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION ADVOCACY BOARD

Sara Bambino

CICERO-NORTH SYRACUSE HIGH SCHOOL

Todd Benware

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY

Jordan Berger JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

Rhiannon Berry

LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL

Elizabeth Defurio

NOTTINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL

David Fisselbrand

AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL

Melissa Morgan BAKER HIGH SCHOOL

Matthew Phillips JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

Linda Ponza SOLVAY HIGH SCHOOL

Jennifer Sabatino

CATO-MERIDIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL

Paige Blair CAZENOVIA HIGH SCHOOL

Sadie Broderick

EAST SYRACUSE MINOA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Finnegan Coons

G. RAY BODLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Ella Culligan

LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL

Joliette Doyle

TULLY JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Kate Fennessy

AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL

Claire Foran

EAST SYRACUSE MINOA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Kennedy Hilton

FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS HIGH SCHOOL

Mira Jensen

CORCORAN HIGH SCHOOL

Beatrix Karn CAZENOVIA HIGH SCHOOL

Sophia Kelly

CATO MERIDIAN JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Stephanie Kelly

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY

Margot Klein

CHARLES W. BAKER HIGH SCHOOL

Tessa Komar

FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS HIGH SCHOOL

Rei Korthas HOMESCHOOLED

Madison Macomber

EAST SYRACUSE MINOA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Zoie Markowski

SOLVAY HIGH SCHOOL

Minerva Miller

FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS HIGH SCHOOL

Octavia Miller FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS HIGH SCHOOL

David Warne Peters

CORCORAN HIGH SCHOOL

Francesca Smith

BISHOP GRIMES JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL

Caleb Smith

MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL SCHOOL

Abbie Sundet

PAUL V. MOORE HIGH SCHOOL

Zariah Taylor

JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

Rebecca Wheeler HOMESCHOOLED

Sophia Zogby

CATO MERIDIAN JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

SYRACUSE STAGE ANNUAL FUND GIFTS

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. For information regarding levels of contribution and benefits of each please contact the Development office at 315-443-3931 or visit syracusestage.org.

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SPONSORS

Richard Mather Fund

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SPONSORS

Contributions listed above are current as of October 2, 2023 and reflect operating support of $5,000+ and in-kind donations of $10,000+.

George S. Bain

Helen Beale

50 TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN GIFTS

Nicholas & Louanne Colaneri

Kevin & Kristin Curtis

Roger & Naomi DeMuth

Carole Farfaglia

Jacki & Michael Goldberg

Laura & Ed Jordan

Amy Kaufmann Sweeney

Jill Ladd

Linda Loomis

Gail Mitchell

Debra Petzold

Nancy Radoff

David Rankert

Slutzker Family Foundation

John & Jamie Sutphen

Estate of George Wallerstein & Julie Lutz

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

SPONSORS

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 to be inspired and celebrate the richness of the human experience. We are delighted to continue to support Syracuse Stage and this very special production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.

INDIVIDUAL, CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, & GOVERNMENT GIFTS

New and increased gifts this season will be matched by The Richard Mather Fund.

$100,000+

Nancy & William Byrne

Syracuse University

$50,000 - $99,999

Advance Media New York

CNY Arts, Inc.

New York State Council on the Arts

Onondaga County

The Dorothy & Marshall M. Reisman Foundation

The Shubert Foundation

$20,000 - $49,999

George S. Bain

iHeart Radio

M&T Bank

Richard Mather Fund

National Endowment for the Arts

$10,000 - $19,999

Bank of America

Cathedral Candle Company

Central New York

Community Foundation

Cumulus Radio

Jacki & Michael Goldberg

Nancy Green & Tony Marschall

Elizabeth Hartnett

JKW Foundation

JP Morgan Chase

Rocco & Roberta Mangano

NBT Bancorp Inc.

News Channel 9

Sharon Sullivan & Paul Phillips

The John Ben Snow Foundation & Memorial Trust

Urban CNY

WAER

WRVO

$5,000 - $9,999

Jim & Juli Boeheim Foundation

Bousquet Holstein PLLC

Richard Bunce

Dr. Ruth Chen & Chancellor Kent Syverud

CNY Business Journal

CNY Latino

Dramatists Guild Foundation

Peggy & Dana Dudarchik

The Estate of Mary Louise Dunn

Neil & Helene Gold

Larry & Ann Harris

Hayner Hoyt Corporation

J.M. McDonald Foundation

Larry & Mary Leatherman

Tony Malavenda & Martine Burat

Kevin & Suzanne

McAuliffe

Eric & Judy Mower

Sally Lou & Fran Nichols

National Grid

Virginia Parker

Joel Potash & Sandra Hurd

Melvin & Patricia Stith

Theatre Development Fund

Wegmans

$3,500 - $4,999

Ashley McGraw Architects

The Benz Family

Kathleen Bice

Brine Wells, LLC & Marriott Downtown Syracuse

Pete & Mary Beth Carmen

Roger & Naomi DeMuth

Ernst & Young, LLP

Inner Harbor Radio

Selma Radin

Kathy Kelly & Len Weiner

$1,800 - $3,499

Janet Audunson & David Youlen

Barbara Beckos & Art McDonald

Bond, Schoeneck, & King Attorneys

Craig & Kathy Byrum

James Clark & Sharon Gordon

The Estate of William Clark Jr.

Robin Curtis

Barbara Davis

Edward & Susan Downing

Dick & Therese Driscoll

Melvin & Mildred Eggers

Family Charitable Foundation

Michael & Barbara Flintrop

Herman Frazier & Caroline Beal

The Rosamond Gifford Foundation

Peterson Guadagnolo Consulting Engineers

Deborah & Samuel Haines

David & Sally Hootnick

John & Kimberly Huhtala

Robert & Clea Hupp

Randy & Elizabeth Kalish

Leslie Kohman & Jeffrey Smith

LeChase Construction

Daniel & Ann Lent

Skip Lentz & Anne Russ

Walter & Elizabeth Merriam

Anne Morford

Molly & Kevin Mulvihill

Claire Myers-Usiatynski

Brett & Jeannie Padgett

Mona & John Paradis

Judge Rosemary Pooler

Michael & Rissa Ratner

Molly Ryan & Tim Byrnes

Robert Sarason & Jane Burkhead

Richard & Margaret Shirtz

Sharye Skinner

Sam & Carolyn Spalding

Deirdre Stam

Raymond & Linda Straub

Douglas Sutherland & Nancy Kramer

Cynthia Sutton

Theatre Communications Group

Michael & Cathy Tick

Dr. Amy Tucker

Joshua & Andrea Waldman

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

$1,200 - 1,799

James & Nancy Asher

Debbie & Candido

Bermudez

Donald Blair & Nancy

Dock

Francine Boutet

Jim & Cathy Breuer

Ana Díaz-Diez & Javier Maymi-Perez

Frank and Frances Revoir

Foundation

Fox 68

Bea Gonzalez & Michael Leonard

Dorothy & Lawrence

Gordon

Dennis & Judi Hebert

Heritage Masonry

Restoration, Inc.

Cydney Johnson & Jeff Comanici

Kevin & Jessica Kopko

Rod & Jana McDonald

David Rankert

James Shults

John Steigerwald IV

John & Jamie Sutphen

Jack & Linda Webb

Larry & Glenda Wetzel

Michael & Laurie Zoanetti

$600 - $1,199

Gutherie & Louise Birkhead

Constance Bull

Thomas & Susan Brett

Kevin & Jackie Bryans

Amy & Tom Clark

Jerilyn Costich

Mark Cywilko & Marianne Moosbrugger

Lewis & Elaine Dubroff

Carole Farfaglia

Allen & Anita Frank

David Heisig & Donna Mahar

Joyce Day Homan

Richard & Margaret Ingraham

Steven & Elaine Jacobs

Richard Jaeger

Charles Martin & Johanna Keller

John & Maren King

Douglas Kinnetz & Laura

Livingston

Bob & Pat Lebel

James MacKillop

Albert Marshall

Susan Martineau

John & Elizabeth

McKinnell

John & Joan Nicholson

Sally O'Herin

David & Janice Panasci

Kathy & Dan Rabuzzi

Edward & Lois Schroeder

Gracia Sears

Joe Silberlicht & Sandra

Fenske

Angela Winfield & Lance

Lyons

John & Mitzi Wolf

$300 - $599

Chris Arnold

Timothy Atseff & Margaret Ogden

Andrew & Margot Baxter

Edward & Angela Bernat

Carrie Berse & Chris

Skeval

William & Beatrice Blake

Angel Broadnax

Ted Brown

Gary & Kathleen Bruno

Paul & Linda Cohen

Molly & Travis Corley

Anita Cottrell

Richard Cross & Kathryn

Davis

Susan Crossett

George Curry

William & Elizabeth Elkins

Richard Ernst

Linda Fabian & Dennis Goodrich

Maggie & Jake Feldmeier

Thomas & Melissa Ferrara

Kenneth & Kathleen Freer

Gasparini Sales, Inc.

Elijah Gebers

William & Ann Griffith

Baird & Sarah Hansen

David & Ellen Hardy

Daniel & Julia Harris

Joseph & Paula

Himmelsbach

Donna & Joseph Hipius

Peter & Mary Huntington

Peter & Diana Johnson

Rowena Jones

Marjorie T. Julian

Diane King

Earl & Trudy Kletsky

In Honor of

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.

Warren Abrahams in memory of Ruth Smulyan. James Aiello in memory of Pamela Johnson. Anonymous in memory of Ruth Smulyan. Anonymous in memory of Lorne Runge. Anonymous in memory of Virginia Parker. Badger State Civic Fund in memory of Hal & Ruth Smulyan.

George S. Bain in memory of Ginny Parker.

The Bermudez & Guido Families in honor of the marriage of Candice Bermudez & Joseph Guido. Gutherie & Louise Birkhead in memory of Ruth Smulyan. Ana Díaz-Diez & Javier Maymi-Perez dedicated to the memory of Pedro Díaz-Molina.

John Eng-Wong & Priscilla Angelo in memory of Ruth Smulyan. The Farfaglia Family in memory of Edward J Farfaglia

Zachary Ferris in memory of Virginia Parker.

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

Liz Kolodney

Brian & Susan Lison

George & Roseann Lorefice

Scott & Marlene Macfarlane

Donald & Patricia

MacLaughlin

John & Candace Marsellus

Mary Ellen McDonald

Michael & Patricia McGrath

James & Elizabeth Megna

Don Milmore

David & Beth Mitchell

Marty & Millie Newshan

Doren Norfleet

Margaret O'Brien

David & Susan Palen

Robert & Teresa Parke

Paolo Pastore

Jane Pickett

Mickey & Pat Piscitelli

Susan Plemons

Scott Reinhart

Terry & Monica Richmond

Jennifer Roberts

Diana Biro & Eric Rogers

Nancy & Robert Russoniello

Lowell Seifter & Sharon

McAuliffe

Jon Selzer & Thelma

Trotty-Selzer

Robert & Cheryl Shallish

Geraldine Sheehan

Beth & Tobias Sienel

Joseph & Carolyn Smith

George & Helene Starr

H. Paul Steiner

John & Anne Sveen

Cora Thomas

Holly Thuma

Victor & Diane Tice

James & Deborah Tifft

Joseph & Carole Valesky

Peter Vanable & Anne

Jamison

Nancy Wadopian

Robert & Anita Wagner

Mark Watkins & Brenda Silverman

Lynda Wheat

David & Daryll Wheeler

John & Judy Winslow

Deborah & Michael Zahn

$150 - $299

James Aiello

Robert & Jeanne

Anderson

Dianne Apter

Al & Jane Arras

Aminy Audi

Frank Badagnani

Holmes & Sarah M Bailey

Rosemary Baker & Stuart

Spiegel

Nancy Barnum

Jean Beers

Sylvia Betcher

William A Billingham

Carl & Alice Borning

Eric & Carol Boyer

Mary Brady

Dennis & Mary Anne

Brady

William & Mary Butler

Andrea Calarco

Joseph & Patricia Cambareri

Ronald Capone

Lexi Carlson & Sebastian Karcher

Judith Carr

Susan Chappuis

Maureen Clark

Joe & Nancy Clayton

Allison Clifford

Raymond Colton

Elizabeth Cowan

Peter & Amy Cronin

Ann Cross

Joyce Crossley

Raymond W. Cummings, Jr.

James Cusack

CVS

Linda Czerkies

Judith Dannible

Carol Decker

Bill & Terry Delavan

Rossybell Diaz

Stephen & Emily DiMarco

Linda & Alan Dolmatch

Patricia Arcana & Thomas

Dorr

Elizabeth Drew & Joe Marusa

David & Robin Drucker

Mary Dunn

Denise Dyce

Karen & Eddie Eagan

Elizabeth Etoll

Cynthia Ferguson

Marcia Finch

Molly Carole Fitzpatrick

Leonard Fonte

Lois & Jill Fowler

Kurt Frazier

Elinor Freeman

In Honor of

Leila Ann Finkelstein in memory of Ruth Smulyan beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

Margaret Gelfuso in memory of Peter Scheibe.

Briann Greenfield in memory of Ruth Smulyan.

Gail S Hauss in memory of Ruth Smulyan.

Erin Horner in memory of Cat Hennessy.

Marjorie T. Julian in honor of Ed Farfaglia.

Liz Kolodney in memory of Peggy Marshall.

Suzanne Lourie in memory of Ruth Smulyan.

Mark and Megan Morettini in honor of Francis O'Connor and Peter Ceravolo.

Claire MyersUsiatynski in memory of Drs. Lawrence & Betty Jane Myers.

Wendy Neikirk Rhodes & Adrian Rhodes in honor of Ginny Parker.

Judy Oplinger in memory of Tim Rice. Gail Ruterman in honor of Ruth Smulyan

Lois & Ted Schroeder in memory of Ruth Smulyan.

Marilyn Shelleman in memory of Ron Shelleman.

H. Paul Steiner in honor and memory of Fritz Parker.

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

Allen & Nirelle Galson

Claudia Gasiorowski

Robert Geiger

Margaret Gelfuso

Ernest & Lynne Giraud

Kathryn Glynn

Karen Goldman

Bernice Gottschalk

Andrea Graham

Roger & Vicki Greenberg

Thomas Greenwood

Gregory & Elaine Hallett

Judith Hand

Ann Hartenstein

Barbara Hayes

Georgina Hegney

Barbara & Ronald Hoffman

Linda Imboden

Victor Jenkins

Daniel & Rhea Jezer

Emily Johnson & Vijay

Ramachandran

Philip & Judith Kaplan

James & Jan Kaplan

Robert & Christina Keim

David & Noel Keith

Amy Kemp

Shelly Kempton

Tim & Susan Kennedy

Russell & Joan King

Barry & Kathy Kogut

Janice Kophen

Marieke Kuiper

Lorraine LaDuke

Robert & Lauren Lalley

W & Nancy Lambright

Andrea Latchem

Bruce & Marilyn Laubacher

Victor & Linda Lebedovych

James LeGro

Mark & Jeannette Levinsohn

Bonnie Levy

James Light

John Limbeson

Edward & Carol Lipson

Mary Lombardo

Linda Loomis

John & Marian Loosmann

Dan & Linda Lowengard

John & Janet Mallan

Robert & Nancy Mandry

Frederick & Virginia Marty

Elizabeth Mascia

Donyce & Kenneth McCluskey

Margot McCormick

Sam & Margaret McNaughton

Clifford & Marjorie

Mellor

Diana Ingraham Milkovic

Donna Miller

Dr. Merrill L. Miller

Daniel & Terry Miller

Julian & Jennifer Modesti

Janet Moore

Joseph Moorman & Catherine Gerard

Susan Moskal

James & Kathleen Muldoon

Alan & Rosalind Napier

Richard & Barbara Natoli

Aaron & Cosmina Nolan

Paula Olsiewski

Jane Ondich

Judy Oplinger

John & Elizabeth O'Sullivan

Joan & Lawrence Page

Cathy Palm

John & Robert Parsons

Michael & Susan Petrosillo

Susan Pieczonka

William & Merriette Pollard

John & Dorothy Reiffenstein

Steve Reiter & Annegret Schubert

Todd Relyea

Elaine Rubenstein

John & Judy Sabene

Richard & Jill Sargent

Anita Schmidt-Kyanka

George & Sharon Schmit

William Schuyler

Ruth Seaman

Mike & Marilyn Sees

Richard & Elizabeth Severance

Roger & Nancy Sharp

Marilyn Shelleman

Dr Craig A Simmons

Judith Smith

Jeffrey Sneider & Gwen Kay

Jonathan Solomon

James Sonneborn

Dirk & Carol Sonneborn

Paul & Jean Soper

Michael Stanton

Karl Crossman & John Steinburg

In Honor of

Philip Syphrit in memory of Cat Hennessy.

Holly Thuma in memory of Genn and Ted Thuma.

Hon. Karen M. Uplinger in memory of John P. Copanas. Lynda J. Wheat in memory of my friend Linda Drimer.

Kathleen & Mark Sunheimer

Charles Tremper

Hon. Karen M. Uplinger

William & Linda Veit

Anthony & Martha Viglietta

TJ & Meghan Vitale

Susan Wadley

Judith Waite

Diane & Kathleen Waldon

David & Mary Walsh

Francis & Elaine Walter

Donald & Martha Washburn

Connie Webster

David Whitman

Fred & Karen Whitney

George & Mrs Whitton

Christopher & Renee Wiles

Roger & Carolyn Williams

Tina Winter

Tom & Carol Wolff

Mary Yurco

$100 - $149

Jerrold & Harriet Abraham

Peter & Sherry Allen

Kristi Andersen

Lynn Anderson

John Andrake

Beatrice Angus

Maxine & Keyhan Arjomand

Rosanne Barbaglia

Paul Barron & Leah

Weinberg

Ronald & Susan Berger

Janine Bernard

Nicolina Bisson

David Blair

Barbara Blaszak

Jon & Patricia Booth

Bernard & Ona Cohn

Bregman

James & Joyce Bresnahan

Robert & Helene Brophy

Paul Brown & Susan

Loevenguth

Bob & Kathy Brown

Lia & Dean Burrows

Patricia Bush

John & Cynthia

Cambareri

Larry & Fran Campbell

Thomas Carlin

Delores Carney

Marjorie Carter

Emanuel & Cynthia Carter

Christina Casella

Edward & Sarah Castilano

Brian Cavallo

Charles Schwab

Douglas & Diane Chilson

Nancy Christy

Martha Cole

Cheryl Cole

John & Deloris Coleman

Donna Coloton

William & Julia Consroe

Mary Anne Corasaniti

Tim & Margaret Creamer

Tracy Cromp

Stephanie Cross

Paul & Cynthia Curtin

Christine Dascher

Lynette & Ethan Davis

Oran Day

Peter Deblois

Paula Dendis

Patrick & Rebecca Devendorf

Kate DiDonato

Margrit Diehl

Diane Dimond

Audrey Dolata

Nick Doran

Eric Drath

Nathaniel & Karen Dunn

Kathleen Effler

Wynn Egginton

Richard Ellison & Margaret Ksander

Mark & Marci Erlebacher

Lorraine Erlenback

Daniel & Laura Feldman

Nancy FreeboroughKaczmar

Jeffrey & Teresa Freedman

Virginia Frey

John Friedman & Polly

Ann Heavenrich

Judy Friedman

Mary Gallagher

William & Jean Gamble

Mary Beth Gannon

Norma Gawlowicz

Claudia Gebhardt

Deborah Gersony

William Gray

Paula & Louis Green

Mark & Cynthia Dowd

Greene

Briann Greenfield

Seth & Lisa Greenky

Charlotte Haas & Gary

Quirk

James Hahn

Marcia Haines

Nancy Hanna

Ann & Richard Harris

Gail Hauss

David & Elizabeth Hayes

Gordon Hayes

Pamela & James Helmer

Michael & Elizabeth

Hennessy

Karl & Mary Herba

Kathleen Hinchman

Howard & Linda Hollander

Rachel Hopkins

Erin Horner

Michael Houseman

Kathleen Howard

Judy Huckle

Michael Hungerford & Margaret Ryniker

Marie & James Jewson

Alexander Joseph

Michael & Audrey Kane

Randy Karcher

Marlene Kelly

Kathy Kennedy

John & Gloria Kennedy

Jean Kimber

S Scott & Linda Tousey

Kraemer

Steven Kulick

Amanda Lee

Dennis Lerner

Maria Lesinski

Michael & Jean Loftus

Michelle Lonergan

Susan & Gerald Lotierzo

Jane Macan

Gerald Mager

Julia Mahaney

Jon Maloff

Mimi Mark

Carol Marsella

Emile Martin

Karin Martinez

Douglas & Randi Matousek

John & Mary McCulley

Wallace & Gayonne McDonald

Philip & Martha McDowell

Linda McKeown

Timothy McLaughlin & Diane Cass

Kathleen McLeod

Gail Meagher

Andreas & Margaret Meier

Eckart & Mary Meisterfeld

Marcia Mele

Marie Merrell

David Michel & Peggy Liuzzi

Thomas Miller & Mary MacBlane

Jeffrey Minnerly

Gail Mitchell

Leslie & Barney Molldrem

Robert & Barbara Moore

Mark & Megan Morettini

David & Janet Muir

Janet Munro

Wil Murtaugh & Bill Louer

Tina Nabinger

Katharine O'Connell

Michael & Maggie O'Connor

Bryan O'Quinn

Edith Pennington & Lawrence Lardy

James Perry

Howard & Ann Port

Kevin & Rachel Porter

Duane & Karleen Preske

Colleen Prossner

Charles & Patricia Prutzman

Steve & Kate Pynn

YiWei Qi & Julie Yu

Mary Rose Ranieri

Jim Read

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

Wendy Neikirk Rhodes & Adrian Rhodes

Michael Riecke & Anthony McEachern

Marybeth Riscica

Bob Rose

Nancy Machles Rothschild

Linda & Bob Ryan

Steven & Carla Salisbury

Michael & Dawn Sam

Roberta Savage

Jennifer Scalione

Jeffrey & Abby Scheer

Nancy Sharpe

Madeline Slate

Ross & Janet Stefano

Mark & Beth Steigerwald

Susan Stred & Harold Husovsky

Jennifer, Bridget & Audrey Stromer-Galley

Calixto & Joyce Suarez

Sharon Sutter

Martha Sutter & David Ross

Kristin & Steve Swift

Syracuse Mets

Thomas & Carole Taylor

James & Dolores Terzian

David & Eileen Thompson

James Traver & Marguerite Conan

John & Jean Tromans

Phil & Janice Turner

Earl & Karen Turner

Timothy & Nancy Volk

Maryam Wasmund

Ardyth Watson

Desiree Wight

Alexander & Lola Winter

Deborah Wood

Christopher Wratney

Samuel & Robin Young

Leslie Zaborsky

Joyce Zadzilka

Stephen & Patricia Zalewski

Kathy Zappala

Steven & Judith Zdep

Loretta Zolkowski

PLANNED GIVING

A planned gift is a way to make a significant and lasting gift to Syracuse Stage. By making a bequest to the theatre, you are assuring that Syracuse Stage will continue to inspire, stimulate, and entertain Central New York audiences for generations to come, as well as maintain its high artistic standards that are recognized locally, and nationally. For more information about planned gifts contact: Ana Díaz-Diez, Director of Development 315-443-3931 or ajdiazdi@syr.edu

Mary Louise Dunn Fund

Dr. William J. Clark, Jr. Fund

The Estate of Rosemary Curtis

In Honor and Memory of Sheldon P. Peterfreund and Josephine A Peterfreund

The J. Zimmeister-Yarwood Estate

MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM

Many 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!

As of October 2, 2023. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months.

Thankyoutooursponsors!

PRESENTING

JP Morgan Chase

PLATINUM

Jacki & Michael Goldberg

Mangano Law Office PLLC

Cathedral Candle Company

Nancy Green & Tony Marschall

Syracuse University

Hayner Hoyt Corporation

Dorothy and Marshall M.

Reisman Foundation (Attending: David’s Refuge)

National Grid

Bousquet Holstein, PLLC

Sharon Sullivan & Paul

Phillips

GOLD

Ernst & Young LLC

Marriott Syracuse Downtown/ Brines Wells, LLC

Mower Agency

Ashley McGraw Architects, DPC

SILVER

Bond, Schoeneck, & King PLLC

Peterson Guadagnolo Consulting Engineers, PC

LeChase

BRONZE

George S. Bain

NBT Bank

Bank of America

SYRACUSE STAGE STAFF

Artistic Director.............................................................................................................Robert Hupp

Managing Director.....................................................................................................Jill A. Anderson

Associate Artistic Director............................................................................................Melissa Crespo

Resident Playwright..............................................................................................................Kyle Bass

PRODUCTION STAFF

Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann

Associate Director of Production Operations..........................................................Dianna Angell

Company Manager and Production Management Associate......................................Brian Crotty

Assistant Company Manager.....................................................................................Sarai Ford

Production Office Intern............................................................................................Jack Lin†

Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen

Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz

Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King

Technical Assistant...................................................................................................Liz Daurio

Carpenters...............................................................................John Gamble, Brian McBurney

Student Employee..........................................................................................Gray Westbrook†

Scenic Charge Artist...................................................................................................Emily Holm

Lead Scenic Artist................................................................................................Laurel Arnold

Scenic Painters...........................................................................Jessica Culligan, Alexis Frizzell

Props Supervisor............................................................................................................Mara Rich

Assistant Prop Supervisor............................................................................Christine Goldman

Craftpersons....................................................................................Alexis Frizzell, Nora Galley

Costume Shop Manager..........................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty

Assistant Costume Shop Manager.....................................................................Amanda Moore

Cutter-Draper...................................................................................................Kathryn Rauch

First Hand.........................................................................................................Victoria Lillich

Stitchers.......................................................................................Emily King, Katelyn Yonkers

Craftsperson/Shopper.........................................................................................Sandra Knapp

Wardrobe Supervisor.........................................................................................Dylinn Andrew

Student Employee...................................................................................................Sofia Pizer†

Lighting and Projection Supervisor...............................................................................Jed Daniels

Electricians/Board Operators.................................................................Travis Burt, Alex Malli

Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer.....................................................Jacqueline R. Herter

Audio Engineer...............................................................................................Kevin O’Connor

Sound Engineer/A1..............................................................................................Garrett Frink

Production Stage Manager....................................................................................Stuart Plymesser

Stage Manager..............................................................................................Laura Jane Collins

Production Assistants.........................................................................Erin C Brett, Em Piraino

SYRACUSE STAGE STAFF

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

General Manager....................................................................................................Michael McCurdy

Comptroller..............................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale

Associate General Manager...................................................................................Jacob G. Ellison

Director of Information Management & Technology...................................Garrett Diaz-Wheeler

Audience Services Manager.......................................................................................Korrie Taylor

House Managers.............................Pat Condello, Ella Lafontant, Adam Secor, Donna Stuccio

Bartenders.................................................................................Michelle Cannizzo, Meg Pusey

Audience Services Interns...........................................................Yushan Deng†, Lubeini Yang†

Front of House Student Staff...............Nathan Ayotte†, Carolyn Burch†, Christian Elwood†, Sami English†, Henry Herbert†, Henry Jackson†, Sally Jewell†, Violet Lanciloti†, Arieza Mari† Martin Magalang†, James O’Leary†, Lucia Santoro-Velez†, Kevin Sene†, Julia Snoonan†, Eva Spaid†, Gracie Whaley†, Jakobi Deshun Oliver†, Hazel Kinnersley†, Delaney Teague†

Director of Development.............................................................................................Ana Díaz-Diez

Development Associate................................................................................Candice Bermudez

Development Intern..............................................................................Jakobi Deshun Oliver†

Director of Community Engagement............................................................................Joann Yarrow

Community Engagement Intern.....................................................................Paige Kenneally†

Director of Education.......................................................................................................Kate Laissle

Community Engagement and Education Coordinator........................................Theorri London

Education Interns.......................................Alethea Cicely Shirilan-Howlett†, Cricket Withall†

Director of Marketing and Communications..............................................................Joanna Penalva

Audience Development Manager.........................................................................Tracey White

Creative Director, Marketing.............................................................................Brenna Merritt

Marketing Content and Publications Manager................................................Matthew Nerber

Box Office Manager.................................................................................Courtney Richardson

Assistant Box Office Manager.....................................................................Ahmanee Simmons

Box Office Show Supervisor...........................................................................Shynique Gainey

Graphic Designer............................................................................................Jonathan Hudak

Marketing Associate......................................................................................Talia Shenandoah

Marketing Intern................................................................................................Mia Crisafulli†

Box Office Intern....................................................................................................Ginger Bai†

Executive Assistant............................................................................................................Julia Rakus

Management Office Intern...............................................................................Megan Cooper†

Sign Language Interpreters.....................................................................Brenda Brown, Sue Freeman

Open Captioning.................................................Jacob G. Ellison, Michael McCurdy, Cynthia Reid

Audio Description...................................................................................Kate Laissle, Joseph Whelan

Community Services Officers.......................................................Stacey Emmons, Joseph O'Connor

Custodians...........................................................................................Tony Rogers, Candace Velario

†Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama.

Play a Role

AT SYRACUSE STAGE!

Join the ensemble with an Annual Fund donation to help us make a difference through live theatre.

Your gift supports educational, artistic, accessibility, and community engagement programming which provides the Syracuse and Central New York Community a platform for connectivity and cohesiveness.

The advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion is promoted through programs such as Sensory Friendly performances, Young Playwrights Festival, open captioning, and much more.

Photos: Family Day, 2023

Photographer: Candice A Bermudez

50th ANNIVERSARY

SEIZE PLAY THE

2023/2024 SEASON

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

By Heidi Schreck

Directed by Melissa Crespo

SEPT 13 - OCT 1, 2023

A Wholly Impactful and Timely Theatre Experience

Boundary-breaking show traces the relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Hilarious, hopeful, and honest!

“Every American should see this play!” – The Seattle Times

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL

By Lanie Robertson

Musical Arrangements by Danny Holgate

Directed by Jade King Carroll

OCT 18 - NOV 5, 2023

Experience the Soulful Music of Billie Holiday

An intimate look at Billie Holiday’s life story told through the songs that made her famous.

“The richest jazz singing in town.” – The New York Times

CLYDE’S

By

Lynn Nottage | Directed by Chip Miller | Co-produced with Portland Center Stage

JAN 31 - FEB 18, 2024

Feel Good Comic-Drama Takes a Shot at Redemption

This masterful and delicious new ‘dramedy’ has it all – wit, heart, snappy dialogue, big surprises, and the search for the perfect sandwich – deeply felt, quirky, and urgent.

"An absolutely thrilling experience. Laugh-out-loud funny!" – The Hollywood

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens | Adapted by Richard Hellesen and David DeBerry with music orchestration by Gregg Coffin | Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson | Featuring 2 Ring Circus | Co-Produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama

NOV 24 – DEC 31, 2023

The Greatest Ghost Story Ever Told!

Shines a light on the power of kindness and love in this uplifting tale of Mr. Scrooge and his journey to redemption. Share the season with the people you love!

“A beautiful, timeless message of generosity’s triumph over greed.” – Chicago Tribune

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

By Agatha Christie

Adapted by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Robert Hupp

MAR 13 - 31, 2024

From the Undisputed Queen of Crime

Wherever famed detective Poirot goes, murder is never far behind! An avalanche stops the famed Orient Express, and Poirot must solve the on-board murder before the killer strikes again!

“Glamourous and enthralling from

ONCE

Book by Enda Walsh | Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová | Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney

Directed by Melissa Crespo

MAY 1 - 19, 2024

Award-Winning Emotionally Captivating Musical

The exuberant spirit of a lively pub session meets an out-of-theordinary love story in this irresistible musical based on the beloved indie film. Winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

“Hearts soar and music shimmers

ADVERTISE HERE

The Syracuse Stage program is published six times a year. For advertising rates and information contact Joanna Penalva at 315.443.2636, or jlpenalv@syr.edu

Donor-Advised Funds

More ways to give. One convenient resource.

Let us assist you with your charitable giving.

If philanthropy is one of your priorities, establishing a donor-advised fund at the Upstate Foundation may be the next best step toward achieving your charitable goals.

www.UpstateFoundation.org/DAF | 315-464-4416

A donor-advised fund can be established by an individual or company at the Foundation in order to disburse charitable gifts to quali ed not-for-pro t organizations. This includes, of course, Upstate Medical University as well as local and national nonpro ts that are meaningful to you. Simplify your giving and enjoy the tax advantages of a donor-advised fund.

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