X's and O's Program

Page 1

15/16 season Jane Austen’s

Pride and Prejudice The Secret Garden X’s and o’s As you like it detroit ’67

X’s and o’s By KJ Sanchez with Jenny Mercein Directed by Tony Taccone

Nov 13–Dec 20


An Introduction to the World of the Play

Brain PET scans of healthy control; former NFL player with suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); and person with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Areas with highest levels of abnormal tau protein appear red/yellow; medium, green; and lowest, blue.

This play was conceived three years ago at a Cinco de Mayo party days after former football player Junior Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest—presumably to preserve his brain for medical testing. When discussing the incident, playwright KJ Sanchez (author of ReEntry, Season 2010/11) and her co-creator Jenny Mercein (daughter of NFL running back Chuck Mercein) discovered their shared passion for football and realized they had a story to tell. Weeks later they had a co-commission from Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Center Stage.

Next on board was a new-play veteran, Director Tony Taccone, who notes that Jenny and KJ created a play that everyone can understand and appreciate. Football fanatics, critics, and casual observers all have a place in this conversation—a conversation about the passion for and high risks of a sport that is entrenched in American culture. One that has become an immoveable part of many families’ weekends and holidays, and the glue that binds countless cities and schools across the country. Many commentators have noted the “communal collegiate and civic pride element which is at the core of support for football.” (The Eagle, 2013: Are football players fully informed of the dangers?) But these benefits come at a cost as players are increasingly diagnosed with brain damage, specifically CTE. As one journalist wrote: “football players are at substantially higher risk than their peers of suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in their later life.” And a PBS Frontline exposé recently revealed that “87 out of 91 former NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease at the center of the debate over concussions in football, according to new figures from the nation’s largest brain bank focused on the study of traumatic head injury.” Now Will Smith stars in a major motion picture on the topic: Concussion. Ultimately, the growing awareness of the dangers and the damages the sport causes to players, and their families, is changing the way we watch the game. How could it not? Many of us find ourselves, like KJ and Jenny, pondering what it means for us, or for anyone—players, patrons, Americans. And, most specifically, what is the price of our passion?

The 2015/16 Season is dedicated to the memory of Peter Culman, Center Stage’s managing director from 1966 to 2000, a poet, a man of faith, a Chinese linguist, a devoted husband and father, an omnivorous reader, a world traveler, a professor of homiletics, a mentor, a friend, and a true leader.


Cast

Table of Contents

X’s and O’s

By KJ Sanchez with Jenny Mercein

Nov 13–Dec 20, 2015

2 Setting

3 Meet the Creators

6 NFL in the News

8

Bios: The Cast

9

Audience Services

9 Bios: The Artistic Team

11 Bios: The Staff

14 Success Snapshot

15 Peter Culman Tribute

18 Supporter Spotlight

26 Preview: Up Next

28 Staff

Cast

(In alphabetical order)

Bill Geisslinger*

Dwight Hicks

Anthony Holiday*

Eddie Ray Jackson*

Jenny Mercein*

Marilee Talkington*

Kimberly Mark Webb*

Kayla Whisman

Production Assistant

Taylor Schwabe

Stage Management Intern

Frank/Rocky/Tough Guy/Chorus George Coleman/Ramon/Chorus Addicott/Ben/Tomas/Chorus Eric/BJ/Terrell/Chorus Kelli/Martha/Roberta/Chorus Physician/Caroline/Giants Fan/Chorus Stage Manager

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

The Artistic Team Season 2015/16 Sponsor:

Center Stage is also made possible by: Center Stage is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive.

Tony Taccone

Todd Rosenthal

Meg Neville

Alexander V. Nichols

Jake Rodriguez

John Sipes

Movement Director

Gavin Witt

Production Dramaturg

Director Scenic Designer Costume Designer Lighting and Video Designer Sound Designer

Madeleine Oldham Berkeley Repertory Theatre Resident Dramaturg

Jenny Mercein

Amy Potozkin, CSA

Casting Director

Calleri Casting, CSA

Casting

Dance Captain

Lead Student Matinee Sponsor:

Media Sponsor:

Support also comes from The Nathan and Suzanne Cohen Foundation Fund for Commissioning and Developing New Plays

Originally commissioned and produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley, CA Tony Taccone, Artistic Director | Susan Medak, Managing Director and Center Stage, Baltimore, MD Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director | Stephen Richard, Managing Director There will be no intermission. PLEASE TURN OFF ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: 410.986.4080 X’s and O’s | 1


setting

time & Place

Time:

Present Day

Place:

X’s and O’s takes us to locker rooms and living rooms, stadiums and sports bars, medical clinics and kitchen tables throughout America. This production has evolved to include new material specific to Baltimore.

2


Meet

the creators

A Conversation with

KJ Sanchez & Jenny Mercein By Julie McCormick

KJ Sanchez and Jenny Mercein are women of many talents: KJ as a playwright, director, actor, and CEO of the documentary-theater company, American Records; and Jenny as an actress, writer, teacher, and NFL aficionado. They bring their considerable experience and insight to the complex, far-reaching questions surrounding our national passion for football. Their keen dramaturgical eyes are guided by big hearts that carry incredible love for the game and the people it touches. Before going into rehearsal for X’s and O’s with director Tony Taccone, KJ and Jenny gave Berkeley Repertory Theatre Literary Associate Julie McCormick a glimpse into their process of creating the play. Julie: Tell us a little bit about why you decided to collaborate on this piece. KJ: Jenny and I had worked together a long time ago—in 2002 at the University of Washington. That was actually the very first play that I made on my own; before that point I was with the SITI Company. So I went to the University of Washington, where Jenny was in the MFA program, to make a play called Too Much Water, which was a dancetheater meditation on madness and suicide. We really enjoyed working with each other, and once in a while we would run into each other at parties. We were at a friend’s Cinco de Mayo party in 2012; this was right after Junior Seau’s suicide. We were taking about football and how it seems like the game’s not going to be the same after this. And then Jenny said, “You know that my dad was a professional football player?” Which I

don’t think I had known up to that point. We started to talk about it, and then a lightbulb went off: since [my theater company’s] mission is to chronicle our time and serve as a bridge between people, it seemed like a moment in time that we got excited about capturing theatrically. So I called Tony and pitched it to him, and he said yes, and then I called Jenny. Our first conversations were really about how I thought she could bring so much because of her personal investment, but also how we should work together, how this whole thing would go. Jenny: In the same way that KJ didn’t know that my dad played football, I had no idea that KJ was a big football fan. And so it was this moment of—not to play gender stereotypes or artist stereotypes, but there just aren’t that many women in the theater who really sincerely love football in my experience. And I’d always wanted to

work with KJ again—Too Much Water was a huge game-changer for me—and I have also aspired to do documentary theater. So it made total sense, but it was the kind of thing where you leave the party and you don’t really know if anything is going to come of it. But a month later, in what I have come to see as typical KJ fashion, she calls and says, “Hey, I got us a commission!” It was kind of amazing. She just makes it happen. Can you talk about what your process has been like since that point? Some of the big milestones you’ve hit? KJ: Jenny did a good bulk of the interviewing herself because it was easier to call up folks and say, “Hey, this is Jenny Mercein,” and everybody knows “Mercein.” So they immediately trusted her. Then she connected with the players’ wives, and we split those interviews up between us. X’s and O’s | 3


KJ: It’s not really pushback, but there was a whole battery of people who just didn’t return phone calls. We got a lot of help from a venerable journalist, who gave us a lot of direct phone numbers from his personal contact list. Some of those guys called me back; others just didn’t want to have anything to do with it because people are pretty nervous about the ramifications of who they talk to. Jenny: We had contact information for NFL coaches: current coaches, former coaches, who didn’t call us back. Really anyone still entrenched in the NFL was very difficult for us to reach.

Jenny Mercein as a child in her dad’s football gear.

We transcribed the interviews and started to chat about them. And then we did a Play Lab workshop at Center Stage. We had a couple of days with some actors, and after every rehearsal, Jenny and I would go back to our apartment and we literally chopped up the script that I had at the time and laid it out on the floor and moved things around and talked about structure. That workshop was incredibly helpful; we left with a sort of pre-first draft with a general idea of what the frame would be. It was in that phase that we knew it was going to be about love. The next phase was The Ground Floor workshop, which was huge. I really need the exquisite pressure of time—to know that there will be people coming to hear a reading in a week. Tony was a big part of this process because before Tony’s first responses to the play, it was a smaller play. It was a play mostly about the players and their families. He kept encouraging us to widen our lens and to look at this as a chance to reflect on other cultural issues. Jenny: We also made one other early trip to Berkeley the summer of 2013. We got some great interviews, held a public panel discussion, and it was just wonderful for KJ and I to have that time together and start processing.

4

How much of the dialogue ended up being verbatim, and how much of it has been fictionalized? KJ: Right now, I would say 90 percent is from the transcriptions and 10 percent is adjustments for clarification. The previous draft had a lot more of my free writing. There was a time when the fans were really just fictionalized representations of a lot of conversations that we’d had, but they were sounding like writing to me. So we went back and did more interviews, and now we’re pulling from more direct transcriptions. Jenny: There are one or two characters that are compilations of several players. Their language—yeah, 90 percent is verbatim form real people’s mouths. Did you get any pushback when you were speaking with people? Jenny: Yeah, I certainly got pushback, and some of that you can hear in the play. Some of the people when I first approached them didn’t want to talk. But for the most part, people were pretty open, and I think because I really reassured them that our goal was to hear as many voices as possible. And as KJ said, being the child of an NFL player and totally loving the game, I could speak from an honest place. I didn’t have an agenda. I was a person who was sincerely interested in discussing football from all angles.

KJ: And then we decided to exploit that as an asset, because we knew pretty early on that this wasn’t going to be a journalistic exposé. So we ended up embracing the people who would talk to us, who were the guys who were retired. By the way, a lot of the older players who played before the ’80s didn’t make big money like the guys today. Back when they played, many of them had summer jobs, jobs during off-season to make a living. Lots of the guys we talked to were not big, famous players. They’re not household names, and yet they’re still vital stakeholders, and the game means as much to them as to the Brett Favres and the Hall of Famers and the millionaires. And that to me was the more compelling story and a part of the community that I didn’t really understand existed until working on this piece. Why do you think that football is such a beloved sport in America specifically? KJ: It’s great storytelling. It’s a sport that was made for the medium of television: instant replays and the way the game gets repackaged and talked about have all of the things Joseph Campbell wrote about with the hero myths. There are some basic principles to all of the stories we’ve told throughout history, and all of those principles and narrative structural points appear in one single game of football. Jenny: It’s really interesting because there’s something in our mythology about being an American: this stick-to-it-ness, that we don’t give up—that myth is embodied in football. And there’s also an instant gratification about it. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime, but there’s something about the four downs in football—it’s so compact. And


that say it is not going to be as exciting of a game; there are some camps that say that the demographics will change, and its cultural impact will change. There are some people who say it’s not going to change at all, though it’s definitely already changing just because the basic rules and equipment are changing. But that’s the million dollar question. And there are some fans that have just stopped watching. It’s not a million dollar question, it’s a nine-billion-dollar question. If football as an industry is going to continue to be as large as it is.

Left to Right: Jon Hudson Odom, Tim Getman, and Jenny Mercein at Center Stage’s Play Lab workshop of X’s and O’s, then named The American Football Project, (Season 2013/14).

there’s something that is, for me, deeply embedded in who I am as an American, going back to colonial times: that we were a scrappy people who got knocked down, built ouselves back up, and became this giant empire. I think that there’s something in the idea of the superhuman feats that football players can do and the action and adventure of a football game that really appeals to the American psyche. How has your relationship to the game changed over the workings of the play? Jenny: It’s definitely changed for me. I do still watch the game and I do enjoy the game very much, but once you’ve invested in the human side of these stories, it’s hard to shut that part of your brain off when you watch. It’s complicated. KJ: Yeah and it has changed for me too. I can’t watch it with the same glee I used to, but also at the same time, I watch it with more appreciation. I really had no idea how hard it is to train to be a professional football player. I knew it was hard, but I like to live in a fantasy world where people are born with gifts and all they have to do is use the gifts they are given. But that’s so not true. The number of hours they take to study the game plans, the amount of training, the level of practice, and the need

to commit to that level—I mean, look at my own life, and I’m pretty much a workaholic; I would consider myself a hard worker—but now that I really understand what it takes to prepare and play at that level, I don’t know if I have the tenacity to work as hard as they do. So I have a newfound respect for the players, and I can’t watch the game in the same way, and I can’t see big hits without worrying who that person’s going to be in 20 years. Jenny: You know by the same token, I’m suffering heartbreak today because almost all of my family is together at the YalePrinceton game and they’re honoring my dad, and I would give anything right now to be at that football game. Whether it’s in front of a TV watching as a family or going to a Friday night high school game or tailgating before a big game—I think that sense of being part of a community I will always love and I will always want to participate in. In light of the research that’s being done right now about traumatic brain injuries, and given the love we have for the game, what do you think is going to happen to it in the next 10, 15 years? KJ: That’s a big question. I don’t think anyone really knows, but there are some camps

Jenny: I would say a goal of this piece is for our audience to leave the play asking those questions and thinking deeply about those questions, but we don’t have a crystal ball. We can’t prognosticate, and we don’t know. I can speak personally and say that I can’t imagine fall weather without football; I can’t imagine a time when there wouldn’t be that background hum on a Sunday of the TV playing the game. But it’s changing. It’s already changed, and it will continue to change and evolve. Historically, football has evolved. And so I think that it’s a big question. KJ: I think it’s something that we have to decide as a community. As a society we need to decide what happens to football. Because even if you don’t watch it on TV anymore, everyone is tied to football, whether it’s the fact that cities pay for stadiums and stadiums bring jobs to a city or whether it’s workers’ compensation issues when players have injuries. You can pick any person in America and you can play the seven degrees of separation game and see how a big portion of our society is in some way connected to the issue. But we don’t intend to say in any way that the stories the audience hears are everyone’s experience. It was more important for us to focus on fewer people and go deeper with the characters than try to cover everything that this issue involves. There are some hot topics right now in the newspaper that we felt just couldn’t fit in one play. A lot of these subjects deserve their own plays, so hopefully X’s and O’s will encourage more playwrights to tell more stories about the issue—I feel like ours can be one of a constellation of plays about football. Our job is to take photographs of a moment in time and frame them in a way that hopefully ignites more conversation and thought after the play.

X’s and O’s | 5


NESN

Malcolm Gladwell Says NFL Will Become ‘Ghettoized’ From Concussions, With Only Poor Athletes Willing to Play Game

New York Times

Tackling, at the Turn of the Century New York Times

The Winners and Losers of PBS’s Exposé on NFL Concussions

Eleanor Perfetto’s Journey Coping With Dementia and Death of Former N.F.L. Player Ralph Wenzel

The NFL in the News

Head Trauma, Litigation, and a Changing Game

New York Times

New York Times

J.R. Moehringer’s 120 reasons why football will last forever

In N.F.L.’s Violence, a Moral Quandary for Fans New York TImes

Rules Trickle Down; Money in Settlement Won’t

ESPN

Brain Changes in College Football Players Raise New Concerns

6

Study Bolsters Link Between Routine Hits and Brain Disease

Football is dead. Long live football.

New York Times

U.S. judge: NFL, ex-players reach proposed $765M settlement of concussionrelated lawsuits

Huffiffiifington Post

The 49ers’ Great Injustice

Obama On Football Head Injuries: The Sport ‘Will Probably Change’

When quarterback Alex Smith lost his starting job to Colin Kaepernick while out with a concussion, it sent a dangerous message to players in the N.F.L.

By Madeleine Oldham

NFL Concussion Prevention: Could New Helmet Save Football?

Did the Steagles save the NFL?


The year 2006 saw the beginnings of former players seeking legal counsel to build a case against the NFL. Many of these men couldn’t hold down jobs, or in some cases even follow a conversation. They were often dealing with headaches, depression, the inability to remember simple things, lack of focus, substance abuse, or thoughts of suicide. The first major lawsuit was filed in 2011 on behalf of 75 players, asserting that the league deliberately withheld information regarding the potential brain damage the game can cause. This ballooned quickly, and in April 2015 thousands of former players settled a massive class action lawsuit. As of October 2014, 76 of 79 brains of deceased former NFL players displayed signs of CTE. The research is now incontrovertible [according to leading researchers like Dr. Ann McKee, the director of the Boston brain bank.]

While baseball still holds the reputation of being America’s national pastime, football eclipsed it 50 years ago as the most popular sport in America and never looked back. Today, football is viewed in over 70 percent of American households, and more than 114 million people watched the 2015 Super Bowl. The league generates around $10 billion in annual revenue, and still manages to maintain its status as a nonprofit organization (though individual teams do pay taxes). NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to grow that number to $25 billion by 2027. Football has become a new American religion complete with Sunday rituals, fierce devotion, and the faith of a true fan. However, football now finds itself facing something of a dark night of the soul, as new information emerges almost daily regarding the effects of the game on the people who play it. Questions began to arise during the 1990s about why some former NFL players seemed to be exhibiting things like memory loss at relatively young ages, mood swings, or personality changes. In 1994, the NFL launched an initiative to fund research on the effects of repeated blows to the head in the game of football. Some held this up

as an example of the league’s commitment to its players and its willingness to put some real money toward addressing the issue—taking action instead of merely paying lip service. Others criticized the step for being insincere, pointing to the choice of a rheumatologist with no training in the study of the brain to lead the investigation. The NFL research team conducted studies that found no extraordinary risk connected with playing football, and announced that no line could be drawn between concussions and any long-term effects. This contradicted a growing body of information gathered by outside doctors and scientists, which pointed toward high rates of cognitive impairment among former football players, particularly those who had suffered multiple concussions. Evidence of a link between football and brain injury reached a tipping point in 2005 after Dr. Bennet Omalu published his findings from the autopsy he performed on legendary Pittsburgh Steeler “Iron Mike” Webster. Webster was only 50 years old when he died, and yet the inside of his brain mirrored that of a much older man. Omalu subsequently autopsied the brains of other former NFL players, and identified them all as having signs of a degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The NFL tried to discredit Omalu, and attempted to have his article retracted. It did not succeed.

Though the league was slow to respond to the evidence, once it finally conceded that significant risk of cognitive damage is inherent to the game, the NFL has taken a number of significant steps to address the issue. Rule changes designed to reduce the potential for punishing hits to the head continue to be put in place. Neurologists are more commonly seen as part of a team’s medical staff at games. Trainers now regularly occupy press boxes to look for signs of head trauma that the fieldlevel trainers might miss because they are easier to see from above. Players who suffer a concussion during a game must obey strict guidelines about when they can return to play. The response to what has been learned about CTE extends to college, high school, and even youth levels. At the collegiate level, the NCAA faces similar issues to those in the NFL. The state of California recently passed a law that limits tackling practice for high school teams, and barred it altogether from taking place during off-season. Similar legislation is expected to follow in other states. Enrollment in youth programs has dropped, and the future of football seems an open question. It’s a national struggle to celebrate our fierce love of the game alongside the knowledge that it causes irreversible harm to its participants. How, and whether, America can reconcile those two things remains to be seen. X’s and O’s | 7


bios

the cast

Company: Fences (Cory); Marin Theatre Company/Round House: Fetch Clay, Make Man (Muhammad Ali); Magic Theatre: PEN/ MAN/SHIP (Jacob); American Stage: Intimate Apparel (George). Education—Columbia University, MFA in Theatre, acting emphasis. Eddie would like to thank his family and Center Stage for the opportunity to work on this piece again.

Jenny Mercein*—Kelli/ Martha/Roberta/Chorus.

Left to Right: Cast members Bill Geisslinger and Anthony Holiday pass a football during first rehearsal.

Bill Geisslinger*—Frank/ Rocky/Tough Guy/Chorus.

Center Stage: debut. UK— Birmingham Rep/Barbican London: Continental Divide (World Premiere by David Edgar, directed by Tony Taccone). Regional— As an acting company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 25 years he participated in more than 70 productions. Other theaters include Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s, LaJolla Playhouse, Old Globe, South Coast Rep, Long Wharf, Denver Center, Huntington, Intiman, Mechanic, Virginia Stage, Merrimack Rep, Artists Rep, Portland Center Stage. Film/ TV—Grimm (NBC); Cheers (NBC); St. Elsewhere (NBC); News Radio (NBC); Nowhere Man (UPN); Dead by Sunset (MSNBC); Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (AMB); A Thousand Heroes (NBC); Imaginary Crimes (Warner Bros.); The Skin of our Teeth (American Playhouse).

Dwight Hicks—George Coleman/Ramon/Chorus.

Center Stage: debut. Regional—Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s. Dwight began his career in athletics as a defensive back on the University of Michigan’s football team. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and his outstanding 8

play led him to four consecutive Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl Championships. Film/ TV—The Rock; Armageddon; Jack; Virginia; Cartel War; Criminal Minds; Castle; How I Met Your Mother; Body of Proof.

Anthony Holiday*— Addicott/Ben/ Tomas/Chorus.

Center Stage: debut. Broadway—understudied and debuted playing Magic/ Willy/Henry in Magic/Bird at the Longacre Theater. Regional—Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s. Los Angeles—Court Theatre: Questa (Richard), Gardner Stages: Play (Red/Jason), Renegade Theatre: The Last Pitch (Peter), Chandler Theatre: Machinal (Richard, ADA Award nom.). Film—Roy Campanella Night, Elegy for a Revolutionary, Divorce Invitation, Finding Amanda. TV—including Mistresses, The Exes, Dads, Hot in Cleveland, Perfect Couples, The New Adventures of Old Christine.

Eddie Ray Jackson*—Eric/ BJ/Terrell/Chorus.

Center Stage: debut. OffBroadway—Classic Stage Company: Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro). Regional—Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s; Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Heart of Robin Hood (Much Miller); Marin Theatre

Center Stage: debut. NY Theater—New Georges: Hillary, Keen Company: Good Morning, Bill. Regional— Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s, Cincinnati Playhouse, White Heron Theater, Pioneer Theater, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Pennsylvania Shakespeare, Florida Studio Theater, Fulton Opera House, Seattle Children’s Theater. Film/TV— 30 Rock (NBC), Law & Order (NBC), Blue Bloods (CBS), Unforgettable (CBS), The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (ABC), The Prospects (IFC). Education—BA Yale University, MFA University of Washington. KJ Sanchez and Jenny Mercein were awarded the 2014 Rella Lossy Playwright Award for X’s and O’s.

Marilee Talkington*— Physician/Caroline/ Giants Fan/Chorus.

Center Stage: debut. Off-Broadway—Theater Breaking Through Barriers: The Middle Ages (Eleanor), Nervous Smile (Eileen); Off-Off Broadway—Ensemble Studio Theater: The Last Day, (Grace), The Great Dismal (Tricia), What’s his name (Sam); NYC Fringe: TRUCE (Solo show). Regional—American Conservatory Theater: A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Cratchit); Berkeley Rep: X’s & O’s (Physician, et. al.); Aurora Theater: Rapture Blister Burn (Catherine), Salomania (Sara, et. al); The Magic: Lily’s Revenge (Master Sunflower); Crowded Fire: She Rode Horses (Sara), The Taming of the Shrew (Catherine), The Secretaries (Dawn/ Buzz), Gone (Proust, et. al.); BBC Radio 4: TRUCE (Solo show). Education—American Conservatory Theater, MFA Acting. UC San Diego, BA Psychology and Mathematics. Awards—MacDowell Fellowship, Carol Channing Trouper Award, TBA New Works Award, CCI Award, BATCC Award.


bios

audience

the artistic team

services

Dining

Sascha’s Express, our pre-performance dinner service, is located up the lobby stairs in our Mezzanine café. Service begins two hours before each performance.

Drinks

Drinks are welcome in the theater. Lids are required for hot drinks. Please no food.

Phones

Please silence all phones and electronic devices before the show and after intermission.

Recording

Left to Right: Director Tony Taccone; cast member Eddie Ray Jackson at first rehearsal.

KJ Sanchez—Playwright.

Center Stage: ReEntry (co-author and director). Off Broadway—ReEntry, Unity 1918. Regional—Berkeley Rep: X’s and O’s (playwright); Goodman: The Upstairs Concierge; Cincinnati Playhouse: Sex With Strangers, Seven Spots on the Sun; Milwaukee Rep: Noises Off, Harvey; Round House: 26 Miles; Actors Theater of Louisville: The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, 9 Parts of Desire; Two River Theater: Mere Mortals, 26 Miles, Private Lives, ReEntry; Asolo: The Giver; As Writer and Director: Asolo/TRTC: Life in the Middle; Cornerstone: For All Time; A.R.T./MXAT Institute: Pants on Fire; Working Classroom: Highway 47; Washington Ensemble Theater: Handcuff Girl Saves the World. Film/TV— voice of many characters on Go, Diego, Go! and Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon). Other/ Awards—She is a Fox Fellow, a Douglass Wallop Fellow, and the recipient of the 2014 Rella Lossy Playwright Award. KJ is also the founder and CEO of American Records, a theater company devoted to making plays that chronicle our time.

Tony Taccone—Director.

Center Stage: debut. Artistic director of Berkeley Rep. In Tony’s 19 years as Artistic Director, Berkeley Rep has presented more than 70 world, American, and West Coast premieres and sent 23 shows to New York, two to London, and one to Hong Kong. Tony has staged more than 40 plays in Berkeley, two of which transferred to London, (Continental Divide and Tiny Kushner), and two that landed on Broadway (Bridge

& Tunnel and Wishful Drinking). Prior to Berkeley Rep, he served as Artistic Director of Eureka Theatre. There he commissioned Tony Kushner’s Angels in America and co-directed its world premiere. Regional— Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, Guthrie, Huntington, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Public Theater, and Seattle Rep. As a playwright, he debuted Ghost Light, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, and Game On, written with Dan Hoyle.

Todd Rosenthal—Scenic Designer.

Center Stage: A Skull in Connemara, Death and the Maiden. Broadway—August Osage County (Tony Award), The Motherfucker with the Hat (Tony Award nom., Outer Critics Circle nom.), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Tony Award Best Revival), Of Mice and Men, This is Our Youth, Fish in the Dark. Off Broadway—Barrow Street Theater: Red Light Winter; Lincoln Center: Domesticated; Playwrights Horizons: Qualms; Manhattan Theater Club: Close Up Space; St. Ann’s Warehouse: Nice Fish. Set designer for 6 years for the Big Apple Circus. International—August Osage County (National Theatre, London, Sydney Theater, Australia); The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Theatre Royal, Ireland). Regional— Steppenwolf, Goodman, Lookingglass, Guthrie, Alliance, Mark Taper Forum, ART, La Jolla Playhouse, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Alley, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Awards— Laurence Olivier, Helen Hayes, Ovation, Back

Photography and both audio and video recording are strictly forbidden.

On-Stage Smoking

We use tobacco-free herbal imitations for on-stage smoking and do everything possible to minimize the impact and amount of smoke that drifts into the audience. Let our Box Office or front of house personnel know if you’re smoke sensitive.

Accessibility

Wheelchair-accessible seating is available for every performance.

We offer free assistive listening devices, braille programs, and magnifying glasses upon request. An Open Captioned performance† is available one Sunday performance of each production. Two performances also feature Audio Description†.

Parking

If you are parking in the Baltimore Sun Garage (diagonally across from the theater at Monument & Calvert) you can pay via credit card at the pay station in the garage lobby or at the in-lane pay station as you exit. If you have a pre-paid voucher, proceed directly to your vehicle and enter your voucher after inserting the parking ticket you received upon entering the garage, in the machine as you leave. We are unable to validate parking tickets.

Feedback

We hope you have an enjoyable, stress-free experience! Your feedback and suggestions are always welcomed: info@centerstage.org. Open Captioning & Audio Description performances of X’s and O’s are on Sun, Dec 6. Audio Description at both 2 pm and 7 pm. Open Captioning at 7 pm. †

X’s and O’s | 9


Stage Garland, Joseph Jefferson, Michael Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration. Professor, Northwestern University. Graduate, Yale Drama.

Meg Neville—Costume Designer.

Center Stage—Three Tall Women. Regional—Berkeley Rep: One Man, Two Guvnors; Party People; Tribes; The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures; Pericles; Ghost Light; In the Wake; Yellowjackets; Eurydice; tragedy: a tragedy; Suddenly Last Summer; Dinner with Friends; Closer; The Life of Galileo. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Cocoanuts, Taming of the Shrew, Ghost Light. Associate artist with California Shakespeare Theater, where she has designed numerous productions including Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Marin Theatre Company, the Cutting Ball Theater, American Conservatory Theater, San Jose Rep, Joe Goode Performance Group, Magic Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Yale Rep, South Coast Rep, Atlantic Theater Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago Opera Theater, NY Stage and Film, Hartford Stage, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Portland Stage Company, Dallas Theater Center. Upcoming—Berkeley Rep: Macbeth, Guthrie: Cocoanuts. Education—Brown University, Yale School of Drama.

Alexander V. Nichols— Lighting and Video Designer.

Center Stage: debut. Broadway—Wishful Drinking; Hugh Jackman, Back On Broadway; Nice Work if You Can Get It. Off-Broadway— In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Los Big Names, Horizon, Bridge & Tunnel, Taking Over, Through the Night, In the Wake. Regional— American Conservatory Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and La Jolla Playhouse. International—National Theatre of Taiwan. Dance—resident designer for Pennsylvania Ballet, Hartford Ballet, American Repertory Ballet; lighting supervisor for American Ballet Theatre; resident visual designer for the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company since 1989. His designs are in the permanent repertory of San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance, Hong Kong Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, ODC/SF, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Recent projects include the museum installation Circle of Memory, a

10

collaboration with Eleanor Coppola, recently presented in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jake Rodriguez—Sound Designer. Center Stage: debut. Off Broadway— Playwrights Horizons: The Christians; Pershing Square Signature Center: Emotional Creature. Regional—Berkeley Rep: Troublemaker, or The Freakin Kick-A Adventures of Bradley Boatright; Girlfriend; Passing Strange; Actors Theatre of Louisville: Brownsville Song, The Christians; American Conservatory Theater: Monstress, Underneath the Lintel, Scorched; California Shakespeare Theater: Hamlet; Magic Theatre: Bruja, Annapurna, Oedipus el Rey; Guthrie: Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. Awards—2004 Princess Grace Award. John Sipes—Movement Director.

Center Stage: debut. Regional—Berkeley Rep: Macbeth, Pentecost, Antony and Cleopatra. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: director and resident movement director (16 seasons). Illinois Shakespeare Festival: artistic director. Education/Training— certified teacher of the Alexander Technique (Amsat) and a certified actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. Also trained in corporeal mime with Étienne Decroux in Paris, and studied with Tadashi Suzuki in Japan. Other—Associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Clarence Brown Theatre company member.

Gavin Witt—Production Dramaturg. (See Page 11)

Madeleine Oldham—Dramaturg.

Center Stage: Literary Manager/Associate Dramaturg, produced First Look reading series and headed its young audience initiative. Berkeley Rep—Director of The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work and the resident dramaturg. She oversees commissioning and new play development, and dramaturged the world premiere productions of The House that will not Stand, Passing Strange, and In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), among others. Other— She was the literary manager at Seattle Children’s Theatre, where she oversaw an extensive commissioning program. She also acted as assistant and interim literary manager at Intiman Theatre in Seattle. Madeleine served for four years on the executive committee of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and has

also worked with ACT (Seattle), Austin Scriptworks, Crowded Fire, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, the Kennedy Center, New Dramatists, Playwrights Center, and Portland Center Stage.

Amy Potozkin— CSA Casting Director/Artistic Associate for Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Center Stage: debut. Other Regional—ACT (Seattle), Arizona Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, B Street Theatre, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Marin Theatre Company, the Marsh, San Jose Rep, Social Impact Productions Inc., and Traveling Jewish Theatre. Film—Conceiving Ada (starring Tilda Swinton) Haiku Tunnel, Love & Taxes (both by Josh Kornbluth); Beyond Redemption (by Britta Sjogren). Education—MFA from Brandeis University, where she was also an artist in residence. Awards—Artios Award nomination for Excellence in Casting for The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures.

Calleri Casting—CSA Casting.

Calleri Casting is James Calleri, Paul Davis, and Erica Jensen. Broadway—Fool for Love, Of Mice and Men, Hedwig and The Angry Inch,Venus in Fur, Fuerza Bruta, 33 Variations, Chicago, James Joyce’s The Dead, A Raisin in the Sun. NY/Regional—Classic Stage Company, Flea Theater, Keen Company, Long Wharf, McCarter, New Georges, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Summer Play Festival, Williamstown. TV/Film—The Path, Army Wives, Ed, Hope & Faith, Lipstick Jungle, Monk, Z Rock, Another Earth, Armless, Merchant Ivory’s The City of Your Final Destination, Heights, Lisa Picard is Famous, Peter & Vandy, Ready? OK!, Trouble Every Day, The White Countess, Yearbook. Awards—12 Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting and is a member of CSA.

Kimberly Mark Webb*—Stage Manager. Center Stage: debut. He has

a 39-year association with Berkeley Rep. His other work includes productions for Center Theatre Group, the Joyce Festival, Huntington, La Jolla Playhouse, Williamstown, American Conservatory Theater, and Kansas City Rep. He served as Production Stage Manager at Theatre Three in Dallas for six years.


bios

the Staff Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE is an

award-winning British playwright, director, actor, and broadcaster. At Center Stage he has directed Marley, One Night in Miami..., Amadeus, dance of the holy ghosts (City Paper Top Ten Productions, 2013), The Mountaintop, An Enemy of the People, The Whipping Man, (named Best Director), and Naomi Wallace’s Things of Dry Hours. In 2014, Kwame was named Best Director in City Paper’s Best of Baltimore, and he was a finalist for SDC's Zelda Fichandler Award for Best Theater Director. Among his works as playwright are Elmina’s Kitchen, Let There Be Love, A Bitter Herb, Statement of Regret, and Seize the Day. Beneatha’s Place debuted at Center Stage in 2013 as part of The Raisin Cycle. Other directorial credits include Wallace’s The Liquid Plain at Signature Theatre, Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew at the Lark Play Development Center, New York’s Public Theater’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, the World Premiere of Detroit ’67 (Best Director nom.) at New York’s Public Theater, and the World Premiere of The Liquid Plain at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has served on the boards of The National Theatre and The Tricycle Theatre, both in London, and as Artistic Director for the World Arts Festival in Senegal. He was named the Chancellor of the University of the Arts London, and in 2012 was named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Managing Director Stephen Richard has

worked in ballet, museums, and theater, with his longest tenure at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. As Arena’s Executive Director, he planned and managed the theater’s capital campaign for the Mead Center for American Theater. He has taught arts management at Georgetown University and George Mason University, among others. He has also served on the boards and committees of some of the nation’s most prestigious arts organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, American Arts Alliance, the League of Resident Theatres, and Theatre Communications Group. He currently serves on the board of directors of Maryland Citizens for the Arts.

Associate Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif is a director,

playwright, and producer. She served as Associate Artistic Director, Director of New Play Development, and Artistic Producer at Hartford Stage; recently as Program Manager of the ArtsEmerson Ambassador Program; and as Developmental Producer/Tour Manager of Progress Theatre’s musical The Burnin’. Hana also served as co-founder and Artistic Director of Nasir Productions, which brings theater to underserved communities. Directing credits include The Whipping Man, Gem of the Ocean (six CCC nominations), Gee’s Bend (CCC Award Best Ensemble, two nominations), Next Stop Africa, Cassie, The Drum, and IFdentity. Hana has directed

numerous developmental workshops, including Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder’s The Chat and Chew Supper Club. Her plays include All the Women I Used to Be, The Rise and Fall of Day, and The Sprott Cycle Trilogy. Hana is the recipient of the 2009–10 Aetna New Voices Fellowship and Theatre Communications Group (TCG) New Generations Fellowship.

Stage in 2003, after nearly 15 years in Chicago as an actor, director, dramaturg, translator, and teacher—and co-founder of the classically based greasy joan & co theater. In addition to working as a dramaturg on scores of productions, readings, and workshops at Center Stage, he has helped develop new work around the country. Before making his Center Stage mainstage directorial debut with Twelfth Night, Gavin directed more than a dozen Young Playwrights Festival entries, as many new play readings, and the 50th Anniversary Decade Plays for Center Stage. A graduate of Yale and the University of Chicago, he has taught at the University of Chicago, DePaul, and locally at Towson and Peabody Conservatory; served on the advisory boards of several theaters; and spent more than a decade as a regional vice president of the national association of dramaturgs, LMDA.

Center Stage Advisory board

James Bundy, Artistic Director at Yale Repertory Theatre

a group of Artistic Directors from theaters

James Nicola, Artistic Director at New York Theatre Workshop

The Center Stage Advisory Board is

Associate Director/Director of Dramaturgy Gavin Witt came to Center

Susan Booth, Artistic Director at Alliance Theatre

Marc Masterson, Artistic Director at South Coast Repertory

across the country. We thank these

Diane Paulus, Artistic Director at the American Repertory Theater

hand to provide guidance and advice to

Carey Perloff, Artistic Director at the American Conservatory Theater

experienced professionals who are on Center Stage leaders, board, and staff.

Neil Pepe, Artistic Director at Atlantic Theater Company

Bill Rauch, Artistic Director at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director at Center Theatre Group

Tim Sanford, Artistic Director at Playwrights Horizons

X’s and O’s | 11


When the arts succeed, we all succeed. At M&T Bank, we know how important it is to support artists of all kinds. They enhance the quality of life in our communities. That’s why we offer both our time and resources and encourage others to do the same.

M&T Bank is proud to support Center Stage.

mtb.com Š2015 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. 12


Bring a Group and Save! Groups of 10 or more receive: Great Savings

Priority Seating

Personalized Service Easy Payment Plan

Special Bonus Tickets (Groups 20+)

For details, or to book, contact Laura Baker at 410.986.4008 or groups@centerstage.org. X’s and O’s | 13


thank you

center stage snapshot

A Look at Season 2014/15

Milestones

Dear Center Stage Family, As we focus on our beloved theater—and begin a dramatic renovation of our historic Calvert Street home—we want to thank you for being a part of the successes of the last few seasons. We could not have had our record-breaking 52nd season if not for you.

• The highest grossing season

We saw audiences grow and ticket sales increase by 40%.

• A remarkably high 90%

National coverage of artistic output has never been higher with The Wall Street Journal reaffirming that Center Stage is “one of America’s leading theater companies.”

in Center Stage history

renewal rate for Full Season Members, well above the national average

• Single ticket income rose by 62%

• Marley was the

highest grossing show in Center Stage history (earning 46% more than its closest competitor) and was seen by more than 23,000 people

• One Night in Miami...

was twice extended due to popular demand

• We reached over 13,500

people (including 10,000 youth) through 25 distinct programs

From our ground-breaking My America that moved from the Center Stage website to a feature film, and then to the “Raisin Revisited” documentary seen by over 1 million people on PBS; to One Night in Miami… being the highest grossing and net straight (non-musical) play; to Marley, the highest grossing show in Center Stage history (with both plays well on their way to being produced in London in the next 12 months) Center Stage is fulfilling its promise to serve the community here in Baltimore as well as contribute to national discourse on art and America today. In our effort to foster the talents of future generations of artists, Center Stage is proud to host our annual Young Playwrights Festival. Last season, over 600 plays were submitted from students across Maryland—the largest number of submissions in YPF history! Winning plays hailed from Creative City Charter School, Edgecombe Circle Elementary, and the St. Paul’s Schools, to name a few. There is so much to be proud of and to be grateful for—especially your support. As we move to Towson University for the last two plays of this season, we are thankful that you have chosen to come along with us. We can’t wait to show you our beautifully renovated home when we return to Calvert Street next fall. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season, and thank you very much for your part in all of our successes. Sincerely yours,

• Nearly 5,000 students

attended Student Matinees & in-class visits

• More than 600 students submitted to our Young Playwrights Festival

14

Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director

Stephen Richard, Managing Director


photos

remembering Peter Culman

Peter Culman Memorial and Tribute Top (Left to Right): Jim Magruder and Jaan Whitehead; Liam Culman and Matthew Wyskiel; Second Row (L-R): Former Technical Director Tom Rupp and Sita Culman; Former Center Stage Director of Marketing and Communications Barbara Watson; Former Board President Lynn Deering. Bottom (L-R): Costumer David Burdick; Peter Culman’s granddaughter is presented with a collection of Peter’s poetry; Former Associate Artistic Director Rick Davis and Board Member Katharine C. Blakeslee.

X’s and O’s | 15


16


Thank You Baltimore for banking with us over the last 20 years!

1st Mariner Bank is committed to our community. Stop by your local branch today and find out how we can help you.

For more information, call

410-558-3343 or 1-866-362-4500.

www.1stMarinerBank.com

X’s and O’s | 17


supporter spotlght Amy Elias and Richie PEarlstone

Amy and Richie believe Baltimore deserves a theater space that is as up to date and relevant as it was when Center Stage moved to Calvert Street in 1975.

Amy Elias and Richie Pearlstone: Donors, Partners, and Friends Every institution strives to create lasting relationships that transcend generations, and Center Stage is most fortunate to have friends like Richie Pearlstone and Amy Elias, whose families fostered a love of art that they are carrying forward. Richie’s memories of Center Stage date back to the early ’60s when his mother, Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone, served on the Board, shortly after Peter Culman became Managing Director. His parents were affiliated with many of the leading arts institutions in Baltimore, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Baltimore School for the Arts, among others, and the Pearlstones ensured that arts and culture were an integral part of their children’s lives. As a couple, Amy and Richie remain committed to helping sustain the arts and culture institutions in their hometown. Not only is our ground floor theater, The Pearlstone, named after Richie’s mother, but Amy and Richie were early supporters 18

of The Campaign for Center Stage and have sponsored the renovations of the actor’s Green Room adjacent to The Pearlstone Theater. Amy and Richie believe Baltimore deserves a theater space that is as up-todate and relevant as it was when Center Stage moved to Calvert Street in 1975. We appreciate their affirmation of the critical role that Center Stage’s thoughtful and inspirational theater plays in the community and their recognition of the importance of our programs with young students, many of whom are experiencing live theater for the first time. This can be a life changing experience, and their advocacy makes a difference. The Campaign for Center Stage will create technological and physical spaces that will give the theater the ability to touch even more lives through great art. We are proud and grateful that Amy is serving her first year on the Board and chairing our Annual Gala, “Center Stage Presents.” As Founder and CEO of Profiles, Inc., her innate sense of both the big picture and every detail is admirable, and

she comes to Center Stage with extensive events and promotion expertise. Amy feels that the Gala brings together the many people who support the theater for a fun, vibrant, and meaningful evening and has always been a highlight of the Baltimore social calendar. This year’s Gala will be very different from others as The Campaign for Center Stage and its subsequent renovations require an alternative location. It was important to choose a venue that was in Baltimore City and that would allow for the capacity we need to reach our fundraising goal. The choice of the Scottish Rite Temple at 3800 North Charles Street meets those criteria. For information about the “Center Stage Presents” Gala or The Campaign for Center Stage, please contact Julia Keller, Director of Development, at jkeller@centerstage.org.


support center stage The following list includes gifts of $250 or more made to the Center Stage Annual Fund between October 19, 2014 and October 19, 2015. Although space limitations make it impossible for us to list everyone who helps fund our artistic, education, and community programs, we are enormously grateful to each person who contributes to Center Stage. We couldn’t do it without you!

INDIVIDUALS & FOUNDATIONS:

The Center Stage Society represents donors who, through their annual contributions of $1,500 or more, provide special opportunities for our artists and audiences. Society members are actively involved through special events, theater-related travel, and behind-the-scenes conversations with theater artists. Season Sponsors

(50,000+)

The Annie E. Casey Foundation Ellen and Ed Bernard

The Charlesmead Foundation Lynn and Tony Deering

The Edgerton Foundation New American Play Awards

Genine and Josh Fidler

Jeannie Murphy

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Smith

John Gerdy and E. Follin Smith Baroness G.D. Godenne M.D.+

The Jim & Patty Rouse Charitable Foundation

Scot T. Spencer

The Laverna Hahn Charitable Trust

Barbara and Sig Shapiro

Daniel P. Gahagan

The Goldsmith Family Foundation

Charles and Leslie Schwabe

Ms. Wendy Jachman

Ellen J. Remsen Webb & J.W. Thompson Webb

Charles E. Noell III

Francie and John Keenan

Lynn and Philip Rauch

Keith Lee

Sharon and Jay Smith

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Judy and Scott Phares

Townsend and Bob Kent

The Shubert Foundation, Inc.

Ken and Elizabeth Lundeen

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

The Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds

Ms. Katherine L. Vaughns + Producers’ Circle ($25,000-$49,999)

The Miriam Jay Wurts Andrus Trust The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Awards www.BakerArtistAwards.org Penny Bank

James and Janet Clauson Jane and Larry Droppa EMC Arts

The JI Foundation Kathleen Hyle

Marilyn Meyerhoff

Terry H. Morgenthaler and Patrick Kerins

Mr. J. William Murray

The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital Artists’ Circle

($10,000- $24,999)

Anonymous

Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker

Mr. and Mrs. George M. Sherman Mr. Louis B. Thalheimer and Ms. Juliet A. Eurich Department of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Nathan & Suzanne Cohen Foundation

Mr. G. Brian Comes and Mr. Raymond Mitchener, in honor of Terry Morgenthaler

The Jane and Worth B. Daniels, Jr. Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation The Delaplaine Foundation, Inc. Walter B. Doggett III and Joanne Doggett

The William L. and Victorine Q. Adams Foundation and The Rodgers Family Fund The Bunting Family Foundation

Dick and Maria Gamper

The Helen P. Denit Charitable Trust

Steve and Susan Immelt

Ms. Amy Elias and Mr. Richard Pearlstone

Peter and Millicent Bain

Beth and Michael Falcone

Stephanie and Ashton Carter

Fredye and Adam Gross

The Fascitelli Family Foundation

Murray Kappelman

The John J. Leidy Foundation, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Thomasian

Ted and Mary Jo Wiese

Directors’ Circle

($2,500- $4,999)

Anonymous

Kathryn and Mark Vaselkiv Mr. Todd M. Wilson and Mr. Edward Delaplaine

Drs. Nadia and Elias Zerhouni Designers’

The Lois and Irving Blum Foundation

($1,500- $2,499)

Sylvia and Eddie Brown

Ms. Taunya Banks

Drs. Joanna and Harry Brandt

Anonymous

The Mary and Dan Dent Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation

John and Carolyn Boitnott

Mr. Jed Dietz and Dr. Julia McMillan

Robert and Cheryl Guth

August and Melissa Chiasera

Mr. Michael Styer

Ms. Linda Woolf

Loren and Judy Western

James T. and Francine G. Brady Mary Catherine Bunting

Mr. Gilbert H. Stewart and Ms. Joyce L. Urich

United Way of Central Maryland Campaign

Playwrights’ Circle

($5,000- $9,999)

Scott and Mimi Somerville

Donald and Mariana Thoms

The Harry L. Gladding Foundation/ Winnie and Neal Borden

Brian and Denise Eakes

Ms. Nancy Dorman and Mr. Stanley Mazaroff

Stephen Richard and Mame Hunt

Meredith and Joseph Callanan

The Campbell Foundation, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Roland Campbell, Jr.

The Caplan Family Foundation, Inc.

Carole + and Neil Goldberg

Mr. and Mrs. Jon Carnell

F. Barton Harvey III and Janet Marie Smith

Gene DeJackome and Kim Gingras

The Hecht-Levi Foundation, Inc. David and Elizabeth JH Hurwitz

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Jennings Mr. and Mrs. Mark Joseph, in honor of Lynn Deering

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Linehan/ The Linehan Family Foundation The Macht Philanthropic Fund of The Associated Mrs. Diane Markman

The McCrickard Family Fund for Charitable Giving John and Mary Messmore Jim and Mary Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Mohler, Jr. John and Susan Nehra

Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Pakula The Pearlstone Family Fund

Ann K. Clapp

Dr. and Dr. Matthew Freedman Ms. Suzan Garabedian

Pamela and Jonathan Genn, in honor of Beth Falcone Sandra Levi Gerstung

Len and Betsy Homer

The A. C. and Penney Hubbard Foundation Francine and Allan Krumholz Maryland Charity Campaign Bayinnah Shabazz, M.D. George and Holly Stone

Dr. and Mrs. John Strahan Susan and Brian Sullam

Dr. Edgar and Betty Sweren Nanny and Jack Warren, in honor of Lynn Deering Sydney and Ron Wilner

Nathan and Michelle Robertson Mr. and Mrs. Todd Schubert

X’s and O’s | 19


Company

(750-$1,499)

Anonymous Mr. Calvin Baker Charles and Patti Baum Steve and Teri Bennett Mr. and Mrs. Marc Blum Mr. and Mrs. Adam W. Borden Jan Boyce Ms. Susan Bridges Dr. and Mrs. Donald D. Brown Sandra and Thomas Brushart Ms. Cheryl Casciani Jane Cooper and Philip Angell The Richard and Rosalee C. Davison Foundation Albert F. DeLoskey and Lawrie Deering The Honorable and Mrs. E. Stephen Derby The Eliasberg Family Foundation Sue and Buddy Emerson, in appreciation of Ken and Elizabeth Lundeen Mr. and Mrs. Donald M. Engvall Dennis Flynn Amy and Scott Frew Frank and Jane Gabor José and Ginger Galvez Ms. Hannah B. Gould Stuart and Linda Grossman Bill and Scootsie Hatter Rebecca Henry and Harry Gruner, in honor of Terry Morgenthaler Sandra and Thomas Hess Ralph and Claire Hruban Mrs. Harriet S. Iglehart Mr. and Mrs. Ted Imes Joseph J. Jaffa Mr. Larry Jennings Ms. Shirley Kaufman Mr. Barry Kropf The H.R. LaBar Family Foundation Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation The Herschel and Judith Langenthal Philanthropic Fund Dr. and Mrs. George Lentz, Jr. Robert and Susan Mathias James and Kathy Mathias Joseph and Jane Meyer Mr. and Mrs. John Michel Tom and Cindi Monahan Roger F. Nordquist, in memory of Joyce C. Ward Mr. and Mrs. Lee Ogburn Dr. Bodil Ottesen Linda Hambleton Panitz Bonnie L. Pitt Dave and Chris Powell Phoebe Reynolds The James and Gail Riepe Family Foundation, in honor of Lynn Deering Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rojas Mrs. Bette Rothman + The Earle and Annette Shawe Family Foundation Barbara P. Shelton The Sinksy-Kresser-Racusin Memorial Foundation Dana and Matthew Slater, in honor of Terry Morgenthaler Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Smelkinson Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith Mr. and Mrs. Dan Verbic Dr. and Mrs. Frank R. Witter

20

Patricia Yevics-Eisenberg and Stewart Eisenberg Dr. Laurie S. Zabin

Advocates ($250-$749)

Anonymous Rita and Walter Abel Ms. Diane Abeloff, in memory of Martin Abeloff Mrs. Madeline R. Abramson Bradley and Lindsay Alger The Alsop Family Foundation Denise and Philip Andrews Mrs. Alexander Armstrong Deborah and Stephen Awalt Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bair Mike Baker The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bank Family Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation Amy and Bruce Barnett Melissa A. Behm Ms. Lorinda Belzberg, in honor of Lynn and Tony Deering Scott and Katherine Bissett Bob and Maureen Black Ms. Katherine C. Blakeslee Rachel and Steve Bloom, in honor of Beth Falcone Harriet and Bruce Blum Moira Bogrov ChiChi and Peter Bosworth Jason and Mindy Brandt Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bryan Mr. Paul Burclaff Lorraine and Winfield Cain Ms. Deborah W. Callard Cindy Candelori The Jim and Anne Cantler Memorial Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Carr Ms. Karen Lee Carroll Mr. and Mrs. David Carter Mr. and Mrs. James Case Ms. Amina Chaudhry Ms. Sue Lin Chong Mr. and Mrs. Carl F. Christ William and Bonnie Clarke Brenda M. Cley, M.D. Ms. Clare Cochran Joan Develin Coley and Lee Rice Mr. and Mrs. Stanton Collins Combined Charity Campaign David and Sara Cooke Scott and Patricia Corbett B.J and Bill Cowie Ms. Barbara Crain and Mr. Michael Borowitz Gwen Davidson Robert and Janice Davis Richard and Lynda Davis The Deering Family Foundation James DeGraffenreidt and Mychelle Farmer David and Emily Demsky Rosetta and Matt DeVito Ina and Ed Dreiband The Suzy and Eddie Dunn Fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation, in honor of Terry Morgenthaler Lynne Durbin and John-Francis Mergen Linda Eberhart Mr. James Engler Deborah and Philip English

Dr. and Mrs. Yener S. Erozan Ms. Rhea Feikin, in memory of Colgate Salsbury Faith and Edgar Feingold, in memory of Sally W. Feingold Sandra and John Ferriter Bob and Susie Fetter Andrea and Samuel Fine Ann and Richard Fishkin Bill and Winnie Flattery Mr. and Mrs. Ross P. Flax Dr. and Mrs. Robert P. Fleishman Donna Flynn John Gilmore Ford Joan and David Forester Elborg and Robert Forster Mary Louise Foster Ms. Nancy Freyman Dr. Neal M. Friedlander and Dr. Virginia K. Adams Mark and Patti Gillen Megan M. Gillick Hal and Pat Gilreath Terry L. Gladden Mr. Bruce Goldman Dr. Larry Goldstein and Dr. Diane Pappas Mary and Richard Gorman Thomas and Barbara Guarnieri Mr. and Mrs. Randy Guttman Louise Hager Ada Hamosh Betsy and George Hess Sue Hess Mrs. James J. Hill, Jr., in memory of James J. Hill, Jr. Barbara and Sam Himmelrich Dr. Dahlia Hirsch and Dr. Barry Wohl James and Rosemary Hormuth Ms. Irene Hornick Sarah and John Issacs James and Hillary Aidus Jacobs A.H. Janoski, M.D., in honor of Jane Stewart Janoski Mr. and Mrs. James Johnstone Max Jordan Ann H. Kahan Mr. John Kane Richard and Judith Katz Dr. and Mrs. Myron Kellner Stephen and Laurie Kelly, in memory of Rodney Stieff Ms. Deborah Kielty Alane and George Kimes Roland King and Judith Phair King Deborah King-Young and Daniel Young Donald Knox and Mary Towery, in memory of Carolyn Knox and Gene Towery Thomas and Lara Kopf Gina Kotowski Mr. and Mrs. L. Lambert Paul Lambertson and Truby LaGarde Joseph M. and Judy K. Langmead Kevin Larrawe and Lucy Robins Dr. and Mrs. Yuan C. Lee Melissa Leffler Mr. Raymond Lenhard, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Lesser Marilyn Leuthold Marty Lidston and Jill Leukhardt Dr. and Mrs. John Lion Kenneth and Christine Lobo

The Ethel M. Looram Foundation, Inc. Nancy Magnuson and Jay Harrell, in honor of Betty and Edgar Sweren The Dr. Frank C. Marino Foundation, Inc. Jeanne E. Marsh Don Martin Mr. and Mrs. Steve McCurdy Mary L. McGeady Jean and Chris Mellott Mary and Barry Menne Mr. and Mrs. Timothy E. Meredith Jeston I. Miller Stephanie F. Miller, in honor of The Lee S. Miller, Jr. Family Tracy Miller and Paul Arnest, in honor of Stephanie Miller Faith and Ted Millspaugh Dr. Thomas Moench and Dr. Pamela Ouyang The Montag Family Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, in honor of Beth Falcone James W. and Shirley A. Moore Dr. and Mrs. C.L. Moravec The Honorable Diana and the Honorable Fred Motz, in memory of Nancy Roche George Murnaghan Stephen and Terry Needel Claire D. O’Neill Ms. Jo-Ann Mayer Orlinsky Fronda Cohen Ottenheimer and Richard Ottenheimer Mr. Thomas Owen The P.R.F.B. Charitable Foundation, in memory of Shirley Feinstein Blum Michael and Phyllis Panopoulos Justine and Ken Parezo Fred and Grazina Pearson Linda and Gordon Peltz Dr. and Mrs. James M. Pepple Mr. William Phillips Ronald and Patricia Pilling Leslie and Gary Plotnick Janet Plum, in memory of Jeffrey J. Plum Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Posner Ms. Dorothy Powe, in memory of Ethel J. Holliday Bryan and Karen Powell Robert E. Prince Mrs. Joan Pugh Mr. and Mrs. Richard Radmer Cyndy Renoff and George Taler Dr. Michael Repka and Dr. Mary Anne Facciolo Natasha and Keenan Rice Mrs. Peggy L. Rice Alison and Arnold Richman Ida and Jack Roadhouse Bill and Syrena Robinson Jane and Stanley Rodbell and James R. Shapiro Susan Rosebery and Barbara Blom Wendy Rosen and Richard Weisman Dorothy L. and Henry A. Rosenberg, Jr. Michael Ross, in memory of Katherine Vaughns and Joan Kappelman Kevin and Judy Rossiter Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rusk Mr. Al Russell Robert and Lelia Russell

Sheila and Steve Sachs Steven and Lee Sachs Monica and Arnold Sagner Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sanford Ms. Gloria Savadow, in honor of the Encounter Program The Eugene and Alice Schreiber Philanthropic Fund Gail B. Schulhoff Clair Zamoiski Segal, in honor of Judy Witt Phares Dr. Carl Shanholtz and Dr. Ruth Horowitz Dr. and Mrs. Edward M.M. Sills Reverend Sharon Smith Susan Somerville-Hawes, in honor of the Encounter Program Ms. Jill Stempler Clare H. Stewart, in honor of Bill Geenen Brenda Stone and Dan Watson Mr. William J. Sweet Cindy and Fred Thompson Ms. Cathy Tipper Mr. and Mrs. Philip F. Toohey, in honor of Beth Falcone Susan Treff Laura and Neil Tucker, in honor of Beth Falcone Sharon and David Tufaro Dr. and Mrs. Henry Tyrangiel Mr. and Mrs. James Ulmer III Mr. Eli Velder Mr. and Mrs. David Warshawsky Robin Weiss and Timothy Doram Mr. John Wessner Ms. Camille Wheeler and Mr. William Marshall Richard E. and Julia B. Wolf Mrs. Edith Wolpoff-Davis, in memory of Alvin S. Wolpoff Dr. Richard H. Worsham Eric and Pam Young + Deceased

SPECIAL GRANTS & GIFTS:

The Leading National Theatres Program, a joint initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

Center Stage is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Center Stage’s catalog of Education Programs has been selected by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities as a 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Finalist. Baltimore County Executive, County Council, & Commission on Arts and Sciences Carroll County Government

Howard County Arts Council through a grant from Howard County Government

Center Stage has been funded by the Mayor Stephanie RawlingsBlake and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.


Gifts In-Kind

Atwater’s Baltimore STYLE The Baltimore Sun The Brewer’s Art Casa di Pasta The Classic Catering People The Charles Theater The City Paper Cunningham’s Gertrude’s Restaurant Gianni’s Italian Bistro HBP HoneyBaked Ham Co. The Helmand Hotel Monaco Iggie’s Jericho Staging The Jewish Times La Cakerie Mamott Maryland Office Interiors Maryland Public Television Michele’s Granola Mitchell Kurtz Architect, PC Mount Vernon Stable and Saloon Oriole’s Pizza and Sub PromoWorks Ravenbeer Republic National Distributing Company Shugoll Research The Signman Union Craft Brewing Village Square Café A Vintner’s Selection Ware House 518 WYPR Radio www.thecheckshop.us

CORPORATIONS

THE 2015/16 SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY

Presidents’ Circle

Anonymous The Baltimore Life Companies Cho Benn Holback + Associates Environmental Reclamation Company Ernst & Young

T. Rowe Price Foundation, Inc.

Funk & Bolton, P.A. Goodell, DeVries, Leech & Dann Howard Bank

producers’ Circle

McGuireWoods, LLP PricewaterhouseCoopers Saul Ewing, LLP Venable, LLP Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.

Directors’ Circle American Trading and Production Corporation Baxter, Baker, Sidle, Conn & Jones, P.A. Charcoalblue Keast & Hood Marriott Maryland Transit Administration Pessin Katz Law P.A.

The following employers match the charitable donations of their employees. Many employers match donations 2:1. Simply contact your human resources department, and in one easy step you can double your level of support to Center Stage.

Schoenfeld Insurance Associates Wright, Constable, & Skeen, LLP

Designers

Matching Gift Companies The Abell Foundation, Inc. Bank of America BGE Becton Dickinson & Company The Black & Decker Corporation Brown Capital Management, Inc. The Annie E. Casey Foundation Constellation Energy The Deering Family Foundation E-Bay Foundation Exxon Corporation GE Foundation Illinois Tool Works Foundation JMI Equity Kraft Foods MASCO Corporation McCormick Foundation Norfolk Southern Foundation PNC Bank SunTrust Bank T. Rowe Price Foundation UBS Wealth Management

Playwrights’ Circle

Chapel Valley Landscape Company Chesapeake Plywood, LLC Froehling & Robertson

Artists’ Circle

Board of Trustees

Terry H. Morgenthaler, President Edward C. Bernard, Vice President August J. Chiasera, Vice President Beth W. Falcone, Vice President Brian Eakes, Treasurer J.W. Thompson Webb, Secretary

Penny Bank Katharine C. Blakeslee* Meredith Borden James T. Brady C. Sylvia Brown* Stephanie Carter Lynn Deering Jed Dietz Walter B. Doggett III Jane W.I. Droppa Amy Elias Juliet A. Eurich Jennifer Foster Daniel Gahagan C. Richard Gamper, Jr. Suzan Garabedian Adam Gross Cheryl O’Donnell Guth Martha Head* Elizabeth J. Himelfarb Hurwitz Kathleen W. Hyle Ted E. Imes Wendy Jachman Joe Jennings Murray M. Kappelman, MD* John J. Keenan E. Robert Kent, Jr. Joseph M. Langmead* Bjoern Leyser Kenneth C. Lundeen* John McCardell Marilyn Meyerhoff* Hugh W. Mohler Jr. J. William Murray Charles E. Noell III Judy M. Phares Esther Pearlstone* Philip J. Rauch Harold Rojas Monica Sagner* Renee C. Samuels Rosenfeld Todd Schubert Charles Schwabe George M. Sherman* Robert W. Smith, Jr. Scott Somerville Scot T. Spencer Michael B. Styer Harry Thomasian Kenneth Thompson Donald Thoms Krissie Verbic Linda S. Woolf * Trustee Emeriti

We make every effort to provide accurate acknowledgement of our contributors. We appreciate your patience and assistance in keeping our lists current. To advise us of corrections, please call 410.986.4026.

X’s and O’s | 21


Legg Mason is proud to support Center Stage in its mission to engage, educate, and expand the horizons of audiences through theater.

leggmason.com

facebook.com/leggmason

@leggmason

Š 2015 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC is a subsidiary of Legg Mason, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. 551371 ADVR200260 9/15

22


Working in our community helps our community work

better.

ENERGY WORKS SMARTER

together

Smart energy. It’s the belief that when we work in our community, our community works better. Through charitable contributions, outreach and volunteer projects focused on education, arts and culture, the environment and community development—BGE and its more than 3,400

together

MAKING ENERGY SMARTER employees work together with our customers to help make central Maryland a better place to live and work. Now that’s smart energy. To learn more, visit BGE.COM/Giving.

THE POWER TO DO MORE

together

HOW ENERGY WORKS

together

X’s and O’s | 23


The Baltimore Community Foundation has been helping people who love Baltimore for generations.

FRIENDS... FAMILY... BALTIMORE

You’d be surprised at the variety of creative ideas people have come up with, and the range of charitable plans we’ve helped them design and bring to life.

What will your gift to Baltimore be? Explore the possibilities at www.bcf.org/sharethelove

2 East Read Street, 9th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202 | 410.332.4171 | WWW.BCF.ORG

24


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE EDGAR ALLAN POE SERIES Pendulum Pilsner

Tell Tale Heart IPA A n nabel Lee White

The Raven Special Lager Artwor

k by KAL

Dark Usher: Dark Kölsch The Cask (of Amontillado)

Artwork by KAL

www.RavenBeer.com

Experience the Gordon

Experience The Gordon Baltimore County’s premier Performing Arts Center

THE JOSHUA NELSON BAND

“The Prince of Kosher Gospel” with the Bethel AME Choir

Sunday, January 17, 2016 7:00pm

Advertise with us! Our rates are affordable and negotiable. This program will reach approx. 15,000 people! Ask about our Discounts: Pay-in-advance discount Nonprofit/community partner discount Loyalty discount We’re happy to help you design your ad.

TICKETS: gordoncenter.com | 410.356.7469 Rosenbloom JCC, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills, MD 21117

centerstage.org/advertise ads@centerstage.org

Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore

X’s and O’s | 25


preview

Up Next

All the World’s a Stage

United by Motown, Divited by riots... and a family caught in the middle

as you like it

detroit ’67

By William Shakespeare

By Dominique Morisseau

Shakespeare’s crowd-pleasing comedy takes Center Stage by way of a new production that turns the Elizabethan tradition of all-male casts on its head. Performed by an all-female company of actors, As You Like It tells the story of lovers Rosalind and Orlando who, when forced to flee into the Forest of Arden, become ensnared in a game of romance and mistaken identity. Frenzied and beguiling, in As You Like It all the world’s a stage as understandings of love, gender roles, nature, and politics are up for grabs. Join us as we journey deep into the fertile Forest of Arden and explore this beloved comedy in a whole new light.

After the death of their parents, siblings Chelle and Lank (named for poet Langston Hughes) make ends meet by hosting late-night parties in the basement of their childhood home. In 1967 Detroit the latest sounds of Motown echo from the record player, but the risk of their unofficial nightclub is high, given the intensifying police presence in the all black neighborhood. The danger intensifies when Lank rescues a battered white woman, and relationships between black and white, brother and sister, friend and stranger begin to shift. The music and politics of the Motown era sizzle in the background of this sharp-eyed drama that explores our shared humanity, across family and across race.

Jan 15–Feb 14

26

Apr 8–May 8


Center Stage Goes to Towson Center Stage will perform the last two plays of the 2015/16 Season—As You Like It (Jan 15–Feb 14) and Detroit ’67 (Apr 8–May 8)—at Towson University’s Center for the Arts.

Our historic building is undergoing major renovations beginning January 2016. As the University opens its doors to our productions, we aim to take full advantage of the many benefits this partnership will offer. · FREE parking will be available for all shows · All transactions, tickets, and questions will be handled by the Center Stage Box Office

Visit our Towson Dining Partners! Save 10% with your Center Stage Ticket! 11 Allegheny Ave, Towson, MD 21204 443.275.4050

· An on-site café and Towson Dining Partners offer convenient area dining · The Center for the Arts is located on Osler & Cross Campus Drives on the Towson campus · Towson’s theater is ADA compliant

Box Office: 410.332.0033 Member Hotline: 410.986.4046 boxoffice@centerstage.org

Choose 1 free glass of wine OR 1 free appetizer with your Center Stage Ticket! *Limit 4 per table; offer may not be combined with other offers or discounts

1 Olympic Pl, Towson, MD 21204 | 410.339.7730 X’s and O’s | 27


staff Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE–Artistic Director | Stephen Richard–Managing Director Administration

Associate Managing Director–Del W. Risberg Special Assistant to the Managing Directors– Kevin Maroney Executive Assistant–Sarah Curnoles Managing Director’s Intern–AJ Roy Administration Intern–Antonio Eubanks

Artistic & Dramaturgy

Associate Artistic Director–Hana S. Sharif Associate Director/Director of Dramaturgy–Gavin Witt Artistic Administrator–Stephanie Rolland Company Manager–Sara Grove The Lynn and Tony Deering Producing Fellow– Brandon Rashad Butts Digital Media Fellow–Nick Morrison The Judy and Scott Phares Dramaturgy Intern– Lauren Imwold The Philip and Lynn Rauch Company Management Intern–Celia Rector Playwrights Collective–Jennifer Barclay, Alvin Eng, Liz Maestri, Lola B. Pierson, Craig S. Richie Hot Desk Writer–Rachael Knoblauch

Audience Relations

Audience Relations & Box Office Manager– Mandy Benedix Assistant Box Office Manager/Subscriptions Manager– Jerrilyn Keene Assistant Patron Services Manager–Laura Baker, Nick Horan Patron Services Associates–Zerica Anderson, Ishai Barnoy, Tiana Bias, Kelli Blackwell, Andrew Bryce, Olivia Brann, Blueberry Emily Keller, Shannon Ziegler Audience Relations Associate–Alec Lawson House Managers–Laura Baker, Lindsey Barr, Mandy Benedix, Nick Horan, Lindsay Jacks, Lena Mier, Faith Savill Audience Relations Intern–Lena Mier Audio Description–Ralph Welsh & Maryland Arts Access

Audio

Supervisor–Amy Wedel Audio Engineer–Daniel Hogan The Jane and Larry Droppa Audio Intern–Eric Glauber

Community Programs & Education

The Kenneth and Elizabeth Lundeen Scenic Art Intern– Christa Ladny

Electrics

The following individuals and organizations contributed to this production of X’s and O’s

Lighting Director–Tamar Geist Master Electrician–Christal Boyd Staff Electrician–Aaron Haag The Mr. Gilbert H. Stewart and Ms. Joyce L. Ulrich Electrics Intern–Tyler Chinn

Finance

Director–Susan Rosebery Business Manager–Kathy Nolan Business Assistant–Kacy Armstrong

Graphics

Art Director–Bill Geenen Production Photographer–Richard Anderson The PricewaterhouseCoopers Graphics Fellow– Katherine Marmion

Information Technologies

Director–Joe Long Systems Administrator–Mark Slaughter Director–Beth Hauptle Publications Manager–Maggie Beetz Marketing Manager–Sarah Bichsel Public Relations Manager–Cassandra Miller Digital Content Associate–Emily Salinas The Jay and Sharon Smith Marketing and Communications Intern–Olivia Hairfield

Operations

Facilities Manager–Shawn Whitenack Building Engineer–Harry Piasecki Security Supervisor–James Williams Custodial Services Supervisor–Wylie Shaw Housekeepers–Lori Duckworth, Veronica Walker

Scenery

Development

Stage Operations

Stage Carpenter–Eric L. Burton Wardrobe Supervisor–Linda Cavell

Associate Lighting Designer–Adam Greene Associate Sound Designer–Beth Lake Deck Crew–Robert Marietta, Christine Ruthenberg-Marshall, Alli Wolf Electricians–Stephen Ames, Tyler Bristow, John Elder, Thomas Linn, Harley March, Robert Marietta, Cody Petenbrick, Matt Sykes Props–Jacob Zabawa Wardrobe–Sarah Satterwhite

Special Thanks to all those who generously and honestly shared their stories, memories, opinions, enthusiasm, and anxiety to help make this piece what it is.

Center Stage operates under an agreement between LORT and Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

Multimedia Intern–Daniel Berkowitz

Costumes

Resident Stage Manager–Laura Smith The Peter and Millicent Bain Stage Management Intern– Victoria Solorio

Cover photo: Dwight Hicks

Multi-Media

Director of Production–Rick Noble Associate Production Manager–Jennifer Hard Production/Stage Management Interns– Taylor Schwabe, Matt Sykes

Stage Management

The Baltimore Sun has graciously offered on loan, the photos you see in the lobby. They maintain all rights, licensing, and ownership, and will be returned at the end of the show. Special thanks to Renee Mutchnik for partnering with us.

Marketing & Communications

Director–Rosiland Cauthen Education Coordinator–Kristina Szilagyi Community Programs & Education Fellow– Joshua Thomas The Greg and Beth McCrickard Community Programs & Education Fellow–Andrew Stromyer Teaching Artists– Lianna Brizzi, Maria Broom, Lauren Imwold, Zipporah Brown, Chris Dews, Vaunita Goodman, Sarah Heiderman, Deirdre McAllister, Jerry Miles, Jr., CJay Philip, Courtney Proctor, Virginia Remsberg, D. Wambui Richardson, Oran Sandel, Susan Stroupe, Ann Turiano, Jacob Zabawa, and The Jokesters: Steve Bauer and Marianne Wittelsberger Costumer–David Burdick Draper–Susan MacCorkle Craftsperson–Wiliam E. Crowther First Hand–Elisabeth Roskos The Terry Morgenthaler and Patrick Kerins Costumes Fellow–Ben Kress

28

Deputy Director of Institutional Giving– Sabrina S. Thornton Campaign Manager–Paul Wissman Institutional Giving Associate–Amanda Mizeur Development Assistant–Alyson Jacques Auction Coordinator–Sydney Wilner Auction Assistant–Norma Cohen The Edward and Ellen Bernard Development Fellow– David Kanter Development Fellow–Arrenvy Bilinski

Production Management

The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union. The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. Musicians engaged by Center Stage perform under the terms of an agreement between Center Stage and Local 40-543, American Federation of Musicians.

Properties

Center Stage is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the nonprofit professional theater, and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the national collective bargaining organization of professional regional theaters.

Props Master–Meghan O’Brien Assistant Manager–Nathan Scheifele Artisan–Samantha Kuczynski Interim Technical Director–Bradley Shaw Scene Shop Supervisor–Scott Richardson Carpenters–Derek Lundmark, Brian Jamal Marshall, Hunter Montgomery, Nicholas Sines, WM Yarbrough, III The Patricia and Mark Joseph Carpentry Intern– Courtney Joelle Costello

Director–Julia Keller Deputy Director of Individual Giving–Brian Lyles

Scenic Art

The Center Stage Program is published by: Center Stage Associates, Inc. 700 North Calvert Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Editor Maggie Beetz Art Direction/Design Bill Geenen Advertising Sales ads@centerstage.org

CONTACT INFORMATION

Scenic Artist–Stephanie Nimick

Box Office Phone 410.332.0033 Box Office Fax 410.727.2522 Administration 410.986.4000 centerstage.org info@centerstage.org

Material in the Center Stage performance program is made available free of charge for legitimate educational and research purposes only. Selective use has been made of previously published information and images whose inclusion here does not constitute license for any further re-use of any kind. All other material is the property of Center Stage, and no copies or reproductions of this material should be made for further distribution, other than for educational purposes, without express permission from the authors and Center Stage.


We’ve got a master’s

degree in exceptional senior living.

How To Keep Your Curiosity Piqued. The secret to getting the most out of a senior living community is to choose the one where you never stop learning. Fortunately, Roland Park Place offers a premier continuing care experience close to Johns Hopkins University and a number of other esteemed college campuses. At Roland Park Place we feature a wide range of intellectually stimulating events and cultural offerings. Lecturers regularly speak on a broad range of topics. Weekly poetry readings, musical recitals, fitness classes, creative arts; that’s only the beginning of what awaits you. There’s also the putting green, raised garden beds, swimming pool, singing club and much more. And because your neighbors are erudite and outgoing, you’ll have plenty of company with whom to discuss it all. Now that you’ve reached this level in life, you deserve to have the kind of enriched life experience offered at Roland Park Place.

Why not learn more right now? Call (410) 243-5700 or visit RolandParkPlace.org

830 W. 40th Street | Baltimore, MD 21211 | (410) 243-5700 rolandparkplace.org RPPJ6274 Masters Degree Ad_7.4375x10_CS.indd 1

The educated choice. 10/20/14 12:49 PM

X’s and O’s | 29


A pre-eminent program of noncredit arts and sciences lectures and mini-courses designed for anyone with a burning curiosity and an undying thirst for learning. Highlights of our upcoming fall offerings include: Jonathan Palevsky on Handel’s Messiah: Nov. 24 & 30, & performance by BSO and Concert Artists of Baltimore Symphonic Chorale, at Meyerhoff: Dec 6

>

>

The Seurat Effect with Jennifer S. Hylton: Dec. 3

All-Day Advanced Screenwriting Workshop with Marc Lapadula, Sat., Dec. 5

>

Mark Croatti on George Washington’s Resignation: Ensuring Civilian Rule of the United States: Dec. 7

>

Odyssey offers courses in humanities, music and theater, current events, science and nature, writing, photography, and more! Watch for our spring 2016 offerings available in January. Call, or visit our website, to request a catalog. For more information or to register call


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.