Director
JEREMY LEE CUDD
STAGE MANAGER
HANNAH ZDANCEWICZ
COSTUME DESIGN ERIC GRIFFIS
SCENIC DESIGN PHILLIP MALE
LIGHTING DESIGN BENTLEY SAVELLE
SEPT. 24-27 • 7:30 P.M. SEPT. 28 • 2 P.M.
RUSSELL AUDITORIUM
Director’s Note
We are quite far away from 1895 London and the social circles Oscar Wilde is satirizing in the Importance of Being Earnest. For a contemporary audience it can feel simply like a light, farcical comedy about two young couples leveraging for consent to be married while wrestling with the integration of their single-life identities. A late-Victorian audience naturally brought their own societal rules and cultural baggage to the show and so would have strongly felt Wilde’s satirical sting. He creates a topsy-turvy version of their world full of inverted logic which tickles the funny bone while enhancing the sense of absurd arbitrariness to upper-class social rules. Our 21st-century American culture still has enough of a Victorian hangover to understand the interplay of money, class, and social status that characters like Lady Bracknell preside over. Bracknell maintains a list of eligible gentlemen to vet marriage-mergers between the old aristocracy and the newly rich. Just a small amount of research quickly exposes a related constellation of sophisticated social critiques and coded communications in Wilde’s text, but something about this play really started to ping with our contemporary culture when I came across a quote from Susan Laity’s essay, “The Soul of Man under Victoria: Iolanthe, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Bourgeois Drama.”
"Each character in the play is an aesthete, an artist of the personality, who devotes him or herself wholly to —him or herself."
These characters don’t have camera-phones, but they are living their lives almost as if they were being recorded — a “Victorian Selfie,” if you will. Their diary entries are a constructed fiction akin to the functional use of our social media accounts. We share Hot Takes instead of bon mots to raise our public profiles. The voluminous etiquette manuals of the 19th century have been replaced with TikTok feeds and IG Reels. Different medium, but the pressure to internalize and conform to the trends is the same. The absurd affectations of our new Influencer class trying to adapt the old Hollywood rules of celebrity, even as those rules crack and crumble, feels like a contemporary analogue for a vibe in this play. There is no shortage of what we might call Main Character Energy in the young lovers, but there is a delightful duality to its expression. Their heavily fictionalized identities become a way of hacking the Victorian rules, carving out a space for their individual freedom while they seek to enter into approved marriages. The lovers improvise with each other’s fictions as a courtship ritual, playfully negotiating power and autonomy. In these games of self-invention, Wilde showcases our universal capacity for both adaptability and self-delusion. I find the former to be thrillingly joyful, and the latter to be consistently hilarious.
Thanks for supporting live theatre!
— Jeremy Lee Cudd
The Importance of Being Earnest Cast
ALGERNON .............................................................................................. Kyle Krug
JACK .................................................................................................... Griffin Taylor
CHASUBLE ................................................................................. Wesley Baumann
LANE ..................................................................................................... Brooke Cain
MERRIMAN............................................................................................. Liam Parks
MISS PRISM ................................................................................... Avery Whitling
CECILY ...................................................................................... Courtnee Tabacchi
GWENDOLYN .................................................................................... Jayla Beasley
LADY BRACKNELL ........................................................................Elysia Johnson
SETTING
ACT I
Algernon Moncrieff's Flat in Half-Moon Street, London.
ACT II
The Garden at the Manor House, Woolton.
ACT III
Drawing-Room at the Manor House, Woolton.
TIME: 1895
Please note —There will be one 10-minute intermission after Act I.
Production Team
Director .......................................... Jeremy Lee Cudd
Stage Manager .................................. Hannah Zdancewicz
Asst. Stage Managers Jo Stephens, Ruth Rodriguez
Scene Designer ......................................... Phillip Male
Costume Designer ........................................ Eric Griffis
Lighting Designer .................................... Bentley Savelle
Production Manager .................................. Beate Czogalla
Hair/Make-up Designer Chloe Butts
Technical Director ................................... Patrick Hamilton
Costume Shop Supervisor ............................ Cathleen O'Neal
Dialect/Movement ..................................... Tara Chiusano
Lead Electrician Ethan Rogers
Lead Carpenter, Hair/Make-up Asst. ..................... Josey Maddox
Scenic Charge ...........................................Kelsey Hall
Scenic Painters .............Laurence Grau, Kenzie Miller, Gavin Czohara
Props Lead ........................................... Jody Hensley
Props Runners Jaiden Connel, Matilda Erney
Light Board Operator ................................... Jace Barlow
Wardrobe Supervisor ................................... Seth Clinton
Dressers ................................. Lynn Baker, Vy Jarret-Lazzari
Make-up Assistant Madison Hildebrand
Shift Crew ............................ Charles Alfaro, Mercury Nelson
House Manager ..................................... Jesse Stallworth
Asst. House Manager ................................ Sharai Colindres
Box Office Manager ................................Jennifer Gheesling
Box Office Lead Amelia Daws
Brian Wallenberg ...................................... Photographer
Keither Bergeron ......................... Russell Auditorium Manager
Special thanks for the additional scenic painting to GCSU's Scenic Painting Class.
Cast and Crew Bios (A-Z)
Charles Alfaro (Theater/ Poli Sci 2028, Floating Intern) Past shows include Onegin and At The Wedding. Charles would like to thank his friends and family for all the love.
Lynn Baker (Theatre 2028, Dresser). Past shows include Viola in Twelfth Night and Ensemble in Onegin. Lynn would like to thank their families and friends for their support!
Jace Barlow (Theatre December 2026, Light Board Operator). Past shows include: At the Wedding (Light Board Operator), Onegin (Spotlight Operator)
Wesley Baumann (Theatre 2029, Chasuble) would like to thank all his friends and family for their constant love and support in his acting journey.
Jayla Beasley (Mass Communication 2028, Gwendolyn) Previous shows include Beetlejuice (Delia), Onegin (Ensemble), and Chicago (Velma Kelly). She would like to thank all my family and friends for their love and support.
Chloe Butts (Theatre 2026, Hair & Makeup Designer) Previous shows include Leveling Up (Hair & Makeup Assistant), Twelfth Night (Hair & Makeup Designer), and Dragons Love Tacos (Hair & Makeup Designer). She would like to thank Lauren and Emma for their endless support and sweet treat runs.
Brooke Cain (Theatre 2029, Lane) is super excited for her first college show! Brooke would like to thank the GCSU theatre for being so kind, accepting, and inclusive. Break legs, everyone!
Tara Chiusano (Voice and Movement Coach) is an accomplished actor who has performed in regional productions of Sense and Sensibility, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Persuasion, Love’s Labor’s Lost (Indiana Summer Festival Theater), Macbeth (Chesapeake Shakespeare), The Bridges of Madison County (Legacy Theater), and more As a dialect and voice coach, she has worked on Macbeth and Dead Man’s Cellphone at the University of Tennessee-Martin. She received her M.F.A. in Classical Acting from The Academy for Classical Acting with The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Seth Clinton (Theatre 2028, Wardrobe Supervisor). Past shows include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray and Assistant Stage Manager for Onegin. Seth would like to thank their family for all their support.
Sharai Colindres (Political Science, 2029, Assistant House Manager) Sharai would like to thank her family.
Jaiden Connel (Theatre 2027, Props Runner). Past shows include Leveling Up (Props Runner), Twelfth Night (Dresser), and Dragons Love Tacos (Sound board operator) Jaiden is excited to help out with this show!
Jeremy Lee Cudd (Director) is an Assistant Professor of Performance at GCSU. Some previous directing credits include Leveling Up and Twelfth Night (GCSU), Uncle Vanya (Authenticity Theater), Crime & Punishment (Penfold Theatre), This Is Our Youth (Santa Cruz Theater), and Actually (WorkHound).
Beate Czogalla (Production Manager) is delighted to have been a part of the theatre program at GCSU as Professor of Theatre Design since the Fall of 2000. She has a BA and MA degree in Theatre from Giessen University (Germany) and an MFA degree in Scenography and Lighting Design from Virginia Tech. Ms. Czogalla has designed internationally with credits at theatres across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Gavin Czohara (Geography 2029, Scene Painter). Past shows include TJ in Sister Act, Bruce in Matilda, Polly in One Spotlight Town, and Chuck in Footloose. Gavin would like to thank everyone in the GCSU theater program for all their support.
Tess Davidson (Theatre 2028, Costume Intern). Past shows include Assistant Stage Manager for Twelfth Night and Props Runner for Onegin and Dragons Love Tacos. Tess would like to thank friends, family, and their blind dog.
Matilda Erney (English (Literature)/ Studio Art 2029, Props Runner) Past shows include Anne of Green Gables, (Head of Costumes) and the role of Ms. Stacey. Matilda would like to thank, her high school theatre teacher, Mrs. Jones.
Laurence “Lucky” Grau (Theatre 2026, Scene Painter) Past shows include Dresser for Twelfth Night, Props Lead/Supervisor for Onegin, and Dresser for Dragons love Tacos. Laurence would like to thank his parents and his friends for supporting him throughout his college career.
Eric Griffis (Costume Designer) is the former Professor of Costume Design and Chair for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Georgia College. He is currently attending University College Cork in Ireland pursuing a degree in Arts Management and Creative Producing. Previous designs at GCSU include Twelfth Night, We Will Rock You, These Shining Lives, Heathers,
and Cabaret for Georgia College. Other designs include Snowgirls, Homos: Or Everyone in America, Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Warplay, Christmas with the Crawfords, I Am My Own Wife, and the world premiere of TRICK! the musical at Out Front Theatre Company in Atlanta.
Kelsey Hall (Graphic Design/ Theatre 2026, Scenic Charge) Past Shows include Scenic Charge for Dragons Love Tacos and At the Wedding, Scenic Painter for We Will Rock You and Twelfth Night. Kelsey would like to thank their friends and family for always supporting them.
Patrick Hamilton (Technical Director) received his BA in Theatre from GCSU and now serves as the department’s Technical Director and Scene Shop Supervisor. Over the past decade, Hamilton has worked as a freelance scenic designer and technical director building a resume that boasts over 100 productions across the Middle Georgia area.
Joseph Hensley (Theatre 2026, Props Lead) Past roles include Buddy Holly in We Will Rock You, Sir Toby in 12th Night and Sound Designer in his first show ever The Princess Who Had No Name. Jody would like to thank all the wonderful people who worked toward making this production possible
Madison Hildebrand (Theatre/ Music 2028, Make-Up Assistant) Past roles include Madame Larin in Onegin, Prop Runner in Twelfth Night, and Dresser in Dragons Love Tacos. Madison would like to thank their family and friends for their support.
Vy Jarret-Lazzari (Theatre/English 2028, Dresser) Past shows include Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night, Dresser for Onegin, and Figure 3 in Property Rites Vy would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support.
Elysia Johnson (Theatre 2025, Lady Bracknell) is thrilled for her final performance at GCSU as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. Her past shows include These Shining Lives (Catherine) and Twelfth Night (ASM). Elysia would like to thank her family and friends for their endless love and support, as well as the audience for attending this exhilarating performance.
Kyle Krug (English 2027, Algernon) Kyle couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this show!! They would like to thank the whole cast and crew for making this experience unforgettable *dab*.
Josey Maddox (Theatre 2026, Lead Carpenter, Hair/Make-Up Assistant) Previously Hair and Make Up Assistant for Onegin. She is thrilled to work on more shows soon. She would like to thank her family and friends fro their support.
Phillip Male (Scenic Design) is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design here at GCSU. He has worked professionally as a Scenic Designer, Production Manager, Scenic Charge Artist, Props Carpenter, and Technical Director for several theatres and Universities throughout the country. He would like to thank his wife, Tara, and dog, Enzo, for their support.
Kenzie Miller (Theatre/Photography 2029, Painter) Past shows include, Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and The Beast, and Nancy in Oliver. She would like to thank her parents for their endless support.
Mercury Nelson (Theatre 2029, Shift Crew) This is their first show at GCSU!! Mercury would like to thank their family for all their support. They hope you enjoy the show.
Cathleen O’Neal (Costume Shop Supervisor, Hair/Make-up Supervisor) works full-time as the Costume Shop Supervisor for GCSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance. She received her MFA in Costume Design and Production from the University of Alabama in May 2014 and has designed costumes, hair, and makeup for multiple productions at GCSU and for various Theatrical organizations, including Out Front Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre, Holy Innocence Episcopal School, and Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp. She would like to thank her late costume mentor, Monica Weinzapfel, for seeing her potential as a freshman at Radford University and taking a chance on her! She wouldn’t be where she is today without her!
Liam Parks (Theatre 2029, Merriman) is a freshman at GCSU and is very thankful for the opportunity to perform in this show. He would like to thank his loving parents and sister for their support.
Ruth Rodriguez (Theatre 2026, Asst. Stage Manager) Previous shows include Dragons Love Tacos (Leroy), Twelfth Night (Props Supervisor), and At the Wedding (Carlo). She would like to thank Jeremy and Hannah for making this show an exciting process!
Ethan Rogers (Theatre 2027, Master Electrician) Previous shows include We Will Rock You (ASM), Twelfth Night (Master Carpenter), Bountiful (Lighting Designer). He would like to thank the department and his family.
Bentley Savelle (Theatre 2026, Lighting Designer) Past shows include At the Wedding (Asst. Stage Manager), The Feast (Scenic Design), We Will Rock You (Scenic Artist) and Leveling Up (Scenic Artist). She would like to thank her friends, family, Keith, Hannah, and the amazing cast and crew.
Jesse Stallworth (Theatre 2027, House Manager) was Asst. House Manager for At The Wedding (2024) and Spotlight Op for the musical Onegin (2025). She wants to thank her family and friends for all their support.
Jo Stephens (Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies 2027, Asst. Stage Manager) Previous shows include Twelfth Night (ASM) and Onegin (ASM). She would like to thank her planner for keeping her life together!
Courtnee Tabacchi (Theatre and Mass Communication 2025, Cecily Cardew) Courtnee’s excited to perform her last show at GCSU! She is thankful for her friends and family’s support! I hope you enjoy the Bunburying *epic backflip*
Griffin Taylor (Marketing 2027, Jack) is psyched about being a part of this show, and he wants to thank all the cast and crew for making it a memorable experience. Cheers!
Avery Whitling (Theatre and Communications 2029, Miss Prism) Previous shows include The Drowsy Chaperone, Finding Nemo, Pride and Prejudice, and 12 Angry Jurors. She thanks her family and friends for their support. Lastly, she thanks her dog, Roxie.
Hannah Zdancewicz (Theatre 2026, Stage Manager) Previous shows include At the Wedding (Asst. Director/Stage Manager), Onegin (Stage Manager), We Will Rock You (Stage Manager), Leveling Up (Stage Manager), Head Over Heels (ASM), Medea (ASM). She would like to thank her parents, Chloe, Makena, and Josh, and she hopes all the cast and crew break legs!
Meet the Faculty and Staff
Dr. Winston Tripp ........................... Interim Department Chair
Natalie King ................................ Interim Director of Dance
Beate Czogalla ............... Lighting and Stage Management Faculty, Production Manager
Dr. Amy Pinney ..................... Dramaturgy and Directing Faculty
Jeremy Lee Cudd ..................................... Acting Faculty
Cathleen O’Neal ........................... Costume Shop Supervisor
Phillip Male .................................... Scenic Design Faculty
Patrick Hamilton .................................. Technical Director
Ryan P. Jones .................................... Lecturer in Theatre
Juliana Freude ....................................... Dance Lecturer
Amanda Whitfield ................................. Costume Lecturer
Jennifer Gheesling ......... Office Coordinator and Box Office Manager
SPOTLIGHTS SUPPORTERS
&The Department of Theatre would like to extend a special thank you to our friends and supporters who generously gave to our GCSU Theatre Scholarship Fund or GCSU Theatre Foundation fund from Jan. 1, 2020 to the present.
Platinum Level: $5,000 or more
Dr. Karen Berman
Paul G. Accettura
Beth Thompson
Dr. Ken Proctor
Silver Level: $1,000-$2,499
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Pursley III
Green Level: $500-$999
Karen Carney
Blue Level: $100-$499
Mike and Carol McDonald
Darlene Tighe
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burrell
William Ash
Doug and Kyle Rick
Patrick Gamble
Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson
Ellen Goodrich
Beate Czogalla
Amy Pinney
Becky Thompson in honor of Laura Wright
Charles Schwab
Anonymous—In Loving Memory of Clay Garland
Tina Toney
Gina Towner—In Honor of Laura Towner
Elizabeth Fabian—In Honor of Jim Willoughby and the Roges and Vacaboundes
Mary Lockee—In Honor of the Class of 2017
(This list represents gifts received during the current calendar year. We apologize to those whose donations came in after the printing deadline.)
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DONATE!
To donate online, scan the QR code to make a donation to GCSU Theatre and Dance Department.
To donate by mail, please make a donation to: “GCSU Foundation—Theatre and Dance” c/o Georgia College & State University Theatre and Dance Department, CBX 119, Milledgeville, GA 31061
Spotlight your business in our season playbills by contacting Jennifer Gheesling at jennifer.gheesling@gcsu.edu.
Premier Seating
Recognition in Playbill
Discounted Tickets* For 3 shows For 7 shows
Reception with Behind the Scenes Tour
Recognition on Posters and Advertisements
Special thanks to the following individuals and institutions who provided generous support to this production:
Cathy Cox, President
Dr. Holley Roberts, Provost
Interim Dean Indiren Pillay, College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Dean Winston Tripp, College of Arts and Sciences
BY JOHN BAVOSO
(OR, YOUR SIDE HU$TLE IS KILLING US)
NOV. 5-8 AT 7:30 P.M. | NOV. 9 AT 2 P.M. | CAMPUS BLACK BOX THEATRE
Director
RYAN P. JONES
Scenic Design
PATRICK HAMILTON
Stage Manager
LAUREN AVERY JONES
Lighting Design GABRIEL PURDUM
Costume Design GABRIELLE SOWELL
Sound Design NICOLAS HOEPPEL