PRESENT
WRITTEN BY
Michelle Kholos Brooks DIRECTED BY
Robert Hupp PRODUCTION SOUND
PROPS DESIGN
C O O R D I N AT O R
Jacqueline R. Herter
Mara Rich
Audrey Flynn
Robert Hupp
Jill A. Anderson
Melissa Crespo
Kyle Bass
Artistic Director
Managing Director
Associate Artistic Director
Resident Playwright
SPONSORED BY
November 9, 2021 | 7:00 p.m.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Christine Albright*...........................................Kimberly/Amy James Alton.........................................................Dan F/Chase Erin Lockett........................................................Tiffany/James Dexter McKinney*....................................................John/Pete Thom Miller*...................................................................Nate Jonathan Raviv*.......................................................Nick/Janis Henry Austin Shikongo...........................................Nash/Steve Alessandro Trinca*................................................Matt/Danny Laura Vivio*......................................................Jennifer/Emily
ADDITIONAL CREDITS Production Assistant: Brian Crotty Props Assistant: Gina Boccolucci Props Craftsperson: Bennet Goldberg Props Student Employee: Kristina Fosmire† Props Student Assistant: Marshall Hayes Breaux†
War Words will be performed without an intermission.
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The director of this production is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. War Words 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
The Atlantic Council is a not for profit, nonpartisan organization that galvanizes US leadership and engagement in the world, in partnership with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges.
The War Words Project is one expression of the Council’s determination not just to analyze challenges but to inspire, seek, and implement solutions to them. The play is a compelling entertainment which also serves the larger purpose of humanizing professional warriors by telling their true stories in their own words. The Council hopes it will enlarge patrons’ affinity with veterans and, in turn, their attention to the uses of the military as an instrument of American foreign policy.
P L AY W R I G H T ’ S N O T E A few years ago, I considered myself a progressive, open, unbiased person. I didn’t believe in having preconceived notions about individuals based on, for instance, gender, or ethnicity or religion. I didn’t see any of those things. But you can bet your boots I saw military. I believed all the clichés I’d heard about people who serve—they join up because they don’t have other choices; they can’t afford college; people in the military like the adrenalin of the fight, right? Then I started this project and my view completely changed. War Words is based on interviews I did with real people who have served during our twenty year “Long War” in Iraq and Afghanistan. Once I began hearing their personal stories, I started to care.
I understand a little more about the military now, and I can even follow some (some!) of the acronyms. But I don’t think the information I’ve gathered really matters. What’s important is that I now feel something for the people who I once viewed as “other.” And In feeling something for them, I have started to become more invested in the national policies that send these people away from their families and ask them to do things I would never volunteer to do. I don’t have to agree with these policies to care about the people who are charged with the extraordinary task of carrying them out. A very small fraction of our citizenry bears an enormous burden for the rest of us. It is now clear to me that a little understanding is the very least I can offer to help lighten the load. — Michelle Kholos Brooks
Additional Note: I would like to dedicate War Words to the memory of my friend, Grant Woods who passed away suddenly, not long before this production. You might know of Grant because he was the former Attorney General of Arizona, John McCain’s Chief of Staff, a champion of civil rights, a regular commentor on cable news shows, a committed public servant, and a rare patriot who, very publicly, put country over party. First in my heart, however, is that Grant Woods was a wonderful playwright.
CAST Christine Albright. For the last 20 years, Christine has worked as an actor and educator across the country. Favorite roles include: Judith in Equivocation at Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Arena Stage/Seattle Rep; Mother in Sarah Ruhl’s Oldest Boy (Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Actress) at Marin Theatre Company; Sylvia in Tribes at Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep. She has been a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) since 2006, where she’s worked as an actor, director, and teaching artist. She is currently an assistant professor of acting at Syracuse University. James Alton is a NYC based artist originally from North Carolina. Before receiving his acting B.F.A. from North Carolina School of the Arts, he studied fashion and music at A&T University (HBCU). Favorite roles include: Othello (Othello), Wining Boy (August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson), Pontius Pilate (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) and James Baldwin (Citizen James, or the Young Man without a Country at Syracuse Stage). James is grateful to the Syracuse Stage team, especially Joann Yarrow, for all of the opportunities. Erin Lockett is from Oakland, CA, and is currently living in New Jersey. Some of her favorite roles have been Puck in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream (Ithaca Shakespeare Company) and Mia in Bee Trapped Inside The Window (Civic Ensemble). She is happy to join Syracuse Stage in this reading of War Words. Dexter McKinney is super grateful to be back in his hometown at his alma-mater. Go Cuse! His previous work with Syracuse Stage includes the one-man show Airborn (Backstory) and The Cold Read Festival of New Plays. This was after his run in Skeleton Crew at The Actors Theatre of Louisville and 3Fifths OffBroadway. Dexter is making a name for himself on television with roles in shows like When They See Us and Mrs. America. He earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees from Syracuse University and can currently be seen in the Limited Series Dr. Death on Peacock. Instagram: @DexterMcKinneyJr Twitter: @DexterMcKinney_ Thom Miller is an actor, dialect coach, and teacher living in Syracuse, NY where he is a professor of voice and verse in the Department of Drama at Syracuse University. Off-Broadway: Camp Wanatachi (La Mama), Mental: The Musical (Cherry Lane), and Only A Lad (NY Fringe). Some favorite regional credits include: Northern Stage, Writer’s Theatre in Chicago, Studio Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Prince Music
CAST Theater, Texas Shakespeare Festival, and the New London Barn Playhouse. Thom received a B.F.A. in acting from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Illinois where he also received the award for Departmental Distinction. A proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA, he has acted in independent films, regional commercials, and skits on the David Letterman Show. He sends love and thanks to his unbelievably supportive wife Kate and his son Forrest. Jonathan Raviv is so happy to join Syracuse Stage with War Words. He was most recently seen in Kismet, directed by Lonny Price and in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Symphony and State Street Ballet. An Emmy award winner and original cast member of the 10-time Tony Award winning musical, The Band’s Visit, Jonathan has extensive Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre credits having worked at some of the most prestigious theatres in the country: Atlantic Theatre, Lucille Lortel, Cherry Lane, Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, Portland Center Stage, Writers’ Theatre, etc. He has also had several guest star appearances in major network television and films and has done extensive voice over commercial and motion capture work. Jonathan can also be heard on the original cast albums of The
Band’s Visit and The Lightning Thief -The Percy Jackson Musical. Follow him: @jonathanraviv Henry Austin Shikongo is an actor, director, and teaching artist currently residing in Upstate NY. He has performed on stage in Canada, the US, and internationally in both Russia and Greece. He had been cast in several film projects all due for release later this year, including playing Hamlet for Gorilla Repertory Theatre’s upcoming feature film. Henry currently serves as a visiting assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University, specializing in acting and movement pedagogy. He earned an M.F.A. in acting from the Institute of Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, which included a semester studying at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre School. Post graduate work includes training in physical theatre at Dell’arte International and studying directing at Yale University’s summer program. He is a proud member of The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the National Alliance of Acting Teachers (NAAT), the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), and The Association of Theatre Movement Educators (ATME). Henry is currently enrolled in a full time Alexander Technique Teacher Training Program on full scholarship. He would like to extend a show of gratitude to Syracuse Stage and the Drama Department at Syra-
CAST cuse University for their tremendous support. A special thank you to Ralph Zito and Kathy Miranda for their extraordinary teaching and mentorship. Alessandro Trinca is an actor, director, voiceover artist, and theatre professor, originally from Brooklyn, NY, but who has lived in CNY on and off throughout his life. He currently teaches acting at SUNY Morrisville and Utica College and coaches actors online globally. Alessandro holds a B.A. in theatre from California State University at Fullerton and an M.F.A. in acting from the University of California, Los Angeles (School of Theater, Film and Television). Alessandro has lived and worked in NYC, Los Angeles, and London. Some of his favorite acting roles have included: Jake in A Lie of the Mind, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, Reverend Hale in The Crucible, Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, and Tom in The Glass Menagerie. War Words marks Alessandro’s second production with Syracuse Stage and he is so grateful to his director and fellow cast mates for allowing him to share the stage with them. Laura Vivio is an actor, writer, and director. Originally from Italy, Laura completed her education in the United Kingdom, graduating with a First Class Bachelor of Arts in European Studies from Royal
Holloway University of London, and a Master of Arts in Text and Performance from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). For theatre, Laura has performed as Harper Pitt/Martin Heller in Angels in America - Part I: Millennium Approaches (Stanley Theatre, Utica, NY and Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY), as Miriàm in In the Name of the Mother (The Palace Theatre, Hamilton, NY and The Lord Stanley Theatre, London, UK), as the Nurse in Medea (Syracuse Stage, Syracuse, NY), as Claire in November (WGS Theatre, RADA, London, UK), as The Grandmother/The Violinist in On the Brink (Sanctum SOHO Theatre, London, UK), as Paulina Heimonen in Anna-Liisa (RADA Festival, London, UK), as well as, among others, Titus Andronicus/ Tamora Queen of the Goths/The Reporter in Titus + Andronicus The Unreported War, The Sybil in Aeneid, Isla in A Voice in the Dark and Harriett Graves in The Lottery, all at RADA. Laura works both in theatre and in film, and is most active in the UK and the US. On the big screen, Laura has appeared as Emily Knight in Fighting with my Family, and worked as a picture double on Jurassic World II: Fallen Kingdom. Laura will appear in the Untitled Cabrini Movie (currently filming) as Signora Cabrini. Laura speaks five languages fluently, understands a few more and aside from her theatre and film work, she plays the violin and is a fully qualified yoga teacher.
DIRECTOR/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Robert Hupp is in his sixth season as artistic director of Syracuse Stage. He recently directed 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.
MANAGING DIRECTOR Jill A. Anderson has served as managing director of Syracuse Stage since 2016. Jill is responsible for Stage’s nearly $6.5 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 a 2015 National Medal of Arts and the 2010 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 man-
MANAGING DIRECTOR ager 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 was recognized as part of the Central New York Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” awards in 2017 and has served 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.
A S S O C I AT E A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R Melissa Crespo is a director of new plays, musicals, and opera. Upcoming: world premiere of Selena Maria Sings by Miriam Gonzalez, music by Daniel J. French (Childsplay & Magik Theatre) and Yoga Play by Dipika Guha (Syracuse Stage). As a playwright, her play Egress, co-written with Sarah Saltwick, will receive an NNPN rolling world premiere starting this fall. Fellowships and residencies in-
clude: 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. She is a founding editor of 3Views on Theater and was featured in the 2020 Broadway Women’s Fund “Women to Watch on Broadway”. https://www.melissacrespo.com
R E S I D E N T P L AY W R I G H T Kyle Bass is the author of the play Possessing Harriet, commissioned by the Onondaga Historical Association, which received its world premiere at Syracuse Stage in 2018, was subsequently produced at Franklin Stage Company, and will be produced at the East Lynn Theater Company in 2022. His new plays are salt/city/blues, which will have its world premiere at Syracuse Stage in 2022, Citizen James,
or The Young Man Without A Country, a one-man show on James Baldwin, commissioned by Syracuse Stage, which streamed in 2021 and will tour live in 2022, and the libretto for Libba Cotton: Here This Day, a new opera based on the life of American folk music legend Libba Cotten, commissioned by The Society for New Music. Kyle’s other full-length plays include Tender Rain, Bleecker Street, Baldwin vs. Buckley: The Faith of Our Fathers, which has been presented at Cornell University,
R E S I D E N T P L AY W R I G H T Colgate University, the University of Delaware, and was presented at Syracuse University in September 2021, and Separated, a documentary theatre piece about the student military veterans at Syracuse University, which was presented at Syracuse Stage and the Paley Center in New York. With National Medal of Arts recipient Ping Chong, Kyle is the co-author of Cry for Peace: Voices from the Congo, which had its world premiere at Syracuse Stage and was subsequently produced at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York. Kyle has also written for Noh theatre under commission by Theatre Nohgaku. Kyle is the co-author of the original screenplay for the film Day of Days (Broad Green Pictures, 2017), which stars award-winning veteran actor Tom Skerritt, and the author of the screenplay Abundance, an adaptation of the novel Milk by Darcy Steinke. As dramaturg Kyle worked with acclaimed visual artist and MacArthur Fellow Carrie Mae Weems on her theatre piece Grace Notes: Reflections for Now, which had its world premiere at the 2016 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, subsequently produced at Yale Rep and the Kennedy Center, and he was script consulted on the Broadway-bound Thoughts of a Colored Man, which premiered at Syracuse Stage in 2019. Kyle’s plays and other writings have appeared in the journals Callaloo, Folio, and Stone Canoe, among others, and in the essay anthology, Alchemy of
the Word: Writers Talk about Writing. Kyle is the founding curator of Syracuse Stage’s annual Cold Read Festival of New Plays, which has hosted some of the country’s most-produced playwrights, including Larissa FastHorse and Kate Hamill. He has also served Syracuse Stage as literary manager and resident dramaturg and received the 2021 Impact Award as Artist as Manager, presented by the Arts Administration Program at Le Moyne College. After five seasons as associate artistic director at Syracuse Stage, Kyle was recently announced as the theatre’s first-ever resident playwright. Kyle is assistant professor in the Department of Theater at Colgate University, where he previously served as the Burke Endowed Chair for Regional Studies. Previously, Kyle was faculty in the M.F.A. Creative Writing program at Goddard College from 2006 to 2018, taught playwriting in Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and at Hobart & William Smith Colleges, and was the 2019/20 Susan P. Stroman Visiting Playwright at the University of Delaware. A twotime recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship (for fiction in 1998, for playwriting in 2010), a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, and Pushcart Prize nominee, Kyle 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.
WHO WE ARE Syracuse Stage is the non-profit, professional theatre company in residence at Syracuse University. We are nationally recognized for creating stimulating theatrical work that engages Central New York, and for our significant contribution to the artistic life of Syracuse University, where we are a vital partner in achieving the educational mission of the University’s Department of Drama.
OUR MISSION Syracuse Stage tells stories that engage, entertain, and inspire us to see life beyond our own experience.
OUR VISION Reimagining what's possible for regional theatre–through active inclusion, innovative outreach, and bold productions–Syracuse Stage shapes the culture and social vitality of Central New York, enriches the Syracuse University student experience, and fosters change in ourselves, our communities, and our world.
O U R C O R E VA L U E S 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.
A B O U T S Y R A C U S E S TA G E 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 nonfor-profit professional theatre company founded in 1974, and a longstanding League of Resident Theatres (LORT) member. Since its inception, Stage has produced over 300 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.
ANTI-RACISM PLEDGE Syracuse Stage stands firmly against racism and discrimination. We pledge to stand with under-represented and oppressed communities and to advance antiracism in all aspects of our work, including the outward facing, public dimension of our creative endeavors and the less visible internal practices of the organization.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Syracuse Stage respectfully acknowledges the Onondaga Nation, firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the indigenous people on whose ancestral lands we now stand.
IN THE COMMUNITY Stage has collaborated with a myriad of institutions in the Syracuse area. Community partners include 100 Black Men of Syracuse, AccessCNY, ARC of Onondaga, ARISE, ArtRage, CNY Reads, Interfaith Works of Central New York, La Casita, McMahon / Ryan Child Advocacy Center, Onondaga Historical Association, Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, SUNY Upstate Medical University, the VA Medical Center, and Vera House. Additionally, the educational department collaborates with many CNY schools.
SEASON SPONSOR
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 (safely and virtually) 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 War Words.
S Y R A C U S E S TA G E B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S CHAIR
Nancy Green Managing Member Edward S. Green & Associates PRESIDENT
Herman R. Frazier* Senior Deputy Athletics Director Syracuse University CHAIR-ELECT/VICE CHAIR
Rocco Mangano Partner Mangano Law Office, PLLC SECRETARY
Sharon Sullivan Community Volunteer AT-LARGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER
Phil Turner Pastor Bethany Baptist Church Jill 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 Zellar Homes Rep. Richard Driscoll Sr. Commercial Banking Relationship Manager Commercial Banking Division NBT Bank Denise Dyce* Director of Labor Relations Syracuse University Helene Gold Private Voice & Piano Instructor Neil Gold Retired VP Gold Pure Food Products Jacki Goldberg Community Volunteer
Bea González Retired - Vice President for Community Engagement Syracuse University Larry Harris EVP and CFO Saab, Inc. John Huhtala Relationship Manager Middle Market Commercial Banking Chase 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 Health Educator, PNP, retired Larry Leatherman Retired Bristol-Myers Squibb, MOST Dan Lent Vice President Citizens Bank Anthony Malavenda Retired - Duke’s Root Control Julia Martin Partner Bousquet Holstein Kevin R. McAuliffe Partner Barclay Damon Suzanne McAuliffe Retired Educator Rod McDonald Bond, Schoeneck & King Molly Mulvihill VP, Market Manager Enterprise Business & Community Engagement Bank of America TeNesha Murphy Research and Communications Officer Office of the County Executive, Onondaga County
Fran Nichols Mower, Inc. Retired Marc Nichols Executive VP & General Counsel Saab, Inc. Mona Paradis Stadium International Trucks Virginia Parker Retired Educator Molly Ryan Partner, Goldberg Segalla LLP Robert Sarason Retired Lawyer, Organizer, Fundraiser Rick Shirtz Chair Emeritus, Syracuse Stage Regional President NBT Bank L. John Steigerwald IV Marketing and Sales Representative Cathedral Candle Company 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 Mel Williams US Department of Transportation Ralph Zito** Chair Syracuse University Department of Drama Michael Zoanetti VP Senior Wealth Advisor Tompkins Financial Advisors *University Trustee **Ex-Officio
S Y R A C U S E S TA G E E M E R I T U S C I R C L E We are grateful to the following individuals who have served as Members of the Stage Board of Trustees and continue to support Syracuse Stage at the Circle level. Jim Breuer Mary Beth Carmen Joan Green
Elizabeth Hartnett Margaret Martin Eric Mower
Judy Mower Michael Shende Jack Webb
SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION ADVOCACY BOARD Sara Bambino
Elizabeth Defurio
Linda Ponza
CICERO-NORTH SYRACUSE
NOTTINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL
SOLVAY HIGH SCHOOL
David Fisselbrand
Jennifer Sabatino
AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL
CATO-MERIDIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
Todd Benware CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY
Melissa Morgan
Jordan Berger
BAKER HIGH SCHOOL
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
Matthew Phillips
Rhiannon Berry
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL
Y O U N G A D U LT C O U N C I L Lily Beckman
Jacob Garofalo
Nicole Meskos
EAST SYRACUSE MINOA HIGH SCHOOL
CICERO NORTH SYRACUSE HIGH SCHOOL
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
Sadie Broderick
Brianna Hall
EAST SYRACUSE MINOA HIGH SCHOOL
THOMAS J. CORCORAN HIGH SCHOOL
Anka Chiorini
Gracie Henning
JAMESVILLE-DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL
LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL
Rachel Colucci
Margot Klein CW BAKER HIGH SCHOOL
WESTHILL HIGH SCHOOL
Ella Culligan
Evan Kulczynski
LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AT SYRACUSE CENTRAL (ITC)
Luke DeLorenzo
Sofiia Matiivuk
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ACADEMY
BISHOP GRIMES HIGH SCHOOL
Sariyah Richards SYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Francesca Smith BISHOP GRIMES HIGH SCHOOL
Sydney Wright CICERO NORTH SYRACUSE HIGH SCHOOL
S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F
Artistic Director.............................................................................................................Robert Hupp Managing Director.....................................................................................................Jill A. Anderson Associate Artistic Director............................................................................................Melissa Crespo Resident Playwright..............................................................................................................Kyle Bass P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F
Director of Production Operations...........................................................................Don Buschmann Associate Director of Production Operations..........................................................Dianna Angell Company Manager and Production Management Associate......................................Brian Crotty Events Manager and Production Management Assistant......................................Audrey Flynn Technical Director..................................................................................................Randall Steffen Assistant Technical Director............................................................................Rebecca Schuetz Scene Shop Foreman...........................................................................................Michael King Carpenters.....................................................Matt Crossman, John Gamble, Brian McBurney Student Employee................................................................................................Emily Kofsky Student Assistant...................................................................................................Ian Borowik Scenic Charge Artist...................................................................................................Emily Holm Scenic Artist........................................................................................................Riley Mankin Scenic Painter....................................................................................................Jessica Culligan Student Employee................................................................................................Allison Turllo Props Supervisor............................................................................................................Mara Rich Props Assistant.................................................................................................Gina Boccolucci Props Craftsperson.........................................................................................Bennet Goldberg Student Employee...........................................................................................Kristina Fosmire Student Assistant...................................................................................Marshall Hayes Breaux Costume Shop Manager..........................................................................Gretchen Darrow-Crotty Assistant Costume Shop Manager.....................................................................Amanda Moore Cutter-Drapers.................................................................Catherine Hennessy, Kathryn Rauch First Hand.........................................................................................................Victoria Lillich Stitchers.......................................................................................Emily King, Katelyn Yonkers Craftsperson/Shopper.........................................................................................Sandra Knapp Wardrobe Supervisor............................................................................................Michael King Student Assistant........................................................................................Christina Forestiere Lighting and Projection Supervisor..................................................................David M. Bowman Electrician...............................................................................................................Jed Daniels Electricians/Board Operators........................................................David Janssen, Susan Pipolo Resident Sound Designer/Audio Engineer......................................................Jacqueline R Herter
Audio Engineer...............................................................................................Kevin O’Connor
Sound Engineer/Operator.....................................................................................Dan McLain
S Y R A C U S E S TA G E S TA F F
Production Stage Manager....................................................................................Stuart Plymesser Stage Manager..............................................................................................Laura Jane Collins Production Assistants.........................................................................Erin C Brett, Em Piraino A D M I N I S T R AT I V E S TA F F
General Manager....................................................................................................Michael McCurdy Comptroller..............................................................................................Mary Kennett Morreale Human Resources Manager/Business Associate.......................................................Kathy Zappala Director of Information Management & Technology...................................Garrett Wheeler-Diaz Box Office Manager.....................................................................................Courtney Richardson Assistant Box Office Manager.............................................................................Jordan McKey Audience Services Manager/COVID-19 Safety Officer..............................................Jacob Ellison House Managers......................................................Pat Condello, Ella Lafontant, Adam Secor Bartenders.....................................................................Michelle Cannizzo, Meg Pusey-Anthis Audience Services Intern...........................................................................Megan Julia Cooper Assistant House Managers...........................................................Ashley Collado, Eli Schwartz Front of House Associates..................Hope Allen, Sally Jewell, Chris Marzulla, Caleb Sheedy, Wesley Tipton, Malaika Wanjiku, Ada Wennstrom Director of Development............................................................................................Wendy Rhodes Assistant Director of Development.....................................................................Stefania Ianno Development Assistant................................................................................Candice Bermudez Director of Community Engagement and Education.....................................................Joann Yarrow Associate Director of Education.............................................................................Kate Laissle Community Engagement and Education Coordinator....................................Theorri London Community Engagement and Education Interns...........................Liam Bierley, Mia Crisafulli Director of Marketing and Communications..............................................................Joseph Whelan Group/Corporate Sales Manager..........................................................................Tracey White Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications......................................Joanna Penalva Patron Campaign Specialist.........................................................................Nori Gartner-Baca Senior Designer, Creative Content....................................................................Brenna Merritt Graphic Designer............................................................................................Jonathan Hudak Marketing Interns....................................................Grace Byrd, Charlotte Hansen, Emily Ref Executive Assistant...........................................................................................................Wallis Dean Artistic Student Intern.............................................................................................Soumya Tadepalli Sign Language Interpreters.....................................................................Brenda Brown, Sue Freeman Open Captioning...................................................................................................Michael McCurdy Audio Description...................................................................................Kate Laissle, Joseph Whelan Community Services Officers.......................................................Stacey Emmons, Joseph O'Connor Custodians.......................................................................Dave Hall, Tony Rogers, Candance Velario
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW
OCT. 13 – 31, 2021
EUREKA DAY By Jonathan Spector Directed by Robert Hupp
NOV. 19, 2021 – JAN. 2, 2022
Back Together!
21 22
SEASON SPONSORS
MATILDA THE MUSICAL
Book by Dennis Kelly | Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin | Based on the book Matilda by Roald Dahl | Directed by Donna Drake Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet Choreography by Andrea Leigh-Smith JAN. 19 – FEB. 6, 2022
YOGA PLAY
By Dipika Guha | Directed by Melissa Crespo NEW MUSICAL
FEB. 23 – MARCH 13, 2022
SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER By Brian Quijada Directed by Rebecca Martínez APR. 13 – MAY 1, 2022
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields | Directed by Robert Hupp WORLD PREMIERE
JUN. 8 – 26, 2022
SALT/CITY/BLUES
By Kyle Bass | Directed by Gilbert McCauley MAR. 14 - 20, 2022
COLD READ
FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS