Thomas and Sally

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P R O G R A M S | 2 0 1 7. 0 9


http://marintheatre.org


FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR My first thought when I finished reading Thomas Bradshaw’s Mary in 2009 was that I had just found a new writer who was not only holding a mirror up to nature, as Shakespeare and Hamlet suggest, but to the American subconscious. I began reading everything his agent would share with me. His writing inspired me and terrified me. His writing demanded to be viewed and discussed. Every play Thomas writes challenges the truths we Americans so casually accept about who we are and how we interact with each other and the world. He believes that we can become much better individuals and a much better nation if we can face and challenge the casual biases that prevent us from becoming one American family. He also wants to entertain, and he’s fairly ruthless about doing both with every word he writes. We decided to commission Thomas to write a play about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings in 2014. In our wide-ranging conversations, Thomas and I found we shared a passion for American history and specifically the history of Jefferson, Sally, the Hemings family and their complicated story and legacy. As Thomas pored through his research, we were astounded by the families’ interconnectedness. You will be amazed at what Thomas has uncovered and added to our conversations about our national past and our present. The Hemings’ story — Sally’s, James' and Betty’s specifically — need to be told and discussed. We need to more fully understand Jefferson’s contradictions. We need to more fully understand the lives of enslaved people who did not openly rebel against their enslavers but struggled to provide and protect for their families in the impossible circumstances of slavery. Thomas Bradshaw has embraced the challenge with this play and offered a starting place for new conversations. Three years after we began working on the text, we have a world premiere bursting to life on our stage. None of us could have foreseen how the legacies of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson would be exploding into the American public consciousness. This February, archaeologists discovered a small room just steps away from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello bedroom that artifacts suggest was the living quarters of Sally Hemings. In July, the violence in Charlottesville erupted, and suddenly there were suggestions that Jefferson’s statues should be taken down. As we prepared to enter rehearsals, this play suddenly felt even more immediate, urgent, and necessary than ever.

397 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941-2885 415.388.5200 info@marintheatre.org marintheatre.org Jasson Minadakis artistic director

Keri Kellerman

managing director

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fred W. Taylor, president Kipp Delbyck, vice president John Chesley, secretary Robin Rice, treasurer Terry Berkemeier Carl Berry Cheryl Brandon Beverly Butler Dave Chapman Suzanne Darley Nancy Goldberg Brian Haughton Susan Holdstein Barbara Kautz Buffy Miller Connie Oclassen Ivan Poutiatine Peter Poutiatine Bob Reynolds Stacy Scott Vickie Soulier Kim Todd H. Hugh Vincent, M.D. Suparna Vohra, D.D.S. Beth Wintersteen

Thank you for joining us for this world premiere commission. We eagerly await the conversations to come.

marintheatrecompany

Jasson Minadakis

@marintheatre.org

artistic director

2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1

marintheatre.org


mailto:ashleightw@marintheatre.org


FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR “American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” - James A. Baldwin This quote goes right to the heart of what I love about Thomas Bradshaw’s new play, Thomas and Sally. With this play, Thomas filters the complexities of our history through a very specific lens that lets us to imagine who these very public figures might have been in private. The result is funny, troubling, and deeply human – all the things that great theatre should be.

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Sali Lieberman 1966-1968

A.J. Esta

1968-1974

Will Marchetti 1974-1978

Michelle Swanson 1978 (6 Months)

Will Marchetti 1978-1983

Karl Rawicz 1983-1986

Will Marchetti 1986-1990

It typically takes a new play like Thomas and Sally about seven years to go from page to stage, including the time it takes to write it, develop it through readings and workshops, and find a theatre that wants to produce it for the first time. Thanks to the thriving new play program here at MTC, we were able to commission Thomas Bradshaw in 2014, develop Thomas and Sally for the last two years, and produce the world premiere at the start of our 2017-2018 season, bringing this important new play to our audiences in about three years.

Lee Sankowich

This accelerated process was made possible by the many individuals and organizations listed in the back of this playbill who stepped forward to support this play and our new play program. Their unwavering support has helped make Marin Theatre Company a nationally recognized leader in new play development and a champion of some of the most exciting writers working today.

Marin Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

In addition to these supporters, I’d also like to thank each of you in the audience tonight for taking a chance on a brand new play and trusting MTC to bring you theatre that makes you think and feel long after the curtain goes down. I hope you’ll join us after the performance for a post-show discussion with MTC’s artistic staff and members of the cast to continue the conversation. You can also join the conversation online by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where you’ll see live video streams from MTC artists and staff and other behind-the-scenes insights into the work we do in the theatre and in the community. Thank you for being a part of this play’s journey and welcome to the start of our 51st season. Warmly,

Keri Kellerman managing director

2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 3

1990-2006

Jasson Minadakis 2006-Present

Marin Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit theatre, which (among many other things)means that we pay our actors, directors, and designers for their excellent work.


BY

ROBERT O'HARA DIRECTED BY

MARGO HALL

sept. 26 - nov. 11 http://www.sfplayhouse.org sfplayhouse.org

http://www.42stmoon.org


M A R I N T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y presents

by Thomas Bradshaw

CAST [ IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER ]

Jupiter Evans, French Tailor..............................L. Peter Callender* Captain Hemings, Overseer, John Adams, Lafayette, Jacques, Man 1................................... Scott Coopwood* Simone, Martha Jefferson, Polly Jefferson............. Ella Dershowitz Karen, Abigail Adams, Patsy Jefferson...................... Rosie Hallett* James Hemings.................................................. William Hodgson* Robert Hemings, Hugo.....................................Cameron Matthews Sally Hemings.......................................................... Tara Pacheco* Thomas Jefferson...................................... Mark Anderson Phillips* John Wayles, Benjamin Franklin, French Cook, French Servant, Man 2.......................Robert Sicular* Betty Hemings, Renee..................................... Charlette Speigner* SETTING: The present and in Paris and Virginia from 1735 to 1789.

CREATIVE TEAM Director.............................................................. Jasson Minadakis Scenic Designer ...................................................... Sean Fanningº Lighting Designer............................................................ Mike Post Costume Designer................................................... Ashley Holvick Sound Designer​........................................... Theodore J.H. Hulsker Stage Manager......................................................... Betsy Norton* Dialect Coach.........................................................Jessica Berman Casting Director............................................................ Dori Jacob Dramaturg ....................................................... Laura A. Brueckner Assistant Director............................................... Jemier B. Jenkins Thomas and Sally was commissioned by Marin Theatre Company. * Member of Actors' Equity Association. This theater operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. º Member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

PERFORMANCE DATES: September 28 to October 22, 2017 BOYER THEATRE, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941-2885 The performance runs approximately two hours. There will be two ten-minute intermissions. Please note the location of all exits. Please turn off your cell phones. Photography, videotaping or recording of this production is strictly prohibited. Please feel free to enjoy beverages purchased from the MTC Café in the theater. 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 5

ADVISORY BOARD Linden Berry Joseph Bodovitz Jerry Cahill David Catania Bobbie Chapman Michael Dyett Doug Ferguson Diana Gay-Catania Gerry Goldsholle Brian Golson Gale Gottlieb Gail Harris Tracy Haughton Peter Jacobi Kimberly Jessup Dirk Langeveld Lori Lerner Melanie Maier Peter Maier Tina McArthur Iris Metz Kiki Pescatello Andrew Poutiatine Chris Raker Laura Scott Dana Shapiro Gary Shapiro Christopher B. Smith Tara Sullivan Kathleen Taylor Jennifer Yang Weedn Phillip Woodward


AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER PRESENTS

2016 CRITICS’ PICK!

THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME OUT NEW YORK, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS BY BESS WOHL DIRECTED BY RACHEL CHAVKIN

BEGINS OCT 11 AT A.C.T’S STRAND THEATER

ACT-SF.ORG

http://www.act-sf.org

415.749.2228


PRODUCTION TEAM Production Manager........................................................ Mike Post Asst. Production Manager....................................... Rachel Hurado Technical Director........................................................... Jeff Klein Master Electrician.................................................... Danny Osburn Costume Shop Manager.............................................. Sarah Smith Assistant Technical Director....................................... Liam Rudisill Assistant Master Electrician.......................................... Celia Chen Costume Director........................................................ Naomi Arnst Cutter/Draper...............................................................Kitty Wilson First Hand................................................................. Tasa Gleason Stitchers........................................................................... Linda Ely Coeli Polansky Jessa L. Dunlap Volunteer Hand Stitching.......................................... Suzanne Ryan Wig Master............................................................... Jessica Carter Wardrobe.................................................................... Noelle Clary Brigid Ridge Rehearsal Production Assistant...............................Jessica Stumpf Production Assistant................................................. Alex Saunders Carpenters.................................................................. Mike Ferrell Xander Ritchie Properties Artisan....................................................... Liam Rudisill Scenic Charge Artist....................................Zoe Gopnick-McManus Scenic Artist............................................................... Nessa Nemir Light Board Operator.................................................... Celia Chen Electricians............................................................... Cassie Barnes Charles Clear Melissa Ramirez Minerva Ramirez Ericka Sokolower-Shain Miranda Waldron

SPECIAL THANKS: Renee Billingslea, Brandi Catanese, Lue Douthit, Annette Gordon-Reed, Noah Griffin, Margot Melcon, Evren Odcikin, Antje Oegel, and California Shakespeare Theatre. Please join us for a Q+A discussion led by a member of our artistic staff immediately following this performance (except on Saturdays and opening and closing nights).

All images and/or content provided by Marin 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 Marin Theatre Company or VIA MEDIA. Photo credits are included as provided. Program designed and published by VIA MEDIA 415.552.8040 | advertise@via.media © Copyright 2017 • VIA MEDIA, a division of Caselli Partners LLC All Rights Reserved 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 7

SERVICES + INFORMATION ARRIVE ON TIME: Performances begin promptly. Late patrons will be seated at a designated seating break or possibly intermission. Patrons returning late from intermission will be seated at the discretion of the house manager. MTC CAFÉ: Food and beverages are available before performances and during intermission. Save time and order intermission refreshments prior to the start of the performance. Drinks are allowed in the theater but food is not. RECYCLING: Please help MTC conserve resources. Recycle your programs in the racks provided on the way out of the theatre, and use the labeled recycling bins for cans, bottles and paper. RECORDING EQUIPMENT: The use of sound, video or photographic recording equipment during performances is prohibited. LISTENING DEVICES: For patrons with impaired hearing, listening devices are available for free. Please see the box office for details. OPEN CAPTIONING: Available during Thursday matinee performances for patrons who are hard of hearing or deaf. Contact box office for dates and times. For information about physical and program access at MTC, please call 415.388.5208 or dial 711 to use the California Telecommunications Relay Service.


broadway by the bay presents

Music by

Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed Lyrics by

Arthur Freed

DirectOR

ALEX PEREZ CHOREOGRAPHER

ROBYN TRIBUZI

http://www.broadwaybythebay.org| 650.FOX.7770 | 2215 Broadway, Redwood City 11..03.17 to 11..19.17 | broadwaybythebay.org

http://www.hillbarntheatre.org


STAFF Artistic Director.................................................. Jasson Minadakis Managing Director................................................... Keri Kellerman Literary Manager & Resident Dramaturg.......... Laura A. Brueckner Casting Director............................................................ Dori Jacob Company Manager & Artistic Assistant............... Trevor Scott Floyd Playwright in Residence.................................... Lauren Gunderson Playwrights Under Commission..........................Thomas Bradshaw Lauren Gunderson Martyna Majok Amelia Roper Director of Development..................................Angela M. Colombo Development Associate...............................................Julia Ludwig Grant Writer....................................................Aurélia Fisher Cohen Finance Manager.......................................................Safi Manzoor Office Manager......................................................... Pablo Hamlin Auditors......................... Wilson, Markle, Stuckey, Hardesty + Bott LLP Director of Education............................................. Ashleigh Worley Resident Teaching Artist.......................................... Hannah Keefer Artistic Direction Interns....................... Giselle Boustani-Fontenele Alessandro McLaughlin Education Intern..................................................... Grace Helmcke Literary Intern............................................................. David Irving Stage Management Intern........................................... Brigid Ridge. Director of Marketing & Communications.................... Sara Waugh Graphic Designer............................................................ Jeff Berlin Communications & Public Relations Associate............Kate Robinson Director of Ticketing & Audience Services.......... Trevor Scott Floyd Audience Services Manager.................................. Haley Bertelsen Front of House Associates........................................ Elliott Hanson Sophie Nelson Zphyna Caldwell Café Associates......................................................... Sue Urquhart Janet Friedman Carol Price

BOX OFFICE + TICKETING 415.388.5208 | Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00 PM Open noon until show time on performance days. MAIN STAGE GROUP SALES: Groups of 8 or more receive a discounted rate plus one free ticket for the organizer. 415.388.5200 X:3323 | boxoffice@marintheatre.org. TICKET DISCOUNTS: Teens - $10. Under 30 - $22. Seniors - $4. Discounts apply to all performances except opening nights. (Must show valid ID.) Visit our website to join our email list, learn about our plays, purchase tickets, and more. marintheatre.org

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A THOMAS AND SALLY TIMELINE Circa 1734: Likely near Williamsburg, Virginia, Captain John Hemings, an English sea captain, becomes sexually involved with an enslaved African woman. The next year, the woman will bear a daughter, Elizabeth (“Betty”) Hemings. Due to the Virginia colonial legislature’s 1662 decision to revive the ancient Roman law of partus sequitur ventrem (a child inherits free or enslaved status from its mother) rather than the English law of primogeniture (a child inherits status and property from the father), Betty is born into lifelong slavery. Her father will later attempt to buy her freedom, but her owner will refuse. 1746: John Wayles, an English-born lawyer, plantation owner, and slave trader living in Virginia, marries Martha Eppes at the Eppes’ family plantation, Bermuda Hundred. The marriage contract shows that the new Mrs. Martha Eppes Wayles comes into the marriage owning Betty Hemings and at least five other enslaved people, plus “shares” in three others. 1748-1761: Martha Eppes Wayles gives birth to a daughter, Martha Wayles (who will later marry Thomas Jefferson), but dies a week later, leaving baby Martha in the care of 13-year-old Betty Hemings. Wayles remarries; his second wife, Tabitha, dies, leaving three daughters. Wayles’ third wife, Elizabeth, dies within a year, childless. During this time, Betty Hemings bears four children to an unknown man or men, likely enslaved: Mary Hemings (1753), Martin Hemings (1755), Betty Brown (1759), and Nancy Hemings (1761). Like their mother, all of these children are enslaved to John Wayles. 1761: John Wayles and Betty Hemings become sexually involved; Betty bears five children to Wayles between 1762 and 1770: Robert (1672), James (1765), Thenia (1767), Critta (1769), and Peter (1770). All share three-quarters white ancestry; all are half-siblings to his daughter, Martha; and all are born into slavery. 1773: John Wayles dies, leaving substantial property (human and otherwise) but also a staggering pile of complex debt. His daughter Martha and her new husband, Thomas Jefferson, inherit over 100 enslaved people. A pregnant Betty Hemings and her children are among them; her last daughter, named Sarah (“Sally”), is born at Monticello. 1776: While the Revolutionary War rages, Thomas is often away from Monticello—chiefly in Philadelphia. He is appointed to the “Committee of Five” charged with drafting the Declaration of Independence (which he does, mostly on his own, in about 17 days). The new U.S. Congress accepts the Declaration. Martha Jefferson falls ill; Thomas resigns from Congress and returns to Monticello to be with her. 1781: British General Cornwallis dispatches Colonel Banastre Tarleton with troops to take the American legislators gathering in Charlottesville. Warned by a young commoner of the impending raid, Thomas sends his family to a neighboring farm, warns the other lawmakers staying with him at Monticello, and then flees to join his family. Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown to combined American and French forces in October; the Revolutionary War ends. 1 0 | BAYSTAGES.COM • 2017.09


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1782: Following her sixth pregnancy (and after extracting a promise from Thomas to never remarry) Martha Wayles Jefferson dies. Her death leaves Thomas shattered and incoherent with grief; he is 39 years old. Only three of their six children will survive infancy: Martha (“Patsy”), Mary (“Polly”), and Lucy Elizabeth. Depressed and preoccupied with his political work, Thomas sends all three daughters to live with the family of his dead wife’s sister, Elizabeth Eppes—along with Betty Hemings’ youngest daughter, Sally. 1784: Thomas Jefferson is called to take Benjamin Franklin’s place as the American minister to France, to ensure the continued flow of money to the new nation. He takes Patsy with him, as well as Betty Hemings’ son, James, for whom he secures an apprenticeship with a master chef. Three months after their arrival in Paris, Thomas’ youngest daughter, Lucy Elizabeth, dies in Virginia; he panics and demands that the Eppeses send his remaining daughter, Polly, to join him and Patsy in Paris. They resist for two years, but he will eventually prevail. 1786: Thomas meets Maria Cosway, an accomplished painter, ravishing beauty...and married woman. They spend the summer roaming France with friends, seeking out artistic exhibits. When Thomas and Maria part (on her husband’s insistence), he writes his famed letter to her, “A Dialogue between the Head and Heart,” in which his reason struggles against—but ultimately overcomes—his emotions. 1787: In July, after a five-week voyage across the Atlantic, and a brief stay in London with Abigail and John Adams, eight-year-old Polly Jefferson arrives in Paris—with the enslaved 14-year-old Sally Hemings as her attendant. This surprises the Adamses and Thomas, who had ordered that Polly be attended by an older woman who had already had smallpox. Sally is given a household maid’s salary, but very light duties. She will be inoculated for smallpox in November. JUL 1789: The French Revolution erupts. Groups of French commoners and sympathetic soldiers storm the Bastille, execute its garrison commander, and parade his head through the streets of Paris on a pike. AUG 1789: General Lafayette (with assistance from Thomas Jefferson) writes the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, articulating the values of the French Revolution. It is adopted by the new French National Assembly.

RODGERS REIMAGINED | KYLE RIABKO

Canadian actor-singer brings his pop-rock sensibility to theatre classics, rearranging them with a contemporary spin. ( sh-k-boom.com )

SIX WIVES | YORK THEATRE CAST

Concert version of the Joe Masteroff-Edward Thomas score with Judy Kaye, Alexandra Silber, and Alexander Gemignani. ( jayrecords.com )

S P O N G E B O B S Q U A R E PA N T S

Original songs by Steven Tyler, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Lady Antebellum, John Legend, and others. ( masterworksbroadway.com )

OCT 1789: Thomas Jefferson is granted a temporary leave of absence from Paris, and returns to Virginia. He is accompanied by still-enslaved Sally Hemings, already pregnant with his child; her brother, James, now a trained French chef, but still enslaved; and his daughters, Patsy and Polly. When their ship docks in Norfolk the following month, Thomas will learns that he has been appointed U.S. Secretary of State. None of them ever returns to Paris. - Laura A. Brueckner

DON’T MONKEY WITH BROADWAY

The original “all guts, all glory” theatre diva Patti LuPone offers sage advice on a career-spanning live double-CD set. (broadwayrecords.com ) 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 1


WHEN HISTORY MOVES Thomas Bradshaw's world-premiere play, Thomas and Sally, begins with a conversation between two college roommates, Karen and Simone. Karen is writing a paper on Thomas Jefferson. Simone has a Jefferson story to share, but first cautions her friend, “I'm not a historian. You might want to do some fact checking before you go writing what I'm about to tell you in your paper.” Without missing a beat, her friend agrees to do so. This brief exchange is only one of many moments of intentional disjoint in Bradshaw's challenging, swiftlymoving play. The point it slyly makes—blink and you'll miss it—is that fact-checking the story we're about to witness is a literal impossibility. The written historical record offers a dizzying amount of data on Thomas Jefferson, of course, including logs of everywhere he traveled during his government service; numerous writings, public and private; architectural renderings for buildings he designed; and his famous Farm Book, where he kept obsessive records of every aspect of Monticello's daily economic life.

However, it holds nothing about how he interacted with or felt about Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who lived with him in Paris and Virginia and bore him six children. If there is no record of this dimension of the life of one of the most studied Founding Fathers, how much less likely is it that the thoughts and feelings of Sally Hemings herself would have been captured for posterity? No writings of hers have survived, if she did write; no portraits of her exist. In Jefferson's Farm Book, hers are the only enslaved children whose father's name is left blank. Bradshaw's play forcefully reminds us that one of the forms of violence that slavery inflicted upon the enslaved was erasure. But the fact that the historical record tells us nothing about what Sally Hemings thought or felt does not mean that she thought and felt nothing. Far from it—the facts of her life that have been established by primary sources indicate a woman of remarkable personal effectiveness, who negotiated with a future U.S. president and secured freedom for her children in a world where both were unthinkable for an enslaved woman. As he began his research, playwright Bradshaw became fascinated with how such a person might have interacted with others in a society founded on ideals of freedom, but warped in ways large and small by the hungers of a professionally racist power class addicted to the economic, sexual, and legal exploitation of others. This intense conflict is what gives Thomas and Sally its energy and its edge.

BRADSHAW 1 2 | BAYSTAGES.COM • 2017.09

We do know some historical facts about Sally’s life. She was born enslaved to Thomas Jefferson and his wife, Martha; she was separated from her mother and siblings at fourteen years old and sent across the Atlantic Ocean as a nanny for eight-year-old Polly Jefferson. Living in Paris with Jefferson, his daughters, and her own brother, James, she was paid a wage, received smallpox inoculation, attended balls, and learned French; discovering that she would be legally free under French law, she refused to return to Virginia with the wealthy, much older man who owned and had impregnated


her. Finally, after extracting a “solemn pledge” from this man that her children would be free, she sailed for America with him, his daughters, and her brother, just as Paris began to convulse with the first violent spasms of the French Revolution. All of these facts, drawn from financial records, letters, and the memoirs of Sally’s son, Madison, are faithfully reflected in Bradshaw’s play. This does not mean that Thomas and Sally is a “history play,” seeking only to string together factual details as appealingly as possible. Bradshaw’s approach is fresh, dynamic, and in places deliberately anachronistic; several characters and events are entirely fabricated. The play takes its scenario from history, but the point of its highly stylized storytelling is to show how the human urges, errors, inconsistencies, and hypocrisies that shaped America’s past continue to warp our laws and public discourse about race and power in the present. Bradshaw also intentionally departs from the content and style of preexisting narratives about who the enslaved were and how they behaved that he feels have been designed to place white audiences at a comfortable distance from slavery. These narratives, popular in Hollywood and on the stage, traffic in lushly designed sequences of violence against Black bodies, artful images of people toiling in photogenic cotton fields, and portrayals of enslaved people as a unified, monolithic group who nobly stood up for one another (except for rare bad apples, who were then suitably punished), sang spirituals, and spoke in what historian Annette Gordon-Reed calls the “one universal and timeless dialect” of Southern slavery. Bradshaw seeks to explode these notions, and any others that render slavery as anything other than bizarre, complex, and shaped on all sides by the human craving for control. One last word about history: it never stands still. This is true in the sense that researchers are continuously revisiting evidence left by the past with new eyes and tools, drawing new conclusions about how it all worked. It's also true in the sense that, at any moment, any of us can find ourselves in the midst of events that are clearly massive in scope and impact—history crashing into us, whether we like it or not. As it turned out, both of these dynamics affected the development of Thomas and Sally. New understandings about how Monticello worked surfaced in February of this year, when the Washington Post published a news story about a major archaeological find inside the house: the small room—“just steps away from Thomas Jefferson’s bedroom”—that historians believe housed Sally Hemings; it is now

being excavated and restored. Suddenly, Sally Hemings was in the news, everywhere, and so was her involvement with Thomas Jefferson—and so were hundreds (probably thousands) of passionate exclamations about the nature of their sexual relationship. Blogs and article comment sections filled up quickly with fiercely polarized responses impossible to reconcile: the story of their relationship is purely a hoax; the story of their relationship is purely rape; the story of their relationship is less important than Jefferson’s contributions to the nation; the story of their relationship proves that the nation Jefferson and men like him founded is irredeemably corrupt. Every new article resulted in a conflagration of anger on all sides. Rather than sidestep the debate, Bradshaw decided to give it room in the script itself: “Current events have brought out some things in sharper relief,” he said, during a recent conversation. “I had to keep thinking about the idea of agency when you have limited agency. What I ultimately decided was to have the argument out there on the stage; we can’t hide from it, can’t pretend there aren’t different points of view.” Thomas and Sally also changed in response to the racist violence in Charlottesville—a definite instance of history crashing into us unbidden. The fact that the white supremacists had gathered at the University of Virginia, specifically around a statue of Thomas Jefferson, had big ramifications for the production. Originally, Bradshaw’s script had not specified the location of Karen and Simone’s school; starting in about June, director Jasson Minadakis had begun to envision MTC’s production at UVA, founded by Jefferson himself in 1819. That location, however, was clearly no longer suitable. Not only did we not want MTC to appear to elbow its way into the discourse on a national tragedy, eager for a shot of cheap “relevance,” we felt that setting the play too close to that charged spot would also damage the play. Many of the outrageous things that Bradshaw’s characters say so openly—which is really them just speaking aloud the outrageous, usually unspoken realities of their world—can only be said by characters who feel safe, immune to not only the consequences but even the real meaning of their own words. Bradshaw, deciding that UVA could not provide the kind of buffer his characters would need in order to say what he wanted them to say, decided to set the play in Vermont. The original set design also needed to change. For months, the set developed by designer Sean Fanning had featured the UVA’s statue of Thomas Jefferson dead center, with Jefferson initially gazing over the stage and all that unfolded upon it with monumental 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 3


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indifference. While our team had closely tracked the conversations roaring across the country about pulling down statues of men who fought for the Confederacy, and watched the blaze expand to include statues of Founding Fathers who had owned slaves (especially hot on college campuses), this had all felt quite in keeping with our use of the statue—a symbol of America’s conflicted nature, frozen in time, which we can today neither deny nor celebrate. The racists’ high-visibility appropriation of Jefferson’s statue, however, was a game-changer. The statue now meant something it hadn’t meant before the awful event we now call, simply, “Charlottesville.” History had crashed into our set design. Designer Fanning, fully equal to the task, researched dozens of other statue designs, finally settling with Bradshaw and Minadakis on a version that spoke to both the remoteness of Jefferson’s image as American icon and to current realities about what statues of American icons can and do mean to American audiences.

SPEIGNER, CALLENDER

A word to the wise: when history moves, watch out.

Having now spent almost a year in the world of Thomas and Sally with Thomas Bradshaw and Jasson Minadakis (who have been working on it together for more than two years prior to that), having had the luxury of two separate development workshops to sound its depths and listen to its rhythms, what I can say with confidence about this very unique and challenging play is that it is an exploration. It’s an exploration of America, past and present, to uncover truths that many Americans have been taught to gloss over or distance ourselves from because they threaten our self-interest, our self-perception as good, compassionate, progressive people. It is an exploration done in order to clear away easy assumptions to make room for more honest conversations about the very real issues it presents, conversations that ideally lead to real action. It’s not about — it’s never been about — making us comfortable. The truth is that we can never know what Thomas or Sally actually thought or felt when they were in a room alone together. We can speculate, based on their ages and how sexual and economic power works; we can rage, based on the known horrors of slavery and today’s miasma of racial injustice; we can project our own values, today, onto theirs, 300 years ago; but we will never, , know. What we can do is keep exploring. - Laura A. Brueckner

COOPWOOD, SICULAR, HODGSON FIRST DAY OF REHEARSAL PHOTOS PACHECO, PHILLIPS

DERSHOWITZ, MATTHEWS

rehearsal images: jeff berlin

Many MTC supporters have asked us, “Ultimately, what is this commissioned play, Thomas and Sally? What's the best interpretive lens for us to use to understand what it's up to — is it a comedy? Satire? Is it historical fiction? Is it, heaven forbid, some kind of twisted romance? If it’s not ‘psychological realism’” [hint: it’s not], “what is it?”

2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 5


ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

CALLENDER

COOPWOOD

DERSHOWITZ

L. PETER CALLENDER* (Jupiter Evans, French Tailor) returns to MTC having appeared as Mr. M in My Children! My Africa!, Seven Guitars, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Convert, and Swimmers. Peter is artistic director of African-American Shakespeare Company, where he performed as Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, and directed Twelfth Night, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Raisin in the Sun, Much Ado About Nothing, and Jitney. Other directing credits include Safe House (Aurora Theatre Company), and Jitney (Outstanding Director, Theatre Tampa Bay Award) and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (American Stage Company, St. Petersburg, Outstanding Director, Theatre Tampa Bay Award nomination). He is an artistic associate at California Shakespeare Theater having appeared in over twenty-five productions. Favorite roles include slangtalkman and Sykes in Spunk, Pickering in Pygmalion, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Bolingbroke in Richard II, Roebuck Ramsden in Man and Superman (California Shakespeare Theater), Robert Mugabe in Breakfast with Mugabe, Sam in “Master H a r o l d ”… a n d t h e b o y s , and Permanent Collection (Aurora Theatre Company). lpetercallender.com

HALLETT

SCOTT K. COOPWOOD * (Captain Hemings, Overseer, J o h n A d a m s , La f a y e t t e, Jacques, Man 1) is thrilled to return to MTC after ten years. His regional favorites include the title roles in Cyrano De Bergerac, Cymbeline, Macbeth, King John, and Hamlet. Scott just finished this summer at the Colorado

HODGSON

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Shakespeare Festival playing Marcus Brutus and Petruchio at America's second oldest Shakespeare festival. Other regional theatre includes Artists Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Center REPertory Company, Magic Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival, OSF-UCF, Seattle S h a k e s p e a r e C o m p a n y, Orlando Shakespeare Company, Portland Center Stage, Capital Stage Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, Profile Theatre Project, and San Francisco Playhouse. He has also worked with symphony orchestras in Toronto, Windsor, Eugene, Chicago, and Oregon. ELLA DERSHOWITZ (Simone, Martha Jefferson, Polly Jefferson) is so excited to be performing in the Bay Area for the first time! She previously appeared in Thomas Bradshaw’s Intimacy OffBroadway at The New Group. Other Off-Broadway and New York City credits include Can You Forgive Her? (Vineyard Theatre), Connected (59E59), Card and Gift (Clubbed Thumb), On the Verge (Attic Theatre), and A Splintered Soul (Theatre Three). Regional credits include 4,000 Miles and You Will Remember Me (Hudson Stage), Visitors and The Screenwriter’s Daughter (Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse), and Twelfth Night (Payomet). Television and film credits include Phil Spector (HBO), The Affair (Showtime), Lie to Me (Fox), Knife Fight, Two-Bit Waltz, Addiction: A 60s Love Story, I Am Michael, and the upcoming Pitching Tents. Ella received her training at Yale University and LAMDA.


ROSIE HALLETT* (Karen, Abigail Adams, Patsy Jefferson) is delighted and honored to return to MTC. She previously appeared here in peerless, Native Son, and The Way West. Other credits include The Country House (TheatreWorks), Top Girls and Harry Thaw Hates Everybody (Shotgun Players), The Winter’s Tale (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), Status Update (Center REPertory Company), and Smut and You Know When the Men Are Gone (Word for Word). Rosie is also an associate artist at Word for Word. When not in the Bay Area, she can often be found performing English language theatre in Paris with The Big Funk Company. Rosie is a company member of PlayGround and a graduate of Stanford University. WILLIAM HODGSON* (James Hemings) is making his first appearance at MTC with Thomas and Sally. He is an artist, an activist, and an educator. William has appeared locally at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare T h e a t e r, T h e a t r e W o r k s , Shotgun Players, and Berkeley Playhouse. Other credits include An Octaroon (Mixed Blood Theatre), Ragtime (Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (La Jolla Playhouse), El Henry (San Diego Repertory Theatre), and I Am My Own Wife (Ubuntu Theater Project). He trained at Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Santa Fe University, and University of California, San Diego. William is the co-artistic director of Ubuntu Theater Project in Oakland. “Peace.” C A M E R O N M AT T H E W S (Robert Hemings, Hugo) was last seen at MTC in peerless.

His Bay Area credits include VS. (TheatreFIRST), all of what you love and none of what you hate and Colossal (San Francisco Playhouse), Call It Off (Mojo Theatre), One Minute Play Festival (Z Space), and Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre. Cameron is thrilled to be working with MTC and is grateful to be a part of this production. He thanks God for his many blessings. Cameron sends much love and appreciation to his family and friends for all of their support, especially his mom, Sophia, and his grandmother, Ama. “Love you, Mom! Love you Ama! This one's for you” TA R A PAC H E C O * ( S a l l y Hemings) is making her MTC debut. A New York native, she has performed in new plays such as The Mysteries (The Flea Theater), The Place We Built (Signature Theatre), Stacking the Brooms (Ars Nova), and productions at the Public Theater, the New Ohio, and the Adirondack Theatre Festival. Tara has devised work with Blessed Unrest, the Jewish Plays Project, New Georges, Fresh Ground Pepper, and the People's Improv Theater. Her most recent television appearance was on NBC's Shades of Blue. Tara is a graduate of Columbia University and the British American Drama Academy. MARK ANDERSON PHILLIPS* (Thomas Jefferson) appeared Off-Broadway in Ideation (59E59). His regional and international credits include Hir (world premiere), True West, and Stones in His Pockets (Magic Theatre), The Velocity of Autumn, Fallen Angels, Time Stands Still, The 39 Steps, Opus, and The Grapes of Wrath (TheatreWorks), 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 7

MATTHEWS

PACHECO

PHILLIPS

SICULAR

SPEIGNER


Baskerville!, Noises Off, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Witness for the Prosecution, and A Christmas Carol (Center REPertory Company), Clybourne Park (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), Stage Kiss and Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party (San Francisco Playhouse), The Big Meal, The Weir, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night (San Jose Repertory Theatre), As You Like It and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), Good People, Waiting for Godot, and Tiny Alice (Marin Theatre Company), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Arizona Theatre Company), Double Indemnity (A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle), Salomania, Miss Julie, Salome, and Small Tragedy ( Au r o r a T h e a t r e Company), Measure for Measure and Henry V (California Shakespeare Theater), and Joan Rivers - Work in Progress by a Life in Progress (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). markandersonphillips.com ROBERT SICULAR* (John Wayles, Benjamin Franklin, French Cook, French Servant, Man 2) is a Bay Area native, who is delighted to return to MTC where he was previously seen as Uncle Charlie in August: Osage County, William Fox in Fetch Clay Make Man, Marvin in Magic Forest Farm, and Mr. Lockhart (aka the Devil) in The Seafarer. He has also performed locally with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Word for Word, PlayGround, San Jose Repertory Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and the California/ Berkeley Shakespeare Festival. Other credits include work with the Denver Center Theatre Company, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, 1 8 | BAYSTAGES.COM • 2017.09

Sacramento Theatre Company, the Colorado, Lake Tahoe, Santa Fe Shakespeare Festival, the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, and eight years with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Screen credits include the Sci-Fi comedy thriller, Never Die Twice, the Bollywood potboiler Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, and the role of Dad in Josh Kornbluth’s Love and Taxes. Robert has recurring roles on General Hospital and The Young and the Restless. He attended the University of California, Berkeley and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. robertsicular.com CHARLETTE SPEIGNER* (Betty Hemings, Renee) is delighted to make her debut at MTC in Thomas and Sally. Some of her theatre work includes productions at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Pegasus Players, and Eclipse Theatre. Film and television credits include For the Cause and Chicago PD. THOMAS BRADSHAW (Playwright) recently premiered his plays Carlyle at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago (2015-2016 season) and Fulfillment at American Theater Company in Chicago and The Flea Theater in New York (2015 co-premiere). Other plays include Intimacy and Burning (New Group), Mary (Goodman Theatre), Job and Dawn (The Flea Theater), The Bereaved (Crowded Fire Theater, Partial Comfort, and the State Theater of Bielefeld in Germany), and Southern Promises (PS122). He is the recipient of a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2010 Prince Prize, a 2012 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award, a 2016 Doris Duke Implementation Grant,


and a 2017 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theatre Award. Thomas has been featured as one of ten playwrights to watch by Time Out New York and was named best provocative playwright by the Village Voice. A compilation of his work, Intimacy and Other Plays, was recently published by TCG. He is an associate professor at Northwestern University, and is currently under commission from the Royal National Theatre in London, the Goodman Theatre and Second City in Chicago, and the Foundry Theatre in New York. JASSON MINADAKIS (Director) is in his twelfth season as artistic director of MTC, where he has directed Guards at the Taj, August: Osage County, The Invisible Hand, Anne Boleyn, The Convert, The Whale, Failure: A Love Story, the world premiere of Lasso of Truth, The Whipping Man (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Excellence in Theatre Award for Production and Acting Ensemble), Waiting for Godot, Othello, The Glass Menagerie, Edward Albee’s Tiny Alice, the world premiere of Libby Appel’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Seagull, Happy Now?, Equivocation (SFBATCC Excellence in Theatre Award for Direction), the world premiere of Sunlight, Lydia, The Seafarer, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, A Streetcar Named Desire, said Saïd, Love Song, and The Subject Tonight is Love. As artistic director of Actor’s Express Theatre Company, he directed The Pillowman, Bug, The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Echoes of Another Man, Killer Joe, Burn This, The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?, Blue/Orange, and Bel Canto. As producing artistic director of Cincinnati

Shakespeare Festival, Jasson directed Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Chagrin Falls (2002 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for best production), and nineteen productions of Shakespeare. Regional credits include The Whipping Man (Virginia Stage Company), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Hamlet (Georgia Shakespeare), Copenhagen (Playhouse on the Square, 2003 Ostrander Theatre Award for Best Dramatic Production), and Bedroom Farce (Wayside Theatre.) JESSICA BERMAN (Dialect Coach) is a dialect, voice, and text coach. Her previous work at MTC includes The Legend of Georgia McBride, Native Son, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, and August: Osage County. Jessica has led dialect workshops for the Royal Shakespeare Company and has taught voice, speech, and dialects at University of California, Berkeley, Academy of Art University, and American Conservatory Theater’s Summer Training Congress. Recent dialect coaching credits include Monsoon Wedding, An Octoroon, and Hand to God (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Baltimore Waltz, Sojourners, runboyrun, and Fred’s Diner (Magic Theatre), Fences (California Shakespeare Theater), Jerusalem (San Francisco Playhouse), and Punk Rock, Tomorrow, and The Life to Come (American Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory). She earned an MA in professional voice practice from the Birmingham School of Acting and an MFA in voice studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. S E A N FA N N I N G ( S c e n i c Designer) is a designer based in Southern California. He 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 9

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previously designed scenes for My Mañana Comes at MTC. San Diego credits include Full Gallop, A Doll’s House, Kingdom, and Plaid Tidings (The Old Globe), Evita, Manifest Destinitis, The Oldest Boy, Everybody’s Talkin’, Honky, and In the Heights (San Diego Repertory Theatre), On the Twentieth Century, Animal Crackers, Bad Jews, Seven Guitars, King Hedley II, Gypsy, The Whale, and Sons of the Prophet (Cygnet Theatre Company), Silent Sky and Equivocation (Lamb’s Players), and Damn Yankees and West Side Story (San Diego Musical Theatre). Sean received the first Craig Noel Award for designer of the year for his body of work in 2016 and is a resident artist of Cygnet Theatre. In 2016, he had the pleasure of designing the Old Globe SDPL’s exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio in honor of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Sean holds an MFA in scene design from San Diego State University. seanfanningdesigns.com ASHLEY HOLVICK (Costume Designer) previously designed the costumes for August: Osage County, Anne Boleyn, and the Marin Theatre Company Family Series production of Charlotte’s Web. Other recent work includes Romeo and Juliet (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Shotgun Players). She has designed for many theatre companies and institutions throughout the Bay Area including Aurora Theatre Company, San Francisco Playhouse, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Just Theater, TheatreFIRST, and the University of California, Berkeley. Ashley has an MFA from San Francisco State University. She is the former costume shop manager at MTC and costume shop shopper for San Francisco Opera. ashleyholvick.com THEODORE J. H. HULSKER (Sound Designer) is returning to MTC after designing for August: 2 0 | BAYSTAGES.COM • 2017.09

Osage County. Previous work includes Anne Boleyn, Swimmers, and My Mañana Comes (Marin Theatre Company), and Assassins, Woyzeck, Strangers, Babies, Harry Thaw Hates Everybody, and Our Town (Shotgun Players). His work can also frequently be heard at the San Francisco Playhouse where past credits include Into the Woods, Seminar, and Tree. Theodore is a member of Mugwumpin where he designed for The Great Big Also, Luster, and Blockbuster Season. In 2012, he received the Eric Landismen Fellowship for emerging designer and has been thrice nominated for a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Excellence in Theatre Award for sound design. In addition to work as a sound designer, Theodore curates a monthly art event called Klanghaus in North Oakland. theodore-hulsker. squarespace.com DORI JACOB (Casting Director) joined MTC as the casting director in May 2015. For the previous four seasons, she served as the director of new play development for Magic Theatre in San Francisco and dramaturged its world premieres of Se Llama Cristina, by Octavio Solis, Every Five Minutes by Linda McLean, pen/man/ship by Christina Anderson, and Sister Play by John Kolvenbach. As resident producer for Magic Theatre’s developmental programming, her credits include the 2011-2015 Virgin Play Series, the 2012 Asian Explosion Reading Series, and the 2013 Costume Shop Festival. Further Bay Area dramaturgy, producing, and casting credits include Assassins (Shotgun Players), The Creative Process by Marilee Talkington (SOMArts), The Comparables by Laura Schellhardt, and Shelter in Place by Elizabeth Hersh (Playwrights Foundation.) She previously served on the executive board and literary committee for the National New Play Network and is a current member of Literary

Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. Dori is a graduate of University of California, Santa Cruz and the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. BETSY NORTON* (Stage Manager) is thrilled to return to MTC as stage manager after serving as production assistant for four seasons and fifteen shows for the company. Other credits include stage manager for Mike Birbiglia: The New One and production assistant for Monsoon Wedding (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), and production assistant for Amélie: A New Musical (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Center Theatre Group). She also stage managed for MTC summer camps. Betsy is a proud new member of Actors' Equity Association. MIKE POST (Lighting Designer) is happy to be designing his second show for MTC after recently lighting Guards at the Taj. He has been working in theatre for over twenty-five years, primarily as a lighting designer and technician, as well as a production manager. His lighting design credits include Idols of the King, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Rocket City (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Odyssey, As You Like It, and Metamorphoses (Georgia Shakespeare, where he was also production manager), Some Men (Actor’s Express), The 13th of Paris (Horizon Theatre), The Guys and Silent Sky (Theatrical Outfit), and Les Misérables and The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown (Aurora Theatre, Georgia). KERI KELLERMAN (Managing Director) began her tenure at MTC in January of 2017, after serving for four years as managing director at Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco. Keri brought over twenty years of experience in nonprofit leadership to both organizations. During her time with the Center,


she led the organization to greater financial stability, bolstered its capacity, and solidified the board and staff. Prior to that, she spearheaded the revival of Intiman Theatre in Seattle and new sustainable business model in partnership with artistic director Andrew Russell. She has held leadership and development positions at prominent Seattle arts organizations such as Meany Center for the Performing Arts (formerly UW World Series) at the University of Washington, On the Boards, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. She has served as a Minnesota State Arts Board panelist and as a board member for the Seattle-based dance company zoe | juniper. L AU R A A . B R U E C K N E R (Literary Manager, Resident Dramaturg) has been supporting productions and playwrights with her dramaturgical work for over twenty years, with an emphasis on digital dramaturgy, world premieres, and commissions. During this time, she has been proud to count among her collaborators artists such as MTC playwright in residence, Lauren Gunderson, Christopher Chen, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Mina Morita, Marissa Wolf, Idris Goodwin, Lachlan Philpott, and Dominique Serrand. She has also worked with groundbreaking companies such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Crowded Fire Theater, The New Harmony Project, Playwrights Foundation, and now Marin Theatre Company. As an artist, she is committed to theatre as a path of social action, critical inquiry, discovery, and delight. Her journalistic writing on artistic process and audience engagement has been published by HowlRound and Theatre Bay Area. Her dramaturgical writing has been

published by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, and Crowded Fire Theater. A member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, Laura earned a BA in English dramatic literature (magna cum laude) from University of California, B e r ke l e y a n d a P h D i n dramaturgy from University of California, San Diego. MARIN THEATRE COMPANY is a proud member of the National New Play Network, the country’s alliance of professional nonprofit theatres that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays for the American theatre. ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION was founded in 1913. It is the US labor union that represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. actorsequity.org * Member of Actors' Equity Association,the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. º Member of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

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THOMAS AND SALLY PRODUCTION UNDERWRITERS This production is generously underwritten by the following:

MTC SUSTAINER Anonymous (1) • Terry Berkemeier + Lori Lerner • Norton J. "Sky" Cooper • Gage Schubert Christopher B. + Jeannie Meg Smith • Vickie Soulier

MTC PARTNER Anonymous (1) • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation • The Shubert Foundation

SEASON PARTNER David Catania + Diana Gay-Catania • T. Dixon Long, The Springcreek Foundation Marin Community Foundation • Buffy Miller, Clay Foundation-West Bob + Paula Reynolds • Leigh + Ivy Robinson* • Stacy Scott Fine Catering Fred + Kathleen Taylor • Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation H. Hugh Vincent M.D. + Joan Watson • Beth + James Wintersteen

VIP PRODUCER Kathy King + Gerald Cahill • John + Shelley Chesley • Tracy + Brian Haughton The Haughton Family Charitable Fund • Barbara + Jim Kautz • Carol + Duff Kurland Peter + Melanie Maier, The John Brockway Huntington Fund National Endowment for the Arts • Kiki Pescatello • Ivan + Lochiel Poutiatine The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Janet Brown • California Arts Council The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation The Dave and Bobbie Chapman Family Trust • Molly + Brett Dick Tracy + Mark Ferron • Joshua Floum + Maggie O'Donnell Gerry Goldsholle + Myra Levenson • Susan + Russ Holdstein Shirley Loubé Estate* • Mike + Alison Mauzé • The Bernard Osher Foundation Michael + Jean Strunsky, The Ira and Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund

DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER Jennifer Sousae, RHE Charitable

ADDITIONAL THOMAS AND SALLY PRODUCERS The Tournesol Workshop Initiative, The Barth Foundation • Sandra Hess • Connie Oclassen *Deceased

FOUNDATION SUPPORT

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MTC TOMORROW

THE LEGACY GIVING SOCIETY OF MARIN THEATRE COMPANY Anonymous (1) • Carl + Linden Berry • Jack Bissinger* • Dave + Bobbie Chapman • John + Shelley Chesley Fred Drexler* • Thomas W. Edwards + Rebecca Parlette Edwards • Joseph + Antonia Friedman Brian + Tracy Haughton • Sandra Hess • Shirley Loubé* • Melanie Maier • Ivan + Lochiel Poutiatine Leigh + Ivy Robinson* • Gage Schubert • Beverly Tanner • Fred + Kathleen Taylor Nancy Thomson* • Phil Woodward + Connie Majoyy * Deceased

CORPORATIONS | FOUNDATIONS | GOVERNMENT PARTNER CIRCLE

PREMIERE SOCIETY CIRCLE

MTC PARTNER $50,000+ The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Shubert Foundation

PRODUCER $1,000+ Adobe Body Kineticsº County of Marin Eileen Fisher The Image Flowº Montecito Plaza Shopping Center Mill Valley Market Marin Charitable Association Outdoor Art Club Pacific Union Real Estate Carol Selig, Selig Floral Designº Whole Foodsº

SEASON PARTNER $25,000+ Marin Community Foundation Stacy Scott Fine Cateringº The Venturous Theater Fund of The Tides Foundation

PRODUCER'S CIRCLE VIP PRODUCER $15,000+ The Haughton Family Charitable Fund National Endowment for the Arts The Harold + Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust EXECUTIVE PRODUCER $10,000+ California Arts Council The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation The Bernard Osher Foundation PREMIERE PRODUCER $5,000+ Brooks Note Wineryº The Kimball Foundation Relevant Wealth Advisors RHE Charitable Foundation Suparna Vohra, D.D.S,

FRIENDS OF MTC CIRCLE CONTRIBUTOR $500+ Mill Valley Market FRIEND $100+ Argo Group Inc. Autodesk Inc. º In-Kind Donation

Marin's Family Dentist

The Tournesol Workshop Initiatve, The Barth Foundation

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INDIVIDUAL DONORS Marin Theatre Company acknowledges the generous support of the following individuals, foundations and corporations whose contributions make our extraordinary theatre productions and education programs possible. To join our family of contributors, receive sponsorship information or if you have questions about your gift, please contact the Development Department at development@marintheatre.org or 415.388.3306. The following gifts were received between July 1, 2016 and August 15, 2017.

PARTNER CIRCLE MTC SUSTAINER $100,000+ Anonymous (1) Terry Berkemeier + Lori Lerner Norton J. "Sky" Cooper Gage Schubert Christopher B. + Jeannie Meg Smith Vickie Soulier MTC PARTNER $50,000+ Anonymous (1) SEASON PARTNER $25,000+ David Catania + Diana Gay-Catania T. Dixon Long,

The Springcreek Foundation

Buffy Miller,

Clay Foundation-West

Bob + Paula Reynolds Leigh + Ivy Robinsonº Stacy Scott + Chuck Ciaccoº Fred + Kathleen Taylor H. Hugh Vincent M.D. + Joan Watson Beth + James Wintersteen

PRODUCER'S CIRCLE VIP PRODUCER $15,000+ Kathy King + Gerald Cahill John + Shelley Chesley Tracy + Brian Haughton Barbara + Jim Kautz Carol + Duff Kurland Peter + Melanie Maier,

The John Brockway Huntington Fund

Kiki Pescatello Ivan + Lochiel Poutiatine

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER $10,000+ Janet Brown The Dave + Bobbie Chapman Family Trust Molly + Brett Dick Tracy + Mark Ferron Joshua Floum + Maggie O'Donnell Gerry Goldsholle + Myra Levenson Susan + Russ Holdstein 2 6 | BAYSTAGES.COM • 2017.09

Shirley Loubé Estate* Mike + Alison Mauzé Michael + Jean Strunsky, The Ira + Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund

PREMIERE PRODUCER $5,000+ Susan + Bill Beech Linden + Carl Berry Cheryl + Rick Brandon Ken + Jackie Broad Family Fund Beverly Butler Lynne Carmichael Suzanne + Mark Darley Kipp + Roy Delbyck Steven De Hart + Sheldon Donig Jill + Steven Fugaro Nancy Goldberg Sandra Hess Lori + Mark Horne Kimberly M. Hughes Ann + Andy Mathieson Connie Oclassen Peter + Leila Poutiatine Robin + Rick Rice David + Vicki Stollmeyer Beverly Tanner + Jerry Herman Suparna Vohra DDS, Marin's Family Dentist

PREMIERE SOCIETY CIRCLE PRODUCER $1,000+ Kedar K. Adour, MD Ellen + Ron Arenson Lee Aubry Richard Bergmann + Denise Filakosky Joan + Nick Boodrookas Peter Buckley Courtney + Pascale Buechert Bonnie Carasso, In Memory of David Carasso

Nancy + Gary Carlston Brian Chadbourne + Diane Murakami Daniel E. Cohn + Lynn Brinton Victoria + Dan Cressman Gatian's Fund Valerie + Paul Dorfman

Dyett / Richardson Family Fund Anthony + Martha Eason William S. Farmer + Leida Schoggen Douglas + Jane Ferguson Dennis + Pam Fisco Amy + Mort Friedkin Janie + Donny Friend Drue + Arthur Gensler Susan + Dennis Gilardi Brian + Alisa Golson Kenneth + Joan Gosliner Bill + Vanessa Higgins Elisabeth + Howard Jaffe Dwight L. Johnson Bob Kaliski + Linda Nelson Alan + Jean Kay Barbara Kerr Dirk + Madeleine Langeveld Barbara Lavaroni Teresa Law Judith Leash Warren + Barbara Levinson Kevin Lima + Brenda Chapman-Lima Garrett Loubé + Marcie Rodgers Scott MacLeod + Linda Kislingbury David Madfes Diane Martin William + Janet McAllister Bridgit + Sandy Mendler Vivienne Miller Milan + Letita Momirov Harry J. Murphy + Deborah Gilden Kathryn Olson Robert + Connie Peirce Family Fund Mark + Mauree Jane Perry Robert + Donys Powell Joan Pratt Gordon Radley Laurel Reigel William Ring Arthur Rock + Toni Rembe Rosenberger Family Fund Thomas + Jill Sampson Jack Schafer


Eric Schwartz + Magda Wesslund Susan + Michael Schwartz Laura + Michael Scott Susan Seefeld Dana + Gary Shapiro Diana + Richard Shore Joel + Susan Sklar Martha + Jonathan Smolen Bob + Valli Tandler Samuel Test Will + Leslie Thompson Gabrielle Tierney Connie Vandament Diane + Bob Wagner Valerie Barth + Peter Wiley Phil + Connie Woodward Wendy Wyse Patricia Ziegler Paul + Sandy Zuber

FRIENDS OF MTC CIRCLE CONTRIBUTOR $500+ Peter + Maggie Haywood Leland + Susan Faust Harvey + Susan Wittenberg Mark + Tobi Rubin Dr. Janice + James Prochaska Jeff Freedman Davi + Michael Harrington Judith + Jerry Miller Steve + Gail Lazarus Victoria + Alan Talkington Joseph Bodovitz + Margaret Kaufman Meline + Jirayr Roubinian Harriet + Tom Kostic Wendy Buchen Tom Delebo Patricia Melvin Beryl Jean Symmes Castilian Fund Deborah L. Robbins + Henry Navas Dr. Paula Campbell Dr. Stephen Schoen + Ms. Margot Fraser Fred + Dolores Rudow Hector Richards Herbert Miller Hugh + Elizabeth Fullerton Jay + Heather O'Connor Joan Beavin John S. Osterweis Philanthropic Fund Josh Brier + Grace Alexander Judith Berling Karen Fry

Kathleen Leones Kathrin Sears Kerry Weiner + Andy Elkind Larry Haimovitch Lauren Gunderson + Nathan Wolfe Liz + Milton Moskowitz Liz Sklar + Matthew Purdon Marcus + Sara Byruck Maria Hilakos Hanke Marsha Silberstein Dan + Martha Cliff Mary + Stephen Mizroch Mary Jane Baird Mr. + Mrs. Steven Fayne Philip Kurjan Reverend Richard G. Fabian Seth + Alison Ferguson Steve Baughman Steve Bischoff Suzanna G. Pollak Sylvia + Paul Roye Tom + Lois Ashley Vicky Dehnert William + Anne Schwarzer Robert E Marcia Schaub L Schaub Family Foundation Joseph Bodovitz + Margaret Kaufman FRIEND $100+

Sy Aal Anonymous (9) Drs. Paul + Geraldine Alpert Julia Althoff Charles + Leslie Anderson Robert Anderson + Lois Stevens Joseph + Gail Angiulo Joseph D. + Gail P. Anguilo David Ari Mr. + Mrs. Fabio + Ann Aversa Barbara + Larry Babow Roslyn Banish Nancy Barash Ms. Sara Barnes Joan + Carl Basore Frank + Lee Battat Arthur Bayol Pamela Becker Robert G. Bergman Richard + Ruth Biegel Daniel + Betsy Bikle Howard + Susan Blair Jack Blinzler Karen Boezi Mr. William Bombria Melinda Booth + Robert Lea Samantha Bovich Charlie Bowen Ute + Jack Brandon Mr. Dan Breiner Patti + Stan Breitman Anji Brenner

Raymond Bridges Zelda Bronstein George + Cindy Brown Kay Browne + Chip Griffin Barbara Bruhn John + Deborah Buehler Marion + Wayne Bulette David G. Bullard Robert + Elza Burton Ed Calhoun Lisa Capretta David Carson + Kim Bromley Fredrica + Kevin Challandes-Angelini Ann + Rick Clarke Diane + William Clarke Gordon Cless Ron Clyman + Francoise Mauray Ann Coffey Judith Cohen + Malcolm Gissen Janet + Alan Coleman Angela Colombo Heckler + Django Heckler Russ + Lynn Colombo Mrs. Helga Comerford Karen + Jim Condit Amanda + Patrick Conran Bob + Betty Copple Tammy Cotter Valerie + Paul Crane Dorfman Christina Crow John + Betsey Cutler Kevin Dalton Fred + Marianne Doar Bastian Dolores Sheila Dutton Carol Dutton-Hollenberg Stuart + Emily Dvorin John Eichhorst + Jennifer Blackman Paul + Cele Eldering Patricia Ernsberger Mr. + Mrs. Thomas Escher Joseph Faimali + Domita Decker Margaret Fawcett William Jr. + Victoria Felch Cheryl Finley + Barry Neal Erdmuth Folker Lee + Lyn Follett Robert Fossum Paula Frankel Donna + Michael Franzblau Christie Fraser Jeff Freedman Jon + Dodi Friedenberg Amy + Mort Friedkin Alexandra Friedman David Fry Rose Gallagher Carin Garland + Paul Goldsmith Joan Garrett David Gast Rita + Kent Gershengorn Gail + Harold Glassberg Marie Golf-Tuttle Tanya C. Goodman Theresa + Richard Gordon Laurel + Michael Gothelf Mr. Don Graulich Gordon Griffin Michelle Griffin 2017.09 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 2 7


Linda Groah Michelle + Normand Groleau Steven + Jacqueline Grossman Victoria Hagbom Anita Hagopian Allen R. Hallock Sheryl Hausman Dave + Ildi Hayman Cathryn Hilliard Frances Hinckley Adrienne Hirt Tina Hittenberger William + Susan Hoehler Mark + Roberta Hoffman Donald Holbrook Nancy Hollis Bill + Catherine Honig Kip + Sara Howard Jennifer Howland Judy L. Husen Cheryl + Jeffrey Hylton Dabney Ingram Glenn + Gabriella Isaacson Bart + Auban Jackson Richard + Susan Jacobs Cary + Elaine James Hermia James Mary + Eddy Janigian Susan L. Janson Nick Javaras Bonnie + Peter Jensen John Jolly Keith Jones Cindy + Michael Kamm M Kaplan Karen Karten Ms. Julie Kaufman Rebecca Kaykas-Wolff Rose Adams Kelly Dan + Lyra Kelly Mrs. Ellie Kennedy Mary King Lauren T. Klein Jeanne Kline Susan Kolb Barbara Kreissler Margery Kreitman Monica Lange Sheri + Jerome Langer Jette + Sam LaSalandra Kate Lauer Sharon Leach Alexandra + Nicole Lederer Celia Lee David Lesnini Sharon Lewis Kathryn Littlepage

Diana Long Terry + Jacqui Long Sunny Lyrek Tracy MacLeod Marcos + Janet Maestre Gary Nelson + Kellie Magee Brent Malarkey Ruth + Marin Malkin Elaine Marevich Myrna Margolin Renee Marler Lucy + Clyde Marquart Albert Martin + Diana Richmond Tina McArthur + Richard Rubenstein John + Cindy McCauley Mrs. Christney McGlashan Margaret McHugh Steve + Patricia McMahon Steve + Kay McNamara Purple Lady/ Barbara J. Meislin Fund Margot Melcon + Jon Wolanske Patricia Melvin Dr. Kurt Menning Franklin + Mary Meredith Maeve Metzger Hugh W. Miller Don Miller Katherine Miller Paul + Victoria Mimiaga Susan Morris Gloria + David Moses Margaret Moster Kelli Murray + Laurence Pulgram Ruth + Steve Nash Robert Neff Robert Newcomer Jean Nidors Maryann Noble Betty Obata Barb + Bart O'Brien Lucienne O'Keefe Susy Carter Orb Sheldeen G. Osborne Jack + Gail Osman Derek + Nancy Parker Jonathan + Deborah Parker Nancy Parker Gerald + Nancy Parsons Barbara Paschke David Pasta Jonathan + Susan Peck Audrey + Bob Pedrin Henk Peeters Robin + Kari Pendoley

Lynn Perry Robert + Jackie Peyton Charles + Linda Philipps Peter Phleger + Courtney Walsh Stephen Piatek Star Pierce Zdenka Pisarev Mary + Will Polite Carol Possin Michael + Hailey Poutiatine Jack + Jessica Powell Dr. Janice + James Prochaska Madeleine Provost Mary + Marco Quazzo Lori + Tim Rathje Dr. + Mrs. Marty Rayman Mary Raynor Barbara + Joel Renbaum Eddie Reynolds + Ed Jones Bill + Barbara Rich Elizabeth Muir Robinson Katherine Rolston Helen Roos David Galin + Ruth Rosen Susan Rosin + Brian Boch Alex + Tinka Ross Marti C. Roush Alan + Enid Rubin Mr. Bruce Rubin Mark + Tobi Rubin Ms. Sandra Ruliffson Alex Rynecki Mark Sachs Rob + Lise Salmon Anne + Eric Sandlund Peter Sandmann Steven + Joanne Saxe Richard + Sandra Schaefer Ellen + Donald Schell Gaby Schneider Beverly + Harold Schneir Spike Schulist Valerie S. Schwimmer Ms. Elizabeth Scott Brian H. + Helen A. Scott Michael + Jane Scurich Rod + Sandy Seeger Terry Seligman Laura + Chris Seyfarth Barry + Esther Shafran James + Connie Shapiro Judith Sharper Julie + Jeff Sherman Mr. + Mrs. Garrett Shore Yvette Simpson Mr. Neil Sitzman Dorothy Slattery Kay + Roger Smith

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Shelagh Smith Glenn Smith Carol Solomon Peter + Mary Jo Sorenson Christine Spring Drs. Shayna + Elliott Stein Philip + Cherie Stephens Roger A. Stoll Irene Strahm Tara J. Sullivan + James Horan Jr. Steven Sumnick Carol Svetcov Larry + Judy Sweet William Sweeting Joyce Tayer Utta + William Tellini Susan Terris Blake + Beverly Thorman Beatrice Tocher David + Sandra Tresan Madeline Valentine Linda Vallee Mary + Herman Waetjen Michael Wall + Wendy Feng Peter J. Wardle Dorothy Weaver Kenneth + Ellen Weber Paul Webster Mr. Howell Wechsler Thomas + LeRose Weikert Stanley + Elaine Weiss Ms. Wendy Weldon Harriet Weller Valerie Westen Barbara J. Wilkes Joss Wilson David Winkler Carol Wolff Donna Wong Carolyn Wood Kirke + Patty Wrench Travis Wright Frank Wu Mr. + Mrs. Zach Zeisler Suzanne Zimmerman

MEMORIAL AND TRIBUTE GIFTS Mauree Jane + Mark Perry

In honor of Linden + Carl Berry

Carol Svetco

In memory of Sanford Svetco

Marti C. Roush

In memory of Tina Spring


✫✫✫✫✫ FEATURED PRODUCTIONS ✫✫✫✫✫

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE | CUSTOM MADE THEATRE CO. 09.07.17 > 10.07.17 | 415.798.2682 | custommade.org

http://www.custommade.org

A TALE OF AUTUMN | CROWDED FIRE THEATER 09.13.17 > 10.07.17 | 415.523.0034 | crowdedfire.org http://www.crowdedfire.org

Cirque Exotique du Monde | DRAGON PRODUCTIONS 09.15.17 > 10.08.17 | 650.493.2006 | dragonproductions.net http://www.dragonproductions.net

HAND TO GOD | SAN JOSE STAGE COMPANY 09.20.17 > 10.15.17 | 415.392.4400 | THESTAGE.ORG

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CABARET | CONTRA COSTA CIVIC THEATRE 09.22.17 > 10.22.17 | 510.524.9012 | CCCT.org http://www.ccct.org

BARBECUE | SAN FRANCISCO PLAYHOUSE 09.26.17 > 11.11.17 | 415.677.9596 | sfplayhouse.org http://www.sfplayhouse.org

THOMAS AND SALLY | Marin Theatre Company 09.28.17 > 10.22.17 | 415.388.5208 | marintheatre.org

http://www.marintheatre.org

SALT PEPPER KETCHUP | SF BAY AREA THEATRE Company 09.29.17 > 10.08.17 | 415.484.8566 | sfbatco.org

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THE LAVENDER PEN TOUR LAUNCH | SF GAY MEN’S CHORUS 09.30.17 > 9.30.17 | 415.865.3650 | SFGMC.org http://www.sfgmc.org

The FOREIGNER | Hillbarn Theatre 10.05.17 > 10.22.17 | 650.349.6411 | hillbarntheatre.ORG http://www.hillbarntheatre.org

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ | 42ND STREET MOON 10.11.17 > 10.29.17 | 415.255.8207 | 42ndstmoon.org http://www.42ndstmoon.org

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE | Pear Theatre 10.19.17 > 11.11.17 | 650.254.1148 | THEPEAR.ORG h t t p : / / w w w. t h e p e a r. o r g

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN | BROADWAY BY THE BAY 11.03.17 > 11.19.17 | 650.579.5565 | broadwaybythebay.org

http://www.broadwaybythebay.org

PETER PAN | PALO ALTO PLAYERS 11.03.17 > 11.19.17 | 650.329.0891 | PAPLAYERS.ORG http://www.paplayers.org

42nd Street | BAY AREA MUSICALS 11.11.17 > 12.09.17 | 415.340.2207 |BAMSF.ORG

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ADVERTISE @ BAYSTAGES.COM • 415.552.8040 m

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Anne et Valentin Iyoko Inyake + GRO L.A. Eyeworks + Mykita Bevel + Blake Kuwahara + more! Visit us online @ RIMSandGOGGLES for info or to RSVP


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