APRIL - JUNE 2017 SYRACUSE STAGE: [1] HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE [3] DEATHTRAP [5] RING OF FIRE DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA: [14] BERLIN TO BROADWAY
CONVERSATION LAURA KEPLEY Interviewed by Tionge Johnson
H
ow I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel looks
into how one woman, Li’l Bit, takes control of her life by bravely facing the traumas of her past. When Director Laura Kepley discovered the play in college about 18 years ago, she immediately felt drawn to it. We sat down with Kepley to learn more about what drew her to this incredible drama about forgiveness, compassion, and survival.
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T: WHAT PART OF THE PLAY REALLY STOOD OUT TO YOU AND WHY?
L: I know as a young person, what first drew me in was the dinner scene with Li’l Bit and her family. Li’l Bit stands up and yells at her grandfather, which is very funny but also outrageous. I could not believe she actually said some of those things to her grandfather. In those first fifteen minutes, Paula is welcoming us into this world. I think humor, beauty, and music are ways she invites us in. T: YOU MENTIONED THAT THE MUSIC IN THE PLAY WAS ANOTHER PART THAT STOOD OUT TO YOU. HOW DOES THE MUSIC CONNECT YOU TO THE PLAY?
L: Whatever is the style of music during your formative teenage years tends to be the music that will always remind you of your youth. In How I Learned to Drive the music takes us back to that more innocent time in Li’l Bit’s life. When you listen to every song, it has a wistful, longing, nostalgic quality to it. T: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED WHILE WORKING ON THE PLAY?
L: The real lesson I have learned is to trust the play. We do not have to add anything on. If we honestly stand inside the circumstances, that will be honoring the story. The play asks the actors, as well as all of us, to go very deep because there are so many beautiful connections in Vogel’s work. We are still discovering more and more layers to this play in our rehearsals, and I think we still will be until we close in Syracuse.
T: INSTEAD OF GOING THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE, THE PLAY TELLS THE NARRATIVE THROUGH A SERIES OF FLASHBACKS, NARRATION, AND MONOLOGUES. WHAT ARTISTICALLY DOES THIS ADD TO THE SHOW?
L: Even though the play is moving backwards and forwards in time, our experience through it is very linear. We are getting to know more about Li’l Bit and Peck, and I think one of the things that the structure of the play does is that it keeps us guessing; we do not know where the story will go next. This also keeps challenging our perspectives because we think we know what is going on, until you get to the next scene and your perspective changes a bit. There’s this monologue by Li’l Bit’s aunt that will change the way you look at what’s happening in the play, because you will begin to hear things from her point of view.
PHOTOS OPPOSITE PAGE: DIRECTOR LAURA KEPLEY ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL BRUSASCO, MADELEINE LAMBERT, KARIS DANISH, NICK LAMEDICA, AND REMY ZAKEN. PHOTO CREDIT: ROGER MASTROIANNI.
T: WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ENSEMBLE FUNCTIONING AS THE GREEK CHORUS ADDS TO THE PLAY?
L: I think they are there to help Li’l Bit save her life. Li’l Bit’s telling this secret and by telling the secret, she is discovering that she can take control of her past and drive forward in her life. Sometimes that means they are playing different parts, or guiding her through different parts of her story. The chorus is really Li’l Bit’s support team.
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AS SYRACUSE STAGE PRESENTS Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning (1998) play How I Learned to Drive, the acclaimed playwright celebrates an important milestone in her career as her play Indecent opens at Broadway’s Cort Theatre on April 18. Indecent marks Vogel’s first production on Broadway. For many years recognized as a leading voice in American Theatre as well as a foremost teacher of playwriting, Vogel’s Broadway debut is considered long overdue by many and a sign of the struggle faced by women playwrights in what remains a male-dominated field, especially in more commercial venues. Ly n n N o t t a g e ( Intimate Apparel, Syracuse Stage 2006) also makes her long-awaited Broadway debut this season with her play Sweat. Indecent and Sweat are the only new plays written by women to receive Broadway productions this season. Department of Drama alumnus Will Pullen (‘13) is featured in the cast of Sweat.
PLAYWRIGHT PAULA VOGEL
PRESENTING SPONSOR
McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center
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MEDIA SPONSOR
OPENING NIGHT CHAMPAGNE TOAST SPONSOR
SEASON SPONSORS
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RANDOM ACTS
Syracuse Stage Summer Intensive WHO: Incoming 9th - 12th grade students WHEN: JULY 31– AUGUST 11, 2017 WHERE: SYRACUSE STAGE 820 E. Genesee St. Syracuse, NY WHAT: Two-week summer intensive designed to involve students in all aspects of production including directing, acting, and technical theatre. Working with Syracuse Stage professional theatre artists, students will design and devise an original theatre piece that explores and addresses the concerns of young adults in today’s global environment. HOW TO APPLY: Auditions, interviews, and free workshops will be held April 29 and May 20, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., at Syracuse Stage. Contact Kate Laissle at kmlaissl@syr.edu for an appointment. Students interested in acting and/or directing should prepare a one-minute monologue. Those interested in technical theatre should bring samples of their work: photos, paintings, drawings, costumes. DETAILS: Cost is $500. Enrollment limited to 25 students. Full day, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., lunch not included. NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS WILL BE AVAILABLE.
record setting submissions for Young playwrights festival 2017 The 19th annual Syracuse Stage Young Playwrights Festival is scheduled for April 24 at 7 p.m. at Syracuse Stage. This annual event featuring original 10-minute plays and performance pieces drew 325 submissions this year, 120 more than the previous high submission rate. Students from 13 high schools are represented: Auburn, Camden, Christian Brothers Academy, CiceroNorth Syracuse, G. Ray Bodley, Innovation Tech, Jamesville-DeWitt, North Syracuse, Nottingham, Red Creek, and Wayne Central. Staged readings of the plays selected as contest finalists will be performed in the Archbold Theatre by Syracuse University Department of Drama students on April 24. The Festival is free and open to the public.
Young playwrights festival 2017 Monday, April 24 7 p.m.
There will also be a reading of Sadie Fridley's The Garden, winner of our first annual Middle School playwriting contest. Sadie is an 8th grader at Wellwood Middle School.
SYRACUSE STAGE & SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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DEATHTRAP CLIFFORD ANDERSON Writing student (played by Carl Howell)
MYRA BRUHL Sidney's wife (played by Anney Giobbe)
SIDNEY BRUHL A successful playwright who hasn't had a hit in a while (played by James Lloyd Reynolds)
WHO
DUNNIT?
PORTER MILGRIM Sidney's attorney (played by Curzon Dobell)
T
he preface to the published script describes Deathtrap as "something so evil that it infects all who touch it. The thing has a life of its own. In Deathtrap, Levin has taken the basic components of thrillers and horror stories; murder, deceit, innocent dialogue with hidden sinister meanings, plot reversals, unexpected turns of events, etc., and twisted and rearranged the pieces again and again."
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HELGA TEN DORP A psychic neighbor (played by Joyce Cohen)
DIRECTOR PAUL BARNES
LIKE GOING ON A DEATH DEFYING ROLLER COASTER RIDE
DEATHTRAP BY IRA LEVIN HAS ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR THE PERFECT MURDER MYSTERY WITH A DELIGHTFUL TWIST. THERE’S SUSPENSE, HIDDEN CLUES, & SURPRISES AROUND EVERY CORNER.
fiction, television, and film. The show was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play that same year.
When the show opened on Broadway in 1978, the Sunday reviewer, Walter Kerr, called the play “an absolute knockout of a suspense melodrama”. The show was in fact such a hit that it won an Edgar Award (named after Edgar Allen Poe) for best play in 1978. The award presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, honors the best in mystery fiction, non-
“People love a good murder mystery because you get to experience danger without risking life or limb,” said Barnes. “It’s similar to going on a roller coaster or going on some death defying ride at an amusement park.”
To director Paul Barnes (Peter Pan, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and The Miracle Worker), the vicarious thrills murder mysteries give theatregoers are what make the genre so popular.
A murder mystery fan himself, Barnes explained witnessing audiences react to a
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story in real time was the best aspect of the genre. He directed his first murder mystery, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. During The Mousetrap’s intermission, Barnes said he enjoyed paying extra attention to some of the conversations people were having about the identity of the “real” murderer. “It was always interesting to eavesdrop on conversations and listen to who people thought had actually done the murder,” said Barnes. “It brings me satisfaction knowing that it gets people theorizing and comparing notes with one another. Murder mysteries provide a great way for people to think or experience something they might not know about.” Barnes saw Deathtrap’s original Broadway production and recalls how genuinely jaw dropping it was. As he reacquaints himself with it, he hopes to create a show that spurs the same reaction. With this production, Barnes is considering how the time period (the late 70s) defines the set and how a 2017 audience will interpret it. “The design team and I have all agreed that we don’t want to cartoon the time period even though we are setting the play when it was originally written,” said Barnes. “It’s always a fun challenge for directors and designers to work on trying to evoke the time period without commenting on it.” The play also takes place close to where Barnes grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut. His hometown of Wilton is just right down the road from the show’s original setting in Westport. “It’s really fun to revisit those places even though I’ve spent most of my life on the West coast,” said Barnes. “Wilton is mentioned a few times in the play, so it’s enjoyable for me to feel that kind of connection to the story and the area near where I grew up.”
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CHRISTOPHER REEVE AND MICHAEL CAINE
Ira Levin’s Deathtrap opened on Broadway on February 26, 1978 and closed on June 13, 1982, after 1, 793 performances. The Broadway cast featured John Wood as Sideny Bruhl, Marian Seldes as Myra Bruhl, and Victor Garber as Clifford Anderson. The 1982 film, directed by Sidney Lumet, starred Michael Caine as Sidney, Dyan Cannon as Myra, and Christopher Reeve as Clifford.
Deathtrap is a thriller in two acts, with one set and five characters. The main character’s (Sidney Bruhl) study is a converted stable grafted onto an authentic colonial house. The most notable feature in Bruhl’s study is a vast collection of weapons decorating the walls: guns, knives, battle-axes and the like. Barnes will make the set look almost identical to the detailed descriptions in Levin’s script. Therefore, there will be no major changes to the original set. The only slight changes Barnes will make to the show are some artistic choices to the dialogue; Barnes said he is omitting some pop culture references from the 70s because he believes these references would be too obscure for today’s audiences.
Deathtrap was originally scheduled as the final show in the 16/17 season, before the addition of Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash (June 7 – 25). Associate artistic director Kyle Bass said Deathtrap was included for this season because it is a play full of excitement and fun. “Murder mysteries keep audiences on the edge of their seat,” said Bass. “In bringing this kind of thrill to Syracuse Stage, Deathtrap wraps up the regular subscription season on a high note.”
– Tionge Johnson
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Barnes said his overall goal is to fulfill Levin’s vision. He hopes to create a set that correctly completes this task and said he faces some challenges as a result.
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“This show is very prop heavy, with theatre memorabilia and weaponry he (Sidney) has collected,” said Barnes. “One of the biggest questions for us now is how well decorated the room is or if it is a room that’s really comfortable in which they (Sidney and Myra) spend a lot of time. The two seem to be a couple that is well traveled, well educated, and have collected things along the way as they’ve traveled the world and have various successes and failures, so we have to figure out how that reflects their personality, lives, and their comfort.” Deathtrap stands as the longest-running thriller-comedy on Broadway, with a four year run of 1,793 performances at the Music Box Theatre. Considered a “play-within-a-play”, this show features numerous jokes and one-liners referencing theatrical performances in a sort of tongue-in-cheek manner. It is a mystery that recalls older thrillers like Dial M’ for Murder, Angel Street, and Sleuth.
DEATHTRAP
SPONSORS
PLAYWRIGHT IRA LEVIN
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SEASON SPONSORS
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JOHNNY CASH WITH AMERICAN FLAG, GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN (LINVILLE, NC), JUNE 1974 9
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IN BLACK
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is a musical revue celebrating American icon, Johnny Cash. Created by Richard Maltby, Jr., and conceived by William Meade, Ring of Fire is an added show to the 16/17 season (June 7-25) and highlights some of Cash’s chart-topping hits such as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk the Line”. A singer, songwriter, and guitarist all in one, his music incorporates country-western sounds with gospel and blues influences. The show is made mostly of songs interspersed with details from Cash’s life. The performers play their own instruments, including harmonicas, fiddles, guitars, mandolin, and drums. Cash’s incredible talent as a musician drew individuals like professor of Le Moyne College Department of Communication and Film Studies, Michael Streissguth, to his performances. We sat down with Streissguth to discuss an encounter he had with Cash at a concert and its impact on him.
“During my college years in Western Pennsylvania in the 1980s, I went to a Cash show in Johnstown, Pennsylvania,” said Streissguth. “The show hadn’t started yet and people were milling about, so I walked backstage to meet Cash and to my surprise, nobody stopped me.” As Streissguth recalled this memory, he seemed to transport back to that moment. He leaned back in his chair and smiled wide as he continued.
“When I turned the corner, there’s Cash talking with an elderly man who I assumed was a retiree from the coal mines or steel mills,” said Streissguth. “Cash was holding this man’s hands with his own, tracing his fingers around the man’s callused palms saying, ‘these are the hands of a working man’. After Cash said that, the old man stood up straight and regained a long lost composure. It hit me right then and there that what I was witnessing was a man of authenticity.” Streissguth explained that his first encounter with Cash was what turned him into a longlasting fan. He further stressed that the effect
By Tionge Johnson SYRACUSE STAGE
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JOHNNY CASH POSES WITH HIS GUITAR IN 1958
Cash had on him at that moment is imprinted into his memory forever. “Despite looking intimidating in person (Cash was 6’2”), he was a very approachable and accessible man,” said Streissguth. “Though it’s not so much the vision of Cash that sticks in my mind; it’s his interactions with that old man. It showed that he held a deep interest in rural life and industrialism.” Much of Streissguth’s life has been devoted to researching the musician, having worked on two documentary films (Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Johnny Cash: American Rebel) and a book called Johnny Cash: The Biography. It was apparent by the enthusiasm in his voice that Cash’s songs, along with who Cash was as a musician, means much to Streissguth. Cash’s tall stature wasn’t the only aspect of his appearance fascinating to Streissguth. Cash’s nickname, ‘the man in black’, based on the black clothing he wore when he first started performing in the 1950s, was so much more than a nickname to Streissguth. “That association with the color black is what gave him the name ‘the man in black’. And, I think he played to that in a way. He knew coming onto the stage in black made quite an impression. People paid attention to you, so why not stick with something that works,” said Streissguth. And pay attention to Cash Streissguth did, so much so that he probably could name every song or fact about the musician. When asked about his favorite song he had to pause to think for a couple minutes SPONSORS
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before narrowing it down from a long list. “If I absolutely had to choose it would be ‘Five Feet High and Rising,’” said Streissguth. “‘Five Feet High and Rising’ is about a flood his family experienced in the 1930s. And in it he sings, ‘How high is the water papa? Five foot high and rising’, which has great rhythm. More importantly, people who lived and worked in rural areas were always subject to the whims of nature, and so this song tells us what rural life was like. It’s a life that he knew and a life that’s rapidly fading in this country.”
RING OF FIRE THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH
Industrial and rural decline are topics Streissguth believes make Cash the most relatable. He said his music brings back the value of the working individual and the common person by preserving their stories. However, Streissguth was quick to add that the musician is not just relatable to one audience. To him, Cash relates to all kinds of people no matter the socioeconomic background.
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“There are so many Cashes for different people. There are the people who gravitate towards Cash because of his love for gospel music. Then there are the people who gravitate to Cash because they see him as the quintessential American,” said Streissguth. “If you want to hear great stories about the human experience, Cash’s songs can tell you something about it. He had a real power of expression to deliver song lyrics in a very authoritative manner, as well as illustrate a real passion for the American people.”
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SEASON SPONSORS
10FACTS CASH 1
Johnny Cash’s first performance using drums during a live performance happened in
SYRACUSE, New York.
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In 1976, Cash served as the Grand Marshal of the American Bicentennial parade on Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C.
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When Cash first started out as a musician, he thought that he was going to be a gospel singer.
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Cash was allegedly the first person ever to be sued by the U.S for igniting a forest fire.
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Cash drew inspiration from a tape playing backwards for the tune “I Walk the Line”.
Cash never did a performance where he wasn’t wearing black. He once told Larry King, “I’ve never done a concert in anything but black. You walk into my clothes closet. It’s dark in there.”
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Cash only took one voice lesson when he was young, after which the teacher advised him not to let anyone change the way he sang.
During his time in the Air Force, Cash learned to translate Russian Morse code.
“Blue Suede Shoes", Cash claims, came from a story he told Carl Perkins about an airman who used to tell Cash not to step on his blue suede shoes.
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When he wrote “Folsom Prison Blues”, rumor spread that he’d spent hard time in jail based on the lyric, “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die”. Though he’d never done hard time, the idea that he had ironically heightened his image instead of damaging it.
HANDWRITTEN SET LIST FROM MID 1990S
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Kurt Weill’s Journey to Stardom
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erman Composer Kurt Weill stands as one of the most influential theatre composers of the twentieth century. Known famously for his collaboration with German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, Weill composed some of the most famous songs—including the ever popular, “Mack the Knife” from Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera. His works contributed immensely to musical theatre during the Second World War and had deep roots in Judaism. Weill eventually found his way to America after the Nazi regime forced him out of Germany for his Jewish heritage and socialism. “Once he escaped to Paris, the Nazi’s burned Weill’s scores because they saw anything related to the Jews as subversive, meaning ‘not German,’” said the Department of Drama’s David Lowenstein. “His own experiences dealing with identity and nationalism are concepts you can interpret from his music. How a society (the Nazi regime) made it their goal to make as many people unlike them the ‘other’. This concept of nationality applies to both The Berlin Symphony and his first score Johnny Johnson, a piece about Americanism and fighting for one’s country. In a way, his music helped him discover his identity.” Lowenstein is directing Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage, highlighting Weill’s work from when he first began writing until his sudden death in 1950. During the early years of Weill’s career Europe was experiencing the aftermath
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of WW1. Weill and his family faced financial hardships as a result, yet he managed to support himself through private lessons, directing synagogue choirs, and serving as an opera coach at the Friedrich Theater under Hans Knappertsbusch. The aspiring musician quickly became a prominent figure in the cultural scene of 1920s Berlin. And in 1922, he joined a group of leftist Berlin artists called Novembergruppe. They primarily performed works by modernist composers like Berg, Schoenberg, Hindemith, Stravinsky, and Krenek. He had some early successes with the group, but it was not until his partnership with Brecht that Weill became an international sensation. “Weill and his relationship with Brecht were influenced by the socialist world of ‘for the people, by the people, and of the people’. In 1947 when Showboat premiered in Berlin, Weill was trying to write a new kind of musical theatre where they represent the common man. Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera was the perfect collaboration for Weill because it really is about people on the lower rungs of society, stories that were not told in the theatre during that time,” Lowenstein explained. Weill’s powerful compositions, combined with the social criticism of Brecht’s libretto produced one of the most vital cultural creations of inter-war Europe. The Threepenny Opera revisited and revised John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, and critiqued and beguiled Weimer Germany. Many of Brecht and Weill’s collaborative pieces represented
BY TIONGE JOHNSON
everything the Nazi regime declared an enemy. They became the earliest and most obvious targets of Nazi cultural oppression as a result, and many of their stage performances were either heavily criticized or ended abruptly, including a full-scale opera about the corrupt, sinful town of Mahagonny called The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Brecht was not the only partnership Weill formed throughout his career. Weill’s first opera, Der Protagonist, was a collaboration with George Kaiser, the most prominent playwright during the years of the Weimer Republic. Kaiser’s Expressionist style avoided characterization and psychology, relying on archetypes to focus on the ills of society. Kaiser’s work had strong influence on Brecht and Iwan Goll, another dramatist who collaborated with Weill. Kaiser later became the link that introduced Weill to Brecht, as well as his future wife Lotte Lenya (an actress and singer). Kaiser collaborated on two major works with Weill, the comic opera Der Zar lässt sich photographieren (The Czar Has His Picture Taken) in 1928 and Der Silbersee (The Silver Lake) in 1933. After many unsuccessful compositions in Paris, Weill moved to America and re-launched his career tenfold. In 1938 Weill collaborated with playwright Maxwell Anderson to create the hit musical Knickerbocker Holiday, one of the first shows to give him exposure to the musical theatre scene on Broadway. The musical number “September Song” in Knickerbocker Holiday
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Weill was trying to write a new kind of musical theatre where they represent the common man.
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was so popular that it became an American pop standard. Weill’s two biggest Broadway hits after the success of Knickerbocker Holiday were Lady in the Dark with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and One Touch of Venus, a musical comedy written by Ogden Nash. “Once he became a big Broadway writer and achieved the kind of notoriety and respect that he wanted, he turned and set himself back to the original goal which was to reinvent musical theatre; to focus on stories of common people. It is during this moment that you get Street Scene and Lost in the Stars,” Lowenstein said. “Street Scene is about the community that lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and with pieces like Street Scene he was able to re-boot his desire to do the things that he was trying to do artistically in Germany with The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” Weill was unafraid to experiment with what was musically and lyrically possible in theatre. Similar to the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim, Weill’s ability to push boundaries of what’s musically possible in theatre made him into a musical theatre legend. “The canon of music he left us in that relatively short period of time he was alive is by itself impressive. What’s so exciting about doing a show based on Weill’s work now is focusing on opening up the understanding that the themes he wrote about then are as prevalent and as rich now,” Lowenstein added. In this production of Berlin to Broadway Lowenstein will focus more on Weill’s music
rather than his personal life or partnerships. His goal is to create a show that honors the past while considering its modern audience. “The original concept of the show was for it to be on a boat, but we’ve kind of deconstructed that,” Lowenstein said. “We are really creating a new show because it was originally written for five people, one narrator and four singers, and we are doing it with 10. I have split up the music written for two men into four, and the music chosen originally for two women will be made for six. So I have re-distributed some of the material and re-distributed lines of the songs to divide the show into small group numbers and duets. The set is not literally on a boat, but more of an impression of a boat, because I want to make a review that honors his music in terms of the period, while also making it a review for 2017. I’m sure back
in 1974 (when the show was first produced) the concept of sitting on a boat was avantgarde, but I think we’ve moved forward in terms of theatrical aesthetic.” PHOTOS ABOVE: KURT WEILL BELOW: KURT WEILL AND HIS WIFE LOTTE LENYA AT HOME IN 1942.
Presented by Syracuse University’s Department of Drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill, A Musical Voyage | Music by Kurt Weill | Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Bertolt Brecht, Ira Gershwin, Michael Feingold, Ogden Nash, Maxwell Andersen, Marc Blitzstein, Jacques Deval, Paul Green, Langston Hughes, George Tabori, and Arnold Weinstein | Text Format by Gene Lerner | Musical Arrangements by Newton Wayland | Originally directed by Donald Saddler | Originally produced by Gene Lerner and Hank Kaufman | Directed by David Lowenstein | Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet | Choreography by Andrea Leigh-Smith. Performed in the Storch Theatre at 820 East Genesee Street May 5 – 13, Opening Night: May 6. Tickets are $16-$18, available at 315-443-3275 or by visiting syracusestage.org/su-drama.php DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA |
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16/17 ANGEL APPEAL
THE MAGIC OF 44: GIVE $44 FOR OUR 44TH SEASON
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s we close our 44th season, we recall that 44 is a number that has special significance for Syracuse. Our 44th season has been a triumph so far with many highlights past and many still to come. Mary Poppins and Ain’t Misbehavin’ brought audiences to their feet show after show. Our Sensory Friendly performance invited individuals and families to enjoy a theatrical experience in a welcoming and non-judgmental environment that many took advantage of and appreciated deeply. Disgraced offered chances to have calm and reasonable discussions about volatile issues with members of our community most impacted by the questions at hand. Great Expectations enlivened Dickens classic tale while signaling the great theatre ahead. These are just some of the magical things that have happened this 44th season. As always, we have welcomed thousands of students to the theatre, and we maintained our commitment to making the magic of theatre available to all with open captioning, ASL Interpretation, and audio description. 15 | SYRACUSE STAGE
But there is one area where we could use a little extra magic and we need your help. As we near the end of the season, we are still a little short of our fundraising goal. With that in mind, we ask you to consider embracing the “Magic of 44” either by making a donation of $44, or if you have already given, by making an additional $44 gift. $44 for our 44th season and for all the magic ahead the rest of this season and in seasons ahead. Thank you in advance for your generous support. P.S. Watch for a special Syracuse Stage video featuring number 44 Floyd Little coming soon.
VISIT SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG CLICK ON SUPPORT TO MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY.
GET IN ON A BURNIN’ THING. Join our Ring of Fire of small business sponsors. $250 sponsorship of our rousing production of
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash (June 7 – 25) $250 SPONSOR BENEFITS •
Two preferred seats to the opening night performance on JUNE 9 with a post-show party with the cast.
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Special acknowledgment in the Ring of Fire program and on our lobby videos for the duration of the show.
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Two complimentary tickets for drinks at the bar.
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Complimentary parking at the Madison-Irving Garage.
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A coupon good for 10% off dinner for two at Phoebe’s.
(Reservations suggested)
Limited availability. Call today. CONTACT TINA MORGAN:
315-443-3931 or tmorg100@syr.edu
FRIDAY, JUNE 16 GOLDSTEIN AUDITORIUM
at Syracuse University’s Schine Student Center
CONCERT ONLY: $45 VIP TICKETS: $75 includes post-show
Champagne & Dessert reception with the band SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG | BOX OFFICE: 315.443.3275 PRESENTED BY: THE SYRACUSE STAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SYRACUSE STAGE GUILD
For tickets to the Gala, including cocktail hour and dinner, please call 315.443.2709.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
BY L. FRANK BAUM | WITH MUSIC AND LYRICS FROM THE MGM MOTION PICTURE SCORE BY HAROLD ARLEN AND E. Y. HARBURG | WITH BACKGROUND MUSIC BY HERBERT STOTHART BOOK ADAPTATION BY JOHN KANE FROM THE MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY | DIRECTED BY DONNA DRAKE | CHOREOGRAPHY BY 2 RING CIRCUS | MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET CO-PRODUCED WITH THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 31
THE THREE MUSKETEERS
ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS | BY CATHERINE BUSH | DIRECTED BY ROBERT HUPP | CO-PRODUCED WITH THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 8
It’s all for one and fun for all when Alexandre Dumas’ legendary tale comes to life on the stage. When a young man arrives in Paris to join the King’s musketeers, he soon finds himself caught up in political plots, romance, and of course multiple swordfights. Robert Hupp makes his Syracuse Stage directorial debut in swashbuckling style. En garde!
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
BY SIMON STEPHENS | ADAPTED FROM THE NOVEL BY MARK HADDON | DIRECTED BY RISA BRAININ | CO-PRODUCED WITH INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE OCTOBER 25 – NOVEMBER 12
Meet Christopher John Francis Boone. At 15 years old, he knows all the capital cities in the world and every prime number up to 7,507. But he struggles to understand the world around him. When Christopher is suspected of murdering his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to find the real culprit. His investigation will take him on a journey to a past he never knew and a future he never imagined possible. Based on Mark Haddon’s international best-selling novel and winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, this show is a thrilling and touching theatrical event.
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SYRACUSE STAGE DEVELOPMENT
Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse University Department of Drama team up with New York’s 2 Ring Circus to create a dazzlingly acrobatic take on The Wizard of Oz. This stage adaptation contains all your favorite characters and songs from the Oscar winning movie score, including “Over the Rainbow,” “We’re Off to See the Wizard (Follow the Yellow Brick Road),” and more. The cirque-like feats of 2 Ring Circus make it an Oz—and a holiday family treat—like you’ve never seen before. Great songs and L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters make this musical a classic.
NEXT TO NORMAL
MUSIC BY TOM KITT | BOOK AND LYRICS BY BRIAN YORKEY | DIRECTED BY ROBERT HUPP CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY SALATINO MUSICAL DIRECTION BY BRIAN CIMMET JANUARY 17 – FEBRUARY 4
At the center of this acclaimed Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical is a family at once familiar and recognizable, but also coping with its own particular dysfunction. Intimately told, Next to Normal blends the insight of fine drama with the emotional impact of a moving rock score. Often funny and always poignant, Next to Normal is a work of grace and power that goes right to the human heart. The New York Times calls Next to Normal a “brave, breathtaking musical….”
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY | DIRECTED BY TIMOTHY DOUGLAS | CO-PRODUCED WITH INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 11
Lorraine Hansberry’s masterwork has rightfully earned its place among the great American plays because it speaks anew to each generation. The story of the Younger family—three generations trying to build a better life on Chicago’s South Side—resonates loudly with those pursuing the American dream today. Whose dreams get realized
and whose deferred? The power of Hansberry’s writing makes A Raisin in the Sun as vital today as in 1959. Timothy Douglas (Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Lesson Before Dying, Jitney, The Crucible, and Gem of the Ocean) returns to direct this American Theatre classic.
THE MAGIC PLAY
BY ANDREW HINDERAKER | DIRECTED BY HALENA KAYS | CO-PRODUCED WITH PORTLAND CENTER STAGE | APRIL 25 – MAY 13
Acclaimed magician, illusion designer, and actor Brett Schneider stars in a mind-blowing spectacle that combines the allure of a live magic show with engaging drama. A successful young magician, reeling from a recent romantic break-up, struggles to keep his off-stage reality from undermining his on stage illusions. Magic tricks highlight this one-of-akind and uplifting theatrical experience.
NEW FOR 17/18 (NOT PART OF SUBSCRIPTION)
COLD READ: A WINTER FESTIVAL OF HOT NEW PLAYS SYRACUSE STAGE | FEBRUARY 8-11
New work hot from the imaginations of some of the freshest voices writing for the theatre today. Syracuse Stage launches its Festival of New Plays by hosting a talented playwright and professional actors and directors for four days of exciting events. A party and script reading kick things off on Thursday evening. On Friday, see a staged reading of a play under consideration for a future production at Syracuse Stage. Saturday brings a solo performance of new work by a bold actor/writer. And on Sunday afternoon, we close the festival with a reading of a brand new work in progress, where the playwright will hear from you in a moderated discussion. Along the way, enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and local craft beer. Good times and a chance to experience plays in the making.
EVENTS APRIL - JUNE 2017 SYRACUSE STAGE How I Learned to Drive By Paula Vogel Directed by Laura Kepley April 5 - 23
Deathtrap
By Ira Levin Directed by Paul Barnes May 10 - 28
Ring of Fire the Music of Johnny Cash
Created by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Jason Edwards Conceived by William Meade Adapted from the Broadway Production by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Jason Edwards Orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Jeff Lisenby Additional arrangements by David Abbinanti June 7 - 25 PROLOGUE
WEDNESDAY@1 LECTURES
Pre-show lecture at 1 p.m. in the Sutton Pavilion before the 2 p.m. matinee performance. How I Learned to Drive Wednesday, April 19 Speaker: Chris Woodworth, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Hobart & William Smith
*Speakers and topics subject to change
How I Learned to Drive Saturday, April 22 at 3 p.m.
ACTOR TALKBACK SERIES
A lively discussion with the actors following the 7 p.m. Sunday night performance. How I Learned to Drive Sunday, April 9
How I Learned to Drive
HAPPY HOUR SERIES
Sunday, May 14 at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. Ring of Fire
Sunday, June 11 at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17 at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Join us for a post-show party with live music and complimentary food following each opening night performance. Performances at 8 p.m. How I Learned to Drive April 7: The Nudes Deathtrap May 12: Kitestring Ring of Fire June 9: TBA
How I Learned to Drive Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m. Deathtrap Saturday, May 20 at 3 p.m.
Deathtrap Sunday, May 14
Deathtrap
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETED
Deathtrap Wednesday, May 24 Speaker: Barbara Block, Syracuse-based writer, author of the Robin Light mystery series.
During the run of each show, join us for free, intimate, pre-show talks led by a member of the cast. One hour prior to curtain, three times during the run of each show.
Sunday, April 9 at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 15 at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Ring of Fire Wednesday, June 21 at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m.
Warm up before the show with half-priced drinks, signature cocktails, and complimentary appetizers from fine local restaurants. Located in the Sutton Pavilion at Syracuse Stage, Happy Hours start at 6 p.m. with performances at 7:30 p.m. How I Learned to Drive Thursday, April 13: Happy and Healthy Hour Relax before the show and enjoy a Healthy and Happy Hour featuring complimentary chair massages from SpaZend. With delicious treats Original Grain and music by Hot 107.9 DJ Kobe. Deathtrap Thursday, May 18: Murder Mystery Happy Hour Solve the puzzle with your friends and enter to win the “Comedy Thriller Prize Pack” from Visit Syracuse. The fun is hosted by Happenings CNY along with delicious complimentary appetizers from Dolce Vita. Ring of Fire Thursday, June 15: TBA OPEN CAPTIONING
How I Learned to Drive Wednesday, April 19 at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m. Deathtrap Wednesday, May 24 at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 28 at 2 p.m.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION
Deathtrap Saturday, May 20 at 3 p.m. Ring of Fire Saturday, June 24 at 3 p.m.
NEW IN 16/17 DINNER & SHOW
Enjoy a buffet dinner with fellow theatre lovers in the Sutton Pavilion. Seasonal fare prepared by Phoebe’s Restaurant followed by great theatre. How I Learned to Drive Wednesday, April 19 at 6 p.m. Deathtrap Wednesday, May 24 at 6 p.m. CRAFT BEER TASTING
Selection of tasty local brews then music and/or mystery. Deathtrap Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m.
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage
Music by Kurt Weill | Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Bertolt Brecht, Ira Gershwin, Michael Feingold, Ogden Nash, Maxwell Andersen, Marc Blitzstein, Jacques Deval, Paul Green, Langston Hughes, George Tabori, and Arnold Weinstein | Text Format by Gene Lerner | Musical Arrangements by Newton Wayland | Originally directed by Donald Saddler | Originally produced by Gene Lerner and Hank Kaufman | Directed by David Lowenstein Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet | Choreography by Andrea Leigh-Smith May 5 - 13 | Opening Night: May 6
is published by Syracuse Stage and Department of Drama throughout the season for their subscribers and alumni. Editor: Joseph Whelan (jmwhelan@syr.edu). Designer: Brenna Merritt.
ROBERT M. HUPP, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR; JILL A. ANDERSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR; KYLE BASS; ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR; SYRACUSE STAGE. RALPH ZITO, CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA.
SYRACUSE STAGE/ DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
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820 East Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210-1508 www.SyracuseStage.org
THE THREE MUSKETEERS SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 8
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME OCTOBER 25 – NOVEMBER 12
THE WIZARD OF OZ
NOVEMBER 29 – DECEMBER 31
NEXT TO NORMAL
JANUARY 17 – FEBRUARY 4
A RAISIN IN THE SUN FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 11
THE MAGIC PLAY APRIL 25 – MAY 13
NEW FOR 17/18 (NOT PART OF SUBSCRIPTION)
COLD READ: A WINTER FESTIVAL OF HOT NEW PLAYS FEBRUARY 8 - 11