Black Pearl Sings!

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DR. & MRS. CHARLES O. CAROTHERS MITCHELL S. & JACQUELINE P. MEYERS FOUNDATION RUTH & JOHN SAWYER

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2 •

ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI The 2012-2013 Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Season D. Lynn Meyers, Producing Artistic Director

Premiere Sponsor:

Design Sponsors:

BLACK PEARL SINGS!

by Frank Higgins

Directed by D. Lynn Meyers† March 13–31, 2013 Set & Lighting Designer Sound Designer Costume Designer Properties Master & Design Assistant Production Coordinator & Master Electrician Musical Director Production Stage Manager Technical Operations Director

Brian c. Mehring Matt Callahan Reba Senske Shannon Rae Lutz Matthew Hollstegge Scot Woolley Constance Dubinski* Aaron Clements

Originally developed at the Barter Theater, Richard Rose, Artistic Director.

Premiered at Stages Repertory Theater, Kenn McLaughlin, Artistic Director.

The photographing, video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

This Theatre operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. †

*Cast/production member belongs to Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. This theatre operates under an agreement between Actors’ Equity Association, Professional Actors, and Stage Managers in the United States. Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.

• 3

2012-2013 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSOR:

SEASON SPONSORS: Dr. & Mrs. Charles O. Carothers The Mitchell S. & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation Ruth D. & John Sawyer

SEASON TICKET SPONSORS:

FAIRY GODMOTHER PROGRAM SPONSOR: Bill & Susan Friedlander SEASON MEDIA PARTNERS:

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SUPPORTERS

Anonymous (2) Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee William P. Anderson Foundation The Charles H. Dater Foundation The Fisher Foundation The Andrew Jergens Foundation Procter & Gamble The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee The Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation Jack J. Smith, Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, N.A. and Karen B. Wachs, Co-Trustees The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

NEXT STAGE SUPPORTERS

Anonymous (2) The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation City of Cincinnati The Greater Cincinnati Foundation The Mitchell S. & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission Procter & Gamble Ruth D. & John Sawyer

4 • SEASON SPONSORS

SEASON ACCOMODATIONS SPONSOR Garfield Suites Hotel

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS

Chet Cavaliere Cincinnati CityBeat Cincinnati State Technical & Community College, Interpreter Training Program The CityFlea College Hill Coffee Co. & Casual Gormet Eat Well Celebrations and Feasts iSpyCincy.com Lavomatic Café LPK Robin Wood Flowers Suder’s Art Store Sunshine Cleaners WGUC 90.9 FM WNKU 89.7 FM WVXU 91.7 FM Yelp Cincinnati

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We support the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and their passion for cultivating creativity in our community. Together, we celebrate the transformative power of the arts and their importance to our city’s heritage. What we create inspires, motivates and enriches our culture and our future.

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• 5

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6 •

8/8/12 3:44 PM

CAST & CREW CAST (in alphabetical order)

Susannah Mullally.............................................................................. Annie Fitzpatrick* Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson............................................................................ Torie Wiggins*

RUNNING CREW

Assistant Stage Manager.................................................................Brandon T. Holmes* 2nd Assistant Stage Manager.............................................................Elizabeth Freyman Assistant Director....................................................................................Paloma White House Manager............................................................................ Caity O'Shaughnessy Sound Board Operator.................................................................................Tess Talbot Light Board Operator................................................................................ Anne Dufault Running Crew........................................... Spenser Smith, Nick Tsangaris, Sarah White Wardrobe.............................................................................Leah Baker, Paloma White Dramaturgy......................................................................Anne Dufault, Nick Tsangaris Spot Light Operator....................................................................................Sarah White

UNDERSTUDIES

Susannah Mullally........................................................................................Tess Talbot Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson............................................................................Paloma White

SETTING

Act 1: Warden's office at a rural Texas prison farm; summer 1933.

Act 2: Greenwich Village.

Black Pearl Sings! is performed with one intermission.

Approximate total running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes.

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CAST & CREW • 7

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR Music is an art form that holds a powerful ability to connect us to our past. Sound and story intertwine to create an emotional experience that links people together. This power is exemplified in the characters of Black Pearl Sings!, two women who are pulling from the folksongs and spirituals of their families’ pasts to satisfy their own ambitions for the future.

It’s this same power of connection that has drawn me to the theatre, first as an audience member and later as a supporter and member of ETC’s Board of Directors. As one of the world’s largest independent design agencies, at LPK we believe it is not enough to simply be inspired—we must also give inspiration to others. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is one of the arts institutions that delivers on this promise to our city. ETC productions entertain, challenge and enrich our lives, and the theatre’s presence in Cincinnati’s Gateway Corridor stands as a beacon for the influence a creative vision can have to positively impact community change.

LPK is honored to support ETC and the production of Frank Higgins’ Black Pearl Sings!, a production rooted in the human condition and our drive to overcome obstacles. This story about how skill and talent can build relationships, trust and belief in others is one that we think carries particular weight in the complex world we are living in today.

LPK welcomes you to Black Pearl Sings!, a moving and fearless production in ETC’s 2012–2013 season.

Cheers!

Dennis Geiger Chief Financial Officer LPK

8 • SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

Robin Wood Flowers www.robinwoodflowers.com

Make Cincinnati amazing.

The arts make our region a great place to live. Support local arts organizations, including Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, that bring our community together.

Give today.

www.TheArtsWave.org

• 9

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10 •

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DIRECTOR'S NOTES During the Great Depression, the Federal Music Project employed researchers to explore and preserve the legacy of various music genres. They wanted not only to preserve the music, but also the history of people who may not have been served through other public projects. They looked to better understand a people through the legacy of their music. Cowboy, Celtic, Creole, along with African American music were all investigated. This play centers on one such researcher’s desire to preserve African-American music and truly serve the people who created it and passed it down generation to generation. It is impossible to separate a people from their music.

To do the recordings, a "song collector" would travel to where the people were–be it mountain or island or field–and they would use whatever means necessary to get there, including mules which would have over 300 pounds of recording equipment strapped on their backs. The character of Susannah is a great representative of these researchers who cared deeply about preserving history so as to impact the future.

Frank Higgins, in my opinion, used this remarkable project of collecting songs as a way to bring Susannah and Pearl to life. However, this is far from a history lesson.

It is an investigation of two very different women who find a way to work together not only for themselves but for the generations who will come after them. It’s about compromising without compromising their individual goals.

This is a play about listening. Perhaps to keep our ears sharp, Mr. Higgins has interwoven so many of the songs that speak to the heart of Pearl's character and to the sincerity of Susannah’s mission. Music transcends time and leaps continents. Perhaps a true and honest relationship between two people must do the same thing. An associate of mine once said that “all relationships are based on mutual exploitation.” I recall dramatically disagreeing with him when he said it. I think all great relationships are based on mutual understanding and respect. Often two people can only reach their individual goals by working together.

Black Pearl Sings! caught my attention a couple of years ago and I am thrilled to have it as part of our current season. Each play we produce brings with it a unique quality and characteristic, which when added to the other five plays, makes the ETC experience unique. This duel set to music, this journey of two souls, seemed a likely companion to Freud's Last Session. Just as Freud and C.S. Lewis explored the ultimate mystery of faith, Pearl and Susannah explore the past, to ensure a future we now have inherited.

-D. Lynn Meyers

12 • DIRECTOR'S NOTES

• 13

THE FEDERAL MUSIC PROJECT

by Jessica Gardner The Great Depression impacted both the prison system and work environment in the United States in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In the government’s attempt to kick-start the economy while providing work for so many unemployed Americans, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created in 1935, enacted under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The WPA consisted of the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theatre Project, and the Federal Writers' Projects. Through these various projects, the government hoped to put musicians, Ethnomusicologist recording session.

Image: Library of Congress poets, authors, and actors to work while also providing programs for community enrichment during the tough times. Although Black Pearl Sings! takes place two years before the WPA was officially formed, folk music collection played a significant role in the WPA. The Federal Music Project (FMP) was a branch of the WPA formed with the purpose of providing work for unemployed musicians, vocalists, and music educators, who had been hit particularly hard during the era's dismal economy, as well as to educate the public about music appreciation through the production of thousands of free concerts. At its peak, the FMP employed nearly 16,000 musicians, enabled over 5,000 performances by orchestras, chamber groups, and choral military, and reached over 3 million audience members per week. Additionally, the FMP sought to gather an anthology of traditional American music and folk songs, a practice now referred to as ethnomusicology, in order to preserve the nation's rich and varied cultural heritage.

Musicologists seized this unique opportunity to travel to very rural areas of the United States, seeking out untold folk songs and ballads that were recorded for permanent addition into the Archive for American Folk Song in the Library of Congress (now known as the American Folklife Center’s Archive and accessible to the American public). Most all of the music gathered during that time was through the efforts of a few men and Example of recording device used women folklorists. These musicologists traveled

by FMP workers in the 1920s and all over the nation, especially throughout the 1930s. Image: Library of Congress Southeast and South Central, in search of a song that had never been recorded previously. FMP workers traversed the country with their portable equipment, recording prison work songs, folk ballads, spirituals and other music from diverse ethnic traditions. The Federal Music Project officially ran from 1935-1939, though its impact can still be seen today.

14 • THE FEDERAL MUSIC PROJECT

FRI MAR 15 • 7:30 pm • MUSIC HALL John Morris Russell conductor Unsung Heroes: A community-wide musical celebration featuring a cameo appearance by Branford Marsalis!

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Presenting Sponsor World Pac Paper, LLC Chorus Sponsor The Kroger Company Youth Education Ticket Sponsor CES/Link Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Cincinnati Chapter of The Links Inc., housed at GCF

Show Sponsor The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Benefactor Sponsor Sheila Williams and Bruce Smith

Additional support of Creative Director Branford Marsalis provided by The Johnson Family Foundation.

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• 15

ADAPTATION: FROM FACT TO FICTION

by Jessica Gardner The story of Black Pearl Sings! can be traced back to the lives of two men, John Lomax and Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, who worked together in the early 1930s to record folk songs for the Library of Congress. The character of Susannah Mullally is largely inspired by the life of traveling musicologist, John Avery Lomax, who was an American teacher and a pioneering folklorist and did much for the preservation of American folk songs. Lomax studied at Harvard before he cofounded the Texas Folklore Society and became the first folklore editor for the Federal Writer’s John Avery Lomax, Jr. Project. As such, he began gathering recordings of ex-slave Lomax Collection, narratives from many southern states. In December of 1933, Library of Congress. he was given an electronic disk-recording device from the Library of Congress and, like other musicologists, often travelled with heavy and cumbersome recording equipment, at that time considered state-of-the art.

Lomax began using this machine to collect an anthology of American folk songs and ballads, specializing in the recording of songs from from prisoners in southern penitentiaries, while other musicologists travelled to rural parts of the Northeast and Midwest. The resulting national collection of music contained songs whose origins ranged from Ireland to Africa.

A few days after receiving his recording machine, Lomax—accompanied by his son Alan—went to the Angola Prison Farm in Louisiana, where they were introduced Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. Lead Belly, as Ledbetter was known in the prison system, grew up on a plantation in Louisiana and was introduced to music at a very young age. He was a proficient guitar player and was well known in his youth for his talents as a musician, playing for audiences in Louisiana and Texas. Often in trouble with the law, Lead Belly ended up at the Angola Prison Farm for attempted homicide in the early 1930s.

The character of Pearl is based off of Lead Belly and his relationship with John Lomax.

Photo by Alan Lomax.

Handwritten on back: "Convicts singing in woodyard, Reed Camp, S.C., Dec. 1934." Lomax Collection, Library of Congress.

At that time in Louisiana, prisoners on farms were typically not permitted to sing, out of fear that this could lead to unrest amongst inmates. However, upon being asked to sing for Lomax and his son, Lead Belly immediately broke out into the tune “Irene, Goodnight,” which he became known for after his death.

16 • FROM FACT TO FICTION

FACT TO FICTION, CONT. When he saw that his singing had a significant impact on Lomax, Lead Belly began persuading Lomax to record more of his songs in order to get a pardon from the Governor of Louisiana. Unfortunately, the disks on which Lead Belly was recorded in 1933 were of poor quality, so John and Alan Lomax were forced to return to Angola to re-record Lead Belly in 1934.

In 1934, shortly after the re-recording session, Lead Belly was officially released from prison on parole, where he sought out the company of John Lomax. Lomax was still touring prisons in the South at that time, and Lead Belly accompanied him on all of these visits, often singing songs for the inmates as an example of what Lomax was looking to record from them.

Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, with his 12-string guitar, in a 1940s publicity photograph.

Image: American Folklife Center.

After Lead Belly received an official pardon from the Governor in 1935, Lomax took him on a lecture tour in the northeast, where his songs were first introduced to the rest of the world. His powerful voice and guitar riffs led him to features in the New York Times and the Herald Tribune. His style, as described by Alan Lomax, was closely tied to the antebellum South and was far from the contemporary blues of that time.

Originally, Lead Belly’s accent was almost too heavy for those listening to understand.

Wanting audience to grasp the words, Lead Belly would often pause between verses of the songs to explain what each meant. This, along with an accompanying lecture from Lomax about how the songs were recorded, made the lecture tour very popular.

Though John Lomax and Lead Belly reportedly had a falling out in 1935 over a money dispute during one of his lecture tours, both men continued to be involved with the folk music that made them famous. John Lomax continued contributing to the newly established Federal Music Project, and his recording of Lead Belly’s “Irene, Goodnight” became the first track ever added to the Archive for American Folk Song in the Library of Congress (now known as the American Folklife Center’s Archive).

Lead Belly continued touring and recording music for fifteen years after his release from prison. He worked closely with Alan Lomax, son of John Lomax, on his recordings.

Sadly, as Alan Lomax said during a 1960 interview about Lead Belly, “He never really made it ‘til he was dead.” Six months after Lead Belly’s death in 1949 his song “Irene, Goodbye” became a national and international success, ultimately selling over 2 million copies. Many of the recordings made of Lead Belly by both John and Alan Lomax still exist today in the Library of Congress and can be accessed through the online catalog.

u Bonus Feature:

Scan the code with your smart phone to listen to Huddie Ledbetter sing "Irene, Goodnight," recorded in June 1949 at University of Texas–Austin.

FROM FACT TO FICTION • 17

SOUL SEARCHING

by Amy Janowiecki Frank Higgins, creator of the passionate and inspiring play Black Pearl Sings!, discusses how he gave life to emotional experiences of two culturally diverse women during the 1930’s and the effects of culture-rich music.

Q: How did you begin your career as a playwright?

I started as a poet. After a couple of books of poetry, I noticed my best poems seemed to have both people and a story in them. I tried writing a play and was lucky enough to get it produced by a college in the Kansas City area. The production was selected to go to the regional American College Theater Festival where I met Alan Schneider, the famous director of Samuel Beckett and Edward Albee's work. He encouraged me to write for the theater, and I found I fell in love with it.

Q: What inspired you to write Black Pearl Sings!?

I love folk songs, and in particular folk songs that travel. The play is in part inspired by the real life story of John Lomax and Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter. Lomax’s goal of recording the music of ‘common people’ was a great goal. Lomax’s racial views were not great, or enlightened. And when the two came to NYC in the '30s, Lomax in fact had Leadbelly perform at first in prison stripes. I used that idea in a modified form in Black Pearl Sings!. For a couple of years, I’d toyed with the idea of writing a play about Lead Belly and John Lomax, but something kept me from doing it. When I discovered the actual African song that appears in Black Pearl Sings!, I realized why I never tried to write the Lomax-Lead Belly play. Lomax never seemed to have considered that there might be an African song that came to America on the slave ships that might still exist. Susannah, the song collector in Black Pearl Sings!, is convinced that there might still be a surviving African song from pre-slavery times, but the clock is ticking, and she must find it before the people die off.

Q: How did you choose the songs to be featured in Black Pearl Sings!?

I came across the African song and the story behind it in a documentary titled The Language You Cry In. It blended in well with the idea I had of a woman working for the Library of Congress recording songs out 'in the field.' I knew all of the other songs in the play from my research for a musical play I wrote called WMKS: Where Music Kills Sorrow, that consists of folk songs and work calls. Along with a couple of songs that have become well known, I thought the show needed a couple of songs that fewer people would know. There needed to be songs from the Southern Mountains, which the Susannah character is an expert on. The song she sings in the last scene, “Six Feet of Earth,” rocks me back in my seat through its simplicity, and I suspected from the outset that the reveal of the African song would end the play.

18 • INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT FRANK HIGGINS

SOUL SEARCHING, CONT. Q: How do you feel when Black Pearl Sings! journeys to new stages to be performed?

I've seen about a dozen different productions and have enjoyed my time at each theater. The play has been at large theaters such as the 600-seat Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., which was an unforgettable experience; and a couple of months ago I saw the play at an 80-seat theater in Birmingham, Alabama. Along the way I've met a lot of wonderful actors, directors, designers, and–in particular–audience members from coast to coast.

Q: What do you hope the audience will take away from the show?

I hope that people can see and feel the importance of songs to people's lives, that people will make a point to preserve and record any of their own family folklore that they can, and that they have been engaged in this two-character play that tugs back and forth at the mind and heart.

u Bonus Feature:

Read more behind-the-scenes interviews along with background information about Black Pearl Sings! on our blog at www.ensemblecincy.wordpress.com.

Ready your questions, comments, issues and drama! Join us for our PLAY/Back series after select shows as cast and/ or guest panelists lead an engaging discussion and answer questions about the show. Patrons who have purchased tickets to any date are welcome to attend, however, no purchase is necessary for admission to the PLAY/Back series.

Sunday, March 17

Featuring the Cincinnati Pops' John Morris Russell and Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Musicology Professor at Miami University

Image: Mikki Schaffner

PLAY/Back

Sunday, March 24 Featuring

Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Musicology Professor at Miami University INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT FRANK HIGGINS • 19

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20 •

WHY WE VOLUNTEER One of our earliest encounters with ETC was over 20 years ago when we wanted to share our love of live theatre with our children. What better place to introduce children to the magic of the stage than at the annual holiday fairy tale (or panto as it was called then) at ETC? This is as true today as it was when our children were young. Our children loved it and were hooked on live performance.

We have been volunteers for most of our lives as camp counselors, in fraternal organizations, in professional organizations, through churches, schools, scouting, athletics and various community non-profits. We have supported the arts in Cincinnati for most of our lives, subscribing and attending performances. Now that we are older we are able to provide financial support as well. Somehow, it wasn’t until we retired that the two activities of volunteering and supporting live theatre finally merged.

Assuming that in retirement we would have more time available, we made a call to ETC to see if they had a need for volunteers. Luckily, the answer was yes and they had a new volunteer class that we could attend.

This will sound cliché, but we definitely get more than we give. Through our association with ETC and The Entourage (their volunteer group), we have had the opportunity to help ETC by working community events that financially benefited ETC and working street festival information tables to encourage others to experience the exceptional productions on their stage. We have assisted with office work, mailers, subscription renewals, ushered and bartended at shows.

So, what are the rewards besides getting to see fantastic shows? We get the chance to meet and talk with other Entourage volunteers, all of them avid theatregoers, as we share the latest and greatest about current productions in Cincinnati. We get to know the staff and acting interns, often feeling like a theatre insider as we see scripts evolve, sets being built and productions coming together. But by far the greatest thing is standing with your back to the stage, ushering before a performance, as patrons come into the theatre, watching them admire and marvel at the set or after a performance as you are told how much they enjoyed themselves and thanking the usher because ETC is such a great theatre.

And finally, we would volunteer if for no other reason than to work as Fairy Godmothers. This is the ETC program that brings children from underprivileged schools to see that annual holiday fairy tale show. The theatre is filled with children, often as young as 5 years old, many attending a live performance for the first time in their lives. Their reactions and interaction with the actors is amazing to watch and their hugs on the way out are priceless and perhaps, we are “hooking” the next generation on the magic of live theatre.

-Pann and Terry Webb

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT • 21

THE CAST ANNIE FITZPATRICK (Susannah Mullally) recently appeared in Good People at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Other favorite ETC productions include: Next Fall, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Rabbit Hole, String of Pearls (for which she received an Acclaim Award), Wayfarer’s Rest, Intimate Apparel, The Exonerated, Women of Lockerbie, and Earhart. In addition, she won Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for her performances in Copperheads, Dinner With Friends, and Mauritius. This past fall, she played the Waitress in Hank Williams: Lost Highway at Cincinnati Playhouse In the Park. She has appeared in A Man For All Seasons and Blithe Spirit at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Collapse at Know Theatre of Cincinnati. She has worked regionally at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva Theatre, Florida Stage, Florida Studio, CATCO, Human Race Theatre Company, Porthouse Theatre, and New Edgecliff Theatre. She was a founding member of The New Group in New York and toured internationally with Murder à La Carte. She has appeared in numerous soaps, local and national commercials, and the film Milk Money. She recently appeared in an episode of Army Wives and in the feature film Fun Size.

TORIE WIGGINS (Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson) recently appeared on Ensemble Theatre CIncinnati's stage as The March Hare in Alice in Wonderland. Ms. Wiggins is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Dramatic Performance. She co-adapted and performed her one-woman show, Your Negro Tour Guide at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, as well as other venues in Cincinnati and across the country. Currently residing in New York, she has appeared on All My Children, the feature film Love Me Through It and her voice can be heard on national television and radio commercials. She most recently performed as a Seasonal Resident Artist with Know Theatre of Cincinnati, appearing in Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party, Collapse, Afghan Women Writer's Project, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. This past fall, she was seen in To Kill A Mockingbird at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, for which she was nominated for a League of Cincinnati Theatres Award.

u Bonus Feature:

Log on to youtube.com/ensembletheatrecincy to watch an interview with cast members Annie Fitzpatrick and Torie Wiggins.

22 • CAST

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• 23

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR D. LYNN MEYERS is in her sixteenth season as the Producing Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati where she has directed over a fifty world and regional premieres, including Good People, Alice in Wonderland, Next to Normal, and The Whipping Man. She recently directed The Pavilion at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Pride and Prejudice for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. She directed Off-Broadway at the York Theatre with Marsha Norman’s Traveler in the Dark and James McClure’s Max and Maxie. Her regional work includes Capital Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Florida Stage, and the Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles where she directed the Sweet 16 anniversary production of Steel Magnolias.

Her several Canadian national tours included Mass Appeal with the late great Gale Gordon. As a producer for Dove Audio, she produced and directed dozens of audio books. She served as the Associate Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Playhouse for several seasons where she cast over one hundred productions as well as directed in both the Marx and Shelterhouse theatres. In addition to her directing work, she is a member of the Casting Society of America and has cast for PBS, CBS, BBC, HBO, MTM, Paramount and MGM. Her favorite feature credit is serving as Location Casting Director for the Academy Award-winning Shawshank Redemption. She was a named one of four finalists for the Zelda Fichandler National Award in 2011, honoring directors whose work is making an impact on the art form and their community. She was honored with as a YWCA Woman of Achievement and given the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Continued Excellence. She is a proud graduate of Thomas More College and serves on the college’s Board of Trustees.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT FRANK HIGGINS is the author of The Sweet By 'n' By, which was produced with Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Black Pearl Sings! which was produced with Tonya Pinkins. His plays have been seen in New York, and at the Williamstown Theater Festival, the Old Globe Theatre, Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., Northlight Theatre in Chicago, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theater, Inter-Act Theater in Philadelphia, Horizons Theater in Atlanta, and many other places. Among his other plays are WMKS: Where Music Kills Sorrow, Gunplay, and Miracles. He has also written several plays for young audiences, including Anansi the Spider and The Middle Passage (which had a national tour) and The Country of the Blind. He is the author of two books of poetry and two books of haiku. He lives in Kansas City, Mo.

Building Character Discover our new blog and go in-depth with our shows at www. ensemblecincy.wordpress.com 24 • ABOUT THE DIRECTOR & PLAYWRIGHT

THE PRODUCTION TEAM CONSTANCE DUBINSKI (Production Stage Manager) is excited to be returning for her fourth season at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. She has worked for many major opera houses including Washington National Opera in Washington, DC, Florida Grand Opera in Miami, FL, Cincinnati Opera, and The Lyric Opera of Chicago. She earned her M.F.A. at the College-Conservatory of Music at The University of Cincinnati and her B.M. at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She would like to thank her family and Zack for their love and support.

BRANDON T. HOLMES (Assistant Stage Manager) This is Mr. Holmes' third production with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. His previous productions were Alice in Wonderland and Freud's Last Session. He is a graduate of Wichita State University with a B.F.A. in Technical Theatre and Design. For two seasons, he was a stage management intern at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. His favorite credits there include Thunder Knocking On The Door, Merrily We Roll Along, A Christmas Carol, Over the Tavern, and The Understudy. For four summers, he served as an assistant stage manager at Music Theatre of Wichita. Favorite credits there include Les Misérables, The Producers, Miss Saigon, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sunset Boulevard and The Little Mermaid. Originally from Overland Park, Kansas, he has worked on productions with KC Starlight, Theatre in the Park, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Wichita Center for the Arts, and Signature Theatre. Thank you to the cast and design staff for making this a fantastic experience; Lynn for this opportunity; and his Playhouse family for the inspiration. Love to Mom, Dad, Ryan, Justin, Molly, AJ and Toby.

BRIAN c. MEHRING (Resident Set & Lighting Designer) has designed over seventy productions at ETC. His favorite productions include: Thom Pain (based on nothing), James and Annie, Copenhagen, Blue/Orange, and I Am My Own Wife. Mr. Mehring’s regional favorites for set design include: The Last 5 Years and The Laramie Project, Playhouse in the Park; Henry IV, Part 1, The Georgia Shakespeare Festival; and I Am My Own Wife, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Peterborough Players, and Florida Studio Theatre; and for video design, Hiding Behind Comets (Playhouse in the Park).

Mr. Mehring has also served as Charge Scenic Painter for the Cincinnati Opera and as the Production Designer for Speaking of Women’s Health (1999). Mr. Mehring spent a season assisting mentor Paul Shortt at Teatro de Lucca and three seasons assisting Broadway Designer Robert T. Williams at Artpark in New York.

MATTHEW HOLLSTEGGE (Master Electrician) is a proud graduate of Thomas More College and is now in his tenth year as Master Electrician at ETC. His lighting design credits include: Freud's Last Session, Gravesongs, Souvenir, Ugly Duck, The Ensemble Project: Rebels With a Cause, Raw: Revealed, and Breath, Boom!; Rapunzel for the Cincinnati Opera; and Oleanna with Director Michael Burnham. Additionally, his lighting design for Souvenir was remounted at Vienna’s English Theatre in Vienna, Austria. Mr. Hollstegge assisted Betsy Adams and Nancy Schertler at Playhouse in the Park, and currently assists the amazing Brian c. Mehring.

PRODUCTION TEAM • 25

PRODUCTION TEAM CONT. SHANNON RAE LUTZ (Properties Master/Design Assistant) earned her Master’s degree in 1996 and became Prop Master at ETC and since then she has “mastered” dozens of productions. Ms. Lutz would like to thank the Cincinnati theatre community and patrons for their generous, supportive and tenacious spirit. Trained as a performer, she first appeared on ETC’s stage during the 1989 New Works Festival. In 1991, she was granted an ETC Internship. Now the Director of Intern Programming, she is honored to guide ETC’s essential ensemble: the Intern Company. ETC performance credits include: Fiction, Alice in Wonderland (1998, 2003, 2008, 2012), Poor Super Man, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Chronicles of Plague, A School for Scandal, Cinderella, Zorro, The Frog Princess, and Sleeping Beauty (2009, 2000). She would like to thank her family for their persistent love and support, Ruth for lessons in art, life, and integrity, and Lynn for her dedication to our dreams.

AARON CLEMENTS (Technical Operations Director) is now in his fourth year at ETC. He is a native of Charlotte, NC and received his B.F.A. in Theater with a design/ technical emphasis at Greensboro College. Mr. Clements worked four seasons at Seaside Music Theater as a carpenter, master carpenter, metal shop foreman, and as the assistant technical director for a winter season. He received his M.F.A. in Technical Direction from UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. He has also worked as a carpenter for ETC’s productions of Grey Gardens and Alice in Wonderland.

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26 • PRODUCTION TEAM CONT.

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PRODUCTION TEAM CONT. MATT CALLAHAN (Sound Designer) has been the Resident Sound Designer for Actors Theatre of Louisville for the past seven seasons. Most recent designs include The Pavilion, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Bob, LMNO Pea, The End, Sirens, The Cherry Sisters, Ground, A Christmas Story, A Mid Summers Night Dream, Hard Weather Boating Party; Mrs. Mannerly and Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; This Beautiful City, All Hail Hurricane Gordo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Tempest and Sherlock Holmes. Mr. Callahan was also a co-creator/designer of Rock n’ Roll: The Reunion Tour. He has spent two seasons as the resident sound designer at The Eugene O’Neil Center for their National Playwrights Conference.

He was formerly the sound engineer for The Steppenwolf Theatre, the Assistant Engineer for Blue Man Chicago and a member of the disbanded Defiant Theatre. He received a Jeff Citation for Red Dragon (Defiant Theatre), a nomination for Fortinbras (Defiant Theatre) and a Kevin Kline nomination for Sherlock Holmes (St. Louis Rep and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park).

REBA SENSKE (Costume Designer) is CCM’s Associate Costume Designer. She’s designed costumes for ETC’s Becky’s New Car, My Name is Asher Lev, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, 33 Variations, Mauritius, Grey Gardens, The Seafarer, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Mary’s Wedding, Rabbit Hole, Souvenir, String of Pearls, I Am My Own Wife, Nite Club Confidential, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), among countless others. Her other credits include ETC’s world premiere holiday productions of Ugly Duck, Cinderella, The Frog Princess, Alice in Wonderland, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as Side Man, A Question of Mercy, Edward Albee’s Seascape, and Traveler in the Dark. Recent CCM credits include: Hot Summer Nights’ Violet, We Tell the Story, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Other CCM credits include: Wonderful Town, The Boys from Syracuse, Oklahoma!, and Big River. She designed Noah’s Flood for the May Festival and is Cincinnati Opera’s costume coordinator. She designed Ainadamar, Cosi Fan Tutti and We Rise to Freedom for the Cincinnati Opera.

SCOT WOOLLEY (Musical Director) appeared at ETC in 33 Variations, Grey Gardens, and Souvenir (also at Vienna’s English Theatre). He created Broadway arrangements for State Fair, and Off-Broadway vocal arrangements for Tapestry, the Music of Carole King. Other ETC credits include 25 The Musical, Cinderella, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Mack and Mabel, and Nite Club Confidential. He also composed the theme for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float in 2004.

Playhouse credits include conducting for Rocky Horror, Candide, Carnival, as well as performing in the world premiere of Ace. He conducted national tours of Crazy For You and Tommy and conducted and arranged music for productions at Alliance Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. His other credits include serving as music director/pianist for Five Course Love at Dayton’s Human Race Theatre and as conductor with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Lyric Theater. His arrangements were recently heard with the KSO in performance with the band Over The Rhine.

Mr. Woolley has been orchestrating material for Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and KSO.

PRODUCTION TEAM CONT. • 27

THE PREMIERE SOCIETY The Premiere Society recognizes individuals who have made gifts totaling $1,000 or more within the past year. The exceptional generosity of these donors enables ETC to present world class new works and works new to the region by having the resources to achieve the highest level of artistic quality possible. The following list was updated February 5, 2013 and includes the names of donors whose gifts total $1,000+ since December 1, 2011. For questions or corrections, please contact Ashley Johnson at (513) 421-3555, ext. 17.

WORLD CIRCLE ($10,000+): Anonymous The William P. Anderson Foundation ArtsWave The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Charles O. Carothers The Charles H. Dater Foundation, Inc. Sue & Bill Friedlander John Goering The Greater Cincinnati Foundation The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation The Andrew Jergens Foundation The Estate of Dr. Stanley Kaplan LPK Macy's Mitchell S. Meyers & Jacqueline P. Meyers Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Ohio Arts Council P&G Fund PNC Foundation Richard Postler & Manuel Hernandez John & Ruth Sawyer Fund* Ladislas & Vilma Segoe Family Foundation The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee The Shubert Foundation, Inc. Jack J. Smith, Jr. Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, N.A and Karen Wachs, Co-Trustees The Dudley S. Taft Charitable Foundation NATIONAL CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999): Anonymous Harry & Linda Fath Reuben Herzfeld Fund* Kroger Edward & Anita Marks Messer Construction Co. David & Judith Morgan Fund* Western & Southern Financial Fund REGIONAL CIRCLE ($2,500-$4,999): Mary & William Bonansinga Family Fund* Kenneth & Joan Campbell Mr. & Mrs. A. B. Closson, Jr. Crosset Family Fund* Thomas R. Dietz GBBN Architects Dennis & Rita Geiger Chip Gerhardt Mr. & Mrs. Skip & Susan Hickenlooper William & Mary Jane James * Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

28 • THE PREMIERE SOCIETY

Stephen M. King & Lynne M. Miller Jack & Moe Rouse Fund* Pete & Ginger Strange Family Fund* Ed Trach UC Physicians Co. CINCINNATI CIRCLE ($1,000-$2,499): Anonymous (4) Anatole Alper Americana Arts Foundation Nicholas Apanius Michael Berry & Melanie Garner David & Elaine Billmire Mrs. Charlene Breidster Mark & Gigi Daly Kathy DeLaura & Ron Steinhoff Dee & David Dillon Donor Advised Fund* John & Jen DuBois Mary Pat England Grace A. Epstein Mary & Bob Fitzpatrick Linda Greenberg Fund* Bob & Mary Hamilton Suzanne & Dr. Bob Hasl Bob & Judy Heaton Daniel Hurley Lorrence T. & Barbara W. Kellar Fund* Jim & Nancy Lutz Judith B. Green & Thomas M. McDonough Dr. Lisa Jo Melnyk Sharon & Graham Mitchell Diane & Dave Moccia Pat O'Connor Pepper Family Fund* Sue & Jerry Ransohoff Fund* James & Sue Riley Marvin & Besty Schwartz Fund* Arnie & Ina Shayne Shelly Shor Gerson Drs. Brian & Tracey Skale Mary Stagaman Paul & Jill Staubitz Paula Steiner The Corky & Rick Steiner Family Foundation Glenda Suttman Nellie Leaman Taft Charitable Foundation Judith B. Titchener US Bank Mr. Laurence Weber Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Woodward The Dennis B. & Patricia L. Worthen Fund Mike & Liz Zimmer

OUR SUPPORTERS ETC gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary individuals, families, and organizations whose generous support makes it possible for us to present exceptional theatre and unique educational outreach programs for our community. The following list was updated February 5, 2013 and includes the names of donors whose gifts total $125+ since December 1, 2011. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. For questions or corrections, please contact Ashley Johnson at (513) 421-3555, ext. 17.

ACTORS COLUMN ($500-$999): Anonymous Joan & Oliver Baily Leonard Berenfield Malcolm & Glenda Bernstein Mike & Juliette Bezold Neil E. Billman, In Memory of Eunice Billman Bob & Elaine Blatt Rosemary H. & Frank Bloom Special Fund* Clay & Emily Bond Jacklyn & Gary Bryson Meredythe G. & Clayton C. Daley, Jr. Family Fund* Nora Zorich & Thomas Filardo Family Fund* Kenneth J. Furrier Helen & John Habbert Michael Haney & Amy Warner Marilyn & Joseph Hirschhorn Florette Hoffheimer Betty Huck Keith & Patti James Arleene Keller Norah & joe Mock Deborah & John Moffatt Marilyn Z. Ott Kit & Jack Overbeck Doreen Quinn Jane Bogart Sellers Linda & Andy Smith John & Martha Spiess Ed & Anne Stern Elizabeth Stites & Kevin Randall Dr. & Mrs. Joe & Nancy Stratman Carol Talbot & John Battistone Dixie & Bill Utter Maureen & Larry Vignola Irwin & Barbara Weinberg Jo Ann Wieghaus STAGE MANAGERS COLUMN ($250-$499): Anonymous (3) Actors' Equity Foundation, Inc. Helen & Keith Armstrong Fund* Dorothy Blatt Mark Bowen Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Matching Gift Program Daniel Brown & Mark Haggard Kevin & Linda Chaney Larry & Janet Clements Douglas L. Custis & Katherine A. Keller Kelly M. Dehan & Stephen H. Gallenstein

Kathryn J. DeLong Duke Energy Robert & Elizabeth W. Ehrsam Richard Fencl Terrell & Susan Finney GE Foundation Matching Gifts Program David W. & Frances H. Goldman Fund* Judith Harmony & Richard Jackson Debra Hartsell & Michael James Ann E. Hicks Erin Houlihan & John Bostick mj Dynamics Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Matching Gifts Program Charles D. King Michael & Barbara Lancor William & Sibyl Miller Hatsuki Miyata Michael Nordlund & Lisa Lee Morris & Patricia Passer Family Fund* Alice & Burton Perlman Margaret M. Reid Becky & Ted Richards Tim & Mary Riordan J. R. Rulon Mark Silbersack & Ruth Schwallie Jack & Kris Schwein Eleanor Shott Jennifer Verkamp Buzz Ward Steve F. Warkany Fund* Joseph Wessling Kate & Jay Wilford Gene Wilson CREW COLUMN ($125-$249): Anonymous (2) Karen & Fred Abel Larry & Debby Adams Scott & Anne Aiken Albert & Lillian Andrews Norita Aplin & Stanley Ragle Gail Barker, M.D. Neil Bortz & Susan Myers David A. Brashear Sally Chatfield Dunn Jean & Matt Chimsky Charlene Davis Judith de Luce Emilie W. & David W. Dressler Family Fund* Darin Dugan

* Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

OUR SUPPORTERS • 29

OUR SUPPORTERS, CONT. CREW CONT.: Richard & Deirdre Dyson Peggy Eberhard Charles K. Eckert Mr. & Mrs. Frederick A. Fink Deborah Friedman Carol S. Friel Cyndi Grammel, In Honor of Skylar Cherry Michael Gumbleton & Teddy Gumbleton Steve & Becky Haines Irving Harris Sue Harris Dale Hodges David & Karen Hoguet Cindy & Bill Hopping Nancy Jones & Richard Sippel Margaret W. Kite, In Honor of Ruth Sawyer Carmen & Rich Kovarsky Kroger Community Rewards Program Mr. & Mrs. Polk Laffoon, IV M. Ann Leech John Lin Alfonso & Mary Lopez Dick & Barbara Males DeDe & Kevin McNeal Dr. Ralph Meyer

Anu & Shekhar Mitra Graham & Karen Paxton Irene & Daniel Randolph Family Elaine Reubel Steven & Carol Reubel Danielle & Kenneth Revelson George & Caroll Roden Mary Rogers, In Honor of Joseph McDonough Richard Russell Catharine B. Saelinger Elizabeth Sherwood Eli E. Shupe, Jr. & Toby Ruben Richard & Jackie Snyder Jean Springer Elizabeth A. Stone Fred & Anne Straus Charitable Fund Tom Tepe Autocenter J. Michael & Patricia Thierauf Tom Umfrid & Phil Tworek Rosalie P. van Nuis Priscilla S. Walford Jane A. Walker Jackie Weist Barbara Wiedemann Joseph D. Williams Dr. & Mrs. James & Ronna Willis

* Denotes a Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Shaping Ohio’s Communities Through the Arts Culturally, Educationally and Economically.

Visit ArtsinOhio.com to search for thousands of performances, events, festivals and exhibitions that are sure to move you.

The only site you need for arts and cultural events in Ohio.

30 • OUR SUPPORTERS CONT.

Ohio Arts Council Rhodes State Office Tower 30 E. Broad St., 33rd Floor Columbus, OH 43215-3414 Phone: 614 /466-2613 Fax: 614 /466-4494 www.oac.ohio.gov

ArtsinOhio.com is a collaboration between • Experience Columbus • Positively Cleveland • Cincinnati USA RTN • Ohio Arts Council

OUR STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF D. Lynn Meyers Producing Artistic Director

EXECUTIVE BOARD John Sawyer Stephen M. King Chair President

Richard J. Diehl Managing Director

Marcene Kinney Vice President

Jocelyn Meyer Director of Communications & Development Manager

Jane Sellers Secretary

Amy King Ruggaber Director of Education Outreach Jared D. Doren Director of Patron Services & Development Associate Ashley Johnson Producing Associate FINANCIAL ADVISOR Chet Cavaliere BOX OFFICE STAFF John Diehl Seth Longland Jenna McBride Sarah Nix Caity O'Shaughnessy

Mitchell Meyers Treasurer

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Nick Apanius Mary Bonansinga Otto M. Budig Dr. Charles O. Carothers Brenda A. Carter Kathy DeLaura Tom Dietz Dennis Geiger Chip Gerhardt Skip Hickenlooper Dan Hurley Edward G. Marks Richard L. Postler Ruth D. Sawyer Mary Stagaman Mike Zimmer

PRODUCTION STAFF Brian c. Mehring Resident Set & Lighting Designer Matthew Hollstegge Production Coordinator & Master Electrician Shannon Rae Lutz Property Master, Design Assistant & Director of Intern Programming Aaron Clements Technical Operations Director Doug Stock Technical Assistant Constance Dubinski Production Stage Manager Brandon T. Holmes Assistant Stage Manager

HEAD OF SECURITY Officer Nick Ligon ADMINISTRATIVE INTERNS Jessica Gardner, Administration Amy Janowiecki, Marketing ACTING INTERN COMPANY Leah Baker, Anne Default, Spenser Smith, Tess Talbot, Nick Tsangaris, Paloma White, Sarah White STAGE MANAGEMENT INTERNS Rachel Burson, Elizabeth Freyman, Hannah Holthaus, Margot Whitney

OUR STAFF • 31

PATRON SERVICES ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI 1127 Vine Street | Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 | www.ensemblecincinnati.org (513) 421-3555 ETC BOX OFFICE HOURS & ACCEPTED PAYMENT Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 2 hours prior to curtain. Weekend hours vary. VISA, MC, Discover, and AmEx are accepted, as well as Downtown Gift Cards.

TICKET RESERVATIONS & SALE POLICY Reservations can be made by calling the box office, in person, or online at. Ticket reservations are not accepted via email. Single-ticket purchases are a final sale with no refund. Single tickets may, however, be exchanged for another performance during the run of a show for a fee, but may not be exchanged from one production to another. If a patron is a no-show for their reserved performance, ETC is under no obligation to reschedule his or her tickets.

TAX CREDITS If for any reason you cannot attend your performance and cannot reschedule for another date, tickets released prior to performances by calling the ETC box office are fully deductible as a charitable contribution.

No-shows or tickets released after curtain time do not qualify as tax credits.

PARKING Patrons may park at the Gateway Garage (accessible via 12th Street) or at the surface lot, both are conveniently located at the corner of Vine and 12th Streets. Parking is also available at Washington Park Garage, accessible via Elm or Race Street. Charges vary.

CHILDREN Children under the age of 4 will not be admitted to productions unless otherwise advertised. Parents with disruptive children will be asked to leave the theatre.

LATECOMERS & ADMITTANCE Latecomers will be seated at the House Manager’s discretion and may be denied admission depending upon the demands or structure of a particular production. Should you need to leave the theatre during a performance, readmittance is not guaranteed. ETC reserves the right to deny admission and/or remove any disruptive patrons from the theatre at any time.

RESTROOMS Restrooms are located at the front of the lobby. Should you need to use the restroom during a performance, please exit the theatre the same way you came in. Readmittance will be at House Manager's discretion.

ACCESSIBILITY Please notify the box office in advance if you require wheelchair-accessible seating or have special seating needs and our staff will be happy to accommodate you. Audio-enhancement and large-print playbills available. Generally, sign-interpreted performances are on the third Wednesday of every production.

CAMERAS, CELL PHONES & STAGE Actors’ Equity Association strictly prohibits the use of cameras or recording devices (including camera phones) in the theatre. Kindly turn off any cell phones or pagers prior to the show starting. Text messaging during the show disturbs other audience members and actors and will not be tolerated. For safety reasons, audience members are strictly prohibited from standing, sitting or otherwise being or putting anything onstage at any time.

GROUPS & DISCOUNTS Groups of 10 or more can save over single-ticket prices. Student rates, rush discounts, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, ArtsWave ArtsPass, Enjoy the Arts, and educator and military member discounts available (please consult your appropriate membership(s) for details and exclusions).

32 • PATRON SERVICES

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