The Bear | Elmhurst University Department of Theatre and Dance | Spring 2022

ELMHURST UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE Presents

The Bear

By Anton Chekhov

Directed by Michael Manocchio Adapted and Devised by the Ensemble

February 3-5 and 10-12, 2022 @ 8:00 p.m.

February 6, 2022 @ 2:00 p.m.

CAST _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grigory Stepanovitch Smirnov .......................................................... Regan Bobich Elena Ivanovna Popova …........................................................... Jessica Sanderson Luka …............................................................................................... Zachary Yates Nikolai Mikhailovich …........................................................ Grace Geschwandner

The Creative Ensemble: Henry Anderson, Michael Manocchio, Grace Wadsworth, Bridget Delaney,

Blake Macias

Martinez, Grace Geschwandner, Zachary Yates, Jessica Sanderson, and Regan Bobich.

PRODUCTION STAFF ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Director …................................................................................. Michael Manocchio Assistant Director …....................................................................... Henry Anderson Stage Manager …......................................................................... Grace Wadsworth Assistant Stage Manager …........................................................... Bridget Delaney Technical Director and Scenic Designer.......................................... Richard Arnold Co-Scenic Design .......................................................................... Nathaniel Fields Lighting Design …........................................................................... Alyssa Boning Costume Design …........................................................................ Angelina Hermiz Props Design ….............................................................................. Bridget Delaney Design Advisors …................................................ Janice Pohl and Richard Arnold

Costume Crew: Janice Pohl, Angelina Hermiz, and Jessica Sanderson.

Run Crew: Grace Geschwandner and Bridget Delaney Technical Crew: Kiara Rables, Nathaniel Fields, and Bridget Delaney.

Theatre & Box Office Staff: Lindsay Janicki*, Alexa Nastasi*, Alexis Colatorti, and Ben Robins. *Indicates membership in Theta Alpha Phi, the National Dramatics Recognition Society.

THANKS TO... ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Elmhurst University Facilities Management, Laura Matthews, Louise, Ann Frank Wake, Jill Dion, Anatoly Smeliansky, Blake Macias Martinez, Mikhail Lobanov, Natalia Fedorova, Yuri Yeremen, Vladimir Sazhin, Sergei Zemstov, Ilja Bocharnikovs, Alexander Popov, and SITI Company.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I wasn’t supposed to direct this play.

Eternally committed to throwing curve balls to both myself and others, I had initially pitched Annie Baker’s The Flick when asked what I would like to direct this season. My background is in classical and devised theatre, so a naturalistic contemporary play was about as far from my comfort zone and (I’m sure) the department’s expectations as possible. Perfect!

But then, just as we were casting the play, I was thrown another curveball: we had to change titles. Definitely not perfect. As I left the Mill in a panic, I decided that the only thing to do was to change directions as drastically as possible — go toward your comfort zone, Michael. Go home. You’re back at the Mill for God’s sake. It only makes sense.

So I called Andrew Behling (we studied here together and now we teach here together) and within an hour, we had a short list of new plays to consider and a cast list for each. Family will always take care of you.

One title in particular stuck out because it too reminded me of family: The Bear.

I’ve encountered the play twice in my life, and both productions were directed by extremely influential teachers of mine who are both associated with the Moscow Art Theatre School (MXAT). Master teacher Misha Lobanov directed the first production when I studied with the faculty of MXAT the summer after I graduated from Elmhurst, and his student, Jill Dion, directed the second when I was in graduate school several years later. Both of these teachers had a profound impact on my trajectory as an artist, and the skills, freedom, and joy that I learned from them were the contents of the toolkit that I have tried to bring with me to rehearsal every night.

Like I said, family will always take care of you.

As I walked into the first rehearsal having had very little time to prep for this surprise play, I relied on the other side of my artistic family for help: SITI Company. This incredible group of artists has taught me how to work quickly and how to work together, so without knowing where we’d end up, I started by handing the group the three ingredients that SITI uses to start all of their work: a question, a frame, and an anchor. If we could make those three decisions, we’d be just fine. And we were.

Normally, a director’s note would talk about the decisions we ended up making and discuss the

themes of the play at length. Instead of doing that, I’d rather stick to what’s important: introducing you to my family and welcoming you to our home. It’s great to be back and it’s great to have guests again.

We’ve all been thrown a lot of curveballs recently. If I’ve learned anything from this bear, it’s that you can always count on home. It was my instincts that saved me, and those instincts came from the habits that were created by my training. That training started on this stage.

Welcome to our home. I’m so glad you get to meet my family.

Finally, I’d like to honor one member of that family by dedicating this production to him. We lost Misha Lobanov earlier this month, and so this is for him. May his joy live on in all of us. здесь, сегодня, сейчас, как в первый раз.

PLAYWRIGHT BIOGRAPHY _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anton Chekhov Anton was born in Taganrog Russia on January 29, 1860. His early writing career started by publishing short stories in newspapers. Later in life Chekhov wrote many renowned plays.

These include but are not limited to The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, and of course The Bear.

Anton’s plays balance on a fine line between comedy and tragedy. They are renowned for capturing everyday life of 19th-century Russia with simplicity. His plays show the depths of human nature and the significance of everyday events.

Anton Chekhov died of tuberculosis on July 15, 1904, in Badenweiler Germany.

Chekhov’s work was congruent with the work of Stanislavski; there were some notable disagreements about the intersections of comedy, drama, and realism (Chekhov leaning toward the humorous.) To this day his plays are performed all around the world and have inspired actors and playwrights alike.

PROFILES _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Henry Anderson - (Assistant Director) - Schaumburg, Illinois.

Henry is a freshman psychology/ theatre direction major who is delighted to be assistant director for The Bear. Previously, he was on stage for the Mill's Life of Galileo. He thanks director Michael Manocchio for his guidance and teaching.

Alyssa Boning - (Lighting Design) - St. Louis, Missouri.

Alyssa is pursuing a Master’s in Project Management and is stoked to participate in her first show as a lighting designer. Previously, she was the stage manager for Life of Galileo and The Glass Menagerie. She would like to thank Chris, Alejandro and the Fallout crew, Tasnima, and her parents for the support!

Bridget Delaney - (Asst. Stage Manager and Props Designer) - Decatur, Illinois.

Bridget is a technical theatre and design major. She has been involved in theater since fifth grade. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Angelina Hermiz - (Costume Designer) - Morton Grove, Illinois.

Angelina is a sophomore theatre arts education major who is so excited to create costumes for The Bear! This is her third show costume designing at Elmhurst University.

Michael Manocchio ’10 - (Director) - Chicago, Illinois.

Michael is a theatre artist who got his start at the Mill long ago — 20 productions at Elmhurst!

Michael went on to earn an MFA from Wayne State University and has trained extensively with SITI Company and the Moscow Art Theatre School. He is now an adjunct professor in the Departments of English and Theatre and Dance.

Grace Wadsworth - (Stage Manager) - Dixon, Illinois.

Grace is a sophomore psychology major with theatre and Social Work minors. Grace has been involved in theatre for most of their life in almost every aspect. They would like to thank their family for encouraging them to do what they love.

Regan Bobich - (Grigory Stephanovich Smirnov) - Upland, California.

Regan Bobich is a musical theatre major and freshman at Elmhurst University. She is very excited to be a part of this production and get the amazing chance to work with such a small and intimate cast.

Grace Geschwandner - (Ghost (Nikolai Makhailovich) - Quincy, Illinois.

Grace is a junior digital media major who is excited and honored to be part of The Bear. She’d like to thank the incredible cast and crew for letting her play such a hauntingly fun role!

Jessica Sanderson - (Elena Ivanova Popova) - Houston, Texas.

Jessica is a first-year musical theatre and business administration major with a dance minor. She is thrilled to be working with such an amazing cast and crew on this show!

Zachary Yates - (Luka) - Somonauk, Illinois.

Zachary is a freshman theatre major who has loved working on The Bear. Previously, he performed numerous roles for Life of Galileo. Zach thanks his family and friends for helping him get where he is now.

GENERAL INFORMATION _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Support for the Arts If you would like to contribute financially to Elmhurst University Theatre, please make your donation out to the Mill Theatre Fund, the Festival Fund, or the Student Production Fund.

The Festive Fund helps students attend and participate in the Kennedy American College Theatre Festival every January. Students can compete in acting and design competitions and attend workshops developing skills in all areas of theatre.

For subscription information and reservations Call the Mill Theatre Box Office at (630) 617-3005. To guarantee seating at any performance, reservations must be made in advance.

In consideration of other patrons: • Please turn off or silence all cell phones and pagers.

• Please do not text others during the production.

• Camcorders, cameras, and other recording devices, visual or audio, are not permitted inside the theatre. (Please check them with the house manager).

• Smoking any tobacco products is not permitted.

• For the wellbeing and safety of other audience members and actors, we ask you to please wear a mask while in the Mill Theatre.