Sunlight by VIA MEDIA / BAYSTAGES

D I R E C T E D B Y B R I A N P. L U C E

BAY AREA PREMIERE • NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 12

presents

In Love and

Warcraft By Madhuri Shekar Directed by James Nelson

Custom Made Theatre • 533 Sutter Street, San Francisco • custommade.org AWA R D - W I N N I N G

ARCHITECTS with over 30 years of experience in commercial & residential projects

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EXPERIENCE LOCAL THEATRE Immerse yourself in the South Bay theatre scene. There are over 40 theatre companies for you to enjoy:

BootStrap Theater Foundation Broadway by the Bay California's Great America Canada College Theatre Arts Department Children's Musical Theater of San Jose City Lights Theater Co. City of Santa Clara-Roberta Jones Junior Theatre Coastal Repertory Theatre Dragon Productions Theatre Co.

A program of

Eastman Productions EnActe Arts Foothill College Theatre Arts Dept./Foothill Music Fox Theatre Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Co. Hillbarn Theatre IBP: Institute for Brain Potential/Musical Theatre John Bisceglie Presents Lively Foundation Los Altos Stage Company

Lyric Theatre Santa Clara Players Naatak Savage Wilde Traveling Northside Theatre Company Players Pacifica Spindrift Players Silicon Valley Shakespeare Palo Alto Children's Theatre sjDANCEco Palo Alto Players South Bay Musical Theatre Pear Avenue Theatre Sunnyvale Community Players Peninsula Youth Theatre Tabard Theatre Company PnCMusicCompany Teatro Vision Renegade Theatre The Academy Experiment TheatreWorks San Carlos Children's Theater Windy City Productions San Jose Stage

Photo: Sarah Moser and Wes Gabrillo in Palo Alto Players’ Eurydice. Photo by Joyce Goldschmid.

You can check out everything that’s playing at:

www.theatrebayarea.org

DIRECTOR’S NOTE 2120 Broadway Street Redwood City, CA 94063 650.493.2006 info@dragonproductions.net dragonproductions.net

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Katie Miller, interim board chair Brenda Kesler, secretary James Kasyan, treasurer Dale Albright Gennady Farber Janette Herceg Carolyn Compton Kimberly Mohne Hill Corinne Kason Meredith Hagedorn, ex officio

BOARD OF ADVISORS Jeff Birdwell Lessa Bouchard Ana-Catrina Buchser Lorianna + Mike Kastrop Barbara + Jerry Pierce Austin Grose

STAFF Meredith Hagedorn executive artistic director/ founder of dragon

Kimberly Wadycki managing director

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” - Vincent, Sunlight | Act I

It was late 2014 when asked Meredith asked me to read the script of Sunlight by Sharr White and see if I was interested in directing. I was unsure. I read the script twice and both times, I wasn’t quite sure what it was about. But, that’s the thing about Sharr White’s plays. They seem at once naturalistic and simple, but at the same time deeply complex. One continues delving deeper into detail after detail until one feels as if one has missed something. So, over the better part of a year, I went back to this play and Sharr’s other works and I came to realize that all his characters must shed light on some dark part of their lives. Sunlight made its premiere at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley in 2009. It is a “gripping political/family drama that centers on a liberal university president, his lawyer daughter, the dean of the Law School who is also his son-in-law, and the president’s executive assistant…” You got all that? Sunlight is loosely based on the controversy at UC Berkeley over Professor John Yoo’s legal memos condoning “enhanced” interrogation techniques. Each character in Sunlight makes a startling confession and must shed light on one horrible aspect of their being. This play teaches us to have the strength to move on and to release those infectious, inner shadows. After all... sunlight is the best disinfectant. On behalf of Dragon Theater, and the cast and crew, we all hope you enjoy our production of Sharr White’s Sunlight.

Brian P. Luce

Karen Altree Piemme associate director, 2nd Stages

Ashley Taylor Frampton production manager

Josiah Frampton front of house manager

Linda Olbourne company manager

@dragon_theatre

BAYSTAGES.COM • 2015.11

presents

by Sharr White SETTING: Present day at a small, private East coast university in early spring during a blizzard.

CAST [ IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER ]

Matthew....................................................................... Tom Bleecker Maryanne.............................................................Monica Cappuccini Charlotte.............................................................. Marjorie Hazeltine Vincent.............................................................................Ben Ortega

PRODUCTION STAFF Director......................................................................... Brian P. Luce Stage Manager...............................................................Jesse Ploog Scenic Designer..............................................................Jesse Ploog Sound Designer................................................Brittany S. Mellerson Lighting Designer................................................... William Campbell Properties Master........................................... Beth Covey-Snedegar Production Manager.................................... Ashley Taylor Frampton Technical Director........................................ Ashley Taylor Frampton Key Art Designer....................................................... Maggie Ziomek Special Thanks: Ed Glazier, Jesse Ploog, Vicky Rita, Vera Sloan, Kimberly Wadycki

There will be one 15-minute intermission. Performances: November 20 to December 13, 2015 Opening Night: Friday, November 20 with gala after the show Post-show discussion with the cast and director Sunday, December 6

Produced by special agreement with Dramatist’s Play Service. Videotaping or other recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

All images and/or content provided by Dragon Productions Theatre Company staff, contractors and/or creative artists unless otherwise credited. Opinions expressed by contractors, contributors and/or creative artists do not necessarily reflect the views of VIA MEDIA. Photo credits are included as provided.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES SHARR WHITE (Playwright), age 45, has been writing plays since the

1990s. They’ve been presented around the country, including at South Coast Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Lincoln Center Theatre’s Directors Lab and Key West Theatre Festival. Born in Frederick, Maryland, Mr. White moved to Southern California when he was young. The family moved to Boulder, Colorado for his junior high and high school years. After high school, he moved back to Southern California, took some time off and worked in a warehouse for a few years. Mr. White eventually went back to school where he planned to major in biology since his father is in the sciences. He also took some acting classes and decided to switch to theatre. Mr. White then moved to San Francisco to go to the A.C.T. [American Conservatory Theater] program. He didn’t get accepted into the program and ended up at San Francisco State for a little bit and then jumped over to A.C.T. and finished the acting program there. He started writing at A.C.T., though they didn’t have any writing classes. Mr. White graduated with an MFA in 1993 and was hooked on writing so he moved to New York. He gave up on acting to solely focus on writing. Mr. White says, “From there it was a long process for me, because I didn’t go to grad school for writing, I didn’t go to any writing programs, I wasn’t formally trained at all. I felt like when I reached a point in beginning to develop I didn’t have anyone to turn to, which was pretty isolating. My time in New York has been about writing, writing, writing. I did some self-producing in the ‘90s. The big break was with Humana Festival in 2006. I was able to start surfacing to people and I got a couple of commissions. It’s been a long process to get [to Broadway].” Sunlight had its world premiere at the Marin Theatre Company in 2010. Sunlight was followed by Annapurna, which debuted at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco and then moved to Los Angeles, where it featured Megan Mullally and her husband Nick Offerman. It then moved Off-Broadway with Mullally and Offerman. Mr. White made his Broadway debut in 2012 with The Other Place, which happened to close the Dragon Productions season in 2014. The Other Place was directed by Joe Mantello and featured Laurie Metcalf and Daniel Stern. The Other Place received two Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and Outstanding Actress In A Play (Laurie Metcalf). Laurie Metcalf also won an Obie Award for her performance and was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play. With this success under his belt, Mr. White then had his play The Snow Geese open Off-Broadway in 2013 with actress Mary-Louise Parker in a lead role. Mr. White, who is an advertising copywriter by day, lives in New York City and is currently writing Stupid Kid, a newly commissioned work for the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago.

TOM BLEECKER (Matthew) is honored and humbled to have the opportunity to portray Matthew in the timely and important drama Sunlight at the wonderful Dragon Theater. Previously at Dragon he played Udrea in The Star Without a Name and Petey in The Birthday Party. He also portrayed Baron Van Swieten in Amadeus at Hillbarn Theater, Jules in My Three Angels at Masquers Playhouse, and J. Alfred Prufrock in the Do It Live! devised production of The Love Song of J .Alfred Prufrock at the Bay One Act festival. He has worked as an actor, mime, puppeteer, in technical theatre, as a psychologist, and has studied at the American Conservatory Theater’s Studio A.C.T., Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, with Massachusetts’ Shakespeare & Company and many other places. MONICA CAPPUCCINI (Maryanne) has most recently worked with 4

BAYSTAGES.COM • 2015.11

Dragon Theatre (Show People, A Delicate Balance), Shotgun Players (The Coast of Utopia), African -American Shakes, (Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet), Hillbarn Theatre (Master Class, Lettice & Lovage), Impact Theatre (The Play About t he Nake d G uy ) , Pa l o A l t o Players (Eurydice), Custom Made Theatre (The Diary of Anne Frank, Top Girls), City Lights Theatre Company. (Equus), Cal Shakes (U/S, Romeo & Juliet), and TheatreWorks (New Works Festival). She is delighted to be returning to the Dragon.

MARJORIE HAZELTINE (Charlotte) returns to Dragon Productions as Charlotte in Sunlight. Recent credits include Hermia in Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Los Altos Stage Company), The Unknown in The Star Without a Name (Dragon Productions), Dale Pittman in The North Plan (Renegade Theatre Experiment), Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar

Named Desire (Northside Theatre), Lindsay in Some Girl(s) (Dragon Productions), and Catherine in Proof (Northside Theatre). Marjorie holds an MA in performance studies from UNC Chapel Hill and she currently teaches middle school English at The Harker School in San Jose.

BEN ORTEGA (Vincent) This is

Ben’s second show with Dragon Theatre. He was previously seen in the role of Joe in Steven Dietz’s Becky’s New Car in 2013. Ben was last seen on stage as Claude Pichon in Broadway West Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party in Fremont. Ben’s favorite roles include Johnny in Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Felix Ungar in The Odd Couple, George Hay in Moon Over Buffalo, Picasso in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Yvan in Art, Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men, Verdecchia/Wideload in the oneman show Fronteras Americana,

Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Buddy in Thunderbabe, Allan Felix in Play It Again, Sam and George in Same Time, Next Year. Ben studied acting at UCLA and privately with Lisa Chess. Ben is also a stand-up comedian and has performed in clubs on both coasts.

BRIAN P. LUCE (Director) is

thrilled to be making his Dragon Theatre debut. As a freelance director in the San Francisco Bay Area he would like to thank Dragon for their support and the freedom to create engaging, bold and uncommon theatrical work. After directing The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare at Silicon Valley Shakes, he obtained a position with California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, where he continues to work as the executive assistant to the managing director. With a passion for helping people, Brian’s proudest moment in the theater was working as a co-producer with the Vagina Monologues San Jose, where he helped raise over seven thousand dollars for Next Door Solutions, a local women’s shelter. Some of Brian’s memorable directing moments include Holy Ghosts (Linney), Reservoir (Nyswaner) and Lonestar (McLure). He also has assistant directed for acclaimed directors Danny Scheie and Kinan Valdez. An alum of University of California Santa Cruz, he holds a BA and graduate degree in theater directing. When not directing you can find Brian currently docenting at Año Nuevo State Park where he talks, a lot, about elephant seals.

JESSE PLOOG (Stage Manager

/Set Designer) is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona and is very excited to have been welcomed with open arms to California and the wonderful theatre here. Jesse’s previous Dragon credits include Or, (Props Master and Assistant Stage Manager), The Voice of the Prairie (Scenic Designer and Assistant Stage Manager), Take Me Out (Assistant Stage

Manager) and The Birthday Party (Assistant Stage Manager). Her University of Arizona credits include Frankenstein (Assistant Scenic Designer); A Little Night Music and This (Charge Artist); The Man Who Came to Dinner, Oklahoma!, and Boeing Boeing (Assistant Charge Artist). She would like to thank Dragon for another wonderful opportunity in this theatre, her fiancé for supporting her through her crazy life and her family for being awesome, even from Arizona.

BRITTANY S. MELLERSON

(Sound Designer) is a newcomer to Dragon Productions Theatre Company and recent graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory Program with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatrical Lighting and Sound design. Some of her recent credits include lighting design for Absolutely Fabulous at the Royal British Theatre Company and The Birthday Club of San Francisco Fringe. Others include Playhouse Jr’s Huck Finn, The Alchemists’ Lab (Sound Design), and Dark of the Moon (Assistant Lighting Design), Chess, Yo! Vikings (Audio Mixer), and Do Me! Date Me! Dumb Me! (Lighting Design) at the Rex Theatre. She’s extremely grateful to be working with such an incredible team of creative minds and helping hands.

BLEECKER

CAPPUCCINI

B E T H C O V E Y- S N E D E G A R

(Properties Master) has been on the stage and off since she was a little girl. Her passion for theatre inspired her to become a theatre arts instructor, teaching musical theatre, dance and acting to kids of all ages. She has done properties design for Dragon’s previous shows The Star Without A Name, Show People and The Woman in Black, performed in Harvey as Myrtle Mae at Crystal Springs Players, Bus Stop as Elma Duckworth and has directed The Mousetrap and The Bible: Abridged for Crystal Springs Players. In her off time, she is a first-time mom and owns her own floral design and special events company, Sassy Diva Designs and Events. 2015.11 • BAYSTAGES.COM

HAZELTINE

ORTEGA

NEXT AT DRAGON THEATRE

A ND C OM I N G F O R O U R 2016 se a son

MAIN STAGE U.S. Drag

by Gina Gionfriddo February 5 - February 28, 2016 | directed by Noelle GM Gibbs When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell May 6 - May 29, 2016 | directed by Kimberly Mohne Hill

2nd STAGE

Too Much, Too Much, Too Many by Meghan Kennedy March 25 - April 10, 2016 Anna Christie by Eugene O'Neill June 17 - July 3, 2016

Wild Boy by Oliver Goldstick July 29 - August 21, 2016 | directed by Ken Sonkin

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett September 16 - October 2, 2016

On the Verge (Or the Geography of Yearning) by Eric Overmyer October 14 - November 6, 2016 |directed by Karen Altree Piemme

Fiction by Steven Dietz December 2 - December 18, 2016

S U B S CR I B E N O W AT T H E BOX OFFICE OR AT d rag onproducti ons.net

STAFF MEREDITH HAGEDORN

(Executive Artistic Director/ Founder of Dragon) has been a professional actor and director in regional theatres across the country for almost thirty years. Meredith is the Executive Artistic Director and founder of Dragon Productions Theatre Company and is thrilled to be celebrating Dragon’s 15th season and the third in Dragon’s new home in Redwood City. Audiences last saw Meredith on the Dragon stage in 2013 as Allison in Rx and Meredith recently directed The Voice of the Prairie.

KIMBERLY WADYCKI (Managing

Director) graduated from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While pursuing her degree she was very active at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. She was the founding producer of On the Rocks, a series of student-written, directed and produced one-acts, sat on the administrative board of the Krannert Center Student Association for three years and was the student representative on the search committee to hire the new Executive Director of the Krannert Center. After moving back to St. Louis, she was heavily involved with St. Louis Shakespeare and Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre where she worked as a stage manager, board member and production manager. After a six-year hiatus, Kim has “un-retired” to become active with Dragon Productions Theatre Company.

K A R E N A LT R E E P I E M M E

(Associate Director, 2nd Stages) is an accomplished director, actor, dramaturg, workshop facilitator and acting instructor, specializing in community access to the arts. Ms. Piemme spent 21 years with San Jose Repertory Theatre, where she was the Director of Outreach and Resident Dramaturg. She also served as the Director of the

Red Ladder Theatre Company, the nationally-acclaimed, awardwinning resident outreach company, which empowers disenfranchised populations in our community by helping them develop positive life skills through the art form of theatre. Ms. Altree Piemme is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

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ASHLEY TAYLOR FRAMPTON

(Production Manager) matriculated from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Kent University, England with a BA in theatre arts, film and digital media, respectively. For the last decade she has worked internationally in both mediums as a stage manager, production manager, master electrician, properties designer, sound technician, editor and performer. Currently the Assistant Technical Director for San Francisco Sketchfest and a member of Actors’ Equity Association. When not in production, she trains with mêlée weapons at Davenriche European Martial Arts School where she is an assistant instructor and apprentice to Sir Steaphen Fick.

JOSIAH FRAMPTON (Front of

House Manager) is an actor in the Bay Area. The majority of his experience is in musical theatre throughout the South Bay. However, he has spent the majority of the last three years managing The Old Spaghetti Factory before being invited to join the Dragon team this season.

LINDA OLBOURNE (Company Manager) An accomplished stage manager, Linda enjoys being the administrative part of a creative team. Having worked in Bay Area theatre for over 14 years, she currently works for Dragon Productions Theatre Company to provide support to the staff, cast and crew each season. Linda continues to work with several other theaters as an actor, assistant director and dresser while maintaining a day job as an editor of children’s craft books. 2015.11 • BAYSTAGES.COM

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DONORS CORPORATE SPONSOR

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Rich Hagan + Mary Lou Torre • Meredith Hagedorn James Kasyan • Dr. Katharine Miller Silicon Valley Community Foundation Donor’s Circle for the Arts Andrew + Kimberly Wadycki FIRE BREATHERS [$1,000+]

Dale Albright + Bob Miller • The Benevity Community Impact Fund Monica Cappuccini and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation Gennady + Masha Farber • Janette Herceg • Kalobios Pharmaceutical, Inc. Brenda Kessler • Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission Charles + Nancy Riffle • Dan + Edna Schochat • Maggie Wilde JEWELS [$500+] Anonymous • Susan Benjamin • Cindy + Jim Harpel • David + Kimberly Hill George + Linda Kasyan • Molly Meschke • Barbara + Jerry Pierce Erik Strahm • Diane Talbert, In honor of Patty McGuigan WINGS [$100+] Brian Ayer + Jason Siefer • Elaine Baskin + Ken Krechmer • Max Beckman-Harned • Chris Beth Bluestone Imports • Louis Caputo • Carolyn + Daryl Compton • William Davidovich Dianne Ellsworth + Mike Wilbur • Carol + Ken Emmons • Janine Evans • Fidelity Charitable (Anonymous) Mary + Thomas Field • Ed Glazier • Lynn Gordon + David Simon • Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation Audrey Guerin, In Honor of Marlene Hagedorn • Ed Jones + Eddie Reynolds • Margy Kahn • Tim Kennedy Kristen Lo • Vera Luth • Elyce Melmon • Microsoft Employee Matching Program • Kiely Nose • David Pasta Karen Altree Piemme • Jeanette Piesciuk • Eva Salas • Kathleen Sullivan Cheryl Vander Waal, In Honor of Marlene Hagedorn • Darcie + Walter Wadycki Mary Walker • David Whitman • Alan Wortman

FANGS [$50+] Grace Adloff, In Memory of Marty Hagedorn • Scott Allaway • Kirk Baldwin Carol + Mark Bomball, In Memory of Marlene Hagedorn • John Ca • Deborah + George Doeltz • Bernard Golden Tom Gough • Karen Greig • Walter Johnson • Ellen Kirschman • Maria Marquis • Julie Montanari • Dinna Myers Donald Osterberg • Eylem Ozaslan • Mark + Susan Reaves • Thomas Sepez • Ruth Sherer Joan Sperans, In Honor of Luciana Profaca • Margo Thineman • Theresa Titus Steve Voldseth, In Memory of Marlene Hagedorn

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