Alliance Theatre, Babble Lab, June 2024

JUN 22–JUL 28, 2024

PUBLISHER

Brantley Manderson brantley@encoremagazine.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR NASHVILLE Kelli Dill kelli@encoremagazine.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR CHARLOTTE Hila Johnson hila@encoremagazine.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Robert Viagas robert@encoremagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tamara Hooks tamara@encoremagazine.com

DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Jennifer Nelson jennifer@encoremagazine.com

PROGRAM PRODUCER Ashley Elliott ashley.elliott@alliancetheatre.org

There is such joy in the exploration of sound. Listening to little ones discover the sound of their own voice is one of life’s great rewards. As is listening to the glorious noise of nonsense. Which might make no sense at all. But sometimes it’s the things that make no sense that invite the biggest giggles and the largest wonders. It’s what fueled the Dadaist artists last century and what inspired Autumn Ness, the writer and performer of this piece, to immerse herself in the sound poetry of that movement. Nonsense, you could argue, may even be necessary! It helps us transcend our self-seriousness by inviting a sense of playfulness and encouraging creativity. It invites joy for no apparent reason, which might be the most joyful experience of all. It’s no wonder savvy educators have leaned on gibberish and nonsense words to help with phonics and language acquisition for years.

Creating something new requires the willingness to discover the unexpected, to embrace the nonsense of not understanding. How joyful then to observe our inquisitive scientist on her journey to discover new sounds. How gratifying to welcome an artist as curious and creative as Autumn Ness to our stage for this new play. And what an absolute gift to welcome you, those new to theatre and our longtime friends, to the wonder of the Babble Lab!

Tinashe Kajese-Bolden

Jennings Hertz Artistic Director & Christopher Moses

Jennings Hertz Artistic Director

“THE

MEANING IS IN THE PLEASURE OF THE SOUND”

Playwright and Actress Autumn Ness on Communication, Children’s Theatre, and Babble Lab

STORY BY Ashley Elliott

For playwright and actor Autumn Ness, theatre has been “the passion” since she was young. “I think I got started the way most people do, just loving big stories and playing through them in my head.” She’s always taken creative liberties with the art, which explains a choice she made at her very first audition when she was eight years old — Hansel and Gretel, coincidentally at Children’s Theatre Company.

“They gave us a little side to read, and I took one look at it and decided, ‘This isn’t what they need to see,’” Ness says. “I knew Hansel and Gretel was a scary play, and I thought the director should see how well I can be scared. So when it was my turn to stand in front of the director’s table, I put down the sides, opened my mouth, and screamed as loud and as long as I could. And everyone behind the table laughed. And I thought, How dare they?! Don’t they know this is important to the play? They called a few days later, and I had gotten the part. I can only imagine why they chose the little girl who clearly needed an exorcism!”

Since she started her career in theatre at Children’s Theatre Company, Ness was elated to write the script for Babble Lab. In a world where children’s theatre gets unfairly assessed and seems “somehow diminished or lesser than, ... it’s so important to write quality work for children and families!” Ness says. “Theatre for youth and families is where it’s at right now. I think of Naomi Iizuka and Cheryl West in America, and Shonna Reppe and Bodil Alling overseas. Making such real and artful work without a nod to it being somehow for a younger audience.”

To bring the script to fruition, Ness acknowledges that they could have “thrown some random letters on the floor.” Instead, she drew inspiration from the Dada theatre movement and sound poetry, especially the poem Ursonate by Kurt Schwitters. “It’s about 25 pages of nonsense words, but it’s a thrilling read!” It seemed a perfect fit to help her on her journey into the lab for Babble Lab

She also traveled to the Netherlands to study under Jaap Blonk, who she describes as “the world’s greatest authority on sound poetry.” Under his tutelage, she learned to not make the sound poetry “somehow be a disguise for true meaning. The meaning is in the pleasure of the sound. That’s a very hard lesson for a control freak Virgo like me!”

When the time came to start to bring the production to life, Ness “wrote some very basic puppet and static projection interactions” because she knew she “wanted these words and sounds to be the other characters in the play.” Then Projections Designer Jorge Cousineau joined the project and “basically opened up the sky with what he’s capable of.”

Since there weren’t any more limits to the animation interactions they could have, they spent the first three weeks of rehearsal playing with live animation as they worked before solidifying what they wanted it to look like. After that, they practiced the timing relentlessly, getting the precision just right so that all the interactions between The Scientist and the animations would be as satisfying as possible.

Autumn Ness in Children’s Theatre Company’s 2024 World Premiere production of Babble Lab. Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography.

Due to the unpredictability of the show’s audience, they had to break each animation up into very small sections so that The Scientist can respond in real time to what the audience gives her. The final product has upwards of four hundred cues. “Our Stage Manager is Wonder Woman,” Ness says.

In developing this project, Ness could barely contain her excitement, failing to “play it cool” at production meetings as the designers worked their magic. “It’s so humbling to have teams of people wanting the show to be exactly what you need,” says Ness. “I was so happy when we began previews and the shops and artistic team could sit amongst the kids and see their reaction to what had been built. I hope they felt like their hard work was worth it when they heard the kids’ reactions.”

Ness also pulled from her personal experience of watching her own children’s developmental journey to develop this script. “Their road to communicating was not smooth,” Ness explains, “as is the case for so many families. Talking, learning their letters, reading, writing. When you picture these childhood milestones, you think of joy and success. You never predict that getting to a milestone has tears and worries and fears.”

In addition to being entertained, Ness hopes that audiences can walk away learning something about what it means to make mistakes and learn from them. In Babble Lab, The Scientist makes a discovery after making a mistake, which leads her to more discoveries while also battling the consequences of the mistake she made.

“What does it mean to have words?” Ness asks. “Words can make people laugh, but they can hurt. Words can get out of control. You can have the biggest vocabulary in the world and still not be able to say what you mean or what you are feeling.”

As The Scientist goes on this journey alongside the youngest audience members, they observe as she learns how to get her needs met, express herself, and connect with others.

“I hope audiences recognize that the journey to using our own voice is difficult, and that we make mistakes in figuring out how we want to use that voice,” Ness says. “But it’s so important kids know that there is no one in the world who has their same point of view, and they have the power to express themselves and be heard.”

ARE YOU MY DADA?

How the Arts Allow Us to Reflect on Early Literacy and Language Learning

WRITTEN BY Kay Nilest

In Babble Lab, a scientist discovers the joy and chaos of language when an experiment causes sounds to take on life and sow chaos in her laboratory. When crafting this nonsensical celebration of sound, Playwright Autumn Ness took inspiration from Dada. Although this may seem like another bit of babble, Dadaism is a 20th century artistic movement in which artists rejected the logic, reason, and division associated with modern capitalism and nationalism. Instead, they embraced themes of nonsense and irrationality

In the literary tradition, “Dadaism is trying to represent the sound over sense. Sound over meaning,” says Daniel Walter, Professor of Linguistics and German at Emory University’s Oxford College. “The point is to focus more on the sound.” This is seen in artistic developments such as “sound poetry,” or poetry that leans more into the aural sounds of the words, rather than their meanings.

Cover of the Dadaist book of poetry, Zang Tumb Tumb, by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Zang Tumb Tumb is an early example of a sound poem in which the poet took liberties with sound and format to represent the events of the WWI Battle of Adrianople.

At its core, Dadaism is about using art to challenge our preconceived notions and expectations. In a similar way, Babble Lab, through its playful representation of sounds and sense, allows us to explore a new way of seeing language learning.

“Preschoolers are already Dada,” says Ness. “They are bizarre, joyous, wondrous, and abstract.” Language learning begins before we are born. Studies show that we begin processing sounds and rhythms from inside the womb. That experience intensifies in our early years of life as we build up our mental bank of recognizable sounds. It’s noteworthy to highlight that we build our bank of sounds, not words.

“[When learning language] children pay attention to pure sound, and then they add meaning afterwards,” says Walter. “They have no concept that language has meaning until they start attaching sound patterns they already recognize to objects, and that’s not something they’re doing from birth.” Once children begin attaching meaning to sounds, the real work begins. Learning a language requires countless hours of listening, speaking, writing, and reading.

A young learner during one of our Babies Off Book sessions.

“I think one of the funniest things that people say is…language is just so easy for children.” Walter highlights that learning a language is an involved process. Although his research primarily focuses on adult second language learners, Walter is able to reflect on the challenges of learning a language while raising his three children under the age of five years old. “It’s not easy for anyone. All we ask of our three- and four-year-olds is to learn the languages we’re speaking on a daily basis. That’s their only job, and they do it every moment that they’re not sleeping.” It can be grueling and uncomfortable, and that’s before one begins to consider learning challenges such as dyslexia or ADHD. Then, it can feel like the letters and sounds themselves are running away or playing tricks on you, similar to what the scientist experiences on stage.

Through a show like Babble Lab, young learners and their families experience the joy of language without any strings attached. “The arts,” Walter says, “have the opportunity to bring in some of these critical ideas and force people to think Is it really easy for kids to learn language? When do children start learning? Why are the sounds important in how my child learns another language?”

As a story that presents the playfulness of words and sounds, Babble Lab offers another narrative for language learning that is open, non-judgmental, and crosses boundaries of language and culture. It invites everyone into the space to share in a nonsensical explosion of learning. But, just because it’s nonsense doesn’t mean it doesn’t have meaning or, more importantly, impact. Babble Lab shows children that learning language can be fun, and it reminds adults of the genuine labor that our young people undergo on a daily basis to communicate their basic needs and wants.

ACTIVITY SECTION

BY Children’s Theatre Company, Diana Morales Joaquin

THINGS TO TALK ABOUT BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE

• What’s your favorite letter? What sound does it make?

• What instruments do you think they’ll use in the performance?

THINGS TO LOOK AND LISTEN FOR DURING THE PERFORMANCE

Look for...

1. Science equipment.

2. Letters moving.

3. A metal slinky.

Listen for...

1. The sound of a deflating balloon.

2. Sounds that make you laugh.

3. A sound that’s in your name.

THINGS TO TALK ABOUT AFTER THE PERFORMANCE

• Did the Scientist speak gibberish?

• Could you understand what she was saying?

• What surprised you during the play?

• Did the letters ever come into the audience?

• What was your favorite part of the play?

JAN 18–MAR 2 2025

A world premiere stage adaptation of the beloved, Newberry Awardwinning picture book DOCTOR DE SOTO

By IDRIS GOODWIN

Based on the book by WILLIAM STEIG

Produced in partnership with Seattle Children’s Theatre

NOV 9–DEC 24 2024

One

By CHARLES DICKENS

Adapted by DAVID H. BELL

Directed by CAITLIN HARGRAVES

Original direction by LEORA MORRIS

ALLIANCE THEATRE

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

Jennings Hertz Artistic Director

CHRISTOPHER MOSES

Jennings Hertz Artistic Director

MIKE SCHLEIFER Managing Director

present

BY

AUTUMN NESS

*AUTUMN NESS

CAST

UNDERSTUDIES

. . The Scientist

MORGEN CHANG The Scientist

STAGE MANAGERS

*LIZ CAMPBELL Stage Manager

*AUTUMN NESS Assistant Stage Manager

MADELINE CONRAD Stage Management Production Assistant

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE

HAYLEE SCOTT

STACY MCINTOSH HOLT

CRAIG GOTTSHALK

Production Management Lead

Production Consultant

Associate Projection Designer

VICTOR ZUPANC Composer

FOR THIS PRODUCTION

EMMA MOULEDOUX Sound Engineer

MONICA SPEAKER Wardrobe

ADIRAH ROBINSON Stagehand

JOY DIAZ Light Board Operator

SPECIAL THANKS

Dr. Daniel Walter from the Oxford College of Emory University The Atlanta Speech School

*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

The Alliance Theatre 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, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an independent national labor union. The Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young Audiences (ASSITEJ/USA), The Atlanta Coalition of Theatres, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Midtown Alliance.

Photos may be taken in the theater before the performance, and following the performance. If you share your photos, please credit the designers.

Photos, videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited, is a violation of United States Copyright Law, and is an actionable Federal Offense.

This production is approximately forty-five minutes long and has no intermission.

AUTUMN NESS

(Playwright/The Scientist/Assistant Stage Manager) is a native of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where she has been a member of the resident acting company at Children’s Theatre Company Minneapolis for 24 seasons! While at CTC, Autumn has performed in over 70 productions, many of them world premieres. During her time with CTC, Autumn has had the opportunity to perform across the country, but this is her first time in Atlanta! Autumn is a recipient of the 2018 TCG Fox Foundation Fellowship, the 2020 MRAC Next Step Fund, and the 2022 MN State Arts Board Creative Support Grant. Autumn lives with her husband, fellow actor Reed Sigmund, and her boys Sawyer and Sullivan in Stillwater, Minnesota.

MORGEN CHANG (u/s The Scientist) [she/her] last appeared in An American Tail the Musical with Children’s Theater Company. She loves exploring new work and has been an actor and collaborator with Jungle Theater, the Playwrights’ Center, and Interact Center for the Arts. She currently serves as Programs Manager for Theater Mu in St. Paul, MN.

SARAH AGNEW (Director) is a theater maker based out of the Twin Cities. She has performed in theaters nationwide and was a company member of Theatre de la Jeune Lune where she collaborated in the creation of multiple new works. She has toured the state with two shows she created for Sod House Theater: Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon and Table. She is currently a producer of children’s television for Children’s Minnesota.

MICHAEL SOMMERS (Scenic Design) has worked in the Theatre Arts for forty years as a director, designer, playwright, composer, performer, puppeteer, builder, and scenic painter. He co-founded Open Eye Figure Theatre in 2000 and in 2008 opened the doors to a permanent venue in south Minneapolis, where he created over forty original works for the Open Eye stage. He is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Theatre at the University of Minnesota and the recipient of numerous grants and awards.

ANNIE CADY (Costume Design) [she/ her] is excited to be a part of Babble Lab at the Alliance Theatre! Favorite costume designs include The Hobbit and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, both at The Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis. Annie holds an MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Minnesota and is currently the costume designer and Chair of the Theatre Department at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota.

WU CHEN KHOO (Lighting Design) [he/him] is a lighting designer, stagehand, production manager and labor organizer. He is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and works internationally. Some of his lighting designs have been seen at Penumbra Theatre, Theater Mu, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, the Fitzgerald Theater, Children’s Theatre Company and the Guthrie Theater. He co-founded the education program Technical Tools of the Trade, which aimed to train, connect and support people through the skills of technical theatre. He is a founding member of the Class & the Arts collective and The Mothership, both groups of workers organizing to build Solidarity and hold space for critical engagement with issues of social justice including through the arts & entertainment industry. He is the Production Manager for the Macalester College Theater and Dance Department in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is a proud member of IATSE. He shares his life with his partner Kristin and children Teng Jin and Yi Lian.

KATHARINE HOROWITZ (Sound Design) is a theatrical sound designer, composer, and teaching artist in

Minneapolis, MN, and is thrilled to be making her Atlanta debut. She has designed critically-acclaimed and award-winning shows for the Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, The Jungle Theater, Creede Repertory Theatre, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Second City Theatricals, and many others. Katharine is a professional member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), a 2017 McKnight Theatre Artist Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, a graduate of the University of Iowa. She once donated a body part for a prop in a show! www.katsound.com

JORGE COUSINEAU (Projection Design) is very pleased that we finally get to share this delicious madness in Atlanta. Jorge is a filmmaker and theater designer with a wide range of interests, focusing on sets, lights, sound, and projections. He originally trained as a painter in Dresden, Germany, where he was born, found his love in performance in the nineties, and followed it to Philadelphia, where he lived for over 20 years before relocating to Biddeford, Maine. His work has been seen and heard internationally, regionally, and all over Philly. Jorge is a recipient of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, several Barrymore Awards and the Lucille Lortel Award in New York City.

RAIYON HUNTER (Casting) is a director, producer, and arts administrator from New Orleans, Louisiana. She currently works as the Casting Director of Children’s Theatre Company (Minneapolis, MN). She enjoys supporting the theatre’s pursuits to open access and craft opportunities to recruit professional actors and young artists who are passionate, imaginative contributors to this field. Previously, she worked as a Spelman Leadership Fellow at the Alliance Theatre (Atlanta, GA) where she has worked on a multitude of shows in varying capacities ranging from Casting Associate to Director on productions such as Do You Love the Dark, Darlin’ Cory, Bina’s Six Apples, Good Bad People, Confederates, and more. Additionally, she has been in residency at Oregon Shakespeare Festival under Nataki Garrett and The Repertory Theater of St. Louis under Hana Sharif.

LIZ CAMPBELL (Stage Manager) [she/ her] Favorite Alliance credits include: A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd, Bina’s Six Apples, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Max Makes a Million, The Wizard of Oz, The Dancing Granny, Cinderella and Fella, Ugly Lies the Bone, Pancakes, Pancakes!, Tiger Style!, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, James and the Giant Peach, Shrek, and Charlotte’s Web. Other local credits include: The Shining (The Atlanta Opera), The Drowsy Chaperone, Camelot, The World Goes ‘Round, Million Dollar Quartet, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Ragtime (Atlanta Lyric Theatre); In the Continuum (Synchronicity Theatre); Book of Will and It’s a Wonderful Life (Theatrical Outfit). She has been the Stage Manager for the GHSMTA (Shuler Awards) since 2015. She holds a BFA in Theatre from Niagara University. Member of Actors’ Equity Association. Co-founder of Atlanta Theatre Artists for Justice. Love to Ali and Maggie.

MADELINE CONRAD (Stage Management Production Assistant) [she/her] is so excited to work with the Alliance again! Previous credits include Fat Ham, The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Alliance Theatre); Guys and Dolls and Matilda the Musical (Atlanta Lyric); Sweat, RENT, She Kills Monsters, The SpongeBob Musical, and Everybody (Kennesaw State University). She is a senior Theatre and Performance studies student at Kennesaw State University. Madeline is delighted to be a part of the Babble Lab team and thanks her wonderful family and mentors for their love and support.

CHILDREN’S THEATRE COMPANY

(CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire more than 200,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations (for its

production of A Year With Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences. CTC is the most significant provider of theatre education opportunities in the region. Every year, thousands of children experience theatre for the first time at CTC. Our student matinees and education programs demonstrably benefit the community, from the intergenerational conversations sparked by our world premieres, to the sequential skillbuilding that happens in our Theatre Arts Training, to the pre-K focus of our Early Childhood Initiative. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. www.childrenstheatre.org.

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

(Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) began her tenure at the Alliance in 2018 as the BOLD Associate Artistic Director, assuming her current role in 2023. Originally from Zimbabwe, KajeseBolden combines her commitment to great art, deep education and community empowerment with an agile enthusiasm and unflappable, calm energy to inspire new possibilities. Kajese-Bolden honed her directing and producing skills as a freelance director working in regional houses across the country and on set. As a director and actor, she fosters deep ongoing collaborations with playwrights and has mounted innovative and critically acclaimed productions that merge elegant, theatrical designs with complicated human stories. A Princess Grace Award 2019 Winner for Directing, and Map Fund Award recipient as a director and actor, she has worked on and Off-Broadway as well as recurring roles in the Marvel universe “Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special,” Suicide Squad, “Hawkeye,” and CW’s “Valor,” “Dynasty,” HBO’s “Henrietta Lacks,” Ava Duverney’s “Cherish the Day,” among others. Up next, she is developing a new Opera, Forsythe is Flooding: The Joy of Lake Lanier, and proudly serves on the

ARTS-ATL Artist Advisory Council. “My mission is the pursuit of what connects our different communities and how we create art that liberates us to imagine a more inclusive future.”

CHRISTOPHER MOSES (Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) has been working in professional theatre for twenty years and in 2022 was awarded the Governor’s Award for Arts in Humanities for his body of work. In January of 2011, Chris took on the position of Director of Education at the Alliance Theatre, overseeing the Alliance Theatre Institute (twice recognized as an Arts Model by the Federal Department of Education), Theatre for Youth & Families, and the Acting Program. Since taking over this position, Chris has expanded the reach and impact by making the Alliance Theatre Education department a vital resource for advancing the civic agenda of Atlanta. This work is accomplished through deep and sustained partnerships with social service organizations throughout the city. Under his leadership, the Alliance launched its Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young program, which provides fully interactive professional theater experiences for children of all abilities from ages newborn through five years old; the Alliance Teen Ensemble, which performs world premiere plays commissioned for and about teens; the Palefsky Collision Project, where teens produce a new work after colliding with a classic text; expanded the Alliance’s summer camp program to include over 3,000 children in multiple locations across Atlanta; and Alliance@work, a professional development program designed for the business sector — the latest offering of which uses theatre practice to create a culture of civility in the workplace. In 2014, Chris added the title Associate Artistic Director, and has continued to expand the Alliance’s education offerings. During his tenure in this position, the Alliance has produced over a dozen world premiere plays for young audiences, including Pancakes, Pancakes! by Ken Lin, The Dancing Granny by Jireh Breon Holder, Max Makes a Million by Liz Diamond, and The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Madhuri Shekar. Currently,

the Alliance serves over 100,000 students pre-k—12 each season, as well as over 4,000 adults through its extensive education offerings. In 2023, he was named Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre.

MIKE SCHLEIFER (Managing Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2014 as the General Manager and in 2016, assumed the role of Managing Director. During his time at the Alliance, Mike has led the administrative and producing team on over 100 productions including bringing Tuck Everlasting and The Prom to Broadway. He was one of the architects of the “On the Road” season while a multi-million dollar renovation of the Coca-Cola Stage was underway. Mike is excited to have started the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at the Alliance and to serve on the board of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. Prior to Atlanta, he spent 13 years at Baltimore’s Center Stage working in several roles including Associate Producer, Production Manager and Resident Stage Manager. While in Baltimore, Mike was an adjunct faculty member at Towson University and has guest-lectured all over the country. Mike began as a Stage Manager and has dozens of stage management credits between his time in New York and working regionally. Mike is married to theater director and educator Laura Hackman and the proud father of two boys, Jack and Ben.

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

(AEA) Founded in 1913, AEA is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. www.actorsequity.org

THE IMAGINE CAMPAIGN

Coming soon to Peachtree Street: THE GOIZUETA STAGE FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES

IMAGINE a state-of-the-art performance space built specifically to deliver the best professional theatre for young audiences this country has to offer.

IMAGINE year-round access to transformative arts experiences empirically proven to improve mental health, literacy, and hope for their own future.

IMAGINE theatre as a birthright for children of all ages and economic backgrounds in our city, across the state, and around the world.

AND JOIN US IN MAKING IT A REALITY. Over the next two years, the Woodruff Arts Center will transform the existing Rich Theatre into Atlanta’s year-round venue for youth and family programming. As a crucial component of this project, the Alliance Theatre is proud to launch The Imagine Endowment, a special $10 million fund providing access subsidies for audiences of all backgrounds and vital resources to equip and maintain Atlanta’s new home for youth, educators, and caregivers in perpetuity. With your help, geography and ticket prices will never be attendance barriers for the bright, empathetic, and creative audiences of tomorrow

ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTORS

Special thanks to our early champions of the Imagine Campaign for their vision and generosity. Kenny Blank // Campaign Chair

Anonymous

Kristin Adams

James Anderson

Elizabeth Armstrong

Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence

Cindy & Bobby Candler

Around the Table Foundation

Joel Babbit & Virginia Shackelford

Terri Bonoff & Matthew Knopf

Jennifer & Brian Boutte

Ann & Jeff Cramer

Jeffrey & Roxanne Cashdan

Joe Crowley & Phil Mack

Linda & Eugene Davidson

Reade & Katie Fahs

Howard & Ellen Feinsand

Richard & Marsha Goerss

John & Laura Hardman

Mr. & Mrs. Quill Healey II & Family

The Hertz Family Foundation

Jocelyn J. Hunter

Malvika Jhangiani & Dipankar Bandyopadhyay

John Keller

James & Lori Kilberg

Phyllis Kozarsky & Eliot Arnovitz

Timothy Hardy & Allegra Lawrence-Hardy

Alan McKeon & Evelyn Ashley

Hays & Anna Mershon

Hala & Steve Moddelmog

Phil & Caroline Moise

Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Papa John’s Foundation

Jamal & Tiffany Powell

Patty & Doug Reid

For more information about Alliance Theatre’s Imagine Campaign or to make an endowment contribution, please contact Trent Anderson, Director of Development, at trent.anderson@ alliancetheatre.org or (404) 733-4710.

For information about the capital renovation and the Woodruff Arts Center’s Experience Atlanta, Experience Woodruff Campaign, please contact Kristin Hathaway-Hansen at kristin.hathaway-hansen@woodruffcenter.org.

Robert & Margaret Reiser

Ronald E. Ridgeway

Maurice & Tricia Rosenbaum

Mark & Ruth Rosenberg

Mike Schleifer & Laura Hackman

The Selig Foundation // Linda & Steve Selig, Cathy & Steve Kuranoff

Kristen and Jordan Silton

William & Margie Sleeper

E. Kendrick & Caryl Smith

Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright

Benny & Roxanne Varzi

Rebekah & Mark Wasserman

With deep respect for each child in their audience, Babble Lab gets everyone’s attention and holds it through nonsense and discovery. As you watch, you’ll notice something amazing happening. With no instruction to do so, very young children begin to participate in the performance. Engaged and enthusiastic, they are paying rapt attention. Slowly, the show begins to make a sort of sense for the youngest in the room, and they want to be a part of it.

The Chinese character for “to listen” embodies what it means to truly listen, representing open ears, eyes, mind and heart, resulting in undivided attention. Listening is a learned skill, and when modeled for children, profoundly impacts their development. Rather than demanding children be quiet, when we teach them to listen, we are creating a safe space for learning, an opportunity for them to connect with us, and a better chance for positive relationships, and to find their voices to tell their own stories.

Babies are born wanting to communicate, and the deepest learning happens when they are in relationship. The brain they are growing is constructed over time, beginning before birth and continuing into adulthood. For the first three years of life, that growth is exponential, with more than 1 million neural connections being formed each second. The language a child receives in this time, initially without meaning, (like Babble Lab) can be thought of as “language nutrition,” as it is as critical to early brain development as healthy food is for the growth of the body.

If you think of a child’s world as their ecosystem, you begin to recognize how central language is and should be. Language-centered ecosystems, through which language nutrition is intentionally delivered by caring adults make the most of their brains’ rapid growth, when it is uniquely receptive. It paves the way for literacy — which is the greatest determinant of opportunity.

Atlanta is home to the only birthing center in the world that centers language. Grady Hospital has fully integrated these principles into their care through Talk With Me Baby (TWMB). Now a national initiative, TWMB focuses on the early language development that aligns with early brain growth — and all of Grady’s staff ensures that every family leaves the hospital knowing that they play a critical role in their baby’s brain development and to enact that role by talking — intentionally and often, with their babies.

Grady Hospital, along with other institutions like the Alliance Theatre, is committing to Atlanta’s children and their voices. This commitment needs to become a universal promise, integral to the fabric of our city. This will advance literacy, further equity, and ensure every child can enjoy their right to find — and use — their own voice for a lifetime.

Ryan Lee-James, PhD, CCC-SLP Chief Academic Officer Atlanta Speech School

SYNOPSIS

Strap on your safety goggles and clean out your ears! When an experiment unexpectedly goes awry, a concoction of sneaky, sprightly L E T T E R S takes over a weird and wondrous science lab. Watch them jump into jars, spring from drawers, bounce around the room, and even play hide-and-seek as our scientist makes her surprising findings: Bluku terullala blaulala loooo! Rakete bee bee? Rekate bee zee! Enjoy the blubbering and blibbering exploration of spoken blurbbles as they spring forth in this one-of-a-kind, gee-gaw-filled laboratory.

GET SOCIAL

Connect with us and other audience members on your Alliance experience. Share your comments and photos on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter, and TikTok with hashtags #BabbleLab and #AllianceTheatre. Plus, search your social media platforms with those hashtags for fun, behind-the-scenes content from our cast, crew, and creative team.

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ABOUT THE ALLIANCE THEATRE

Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theatre in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The Alliance is led by Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses, and Managing Director Mike Schleifer. The Alliance is a recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award® for sustained excellence in programming, education, and community engagement. In January 2019, the Alliance opened its new, stateof-the-art performance space, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 135 productions including eleven that have transferred to Broadway. The Alliance education department reaches 90,000 students annually through performances, classes, camps, and in-school initiatives designed to support teachers and enhance student learning. The Alliance Theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence, and is dedicated to representing Atlanta’s diverse community with the stories we tell, the artists, staff, and leadership we employ, and audiences we serve.

OUR MISSION

To expand hearts and minds onstage and off.

OUR

VISION

Making Atlanta more connected, curious, and compassionate through theatre and arts education.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

In the sincerest efforts to gain further understanding of the history that has brought us to reside on this land and to accept the knowledge that colonialism is a current and ongoing process under which we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation, we hereby acknowledge this native land of the Muscogee Creek Nation.

| boardofdirectors

OFFICERS

Chair

E. Kendrick Smith

Vice Chair

Allison O’Kelly

Immediate Past Chair

Jocelyn Hunter

Treasurer

Glenn Weiss

Ex-Officio

Hala Moddelmog

LIFETIME DIRECTORS

Rita Anderson

Ken Bernhardt

Frank Chew

Ann Cramer

Linda Davidson

Laura Hardman

Hays Mershon

Richard S. Myrick

Helen Smith Price

Bob Reiser

Jane Shivers

H. Bronson Smith

Ben White

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kristin Adams

Norman Adkins

Kimberly Ajy

James Anderson

Farideh Azadi

Marc Balizer

Deisha Barnett

Alba Baylin

Maggie Blake Bailey

Bridget Blake

Kenny Blank

Terri Bonoff

Jennifer Boutté

Kristen Burke

Jeff Cashdan

Madeline Chadwick

Miles Cook

LeighAnn Costley

Joe Crowley

Katie Fahs

Reade Fahs

Howard Feinsand

Rick Gestring

Richard Goerss

Claire Gotham

Lila Hertz

Jocelyn Hunter

Malvika Jhangiani

Alexander Johnson

Jane Jordan Casavant

Anne Kaiser

John Keller

Matthew Kent

Andjela Kessler

Jim Kilberg

Jesse Killings

Carrie Kurlander

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy

Robert Masucci

Jean Ann McCarthy

Alan McKeon

Dori Miller

Jeffrey Miller

Hala Moddelmog

Phil Moïse

Allison O’Kelly

Victoria Palefsky

Jackie Parker

Paul Pendergrass

Anne Rambaud Herren

Stephanie Ray

Patty Reid

Margaret Reiser

Matthew Richburg

Robyn Roberts

Maurice Rosenbaum

Steve Selig

Kim Sewell

Mital Shah

Bill Sleeper

E. Kendrick Smith

Chandra Stephens-Albright

Charlita Stephens

Mark Swinton

Julie Teer

Richard Valladares

Benny Varzi

Roxanne Varzi

Rebekah Wasserman

Glenn Weiss

Wai Wong

Todd Zeldin

ADVISORY BOARD

Advisory Board Co-Chair

Laura Hardman

Advisory Board Co-Chair

Phil H. Moïse

Joe Alterman

Luis Andino

Johanna Brookner

Merry Hunter Caudle

Elizabeth Cooper

Mamie Dayan-Vogel

Candice Dixon

Malaika Dowdell

Everett Flanigan

Brandon Fleming

Mary Beth Flournoy

Les Flynn

Natalia Garzón Martínez

Lydia Glaize

Emmanuel Glaze

Meghan Gordon

Tevin Goss

Jeff Graham

Dr. Eve Graves, Ph.D.

Erica Greenblatt

Shauna Grovell

Della Guidry

Campbell Hastings

Elizabeth Hollister

Zenith Houston

Mallika Kallingal

Jodi Kalson

Jennifer Lee

JoJasmin Lopez

Theo Lowe

Carlton Mackey

Nelly Mauta

Tre’Von McKay

Monica McLary

Juan Meija

Caroline Moore

Laura Murvartian

Zach Nikonovich Kahn

Amy Norton King

Susan Sim Oh

Kathy Palumbo

Aixa Pascual

Kisan Patel

Marion Phillips

Alexis Rainey

Daniel Regenstein

Michelle Robinson

Wendy Schmitt

Dr. Shenara Sexton

Beverly Brown Shaw

Brian Stoltz

Maria Storts

Alicia Thompson

Ana Urrego

Emily Washburn

Melinda Weekes-Laidlaw

Angie Weiss

Stuart Wilkinson

Joni Williams

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

President, STARS

Andjela Kessler

Chairman, Theater

Advocates

Patricia Walsh

Chairman, Theater Ushers

Edwina Sellan

Chairman, Hospitality

Susan Stiefel

ALLIANCE SPONSORS

Alliance Sponsors are businesses, corporations, and institutions that have supported the work of the Alliance Theatre. We thank them for their generosity and support.

$500,000+

Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Lettie Pate Evans Foundation

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

$250,000+

Anonymous

The Coca-Cola Company

Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

WestRock

$100,000+

Accenture

Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

Georgia Power

The Home Depot Foundation

Invesco QQQ

John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Fund

King & Spalding

Norfolk Southern PNC

The Rich’s Foundation

Shubert Foundation

Warner Bros. Discovery

Zeist Foundation

$50,000+

AT&T Foundation

Cadence Bank

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

Georgia Council for the Arts

Georgia Natural Gas

Google

Jones Day

Kendeda Fund

Liz Blake Giving Fund

Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

National Vision

Wellstar Foundation

$25,000+

Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, powered by AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Comcast

Fulton County Board of Commissioners

Graphic Packaging

The Imlay Foundation, Inc.

Johnny Mercer Foundation

Kaiser Permanente

Northside Hospital

Peach State Health Plan

Southwire

$10,000+

AEC Trust

Alexander Babbage

Alston & Bird

Do a Good Day Foundation

Edgerton Foundation

Eversheds Sutherland

George M. Brown Trust of Atlanta

Georgia-Pacific

John & Mary Franklin Foundation

SCANA Energy

South Arts

The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

$5,000+

Anonymous

Frances Wood Wilson Foundation

Osiason Educational Foundation

Perkins&Will

Publix Super Market Charities

By attending our theater, you have made a powerful statement about how important the arts are to you. Make another statement of support louder than any standing ovation. Visit alliancetheatre.org and click on Donate.

Family Series Sponsor

Official Hotel Official Research Partner

Major funding for this organization is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners

This program is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also receives support from its partner agencythe National Endowment for the Arts.

Major support is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Individual, foundation, and corporate donors contribute more than $10 million to the Alliance Theatre so that we are able to present exceptional theater and educational programming to our community. We are deeply grateful for your support. To find out more about the benefits of giving or to make your gift, visit us at alliancetheatre.org/waystogive or call 404-733-5157.

Listed below are pledges and gifts to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund.

PREMIERE SUPPORT

Spotlight $100,000+

Dan & Garnet Reardon

The SKK Foundation

Artistic Director’s Circle

$50,000+

Ms. Stephanie Blank

Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation

Chairman’s Circle

$25,000+

The Antinori Foundation Around the Table Foundation

Ann & Jeff Cramer

Katie & Reade Fahs

Heidi & David Geller

David & Carolyn Gould

Jocelyn J. Hunter

Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ivester

Jesse Killings

Daniel Marks & Keri Powell

Rosemarie & David Thurston

Leadership Circle

$15,000+

Ali and Farideh Azadi

Maggie Blake Bailey & Andrew Bailey

Brian & Jennifer Boutté

Martha & Toby Brooks

Jane Jordan Casavant

Roxanne & Jeffrey Cashdan

Barbara & Steve Chaddick

Ellen & Howard Feinsand

Doris & Matthew Geller

Anne & Scott Herren

Doug & Lila Hertz

Jane & J. Hicks Lanier

Kristie L. Madara

Mr. & Mrs. Barry McCarthy

Phil & Caroline Moïse

Allison & Shane O’Kelly

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Patty & Doug Reid

Bob & Margaret Reiser

Patricia & Maurice

Rosenbaum

Linda & Steve Selig

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Sewell

Ms. Mital Shah

William & Margarita Sleeper

Dean DuBose & Bronson

Smith

Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith

Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee

Spangler

Mark Swinton

Tim & Maria Tassopoulos

Benny & Roxanne Varzi

Mr. & Mrs. Art Waldrop

Amy & Todd Zeldin

Director’s Circle $10,000+

Ms. Kristin Adams

Mr. & Mrs. Norman Adkins

James Anderson

Deborah L. Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields

Alba C. Baylin

Deisha Barnett

Terri Bonoff & Matthew Knopf

Judge JoAnn Bowens

Madeline Chadwick

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Chubb III

Ezra Cohen Charitable Fund

Miles & Nicole Cook

LeighAnn & Chad Costley

Joe Crowley & Phil Mack

Rick Gestring

Marsha & Richard Goerss

Claire Gotham

Malvika Jhangiani

Mr. Alexander Johnson & Mrs. Susan Somersille Johnson

Anne & Mark Kaiser

John C. Keller

Mr. Matthew D. Kent & Mr. Joseph C. Miller

Mr. James Kieffer

James & Lori Kilberg

Timothy Hardy & Allegra

Lawrence-Hardy

Ms. Evelyn Ashley & Mr. Alan B. McKeon

Dori & Jack Miller

Jeffrey Miller

Paul Pendergrass & Margaret Baldwin

Diane & Mark Perlberg

Jamal & Tiffany Powell

Wade Rakes & Nicholas Miller

Matt Richburg

Robyn Roberts & Kevin Greiner

Lynne & Steve Steindel

Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund

Dana & Obi Ugwonali

Waffle House

Ms. Kathy Waller & Mr.

Kenny Goggins

Mark & Rebekah Wasserman

Ramona & Ben White

Suzy Wilner

R. Wai Wong

BENEFACTORS

$5,000+

Anonymous (2)

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas* J. Asher

Lisa & Joe Bankoff

Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates

Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence

Natalie & Matthew Bernstein

Franklin & Dorothy Chandler

Ann & Jim Curry

Diane Durgin

Kathy & Jason Evans

Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette

Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Goldstein

Tad & Janin Hutcheson

Jason & Laurie Jeffay

In honor of Carol Jones*

Mr. Charles R. Kowal

Dr. & Mrs. John Lee

Burrelle Meeks

Mr. & Mrs. Norman J. Radow

Mr. George Russell, Jr. & Mrs. Faye Sampson-Russell

Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer

Charlita Stephens & Delores

Stephens

Susan & Alan* Stiefel

Maria-Ruth Storts

Chuck Taylor & Lisa CannonTaylor

Ms. Cathy Weil

Marjan & Navid Yavari

$2,500+

Anonymous (2)

Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen

Ellen Arnovitz

Ms. Raluca Bighiu

Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust

Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe

Candace Carson

Rita & Ralph Connell

Linda & Gene Davidson

Marcia & John Donnell

Mr. Fredric M. Ehlers & Mr. David Lile

Mrs. Anuja Gagoomal & Dr. John Stites

Eve Joy Eckardt

The Robert S. Elster Foundation

Karen & Andrew Ghertner

Mr. David F. Golden

Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman

Ariana Hargrave

David Heinsch

Henry & Etta Raye Hirsch Heritage Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael Hostinsky

Linda & Richard Hubert

Mr. & Mrs. Wyatt T. Johnson

Leonard Lee

Judith Lyon & Ron Bloom

Lloyd & Mary* McCreary

Hala & Steve Moddelmog

Clair & Thomas Muller

Joan Netzel & John Gronwall

Mr. & Mrs. Travis Newberry

Sam & Barbara Pettway

Ali & Layla Rahimi, ALYKA Health

Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak

Ms. Kristin L. Ray

Dana Rice

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg

Jane & Rein Saral

Ms. Donna Schwartz

Kashi Sehgal

Mallie Sharafat

Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod

Mr. David C. Shih

Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong

Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats

Judith & Mark Taylor

Julie Teer

Kathy Gillespie Tomajko

Bryan & Carrie Williams

The Zaban Foundation

$1,500+

Anonymous (2)

Gregory and Wanda Adams

Trent Anderson & Leandro Zaneti

Mr. E. Scott Arnold

Mr. & Mrs. Hugh S. Asher

Marie & Brad Foster

Dr. Aubrey Bush & Dr. Carol Bush

Melodie H. Clayton

Susan & Edward Croft

Gail Crowder & Claude Wegscheider

Tim & Tina Eyerly

Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Flexner

Sandeep Goyal & Taylor

England

Della & Theo Guidry

Warren M. Gump

Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel

Ashley & Elton James

Boland & Andrea Lea Jones

Randy & Connie Jones

Mark Keiser

Andjela & Michael Kessler

David Long & Starane Shepherd

Ms. Addie P. Mathes & Mr. Richard Knittel

Greg & Gillian Matteson

Fabienne Moore

Dennis & Debra Murphy

Denis Ng & Mary Jane Panzeri

John & Helen Parker

Mr. & Mrs. Armond Perkins

Peg Petersen

Dr. Denise Raynor

Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg

Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III

Ms. Amy Speas

Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright

Dr. & Mrs. Harry Strothers

Valerie & Anthony Thomas

Stan & Velma Tilley

Ms. Avril Vignos

John T. & Patricia Walsh

Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Weiss

Penn & Sally Wells

Kim Boldthen & Carolyn Wheeler

Adrienne Whitehead

William & Nancy Yang

PATRONS

$1,000+

Anonymous

Mr. Reza Abree

Mr. George T. Baker

Jill Blair and Fay Twersky

Robert Blondeau & Kristen Nantz, in memory of Betty Blondeau Russell

Michelle Burdick

David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin

Richard & Grecia Cox

Celeste Davis-Lane

Drs. Bryan & Norma Edwards

Howard & Ellen Eisenberg

Dr. Azy Esfandiari, City Springs Dental Studio

Dr. Marla Franks & Rev.

Susan Zoller

Richard Goodjoin & Kelvin Davis

Louise S. Gunn

Drs. Cathie & Hugh Hudson

Ms. Floria Izadi

Veronica Kessenich

Amy & Jeremy King

Mr. & Mrs. Asghar

Memarzadeh

Anna & Hays Mershon

Stacia Minton

Mr. Kasra Naderi & Mrs. Arezoo Akhavan

Debbie & Lon Neese

Susan C. Puett

Lois & Don Reitzes

Ryan Roemerman

Deborah W. Royer

Ms. Kerri Sauer

Jane E. Shivers

Ann Starr & Kent Nelson*

Andrea Strickland & N. Jerold Cohen

Nossi Taheri & Hope Vaziri

Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor

Lynne Winship

ALLIANCE THEATRE MONTHLY SUSTAINER SOCIETY

We would like to thank our donors who have committed to giving us a recurring monthly donation to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. Join today: www.alliancetheatre.org/sustainer

Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes

Mr. Faraz Ahmed

Mr. E. Scott Arnold

Dr. Evelyn Babey

Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker

Dean Jordan & Lee Burson

Mr. Brandon Bush

Karen & Harold Carney

Mr. Quentin David Cashman

Elizabeth Corrie

Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Cowart*

Christopher Cox & Draco Bohannon

Gray & Marge Crouse

Nash Ditmetaroj

Malaika Dowdell

David & Jessica Felfoldi

Eric & Christina Fisher

Brenda Fleming

Les Flynn

Christine & Andrew Fry

Emmanuel Glaze

Caroline Gold

Katie Goodman

Erica Greenblatt

Bryant Gresham & Alexander Bossert

Shauna Grovell

Ms. Jo Ann Haden-Miller & Mr. William Miller

Penn Hansa

Lindsey E. Hardegree

Ms. Linda Hare & Mr.

Gerald Barth

Dr. & Mrs. David M. Hill

Ms. Becca Hogue

Karen Jones

Kelley J. Jordan-Monné

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Kalista

Amy & Jeremy King

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Kraft

Dr. Andrea W. Lawrence

Ms. Lauren Linder & Mr. Jonathan Grunberg

Christian & JoJasmin Lopez

Stephen Lynch

Ms. Alison Main

Ms. Jaime McQuilkin

Heather & Jim Michael

Lori & Jonathan Peterson

Ms. Kendrick Phillips

Marion Phillips

Marc & Jean Pickard

Dana & Jacqueline Powe

Brenda Pruitt

Mr. Howard Rowe

Barbara Schreiber

Tom Slovak & Jeffery Jones

Charles Thompson

Ms. Stephanie Van Parys & Mr. Robert A. Cleveland

Mamie Dayan-Vogel & Steven Vogel

Ben Warshaw

Caitlin Way

David & Amy Whitley

Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon A. Williams

it’s easy to scan and give!

| matchinggifts&legacysociety 38

MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES

Many companies offer a matching gifts program for employees and retirees. You can double, or even triple, your gift at no additional cost to you simply by asking your employer! Think of how much further your donation can go.

We would like to thank the following companies who have matched contributions to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. To find out more about matching gifts, contact Emma Seif at emma.seif@alliancetheatre.org.

AIG Corporation

American Express

Aon Risk Solutions

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

AT&T

Bank of America/Merrill

BlackRock

Bryan Cave-Powell

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Chubb Charitable Foundation

The Coca-Cola Company

Deloitte

Equifax Inc. Foundation

John and Mary Franklin Foundation

GE Energy

LEGACY SOCIETY

Georgia Power

Goldman Sachs Matching Gift

Goldstein

Google

Hearst Foundations

Home Depot Foundation

Honda Motor Co.

IAC, Inc

IBM

JPMorgan Chase

Kimberly-Clark

Lynch

Macy’s Foundation

McDonald’s Corporation

McMaster-Carr Supply

Microsoft Corporation

Norfolk Southern Corporation

Principal Financial Group Foundation

Prudential Financial

Publix Super Markets

Salesforce.com, Inc.

Sprint

SunTrust Foundation

Thrivent Financial for Lutherns

Veritiv Corporation

Verizon Corporation

The Walt Disney Company

Wells Fargo Yahoo!

Celebrating our supporters who have made a legacy gift to the Alliance Theatre.

The Legacy Society celebrates individuals who have made a planned gift to the Alliance Theatre. Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show your support and appreciation for the Alliance Theatre and its mission, while accommodating your financial, estate planning and philanthropic goals. With smart planning, you may increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as important, you will know that you have made a meaningful and lasting contribution to the Alliance Theatre.

To learn more about the Legacy Society, please contact Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl at lindsay.ridgeway-baierl@alliancetheatre.org.

Anonymous

Rita M. Anderson

Roland & Linda Bates

Kathy* & Ken Bernhardt

Anne & Jim Breedlove

Ezra Cohen

Ann & Jeff Cramer

Susan & Edward Croft

Sallie Adams Daniel

Linda & Gene Davidson

Terry & Stacy Dietzler

Diane Durgin

Elizabeth Etoll

Ellen & Howard Feinsand

James Edward Gay*

Laura & John Hardman

Nancy & Glen Hesler

P.J. Younglove Hovey

David A. Howell*

Lauren & David Kiefer

David Kuniansky

Virginia Vann* & Ken Large

Edith Love*

Lauren & John McColskey

Anna & Hays Mershon

Caroline & Phil Moïse

Winifred & Richard Myrick

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Armond & Sharon Perkins

Jam Pomerantz

Helen M. Regenstein*

Margaret & Robert Reiser

Betty Blondeau-Russell*

Tricia & Neal Schachtel

Debbie* & Charles Shelton III

Jane E. Shivers

Roger Smith & Christopher Jones*

Ron* & Kathy Tomajko

Lee Harper & Wayne Vason

Terri & Rick Western

Ramona & Ben White

* deceased

ARTISTIC

Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Christopher Moses

Producer & Casting Director

Producing & Casting Assistant

Distinguished Artist in Residence

Jody Feldman

Brant Adams

Pearl Cleage

Associate Producer Amanda Watkins

BOLD Producing Associate

Spelman Leadership Fellows

Emory Summer Literary Intern

Kay Nilest

Jayla Dyas, Kerrington Griffin

Kailey Albus

Reiser Lab Artists Round 10 Jemma Yarbrough, Cait Greenamyre, Melissa Word, Dalyla Nicole, K. Parker, Amanda Washington, Vynnie Meli, Jimmica Collins, and Cedwan Hooks

Production Management

Director of Production

Associate Directors of Production

Costume and Wardrobe Director

Costumes

Associate Costume Shop & Wardrobe Director

Lawrence Bennett

Courtney O’Neill, Haylee Scott

Laury Conley

Melanie Green

Design Assistant Summer Barnes

Drapers

Tonja Petersen, Cindy Lou Who

Crafts Master Diana L. Thomas

1st Hands/Stitchers

Wardrobe Supervisor

Wardrobe

Wig Master

Lyudmila Fesenko, Brett Parker, Margaret Tennant

Hauzia Conyers

Monica Speaker

Lindsey Ewing

Electrics

Director of Lighting & Projections

Associate Director of Lighting & Projection

Rachael N. Blackwell

Steve Jordan

Staff Electricians Joy Diaz, Rochelle Riley, Neil Anderson

Properties

Props Department Director

Suzanne Cooper Morris

Props Artisans Kathryn Andries, Bruce Butkovich

Props Artisan/Buyer

Technical Director

Scenery

Kimberly Townsend

Kyle Longwell

Associate Technical Directors Rigel Powell, Luke Robinson

Shop Supervisor

Lead Welder

Carpenters

Charge Scenic Artist

Scenic Artist

Sound Director

Assistant Sound Director

Patrick Conley

Chris Seifert

Kevin Dyson, Parker Ossmann, Marlon Wilson

Kat Conley

Amanda Nerby

Sound

Teaching Artists

Abigail Bowers, Abigail Kincheloe, Addison Peacock, Alexandria Walker, Allison Gardner, Andi Stanesic, Andrea Washington, Angel Fabian Rivera, Ann Marie Meeker, Anna McCarthy, Anna Oakley, April Andrew Carswell, Aria Armstead, Audrey Myers, Autumn Stephens, Avery Sharpe, Barry Mann, Brad Raymond, Brandon L. Smith, Brantley Waller, Brie Wolfe, Brittani Minnieweather, Brittany Loffert, Caitlin Slotnick, Caleb Vaughn, Calyria Jyvonne Reynolds, Cara Mantella, Caroline Donica, Casey Navarro, Chanel Davis, Chase Anderson, Chelcy Cutwright, Chelsea Brown, Cece Campbell, Chloe Lomax, Christopher Nastasi, Clayton Landey, Coriana Raynor, Courtney Moors-Hornick, Da’Quan Cooney, Cody Benfield, Dan Triandiflou, Daniel Caffrey, Daniela Santiago, Danielle Montgomery, Davia Weatherill, David DeVries, David Kote, Deja Holmes, Dru Sky Berrian, E Haeberlin, Ebony Golden, Ebony Tucker, Elaina Walton, Ethan Davis, Eugene Russell, Gloria Martin, Hananya Allen, Hannah Chatham, Hannah Church, Harriet Bass, Hayden Weiss, Hollie Rivers, Imani Quinones, Isaac Breiding, Issa Solis, Ja’Siah Young, Jada Gorgor, James Patrick, James Williams, Javaron Conyers, Jeremiah Hobbs, Jessenia Ingram, Jetta Whitehurst, Jimez Alexander, John Doyle, Joseph Quintana, Josh Price, Julia Walters, Julie Woods Robinson, Julissa Sabino, Karen Aguirre, Kate Varner, Katherine Taylor, Katie Causey, Katie Wickline, Kierra Edwards, Kim Baran, Kira Rockwell, Kristian Martinez, Lamar Hardy, Lauren Alexandra, Laurin Dunleavy, Lee Osorio, Lilly Heidari, Lon Bumgarner, Lydia Rice, Maddy Roberts, Madeleine Noe, Madison Junod, Madison VandenOever, Marc Collins, Marcia Faith Harper, Marcia Harvey, Marielle Martinez, Marissa Kovach, Marquelle Young, Mary Claire Page, Mary Michael Patterson, Matt Baum, Matthew Caleb Brown, Maxwell H. Breaux, Maya Lawrence, Megan Cramer, Megan Wartell, Melissa “Mel” Ottaviano, Monteze Sutton, Morayo Otujo, Morgan Rysdon-Moulitsas, Myah Harper, Natalie Brown, Nicole Price, Nicolette Emanuelle, Patricia de la Garza, Patrick McColery, Phillia Prior, Rachel Da Silva, Razaria Denae Copeland, Riley Schatz, Rimothy Miracle Bennett, Robyn Sutton-Fernandez, Rodney Williams, Ryan Dinning, Sarah Mack Price, Sarah Oguntomilade, Sarah Wallis, Sariel Toribio, Shane Simmons, Shaniya Horton, Sharon Foote, Sierra Christensen, Stephen Ruffin, Tafee Patterson, Terence Lee, Theresa Davis, Tiffany Hobbs, Tramaine Jones, Tylia De’Armond, Vallea Woodbury, William Amato, Wynne Kelly, Zuri Petteway

Teen Ensemble Members

Lily Erera, Jordyn Nelson, Malachi S Chaney, Ella Grace Pavlovsky, Simon Link, Helena Skylark Denton, Haley Smith, Sam Yates, Cordelia O’Bradovich, Minnah Dunlap, Abigail May Watson, Ella Dameron, August Marks, Caleb Vaughn, Kennedy O’Neil, Anna Schwartz, Julianna Grace Pillsbury, Caroline Chu, Tomi Fawehinmi, Sophia Sánchez, Adler Horstemeyer, Ronnie McCoy, Morgan Stamper, Bailey Rodgers, Aria Armstead, Sage Mae

MANAGEMENT

Managing Director

Company Manager

Assistant Company Manager

Director of Finance

Clay Benning

Aaron Vockley

Sound Engineers Tamir Eplan-Frankel, Emma Mouledoux, Graham Schwartz

Stage Management

Stage Managers Liz Campbell, R. Lamarr Williams, Barbara Gantt O’Haley

Stage Management Production Assistants

Stage Operations

Stage Operations Manager

Assistant Stage Operations Manager

Flyman

Automation Stagehand

Samantha Honeycutt, LaMarr White, Jr

Scott Bowne

Kate Lucibella

Willie Palmer Parks

John Victor Mouledoux Jr.

Crew Chief Bryan Perez

EDUCATION

Dan Reardon Director of Education

Naserian Foundation Head of Early Childhood Programs

Head of Youth & Family Programs

Head of Secondary Curriculum & Partnerships

Education Accounting Assistant

Administrative & Adult Program Manager

Camp Administrative Manager

Head of Strategic Initiatives

Alliance@Work Creative Director

Alliance@work Sales Associate

Head of Elementary School Programs

Out of School Program Manager

Artist in Residence & Teen Program Manager

Resident Artist & Allyship Program Director

Head of Education Advancement

Education Production Coordinator

Teaching Artist Liaison

Christopher Moses

Hallie Angelella

Olivia Aston Bosworth

Liz Davis

Isabella Aguilar Irias

Robert Hindsman

Jayson T. Waddell

Aierelle Jacob

J. Noble

Sarah Prewitt

Rebecca Pogue Fields

Robyn A. Rogers

Sam Provenzano

Maya Lawrence

Kristen Silton

Jay Williams

Blake Fountain

Administration & Finance

Controller & Head of Administration

Staff Accountant

Accounting Coordinator

Accounts Payable Lead

Associate Director, Data Operations & Strategy

Mike Schleifer

Laura Thruston

Sara Cook

Valerie Thomas

Elecia Crowley

Jasmine Burton

Julie Hall

Sharette Driver

Christina Dresser

Management Assistant Joseph Quintana

Development

Director of Development

Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships

Manager, Board Relations & Special Events

Associate Director, Strategic Institutional Advancement

Coordinator, Development Operations & Institutional Giving

Director of Individual Giving

Manager, Individual Giving

Trent Anderson

Natalie Adams

Kailan Daugherty

Collins Desselle

Tanesha Ferguson

Edward McCreary

Lindsay Ridgeway-Baierl

Manager of Annual Fund & Donor Relations Emma Seif

Marketing & Patron Services

Director of Marketing & Communications

Manager of Web & Digital Communications

Marketing & Promotions Coordinator

Kathleen Covington

Anna Birtles

Ashley Elliott

Graphic Designer Felicity Massa

Marketing & Public Relations Manager

Mashaun D. Simon

Social Media Manager & Content Producer Aniska Tonge

Associate Director of Data & Ticketing

Patron Services Manager

Danielle Hicks

Genesis Gates

Patron Services Coordinators Andi Stanesic, Maiya Moran, Sydney Michelle

Patron Services Associates Zuri Petteway, Natalie Brown

Box Office Associate

Season Ticket Concierge

Education Sales Coordinator

Group Sales & Student Matinee Manager

David Posada

Ken McNeil

Quintara Johnson

Jocelyn Rick

Group Sales & Student Matinee Coordinator Chelsea Street

Lead Front of House Managers Lauren Alexandra, Robyn E. Sutton-Fernandez

House Managers

Barbara O’Haley, Brittany Mangham, Phillia Prior, Leah Thomas