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LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA WHY TELL THIS STORY NOW? This is a question that my faculty colleagues and I spend a great deal of time considering because it is central to the process of selecting, preparing, and presenting our performance season – not only our mainstage season, but the numerous smaller scale studio projects that augment it, as well as the partnerships with our colleagues at Syracuse Stage that further enhance it. Over the course of many months (discussions for this current season began in April of 2017!), we collectively consider a wide range of genres and titles – possible stories to tell – and we gradually narrow the field to arrive at our final decisions. As we do so, we consider the ways in which any given play will advance our students’ learning and
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challenge the creative capacities of our faculty, staff, and guest artists. Our performance season is one of our most important endeavors, second only to the daily delivery of curriculum in our classrooms and studios. That importance arises from the fact that it is through the practical application of their skills that students in all of our programs of study – theater design and technology, stage management, theater management, acting, and musical theater – deepen their knowledge and prepare themselves to embark upon professional careers in the performing arts. Additionally, it is through our productions that the artist-teachers who make up our faculty (designers, directors, choreographers, performers) have
the opportunity to expand their range of creative expression and share their knowledge in a time-honored tradition of apprenticeship-style teaching and learning.
Each of the plays and musicals in our 2018-19 mainstage season in some way examines questions that are central to the act of storytelling itself: Who owns the story? Who gets to tell it? What is the best way to tell it? And, of course: Why tell this story now? I am grateful that you have chosen to join us, and I hope you will be as engaged by these questions as we have been as we worked to bring these stories to life. And I invite you to share your thoughts about some of these questions by joining us for one or more of our free Sunday Salon Series discussions following the first Sun-
RALPH ZITO
And as we consider what plays to present, and choose what stories to tell, we consider the fundamental goal of Theater itself: to share stories of the human condition in the hope of provoking change. Sometimes, the change is as simple as a change in mood – a muchneeded lifting of the spirits. Sometimes, the change goes deeper – an expansion of knowledge, a shift in worldview, a deepening of empathy.
day matinee of each production. Join the director, members of the creative team, and experts drawn from the Syracuse University faculty and Syracuse community as we take a closer look at the creative process and the larger questions raised by each production. Once again, thank you and enjoy the show!
Ralph Zito
Chair, Department of Drama
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College of Visual and Performing Arts PRESENTS
BY
Geoffrey Nauffts DIRECTED BY
Ralph Zito SCENIC DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
LIGHTING DESIGNER
SOUND DESIGNER
Breanna Zahakos
Abby Magee
David Jackson
Jacqueline R Herter
DIALECT COACH
STAGE MANAGER
Blake Segal
Andrew "Weim" Weimerskirch
CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
Ralph Zito SEASON SPONSOR
Next Fall is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. November 9 – 17, 2018
è Enjoyed the show? Share with your friends #SUDramaNext Fall. 5
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CAST (in order of appearance) Holly.........................................................................Talia Wernick Brandon.................................................................Michael Sloan Arlene......................................................................Kendra Kirby Butch....................................................................Rupert Krueger Adam........................................................................Nick Turturro Luke.......................................................................Justin Slepicoff
SETTING The action of the play unfolds over the course of a twelve-hour period in a Manhattan hospital in the fall of 2010, as well as the five-year period immediately prior.
ADDITIONAL CREDITS Assistant Director: Wallis Dean Assistant Scenic Designer: Samantha Olszewski Assistant Costume Designer: Genevieve Kaylyn Phanhthaly Assistant Lighting Designers: Nate Coffey, Shannon Bagoly Assistant Stage Manager: Andi Voigt Stage Combat: Stephen Cross Casting Associate: Wallis Dean Casting Assistants: Zora Moynihan, Ian Soares
SPECIAL THANKS Special thanks to Rob Bundy and our wonderful production assistants
There will be one fifteen-minute intermission.
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D I R E CTO R ' S N OT E
THIS STORY, MY STORY, OUR STORY As I mention in my welcome letter on page two, the process of selecting plays for our current mainstage season began nearly a year and half ago, in April of 2017. The department faculty considered a wide range of titles and genres, gradually winnowing the selections with a view towards providing all of the following: meaningful learning experiences for our students; creative opportunities for individual faculty directors, designers, choreographers, and music director; and an entertaining and thought-provoking season for our audience.
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In the course of those discussions, we decided to select one title that would put the story of gay characters front and center. I chose to take the lead on selecting and directing that piece because – as a nearly sixty-year-old gay man – I have a deep personal connection to those stories. Perhaps more importantly, I am deeply concerned about the many recent attacks on the rights that I and those of my generation – and the generations before me – fought so hard to have recognized. Consequently, I was determined to find a play that went be-
yond the mere celebration of gayness, and instead addressed the complexities of living a life that many people still seek to marginalize or erase. And because I remain firmly committed to the power of theater to foster empathy, I looked for a story that challenged our capacity to understand the other – whether the other is determined by sexual orientation, faith practice, political point of view, or any parameter one might name. While I have long known and admired this play, over the course of our rehearsals I have frequently been surprised by its capacity to move me in profoundly personal ways. On the lighter side, I never would have thought that scenes involving deli sandwiches, tiny apartments, or parties that spill onto impromptu roof gardens could ever have made me nostalgic for life in Manhattan. Yet they do. Of greater consequence are
details like the fleeting mention of “the towers” being gone – not only a reminder of one of the most significant “before and after” lines of demarcation in the American psyche, but a floodgate that lets loose hundreds of memories and images of that day and its aftermath: That eerily clear blue September sky. The fear that I would never be able to get through by phone to my now husband who was living and working in Houston at the time. Days and weeks spent calming the fears of my students, many of whom had never been away from home before, and all of whom suddenly found themselves in New York City and in a world turned upside down. It is also impossible for me, as someone who lived in Manhattan during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 90s, to have delved into the hospital waiting room scenes without confronting that particu-
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Because I remain firmly committed to the power of theater to foster empathy, I looked for a story that challenged our capacity to understand the other – whether the other is determined by sexual orientation, faith practice, political point of view, or any parameter one might name.
RESOURCE INFORMATION We are mindful that the events, themes, and arguments of the play may leave members of our audience in need of further information or support. Please consider making use of any of the following University and community resources: Hendricks Chapel 315-443-2901 chapel@syr.edu
LGBT Resource Center 315-443-3983 Counseling Center 315-443-4715
The Q Center at ACR Health 800-475-2430 (M-F, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm) 888-475-2437 (After Hours) www.acrhealth.org/ youth/the-q-center
lar specter as well – even though AIDS is nowhere physically present in the play. The phrase “family only” bars Adam from seeing Luke, just as it barred so many couples from making fundamental human connections at critically important end of life events. Luke’s accident forces everyone in the play, at some point and in some way, to grapple with the complex relationship between families of choice and families of origin. And just as AIDS forced any number of people to come out, Luke’s accident forces a series of revelations – of sexuality, of personal relationships, of faith (or lack thereof), of values. I came out over the course of twenty-three years – beginning with a conversation among my closest high school friends (about feelings that I didn’t understand and wished would go away), continuing through my reinvention of myself as an acting student in New York City, and ending with
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letters written to my brothers when I was forty. Yes, forty. Twelve years into my relationship with the man who is now my husband. Needless to say, my brothers were not surprised. I came out again about five years later – not as a gay man, but as a person of faith. I was raised a Roman Catholic and attended Catholic school from kindergarten through high school. The Roman Catholic Church is my faith family of origin, and over the course of many years I have variously struggled with it, embraced it, rejected it, and made excuses for it. At a particularly challenging time in my life, when I was struggling to cope with a very heavy grief, I could not find my way back to Catholicism. Instead, I made my way to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), who have become my faith family of choice. Sharing this journey and decision with my many friends who are agnostic or atheist was
as difficult as sharing my sexual orientation had been years earlier. It was fraught with similar fears of judgment, misunderstanding, or rejection. Yet it was ultimately blessed with the same sense of welcome, of wholeness, of coming home. We, as a company, have done our best not to judge the characters with whom we disagree – even as they utter phrases and engage in behaviors that challenge our patience and our fundamental sense of right and wrong. The Christians in this play do not march in lock step with each other theologically. Each of them enacts their faith differently. Geoffrey Nauffts very carefully and sensitively challenges us to question our assumptions about these Christian “others” because plays make their arguments differently than essays or lectures or debates do. They rub our noses in the things we don’t want to see in others or ourselves. We – actors and audience – must
Plays make their arguments differently than essays or lectures or debates do. They rub our noses in the things we don’t want to see in others or ourselves. We – actors and audience – must be brave, and go along for the ride, momentarily climbing into the other’s skin and seeing the world through their eyes. be brave, and go along for the ride, momentarily climbing into the other’s skin and seeing the world through their eyes. As was the case in my own life, and I suspect in the lives of many, the revelations in the play take many forms and come in all sizes and shapes. Some are head-on collisions. Some are glancing intimations. As in any good drama, all of them are costly and transformative for those involved. If we have done
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our work well, they will remind you of the revelations you have made in your own life, or of those that have been made to you. Or perhaps they will prepare you for the revelations yet to come. I hope that they will remind you of both the cost and the reward of truth-telling, and the value of suspending judgment. –Ralph Zito
CAST Kendra Kirby (Arlene) is a senior acting major from Long Island, NY. At the Department of Drama Kendra has been seen in Much Ado About Nothing as Jonella (Blackbox Players), Two Rooms as Lainie (independent student project), Failure: A Love Story as Jenny June Fail (faculty project), and as the female swing in 123 (Blackbox Players). This is her mainstage debut. She would like to dedicate these performances to her late friend, Nicolas Vigliotti.
Michael Sloan (Brandon) is a junior musical theater major from Ithaca, NY. He spent this past summer as a member of the Lab Company at the Hangar Theatre where he performed in the mainstage production of Chicago. At the Department of Drama, Michael has appeared in the ensemble of Crazy For You (mainstage) and Fly More Than You Fall (studio project). He also appeared in the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production of The Wizard of Oz and served as the understudy to the role of Henry in Next to Normal at Syracuse Stage. Michael would like to thank his family for their endless love and support. IG: @michaelfsloan
Rupert Krueger (Butch) is a senior acting major from Syracuse, NY. Department of Drama credits include The Seagull (mainstage), Major Barbara (mainstage), and A Promise is a Promise (Bank of America Children’s Tour). As always, he would like to thank his mother.
Nick Turturro (Adam) is a senior acting major from Milton, GA. At the Department of Drama Nick has been seen as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (Black Box Players Production), John F Fail in Failure: A Love Story (studio project), and Michael in Two Rooms (independent student project).
Justin Slepicoff (Luke) is a junior acting major from Los Angeles, CA. He was last seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as Arthur Dimmesdale in Joseph Whelan’s adaptation of A Scarlet Letter. Department of Drama credits include Metamorphan (Bank of America Children’s Tour) and Black Box Player’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Justin is thrilled to be making his Department of Drama mainstage debut with such a phenomenal company.
Talia Wernick (Holly) is a senior acting major from St. Paul, MN. Previous credits include Prognosis Poor (Building Theater Company), Much Ado About Nothing (Black Box),
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CAST Failure: A Love Story (studio project), Laura and the Sea (u/s Annie, main-
stage), and Rust Echoes (faculty independent project).
A R T I S T I C S TA F F Breanna Zahakos (Scenic Designer) is a senior theater design and technology major with a concentration in scenic design from Montgomery, NY. She is thrilled to be making her scenic design debut with the Department of Drama. Previous design credits include: The Baltimore Waltz (assistant costume designer), Crazy for You (assistant scenic designer), Major Barbara (assistant scenic designer), Laura and the Sea (assistant scenic and projection designer), and the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama coproduction of The Wizard of Oz (assistant scenic designer). She would like to thank her family, particularly her mom and dad, who remind her to never give up and have supported her endlessly throughout these years.
as the master carpenter at the Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival and is pursuing a career in entertainment design. David Jackson (Lighting Designer) is a stage management major from Mamaroneck, NY, who has been concentrating on the relationship between stage management and lighting design. Previous stage management credits include: The Baltimore Waltz (mainstage, stage manager), Medea (faculty project, stage manager), Nine: The Musical (mainstage, assistant stage manager), Agamemnon (mainstage, assistant stage manager), Ain’t Misbehavin (Syracuse Stage, stage management intern), and The Lion King: Rafiki Tour (National Tour, stage management production assistant). Previous lighting design credits include Crazy For You (mainstage, assistant lighting designer) and Little Shop of Horrors (mainstage, assistant lighting designer). David is excited to move to New York City next semester for his final semester, and would like to thank the entire production team of Next Fall.
Abby Magee (Costume Designer) is a junior theater design and technology major with concentrations in scenic and costume design, and is also pursuing a minor in the jazz studies program at the Setnor School of Music. She is from the small town of Stillwater, NJ. Her previous Department of Drama credits include assistant costume design for mainstage shows The House of The Spirits and Major Barbara, and assistant scenic design for The Seagull. She has previously worked
Jacqueline R Herter (Sound Designer) has served as resident sound designer for twenty seasons at Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse University Department of Drama. She 13
A R T I S T I C S TA F F 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 theaters across the nation. Some favorite designs have been: Next to Normal, The Three Musketeers, Nine, Hairspray, The Overwhelming, Caroline, or Change, The Miracle Worker, 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, Frozen, Copenhagen, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Inherit the Wind, and Big River.
Repertory Company, Cleveland Musical Theatre, Luna Stages, Passages Theatre, Yale School of Drama, Columbia University School of the Arts, Fordham University Theatre, Syracuse University Drama Department, Kean University Department of Theater, and Stella Adler Conservatory. As an actor he has appeared in the National Tour of Mary Poppins, major regional theaters across the country, film, and on television. BA: University of Virginia, MFA: Yale School of Drama. For more, please visit www.blakesegal.com. Andrew “Weim” Weimerskirch (Stage Manager) is a senior stage manager from Dallas - Fort Worth, TX. At the Department of Drama, he has stage managed The House of the Spirits (mainstage), I Am My Own Wife (faculty project), and assistant stage managed Kiss Me, Kate (mainstage). He was also the stage management intern and part of the run crew for the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production of Mary Poppins. Outside of Syracuse, he stage managed on an Equity contract at Amphibian Stage Productions for King Liz. @andrew_weim
Blake Segal (Dialect Coach) is thrilled to return to Syracuse after dialect coaching last season’s The Baltimore Waltz (Department of Drama mainstage) and acting in this season’s Noises Off (Syracuse Stage). Production dialect coaching credits include Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Georges, Araca Project, Walkerspace at SoHo Rep, Fault Line Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group, Two River Theater Company, Playmakers
A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Shannon Bagoly (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a sophomore stage management major from Winsted, CT.
Nate Coffey (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a stage management major from Chicago, IL.
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A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Wallis Dean (Assistant Director/ Casting Associate) is a sophomore theater management major from Dallas, TX.
Genevieve Kaylyn Phanhthaly (Assistant Costume Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with concentrations in scenic and costume design from San Diego, CA.
Zora Moynihan (Casting Assistant) is a senior theater management major from Brooklyn, NY.
Ian Soares (Casting Assistant) is a junior acting major from Longmeadow, MA.
Samantha Olszewski (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in scenic design from Darlington, PA.
Andi Voigt (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman stage management major from Duluth, MN.
P L AY W R I G H T Geoffrey Nauffts has worked as an actor on and Off-Broadway, regionally, and extensively in film and television. He has directed short plays by Kenneth Lonergan, Frank Pugliese, David Marshall Grant, Theresa Rebeck, and Suzan-Lori Parks, as well as Naked Angels’ critically acclaimed production of Steven Belber’s TAPE in New York, Los Angeles, and London. He wrote, directed, and acted in the award-winning short film Baby Steps, starring Kathy Bates, and co-wrote Jenifer, a movie of the week for CBS. He collaborated with Elton John and Anthony Barrile on a score for Show-
stopper, a screenplay he and Barrile co-wrote for Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour. In addition to his role as a writer on ABC’s hit series, Brothers & Sisters, he currently serves as artistic director of Naked Angels, where he’s been a proud member for over twenty-four years. His critically acclaimed play Next Fall opened on Broadway in March 2010, where it received the Outer Circle Critics John Gassner Award for Best New American Play, and was nominated for a Drama League Award, an Outer Circle Critics Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Tony Award for best play.
PROGRAM BOOK Publications Director Joseph Whelan Layout Jonathan Hudak Advertising Joanna Penalva
Next Fall published November 9, 2018 The Department of Drama program is published five times a year. For advertising rates and information contact the marketing office at 315.443.2636.
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D I R E C T O R / C H A I R , D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Ralph Zito is in his ninth year as chair of the Department of Drama. He came to Syracuse University from the Juilliard School Drama Division, where he had been a teacher and director from 1992 to 2010 and chair of the Voice and Speech Department since 1999. He was a director and adjunct lecturer in the Barnard College Theater Department from 2006 until 2010 and has been a guest artist at training programs across the country, including the Old Globe in San Diego, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Academy for Classical Acting in Washington, DC. Directing credits for the Department of Drama include: The Spitfire Grill, As You Like It, Gruesome Playground Injuries, and The Aliens. He has served as a voice, text or dialect consultant for numerous professional productions both on and off-Broadway, including: The Light in the Piazza; Awake and Sing!; The Herbal Bed; Mrs. Klein; The Fiery Furnace; The Time of the Cuckoo (Lincoln Center Theatre); Tongue of a Bird; The Merchant of Ven-
ice (New York Shakespeare Festival); The Pitchfork Disney (Blue Light Theatre Company); Birdy (The Women’s Project); The Model Apartment (Primary Stages); the New York premiere of Tony Kushner’s SLAVS! (New York Theatre Workshop); and The African Company Presents Richard III (The Acting Company). His regional theater credits include numerous productions at The Shakespeare Theatre and Arena Stage in Washington, DC; Syracuse Stage; Baltimore CENTERSTAGE; Hartford Stage; and the McCarter Theatre, among others. A former touring member of The Acting Company, he served as artistic associate of The Chautauqua Theatre Company for seven years and was a member of the Board of Directors of The American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) for six years. He is a graduate of Harvard University, The Juilliard School, and the American Center for the Alexander Technique. He was recently awarded the prestigious Juilliard President’s Medal in recognition of his contributions to both Juilliard and to the broader performing arts community.
A B O U T T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Syracuse University Department of Drama offers degree programs in acting, musical theater, theater design and technology, stage management, and theater management utilizing conservatory-style training in a university setting and in collaboration with Syracuse Stage. With much appre-
ciation, the Department of Drama wishes to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Syracuse Stage staff. While students are responsible for designing the technical elements of most Drama productions, implementing these designs requires a significant contribution by the professional staff of the Syracuse Stage production department. 16
N E X T FA L L P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F & R U N C R E W
Faculty Advisor to Student Designers....................................................................Felix Cochren Faculty Advisor to Stage Managers....................................................................Don Buschmann Light Board Operator......................................................................................................Ian Borowik Sound Board Operator.............................................................................................Abigail Boglioli Deck (Run Crew).....................................................Alana Barker, Daniel Leporin, Allison Turlo Dressers (Run Crew)..........................................................................Lauren Krohn, Cara Spindel Costume Maintenance.............................................................................Tyler Jessey, Imri Leshed Production Assistants................................................Kayla Addison, Tori Dedo, Mitch Gerding, Veronica Hersey, Spencer Lombardo, Claire Robbins, Eli Schwartz, Maggie Walters S Y R A C U S E U N I V E R S I T Y D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A
Chair.......................................................................................................................................Ralph Zito Business Manager.................................................................................................................Lisa Tucci Administrative Specialist...................................................................................Charlotte Santella Director, Tepper Semester in NYC.............................................................................Lisa Nicholas Assistant Musical Director...........................................................................................Jacob Stebly Director, 914Works..........................................................................................................Scott Rose F U L L-T I M E FA C U LT Y
Brian Cimmet Gerardine Clark James A. Clark Felix E. Cochren Jr. Stephen Cross Rodney Hudson Felix Ivanov
Rebecca Karpoff Marie Kemp Alex Koziara Victor Lazarow Andrea Leigh-Smith David Lowenstein Celia Madeoy
Brian J. Marcum Maria Marrero Katherine McGerr Thom Miller Anthony Salatino Holly Thuma
A D J U N C T FA C U LT Y
Jill Anderson Rob Andrusko Dianna Angell Kathleen Baum Kyle Bass Dave Bowman Rob Bundy Don Buschmann Diane Coloton Richard Crawley Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Peggy Droz Danita Emma
Kathryn Fathers Len Fonte Kelley Hamilton Jacqueline R Herter Mary Houston Robert Hupp Sandra Knapp Nicholas Kowerko Holly K. LaGrow Victoria Lillich Karen Menter William Morris Leslie Noble
Stuart Plymesser Rebecca Schuetz Hanni Schwarzlander Abel Searor Blake Segal Kevin Shumway Jacob Stebly Randy Steffen Renee Storiale Joseph Whelan Matthew Winning Kathleen Wrinn
A C C O M PA N I S T S
Barry Blumenthal, Kerry Dromgoole, David Sabin, Abel Searor, Jacob Stebly 17
N E X T AT T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A
WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT...
THE WILD PARTY
BY JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY | DIRECTED BY GILBERT MCCAULEY | FEBRUARY 22 – MARCH 3 | OPENING NIGHT: FEBRUARY 23
B O O K, MUS I C, AND LYRICS BY A NDREW L I PPA | BASE D ON THE POE M BY J O S EPH MO NCURE MARCH | D IRE CTE D BY KAT H ERI NE M CGE RR | ASSOCIATE DI RECT ED A ND CHORE OGRAP HE D BY A NDREA L EI G H -SMITH | MUSIC D IRE CTION BY B RI A N CI MM E T | MARCH 2 9 – AP RIL 7 O PENI NG NI G H T: MARCH 3 0
Ever wonder what it would be like to be in the rehearsal room when actors are digging ferociously into their psyches to discover a moment of revelation, or arguing heatedly over a character’s motivation? In We Are Proud to Present…, a company of six actors gathers in a rehearsal room to tell the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th century—the extinction of the Herero tribe at the hands of their German colonizers. Along the way, they test the limits of empathy as their own stories, subjectivities, assumptions and prejudices catalyze their theatrical process. Eventually the full force of a horrific past crashes into the good intentions of the present, and what seemed a faraway place and time comes all too close to home in this exceptional play about the sensitivities and difficulties inherent in the act of storytelling itself.
You’re invited to a party—a wild Hollywood party set in the Roaring 20s. Queenie and Burrs are your hosts. An intoxicating array of beverages will be served, music and dancing will raise the roof, and trouble will most certainly make an appearance. What’s a party without at least a little trouble? Based on Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 narrative poem, The Wild Party is a steamy prohibition tale driven by one of the most exciting, pulse-racing scores ever written. When you need to cut loose, how far is too far?
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N E X T AT S Y R A C U S E S TA G E
NATIVE
GARDENS
ELF THE MUSICAL
NATIVE GARDENS
BOOK BY THOMAS MEEHAN AND BOB MARTIN | MUSIC BY MATTHEW SKLAR LYRICS BY CHAD BEGUELIN | DIRECTED BY DONNA DRAKE | MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET | CHOREOGRAPHED BY BRIAN J. MARCUM | BASED ON THE NEW LINE CINEMA FILM BY DAVID BERENBAUM CO-PRODUCED WITH THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA NOVEMBER 23 - JANUARY 6 | OPENING NIGHT NOVEMBER 30
BY KAREN ZACARÍAS | DIRECTED BY MELISSA CRES PO | CO - P ROD UCE D WITH GE VA THEATRE CENTER | FEBRUARY 13 - MARCH 3 O PENI NG NI G HT: FE BRUARY 1 5
Enjoy a light-hearted look at what ails us in this witty and spot-on new comedy. Take a semi-retired Washington bureaucrat and his defense contractor wife, a young Chilean lawyer and his doctoral student wife, set them cheek by jowl in a border dispute over a couple of feet of property in a Georgetown backyard, and let the laughter begin. Privilege, prejudice, and yes, a border dispute all get an equitable skewering in this punchy and playful show. The road to recovering our shared sense of decency might just begin with laughter. A winner of the National Latino Playwriting Award, Karen Zacarías is among the most produced playwrights in the nation. This satirical gem shows us why.
This holiday season channel your inner elf and join Buddy on his journey from the North Pole to New York City to find his family. For this journey you’ll need provisions (four food groups recommended: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup), snowballs, and an ability to sing very loud (but maybe wait for the ride home). Most of all, you’ll need family and friends and a desire to spread holiday cheer. Donna Drake (The Wizard of Oz) returns to direct this delightful holiday show.
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S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F Artistic Director.............................................................................................................Robert Hupp Managing Director.....................................................................................................Jill A. Anderson Associate Artistic Director....................................................................................................Kyle Bass P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F
Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann Associate Director of Production Operations..........................................................Dianna Angell Company Manager/Production Management Assistant..............................................Brian Crotty Production Management Apprentice...................................................................Audrey Flynn Production Management Intern.....................................................................Samuel Arencibia Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King Carpenters.................................................Andrew Burns, Caleb Harris, Cheyenne McBurney Graduate Assistant................................................................................................Joshua Baker Student Assistants....................................................................Garett Pembrook, Allison Turlo Scenic Charge Artist...........................................................................................Holly K. LaGrow Assistant Scenic Artist...........................................................................................Phillip Dyke Graduate Assistants.......................................................................................Louise Thompson Props Supervisor.....................................................................................................Mary Houston Props Carpenter...............................................................................................Jordan Michaud Props Artisan....................................................................................................Jessica Culligan Props Graduate Assistant........................................................................................Drew Davis Student Assistants.....................................................................Shannon Bagoly, Logan Shiller Costume Shop Manager..........................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Assistant Costume Shop Manager/Drama Department Costume Coordinator.....Mallory Kay Nelson Cutter-Drapers...............................................................Catherine Hennessy, Meghan Pearson First Hand.........................................................................................................Victoria Lillich Stitchers.......................................................................................Emily King, Katelyn Yonkers Craftsperson/Shopper.........................................................................................Sandra Knapp Wardrobe and Wig Supervisor.................................................................................Sarah Stark Student Assistants......................................................................Michaela Vivona, Xinglan Yan Lighting and Projection Supervisor..................................................................David M. Bowman Electrician…….......................................................................................................Jed Daniels Electrics Journeyman/Board Operator...............................................................Anastasia Sioris Electrics Apprentice/Followspot Operator........................................................Caitlin Weinelll Student Assistants..................................................Samuel Arencibia, Ian Borowik, Aria Sivick Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer......................................................Jacqueline R Herter Assistant Audio Engineer................................................................................Kevin O’Connor Sound Apprentice...........................................................................................Alexandra Brock Production Stage Manager....................................................................................Stuart Plymesser Stage Manager..............................................................................................Laura Jane Collins Stage Management Journeyman............................................................................Erin C Brett Stage Management Apprentice................................................................................Em Piraino 20
S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F A D M I N I S T R AT I V E S TA F F
General Manager....................................................................................................Michael McCurdy Comptroller..............................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale Human Resources Manager/Business Associate.......................................................Kathy Zappala Student Business Office Intern...........................................................................Kristen Brown Director of Information Management & Technology...................................Garrett Wheeler-Diaz Box Office Managers.......................................Laurie Lindsey, Courtney Richardson, Aisha Shanes Box Office Assistants..........................Abby Cieslewski, Chidube Egbo, Talia Fossum-Wernick Rupert Krueger, Nick Lacopo, Chelsea Perez, Samoya Peters Lexie Smychynsky, Olivia St. Peter, Mary Storholm Box Office Intern..............................................................................................Margot Correa Audience Services Manager........................................................................................Jacob Ellison Audience Services Assistant.................................................................................Ella Lafontant Assistant House Manager...............................................................................Patricia Condello Student Assistant House Managers..................Manda Borden, John MacLeod, Jackson Norman McKenna Vargas, Marilyn Wechsler Bartenders...........Daisha Abdillahi, Meg Pusey-Anthis, Michelle Cannizzo, Evan Starling-Davis Ushers (Non-Student).......................................................................Alex Herter, Sarah Herter Student Ushers.........Summer Ainsworth, Haley Ayers, Blake Brewer, Anju Cloud, Ella Coste, Shamel Fadloun, Olivia Herz, Ellie Kallay, Calvin Keener, Clare Kenny, Dylan King, Jaelle LaGuerre, Kerri McAneney, Grace Morgan, Denise Romero, Eli Shwartz, Charles Curtis Towle III, Damon Williams, Haley Wright Director of Development...............................................................................................Tina Morgan Development Manager.......................................................................................Stefania Ianno Development Assistant.................................................................................Elizabeth Gardner Director of Education & Community Engagement.......................................................Joann Yarrow Associate Director of Education.............................................................................Kate Laissle Education Assistant...................................................................................................Len Fonte Education Intern.................................................................................................Greg Mytelka Director of Marketing and Communications..............................................................Joseph Whelan Group/Corporate Sales Manager..........................................................................Tracey White Marketing Manager...........................................................................................Joanna Penalva Patron Campaign Specialist.........................................................................Nori Gartner-Baca Graphic Designers.................................................................Jonathan Hudak, Brenna Merritt Group Sales Assistant........................................................................................Amanda Kurey Student Group Sales Assistant.............................................................................Lia Chapman Marketing Interns...................................................................Cara Christian, Christine Liggio Executive Assistant..................................................................................................Rebecca Li Grady Artistic Student Intern..................................................................................................Crystal Heller Sign Language Interpreters....................Brenda Brown, Jim Brown, Aaron Burton, Angelo Coppola, Mikki Evans, Sue Freeman, Joanne Jackowski, Zenna Preli, Trisha Schwartz, Ryan Wight Open Captioning..................................................................................................Jessika Whitehouse Audio Description...................................................................................Kate Laissle, Joseph Whelan Community Services Officers.......................................................Stacey Emmons, Joseph O'Connor Custodians.............................................................................Kitty Ashby, Les Edwards, Tony Rogers 21
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College of Visual and Performing Arts
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A SEASON BURSTING with dynamic stories & vibrant characters NOISES OFF
NATIVE GARDENS
SEPTEMBER 12 - 30
FEBRUARY 13 - MARCH 3
By Michael Frayn Directed by Robert Hupp
By Karen Zacarías | Directed by Melissa Crespo | Co-produced with Geva Theatre Center & Portland Center Stage
Hailed as the funniest farce ever written . . . a festival of delirium.
POSSESSING HARRIET OCTOBER 17 - NOVEMBER 4
By Kyle Bass | Directed by Tazewell Thompson | Commissioned by the Onondaga Historical Association Presented by Nancy and Bill Byrne A world premiere inspired by the true story of Harriet Powell who escaped slavery while visiting Syracuse in 1839.
ELF THE MUSICAL NOVEMBER 23 - JANUARY 6
Book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin | Music by Matthew Sklar Lyrics by Chad Beguelin | Directed by Donna Drake | Choreography by Brian J. Marcum | Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet | Based on the New Line Cinema film by David Berenbaum Co-produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama Great songs, great fun, and tons of holiday cheer.
Flex Packs on Sale! SAVE UP TO 30% COMPARED TO SINGLE TICKETS 315.443.3275 | SyracuseStage.org SEASON SPONSORS
A spot–on new comedy skewers walls, border disputes, and more from adjoining backyards in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE MARCH 20 - APRIL 7
By Kate Hamill Directed by Jason O’Connell Jane Austen’s classic gets a bright and lively makeover for the 21st century.
THE HUMANS APRIL 24 - MAY 12
By Stephen Karam | Directed by Mark Cuddy | Co-produced with Geva Theatre Center The 2016 Tony Award winner for Best Play.
COLD READ FESTIVAL MARCH 7 - 10
Curated by Kyle Bass Featuring Playwright Larissa FastHorse
PRESENTS
College of Visual and Performing Arts
18 19 SEASON
INTO THE WOODS BOOK BY JAMES LAPINE | MUSIC AND LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM | DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY DAVID LOWENSTEIN | MUSIC DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET | OCTOBER 12 21 OPENING NIGHT: OCTOBER 13
NEXT FALL BY GEOFFREY NAUFFTS | DIRECTED BY RALPH ZITO NOVEMBER 9 – 17 | OPENING NIGHT: NOVEMBER 10
ELF THE MUSICAL* BOOK BY THOMAS MEEHAN AND BOB MARTIN MUSIC BY MATTHEW SKLAR | LYRICS BY CHAD BEGUELIN | DIRECTED BY DONNA DRAKE | CHOREOGRAPHY BY BRIAN J. MARCUM | MUSIC DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET | BASED ON THE NEW LINE CINEMA FILM BY DAVID BERENBAUM | CO-PRODUCED WITH SYRACUSE STAGE | NOVEMBER 23 – JANUARY 6 | OPENING NIGHT: NOVEMBER 30
WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HERERO OF NAMIBIA, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOUTH WEST AFRICA, FROM THE GERMAN SÜDWESTAFRIKA, BETWEEN THE YEARS 1884 - 1915 BY JACKIE SIBBLIES DRURY | DIRECTED BY GILBERT MCCAULEY | FEBRUARY 22 – MARCH 3 | OPENING NIGHT: FEBRUARY 23
THE WILD PARTY BOOK, MUSIC, AND LYRICS BY ANDREW LIPPA BASED ON THE POEM BY JOSEPH MONCURE MARCH DIRECTED BY KATHERINE MCGERR | ASSOCIATE DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY ANDREA LEIGH-SMITH | MUSIC DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET MARCH 29 – APRIL 7 | OPENING NIGHT: MARCH 30
GOOD KIDS BY NAOMI IIZUKA | DIRECTED BY HOLLY THUMA MAY 3 -11 | OPENING NIGHT: MAY 4
*DRAMA SUBSCRIBERS WILL RECEIVE VOUCHERS REDEEMABLE FOR TICKETS TO ELF THE MUSICAL. PHOTO: (FROM RIGHT) BRITTANY ADEBUMOLA, MADELEINE INCE, AND CARLY CAVIGLIA IN THE SEAGULL. DIRECTED BY ROB BUNDY. SCENIC DESIGNER: EMMA ANTENEN. COSTUME DESIGNER: FELIX E. COCHREN. LIGHTING DESIGNER: ARIA SIVICK. PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHAEL DAVIS. RALPH ZITO, CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
S E AS O N S PO N S O R
TICKETS AND SEASON PACKAGES AVAILABLE VPA.SYR.EDU/DRAMATICKETS 315.443.3275