Recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony AwardÂŽ
March 24–April 15, 2017 Series on the Hertz Stage
discover us. discover you.
ARE
ALLERGIES Holding
YOU BACK
?
SPRING has sprung; so YOU KNOW what that MEANS... ALLERGY season. The constant coughing,
sneezing and watery eyes will put a damper on your day. Did you know that over 3 billion dollars each year goes toward allergy relief in the United States? Well, suffer no more; just come see your chiropractor. Chiropractic adjustments will both strengthen your immune system and respiratory function. Chiropractic adjustments will also regulate the influx of histamine and the amount of cortisol you produce during allergy season.
ENCORE AD
A LIFE UNIVERSITY CHIROPRACTIC CENTER
$20
TM
MIDTOWN
SAVE $395 NEW PATIENT EXAM
INCLUDES: NEUROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT, PHYSICAL EXAM, FULL SET OF X-RAYS, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION FOR CARE
VITAL LIFE · 678.331.4500
With this coupon. Services valued at $415. Offer subject to change and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Expires 5-15-17.
VITAL LIFE - 1 Baltimore Place, Suite 100, Atlanta (Across from Emory Bldg. Midtown)
ATLANTA - 678.331.4500
TM
VitalLifeHC.com
ARTFULLY YOURS Whether it’s nationally-known acts at Sweetland Amphitheatre, a classic ballet at the Lafayette Society for the Performing Arts or your favorite comedy or drama onstage at New Horizon Community Theatre, you can enjoy a full season of performing arts in our community.
Be whisked away from the humdrum of everyday life. Plan your itinerary at
visitlagrange.com 706.884.8671
contents departments
8
7 Between Us 8 Program 18 discover us. discover you. 20 About the Alliance Theatre 21 Board of Directors 22 Sponsors 24 Annual Fund 27 Woodruff Circle 28 Staff
visit
feature 8 What’s so Funny? Improv artist/actor Mark Kendall shines a light on the ‘Magic Negro’ stereotype. He’s going for laughs, of course, and something more. By Julie Bookman
the Encore Atlanta website for more about Atlanta’s arts & entertainment culture. We have features, news, profiles, columns and more … encoreatlanta.com
AMP CREATIVE EDITOR
Kathy Janich
kathy@encoreatlanta.com
AMP SALES PUBLISHER
Tom Casey
tom@americanmediaproducts.com VICE PRESIDENT
Ginger Roberts
ginger@americanmediaproducts.com DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
Stephanie Smith
stephanie@americanmediaproducts.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Maryclaire Andres
maryclaire@americanmediaproducts.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Mark F Baxter
mark@americanmediaproducts.com DIGITAL MANAGER
Ian Carson
ian@americanmediaproducts.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Whitney Stubblefield
whitney@americanmediaproducts.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Julie Bookman
ENCORE ATLANTA is published monthly by American Media Products Inc. CHAIRPERSON Diane Casey PRESIDENT Tom Casey SECRETARY Evan Casey TREASURER Kristi Casey Sanders CONTROLLER Suzzie Gilham
8920 Eves Road, #769479, Roswell, GA 30076 | Phone 678.837.4004 Fax 678.837.4066 Copyright 2017 AMP Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Encore Atlanta is a registered publication of AMP Inc. The publisher shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical errors or errors in publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication.
2 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
M I D T O W N ’ S TA L L E S T R E S I D E N T I A L T O W E R
BHHS Ga Properties is a member of the BHH franchise system affiliates, LLC. (404) 480-1365. Information deemed reliable but not warranted and is subject to error.
Your new home, set high above the heart of Atlanta’s flourishing Midtown. Soak up sweeping city views from unprecedented heights. Enjoy access to a wealth of art, culture, cuisine and the city’s greatest park at your doorstep. This is life, orchestrated to perfection. E X PA N S I V E R E S I D E N C E S
DESIGNED BY
C H A M PA L I M A U D
N E I G H B O R I N G AT L A N TA’ S F I N E S T
A R T S D E S T I N AT I O N S
P I E D M O N T PA R K : T H E C E N T R A L PA R K O F AT L A N TA
P R I O R I T Y P R I C I N G AVA I L A B L E
Ins I st on makI ng a t o a s t. Enjo y l I f E t o t hE f ul l E s t thEr E arE no drE ss rE h Ea r s a l s . hav E y our st E ak and E at I t, t o o .
augmented reality experiences
F ou r AtlAntA restAur Ants to s e rv e Y o u Alpharetta · Buckhead · Centennial olympic Park · Kennesaw For location details, visit RuthsChris.net 4 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
Midtown and Northside. Like the sound of that? Coming soon.
northside.com
Continue the Adventure
PUCCINI
April 29, May 2, 5, 7, 2017 Cobb Energy Centre 404-881-8885 | ATLANTAOPERA.ORG
between us
“Did he just SAY that?” There’s this elastic relationship between truth and comedy. Sometimes a statement is funny simply because of the degree to which it diverges from the truth. (See David Sedaris’ essay on being a man who is loved too much and how he had to fend off Mike Tyson’s relentless advances.) Sometimes a statement is funny because of its spot-on articulation of a truth. (See Jon Stewart’s entire career.) And sometimes — oh, say maybe right about now — the truth becomes a funny thing. Or, more accurately, we allow the truth to strike us as funny in order to prevent it striking us as terrifying. (See Thomas Gray’s quote regarding “laughing wild amid severest woe.”) Mark Kendell is a funny guy. Not so much in the “golly, can that guy tell a great joke” sense of funny, but more in the Lenny Bruce/George Carlin/Jerry Seinfeld tradition of simply telling us the right truth at the right time in the right way. The first time I saw Mark try out some of the material that’s in this performance, I remember listening to ripple effect laughter moving through us as audience members and thinking something masterful was going on. Funny, sure — but subversive, too. Rather than distracting us with jokes, Mark was directing our attention to very particular places and daring us not to see the humor in our own assumptions and behaviors. Because while timing is a critical factor in good comedy, so is courage. And Mark’s as brave as he is funny. There’s an old saw that’s popular among actors, writers and directors that supposedly first came from actor Edmund Gwenn at the end of his life. “Dying is easy, comedy is hard.” (That it came from Gwenn is true — but the actual wording was a little different. So it got rewritten a bit to make it funnier. Yet again — that elastic relationship between truth and comedy.) Here’s the good news. Tonight? Mark will do the hard part. You just have to be open to the possibility of laughing. And yes, he just said that.
Susan V. Booth Jennings Hertz Artistic Director ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG
7
What’s so Funny? Improv artist/actor Mark Kendall shines a light on the ‘Magic Negro’ stereotype. He’s going for laughs, of course, and something more. By Julie Bookman
Y
ou’ve seen the “Magic Negro” often, although once in a blue moon he’s a she. Comic Mark Kendall explains. “The old black man in the movies,” he says. “He teaches wisdom and has supernatural powers to guide the white male protagonist through the narrative.” Whoopi Goldberg had the role in Ghost. Will Smith in The Legend of Bagger Vance and Hitch. Shaquille O’Neal in Kazaam, Eddie Murphy in Holy Man, Don Cheadle in The Family Man and Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile. Hollywood has used the Magic Negro character for more than half a century. Director Spike Lee is credited with branding it into current consciousness during a 2001 Yale University lecture. With the “magical, mystical Negro,” Lee told the crowd, white screenwriters and directors “are still doing the same old thing ... recycling the noble savage and the happy slave.” In 2014, Kendall developed a one-man show centered on the trope. Dad’s Garage Theatre Company produced it late that year. Kendall continued developing the piece with the help of a 2015 Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab grant from the Alliance Theatre. It gave him the chance to continue digging into ideas about the 8 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
Magic Negro and raising questions about what the role means to audiences white and black. He’s been throwing away some bits, tweaking others, writing new sketches and performing for various audiences. The Reiser grant helped him tour the country and perform in Canada last summer at improv theaters and Fringe festivals. The result is onstage in the newly titled (Kendall’s capitalization) The Magic Negro and other Blackity Blackness, as told by an AfricanAmerican Man who also happens to be Black. It’s described as a “hilarious sketch comedy.” The Magic Negro is the first Reiser Lab project to get a full Alliance staging. Moxie and Uprising, projects seeded in the Reiser Lab’s inaugural year, had world premieres at Theatrical Outfit and Horizon Theatre, respectively. The character of the Magic Negro has neither a past nor his own storyline. He’s folksy, good-humored, OK with subservience. He often possesses special insight or magical powers but exists solely to assist and enlighten a main character, always white and usually privileged. “I’m the one helps him save the world!” Kendall spouts in the show. “I’m the one helps him get the girl! I’m the one lets him know he had it inside himself all the time!” Kendall, a Dad’s ensemble member who also
A’RIEL TINTER
teaches improv classes there, looked forward to partnering with Anthony LeBlanc, who’s part of The Second City improv company in Chicago, and his director at the Alliance. “Given the subject matter, I know he’ll push me in new directions,” Kendall says. “I’ve been a fan of his work at Second City for a while. Their sketch revues have what I want to achieve: a great combination of speed, hard-hitting punch lines and power.” Kendall sees LeBlanc as “someone who is all about bringing ideas to the table and improvising to create fully flushed-out sketches.” Kendall’s appreciation for Second City’s robust comedy heritage dates to his college years at Northwestern University. He returned to Atlanta after college and continued honing his comedy skills. In Dad’s recent original twoperson sketch show U Up?, he had the audience howling from the get-go, even when he just stood still and looked perplexed. What conclusions has Kendall drawn from the popularity of the Magic Negro character? “Maybe that’s how certain people would prefer to remember black characters, like Uncle Remus in Song of the South,” he says. “Oh, well, he’s happy and singing, so things just couldn’t be that bad.” Or “… Oh, I like this actor Don Cheadle. Well, I don’t really like him, but he reminds me of my black friend. And this Don Cheadle has
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Playwright and performer Mark Kendall; Susan Booth, director Anthony LeBlanc and Mark Kendall; director Anthony LeBlanc.
super powers, and he’s fun and I can keep him at arm’s length, I don’t have to know him on a deeper level.” In some way, Kendall says, the Magic Negro provides “a sort of strange comfort.” At one point in The Magic Negro process, Kendall stared into the audience, smiling big as he asked a question: “If I can keep smiling, then slavery couldn’t have been that bad. Was it?” “I’ve tried it both ways,” he says. “Smiling and not smiling. When you have your audience laughing, you can get away with more.” A
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG
9
program note
The Magic Negro: Influences by Celise K alke
Chris Rock “I will give you an example of how race affects my life. I live in a place called Alpine, New Jersey. Live in Alpine, New Jersey, right? My house costs millions of dollars. ... In my neighborhood, there are four black people. Hundreds of houses, four black people. Who are these black people? Well, there’s me, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and Eddie Murphy. Only black people in the whole neighborhood. So let’s break it down, let’s break it down: Me, I’m a decent comedian. I’m a’ight. Mary J. Blige, one of the greatest R&B singers to ever walk the Earth. Jay-Z, one of the greatest rappers to ever live. Eddie Murphy, one of the funniest actors to ever, ever do it. Do you know what the white man who lives next door to me does for a living? He’s a [expletive] dentist! He ain’t the best dentist in the world ... he ain’t going to the dental hall of fame ... he don’t get plaques for getting rid of plaque. He’s just a yank-your-toothout dentist. See, the black man gotta fly to get to somethin’ the white man can walk to.” 10 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
Dave Chappelle “ ... I’m watching it as an adult and I realize that ‘Sesame Street’ teaches kids other things. It teaches kids how to judge people. And label people. That’s right. They got this one character named Oscar. They treat this guy like shit the entire show. They judge him right to his face. ‘Oscar, you are so mean. Isn’t he, kids?’ ‘Yeah. Oscar, you’re a grouch!’ He’s, like, ‘... I live in a ... trash can! I’m the poorest [person] on Sesame Street. Nobody’s helpin’ me.’ Now you wonder why your kids grow up and step over homeless people, ‘Get it together, grouch. Get a job, grouch.’ So don’t even tell me how to get to ‘Sesame Street,’ that is a terrible place. I wouldn’t go there if I knew the way.”
CHRIS PIZZELLO-INVISION-AP | LESTER COHEN-NETFLIX
Mark Kendall’s work is influenced by comedians of color who comment on not only their own experiences but also on American culture. Often talking about complicated intersections of class and race, or class within race, or race within class, these artists ask their audiences to think critically and laugh at the same time.
PHOTO © JEREMY DANIEL
SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR THE 17/18 SEASON
DATES
VENUE • CITY
SEASON OPTIONS GET PRIORITY ACCESS TO PURCHASE THESE SHOWS
THE BEST VALUE. THE BEST SEATS.
THE BEST WAY TO EXPERIENCE BROADWAY.
Learn more about becoming a subscriber at - BroadwayInAtlanta.com
CELEBRATE TRUE BREW AND HONEST FOOD. 3 BLOCKS NORTH OF THE FOX THEATRE BRUNCH, LUNCH & LATE NIGHT • PRIVATE DINING AVAILABLE 2 CONVENIENT ATLANTA LOCATIONS 3242 PEACHTREE ROAD NE • BUCKHEAD • 404-264-0253 848 PEACHTREE STREET NE • MIDTOWN • 404-870-0805
$5 OFF $20 PURCHASE CLIP THIS COUPON FOR SAVINGS AT GB.
Valid for 30 days. Void where prohibited by law. No cash value. For promotional purposes only. Not valid towards gift card purchases. One per table. Valid at participating restaurants only. Not valid at airport locations. Alcohol purchase may be prohibited. Not valid with any other offer or discount. No stored value. Must be used in a single visit. A printed copy of this offer or a digital copy via mobile device must be presented to your server to qualify for this discount. Excludes tax and gratuity. Must be 21 years or older to consume alcohol. Promo to 5off20ATL.
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG
®
11
COMING SOON TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
Learn more at alliancetheatre.org/next season tickets for as low as
$68
season ticket office 404.733.4600 alliancetheatre.org/seasontickets
THE ALLIANCE THEATRE Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director presents
BY MARK KENDALL SET DESIGN
COSTUME DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
ISABEL A. CURLEY-CLAY DR. L. NYROBI N. MOSS & MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY SOUND DESIGN/ORIGINAL MUSIC
JULIE B. NICHOLS
JOSEPH A. FUTRAL PROJECTION DESIGN
RASEAN DAVONTE JOHNSON STAGE MANAGER
BRET TORBECK
DIRECTED BY ANTHONY LeBLANC DEVELOPED THROUGH THE REISER ATLANTA ARTISTS LAB AT THE ALLIANCE THEATRE HERTZ STAGE SPONSORED BY
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 13
CAST MARK KENDALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writer/Performer STAGE MANAGEMENT * BRET TORBECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Manager SHAWANNA HALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Management Production Assistant (March 1-16) KARA PROCELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Management Apprentice (March 16-April 15) PRODUCTION AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE ELISA CARLSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vocal Coach SAMUEL KOHLHASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Projection Designer FOR THIS PRODUCTION GABBY IDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lighting Programmer KRIS MEYER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Engineer JOHN UNDERWOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Operations KATY MUNROE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wardrobe SPECIAL THANKS
Megan Leahy Linnea Frye Jessica Holt Hayley Brotherton Dad’s Garage Theatre Company The Village Theatre Highwire Comedy Company
*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.
The 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.
14 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
profiles MARK KENDALL (Writer/ Performer) is an ensemble member at Dad’s Garage Theatre. He studied film at Northwestern University. During his time at Northwestern, he worked at Comedy Central through the Chris Rock Summer School Program for up-and-coming comedy writers of color. While there, he was able to pitch jokes to the writing staffs of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” He was named best professional funnyman by Creative Loafing Atlanta in 2015. He currently tours the United States and Canada with his one-man show. ANTHONY LeBLANC (Director) is originally from Beaumont, Texas. He performed with his sketch group, Boxaganga, while obtaining a B.S. in computer science and physics at Loyola University in New Orleans. He directed The Second City E.T.C. revue Soul Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Second City Mainstage revue The Winner ... of Our Discontent. He wrote and performed in two Second City Chicago Mainstage revues America: All Better and Taming of the Flu. He is the associate artistic director of the Second City Training Center in Chicago and part of Columbia College Chicago’s theater department faculty, teaching in the comedy writing and performance major. He hopes that his sketch directing helps him one day realize his dream of working for NASA programming A.I. computer systems. He thanks Mom, Dad, David, Katie, Kennedy, Matt, his friends ... and of course ... Stephen Hawking. ISABEL A. CURLEY-CLAY & MORIAH CURLEY-CLAY (Set Designers) are an award-winning design team that has been designing regionally and for Atlanta theaters for several years. Recent credits include Clever Little Lies, Butler, Alabama Story (Florida Studio Theatre); Lumberjacks in Love (Penobscot Theatre Company); Appropriate, Murder Ballad (Actor’s Express); Constellations, Freed Spirits, The Toxic Avenger (Horizon Theatre); Exit Strategy, Proof (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre) ;and Big Fish (Theatrical Outfit). Isabel and Moriah are the recipients of seven Suzi Bass awards, and were recently profiled as theater workers you should know by American Theatre magazine. They are both resident scenic designers at Atlanta’s Horizon Theatre, artistic associates at Theatrical Outfit and members of USA829.
DR. L. NYROBI N. MOSS (Costume Designer) is a 2010 Suzi Bass Award-winning costume designer with more than 25 years of experience in theater and entertainment. Nyrobi’s work as a costume designer has appeared in film, television and print media across the Atlanta, New York, Las Vegas and Dallas theater markets. Nyrobi’s Atlanta theater costume design credits include, but are not limited to: Da Kink in My Hair, Uprising, Mary Honey B Morrison’s Single Husbands, The Doctor, The Devil & My Dad, Detroit, Right On!, Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery, Hair, The Little Prince, Free to Be You and Me, Last Night of Ballyhoo, Taming of the Shrew, for colored girls ... and The Big Bang. The Magic Negro is Nyrobi’s first show at the Alliance. “I am honored and humbled to work with this talented actor and amazing crew. I could not have asked for a more meaningful introduction. Thank you!” JOSEPH A. FUTRAL (Lighting Designer) is excited to once again work with this fantastically talented Alliance team to help bring some amazing work to the stage for your enjoyment. Credits during his 30 years of production and lighting include lighting for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre, Moving in the Spirit, Saiah International, Horizon Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Jomandi Productions, Blake Beckham and Lucky Penny, Ballethnic Dance, Lee Harper, Room to Move, Charleston Ballet, Augusta Ballet and Martha Clarke, and events for Amherst College, Yale University, Saab and Buick. Production manager credits include Gallim Dance, Vail Dance Festival, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, American Dance Festival, Pilobolus, Fred Garbo’s Inflatable Theatre Company and Ohio Ballet. He has been a lighting supervisor for Jose Limon Dance and master electrician for Spoleto Festival USA. He serves on the board of directors for Full Radius Dance in Atlanta. JULIE B. NICHOLS (Sound Design/ Original Music) is an alumna of The Second City’s Mainstage in Chicago where she sounddesigned, composed for and music-directed four revues. Previous credits include The Art of Falling, Let Them Eat Chaos, Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies and the Jeff Award-nominated South Side of Heaven. Additional credits include Black Side of the Moon (Woolly Mammoth Theater, Washington, D.C.) Almost Accurate Guide to America (Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.) and This Way Outta Santaland (Theater ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 15
profiles Wit, Chicago). Before life on the Mainstage, Julie was the associate musical director for Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. She teaches and develops new works at the University of Chicago and composes for commercials. www. juliebnichols.com. RASEAN DAVONTE JOHNSON (Projection Designer) is delighted to work with the Alliance. An Ohio native, his work as a projection designer, animator and filmmaker can be found in theater, film and installations. His credits include: Midsummer (Tiltyard, offBroadway). Regional: The Stone Witch (Berkshire Theatre Group); Cymbeline (Yale Repertory Theatre); A Disappearing Number (Timeline Theatre Company); columbinus (ArtsEmerson/ American Theater Company); Angels in America: Millenium Approaches and Perestroika (Court Theatre). International: Farewell My Concubine (Ningbo Song and Dance Company/Yin Mei Dance, China). Other credits include collaborations with the Hypocrites Theater, The Civilians, Manual Cinema, Yale Opera, Halcyon Theatre, Teatro Vista and Chicago Dramatists. He has lectured at Yale University, Boston University, Syracuse University, the Theatre School at DePaul University and the Ohio State University. M.F.A. Yale School of Drama in design. www.raseandavontejohnson.com BRET TORBECK (Resident Stage Manager) could not be happier to be working on this world premiere. Previous credits here include Troubadour, Courtenay’s Cabaret, Born for This, Disgraced, A Steady Rain, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Blues for an Alabama Sky. As a regional theater stage manager for 25 years, Brett has enjoyed working all over the country and on many new projects. Frequent cities include Seattle, San Diego, and Washington, D.C., but Atlanta is home now. He also enjoys teaching and was a guest faculty member at the University of Washington for five years. ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society.
16 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
SUSAN V. BOOTH (Jennings Hertz Artistic Director) joined the Alliance Theatre in 2001 and has initiated the Palefsky Collision Project for teens, the Alliance/ Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, local producing partnerships and regional collaborations as well as commercial partnerships such as Tuck Everlasting; The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; The Color Purple; Bring It On: The Musical; Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away With Me; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring in ’ da Noise, Bring in ’ da Funk and Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL. As a director, she has worked at such theaters as the Goodman, La Jolla Playhouse, New York Stage and Film, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Court Theatre and many others. She holds degrees from Denison and Northwestern universities and was a fellow of the National Critics Institute and the Kemper Foundation. She has held teaching positions at Northwestern, DePaul, and Emory universities. She is a past president of the board of directors for the Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the field, and is a trustee of Denison University. Susan is married to Max Leventhal and is the proud mother of Moira Rose Leventhal.
ON SALE NOW! • MAY 5–7 FoxTheatre.org/Riverdance 855-285-8499 “
FA R A ND AWAY THE
BES T MUSIC A L OF T HE Y E A R ! ” N PR
W I N N E R ! BR O A DWA Y. C O M ’ S A U D I E N C E C H O IC E AWA R D F O R BE S T M U S IC A L
MAY 16-21
FOXTHEATRE.ORG/NEVERLAND 855-285-8499 ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 17
discover us. discover you. discover us. discover you. In The Magic Negro I discovered that laughter can happen even in our most uncomfortable moments. And in those uncomfortable moments, if we choose to truly face them, we are most transformed. Satire, no matter how masterfully executed, does not extinguish racism. It does not reduce it. It does not render it harmless. But satire at its best can create a way for us to face the most painful parts of the human experience. Comedy and the laughter it inspires, through works like The Magic Negro, become a kind of elixir. The work insists on an engagement in difficult conversations across lines of difference, and in the process of that struggle, we are able to rescue our humanity from the seduction of apathy. — Charles Stephens Founder & Executive Director of the Counter Narrative Project
synopsis: Join the Magic Negro as he takes audience members on a journey through space and time, with a series of comedic sketches exploring the representation of AfricanAmerican men in the media.
Connect with us and other audience members on your Alliance experience. Share your comments and photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with hashtags #MagicNegro and #AllianceTheatre. Plus, search your social media platforms with those hashtags for fun, behind-the-scenes photos from our cast, crew and creative team. A alliancetheatre.org twitter.com/alliancetheatre 18 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
facebook.com/alliancetheatre instagram.com/alliancetheatre
JUST BLOCKS FROM THE ALLIANCE THEATRE AT 1106 CRESCENT AVENUE 404.817.3650 | lure-atlanta.com | @LureATL
PRESENT YOUR TICKET STUB FOR 10% OFF YOUR MEAL! A Fifth Group Restaurants Concept
the
legend
OF
GEOrGIA MCBrIDE by
matthew lopez
“STITCH-IN-YOUR-SIDE FUNNY…FULL OF SASS AND GOOD SPIRITS.” —NEW YORK TIMES
MAR 18-APR 16
Save $3 with code TEMPLE
ACTORS-EXPRESS.COM | 404.607.SHOW ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 19
about the alliance theatre The Alliance Theatre is Atlanta’s national theater, expanding hearts and minds on stage and off. Founded in 1968, the Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theater in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The Alliance delivers powerful programming that challenges adult and youth audiences to think critically and care deeply. Under the leadership of Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, the Alliance Theatre received the Regional Theatre Tony Award® in recognition of sustained excellence in programming, education, and community engagement. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 100 original productions including Tony Award® winners The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice, and Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The Alliance has developed and premiered important American musicals with a strong track record of Broadway, touring, and subsequent productions, including the world premieres of Sister Act: The Musical, Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away, Bring It On: The Musical, Stephen King and John Mellencamp’s Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the world premiere of the new musical Tuck Everlasting, and most recently, Born for This: the BeBe Winans Story. The Alliance also creates and nurtures the careers of artists through the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, producing the world premiere for the competition winner as part of the regular season, and the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab, providing developmental support and production resources for three performing arts projects each year. The Alliance’s dedication to providing access to the arts is reflected in its commitment to creating new work for all ages, and to bringing that work into classrooms and communities across Atlanta and throughout the region. More than 50,000 students each year experience age-specific professional performances and participate in acting classes, drama camps, and in-school initiatives through the Alliance Theatre Acting Program and Education Department. The Alliance’s groundbreaking Kathy and Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young performances offer professionally-produced, fully interactive theater for infants and toddlers; the Palefsky Collision Project invites high school artists to create and perform new civic-minded theater based on a classic text; and community acting classes and skill-building workshops engage professional artists, young actors, business leaders, and curious learners of all ages. Twice recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for leadership in arts education, the Alliance Arts for Learning Institute equips classroom teachers with theatrical techniques that link directly to school curriculum and have been empirically proven to improve student learning. These programs include Georgia Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts and Dramaturgy by Students, in which students create research material that informs Alliance productions and prepares peer audiences. The work produced by the Alliance allows locally based artists the chance to create on a nationally watched stage, building and sustaining Atlanta’s artistic community. The vision of the Alliance Theatre is to be a beacon of leadership for the national field, while remaining deeply rooted in and reflective of our local Atlanta community. MISSION Atlanta’s national theater, expanding hearts and minds on stage and off. VISION The Alliance will lead the national field by deeply engaging with its local community, modeling radical inclusion and catalytic experiences on our stages, in our classrooms, and throughout Atlanta. alliancetheatre.org or 404.733.4650
A alliancetheatre.org twitter.com/alliancetheatre 20 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
facebook.com/alliancetheatre instagram.com/alliancetheatre
board of directors officers
Chair Reade Fahs Immediate Past Chair Victoria Palefsky Treasurers Steve Chaddick Fran Rogers
lifetime directors
Rita Anderson Ken Bernhardt Frank Chew Ann Cramer* Linda Davidson Laura Hardman* Hays Mershon Richard S. Myrick Helen Regenstein Bob Reiser Jane Shivers Sally G. Tomlinson Ben White
directors
Kristin R. Adams* James Anderson* Kenny Blank Laura Brightwell Megan Burton Peter Carter Jeffrey S. Cashdan Steve Chaddick* Tena Clark Leigh Ann Costley Allison Dukes Fred Ehlers Daryl Evans Reade Fahs* Howard Feinsand* Andrea Freeman Richard Goerss* Pat Gunning Virginia A. Hepner^* Lila Hertz* Jocelyn Hunter* Erika James
Sam Johnson Christopher M. Jones Anne Kaiser* John Keller Lauren Kiefer* Mary Jane Kirkpatrick Malinda Krantz Alan McKeon* Dori Miller Hala Moddelmog* Phil Moise* Jane Morgan^ Maureen Morrison Victoria Palefsky* Paul Pendergrass Scott Pioli Helen Smith Price Asif Ramji Sean Reardon Patty Reid Margaret Reiser* Matthew Richburg Fran Rogers* Maurice Rosenbaum Bobby Rosenbloum Surishtha Sehgal Steve Selig Pam Sessions Mark Silberman Chris Sizemore Bill Sleeper Bronson Smith E. Kendrick Smith Karen Spiegel Chandra Stephens-Albright Charlita Stephens-Walker Jill Thomas Rosemarie Thurston Benny Varzi Rebekah Wasserman Brad Watkins Cynthia Widner Wall Jill Wilson Paul Wrights Todd Zeldin
advisory board
Advisory Board Chair Laura Hardman* Vice Chair Phil Moise* Joel Alvarado Shean L. Atkins Maurice Baker Shana Basnight Danny Blumenfeld Keith Arthur Bolden Donna Bowman Heidi Boykin Kristen Wood Burke Tarsha Whitaker Calloway Madison Cario Andrew Chang Greg Changnon Caren Cook Emily Decker Makeba Dixon-Hill Angela Edmond Lisa Ramirez Ellinger David Felfoldi Ashby Fox Patsy Garrett Matt Geller Karen Gentry Barbara Goldman Henry Gonzalez September Gray Lauren Linder Grunberg Nancy Halwig Janet Stovall Harrell Michael Kaluzny Rachelle Kuramoto Mark Lee Carolina Margarella Santiago Marquez Carol Meadows Ryland McClendon Darryal McCullough Liza McSwain Marjorie Mitchell Dedi Mohr Michelle Morgan Valerie Mosley
Joan Netzel Gail O’Neill Michael Parver Kendrick Heather Phillips Kathy Portnoy Almeera Jiwa Pratt Jennifer Schwartz Ron Segal Jibran Shermohammed Nancy Silverboard Robert D. Simmermon Susan Stiefel Chuck Taylor Natasha Trethewey Alexandra Tucci Shawn Tylka Nse Ufot Avril Vignos Charmaine Ward Amanda Watkins Ellen Adair Wyche * Executive Committee Member ^ Ex-officio
volunteer leadership
President, STARS Jane Morgan Chairman, Theater Advocates Joan Milsap Chairman, Theater Educators Myra Medlin & Faye Windham Chairman, Theater Ushers Mary Wellington Chairman, Hospitality Susan Stiefel
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 21
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.
★★★★★★★ $250,000+ The Coca-Cola Company Anonymous
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation
★★★★★★ $100,000+ The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation AT&T Delta Air Lines, Inc. The Edgerton Foundation The Home Depot
The Kendeda Fund The Shubert Foundation Spray Foundation, Inc. Turner
★★★★★ $50,000+ Carter’s Fulton County Board of Commissioners MAP Fund North Highland
PNC R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation Wal-Mart Foundation The Zeist Foundation
★★★★ $25,000+ Atlanta Foundation Camp-Younts Foundation City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs Georgia Power
Oscar G. & Elsa S. Mayer Family Foundation Publix Super Markets Charities, Inc. The Rich Foundation The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
★★★ $10,000+ The Abraham J & Phyllis Katz Foundation The Allstate Foundation Alston & Bird Anonymous Cartoon Network
Georgia Council for the Arts Georgia Natural Gas Georgia-Pacific Corporation Greenberg Traurig Hire Profile
National Endowment for the Arts State Bank & Trust Company Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, LLP The Mark & Evelyn Trammell Foundation Frances Wood Wilson Foundation
John and Mary Franklin Foundation Jones Day King & Spalding Rotary Education Foundation Theatre Communications Group
Theatre Forward Thompson Hine United Distributors
★★ $5,000+ Anonymous Aon Risk Solutions Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia DeepStream VR William and Eva Fox Foundation
By attending our theatre, you have made a powerful statement about how important the arts are to you. With the 2016/17 Season, the Alliance Theatre turns 48. Help us celebrate the power of great theatre for 48 years by making another statement of support louder than any standing ovation. Visit our website at alliancetheatre.org and click on Donate.
22 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
sponsors TURNER VOICES, Turner’s signature corporate
philanthropic program, is committed to meaningful corporate citizenship in the communities where we operate and our employees live and work. With a focus on the arts and culture, fostering creativity, and innovative youth leadership, Turner leverages our people and products to engage in and support our local community.
Cast and company flowers sponsored by
Official Hotel
Offiicial Research Partner
Foxgloves & Ivy
Official Advertising Agency
Official Digital Advertising Agency
restaurant partners
government
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 agency the National Endowment for the Arts.
Major support is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 23
annual fund Individual donors contribute more than $2 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 their support. To find out more about the benefits of giving or to make your gift, visit us at alliancetheatre.org/donate or call 404-733-4710. Listed below are pledges and gifts to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund and special events for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons from June 1, 2015 through March 1, 2017. $100,000+
$10,000-$14,999
Dean DuBose & Bronson Smith Spray Foundation, Inc.
Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Mr. & Mrs. Peter Carter Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Cashdan Mr. & Mrs. William Dukes Mr. & Mrs. Joseph W. Evans Mr. Patrick J. Gunning Virginia Hepner & Malcolm Barnes Andrea & Boland Jones Mrs. Leslie Joyce James & Lori Kilberg Anna & Hays Mershon L. Paul Pendergrass Mr. & Mrs. Sean Reardon Travis Reed & Michael Kriethe of Harry Norman Realtors Patricia & Maurice Rosenbaum Bobby & Debra Rosenbloum Dr. & Mrs. R. K. Sehgal Pam Sessions & Don Donnelly Mr. & Mrs. Chris Sizemore William & Margarita Sleeper Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee Spangler Karen & John Spiegel Carol & Ramon TomĂŠ Family Fund Benny & Roxanne Varzi Suzy Wilner Joni Winston
$50,000+ Barbara & Steve Chaddick Katie & Reade Fahs Starr Moore & the James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation Victoria & Howard Palefsky Sally G. Tomlinson $25,000+ Ms. Kristin Adams Stephanie Blank Ann & Jeff Cramer Mr. Fredric M. Ehlers & Mr. David Lile Ellen & Howard Feinsand David & Carolyn Gould Jocelyn J. Hunter John C. Keller Mr. & Mrs. David E. Kiefer Jane & Hicks Lanier Hala & Steve Moddelmog Stephen & Marjorie Osheroff Dan & Garnet Reardon Patty & Doug Reid Linda & Steve Selig; Kathy & Steve Kuranoff Mr. & Mrs. Bradford L. Watkins Ramona & Ben White Paul Wrights $15,000-$24,999 The Balloun Family The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Susan Booth & Max Leventhal Laura Brightwell LeighAnn & Chad Costley Linda & Gene Davidson Doris & Matthew Geller Marsha & Richard Goerss Doug & Lila Hertz Anne & Mark Kaiser David & Mary Jane Kirkpatrick Malinda Krantz Mr. Alan B. McKeon & Ms. Evelyn Ashley Phil & Caroline MoĂŻse Mr. & Mrs. Angus Morrison Bob & Margaret Reiser Waffle House Mark & Linda Silberman Dr. & Mrs. Robert Simmermon Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright Charlita Stephens-Walker, Charles* & Delores Stephens Tim & Maria Tassopoulous Rosemarie & David Thurston Mark & Rebekah Wasserman Mr. & Mrs. Monte Wilson Amy & Todd Zeldin
$7,500-$9,999 James Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Adam Fuller Mr. Christopher M. Jones & Mr. Roger J. Smith Mr. & Mrs. John S. Markwalter, Jr. $5,000-$7,499 Gene G. Abel, M.D. & Nora Harlow Ellen Arnovitz John & Lynn Ayers Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust Frank Buonanotte Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe Franklin & Dorothy Chandler Ezra Cohen Charitable Trust Ann & Jim Curry Eve & Bob Eckardt Dr. & Mrs. Norman Elliott John & Cindy Ethridge Diane & Daryl Evans Karen & Andrew Ghertner Dr. Marvin Goldstein Erin & John Heyman Mrs. Erika James Paul & Rosthema Kastin David L. Kuniansky Walter Mitchell & Marci Schmerler Richard S. & Winifred B. Myrick Mr. & Mrs. Solon P. Patterson Scott, Dallas, & Mia Pioli Sharon & David Schachter Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III Mr. & Mrs. Sandeep Soni Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats
24 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
Lynne & Steve Steindel Chuck & Lisa Cannon-Taylor Susan & Tom Wardell $2,500-$4,999 Elaine & Miles Alexander Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen Arcus Capital Partners Deborah Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields Karen Beardslee & Susie McGinnis Ariana L. Hargrave Sara & Alex Brown Frank & Mary Anne Chew Mark & Ruth Coan Susan & Ed Croft Brad & Sally Currey Olivia Delacruz Foundation Mr. & Mrs. C. Edward Dobbs Marcia & John Donnell Bo & Eileen DuBose Diane Durgin Eierman Foundation Ms. Elizabeth R. Etoll Kathryn T. Farley, PhD Michael & Jody Feldman Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette Viki & Paul Freeman Mr. & Mrs. John D. Fuller Heidi & David Geller John Vaught & Karen Gentry Tuvy Guss in Memory of Pete Shinn Mrs. Carrie G. Hall Burch & Mark Hanson Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman Henry & EttaRae Hirsch Foundation Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael Hostinsky Linda & Richard Hubert Mr. Wayne S. Hyatt Jason & Laurie Jeffay Lee Jenkins Samuel B Kellett, Sr. Foundation Leslie D. Leigh M.D. Kristie L. Madara Daniel Marks & Keri Powell Dedi & Julian Mohr June M. Morrison Mr. Thomas Pinckney Susan & David Peterson Sam & Barbara Pettway Helen M. Regenstein Nancy & Charlie Rigby Peter & Alice Rogers Sonny & Jeanne Seals Charlotte & Tom Shields Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong Nancy & Gerald Silverboard Linda & Mason Stephenson Karen & Alex Stickney Susan & Alan Stiefel Russell B. Still in honor of Carol Jones Maria-Ruth Storts Michael & June Tompkins Cynthia Widner Wall & James A. Wall J.M. Wilkerson Construction Company Sue S. Williams Lynne Winship The Zaban Foundation John & Kathy Zamer
$1,500 - $2,499 Judge Gregory A. Adams & Wanda C. Adams Diane & Kent Alexander Theodore & Andrea Altholz Mr. & Mrs. Brian Anderson Mary Allen Arnold Elizabeth & John Bacon Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates Candace & Jeff Bell Mark & Pam Bell Mr. & Mrs. John Benator Jeff Bergstrom Shirley Blaine Mrs. Lucinda W. Bunnen Aubrey & Carol Bush Susan & Tom Callaway Candace Carson Melodie H. Clayton Rita & Ralph Connell Bill Damaschke Richard & Linda Davis Phil Delanty Mr. & Mrs. David E. Dermer Ralph & Ree Edwards The Robert S. Elster Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Tim Eyerly Andrew & Wendie Fisher Linda M. Garrett Mr. & Mrs. Taylor Glover Lynne & Jack Halpern Valerie Hartman John Haupert & Bryan Brooks Richard & Dorothy Hines Stephen & Taylor Horne Dr. Joyce F. Houser Adrienne Hudson Kay H. & Burke C. Jones Mark Keiser Dr. William A. Kiser Carrie & Brian Kurlander Steven & Sheri Labovitz Conchita Heyn & Robert Lichtefeld Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh, III Jeffrey & Cynthia McCreary Raymond & Penelope McPhee Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Metzger Janice & Tom Munsterman Debbie & Lon Neese Bill & Carey Peard Peg Petersen Karen Porch Erin Quinn Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak Dr. Denise Raynor Rebecca & John Reeves Dr. Susan Rifkin & Mr. David Rifkin Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg Michael & Debbie Salyards Sam Schwartz & Lynn Goldowski Dr. and Mrs. Robert Simmermon Smith, LLC Mr. Scott Sorrels Ms. Martha B. Stephens & Ms. Linda B. August
annual fund $1,500 - $2,499 (cont’d) Jim & Janie Stratigos Dr. & Mrs. Alan Sunshine Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth G. Taylor Kathy & Ron Tomajko Ms. Natasha Trethewey Ted & Felicite Verren Penn & Sally Wells Mr. & Mrs. D. K. Wheeler Barbara A. White Sue S. Williams $1,000 - $1,499 Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes Sharon Adams Michael & Andrea Barrett Mr. & Mrs. Billy Bauman Mr. & Mrs. Francis S. Blake Thomas Brown Family Charity Dean & Tarsha W. Calloway David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin Julian Dejuan Christopher & Sonnett Edmonds Dr. Kathryn Farley Bryan & Barbara Fields Mr. & Mrs. William C. Fowler Debbie Frank Mr. & Mrs. John J. Gillin Mr. & Mrs. Frank S. Goodman Mr. Kevin Greiner & Mrs. Robyn S. Roberts James & Vicki Griffiths Warren M. Gump Mr. Lucas Hathaway Mr. Walter Henderson Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel Bruce & Elizabeth Herman Benjamin & Allison Hill in Memory of Pete Shinn Mark Hobson The International Council of Fine Arts Deans Suzanne & Thad King Lucy Kinnaird Elizabeth Levine in honor of Billy Levine Richard Long & Sheri Easton-Long Lubo Fund William McKay Jim & Jo McLean Carol & Dart Meadows Susan L. Nardelli Ann Starr & Kent Nelson
Joan Netzel & John Gronwall Mr. & Mrs. Paul Ollinger Dr. Jerry & Mrs. Linda Richman Roger & Lynn Ritvo in honor of Ken McNeil Dr. & Mrs. Charles Rosenberg Ronald Russell & Don Sweat Neil & Susan Sandler Chris Schneider Elizabeth Wallace & Christopher Scislowicz Rochelle Barker Shinn in Memory of Pete Shinn Jane E. Shivers Philip Slaughter Mark & Judith Taylor Lorre Trytten Tee Mr. Richard Thomas Laura Thruston in Memory of Pete Shinn Mrs. & Mr. Velma C. Tilley Ms. Avril Vignos Vogel Family Foundation Mr. Kevin Warren Adrienne Whitehead John Williamson Melody Wilder Wilson & David Wilson Ms. Amy Winokur Lynne Winship William & Nancy Yang P.J. Younglove Hovey $750 - $999 Lisa & Joe Bankoff Ms. Donna C. Bowman Ronald L. Budde Mr. & Mrs. Gary Elder Shan Franklin Dr. Arthur Griffiths & Dr. Deborah Griffiths Louise S. Gunn Carsten Hilker Kurle Law, LLC S. Jarvin Levison Ms. Theresa McCabe Geoffrey & Betsy Meacham Dori & Jack Miller Mr. & Mrs. Isador Mitzner Peter Ohanlon Ratonyi Family Philanthropic Fund Judith Reece The Shockley Family Tate & Paige Smith Mr. & Mrs. Joseph B. Vivona
$500 - $749 Mr. Thomas G. Abrams & Mr. Britt Wood Joe Arnold Dr. Evelyn R. Babey Andrew & Margaret Bailey Dr. Gordon Baker Barbizon in Memory of Pete Shinn Michael & Mary Baron Ms. Mary Bergh Thomas & Wendy Betenia Betty Blondeau-Russell Judge JoAnn Bowens Bonny Breuer Helen Brown Thomas Brown Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Catalfano Mr. James Clements Richard & Ellen Colby Mr. & Mrs. Charles Conover Ms. Celestine Cookson Darryl Cooper Rosalie & Max Cooper B.J. Erb, M.D. & Bruce I. Crabtree III Lisa Cremin & Bruce Harlan Celeste Davis WMLB, AM 1690 Dr. Julia Emmons Leonard Epley Ms. Gail H. Evans Angeline Fife Pat & Jerry Gardner Mr. & Mrs. Edward T.M. Garland Matty L. Garrett Ed Gentle George T. Baker Foundation, Inc. Martin & Doris Goldstein Dan & Susan Graveline Julie Hadden Nancy & J. Michael Halwig MD Tyson Harper Dawn & Jack Hereth Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth L. Hermann Mr. Edward Hewett James A. Hill Mr. & Mrs. David E. Homrich Darlene & Lonnie Jenkins William Kendall Christopher Kettrey in Memory of Pete Shinn Carol & Paul Kurtz Liz Lee & Liz Brock in Memory of Pete Shinn
Dr. & Mrs. Mitchell Lippman Michael Lipsitt William L. Lundy, Jr. Guidian Healthcare Consulting Doug & Norma McNeill Stacia Minton Mr. & Mrs. Charles Moseley Dennis & Debra Murphy Margaret H. Murphy Ellen & George Nemhauser Mr. & Mrs. Peter O’Hanlon Mark A. Pallansch Anna & Richard Pare John & Helen Parker Jana Stein-Payan Mike Peck LP Pendergrass Physical Therapy Pros LLC Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Pollock Deborah Chasin & Dennis Renyi Douglas & Reginia Riffey Carol Riggs Gloria Rodgers Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Rothberg Dr. Susan E. Shapiro David & Virginia Sjoquist Brenda J. Smith Elizabeth Stephens Chantel Taylor Herman & Jasmine Taylor Lanie Taylor & Evan Pontz Johnie L. Teague Mr. & Mrs. Norman Thomas Wanda & Robert Truesdale Leanne Van Dyk Dan & Jennifer Van Horn Mr. & Mrs. Ted Verren Mr. Bradlee C. Ward Mark & Dara Wassersug Amanda Watkins Caitlin Way Greg & Teresa Wellborn The Westminster Schools Mr. & Ms. Jonathan Wilfong Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Williamson Joyce Smith Wilson Ms. Kristen Wood Burke & Mr. Adam Burke Sherry & Donn Wright * Deceased
Alliance Theatre Staff Giving We would like to thank the following Alliance Theatre & Woodruff Arts Center staff members who have contributed to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund and Transformation Campaign. Emika Abe Brooke Beall Jessica Boatright Susan V. Booth Scott Bowne Kristen Buckley Jamie Clements Kat Conley Patrick Conley Megan DeWitt Christina Dresser Jody Feldman Collins Goss
Kristin Hathaway Hansen Danielle Hicks Jim Hubbert Rachel Jones Megan Kier Max Leventhal Kyle Longwell Liz Lyons Michael Lyons Leora Morris Suzanne Morris Victor Mouledoux Christopher Moses
Margo Moskowitz Janine Musholt Patrick Myers Rosemary Newcott J. Noble Courtney O’Neill Elisia’ Parker Willie Parks Thomas Pinckney Rebecca Pogue Mike Schleifer Amy Schwartz Brian Shively
Vincent Simons Paige Smith Matthew Tanner Bret Torbeck Laura Thruston Caitlin Way Cindy Lou Who Jackalyn Williams Jennifer Williford Michael Winn
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 25
annual fund legacy society The following are members of the Legacy Society who are ensuring the future strength of the Alliance Theatre through planned gifts to benefit the Theatre. The Legacy Society is the special recognition group for those who have included the Theatre in their estate plans. For more information about making a planned gift to benefit the Alliance Theatre, please contact Caitlin Way, Associate Dir. of Development, Board/Major Gifts at 404-733-4757 or caitlin.way@ alliancetheatre.org. Rita M. Anderson Anonymous Betty Blondeau-Russell Jim & Anne Breedlove Ezra Cohen Ann & Jeff Cramer Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Croft, III Sallie Adams Daniel Linda & Gene Davidson Howard & Ellen Feinsand Laura & John Hardman Glen E. & Nancy Hesler
P.J. Younglove Hovey William C. Hyde Lauren & David Kiefer Virginia Vann* & Ken Large Anna & Hays Mershon Mr. & Mrs. John McColskey Phil & Caroline Moise Richard S. & Winifred B. Myrick Victoria & Howard Palefsky Jan Pomerantz Helen M. Regenstein Margaret & Bob Reiser
Neal & Tricia Schachtel Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton, III Jane E. Shivers Roger J. Smith & Christopher M. Jones Wayne & Lee Harper Vason Rick & Terri Western Ramona & Ben White
* deceased
matching gift companies We would like to thank the following companies who have matched contributions to the Alliance Theatre Annual Fund. Please visit alliancetheatre.org/match to find out if your employer will match your contribution. American Express AIG Corporation Aon Risk Solutions AT&T Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Bryan Cave-Powell Goldstein Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. Chubb Corporation The Coca-Cola Company Deloitte Equifax, Inc.
GE Energy Georgia Power Home Depot Foundation Honda Motor Co. IBM Corporation JPMorgan Chase Kimberly-Clark Foundation Macy’s Foundation McDonald’s Corporation Microsoft Corporation Neiman Marcus
Norfolk Southern Corporation Plum Creek Prudential Financial Publix Super Markets Sprint SunTrust Foundation Time Warner, Inc. Verizon Corporation Yahoo! Wells Fargo
Do you appreciate live theatre, enjoy meeting new people and trying new things? If so, then get involved with one of the largest volunteer forces in the arts. The Alliance Theatre volunteer STARS program offers a wide range of opportunities, which includes advocating for live theatre, ushering for Alliance productions, participating in and staffing fundraising & hospitality events, and assisting Alliance staff members with daily office tasks. STARS is composed of three committees working together on fundsaving and fund-raising projects to benefit the theatre. The three committees are the Theatre Advocates, the Theatre Educators, and the Theatre Ushers. For more information on becoming a volunteer, please contact Destiny Stancil at Destiny.Stancil@ alliancetheatre.org.
26 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
THE WOODRUFF CIRCLE Woodruff Circle members each contribute more than $250,000 annually to support the arts and education work of the Woodruff Arts Center, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. We are deeply grateful to these 38 partners who lead our efforts to ensure the arts thrive in our community.
$1 MILLION+
$500,000+ A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (2) The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Bank of America Chick-fil-A Foundation / Rhonda and Dan Cathy Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. The Home Depot Foundation The Marcus Foundation, Inc.
Spray Foundation, Inc. SunTrust Foundation SunTrust Bank Teammates and The SunTrust Trusteed Foundations: Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust
Terra Foundation for American Art Wells Fargo
$400,000+ Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation The Douglas J. Hertz Family PwC, Partners & Employees
Patty and Doug Reid The Rich Foundation The Sara Giles Moore Foundation
$300,000+ Mr. and Mrs. C. Merrell Calhoun The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Inc. Deloitte, its Partners & Employees Forward Arts Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Keough King & Spalding, Partners & Employees UPS Mr. and Mrs. Edus H. Warren, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Wood
$250,000+ EY, Partners & Employees Invesco Ltd. KPMG LLP, Partners & Employees
Turner wish Foundation
Woodruff Circle & Patron Circle donations made: June 1, 2015 – May 31, 2016 Beauchamp C. Carr Challenge Fund Donors
ALLIANCETHEATRE.ORG 27
alliance theatre staff ARTISTIC Jennings Hertz Artistic Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan V. Booth Sally G. Tomlinson Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth and Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rosemary Newcott Producer & Casting Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jody Feldman Director of New Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Celise Kalke Playwright in Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pearl Cleage Yale Directing Fellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leora Morris Artistic Support Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emily Kleypas Kenny Leon Fellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Matthews Spelman Interns . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ciara Jones, Maya Lawrence, Janerica Smith Reiser Lab Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justin Anderson, David De Vries, Patricia Henritze, Matt Huff, Derreck Kayongo, Hank Kimmel, Vynnie Meli, Mary Lynn Owen, Naima Carter Russell, Kendall Simpson
Props Artisan and Buyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kimberly Townsend Props Artisan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce Butkovich Scenery Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyle Longwell Associate Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Kier Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Conley Lead Welder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Lyons Lead Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Victor Mouledoux Jr. Carpenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manny Abreo, Cassie Garner Charge Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kat Conley Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brooke Beall Additional Carpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Shipp
Production Management Sound Director of Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Victor W. Smith Resident Sound Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clay Benning Assistant Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margo Moskowitz Production Sound Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michelle Jarvis Sound Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kris Meyer, Emma Lipsitt, Holly O’Reagan Costumes Costume Shop Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff Cone Stage Management Assistant Costume Shop Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April Andrew Resident Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bret Torbeck Design Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Jaked Carrier Alliance Stage Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lark hackshaw, Liz Campbell, Barbara O’Haley, R. Lamar Williams Drapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Kennedy, Cindy Lou Who Craftsmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diana L. Thomas Assistant Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jayson T. Waddell Stitchers/1st Hands . . . . . . . . . . Laury Conley, Lyudmila Fesenko, Brett Parker Stage Management Production Assistants . . . . Skylar Burks, Britney DeRosa, Shawanna Hall, Kara Procell Wig Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Ewing Wardrobe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hauzia Conyers, Katy Munroe, Niki Traxler Stage Operations Stage Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Bowne Electrics Lighting and Projections Department Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steven Love Stage Operations Assistant Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Courtney O’Neill Staff Electricians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gabby Ide, Steve Jordan, Crew Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vincent Simons Jennifer Nakahara Flyman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willie Parks Properties Properties Stagehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haylee Scott Properties Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liz Lyons Additional Load-in Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ali Hooks, James McBrayer, James Schlachter, John Underwood Master Artisan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suzanne Cooper Morris EDUCATION Dan Reardon Director of Education Teaching Artists (cont’d) . . . . . . . . Robert Hindsman, Jeremiah Parker Hobbs, & Associate Artistic Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Moses Catherine Dee Holly, BJ Hughes, Rachel Jones, Ameenah Kaplan, Adam King, David Kote, LeeAnna Lambert, Clayton Landey, Bethany Lind, Nicole Livieratos, Administrative Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Jones Cara Mantella, Gloria Martin, Marielle Martinez, Tiffany McGettee, Bryan Mercer, Database & Content Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christina Dresser Karin Mervis, Sarah Newby Halicks, Donal Noonan, Mary Emily O’Bradovich, Family Programs Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Aston Bosworth Lee Osorio, Tafee Patterson, Tawny Powell, Eric Prather, Julie Puckett, JL Reed, Early Childhood Program Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristen Buckley Rebeca Robles, Julissa Sabino, Viviana Sawyer, Avery Sharpe, Linda Sherbert, Teen & Adult Programs Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Wallis Institute Program Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rebecca Pogue David Sterritt, Barry Stewart Mann, Suzanne Stroup, Ebony Tucker, Jeremy Varner, Jose Miguel Vasquez, Rachel Wansker, Andrea Washington, Davia Weatherill, Education Sales & Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicole Kang Corinne Weintraub, Stephanie Willis, Michael Winn, Vallea E. Woodbury, Camp Coordinator & Family Programs Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . Aierelle McGill Melissa Word Communications Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J. Noble Education Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Bunch Teen Ensemble Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sherifa Abudulai, Ampith Anderson, Gillian Baker, Caroline Caden, Austin Geter, Kyla Hunter, Jalexis James, Teaching Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abyss, Nikki Adkins, Karen Aguirre, Isake Akanke Slaughter, Ricardo Aponte, Olivia Aston Bosworth, Isabel Jordan, Taylor McKinney, Alexis Mpezo, Jade Nixon, Justice Pate, Kim Bowers Rheay Baran, Kati Grace Brown, Danye Brown, Kyle Brumley, Jordan Powell, Laughton Berry, Adirah Robinson, Rachael Simpson, Lon Bumgarner, Daniel Burns, Amy Cain Lucas, Kirstin Calvert, Kara Cantrell, Marquavious Smith, Ever Taylor, Evita Walch, Amira Williams Taryn Carmona, Katie Causey, Greg Chagnon, Hannah Church, Jaehn Clare, Steve Coulter, Nakeisha Daniel, Benjamin Davis, Theresa Davis, Shelli Delgado, Jorge Donoso, John Doyle, Rachael Endrizzi, Jessica Espinoza, Sharon Foote, Daryl Funn, Allison Gardner, Trevor Goble, Neeley Gossett, Al Hamacher, MANAGEMENT Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Schleifer Company Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Thruston Off-Campus Season Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donya K. Washington Management Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emika Abe Administration & Finance Director of Finance & Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Shively Manager of Information Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Hubbert Accounting Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Hall Accounts Payable Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kadeja Moton Management Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick Myers Administration/Education Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elecia Crowley Development Director of Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jamie Clements Associate Director of Development, Board Relations & Major Gifts . . Caitlin Way Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving & Special Events . Paige Smith Grants Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Collins Goss Development Manager, Board Relations & Special Events . . . . Megan DeWitt
28 ENCOREATLANTA.COM
Marketing Director of Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jessica Boatright Brand Marketing Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Holland Baird Creative Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Talia Bromstad Content Strategist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathleen Covington Patron Experience Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Danielle Hicks Brand Marketing Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace Madden Digital Media Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Maley Season Ticket Concierge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ken McNeil Group Services Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elisia’ Parker Community Engagement Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Si Peng Sales and Revenue Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Pinckney Group Services Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daviorr Snipes Brand Journalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A’riel Tinter Community Engagement Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Winn Lead House Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scot Fenton, Destiny Stancil House Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dana Hylton Calabro, Christina Dresser, Ken McNeil, Margo Moskowitz, Brittany Smith, Sarah Wallis
THEATRICAL
Live out loud.
40 OUTFIT
SIMPLY SIMONE The Music of Nina Simone
TheatricalOutfit.org 678.528.1500 Promo Code: LEGENDEncore
March 23 – April 15, 2017
The Balzer Theater at Herren's, 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
1 in 20 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in their lifetime. FAQ: Common Questions About Colon Cancer Screening Q: Why do I need to get screened for colon cancer? A: Having a colonoscopy isn’t something people get excited about, but preventing colon cancer before it starts should be. Ranked as the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., colon cancer is one of the most highly treatable and preventable cancers when detected in its early stages with a colonoscopy. Q: When should I get screened? A: Because the risk of getting the disease increases with age, screening colonoscopies are recommended for every adult beginning at age 50 and at age 45 if you are African-American.* For those with a family history or other risk factors, screening could start even earlier. While there is evidence that more people are getting screened than in previous years, one in three adults ages 50 or older are not getting this life-saving test. Q: What is a colonoscopy? A: A colonoscopy is considered the single best method for detecting and preventing colon cancer. During the procedure, a trained gastroenterologist will check for any signs of cancer and remove existing polyps that may turn into cancer over time. Since a colonoscopy is performed under light sedation, most patients have little if any discomfort, and the procedure itself usually takes less than 30 minutes. * American Cancer Society
The physicians at Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates see patients at more than 40 locations across metro Atlanta. To make an appointment, call 1.866.GO.TO.AGA [468.6242] or visit www.atlantagastro.com.
WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM World-class Healthcare Close to Your Home As the largest health system in Georgia, WellStar is there where and when you need us. Providing comprehensive care across the state, WellStar consists of 11 hospitals, 2,900 physicians and advanced
Our Hospitals: WellStar Atlanta Medical Center WellStar Atlanta Medical Center South WellStar Cobb Hospital WellStar Douglas Hospital
practitioners on medical staff, 240
WellStar Kennestone Hospital
medical office locations, outpatient
WellStar North Fulton Hospital
centers, health parks, a pediatric center, nursing centers, hospice and homecare.
WellStar Paulding Hospital WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital WellStar Sylvan Grove Hospital WellStar West Georgia Medical Center WellStar Windy Hill Hospital
To find a physician, call 770-956-STAR (7827).
wellstar.org