A S O L O R E P E R T O RY T H E AT R E
PRESENTS
NOVEMBER 15 – JANUARY 4
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Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein Managing Director Ross Egan Proudly Presents
®
Music and Lyrics by GEORGE GERSHWIN and IRA GERSHWIN Book by KEN LUDWIG
Co-Conception by KEN LUDWIG and MIKE OCKRENT Inspired by Material by GUY BOLTON and JOHN MCGOWAN
Directed and Choreographed by DENIS JONES Music Direction & Additional Arrangements by ANGELA STEINER Originally produced on Broadway by ROGER HORCHOW and ELIZABETH WILLIAMS Original Broadway Choreography by SUSAN STROMAN Scenic Design
Costume Design
ADAM KOCH
Lighting Design
EDUARDO SICANGCO
Fight Director
MARK ROSE Dramaturg
Voice & Dialect Coach
Associate Choreographer DARIEN CRAGO*
KEN TRAVIS
Cultural Competency Consultant
PATRICIA DELOREY
DRAYTON ALEXANDER
Sound Design
JASON LYONS
DeWANDA SMITH SOEDER
New York Casting
JZ CASTING GEOFF JOSSELSON, CSA KATJA ZAROLINKSI, CSA
Associate Music Director
CARL HAAN
MICHELLE HART
Production Stage Manager
NIA SCIARRETTA*
Resident Casting Director
CÉLINE ROSENTHAL
Associate Costume Designer
DAVID COVACH
Hair/Wig & Makeup Design
Assistant Stage Manager
JACLYN KANTER*
*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Directors are members of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; Designers are members of the United Scenic Artists Local USA-829; Backstage and Scene Shop Crew are members of IATSE Local 412. The worldwide copyrights in the music of George and Ira Gershwin® for this presentation are licensed by the Gershwin Family. GERSHWIN is a registered trademark and service mark of Gershwin Enterprises. CRAZY FOR YOU is a registered trademark and service mark of CRAZY FOR YOU Enterprises.
CO-PRODUCERS George Allison and Alan Watkins • Kathy Cole, in loving memory of Trent Cole • Deborah A. Farrington Diane Taylor Foxman, in loving memory of Norman Foxman • Rita Greenbaum • Ruth Kreindler • Merrill and Sheila Wynne/Aprio
SPONSORS
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CAST
in alphabetical order
LINDSAY LEE ALHADY...................................................................Sheila/Follies Dancer/Ensemble DELANEY BENSON≠.....................................................................Margie/Follies Dancer/Ensemble DARIEN CRAGO*†...........................................................................Mitzi/Follies Dancer/Ensemble MADELEINE DOHERTY*.........................................................................Lottie Child/Patricia Fodor SARA ESTY*................................................................................................................Polly Baker KIRSTY FULLER*..........................................................................Louise/Follies Dancer/Ensemble DANNY GARDNER*....................................................................................................Bela Zangler BEAU HARMON.....................................................................................Moose/Cowboy/Ensemble CANDICE HATAKEYAMA*..............................................................................................Irene Roth LEEDS HILL*..........................................................................................Wyatt/Cowboy/Ensemble BRYAN THOMAS HUNT* ‡ .........................................................Pete/Perkins/Cowboy/Ensemble MASUMI IWAI*..............................................................................Patsy/Follies Dancer/Ensemble ELLIOTT MATTOX*.............................................................Eugene Fodor/Billy/Cowboy/Ensemble DANIEL PLIMPTON*...................................................................................................Bobby Child JODY REYNARD*..................................................................................Custus/Cowboy/Ensemble BARRETT RIGGINS*................................................................................................Lank Hawkins LILY ROSE*.....................................................................................Tess/Follies Dancer/Ensemble MICHAEL SCHIMMELE*.........................................................................Jimmy/Cowboy/Ensemble CRAIG WALETZKO*..................................................................................................Everett Baker *Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. † Dance Captain ‡ Fight Captain ≠ Appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
UNDERSTUDIES
understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the performance.
For Bobby Child: BRYAN THOMAS HUNT, JACK WUNSCH; For Polly Baker: DELANEY BENSON, SARAH DEARSTYNE For Bela Zangler: LEEDS HILL, JODY REYNARD; For Irene Roth: KIRSTY FULLER, LINDSAY LEE ALHADY For Lank Hawkins: MICHAEL SCHIMMELE, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM; For Lottie Child/Patricia Fodor: KIRSTY FULLER, SARAH DEARSTYNE For Everett Baker: JODY REYNARD, BEAU HARMON; For Sheila: SARAH DEARSTYNE, ALEX POULOUTIDES, MARIA SCHERER For Mitzi: ALEX POULOUTIDES, SARAH DEARSTYNE, MARIA SCHERER; For Patsy: MARIA SCHERER, ALEX POULOUTIDES For Tess: ALEX POULOUTIDES, MARIA SCHERER; For Moose: BRETT COLE YOUNG, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM For Wyatt: JACK WUNSCH, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM, BRETT COLE YOUNG; For Pete/Perkins: MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM, JACK WUNSCH, BRETT COLE YOUNG; For Eugene Fodor/Billy: MICHAEL SCHIMMELE, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM; For Custus: BRETT COLE YOUNG, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM, JACK WUNSCH; For Jimmy: JACK WUNSCH, MICHAEL WARREN BINGHAM, BRETT COLE YOUNG
MUSICIANS in alphabetical order
FERNANDO CRUZ..........................................................Clarinet/Alto Saxophone/Tenor Saxophone MARK DE ROSE..................................................................................................................Drums DAVID A. DEWITT..........................................................................................................Trombone JACK KEELING................................................................................Flute/Clarinet/Alto Saxophone MARIA KUGE.......................................................................................................................Violin EDDIE MARSHALL..........................................Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone ISAAC MINGUS..........................................................................................................Double Bass VICTOR MONGILLO..........................................................................................................Trumpet ANGELA STEINER...............................................................................................Piano/Conductor CHUCK STEVENS................................................................................................................Guitar
MUSCIAN SUBS Drums: HENLEY CONNOR; Reeds: TOM ELLISON, ELLEN SAXTON, JOHN YOAKUM; Rehearsal Pianist; Piano/Conductor: CARL HAAN Trombone: DONALD PARKER; Trumpet: ROBERT W. CARMICHAEL III
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MUSICAL NUMBERS ACT ONE K-ra-zy for You......................................................................................................................... Bobby I Can’t Be Bothered Now................................................................................ Bobby and Follies Girls Bidin’ My Time........................................................................................... Cowboy Trio and Cowboys Things Are Looking Up............................................................................................................ Bobby Could You Use Me? / Shall We Dance?........................................................................ Bobby and Polly Entrance to Nevada............................................................................... The Follies Girls and Cowboys Someone to Watch Over Me....................................................................................................... Polly Slap That Bass.................................................................... Bobby, Moose, Tess, Patsy, and Company Embraceable You..................................................................................................... Polly and Bobby Tonight’s the Night....................................................................................................... The Company I Got Rhythm........................................................................................... Polly, Bobby, and Company
ACT TWO The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag)…..................................................... Cowboy Trio and Cowboys What Causes That?.................................................................................................. Bobby and Bella Naughty Baby............................................................................................. Irene, Lank and Cowboys Stiff Upper Lip............................................................... Eugene, Patricia, Bobby, Polly, and Company They Can’t Take That Away from Me........................................................................................ Bobby But Not for Me.......................................................................................................................... Polly Nice Work If You Can Get It........................................................................... Bobby and Follies Girls Bidin’ My Time (French Reprise)…................................................................................... Cowboy Trio Finale.......................................................................................................................... The Company
SE T TING
New York City and Deadrock, Nevada, in the 1930s
CRAZY FOR YOU® is presented is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams- Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com
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CAST
in alphabetical order
Lindsay Lee Alhady She/Her (Sheila, Follies Dancer/Ensemble; u/s Irene Roth) Lindsay is absolutely thrilled to be making her Asolo Repertory Theatre debut! Recent credits include A Christmas Story (John W. Engeman Theater), Chicago (The Lexington Theater Company), The Little Mermaid (The Lexington Theater Company), and Singin’ In The Rain (Lyric Theater of Oklahoma). She would like to thank her Mom, Dad, and sister for the love and support, and a special thank you to everyone at Bloc helping to make this possible! Delaney Benson She/Her (Margie, Follies Dancer/Ensemble; u/s Polly Baker) Delaney is thrilled to be making her Asolo Rep debut with a show she has been dreaming about being in since she was young. Delaney recently graduated in April 2023 from CCM with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Psychology. Select credits include Gypsy (Louise), Singin' In The Rain (Kathy Seldon), Charlie Brown (Lucy Van Pelt), and Gentleman’s Guide (Phoebe D’Ysquith). Immense gratitude to Kat, everyone at DGRW, Hayes, my family, and my chosen family. What a dream come true to be in this beautiful show. This one’s for you, Mom. xoxo @delaneyybenson Darien Crago She/Her (Mitzi, Follies Dancer/Ensemble) Darien is honored to be part of this beautiful production making her Asolo Rep debut! NYC credits: Holiday Inn on Broadway, Paint Your Wagon and Lady, Be Good! (tapping with Tommy Tune!) at NY City Center. She’s traveled the country with the national tour of White Christmas. Some favorite regional theaters credits: Goodspeed Opera House, The Muny, Paper Mill, PCLO, Cape Playhouse, The Lex. TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fosse/Verdon. Many thanks to Geoff, Bryan, and to Denis for another delightful opportunity. This show is extra special sharing the stage again with my husband Daniel (Bobby!).
Madeleine Doherty (Lottie Child/Patricia Fodor) Recently: Broadway at Sacramento and The Muny 2023. 6 Broadway Shows: Les Miserables (ensemble, Madame T u/s, dance captain) Christmas Carol (original cast, char woman) The Producers (original cast Hold Me Touch Me) Sister Act (original cast Sister Mary Teresa) Gigi (original cast, revival, Mamita/Alicia u/s) Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (original cast Grandma Georgina) 2 Off-Broadway Shows: Romance, Romance (original cast) A Time for Singing (York Theater). 6 National Tours, over 50 Regional Theater. 1 son, 1 grandson, 4 step kids, 5 step grandkids, 1 dog, 3 unions. Sara Esty She/Her (Polly Baker) Sara is a former soloist with Miami City Ballet, and a Princess Grace Award recipient for dance. She was most recently seen as Meg Giry in the final Broadway company of The Phantom of the Opera. Various theater credits: An American in Paris (Lise Dassin - Broadway/1st National Tour), Brigadoon (Jean - NYCC Encores!), A Chorus Line (Maggie - Encores!, Cassie - Cape Playhouse), Marie Dancing Still (The Fifth Ave. Theater, Seattle), Alien/Nation (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Film/TV: Maestro, West Side Story (dir. Steven Spielberg), Fosse/Verdon, EVIL. Crazy For You is a long time dream come true! Love to this team, my family, and BRS/Gage! @estygrl Kirsty Fuller She/Her (Louise, Follies Dancer/Ensemble; u/s Irene Roth) Kirsty is thrilled to be performing in this exhilarating show! West End: 42nd Street (Swing/ Cover Anytime Annie), Up Next Gala (National Theatre London). US Regional: 42nd Street at Goodspeed Musicals (Dance Captain/Swing), Beauty and the Beast (Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain/Silly Girl). Off-Broadway: Broadway by the Year 20th Anniversary. UK Regional: White Christmas 2021 UK tour (Dance Captain/Cover Martha), Sleeping Beauty (Dance Captain/Cover Beauty), Chapel Choir (The Royal Albert Hall). UK Television: BBC Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two. Love and endless gratitude to family, friends, and Carlos for always supporting me. Luke 1:37
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CAST
in alphabetical order
Danny Gardner He/Him (Bela Zangler) Last seen at Asolo Rep as Marcellus in The Music Man. His Broadway credits include Dames At Sea, Flying Over Sunset, and A Christmas Carol. His other New York credits include Lady, Be Good! at City Center Encores, The New York Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Musical Hall, Cheek to Cheek (The York Theater), Time Step (New Victory Theatre), Room 17B and Everybody Gets Cake (59E59th Street Theaters). National Tours include Here to Stay – The Gershwin Experience!, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and 42nd Street. danny-gardner.com @dannyjgnyc Beau Harmon He/Him (Moose/Cowboy/Ensemble; u/s Everett Baker) Asolo Rep debut! TV/ Film: So You Think You Can Dance (Top 6), SNL, and IF directed by John Krasinski. Stage: Music Man (Marcellus/Co-Choreographer) & Guys and Dolls (Angie the Ox) at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts and NBC Upfront at Radio City Music Hall. He’s a proud faculty member of Steps On Broadway in NYC. BFA Texas State MT. Much love and thanks to Bloc and his family, given and chosen. @beauharmon_ Candice Hatakeyama She/Her (Irene Roth) Candice is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, now based in NYC. She recently made her Broadway debut in Funny Girl. Other regional credits include: 42nd Street (Goodspeed Musicals); Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Hangar Theatre), Catch Me If You Can (Arena Stage); Cinderella (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Mistress Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Texas Shakespeare Festival), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Syracuse Stage); Liat in South Pacific (Flat Rock Playhouse). Syracuse University BFA Musical Theatre. Thank you Denis, Ann, Caitlin, and the entire Asolo Repertory Theatre Crazy For You team! @canditheduck
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Leeds Hill He/Him (Wyatt, Cowboy/Ensemble; u/s Bela Zangler) Asolo Rep: Cabaret (Hans/Ernst u/s (performed)/Cliff u/s) also performed at The Old Globe. Broadway: Cabaret (Bobby/ Emcee u/s (performed)/“Two Ladies”/Violin). Leeds understudied Alan Cumming and played the Emcee on Broadway and on Tour. National Tour: Cabaret (Dance Captain), Mary Poppins (Neleus). Regional: Singin’ In The Rain (Cosmo u/s (performed), Ogunquit), Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (Ozzie, The Muny), A Chorus Line (Greg, TUTS), Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere u/s (understudying Gavin Lee), Paper Mill), La Cage (Hanna, Riverside). Proud AEA Member. CCM MT grad. @leedshill Bryan Thomas Hunt (Pete/Perkins/Cowboy/Ensemble; u/s Bobby Child) Asolo debut! National Tours: White Christmas and Billy Elliot. Regional: Alliance, Ahmanson, The Muny, North Shore Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Riverside, Goodspeed Opera House, North Carolina Theatre, Westchester, Berkshire Theatre Group and the Engeman Theater. Favorite shows include 42nd Street, The Drowsy Chaperone, Singin in the Rain and Mary Poppins. Graduate of the Boston Conservatory. Thanks to CGF, everyone at Asolo Rep, and Denis. Love to his family and his wife Kelly, whom he is crazy for. This one, and every one, is for his Dad. Masumi Iwai She/Her (Patsy/Follies Dancer/Ensemble) Born and raised in Japan. Masumi moved to NYC to pursue a career in musical theater. Broadway: Funny Girl (Dir. Michael Mayer, Choreo. Ellenore Scott, Ayodele Casel), National Tour: The King and I. Other favorite credits include FLY (La Jolla Playhouse, Dir. Jeffrey Seller, Choreo. Andy Blankenbuehler), Mamma Mia (NSMT), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Surflight Theatre) Education: Osaka University of Arts, Peridance International Dance School. Much love to my agents at Daniel Hoff. Grateful for all my friends and family for supporting me on this journey, especially my husband who checked my English to create this bio. @mmmasssun
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CAST
in alphabetical order
Elliott Mattox He/Him (Eugene Fodor/Billy/Cowboy/ Ensemble) Elliott is happy to be returning to Asolo Rep after playing Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls in 2016. On Broadway, Elliott appeared in the original companies of Beetlejuice (u/s Beetlejuice) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Regionally, Elliott has worked at The Muny, Music Theatre Wichita, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Cape Playhouse and many others. B.M. Music Theatre from Oklahoma City University. Thanks to the team at DGRW. For my new husband, Michael! @elliottmattox Daniel Plimpton He/Him (Bobby Child) Daniel is over the moon to be making his Asolo Rep debut with this dream role. National Tours: Book of Mormon, White Christmas, Spring Awakening. Regional Theatre: Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Denver Center, Bucks County Playhouse, Fulton Theatre, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and so many more. Daniel is a proud member of the Actors’ Union, Knock for Democracy, and Sing for your Seniors, and an avid traveler (all 50 states!). Thanks to this remarkable team, especially Denis, Bryan, and my real-life song and dance partner, Darien. Enjoy the show and come find me after if you want to play tennis! BFA: The Boston Conservatory. danielplimpton.com Jody Reynard He/Him (Custus/Cowboy/Ensemble; u/s Everett and Bela) Broadway credits include Thoughts of a Colored Man, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Legally Blonde, Taboo, Saturday Night Fever, and Fosse. Regionally, he’s played Bernardo (West Side Story), Mitch Mahoney (…Spelling Bee), Phaedra (La Cage aux Folles), “Ken” (Smokey Joe’s Café) and Darren Lemming (Take Me Out). His film and TV credits include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Rosie Live, One Life to Live, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Show Business: The Road to Broadway. Jody has also performed with the Omaha Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, and New York Philharmonic Orchestras.
Barrett Riggins He/Him (Lank Hawkins) Barrett is an actor, composer, and lyricist based in Brooklyn. Recent credits include: Fritz in Harmony (NYTF off-Broadway), Barry Mann in Beautiful (Theatre Aspen), Huey in Memphis (TUTS), and Mordred in Camelot (The Muny). He has released two studio albums, Good Ol’ and Smoke Machine, which are available on all streaming platforms. He also writes musicals with Graham Techler. Their shows include Helsinki (2023 O’Neill, NMTC Semi-Finalist) and The Panic of ’29 (59E59). Barrett is a current member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan. @barrettadamriggins Lily Rose She/They (Tess/Follies Dancer/Ensemble) Lily is thrilled to be joining the cast of Crazy for You at Asolo Rep! Broadway: Bad Cinderella, Regional; In the Heights/Musical Theater Heritage, The Who’s Tommy/Flint Rep, Goosebumps/ The Coterie. Lily is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. Thanks to Henderson Hogan. All love to her amazingly supportive friends and family. @thelilyyyrose Michael Schimmele He/They (Jimmy/Cowboy/Ensemble; u/s Lank and Eugene) Asolo Rep debut! NY: At the Barre (Shawn). Regional: RENT (Angel Standby, The Muny), RENT (Paul, Mr. Jefferson, The Man, Paper Mill Playhouse), Sister Act (Ernie, Paper Mill Playhouse), Sister Act (Pablo, North Carolina Theatre), In the Heights (Piragua Guy, North Carolina Theatre, STAGES St. Louis [BroadwayWorld Nominations], Grease (Roger, Pioneer Theatre Company), The View UpStairs (Freddy, RTP, regional premiere), An Enchanted Evening (“I Am What I Am”, Transcendence Theatre Company). BFA Elon University. Member of AEA. Thanks to the Asolo Rep family, Denis Jones, JZ Casting, CGF Talent, Mom, Dad, and Archie. @michaelschimmele
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CAST
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Craig Waletzko He/Him (Everett Baker) Craig was last seen at Asolo Rep in Backwards in High Heels (in 2010!) His Broadway and National Tour credits include Kinky Boots (George), Guys and Dolls, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot, A Christmas Carol, Cats, Steel Pier, and Gypsy. Favorite regional roles include Bruce in Fun Home (VA Stage), Jerome in Merrily… (Huntington), Father in Ragtime (Westchester Broadway), Phil in White Christmas (Syracuse Stage), and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast (Pioneer). TV/ film appearances include The Blacklist, Ocean’s 8, House of Cards, Boardwalk Empire, Blue Bloods, Alpha House, and The Knick. Craig is a graduate of Carnegie-Mellon and a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. craigwaletzko.com Michael Warren Bingham He/Him (Swing; u/s Lank Hawkins/Moose/ Wyatt/Pete/Perkins) Michael Bingham recently placed third in the Lehigh Valley’s blueberry pie eating contest. When not eating pie, Michael finds time to perform. National Tours: Bandstand, Tootsie. Regional Theater: Shakespeare Theater Company DC, Fulton Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, GLOW Lyric, Central Piedmont. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Dustin, Kristen, Carolyn. Before he discovered his love for blueberry pie, Michael grew up in Hawaii. If you are able, please support the victims of the Maui fires at hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/maui-strong Sarah Dearstyne She/Her (Swing; u/s Polly Baker/Lottie Child/ Patricia Fodor/Mitzi) Previous credits include Bandstand (1st National Tour) and 42nd Street (Goodspeed). Many thanks to my family and friends, JZ Casting, and our incredible creative team. For my wonderful husband, Garrett. @sarah.dearstyne
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Alex Pouloutides She/Her (Swing; u/s Tess/Sheila/Mitzi/ Patsy) Alex is thrilled to be joining this incredible team. She is a 2022 graduate from Elon University’s Music Theatre Program. Most recent credits include Babette in Beauty & The Beast (Summer Theatre of New Canaan), Anybodys in West Side Story (Flat Rock Playhouse), Hello Dolly (Marriott Theatre), Annie in 42nd Street (Elon University). She is grateful to her family and PMT for their support. All glory to God! @alexpoulx Maria Scherer She/Her (Swing; u/s Patsy/Sheila/Tess) Maria is thrilled to be here! Previous credits include Pittsburgh CLO, Casa Mañana. BFA in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College. Thanks to the team, casting, and everyone at Bloc. For my family, always! I love you. @riacorsi Jack Wunsch He/Him (Swing; u/s Bobby Child/Wyatt/ Pete/Perkins/Custus/Jimmy) Jack, an Australian native, most recently performed as the Solo Dancer in Phantom of the Opera at the Sydney Opera House. He originated the role of Mitch in the new Australian musical, The Deb, produced by Rebel Wilson. Australian Tours: performer in Sugarbabies!, choreographer/performer for both Scoundrels! and Ziegfeld Boy. Notable credits: Adam/Felicia u/s in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Burn The Floor (NCL). @jackwunsch Brett Cole Young He/Him (Swing; u/s Moose/Wyatt/Pete/ Perkins/Custus/Jimmy) Brett is so stoked to be making his Asolo Rep debut! New York based actor/singer/ dancer/musician. Regional Credits: The Drowsy Chaperone, The Wizard of Oz, 42nd Street, Kinky Boots. Sacramento California native and proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma/ Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. Endless thanks to Mom, Dad, Jake, Nikki and Sydney. @brettcoleyoung
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CREATIVE TEAM Drayton Alexander He/They (Dramaturg) Highlights at Asolo Rep include Cabaret (transfer to The Old Globe), Man of La Mancha, Chicken and Biscuits, and workshops of Stellar Atmospheres and Dancing in the Blue Light. Other dramaturgical highlights include Spin at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Theatre Weekly Award, Best Solo Performance); Taylor Mac’s ball-pit play The Fre (world premiere), Not My Monster (OBA nomination, Best Family Entertainment), Syncing Ink, Scraps (world premiere), and Good Friday at The Flea Theater. Drayton was the Co-Artistic Producer of Serials for two years and has worked with such theater companies as The Vineyard, The New Group, New Earth Theatre, and Singapore Repertory Theatre. He received an Olwen Wymark award from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and holds an MFA from NYU Tisch Asia. David M. Covach (Associate Costume Designer & Costume Shop Manager) David is honored to be the person asked to complete the costume designs for Crazy For You for his late friend, Eduardo Sicangco. David has worked for Asolo Rep for almost 30 seasons, 24 of which have been in the position of Costume Shop Manager. He started working with Eduardo in 2006 when he designed The Plexiglass Slipper for Asolo Rep. Over the years they worked on five other Asolo Rep shows and several outside productions including Tanglewood Music Theatre and Norwegian Cruise Lines. David not only manages the Asolo costume shop but is a free-lance designer for freeFall Theatre in St. Pete. David is forever grateful for the talented and dedicated artists that work with him every day in the costume shop. He knows that he has not stood alone in this endeavor and would never have been strong enough to finish this work without their constant focus and attention to detail. In addition, he would like to thank his partner, Scott, for his unwavering support and would like to dedicate his work this season to the memory of his friend and mentor, Eduardo Sicangco. Patricia Delorey She/Her (Voice and Dialect Coach) Asolo Rep favorites include: Knoxville, Silent Sky, Cabaret, Sweat, The Cake, Sweeney Todd, Gloria, Ragtime, Rhinoceros, Roe, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, The Great Society, Josephine, All The Way, West Side Story, Sotto Voce, Other Desert Cities, South Pacific,The Grapes of Wrath, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Clybourne Park,The Innocents, Twelve Angry Men, Bonnie & Clyde, Doubt, A Few Good Men, A Tale of Two Cities, Equus. Other credits include Pitmen Painters
(American Stage Theatre), The Smuggler (Urbanite Theatre), Studio Six’s production of Plasticine (The Baryshnikov Arts Center), Saturday Night Fever (Royal Caribbean International Cruises), Stone Cold Dead Serious (American Repertory Theatre), and the world premiere of Nocturne (American Repertory Theatre). Ross Egan (Managing Director) Ross Egan's extensive experience in theatre and business makes him ideal to lead Asolo Rep into the future. Previously he was the Managing Director of the historic Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA, where he successfully navigated the challenges posed by the pandemic, including producing Barter at the Moonlite Drive In, one of the first theatres in the world to produce during that time. He was also the Director of Operations for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and founded the Joseph Jefferson award-winning Refuge Theatre Project in Chicago. George Gershwin (Music ) was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16, he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady, Be Good!; Oh, Kay!; Strike Up The Band; Girl Crazy; and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George had ambitions to compose serious music. These ambitions were realized in some of his masterpieces, among them "Rhapsody In Blue," "Concerto In F," "An American In Paris" and "Second Rhapsody." In the late '20s George became fascinated by the DuBose Heyward novel Porgy, recognizing it as a perfect vehicle for opera using jazz and blues idioms. George's folk opera Porgy and Bess opened in Boston on September 30, 1935, and had its Broadway premiere two weeks later. In 1937 George was at the height of his career. In Hollywood, working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies, he collapsed and on July 11 died of a brain tumor. He was not quite 39 years old. Ira Gershwin (Lyrics) the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published his first song (“You May Throw All The Rice You Desire But Please, Friends, Throw No Shoes”). Four years later, Ira enjoyed his first major stage success, Two Little Girls in Blue, written with another Broadway newcomer, Vincent Youmans. In 1924 Ira and his brother George created the smash hit Lady, Be asolorep.org
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CREATIVE TEAM Good! and went on to continue their remarkable collaboration through a dozen major stage scores, producing such standards as “Fascinating Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “‘S Wonderful,” “Embraceable You,” “I Got Rhythm,” “But Not For Me” and others far too numerous to mention. During his long career, Ira also enjoyed productive collaborations with such songwriters as Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Kurt Weill, Burton Lane and Jerome Kern, with whom he created his greatest song hit of any one year, “Long Ago And Far Away.” Ira Gershwin died on August 17, 1983, in Beverly Hills, California. Michelle Hart She/Her (Hair/Wig & Make-up Design) Hart designs for Asolo Repertory Theatre and FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Other credits: Sarasota Ballet; Palm Beach Drama Works; freeFall Theatre; Urbanite Theatre; Florida Studio Theatre; West Coast Black Theatre Troupe; Banyan Theatre; Ruth Eckerd Hall; Venice Theatre; Dorset Theatre, Barrington Stage and Open Stage Theatre. She has also done hair and/or makeup for Joan Rivers, Doris Roberts, Martin Short, Jane Russell, Arlene Dahl, Soledad Villamil, Jane Pauley, Richard Dreyfuss, Castille Langdon, Christopher Higgins, Mary Mara, Heather Robb, Lauren Sweetser, Justin Long, Paul Downs, Douglas Sills and Nia Hills; music videos; Second Chance by Shinedown, Reverse Cowgirl by T-Pain; film and television: Lady Of The Manor, Paradise, FL. and The Real Stephen Blatt. Denis Jones He/Him (Director/Choreographer) Denis is a two-time Tony® Award nominated choreographer and his work has been seen on Broadway in Tootsie, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and Honeymoon in Vegas. Recent credits include Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz (Paper Mill Playhouse), Guys and Dolls (Kennedy Center), Oliver! (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera), Sister Act (The Muny, St Louis), Hello Dolly! (Marriott Theatre), A Chorus Line (Signature Theatre), The Tempest (NY Shakespeare in the Park), The Sound of Music (Lyric Opera), Paint Your Wagon (NY City Center ENCORES!), The Music Man (Goodman Theatre), and The Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage). Denis is a two-time Carbonell Award winner. Jaclyn Kanter She/Her (Assistant Stage Manager) Jaclyn is thrilled to return to Asolo after ASMing Cabaret last fall – and, previously, two seasons of growth as a Stage Management Apprentice. Select credits include 10
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Cheek to Cheek (The York Theatre Company), A Beautiful Noise (AEA Tier Three Workshop), Plays for the Plague Year (The Public Theater), and On Sugarland (New York Theatre Workshop). She has also worked two seasons at The Muny and three seasons at The Santa Fe Opera. Thanks to Nia for another year of shenanigans and lots of love to the friends and family who support her every step of the way. Adam Koch (Scenic Design): Previously at Asolo Rep: The Three Musketeers. Stage designs for multiple off-Broadway and national tour productions. International credits include: Dreamgirls, Sister Act (Seoul); Pretty Woman (São Paulo) and Norwegian Cruise Line. Hundreds of regional productions including designs for: Signature Theatre, The Old Globe, Goodspeed Musicals, Ford’s Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Miami New Drama, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Music Theatre Wichita, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Westport Country Playhouse. Awards include: Suzi Bass award for Outstanding Scenic Design for the outdoor production of Titanic (Serenbe Playhouse), as well as Helen Hayes Award nominations for both Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Signature Theatre) and Bat Boy (1st Stage). Education: Carnegie Mellon University. adamkochassociates.com Instagram @instadamkoch. Ken Ludwig (Book) has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony® Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You is currently running on London’s West End. It was previously on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony® and Olivier® Awards for Best Musical. In addition, he has won the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theatre, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, and the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Baskerville, Sherwood, Twentieth Century, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, A Fox on the Fairway, A Comedy of Tenors, The Game’s Afoot, Shakespeare in Hollywood and Murder on the Orient Express. They have starred, among others, Alec Baldwin, Carol
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CREATIVE TEAM Burnett, Kristen Bell, Tony Shaloub, Joan Collins and Henry Goodman.His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays on theatre are published in the Yale Review. He gives the Annual Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and he served on the Board of Governors for the Folger Shakespeare Library for ten years. His first opera, Tenor Overboard, opened at the Glimmerglass Festival in July 2022. His most recent world premieres were Lend Me A Soprano and Moriarty, and his newest plays and musicals include Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. His plays include commissions from the Agatha Christie Estate, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Globe Theatre, and the Bristol Old Vic. For more information visit www.kenludwig.com. Jason Lyons He/Him (Lighting Design) Recent: A New Brain (BSC), Sweeney Todd (TUTS), Austen’s Pride (Carnegie Hall), Beauty & the Beast (The Muny). Broadway: Hand to God, On the Town, Bronx Bombers, Bring It On, Rock of Ages, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, and Good Vibrations. Theater: Between the Lines (2nd Stage), Gloria: A Life (ART), Austen’s Pride, Romy & Michele’s… (5th Ave), Junk (Arena Stage), Skylight (McCarter), Clueless (New Group), Sugar In Our Wounds (MTC), Familiar, Robin Hood, Red Velvet, Macbeth, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Old Globe); Kings, Dry Powder, Barbecue (Public); Crazy For You, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Cabaret (Signature); Heathers (NWS). TV: Final 2 episodes of Fosse/Verdon on FX. Obie Award Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design. Artistic Director for the Bakowski Bridge of Lights. jasonlyonsdesign.com Victor Meyrich (Production & Operations Director) is a graduate of Carnegie Tech and worked at New York Shakespeare Festival, Brandeis, University of California Institute of Repertory, APA, American Conservatory Theater, and again in New York. As head of production and technical staffs, he is responsible for the overall technical operation of Asolo Rep and its facilities. He wrote the architecture program for both the Center for the Performing Arts and the Koski II expansion and is the owner’s representative on both projects. He has been a member of the Asolo Rep family since 1969.
Mark Rose He/Him (Fight Director) Mark is a NY based fight choreographer, stuntman, actor, and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. Fight Choreography credits: Asolo Rep: Cabaret, Camelot, Into The Breeches, Lifespan of a Fact, Rhinoceros, The Motherf**ker with the Hat, Romeo & Juliet. Trinity Rep: Sweeney Todd, The Good John Proctor, Becky Nurse of Salem, Tale of Two Cities, Sueno, A Christmas Carol (2022). Legoland NY: The Big Test Stunt Show. Idlewild & Soak Zone Theme Park: Frontier Follies Stunt Show (2018-2019). Sparta NJ Renaissance Faire: The Kings Tournament (2017-present), Misfits of Fortune Pirate Show (2021-present). See more at mark-rose.com or @Mark.Rose.Stunts Céline Rosenthal She/They (Associate Artistic Director; Resident Casting Director) Céline Rosenthal is a Tony®-nominated producer, “Key” member of The Ring Of Keys and New Georges Affiliate Artist. At Asolo Rep they directed Grand Horizons, Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, The Lifespan of a Fact, Camelot, the Educational Tours of Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest, and served as AD to Frank Galati on Knoxville. Céline developed new work with NYMF, New Georges, MTF, Kidoons, and National Queer Theatre, and helms Asolo Rep’s new work series, The Ground Floor. Other Recent Projects: In The Next Room, Angel Street, A Doll’s House, Spike Heels (Studio Theatre); Trayf (New Rep); Drowning in Cairo (N.Q.T); the Award-winning short film Wildflower. They are an Alumnus of CTI and BMI Lehman Engel Workshop. celinerosenthal.nyc Peter Rothstein (Producing Artistic Director) Peter Rothstein serves as the Producing Artistic Director for Asolo Repertory Theatre where he directed Man of La Mancha, Sweeney Todd and Ragtime. He works extensively as a director of theater, musical theater, opera and new work development. For 25 years Rothstein served as the Founding Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da, a Minneapolis-based company dedicated to new and adventurous music-theater. Other collaborations include the Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Ten Thousand Things and Seattle’s 5th Avenue as well as the Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera and Chicago Opera Theater. Rothstein is the creator of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which had its Off Broadway debut in 2018 receiving the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and has been seen around the globe, airing on PBS. Rothstein served on asolorep.org
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CREATIVE TEAM the board of directors for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Alive and Kickin’ and the Twin Cities’ Ivey Awards. He has been a panelist and evaluator for the Playwrights’ Center, the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals. He holds degrees in Music and Theater from St. John’s University and an MFA in Directing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nia Sciarretta She/Her (Production Stage Manager) Selected Asolo Rep credits include PSM for Knoxville, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha, Silent Sky, Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, The Great Leap, The Sound of Music, Into the Breeches, The Music Man, Sweeney Todd, Sweat, Shakespeare in Love, Roe, and the 2020-21 Terrace Stage season, as well as Assistant Stage Manager for Rhinoceros, Guys & Dolls, All the Way, South Pacific, and Hero: The Musical. Previous off-Broadway credits include work on Jesus Hopped the A Train, In the Blood, and The Wayside Motor Inn at the Signature Theatre. Nia has also worked with Creede Repertory Theatre, the Hangar Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, the Flea Theatre, and Penguin Rep. Member of AEA. Eduardo Sicangco (in memoriam) O PRONOUNS (Costume Design) For this theater, he has designed the scenery and costumes for Das Barbecu and The Plexiglass Slipper and the costumes for the world premiere of Josephine, The Game’s Afoot, The Imaginary Invalid, Boeing Boeing and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. eduardosicangco.com DeWanda Smith Soeder She/Her (Cultural Competency Consultant) is the President of Smith-Soeder Enterprises, LLC. She is an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) strategist who developed the Affinity Space and Triage cultural competency processes based on her research and thesis, “Theatre as a Diversity Intervention”. Cultural competency consulting engagements include Theatrical Institutions: Asolo Rep, Florida State University Conservatory for Actor Training, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Old Globe Theater, Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Touring Production Companies: RCI Theatricals, LDK Productions, Tom Kirdahy Productions, Octopus Productions, Louis on Broadway, Martian Entertainment, Skidrow Downtown.
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Angela Steiner She/Her (Music Direction/Additional Arrangements/ Conductor) Angela is elated to be returning to Asolo Repertory Theatre for another season. Other select regional theater music director and/ or conductor, orchestrator credits include: Cabaret and Sweeney Todd (Asolo Repertory); Cabaret (Barrington Stage Company); HAIR! (The Old Globe); Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Geva Theatre); A Little Night Music, Rattlesnake Kate, The Who’s Tommy, Oklahoma, Indecent, Twelfth Night (Denver Center for the Performing Arts). Angela holds a bachelor’s degree in piano from Wichita State University and a masters in collaborative piano from the University of Northern Colorado. She specializes in creating and collaborating on new musicals. Angelasteiner.com Ken Travis (Sound Design) Asolo Rep: Cabaret. Broadway: In Transit, Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Story, Scandalous, Newsies, Memphis, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, Steel Magnolias. Numerous New York and regional theaters and companies including: DCPA, The Old Globe, The 5th Avenue Theater, McCarter Theater, Seattle Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, LA Center Theatre Group, ACT Seattle, Guthrie Theater, KC Rep, Dallas Theater Center, Playwrights Horizons, The New Group, NYSF Public Theater, CSC, Signature Theater NYC, SoHo Rep, Vineyard Theater, The Civilians, Mabou Mines, and national and international tours. JZ CASTING Geoff Josselson, CSA and Katja Zarolinski, CSA (New York Casting) CURRENT/UPCOMING NEW YORK: Spamalot (Broadway), Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (New World Stages), Translations (Irish Repertory Theatre). SELECT NEW YORK: The Civilians, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre. SELECT REGIONAL: Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Cape Playhouse, City Theatre Company, Goodspeed Opera House, Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, People’s Light, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Round House Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theaterworks Hartford, Weston Theater, Woolly Mammoth. jz-casting.com
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MUSICIANS Robert W. Carmichael III (Sub Trumpet) Robert Carmichael is a professional trumpet player, trained in both classical and jazz trumpet. His performances cover a wide variety of music genres including jazz, classical, modern, pop, funk and many others. Robert is also a trumpet teacher with a degree in music education from Appalachian State University in North Carolina and a Performance Degree from University of South Florida. He has taught musicians and classes of all grade levels, from elementary to collegiate students. Henley Connor He/Him (Sub Drums) is from Sarasota, Florida, and has had many accomplishments. Previously performing in Hair and Hood, he is regularly gigging with jazz professionals and performing at many festivals/ shows throughout the area. He won the FCSAA Solo Jazz Student Artist competition against all respective instruments, and also has run his own Music Recording Studio for 8 years. Along with the Asolo, he has done a handful of shows at local theaters including FST and Players Theatre. Fernando Cruz He/Him (Reeds) is an active saxophonist, composer, and educator. He performs in various music disciplines including orchestral, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, and popular music. He has performed alongside prominent musicians such as Wycliffe Gordon, Jared Schonig, Marquis Hill, Bob Reynolds, and Pasquale Grasso. Fernando currently is part of the music faculty at the State College of Florida. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Music from the University of North Florida. Mark De Rose He/Him (Drums) Drummer/percussionist Mark De Rose has performed with many popular international music artists, including Hino Terumasa, Don Alias, Lewis Tabakin, Mary Wilson, The Flamingos, Bobby Wilson, Dick Hyman, David Amram and John Serry. His recorded works include Sony Japan, RCA Victor, and the Blue Note Label. Mark teaches drums and percussion for the Sarasota County Schools and has private students in southeast and central west Florida. He makes his home in Venice, Florida. David A DeWitt (Trombone) Having moved to Sarasota in 2016 from Buffalo, NY and retiring from a 35 year career as a High School Band Director, he regularly performs with The Sarasota Jazz Project Big Band, The Manasota Trombone Consort and The Bradenton Symphony, as well as holding the Music Director position for
The SunCoast Jazz Ambassadors Big Band and the Gulf Coast New Horizons Concert Band. David has performed in Asolo's productions of Ragtime, Music Man, Cabaret and now Crazy For You. Tom Ellison (Sub Reeds) Asolo Rep: Cabaret, Luck Be a Lady, West Side Story, Josephine, Guys and Dolls, Beatsville, Evita, Ragtime, Music Man, Sweeney Todd, and The Sound of Music. National Tours: 42nd Street, Pippin, Kinky Boots, Book of Mormon, Chicago. Leader: Big Band Sophisticated Swing; Bachelor of Music from SUNY Fredonia (NYState). Carl Haan He/Him (Associate Music Director/ Rehearsal Pianist/Sub Conductor) is originally from Chicago but recently relocated to Sarasota from NYC and is super excited to join the Asolo Rep family so soon after moving. He has been super blessed to play on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, all around Chicago, for a national tour, and on the high seas. He is most proud of teaching at Wagner College and with Rosie’s Theater Kids. Much love to Tugba. XOOX Jack Keeling (Reeds) Musician for many national Broadway show tours when they play in Florida. Toured with the Glenn Miller and Harry James Orchestras. B.M. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Maria Kuge She/Her (Violin) Maria is a violinist currently residing in Tampa, FL. At the University of Florida, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music as well as a master’s degree in arts in medicine. She has played with The Florida Orchestra and is excited to be working with Asolo Rep again after performing in Knoxville in 2022. Eddie Marshall He/Him (Reeds) Eddie has worked at WDW for 40+ years and just about every stage in FL. Bands he has played with include Larry Elgart, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, Harry Connick Jr. & Sr. Besides the U.S., Eddie has played in Peru, Northern Europe, Saudi Arabia, Canada, & the South Pacific. The artists he has performed with include Maureen McGovern, Mel & James Tormé, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Four Tops, Steve & Eydye, Moody Blues, Kansas, Vic Damone and many more.
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MUSICIANS Isaac Mingus He/Him (Upright Bass/Cello) Isaac Mingus is a double bassist, cellist, and electric bassist based in Sarasota, Florida. He graduated from New College of Florida with degrees in biopsychology, neuroscience, and music and intends to pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology following completion of graduate studies. As a music educator and a performer, Isaac has performed, taught, and conducted ensembles in a variety of venues for jazz, classical, rock, and other genres. Victor Mongillo (Trumpet) is thrilled to be back at Asolo Rep for his 17th trip to the Orchestra Pit! After touring the US for 3 years, then performing in Austin and Chicago as a freelance trumpeter, Victor returned to Sarasota in 1993. Since then, he has performed in over 150 musicals as well as Jazz Ensembles and Orchestras. Victor has also been a Music Educator for the past 35 years and is currently Director of Bands at Pine View School. Donald Parker He/Him (Sub Trombone) Sarasota native and product, began his musical journey in the Sarasota County school system studying with Bobby Barnhart and Andy Wright along the way. Achieving a BM in Trombone performance from Swinney Conservatory of Music, he took 7 tours with the Ringling Bros. Circus. Don’s past performance with Asolo Rep include Barnum, 1776, Showboat and Josephine, as well as a collaboration with the Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company in the Black Box theater.
Ellen Saxton (Sub Reeds) Ellen Saxton is a local woodwind musician and music educator. She has performed at theatres in the Sarasota area for the past 10 years. This is her 7th year subbing for shows at Asolo Repertory Theatre. Past shows have included West Side Story, The Music Man, Evita, Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd, and Hair. Thanks to Tom for trusting me to play! Chuck Stevens (Guitar) has toured the world as a jazz guitarist and as an orchestra member of various Broadway shows. After graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A in Music Performance, he moved to New York City where he freelanced as a jazz musician. He was a semi-finalist in the 2005 Thelonious Monk Competition. After recording and performing in Asia, he has relocated to Florida and performs with local musicians such as Synia Caroll and Mark Moultrip. John Yoakam (Sub Reeds) is a woodwind multi-instrumentalist who has been a professional in Los Angeles since 1976 and currently resides on Pine Island, Florida. Having played on 100s of sessions for TV & Film, his credits also include: Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Barbara Streisand, Simpsons, Family Guy, Academy Awards Orchestra, LA Philharmonic Orchestra, LA Opera, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pantages Theater, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, & John Daversa Progressive Big Band.
Asolo Repertory Board of Directors OFFICERS
Beverly Bartner
Kathleen France
Nancy Markle
Randell Johnson | President
Robert Bartner
Herman Frankel
Enid Marshall
Teri A Hansen
L. Scott Merritt
Lawrence Haspel
Melanie Natarajan
Gary Heard
Jules Price
Nona Macdonald Heaslip
William Sandy
Gigi Huberman
Nikki Sedacca
Charlie Huisking
Stephanie L. Shaw
Caryl Barrie Kaplan
William S. Villafranco
Carolyn Keystone
Kirk Voelker
Beverly L. Koski
James Wadsworth
Ruth Kreindler
Pauline Wamsler
L’Tanya Evans
Lucie Lapovsky, Ph.D.
Mary Lou Winnick
Deborah A. Farrington
Kory Lee
Margaret Wise
Beth Hirsch | Vice President Scott Greer | Vice President Marysue Wechsler | Vice President Charles Wilson | Treasurer Judith Hofmann | Secretary Tom McLaughlin | General Counsel 14
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Nancy Boxill-Thompson Terry O. Brackett Mary Braxton Joseph Susan C. Buck Ann J. Charters Carole Crosby Ariane Dart Jaime DiDomenico Susan Dweck
Staff ARTISTIC Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein
Development Associate, Individual Giving John Anderson
Managing Director Ross Egan
Development Associate, Data and Special Events India Marie Paul
General Manager Corinne Deckard
Special Events Manager Tori Layton
Assistant General Manager Crystal McCall
EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT Muriel O’Neil Education & Engagement Director Sara Brunow
Associate Artistic Director Céline Rosenthal
Education & Engagement Coordinator Elizabeth Guilbert
Literary Manager Drayton Alexander IDEA Specialist DeWanda Smith-Soeder
Community Engagement Associate Gaby Rodriguez
Company Manager Cameron Thorp
MARKETING Marketing & Communications Director Eric Pugh
Artistic Administrator Gabi Simon Executive Assistant Savannah Heslep Dramaturgy & Casting Apprentice Emma Bilderback Company Management Apprentice Katie Beazley
Video Media Associate Sophia Marquart PATRON SERVICES Ticket Services Manager Mike Jones
Human Resources Manager Linda LaCaprucia Business Associate Ellen Dudley
Assistant Ticket Services Manager Rachel Morris
Systems Administrator Aron Lamerson
Assistant Ticket Services Manager Heidi Thomas
DEVELOPMENT Director of Development Sarah Johnson
House Services Manager Karen Collins
Assistantships/Endowment Associate Angel Hissom Corporate Partnerships Associate Molly Maginn
Crazy For You
Directing Fellow Gregory Alamanza
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Marketing & Communications Coordinator Adriana Muniz Graphic Designer Joseph LaCrue
BUSINESS OFFICE Finance/Human Resources Director Ron McDonough
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION SUPPORT
Associate Director, Marketing & Communications Sarah Hedges
Front of House Managers Tom Aposporos Nancy Milligan PRODUCTION Production & Operations Director Victor Meyrich
Graduate Costume Assistant Ella Brooks Graduate Lighting Assistant Joe Crumlish
Technical Director Shane Streight
Theatre Properties Head Christy Perry Grips Lew Jones, Jean-Ronald Lallemand, Geovi Urias
Associate Technical Director Daniel Solomon Holland
Spot Operators Steve Cooksey, Oliver Vasquez
Scene Shop Foreman Peter MacBeth
Dressers Karle Murdock, Carmelita Torres, Manuela Torres
Production Manager Mike Rodgers
Assistant Shop Foreman Mark Beach Senior Properties Master Frank J. Paul Assistant Properties Master Adam Spencer
COSTUME SHOP Costume Shop Manager David M. Covach Assistant Costume Shop Manager Jordan Jeffers
Property Artisan Bill Fenner
Resident Hair/Wig and Makeup Designer Michelle Hart
Scenic Charge Artist Jo Ann Waters-Atkins
Lead Draper Laine June Marr
Assistant Scenic Artist Peter Everly
Drapers Jessica Hayes, Skyler Niedziela
Painters Danielle Dygert, JR Lammemand, Michelle Marcus, Orlando Sanchez, James Von Hollen
Lead Cutter/First Hand Teresa Consolvo
Scenic Craftsmen Bill Atkins, Seth Berry, Jeff Ellis Taj Mederios, Christian Wadman, Bryant Warkentine, Garrett Wilson BACKSTAGE CREW Master Stage Carpenter Christian Wadman Master Sound Engineer Matthew Parker Audio 1 Sean Robinson Audio 2 Jeffrey Arnold Master Electrician Jojo Glodek Assistant Master Electrician Michele Marcus
First Hand Kris Grooms Lead Stitcher Maureen Klein Stitchers Meg Carlson, Cassidy Van Brink Dyer-Crafts Artist Sarah Cox STAGE MANAGEMENT Production Stage Manager Nia Sciarretta Stage Managers & Assistant Stage Managers Paul Behrhorst, Alexa Burn, Jaclyn Kanter, Kristin Loughry, Jacqueline Singleton Stage Manager Apprentices Hanna Hagerty, Peyton Otis, Bailey Shea
Head of Wardrobe Jodi Urias Wig Assistant Lisa Dufresne
Assistant Wigs Travis James
Musician Contractor Isaac Mingus
New York Casting Assistant Gemma Josephine
Consent Consultant Mark Rose
Associate Voice & Dialect Coach Natasha Staley Assistant Choreographer Bryan Thomas Hunt asolorep.org asolorep.org
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A CONVERSATION WITH
DENIS JONES
As rehearsals began for Crazy For You, Asolo Rep Literary Manager Drayton Alexander sat down with director-choreographer Denis Jones to dive into the joys of bringing to life a Gershwin musical.
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Drayton Alexander: Long time fans of Asolo Rep will remember your energetic, heartfelt, and evocative choreography in Luck Be a Lady, but this is our first time having the chance to see you work as a director as well. How do you approach a musical like Crazy For You as a director-choreographer? Denis Jones: I start with the script: who are these people, what is their journey in the play, and how can I help to chart that? I look at what’s happening in the character’s environment with an eye on the popular dance styles of the time, though I certainly don’t approach musicals as a history lesson. Crazy For You is very much a dance-driven event, and the choreography is in conversation with the text, building character and supporting the relationships. It’s important that dance isn’t there for dance’s sake: all of the movement should be in service of telling the story. Drayton: At its core, Crazy For You is the story of two people falling in love in this magical way. Denis: It is. For Bobby, it’s love at first sight, which is often thought of as a cliché but I believe is a thing that happens in real life. Drayton: And in the show, that moment of romance becomes this sweeping, lush dance number. Denis:This is the magic of musicals: when words don’t serve Polly and Bobby, they communicate through movement. They sing together, they dance together, and their relationship comes into full bloom when words aren’t enough. It’s the stuff of dreams, when a character’s most authentic means of expression is through song and dance. Drayton: Which I think is key to the American musical. It lives at that border between an external, factual reality and an internal, subjective experience that can sometimes tilt into fantasy. That’s why musicals are enduringly popular. Denis: Yes! It is the essential joy of the form. We don’t question the miracle. We accept that dance is a literal expression of what the characters are feeling, and we buy into that, because we love a world where everyone erupts into song
to express joy, or sadness, or whatever. For me, anyway, that’s utopia. Drayton: With Crazy For You, we have two people from different cultures – New York City and the American West – who put on a show together, but the real story is how they find something vital in the other. Denis: Absolutely. Polly has such an incredible dedication to her community and to her family that she isn’t dreaming of stardom. But when Bobby brings this gift of theater to Deadrock, it awakens something in her that was there all along, unlocking this tremendous talent and profound relationship with music and dance. And in reverse, Bobby’s need for stardom is subsumed by the importance of being part of this community. Drayton: The community aspect is so beautifully expressed in “I’ve Got Rhythm” when the full community supports each other through the collective act of making music. It’s our first time seeing them flourish. Denis: Deadrock is a mining town that has fallen on hard times. It’s a shell of its former self, and the people have lost their sense of purpose. When Bobby and the follies dancers help them breathe new life into the town’s dilapidated theater, they’re also breathing new life into the town itself. Through making art, they become part of something larger, more spectacular than anything they could have ever imagined. Drayton: Thirty years after its premiere, the show is having a resurgence in the US and the UK. Why do you think we’re all crazy for Crazy For You? Denis: It can sometimes feel like damning a show with faint praise by calling it “feel-good”, but this is truly a feel-good musical. I remember when I saw the original production on Broadway, I was smiling so much my face hurt. But the deeper power of this musical is that it inspires us as dreamers, as romantics, and as people who pour our heart and soul into theater, whether onstage, offstage, or in the audience. Crazy For You is a love letter to the theater and its potential to change lives.
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BROTHERLY HARMONY: An American Sound DRAYTON ALEXANDER The brothers who would pioneer a new form of musical theater came from humble beginnings. George and Ira Gershwin were first-generation Americans, the children of Russian Jews who emigrated to New York City in the early 1890s. During their childhood, George and Ira’s family moved frequently, living on different streets in Brooklyn, Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and Harlem (their father liked to walk to work). It was in Harlem where six-year-old George was bit by the music bug, in 1904. As he recalled later, “I stood outside a penny arcade listening to an automatic piano leaping through Rubinstein’s "Melody in F". The peculiar jumps in the music held me rooted.” A restless child, George spent most of his time outside, playing with friends and getting into fights. That changed when the family bought a piano in 1912, and to everyone’s surprise, 14-year-old George sat down and began playing – and playing well! He was immediately sent to the first of what would become a string of piano teachers. He was a voracious student who threw himself into music with the total commitment that he would maintain through his life. He attended as many classical concerts as he could, soaking up the music with the keen gifts of the prodigy. As he explained it later, “I listened not only with my ears, but with my nerves, my mind, my heart. I had listened so earnestly that I became saturated with the music… Then I went home and listened in memory.” Thoroughly devoted to music, he was hired by a Tin Pan Alley music publishing firm at only 16-years-old, working in the piano room where he pitched newly written songs to performers, in hopes of getting them placed in popular revues. Three years after that, George moved on to Broadway, starting out as a rehearsal pianist for a new Ziegfeld revue. By 1918, at the tender age of 20, he was composing songs for the new musical Ladies First. Over the next two decades, he would 18
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craft popular songs, classical concertos, and a landmark American opera.
Ira Gershwin in Beverly Hills, 1952.
Photo courtesy of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts.
Ira’s path to musical theater was more circuitous. Where George was an extroverted child who loved running in a juvenile street gang, Ira was a self-described introvert who preferred to stay inside and read. He found a passion in writing for student newspapers, excelling as a humorous essayist and poetry writer. He knew that he wanted to be a writer, but he didn’t know what kind of writer. So after dropping out of City College, he worked in his father’s businesses while figuring out where to devote his talents. It wasn’t until George began having success in the theater that Ira discovered his path as a lyricist, though he initially wrote under the pen name Arthur Francis so that it wouldn’t appear he was exploiting his brother’s success. It would be another six years before he became George’s exclusive lyricist, leading to their first big Broadway hit, 1924’s Lady, Be Good!.
While their collaboration was cut short by George’s untimely death at age 38 from a brain tumor, the brothers were significant forces in the shaping of American music and musical theater. As a composer, George was committed to bringing the rhythms of jazz into the American mainstream, melding the classical sound of European music with the syncopation found in ragtime and the work of Black musicians like Eubie Blake, whose Broadway hit Shuffle Along preceded the Gershwins’ musicals by a few years. Ira, meanwhile, excelled at crafting smart lyrics that expressed complicated emotions in simple, effortlessly rhyming language. He was a playful lyricist, delighting in clever wordplay and unexpected turns of phrases, laying out a template for many of the great writers who would follow in his footsteps.
George Gershwin in his 72nd Street Apartment in 1934. Image by Getty Images
Over the next 14 years, he and George would write a string of popular shows including Oh, Kay!, Of Thee I Sing, Strike up the Band, and Girl Crazy, as well as songs for two Fred Astaire movies, Shall We Dance and A Damsel in Distress. Additionally, Ira worked alongside DuBose Heyward to craft lyrics for George’s opera Porgy and Bess; according to his brother, Ira wrote “most of the sophisticated songs”.
Together, the Gershwins achieved something that was rare in the 1920s: writing songs tailored to specific characters that fit into a larger narrative. In short, they were among the pioneers of what would become The Great American Musical. While we can’t know what delights they may have brought us if George had lived even a few decades more, their work has endured through movies and stage shows like An American in Paris, Funny Face, My One and Only, and Crazy For You, which repurpose some of the Gershwins’ greatest hits to tell new stories. With any luck, George and Ira will be entertaining us for generations to come.
Cast of the 1924 production of Lady, Be Good!.
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MAKING A BRAND-NEW, OLD-FASHIONED MUSICAL DRAYTON ALEXANDER Following the success of his TonyNominated comedy Lend Me a Tenor, Ken
Ludwig was approached by Broadway producers Roger Horchow and Elizabeth Williams with a proposition so enticing that he turned them down twice. They wanted him to pen a revision of the 1930 musical Girl Crazy, the story of a Manhattan playboy who catches a taxi to Arizona – the driver is not thrilled about this – and winds up in a town with lots of cowboys but only one woman, the local postmistress. His family owns a ranch there, which he turns into a vacation destination, complete with a nightly stage show. Performers are brought in from New York, the taxi driver becomes the sheriff, and the playboy falls in love with the mail lady. Ludwig decided to scrap most of the original story of Girl Crazy, keeping only the inciting incident of a rich Manhattanite sent west, where he meets the girl of his dreams. Given permission to fill out his new story with songs from the entire Gershwin catalogue – featuring over 400 songs written between 1917 and 1937 – Ludwig kept a few songs from Girl Crazy that solidified the story being set in the West, and then fleshed out the musical with some of the greatest songs that George and Ira ever wrote. Ludwig relied heavily on their two Hollywood films, which proved to be their final collaboration. Most of Bobby’s songs in Crazy For You come from Shall We Dance and A Damsel in Distress, songs that were written for Fred Astaire (who plays a famous dancer in both films). One of those songs, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, provides a window into George and Ira’s process. George generally worked out musical ideas before Ira penned the lyrics, and his initial pass at the song featured a four-note phrase. After hearing it, Ira said, “If you can give me two more notes, I can get ‘the way you wear your hat’.” George made the change, and a classic was born. 20
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Though the film shortened the song to one verse and chorus, it was enough to garner George and Ira their only joint Oscar nomination. Where Bobby sings songs from the movies, Polly’s songs are straight from Broadway: “Someone to Watch over Me” from Oh, Kay! and “But Not for Me” from Girl Crazy. The song that would become “Someone to Watch Over Me” was originally written as an up-tempo dance number until, as Ira remembered, “one day, for no particular reason and hardly aware of what he was at, George played the dance tune in a comparatively slow tempo.” Both brothers realized that they had a meaningful, heartfelt ballad on their hands. As he was building a song, Ira liked to find a phrase that he could repeat. Once this was identified, he would often skip to the end and figure out how to land the song, with an eye towards how he could twist or subvert the phrase in the process. “But Not for Me” provides a classic example of this technique, as Polly lists a series of romantic notions that applies to other people, “but not for me.” Once this trend is established, Polly has her final lament, with her climactic words noting that “the climax of a plot/ should be the marriage knot/ but there’s no knot for me.” This lyric, with its literary allusion and understated sincerity, is Ira at his finest.
Ginger Rodgers in Girl Crazy
In crafting Crazy For You, Ludwig and his collaborators had fun sprinkling some of George’s best-known phrases into the underscoring. One early classic, “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” from George White’s Scandals, isn’t actually sung in Crazy For You – the lyrics concern a tap man dancing his way to heaven, not a good fit for Ludwig’s story – but its brassy chorus is a motif for the follies girls, heralding their arrival in Deadrock.
The icing on the cake is the jaunty ragtime phrase that introduces the song, “Rialto Ripples”, perhaps the first piece of published George Gershwin music, originally captured on a piano roll from his days working on Tin Pan Alley. It is no hyperbole, then, to say that Crazy For You traces the entire arc of George and Ira’s career. Ludwig’s keen eye for storytelling, deep gift for comedy, and passion for romance ensured that these carefully curated songs would channel the vitality and humanity of the Gershwins’ writing into some of the most joyous and heartwarming hours that a person can spend in a theater. Who could ask for anything more?
Another of these sprinklings comes in the form of Gershwin’s "Concerto in F", one of three pieces he wrote that strove to meld the formalism of European music with the energy of America. "Concerto in F" was written specifically as a reflection of New York City, so it’s appropriate that a selection from this opus appears when the story transitions from Deadrock to Manhattan in act two. While Ludwig focused on having each song in the show tell a story, there is one exception. The brief and bouncy “The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag)”, a sly examination of American popular song, is the ultimate Gershwin deep cut, since this was the first song that George and Ira wrote together, and it is one of the rare times when Ira came to George with a lyric to set to music, rather than the other way around.
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Sponsor Spotlight Asolo Rep is grateful for the corporate support provided by the Herald Tribune, Sarasota Magazine and Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Grill for the production of Crazy For You.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune & LOCALiQ is committed to supporting local commerce, enabling businesses to connect with customers where we live, work, and serve. We exist to empower local businesses with the knowledge and marketing support through our deep roots in the community, award-winning journalism, and industry-leading digital marketing services that spark growth and confidence in their ability to thrive with our help.”
Since 1979, Sarasota Magazine has showcased the City of Sarasota and surrounding area, dubbed the cultural capital of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Sarasota’s award-winning coverage of the area’s vibrant arts and social scenes, real estate, dining, fashion, philanthropy, politics, health, environment and luxury living, are delivered to the region’s most affluent readers in month after month of beautiful magazines. Sarasota Magazine has evolved over the years from a monthly print publication into a true multimedia platform with a strong online presence with over 6M pageviews to their website per year (www.sarasotamagazine.com).
Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill in Downtown Sarasota (and coming soon to Lakewood Ranch) is owned-andoperated by a team with a passion for quality dining. Samuel Ray, Jeffrey Karasawa and Jason Klamson spend much of their time innovating new and unique concepts for sushi, hibachi and Asian entrees, all while curating to the exclusive Sarasota community. Tsunami provides a delightful experience both inside the restaurant and off-site, via its renowned catering department. Ray, Karasawa, and Klamson are active sponsors of, and frequent patrons of Asolo Rep, as they have a deep passion for the theater. Visit them online at Tsunami-Sarasota.com or call (941) 366-1033 to make your reservation today!
Donor Spotlight SEASON PRESENTERS Beverly and Bob Bartner, in honor of Peter Rothstein Bob and Beverly Bartner have been dedicated to the arts and the importance of them for more than 30 years. They have served on the Boards of The NY Metropolitan Opera, NY Philharmonic, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Asolo Rep. Along with their longtime partners, the late Alice and Norman Tulchin, they have produced scores of award-winning plays on Broadway and in London. Beverly and Bob are proud to be associated with Asolo Rep and its team, and are excited to celebrate Peter Rothstein’s inaugural season as Producing Artistic Director.
To make a meaningful contribution to welcome our new Producing Artistic Director, Peter Rothstein, please contact Sarah Johnson, Director of Development, at sarah_johnson@asolo.org 22 22
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EDUARDO SICANGCO COSTUME DESIGNER
It is with profound sorrow that we acknowledge the passing of Eduardo Sicangco. His enduring legacy is etched in the remarkable designs that will continue to grace our stages. Eduardo Sicangco's contributions to Asolo Rep spanned three decades, leaving an indelible mark on our hearts and in the world of theatre. His remarkable credits include: Das Barbecu (1994, Set and Costumes), The Plexiglass Slipper (2006, Set and Costumes), The Imaginary Invalid (2009, Costumes), Boeing Boeing (2011, Costumes), The Game’s Afoot (2013, Costumes), Josephine (2016, Costumes), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (2017, Costumes). "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Eduardo Sicangco, an extraordinary theatre artist. He was a member of the Asolo Rep family, collaborating with the organization for 30 years. His legacy will live on in his stunning and prolific work, and in the generations of students and fellow artists he inspired." - Peter Rothstein, Asolo Rep's Producing Artistic Director As Costume Shop Manager David Covach beautifully said, "Stars continue to be visible for 10,000 years after they stop burning. Eduardo was a bright star in the lives of everyone his creativity and imagination touched. The inspiration we all felt from him will continue to shine in our lives and our memories forever. 'Good night sweet prince and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'" We are profoundly honored and deeply moved that Asolo Rep's production of Crazy For You in 2023 is Eduardo's final work. We will treasure every moment as a tribute to his immense talent and dedication. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Eduardo Sicangco's loved ones during this time.
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JOIN US IN CELEBRATING! th
We got rhythm, we got music, we’d love YOU there, who could ask for anything more? Enjoy an evening of rhythm and blues filled with the timeless melodies that have captivated hearts for generations. Come dressed in shades of blue as we celebrate the 65th Sapphire Season at Asolo Repertory Theatre.
ANNUAL GALA
FEBRUARY 24, 2024 SCAN FOR INFORMATION
The funds generated from the Gala play a vital role in sustaining the talented artists and educators who contribute to Asolo Rep’s 2023-2024 season. For more information, contact Special_Events@asolo.org
RITZ-CARLTON • SARASOTA LEAD SPONSOR:
THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OR STREAMS IN ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR(S)’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: HTTPS://CONCORDTHEATRICALS.COM/RESOURCES/PROTECTING-ARTISTS AFFILIATIONS Asolo Repertory Theatre is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for theatres. Asolo Rep is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the national association of non-profit professional theatres; Florida Professional Theatre Association (FPTA); the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County; and the Manatee County Cultural Alliance.
UNION CREDITS Asolo Rep 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; the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; and the United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE Local 412 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Pictures Machine Operators of the United States and Canada. Asolo Rep programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation, handicap or age in accordance with federal law.