Adapted for the stage by ken ludwig
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on view in the mezzanine through May 19, 2024
From the series Adios 20th Century published by Point of Contact in The Americas Baroque (1993)
Photograph/Mixed Media, 10 x 7”
Point of Contact Art Collection
Editor:
Layout: Jonathan Hudak
Cover
The Slutzker Family Foundation is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor for the 50th Anniversary Season, celebrating 50 years of incredible storytelling in the Central New York community.
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.
Welcome to Syracuse Stage and to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express ! We extend a warm greeting to each of you as we embark on this captivating journey together – it’s always especially thrilling to see artistic director Robert Hupp’s work on our stage, as we do with this production.
With this classic tale of mystery and intrigue, we also continue celebrating a significant milestone in our history – Syracuse Stage’s 50th anniversary. For half a century, we have had the privilege of entertaining, inspiring, and challenging audiences in Central New York and beyond. It is with profound gratitude that we acknowledge the unwavering support of our community, without whom this achievement would not be possible.
Syracuse Stage owes its success in large part to the extraordinary contributions of its dedicated staff, both past and present. Their remarkable dedication, commitment to excellence, and boundless artistry have left an indelible mark on our community and enriched the cultural landscape of Central New York for 50 years. With this production, and as we commemorate this anniversary, we recognize and celebrate the staff’s invaluable contributions and look forward to all that is ahead . . . and what is ahead is thrilling!
We hope you’ll return to Syracuse Stage for our upcoming 2024-2025 season, as we kick off the next 50 years of incredible storytelling. Subscription ensures the best prices and all the perks – consider joining us today! More information can be found in the lobby, or at www.syracusestage.org.
Once again, welcome to Syracuse Stage. Thank you for being part of our journey, and enjoy the show!
Warm regards,
Jill Anderson Managing DirectorDirected 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
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
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 Reporter
By Charles Dickens | Adapted by Richard Hellesen and David de Berry with music
orchestration by Gregg Coffin
Directed by Melissa Rain Anderson | Circus and Phantom Staging by 2 Ring Circus | CoProduced 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
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
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
PRESENTS
DIRECTED BY
Robert Hupp
SCENIC DESIGN
Czerton Lim
PROJECTIONS DESIGN
Nitsan Scharf
COSTUME DESIGN
Tracy Dorman
WIG DESIGN
Bobbie Zlotnik
DIALECT COACH
Celia Madeoy
Robert Hupp Artistic Director
PRESENTING SPONSOR
LIGHTING DESIGN
Dawn Chiang
INTIMACY AND FIGHT DIRECTOR
Hannah Roccisano
DIALECT COACH
Blake Segal
Jill A. Anderson Managing Director
SEASON SPONSORS
SOUND AND ORIGINAL MUSIC
Daniela Hart & UptownWorks
PRODUCTION
STAGE MANAGER
Stuart Plymesser*
CASTING Bass/Valle Casting
Melissa Crespo Associate Artistic Director
SPONSOR
MEDIA SPONSORS
Kyle Bass Resident Playwright
PAY-WHAT-YOU-WILL SPONSOR
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express adapted by Ken Ludwig was originally staged by McCarter Theater Center, Princeton, NJ (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Managing Director). The production subsequently transferred to Hartford Stage, Harford, CT (Darko Tresnjak, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director).
March 13 - 31, 2024
(in order of speaking)
Hercule Poirot............................................Jason O'Connell*
Head Waiter...............................................Ryan P. Kennedy†
Colonel Arbuthnot...............................................John Tufts*
Mary Debenham............................................Isa Providence†
Helen Hubbard............................................Shannon Lamb*
Hector MacQueen..............................................Blake Segal*
Monsieur Bouc..............................................Shabazz Green*
Princess Dragomiroff..................................Barbara Kingsley*
Greta Ohlsson....................................................Angie Janas*
Michel the Conductor....................................Tanner Efinger
Samuel Ratchett...................................................John Tufts*
Countess Andrenyi.............................................Sarah Joyce*
Serkeci Station Announcer.............................Agathe Baggieri
Radio Man...............................................Donovan Stanfield
Mother............................................................Lilli Komurek
Little Girl....................................................Mayde Anastasio
Father................................................................Robert Hupp
The Nanny.......................................................Celia Madeoy
The Man................................................................Unknown
Understudies never substitute for the listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of performance.
For Colonel Arbuthnot, Samuel Ratchett – Tanner Efinger; For Countess Andrenyi – Avaana Harvey†; For Mary Debenham, Greta Ohlsson – Ella Johns†; For Michel the Conductor – Ryan P. Kennedy†; For Helen Hubbard – Lilli Komurek; For Hector MacQueen – Derek Emerson Powell; For Monsieur Bouc – Donovan Stanfield; For Hercule Poirot – John Tufts*; For Princess Dragomiroff – Karis Wiggins;
*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. Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express 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. †Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama.
Fight Captain: Blake Segal*
Co-Sound Designers: Noel Nichols, Bailey Trierweiler
Associate Sound Designer: Bryn Scharenberg
Associate Scenic Designer: Donnie Woodard
Student Assistant Director: Kate Grover†
Student Dramaturg: Wesley Tipton†
Student Lighting Design Assistant: Maddy Clark†
1st Production Assistant: Erin C Brett
2nd Production Assistant: Em Piraino
Stage Management Intern: Rachel Mondschein†
Wardrobe and Wig Supervisor: Dylinn Andrew
Wardrobe: Emelina White
Sound Assistant/A1: Garrett Frink
Electrician/Board Op: Alex Malli
Deck Crew: Basil Allen, Andrew Fiacco, Chris Green, Bayley Leyshon, Caitlin Radziewski, Alex Steffen
Special thanks to Rebecca Karpoff and Andrea Leigh-Smith.
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. Photo credit: The Syracuse Stage production of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express | Adapted for the Stage by Ken Ludwig | Directed by Robert Hupp | Scenic Design by Czerton Lim | Costume Design by Tracy Dorman | Lighting Design by Dawn Chiang | Sound and Original Muisc by Daniela Hart & UptownWorks | Projections Design by Nitsan Scharf | Wig Design by Bobbie Zlotnik
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
In books, in film, on television, and on stage, mysteries have legions of loyal fans. Still, there are those for whom the genre is less than appealing. Over the course of 50 years of incredible storytelling, Syracuse Stage has produced a variety of mysteries: Whodunits, Howdunits, thrillers, and farces. Titles such as Sleuth, Wait Until Dark, Deathtrap, and Dangerous Corner reach back to earlier years in the theatre’s history, while Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, and The Play that Goes Wrong represent more recent productions. Photos from some of these productions illustrate this discussion of the genre.
In the dangerous and cutthroat world of literary criticism, someone must play the curmudgeon. For much of the last century, Edmund Wilson, that “ferocious man: petty, pretentious and petulant,” excelled in the role while serving as an editor first for Vanity Fair, then The New Republic, and as a longtime regular contributor to The New Yorker.
Take for example two infamous essays from 1944 (“Why Do People Read Detective Stories?”) and 1945 (“Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?”) in which he excoriates not only the entire genre of crime fiction, but as well the readers who dare to derive pleasure from
- KEN LUDWIG “ ”
The plots of great mystery plays are relentlessly linear. Mysteries take us on a ride, starting at the beginning and driving straight through to the end. Like roller coasters, the best mysteries may twist and turn, climb and plunge, but they’re always headed straight forward and zoom on to the finish.
the likes of Agatha Christie and Dashiell Hammett. They are like incorrigible drunks, he opines, “habitually on the defensive, and all their talk of ‘well-written’ mysteries is simply an excuse for their vice, like the reasons that the alcoholic can aways produce for a drink.”
Wilson concludes “Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?” with undisguised contempt and supercilious dismissiveness: “With so many fine books to be read, so much to be studied and known, there is no need to bore ourselves with this rubbish. And with the paper shortage pressing on all publication and many first-rate writers forced
out of print, we shall do well to discourage the squandering of this paper that might be put to better use.”
Not worth the paper it is written on?
The genre Gertrude Stein called “the only really modern novel form?”
Wilson no doubt must have known, and no doubt must have considered suspect, G.K. Chesterton’s 1901 essay, “A Defense of Penny Dreadfuls.” Chesterton, author of the highly popular mystery series Father Brown, wrote the essay in response to pronouncements by certain judicial magistrates that an uptick in petty theft on London streets could be blamed
“ ”
I think the austerity and stern discipline that goes to making a ‘tight’ detective plot is good for one’s thought processes. It is the kind of writing that does not permit loose or slipshod thinking. It all has to dovetail, to fit in as part of a carefully constructed whole.- AGATHA CHRISTIE
on the influence exerted on young readers by the likes of Dick Deadshot and the Avenging Nine—as if famished children needed to be informed in print that apples would alleviate their hunger pangs, or that famished children would otherwise eschew pilfering ripe fruit had they not read about such exploits in vile stories. Rubbish, indeed.
Chesterton dares more, though. He declares the necessity of story in people’s lives, not literature necessarily, but stories, fiction: “We are in some danger of becoming petty in our study of pettiness; there is a terrible Circean law in the background that if the soul stoops
too ostentatiously to examine anything it never gets up again. There is no class of vulgar publications about which there is, to my mind, more utterly ridiculous exaggeration and misconception than the current boys’ literature of the lowest stratum. This class of composition has presumably always existed, and must exist. It has no more claim to be good literature than the daily conversation of its readers to be fine oratory, or the lodging-houses and tenements they inhabit to be sublime architecture. But people must have conversation, they must have houses, and they must have stories. The simple need for some kind of ideal world in which fictitious persons play an un-
2010 ”
JOE FOUST AND ROB JOHANSEN IN ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE 39 STEPS . ADAPTED BY PATRICK BARLOW FROM THE NOVEL BY JOHN BUCHAN. DIRECTED BY PETER AMSTER. PHOTO BY ROGER MASTROIANNI.
- G.K. CHESTERTON “
The simple need for some kind of ideal world in which fictitious persons play an unhampered part is infinitely deeper and older than the rules of good art, and much more important.
hampered part is infinitely deeper and older than the rules of good art, and much more important.”
Significantly, Chesterton continues: “Literature and fiction are two entirely different things. Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.” Not too long ago, the late and (in his way) great Michael Feingold, longtime theatre critic for The Village Voice, expressed his incomprehension about colleagues who would “laugh themselves silly and fall into the aisles” while watching a comedy, only to pan the show in their reviews the next day. Therein lies the difference. They were enjoying the fiction but critiquing the literature.
In this regard, Ken Ludwig, the author of this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, might offer some insight. In a 2020 essay, “Why Do Mysteries Grab Us,” Ludwig reveals that he became enamored of the genre while watching a performance of The Mousetrap in London with his family. “As I watched the play unfold that night,” he writes, “[I] saw the joy that it gave to our entire family.” High praise for Dame Agatha so many years on, and inspiration for Ludwig to write his own mystery.
“Why Do Mysteries Grab Us” is akin to a mini-Poetics of mystery writing, and like Aristotle some 2,500 years before him, Ludwig concludes, to misquote Hamlet, that the plot’s the thing, the admirable literary engine that drives the fun forward.
For context, Ludwig cites E. M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel: “‘The king died and then the queen died’ is a
story. ‘The king died and then the queen died of grief’ is a plot. The time sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it. Or again: ‘The queen died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king.’ This is a plot with a mystery in it, a form capable of high development.”
As for mysteries in particular, he quotes Dame Agatha: “I think the austerity and stern discipline that goes to making a ‘tight’ detective plot is good for one’s thought processes. It is the kind of writing that does not permit loose or slipshod thinking. It all has to dovetail, to fit in as part of a carefully constructed whole.”
He concludes: “The plots of great mystery plays are relentlessly linear. Mysteries take us on a ride, starting at the beginning and driving straight through to the end. Like roller coasters, the best mysteries may twist and turn, climb and plunge, but they’re always headed straight forward and zoom on to the finish.” In this way, they are much like the Greek Tragedy championed by Aristotle, most of which also tally up impressive body counts.
Concerned as they are with matters of death and justice, mysteries, Ludwig contends, inevitably resonate to deeper layers of meaning, questions central to us all. “We try to find out who the killer is just the way we question other, deeper questions of identity. We want answers to vital questions that can make the world more rational and sensible because answers give us peace of mind.” The satisfaction derives from the restoration of order to a situation thrust into chaos.
About four years after Wilson’s disparaging essays appeared, the poet W.H. Auden took up the defense of the indulgent pleasures afforded by a good mystery. In “The Guilty Vicarage,” published in Harper’s in 1948, Auden proposed an argument similar to Ludwig’s but with a personal twist:
I suspect that the typical reader of detective stories is, like myself, a person who suffers from a sense of sin. From the point of view of eth-
ics, desires and acts are good or bad, and I must choose the good and reject the bad, but the I which makes this choice is ethically neutral; it only becomes good or bad in its choice. To have a sense of sin means to feel guilty at there being an ethical choice to make, a guilt which, however “good” I may become, remains unchanged. As St. Paul says: “Except I had known the law, I had not known sin.”
- KEN LUDWIG “ ”
We try to find out who the killer is just the way we question other, deeper questions of identity. We want answers to vital questions that can make the world more rational and sensible because answers give us peace of mind.
For Auden, the journey from order to chaos back to order becomes a movement from innocence to guilt back to innocence, a restoration to a state of grace from a fall into sin. It is a fantasy, he concedes, a fantasy of escape as addictive as alcohol or tobacco yet capable of holding poetic yearning: “The phantasy, then, which the detective story addict indulges is the phantasy of being restored to the Garden of Eden, to a state of innocence, where he may know love
as love and not as the law. The driving force behind this daydream is the feeling of guilt, the cause of which is unknown to the dreamer.”
Thus, the poet dreams and the curmudgeon fumes and stories continue . . . to inspire.
–Joseph Whelan
At 8 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, December 4, 1926, a green Morris Cowley motor car was found part way down an embankment at Newland Corners in Surrey, England. The car’s lights were on, the hood up, and the front wheels pitched precariously over a chalk pit. Some fortuitously positioned hedges apparently had saved the vehicle from falling in altogether. The contents of the car included a small suitcase packed with clothes, a fur coat, and an expired driver’s license bearing the name of the famed novelist, Agatha Christie, who, quite alarmingly, was nowhere to be found.
Of immediate concern, of course, was the possibility that the “Queen of Mystery” had herself become the victim of foul play: kidnap, murder, even suicide. The
near proximity of a pond called the Silent Pool, reportedly bottomless, fed fears of the worst.
Very little was known about Agatha’s activities prior to her disappearance. On the night of December 3, with her husband Archie off for a weekend stay with friends, Agatha kissed her sleeping daughter Rosalind good-night, and leaving her in the care of a maid, drove off in the Morris Cowley, destination unknown. When contacted, Archie said Agatha had been suffering from nervous exhaustion. Her beloved mother, Clara Miller, had passed away only months before and Agatha was bereaved.
Upward of 15,000 volunteers joined hundreds of police in one of the largest manhunts in English history. For the first time airplanes were used in a search. Bloodhounds were brought in. Agatha’s favorite
terrier lent a nose. Fellow writers Dorothy L. Sayers and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle joined, with Doyle enlisting the aid of medium to try to locate Agatha. A group of spiritualists conducted a séance near where the car was found. All to no avail.
Meanwhile the tabloid press reveled in speculation. Agatha had been murdered, had killed herself, had engineered a hoax in order to boost sales of the already best-selling The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, or to frame Archie for murdering her. Most bizarre of all was that
Very little was known about Agatha’s activities prior to her disappearance. On the night of December 3, with her husband Archie off for a weekend stay with friends, Agatha kissed her sleeping daughter Rosalind good-night, and leaving her in the care of a maid, drove off in the Morris Cowley, destination unknown.
she fled her home in Sunningdale because she believed it to be haunted; it “spooked” her.
Confusing matters further was a series of letters from Agatha. The first, posted after her disappearance to her brother-in-law Campbell Christie, indicated that she was at a spa in Yorkshire. At first, police deemed the mystery solved, then inexplicably (and apparently without much investigation), they determined the letter was not credible and resumed the search. A few days later, three more letters surfaced, all posted before her disappearance. The first was to Agatha’s secretary asking her
to cancel a scheduled engagement in Yorkshire. The second, again to Campbell, was either lost, unopened, or destroyed. The last was to her husband Archie, who flatly refused to reveal the contents.
On December 14, eleven days after she disappeared, Agatha Christie, alive and seemingly well, was identified by a musician named Bob Tappin at the Harrogate Hydro spa in Yorkshire. She had been there since December 4, the same day the Morris Cowley had been found, registered as Teresa Neele of Cape Town, South Africa.
Case closed, but not the mystery.
On December 14, eleven days after she disappeared, Agatha Christie, alive and seemingly well, was identified by a musician named Bob Tappin at the Harrogate Hydro spa in Yorkshire.
When Archie arrived with the police at the spa, Agatha apparently greeted him with “a stoney stare.” She claimed, and he later concurred, that she was suffering from an extraordinary case of total amnesia. Whether or not that was true, it was the only explanation she offered. But there was more,
much more that never made it into the press at the time.
Earlier in the day of December 3, Archie and Agatha had quarreled bitterly about an affair Archie was having with a younger woman named Nancy Neele, the same last name Agatha used when she checked into the spa. In the parlance of the 1920s, Archie was a
known philanderer. Nancy Neele was not his first affair. Consequently, for some time, the couple had been having difficulty and during their fight Archie said he wanted an immediate divorce. Among the friends with whom he intended to spend the weekend was Nancy Neele.
Already emotionally fragile due to her mother’s death, Agatha became distraught. In her biography of the writer, Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman, historian Lucy Worsley pieces together what amounts to the closest Agatha ever came to giving an account of her actions: “I just wanted my life to end. All that night I drove aimlessly about … In my mind
there was the vague idea of ending everything. I drove automatically down roads I knew … to Maidenhead, where I looked at the river. I thought about jumping in, but realized that I could swim too well to drown . . . then back to London again, and then on to Sunningdale. From there I went to Newlands Corner . . . When I reached a point in the road which I thought was near the quarry I had seen in the afternoon, I turned the car off the road down the hill towards it. I left the wheel and let the car run. The car struck something with a jerk and pulled up suddenly. I was flung against the steering wheel and my head hit something.”
Somehow, she made her way to
In 1928, Archie and Agatha divorced and Archie married Nancy Neele. Agatha married the archeologist Sir Max Mallowan and accompanied him on digs at places around the globe, some of which became locations for future novels.
Waterloo train station, then to King’s Cross where she purchased a ticket to Harrogate and on to the Hydro Hotel, having brought along a substantial amount of cash in a money belt, which according to friends was not unusual for her. Medical experts and psychologists deemed Agatha’s explanation plausible—a specific condition known as dissociative fugue, a state brought on by trauma and stress in which people literally forget who they are. Others, however, were skeptical and ever since alternative theories have surfaced. There are at least two books, two films, and an episode of Dr. Who that address the subject. The two leading alternatives are that Agatha staged the disappearance as a publicity stunt (though already a best-selling author, she had just signed with a new publisher and had a book on the way), or angered and hurt, she wanted to punish Archie for the affair. Despite Archie’s efforts to keep that matter private, it certainly became public knowledge after Agatha was found.
As to Agatha’s behavior during those days at the spa, fellow guests for the most part observed
nothing strange about her. She dined in public, danced with other guests, played billiards, and having arrived without luggage, shopped at nearby stores. When her picture started to appear on the front pages of newspapers, she acknowledged the resemblance and laughed it off. At times, though, one guest later reported, she “would press her hand to her forehead and say: ‘It is my head. I cannot remember.’”
In 1928, Archie and Agatha divorced and Archie married Nancy Neele. Agatha married the archeologist Sir Max Mallowan and accompanied him on digs at places around the globe, some of which became locations for future novels. No one involved in the disappearance episode ever spoke publicly of it again. Agatha barely mentions it in her posthumously published autobiography, apparently content to stick with her explanation to the very end and let speculation run where it will—a final enduring mystery.
–Joseph Whelan
Mayde Anastasio (Little Girl ) is so grateful to be back at Syracuse Stage. She most recently performed as Fan in A Christmas Carol this past holiday season. Mayde discovered her love of theater through Syracuse Children’s Theatre, and some of her favorite shows and roles include Moana, Jr. (Moana), Finding Nemo, Jr. (Dory), Mary Poppins, Jr. (Jane), Seussical Kids (Jojo), Beauty and the Beast (LeFou) and Lion King, Jr. (Rafiki). Mayde loves singing, dancing, playing lacrosse, crocheting, and being a young entrepreneur.
Tanner Efinger (Michel the Conductor, u/s: Colonel Arbuthnot, Samuel Ratchett) is thrilled to make his Syracuse Stage acting debut in this classic whodunnit. A Syracuse transplant, Tanner is the Founding Artistic Director of Breadcrumbs Productions creating new theatrical work such as The Picture of Oscar Wilde which featured in Stage’s 2019 Cold Read Festival directed by Bob Hupp. Select acting credits: Footloose and Rough Crossing (Cortland Rep), Hamlet (Boston Theatre Co), The Marriage of Figaro (Boston Lyric Opera), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oxford University Press).
Shabazz Green (Monsieur Bouc) is blessed to return to Syracuse Stage after the recent production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Regional credits include: A Christmas Carol (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Cinderella, Hands on a Hardbody (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center); Topdog/ Underdog and Sister Act (Theatre SilCo). Notable New York credits include: Bars and Measures (Urban Stages); Philosophy for Gangsters (Beckett Theatre); Intruder: The Musical (Hudson Guild). Other Regional productions include: Mamma Mia! (Village Theatre); To Kill a Mockingbird (Greenbrier Valley Theatre); The Ballad of Trayvon Martin (New Freedom Theatre); Little Rock (Passage Theatre); Portrait of the Widow Kinski (Vivid Stage); Humbug (Premiere Stages). Shabazz also appeared on screen in the film Romance in the Digital Age. @shabazzgreen www.shabazzgreen.com FEAR NOT!
Avaana Harvey (she/her) (u/s: Countess Andrenyi) is a junior acting major from Singapore and is thrilled to be making her Syracuse Stage debut! She has recently performed in the Syracuse University Department of Drama mainstage productions of Dance Nation and Failure: A Love Story. She is very grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a brilliant cast and crew, and thanks her friends and family for their continuous support!
Angie Janas (Greta Ohlsson) is thrilled to return to Syracuse Stage, where she previously appeared as Sandra in The Play That Goes Wrong and Lizzy Bennet in Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (BroadwayWorld Award for Best Actress in a Play). Off-Broadway: Hamlet, Macbeth, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (The Acting Company); Stuffed (Westside Theatre). Select regional credits include The Glass Menagerie at Barrington Stage Company, The Lion in Winter at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers, Love’s Labor’s Lost and King Lear at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, In Game or Real and The Winter’s Tale at the Guthrie Theater and Steel Magnolias, The Revolutionists and The Merchant of Venice at Gulfshore Playhouse. Angie is a graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program. Many thanks to Bob Hupp and all the incredible artists here at Syracuse Stage. Love to Carl. www.angiejanas.com
Ella Johns (u/s: Mary Debenham, Greta Ohlsson) is a junior acting major at Syracuse University, originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She is so excited to understudy her first Syracuse Stage show and work with this fabulous company. Most recently she appeared in the Syracuse University Department of Drama production of Failure: A Love Story as a member of the chorus and as understudy for Jenny June. She has also performed with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Atlanta Shakespeare Company in a myriad of Shakespeare productions. Her first movie, The Skeletons Compass, premiered on Apple TV last year! She would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her and hopes everyone enjoys Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express!
Sarah Joyce (Countess Andrenyi) is thrilled to be making her Syracuse Stage debut! Recent credits include Maria in Twelfth Night (The Old Globe, dir. Kathleen Marshall), off-Broadway: Normalcy (Playwrights Horizons), TV: Blue Bloods. Education: Stella Adler Studio, USD Old Globe. sarahjoyce.biz, @butcansheact. Big thanks to Daddy, Nik and Emmelyn Thayer for the Zsa Zsa of it all.
Ryan P. Kennedy (he/him/his) (Waiter, u/s: Michel the Conductor) is a third year Syracuse University undergraduate acting major from Connecticut. He is beyond ecstatic to be appearing in his first Syracuse Stage production. He appeared in the Syracuse University department of drama productions of The Myth of the Mountain and Melancholy Play:
A Chamber Musical last spring, and recent professional credits include Sweeney Todd at Black Rock Theater and Happily: The Musical at the Actors’ Temple. He would like to thank Bob Hupp, the Syracuse Stage team, the Syracuse University Drama faculty, and his proud mom and dad Andrea and Rob Kennedy.
Barbara Kingsley (Princess Dragomirof) has appeared in over two hundred stage productions. Most recent NYC credits include: Mamán in Vanya, NYC, Babs in Life Sucks (off-Broadway, NYTimes Critics’ Pick), August: Osage County (Broadway and National tours), Uncanny Valley (off-Broadway). Her regional theater career includes the Guthrie Theater, St. Louis Rep, Berkeley Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Arizona Theater Co, Baltimore Center Stage, and Gulfshore Playhouse. Barbara stars in the film Honeydew (available on Amazon Prime). Other film and TV appearances include: Servant (recurring), Hello Tomorrow!, New Amsterdam, The Flight Attendant, Boarding School, Jessica Jones, Law & Order SVU, Time After Time. Barbara’s play, Under This Roof was produced at the Guthrie Theater in 2018. For a sneak preview of her reel, Google: IMDb Barbara Kingsley.
Lilli Komurek (Mother, u/s: Helen Hubbard ) is delighted to return to Syracuse Stage aboard the Orient Express! Previous Stage credits include Our Town, the world premiere of Tender Rain by Kyle Bass, Charles Martin’s Medea, and The Picture of Oscar Wilde. Her regional work includes: Sandra in Big Fish, Lily in The Secret Garden, and Mother Superior in Sister Act (Redhouse Arts Center); The Skin of Our Teeth (Hangar Theatre); The Honky Tonk Angels and Footloose (Cortland Repertory); and Into the Woods, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, State Fair, Footloose, and Grand Hotel (The REV). Lilli’s work as a performer and director has garnered numerous awards, including Best Actress in a Musical (SALT Award for her turn as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls), Best Supporting Actress in a Play (Broadway World for Almost, Maine), and 2021 Theatrical MVP (Syracuse Post Standard). Above all, Lilli is thrilled to share this life with her favorite people in all the world. lillikomurek.com
Shannon Lamb (Helen Hubbard) is thrilled to be making her Syracuse Stage debut! She is an actor, vocalist, and psalmist that has performed in venues across the country. Some of her theater credits include: Bertha in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Rachel Twymon Sr in Common Ground Revisited (Huntington Theatre); Marlena Madison in The Buddy Holly Story (Majestic Theater); It Happened in Little Rock, Because of Winn Dixie (Arkansas Repertory Theatre); Temptation in Pandemonium (Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC – world premiere); Building The Wall
(Academy of Music – rolling world premiere); Jar the Floor, Gee’s Bend, Mary Poppins, and The Full Monty (Arkansas Repertory Theatre); Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Little Shop of Horrors, and Annie (Murray’s Dinner Playhouse); Lead Vocalist in Me and The Sky Fall Cabaret (WAM Theatre) and singing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden. TMDE…Gil
Isa Providence (Mary Debenham) is beyond excited to be returning to Syracuse Stage for her second show! She’s currently a senior acting major in the Syracuse University Department of Drama and feels very lucky to end her time as a student by being a part of this show. Previous credits include Our Town (Syracuse Stage) and Ghost Ship (Syracuse University Department of Drama). Isa would like to thank her family, friends, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express team, and Bob Hupp for their constant support! Isaprovidence.com @isaprovidenceactor
Jason O’Connell (Hercule Poirot) is thrilled to be returning to Syracuse Stage, where he last appeared as Chris in The Play That Goes Wrong. Prior to that, Jason performed in Eureka Day and Talley’s Folly, and played Salieri in Amadeus. He also directed Stage’s 2019 production of Pride and Prejudice, adapted by his wife Kate Hamill. Off-Broadway: Judgment Day (Park Avenue Armory), Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Wheelhouse Theater Company), Pride and Prejudice (Primary Stages), Becomes A Woman (The Mint, City Center), Sense and Sensibility (Bedlam, The Gym at Judson), The Saintliness of Margery Kempe (The Duke on 42nd St), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Pearl), The Seagull (Bedlam), and multiple productions of Jason’s solo show The Dork Knight (Joe’s Pub, Primary Stages, Abingdon Theatre Company, etc). Recent Regional: Twelfth Night (The Old Globe), The Mousetrap (Hartford Stage), God of Carnage (Cape Playhouse), Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B (Kansas City Rep), and the title role in Jason’s own co-adaptation (with Brenda Withers) of Cyrano (Two River Theater and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival). TV: Search Party, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. www.jason-oconnell.com @jasono15
Derek Emerson Powell (u/s: Hector MacQueen) is honored to be returning to Syracuse Stage and to be working with this magnificent cast and creative team. Last season he appeared in Our Town (Howie Newsome) and Tender Rain (Brother u/s). Other recent credits include The Play That Goes Wrong (Syracuse Stage), Inherit the Wind; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Red House Arts Center), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Chenango River Theatre), Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express; Kiss Me, Kate (Cortland Repertory Theatre), As You Like It; The Fan (The Cherry
Arts), and An Odyssey (Hangar Theatre). Derek thanks his friends and family for all of their love and support. Learn more @derekemersonpowell
Blake Segal (Hector MacQueen, Dialect Coach, Fight Captain) is thrilled to return to Syracuse Stage after appearing in Our Town, The Play That Goes Wrong, Noises Off, Amadeus, and Matilda The Musical. National Tour: Mary Poppins. Regional: Williamstown, The Old Globe, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Yale Rep, Paper Mill Playhouse, PlayMakers Rep, Connecticut Rep, Chautauqua Theater Company, Adirondack Theater Festival, Tantrum Theater, The Public Theatre, Virginia Theater Festival; NYC: Noor Theatre, The Araca Project, NYMF, Fault Line Theatre, Three Day Hangover. TV: Blue Bloods; Awards: Barrymore & BroadwayWorld Award nominee. Dialect coaching credits include NYC: Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Georges, Fault Line Theatre; Regional: Geva Theatre Center, Berkshire Theatre Group, Two River Theater, PlayMakers Rep, Cortland Rep, Cleveland Musical Theatre, Luna Stage, Passages Theatre, & Walkerspace at SoHo Rep; Training: University of Virginia (B.A.) and Yale School of Drama (M.F.A.); Faculty: Syracuse University Department of Drama. Please visit www.blakesegal.com for more.
Donovan Stanfield (Radio Man, u/s: Monsieur Bouc) is a Syracuse based actor who’s been active in the community for the past 10 years. Mr. Stanfield’s recent credits include Our Town (Syracuse Stage), The Beckett Project (Building Company Theatre), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (RedHouse Arts Center), and A Raisin in the Sun (Syracuse Stage). Donovan is thrilled to return to Syracuse Stage, and he hopes that y’all enjoy the show! Thank you! (@Donovanormous_s on Instagram)
John Tufts (Colonel Arbuthnot, Samuel Ratchett, u/s: Hercule Poirot) is thrilled to be back at Syracuse Stage after last appearing in A Christmas Carol and The Play that Goes Wrong. Off-Broadway, John has performed with Ensemble Studio Theater, The Mint Theatre, and Primary Stages where he received a Lucille Lortel Nomination for his roles in Kate Hamill’s celebrated adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. For 14 Seasons at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival John played many roles, and some of his favorite include Henry V in Henry V; Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts One and Two; Philanax in Head Over Heels; Chico in The Cocoanuts; Robin Hood in The Heart of Robin Hood; Sharpe in Equivocation; Romeo in Romeo and Juliet; and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Regionally John has acted at The Guthrie Theater, The Goodman Theater, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Pioneer Theater, Seattle Rep, MTC, Actors Theater of Louisville, McCarter Theater, PlayMakers
Rep, and Chicago Shakespeare. John is also a cook and author. His cookbook, Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table explores the food of Shakespeare’s England. So much love to his wife, Chris, and their 10 year-old son, Henry. Television: Bad Teacher, Fashions for Men. Awards: Arthur Kennedy Award; Indy Award: I Am My Own Wife. www.john-tufts.com @johnnymtufts
Karis Wiggins (u/s: Princess Dragomiroff ) is ecstatic and grateful to make her Syracuse Stage debut. Favorite credits include Angels in America, Noises Off, Twelfth Night, and Red Hot Patriot: the kick ass wit of Molly Ivins which she co-produced. She has been seen in numerous original plays written by regional playwrights. Favorite roles for Full Cast Audio include a mother, an alien and a Scottish Dragon. She is always grateful for her husband’s support and gives a special shout out to your Syracuse Stage bartender Meg, who coached her as a high school soccer player and most recently when auditioning for this role! www.kariswigginsactor.com
Czerton Lim (he/him) (Scenic Designer) is excited to be returning for another murder mystery after having designed last year’s co-production of Clue with Indiana Repertory Theatre and The Play That Goes Wrong in 2022. Previous productions for Syracuse Stage include Matilda The Musical, along with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Elf the Musical (SALT Award for Best Set Design of a Musical 2019) and designing the streaming production of Talley’s Folly. Most recently, he collaborated with Cleveland Play House on their production of The Play That Goes Wrong. He has frequently worked at The Rev Theatre Company, having designed A Chorus Line last season, Murder for Two, Ghost the Musical, Parade, Crazy for You, Sweeney Todd and West Side Story to name a few. NYC credits include Storm Theatre, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, National Asian-American Theatre Company, Theatre Mitu/NYU-Abu Dhabi, and New York Musical Theatre Festival. He teaches Scene Design and other related topics at the State University of New York at Fredonia. A proud member of USA local 829, he is originally from the Philippines. www.czlimdesign.com
Tracy Dorman (Costume Designer) has designed over a dozen productions at Syracuse Stage over the past two decades, most recently Tender Rain and Our Town last season. She has designed at regional theater and opera companies around the country, including Asolo Repertory Theatre, Maltz-Jupiter, Gulfshore Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Cleveland Play House, GEVA, Milwaukee Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Drury Lane (Chicago), Kansas City Rep, Manhattan School of Music,
Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Omaha, Chicago Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass, and New York City Opera. From 2005-2008 she was an associate costume designer on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns, for which she won a 2007 Emmy Award for Costume Design. Tracy continues to work in TV along with her theater and opera work; most recently she has worked on Law & Order: SVU (NBC), Westworld (HBO), and The Equalizer (CBS). Please visit www.tracydorman.com for a more extensive listing of production credits.
Dawn Chiang (Lighting Designer) designed the lighting for numerous Syracuse Stage productions, including Amadeus, Tender Rain, Eureka Day, I and You, Native Gardens, Next to Normal, Talley’s Folly, To Kill A Mockingbird, Other Desert Cities, The Glass Menagerie, and Two Trains Running. She has designed the lighting at numerous regional theaters including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Guthrie Theater, Arena Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre, and Trinity Repertory Company. On Broadway, Dawn designed the lighting for Zoot Suit, was co-designer for Tango Pasion, and associate lighting designer for Show Boat, The Life and the original production of La Cage Aux Folles. Off-Broadway, she has designed for the Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and co-designed the first two seasons of the Encores! concert musical series at City Center. Dawn was resident lighting designer for New York City Opera, where her designs included A Little Night Music and Fanciulla del West. Awards include a Broadway World award (for off-Broadway), two Lighting Designer of the Year Awards (Syracuse Area Live Theatre), two Dramalogue awards, a THEA award (Themed Entertainment Association) and nominations for the Maharam Design Award from American Theatre Wing, Los Angeles Drama Critics’ and San Francisco Bay Area Critics’ award.
UptownSound (Sound Designer) is a collaborative design team specializing in theatre, film, podcasts, installations and other media. Guided by a shared love for diverse storytelling, our collective merges skills and perspectives, while fostering a human first approach to design work. Select sound design highlights include Munich Medea (WP/PlayCO); To The Ends of the Earth (JACK); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Baltimore Center Stage); Working: A Musical (CUBoulder); Tiny Father (Barrington Stage/Chautauqua); BMLD (National Black Theatre); Avaaz (South Coast Rep); The Singularity Play (HarvardTDM); Black Odyssey (Classic Stage); Chicken & Biscuits (Asolo Rep); Espejos:Clean (Hartford Stage/Syracuse Stage); Which Way To The Stage (Signature DC); the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Berkeley Rep/ Goodman); Complicity Island (Audible); Blues Clues & You! (Round Room Live); Queen (Long Wharf Theater/A.R.T.NY); Choir Boy and Today Is My Birthday (Yale Rep); Fires in the Mirror (Baltimore Center Stage/Long Wharf Theatre); already there (The REACH, Kennedy Center): First Down (59E59). This design was led by Daniela Hart (uptownworksnyc.com), Bailey Trierweiler
(btsounddesign.com) and Noel Nichols (noelnicholsdesign.com). All hold an M.F.A. in Sound Design from Yale School of Drama.
Nitsan Scharf (Projections Designer) is a multimedia artist, currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Integrated Media at the University of Texas, Austin. Recent design credits include tooth fairy (Fall For Dance, UT), Over/Under (Extreme Lengths Productions), Body of a Woman as a Battlefield (ExPats Theatre), The Ascension Project (Uprooted Dance), and A Chorus Within Her (Theater Alliance). He received his B.A. in Theatre from the University of Maryland. More of his work can be viewed at nitsanscharf.com.
Bobbie Zlotnik (Wig Designer) Syracuse Stage; Tender Rain, Our Town. OffBroadway; Emojiland (Drama Desk Nom.), Ibsen’s Ghost, The Great Gatsby: The Immersive Show, Fairycakes, Mornings At Seven, The Book of Merman, Drop Dead Perfect, Disenchanted, Forbidden Broadway, Bed Bugs!!!, and many more. National Tours; On Your Feet, Emojiland, Cocomelon LIVE. Film/TV; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Gilded Age, A Holiday Spectacular, Halston, Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness. www.BobbieZlotnik.com
Hannah “Rock” Roccisano (Intimacy and Fight Direction) is a New York City based fight and intimacy professional, director, educator and Shakespeare nerd. Her work has been seen off-Broadway including Wolf Play, A Bright New Boise, and Montag. Rock has additionally choreographed regionally and at multiple universities such as Columbia University, Syracuse University and the Hartt School. She is a Certified Teacher with the SAFD and holds two masters degrees, an M.F.A. and Master of Letters in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University. Hannah is the Chair of Development for the SAFD and the founder of “Expand, Educate, Empower,” an initiative bringing free stage combat training to students in underserved communities across the U.S.
Stuart Plymesser (Production Stage Manager) is in his 28th season at Syracuse Stage where he has stage managed over 100 plays, musicals, and special events, working with such talents as Jason Alexander, Olympia Dukakis, Frank Langella, Elizabeth Franz, and Phylicia Rashad. Stuart has worked at numerous regional theatres around the country and in Cape Town, South Africa, and has toured nationally. Locally, he has also stage managed events for Syracuse Fashion Week. In addition, Stuart is adjunct faculty for the Syracuse University Department of Drama and has been a guest speaker/lecturer for Ithaca College, Wells College, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Fredonia, and the Zabalaza Festival in Cape Town. Outside of theatre, Stuart holds the rank of Nidan (second degree black belt) in Aikido and the title of Fukoshidoin (assistant instructor) at Aikido of Central New York. Stuart is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Celia Madeoy (Dialect Coach, The Nanny) is an associate professor of voice and acting with the Department of Drama at Syracuse University and Syracuse Stage. She has performed professionally with many League of Resident Theatres and Shakespeare festivals across the United States including The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, The Acting Company, Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare & Company, Theatre J, The REV Theatre Company/ Broadway in the Finger Lakes, Marin Theatre Company, Arizona Repertory Theatre, and The Blackfriars Playhouse at the American Shakespeare Center. Her international Shakespeare training and performance includes voice work alongside Andrew Wade, Patsy Rodenburg, Giles Block, and distinguished directors and voice teachers of the Royal Shakespeare Company, British American Drama and performed in several productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and been featured in many roles at Syracuse Stage including Deb in Elf The Musical for which she won a Syracuse Area Live Theatre (SALT) Award for Best Supporting Actress. Celia is a proud M.F.A. acting graduate of the Theatre School Conservatory at DePaul University in Chicago.
Andrea Leigh-Smith (Choreographer) has previously choreographed for Syracuse Stage’s productions of A Christmas Carol, Matilda the Musical, and The Underpants. She also served as the Associate Choreographer for the holiday production, Disney's The Little Mermaid. Other choreographic credits include Louis Braille: The World at Your Fingertips and Into the Woods at The Hangar Theater. She has choreographed numerous productions at Neptune Theater in Eastern Canada as well as 18 Syracuse University Department of Drama productions. Andrea is a member of the Department of Drama’s full-time dance faculty. As a performer, Broadway credits: Jerome Robbins Broadway and SMILE, also off-Broadway, Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, U.S. tours, and major regional theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Andrea is a co-founder and resident choreographer for Irondale Ensemble Project Canada and The Building Company in Syracuse.
Rebecca Karpoff (Vocal Coach) has been featured soprano soloist with the Syracuse and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Rochester Oratorio Society in works of Szymanowski, Mozart, Handel, Bach, Schubert, Haydn, and Strauss. Operatic roles include the Countess, Fiordiligi, Rosina, Suor Angelica, Dorabella, and Zerlina. As recitalist and chamber musician, Karpoff has been heard at the Ravinia, Aspen, and Skaneateles Festivals and Merkin Hall in New York City. She has sung world premieres by Augusta Read Thomas and Samuel Adler as well as large works by Schoenberg, Boulez, Harbison, Varèse, and Ginastera. Currently serving as Associate Chair of the Syracuse University Drama Department, she is a Teaching Professor of Voice and has worked on numerous productions as vocal coach, director, or music director.
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 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.
Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and, in many languages, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 66 crime novels, 150 short stories, over 20 plays, and six novels written under the name Mary Westmacott. Her work includes Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and the genre-defining And Then There Were None. Agatha Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was written towards the end of the First World War, in which she served in the VAD. In it she created Hercule Poirot, the little Belgian detective who was destined to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. It was published by Bodley Head in 1920. In 1926, after averaging a book a year, Agatha Christie wrote her first masterpiece. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the first of her books to be published by Collins and AUTHOR
marked the beginning of an author-publisher relationship that lasted for 50 years and well over 70 books. Ackroyd was also the first of Agatha Christie’s books to be dramatized – under the title Alibi – and to have a successful run in London’s West End. By 1930, Agatha had introduced a new character to act as detective. When she created Miss Marple, Agatha did not expect her to become Poirot’s rival, but with The Murder at the Vicarage, Miss Marple’s first full-length outing, it appeared she had produced another popular and enduring character. The Mousetrap, her most successful play of all, opened in 1952 and is the longest-running play in history. Agatha Christie was made a dame in 1971. She died in 1976. Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) has been managing the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie’s works around the world since 1955, working with the best talents in film, television, publishing, stage and on digital platforms to ensure that Christie’s work continues to reach new audiences in innovative ways and to the highest standard. The company is managed by Christie’s great grandson James Prichard. Visit www. agathachristie.com for more information.
Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You is currently running on London’s West End. It was previously on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. In addition, he has won the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theatre, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, and the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Baskerville, Sherwood, Twentieth Century, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, A Fox on the Fairway, A Comedy of Tenors, The Game’s Afoot, Shakespeare in Hollywood and Murder on the Orient Express. They have starred, among others, Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Kristen Bell, Tony Shaloub, Joan Collins and Henry Goodman. His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays on theatre are published in the Yale Review. He gives the Annual Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and he served on the Board of Governors for the Folger Shakespeare Library for ten years. His first opera, Tenor Overboard, opened at the Glimmerglass Festival in July 2022. His most recent world premieres were Lend Me A Soprano and Moriarty, and his newest plays and musicals include Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley and Lady Molly of Scotland
Yard. His plays include commissions from the Agatha Christie Estate, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Globe Theatre, and the Bristol Old Vic. For more information visit www.kenludwig.com.
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 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.
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.
Melissa Crespo (she/her) has made a career of developing new plays, musicals, and opera around the country and abroad. She recently directed the musical El Otro Oz by Tommy Newman, Mando Alvarez, and Jaime Lozano at Atlantic Theatre Company and is looking forward to directing Once by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard, and Markéta Irglová at Syracuse Stage. Other favorite past credits include, Espejos: Clean by Christine Quintana (Hartford Stage & Syracuse Stage), Bees and Honey by Guadalís Del Carmen off-Broadway at MCC Theater, and form of a girl unknown by Charly Evon Simpson (Salt Lake Acting Company). 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 Play House. 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
Kyle Bass is the author of Tender Rain, which premiered at Syracuse Stage last season, and Possessing Harriet, which premiered at Syracuse Stage and has been produced at Franklin Stage Company, East Lynne Theater Company, HartBeat Ensemble 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, has streamed nationally, was recently presented at Brown University and is under option for an international feature film. Toliver & Wakeman was commissioned by and premiered at Franklin Stage Company. 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 Ping Chong, Kyle is the co-author of Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo, which premiered at Syracuse Stage and was 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. Kyle is the co-author of the original screenplay for the film Day of Days (Broad Green Pictures, 2017) and is a three-time recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. He is currently developing a television series with co-writer Jaffe Cohen. As dramaturg, Kyle has collaborated with acclaimed visual artist 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. Kyle is Assistant Professor of Theater at Colgate University, where he previously served as Burke Chair for Regional Studies. He has also taught in the M.F.A. creative writing program at Goddard College, 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.
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.
Syracuse Stage tells stories that engage, entertain, and inspire us to see life beyond our own experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Syracuse Stage respectfully acknowledges the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands we now stand.
CHAIR
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
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 Wasmund
Chief Financial Officer Filtertech Inc.
Ralph Zito** Chair
Syracuse University Department of Drama
*University Trustee
**Ex-Officio
We are grateful to the following individuals who have served as Members of the Stage Board of Trustees and continue to provide significant support to Syracuse Stage.
Jim Breuer
Sandra Brown
Mary Beth Carmen
Bea González
Joan Green
Elizabeth Hartnett
John Huhtala
Margaret Martin
Kevin McAuliffe
Eric Mower
Judy Mower
Michael Shende
Richard Shirtz
Jack Webb
Michael Zoanetti
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
Paige Blair CAZENOVIA HIGH SCHOOL
Sadie Broderick
EAST SYRACUSE MINOA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
Natalie Corbin
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
Ella Culligan
LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL
Joliette Doyle
TULLY JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Nina Doyle-Gonzalez
MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL SCHOOL
Kate Fennessy
AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL
Claire Foran
EAST SYRACUSE MINOA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
Anqi Geng
MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL 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
Harper Shute
FAYETTEVILLE-MANLIUS HIGH SCHOOL
Caleb Smith
MANLIUS PEBBLE HILL SCHOOL
Francesca Smith
BISHOP GRIMES JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL
Abbie Sundet
PAUL V. MOORE HIGH SCHOOL
Zariah Taylor
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
David Warne Peters
CORCORAN HIGH SCHOOL
Rebecca Wheeler HOMESCHOOLED
Sophia Zogby
CATO MERIDIAN JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
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.
Contributions listed above are current as of February 19, 2024 and reflect operating support of $5,000+ and in-kind donations of $10,000+.
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 Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is made possible with funds from the General Operating Support program a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of County Executive, J. Ryan McMahon II, and the Onondaga County Legislature, administered by CNY Arts.
Sarah Alden
Jackie Anderson
Robert & Jeanne Anderson
Frank Badagnani
George S. Bain
Rosemary Baker & Stuart
Spiegel
Keith Batman & Barbara Post
Helen Beale
Jean Beers
Carrie Berse & Chris Skeval
Michael & Jennifer Blowers
Leslee Boissy
Thomas & Carol Boll
Jon & Patricia Booth
Mary Brady
Dennis & Mary Anne Brady
Marion Brillati
Angel Broadnax
Paul Brown & Susan Loevenguth
Marlene Brown
Pamela Brown-Benjamin
Gary & Kathleen Bruno
Lia & Dean Burrows
Kathleen Burt
Patricia Bush
Nancy & William Byrne
Lori Campitello
Rich & Mary Cappelli
Anthony & Carolyn Cimino
Patricia & Sandy Colabufo
Nicholas & Louanne Colaneri
Elaine Coppola
Raymond W. Cummings, Jr.
Kevin & Kristin Curtis
Therese & Walter Dancks
Anthony & Deborah D'Angelo
Bill & Terry Delavan
Roger & Naomi DeMuth
Robert Desimone
Mary DiSanto
James & Leona Dowd
Ron Ehrenreich & Sondra Roth
Richard Ellison & Margaret Ksander
Linda Fabian & Dennis Goodrich
Carole Farfaglia
Carol Fedrizzi
Alan Fischler & Karen McDonold
David & Karen Fitch
Molly Carole Fitzpatrick
Robert & Terry Flower
Peter Frantzis
Nancy Freeborough
George & Halina Gagne
Jim & Carol Galvin
Barbara Genton
Jacki & Michael Goldberg
Douglas Goldschmidt & David Jacobs
William Goodwin
Muffy & Baird Hansen
Tom & Cynthia Helmer
Kenneth Hendel
Steven Herwood
Michele Hickman
Judy Huckle
Robert & Clea Hupp
Norma Huxter
Linda Imboden
Emily Johnson & Vijay
Ramachandran
Deborah Joiner
Laura & Ed Jordan
Gwenn & John Judge
Michael & Audrey Kane
Brian Kane & Phyllis
Perrotti
James & Jan Kaplan
Dana Keefer
John & Gloria Kennedy
Stewart Koenig & Judy
Schmid
Dean Kolts
Jill Ladd
Lorraine LaDuke
Andrea Latchem
Stephen Lessie
Linda Loomis
Estate of Julie Lutz & George Wallerstein
Tony Malavenda & Martine
Burat
Rocco & Roberta Mangano
Wade Manning
Nicholas Martin
Andreas & Margaret Meier
Carl Mellor
Michael & Claudia Miceli
Gail Mitchell
Bruce Moseley & Leigh Yardley
Janet Munro
As of February 19, 2024.
Claire Myers
Richard & Barbara Natoli
Marty & Millie Newshan
Becky Nicandri
Leslie Noble & Bill Morris
Sally O'Herin
Marjorie Ostrander
Cindy Paikin
Ricky & Whitney Pak
David & Susan Palen
Cathy Palm
Nolan & Phyllis Palsma
Peter & Constance Palumb
Robert & Teresa Parke
Susan Perriello
Debra Petzold
Jane Pickett
Duane & Karleen Preske
Nancy Radoff
David Rankert
Jean Reilly
The Dorothy & Marshall
M. Reisman Foundation
Todd Relyea
Ross & Melanie Relyea
Patrick & Kuni Riccardi
Terry & Monica Richmond
James & Tricia Sadowski
Robert Sarason & Jane Burkhead
Mike & Marilyn Sees
Theresa Slosek & Ronald Wilson
Joseph & Carolyn Smith
Vinodhini Subramanian
John & Jamie Sutphen
Amy Sweeney
Delia & Sandy Temes
Angi Tipton
John Toomey
Hon. Karen M. Uplinger
Joseph & Carole Valesky
Nancy Wadopian
Marc & Marcy Waldauer
Mark Watkins & Brenda Silverman
Liz & David Wei
Lynda Wheat
Dr. Kelvin White
Tom & Desiree Wight
Evelyn B Williams
Diana Wolpert
Leslie & Jerry Zaborsky
Joyce Zadzilka
New and increased gifts this season will be matched by The Richard Mather Fund.
It is our goal to provide a complete list of all donors $100+. Nevertheless, if your gift is not listed or is listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and contact the Development Office at 315-443-9848.
$100,000+
CNY Arts, Inc.
Onondaga County
Syracuse University
$50,000 - $99,999
Advance Media New York
New York State Council on the Arts
The Dorothy & Marshall M. Reisman Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
$20,000 - $49,999
George S. Bain
iHeart Radio
Richard Mather Fund
National Endowment for the Arts
$10,000 - $19,999
Bank of America
Richard Bunce
Nancy & William Byrne
Cathedral Candle Company
Central New York Community Foundation
JP Morgan Chase
Cumulus Radio
Nancy Green & Tony Marschall
Elizabeth Hartnett
M&T Bank
News Channel 9
The John Ben Snow Foundation & Memorial Trust
Sharon Sullivan & Paul Phillips
Urban CNY
WAER
WRVO
$5,000 - $9,999
Jim & Juli Boeheim Foundation
Bousquet Holstein
Dr. Ruth Chen & Chancellor Kent Syverud
CNY Business Journal
CNY Latino
Roger & Naomi DeMuth
Dramatists Guild Foundation
Peggy & Dana Dudarchik
The Estate of Mary Louise
Dunn
Colleen Gaetano
Neil & Helene Gold
Jacki & Michael Goldberg
Larry & Ann Harris
Hayner Hoyt Corporation
Kathy Kelly & Len Weiner
Larry & Mary Leatherman
Sally Lou & Fran Nichols
Rocco & Roberta Mangano
Kevin & Suzanne McAuliffe
Eric & Judy Mower
Claire Myers
NBT Bancorp Inc
Joel Potash & Sandra Hurd
Sam & Carolyn Spalding
Melvin & Patricia Stith
Theatre Development Fund
Wegmans
Kristen Weslowski
$3,500 - $4,999
Ashley McGraw Architects
Janet Audunson & David Youlen
Brine Wells, LLC & Marriott Downtown
Syracuse
Pete & Mary Beth Carmen
Ernst & Young LLP
Maggie & Jake Feldmeier
John & Kimberly Huhtala
Inner Harbor Radio
Cydney Johnson & Jeff Comanici
Selma Radin
Syracuse University Humanities Center
Maryam Wasmund
$1,800 - $3,499
Barbara Beckos & Arthur McDonald
Kathleen Bice
Francine Boutet
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
Constance Bull
Craig & Kathy Byrum
James Clark & Sharon Gordon
Robin Curtis
Barbara Sheklin Davis
Gladys Krieble Delmas
Foundation
Edward & Susan Downing
Dick & Therese Driscoll
Melvin & Mildred Eggers
Family Charitable Foundation
Michael & Barbara Flintrop
Herman Frazier & Caroline Beal
Deborah & Samuel Haines
Dennis & Judi Hebert
David & Sally Hootnick
Robert & Clea Hupp
Randy & Elizabeth Kalish
Leslie Kohman & Jeffrey Smith
Daniel & Ann Lent
Robert Lentz & Anne Russ
Maria Lesinski & Benjamin Hicks
Lockheed Martin
Employees' Federated Fund
Tony Malavenda & Martine Burat
Julia & Lee Martin
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
Rod & Jana McDonald
Walter & Elizabeth Merriam
Anne Morford
Molly & Kevin Mulvihill
Brett & Jeannie Padgett
Mona & John Paradis
Amy Parker
Michael & Rissa Ratner
Molly Ryan & Tim Byrnes
Robert Sarason & Jane
Burkhead
Sharye Skinner
Raymond & Linda Straub
Douglas Sutherland & Nancy Kramer
Michael & Cathy Tick
Dr. Amy Tucker
Joshua & Andrea Waldman
$1,200 - $1,799
James & Nancy Asher
The Benz Family
Debbie & Candido
Bermudez
Donald Blair & Nancy Dock
Jim & Cathy Breuer
Ana Díaz-Diez & Javier
Maymi-Perez
Fox 68
Paul & Carolyn Frymoyer
Dorothy & Lawrence
Gordon
Heritage Masonry
Restoration, Inc.
John Steigerwald IV
Rebecca Karpoff
Kevin & Jessica Kopko
David Rankert
Frank and Frances Revoir Foundation
Richard & Margaret Shirtz
James Shults
Jack & Linda Webb
Michael & Laurie Zoanetti
$600 - $1,199
Chris Arnold
Guthrie & Louise Birkhead
Marlene Blumin
BMI Supply
Thomas & Susan Brett
Angel Broadnax
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Amy & Tom Clark
Jerilyn Costich
Mark Cywilko & Marianne Moosbrugger
Stephen & Emily DiMarco
Allen & Anita Frank
Joyce Day Homan
Richard & Margaret
Ingraham
John & Maren King
Bob & Pat Lebel
Susan Lison
James MacKillop
Charles Martin & Johanna
Keller
Susan Martineau
John & Elizabeth McKinnell
John & Joan Nicholson
Sally O'Herin
David & Susan Palen
David & Janice Panasci
Paolo & Nicole Pastore
Kathy & Dan Rabuzzi
Edward & Lois Schroeder
Gracia Sears
Beth & Tobias Sienel
Sharon Sutter
Peter Vanable & Anne
Jamison
Robert & Anita Wagner
David & Daryll Wheeler
Angela Winfield & Lance
Lyons
John & Mitzi Wolf
$300 - $599
Susan & Allison Ambrosie
Charles Amos
Timothy Atseff & Margaret Ogden
Andrew & Margot Baxter
Edward & Angela Bernat
Brenda Bousfield & David
Marcus
Eric & Carol Boyer
Marlene Brown
Gary & Kathleen Bruno
Paul & Linda Cohen
Anita Cottrell
Susan Crossett
James & Suzanne Cusack
Frederick Dever
Charley & Kim Driscoll
Richard Ernst
Elizabeth Etoll
Linda Fabian & Dennis
Goodrich
Thomas & Melissa Ferrara
Lois & Jill Fowler
Gasparini Sales, Inc.
Muffy & Baird Hansen
David & Ellen Hardy
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. Dr. Mark & Kathy Adelson in memory of Laura Edell.
James Aiello in memory of Pamela Johnson.
Bethany Anthony to my big sister, Rebekah Tadros, the biggest star I know.
Thomas Antonini in memory of Ginny Parker.
Badger State Civic Fund in memory of Hal & Ruth Smulyan.
George S. Bain in memory of Ginny Parker. Candice Bermudez & Joe Guido in memory of Ginny Parker. The Bermudez & Guido Families in honor of the marriage of Candice Bermudez & Joseph Guido. Carrie Berse & Chris Skeval in memory of Ginny Parker. Guthrie & Louise Birkhead in memory of Ruth Smulyan. Kathy Brodsky in memory of Ginny Parker.
Carol Bryant in honor of Virginia Parker
Craig & Kathy Byrum in memory of Ginny Parker.
Molly & Travis Corley in honor of Fran Nichols for his birthday.
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
Daniel & Julia Harris
Joseph & Paula
Himmelsbach
David & Noel Keith
Trudy & Earl Kletsky
James LeGro
George & Roseann Lorefice
Donald & Patricia
MacLaughlin
John & Candace Marsellus
Albert Marshall
Donyce & Kenneth
McCluskey
Mary Ellen McDonald
James & Elizabeth Megna
David & Beth Mitchell
Susan Moskal
James & Kathleen Muldoon
Marty & Millie Newshan
Doren Norfleet
Judy Oplinger
Robert & Teresa Parke
Patricia A Parker
Jane Pickett
Mickey & Pat Piscitelli
Susan Plemons
Jennifer Roberts
William Schuyler
Robert & Cheryl Shallish
Dr Craig A Simmons
Joseph & Carolyn Smith
Dirk & Carol Sonneborn
Michael Stanton
George & Helene Starr
H. Paul Steiner
Carter & Nan Strickland
Cora Thomas
Victor & Diane Tice
Joseph & Carole Valesky
Lynda Wheat
John & Judy Winslow
Deborah & Michael Zahn
$150 - $299
Mark & Kathy Adelson
James Aiello
Kristi Andersen
Robert & Jeanne Anderson
Beatrice Angus
Dianne Apter
Frank Badagnani
Holmes & Sarah M Bailey
Rosemary Baker & Stuart
Spiegel
Jean Beers
Dr. Sylvia Betcher & Martin Korn
David Blair
Carl & Alice Borning
Mary Brady
Dennis & Mary Anne Brady
Carmelita Britton & Richard Probert
Michael Byrne
Andrea Calarco
Ronald Capone
Lexi Carlson & Sebastian
Karcher
Joseph Cerroni & Linda Tassa
Douglas & Diane Chilson
Joe & Nancy Clayton
Sam & Carolyn Clemence
Donna Coloton
Raymond Colton
Robert & Joan Conine
Terri Cook
Anthony & Mary Anne Corasaniti
Molly & Travis Corley
Elizabeth Cowan
Richard Cross & Kathryn Davis
Karl Crossman & John Steinburg
Linda Czerkies
Oran Day
Carol Decker
Bill & Terry Delavan
Diana Ingraham Milkovic
Diane Dimond
Elizabeth Drew & Joe Marusa
Mary Dunn
Nathaniel & Karen Dunn
Denise Dyce
William & Elizabeth Elkins
Lorraine Erlenback
Cynthia Ferguson
Michael & Mrs Fish
Molly Carole Fitzpatrick
Gerard Flynn
Kim Fontana
Jeffrey & Teresa Freedman
Elinor Freeman
Barbara Friedman
Thomas & Karen Fruehan
Allen & Nirelle Galson
Claudia Gasiorowski
Robert Geiger
Ernest & Lynne Giraud
Karen Goldman
Douglas Goldschmidt & David Jacobs
Bernice Gottschalk
William Gray
Roger & Vicki Greenberg
Gregory & Elaine Hallett
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.
Leila Ann Finkelstein in memory of Ruth Smulyan beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Kim Fontana in memory of Ginny Parker. Brant & Ellen Rosborough Ford in memory of Ginny Parker.
Nancy Freeborough in memory of Virginia Parker.
Jacki & Michael Goldberg in memory of our dear Ginny Parker. May her memory be a blessing!
Winnie Greenberg in memory of Ginny Parker.
Briann Greenfield in memory of Ruth Smulyan.
Gail S Hauss in memory of Ruth Smulyan.
Guy & Patricia Howard in memory of Viriginia Parker.
Joan Kesselring in memory of Ginny Parker.
Leslie Kohman & Jeffrey Smith in memory of Ginny Parker.
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
Judith Hand
Nancy Hanna
Mark & Carole Hansen
Georgina Hegney
Karl & Mary Herba
Kathleen Hinchman
Donna & Joseph Hipius
Barbara & Ronald Hoffman
Howard & Linda Hollander
Michael Hungerford & Margaret Ryniker
Daniel & Rhea Jezer
Philip & Judith Kaplan
Robert & Christina Keim
Norma Kelley
Amy Kemp
Tim & Susan Kennedy
John & Gloria Kennedy
Russell & Joan King
Diane King
Barry & Kathy Kogut
Richard & Roxanne
Kopecky
Janice Kophen
Lorraine LaDuke
W & Nancy Lambright
Andrea Latchem
Victor & Linda Lebedovych
Mark & Jeannette
Levinsohn
Bonnie Levy
Edward & Carol Lipson
John & Marian Loosmann
Vito Lovecchio
Gerald Mager
Frederick & Virginia Marty
Elizabeth Mascia
Janice Mayne
Margot McCormick
Wallace & Gayonne
McDonald
Kathleen McLeod
Sam & Margaret McNaughton
Andreas & Margaret Meier
Clifford & Marjorie Mellor
Daniel & Terry Miller
Donna Miller
Leslie & Barney Molldrem
Danielle Montagne & Mark Zlotnick
Janet Moore
Elizabeth Mosher
Janet Munro
Nancy Machles Rothschild
Alan & Rosalind Napier
Richard & Barbara Natoli
Katharine O'Connell
Marjorie Ostrander
John & Elizabeth O'Sullivan
Joan & Lawrence Page
Cathy Palm
John & Robert Parsons
Michael & Susan Petrosillo
Susan Pieczonka
William & Merriette Pollard
YiWei Qi & Julie Yu
Scott Reinhart
Steve Reiter & Annegret Schubert
Todd Relyea
Terry & Monica Richmond
Cathy Robinson
Elaine Rubenstein
George & Sharon Schmit
Mike & Marilyn Sees
Denise Seltzer
Roger & Nancy Sharp
Nancy Sharpe
Geraldine Sheehan
Judith Smith
Jeffrey Sneider & Gwen Kay
Jonathan Solomon
James Sonneborn
Paul & Jean Soper
Patricia & Michael St. Leger
Bethany Stewart
Kathleen & Mark Sunheimer
James & Deborah Tifft
Andrew & Kathleen
Tompkins
Charles Tremper
Joseph Tucker
Hon. Karen M. Uplinger
Susan Wadley
Marc & Marcy Waldauer
David & Mary Walsh
Donald & Martha Washburn
Connie Webster
Howard Weinstein
David Whitman
Fred & Karen Whitney
George & Mrs Whitton
Tom & Desiree Wight
Christopher & Renee Wiles
Roger & Carolyn Williams
Tom & Carol Wolff
Mary Yurco
Loretta Zolkowski
$100 - $149
Jerrold & Harriet Abraham
John Andrake
Patricia Arcana & Thomas Dorr
Suzanne Lourie in memory of Ruth Smulyan.
Thomas & Mary
Lou Mees in loving memory of Ginny Parker. The Moore Family in memory of Ginny Parker.
Susan Moore-Palumbo & Frank Palumbo in memory of Ginny Parker.
Elizabeth Mosher in memory of Ginny Parker. Claire Myers in memory of Drs. Lawrence & Betty Jane Myers, for granting me my love of theatre.
Wendy Neikirk Rhodes & Adrian Rhodes in honor of Ginny Parker.
Sally Lou & Fran Nichols in memory of Ginny Parker.
Sally Lou & Fran Nichols in honor of Tracey White. Anonymous in memory of Ruth Smulyan. Judy Oplinger in memory of Tim Rice. Peter & Connie Palumb in memory of Ginny Parker.
Patricia A Parker in memory of my dear sister-in-law, Virginia Parker. Anonymous in memory of Lorne Runge. Gail Ruterman in honor of Ruth Smulyan. Robert Sarason & Jane Burkhead in memory of Ginny Parker. Edward & Lois Schroeder in memory of Ruth Smulyan.
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
Michelle Arora
Al & Jane Arras
Mary Roberts Bailey
Rosanne Barbaglia
Nancy Barnum
Marjory Baruch
Janine Bernard
Carrie Berse & Chris Skeval
Diana Biro & Eric Rogers
Barbara Blaszak
Jon & Patricia Booth
Bernard & Ona Cohn
Bregman
Robert & Helene Brophy
Bob & Kathy Brown
Patricia Bush
William & Mary Butler
Richard & Nina Cantor
Thomas Carlin
Delores Carney
Marjorie Carter
Casey Holmes Fee
Nancy Christy
Martha Cole
Cheryl Cole
John & Deloris Coleman
Paul & Cynthia Curtin
CVS
Lynette & Ethan Davis
Paula Dendis
Kate DiDonato
Audrey Dolata
James & Mike Doleski
Rebecca Downing
Eric Drath
Wynn Egginton
Richard Ellison & Margaret Ksander
Stanley & Penny Emerick
Mark & Marci Erlebacher
Carole Farfaglia
Brant & Ellen Rosborough
Ford
John Friedman & Polly Ann
Heavenrich
Kathryn Glynn
Michael & Wendy Gordon
Mark & Cynthia Dowd
Greene
Briann Greenfield
Seth & Lisa Greenky
William & Ann Griffith
Charlotte Haas & Gary Quirk
James Hahn
Ann & Richard Harris
Gail Hauss
David & Elizabeth Hayes
Gordon Hayes
Pamela & James Helmer
Michael & Elizabeth
Hennessy
Richard & Janice Hezel
William & Phyllis Highland
Rachel Hopkins
Judy Huckle
Sofia Hvozda
Wanda Irish
Alexander Joseph
Michael & Audrey Kane
Randy Karcher
Marlene Kelly
Shelly Kempton
Jean Kimber
Sheldon & Karen Kruth
Kathleen LaGrow
Robert & Lauren Lalley
Amanda Lee
Dennis Lerner
Michael & Jean Loftus
Michelle Lonergan
Susan & Gerald Lotierzo
Julia Mahaney
Jon Maloff
Mimi Mark
Karin Martinez
Mary Beth Gannon
John Mathiason
Douglas & Randi Matousek
John & Mary McCulley
Philip & Martha McDowell
Timothy McLaughlin & Diane Cass
Gail Meagher
Thomas & Mary Lou Mees
Eckart & Mary Meisterfeld
Marcia & Dave Mele
David Michel & Peggy Liuzzi
Dr. Merrill L. Miller
Thomas Miller & Mary MacBlane
Don Moore
Susan Moore-Palumbo & Frank Palumbo
Joseph Moorman & Catherine Gerard
Tina Nabinger
Wendy Neikirk Rhodes & Adrian Rhodes
Michael Newman
Jane Ondich
Bryan O'Quinn
Marianna Pernia
James Perry
Anita Pisano
Howard & Ann Port
Kevin & Rachel Porter
Edward & Lois Schroeder in memory of Virginia Parker.
Maura Harling Stefl in memory of Ginny Parker.
H. Paul Steiner in memory of Fritz & Ginny Parker.
Nan & Carter Strickland in memory of Virginia Parker.
Sharon Sullivan & Paul Phillips in memory of Virginia B. Parker. Diane R. Swords in memory of my dear friend Ginny Parker, supporter of theater and of peace and social justice. Anonymous in memory of Virginia Parker. Anonymous in memory of Genn and Ted Thuma. Kristen Weslowski in memory of Richard Brandt.
Lynda Wheat in memory of my friend Linda Drimer. Lynda Wheat in memory of Virginia Parker. Anonymous in honor of Tracey White. Laura & Connor Williams in memory of Ginny Parker.
Duane & Karleen Preske
Colleen Prossner
Steve & Kate Pynn
Mary Rose Ranieri
John & Dorothy Reiffenstein
Lynn Richer
Michael Riecke & Anthony McEachern
William & Gretchen Roberts
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
Stacy Roberts
Rosamond Gifford
Foundation
Bob Rose
John & Judy Sabene
Steven & Carla Salisbury
Richard & Jill Sargent
Roberta Savage
Jennifer Scalione
Jeffrey & Abby Scheer
Lowell Seifter & Sharon
McAuliffe
Madeline Slate
Alan & Jean Smith
William Smith
Mark & Beth Steigerwald
Milton & Mary Stevenson
Susan Stred & Harold
Husovsky
Jennifer, Bridget & Audrey
Stromer-Galley
Martha Sutter & David
Ross
Kristin & Steve Swift
Brady Systems
Thomas & Carole Taylor
Ron Thiele & Lynne Pascale
James Traver & Marguerite
Conan
John & Jean Tromans
Phil & Janice Turner
William & Linda Veit
Anthony & Martha Viglietta
Bob & Claudia Visalli
Timothy & Nancy Volk
Marcia Walsh
Francis & Elaine Walter
Mark Watkins & Brenda Silverman
Ardyth Watson
Deborah Wood
Christopher Wratney
Samuel & Robin Young
Leslie & Jerry Zaborsky
Joyce Zadzilka
Stephen & Patricia Zalewski
Steven & Judith Zdep
As of February 19, 2024. Donor list reflects gifts made over the past 12 months and does not include gifts made to the special 50th Anniversary Campaign.
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
Dr. William J. Clark, Jr. Fund
The Estate of Rosemary Curtis
Mary Louise Dunn Fund
Deborah O'Shea
In Honor and Memory of Sheldon P. Peterfreund and Josephine A Peterfreund
Michael and Rissa Ratner
The J. Zimmeister-Yarwood Estate
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!
JP Morgan Chase
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
Bond, Schoeneck, & King PLLC
Peterson Guadagnolo Consulting Engineers, PC
LeChase
George S. Bain
NBT Bank
Bank of America
Artistic Director.............................................................................................................Robert Hupp
Managing Director.....................................................................................................Jill A. Anderson
Associate Artistic Director............................................................................................Melissa Crespo
Resident Playwright..............................................................................................................Kyle Bass
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
Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen
Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz
Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King
Technical Assistant...................................................................................................Liz Daurio
Carpenters...............................................................................John Gamble, Brian McBurney
Student Employees................................................................Emma Thoms, Gray Westbrook†
Scenic Charge Artist...................................................................................................Emily Holm
Lead Scenic Artist................................................................................................Laurel Arnold
Scenic Painter....................................................................................................Jessica Culligan
Student Employee...........................................................................................Rosario Figueira†
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 Managers.................................Kyra Button, Laura Jane Collins, Bianca Mercado-Boller
Production Assistants.........................................................................Erin C Brett, Em Piraino
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, Alyssa Otoski-Keim, Adam Secor, Donna Stuccio
Bartenders.................................................................................Michelle Cannizzo, Meg Pusey
Audience Services Interns...........................................................Yushan Deng†, Lubeini Yang†
Front of House Work Study Staff..............Nathan Ayotte†, Olivia Busche†, Carolyn Burch†, Christian Elwood†, Sami English†, Henry Herbert, Andrej Humiston†, Henry Jackson, Henry Killbourne†, Violet Lanciloti†, Arieza Mari Martin Magalang, James O’Leary, Lucia Santoro-Velez, Kevin Sene, Eva Spaid, 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 Maria Yarrow
Director of Education.......................................................................................................Kate Laissle
Community Engagement and Education Coordinator........................................Theorri London
Education Interns...............................................................Olivia Wernecke†, 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.................................................................................Trevor Miller
Graphic Designer............................................................................................Jonathan Hudak
Marketing Associate..........................................................................Talia Gabriel-Shenandoah
Box Office Intern....................................................................................................Ginger Bai†
Executive Assistant............................................................................................................Julia Rakus
Sign Language Interpreters.....................................................................Brenda Brown, Sue Freeman
Open Captioning........................................................................Jacob G. Ellison, Michael McCurdy
Audio Description........Kate Laissle, Talia Gabriel-Shenandoah, Ahmanee Simmons, Joseph Whelan
Community Services Officers.......................................................Stacey Emmons, Joseph O'Connor
Custodians...........................................................................................Tony Rogers, Candace Velario
†Student, Syracuse University Department of Drama.
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.
SUMMER @
Make friends. Build confidence. Express yourself.
With an emphasis on musical theatre, acting, movement, and storytelling, students will learn from professional artists, get a behind-the-scenes look at the theatre-making process, and feel the thrill of creating and performing in their own original showcase. No experience necessary. Space is limited.
Registration is now open!
Spots remaining only for Grades 3 – 5: July 29 – August 9
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
Creativity builds connections, and at NBT Bank, we believe that inspiration is best when celebrated and shared. Thank you for using your talent and passion to make our communities shine.
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.
Mistaken identities, misadventures, mystery, and mayhem—don’t miss a moment of the 2024 season!
July 22 - August 19, 2024
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE | Gilbert & Sullivan
Set sail on a delightfully absurd adventure of swashbuckling fun for the whole family.
July 23 - August 17, 2024
LA CALISTO | Cavalli / Faustini
Nymphs and satyrs cavort with the gods in this bawdy comedic caper.
July 27 - August 18, 2024
PAGLIACCI | Leoncavallo
The shocking tale of jealousy and revenge which blurs the line between art and reality. Arrive early to picnic while enjoying a preshow performance on the new outdoor stage!
July 28 - August 20, 2024
ELIZABETH CREE | Puts / Campbell
Music Hall murder mystery becomes modern masterpiece.
