Alliance Theatre: The Hot Wing King, February/March 2023

ALLIANCE THEATRE

FEB 10–MAR 5, 2023

ENCOREATLANTA.COM

PUBLISHER

Brantley Manderson brantley@encoreatlanta.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR

Donna Choate donna@encoreatlanta.com

— CREATIVE —

EDITOR-IN -CHIEF

Robert Viagas robert@encoreatlanta.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tamara Hooks tamara@encoreatlanta.com

DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Jennifer Nelson Jennifer@encoreatlanta.com

PROGRAM PRODUCER

Ashley Elliott ashley.elliott@alliancetheatre.org

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The title is a bit of a giveaway. “Hot Wing(s)” will be at the center of this family sitcom, but the food and humor are just the appetizer to a much juicier cultural narrative. A culture is so often defined by its food — its rituals, recipes, and social gatherings demonstrate how culture lives and breathes in every household.

Twenty years ago, I was sitting in an off-Broadway theater waiting to audition for a play. Another actress sitting next to me struck up a conversation about representation and, while getting this job “would be cool,” there are simply not enough stories about the American experience as lived by Black communities. That actress was Katori Hall. Over the years, I have had the great honor to watch my friend’s meteoric rise and critical success celebrating the Black Southern culture. Like many of Katori’s plays, The Hot Wing King is set in her hometown of Memphis. In a conscious attempt to refocus the lens on Black life rather than Black trauma, you are about to experience a joyful, deeply personal, and deliciously complicated portrait of the modern, but often underrepresented, American family. Inspired by Katori’s own family, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play invites us to witness these men surrender to the power of love and indulge in its healing effects. The play’s ability to challenge the composition of the traditional nuclear family and expose audiences to a wider spectrum of masculinity and male intimacy was a driving impulse to bring this story to the Alliance. The fact that Katori wanted to make this her theatrical directing debut was a personal full-circle highlight for both of us. This marks a milestone in our careers devoted to telling untold stories in the American canon.

And Atlanta is primed for this story at this exact time. A nexus for culturally-inspired food and known as the national headquarters of the LGBTQ+ South, Atlanta slays with a vibrant gay community, championing inclusive establishments, iconic events, and a constantly growing artistic scene. I hope that after you experience this play — stewed in the rich ingredients of what defines parenting, stirred up by the unpredictability of family ties, and crackling with the spices of humor so particular to Black, queer, Southern living — you will be enticed to explore all the wondrous beauty of our local Atlanta LGBTQ community. Our community, our culture!

Tinashe Kajese-Bolden BOLD Associate Artistic Director

KATORI HALL’S THE HOT WING KING

An Intersectional Portrayal of An American Black Family

STORY BY Mashaun D. Simon

If there is one thing to know about playwright, screenwriter, producer, actress, and director Katori Hall, it’s this — she LOVES Black people.

“I love and care about Black people so much,” she says. “They/we are so deserving of [our] stories being told in a way in which [we] are blown away by our own journeys.”

Every time she “comes to the page,” Hall says, she bleeds a bit. She bleeds because of the costs associated with being an artist who is telling true and authentic stories to and for a community not often represented.

“It costs to be honest,” Hall says. “It costs to be a witness for those who are often misrepresented, including myself. My hope is that when people interact with my work, they understand they are in the room with someone who thinks our lives, our mistakes, [and] our dreams are worthy of an elevated artistic treatment. That’s what I pray is evident.”

This commitment to Black people is evident in Hall’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize-winning “dramedy,” The Hot Wing King. The play starts out on the night before the annual Hot Wang Festival in Memphis, Tennessee (Hall’s official hometown). Cordell has recently moved to the city to be with his partner, Dwayne, and is focused on one thing — taking first place in the competition. With the help of his friends, they spend the night testing one of Cordell’s recipes. Things take a turn when Dwayne’s nephew, EJ, unexpectedly shows up at their home.

The story, Hall has said repeatedly, started out as a love letter for her brother and his partner.

“You know, as someone who grew up as someone who other people considered marginalized, right, as a Black person, as a woman, as someone who was on the the lower end of the socioeconomic totem pole, I grew up wanting to hold space for other voices that weren’t represented — or were often misrepresented — and that has a lot to do with my intersectional identity,” she says. “So anyone can look at me and say, ‘Yeah, she is not a gay, Black man;’ however, I am an artist. However, I am a humanist and I believe we all can hold space for each other, whether it’s just in our everyday lives or if it’s through our work, and I happen to be a storyteller.”

Through A Southern Lens

To be able to use her lived experiences and the lived experiences of the people she knows and loves, she considers herself blessed.

“They are inspiration points. This particular story is based on my brother and his partner’s life. It’s not exact, you know, but to have been a witness to their love and their struggle to love in the American South has been a great blessing to me. I wanted to honor what I saw them go through: These two resilient, Black men who have made such a huge impression on me.”

Through her love for Black people and their stories, Hall takes on the identity of a griot — one responsible for collecting and widely sharing the stories of a tribe or community. She is happy, she says, for Atlanta and for Memphis to see themselves through this specific Southern lens.

“This particular story is steeped in so much truth. And yet there is invention, and yet there is me inside of it. And there’s other family members inside of it,” she says. “This very specific story, I think, speaks to this very universal experience of love and love in different shades. It’s Platonic love. It’s a familiar love. It’s brotherly love. All the different permutations of it and how it manifests within our community and also within ourselves.”

This play also deconstructs the prevalent portrayal of the American family.

“The American family has been the subject of so many plays, so many sitcoms, so many cinematic dramas. But oftentimes the Black family is left out. And when the Black family is brought into that space of interpretation, often we don’t think of what it means to be Black and gay and all of that intersection,” she says. “What’s so interesting about this play — which is quietly revolutionary — is that it is taking apart this idea of not only the American family but also the Black family and challenging it, deconstructing it and putting forth [the reality] that this is actually a valid American family and a valid Black American family. We don’t ever really get to see that, whether it be on our stage or on our screens.”

In some respects, the Alliance Theatre’s regional premiere of The Hot Wing King can be perceived as a redo — a do-over, of sorts. In March 2020, the Off-Broadway Signature Theatre production was halted prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic. It opened roughly a month prior on February 12.

With it being her first time directing, she is looking forward to what she calls a “strong cultural presence” in Atlanta.

“ With this particular play, and people kind of knowing about the other things I’m connected to, I’m praying that we’re going to draw crowds that look a little different than the usual Alliance Theatre audience,” she says. “That also means we gotta be good. Everybody wants to do well for this audience because we know it’s an important story and this audience is important.”

I am an artist. I am a humanist and I believe we all can hold space for each other, whether it’s just in our everyday lives or if it’s through our work, and I happen to be a storyteller.

KATORI HALL

DECODING BLACK QUEER CONFORMITY

STORY BY Myles Chandler, Morehouse College student

James Baldwin famously stated that “To be Black and conscious in America is to live in a constant state of rage.” Now, compound that experience with the added tyranny of existing amidst persecution from those outside of your community as well as those within it.

This is the inherent dilemma of Black queer individuals. The standards and practices of how people are expected to behave and carry themselves as members of a particular racial background is layered on top of the societal expectation for how people are to behave within presently constructed gender norms and ideals. This dichotomy of existing in a society that constantly demands conformity whilst simultaneously doubling your duality of thought and expression is the systemic DNA of what often defines Black queer experiences.

With every day that passes, the structural integrity of our society is altered as we collectively grow to be more aware of those around us. Our social consciousness is starkly impacted by our growing desire to be more accountable for the ways in which we can do better by those around us, despite our many differences. The trouble lies in the fact that, even with our best intentions, we cannot correct that which we do not understand as incorrect. In our growing effort to be more accepting of people and ideals that do not mirror our own, we often search for commonality in order to better help us acclimate to the notion that our perspective may not be the only one of substance. While this is usually well-intentioned in nature, the harmful truth is that this kind of thinking is what often perpetuates the harsh realities that queer people face today.

We all carry implicit biases about what it means to be a man or a woman, what true love looks like, when and how someone’s identity should or shouldn’t be presented, and the totality of how we should respond to others not like us. These are all responsible in some way or another for how we may unconsciously perpetuate the uncomfortable or even harmful realities of others. The desire or misguided effort to be more accepting is no longer enough. Conscious thought and energy toward properly engaging with queer people is what is needed now more than ever to help us continue to inch closer to a more blissful coexistence with one another.

Rather than spending time trying to discern ways that one’s queerness can make more sense in the grander scheme of heteronormative constructs and ideals, time can be better spent abiding by the principle of “live and let live.” We humans are complex and varied in our personhood, and there are infinite ways we can express the abundance of differences and similarities that make up our existence. We must decide to place more effort in embracing the multitude of ways we define ourselves as opposed to trying to force them to assimilate with one another.

LEMON PEPPER AND COMMUNITY IN ATLANTA

STORY BY Kay Nilest

“I got that Lemon Pepper Wet. That Lemon Pepper Dry. Dem suicides: that Hot-hot and HOT! Blueberry Birds and even… some Parmesans.” — Cordell, The Hot Wing King

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms once declared, “Lemon pepper wings are Atlanta.” While The Hot Wing King may take place in Memphis, Atlanta has its own special relationship to chicken wings. Here, one flavor reigns supreme: lemon pepper.

What comes to mind when you think of “lemon pepper”? Maybe it’s the iconic scene in Donald Glover’s hit TV show Atlanta when rapper Paper Boi opens his box of “Lemon Pepper Wet” wings from J.R. Crickets to a choir of angels? Maybe it’s Gucci Mane singing “Lemon pepper wings and a freeze cup” in “Lemonade.” It might even be Waka Flocka saying “Lemon Pepper wings in Atlanta — it’s like a peach / It’s like an apple to New York”? Hip hop is one of the most recognized cultural hallmarks of this city; it put Atlanta on the artistic map. And, since lemon pepper wings are Atlanta, hip hop’s love letters to our city are covered with greasy fingerprints.

Wings, like hip hop, are deeply rooted in community. Wing spots are places where connections are made, stories are told, traditions are shared, and culture is created. This is the heart and soul of our city. At the same time, wings are personal. No two people eat them the same way. The truth is that it doesn’t matter how you enjoy your wings. You can smother them in lemon pepper, buffalo or teriyaki. You can eat them at the corner restaurant, a latenight club, or your family backyard BBQ. They can be drums, flats, boneless, or even (dare I mention it?) vegan. There are as many different ways to enjoy wings as there are people.

Maybe that’s why we like them so much here, in a city where all kinds of people — from musicians to teachers to politicians to bus drivers — can gather around the table together. Sharing wings is an act of pride: Pride in oneself and pride in one’s community.

An order of lemon pepper and garlic parmesan wings from American Deli.

Photo by Kay Nilest.

MIKE SCHLEIFER Managing Director

CHRISTOPHER MOSES

Dan Reardon Director of Education & Associate Artistic Director

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN BOLD Associate Artistic Director

present

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY KATORI

HALL

SCENIC DESIGN MICHAEL CARNAHAN

COSTUME DESIGN DEDE AYITE

SOUND DESIGN CONNOR WANG

CASTING

JODY FELDMAN BASS/VALLE CASTING

LIGHTING DESIGN MIKE WOOD

INTIMACY AND FIGHTS ROCIO MENDEZ

STAGE MANAGER SHAINA PIERCE*

SPONSORED BY

World Premiere produced by Signature Theatre, New York City

Paige Evans, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Executive Director

THE HOT WING KING is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

CAST

*NICCO ANNAN Big Charles

*BJORN DUPATY Cordell

*MYLES ALEXANDER EVANS EJ

*ARMAND FIELDS Isom

*JAY JONES TJ

*CALVIN THOMPSON Dwayne UNDERSTUDIES

JONTAVIOUS JOHNSON

VONDERRICK TAYLOR

BARRY WESTMORELAND

MARKELL WILLIAMS

STAGE MANAGERS

Isom

Dwayne/TJ

*SHAINA PIERCE Stage Manager

*LIZ CAMPBELL Assistant Stage Manager (Jan 10 — Jan 22)

*BARBARA GANTT O’HALEY Assistant Stage Manager (Jan 20 — Mar 5)

*KACIE PIMENTEL Assistant Stage Manager

SAMANTHA HONEYCUTT Stage Management Production Assistant

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN ASSISTANCE

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

ASSATA AMANKEECHI

JIMMY STUBBS, ANNA GRIGO

ANNIE LE

TONI STERLING

Line Producer

Assistant Line Producer/Casting Assistant

Assistant Scenic Designers

Associate Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

MARINDA ANDERSON Dialect Coach

JAQUELINE SPRINGFIELD Vocal/Diction Coach

MATTHEW HEAD VocalCoach

HAYLEE SCOTT COVID Coordinator

MEREDITH GORDON Juggling Consultant FOR

EMMA MOULEDOUX Sound Mixer

BRYAN PEREZ

SKYLAR BURKS

WILLIE PARKS

JAY JONES

Properties Stagehand

* 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, during intermission, 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 two hours long and has one fifteen-minute intermission.

NICCO ANNAN (Big Charles) is an immensely talented actor, dancer, and choreographer who, after making his mark in the Off-Broadway and regional theatre communities, has etched his way on the Hollywood scene. Annan stars on Katori Hall’s critically acclaimed drama series, “P-Valley,” for which he received a 2023 and 2021 NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series” as well as a 2021 Independent Spirit Award Nomination for “Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series.” Also on television, Annan has been featured in recurring and guest-starring roles on series such as “Shameless,” This is Us, Snowfall, Claws, and Half Sisters. In addition to Annan’s television work as an actor, he and his partner Rhapsody James run their commercial dance training program, Motivating Exrllence, and choreographed for the CW’s All American and spin-off, All American—Homecoming. Annan trained under pillars in the American Theatre such as Isreal Hicks, George Faison, and Marilyn McCormick. He trained and earned his BFA from the Conservatory of Acting at Purchase College. Annan made his Signature Theatre premiere in the original, Pulitzer Prize-winning production of The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall. Annan’s other theatre credits include, Katori Hall’s Pussy Valley (World Premiere), Lady Killer’s Love Story, Smokey Joe’s Café, Five Guys Named Moe, Storyville, and Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.

BJORN DUPATY (Cordell) [he/him/his]

Broadway: Thoughts of a Colored Man (Wisdom/Lust).

Off-Broadway: The Public Theater: A

Raisin in the Sun (Walter Lee/ Bobo), MLIMA’s TALE (Mlima), Two Mile Hollow (Christopher). Regional Theater: Cleveland Playhouse: Fairfield (Daniel/Charles), Pipeline (Xavier). Huntington Theater: The Bluest Eye (Cholly). Studio Theatre (D.C.): Pipeline (Xavier), The Hot Wing King (Big Charles). People’s Light Theater: Mudrow (Davin). Humana Festival: Do You Feel Anger (Jordan). Pittsburgh Public Theater: Clybourne Park (Albert/ Kevin). National tour: The Acting Co.: Julius Caesar (Julius Caesar), The Comedy of Errors. Film: Demolition. TV: Alpha House, Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist, Person of Interest, Zero Hour, All My Children.MFA from Rutgers’ University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. www.bjorndupaty.com

MYLES ALEXANDER EVANS (EJ), best known for his role as Miles Taylor on Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters and Erasmus the wise and insightful soldier in Apple TV’s Dickinson, is wildly excited to join the cast of The Hot Wing King at Alliance Theatre! As a Metro Atlanta native, Myles is especially honored to be performing at the legendary Alliance Theatre for the very first time, bringing his nearly ten years of film and television experience back to live performance where his journey started.

ARMAND FIELDS (Isom) [they/them] is beyond excited and thankful to be making their Alliance Theatre debut with The Hot Wing King! Favorite theatre credits include Balm in Gilead, Ragtime, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and Philip Dawkins’ Charm (World and West Coast Premiere). A graduate of The School at Steppenwolf Theatre, where they understudied

Domesticated, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and Ms. Blakk for President. TV/Film credits include Work in Progress, The L Word: Generation Q, The Chi (Showtime), Queer as Folk (Peacock), Chicago Fire (NBC) and The Thing About Harry (Freeform). They are eternally grateful to God, The Promises, Katori and the AMAZING cast & crew, and their friends and family (origin & chosen)! Find them on social media: @armandbcfactor

JONTAVIOUS JOHNSON (u/s Big Charles, Cordell) [he/ him] is beyond excited to be back at Alliance Theatre!

Some of his favorite theatre credits include: Rover in The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Alliance Theatre), Buddy Bolden in Jelly’s Last Jam (National Black Theatre Festival 2019), and Ace in Hoodoo Love (Spelman College). Jontavious is an Atlanta native, starting with the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and later receiving his Bachelors of Arts from Morehouse College where he studied Theatre and Performance. TV and Film credits include: Big Door Prize (Apple TV), Modern Love (Amazon Prime), Outer Banks (Netflix), National Champion$ (2021), and P-Valley (STARZ). He thanks his friends and family for their continuous support! To God be the glory!

JAY JONES (TJ) is honored to be a part of this powerful theatrical production of The Hot Wing King at the Alliance Theatre. Jay was recently seen onstage as Blue in the Horizon Theater’s Square Blues, written by Shay Youngblood. Favorite credits include Levee Green in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Penn Ave Theater;

Pittsburgh, PA) and Walter Lee in A Raisin In the Sun (Studio Theater; Buffalo, NY). Jay is also an award-winning film and television actor who can be seen on such hit shows as P-Valley (STARZ), Sweet Magnolias (NETFLIX), and ATLANTA (F/X). Jay would like to thank his family and friends, as well as the talented team at the Alliance for their support through this beautiful process.

VONDERRICK

TAYLOR (u/s EJ) is a soulful poet who has known rivers ancient as the world and older than the sound of Jazz in the soul of his city, New Orleans… A Boston University Alumni with a BFA in Acting and a Minor in Arts Leadership, who also trained at London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, and Southern Rep Theatre. He is a humble spirit who strives to give a voice to the voiceless through storytelling, listening, learning the world, and bringing joy and peace in every room he is blessed to step in. A participant in the Race Prison Justice Arts Project, VonDerrick works towards shining light on stories from exonerated human beings who have had their voice’s forcefully taken away from them. Every day he works towards bringing Umoja, the Black Belt Way, through every door and the passion of life in every conversation. A family man full of faith and a new resident in the Atlanta area, VonDerrick is blessed to be a part of the Alliance Theatre Family and help change the world we live in for the better one day at a time, one brick at a time, one bridge at time. One Love!

CALVIN THOMPSON

(Dwayne), a native of South Carolina, is an alum of University of South Carolina-Aiken and AMDA. Recent credits: the OffBroadway production of Harlem Hellfighters On A Latin Beat (Pregones PRTT), and Fly (Capital Rep). Mr. Thompson was also a semi-finalist in the 2019 American Black Film Festival Star Project. Gratitude to God for abundant blessings and to my loved ones for support. Off-Broadway: Couriers & Contrabands, Two Roberts, At Buffalo. NY Theatre: A Soldier’s Play, Staged. Regional: The Mountaintop, Esai’s Table, The Bluest Eye, Raisin In The Sun, The Royale, Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, Seven Guitars, The Piano Lesson, Voodoo Macbeth. Film/TV: Ophelia, Ying-Yang, City Of Dreams. IG: @mr.callycal www.calvinmthompson.com

BARRY WESTMORELAND (u/s Isom) [he/him] is thrilled to be a part of the cast of The Hot Wing King at the Alliance Theatre! Favorite credits include Sebastian in The Tempest (The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse), Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland (Havoc Movement Co.), and Sharktooth in How I Became a Pirate(Destination Theatre). Barry would love to thank his friends and family for always supporting him. Find him on social media: @_barrywestmoreland

MARKELL WILLIAMS

(u/s Dwayne, TJ) is an award-winning actor, writer, and teaching artist based in Atlanta. He has performed for the Alliance Theatre, 7 Stages, Theatrical Outfit, True Colors, Out of Hand, Horizon

Theatre, Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Weird Sisters, NC Black Repertory Co., The Object Group, Center for Puppetry Arts, Impulse Rep, and Theatre in the Square. Most notable TV/Film credits include a guest star role on the Disney+ series She-Hulk and a guest star role on the FX TV series Atlanta. Follow him on Instagram @Markell.Williams to see what he’s up to next.

KATORI HALL

(Director) Memphis

native Katori Hall is a Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award-winning playwright, director, and television creator/producer. A two-time Tony Award nominee, she won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, The Hot Wing King. Her other works include The Mountaintop, Our Lady of Kibeho, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, The Blood Quilt, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and Hurt Village, which is being developed into a feature film. She’s also the executive producer, creator, and showrunner of P-VALLEY, the critically acclaimed and groundbreaking Starz drama based on her play Pussy Valley. Katori is an alumna of Columbia University, A.R.T. at Harvard University, and Juilliard. Katori has been published in publications such as The Boston Globe, The Guardian, and The New York Times. Katori’s other awards include the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, Lark Play Development Center Playwrights of New York (PONY) Fellowship, two Lecompte du Nouy Prizes from Lincoln Center, Fellowship of Southern Writers Bryan Family Award in Drama, NYFA Fellowship, the Columbia University John Jay Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement, National Black Theatre’s August Wilson

Playwriting Award, and the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award. She is a proud member of the Ron Brown Scholar Program and the Coca-Cola Scholar Program.

MICHAEL CARNAHAN (Scenic Design) Recent - Broadway: Skeleton Crew (Tony nomination), Lackawanna Blues. Off-Broadway: The Hot Wing King (Signature Theatre, Pulitzer Prize for Drama), Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), I and You (59E59), The Happiest Song Plays Last (Second Stage), The Piano Lesson, The First Breeze of Summer (Signature Theatre). International: Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Billy Elliot the Musical: Atelier de Cultura, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tours: Cheers, Live On Stage, A Christmas Story The Musical. Regional: Apollo Theater, Arena Stage, American Conservatory Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Mark Taper Forum, The Geffen Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Pasadena Playhouse, Two River Theater.

www.michaelcarnahandesign.com

IG: @Carnypics, Twitter: @mike_carnahan

DEDE AYITE (Costume Design) is a two-time Tony Award-nominated costume designer working in theater, opera, and film. Her most recent Broadway credits include Topdog Underdog, Ohio State Murders, American Buffalo, How I Learned to Drive, A Soldier’s Play, Slave Play, Chicken & Biscuits, American Son, and Children of a Lesser God. Her select OffBroadway credits include Merry Wives (The Public Theater); Seven Deadly Sins (Tectonic); Secret Life of Bees, Marie and Rosetta, (Atlantic); By The Way, Meet Vera Stark (Signature); Nollywood Dreams, BLKS, School Girls… (MCC); Bella: An American Tall

Tale (Playwrights Horizons); Toni Stone (Roundabout). Regionally, Ayite’s work has appeared at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, Arena Stage and more. She has worked in television with Netflix, Comedy Central, and FOX Shortcoms. Ayite earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama and has received a TDF/ Kitty Leech Young Master Award, Obie, Drama Desk, Henry Hewes, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area, and Jeff Awards.

MIKE WOOD (Lighting Design)

An accomplished designer, educator, and technician, Mike’s work has been seen on countless stages, screens, and in classrooms throughout the United States. Mike has served on the design and technology facilities of Marymount Manhattan College, The Collegiate School NYC, Hillsborough Community College, and Howard W. Blake School of the Arts. MFA: University of Memphis; BA: University of South Florida. He currently works as the Director of Production and Resident Lighting Designer at City Springs Theatre in Atlanta, GA. Mike is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local USA829.

www.mikewoodld.com // @mikewoodld

CONNOR WANG (Sound Design) [he/him] is an Asian American theatre artist originally from Des Moines, Iowa. Recent credits include Kim’s Convenience (Theatre Squared), Disney Princess: The Concert (US tour), and the world premier of How to Dance in Ohio (Syracuse Stage). Associate/ Assistant designs include Hamilton (US touring companies), Hadestown (Broadway, Korea, US Tour), and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (US tour). Connor holds a BFA in Sound Design from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

ROCIO MENDEZ (Fight and Intimacy Director) [they/she]

Member of Unkle Dave’s FightHouse and proud New Yorker committed to building confidence in Brown and Black girls through storytelling. Credits include: Broadway: POTUS, or behind every great dumbass is seven women trying to keep him alive, AIN’T NO MO. The Metropolitan Opera: Fire Shut Up In My Bones, Eurydice, Rigoletto, Rodelinda, Lucia. New York/Regional Theater: The Bandaged Place (Roundabout), Your Own Personal Exegesis (LCT3), Merry Wives, Romeo y Julieta (Public Theater), On Sugarland (NYTW), This Bitter Earth (TheaterWorks), Black No More (The New Group), Vietgone, The Royale (Geva Theater Center), The Wolves (Actors Theater of Louisville), Secret Life of Bees (Atlantic Theater Company). Rocio is also an award-winning actor. www.rociomendez.com

JODY FELDMAN (Producer/Casting Director) began her theater career as an actress in Atlanta before moving into administration as the Assistant General Manager at Frank Wittow’s Academy Theatre. It was at the Academy that Jody realized the importance of theatre to a city’s cultural values and identity. Feldman started her career at the Alliance as casting director in 1991 and added producer to her title and responsibilities in 2001. She has cast and produced more than 250 productions at the Alliance, encompassing a range of world premieres that include The Last Night of Ballyhoo by Alfred Urey, Blues for An Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, The Geller Girls by Janece Shaffer, In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney, more than 20 years of Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition-winning plays, such world and regional premiere musicals as Aida; The

Color Purple; Sister Act: The Musical; Bring It On: The Musical; Tuck Everlasting; Ghost Brothers of Darkland County; Harmony, A New Musical; The Prom; Trading Places and, finally, exciting new plays developed specifically for children and families, which is integral to the expansion of audience and mission for the Alliance. Jody is most proud of the thriving Alliance community engagement and partnerships that recognize theatrical work as a catalyst for civic conversation and connection.

SHAINA PIERCE (Stage Manager) is overjoyed to be back at the Alliance Theatre and working with her Atlanta theatre family. Previous Alliance credits include Darlin’ Cory, A Christmas Carol, Toni Stone, and Trading Places. Shaina has stage managed across the country. Previous credits include The Wiz (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Dracula (Actors Theatre Louisville) Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Comedy of Errors, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Shaina received her MFA at The University of Alabama and is a proud Equity Member. She thanks her family and loved ones for their love, support, and continued chicken wings!

LIZ CAMPBELL (Assistant Stage Manager [Jan 10 — Jan 22]) [she/ her] Local credits include: A Christmas Carol, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Bina’s Six Apples, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, Max Makes a Million, The Wizard of Oz, Paige in Full, Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book, 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 (Alliance Theatre); The Drowsy Chaperone, Camelot, The World

Goes ‘Round, Million Dollar Quartet, Monty Python’s Spamalot, and Ragtime (Atlanta Lyric 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. Cofounder of Atlanta Theatre Artists for Justice. Love to Ali and Maggie.

BARBARA GANTT O’HALEY (Assistant Stage Manager [Jan 20 — Mar 5])[she/her] is excited to be back after serving as an ASM for Everybody earlier this season. Previous Alliance credits include: Slur, Tell Me My Dream, Courage, Grimm Lives of the In-Betweens. Other Atlanta credits include: Big Fish, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Simply Simone, In the Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Perfect Arrangement, Indecent, Slow Food, Ms. Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Wickhams, Our Town, 110 in the Shade, Pitmen Painters, An Iliad (Theatrical Outfit); as well as My Fair Lady, Cats, Young Frankenstein (Atlanta Lyric Theatre). Love to Patrick, Elliana, and Keeva! Proud Member AEA.

KACIE PIMENTEL (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to join the Alliance Theatre this season as the BIPOC SM Fellow. She most recently worked on Everybody and A Christmas Carol at the Alliance Theatre. Previous credits include The Hot Wing King, John Proctor Is the Villain, and White Noise at Studio Theatre. She has also worked in Stage Management at Casa Mañana Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and Sea World San Antonio. Kacie received her BFA in Theatre — Stage Management at the University of Houston.

SAMANTHA HONEYCUTT (Stage Management Production Assistant) studied Stage Management at

the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before beginning her career working across the country. Her credits include: Year of the Rooster, When January Feels like Summer, and Five Times in One Night (Ensemble Studio Theater). Legally Blonde; Hello, Dolly!; My Fair Lady; and Music Man (Cape Playhouse). Frankenstein, Hairspray, Penny Candy, American Mariachi, Supreme Leader (Dallas Theater Center). Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous (Hartford Stage), and Trading Places, Everybody, and A Gift of Love with Adam L. McKnight (Alliance Theatre).

SIGNATURE THEATRE is an artistic home for storytellers. By producing several plays from each Resident Writer, Signature offers a deep dive into their bodies of work. Founded by James Houghton, Signature is led by Artistic Director Paige Evans and Interim Executive Director Timothy J. McClimon. Signature conducts its unique residency programming at the Frank Gehry-designed Pershing Square Signature Center. Since its founding, Signature has received over 100 awards and in 2014 became the first New York theatre to receive the Regional Tony Award.

TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN (BOLD Associate Artistic Director) is the BOLD Associate Artistic Director at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Tinashe is a Princess Grace Award 2019 Winner for Directing, and Map Fund Award recipient to develop her devised new work All Smiles centering the experience of children on the Autism Spectrum. Most recently, she was Co-Director with Susan V. Booth for Everybody. Tinashe held a salaried creative and Director’s Shadow position during the preproduction, pilot and 2nd episode development of the TV Series Our Kind of People (Fox Studios) under

Lee Daniel’s production company and was Director Shadow on the season finale of BMF. Select directing productions include Toni Stone (co-production Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Alliance Theatre), School Girls, Or the African Mean Girls Play (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Ghost (Alliance Theatre), Native Gardens (Virginia Stage Company), Pipeline (Horizon Theater), Nick’s Flamingo Grill (World Premiere at the Alliance Theatre, Hertz Stage), Eclipsed (Synchronicity Theatre, Best Director Suzi Bass Award). Upcoming projects: The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd (2022/23 Alliance/ Kendeda National Playwriting Competition Winner/World Premiere Alliance Theatre). As a director and actor, she has worked on + off Broadway, including The Imperial Theatre, Primary Stages, 59E59 Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem; and regionally at Yale Rep, Woolly Mammoth Theater Co, Cincinnati Playhouse, The Geva Theatre, CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre, among others, as well as recurring roles on TV/Film (Suicide Squad 2, Marvel’s Hawkeye, CW’s Valor, Dynasty, HBO’s Henrietta Lacks, Ava Duverney’s Cherish the Day, among others.) She 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 serves that.”

CHRISTOPHER MOSES (Dan Reardon Director of Education & Associate Artistic Director) has been working in professional theatre for 20 years. 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 5 years old, the Alliance Teen Ensemble, which performs world premiere plays commissioned for and about teens, 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.

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

As I read and engaged with The Hot Wing King, I discovered that I resonated with the way Dwayne, Cordell, Big Charles, Isom, and Everett’s personalities showcased the complexities of their connectivity. The characters complemented each other masterfully, personifying the hot wing recipes in ways that provocatively stirred my heart. These metaphors of love, with their spicy surprises and gut-gripping honesty, caused me to reflect on my own ideologies around what true connection means.

The Hot Wing King reminds me of my own personal connections with other gay/queer men. The way we check and support each other and the shade and shine we throw toward one another — it all reinforces our bonds of brotherhood.

As a Black Gay man, I’ve experienced the theatrical ebbs and flows that come with living in Atlanta. It’s special being a man who loves other men in their entirety, each one of us striving toward our own horizons with various ratios of fear and faith. We find comfort in each other’s chaos while choosing to persevere with love. Similar to Cordell, I’ve learned to trust the people in my found family. We seize each day ferociously hopeful that we’ve made the right choices about the people we live, play and grow with. For me, some days are effortless, feeding off of each other’s energy while striving toward elevation. Sometimes it’s a daily act of forgiveness, pushing through anxieties around not being enough. Sometimes it’s all in my head, and my brothers anchor me a truth: We out here, we see each other, and we got one another’s back!

Truth is, I see them as the medicinal counter to my doubts and selfacceptance issues. They remind me that it’s okay to be authentically me. Our connections keep me alive and thriving.

Those sentiments are also reflected in the work I do with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). “Cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay” embodies our commitment to supporting people impacted by HIV/AIDS, regardless of their struggle or circumstance. Similar to Cordell’s commitment to excellence, I am committed to fostering brand excellence by ensuring our services and spaces are accessible and approachable.

As a brand ambassador and director of AHF, I strive to make HIV and the stigma often associated with it less overwhelming by countering the deadly narratives that prevent positive health outcomes. Whether I am designing campaigns, elevating clinic spaces, or creating dynamic

promotional materials, I always keep my connections close to my heart and use them as motivation. Cordell and I both know that no one is victorious alone. It takes the faith, bravery, trust, and commitment to others to achieve greatness.

Working with AHF has bolstered a sense of courage within me to continue striving for excellence. I’m grateful for the hard-hitting conviction that The Hot Wing King invokes and am honored to continue applying that wisdom in the work I do with AHF and the collective story I’m creating here in Atlanta.

As you experience Cordell’s mastery of his recipes and the metaphors of love they represent, we invite you to join the work of AHF to ensure all are acknowledged, valued, and supported. Please visit www.ahf.org.

Rigness Rush Director of Branding AIDS Healthcare Foundation

SYNOPSIS

It’s time for Memphis’s annual “Hot Wang Festival,” and Cordell knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau Dwayne and best friends who serve as his fry crew “The New Wing Order,” the group settles in for a fun night of precompetition prep. But when a family emergency forces Dwayne’s troubled nephew into the mix, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, the first-place trophy isn’t the only thing that Cordell risks losing.

GET SOCIAL

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

www.alliancetheatre.org

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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 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, state-of-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 116 productions including nine 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.

OFFICERS

Chair

Jocelyn J. Hunter

Immediate Past Chair

Lila Hertz

Secretary

E. Kendrick Smith

Treasurer

LeighAnn Costley

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

Helen Regenstein

Bob Reiser

Jane Shivers

Ben White

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kristin Adams

James Anderson

Kim Ajy

Farideh Azadi

Alba Baylin

Kenny Blank

Brittany Boals Moeller

Terri Bonoff

Jennifer Boutté

Jeffrey Cashdan

Jane Jordan Casavant

Steve Chaddick

Madeline Chadwick

Miles Cook

LeighAnn Costley

Joe Crowley

Alison Danaceau

Fred Ehlers

Reade Fahs

Howard Feinsand

Rick Goerss

Latonda Henderson

Lila Hertz

Jocelyn Hunter

Malvika Jhangiani

Anne Kaiser

John Keller

Andjela Kessler^

Jim Kilberg

Jesse Killings

Mary Jane Kirkpatrick

Carrie Kurlander

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy

Robert Masucci

Jean Ann McCarthy

Alan McKeon

Dori Miller

Hala Moddelmog^

Phil Moïse

Allison O’Kelly

Vicki Palefsky

Paul Pendergrass

Jamal Powell

Ali Rahimi

Asif Ramji

Patty Reid

Margaret Reiser

Matt Richburg

Robyn Roberts

Maurice Rosenbaum

Kerri Sauer

Steve Selig

Kim Sewell

Mital Shah

Bill Sleeper

Bronson Smith

E. Kendrick Smith

Charlita Stephens

Chandra Stephens-Albright

Mark Swinton

Julie Teer

Rosemarie Thurston

Dana Weeks Ugwonali

Benny Varzi

Roxanne Varzi

Rebekah Wasserman

Glenn Weiss

Cynthia Widner Wall

Todd Zeldin

ADVISORY BOARD

Advisory Board Co-Chair

Laura Hardman

Advisory Board Co-Chair

Phil H. Moïse

Joe Alterman

Luis Andino

Jonathan Arogeti

Kelli Bennett

Johanna Brookner

Merry Hunter Caudle

Elizabeth Wiggs Cooper

Candice Dixon

Malaika Dowdell

Anjali Enjeti

Everett Flanigan

Mary Beth Flournoy

Les Flynn

Jennifer Foster

Natalia Garzón Martínez

Lula Gilliam

Lydia Glaize

Meghan Gordon

Tevin Goss

Dr. Eve Graves, Ph.D.

Shauna Grovell

Della Guidry

Elizabeth Hollister

Zenith Houston

Mallika Kallingal

Debby Kelly

Joyce Lewis

Indira Londono

Theo Lowe

Carlton Mackey

Nelly Mauta

Monica McLary

Jamie McQuilkin

Nishant Mehta

Juan Meija

Caroline Moore

Laura Murvartian

Victoria Necessary

Zach Nikonovich Kahn

Amy Norton King

Kathy Palumbo

Aixa Pascual

Kisan Patel

Marion Phillips

Shirley Powell

Nancy Prager

Alexis Rainey

Kristin Ray

Daniel Regenstein

Kirk Rich

Ryan Roemerman

Fred Roselli

Wendy Schmitt

Dr. Shenara Sexton

Beverly Brown Shaw

Dan Silverboard

Maria Storts

Ronald Tomajko

Kathy Tomajko

Robin Triplett

Emily Washburn

Angie Weiss

Stuart Wilkinson

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

President, STARS

Andjela Kessler

Chairman, Theater Advocates

Judy Feldstein

Susan Stiefel

Chairman, Theater Educators

Myra Medlin

Faye Windham

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+

Lettie Pate Evans Foundation

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

$250,000+ Anonymous

AT&T Foundation

Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy

The Coca-Cola Company

Georgia Power

Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

WestRock

$100,000+

Accenture

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

The Home Depot Foundation

Invesco QQQ

John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Fund

Kendeda Fund

Norfolk Southern

PNC

Rich Foundation

Shubert Foundation

Zeist Foundation

$50,000+

Bank of America

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

Google Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

National Vision Theatre Forward

$25,000+

The Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, Powered by AHF

Fulton County Board of Commissioners

Georgia Council for the Arts

Georgia Natural Gas

The Imlay Foundation, Inc.

Johnny Mercer Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Newell Brands

Peach State Health Plan

SCANA Energy Southwire

$10,000+

AEC Trust

Alston & Bird

Do a Good Day Foundation

Frances Wood Wilson Foundation

George M. Brown Trust of Atlanta

Georgia-Pacific

Gulfstream

John & Mary Franklin Foundation

Macy’s Northern Trust

South Arts

$5,000+ Anonymous

Camp Younts Foundation

Osiason Educational Foundation

Publix Super Market Charities

Thalia & Michael C. Carlos Foundation

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.

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 from June 1, 2021 — January 17, 2023.

PREMIERE SUPPORT

Spotlight $100,000+

The SKK Foundation

Spotlight $50,000+

Ann & Jeff Cramer

Starr Moore & James Starr Moore Memorial Foundation

Barbara & Steve Chaddick

Artistic Director’s Circle $35,000+

Anonymous

Antinori Foundation

David & Carolyn Gould

Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ivester

Mr. & Mrs. E. Kendrick Smith

Rosemarie & David Thurston

Chairman’s Circle

$25,000+

Ken Bernhardt & Cynthia Currence

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Ms. Stephanie Blank & Mr. David Williams

Jane Jordan Casavant

Roxanne & Jeffrey Cashdan

Katie & Reade Fahs

Ellen & Howard Feinsand

Heidi & David Geller

Jocelyn J. Hunter

Mr. Wayne S. Hyatt

Anne & Mark Kaiser

Jane & J. Hicks Lanier

The Naserian Foundation

Allison & Shane O’Kelly

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Patty & Doug Reid

Patricia & Maurice Rosenbaum

Jane & J. Hicks Lanier

Linda & Steve Selig

Ms. Mital Shah

William & Margarita Sleeper

Tim & Maria Tassopoulos

Benny & Roxanne Varzi

Ramona & Ben White

Amy & Todd Zeldin

Leadership Circle

$15,000+

James Anderson

Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation

Deborah L. Bannworth & Joy Lynn Fields

Brian & Jennifer Boutté

Ezra Cohen Charitable Fund

LeighAnn & Chad Costley

Ms. Alison Danaceau & Mr. Tim McKinley

The Frances & Beverly DuBose Foundation, Inc

Mr. Fredric M. Ehlers & Mr. David Lile

Doris & Matthew Geller

Malvika Jhangiani

John C. Keller

James & Lori Kilberg

Jesse Killings

David & Mary Jane Kirkpatrick

Brian & Carrie Kurlander

Loeb Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Barry McCarthy

Phil & Caroline Moïse

Daniel Marks & Keri Powell

Wade Rakes & Nicholas Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Asif Ramji

Bob & Margaret Reiser

Matt Richburg

Dean DuBose & Bronson Smith

Dr. & Mrs. Dennis Lee Spangler

Dana & Obi Ugwonali

Mr. & Mrs. Art Waldrop

Mark & Rebekah Wasserman

Director’s Circle $10,000+

Anonymous

Ms. Kristin Adams

In honor of Carol Jones

Mr.* & Mrs. Thomas J. Asher

The Balloun Family

Alba C. Baylin

Terri Bonoff & Matthew

Knopf

Susan Booth & Max

Leventhal

Judge JoAnn Bowens

Laura Brightwell

Martha & Toby Brooks

Franklin & Dorothy Chandler

Madeline Chadwick

Collective Insights

Miles and Nicole Cook

Ann & Jim Curry

Linda & Gene Davidson

Eve Joy Eckardt

Doug & Lila Hertz

Andjela & Michael Kessler

Mr. & Mrs. David E. Kiefer

Mr. Jim Kieffer

Dr. & Mrs. John Lee

Kristie L. Madara

Ms. Evelyn Ashley & Mr. Alan

B. McKeon

Burrelle Meeks

Dori & Jack Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Angus Morrison

Palmer Lee Foundation

Paul Pendergrass & Margaret Baldwin

Jamal & Tiffany Powell

Mr. & Mrs. Sean Reardon

Robyn Roberts & Kevin Greiner

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

Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund

Waffle House

BENEFACTORS

$5,000+

Mr. & Mrs. George Ajy

Liz Armstrong

Ellen Arnovitz

The Asher Family Foundation

Lisa & Joe Bankoff

Mrs. Juanita Baranco

Mr. & Mrs. Roland L. Bates

Natalie & Matthew Bernstein

Lucinda W. Bunnen*

Mr. & Mrs. W. Kent Canipe

Joe Crowley & Phil Mack

Marcia & John Donnell

Diane Durgin

Eureka Foundation

Kathy & Jason Evans

Dr. Cynthia J. Fordyce & Sharon Hulette

The Robert S. Elster

Foundation

Karen & Andrew Ghertner

Marsha & Richard Goerss

Mr. David F. Golden

Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Goldstein

Ariana L. Hargrave

Henry & Etta Raye Hirsch

Heritage Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. J. Michael

Hostinsky

Tad & Janin Hutcheson

Boland & Andrea Lea Jones

Mr. Charles R. Kowal

Lubo Fund

Melanie & S. Alan McKnight, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Nathan Metzger

Hala & Steve Moddelmog

Steve & Tonya Paro

Sam & Barbara Pettway

Mr. & Mrs. Norman J. Radow

Ms. Kristin L. Ray

Paula Rosput Reynolds & Stephen Reynolds

Jane & Rein Saral

Sharon & David Schachter

Alan & Cyndy* Schreihofer

Sam Schwartz & Lynn Goldowski

Brian Shively & Jim Jinhong

Henry N. & Margaret P. Staats

Lynne & Steve Steindel

Chandra Stephens-Albright & Warren Albright

Charlita Stephens & Delores

Stephens

Maria-Ruth Storts

Chuck & Lisa Cannon-Taylor

Julie Teer

Kathy & Ron Tomajko

Ms. Cathy Weil

$2,500

Anonymous

Alex and Betty Smith Foundation, Inc.

Dr. & Mrs. Raymond Allen

Ron & Lisa Brill Charitable Trust

Dr. Aubrey Bush & Dr. Carol Bush

Rita & Ralph Connell

Tim & Tina Eyerly

Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. Flexner

Mr. Mark Fogas

Dr. & Mrs. John B. Hardman

Linda & Richard Hubert

Ashley & Elton James

Jason & Laurie Jeffay

Anna & Hays Mershon

Stacia Minton

Clair & Thomas Muller

Debbie & Lon Neese

John & Helen Parker

Peg Petersen

Don & Rosalinda Ratajczak

Dr. & Mrs. Fredric Rosenberg

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rosenberg

Ms. Donna Schwartz

Mr. & Mrs.* Charles B. Shelton III

Susan & Alan* Stiefel

Dr. & Mrs. Harry Strothers

G. Scott Thompson

Stan & Velma Tilley

Ms. Avril Vignos

Ms. Kathy Waller & Mr. Kenny Goggins

Kim Boldthen & Carolyn Wheeler

William & Nancy Yang

The Zaban Foundation

$1,500+

Anonymous

Trent Anderson & Leandro

Zaneti

Judith Lyon & Ron Bloom

Candace Carson

Melodie H. Clayton

Susan & Ed Croft

Mr. & Mrs. Erik Curns

Mr. & Mrs. David Felfoldi

Andrew & Wendie Fisher

Andrea and Jerry Freeman

Sandeep Goyal & Taylor

England

Della & Theo Guidry

Mrs. Elaine L. Hentschel

Drs. Cathie & Hugh Hudson

Randy & Connie Jones

Mark Keiser

Mr. & Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich

Sheri & Steve Labovitz

Ms. Margaret Petersen

Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Masucci

Raymond & Penelope McPhee

Joan Netzel & John Gronwall

Lynn & Galen Oelkers

Mr. & Mrs. Armond Perkins

Dr. Denise Raynor

Helen M. Regenstein

Lois & Don Reitzes

Deborah W. Royer

Kashi Sehgal

Mr. & Mrs. S. Albert Sherrod

Jane E. Shivers

Ann Starr & Kent Nelson

Starane Shepard

Jim & Janie Stratigos

Judith & Mark Taylor

Wayne & Lee Vason

Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Weiss

Lynne Winship

Adrienne Whitehead

Penn & Sally Wells

PATRONS

$1,000+

Anonymous

John & Lynn Ayers

Mr. George T. Baker

Mr. Robert L. Blondeau and Mrs. Kristen Nantz

Ms. Betty Blondeau*

Margo Brinton & Eldon Park

Michelle Burdick

Mark Callaway

David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin

Richard & Grecia Cox

Gail Crowder

Celeste Davis-Lane

Marla Jane Franks, MD

Richard Goodjoin & Kelvin Davis

Louise S. Gunn

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Kelly

Greg and Gillian Matteson

Denis & Leah Ng

Susan C. Puett

Ryan Roemerman

Mr. Ronald Russell & Mr. Tommy Russell

Jenny Streeter

Andrea Strickland & N. Jerold Cohen

Brooke & Winston Weinmann

THE WOODRUFF CIRCLE

Woodruff Circle members have contributed more than $250,000 annually to support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. We are deeply grateful to these partners who lead our efforts to help create opportunities for enhanced access to the work.

$1MILLION+

A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

$500,000+

The Antinori Foundation

Bank of America

A Friend of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

$250,000+

Accenture

AT&T Foundation

Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation

The Molly Blank Fund

Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

Chick-fil-A Foundation | Rhonda & Dan Cathy

The Goizueta Foundation

Invesco QQQ

Novelis

PNC

Mr. & Mrs. Shouky Shaheen

The Home Depot Foundation

Sarah and Jim Kennedy

The Rich Foundation, Inc.

Alfred A. Thornton Venable Trust

Truist Trusteed Foundations:

Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund

Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust

UPS

WestRock

The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

THE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Leadership Circle corporations have committed to a contribution of $1,000,000 over one or more years to support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art.

Accenture

The Coca-Cola Company

Chick-fil-A

Delta Air Lines

Georgia Power

Graphic Packaging

Novelis

UPS

WestRock

THE BENEFACTOR CIRCLE

Benefactor Circle members have contributed more than $100,000 annually to support the arts and education work of the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and High Museum of Art. We are deeply grateful to these partners who lead our efforts to help create opportunities for enhanced access to the work.

$100,000+

Alston & Bird

Atlantic Station

John Auerbach

Sandra & Dan Baldwin

BlackRock

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Melinda & Brian Corbett

Sheila L. & Jonathan J. Davies

Barney M. Franklin & Hugh W. Burke Charitable Fund

Georgia-Pacific

Google

Graphic Packaging

Mr. and Mrs. James S. Grien

Louise S. Sams and Jerome Grilhot

The John H. & Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Foundation

The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Hilton H. Howell, Jr.

The Imlay Foundation Institute of Museum & Library Services

Jones Day Foundation & Employees

Kaiser Permanente

Abraham J. and Phyllis Katz Foundation

King & Spalding, Partners & Employees

The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation

Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc.

The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc.

The Marcus Foundation, Inc.

John W. Markham III*

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Morris Manning & Martin LLP

National Endowment for the Arts

Newell Brands

Norfolk Southern Foundation

Amy W. Norman Charitable Foundation

Northside Hospital

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Patty and Doug Reid

The Shubert Foundation

Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund

Dr. Joan H. Weens

Kelly and Rod Westmoreland

Ann Marie and John B. White, Jr.

wish Foundation

The David, Helen & Marian Woodward Fund

*notates deceased

1180 Peachtree ACT Foundation, Inc.

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

Anonymous

Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes

Mr. Faraz Ahmed

Mr. E. Scott Arnold

Dr. Evelyn R. Babey

Mr. & Mrs. John Bauer

Ms. Aparna Bhattacharyya & Mr. Paul Nilsson

Dr. Deloris Bryant-Booker

Jeff Burnham

Mr. Brandon Bush

Karen & Harold Carney

Mr. William Carroll

David Cashman

Ms. Jacquel Chambers

Ms. Sarah K. Chester

Ms. Mishelle Cirillo & Ms. Bryan Suttles

Mr. & Mrs. Joe Colonna

Elizabeth Corrie

Mr. Lawrence R. Cowart

Mr. & Mr. Christopher Cox

Marge & Gray Crouse

Nash Ditmetaroj

Derrick Doose

Whitney Fahner

Edward Feldstein

Judy and Stan Fineman

Eric Fisher

Brenda Fleming

Mr. Ken H. Foskett

Christine & Andrew Fry

Ms. & Ms. Katie S. Goodman

Mr. Bryant D. Gresham & Mr. Alexander Bossert

Shauna Grovell

Lauren & Jonathan Grunberg

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

Ms. Joy Hambrick

Ms. Wynette Hammons

Penn Hansa

Ms. Lindsey E. Hardegree

Ms. Linda L. Hare & Mr. Gerald A. Barth

Nancy A. Hatfield

Dr. & Mrs. David M. Hill

Ms. Becca Hogue

Jim Johnson

Ms. Jhazzmyn Joiner

Karen Jones

Kelley J. Jordan-Monne

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Kalista

Mr. Barnabas Kane

Amy & Jeremy King

Ms. Lynne Kuhn

Sarah Latif

Dr. Andrea Lawrence

Mr. Darryl E. Lesure & Mrs. Candice Simon-Lesure

Ms. Karen Lightfoot

Ms. Alison Main

Ms. Jaime McQuilkin

Laurie McLaughlin

Mr. & Mrs. James Michael

Ms. Jeanette M. Morgan

Victoria Necessary

Mr. Steve M. Peck

Chris J. Peterson

Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan K. Peterson

Scan to Give! Scan this QR code to make a one-time or monthly contribution.

Ms. Kendrick Phillips

Mr. & Mrs. Marc B. Pickard

Jacqueline Powe

Ms. Shannon L. Price

Mrs. Brenda Pruitt

Alexis Rainey

M. Corwin Robison

Mrs. Peggy Rogers

Mr. & Mrs. Peter S. Savitz

Barbara Schreiber

Eric Schwartz

Mr. Tom Slovak & Mr. Jeffery Jones

Ms. Carol Smith

Ms. Janet F. Smith

Ms. Lynn Stallings

Jessica Stewart

Laura Stordy

Mrs. Jill Strickland

Charles Thompson

Stephanie Van Parys

Ben Warshaw

Ms. Caitlin Way

Mr. & Mrs. David D. Whitley

Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon A. Williams

Ms. Janice A. Wolf & Mr. M. Barry Etra

Michelle Zinney

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 Toni Friday at toni.friday@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

LEGACY SOCIETY

GE Energy

Georgia Power

Goldman Sachs Matching Gift

Goldstein

Hearst Foundations

Home Depot Foundation

Honda Motor Co.

IBM

JPMorgan Chase

Kimberly-Clark

Lynch

Macy’s Foundation

McDonald’s Corporation

McMaster-Carr Supply

Microsoft Corporation

Norfolk Southern Corporation

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* and Ken Bernhardt

Anne & Jim Breedlove

Ezra Cohen

Ann & Jeff Cramer

Susan & Edward Croft

Sallie Adams Daniel

Linda & Gene Davidson

Terry and Stacy Dietzler

Diane Durgin

Elizabeth Etoll

Ellen & Howard Feinsand

James Edward Gay*

Laura & John Hardman

Nancy & Glen Hesler

P.J. Younglove Hovey

Lauren & David Kiefer

David Kuniansky

Virginia Vann* & Ken Large

Edith Love*

Lauren & John McColskey

Anna & Hays Mershon

Caroline & Phil Moïse

Winifred B. & Richard S. Myrick

Victoria & Howard L. Palefsky

Armond & Sharon Perkins

Jan Pomerantz

Helen Regenstein

Margaret & Robert Reiser

Betty Blondeau-Russell*

Tricia & Neal Schachtel

Debbie* & Charles B. Shelton III

Jane E. Shivers

Roger Smith & Christopher Jones*

Lee Harper & Wayne Vason

Terri & Rick Western

Ramona & Ben White

* deceased