"Master Harold"...and the Boys Program

WELCOME TO

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY

If you’ve read this space before, you know I talk a lot about dreaming: Its importance to storytelling and plays, its usefulness in times of chaos and darkness. It’s harder, though, to talk about the importance of dreaming as an instrument of CHANGE; hard to pin how something ephemeral can affect the tangible.

Hard at least for me.

Athol Fugard pulls us into a rainy dark day near the ocean to remind us that dreaming is best done together, and that all dreaming, even nightmares, can effect change. “Master Harold” ...and the Boys is an autobiographical excavation of the origins of a young freedom fighter’s dreams and aspirations, that are trapped in the nightmare of apartheid in South Africa.

Mr. Fugard is not kind in his portrait; he is something more necessary: He is honest. And even in his truthful illumination of the social and political landscape that could have easily brought to bear a person clouded in despair, divorced from his imagination, incapable of seeing the 2 P L AY B I L L

world differently, he demonstrates with great candor, with great care, that truth is only found through the need to have it. That justice isn’t wrought through facts, but in the dreaming between the lines; that where we come from does not dictate where we must go, especially if we have the time to dream a little on the journey.

There has been no greater honor in my life than to hear about this ethos of playmaking. I heard it not from Mr. Fugard himself, who passed away just last year, but from one of the dreamers he joined with to build a better society. Dr. John Kani has spent his life dreaming of a new world in the country of his birth. And he thought it not robbery to spend time teaching us every performance how to pick up this mighty tool that bends our world towards one without collisions, one centered on justice, and practice dreaming together.

Welcome.

Tarell Alvin McCraney Artistic Director

2025/2026 S E A S O N

WRITTEN BY

PEARL CLEAGE DIRECTED BY LATANYA RICHARDSON JACKSON PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH BLACK REBIRTH COLLECTIVE T I C K E T S S T A R T A T J U S T 3 6!

G E F F E N P L A Y H O U S E.O R G· 310.2 0 8.2 02 8

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / CEO

GIL CATES, JR.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mary Ann Cloyd CHAIR

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director / CEO

FOUNDING TRUSTEES

Ellyce R. Cooper

Gilbert Cates† Founder

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

Merle Dandridge Dr. Brad Edgerton Bonnie E. Eskenazi Mark Fleischer

Harold A. Brown

Kirsten Combs Robert A. Daly David Geffen Herbert M. Gelfand†

Susan Nahley Fleishman

Marcia Israel-Curley†

Welcome to “Master Harold”…and the Boys! We say the word “welcome” a lot here at the Geffen. Our team is always in conversation internally about how we can be as welcoming as possible and expand our reach through the stories on our stages, the behindthe-scenes and backstage experiences we curate, and the education and community engagement programs we proudly provide.

Brenda Garcia

Quincy Jones†

Patricia L. Glaser

Jeffrey Katzenberg

As you may have seen on the lobby display coming into the theater, Geffen Playhouse will be situated right across the street from what will become Athlete Village during the upcoming Olympics in 2028. This influx of people from so many different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences gives us a unique opportunity to gather together in new and exciting ways.

Carla Malden

We are exploring ambitious, cultural experiences that will not only redefine what can be created on our stages, but that will also expand the reach beyond our physical walls in new and immersive ways to invite in passersby.

We call this Theater Up Close, an initiative with a multi-pronged effort to both enhance the theater-going experience for our current community members and provide a place for new voices and shared experiences.

We want to bring you, your friends, your family, and all our LA neighbors closer to both the power of the arts and the power of community.

As Westwood Village prepares to welcome the Athlete Village, we invite you to be a part of our own, evergrowing Geffen Playhouse family. To learn more, please contact Cody Metzger at codym@geffenplayhouse.org.

Thank you, and enjoy the show!

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director / CEO 4 P L AY B I L L

Adi Greenberg Chair Emeritus John Horn Laura Kennedy

Brian Mann Tiffany Mayberry

Glorya Kaufman† Audrey Skirball Kenis† Charles Kenis† Karl Malden† Ginny Mancini† Frank G. Mancuso Chair Emeritus

Tarell Alvin McCraney Artistic Director

Ron Meyer

Mary Osako

Jerry Perenchio†

Danny Passman

Bruce M. Ramer Founding Chair

Holly Rice Linda Bernstein Rubin Matt Shakman

Jerry Moss†

Victoria Mann Simms Andy Spahn Steven Spielberg

Richard Sherman

Steve Tisch

Celine Parreñas Shimizu

Edie Wasserman†

Howard Tenenbaum Chair Emeritus

Lew Wasserman† Dr. Charles E. Young†

Miranda Tollman Vice Chair

† In Memoriam

JaHan Wang

LEGAL COUNSEL

Marc Weinstock

Venable LLP

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

THEATER IN EDUCATION HAS THE POWER TO IGNITE CHANGE

Above: Student Q&A with Dragon Lady star Sara Porkalob after a student matinee.

Geffen Playhouse is deeply committed to creating powerful and impactful arts education and engagement experiences that amplify, inspire, and encompass our diverse Los Angeles community. Our programs provide unique, in-depth access to theater and the arts for determined and ambitious youth and adults coming from historically excluded communities.

We invite all Angelenos to come home here. When you support our education and community engagement programs, you create a world of greater your home away from home at this historic playhouse.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS

geffenplayhouse.org/education

PHOTO BY ISAAK BERLINER

understanding, increased expression, and deeper compassion while enjoying

THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF

“MASTER HAROLD” ...AND THE BOYS WRITTEN BY

ATHOL FUGARD DIRECTED BY

EMILY MANN & TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY SCENIC DESIGNER

COSTUME DESIGNER

BEOWULF BORITT

LIGHTING DESIGNERS

SUSAN HILFERTY

ADAM HONORÉ & SPENCER DOUGHTIE

SOUND DESIGN BY

UPTOWNWORKS—NOEL NICHOLS, BAILEY TRIERWEILER & DANIELA HART CHOREOGRAPHERS

KOKO IWASAKI NYEMCHEK & KIKI NYEMCHEK DIALECT & VOICE COACH

DRAMATURG

DEBORAH HECHT PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

COLLEEN DANAHER

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

RODNEY GARDINER

AMY LEVINSON ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

REBECCA K. HSIA

CASTING DIRECTOR

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA

OPENING NIGHT

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026 2025/2026 SEASON SPONSOR

“Master Harold”...and the Boys is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com 6 P L AY B I L L

“MASTER HAROLD” ...AND THE BOYS CAST OF CHARACTERS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Hally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BEN BEATTY Willie.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NYASHA HATENDI Sam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN KANI

UNDERSTUDIES

u/s Willie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SHELDON FRETT u/s Hally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BEN LARSON u/s Sam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HARRISON WHITE Understudies never substitute for listed players unless specified.

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

SETTING/TIME

PLEASE NOTE

The St. George’s Park Tea Room, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

1950.

There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance.

Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones. Thank you!

RUNNING TIME

95 minutes, no intermission.

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 7

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A D D I T I O N A L P R O D U C T I O N S T A F F F O R “ M A S T E R H A R O L D ” ... A N D T H E B O Y S Casting Consultant Jamila Webb

Light Board Operator Jesús Cambero Elias

Lead Tailor Jessica Louise

Associate Scenic Designer Alexis Distler

A2 Isa Underdahl

Tailor Alexander Zeek

Associate Costume Designer Camilla Dely

Carpenters Dante Alanis, Oliver Brink, Enrique Garcia, Claudia Peterson, Kalika Reece, Sam Sully

Production Electrician Jesús Cambero Elias

Production Assistant Siena Viviano

Scenic Painter Chandish Nester

Deck Crew Oliver Brink

Properties Artisans & Carpenters Joseph Cacciola, Sigourney Chin, Danny Dolan, Joshua Hunt, Vanessa Lara

Wardrobe Supervisor Kassidy Klinesmith Wardrobe Swing Lucille Petty

Lighting Programmer Em Moore Electricians Christina Antolin, Shannon Barondeau, Bianca Bishop, Daniel Fernandez, Ezra Fisher, Angelica Mondragon, Sketkh Williams Sound Technicians Michael Svolos, Isa Underdahl

PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Scenery Built & Painted By F&D Scene Changes

Production Photographer Jeff Lorch

Design + Art Direction Base Design

Lighting Equipment Provided By PRG

Media Filming Ramon Garcia

Photography Corey Olsen

Sound Equipment Provided By DnB Design

SPECIAL THANKS UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Scene, Prop, Sound, and Costume Shops; Lisa Fugard

RECORDING NOTICE The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists

MUSIC CREDITS “Dream a Little Dream of Me” Written by Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, and Wilbur Schwandt. © 1930 Gilbert Keyes Music Company (ASCAP). All rights on behalf of Gilbert Keyes Music Company (ASCAP) administered by WC Music Corp. (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

The Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

8 P L AY B I L L

This theater operates under agreement between the League of Resident Theaters and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, an independent national labor union.

The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

Geffen Playhouse is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

Geffen Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles.

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES went on to receive the Lau-

Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, which he

rence Olivier Award nomina-

co-wrote with Athol Fugard

tion for Best Play. He made his

and Winston Ntshona. A

West End debut in the Olivier

longtime member of Johan-

Award–winning King Charles

nesburg’s Market Theatre, his

III transferred from the Almeida Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold. The play finished its

stage credits include Driving Miss Daisy, Othello, Miss Julie, My Children! My Africa! (Vita

B E N B E AT T Y (he/him) Hally

run at the Music Box Theatre

Born and raised in Los Angeles,

Award nominations, including

Ben Beatty is honored to be

Best Play. His U.S. breakout

making his Geffen Playhouse

was as “Leon” in Hulu’s first

debut in “Master Harold”…and

Golden Globe–nominated

the Boys. Film credits include

show Casual directed by Jason

Hail, Caesar! (dir. Joel and

Reitman. Currently, Nyasha

Ethan Coen) and UFO (dir. Ryan

is starring as series regular

Eslinger). He is an alumnus of

in Netflix’s Agatha Christie

Northwestern University, where

adaptation of The Seven

he studied Theater and Middle

Dials Mystery, opposite Martin

Eastern History. Love and

Freeman, and in Debriefing

the Boys, An African Dream,

gratitude to his family and his

the President (TNT), opposite

Saturday Night at the Palace,

team at CAA.

Joel Kinnaman. Nyasha wrote

Sarafina!, The Ghost and the

and directed Sacrilege: Curse

Darkness, Final Solution, The

of the Mbirwi, an African-set

Lion King (2019) and Mufasa:

cinematic podcast starring

The Lion King as “Rafiki,” and

Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger

portraying “King T’Chaka” in

Things) which was nominated

Captain America: Civil War and

for Audible’s Best Horror of

Black Panther. In 2005, he was

on Broadway, receiving 6 Tony

The Year 2025 and is currently in development as a feature.

Award), and Nothing But the Truth (Fleur du Cap Award for Best Actor and Best New South African Play). He wrote and starred in Kunene and the King for the Royal Shakespeare Company, receiving the Pragnell Shakespeare Birthday Award. His film and television work includes The Grass Is Singing, “Master Harold”…and

awarded South Africa’s Order of Ikhamanga in Silver. He is the founder of the John Kani

N YAS H A H AT E N D I (he/him) Willie

Performing Arts Academy. In

Born in Washington D.C. and

2023, he was appointed an Of-

raised in Zimbabwe, Nyasha

ficer of the Order of the British

studied Ancient History and

Empire (OBE). In 2025, the

Classical Archaeology at the

World Wildlife Fund awarded

University of Edinburgh before

him the Living Planet Award

training at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in

for his work in nature conser-

London from 2001-2004. His

JOHN KANI Sam

breakout role on the London

John Kani is a South African

stage was in the European

actor, playwright, director, and

Premiere of The Brothers Size

cultural activist. He received

at the Young Vic written by

the 1975 Tony Award for his

Tarell Alvin McCraney, which

performances in The Island and

vation and climate change.

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 9

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES of the USC School of Dra-

Wonderful Life, Purlie, Ain’t Mis-

matic Arts where he was the

behavin’, Five Guys Named Moe,

recipient of the Ruth and Albert

Once on This Island, Ray Charles

McKinlay Award & Scholarship

Live!, and Sister Act. Television:

for Outstanding Undergraduate

High Potential, The Villains

Performer. Most recently, he

of Valley View, The Rookie,

made his television debut as

Generation, The Underground

“Ellis Powell” in the long-run-

Railroad, Kenan, Danger Force,

SHELDON FRETT u/s Willie

ning NBC crime drama Chicago

The Kominsky Method, Fresh Off

P.D. Last Spring, Ben originated

the Boat, How to Get Away with

Classically trained, Sheldon is a

the role of “Billy” in the world

Murder, This Is Us, 9-1-1, Modern

graduate of the London Acade-

premiere of Roger Q. Mason’s

Family, and Venice The Series.

my of Music and Dramatic Art

Hide & Hide directed by Jessica

Film: KillHer, Resurrected, I Got

(LAMDA). After beginning his

Hanna for the Skylight Theatre

the Hookup 1&2, The Way You

career in film, he continued his

Company. While at USC, he

Look Tonight, Waiting in the

training in London, perform-

appeared in The Normal Heart,

Wings 1&2, Opening Night, The

ing in classical productions

Carrie: The Musical, Breaking

Muppets, and Se7en.

including Pericles, Henry VI,

Barriers, Hit the Wall, and Twelve

and Titus Andronicus. He has

Angry Jurors, as well as Noël

since worked internationally

Coward’s Semi-Monde during

across stage and screen. He

his semester abroad at the Brit-

made his film debut opposite

ish American Drama Academy.

Academy Award winner Viola

Ben would like to thank his fam-

Davis in Get On Up, starring the

ily, friends, and “dream team” for

late Chadwick Boseman, and

all their love and support.

became the first actor from the

AT H O L F U G A R D Playwright

British Virgin Islands to appear in a major studio film. Additional

Athol Fugard (June 11, 1932 –

credits include the British com-

March 8, 2025) started working

edy series Hitmen alongside Mel

in the theatre as a playwright,

Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, and

director, and actor in the late

the limited series Shots Fired.

1950s in apartheid era South Africa. He is the author of H A R R I S O N W H I T E (he/him) u/s Sam

over thirty plays that have

Theatre credits include: Broad-

United States (regionally and on

way and LA: The Lion King and

Broadway), and across the globe.

Sarafina!; West End: Smokey

Notable works include Blood

Joe’s Cafe; Off-Broadway: A

Knot; Hello and Goodbye; People

Good Swift Kick and Romance

Are Living There; Boesman and

B E N L A R S O N (he/him) u/s Hally

in Hard Times. Other cred-

Lena; Statements After an Arrest

its include Clue: Nick Dear’s

Under the Immorality Act; Sizwe

Ben has dreamed of working at

Frankenstein, Joseph and the

Banzi is Dead; Dimetos; The

the Geffen Playhouse since he

Amazing Technicolor Dream-

Island; A Lesson from Aloes;

first moved to Los Angeles! A

coat, Dreamgirls, Seussical,

“Master Harold”...and the Boys;

Texas native, he is a graduate

Jesus Christ Superstar, The Full

The Road to Mecca; A Place

Monty, Gulls, Miss Saigon, It’s a

with the Pigs; My Children! My

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been staged in South Africa,

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES Africa!; Playland; Valley Song;

Justice; Annulla, An Autobiog-

Man, which was executive

The Captain’s Tiger; Sorrows and

raphy; Still Life; Betsey Brown,

produced Michael B. Jordan

Rejoicings; Exits and Entrances;

an R&B musical; Hoodwinked;

and Oprah Winfrey. McCraney

and The Train Driver. As an actor

Greensboro: A Requiem; Me-

also wrote the film High Flying

he was seen on stage in South

shugah; Mrs. Packard; Gloria: A

Bird which premiered on Netflix

Africa, London, Broadway, and

Life; and The Pianist. On Broad-

and was directed by Steven

Off-Broadway. Film appearanc-

way, she directed her plays

Soderbergh. McCraney’s plays

es include The Road to Mecca,

Having Our Say and Execution

include We Are Gathered, Ms.

Ghandi, The Killing Fields,

of Justice, Nilo Cruz’s Anna in

Blakk For President (co-writ-

Meetings with Remarkable Men,

the Tropics, and A Streetcar

ten with Tina Landau), The

Marigolds in August, Boesman

Named Desire. She is currently

Brother/Sister Plays trilogy,

and Lena, and The Guest. He

in development for her new

Head of Passes, Wig Out!, and

wrote the novel Tsotsi, which

play Code Red. Awards include:

Choir Boy, which was nomi-

was adapted for the screen and

Peabody, Guggenheim Fellow-

nated for four Tony Awards.

won the Academy Award for

ship, seven Obies, Hull-War-

McCraney is the recipient of a

Best Foreign Language Film

riner, NAACP Image, Margo

MacArthur Fellowship “Genius

in 2006. A collection of his

Jones; and the Lilly, Gordon

Grant,” the Joyce Award, the

notebooks has been published

Davidson, and Dramatist Guild

Whiting Award, the Steinberg

along with his autobiographical

awards for Lifetime Achieve-

Playwright Award, the Evening

memoir Cousins. In 2011 he re-

ment. She’s been inducted into

Standard Theatre Award, the

ceived a Tony Award for Lifetime

the American Academy of Arts

New York Times Outstanding

Achievement in the Theatre.

and Sciences and the American

Playwright Award, the Paula

Theater Hall of Fame.

Vogel Playwriting Award, the Windham Campbell Prize, and a USA Fellowship Award. He is a lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television; an associate artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company, UK; an ensemble member at

E M I LY M A N N Co-Director

Emily Mann is a Tony Award– nominated playwright and

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, TA R E L L A LV I N M c C R A N E Y (he/him) Co-Director & Artistic Director

director and a Tony Award–win-

Tarell Alvin McCraney is Artis-

ning Artistic Director, leading

tic Director of Geffen Play-

McCarter Theatre Center for

house. His script In Moonlight

30 years where she directed

Black Boys Look Blue is the

50 productions, wrote 15 plays

basis for the Oscar–winning

and adaptations, and premiered

film Moonlight directed by Bar-

the work of Athol Fugard, Tarell

ry Jenkins, for which McCraney

Alvin McCraney, Edward Albee,

and Jenkins won an Oscar

Danai Gurira, Nilo Cruz, and

for Best Adapted Screenplay.

many others. Her plays seen on

McCraney created the critically

and Off-Broadway, regionally,

acclaimed, Peabody Award–

and internationally include:

winning OWN: Oprah Winfrey

Having Our Say; Execution of

Network drama David Makes

Chicago; and a member of Teo Castellanos/D-Projects, Miami.

B E OW U L F B O R I T T Scenic Designer

Designed Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas at Geffen Playhouse. For Emily Mann, he designed Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, Turning Off the Morning News, Skylight, The Pianist, The Night of the Iguana, and 20th Century Blues. 35 Broadway designs include the Tony Award–winning sets for New York, New York

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 1 1

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES and Act One, and the Tony–

Award, and the Ruth Morley

installations, and other media.

nominated sets for The Scotts-

Design Award. Hilferty is on

Recent credits with Geffen Play-

boro Boys, POTUS, Thérèse

the Graduate Design faculty at

house include littleboy/littleman

Raquin, and Flying Over Sunset.

NYU/Tisch School of the Arts,

and tiny father. UptownWorks

He has designed for the Ring-

having served as Chair for 25

has also worked with Primary

ling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey

years. www.susanhilferty.com

Stages, Boston Court Pasadena,

Circus, and designed around the world in England, Russia,

Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse,

China, Australia, and Japan. He

ADAM HONORÉ (he/him) Co-Lighting Designer

received a 2007 Obie Award for

Adam Honoré is a Harlem based

Theatre, South Coast Repertory,

Sustained Excellence. Author:

designer for the stage. Broad-

Indianapolis Repertory Theatre,

Transforming Space Over Time,

way: Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Rag-

Geva Theatre, New York Theatre

about Broadway set design.

time, Jeff Ross: Take a Banana

Workshop, Lucille Lortel Theatre,

Founder of Obie–winning The

for the Ride, Purlie Victorious,

Ensemble Studio Theatre,

1/52 Project which has provided

Ain’t No Mo’, Chicken & Biscuits.

Denver Center for the Perform-

over half a million dollars in

Other: Jelly’s Last Jam (New

ing Arts, Miami New Drama,

grants to early career designers.

York City Center Encores!),

Hartford Stage, Pittsburgh

Chez Joey (Arena Stage), Gun &

Public Theater, Baltimore Center

SUSAN HILFERTY (she/her) Costume Designer

Powder (Paper Mill Playhouse).

Stage, Syracuse Stage, INTAR

Adam is a Drama Desk nominee

Susan Hilferty has designed

Theatre, WP Theater, Barrington

and recipient of the Obie Award

costumes and scenery for over

Stage Company, National Black

for Sustained Achievement in

400 productions across the

Theatre, Classic Stage Company,

Design. @itsadamhonore

Studio Theatre and Signature

globe. A highlight of her career is the long-standing collab-

Round House Theatre, Goodman

Theatre (DC), and others. This

oration with playwright and

SPENCER DOUGHTIE (he/him) Co-Lighting Designer

director Athol Fugard—more

Spencer Doughtie is a Los

than 40 productions in over four

Angeles born and raised lighting

decades—as a set and costume

designer who uses light as a tool

designer, associate director,

to sculpt space and guide nar-

and director. Broadway credits

ratives. Recent credits include

include Wicked (Tony, Outer

Assistant Lighting Designer on

Critics Circle, and Drama Desk

Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts

Awards), Swept Away, Parade,

at Boston Court Pasadena and

KOKO IWASAKI NYEMCHEK (she/her) Co-Choreographer

Funny Girl, Present Laughter,

The Brothers Size at The Shed.

Koko Iwasaki was born in

Spring Awakening, Lestat, Into

He is honored to share the stage

Kanagawa, Japan, and raised in

the Woods, and August Wilson’s

with such an incredible team of

South Florida, where she began

Radio Golf. Hilferty has also

storytellers.

dancing at the age of 3. Trained

designed for opera (Rigoletto, La

@spencerdoubt

extensively in multiple styles,

traviata, Aida for Metropolitan Opera); dance (Love Stories for Alvin Ailey), and live events (Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” world tour and Ringling Bros.

Circus). Hilferty’s many honors include three lifetime achievement awards, an Obie, the Lilly

1 2 P L AY B I L L

design was led by Noel Nichols (www.noelnicholsdesign.com), with Bailey Trierweiler (www.btsounddesign.com) and Daniela Hart (www.uptownworksnyc.com).

she began her professional U P TOW N WO R KS — N O E L N I C H O LS (they/she), BAILEY TRIERWEILER (he/him) & DA N I E L A H A R T (she/they) Sound Design

career at just 16. Koko has per-

UptownWorks is a collaborative

Camila Cabello, and Maluma,

sound design team specializ-

appearing on major stages and

ing in theater, film, podcasts,

world tours. She was the run-

formed alongside global artists including Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, J Balvin, Shakira, Luis Fonsi,

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES ner-up on Season 14 of So You

appearing as playwright and

stown Theatre Festival, Berkeley

Think You Can Dance and has

performer in Smote This, A

Repertory Theatre (Harry Clarke

since returned as an All-Star and

Comedy About God… and Other

with Billy Crudup), Seattle Rep,

mentor. Her credits also include

Serious $H*T. Over 13 seasons

Yale Repertory Theatre, Long

the Grammy Awards, the Savage

at OSF, Rodney has performed

Wharf Theatre, The Huntington,

X Fenty Runway Show, and

in numerous productions rang-

Royal National Theatre, Royal

Dancing with the Stars, both on

ing from Shakespeare and musi-

Shakespeare Company, West End

tour and as a professional danc-

cals to world premieres, and has

(Harry Clarke), and others. Film:

er. Now based in Los Angeles,

also served as assistant director

Moana (upcoming), All the Money

Koko continues to expand her

to Tim Bond and Joe Haj. As an

in the World, Under the Skin, and

career as a dynamic performer

actor, Rodney has performed at

others. TV: Tokyo Vice, We Were

and passionate educator.

some of the country’s leading

the Lucky Ones, The Fall of the

regional theatres, including The

House of Usher, Law & Order

KIKI NYEMCHEK (he/him) Co-Choreographer

Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse,

(Jeffrey Donovan), and others.

Kiki Nyemchek is an internation-

Guthrie Theater, The Wallis

ally recognized ballroom dancer with over 25 years of experience as a competitor, and is currently an active teacher, performer, and choreographer based in Los Angeles. Throughout his career, he has earned numerous national titles and is ranked among the top Latin dancers in the world. He has performed

Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and Kirk Douglas Theatre. His television and film credits include recurring roles on Netflix’s From Scratch and The Brothers Sun, as well as OWN’s David Makes Man. Most recently, he can be seen in Nobody Wants This and in the feature film Billy Knight, starring

AMY LEVINSON (she/her) Dramaturg

During her tenure at the Geffen, Amy has spearheaded numerous programs for commissioning and developing new plays and has shepherded more than 150 plays into production. Dramaturgy credits include the commissions and world premieres of Donald

Al Pacino and Charlie Heaton.

Margulies’ Time Stands Still Jane Anderson’s The Quality of

Dancing with the Stars, and The

DEBORAH HECHT Dialect & Voice Coach

Masked Singer. Most recently,

Broadway: 102 productions

Peet’s Our Very Own Carlin Mc-

his choreography for a televised

including The Balusters, Ragtime,

Cullough, and Michael Mitnick’s

performance featuring Dick Van

Purple Rain (upcoming), The

Mysterious Circumstances.

Dyke earned him his first Emmy

Great Gatsby, Sweeny Todd, How

Other world premieres include

nomination. With a deep passion

I Learned to Drive, Hangmen, An-

The Hope Theory, Black Cypress

for teaching and mentorship,

gels in America (original and re-

Bayou, Revenge Song, Actually,

Kiki continues to inspire the next

cent Broadway productions), and

Invisible Tango, Extraordinary

generation while sharing his en-

The Ferryman. The full list can

Chambers, Black Super Hero

during love for the art of dance.

be seen at IBDB.com. Off-Broad-

Magic Mama, Build, Joan Rivers:

way: Anna Christie (St. Ann’s

A Work in Progress by a Life in

RODNEY GARDINER (he/him) Associate Director

Warehouse), and numerous pro-

Progress, and Geffen Stayhouse

Rodney Gardiner is a performer,

ductions at Manhattan Theatre

virtual shows including Helder

Club, Signature Theare, New York

Guimarães’ The Present and The

Theatre Workshop, MCC Theater,

Future. She holds an M.F.A. in

Playwrights Horizons, and many

Dramaturgy from the University

others. Regional/International:

of Massachusetts, Amherst.

and choreographed for major television productions including So You Think You Can Dance,

playwright, and director whose work spans theatre, television, and film. At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he is currently

and Coney Island Christmas, Life and The Escort, Amanda

Playmakers Theater, William-

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 1 3

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES COLLEEN DANAHER (she/her) Production Stage Manager

Broadway: Godspell, Wonderland, South Pacific, Lend Me a Tenor, Grease, Grey Gardens.

Touring: Wicked (2nd National), Hamilton (Philip Company).

Regional: Noises Off, POTUS, Every Brilliant Thing (Geffen Playhouse), Cyrano de Bergerac (Pasadena Playhouse), and many productions at the Vineyard Playhouse on the beautiful island of Martha’s Vineyard. Love

P H Y L L I S S C H U R I N G A , C SA (she/her) Casting Director

Phyllis is an Artistic Associate and the Casting Director for Geffen Playhouse. Recent productions include: Furlough’s Paradise, Waiting for Godot, The Reservoir, The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 (Artios Award), Every Brilliant Thing, The Power of Sail, Witch, and Barbecue.

Before joining the Geffen, she cast for Steppenwolf Theater

to Michael and Gus. <3 to LBB

Company in Chicago where her

REBECCA K. HSIA (she/her) Assistant Stage Manager

adaptation of The Grapes of

Rebecca is an LA and Seat-

National Theatre in London, and

tle-based multi-hyphenate

Broadway, where it received the

artist who has worked all over

Tony Award for Best Play) and

the world. She holds an M.F.A.

the original production of Steve

in Stage Management from

Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Ag-

CalArts. Select Stage Manag-

ile. Broadway transfers include

er credits: Geffen Playhouse

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

(Dragon Lady, The Reservoir,

(Tony Award for Best Revival),

Am I Roxie?); Union Arts

The Song of Jacob Zulu, and The

Center (Shrew); IAMA Theatre

Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

favorites include Frank Galati’s Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse,

Company (RADICAL or, are you

and friends for their endless love and support.

1 4 P L AY B I L L

credits include the award-winning Names (Matrix Theatre Company) and Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage).

Cates’ film credits include The Surface (starring Sean Astin and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Chris Mulkey), Jobs (starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, as well as Geffen Playhouse alumni Matthew Modine and Ron Eldard) and the 2011 feature film Lucky (starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor and Ann-Margret). In addition, Cates co-produced and co-directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which premiered on Showtime. His other films

directorial debut was an episode

Program 2018); Annex Theatre

(especially MP, K9 Max, & Mila)

film and television. His theater

Patrick Harris). Cates’ television

Intiman Emerging Artist

love and thanks to her family

producer and director in theater,

Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil

Draft); Intiman Theatre (Caught,

tomime). She would like to send

since 2012 and served as a

(starring Jessica Capshaw and

of Ages, West Side Story, First

Game, Rapunzel: A Holiday Pan-

Playhouse Board Vice Chairman

Durning) and The Mesmerist

(Production Assistant for Rock

Centerstage Theatre (Pajama

in 2015, Cates served as Geffen

olds, Bret Harrison and Charles

(Athena); 5th Avenue Theatre

Award winner, Best New Play);

being named Executive Director

include Deal (starring Burt Reyn-

gonna miss me?); ArtsWest

(Silhouette—2018 Gregory

of the highest caliber. Prior to

of the NBC comedy Joey, starG I L CAT E S, J R .

Executive Director / CEO

ring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc.

Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Direc-

a documentary short chronicling

tor / CEO of Geffen Playhouse.

the journey of one of the first ref-

In this role, he is responsible

ugee families to flee Ukraine and

for managing the Geffen’s day-

arrive in the U.S. after escaping

to-day operations; developing

the Russian invasion. He studied

new, ongoing theater partner-

at the National Theatre Institute

ships and leading its mission to

in Waterford, Connecticut, and

inform, entertain and inspire di-

holds a B.F.A. in Drama from

verse audiences with live theater

Syracuse University.

He recently directed Displaced,

THE NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Supporting artists is central to the mission of the Geffen Playhouse, and play commissions are a cornerstone of that support. To commission a playwright to write a play means making a commitment to their voice, craft, and vision, with the hope of sharing the fruits of their work on our stage.

We are proud to have the following artists under commission:

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE CONTACT Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

310.208.6500 Monday–Friday, 10:00am–6:00pm AUDIENCE SERVICES

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QUI NGUYEN

MICHAEL GOLAMCO

Co-Commission with Manhattan Theatre Club

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NAZARETH HASSAN

STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR

BETH HYLAND

JIEHAE PARK

BOX OFFICE WINDOW

MEGHAN KENNEDY

SARA PORKALOB & BRIAN QUIJADA

LUIS ALFARO

KATIE LINDSAY, TOVA KATZ & ALEXANDRA KALINOWSKI MATTHEW LÓPEZ MARTYNA MAJOK

Co-Commission with Atlantic Theater Company

TARELL ALVIN McCRANEY & YORK WALKER

ESPERANZA ROSALES BALCÁRCEL JEN SILVERMAN N’YOMI ALLURE STEWART Co-Commission with New York Theatre Workshop, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

DAVID WIENER LAUREN YEE

For more information on this program, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/newplays.

Tuesday–Sunday, 12:00pm–6:00pm, as well as on performance days up until 15 minutes after curtain.

Please note: the box office window is unable to process exchanges or future sales one hour prior to curtain time on performance days.

ACCESSIBILITY Geffen Playhouse is fully committed to providing access to patrons with mobility, visual and hearing impairments. Parking spaces directly outside the theater are zoned for drop off and pick up, as well as disabled parking spots for patrons with appropriate placards and plates. For more information, visit geffenplayhouse.org/access or call Audience Services.

LATE SEATING

THE WRITERS’ ROOM A group for Los Angeles-based playwrights, The Writers’ Room is a product of the Geffen’s deep commitment to supporting new plays and specifically to fostering bold, relevant work by the vibrant artistic community of this city.

During this one-year residency, playwright members gather monthly at the Geffen to share their work and receive feedback from their peers and the Geffen’s artistic staff, culminating in a play reading series.

We are proud to have the following artists in the 2025/2026 Writers’ Room:

NO PHOTOGRAPHY There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance.

Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones.

UCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION

DIANA YIFEI DAI

FRANK PAIVA

LOUIS REYES McWILLIAMS

RYN STAFFORD

ZHARIA O'NEAL

Should you arrive late to the theater or vacate your seat during the performance, please expect to be held in the lobby until an appropriate pause in the action on stage. Some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating. To minimize disturbances to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available location by the house staff even if it is different from your assigned seat.

HABIB YAZDI

The Writers’ Room is made possible through the generous support of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

For more information on this program, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/thewritersroom.

Geffen Playhouse is affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles, specifically the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Geffen Playhouse values its role as an important educational resource by providing students with master classes, workshops and internships. Students are also able to work and learn from distinguished visiting Geffen artists in areas of directing, playwriting, acting, design, dramaturgy, management and production.

Geffen Playhouse also draws upon the distinguished experts in the university to enhance the theater’s programs and research.

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 1 5

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

ATHOL FUGARD WAS MY HERO

PHOTO BY T CHARLES ERICKSON

Ferocious in his devotion to theatre and social justice, but unfailingly kind and gracious to others, he stood as a moral compass— and not just for apartheid-era South Africa.

Playwright Athol Fugard with Emily Mann

B Y E M I L Y M A N N , C O - D I R E C T O R O F “ M A S T E R H A R O L D ”... A N D T H E B O Y S

Reprinted with permission from March 19, 2025

bulb. It was like an earthquake. The audience’s si-

American Theatre magazine, a publication of

lence at the end seemed to last a full minute, until

Theatre Communications Group.

we finally erupted into deafening applause. After the actors left the stage, many in the audience sat

FE W PL AY W R I G H TS H AV E MAD E A G R EAT ER I M PACT O N T H E IR C O UN T R IES or the world than Athol Fugard. Athol’s plays bore

down again, utterly spent. I was one of those people, and I would never be the same.

My relationship with Athol didn’t become

witness to the horrors of apartheid and brought

personal until a few years later. My play Still Life,

the people affected by that brutal regime to life

which premiered under my direction at that same

onstage. These stories stunned South Africans

Goodman Stage Two in 1981, was then part of an

of conscience, appalled the Western world, and

international theatre festival at the Mark Taper Fo-

helped bring down the apartheid government.

rum. Presented in the festival was Woza Albert!,

The first play of his I saw was Sizwe Bansi Is

a play written by Barney Simon and Mbongeni

Dead, which he co-created with John Kani and

Ngema (Sarafina!). Mannie Manim designed the

Winston Ntshona. I saw it at Chicago’s Goodman

lighting and Barney directed. The Still Life com-

Stage Two in 1976, directed by Gregory Mosher.

pany saw Woza, the Woza company saw Still Life,

Two actors. Two chairs. A table. And a bare light

and we immediately recognized we were soldiers

1 6 P L AY B I L L

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR in arms. Barney, who was artistic director of the

America. He joyously accepted, and we started a

Market Theatre in Johannesburg at the time, de-

new chapter in our relationship. First, he directed

cided to direct Still Life there. Athol saw it. This

a play of his called Hello and Goodbye with Maria

is what he wrote about it, which I quote from his

Tucci and Zelko Ivanek, which was greeted with

introduction to my anthology Testimonies, pub-

great acclaim.

lished by TCG: Another challenging reunion with Barney— firstly his production of E.M.’s Still Life…powerful and very moving…and then a long talk about it and theatre in general afterward. In talking about Mann’s work, he used the word “testimony” several times—I made him check its dictionary definition: “To bear witness”…Barney became very worked up: “We can’t be silent! We must give evidence! We are witnesses!”

Though I had met Athol briefly after a preview of “Master Harold” on Broadway, it wasn’t until I was commissioned to write a miniseries on the life of Winnie Mandela that I spent extended time with him. I had told the producers that I could not write the screenplay from newspaper clippings and research. I had to go. I had to look into Winnie Mandela’s eyes and hear her story from her.

They told me she was under house arrest and they didn’t know how to reach her. I called Barney; he called Mbongeni, who knew her well, and he introduced me to Peter Magubane, the great Black South African photographer, and one of Winnie’s best friends. Peter said he would meet with me, and if he approved, he would take me into Soweto to meet Winnie. I studied hard, passed his test, and I spent the next four weeks with her.

After my days with Winnie, I would often meet with Athol to talk about what I had learned. I had come to share his love for South Africa, and our friendship blossomed as we discussed Winnie’s struggle to survive and fight the apartheid regime.

Those days were some of the most exhilarating, though dangerous, days of my life, and they gave me the courage to continue to dedicate my life to writing, directing, and producing plays and screenplays dedicated to social justice.

It should come as no surprise, then, that one of my first calls on becoming artistic director of McCarter Theatre in July 1990 was to call Athol Fugard to ask him if he wanted an artistic home in

We then premiered three beautiful plays

by Athol. He was struggling to find his subject post-apartheid, and he found it first in Valley Song, a poignant grandfather/granddaughter play set near his home. His granddaughter was played by Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Athol played the grandfather. He went on to write Captain’s Tiger and Sorrows and Rejoicings. In one of my later seasons, we brought over John Kani to direct his son Atandwa in the part his father created in Sizwe Bansi Is Dead. I delighted in seeing our audiences stunned as I had been stunned on my first viewing of that magnificent play.

Athol was a great man of the theatre, ferocious in his dedication and at the same time kind, modest, and attentive to all around him. Our managing director, Jeff Woodward, recalls, “Every day Athol was in rehearsal, he would enter the building and each day make the rounds greeting the staff. He would start with our receptionist and then wend his way down the administrative/artistic corridor, going into each office saying hello to the fundraisers, marketers, accountants, interns, literary managers, and box office, and then back to the production department area before arriving at the rehearsal hall. No artist ever had done this, and it inspired the entire staff.”

Athol is (not was) my inspiration, my moral compass, my hero, and my friend. He proved the adage “the pen is mightier than the sword.” He lived it, often at great cost. He fervently believed in the significant role of the artist in a society facing evil and injustice. I can hear the conversation between him and Barney Simon as if they are talking to us in the present: “We can’t be silent. We must give evidence. We are witnesses.”

I cannot but think he is watching us now as we witness our own country slide into white supremacy and authoritarianism. He showed us the way to resist. Athol is telling us all: We can’t be silent.

To read more about “Master Harold”...and the Boys, visit geffenplayhouse.org/blog.

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 1 7

ATHOL FUGARD MEMORIAL

APPOINTMENTS

Susan Hilferty with Playwright Athol Fugard

B Y S U S A N H I L F E R T Y , C O S T U M E D E S I G N E R F O R “ M A S T E R H A R O L D ”... A N D T H E B O Y S

Remarks prepared for Athol Fugard’s memorial

white soldier in the South African Border War. That

service at his home in Stellenbosch, South Africa

turned into Playland.

on March 21, 2025.

He also held on to a newspaper article which recounted the story of a Russian World War II de-

WHEN I AC C E PT E D AT H O L’S MEDAL AT

serter who spent four decades avoiding punish-

T HE T H EAT E R H A L L OF FAM E in New York

ment by hiding out in a pigsty, leaving only once

City—instead of a speech—he asked me to read out

to take an evening walk dressed as a woman. That

the titles of all of his plays.

became A Place with the Pigs.

No more. No less.

I thought about doing that again today, but instead, I am sharing a more personal response.

Those of you who knew him well would have heard him use the word “appointments.”

He had appointments with different seeds that he knew would come up in his writing sometime in the future. He wrote every day and was always looking ahead.

Athol gave me the photo of Miss Helen and her friend Jill Wenman that inspired The Road to Mecca. On the back he wrote: “This is the photograph that generated the play. Jill gave it to me.

The moment I saw it, saw the love, trust, and fun between the two women, I knew I had it. Had my story. Look after it.”

As Athol’s “appointments” come to life on the stage, I am always very moved by his connection

Some of his plays were inspired by newspaper

to the mundane, the quotidian, and how he makes

articles or photos that he had tucked away—saving

humble objects sacred. For me, Athol’s plays hold

them for the right moment—for that “appointment.”

“epiphanies” that are connected to a simple element

One was a haunting photograph of the body of

or object, seemingly benign, but whose metaphorical

a Black man being lowered into a mass grave by a

power somehow shakes the entire world of the play.

1 8 P L AY B I L L

ATHOL FUGARD MEMORIAL My first memories of Athol are wreathed in

We pride ourselves in these parts on

smoke—purportedly from a pipe given to him by

knowing what a potato really is. And there you

Samuel Beckett. The objects embedded in Athol’s

have it. Art Appel The Apple of the Earth, as

plays never have the same lineage as a “Beckett”

we Afrikaners say...

pipe—they have much simpler origins—but always

In the old days Miss Helen used to have

with the possibility of emotionally shattering con-

a very fine vegetable garden of her own out

sequences.

there. But as you can see the humble potato

The first of Athol‘s plays that I saw was Sizwe

has been crowded out by other things. I don’t

Banzi Is Dead at the Royal Court in London. Years

think there is enough room left out there to

later, talking to John Kani and Athol about that

grow a radish.”

play which they wrote with Winston Ntshona, we laughed at Winston and John’s desire to write a play that would “change the world.” Athol kept coming back to them and saying, “I saw a photograph in a store window of a Black man—with a pipe in one hand and a cigarette in the other—with a big smile on his face. Let’s write about that.” And with that appointment, Athol, John, and Winston wrote a seemingly small play. But with a nuclear power that did change the world.

That evening seeing Sizwe in the theater I remember being transported, even changed, in a way that I had never felt before. When the play ended, I sat there stunned, believing that I had been transported to South Africa and back again. How could that be? Looking at the stage, there was a blackboard, a desk, two chairs. But I was different.

I often talk about seeing Sizwe as a moment that changed my entire life. Five years after that performance, I started working with Athol when he came to direct A Lesson From Aloes in my final year of graduate school. Aloes began our 40-year collaboration—which included so many “Fugardian” places, people, words, and objects­ —possibly the greatest gift to my life as an artist.

Always special for me is the “humble potato” in The Road to Mecca, which Marius Weyers brilliantly presents as the epitome of joy, fulfillment and simplicity, but then uses to chastise Miss Helen when he asserts that her garden has given way to other pastimes and interests—ones that he discourages.

“Feast your eyes on that, Miss Barlow! A genuine Sneeuberg potato! A pinch of salt and you’ve got a meal, and if you want to be extravagant, add a little butter and you have indeed got a feast!...

In “Master Harold”…and the Boys, (where Athol had an appointment with his own self) a child’s toy—a kite—becomes a symbol of innocence caught in the complicated notion of freedom. In this beautiful play, we understand the possibility of hope within a country so divided. Athol’s genius has both Sam and Hally tell their story about the origin of this kite, so that we see the huge complexity of their lives— but also understand and appreciate the differences.

It’s impossible not to hear Athol in these words when Mr. M in My Children! My Africa! holds out his hands with a dictionary in one and a stone in the other, and says to us: “If you put these two on a scale, I think you would find that they weigh just about the same.

But in this hand I am holding the whole English language. This [stone] is just one word in that language.

Twenty six letters, sixty thousand words.

The greatest souls the world has ever known were able to open the floodgates of their ecstasy, their despair, their joy! … with the words in this little book! Are you tempted? I was.”

A few days after hearing the news of Athol’s passing, I went to my studio, where a lot of shifting of my library had been happening. A small piece of paper had fallen out of one of the books and an assistant had left it on my table. It is a note from the front desk of a hotel back in 1988—back when you got notes.

It says, “Athol phoned. Will call you later”. So I know I have my next appointment.

To read more about “Master Harold”...and the Boys, visit geffenplayhouse.org/blog.

G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 1 9

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CREATOR’S CIRCLE $5,000 – $9,999

Laura & Harvey Alpert Margaret Campbell Arvey and The Arvey Foundation Shelly & Libby Bergen Laurie Bernhard Susan Bloch-Kay & Stephen Kay Dr. Adrienne Brandriss Robert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoff Jay Butterfield & Susan Ewert* Dr. Fanya Carter, Ph.D. Marissa Caudill & David Merrill Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo Donna & Steven Chisolm The Christal Family Cindy Clark Linda & John Coleman Comcast NBCUniversal* Ginger Conrad Creative Artists Agency* In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert Marisa & Adam Davis Dr. Joan Denson & Dr. Victoria Berck

ANNUAL DONORS Mary Jo & Caleb Deschanel Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin Barbara & Ed Dreyfus Dr. & Mrs. William M. Duxler Fielding Edlow Julia & Behdad Eghbali Lisa Field, Field Family Foundation* In Memory of Lucas Simon Foster Lynn T. Franklin Sonia & Robert Freedman and Family Steve Freedman & Helen Sideris G2 Graphic Service, Inc. Dr. Cara Gardenswartz & David Melnick Carla Gardini* Fariba Ghaffari MaryAnn & Irwin Gold* Ethel Greenbush Roni & David Greenwalt Jill Grey Marc & Erica Hankin Phyllis Horning & Larry Shafritz Monique & Jonathan Kagan Glorya Kaufman^ Kelton Fund Leslie King & Robert Welther Ann & Jonathan Kirsch Norman Koplof & Leslie Falick Karen Krull Lena & Mark Labowe David Lee Foundation Jason & Yvonne Lee Rena & Craig Leeds Tania Lotia & Tamar Tokat Renee & Meyer Luskin Mara W. Breech Foundation Dale S. Miller Regina & Wayne Miller* Dan & Margie Mintz Olympus Theatricals* Ralph Page & Patty Lesh Carolyn A. Poer & John M. Poer Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman Joyce Rey Carol Risher Susan Rogers The Rosenthal Family Foundation* The Ross Family Cooper Roth Dinah C. Ruch & Bill Birdsall David A. & Karen Richards Sachs Nancy & Ted Sanborn Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt Amy & Andy Schwartz Dr. John Shustitzky & Rev. Dr. Christine Chakoian Anne C. Taubman William & Karen Timberlake Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela Julie & Peter Weil Joanne & Ken Weinman* Gelena & Seth Weissman Alison Whalen & Steve Marenberg

Susan & Dan White Lisa Yen & Tom Bajoras

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $2,500 – $4,999

Aversa Foundation Robert E. & Maria H. Barron Marsha & Philip Bartenetti Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson Paula Brand Amanda Brown & Justin Chang— In Honor of Adi Greenberg Diana Buckhantz and the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation Joanne Cohen Culture Machine Kathryn Falberg & Monique Predovich Lucy Farber & Jim Bright Dennis & Jackie Fox Deborah A Gero Richard & Lori Goldman In Memory of Jane F. Hall Harris Family Foundation Joseph & Kathy Hartley Barbara Herman Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson Paula Holt / LA New Play Project Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob Linda Janger Katherine Kleindienst & Marc Goldsmith Nancy Koven Stephen & Cori Lable Tim McNeal Dr. Kristen Melnyk Thaine & Elizabeth Morris Susan Oka Chris D. Olsen & Pierre Ouillet Joyce & Harvey Reichard Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer* Jerome & Joan Snyder Snyder Family Foundation Kirk & Mei-lan Stark Andrew Stearn Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis Theodore H. Sweetser & Jane L. Valentine* Leslie White & Al Limon

DESIGNER’S CIRCLE $1,000 – $2,499

Anonymous (2) Jan & David Altemus Patti Amstutz Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum* William Baker Randy & Michael Bayard Paula & Bruce Bennett Yvette Bergeron & Dean Bailey Wendy & John Bergquist Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey Tatiana & Oleg Butenko Laura & Jerry Callaway Peter & Heidi Cartmell Barbara Chiodo*

Dan Clivner—In Honor of His Colleague Ellyce Cooper Tim Curtis & Shandon Youngclaus Steven & Linda Darling Drs. Davis & Nitzberg Jacki & Murray Drechsler Jeff Eckerle & Marilyn Osborn Colleen M. Ellis Terri & David Elston David & Joyce Evans Bill Fagerbakke Paula Fins Melanie Flamminio Susan Nahley Fleishman† In Honor of Frank & Betty Fouce Anita Dann Friedman & Harvey Friedman Catherine A. Froloff* Ellie Goodman Allen Grogan Deidre Hall Richard Hart Scott Hartle— In Memory of Esther Hartle Jackson Henry Hella Hershson Jean Himmelstein Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox Ashley & Scott Hunter David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone Gary T. Izumi Brenda Marie Izzi Victoria Jackson & Bill Guthy Nancy Jacoby Louis Kempinsky & Corrinne Mann Kempinsky Sharon Kerson Dr. Phyllis H. Klein Dr. Leonard & Stella S. Kleinrock Delores Komar & Susan Wolford Trice Koopman & Mark Freund Thomas Kren & Bruce Robertson Christo & Jeanne Lavagnino Trulee Lee Carl Levinger & Karen Siscoe Lawrin & Linda Lewin Carol Lifland & Daniel Giesberg Judith Locke Fran & David Loew Wendie Malick Susan & Peter Mallory Rand Marlis Barbara Marshall Kathy & Jim McCaffery S. McQueen & D. Whalen Norma & Larry Meyers Hillary & Lance Milken Andrew & Laura Mintzer Thomas W. Mitchell Lon Morse & Toni Hollander Morse In Memory of Elliott Myron Mark & Diane Neubauer Julie Nichols Louise Olin Deborah & Stacey Olliff Ornest Family Foundation G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 2 3

ANNUAL DONORS Regina Pally & James Korb Brett Paul* Phil & Agnes Peters Ruth Popkin Clark & Kathryn Porter Lise Ransdell & Eric Augusztiny Jeffrey S. Rapp & Neil S. Silverman Dolores Rogers Allison & Bennett Rosenthal Oren Rosenthal & Craig Kwiatkowski Linda Sandrich Cliff & Linda Schaffer Gary & Karen Schneider Susan Schwarz In Memory of Pippa Scott and In Honor of Miranda Rich Tollman Sylvan & Sandra Seidenman Jeanette Seyranian John Shaw Janne Shirley Lauren Shuler Donner* Brian Siberell Rita & Jose Sigal Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross Ronald Smith* Diana & Steve Strandberg The Tatasciore Family William G. Tierney & Barry H. Weiss Catherine & Leonard Unger Greg & Michelle Suess* Julia Wackenheim Paula Wagner* Alexx Wells Westmount Asset Management Herbert Wolas Cherie Wrigley Richard Yaffe Arnold & Tricia Zane Ellen & Arnold Zetcher

PARTNER’S CIRCLE $500 – $999

Anonymous (9) Toshka & Norman Abrams Linda Adams & Ken Larson Robert C. Anderson Elizabeth & Marc Axelrod Jean & David Bishop In Memory of Janet & William Birnkrant Frances & Thomas Booth Doug & Arlene Braun George Clardy & Christine Gregory Philip & Phyllis Colman Shelly D. Merle Dandridge†* Dr. Van Anh & Nariman Dastur Devine D’Amico* Kristin Diehl Curt Dittman Sherise Dorf & Avi Kamienny Linda Dozier Jan & Thea Drayer Kay & Larry Driscoll Rich & Suzy Eisen* Joan & Jerry Elledge 24 P L AY B I L L

Terry Feuerborn & Connie Whitley Geralyn Flood Burt & Nanette Forester Bruce Fortune & Elodie Keene Elaine & Larry Friedman Howard J. Fulfrost Olga Garay-English Francine Golden & Marvin Schlossman Debra Graham Akilah Green Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson Roberta L. Haft Jeff & Betty Haller Barbara Eve Harris Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough & Jeffrey Hartsough Alison & Derek Havel Corinne Hayoun* Michael & Candie Herman Winifred C. Hervey Dr. Shelley Hill Paul & Sue Hoffman Adam Hunter Howard Drs. Sharon & Lou Ignarro Robert & Gail Israel Nikolette Jacob* Stephen A. Jones & Victoria A. Walker Arnedra Jordan & Mason Rivera Peter & Cinthia Joyce Leana Kleinman & Jerald Johnson Kerry Korf Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta Laurence H. Lang, III & Jalyn Lang John & Sandra Langfitt Rhonda K. Lawrence Nancy & Michael Leb Gina Maria Leonetti Marla E. Levine Littleton Road Productions Leslie & Adam Lobel Renee Lonner Milli Low Natalie Mahdesian Deborah Marsten Diane McCaustland Maura McDonald Christina Medigovich Cynthia Melville In Memory of Gregory Millar Joan & Phil Miller Leslie Mitchner John Moschitta Steve Mueller Lawrence Murphy Bonnie Nash & Donald Wing David Neilan Sarah P. Nelson Marty & Jamie Ordman Carol Parry & John Fox Carol F. Phillips Norman & Beverly Pine Gary & Gail Rachelefsky Roger Recupero & Kyle Gehrmann Robert Rosania

Mary Ann Rosenfeld & Sheldon Kadish Lorraine Ross— In Memory of Dr. Martin Ross Bennett & Val Roth Dr. Robin Roy & Ms. Catherine Zoi Tom Saporito Productions* Joel & Sonia Schneider Nancy & Steven Schneider John Schunhoff Tina & John Scott Marc Seltzer Susanne & Marty Shallon Nancy & Bruce Silverman Ken & Marinette Simon Marlene Sklar & Joel Moskowitz Barbara Smith Glenn & Linda Solomon Frances & Sy Strasberg Joanne Takahashi Mr. & Mrs. David Tann David & Cathy Thomas Maud & Tonis Tilk Brigitta Troy Barbara Tuchi Linda & Rich Turco Shirah & Jim Vollmer William Wallace Michelle & Steven Windmueller

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

The Chairman’s Circle acknowledges the historical contributions of the following individuals, whose support of Geffen Playhouse made the original vision of our founder, Gil Cates, Sr., possible: Anonymous Annenberg Foundation Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block† City National Bank Kirsten^ & Donald Combs Marcia Israel-Curley & Jim Curley Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc. The David Geffen Foundation Herbert M.^ & Beverly J. Gelfand Rabbi Uri D. Herscher & Dr. Myrna Herscher Audrey & Charles Kenis Lincy Foundation Fay & Frank^ Mancuso Tina & Jerry^ Moss / The Moss Foundation Perenchio Foundation The Shubert Foundation The Simms/Mann Family Foundation Skirball Foundation University of California, Los Angeles Wasserman Foundation Judy & Chancellor Charles^ E. Young If your name has been misspelled or omitted from the list in error, please contact Anika Waco, Donor Relations Manager at 310.208.6500 ext. 195.

Tarell Alvin McCraney

Gil Cates, Jr.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / CEO

ARTISTIC Amy Levinson Associate Artistic Director Daniel Ionazzi Producer Phyllis Schuringa Artistic Associate / Casting Director Bella Luna Company Manager Olivia O’Connor Literary Manager & Dramaturg Lexy McAvinchey Associate Producer Dionn Richardson Assistant to the Artistic Director

PRODUCTION Matt Sweeney Director of Production Liz Brohm Hanrahan Associate Production Manager / Resident Production Stage Manager Melissa Hartman Technical Director Philip Rossi Lead Scenic Carpenter Greg Mueller Stage Operator Rick Gilles Properties Master Jenna Scordino Assistant Properties Master Sarah Lindsley Costume Shop Supervisor Michayla Van Treeck Costume Shop Coordinator Spencer Doughtie Lighting & Projection Supervisor Jesus Cambero-Elias Assistant Lighting Supervisor James Grabowski House Sound Supervisor Bob Gilmartin Resident A1

ADMINISTRATION Sarah Sturdivant Chief Financial Officer Erick R. López General Manager Berenice Campos Director of Human Resources

Jake Jones Staff Accountant Clay Dzygun Office Coordinator Chloe Shi General Management Associate

DEVELOPMENT Sam Abney Director of Development & Strategic Growth Elizabeth Kegley Director of Institutional Giving Cody Metzger Advancement & Creative Partnerships Anika Waco Donor Relations Manager Rachel Jacoby Data Management Coordinator Zoila Lopez Development Assistant

EDUCATION

Brian Allman Director of Education & Community Engagement Mark J. Chaitin Manager of Education & Community Engagement Aja Houston Education & Community Engagement Associate / Lead Teaching Artist Sean Michael Boozer, Paris Crayton III, Sidney Edwards, Margot Fitzsimmons, Erròn Jay, BJ Lange, Tiffany Oglesby, Marta Portillo, Tara Ricasa, Ashley Denise Robinson, Gerry Tonella Teaching Artists

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Patrick Brown Director of Marketing Zenon Dmytryk Director of Communications Karen Gutierrez Director of Advertising & Audience Development Brian Dunning Director of Content & Creative Zack Hamra Director of Audience Services & Ticketing

Janice Gompers Payroll Manager & HR Admin

Isaak Berliner Social Media & Communications Manager

Youra Kim Accounting Manager

Alyssa Tyson Audience Services Manager

Jacob Feller, Jon-Paul Schaut Box Office Managers Grace Allen, Tori Eriavez, Peyton Fleming, Cat Hayes, Miranda Heath, Jeffrey Limoncelli, Kayla Page, Camila Robles Ruiz Box Office Staff Theater Direct Outbound Sales

OPERATIONS Jeni Pearsons Director of Operations Mel Yonzon Front of House Manager Amy Farkas Lead Concierge Rob Mersola Event Manager Sarah Chute, Anya Pryjmak Part Time House Managers Vanessa Bradchulis, Marlon Campos, Jonathan McGill, Karl Perry, Carsen Schroeder Guest Services Savanna Chute, Ryan Foreman, Stephen Johnson, Dylan La Rocque, Shannon Noel, Alex Otto Concessions Brynn Allen, Emma Cort, Lauren Curet, Enzo De Cunto, Tyler DeLoatch, Sydney Fleischman, Alejandro Hernandez, Ava Kitt, Tiffany La Barbera, James Lambert-Solano, Jalen McKoy, Austin Merrill, Luvina Navarro, Elena Scaringe-Peene, Cody Smith, Myles Williams Ushers

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Abdelkrim Bouzzit Cloud System Administrator Dream Warrior Group System Administrator

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Art Guillen Facilities Manager Felipe Ayala, Juan Santillan Building Maintenance Mario Santillan Custodial Lead Juan Carlos Umaña, Camerina Martinez Cleaning Custodial G E F F E N P L AY H O U S E 2 5