The
MATCHMAKER
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PRESENTS
The
MATCHMAKER BY
Thornton Wilder DIRECTED BY
Nicholas Kowerko MUSIC DIRECTOR
CHOREOGRAPHER
Jacob Stebly
Olivia Lacie Andrews
SCENIC DESIGNER
COSTUME DESIGNER
Samantha Olszewski
Carmen M. Martinez
SOUND DESIGNER AND AUDIO RECORDING LIGHTING DESIGNER ENGINEER
Lily Meaker
Kevin O’Connor
VOICE AND DIALECT COACH
DRAMATURG
STAGE MANAGER
Blake Segal
Sofia Aguirre
Abby Boglioli
INTERIM CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA
Holly Thuma The Matchmaker is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
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 rights and actionable under United States copywright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists Available March 4 - 8, 2021.
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CAST (in alphabetical order)
Olivia Lacie Andrews...............................................................Ermengarde Andrea Baker.......................................................................Mrs. Dolly Levi Isaiah Britto.........................................................................Cornelius Hackl Emily Kate Decker...........................................Gertrude, Rudolph, Cook August Kiss Fegley...............................................Miss Flora Van Huysen Mitch Gerding.................................................................Ambrose Kemper Chris Marzulla....................................................................Barnaby Tucker Pauline Pauwels..............................................................Mrs. Irene Molloy Tom Riggleman..........................................................Joe, August, Cabman Eli Schwartz..............................................................Horace Vandergelder Sofia Swensen.............................................................................Minnie Fay Charlie Towle.........................................................................Malachi Stack
ADDITIONAL CREDITS Assistant Directors: Caleb Sheedy, Andi Voigt Assistant Scenic Designers: Kristina Fosmire, Jason Zong Assistant Costume Designer: Amaan Khan Assistant Lighting Designers: Sophia O’Connor, Em Stripling Assistant Stage Managers: Alyssa Robertson, Tess Vocalina
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SONGS Act II
“Play A Simple Melody” Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin Arrangement by Jacob Stebly Performed by Sofia Swensen, Chris Marzulla, and Isaiah Britto Act III
“Sidewalks of New York” Music by Charles B. Lawlor and Lyrics by James W. Blake Arrangement by Jacob Stebly Performed by Emily Kate Decker, Olivia Lacie Andrews, Tom Riggleman, and Mitch Gerding Act IV (Curtain Call)
“Buttons and Bows” Music by Jay Livingston and Lyrics by Ray Evans Arrangement by Jacob Stebly Performed by the full company Additional music composed by Scott Joplin and Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, recorded by Jacob Stebly
SETTING 1880s New York
SPECIAL THANKS Aja Marie Lans
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CAST Olivia Lacie Andrews (Ermengarde, Choreographer) is a sophomore musical theater major from Bucks County, PA. Department of Drama credits include Songs for a New World (independent student project) and Marilyn in Antigone, presented by the girls of St. Catherine’s (sophomore project).
Emily Kate Decker (Gertrude, Rudolph, Cook) is a junior musical theater major from Annandale, NJ. Past favorite experiences include Sarah/ Trader in The American Pilot (sophomore project), the Red Girl in Shout! (studio project), “I’m Not Afraid” soloist in Songs for a New World (independent project), and Sandra in Big Fish (The Barn Theater). If you’d like to keep up with Emily’s upcoming projects, you can follow her @emilykatedecker on Instagram. She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant love and support.
Andrea Baker (Mrs. Dolly Levi) is a junior musical theater major from Columbia, MO, and she is thrilled to be back on stage with such talented folks. At the Department of Drama, Andrea has been seen in The Secret in the Wings (studio project), On the Lake (mainstage), and The Crucible (mainstage). She would like to thank her wonderful parents for all their love and support, Nicholas Kowerko for yet another opportunity to laugh and grow, and the whole cast and crew of The Matchmaker for putting up with all her shenanigans.
August Kiss Fegley (Miss Flora Van Huysen) is a junior acting major from Allentown, PA. She was last seen on stage at the Department of Drama as Betty Parris in The Crucible (mainstage) and last fall, she took part in a virtual docudrama called This Land with LA-based theatre company Circle Squared Collective. Most recently, she performed in the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama virtual co-production Home for the Holidays. August is the associate artistic director of Black Box Players, and the exhibition chair for Students Advocating for Sexual Safety and Empowerment. This spring, she is directing virtual mixed-media show that will raise funds for local cri-
Isaiah Britto (Cornelius Hackl) is a sophomore acting major from Rhode Island. This is his Department of Drama debut and he’s very excited to play the character Cornelius Hackl.
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CAST sis centers for at-risk youth and other family planning organizations. She would like to thank her parents for their endless support. @augustfegley
in The Skin of Our Teeth (sophomore project), Jack, or the Submission (faculty project), and Romeo and Juliet (mainstage). She is now proud to have this as her last show as a student here at Syracuse University. Pauline would like to send a very grateful thank you to Nick Kowerko, her family, and this talented cast and crew.
Mitch Gerding (Am brose Kemper) is a junior musical theater major from Atlanta. Department of Drama credits include: The Secret in the Wings (studio project), A Tale for the Time Being (independent student project), and Spring Awakening (Black Box Players). Other credits include the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama production Suzette Who Set to Sea (Bank of America Children’s Tour). He would like to thank his family and friends for their constant support and love. IG @mitch_gerding
Tom Riggleman (Joe, August, Cabman) is a sophomore acting major from Las Vegas, NV. Recent credits include Melchior Gabor in Black Box Players’ production of Spring Awakening, and Songs For a New World (independent student project). He be can be seen this summer as Hanschen in Spring Awakening at Gatehouse Theatre Company in San Francisco, CA. Tom wants to thank his family, friends, and professors for their love and support.
Chris Marzulla (Barnaby Tucker) is a junior acting major from Park Ridge, NJ. Department of Drama credits include The American Pilot (sophomore project), Everybody (studio project), and The Secret In the Wings (studio project). He thanks those who have worked to make this production possible.
Eli Schwartz (Horace Vandergelder) is a junior acting major from Gaithersburg, MD. In the Department of Drama, Eli has been seen as Peter in Romeo and Juliet (mainstage) and most recently, Presley Stray in The Pitchfork Disney (independent student project). He is grateful to be able to collaborate with a team of wonderful artists during the pandemic.
Pauline Pauwels (Mrs. Irene Molloy) is a senior acting major from Raleigh, NC. At the Department of Drama, Pauline has been seen
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CAST Sofia Swensen (Minnie Fay) is ecstatic to be making her Department of Drama mainstage debut in The Matchmaker. Sofia is a sophomore musical theater major from Pittsburgh, PA and was last seen (virtually) as Anna in Antigone, presented by the girls of St. Catherine’s (sophomore project). She has also appeared in Pittsburgh CLO productions including New York and Mary Poppins. She would like her cast to know how much she loves and appreciates their artistry, as they inspire her daily. @sofia.annika0913
Charlie Towle (Malachi Stack) is a junior acting major from Fort Worth, TX. He is thrilled to be returning to the mainstage for his second production. Some of his recent credits include Count Paris in Romeo and Juliet (mainstage), Frank in [sic] (Black Box Players), and Charlie in Jockey: A Sexual Unboxing (an original work written by Charlie, Jacob Rosen, and Jack Fortin, nominated for Best Play and winning Best Score at the New York Theatre Festival: Winterfest 2020). He would like to thank the cast, crew, and creative team, as well as his friends and family for all of their support.
A R T I S T I C S TA F F Samantha Olszewski (Scenic Designer) is a senior theater design and technology major with a concentration in scenic design from Darlington, PA. This is Sam’s debut as a lead designer at the Department of Drama. Other Department of Drama credits include assistant set designer for On The Lake (mainstage), The Crucible (mainstage), Next Fall (mainstage), Baltimore Waltz (mainstage); assistant costume designer for The Wild Party (mainstage); and assistant stage manager for The House of The Spirits (mainstage). Sam was also the scenic/prop designer for Gretna Theatre’s 2019 summer children’s series in Mount Gretna, PA. Sam is the re-
cipient of the 2020-2021 Arthur Storch Award for Theater Design and has been on the Dean’s List every semester. wwwsamjoodesign.com Carmen M. Martinez (Costume Designer) hails from the city of Lima, Peru, but has been in the New York area since 2004. She holds a B.F.A. in graphic design from RISD, and an M.F.A. in set and costume design from the Yale School of Drama. This unique combination allows her to collaborate in many disciplines (almost) seamlessly. As a graphic designer, she worked at The Museum of Modern Art and The Metropolitan Museum. She is also a founding partner and
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A R T I S T I C S TA F F creator of the small women owned and run studio “all of the things nyc” (www.allofthethingsnyc.com). In this endeavor she provides costume crafts and prop design services, as well as creates her own line of jewelry and home goods (which usually have a funny, socially conscious, and feminist twist). With AOTT, she has been a vendor at multiple events like the Union Square and Columbus Circle Holiday Markets. Some of her theatrical projects include, set design for James and the Giant Peach at The Alliance Theater, Danny King of the Basement at Syracuse Stage, props for The Hairy Ape at the Armory, scenic elements for Katy Perry’s performance at the Met Gala (2017), Un Informe Sobre la Banalidad del Amor in Lima, Peru, and Owners at Yale Rep. To see more of her work, visit www.cmmartinezo.com
Drama. He graduated from St. Lawrence University with a B.A. in music in 2008. Previous sound design credits include Department of Drama productions of Mansfield Park, On The Lake, Romeo & Juliet, The Crucible, Good Kids, We Are Proud to Present...,The Baltimore Waltz, Crazy for You, Major Barbara, The King Stag, Laura and the Sea, A Flea in Her Ear, The Spitfire Grill, Agamemnon, Measure for Measure, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Stepping Out, The Good Woman of Setzuan, and Translations, as well as Danny, King of the Basement and Miss Electricity for the Syracuse Stage/ Department of Drama Children’s Tour. Kevin has also worked as the A1 position, controlling the audio console/live mixing most of the musicals over the last 10 years for Syracuse Stage and the Department of Drama including Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, The Last Five Years, Elf The Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Next to Normal, The Wizard of Oz, Ring of Fire, Berlin to Broadway, Mary Poppins, Nine, The Spitfire Grill, Peter Pan, Kiss Me, Kate, Avenue Q, Hairspray, Parade, Spring Awakening, Seussical, Violet, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Merrily We Roll Along, Quilters, The Cradle Will Rock, and Cabaret.
Lily Meaker (Lighting Designer) is a junior theater design and technology major from Anna Maria Island, FL. Her previous credits are assistant lighting designer for Good Kids and The Crucible (Department of Drama mainstage) and the assistant to the designer for Amadeus (Syracuse Stage). Lily would like to thank her mother for supporting her ambitions. Kevin O’Connor (Sound Designer and Audio Recording Engineer) is currently in his twelfth season working for Syracuse Stage and the Syracuse University Department of
Blake Segal (Voice and Dialect Coach) is an actor/dialect coach. NYC and regional coaching credits include productions for Syracuse
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A R T I S T I C S TA F F Stage, Geva Theatre Center, Berkshire Theatre Group, Two River Theater, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Georges, The Araca Project, Fault Line Theatre, Cleveland Musical Theatre, Luna Stage, Passages Theatre, and Walkerspace at SoHo Rep. Educational theater coaching credits include productions for Yale School of Drama, Fordham University, Columbia University, Syracuse University, Kean University, and Stella Adler Conservatory. Blake currently serves on the Voice/Verse faculty of Syracuse University’s Department of Drama. As an actor, he has performed on film and television, off-Broadway, in major regional theaters across the country, and on the national tour of Mary Poppins. M.F.A. in acting: Yale School of Drama. www.blakesegal.com
stage manager on the Black Box Players’ production of [sic] and the assistant director on a production of The Aliens. Outside of the Department of Drama, Sofia is the associate producer for El Centro Productions and the current managing director for Black Box Players. Sofia would like to thank her friends and family for their continuous support. She hopes you take a moment from reality to immerse yourself into the world of The Matchmaker. Abby Boglioli (Stage Manager) is a junior stage management major from the San Francisco Bay Area. At the Department of Drama, Abby has assistant stage managed A Grand Night for Singing (mainstage) and We are Proud to Present... (mainstage). She was also the stage management intern on the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-production of The Wolves. Abby would like to thank all her friends and her amazing assistant stage managers for helping her throughout the process.
Sofia Aguirre (Dramaturg) is a second year theater management major with a minor in public communications from Los Angeles, CA. She was previously the assistant
A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Kristina Fosmire (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a junior theater design and technology major from Johnstown, NY.
a concentration in costume design from Benton, ME. Sophia O’Connor (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration in lighting design from San Diego, CA.
Amaan Khan (Assistant Costume Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with
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A S S I S TA N T S & A S S O C I AT E S Alyssa Robertson (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman undecided major from Castro Valley, CA.
Tess Vocalina (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman stage management major from Orange, CT.
Caleb Sheedy (Assistant Director) is a junior acting major from New Paltz, NY.
Andi Voigt (Assistant Director) is a junior stage management major from Duluth, MN.
Em Stripling (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a theater design and technology major with a concentration in lighting design from Brooklyn, New York.
Jason Zong (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a sophomore theater design and technology major with a concentration is scenic design and technical direction from Wilmington, DE.
DIRECTOR Nicholas Kowerko is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Drama. Recent credits in the department include The Secret in the Wings (studio project), The American Pilot (sophomore projects), Jack or the Submission (studio project), The Skin of Our Teeth (sophomore projects), and The Children’s Hour (studio project). Nicholas was the assistant director to Des McAnuff on the Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, which was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won for Best Choreography. Nicholas toured with Ain’t Too Proud to the Kennedy Center, the Ahmanson The-
atre, and the Princess of Wales Theatre. He was also the recipient of the Bret C. Harte Directing Fellowship at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the directing internship at Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), the directing internship at Great River Shakespeare Festival, the casting internship at Boston Casting, and worked as a stage manager for a full season at Nevada Conservatory Theatre. Nicholas has also taught at Allan Hancock College/PCPA, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and SUNY Fredonia, where he completed his B.A. in arts administration. He holds an M.F.A. in theatre directing from the Actors Studio Drama School in New York City, and is a SDC Associate.
PROGRAM BOOK Publications Director Joseph Whelan Layout Jonathan Hudak Advertising Joanna Penalva
The Matchmaker, Available March 5 - 13, 2021. The Department of Drama program is published five times a year. For advertising rates and information contact the marketing office at 315.443.2636.
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MUSIC DIRECTOR Jacob Stebly is a Syracuse-based pianist and a graduate of The Eastman School of Music. He is the assistant music director and a voice teacher for the Department of Drama at Syracuse University where he has music directed A Grand Night for Singing, a workshop of the new musical The Bridge, and Little Shop of Horrors and assistant music directed A Chorus Line, The Wild Party, Into the Woods, and Crazy for You. He
has been the associate conductor for the Syracuse Stage/Department of Drama co-productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Elf The Musical, and The Wizard of Oz and has music directed The Last Five Years for the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre. Some of his compositions have been heard as incidental music for productions of The Matchmaker, The Cat’s Meow, and the theme song for the podcast Please Don’t Remake This.
P L AY W R I G H T Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), born in Madison, WI, and educated at Yale and Princeton, was an accomplished novelist and playwright whose works explore the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one of his seven novels, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and his next-to-last novel, The Eighth Day, received the National Book Award (1968). Two of his four major plays garnered Pulitzer Prizes: Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1943). His play The Matchmaker ran on Broadway for 486 performances (1955-1957), Mr. Wilder’s Broadway record, and was later adapted into the record-breaking musical Hello, Dolly! Mr. Wilder also enjoyed enormous success with many other forms of the written and spoken word, among them transla-
tion, acting, opera librettos, lecturing, teaching, and film (his screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 psychothriller Shadow of a Doubt remains a classic to this day). Letter writing held a central place in Mr. Wilder’s life, and since his death, three volumes of his letters have been published. Mr. Wilder›s many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Book Committee's Medal for Literature. On April 17, 1997, the centenary of his birth, the US Postal Service unveiled the Thornton Wilder 32-cent stamp in Hamden, CT, his official address after 1930 and where he died on December 7, 1975. Mr. Wilder continues to be read and performed around the world. Our Town is performed at least once each day somewhere in this country, with his other major dramas
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P L AY W R I G H T and shorter plays not far behind. In 2008, Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey were selected as a joint choice for the NEA’s “Big Read” Program. In recent years Wilder’s works have also inspired a growing number of adaptations, among them an opera based on Our Town (music by Ned Rorem, libretto by J.D.
McClatchy) and a dramatized version of his novel Theophilus North (Matt Burnett). Reflecting the renewed interest in Mr. Wilder, the Thornton Wilder Society sponsored the first international conference on his works in fall 2008. For more information, visit www.thorntonwilder.com.
I N T E R I M C H A I R , D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Holly Thuma is associate professor of voice and verse in the Department of Drama and a certified associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework. Holly’s acting and directing credits include productions with Quantum Theatre, the Dallas Theatre Center, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, City Theatre Company, Penn State Center Stage, and Perry Mansfield New Play Festival, as well as independent films. She has served as dialect/vocal coach for many productions at the Syracuse University De-
partment of Drama including Romeo and Juliet, The House of the Spirits, Major Barbara, and Top Girls, and for Mickey Rowe in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Syracuse Stage. A passionate believer in arts education, Holly’s career has included development and direction of performance programs for underserved children through the Pittsburgh Public Theater and for the Hope Academy of Music and the Arts. She is a proud union member of Actors’ Equity and SAG/AFTRA.
A B O U T T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A Part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Syracuse University Department of Drama offers degree programs in acting, musical theater, theater design and technology, stage management, and theater management utilizing conservatory-style training in a university setting and in collaboration with Syracuse Stage. With much appre-
ciation, the Department of Drama wishes to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Syracuse Stage staff. While students are responsible for designing the technical elements of most Drama productions, implementing these designs requires a significant contribution by the professional staff of the Syracuse Stage production department. 13
T H E M AT C H M A K E R P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F & R U N C R E W
Faculty Advisors to Student Designers....................................Rob Andrusko, Dave Bowman Faculty Advisor to Stage Managers...................................................................Stuart Plymesser Light Board Operator.....................................................................................................Stella Bunch Sound Board Operator.............................................................................................Jessica DeLucia Deck.................................................................................................Eli Golding , Andrew Patashnik Dressers.............................................................................................Annabelle Lamb, Annie Meng LX Hang and Focus Crew..............Miranda Barrick, Sofia Pizer Benjamin, Marshall Breaux, Mairead Cummins, Maria do Rosario Appleton Figueira, Kristina Fosmire, Eli Golding, Andrew Patashnik S Y R A C U S E U N I V E R S I T Y D E PA R T M E N T O F D R A M A
Chair.......................................................................................................................................Ralph Zito Business Manager.................................................................................................................Lisa Tucci Administrative Specialist...................................................................................Charlotte Santella Director, Tepper Semester in NYC.............................................................................Lisa Nicholas Assistant Music Director...............................................................................................Jacob Stebly Dean, VPA...................................................................................................................Michael S. Tick F U L L-T I M E FA C U LT Y
Rufus Bonds, Jr. Brian Cimmet Gerardine Clark James A. Clark Stephen Cross Rodney Hudson Felix Ivanov
Rebecca Karpoff Alex Koziara Andrea Leigh-Smith David Lowenstein Celia Madeoy Brian J. Marcum Maria Marrero
Katherine McGerr Thom Miller Ricky Pak Anthony Salatino Holly Thuma
A D J U N C T FA C U LT Y
Jill Anderson Rob Andrusko Dianna Angell Kathleen Baum Bradley Beckman Dave Bowman Rob Bundy Don Buschmann Diane Coloton Richard Crawley Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Danita Emma Kathryn Fathers Len Fonte
Jacqueline R Herter Robert Hupp Sandra Knapp Richard Koons Nicholas Kowerko Holly K. LaGrow Victoria Lillich Michael McCurdy Karen Menter Kathryn Miranda Amanda Moore William Morris Leslie Noble Jaylene Ogle
Whitney Pak Stuart Plymesser Mara Rich Rebecca Schuetz Hanni Schwarzlander Abel Searor Blake Segal Jacob Stebly Randy Steffen Bradley Stone Renee Storiale Joseph Whelan Matthew Winning Kathleen Wrinn
A C C O M PA N I S T S
Kerry Dromgoole, David Sabin, Abel Searor, Jacob Stebly 14
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2020 2021
DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA The Syracuse University Department of Drama offers a unique combination of rigorous conservatory-style training, direct partnership with a professional theater company, and the resources of a major American university. Undergraduate students in acting, musical theater, stage management, theater design and technology, and theater man-
vpa.syr.edu/drama | 315.443.3275
agement are carefully guided in their artistic and professional growth by a team of skilled and committed teachers. They are supported by the production, administrative, and artistic staff of Syracuse Stage; participate in masterclasses offered by nationally and internationally renowned theater artists; and have the opportunity for extended study in London, Florence, Los Angeles, or New York City. Follow us on:
SUDrama.VPA
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES NEW YORK CITY LOS ANGELES FLORENCE LONDON BFA ACTING MUSICAL THEATER STAGE MANAGEMENT THEATER DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY BS THEATER MANAGEMENT