LEAD SPONSOR:
170207 Grove TRTC Playbill f.pdf
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2/7/17
12:41 PM
ABOUT US LEADERSHIP
Robert M. Rechnitz Executive Producer John Dias Artistic Director Joan H. Rechnitz Associate Producer Michael Hurst Managing Director
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Marilyn Broege Amanda Butterbaugh Robert Butters Carolyn Cushman DeSena Gale Grossman Todd Herman Caroline P. Huber Mary Jane Kroon Anne Luzzatto Honorable Edward J. McKenna Jr. Nyire Melconian Susan Olson Adam Rechnitz Joan H. Rechnitz Robert M. Rechnitz Mary Carol Stunkel Webster Trammell Richard Worley Howard Aronson William Marraccini Kathryne Singleton Trustee Emeritus
Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, produces American and world masterpieces, and new plays and musicals. We are recognized in the national theater community for our new-play commissioning program, launched in 2010 to create a pipeline for developing work that contributes to the vitality and future of the American theater. Each season, the theater hosts numerous artist residencies, workshops, and readings, and presents an annual Cabaret of New Songs for the Musical Theater in association with NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. The Crossing Borders Festival and Nosotros program foster a closer relationship between the theater and Latino artists and audiences, and Two River cultivates a new generation of theatergoers through innovative arts education programs that introduce young people to the theater and create opportunities for them to engage with renowned theater artists. Two River Theater was founded by Joan and Robert Rechnitz in 1994. For more information, visit tworivertheater.org or call 732.345.1400. Â
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 Title Page 7 Patron Services 9 A Note from our Managing Director, Michael Hurst 10 Our Upcoming 17/18 Season 12 Cast of Characters 13 Song List 14 Bios 21 Artist Advisory Board 23 Leadership Bios 24 The Real-life Jo Monaghan 27 Education Spotlight: New Programs 31 Monmouth University Student Ambassador Program 34 Crossing Borders Festival of New Latino Plays 37 The Cost of Commissioning New Musicals 38 Individual Donors 46 Scene at Two River
Pasquale Menna Mayor of Red Bank, ex-officio
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{
Monmouth University is proud to be a continuing supporter of Two River Theater.
One of the “25 Most Beautiful College Campuses in The World” —buzzfeed.com
monmouth.edu 4
}
THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO
Robert M. Rechnitz Executive Producer John Dias Artistic Director Joan H. Rechnitz Associate Producer
Music by Mike Reid Lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger Book by Sarah Schlesinger, Mike Reid and John Dias Based on the film The Ballad of Little Jo by Maggie Greenwald
Michael Hurst Managing Director
WITH
Jane Bruce Eric William Morris Kristin Stokes
Cole Burden Leenya Rideout Ian Michael Stuart
Brian Flores Christopher M. Russo Barbara Tirrell
Daniel K. Isaac Perry Sherman Teal Wicks
SCENIC DESIGNER........................................................... Michael Carnahan COSTUME DESIGNER................................................... Jess Goldstein LIGHTING DESIGNER.................................................... Jennifer Tipton SOUND DESIGNER........................................................... Drew Levy WIGS DESIGNER................................................................. Leah J. Loukas FIGHT DIRECTOR.............................................................. Thomas Schall CASTING..................................................................................... Jack Doulin + Sharky ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER........................... Denise Cardarelli PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ................... Amanda Michaels
Orchestrations by Danny Larsen Music Supervision and Vocal Arrangements by Patrick Vaccariello Music Direction and Dance/Incidental Arrangements by John O’Neill Choreography by Marc Kimelman Directed by John Dias
OPENING NIGHT: JUNE 9/2017 JOAN AND ROBERT RECHNITZ THEATER Two River Theater is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
LEAD SPONSOR:
PRODUCTION SUPPORTERS:
SEASON SPONSORS:
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PATRON SERVICES Thank you for joining us at this performance. Two River Theater is dedicated to making your experience the best that it can possibly be. Please note the following offerings and requests to better enhance your time at the theater:
ACCESS
BEFORE PLAY Join us 45 minutes prior to every performance in the Two River lobby for a pre-performance talk, which will give you valuable insight into the play you are about to see. Talks last 10-15 minutes and are led by a member of the company or Two River’s Artistic Department.
POST-PLAY DISCUSSIONS Post-play discussions are scheduled following three performances of every production. During these discussions audiences are invited to share their questions and responses to the work on stage with members of the cast and staff of the theater. Post-play discussion dates for the current season can be found in our season brochure or on our website.
Two River Theater is committed to making its facilities and performances accessible for all patrons through: Barrier Free Access Assistive Listening Devices Large Print Programs *Open Captioning *Audio Description *American Sign Language Interpretation *Relaxed Performances *Available at select performances only. For more details please contact Access Coordinator Adam Haratz at 732.345.1400 x1815 or aharatz@trtc.org. Access programs made possible through support from New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
INSIDE TWO RIVER EVENTS A series of mostly FREE arts & humanities events specially curated for each of our productions. Events include film screenings, book club, poetry readings, crafting nights, lectures, social events with our artists & more! To make sure you are first to hear about these events sign up for our email list, follow us on Facebook, and stay tuned to our website!
CONCESSIONS Coffee, tea, water, soda, candy, and snacks are available at the concessions stand in the lobby. Only water will be permitted into the theater during performances.
BOX OFFICE
COURTESY
Box Office Hours: Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday from 12-5pm and starting one hour prior to all performances.
Please limit food and drink, taking photographs and cell phone usage to our lobby or outside the theater. Late seating will occur at the discretion of Management.
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A Proud Supporter of Two River Theater’s Production of “The Ballad of Little Jo”
T
hroughout the years, your loved ones were there for you and now it’s time to be there for them.
Give them the care they need, from the people you trust, in the place they know by heart. Home. • Home Health Nurse-led Care • Visiting Physicians “House Call Doctors” • Joint Replacement Rehabilitation Therapy • Private and Personal Care • Hospice & Palliative Care • Caregiver Assistance for Chronic Illness and Medication Management Medicare Covers 100%* *For eligible Medicare beneficiaries. Other insurances accepted.
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A NOTE FROM THE
MANAGING DIRECTOR MICHAEL HURST MICHAEL HURST
J
ohn Dias and I have been colleagues and friends for more than 20 years. We’ve spent the last six of them leading Two River to its rising stature as one of the country’s leading theaters for developing and creating great American theater. We’re proud of the work we’ve accomplished—and we’re proud to celebrate a highlight of John’s tenure as our Artistic Director with The Ballad of Little Jo, a musical that he wrote with Grammy-winning Nashville composer Mike Reid and lyricist Sarah Schlesinger, which he has directed here in his Two River debut. Brought to life with a score inspired by the ballads of pioneer America, The Ballad of Little Jo captures the particular spirit, drive, and identity formation that marked America in the 1800s—the value of self-determination, and the belief that each one of us can achieve whatever identity we set out to embody. In Little Jo, the story of America is personified in the struggles of the character Jo Monahan, a woman who reinvents herself to live her life as a man in a small mining community. This production allows us to celebrate a great American story, the likes of which are not nearly told enough: the stories of the women in frontier America who were as much a part of shaping this country as its famous male pioneers. It gives our audiences the chance to see a musical that is melodic, moving, and hauntingly beautiful.
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he Ballad of Little Jo has only had one previous American production (at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, in 2000). It represents a kind of theater that we believe is vastly underserved in the American theater: works that have already had world-premiere productions but which are worthy of additional cultivation. At Two River, we have identified this as an issue in the American theater that needs to be addressed. While many companies commission, adopt, or develop new works with an eye towards their eventual world premiere, many original plays and musicals that have already had their first productions can simply languish. Often, these are wonderful pieces of theater that very much deserve another chance to be explored and staged. We resolved to actively seek out some of these pieces, to give them (and their creators) a chance at further development and a new life. Developing original plays and musicals takes patience, hard work, and money. We typically invest $20,000-$50,000 before production. On page 37 of this program, you can read more about all the necessary resources it takes to create the show you are seeing today. Two of our most beloved world premieres—In This House and A Wind in the Willows Christmas—have music and lyrics by Mike and Sarah, the team behind The Ballad of Little Jo. We would not be in the position to present the work of Mike and Sarah and The Ballad of Little Jo without the support of our generous donors, loyal subscribers and adventurous audiences. We thank our supporters—and hope you will join them in cultivating the next generation of great American theater.
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR 2017/18 SEASON! THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
SUBSCRIPTION SERIES:
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
SEPT 9 - OCT 8/2017 CRYSTAL A. DICKINSON, ACTRESS
MICHAEL CUMPSTY, DIRECTOR
BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY DIRECTED BY CARL COFIELD R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
Two River favorites Brandon J. Dirden (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) and Crystal A. Dickinson (Seven Guitars) have long been part of our family of artists. Next season, they return to Red Bank to play Walter Lee and Ruth Younger in one of the greatest family dramas ever written, A Raisin in the Sun—the play that “changed American theater forever” (The New York Times).
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY DAVID GREENSPAN, PLAYWRIGHT AND ACTOR
NOV 11 - DEC 3/2017
WORLD PREMIERE FEB 17 - MARCH 18/2018 BY THORNTON WILDER ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY DAVID GREENSPAN DIRECTED BY KEN RUS SCHMOLL M A R I O N H U B E R T H E AT E R
Thornton Wilder won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for the classic American plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and one for his novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. This quiet masterpiece—a dazzling rumination on the nature of love—will be brought to life on stage by one of the singular figures in the American theater: writer and actor David Greenspan, the winner of five Obie Awards.
BY OSCAR WILDE DIRECTED BY MICHAEL CUMPSTY R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
Propriety, society, family ties, love, and the perfection of cucumber sandwiches all hilariously combine in Oscar Wilde’s great comedy of manners. Michael Cumpsty, most recently seen on the Two River stage as King Henry in The Lion in Winter, will step behind the scenes to direct the classic satire of British Victorian society.
DANCING AT LUGHNASA
APRIL 14 - MAY 13/2018 JESSICA STONE, DIRECTOR
BY BRIAN FRIEL DIRECTED BY JESSICA STONE R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
Brian Friel’s “ravishing memory play” (The New York Times) about five unmarried sisters on the west coast of Ireland in 1936 won the 1992 Tony Award for Best New Play—and the hearts of audiences. Directed by Jessica Stone (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Absurd Person Singular), Dancing at Lughnasa promises to cast a warm and luminous theatrical spell with its portrait of love, hardship, and, above all else, family.
FOR AS LITTLE AS $180 — THAT'S JUST $30 PER SHOW! 21 BRIDGE AVENUE RED BANK, NJ 07701 | 732.345.1400 | TWORIVERTHEATER.ORG 10
THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES TICKETS RANGE $15 - $25 PER TICKET
MATT BARBOT, PLAYWRIGHT
EL COQUÍ ESPECTACULAR AND THE BOTTLE OF DOOM WORLD PREMIERE JAN 6 - FEB 4/2018 BY MATT BARBOT DIRECTED BY JOSE ZAYAS M A R I O N H U B E R T H E AT E R
OCT 12 - 15/2017 TEATRO SEA
M A R I O N H U B E R T H E AT E R
THE RAINBOW FISH
OO-BLA-DEE
A LITTLE SHAKESPEARE: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
BY REGINA TAYLOR ORIGINAL MUSIC BY DIEDRE L. MURRAY DIRECTED BY RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
Oo-Bla-Dee paints a shimmering portrait of a female bebop band of African-American musicians traveling the country following the end of World War II. A sweeping and ambitious play-with-music, Oo-Bla-Dee will be brought to life by Golden Globe-winning actor and playwright Regina Taylor (I’ll Fly Away, Crowns), Tony Award winner Ruben SantiagoHudson (August Wilson’s Jitney at Two River and on Broadway), and Obie-winning jazz composer Diedre L. Murray (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess).
BEST FOR AGES 7 AND UP
Skeletons is a lighthearted comedy about a boy, Jimmy, who is dealing with the loss of his best friend, his Grandfather. His parents try everything to help Jimmy cope, but nothing works, until the eve of Day of the Dead, when his Grandfather comes back to life for just one night to orchestrate an adventure! Performed in Spanish and English simultaneously.
In Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a masked figure has been spotted: the Puerto Rican superhero, El Coquí Espectacular. In reality, it is out-of-work comic book artist Alex, who has been secretly dressing up as his favorite creation. As Alex learns that fighting crime is harder than it looks, his older brother Joe wants Alex to join him at his advertising agency, selling sugary soda to Latino consumers. Can El Coquí defeat his own self-doubt and be a hero for his neighborhood?
JUNE 9 - JULY 1/2018 REGINA TAYLOR, PLAYWRIGHT
SKELETONS: A DAY OF THE DEAD BEDTIME STORY
WORLD PREMIERE DEC 15 - 18/2017
BEST FOR AGES 3-7
BASED ON THE BOOK BY MARCUS PFISTER MERMAID THEATRE OF NOVA SCOTIA R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
With his silver scales and heart of gold, The Rainbow Fish will enchant even the youngest children in this adaptation of the award-winning book about a beautiful fish who learns to share his most prized possession. Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia brings The Rainbow Fish to life with their enchanting puppetry.
MARCH 6 - 11/2018
ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY SARA HOLDREN R E C H N I T Z T H E AT E R
BEST FOR AGES 9 AND UP
Celebrating its 5th season as one of Two River’s most popular programs, A Little Shakespeare engages young artists and audiences with the work of the Bard. Led by a group of high school students, A Little Shakespeare is a professionally produced 75-minute adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s works.
THE YOUNG KING APRIL 20 - 22/2018
BASED ON THE SHORT STORY BY OSCAR WILDE ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY NICKI BLOOM PRODUCED BY SLINGSBY, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
BEST FOR AGES 8 AND UP
M A R I O N H U B E R T H E AT E R
What kind of King would you be? A naïve boy raised by goatherds is discovered to be the heir to the kingdom. Treasures and privileges are laid at his feet, but at what cost to others? The Young King is a coming-of-age story that grapples with the ethics of beauty,
leadership, and compassion. 11
CAST OF CHARACTERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
A Troupe of Players: Sara Stewart Ellis.......................................................................................................Jane Bruce Conductor/Percy Corcoran/Walter Travers.....................................Cole Burden Tommy Kelly/Lawrence Cavanaugh........................................................Brian Flores Tin Man Wong .............................................................................................................Daniel K. Isaac Jordan Ellis .....................................................................................................................Eric William Morris Caroline Williams........................................................................................................Leenya Rideout Thomas Harrison/Ethan McClellan ........................................................Christopher M. Russo Horner Burns/Ernie Stratton..........................................................................Perry Sherman Kate Monaghan/Jeannie Kelly......................................................................Kristin Stokes Lee Gibbs/Daniel Leary.......................................................................................Ian Michael Stuart Marian Cummings/Cora Reilly......................................................................Barbara Tirrell Josephine Monaghan/Jo Monaghan.....................................................Teal Wicks
MUSICIANS Conductor and Keyboard..................................................................................John O’Neill Violin.......................................................................................................................................Pauline Bradshaw Cello........................................................................................................................................Troy Chang Drums/Percussion....................................................................................................Philip Coiro Reeds.....................................................................................................................................Simon Hutchings Guitar.....................................................................................................................................Justin Rothberg Bass.........................................................................................................................................Joseph Wallace
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. NI SCE C A
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The Choreographer is a member of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.
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The Designers at this Theatre are Represented by
United Scenic Artists • Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes
Two River Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, and ArtPride New Jersey.
SONG LIST ACT I “Hand in the River” Josephine “There’s a Train to San Francisco” Company “Life!” Josephine “Everything That Touched Her” Josephine “Far from Home” Company “Muscle and Sweat” Jordan, Jo “Whatcha Gonna Do?” Jordan “Hi-Lo-Hi” Company, Jordan, Jo “There Is This Man” Sara, Jo “Far from Home” (Reprise) Tommy “To Winter” Company “After You” Sara, Jordan “Everything That Touched Her” (Reprise) Jo “A New Beginning” Company, Jo
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ASSOCIATES
A BEACON OF SOUND FINANCIAL STRATEGIES SINCE
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ACT II “Independence!” Company “Life!” (Reprise) Jo “When You Love Someone” Jordan “Hymn” Company “Troubled Heart” Sara “Hi-Lo-Hi”/Poker Game (Reprise) Company “Listen to the Rain” Tin Man “When You Love Someone” (Reprise) Sara, Jordan “Unbuttoning the Buttons” Jo “Finale” Company
776 SHREWSBURY AVENUE TINTON FALLS, NJ 07724 732.741.4046 . 80 0.68 6.6810
Special Thanks: Hal Prince, Arthur Masella, Wiley Hausam, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Bridewell Theatre, Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, Patrick Vaccariello, Sean Patrick Flahaven, John Gundersonn, & Ann and Tom Unterberg
PRODUCTION CREDITS Dance Captain: Brian Flores Fight Captain: Eric William Morris Assistant to the Director: Genevieve Hoeler Assistant Lighting Designer: Andrew Griffin Assistant Sound Designer: Sam Lerner Assistant Wig Designer: Dana Maria Ferger Special F/X Makeup: Brian Strumwasser Rehearsal Pianist: Jason Cohen Spot Ops: Erin O'Brien and Shane O'Neil Deck Audio: Joshua Friedman Wardrobe: Sean Quinn Deck Carpenter: David Slice 13
BIOS MEET THE ARTISTS!
Jane Bruce (Sara Stewart Ellis) is a NYC-based actress and musician originally from Ogden, UT. She is a proud graduate of The University of Michigan. Previous regional credits include The Theory of Relativity (Goodspeed), Missed Connections: A Craigslist Musical (New Ohio Theatre, NYC), Bridges of Madison County (Arkansas Rep), Falsettos (Sharon Playhouse) and the National Tour of Elf: The Musical. Jane is also a budding singer-songwriter and is planning to release her debut EP July, 2017. Thank you to Mikey (always), Sarah for thinking of me, and the whole creative team for making such a beautiful and satisfying story to tell. @janeybrucey
Cole Burden (Conductor/Percy Corcoran/Walter Travers) National Tour: Bridges of Madison County (‘Robert’ u/s Performed), 25th Anniversary Les Misérables. Off-Broadway: ‘Priest/Giorgio’ in Himself and Nora (Minetta Lane), Applause (Encores!), Bonnie and Clyde (NYMF). Regional: ‘Sky Masterson’ in Guys and Dolls (Asolo Rep), ‘Tom’ in Murder Ballad (Studio Theatre), ‘Archibald Craven’ in The Secret Garden (Capital Rep), ‘Joe Kennedy/Jerry’ in Grey Gardens (Philadelphia Theatre Company), ‘Warner Huntington III’ in Legally Blonde (Marriott Lincolnshire), ‘Bob Cratchit’ in A Christmas Carol (Arvada Center), ‘Che’ in Evita (Mason Street Warehouse), Slaughterhouse Five, The War Department (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center). Film and TV: Beautiful Creatures, The Rainbow Bridge Motel, 30 Rock, As the World Turns, One Life to Live. Baldwin-Wallace University. @coleburden
Brian Flores (Tommy Kelly/Lawrence Cavanaugh) is honored to be making his Two River Theater debut in this amazing new show! National Tours: Pippin (‘Pippin’, dir. Diane Paulus). Off-Broadway: Othello (New York Theatre Workshop, dir. Sam Gold), Hadestown (New York Theatre Workshop, dir. Rachel Chavkin), The New Yorkers (City Center Encores!, dir. John Rando). Readings/Workshops: The Sting (dir. John Rando), Prince of Egypt (dir. Scott Schwartz), Secondhand Lions (dir. Scott Schwartz). Education: BFA Musical Theatre, University of Michigan, RADA. Thanks to: Mom, Dad, Kevin, Gabby, Professional Artists, Jack Doulin, and all of my amazing teachers out there! Proud member of Actors’ Equity. @_brian_flores
Daniel K. Isaac (Tin Man Wong) NYC Theatre: Sagittarius Ponderosa (NAATCO, dir. Ken Rus Schmoll), Veritas (The Representatives), Underland (59E59), Pillowtalk, Tala, disOriented (Kyoung’s Pacific Beat), La Divina Caricatura (La MaMa, Under the Radar & St. Ann’s Warehouse), Anna Nicole the Opera (BAM). Regional: Miss Electricity (La Jolla Playhouse). International: Shalom Shanghai (dir. Lee Breuer). Film/TV: ‘Ben Kim’ on Billions, Money Monster (dir. Jodie Foster), The Jim Gaffigan Show, Search Party, Crashing, Drew, The Following, Person of Interest, Believe, Too Big to Fail, and According to My Mother (NYTVF Best Drama & Best Actor, www.AccordingToMyMother.com). Training: UCSD, BADA. www.DanielKIsaac.com
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Eric William Morris (Jordan Ellis) is thrilled to be back at Two River after starring in Be More Chill two seasons ago. Broadway: Coram Boy, Mamma Mia!. Eric frequently collaborates with composer Joe Iconis, starring in Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording, Two River Theater), Things to Ruin (OCR, Second Stage) and Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova). TV/Film Include: Mind Hunter, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Quantico, Blue Bloods, Golden Boy, New Amsterdam and the feature film Trust, Greed, Bullets, & Bourbon. Other regional/Off-Broadway: Songbird (59E59), The Last Goodbye (Old Globe, dir. Alex Timbers), Dog and Pony (Old Globe, dir. Roger Rees), and Talk to Me Like the Rain… (Animus Theatre Company (Member), Theatre Row Studio, dir. Matthew Lillard). Big thanks to the creative team and everyone at Two River for having him back again!
Leenya Rideout (Caroline Williams) Broadway: War Horse; Cyrano de Bergerac (w/Kevin Kline); Company (directed by John Doyle); Cabaret (1998 revival, original cast). Off-Broadway: Taming of the Shrew (Public Theater); Yiddle with a Fiddle, The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show (Melting Pot Theatre Co.); Cowgirls (Minetta Lane). Regional: That Face (Baltimore Center Stage); Camelot (Capital Rep); Man of La Mancha (Milwaukee Rep); Home (ATF); Cowgirls (Pioneer Theatre); On Golden Pond (Casa Mañana); Man of La Mancha (CFRT & ACCC); Fairfield (Cleveland Play House); The Secret Garden (Capital Rep; Woody Sez (TheaterWorks); The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Gypsy (Hangar Theatre); Holidays with the Chalks (Alliance); Merrily We Roll Along (Cincinnati Playhouse); Cardenio (ART); Summer of ’42 (Mill Mountain Theatre); The Canterbury Tales (Guthrie); Guys and Dolls (North Carolina Theatre); Avenue X (Cincinnati Playhouse). International Tour: My Fair Lady. Film: Mona Lisa Smile, Loser. Television: Great Performances (PBS); Nashville Star (USA). Radio: Selected Shorts (NPR). Original songs available at www.leenya.com. Love to Ted...
Christopher M. Russo (Thomas Harrison/Ethan McClellan) Broadway: The Grapes of Wrath (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Meet Me in St. Louis. Equity National Tours: Wicked, Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy, Singin’ in the Rain. Other theater: A Few Good Men (Theatre Raleigh), Forest Boy (NYMF), Brighton Beach Memoirs, Frauleins in Underwear (Odyssey), The Sign (NY Workshop), created roles in Petty Treasons and Pirates at the Road Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Film: The Manchurian Candidate, Limbo. Television: Quantico, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Grapes of Wrath (American Playhouse), North and South and Baywatch Hawaii.
Perry Sherman (Horner Burns/Ernie Stratton) is delighted to be making his Two River debut. Broadway: Fun Home. Toronto: Les Misérables (‘Marius’). First National Tours: Next to Normal and Spring Awakening. NYC: Milk and Honey (‘David’) at the York Theatre. Regional: ‘Lucien’ in the World Premiere of Amélie at Berkeley Rep (dir. Pam MacKinnon). Studied at Carnegie Mellon University. This one’s for Jeanne, David, and Jeremy. Love to my wonderful family, as always.
Kristin Stokes (Kate Monaghan/Jeannie Kelly) Off-Broadway: ‘Annabeth’ in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, ‘Junie B.’ in Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School. Other credits include: ‘Miriam’ in Fly By Night (World Premiere), ‘Sister James’ in Doubt, ‘Alison’ in Brooklyn Boy, ‘Sally Bowles’ in Cabaret, and ‘Jen’ in John & Jen. Much love and thanks goes to the Creative Team and Cast of BoLJ, Marisa Michelson, her Family and JD. KristinStokes.com @K_Stoked
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ASSOCIATES,
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Ian Michael Stuart (Lee Gibbs/Daniel Leary) is making his Two River debut. National Tours: Peter and the Starcatcher (dir. Roger Rees/Alex Timbers), Matilda (dir. Mathew Warchus/Peter Darling). NYC/Developmental: The Last Goodbye, Rocky. Select regional: A Man of No Importance, ‘Jon’ in Tick, Tick….Boom!, Sweeney Todd, Phantom, ‘Beast’ in Beauty and the Beast (MTW). Training: UC Irvine. @ Ianmichaelstuart
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Barbara Tirrell (Marian Cummings/Cora Reilly) just completed filming the recurring role of ‘Sonya’ on the POP-TV series Nightcap, premiering June 7. She can be seen in the role of ‘Olga’ in Michael Mayer’s film adaptation of The Seagull (2017 release) starring Annette Bening and Saoirse Ronan. She appeared as ‘Madame Morrible’ in the First National Tour of Wicked, and on Broadway as ‘Yente’ in Fiddler on the Roof and ‘Miss Hannigan’ in Annie. Off-Broadway: A Man of No Importance (Mitzi Newhouse Theater), Night of the Hunter (Vineyard Theatre workshop), No Way to Treat a Lady (Atlantic Theatre Workshop), the Grass Harp and I Remember Mama (York Theatre-Mufti). Regional credits include productions at The Kennedy Center, The Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Walnut Street Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Pioneer Theatre Company, Casa Mañana, The Cape Playhouse, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Coconut Grove Playhouse. TV credits include HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (recurring role of ‘Edith Mauer’), HBO’s Vinyl (recurring role of ‘Gert’), Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Guilty (FOX pilot). She teaches acting at NYU Tisch/New Studio on Broadway and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. For Charlie & Rose and Micky.
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Teal Wicks (Josephine Monaghan/Jo Monaghan) most recently appeared as ‘Mary Barrie’ in the Broadway hit Finding Neverland. She also recently starred as ‘Emma Carew’ in the 2013 Broadway revival of Jekyll & Hyde. Teal burst onto the musical theater scene in 2008 when she landed the role of Elphaba in the Los Angeles company of Wicked, a role she reprised in the San Francisco company before making the leap to Broadway in 2011. New York theater credits include: The Blue Flower at Second Stage, Stairway to Paradise at City Center Encores! and the world premiere of Turandot: The Rumble for the Ring at the Bay Street Theater. Teal received the 2012 BroadwayWorld Connecticut Award for Best Actress in a Musical and nomination for a Connecticut Circle Award for her portrayal of ‘Julie Jordan’ in the Goodspeed Opera House’s production of Carousel. Teal has also appeared on the CBS hit shows The Good Wife and Elementary, and Chicago Justice on NBC.
si-17048-TRTC-sweetsummer:trtc
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MUSICIANS Pauline Bradshaw (Violin) is a violinist, originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, who has been in New Jersey for many years. After graduating with a Masters in Violin Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, she was a member of the Colorado Springs Symphony. Currently a violin/viola studio teacher and freelancer, she is an adjunct at Peddie School and performs in opera, musicals and symphonies in the tri-state area. She made her Two River debut with A Wind in the Willows Christmas. Troy Chang (Cello), a native of Concord, Massachusetts, is in demand in a wide array of musical settings, whether that be symphonic, operatic, chamber, or solo music. He joined the Sarasota Opera Orchestra in 2013 and, since 2015, is Principal Cello of Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. He was on faculty at the Luzerne Music Center in Lake Luzerne, New York, where he also curated the Faculty Chamber Music Series. He currently spends his summers with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra in Fayetteville, Arkansas and as Principal Cello with the Charlottesville Opera Orchestra in Charlottesville, Virginia. On faculty at Florida Southern College, he resides in Tampa and performs regularly with Sarasota Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra. He holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University. His principal teachers include Fred Sherry, David Geber, Carol Ou, and Joan Esch. Philip Coiro (Drums/Percussion) is a professional drummer and concert percussionist in New York City. Most recently, he has played drums on Broadway for American Psycho and the Off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom! (2017 Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Revival of a Musical). He has toured nationally with Flashdance, A Chorus Line, The Wedding Singer and The Wizard of Oz. Philip is currently the music director for singer-songwriter Troy Ramey (NBC’s The Voice, Season 12) and frequently plays in concert with Broadway stars including Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton/ In the Heights), Natalie Weiss (Wicked) and Kerry Butler (Hairspray/Catch Me If You Can) to name a few. All this would be impossible without his wife Lauryn and son, Anthony. More information at www.philipcoiro.com Simon Hutchings (Reeds) Originally from London, UK, Simon Hutchings now resides in New York City. Before his recent relocation to The Big Apple, he spent several years as one of the most in-demand woodwind performers in Florida, where he regularly performed with visiting entertainers and touring Broadway musicals including Marie Osmond, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Chicago, Wicked, and Spamalot. Simon has enjoyed a diverse career to date, having performed with groups such as the Phoenix Symphony, USAF Falconaires, and Naples Philharmonic. He is also an accomplished chamber musician, having performed for six years with the
Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet, and being a founding member of both the Areté Woodwind Doubling Quartet and the Helios Saxophone Quartet. He currently subs on the Broadway shows The Book of Mormon and The Lion King, and recently completed a run of the new Disney show Freaky Friday at Cleveland Play House. Simon has held positions on the adjunct faculty at Bethune-Cookman University, where he taught saxophone and chamber music, and Daytona State College, where he taught saxophone, clarinet, and chamber music. He is featured in Alfred Music Publishing’s new Sound Innovations band method series, where he presents a DVD masterclass to accompany both the clarinet and alto saxophone books. Justin Rothberg (Guitar) plays various musical styles and stringed instruments. He currently subs on the Broadway shows Aladdin, Beautiful and Cats. Recent theater projects include The Bridges of Madison County tour; Kiss Me, Kate at Studio 54; October Sky; A Night with Janis Joplin; Jasper in Deadland; and Getting the Band Back Together. Justin’s original jazz/fusion group just released their second album, Old Business. and is set to release their third album early next year. Joseph Wallace (Bass) is a double & electric bassist currently living in Brooklyn. Recent theater credits include: Newsies (First National Tour and Feature Film), Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” (New Victory Theater). He can also be seen performing and recording with numerous artists throughout New York City and across the US.
CREATIVE TEAM Mike Reid (Composer/Co-Bookwriter) and Sarah Schlesinger (Lyricist/Co-Bookwriter) were the Lyricist, Composer and Co-bookwriters for In This House and the Composer and Lyricist for The Wind in the Willows Christmas, both of which had their world premieres at Two River Theater. They have also written the score for Casanova Returns, which won the Global Search for New Musicals. The team’s opera Different Fields was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Guild. They are currently writing The Last Day, a new musical commissioned by Penn State University. Mike and Sarah have received the Kleban Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, a Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award, the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, and Chicago’s Jeff Award for best original musical. Mike is a Grammy Awardwinning songwriter. His songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Adele (I Can’t Make You Love Me), Anita Baker, Kenny Rogers, Wynonna, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, and Tim McGraw. Sarah Schlesinger is the Associate Dean of Performing Arts and Chair of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. John Dias (Co-Bookwriter/Director, Artistic Director) See Leadership Bios on page 23.
Marc Kimelman (Choreographer) is thrilled to be making his Two River Theater debut! He is Associate Choreographer for Broadway’s A Bronx Tale, co-directed by Jerry Zaks and Robert De Niro. He choreographed the National Tour of Saturday Night Fever, Play It Cool (Off-Broadway), Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera (NYMF), Man of La Mancha (Stratford Festival), Once on This Island (Dora Award for Outstanding Choreography), BroadwayCon, Broadway Bares, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, In the Heights, Degrassi: The Next Generation, and is movement consultant for Vogue magazine. Marc was the assistant choreographer for the Broadway revival of the Tony-nominated Jesus Christ Superstar and Queen’s We Will Rock You (US National Tour). His associate choreographer credits include Once on This Island, A Bronx Tale (Paper Mill Playhouse), Hands on a Hardbody, Disney’s Freaky Friday (workshop) and Elementary (CBS). Marc has created shows for Holland America Cruise Lines (RWS), and has worked with Katy Perry, Chaka Kahn, Neil Young, Patti LuPone, Charlize Theron and NYC Ballet. Marc is part of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. www.marckimelman.com John O’Neill (Music Director/Dance and Incidental Arrangements/Conductor/Piano) is thrilled to be back at Two River, where he most recently served as Music Director/Vocal Arranger for A Wind in the Willows Christmas. Broadway/NY credits include Cabaret (Conductor), A Chorus Line (Conductor), Radio City Spring Spectacular (Composer, Arranger, Conductor), Hugh Jackman (Dance Arranger), Jacques Brel… (Musical Director), Jesus Christ Superstar, Annie, Curtains, Boy from Oz. Regional credits: Barry Manilow’s Harmony (LA Ovation, BroadwayWorld, Best Musical Direction),Paper Mill Playhouse (cast recording Children of Eden), Two River Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival, North Carolina Theater for the Arts. He has served as music director for West Side Story (First National), A Chorus Line (First National), Cabaret (Japan), and Forever Plaid, and faculty vocal coach for Juilliard Drama Division, Rutgers University, CAP21. He is currently the orchestrator and arranger of Carefree: Dancin’ with Fred and Ginger, a music and dance review celebrating the iconic dance team, produced by RKO Stage and NJPAC and scheduled to begin a national tour this year. Patrick Vaccariello (Music Supervisor/Vocal Arrangements) is Music Director for the 2017 Tony Awards. He will be conducting the live awards telecast for the fourth year in a row. He was most recently in Australia with Hugh Jackman, serving as Music Director for the concert arena tour, Hugh Jackman: Broadway to Oz. Broadway credits include: On Your Feet, Cabaret (2014 and 1998 revivals), Annie, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, West Side Story, Come Fly Away, Lend Me a Tenor, Gypsy (with both Patti LuPone and Bernadette Peters), A Chorus Line, La Cage aux Folles, The Boy from Oz, Dance of the Vampires, Jesus Christ Superstar, Victor/ Victoria, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats and Take Me Along. He was also Music Director & Lead Conductor for A Chorus Line at the Hollywood Bowl and 19
for The Radio City Spring Spectacular. Internationally, he has conducted The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber worldwide (including at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People), A Chorus Line in London’s West End. He has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kansas City Symphony, and conducted at Carnegie Hall, New York City Center, and The Kennedy Center. He was featured in the film, Every Little Step: The Making of the Chorus Line Revival and has conducted many cast recordings including the Grammy-winning West Side Story, as well as Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Gypsy and The Boy from Oz. A graduate of the Hartt School of Music, he received their 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award. Danny Larsen (Orchestrator) Orchestrations/Copyist: A Wind in the Willows Christmas and In This House (Two River Theater); Zombie in Love (Oregon Children’s Theatre); The Butterfly Girl (Vital Theatre Company); Catch the Wind (Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival); The Hinterlands (musical web series); Cloaked (Village Theatre, CAP21); The Yellow Wood (Contemporary Classics). Composer/Lyricist: Catch the Wind; The Hinterlands (nominated for four IAWTV Awards); Cloaked (2011 Jonathan Larson Grant, 2011 Kleban Prize); The Yellow Wood (2006 Richard Rodgers Development Award, 20016 Daryl Roth Award, 2007 Best Music Award at NYMF, 2008 NAMT Festival Participant); Zombie In Love (2014 Best Original Score and Best Original Script – Drammy Awards, Portland Area Musical Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Musical); The Butterfly Girl. Danny is currently working on a new musical with collaborator Michelle Elliott called Hart Island about New York City’s public burial ground. The show was shortlisted for the Kevin Spacey Foundation Artists of Choice Award in 2015 and will have two staged readings later this year. MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University Michael Carnahan (Scenic Designer) previously designed Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine, Third, On Borrowed Time, and August Wilson’s Seven Guitars and Two Trains Running at Two River. National Tours: Cheers-Live on Stage, A Christmas Story: The Musical. Off-Broadway: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic); I and You (59E59); The Happiest Song Plays Last (Second Stage); The Piano Lesson, The First Breeze of Summer (both Signature Theatre); The Marvelous Wonderettes; Not That Jewish; Three Mo’ Tenors; Pygmalion; Howie the Rookie; Brando. Regional: Arena Stage, Center Stage, American Conservatory Theater, McCarter, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Merrimack Rep, Laguna Playhouse, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Northlight Theatre, Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA), Bucks County Playhouse, Guild Hall (East Hampton), Ogunquit Playhouse, Arsht Center, Musical Theatre West, San Jose Rep. Broadway (Associate Scenic Designer): Groundhog Day the Musical, Allegiance; The River; ANN: The Ann Richards Play; Cyrano de Bergerac; Peter and The Starcatcher; The Importance of Being Earnest; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; All About Me; White Christmas; Curtains. Jess Goldstein (Costume Designer) New York credits include Jersey Boys, Disney’s Newsies, On the Town, The Rivals (2005 20
Tony Award), The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino (Tony nomination), Plenty with Rachel Weisz, Henry IV with Kevin Kline (Tony nomination), Proof, Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Take Me Out, Tintypes, The Most Happy Fella, Buried Child, How I Learned to Drive, Stuff Happens, Dinner with Friends and The Mineola Twins (Lortel and Hewes Awards). His opera designs include Il Trittico for the Metropolitan Opera, Dead Man Walking for New York City Opera, and Two Women and Heart of a Soldier, two recent world premieres, for San Francisco Opera. Jess has also designed for film and television, most notably A Walk on the Moon directed by Tony Goldwyn, The Substance of Fire with Sarah Jessica Parker and Talking With and Far East for PBS’ Great Performances. He is the 2015 recipient of the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he has been a Professor in the design department since 1990. www.jessgoldstein.com Jennifer Tipton (Lighting Designer) is well known for her work in theater, dance and opera. In theater, her recent work includes Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Golden Theatre in New York. Her recent work in opera includes Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette directed by Bart Sher at the Metropolitan Opera. Her recent work in dance includes Shen Wei’s Neither at BAM. Ms. Tipton teaches lighting at the Yale School of Drama. She received the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize in 2001, the Jerome Robbins Prize in 2003 and, in April 2004, the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture in New York City. In 2008 she was made a United States Artists “Gracie” Fellow and a MacArthur Fellow. Drew Levy (Sound Designer) Previously at Two River: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum¸ Absurd Person Singular. Broadway: Honeymoon in Vegas (Drama Desk nomination), Chaplin (Drama Desk Award), The Winslow Boy, The Importance of Being Earnest, Present Laughter. Off-Broadway: One Day the Musical, The Weir, Why Torture Is Wrong…, Emergence-See!, Dutchman, The Mistakes Madeline Made. Regional: Bard SummerScape, Williamstown, 5th Avenue Theatre, The Old Globe, Two River Theater, Arena Stage, Westport Country Playhouse, McCarter, Huntington, Long Wharf. Other: Reconfiguration: An Evening with Other Lives; Drama Desk Awards Ceremony; Metropolitan Opera 125th Anniversary Gala; holiday installs for Saks 5th Avenue, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston. Leah J. Loukas (Wigs Designer) Broadway: The Great Comet of 1812, Sweat, Oh, Hello!, The Heidi Chronicles, On the Town, A Night with Janis Joplin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, American Idiot, Irena’s Vow. The Public Theater: Plenty, Barbecue, Fortress of Solitude, Taming of the Shrew, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Into the Woods. Regional work: Dallas Theater Center, La Jolla Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse. Thomas Schall (Fight Director) has served as fight director on over 70 Broadway shows, among them Six Degrees of Separation, Groundhog Day, Jitney, The Present, The Front Page, The Crucible, Blackbird, War Horse, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, Death of a Salesman, Venus in Fur, A View from the
Bridge. He has worked extensively at Lincoln Center Theater (Disgraced, Blood and Gifts), The Public Theater (Hamlet, King Lear, Mother Courage), MTC (Ruined, Murder Ballad), New York Theatre Workshop (Red Speedo, Othello) and the Met Opera (Nozze di Figaro, Il Trovatore). Jack Doulin + Sharky (Casting) Jack has been the Casting Director at New York Theatre Workshop since 2000. Productions there include: Peter and the Starcatcher, Homebody/Kabul, Far Away, A Number, Hedda Gabler, The Misanthrope, and The Little Foxes. Other NYC highlights include two notable productions of Uncle Vanya: André Gregory’s production with Julianne Moore and Wallace Shawn (filmed by Louis Malle as Vanya on 42nd Street), and Annie Baker’s adaptation with Reed Birney, Maria Dizzia, and Michael Shannon directed by Sam Gold. For SoHo Rep: Blasted, A Public Reading...Disney, Marie Antoinette. Film: New Orleans, Mon Amour directed by Michael Almereyda and Jonathan Demme’s A Master Builder and the forthcoming What the Night Can Do. Sharky, also known as Taylor Williams, serves as the Casting Associate at New York Theatre Workshop. Together they have cast: Love and Information (NYTW), Oklahoma! (Bard SummerScape), Scenes from a Marriage (NYTW), You Got Older (P73), City of Conversation (Arena Stage), An Octoroon (Soho Rep and TFANA), Red Speedo (NTYW), Hadestown (NYTW), Othello (NYTW) directed by Sam Gold, and the upcoming Mary Jane (NYTW) written by Amy Herzog. Amanda Michaels (Production Stage Manager) Previously at Two River Theater: Be More Chill, Two Trains Running, Topdog/Underdog, Present Laughter, Jitney, Thousand Clowns, Intimate Apparel, Orestes; a Tragic Romp, Melissa Arctic, Heartbreak House. Broadway: Come from Away, Beautiful—The Carole King Musical, Thérèse Raquin, A Bronx Tale. Off-Broadway: Signature Theatre, Lincoln Center/LCT3, Second Stage. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dallas Summer Musicals, Shakespeare on the Sound, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ. Other: August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with WNYC. Denise Cardarelli (Assistant Stage Manager) Two River Theater: Production Stage Manager Trouble in Mind, 26 Miles, and ReEntry. Off-Broadway: ReEntry at Urban Stages and Dov and Ali with The Playwrights Realm. New York: Autumn’s Harvest with Lincoln Center Education; Highway 47 at HERE Arts Center; Much Ado About Nothing with the Boomerang Theatre Company; Dutch Masters with the Labyrinth Theater Company; and Flip Side and Imminence with The Talking Band. Regional: Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Playmakers Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, THEATREWORKS (Colorado Springs), Roundhouse Theatre, Centerstage (Baltimore), and 13 seasons at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where she also served as the Assistant Production Manager for three years.
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LEADERSHIP BIOS JOHN DIAS (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) assumed his position as Artistic Director of Two River Theater in August 2010 after working as a producer and dramaturg in New York for 20 years. In partnership with Managing Director Michael Hurst he has brought new vitality to the 20-year-old Red Bank theater, including producing subscription shows on two stages for the first time; launching the theater’s first literary department and commissioning program for new plays; presenting annual events such as a musical theater cabaret in collaboration with New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and the Crossing Borders festival of Latino plays; and developing numerous arts-education initiatives for young people including A Little Shakespeare, an annual production of one of Shakespeare’s plays performed by high-school students. Throughout his career, John has been a leading advocate for bold new American plays and stimulating productions of the classics, including the Broadway productions of Lisa Kron’s Well and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. For 12 seasons, he worked in a variety of capacities at The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, including Associate Producer and Associate Artistic Director. During much of his tenure at The Public, working for Producer George C. Wolfe, he was responsible for all aspects of play production on the theater’s six stages and the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He also ran the theater’s literary department, overseeing new-play workshops and productions of classics by Shakespeare and other writers, and he directed and taught in the Shakespeare Lab, a professional actor-training program. Previously, John was dramaturg at Hartford Stage Company, and co-founded and led Affinity Company Theater, a production company dedicated to bringing daring new works from around the world to New York, and The Playwrights Realm, an off-Broadway company that produces new plays by emerging artists. He has been a Tony Award nominator, a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous other organizations, and he has taught at New York University and Yale University. John currently teaches in the graduate school at Columbia University. He received his BA from George Washington University and his MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
MICHAEL HURST (MANAGING DIRECTOR) joined Two River Theater as Managing Director in 2011, bringing 20 years of theater and non-profit experience, including 16 years at The Public Theater. Under his joint leadership with Artistic Director John Dias, Two River has experienced ambitious growth and enjoyed new recognition in the national theater community. During his tenure, Two River has embarked on a new Strategic Plan; began producing subscription shows on two stages for the first time; and launched the theater’s first commissioning program for original plays, as well as numerous new community and education programs. Prior to coming to Two River, Michael was on the staff of The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival for 16 years, including four years as General Manager and six as Managing Director, overseeing budgets that ranged from $16 to $20 million. Michael was responsible for all financial aspects of the productions at The Public Theater and Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. During his tenure at The Public, he oversaw the Broadway transfers of many productions, including Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Take Me Out, winner of the Tony Award for Best Play; and Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s Caroline, or Change. Michael was also part of all strategic planning for the theater, including its artistic leadership transition and the opening of Joe’s Pub, now considered one of the country’s best small venues for music and performance. Most recently, Michael was Chief Operating Officer of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which presents the prestigious New York Film Festival. At the Film Society, he oversaw the building of a new three-theater, $40-million facility that opened in June 2011, and he managed the organizational growth necessary to support the facility. His work in the commercial theater includes serving as Executive Producer for San Francisco-based producer Carole Shorenstein Hayes, starting her New York office and creating a strategic plan to develop new theatrical work. Michael served as Vice President for The Off-Broadway League and was a member of The Broadway League for 14 years. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Theatre Alliance and the Advisory Board of the Indie Street Film Festival.
ROBERT M. RECHNITZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) founded Two River Theater Company in 1994. An educator, writer, and director, he is one of New Jersey’s most esteemed theater leaders. He earned his PhD from the University of Colorado and was a professor of American Literature at Monmouth University for 35 years, contributing scholarly articles and short stories to various academic journals. As Two River’s Executive Producer, he oversaw the theater’s move from Monmouth University in West Long Branch to the Algonquin Arts in Manasquan. While the company was in residence in Manasquan, he planned for and oversaw the building of a state-of-the-art, two theater complex in Red Bank as Two River’s permanent home. He directed the opening production in the new building, the classic American comedy You Can’t Take It With You, in 2005. Among the other notable productions he has directed at Two River are Curse of the Starving Class (for which he received The Star Ledger’s nomination for Best Director of a Comedy), True West, A View from the Bridge, The Glass Menagerie, Thieves’ Carnival, Uncle Vanya, American Buffalo, and Barefoot in the Park. He has been honored with Monmouth University’s 2001 Maurice Pollak Award for Distinguished Community Service, and the 2007 Celebration of Excellence Award from the Monmouth County Arts Council. At the start of the new century, the Star-Ledger named him one of the “20 New Jerseyans to Watch.” He is the author, with Kenneth Stunkel, of Lives of Reason, which had its world premiere at Two River in 2016.
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“What you would seem to be, be really.”
THE
REAL
– Ben Franklin
W
MONAGHAN hen the well-liked rancher Joe Monaghan died in 1904 of pneumonia at the age of 56, his death was mourned by many in his town of Rockville, Idaho. Although he was quiet and kept mostly to himself, he had developed a reputation in his 37 years in the area as a good man and a hard worker. As his body was prepared for burial, a secret was revealed: “Little Joe” was a woman.
The news became headlines across the country, and a person whose life had been quiet and private became widely examined and documented after death. The story that emerged was this: The cowboy whom the community knew as Joe Monaghan had arrived in Idaho’s Owyhee County, the center of Idaho’s gold rush, as a prospector in 1867. Short and slight, with a high-pitched voice, Monaghan was quickly given the nickname “Little Joe.” He initially worked at a mining claim he staked, but the work was brutal and the claim didn’t yield any gold or silver, so Monaghan gave up and proceeded to work in a series of different jobs – at a mill, then raising chicken and hogs and selling milk, then, for three years, as a sheepherder living an almost entirely solitary existence. This suited him, for though he always impressed the locals with how hard he worked and was friendly enough, he wasn’t interested in going to the saloons or card-rooms in town, and neither drank nor was interested in women. When he worked as a ranch hand, which he did often, he didn’t bathe or bunk with the other hands.
M
onaghan had one good friend, an older mine superintendent to whom he entrusted the money he had made as a ranch hand, helping with cattle drives, and sheep shearing. When the superintendent ran off, Joe lost his life savings. He began again as a bronco-buster, breaking wild horses for those in the area. This was, by all accounts, a singular talent of Joe’s, and he developed a reputation around the county. He moved to the tiny town of Rockville (with a population of only 21 citizens) and built both a cabin and a large herd of cattle and horses. He still took jobs breaking horses, and his talents got him noticed by Andrew Whaylen, the owner of Whaylen’s Wild West Show. Whaylen hired Joe, and the show offered $25 to anyone who brought a horse that “Cowboy Joe” couldn’t ride. When a film company was invited to film the show, Joe was captured riding a bucking bronco. As this was the first Western movie filmed, Joe Monaghan was the first authentic American cowboy in film history.
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H
owever, Joe didn’t like the spotlight, and after a year with the show he returned to his ranch. He hired an old Chinese cook to be a ranch hand, and the two spent their time together. However, when the cook died, Monaghan became even more solitary until his death, at which point his secret was revealed. But why would Monaghan have chosen this life for herself? And who was she before she rode into that dusty Idaho town in men’s clothing? Those questions we may never know for certain. After Monaghan’s death, wild theories circled about who she was, including a sensational one claiming that she was “Kansas City Kate” Bender, a saloon dancer who had murdered two people and fled. But of the theories, two arose with merit. The first was uncovered after a neighbor remembered mailing letters for her to a Walters family in Buffalo, and tracked down the family. They said that she was Johanna Monaghan, whom they had adopted after her mother died when she was eight and her stepfather, a drunk, mistreated her. When Johanna was fourteen, she told the Walters family that she was going west to make her fortune, and sent them frequent letters about her work (though she never told them she was living as a man). The second theory, which grew after neighbors went through her possessions after her death and discovered letters and photographs to a sister in Buffalo, was that she was Josephine Monaghan. A wealthy debutante, she had been disowned by her family when she had a son out of wedlock. After trying to make a living as a waitress in a restaurant in New York City, and being briefly forced to put her baby into an asylum when she couldn’t care for him, she gave the boy to her younger sister, Helen, to raise and left for the West. From the tone of the letters it seemed her child, Laddie, had been told that his mother was dead. But Jo had been kept abreast of his life, including his graduation from Columbia Law School and his successful career as a lawyer.
B
ut no matter what the true story was, there is no question that the life of the quiet cowboy with the secret has captured the imagination of many, including the filmmaker Maggie Greenwald, who made a film version of Monaghan’s story in 1993, and Sarah Schlesinger and Mike Reid, who wrote our own The Ballad of Little Jo. As Schlesinger said, “no one knows the absolute truth of who she was or why she lived as she did,” but that Monaghan’s story is “a universal tale about identity and consequences to those around us when we are not true to ourselves.”
“It is wise not to seek a secret and honest not to reveal it.” – Ben Franklin
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NEW EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR 2017/ 18 Broadway vet and TRT regular Chuck Cooper teaching a Master Class to Metro Scholars. Photo by Mike McLaughlin.
Clowning Master Class with Kirk McGee. Photo by Scott L. Friedman.
SAVE THE DATES
World-renowned actor, teacher and mime Bill Bowers teaches a Master Class. Photo by TRT staff.
Two River Theater is proud to add two exciting new programs to its Education repertoire! Along with our existing education programs and upcoming new season, we are introducing First Monday Masters and College Audition Boot Camp beginning this fall! Read below for more details!
FIRST MONDAY MASTERS
COLLEGE AUDITION BOOT CAMP
Starting in September 2017, Two River Theater will host First Monday Master classes each month, led by some of the marvelous artists who are involved in our season. Some classes will be for high-school students, some for adults, and some will be for mixed ages. Classes will be taught by actors, directors, playwrights, and designers—people who are not only artists, but who also are excited to share their visions and work with students and life-long learners. April 2 January 8 September 11 May 7 February 5 October 2 June 4 March 5 November 6 December 4
November 9 and 10, 2017
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Use your days off from school to get ready for college auditions! Open to high-school juniors and seniors who are serious about putting their best foot forward. Two days filled with classes on audition technique, choosing material, monologues, Shakespeare, dance combinations, singing auditions, and much more!
This summer, check out the Education Pages at www.tworivertheater.org for more details and how to register for these two new programs.
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HMH-P417-BRAND-8x10.5-TRTplaybill-17.indd 1
5/2/17 4:24 PM
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SUMMER THEATER CAMP
EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT COMING SOON:
AT TWO RIVER THEATER
A
Photos by Scott L. Friedman.
s every parent or guardian in our area knows, there are seemingly endless options for how and where your child can have a fun and fulfilling summer. It’s not too late to join us! Registration is now open for Two River Theater’s 2017 Summer Theater Camp, which is open to young people ages 8-18 (grades 3-12). Now in its 13th year, the Summer Theater Camp focuses on developing the artist inside every child. Each summer, camp participants include aspiring actors, students who enjoy working behind the scenes, and young people who simply love the theater. All of the classes are taught by professional, experienced teaching artists, and are designed to be fun, challenging, and inspire creativity and a sense of adventure. “By creating a supportive ensemble, we teach children theater skills, and they gain far more than just knowledge of the arts,” says Two River’s Director of Education, Kate Cordaro. “They learn courage, kindness, confidence, and how to take creative risks. We don’t produce a fully-staged production at the end of each week—we focus less on product, and more on skillbuilding. We structure our camp around three principles:
SPARK, CREATE, SHARE."
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SPARK is the inspiration – the theme, the jumping off point for what a class will work on during the week. CREATE is where students learn tangible skills – such as making set designs in Theater Arts and Design, or learning improvisation skills as they work together to devise a scene in Acting. SHARE. is the Invited Class each Friday where friends and loved ones are invited into the theater so the camp’s young artists can share the fruits of their labors.
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his year, Two River is also launching the theater’s first Spectrum Theater Classes for young people on the autism spectrum ages 10-17. Led by teaching artists with extensive experience and supported by several trained assistants, students will improve interpersonal communication, verbal and body awareness, and self-confidence through the art of theater. Classes will focus on movement activities and storytelling through theater games, imagination exercises, as well as exploring the work of William Shakespeare. “We are proud to offer Spectrum Theater Classes for the first time,” Two River’s Director of Education, Kate Cordaro says. “Our program uses theater to help students on the autism spectrum with social interaction and self-confidence, and play! Everyone should have a space to express themselves creatively, and we look forward to sharing our theater with a new audience.”
For more information and registration forms, visit http://www.tworivertheater.org/education/summer_classes.php, or contact Amanda Espinoza, Education Assistant, at 732.936.8804 or SummerCamp@trtc.org. 29
SHADOW LAWN STAGE - The Professional Theatre at
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN,
CHARLIE BROWN Based on The Comic Strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz Book, Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner
JUNE 23 -JULY 2 LAUREN K. WOODS THEATRE TICKETS: 732.263.6889 | MONMOUTH.EDU/ARTS
Bernadette Peters FRI OCT 6 TICKETS: TheBASIE.org
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STUDENTS PLAY
A MAJOR ROLE AT TWO RIVER THEATER
A
MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT:
t the start of last season, administrators from Monmouth University and staff from Two River Theater came together to discuss ways to expand the partnership between the two institutions, with a focus on Monmouth University’s students. The brainchild of that meeting was a new initiative called the “Ambassador Program.” Through this program, three students are appointed each year to 1) sign up student ushers for each show, 2) spread the word on campus about Two River Theater’s productions and 40+ free annual events, and 3) help create programming and learning opportunities for Monmouth University students, all led by Two River artists and staff. This year we are proud to share that five Monmouth University students have served as Ambassadors, Interns or Box Officers at Two River Theater! Here’s what three of these students have to say about their time at Two River!
M O L LY H U B E R Monmouth University: College Senior, Theatre Arts & History Two River Theater: Two-Year Student Ambassador and Fall Intern, Marketing Department “As a Marketing intern, I was charged with the task of interpreting works through various theatrical languages. Some days I helped translate a historical drama into a marketing campaign, other days I got to dramaturgically immerse myself into a new work to help find clever ways of bringing all demographics to the theater. I have learned so much in such a short time and it is truly due to the amazing staff of the theater. From the bottom of my heart I thank everyone at this theater for not only challenging me to become fluent in all aspects of the theater, but also for continually opening my eyes to the possibilities of it.”
Professor Sheri Anderson and 2015/16 Ambassadors Nick Zaccario, Chloe Meyer and Molly Huber preview costume sketches for Camelot at Two River Theater.
NICK ZACCARIO Monmouth University: 2017 Graduate, Communication (Radio/TV) & Theatre Arts Two River Theater: Two-Year Student Ambassador and Spring Intern, Marketing Department “I loved being an intern for Two River Theater. I got to work alongside some of the nicest and most incredible people, and the workplace atmosphere is always exciting! I felt a strong connection with each of one of my supervisors, and they became good friends by the end of my time here. I love this theater and look forward to all of the amazing productions this company will pull off in future seasons!” 2016/17 Ambassadors Molly Huber and Nick Zaccario with Two River Videographer Mike Boylan on location at Monmouth University, capturing footage for The Lion in Winter promo trailer.
ANNA BLAINE Monmouth University: 2017 Graduate, English & Creative Writing Two River Theater: Spring Intern, Public Relations
“This semester I interned at Two River Theater and had one of the best experiences a student could ask for. I was able to grow as a writer while enjoying theater, a place that encourages artistry and creativity. I wrote Entertainment reviews after watching plays at Two River Theater. This season I had the opportunity to see plays like Hurricane Diane, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Women of Padilla. I also had the opportunity to interview two actresses as a part of my internship. The Marketing team at Two River Theater is filled with gracious people who helped me write these stories and submit these wonderful memories to The Outlook newspaper at Monmouth. The time I spent working with Two River Theater is something that has broadened my experience and opened my eyes to having a future career in the arts. “ 31
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July 26-30th, 2017
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CROSSING BORDERS FESTIVAL
THIS SUMMER
Mark your calendars now, and join us August 2-6 for our 2017 Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) festival of new Latino plays!
S
ince Crossing Borders launched in 2011, the annual five-day festival has featured free readings of more than two dozen plays, including many that have gone on to full productions at Two River (Pinkolandia, Ropes and next season’s El CoquÍ Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom) and elsewhere. Today, it attracts more than 700 people annually and includes English-language readings of four plays (one of which is also read in Spanish), conversations with artists following every reading, a keynote address from a leader within the Latino arts community, and a free outdoor neighborhood party with live music.
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A company of actors, writers, directors, and other artists will be in residence throughout the festival. Crossing Borders is curated by Stephanie Ybarra, who serves as the Director of Special Artistic Projects at The Public Theater in New York, where she leads the Mobile Unit and Public Forum programs.
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ew this season, we will also be expanding the festival to include a community mural project. In conjunction with Indie Street Film Festival and Kitch Organic, Crossing Borders festival artists along with community leaders and 20 local youth will work together to paint a mural on the wall of Kitch Organic, on the West Side of Red Bank.
2016 Crossing Borders Neighborhood Party. Photos by Teja Anderson.
For more information, www.tworivertheater.org or 732.345.1400
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è MIHM-General-8x10.5-TRTplaybill-17.indd 1
5/15/17 4:28 PM
THE COST OF
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MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT
usicals are wonderful. One of the only truly homegrown American art forms, musicals as we know them have been thrilling and entertaining audiences for almost a century. And we at Two River Theater are happy to help make sure that continues for another century, by helping new musicals bloom and grow via our musical development program. The show you are seeing today, The Ballad of Little Jo, is a result of that process, as was our 2015 hit Be More Chill, among others. Although the two shows came to us in different ways – one a commission and one an adopted project in need of another chance - they both illustrate a central tenet of new musical development: while very worthwhile, the process of developing musicals is long, slow, and very expensive. If a musical begins as a commission from us, as Be More Chill was in 2011, the writers are given $15,000 (either given to one writer, if there only is one, or split by collaborators). This is divided into three payments: an initial payment, a payment upon receiving the first draft of a script, and a payment upon receiving the final draft. This cost is the same whether or not we choose to produce the show. But there are many stages that happen before we get to production. Usually after a first draft is turned in (which is due between six months and a year after the contract is signed – although you can’t always hold art to a deadline!), we will do a reading of the draft. This involves hiring, at the very least, a director, stage manager, actors, and, for a musical, a music director (larger readings of more complicated shows have included a pianist, percussionist, foley artist, vocal arranger, and music copyist, as well as a tutor for a child performer). We usually rent a rehearsal room in New York City for the five days of rehearsal, and many musicals require a second room so that some of the cast can learn music while others do scene work. Although readings pay those who participate far less than a full production, a developmental
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reading of a musical will usually cost us between $5,000-$15,000.
A reading can provide invaluable information about what is and isn’t yet working in a script and score, and so each musical we produce has had at least two developmental readings along its path. This can cover a span of several years, and during those years other costs are often accrued, including writers’ retreats (which can cost over $1,000 in fees for housing).
B
ut not all of the musicals we produce are commissions. The musical you’re seeing today, The Ballad of Little Jo, was first produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2000. However, despite acclaim for the production, the show fell into a strange limbo that often afflicts plays and musicals after they have been produced once: when they cannot be counted among a different theater’s world premiere productions (an important distinction for theaters that produce new work), and aren’t going to move forward to larger more commercial productions, theaters are often reluctant to invest further developmental funds and the shows languish. John Dias, our artistic director and the director of this production, had long loved The Ballad of Little Jo, and so adopted the show into our development program. Over the course of several years, he worked with Sarah Schlesinger and Mike Reid on the script. There were three separate developmental readings of the show before the production you’re seeing here, 17 years after it originally premiered. So when you see a new musical, remember that what you’re seeing is not only the result of the hard work of the cast and crew you see in front of you, but it’s also the work of many years of writing, revising, and developing. The support you give allows that work to be done, and ensures more new musicals will grace our stage in the years to come!
A 2013 public reading of The Ballad of Little Jo at Two River Theater Photo top left: Will Connolly and Eric William Morris in Be More Chill. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
For more information on supporting our musical development program, contact Jennifer Anderson at janderson@trtc.org or 732.936.8820. 37
DONORS INDIVIDUAL
THANK YOU to the following generous individuals who made contributions to the theater! VISIONARY CIRCLE ($25,000+)
CHAMPION ($2,500-$4,999)
Anonymous Caroline P. Huber The Estate of Victoria J. Mastrobuono Joan and Robert Rechnitz Ann and Thomas Unterberg The Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation
Howard P. Aronson Shirley S. Boll Rose Caiola Juliet Cozzi and Ronald Gumbaz Lynn and Jan Dash The Devon Group Joan Ellis Gale and Dr. Robert B. Grossman Christina Hewitt Maureen and James Hurst* Nancy Karpf and Scott Brady Cathy Larson Beth and Vinnie Mazza* Kathleen and Arthur McConnell Nyire and Gregory Melconian Shirley and Bob Neff Gloria Nilson Fund Allyn and Patrick Quagliano Patricia and Vernon Ralph Mary Carol and Ken Stunkel Susan E. Whyman Meta and Ralph Wyndrum Chryssa Yaccarino, Esq.
THE INNOVATOR CIRCLE ($10,000-$24,999) Jane Bergere Marilyn and Bob Broege Lanae and Todd Herman Mary Jane and Rick Kroon Helaine and Sid Lerner Anne Luzzatto and Gordon Litwin Victoria and William Marraccini Liz and Adam Rechnitz Anne and Sheldon Vogel BENEFACTOR ($5,000-$9,999) Sam Chevalier Marcia Sue Clever, MD and Jim Hickey Kelly and Brooks Cullen Carolyn and Neil DeSena Robert E. Evanson Ms. Joan Fishman and Dr. Paul Brown Guttenplan Family Foundation Joan and Paul Hamelberg Barbara and Jim Hrebek Phyllis Kinsler Joanna and Brian Leddin* Linda McKean The Honorable Edward J. McKenna, Jr. JP Nicolaides and The Honorable Ed Zipprich Sean O’Connell Susan and Ty Olson Mary Beth and Gerald Radke Anne Marie Schultz* Sheila Schwartz Elizabeth Tortorella and Ivan Polonsky Kathy and Webster Trammell
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PATRON ($1,000-$2,499) Jutta and George Aguilar Barbara and Andy Andres Marie and Robert Arbour Pat and Andre Archambault Betsy and Robert Barrett The Honorable William G. Bassler Lois and Marvin Broder Dennice and Ray Carey Barbara and Tom Carroll Tamara Casriel Jennifer and Tristram Collins Elizabeth Mihalyak Columbo Jennifer Colyer and Shemmy Mishaan Melissa and Joseph Del Broccolo III Nancy and Michael Del Priore Gail and John Duffy Linda and Bob Ensor Lorraine and Bob Henry Michael Hurst Paul and Melissa Hurst
Jean Jaslovsky and Vincent Gifford Grace and Peter Kalac Ginny Kamin Giovanna Kanu Sheila C. Labrecque Edward Madden The Wendy and Jerry Marks Foundation Aida and Brian Murphy Jean Pokress PWM Advisory Group Monica and John Ryan* Candy and Dr. Sigmund Sattenspiel June and Morton Seligman Caryl and Charles Sills Bruce Sherrill and Robert Cordrey Cathy and Gene Weber* Catherine Weiss and Samuel Huber Cynthia and William Wilby Joan Zakanych PRODUCER ($500-$999) Jennifer and Joe Anderson Kasandrea Banks Nancy and Ed Butler Jill and John Caddell Dennice and Ray Carey Barbara and Harold Chafkin Patricia and Dr. E. F. Cheslock Stephanie and Kevin Christiano Barbara G. Fleischman Judy and Richard Fuller Margean Gladysz Barbara and Dr. Alan Haratz Eve R. Hershkowitz Ibby and Dan Hertz Gail Klein and Marc L. Harrison Patricia and William Jaeger Drs. Sheela and Suresh Jain Natalia Y. Kachala Judith Laufer Lauren Nicosia Barry V. Qualls The Craig and Flori Roberts Foundation, Inc. Daryl Roth Maureen Silliman and William Parry Lori and Geoff Sadwith Peter A. Schkeeper Susan Stamler
Anita and Robert Stix* Penny and Larry Turtel Margaret Warters DIRECTOR ($250-$499) Anonymous (3) Lisa and Michael Absatz Meredyth Armitage Kathy and Joe Beggans Roxane Blount Barbara Boas and Stephen Hect Sarah Bonello Lena and Vince Bono Dr. Janice Breen Amanda Butterbaugh and Michael Mulheren Dr. Joseph J. Calabro The Carton Family Marjorie and Peter Cavalier Isabella and John Chiappanelli Susan and Alan Coen Roberta and Harvey Cohen Robert Connolly Karen and Joseph D'Amore Joseph and Bonnie David Andrea and Thomas Fiest Barbara and Jonathan File Barbara G. Fleischman Susan and Roy Gelber Thomas K. Hessman Kathleen A. Horgan Debra Lee Iapicco Dr. Barbara Jaye and Dr. William Mitchell Bobbi and Bob Krantz May Louie and Walter Graczyk Claudette Lupton Bob MacKasek Alan Mallach Renee R. Maxwell Val and Dave McClung Lorraine and Robert McGirr Tamire McKenna Diane Mensanko Robert L. Mortenson Jennifer and Thomas Mullins Karen C. Pajak Marion and Michael Portnoy Karen and David Rajala Ginger and Joel Richman Penney Riegelman Toni Rinella and Brian Compton Ann Roseman and Stan Lumish Barbara Sager Peggy Sansone
Linda M. Schottland William G. Shala Vickie Snoy* Maria and George Staphos Karen and Joe Stein The Strang Family Diane and Marc Taranto Judith and Joseph Vassallo Corey and Philip Wagner Cheryl Wild Dee and Fred Williamson Sally and Marshall Wright Marjorie and Zeke Zaccaro Barbara and Maurice Zagha MATCHING GIFTS The following have provided matching gifts to Two River on behalf of their employees. AT&T Matching Gifts (3) BlackRock CR Bard (2) Goldman Sachs Horizon IBM Johnson & Johnson Matching Gifts JP Morgan Chase Foundation Morgan Stanley Prudential Financial, Inc. (2) TE Connectivity Verisk Analytics Verizon Wireless *Includes matching gift. TRIBUTES AND MEMORIALS In Honor of Suzanne Allyn’s Mother: Barbara Kenas In Memory of Eileen Bassler: The Honorable William G. Bassler In Honor of John and Gail Duffy: Pamela and Richard O’Sullivan In Honor of Caroline Huber: Catherine Weiss and Samuel Huber In Honor of Mary Jane and Rick Kroon: Susan Stamler In Honor of Edward J. McKenna, Esq.: Lauren Nicosia In Honor of Mrs. Barbara Metcalfe: Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gebhardt In Memory of Dorothy Nicosia: Phyllis Kinsler In Memory of Michael Shelle: Maureen Silliman and William Parry
EVENT SUPPORTERS Jennifer and David Anderson Maryann and Scott Baret Marilyn and Robert Broege Diane and Robert Butters Megan and David Carr Lauren and Augie Carton Jennifer and Adam Cavise Rino Ciampi Carolyn and Neil DeSena Central New Jersey Hand Surgery Susan and Brett Flynn Lambs & Wolves Hackensack Meridian Health Erika and Peder Hagberg Health Care Software, Inc. Lanae and Todd Herman Marcia Sue Clever, M.D. and Jim Hickey Barbara and Joe Hollander Caroline P. Huber Shea and Chuck Jones Sarah and JB Kiley The Kroon Foundation Gerri and Brett Lawrence Anne Luzzatto and Gordon Litwin Sharon and Jonathan Lustgarten Victoria and William Marraccini Lisa and Quinn McKean The Honorable Edward J. McKenna, Jr. Nyire and Greg Melconian Debbie and Dave Memmott Metrovation/The Grove Monmouth Medical Center/RWJ/Barnabas Health Monmouth University The Murphy Family Foundation The Honorable Ed Zipprich and JP Nicolaides Susan and Ty Olson Kathryn and Rob Patton* Liz and Adam Rechnitz Riverview Medical Center Karen and Omar Saad Linda and Andrew Safran Peggy Shafai Melissa Stark and Michael Lilley MaryAnne and Mark Strulowitz Ann and Thomas Unterberg VNA Health Group
Listing reflects gifts made between March 1, 2016 and May 10, 2017 to the Annual Fund and/or in support of the Halloween Ball. 39
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INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
THE VISIONARY CIRCLE $25,000+
THE STONE FOUNDATION
INNOVATOR CIRCLE $10,000-$24,999 The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
BENEFACTOR $5,000 - $9,999
COMMUNITY PARTNERS DAVID SCHWARTZ FOUNDATION
The Merrill G. & Emita E. Hastings Foundation
IN-KIND SUPPORT
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PRINCETON’S TONY® AWARD-WINNING THEATER
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SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Photos (clockwise): Roberto Fonseca, photo by Arien Chang; Cirque Éloize; Hubbard Street Dance; Anais Mitchell; Kacee Clanton in A Night with Janis Joplin; Michael Shannon in Simpatico, photo by Michael Brosilo
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MEET OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS! ARTISTIC Stephanie Coen Associate Artistic Director Anika Chapin Literary Manager Madeleine George Playwright in Residence Genevieve Hoeler Artistic Assistant ADMINISTRATION Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. General Manager Peggy Shafai Director of Finance Karen Pierce Staff Accountant AUDIENCE SERVICES, PR & MARKETING Courtney Schroeder Director of Marketing Jenna Rocca Associate Director of Marketing Alycia Yerves Multimedia Manager Matt Markowski Marketing Assistant Michele Klinsky Box Office Manager Adam Haratz Box Office Supervisor & Access Coordinator Kristina Marinos Box Office Supervisor Allison Angelou Evan Kudish Lynn Kroll Brianna Merriman Vernette Spicer Matt Yee Box Officers Angela White House Manager Carmen Balentine Doreen Fromage Julie Mullen Francesca Trerotola Donna Stiles Melissa Javorek Assistant House Managers Briana Butler Colette Dante Raquel Diaz Thomas Dougherty Daniel Pino Kayla Santry Matt Markowski John Knodel Front of House Staff DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Anderson Director of Development Katherine Benson Events Associate Ellen Hahn Institutional Development Associate
Elizabeth Sidun Development Assistant EDUCATION Kate Cordaro Director of Education Amanda Espinoza Education Assistant Karim Sekou Banks Erica Bradshaw Claro de los Reyes Livv DiMattio Tara Giordano Shamilia McBean Jessica Moretti Heidi Schoenenberger Nicole Serra Carolyn Vicari Teaching Artists Nicole A. Watson Adaptor/Director OPERATIONS Zeke Zaccaro Director of Operations Lamar Hicks William Hinton Donnie Quarles Wayne Van Sant Building Maintenance PRODUCTION Lauren Kurinskas Director of Production Will Cruttenden Associate Production Manager Lindsay Child Production Management Assistant Margaux Greenhouse Production Management Assistant Jacelyn Szkrybalo Company Management Assistant Jean E. Compton Production Assistant Nicole Richards Production Assistant Frank Meyer Technical Director Colleen Dolan Scenic Charge Artist Mark Molchany Assistant Technical Director Duane Noch Master Carpenter Christian Dilks Staff Carpenter David Slice Shop Assistant Jeena Yoon Properties Supervisor Victoria Schilling Assistant Properties Supervisor Lesley Sorenson Costume Shop Supervisor
Jill DiGiuseppe Draper Maggie Barnett Wardrobe Supervisor Becky Erlitz Costume Assistant Dan Montano Sound Supervisor Olga "Sue" Patino Lighting Supervisor Savannah Yost Lighting and Sound Assistant Neil Bearden Lighting and Sound Assistant SPECIAL SERVICES Gilda Rogers Community Relations Social Sidekick Press & Publicity Design Army Graphic Design Suzanne Anan Graphic Design Sean Dickinson Graphic Design Assistant T. Charles Erickson Production Photography Michael Boylan Pennant Collective, Production Video Trailers and Commercials Gordon N. Litwin, Esq., Litwin & Provence, LLC Legal Counsel WithumSmith + Brown Auditors VOLUNTEER GUILD Arthur Aaron Ronnie Aaron Suzanne Allyn Marlene Abelon Debbie Adamchak Juanita Agee Irwin Altschiller Maddy Altschiller Karen Anderson Cecelia Ambrosio Ellen Balthazar Gale Baran Paddy Barber Carl Battaglia Ellen Battaglia Joyce Becker Herb Bein Diane Bein Carmen Benimeli Barbara Berg Joan Blake Kathy Boushie Charles Blake Mercedes Brand Barbara Brodzinski Marti Bookstein Arlene Brown Robert Buchbinder April Bunn
Judith Carluccio Colleen Carroll Bob Cleary Kathleen Castore Rita Chiarini Dora Chu Bob Connolly Roslyn Cooper Lynda Crawford Judy Crosta Nancy Daley Elizabeth De Carvalho Ann Digiacomo Betty Dworkin Harriet & Joel Eisenberg Barbara Ely Eleanor Falcichio Ellen Falvo June Farkouh Robyn Flipse Arleen & Steve Faustina Kathy Feeny Kathy Ferris Bonnie Foerst William Fraser Judith Fraser Prudence Frechette Artie Freedman Bruce Freeman Judy Fuller Janet Garcia Nancy Gargan Sidney Gelbein Pat George Bill Gerdes Diane Grady Margaret Graf Marilyn Griffin Constance Gryczka Kathie Hari Helene Helgesen- Monserrate Jeri Held Greg Held Joe Hegnar Jodi Heinz Cynthia Hellman Robert Hespe Karen Hespe Karen Heyer Stephen Hirsekorn Marion Holinaty Caroline Huber Cecilia Jelic Shirley Johnson Bonnie Johnson Carol Johnson Thomas Johnson Virginia Kamin Barry Kaplan Dee Kaplan Karen Kelly Barbara Kenas Valerie Kilpatrick Phyllis Kinsler Karen Kirkwood Dottie Kirschenbaum Eleanor Kitzhoffer John Knodel Mavis Kolb Diane Kragh
Diane Kuriloff Harriet Kuropatwa Lois Kurz Betti Lane Mary Anne Lapiana Margaret Lelivelt Joan Leonard Bob Levine Carol Levine Dan Levine Joan & Al Levine Barbara Lipton Donna Lizotte Kathy Lloyd Diane Lopresti Frank Lopresti Brittany Lovely Donna Lovely Sharon Lucas Gay Lowden Mary Mahoney Robert Mallon Phyllis Marberry Janis Marano Libby Markowitz Lynne Martocci Pamela Marhan Mary Mason Kathryn Mazur Susan Mazur Vinnie Mazza Joan McCue Eileen McDermott Jo McKeon-Hutton Bill McMurray Mary Melosh Evelyn Mendelsohn Anne Messinger Dorothy Michels Carol Migliore Bernard Miller Carol Miller Susan Minehardt Roland Monserrate Linda Monti Marilynne Morley Gloria Moro Susan Moss Judith Mugrace Michele Mullin Leslie Nicholson Kathy Nielsen Eileen Nolan Maureen O'Connor Leach Olivia & Gerald Olson Linda Pacotti Dolores Palonetti Robert Palazzi Katherine Parisi Marilyn Pennell Art & Pat Perri Jeanette Peterson Tracy Peternich Terri Pinto Claire Planchere Terri Pontecorvo Philomena Porcello Michelle Priest Lois Priest Marion Quinn Moira Quinn
Judy Rector Lorri Reines Jill Reminick Fran Reinhold Susan Richman Ruth Rosencrown Carl Rosencrown Lori Sadwith Gil Saltzman Marcia Saltzman Gail Sanderson Gabby Scerbo Evelyn Schneider Connie Schulman Phyllis Searby Jeffrey Shepard Robin Siegel Deb Sieron Sharon Silver Judy Simmons-Bradshaw Arlene Smelson George Smith Denise Sobotka Bonnie Stahl Lona & Jerry Steiner Arthur Steinman Linda Stewart Carol Stewart Lorraine Stone Mary Carol Stunkel Rose Sullivan Martin Sulkes Leila Sulkes MicheleSusalis Lorraine & Mal Schwartz Cathy & Howie Stelzner Michele & Joe Sweifach Eunice Taylor Steve Tepperman David Tolleth Deborah Tolleth Lauren Tolleth Cassandra Thompson Brenda Tota Chris Wallace Patricia Walter Mollie Warar Deborah Wasserman Marvin Wasserman Deborah Wasserman Cheryl Weglarz Sabrina Weglarz Marty Weinstein Marla Weinstein Joy Weinstein Joyce and Shelly Weiner Gregory White Connie Wild Cheryll Willis Nina Willey Kirk Willey Joyce Wingerter Barbara Withers Mary Ellen Wirin Zina Wolin Martin Wolin Joan Zakanych Laura Zakanych Liz Zevallos Arlyne Sue Zinstein 45
SCENE PRE-SHOW RECEPTIONS FOR THE WOMEN OF PADILLA
AT
TWO RIVER
On April 26th and 27th, Two River welcomed the Jersey Shore Women’s Tennis League and Rumson Garden Club for pre-show receptions prior to performances of The Women of Padilla. The JSWTL enjoyed hors d'oeuvres from Sickles Market and custom tennis ball cake pops from Lil’ Cutie Pops. Rumson Garden Club also enjoyed food from Sickles Market and custom paper boutonnieres created by Table Setting is My Life.
AN EVENING ON THE MUSICAL FRONTIER On Friday, May 12th, Two River hosted a benefit event featuring songs from musicals in development at the theater. The event included pre-show cocktails at the “Little Jo Saloon” followed by a performance including song selections from our new musicals in development, along with some familiar favorites. Special guest performers include Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Tony Award winner LaChanze, Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner and, from Two River’s musical The Ballad of Little Jo, Jane Bruce, Daniel K. Isaac, Eric William Morris, and Teal Wicks.
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All photos by Teja Anderson.
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