The Nutcracker Program Book 2019

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NOVEMBER 30– DECEMBER 29 2019–2020 SEASON CONTENT PARTNER


PURE

HOLIDAY

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

M AG I C

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE NUTCRACKER © by Christopher Wheeldon NOVEMBER 30–DECEMBER 29, 2019 2 | Letter from Ashley Wheater 3 | Letter from Erica Lynette Edwards 5 | The Nutcracker Program 6 | Synopsis 10 | Ballet Notes 14 | Artists of the Company 16 | Bios 23 | Joffrey Boards 25 | Supporters 36 | An Inspirational Partnership: The Joffrey Ballet and Providence St. Mel 44 | Spotlight on The Nutcracker Student Matinees THE JOFFREY BALLET

ADAPTED BY

ASHLEY WHEATER The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director

TOM CREAMER HENRY WISHCAMPER

GREG CAMERON President and CEO

DIRECTED BY

NOVEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 29 312.443.3800 | GoodmanTheatre.org

Graphic Design: CHIRP DESIGN, INC. 312.226.5333 lynda@chirp-design.com Print: ACTIVE GRAPHICS 708.656.8900 active-us.com 2019–2020 Season Content Partner: Better, formerly Make It Better

Groups of 15+ only: 312.443.3820

Cover image: Joffrey Company Artists Cara Marie Gary and Graham Maverick. Above: Joffrey Company Artist Miguel Angel Blanco. Photos by Cheryl Mann. Major Corporate Sponsor

Corporate Sponsor Partner and Sensory-Friendly Performance Sponsor

Corporate Sponsor Partner

Media Partner

PERFORMS AT:

50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. | Chicago, IL


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

We lead busy lives. Our world is “interconnected,” and we are deluged with information and challenges. In some ways, our time is not so different from the one inhabited by Marie, the young heroine of The Nutcracker. In the words of Norman Bolotin and Christiane Laing, writing about the World’s Columbian Exposition: “Today we’re bombarded with new technology and we’re certainly exposed through the media, if not first-hand, to foreign peoples and cultures. But imagine the 1893 fairgoer’s curiosity at encountering foreign peoples and cultures for the first time; his sense of powerlessness in viewing the explosive technology presented; his pride in seeing all the history and progress of mankind in one place.” If the Exposition symbolizes the rapidly changing world in which we live, Marie’s journey represents something more personal: She finds a “family” beneath the vast arches of the White City. I cherish The Nutcracker, and its moment of repose against the busy world. I am proud of our dancers and the work of our creative team. I am immersed in the golden light of the Auditorium Theatre, the gorgeous Tchaikovsky music, the magnificent dancing, scenery, and costumes. But most of all, I savor the moment near the end of the ballet, when Marie sees her family gathered around the dining table. These performances are dedicated with love to Christine Du Boulay Ellis, an extraordinary artist whose love for the Joffrey was boundless. She made the world a better place. Embracing the spirit of the season,

I began performing in The Nutcracker in the 7th grade when I was cast as “Party Girl #4,” in the very same production in which I saw my cousin. The next year I was cast as “Clara,” the dream role of young ballerinas. I never would have imagined that my “Nutcracker Prince” would be Ashley Wheater, who would later become my boss as I danced at The Joffrey Ballet. From performing the Spanish solo to Snow Queen in Robert Joffrey’s Nutcracker I had the time of my life on stage. Now, through the exceptional work of Joffrey Community Engagement, I have the pleasure of sharing the experience of The Nutcracker with the youth of Chicago. Through Joffrey’s Nutcracker Student Matinees — made possible because of support from the generous funders listed on page 45 — we share the joy of dance with 5,000 students and teachers each year. My hope for all who experience The Nutcracker is that this holiday tradition will be only the beginning of their exploration into the world of ballet. After visions of sugar plums have danced in your heads, I hope you will return to Joffrey to see all that ballet has to offer.

Erica Lynette Edwards

Ashley Wheater

Director of Community Engagement

The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director

2 | The Joffrey Ballet

My mother took me to see The Nutcracker when I was a young child. It was my first time experiencing ballet and I had the added delight of seeing my cousin dance gracefully in the production. My mother said I was enamored by the movement and put me in ballet classes immediately. Seeing someone who looked like me perform on stage made me believe that the beauty of ballet belonged to me. Through that first introduction to the world of ballet, my love for the art form began to soar.

Photo by Erik Unger.

Erica Lynette Edwards in The Nutcracker. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The Joffrey Ballet | 3


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

ASHLEY WHEATER The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director

LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT BY THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

GREG CAMERON President and CEO

The Nutcracker by Christopher Wheeldon

ROBERT JOFFREY Founder

Choreography © by CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON

GERALD ARPINO Founder Artists of The Company

Music by PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Act I Party Scene Music Arranged by LJOVA Story by BRIAN SELZNICK

Derrick Agnoletti | Yoshihisa Arai | Amanda Assucena | Edson Barbosa | Miguel Angel Blanco Evan Boersma | Anais Bueno | Fabrice Calmels | Valeria Chaykina | Nicole Ciapponi Lucia Connolly | José Pablo Castro Cuevas | April Daly | Jonathan Dole | Derek Drilon Fernando Duarte | Olivia Duryea | Cara Marie Gary | Anna Gerberich | Stefan Goncalvez Dylan Gutierrez | Dara Holmes | Yuka Iwai | Victoria Jaiani | Hansol Jeong | Gayeon Jung Yumi Kanazawa | Hyuma Kiyosawa | Brooke Linford | Greig Matthews | Graham Maverick Jeraldine Mendoza | Xavier Núñez | Princess Reid | Aaron Renteria | Christine Rocas Julia Rust | Chloé Sherman | Temur Suluashvili | Miu Tanaka | Olivia Tang-Mifsud Alonso Tepetzi | Alberto Velazquez | Joanna Wozniak | Valentino Moneglia Zamora

Staged by NICOLAS BLANC, ADAM BLYDE, and SUZANNE LOPEZ

SCOTT SPECK Music Director

Children’s Ballet Masters ADAM BLYDE, SUZANNE LOPEZ, and MICHAEL SMITH

BRADLEY RENNER General Manager

Assistant Scenic Designer FRANK MCCULLOUGH

BLAIR BALDWIN Company Manager

Set and Costume Design by JULIAN CROUCH Lighting by NATASHA KATZ Puppetry by BASIL TWIST Projection Design by 59 PRODUCTIONS Choreographer’s Assistant JACQUELIN BARRETT

Assistant Lighting Designer JON GOLDMAN Masks Created by JULIAN CROUCH

NICOLAS BLANC | ADAM BLYDE | SUZANNE LOPEZ Ballet Masters | Principal Coaches

Puppetry and Effects Built by TANDEM OTTER PRODUCTIONS

GRACE KIM | MICHAEL MORICZ Company Pianists

WORLD PREMIERE: The Joffrey Ballet, December 10, 2016, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL

CODY CHEN Production Manager KATHERINE SELIG Principal Stage Manager AMANDA HEUERMANN Stage Manager Patrons are requested to turn off pagers, cellular phones, and signal watches during performances. The taking of photographs and the use of recording devices are not allowed in this auditorium. Program and artists subject to change.

4 | The Joffrey Ballet

Construction by BASIL TWIST

Casting details for performances of The Nutcracker can be found on the program insert. SPECIAL THANKS TO Preferred Lighting Vendor THEATRICAL LIGHTING CONNECTION Preferred Projection Vendor 4WALL ENTERTAINMENT Preferred Trucking Vendor UPSTAGING INC.

The Joffrey Ballet | 5


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

ACT I It is Christmas Eve in Chicago, 1892. Workers from around the world are constructing the World’s Columbian Exposition, which will open in five months. Marie, the daughter of one of the workers, encounters a gang of boys on the construction site who show off things they’ve stolen. Marie’s younger brother Franz steals a small red bundle from a rich boy’s sled, and a Rat Catcher terrifies Franz.

ACT II The gondola delivers The Great Impresario, the Prince, and Marie to the edge of a lake, where they are greeted by the Queen of the Fair, a vision in gold. The Queen grants them a visit to the Dream Fair. They move from pavilion to pavilion, where countries from around the world are represented. Soon The Great Impresario and the Queen of the Fair have fallen in love, which causes the Dream Fair to explode with light. Marie wakes up from her dazzling dream. It is Christmas Day.

Marie and Franz return to their home, a little shack where their widowed mother, a sculptress, is creating a great golden statue, which will preside over the fair. Workers from the fair and their families soon arrive at the shack with decorations, a small tree, and much food and drink. A wonderful Christmas party begins. The man who has designed and created the World’s Fair, a mysterious figure known as The Great Impresario, surprises everyone and shows up, along with his apprentice (the rich boy from whom Franz stole the red bundle earlier). The Great Impresario entertains the workers with an enchanting vision of his fair. He distributes gifts for everyone, but one is missing. Franz realizes it’s the red bundle he’d stolen. The Great Impresario produces it like a magic trick and gives it to Marie. She unwraps it and discovers a beautiful nutcracker inside. Just then, the Rat Catcher frightens Franz, who drops the nutcracker, breaking it. It is swiftly fixed by The Great Impresario, but the party is now winding to a close and soon everyone leaves.

SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS

The Nutcracker

That night something very strange happens. Marie awakens and is shocked to see rats kidnap Franz! The Great Impresario returns, and with a wave of his hand, the little tree from the party grows until it seems to have taken over the entire world. The Nutcracker, now lifesize and alive, appears from within its branches. The Rat King leads a battle against the Nutcracker. Marie distracts the Rat King and the Nutcracker kills him. Franz is rescued, and the rats carry off their king, vowing revenge. The Nutcracker is transformed into Prince Peter. It begins to snow. A magical gondola comes to take The Great Impresario, the Prince, and Marie off into the night.

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Joffrey Company Artists Cara Marie Gary, Temur Suluashvili and Christine Rocas. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The Joffrey Ballet | 7


2019–2020 SEASON SPONSORS The Joffrey family celebrates the life and memory of Adelaide Cervantes, a shining light who brought so much joy to us and the world.

SONIA FLORIAN LIVE MUSIC SPONSORS

Visit cureepilepsy.org/Adelaide to make a gift in Adelaide’s name and help fund epilepsy research.

Sandy and Roger Deromedi Sage Foundation The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music

PRODUCTION SPONSORS JANE EYRE

THE NUTCRACKER (continued)

Presenting Sponsor

Community Engagement Access Sponsor

George L. Jewell

The Allstate Insurance Company

Producing Sponsors

With gratitude to The Nutcracker commissioning sponsors

Anne L. Kaplan Nancy and Sanfred Koltun Major Sponsors

Walter E. Heller Foundation Rudolf Nureyev Fund at The Joffrey Ballet

*This ad has been gifted to the Cervantes family by The Joffrey Ballet Photos: Front – Steve Hall of Hedrich Blessing; Inside Top – Alex Garcia, Below – Angela Renee Photography; Back Top – Steve Hall of Hedrich Blessing, Below – Alexander Vertikoff Joffrey Company Artists Derrick Agnoletti and April Daly with Adelaide Cervantes.

Margot and Josef Lakonishok Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa And the many “Believers”

Sponsors

Mary Jo and Doug Basler Kovler Family Foundation Lucy Minor Denise Littlefield Sobel Bill and Orli Staley Foundation

THE TIMES ARE RACING Bliss! Production Sponsor

Shea Family Foundation in loving memory of Joanne Sevcik Shea The Times Are Racing Production Sponsor

THE NUTCRACKER

Jane Ellen Murray Foundation

Production Sponsor

DON QUIXOTE Major Sponsor

Sponsor

Saturdays and Sundays December 7 - 15 8 | The Joffrey Ballet

Photos with Santa, Games, and Live Music

Tickets available at DriehausMuseum.org/Programs


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

THE NUTCRACKER Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker was conceived specifically for the great city of Chicago. When asked by The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater to create a new version of the ballet, they agreed it needed to be set in Chicago, home to the Joffrey since 1995. Re-imagining a story as classic as The Nutcracker is always a challenge, but one Wheeldon was eager to take on. Tchaikovsky’s beloved score conjures unforgettable images in our minds, and it is almost impossible to imagine a Nutcracker without a magical growing Christmas tree or a battle between toys and mice, but Wheeldon knew immediately there was room for his imagination to take over. The decision was quickly made to place the ballet within the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, which has taken on new life in popular culture as the subject of Eric Larson’s brilliant book The Devil in the White City. This mysterious, dark and magical moment in Chicago’s history seemed the perfect time and place to re-invent The Nutcracker, even though the fair only ran from May 1st to October 30th, 1893, which means it had closed by Christmastime. We realized it would be thrilling to set the ballet five months before the fair opened, in the winter of 1892, when the fairgrounds were still under construction. A historic image of a shack on the construction site became central to our new story, and you will see a version of it on stage in the ballet. This photograph also perfectly supported Wheeldon’s wish to bring in a new socio-economic plotline for The Nutcracker. Instead of the central family being wealthy and privileged, our heroine, Marie, is from a working class, immigrant family. She lives with her younger brother and her widowed mother, a sculptress working on the golden Statue of the Republic. Instead of receiving luxurious and rare presents at a magnificent party in a vast house and then dreaming of even more presents and candy, our story offers a small gathering of immigrant workers coming together to celebrate the holiday with the things they have, filling the air with music and their vivid imaginations. Then, once Marie falls asleep in her shack, she dreams of what the fair will look like when it opens. The fair itself was a kind of dream city, a vision of what could happen when the whole world comes together to show the best side of humanity in all its glorious ingenuity. So Marie’s dream coming five months before the fair opens becomes a kind of dream within a dream, which has real consequences for Marie once she wakes up.

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Joffrey Company Artists Olivia Duryea, Anna Gerberich, Yuka Iwai and ensemble. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The Joffrey Ballet | 11


Where Does school fit in your schedule? For anyone who has visited Epcot Center in Florida, the idea of a World’s Fair will be familiar. Countries from around the world set up vast pavilions to celebrate their native foods, arts and sciences. This provides the perfect setting for Marie’s journey in Act II as she travels throughout the Dream Fair, which depicts actual pavilions from the fair including Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. The chief architect of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 was a man named Daniel Burnham, and he provided inspiration for the character of The Great Impresario. He is mysterious and magical (like Drosselmeyer in the original), and he not only serves as the imaginative force behind our version of the fair, but also comes to play a real role in Marie’s life. It is this transformation of Marie’s life that ultimately became what was most important to this new version of The Nutcracker. While being respectful of the source material, we hope that Marie’s dream journey through the World’s Fair will illuminate what is special about all holiday stories…the value of love, the need for hope and the comfort of family, no matter where you are from, or what type of family you have.

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

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This seems like a dream worth remembering. — Brian Selznick, Author

60 season performances and 45 Company dancers

THE JOFFREY BALLET IS: YOUR GIFT COUNTS. Give today to support world-class dance in Chicago.

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The Joffrey Ballet

Joffrey Company Artists Miguel Angel Blanco, Alberto Velazquez and Amanda Assucena. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

JOFFREY.ORG/DONATE 312.386.8974

AND AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL — YOU. OUR LOYAL PATRONS, DONORS, AND ADVOCATES.

600+ students enrolled at the Joffrey Academy of Dance

93 Community Engagement programs in 39 schools serving 2,000+ students

The Joffrey Ballet | 13


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

2019 2020 SEASON

Derrick Agnoletti

Yoshihisa Arai

San Jose, CA

Hiroshima, Japan

José Pablo Castro Cuevas*

Nicole Ciapponi

Lucia Connolly

Vancouver, Canada

Los Angeles, CA

Stefan Goncalvez

Dylan Gutierrez

Dara Holmes*

Greig Matthews

Graham Maverick

Jeraldine Mendoza

São Paulo, Brazil

Aberdeen, Great Britain

Los Angeles, CA

San Francisco, CA

Queretaro, Mexico

Wilmington, NC

San Francisco, CA

Amanda Assucena* Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

April Daly

Rockford, IL

Edson Barbosa

Miguel Angel Blanco

Evan Boersma* Chicago, IL

Córdoba, Mexico

Anais Bueno

Fabrice Calmels Paris, France

St. Petersburg, Russia

Jonathan Dole*

Derek Drilon*

Fernando Duarte*

Olivia Duryea*

Cara Marie Gary

Anna Gerberich

Yumi Kanazawa

Hyuma Kiyosawa

Brooke Linford*

Julia Rust

Chloé Sherman

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sacramento, California

Yuka Iwai*

Victoria Jaiani

Iwate, Japan

Xavier Núñez

Caguas, Puerto Rico

Havana, Cuba

Vancouver, WA

Hansol Jeong

Tbilisi, Rep. of Georgia

Namyangju, South Korea

Princess Reid

Aaron Renteria

Jacksonville, FL

Corona, CA

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Gayeon Jung Seoul, Korea

Christine Rocas

Manila, Philippines

Haslett, MI

Los Angeles, CA

Noblesville, IN

Valeria Chaykina

Belton, SC

Dillsburg, PA

Nagano, Japan

Alpine, UT

Temur Suluashvili

New York, NY

Tbilisi, Rep. of Georgia

2019–2020 ARTISTS OF THE COMPANY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DANCERS, VISIT:

JOFFREY.ORG/ARTISTS

Miu Tanaka* Chiba, Japan

Olivia Tang-Mifsud Los Angeles, CA

Alonso Tepetzi* Orizaba, Mexico

Alberto Velazquez Havana, Cuba

Joanna Wozniak

Rolling Meadows, IL

Valentino Moneglia Zamora* Murcia, Spain

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Photos by Cheryl Mann.

■ NEW JOFFREY ARTISTS *JOFFREY ACADEMY OF DANCE ALUMNI The Joffrey Ballet | 15


BIOS ASHLEY WHEATER The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON, O.B.E.

Born in Scotland and raised in England, Ashley Wheater was trained at The Royal Ballet School. Wheater began his professional career with The Royal Ballet and danced at the London Festival Ballet, The Australian Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. In 1997, he became Ballet Master at San Francisco Ballet, and in 2002, Assistant to the Artistic Director.

Director & Choreographer Wheeldon trained at The Royal Ballet School and joined The Royal Ballet in 1991. In 1993, he joined New York City Ballet (NYCB) and was promoted to Soloist in 1998. He was named NYCB’s first Resident Choreographer in July 2001. Since then, he has created and staged productions for many of the world’s major ballet companies. In 2007, Wheeldon founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and was appointed an Associate Artist for Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. He now serves as Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet and has created many works for the company including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Winter’s Tale. Career highlights include directing and choreographing the musical version of An American In Paris, which had productions in Paris, on Broadway, and in London (2014), the world premiere of The Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker (2016), the gala presentation of Lerner & Leowe’s Brigadoon at New York City Center (2017), An American In Paris and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in Tokyo, and the premiere for Corybantic Games and a re-staged version of Cinderella (2019).

In 2007, Wheater was appointed Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet. New work is the life blood of a company, and he has introduced numerous premieres to the repertoire. In 2008, the Boeing Corporation recognized his commitment to community outreach and diversity in the world of dance, presenting him the “Game Changer” award. In 2010, Wheater, representing The Joffrey Ballet, was named Lincoln Academy Laureate, the highest honor presented by the State of Illinois. The Chicago Tribune selected Wheater as 2013 “Chicagoan of the Year” for his contributions to dance. In 2014, Wheater accepted the Chicago Spirit of Innovation Award for The Joffrey Ballet and in 2015, he received the University of Chicago Rosenberger Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Creative and Performing Arts. He also serves as The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of the Joffrey Academy of Dance, the Official School of The Joffrey Ballet.

SCOTT SPECK Music Director Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence, and winning personality. In addition to his position as Music Director for the Joffrey, he is the Artistic Director of the Chicago Philharmonic and Music Director of the Mobile (AL) and West Michigan Symphony Orchestras. He has led major orchestras at London’s Royal Opera House, the Paris Opera, Washington’s Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, and the Los Angeles Music Center. He has been Conductor of the San Francisco Ballet; Music Advisor/Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony; and Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. He was named Principal Guest Conductor of the China Film Philharmonic in Beijing. Speck is the co-author of three of the world’s best-selling books on classical music and dance: Classical Music for Dummies, Opera for Dummies, and Ballet for Dummies. These books have been translated into twenty languages and are available around the world. A Fulbright scholar and summa cum laude graduate of Yale; Speck is a regular commentator on NPR, the BBC, ABC Australia, and Voice of Russia. He has been featured in TED talks and at the Aspen Ideas Festival. His writing appears in numerous magazines and journals.

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2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

Photo by Angela Sterling.

Among Wheeldon’s awards are a Tony Award® for Best Choreography, an Outer Critics Award for Best Choreography and Direction, the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, the American Choreography Award, the Dance Magazine Award, multiple London Critic’s Circle Awards, the Léonide Massine Prize for new choreography, the Benois de la Danse, and he is an Olivier Award winner. In 2016, he was named an O.B.E. and was made an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

PYOTR (PETER) ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Composer Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) composed some of the most beloved themes in all of classical music. Tchaikovsky started piano lessons at age four and showed remarkable talent, eventually surpassing his own teacher’s abilities. At age ten, he was sent to St. Petersburg to study at the School of Jurisprudence. In 1859, he took a position as a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice, but longed for a career in music, attending concerts and operas at every opportunity. He finally began study in harmony at age 21, and enrolled at the St. Petersburg Conservatory the following year, eventually studying with the illustrious composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein. In Moscow, Tchaikovsky became associated with the Bolshoi Theatre, and there he composed his first ballet, Swan Lake, in 1875. Within a few years Tchaikovsky was an established composer, beloved throughout Russia.

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BIOS BRIAN SELZNICK Story Adaptation Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, winner of the Caldecott medal and the basis for the Oscar-winning movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. His best-selling book Wonderstruck was recently made into a movie directed by Todd Haynes (with a screenplay by Selznick), starring Julianne Moore. His newest book, Live Oak, With Moss with poetry by Walt Whitman, is his first book for an adult audience. Other books include the New York Times best-seller Baby Monkey, Private Eye, written by his husband Dr. David Serlin, and illustrations for Frindle by Andrew Clements. Selznick is also a puppeteer, having performed in the original casts of Basil Twist’s Symphonie Fantastique and Petrushka. He recently illustrated new covers to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. He lives with his husband in San Diego, California and Brooklyn, New York. Find more information at thebrianselznick.com. JULIAN CROUCH Set & Costume Designer Originally from the UK, Julian Crouch is a Brooklyn-based theatre practitioner, artist, musician, known for his groundbreaking production of Shockheaded Peter, Satyagraha at the Met Opera, and the Tony nominated set of Hedwig and The Angry Inch. A co-founder and former artistic director of Improbable, a UK-based theatre company, his shows have been seen throughout the world. He is particularly known for his incorporation of large scale, live animation within his productions. He has worked extensively at the Met Opera and on Broadway in addition to a myriad of more unusual locations. He previously designed set and costumes for Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella for the Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Crouch directed and designed the Metropolitan Opera’s 50th Anniversary Gala, designed Hansel and Gretel for La Scala, Milan, King Arthur for the Berlin Staatsoper, Marnie for the ENO and the Met Opera, Barber Of Seville for the Dutch National Opera, and Ernani for La Scala, Milan. Together with Saskia Lane, he internationally toured Birdheart — an intimate chamber piece of animated theatre, which played in Taiwan and in Brussels for the Dalai Lama. He has illustrated two books — Jedermann and Maggot Moon.

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2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

NATASHA KATZ Lighting Designer Natasha Katz has a long-standing creative relationship with Christopher Wheeldon and, prior to The Nutcracker, has collaborated with him on a number of ballets, including Tryst (2002), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011) and The Winter’s Tale (2014) all of which premiered at The Royal Ballet where he is Artistic Associate. Other collaborations with Wheeldon include Continuum (2002), Carnival of the Animals (2003), Swan Lake (2004), Cinderella (2012), The Nutcracker (2016), and the premiere of An American in Paris at the New York City Ballet (2005), Théâtre Châtelet (2014), and on Broadway (2015) for which she won a Tony Award.® Katz is a six-time Tony Award® winner whose Broadway credits include: Frozen, Springsteen on Broadway, Hello, Dolly!, Long Day’s Journey into Night, School of Rock, An American in Paris, Aladdin, Skylight, The Glass Menagerie, Once, Motown, Follies, The Coast of Utopia: Salvage, Aida, and Beauty and the Beast. In London, she designed The Glass Menagerie (Olivier nomination 2017), Motown, An American in Paris, School of Rock, Aladdin, Once, Skylight, Sister Act, Buried Child, and Cyrano. Katz has also designed extensively for Off-Broadway and for American regional theatres. Her permanent installations include lighting for the audio-visual shows at Niketown London and New York City, The Masquerade Village at the Rio Casino, Las Vegas and Big Bang at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. BASIL TWIST Puppetry & Effects Basil Twist is proud to return to The Joffrey Ballet. Previous collaborations with Christopher Wheeldon include The Winter’s Tale and Cinderella. Work previously seen in Chicago includes Twist’s Drama Desk Award-winning work in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and The Addams Family and his original creations the multi award-winning Symphonie Fantastique, as well as Petrushka and Master Peter’s Puppet Show, all at The Ravinia Festival. Twist’s wide-ranging work is revitalizing puppetry as a serious and sophisticated stand-alone art form and establishing it as an integral element in contemporary theater, dance, and music. Other Credits: on Broadway; The Pee Wee Herman Show, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Original creations include; La Bella Dormente Nel Bosco, Dogugaeshi, Hansel and Gretel, Behind The Lid, Arias with a Twist, Seafoam Sleepwalk, The Rite of Spring, and Sisters Follies. Awards include; The Rome Prize, Obie, Drama Desk, New York Innovative Theatre, Henry Hewes, UNIMA, Bessies, Guggenheim, USA Artist, Doris Duke Performing Artist and a MacArthur Fellow. He lives in New York City, where he leads The Dream Music Puppetry Program.

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BIOS 59 PRODUCTIONS Video & Projection Design 59 Productions is a multi-award-winning design studio and production company based in London and New York. Their current work includes Invisible Cities. Opera designs include Satyagraha, Marnie, Candide, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Brigadoon, Pearl Fishers, Metropolitan Opera 50th Anniversary Gala, Two Boys, and The Enchanted Island, Sukanya, Morgen und Abend, and Eugene Onegin, The Shining, Satyagraha and Al gran sole carico d’amore. Designs for theatre and events include Apollo 50: Go For The Moon, West Side Story, Junk, An American in Paris, Oslo, The Last Ship, Reflections: Guggenheim Bilbao 20th Anniversary, A Perfect Harmony, Paul Auster’s City of Glass, Wonder.land, David Bowie Is, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Big Fish, Bloom, The Forbidden Zone, War Horse, Les Misérables world tour and the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.

JACQUELIN BARRETT Assistant to the Choreographer Jacquelin Barrett trained at The Royal Ballet School, joined London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and, over a period of eight years, danced soloist and principal roles in the company’s repertory. Barrett was the Ballet Mistress for Central School of Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre and English National Ballet. She is in demand as a guest teacher for many international professional companies and schools. From 1997 to 2008, Barrett taught at The Royal Ballet School, working mainly with the graduate female class. Since 2009, she has been assisting Christopher Wheeldon and staging his works around the world. She is the Associate Director on the musical An American in Paris.

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2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

ADAM BLYDE Children’s Ballet Master Adam Blyde trained at The Royal Ballet School before joining Scottish Ballet in 2003, where he was promoted to Principal in 2008. He joined Rambert Dance Company in 2013. Throughout his career he danced in various works by George Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, William Forsythe, Frederick Ashton, Hans Van Manen, Krzysztof Pastor, Ashley Page, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Stephen Petronio, among others. Blyde joined The Joffrey Ballet as Ballet Master in 2016.

SUZANNE LOPEZ Children’s Ballet Master Suzanne Lopez was asked to join The Joffrey Ballet in 1991, after a year with the Joffrey II Dancers. She retired in 2010, after a long and outstanding career with the Company. She danced principal roles in ballets by such choreographers as Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alonzo King, John Cranko, José Limón, Antony Tudor, Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch, and Frederick Ashton. Some of her favorite roles to perform include the title roles in Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Ashton’s Cinderella, as well as the Sugarplum Fairy in Joffrey’s The Nutcracker. She was also featured in world premieres by Edwaard Liang, Donald Byrd, Jessica Lang, and Margo Sappington, among others. Lopez also had a featured role in the movie The Company, directed by Robert Altman. Lopez was thrilled to return to The Joffrey Ballet as a Ballet Master in 2016. She has also been a guest teacher, répétiteur, and coach at various schools and companies around the country.

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BIOS MICHAEL SMITH Children’s Ballet Master Michael Smith joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2001 as a Company member after being one of the first participants in the Arpino Apprentice Program. Prior to joining the Joffrey, he was a student in the dance department at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he studied ballet with Anna Paskevska and Graham-based modern dance with Randy Duncan. Smith has also studied dance at The Ruth Page School and The Joffrey Ballet School’s Midwest workshop. During his time with the Joffrey, Smith has enjoyed performing in various ballets including The Clowns, Les Patineurs, Les Presages, Miracle Interrupted,The Nutcracker, N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz!, Petrouchka, The Prodigal Son, Romeo and Juliet, Round of Angels, Le Sacre du Printemps, Square Dance, Suite Saint Saëns, The Taming of the Shrew, Tensile Involvement, Viva Vivaldi, and A Wedding Bouquet. Smith is currently a Program Coordinator with the Joffrey’s Community Engagement Program, as well as an independent choreographer.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS | 2019–2020 Mayor Lori Lightfoot Honorary Chair Anne L. Kaplan Board Chair Lorna Ferguson Sonia Florian Daniel L. (DL) Morriss Vice Chairs Guy Lakonishok Treasurer Ronald J. Allen Secretary Ashley Wheater The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Greg Cameron President and CEO Shari Massey Assistant Treasurer DIRECTORS Kathleen Abbott Patty Perkins Andringa Mary Jo Basler Marc Berman Luann Blowers Roger Deromedi

C E L E B R AT I N G

MICHAEL McSTRAW The Chicago Dance Community salutes Michael McStraw on his successful tenure as Board Chair of See Chicago Dance and celebrates his 10 years as Executive Director of Giordano Dance Chicago. 22 | The Joffrey Ballet

Pamella Roland DeVos Adam DeWitt Patti S. Eylar Shelley MacArthur Farley Jamie-Clare Flaherty Emily Follas Patrick M. Gallagher Jr. Jill Garling Dana Hokin Garvey Mark Giragosian Larry Goodman Sabrina Gracias Linda Chaplik Harris Jerrilyn M. Hoffmann Richard S. Holson III Greg Jenkins Myrna Kaplan Donna M. LaPietra Michael Larsen Zachary D. Lazar Jr. Barry Litwin James McDonough Coco Meers Jess Merten Susan G. Oleari Diane Patience Steve Reiss Jeffrey C. Rubenstein Elva Rubio Bruce Sagan Eric C. Schieber, MD Liz Sharp Courtney Shea Ildefonso Alvim de Abreu e Silva

Chuck Smith Maureen Dwyer Smith Rita Spitz Lauren F. Streicher, MD Ben Strobel MarrGwen Townsend Jason J. Tyler Noren Ungaretti Ronald V. Waters III Amanda Williamson Joel V. Williamson LIFE DIRECTORS Grace Barry Fred Eychaner Mrs. Robert W. Galvin Patricia H. Gerber† Pamela B. Strobel Joseph H. Wender PAST CHAIRPERSONS William M. Daley Fred Eychaner Gary E. Holdren Dr. David A. Kipper† Zachary D. Lazar Jr. C. Steve McMillian Bruce Sagan Maureen Dwyer Smith Pamela B. Strobel Jason J. Tyler Ronald V. Waters III As of July 1, 2019 † Deceased

A COMMITMENT TO THE NEXT GENERATION Joffrey Board Director Jill Garling has swiftly shown her conviction for spreading the joy of dance. With a multi-year commitment to support Winning Works, Jill and her husband, Tom Wilson, are helping to foster up-and-coming choreographers. Jill also serves as co-chair of the Academy Committee, where her work ensures a world-class education for hundreds of young dancers. The Joffrey thanks Jill for inspiring the next generation of dancers and audiences. | The Joffrey Ballet

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SUPPORTERS

WOMEN’S BOARD OF THE JOFFREY BALLET | 2019–2020 Noren Ungaretti President Sandi Hartstein 1st Vice President Merritt DeWitt Julianne Migely 2nd Vice Presidents Jenelle M. Chalmers Secretary Susan G. Oleari Treasurer Melissa Trandel Jamie-Clare Flaherty Members-at-Large Elisabeth Adams Mrs. Keene Harwood Addington III Julie O’Donnell Allen Raheela Gill Anwar Dr. Emily L. Arch Annie Atzeff Melissa M. Babcock* Grace Barry* Nancy Gottlieb Bauer Heidy Best Jetta Boschen Sophie Bross Marisa Bryce Mary Kay Mudd Bushonville Rachel M. Cannon Joan Colmar Kelly Demers Sandra Deromedi Ellen Distelheim Dr. Jill S. Dodds Maia J. Dunkel Christine Du Boulay Ellis† Beth Engel Patti S. Eylar Shelley MacArthur Farley Ellie Forman Katherine E. Freiburger 24 | The Joffrey Ballet

Dana Hokin Garvey Susan Geiselhart Darcy Goldfarb, MD Shana Bear Guthman Diana Harris Elisa D. Harris Julie Harron Stacie R. Hartman K. Susan Heintz Martha Higgins Courtney A. Hoffmann Jerrilyn M. Hoffmann Sherry Lea Holson Brooke Hubbuch Melinda Jakovich Lagrange Anne L. Kaplan Jackelyn Kastanis Elizabeth Ann Kasten Kathleen Klaeser Farissa Knox Laura Kofoid Mrs. Frederick A. Krehbiel* Whitney Lasky Anne Lazar Dania Leemputte Kathryn Meneely Leister Joan Malliband Elizabeth Marcus, MD Heather Martin Kristina McGrath Helen Hall Melchior* Amanda Merten Patricia Miller Lucy Minor Linda Curtis O’Bannon, MD Christine Ott* Gigi Owens Mrs. John R. Pacholick Daniela Pagani Cynthia S. Passalino Mary Ellen Pavone, MD

Judith Pierpont Ibby Pinsky Victoria Poindexter D. Elizabeth Price Hallie Blanchard Rehwaldt Emily Rubenstein Jennifer Rubin Fabian Camille Kearns Rudy Kathleen (Henson) Sarpy Maggie Scheyer Sarah Schrup Andréa J. Schwartz Liz Sharp Anne Shea Courtney Shea Veronica Siegel Amelia Silva Marilyn Slattery Maureen Dwyer Smith* Kathy Kalesperis Smith Maria Smithburg Rita Spitz Jessica Steffensen Liz Stiffel Carol J. Stone Lauren F. Streicher, MD Nancy Sussman Cheryl Tama Oblander Lauren D.W. Tatar Marina D.W. Tatar Jennifer Tscherney Yolanda Tyler Andria van der Merwe Jen VanEekeren Laura Larsen Venkus Annabelle Volgman Chrissie Walker Magnes Welsh Susan L. Welsh Pam Phillips Weston Kim White Diana Weiss Widman Elizabeth Wippman

Joyce M. Wippman Marcie L. Wright Leslie Zentner Julie Zuckerman SUPPORTING AND NON-RESIDENT Dora Aalbregtse Laura Ferris Anderson Melissa Anton Mary Jo Basler Mrs. John E. Burke Kelly Dettmann Pamella Roland DeVos Deborah Gordon Engle Lydia Fisher Astra Gamsjaeger Sue-Gray Goller Stephanie M. Grinage Marjorie E. Habermann Sharon King Hoge Marci Holzer Candace Collins Jordan Donna M. LaPietra Leslie Logsdon Astrid A. McKinnon Anne Simon Moffat Shauna Montgomery Brooks Morgan Mrs. Jay L. Owen, Jr. Kathleen A. Swien Victoria Verity Carol A. Walter Ann Waters Mrs. Thomas E. Wells IV *Indicates Honorary Member As of September 1, 2019 † Deceased

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The Joffrey Ballet would like to extend thanks to those who provide us with funding that ensures quality and engaging experiences for a variety of audiences. The following is a list of those who made contributions in the amount of $300 or more between October 1, 2018 and October 15, 2019. Although space does not permit us to list all of our friends, we are grateful for the support from each and every one of our loyal donors.

JW Marriott Kiphart Family Foundation Lucy Minor Jane Ellen Murray Foundation Susan and Nicholas Noyes in memory of Clara Rideout Noyes and her love of ballet The Poetry Foundation The Pritzker Foundation Bruce Sagan and Bette Cerf Hill The Shubert Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Waters III Wilson Garling Foundation

$500,000+ Alphawood Foundation Chicago Clear Channel Airports Fred Eychaner Paul Galvin Memorial Foundation Trust Estate of Dennis D. Kendzora Margot and Josef Lakonishok

$25,000–$49,999 Anonymous (2) AARP Illinois Abbott Laboratories Australian Consulate-General Chicago The Bill Bass Foundation Marc and Sharen Berman The Brinson Foundation Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation Citi Conagra Brands Foundation The Crown Family Mr. and Mrs. Adam DeWitt Exelon Patti S. Eylar and Charles R. Gardner Michelle Goodman and Larry J. Goodman, MD Sabrina and Antonio Gracias GrubHub, Inc. Jet Linx Myrna W. Kaplan Julie and Guy Lakonishok Elaine Levinson and Donald Levinson Macy’s Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd. Mayer Brown LLP Coco B. Meers and Ethan Meers Alexandra Nichols and John Nichols The Northern Trust Company Virginia Owens and James Owens Polk Bros Foundation Prince Charitable Trusts Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert Eric C. Schieber, MD Shea Family Foundation Ms. Courtney C. Shea Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Chuck Smith Denise Littlefield Sobel Rita Spitz and David Blears Bill and Orli Staley Dr. Lauren Streicher and Mr. Jason Brett Pamela and Russ Strobel Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Townsend

$100,000–$499,999 Abbott Fund Allstate Insurance Company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Chicago Athletic Clubs Sandy and Roger Deromedi Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation Sonia Florian George L. Jewell Anne L. Kaplan Nancy and Sanfred Koltun Beth Levine The Reva and David Logan Foundation The John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust Mr. and Mrs. John Patience Sage Foundation The Satter Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Arnold Tatar Mr. and Mrs. Joel V. Williamson $50,000–$99,999 Athletico Physical Therapy Mary Jo and Doug Basler BMO Wealth Management The Chicago Community Trust Dan J. Epstein Family Foundation Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark Julius N. Frankel Foundation The Walter E. Heller Foundation Sherry Lea and Richard Holson III Illinois Arts Council Agency ITW Greg Jenkins Jewell Events Catering

Mr. and Mrs. Miles D. White William Blair Elizabeth Yntema and Mark Ferguson for the Ferguson-Yntema Family Trust $10,000–$24,999 Anonymous Edward B. Beam, Jr. in Loving Memory of John Palatinus and Jack Alexander Luann and David Blowers Bulley & Andrews Rosemarie and Dean Buntrock Butler Family Foundation Greg Cameron and Greg Thompson Capital Group Private Client Services Paul Chasnoff and Joe Hopper Lawrence Corry DeSantis Foundation Dr. Scholl Foundation Fifth Third Bank Mr. and Mrs. F. Conrad Fischer Sherry and Michael Guthrie Joan Hall John R. Halligan Charitable Fund Harris Family Foundation Sandi and Barry Hartstein Jenner & Block LLP Estate of Stuart Kane Kovler Family Foundation Kryolan Professional Make-Up The Lane Trust: Dr. Lynda Lane, Adele Lane and Ben Lane-Korn Michael and Jennifer Larsen Mr. and Mrs. Zachary D. Lazar, Jr. Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Jay Byron Leibovitz in loving memory of Eric B. Eatherly Susan Lichtenstein and John Rokacz Elizabeth Liebman Julie Litfin and Matthew Litfin Margaret MacLean Joan Malliband and David Malliband Mazza Foundation Richard & Martha Melman Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Negaunee Foundation Mrs. Abby McCormick O’Neil and Mr. Carroll Joynes Peoples Energy Community Fund D. Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies Stephen Reiss and Rena Hozore Reiss Elva Rubio, Rubiostudio Cari and Michael Sacks Judy A. Saslow Gallery Sarah Schrup Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Sharp Amelia Silva and Alejandro Silva Siragusa Family Foundation The Joffrey Ballet | 25


SUPPORTERS $10,000–$24,999 (continued) Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Smith, Jr. Jeanette Stevens Liz Stiffel Hadas Teuscher and Philip Teuscher Andrew Thorrens and Donald Mizerk Lorraine Trachtenberg Mr. and Mrs. Jason J. Tyler U.S. Bank Foundation Richard and Diane Weinberg Pamela Phillips Weston and Roger L. Weston Amanda Williamson and Matthew Johnson Marcie Wright $5,000–$9,999 Anonymous Accenture Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Allen Emily Strobel Amiet and Michael Amiet Dr. Emily and Mr. Justin Arch Annie Atzeff and Kristopher Atzeff Autism Speaks Mr. and Mrs. Brian W. Babcock, Sr. Nancy Gottlieb Bauer Mr. and Mrs. Francis Beidler III John Brazzale Broadway In Chicago Mary Kay Mudd Bushonville and Art Bushonville CA Ventures Chanel Mrs. Joyce Chelberg Chicago For Rahm Emanuel Christian Dior Couture Dr. Jill S. Dodds and Dr. Guriqbal Nandra Dunham Fund Mr. and Mrs. William Farley Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation Emily Follas and Timothy Jacob Jennifer Gallagher and Patrick Gallagher Dana Hokin Garvey and Robert Garvey Elisabeth Geraghty and Robert Geraghty GI Energy, An Affiliate of Shell New Energies US, LLC Mary L. Gray Shana Guthman and David Guthman The Irving Harris Foundation Stacie R. Hartman Janet W. and Robert A. Helman Mr. and Mrs. John W. Higgins Mr. and Mrs. David H. Hoffmann Hyatt Hotels Foundation Kathleen Ihrig and Glenn Ihrig JPMorgan Chase 26 | The Joffrey Ballet

Laura Kofoid and David Ricci Robert Kohl and Clark Pellett Jay Krehbiel Bridget Levy and Robert Levy Colleen Loughlin and John Sirek Luminarts Cultural Foundation Fellowship by Myrna Kaplan Jessica Lundevall and Torjus Lundevall Lyric Opera of Chicago Mr. and Mrs. E. Barry Mansur Elizabeth Marcus, MD and Ira Belcove Jess and Amanda Merten Kate Morrison and William Morrison David Moscow The Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue Susan Noel Nordstrom, Inc. Susan G. Oleari Michael Payette Ibby Pinsky and Milton Pinsky Kathleen Pipala and Michael Pipala Tanya Polsky and Michael Polsky Power Construction Company, LLC Carol and Robert Rasmus Hallie Blanchard Rehwaldt and Thomas Rehwaldt Marion Rice John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Jeffrey C. Rubenstein Susan and David Ruder Mr. and Mrs. David Sensibar Rebecca Sherrick Sidley Austin, LLP Melissa de Abreu e Silva and Ildefonso Silva Maria Smithburg and William D. Smithburg Marjorie Staples Nancy and Ira Sussman Nathan Tannenbaum Foundation Inc. Richard and Noren Ungaretti Dia Weil and Edward Weil Hilary and Barry Weinstein Magnes Welsh Elizabeth Wippman and Tom Wippman Julia Yao and Kevin Chin Julie Zuckerman and Daniel Zuckerman $2,500–$4,999 Anonymous (2) Academic Achievement Institute Corp. Mr. and Mrs. William Adams IV Ada Addington and Whitney Addington Evelyn Alter Patty Perkins Andringa Christine Bakalar and John Bakalar Meta S. and Ronald Berger Family Foundation

Sondra Berman Epstein Jennifer Birmingham Ms. Carolyn A. Blessing Mr. and Mrs. Ralph A. L. Bogan, Jr. Myrna Bromley and Lauran Bromley Anthony Bruck Tamara and Robert Buday Ms. Maree G. Bullock Rachel Cannon and James Meixner Jenelle Chalmers and Stephen Chalmers CHIRP Design Compass and Compass Development Pamela Crutchfield Kelly Demers Drew DeSantis Amina Dickerson and Julian Roberts Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly Elizabeth Duquette Wendy Eager Beth Engel and James Fuentes Deborah and Cody Engle Jamie-Clare Flaherty Nancy Follis Arthur Frank Greg and Christine Gallagher Susan Geiselhart and David Geiselhart Ethel and William Gofen Darcy Goldfarb, MD Dedrea Gray and Paul Gray Diana Harris Elisa Harris and Ivo Daalder Dr. and Mrs. Alan G. Harris The Heestand Foundation Mr. and Mrs. John T. Hildy Lauren Huefner Melinda Jakovich-Lagrange and Lucien Lagrange Elena Kamel and Perry Kamel Marilyn Katz and Scott Chambers Jeffrey Kerr Sandiya Killion and Andrew Killion Dennis and Kathleen Klaeser Dr. Jennifer Kurth and Mr. Brian Van Klompenberg Lannan Foundation Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Lawson III Dania Leemputte and Patrick Leemputte Kathryn Leister and Douglas Leister Dr. Richard E. Leithiser Linda Levie and Glenn Levie Ms. Dana Levinson and Mrs. Barbara Levinson Leslie Logsdon and Duncan Bourne Susan Lucas and Stuart Lucas Heather Martin and Sean Martin James D. McDonough

SUPPORTERS $2,500–$4,999 (continued) Kevin McGirr Lynne McNown John R. Menninger Pamela G. Meyer Mrs. Julianne Migely Patricia Miller and Christopher Miller Peggy Morris and Pat Morris Linda Curtis O’Bannon, MD Thomas O’Keefe Mr. and Mrs. John R. Pacholick Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Passalino Katherine Patch and Jason Patch Mary Ellen Pavone, MD and Christopher Novak M. Scott Peckler, MD and Lisa Laurent Peckler, MD Madeleine and Harvey Plonsker Victoria Poindexter and Joseph P. Gaynor III Carol Pollock Carol Prins and John Hart RSM LLP Camille Kearns Rudy and Robert M. Rudy Sue Samuels The Richard and Ellen Sandor Family Foundation Ms. Maggie Scheyer and Mr. Eric J. Scheyer Terry Schwartz Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund Veronica Siegel Thomas G. Sinkovic Snaidero Chicago Mr. and Mrs. Neele E. Stearns, Jr. Edwin Stebbins Penelope Steiner and Robert Steiner Mr. Irving Stenn, Jr. Carol Stone and David Stone Bhaskaran Swaminathan Irene Tang Jennifer Tscherney Thomas Tupper Barboza Andria van der Merwe Jen and Luke VanEekeren Vanille Patisseries Annabelle Volgman and Keith Volgman Chrissie Walker and Joe Walker Leslie J. Warner and Stephen B. Warner Susan L. Welsh Diana and Stuart Widman Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Zentner $1,500–$2,499 Anonymous Dora Aalbregtse and R. John Aalbregtse Kathleen and Jeff Abbott Zaid Abdul-Aleem Greg Albiero and Mark Zampardo

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

Ero Amiridis and Michael Amiridis Ms. Melissa Lane Anton and Mr. John J. Anton, Jr. Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Carey August and Brett August Anne and Mark Bagan Baird Lindsay Bennett Christine Gay and Cyrille Blum Bill Boselli Ms. Evelyn Bosenberg Anne Brody and Michael Brody Sophia Bross Carolyn Bucksbaum Burberry Jean Cameron and Carylye Cameron Marion Cameron Lisa and Jim Challenger Juliana Chyu and David Whitney Raymond Coronado Elliott Crigger Earle Cromer Dr. John Dainauskas Leah Day Mike DelBene Julia and Matt Doherty Mr. and Mrs. Terence Donnelly Sally Feder and Michael Feder Dr. and Mrs. Anthony G. Finder Mimi Frankel and Bud Frankel Sara Friedle Beth Fulkerson and Joshua Kellman Mr. Mark Giragosian and Mrs. Alexis Polito Giragosian Sue-Gray Goller Ann Gootee and James Gootee Karen Gray-Krehbiel and John Krehbiel, Jr. Anthony and Susan Grosch Madeleine Grynsztejn and Thomas Shapiro Kathleen and Mark Hechinger K. Susan Heintz and Thomas Heintz Evan Henschel Martha A. Hesse Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Sarai Hoffman and Stephen Pratt Julie Holland Alan J. Hommerding and Robert K. Personett Maryl R. Johnson, MD Mary Kamraczewski and Kevin Kamraczewski Sherry Kaplan and Barry Kaplan Masahiro Kasai and William Myers Jackelyn Kastanis and Taki Kastanis Mr. and Mrs. William O. Kasten Kemper Foundation Wendy Kilcollin and T. Eric Kilcollin

Polly Kintzel Avril Klaff and Hersch Klaff Ann Klimek and Adam Klimek Bonnie Knobloch Farissa Knox Monique Kofoid Karen Krefman and Ron Krefman Brandt Kucharski Erica Kuhlmann and Frank Kuhlmann Sarah Ladgenski and Derek Ladgenski Diane Landgren Ms. Donna M. LaPietra and Mr. William Kurtis Robin and Jack Lavin Deej and Hunter Leggitt Sherren Leigh Mia Levy and Paul Levy Mr. and Mrs. Barry Litwin Anita Livaditis and Stephen Livaditis James Luxton and Todd Hamilton Melanie Madigan Lisa Klimley Malkin and Cary J. Malkin Holly and Matt Maloney Stephanie Marshall Shari Massey and Bill Massey James Meixner Lois and Robert Moeller Prof. Keith and Anne Moffat Julie Moller and Scott Moller Jazelle Morriss and Daniel L. (DL) Morriss Barbara and Jonathan Moss Ken Norgan Janis Notz and John Notz Lee and Sharon Oberlander Mary Jane O’Connor Sharon Olson and Fred Fleischbein Daniela Pagani Robert Parris and Bradley Renner Kristie Paskvan Susan Poser and Stephen Di Magno Bonnie Price and Jack Hirsch Molly Pusch and Hans Pusch Donald H. Ratner and Bruce A. Gober Dana Rice Jennifer Ross Jennifer Rowland Jennifer Rubin Fabian Joan Rubschlager and Paul Rubschlager Barbara and Donald Ruhman Sahara Enterprises, Inc. Elyssa Saldana Salesforce.org Judith Sawyier and Michael Sawyier Patricia Schmalzl and William Schmalzl Lewis and Barbara Schneider Andréa J. Schwartz and Dr. Steve Stryker Illeane Schwartz and Sheldon Schwartz Anne Shonk Craig Sirles Marilyn Slattery The Joffrey Ballet | 27


SUPPORTERS $1,500–$2,499 (continued) Beth Smetana and Gerard Smetana Ms. Kathy Kalesperis Smith and Mr. Dion Grimes Smith Mirja Spooner Haffner and Edward Haffner Dawn Stanislaw Shirley Stanley and Paul Stanley Denise Stefan Ginascol and John Ginascol Patricia Sternberg Holly Stevens and Randy Stevens Mary Summers and William Summers Rona Talcott and Owen Deutsch Cheryl Tama Oblander and Scott Oblander Lauren D.W. Tatar and Scott Borstein Torri & Swinand Family Dana Shepard Treister and Dr. Michael Roy Treister Robert and Etti Van Etten Debbie Wang and David Hoyt Natalie Wayne Olga Weiss and George Honig Sherry Weiss and Albert Weiss Joyce M. Wippman Regina Witkowski and Kenneth Witkowski Debbie Wright Jeffrey Wright Russ Zajtchuk and Joan Zajtchuk William Ziemann Helen Zimmermann and John Zimmermann $1,000–$1,499 Anonymous (5) Active Graphics Margery Al-Chalabi Mina Amir-Mokri Amsted Industries Lynn Arensman and Robert Arensman Attorneys’ Liability Assurance Society Oliver Badgio Sandra Bass Heiji Choy Black and Brian Black Shaun Block and Andrew Block Phoebe Booth and Spencer Booth Robyn Bowland Mrs. Walter F. Brissenden Jillisa Brittan and Jeffrey Smith Elle Bruno Nicole Caffrey Susan Carlins and Joel Carlins The Carmi Family Charitable Fund Andrea Chadwick The Colmar Foundation Ginger Farley and Robert Shapiro Karen Fletcher Ms. Loren Friend and Mr. Howard Friend 28 | The Joffrey Ballet

Marc and Carol Gordon Marjorie Habermann Ross Heim Danielle Hoeg Libby Holdren Mary Ittelson Janet Jentes and William Jentes Drs. Kristi Kirschner and Raymond Curry Sally Klarr Ariel Knowles Martin Koldyke Sharon Kucera Nicole Legere Leticia Marsico Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. Alice Moss Kristina Nicolas Phoebe Nixon and Jamin Nixon Christopher Olson and Charlene Huang Olson Mr. Jonathan F. Orser Mark Overholser Mr. and Mrs. Jay L. Owen, Jr. Rachel Pasquini Catherine Perez and William Perez Richard and Charlene Posner Irene Pritzker Diana Raitt Emily Rubenstein and Angel Rivera Richard Ryan Doug Schmidt Stephanie Sick and William Sick Marcey Siegel and Kenneth Siegel Julia Simpson Shari Slavin and Mark Slavin Cameron Soelberg Vanna Soonthon-Brant and Adam Brant G. Bradley Sterrenberg Ms. Jocelyn M. Stoller Joanne Storm Melissa Trandel Tamara Trittschuh Eunice Valdivia Mr. and Mrs. Todd Vieregg Deborah Witzburg $750–$999 Filomena Albee Big Foot Media Lewis Flint Amy and Michael Gordon Don Hiliker and Ky Hiliker Courtney and Sebastian Hoffmann Laura Larsen Venkus and David Venkus Lindsey Mossman Mary Prescott Betty Seid and Richard Seid Rachel Seltzer and Neal Seltzer Karen and Richard Weiland Chad Williams and Amy Williams

$500–$749 Anonymous (3) Mr. and Mrs. James M. Amend Kristine Anderson and Tom Coonan Janet Anixter Ardent Communications, Inc. Susan Baird and Stephen Baird Susan Belgrad and Donald Belgrad Harrison Jacobse Bennett Thomas Berry Cynthia Berryman Heidy and Phil Best Vanice (Van) Billups, PhD Derek Blin Judy Block Paula Borg Aldridge Bousfield Sandra and Jim Boves John Bramsen and Norma Bramsen Judy Bross and John Bross Mary Kay Burke Susan Canmann and Michael Canmann Betsy Canning and Patrick Canning James Colello Enid Collins Terri and Alfred D’Ancona Justyna Della Valle Patty Delony Kate Denny and Bradley Denny Judith Desenis and E. Scott Peterson Ms. Maria Dubycky Helen Elkiss Michelle Ervin Marilyn Fields and Larry Fields Erica Fornari Katherine and Richard Freiburger Christine Geiger Patricia Gentry Christy Gerst Colette Gordon and Gerald Gordon Alanna Gordon and Robert Gordon Stephanie Grinage and Richard Grinage Julie Harron Ronne Hartfield and Robert Hartfield Joyce Hasmonek Ann Heide and Charles Heide Geoffrey and Adrianna Hewings Todd Hildebrandt James Hutchinson Nancy Jacobs Gayle Jensen and Kenneth Jensen Hyla Kallen and David Kallen David Kimball Sheila King Margaret Kittle-Kamp and Thomas Kittle-Kamp James Van Kollenburg Susan Koltun and Thomas Koltun Roger Kramer James Clark and Christina Labate

SUPPORTERS $500–$749 (continued) Kelly Rosen Lagrange Richard Lariviere Jacqueline Lentz Anne Lerner and Alan Lerner Linda Levin and Robert Levin Krista Linn Lori Litwin and Mark Litwin Todd Lyster Jessie and Douglas MacDonald Sandra Mangurian Robert Marks Laura Martinez and Andrew Martinez Michael and Linda Mason Mr. and Mrs. John C. McCarter Scott McCausland Carol McCordell and Michael Solomon Tynnetta McIntosh Lisa Mezzetti Dr. Elaine Moor Barbara Moser and David Moser Michael and Adele Murphy Maggie and Michael Murzanski Geeta Nagpal Courtney Nelson OneChicagoFund Susan Payne Marilyn Pearson Georgy Ann Peluchiwski and William Peluchiwski Jean Perkins and Leland Hutchinson Alicia Pond Julie Pryor and A. Keith Housman Boyd Rice Christine Riker and Walter Riker Carol Roberts James Rocks Janice Rodgers Barbara Ruben Kathleen Sarpy Cheryl Seder and John Seder Timothy C. Sherck Sarah Shu Diana and Robert Simon Carol and George Sladek Brian Smith and Geyer Morford Janet Carl Smith and Mel Smith Kathryn Stallcup and Thomas Mustoe Salme Steinberg and Michael Steinberg Lindsey Thompson Adrienne Traisman and Edward Traisman David Varnerin Annie Wallis and Tom Whitehead Ann Warren I.B. Weil and Thomas Weil LaDonna Wicklund and Gary Wicklund Isabel Wong and Charles Capwell Alice and Herb Zarov Eloise Zeller

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

$300–$499 Anonymous (5) Mr. and Mrs. Keene Harwood Addington III Elisabeth Alexander and Todd Alexander Sally Anderson and Stephen Anderson Lauren Austin Todd Baisch Peter Bandelow Rachel Bartunek and Jeremy Bartunek Donna Gerber and Steven Bashwiner Andrea H. Bauer Leigh Bienen and Henry Bienen Lois and Stanley Birer Jacqueline Birkel D. Jeffrey and Joan H. Blumenthal Hendrix Bodden Sharalyn Borchers Giovanna Breu and Joe Breu Edward Bucher Shelly Burke Lorraine Carnes Jane Chapman and John Chapman Jane Clifford Tom and Bette Cogan Erika Cohen Lynn Cohen and Edward Cohen The Colmar Foundation Dan Crowe Carol Cubia-Siebert Janet Dauparas Alfred Davis Phyllis Deerinck Robert Delaney Kevin Demaret Ms. Sheryl DeSanto and Mr. Ronald DeSanto Roberta Dillon Paul Dix Robert Donoghue Sandra Dumalski and Raymond Dumalski Frank and Faith Dusek Joan and Warren Eagle Ardyth Eisenberg and Robert Eisenberg Dorothy Ellesin-Janus and Christopher Janus Regina Murphy and Mark Etzel Dr. Robert A. Fajardo Lois Farrell Fisher Archie Fletcher Geoffrey Flick Ellie Forman and Jeremy Forman Mr. and Mrs. Jay R. Fried Joan Gall Mark Gerber and Connie Gerber Linda Glick Susan Goldman and James Pellegrino Barbara Greis and Howard Gottlieb

Jack and Robin Graham Ginger Griffin Lynn Grogan and James Grogan Teresa Grosch and Thomas Roberts Ada Gugenheim and Jon Will Amy Harwood and Evan Harwood Karen and James Hendrickson Richard Higginbotham Douglas Hogarth Brent Holman-Gomez and Luis Holman-Gomez Marci and Ronald Holzer Paula Humbach and Michael Humbach Kristin Izenstark Chris Jabin Sarah and Michael Jacobs Jessica Jagielnik John Jawor Felicia Johnson Joyce Johnston Shannon Kennedy Mary Kimble Sheila Kirscher and John Kirscher Anya Kleymenova Agnieszka Klus John Kurtz and Gerry Salvacion Zoe Landers Ginger Lane Cynthia Langston Mark Larsen Ms. Whitney Lasky and Mr. Jerry Lasky Dr. and Mrs. Andrew O. Lewicky Molly Lowe Molly Luthman and Stephen Luthman Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Marks Thomas McCaffer Jennifer McClary Renee Menegaz-Bock and R.D. Bock Mykonos Greek Restaurant Autumn Merritt Bonnie Micheli Megan Mistarz Sanford Moltz Beverly Mook and Wallace Mook Dr. and Mrs. David D. Morimoto Steven Morris Lara Pappas Anna Parfentyeva and Christopher Barkidjija Martha Patterson Sharon Perazzoli Craig Peterson Rheva Phillips Karen Pierce Mr. and Mrs. James W. Pierpont Mary Pierson John Pintozzi Alyssa Quinlan Kevin Ray The Joffrey Ballet | 29


SUPPORTERS $300–$499 (continued) Jennifer Roche Debra Rosenberg and Alan Rosenberg Linda Rosenson and Harold Rosenson Floyd Rueger Carol Ann Saikhon Mary Ann Savard and Bob Savard Rachel Schatz Mr. and Mrs. Larry Selander Victoria Severson Mary Shea and Charles Shea Nicole and Luke Shepard Elisa Shlofrock-Zusman Sarah Slaughter Drs. April and Frank Smith Nancy Stasiek Dr. Mark Majkowski and Ms. Kathleen Swien Eileen Taflan and John Taflan Courtney Tan Robert Thompson Virginia Uhlmann Susan and Bob Underwood Theodore Utchen Marlene Van Skike Walter Vestal Susan Vonderheid Arlene Wagner and Albert Wagner Cliff Wallach Donna Weaver and Daniel Weaver Samuel Williamson Michael Worley Mrs. Anna Mary Zarrelli and Mr. Ronald Zarrelli STAR SOCIETY The following individuals have included The Joffrey Ballet in their estate plans and are members of the Star Society. The Joffrey thanks them for their lasting support. Anonymous (5) Mr. and Mrs. Brian W. Babcock, Sr. Pamela Jo Block D. Jeffrey and Joan H. Blumenthal Greg Cameron and Greg Thompson

Paul Chasnoff and Joe Hopper Christine Du Boulay Ellis† Deborah and Cody Engle Patti S. Eylar and Charles R. Gardner Christine B. Fisher Michael Goldberger Sue-Gray Goller Barbara Henigbaum Marci and Ronald Holzer Jessica Jagielnik Darlene Johnson Myrna W. Kaplan Linda Levey Philip Lumpkin John McAllister Kevin McGirr Prof. Keith and Anne Moffat Elaine Moor Jane Ellen Murray and Edwin Wentz Jonathan F. Orser D. Elizabeth Price Doug Schmidt Thomas G. Sinkovic Craig Sirles Constance Steinhaus Jeanette Stevens Elisabeth Wilcox Szegho Mr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Waters III Diana and Stuart Widman Andrea and Rich Winship Anna Mary Zarrelli COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACCESS SPONSORS The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the generosity of the following donors for providing tickets to students enrolled in Community Engagement programs so they may attend Joffrey performances this season: 2019–2020 Season Performances Kiphart Family Foundation Jane Eyre Denise Littlefield Sobel The Nutcracker The Allstate Insurance Company

GENERATION J LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Carolyn Blessing (Co-Chair) Lauren Huefner (Co-Chair) Rachel Bartunek Jacqueline Lentz Natalie Matwijiszyn Sarah Shu Emily Strobel Amiet (Chair Emeritus) John Walcher (Chair Emeritus) TRIBUTE GIFTS The following tribute gifts were made between October 1, 2018 and October 15, 2019. In Honor Of Liz Adams Ron and Julie Allen Emily Arch Niki Arias Annie Atzeff Josh & Megan Black Lucy Brown Jimmy Byrne Cece Buday Greg Cameron Chris Causer Joan Colmar and Mitch Sabshon Lucia Connelly Terri and Alfy D’Ancora Jeff Davis Sandy and Roger Deromedi Adam and Merritt DeWitt Ellen Distelheim Julia Doherty Alix Dowling Erica Edwards J Elise Edwards Rahm Emanuel Deborah Gordon Engle Fred Eychaner Patti Eylar Bill and Shelley MacArthur Farley Bill and Carole Fishman Jamie-Clare Flaherty Ellie Forman Jill Garling Sara Gerstein Seth Gertsacov Alex Goodman Sabrina Gracias Julie Harron Sandi and Barry Hartstein Taylor Hiller

Jerri Hoffmann Sherry Lea Holson Jen Houghton Anne L. Kaplan Laura Kofoid Zach Lazar Dania Leemputte Sherren Leigh Stephanie Martinez James McDonough Coco Meers Kate Meister Amanda Merten Julianne Migely Susan Oleari Karine Provost Dana Rice Chelsea Robinson Miles Robinson Christine Rocas Kathleen Sarpy Eric Schieber Sarah Schrup Liz Sharp Courtney Shea Amelia Silva Carol Stone Marina Tama Olivia Tang-Mifsud Noren Ungaretti Chrissie Walker Ashley Wheater Julie Zuckerman In Memory Of David Abelson Robert Albee Gerald Arpino Helen Kocoras Burkland Roberta Dominiak Eric B. Eatherly John Henigbaum Adele Lane Henry Levey George M. Mariner Guilliume “Bill” Moor Dianne M. Nishimura Mary T. Oosterbaan Larry Rosenbusch Charlotte G. Schwartz and Edward H. Schwartz Rose Stierle Weona (Cuz) Armstrong Sutton Walter Tama Carey Rose Winski Beatrice Wittels

MARCH 19–22, 2020

“A hypnotic spectacle of precision and heavenly harmony” — The Washington Post

Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in Jardin aux Lilas, photo by Marty Sohl.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

AuditoriumTheatre.org 312.341.2300

† Deceased

50 E Ida B Wells Dr | Chicago, IL

2019–20 SEASON SPONSORS

30 | The Joffrey Ballet International Dance Sponsor

Official Hotel Partner

Magazine Sponsor


BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ADMINISTRATION

ABOUT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE DESIGNED BY LOUIS SULLIVAN AND DANKMAR ADLER at the behest of Chicago businessman Ferdinand Wythe Peck, the Auditorium Theatre was hailed as one of the most beautiful venues in the world when it opened on December 9, 1889. Peck charged the architects with creating a Theatre for the People that was open to all Chicagoans. When the theatre opened, Chicago was in fierce competition with many cities in a bid to host the 1893 World’s Fair. Many notable figures of the day, including President Benjamin Harrison, attended the opening night performance at the theatre and were impressed by its perfect acoustics, beautiful architecture, and incredible sightlines. The attention that the theatre attracted helped convince the U.S. Congress that Chicago was ready to host such an event as important as the World’s Fair. During its early decades, the Auditorium hosted leading entertainers like John Philip Sousa and the Ziegfeld Follies, and political figures including Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington. It was the home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the opera, and even hosted indoor baseball games. During World War II, the theatre became a Servicemen’s Center (complete with a bowling alley!) for traveling soldiers. After the war, the theatre closed until 1967, when it reopened with a performance by New York City Ballet. Throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, famous performers took to the stage, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Prince, among many others. Since its opening, the theatre has hosted some of the world’s premier dance companies, including The Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the Bolshoi Ballet. Starting in the 80s through today, the theatre presents many Broadway musicals including The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables. In 2015 and 2016, the theatre hosted the televised NFL Draft, giving over 7 million home viewers the opportunity to see inside the beautiful theatre. Today, the staff and board of the Auditorium Theatre continue to preserve and restore the National Historic Landmark. More than a quarter of a million people visit the theatre each year to experience music shows, slam poetry competitions, dance performances, and beyond, making the Auditorium Theatre a true staple in Chicago and the rest of the world. 32 | The Joffrey Ballet

Top: Auditorium Theatre, photo by Arturo Gonzalez. Bottom: Historic photo of the Auditorium Theatre, photo by Richard Nickel.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DEVELOPMENT

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS

Ann Nash Chair

Kelly Saroff Allen Associate Director of Individual Giving

Stephen Sell Director of Production & Facilities

Raechel Hofsteadter Associate Director of Development Operations

Noé Villagómez, Jr. Director of Guest Experience

Thomas R. Baryl Vice-Chair and Secretary Bruce Crown Treasurer Joan Colmar Patti S. Eylar Andrew Harris Mel Katten, Chair Emeritus John R. Kaufman Ali Malekzadeh Rudy Marcozzi Matt McNicholas Helen Hall Melchior Mariaelena Morales Rich Regan Robert L. Wieseneck LIFE DIRECTOR

Kathryn TeBordo Associate Director of Institutional Giving MARKETING AND SALES

Nicole Wetzell Director of Audience Development

Kam Hobbs Production Manager

Christopher Dorsey Audience Development Manager

C.J. Dillon Chief Programming Officer

Hugo Hentoff Marketing Associate PROGRAMMING AND CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT

Beth Kaskel Director of Programming

Colleen Flanigan Chief Marketing Officer

Tiffany Brown Director of Education & Creative Engagement

Rachel Freund Chief Financial Officer

Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman Creative Engagement Associate

Judie Moore Green Chief Development Officer

Lindsay Tornquist Creative Engagement Associate

Nick Tigue Chief Operating Officer

Marisa Santiago Programming Coordinator

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Denise Santomauro ADMIT ONE Program Manager

Denise Cosman Senior Director of Accounting Cynthia Darling Director of Accounting Kathy Bliss Assistant to CEO/Board Liaison

Scott Zissman Assistant Box Office Treasurer

Lily Oberman Associate Director of Communications

EMERITUS DIRECTORS

Rich Regan Chief Executive Officer

Mary Mazza Box Office Treasurer

Annie Slaughter Patron Services Coordinator

Luke Bandoske Digital Content Manager

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Julian Otis Ticket Services Associate

Nelson McKeown Associate Director of Marketing

Edward S. Weil, Jr. Sondra Berman Epstein Charles R. Gardner David D. Hiller Seymour Taxman

Madison Jones Senior Ticket Services Associate

Josh Light Event Manager Sharon Butler Patron Services Carl Ward Assistant House Manager Steven Olvera Food and Beverage Manager John Bruner Assistant Food and Beverage Manager Timoteo Pablo Custodial Manager Tim Steimle Carpenter Robert Patterson Properties Pat Donahue, Jr. Electrician Brad Friebolin Audio Engineer Bill Karcz Flyman Dale Kuypers Volunteer Usher Coordinator Marie A. Cali Theatre Manager Emeritus

The Joffrey Ballet | 33


Swan Lake JUNE 10–14, 2020

FACILITIES AND SERVICES EFROYMSON PATRON SERVICES CENTER is located in Aisle 1 of the main floor and is open throughout performances to assist patrons with any needs they may have.

CONCESSIONS are available throughout the theatre lobbies.

OUTSIDE FOOD AND BEVERAGE ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE THEATRE.

RESTROOMS are located on the lower level and in the Baryl Family Lobby (third floor). Accessible and all-gender restroom facilities are located in the southwest corner of the main lobby and on the third floor.

“The world’s greatest dance company”

ACCESSIBILITY: The Auditorium Theatre is accessible to all patrons and fully complies with ADA requirements. Various levels of accommodations are available to patrons who require assisted listening devices, signed performances, or accessible seating. Additionally, our Efroymson Patron Services Center office, located in Aisle 1 of the main lobby, is open throughout performances to assist patrons with any needs they may have. For more information on accessibility, please call 312.341.2300.

— The Independent

RETURNING TO CHICAGO AND THE HISTORIC AUDITORIUM THEATRE AFTER 16 YEARS!

PUBLIC TELEPHONES are located in Patron Services.

Please turn off all ELECTRONIC DEVICES that may ring, beep, vibrate, or otherwise produce a sound that may disrupt the performance. Electronic devices include mobile phones, pagers, and watches.

SMOKING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the theatre and within 25 feet of any entrance.

COAT CHECK is seasonal and located in the main floor lobby.

THE USE OF VIDEO, PHOTOGRAPHY, or any other recording devices is strictly prohibited in the theatre during performances.

THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE HAS A STRICT POLICY OF NO LATE SEATING. Patrons arriving after the performance begins, or leaving the seating area for any reason, will be seated in a designated section and may take their ticketed seats at intermission.

LOST AND FOUND: Found articles should be left with Patron Services located in Aisle 1 of the main lobby. To determine whether a personal article has been turned in to the Lost and Found, please call 312.341.2389. Any items lost or presumed stolen are not the responsibility of the Auditorium Theatre.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER during performances is 312.341.2389.

FIRE NOTICE: The exit indicated by a lighted sign nearest to your seat is the shortest route out of the theatre. In the event of a theatre evacuation, WALK TO THAT EXIT.

FIREARMS: In compliance with the Illinois Firearms Concealed Carry Act, the Auditorium Theatre prohibits the carrying of weapons of any kind in the theatre and on theatre property.

Bolshoi Ballet, photo by Mikhail Logvinov

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

AuditoriumTheatre.org 312.341.2300

50 E Ida B Wells Dr | Chicago, IL

BOLSHOI PERFORMANCE SPONSORS

Barbara Levy Kipper & Helen Hall Melchior

RUSSIAN TRAVELERS

2019–20 SEASON SPONSORS

Sonia Florian International Dance Sponsor

The Joffrey Ballet | 35 Official Hotel Partner

Magazine Sponsor


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

2019–2020 SEASON CONTENT PARTNER

AN INSPIRATIONAL PARTNERSHIP:

The Joffrey Ballet and Providence St. Mel By Julie Chernoff

The physical distance between Providence St. Mel (PSM) — a private, coeducational college prep school in East Garfield Park — and the Auditorium Theatre, performance home of The Joffrey Ballet, is only a little over five miles, but in many ways they are worlds apart. Longtime Joffrey Board of Directors member Mary Jo Basler, a child of the West Side of Chicago herself, was determined to bridge that divide. 36 | The Joffrey Ballet

Above: PSM students in Sister Act. Right: PSM Principal Jeanette Butala and Mary Jo Basler.

Inspired by the selfless example of her late father, Martin Masterson, a Garfield Park policeman who quietly helped neighborhood families living around the school, Basler joined the PSM Board in 1992 to continue his good work. It was there she met award-winning educators Paul Adams, the school’s Executive Chairman and Founder, and Jeanette Butala, who joined PSM in 1996 as head of the Lower School and now serves as its President and Principal. Over the last 25 years, Butala has transformed the school, creating a curriculum for the Lower School, hiring staff, doing long-term strategic planning, and training today’s leaders, including Assistant Principal Tim Ervin, PSM Class of ‘91. “She has been creating miracles on the West Side without any press or publicity,” Basler says. PSM is an oasis in an often-troubled Chicago neighborhood. There is very little faculty turnover, and the staff is absolutely dedicated to the students’ success. Every one of the 350 current students receives some form of financial assistance, and many are awarded additional need-based financial aid or merit scholarships, but every family makes some contribution. If a family can’t make a basic donation, they volunteer in the school. Perhaps the most astonishing is that a majority of PSM’s revenue comes from contributions and fundraising, driven largely by the generosity and personal outreach of board members. “The donors see that they are creating great citizens of the world,” says Basler. The results are undeniable: since the archdiocese closed the school 41 years ago and it later reopened as a private school, every graduate of PSM has been accepted to a four-year college or university.

The Joffrey Ballet | 37


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

2019–2020 SEASON CONTENT PARTNER

Richard Harrison, a senior at PSM, has been in the annual musical since he first came to PSM in eighth grade. He is currently preparing for college auditions in musical theatre, and plays “Zeke” in High School Musical.

“If I hadn’t come to PSM, I wouldn’t have the same passion for musical theatre and education. They really push us here. It might be tiring, but you see the greater outcome and you keep pushing,” Harrison says.

What sets PSM apart, when so many CPS schools struggle with attendance and graduation rates? Accountability for students, parents, faculty and administration, for one. “We have a real responsibility to our students and our parents,” says Butala. “It’s about physical and emotional security. We have a responsibility to keep them safe, to attend to the honor code.”

“ They help you see the bigger picture,” chimes in senior Malayah Johnson, a serious flutist who also loves playing character roles in the musicals. “I get such a thrill from being on stage and listening to the audience laugh. It’s really my happy place.”

The four pillars of their credo — “Work. Plan. Build. Dream.” — encourage the kids to be forward thinking. And the school, because kids thrive in an environment where they feel safe to succeed and explore their intellect and creativity, feels alive with possibility. For a smaller school, they have an impressive commitment to the arts, providing instruction in orchestra, band, chorus, dance, theatre, and visual arts.

“ We get sad after a show closes,” Harrison says. “It’s so fun to do, but then you miss your family within the cast. We won’t be telling stories, impacting people’s lives, or inspiring each other anymore…until the next show. I take musical theatre to heart. It’s such a beautiful art form.”

Sensing a creative synergy, Basler connected PSM and the Joffrey early on. Personally committed to the partnership between the two organizations, for many years Basler has underwritten the work of Joffrey’s Community Engagement team at PSM, which has included collaboration on the school’s musical productions. To celebrate the school’s 30th anniversary in 2008, Butala and her arts team decided to put on a school musical, and the Joffrey’s Community Engagement Team developed the choreography for PSM’s production of The Wiz, an incredible opportunity for the students. The Joffrey has been part of the equation ever since, through shows including Sister Act, In the Heights, and Hello, Dolly! April Shipp, Joffrey Community Engagement Teaching Artist, was the choreographer for this year’s show, High School Musical, which ran for three performances in November at the school’s Dan and Karen Pritzker Auditorium.

38 | The Joffrey Ballet

Above: PSM students in The Wiz. | Top left: PSM Principal Jeanette Butala and student. Middle left: PSM students in The Wiz. | Bottom left: Choreographer April Shipp and students.

Although the musical may be over for this year, the bond the kids form on stage carries through to the classrooms of PSM. The spirit of collaboration, fostered by the inspirational partnership Basler initiated with the Joffrey’s Community Engagement programs and a school full of students eager to learn, continues unabated. The divide has been bridged, and the show — most definitely — will go on.

Top: PSM students rehearsing High School Musical. Above: PSM students in In the Heights.

The Joffrey Ballet | 39


PREFERRED PROVIDERS | 2019–2020

OFFICIAL PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND ORTHOPEDIC PROVIDER

THE OFFICIAL ORCHESTRA OF THE JOFFREY BALLET THE NUTCRACKER

VIOLA Sally Chisholm Principal

CLARINET Sergey Gutorov* Principal

PERCUSSION Michael Folker Principal

SCOTT SPECK Artistic Director

Daniel Golden Claudia LasareffMironoff Benton Wedge

Gene Collerd*

Joel Cohen

BASS CLARINET Gene Collerd

HARP Benjamin Melsky Principal

JAMES BERKENSTOCK Artistic Advisor THOMAS MANNING Board Chairman DONNA MILANOVICH Executive Director

CELLO Matthew Agnew Principal Margaret Daly* Larry Glazier*

VIOLIN Stephanie Arado Concertmaster

BASS Timothy Shaffer Principal

David Perry Concertmaster (12/1–12/22)

John Floeter

Robert Hanford Concertmaster (12/23–12/29) Rika Seko Principal Second Violin Eleanor Bartsch Stephen Boe Jennifer Cappelli Injoo Choi Daniela Folker Renée-Paule Gauthier* Sheila Hanford Carmen Kassinger Florentina Ramniceanu*

FLUTE Janice McDonald Principal Jennifer Clippert Karin Ursin PICCOLO Karin Ursin OBOE Anne Bach Principal Erica Anderson

BASSOON John Gaudette Principal Matthew Hogan HORN Gregory Flint Principal Melanie Cottle

CELESTA Grace Rose Kim Kuang-Hao Huang

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dentons Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Kathleen M. Gaber | Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd. Marilyn A. Pearson | McDermott Will & Emery LLP Robert L. Mink Sidley Austin LLP Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Dr. Leda Ghannad | Dr. Michael Hanak Dr. Simon Lee OFFICIAL PROVIDER OF PHYSICAL THERAPY

OFFICIAL HEALTH CLUB

COSMETIC |

Kryolan Professional Make-Up

PHOTOGRAPHY |

Cheryl Mann Photography Todd Rosenberg Photography

MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Agency H5 | Allied Live Chirp Design, Inc. | The Silverman Group

VIDEOGRAPHY |

Big Foot Media

PROUD MEMBER

MUSIC LIBRARIAN Danielle Ray PERSONNEL MANAGER Nathaniel Davis

TRUMPET David Inmon Principal Jordan Olive

THANK YOU For more than a decade, The Allstate Insurance Company has generously supported The Joffrey Ballet in our work on the stage and in the community. Your commitment to providing access to the arts is invaluable. We are thankful to be in your good hands all these years.

TROMBONE Reed Capshaw Principal BASS TROMBONE David Becker TIMPANI Robert Everson Principal

ENGLISH HORN Erica Anderson

For more information about Chicago Philharmonic’s 30th Anniversary Season please visit us online at: chicagophilharmonic.org 40 | The Joffrey Ballet

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

*CPO musicians playing on stage.

The Allstate Insurance Company is the sponsor of the Community Engagement Extensions Program, The Nutcracker Community Engagement Access and Student Matinee performances.

Joffrey Company Artist Christine Rocas in The Nutcracker. Photo by Cheryl Mann.


THE ELIZABETH MORSE CHARITABLE TRUST As we celebrate our art form’s most time-honored tradition of The Nutcracker, we give special thanks to a most generous community partner. Over many years, The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust has provided leadership support that has helped us to enrich the lives of Chicago’s youth through Joffrey Community Engagement, implement technology that enhances our marketing and fundraising efforts, and establish an office of planned giving. Through our work we honor the values of Elizabeth Morse Genius by instilling thrift, humility, industry, and self-sufficiency.

THE JOFFREY BALLET

STAR SOCIETY

THANK YOU

THE JOFFREY SALUTES

2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

Thank you to returning Nutcracker Production Sponsor Jewell Events Catering, who has helped bring holiday magic to life for three seasons. This season we welcome AARP Illinois as a sponsor of The Nutcracker.

The Joffrey is grateful to The Nutcracker Commissioning Sponsors: Margot and Josef Lakonishok Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa

If the Joffrey has made a lasting impression on your life, consider joining our Star Society by planning a gift from your estate. Your legacy gift will play a leading role in our mission to provide beauty, joy, and inspiration through dance for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make a lasting difference by joining the Star Society, call Jimmy Byrne at 312.386.8953, email jbyrne@joffrey.org, or visit joffrey.org/plannedgiving. The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust is the generous sponsor of The Joffrey Ballet’s Office of Planned Giving.

Mary Jo and Doug Basler Rosemarie and Dean Buntrock Sandy and Roger Deromedi Pamella Roland DeVos and Daniel DeVos Sonia Florian The Walter E. Heller Foundation Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Bruce Sagan and Bette Cerf Hill Bill and Orli Staley Foundation Women’s Board of The Joffrey Ballet And the many “Believers” whose generosity helped bring this magical story to life.

42 | The Joffrey Ballet

Joffrey Company Artist Alberto Velazquez in The Nutcracker. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Joffrey Company Artists. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The Joffrey Ballet | 43


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

THE NUTCRACKER STUDENT MATINEES SPONSORS

THE NUTCRACKER Every December we celebrate our city and its history, creating a new tradition for every Chicagoan to share. Come join us at the fair! Dancing walnuts and glittering snow await you.

44 | The Joffrey Ballet

Special student matinee performances provide students, teachers, and chaperones alike the opportunity to share in the magic of The Nutcracker. In 2018, we hosted over 5,000 public, charter, private, and parochial school students from 70 schools across our city — an increase of over 600 students from the previous year. This year, we continue to share the joy of ballet with students from across Chicagoland and hope to ignite a love for the arts that will last a lifetime. As an organization committed to providing arts education, we strive to make dance accessible to all. With the support of several generous donors, our Community Engagement team has created thoughtful curriculum that educators utilize to prepare their students before attending The Nutcracker student matinees. Weaving together stories of immigration and innovation during Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, we ask students to actively engage with the history of their city through the lens of a cherished ballet. Christopher Wheeldon’s Nutcracker provides the perfect introduction to the narrative power of ballet by telling a universal tale of imagination and the warmth of community.

Left: Joffrey Company Artists. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Mazza Foundation The Joffrey works to provide equitable access to dance, and with the support of The Nutcracker Student Matinees Sponsors, we are able to provide free tickets and buses to more than 5,000 students and their teachers and chaperones. Thank you for helping us keep the theatre doors open. THE NUTCRACKER CURRICULUM SPONSORS

The Chauncey and Marion D. McCormick Foundation Special thanks to Polk Bros Foundation and The Chauncey and Marion D. McCormick Foundation for supporting the development of The Nutcracker curriculum. Their vision and generosity enabled us to create a curriculum for educators to share with their students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Joffrey Ballet | 45


2019–2020 SEASON | THE NUTCRACKER

ADMINISTRATION

ASHLEY WHEATER The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director

ARTISTIC

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Nicolas Blanc Adam Blyde Suzanne Lopez Ballet Masters Principal Coaches

Erica Lynette Edwards Director of Community Engagement

ACADEMY

Julianna Jarik Community Engagement Manager

Raymond Rodriguez Academy Director Karin Ellis-Wentz Head of Pre-Professional Programs Stephanie Archambeau Student Services Administrator Keesha Beckford Youth Division Liaison Raúl Casasola Academy Ballet Master

Keila Hamed-Ramos Community Engagement Business Administrator

Caitlyn Huynh Evelyn Sanchez Michael Smith Community Engagement Program Coordinators Linda Swayze Community Engagement Program Supervisor

GREG CAMERON President and CEO

COMPANY ADMINISTRATION & PRODUCTION Bradley Renner General Manager Blair Baldwin Company Manager Cody Chen Production Manager Chris Maravich Lighting Supervisor Katherine Selig Principal Stage Manager Amanda Heuermann Stage Manager Erin Brown Artistic & Production Administrative Assistant Ellie Cotey Costume Manager

Allie Deaver-Petchenik Administrative Assistant

Gregg Benkovich Shoe Manager

Bridget Holmes Communications Manager

Kate Shattock Draper

Grace Kowalski Academy Coordinator

Barbara Luchsinger Lead Stitcher

Cara Scrementi Partnerships & Production Manager

Jerica Hucke Stitcher

Kyle Seguin Academy Ballet Master Trish Strong Children’s Division Liaison Suzie Calarco Juanita Diaz Molly Hillson Christina Mancuso Melissa Salinas Academy Receptionists

Brittany Crinson Head of Wig and Makeup Jim E. Walsh Master Carpenter

DEVELOPMENT

FINANCE & OPERATIONS

MARKETING

Julia Doherty Chief Development Officer

Shari Massey Deputy Director & Chief Financial Officer

Brian Smith Chief Marketing Officer

Jimmy Byrne Associate Director of Planned Giving & Major Gifts Mimi de Castro Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships Chelsea Dvorchak Development Operations and Data Specialist Lauren Gardier Associate Director of Major Gifts Alex Goodman Assistant Director of Development & Events Sara Leginsky Assistant Director of Grants & Partnerships Annie Lyonswright Associate Director of Individual Giving Alicia Petrone Major Gifts Coordinator

Vicki Garza Controller

Colene Byrd Director of Sales & Patron Services

Sheryl Guyer Staff Accountant

Vicki Crain Marketing Manager

Paul Key Director of Technology

Matt de la Peña Director of Communications

John Kurtz Director of Facility Operations

Sam Fain Group Sales Manager

Lauren Martin Executive Assistant

Sarah Fiala Marketing Director

Dena Shadlow Payroll & Accounts Payable Coordinator

Casey Peek Patron Services Manager

Abby Smith Administrative Assistant

Fernando Fernandez Jake Ganzer Patron Services Associates

Jeremy Theel Database & Systems Analyst

MUSIC

Sarah Venuti Yates Director of Human Resources

Scott Speck | Music Director Grace Kim | Michael Moricz Company Pianists

Chelsea Robinson Director of Events Elisabeth Sladek Development Assistant

Erin Tinsley Master Electrician Gregg Moeller Property Master Matthew Carney Electrician/Programmer George Paulin Soundperson Matthew Black Flyperson David Klein Shop Carpenter Steve Lange Master Carpenter Emeritus

46 | The Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Ballet | 47


19/20 “Magnificent and wonderfully alive ...” —The Telegraph

Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch Palermo Palermo

NOW 2019–2020 SEASON

THE SEASON IS JUST GETTING STARTED…

TWO MORE SHOWS

Company Artists Edson Barbosa and Dara Holmes. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

SUBSCRIBE

May 1–3, 2020

2 SHOW SUBSCRIPTION

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Photo by Evangelos Rodoulis.

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Featuring works by Itzik Galili, Stephanie Martinez, and Tony Award® winners Christopher Wheeldon and Justin Peck

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Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov Music by Ludwig Minkus

*Excludes price levels D & E. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Restrictions apply.

JOFFREY.ORG/SUBSCRIPTIONS

2019–2020 SEASON SPONSORS

312.334.7777 | harristheaterchicago.org | 205 East Randolph Drive PERFORMS AT:

Engagement Presenting Sponsor

SONIA FLORIAN 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr. | Chicago, IL

Jack and Sandra Guthman

Harris Family Foundation, Caryn and King Harris Corporate Engagement Sponsor

Engagement Lead Sponsor

Presenting Partner

Season Sponsor


Joffrey Artists Victoria Jaiani and Christine Rocas (background). Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

We all want to reach our full potential. That’s why serving the health and wellness of our communities will always be our true focus. And as we continue to lead with advancements in new technologies, we’ll never lose sight of what keeps us all moving forward: each other.

A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association


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