“When I grow up, I’m never going to say that!” Words said like a spell almost daily during my childhood. I would often shake my head at my parents’ choices and speak a vow to never replicate their seeming mistakes.
The way time makes fools of our young wisdom is… well, hilarious. Especially those of us with the opportunity to become guardians to our parents, ailing or aging. I find myself daily taking a deep breath and reciting exact phrases that my parents said to me—only to people older than me and with far less patience.
Am I Roxie? by Roxana Ortega gets right to the hilarity of what it means to parent your elders. Through the prism of a talented actor giving a lifesaving performance as nurse, real estate
mogul/spiritual healer, three tías (oh my!), and many more, we are reminded that we all become the many people we need, in order to aid our aging adult. And in the process, we see how this natural human shift from “cared-for” to “caregiver” is where the real growing up happens.
Tarell Alvin McCraney Artistic Director
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY
PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH
COMMUNITY PARTNERS APPRECIATION NIGHT
AM I ROXIE? • FRIDAY, SEPT 26
THANK
THANK YOU TO OUR
Celebrate with us at Community Partners Appreciation Night—an evening of theater, community, and joy honoring the incredible organizations supporting Latine communities as well as caregiving and arts organizations. Together, we’ll uplift the world premiere of Am I Roxie?. 100% of single ticket proceeds for this performance benefit these five community partner organizations. FOR TICKETS AND FOR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Adi Greenberg CHAIR
As we launch the 2025/2026 Season, I’m thankful to share this moment of transition. My tenure as Board Chair ends this October, and while I’ll deeply miss this role, I’m thrilled for what lies ahead for Geffen Playhouse.
Serving this extraordinary theater during a transformative era has been an immense privilege. One of the highlights of my time here was helping welcome Tarell Alvin McCraney as Artistic Director. In just one season, Tarell’s bold and expansive vision has enriched our stage and community. His second season, kicking off with the world premiere of Am I Roxie?, promises inspiring storytelling, original works, and journeys that will linger long after the curtain falls.
As one chapter closes, another begins. I’m eager to see new board leadership carry this momentum forward, alongside Executive Director/CEO Gil Cates, Jr., Tarell, and the rest of our Geffen family. While we’re keeping some surprises under wraps for now, bold ambitions are taking shape—ones that capture the creative pulse of Geffen Playhouse, the spirit of Los Angeles, and the global stage awaiting us in 2028. We can’t wait to share this journey with you. Thank you for being part of this remarkable season. Enjoy the show!
Adi Greenberg Board Chair
Gil Cates, Jr.
Executive Director / CEO
Mary Ann Cloyd Vice Chair
Merle Dandridge
Dr. Brad Edgerton
Bonnie E. Eskenazi
Mark Fleischer
Susan Nahley Fleishman
Dr. Julio Frenk
Brenda Garcia
Patricia L. Glaser
John Horn
Carla Malden
Brian Mann
Tiffany Mayberry
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Artistic Director
Mary Osako
Danny Passman
Holly Rice
Linda Bernstein Rubin
Matt Shakman
Richard Sherman
Howard Tenenbaum
Chair Emeritus
Miranda Tollman
JaHan Wang
Marc Weinstock
FOUNDING TRUSTEES
Harold A. Brown
Kirsten Combs
Robert A. Daly
David Geffen
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Frank G. Mancuso Chair Emeritus
Ron Meyer
Bruce M. Ramer Founding Chair
Victoria Mann Simms
Andy Spahn
Steven Spielberg
Steve Tisch
IN MEMORIAM
Gilbert Cates Founder
Marcia Israel-Curley
Herbert M. Gelfand
Quincy Jones
Glorya Kaufman
Audrey Skirball Kenis
Charles Kenis
Karl Malden
Ginny Mancini
Jerry Moss
Jerry Perenchio
Edie Wasserman
Lew Wasserman
Dr. Charles E. Young
LEGAL COUNSEL
Nikki Kerman Venable LLP
AM I ROXIE?
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY ROXANA ORTEGA
DIRECTED BY BERNARDO CUBRÍA
SCENIC DESIGNER EFREN DELGADILLO JR.
LIGHTING DESIGNER PABLO SANTIAGO
SOUND DESIGNER CRICKET S. MYERS
PROJECTION DESIGNER YUKI IZUMIHARA COMPOSER ARIAN SALEH
SPANISH TRANSLATOR BERNARDO CUBRÍA
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER JULIAN OLIVE
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER REBECCA K. HSIA
OPENING NIGHT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
COSTUME DESIGNER JENNIFER LYNN DECK 2025/2026 SEASON SPONSOR
AM I ROXIE?
CAST
All Characters ROXANA ORTEGA
UNDERSTUDY
u/s Roxie / Others XOCHITL ROMERO
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.
TIME/SETTING
2016 & Before. California & Beyond.
RUNNING TIME
85 minutes, no intermission.
PLEASE NOTE
There is no photography or filming of any kind allowed during the performance. Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones. Thank you!
PRODUCTION SPONSOR
HOSPITALITY SPONSOR
Alexander Technique
Brett Hershey
Choreographer
Maria Carmen Diaz
Assistant Scenic Designer
Colt McGuire
Associate Lighting Designer
Nicole Jaja
Assistant Lighting Designer
Shannon Barondeau
Assistant Sound Designer
Amelia Anello
Dialect Coach
Paul Wagar
Casting Consultant
Jamila Webb
Script Assistant
Sol Marina Crespo
Production Assistant
Siena Viviano
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Deck Crew
Alejandro Hernandez
Automation Operator
Enrique Garcia
Wardrobe Supervisor
Michayla Van Treeck
Lightboard Operator
Jesús Cambero Elias
A2
Grace Lee
Carpenters
Oliver Brink, Enrique Garcia, Ryan Howard, Mason Irwin, Claudia Peterson, Sam Sully
Scenic Painters
Vanessa Lara, Maddie Paniccia, Angelene Storey
Properties Artisans & Carpenters
Sigourney Chin, Danny Dolan, Ryan Howard
Scenic Equipment Provided By F&D Scene Changes
Softgoods Provided By Rose Brand
Costumes Provided By J&M Costumes, Inc.
Draper
Maria Stangl
Stitcher
Sarah Lindsley
Production Electrician
Jesús Cambero Elias
Lighting Programmer
Gabriel Rodriguez
Projection System Engineer & Programmer
Erin Teachman
Electricians
Christina Antolin, Bianca Bishop, Daniel Fernandez, Ezra Fisher, Justin Kelley-Cahill, Ezra Muthiah, Christiana Saldibar, James Tatsch
Sound Technician
Grace Lee
PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Lighting Equipment Provided By 4Wall Entertainment
Sound Equipment Provided By DnB Design, Jon Sound Inc.
Projection Equipment Provided By PXT Studio
SPECIAL THANKS
Production Photographer
Jeff Lorch
Media Filming
Ramon Garcia
Design + Art Direction Base Design
Photography
Corey Olsen
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Scene, Prop, Sound, and Costume Shops; Center Theatre Group Scene Shop; Ammunition Theatre Company; Roxana Ortega would like to thank: Leonard Robinson, The Ortega Sibs, The Campbell Clan, Amy Chapman, Peisha McPhee, Richard Rodriguez
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.
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, and as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.
Geffen Playhouse, a not-for-profit theater company, is proudly affiliated with the University of California at Los Angeles.
ROXANA ORTEGA (she/her) Playwright / Performer
Roxana Ortega is an award-winning actor and multi-hyphenate artist who is thrilled to be making her Geffen Playhouse debut. Her on-camera credits include Shonda Rhimes’ For the People (Apple TV+), Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix), New Girl (Fox), NCIS (CBS), Grand-Daddy Day Care opposite Danny Trejo, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous opposite Sandra Bullock, and countless national commercials. Behind the mic, her credits include the Emmy and Imagen Award–winning The Casagrandes (Nickelodeon), the Emmy–winning Monsters at Work (Disney+), Archer (FX), Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount Plus), and Call of Duty, to name a few. She studied theatre at Studio A.C.T. and has performed on San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles stages. She is a Sunday Company alumna of the prestigious Groundlings Theatre and is a current member of Ammunition Theatre Company. Her storytelling has been featured on podcasts and stages all over Los Angeles, including at the Moth GrandSLAM. Roxana was born in Los Angeles and
graduated from UC Berkeley Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She dedicates this performance to all the Carmens and all the caregivers. IG: @roxanaortegaofficial www.roxanaortega.com
XOCHITL ROMERO
u/s Roxie / Others
Xochitl Romero is an award-winning actor and writer. Off-Broadway, she originated the roles of “Carmen” in To the Bone at the Cherry Lane Theatre and “Penelope” in Chimichangas and Zoloft at Atlantic Theater Company. Recent regional theatre credits include: Cost of Living (Ovation Award winner, The Fountain Theatre); Crabs in a Bucket (The Echo Theater Company); Queens (La Jolla Playhouse); Mutual Philanthropy (Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA); Blackbird (B. Iden Payne Award winner, Hyde Park Theatre). Her recent film and television credits include: St. Denis Medical (NBC); Ben Affleck’s Animals (Netflix); The Conners and Station 19 (ABC); The Mosquito Coast (Apple TV+); A Little Family Drama (Amazon), to name a few. As a writer/performer, she cowrote HisPanic Attack, the first All-Latinx Sketch Show at The
Second City Hollywood. Her thriller, Bernie is currently touring the film festival circuit having garnered multiple awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Director.
BERNARDO
CUBRÍA (he/him) Director / Spanish Translator
Bernardo Cubría is a Mexican writer/director. Recent directing credits include Revenge Porn or the Story of a Body by Carla Ching and Brain Problems by Malcolm Barrett, both with Ammunition Theatre Company, and his own play The Hispanic/ Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in 2024. His play Crabs in a Bucket won the 2024 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Writing. His play The Play You Want premiered at LA’s The Road Theatre in 2022, garnering Cubría both a Stage Raw Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination for Playwriting. In 2019, Cubría was nominated for the Ovation, Stage Raw, and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Best Playwright awards for his play The Giant Void In My Soul. Other playwriting awards include the Smith Prize for Political Theater. He was a chair for the 2024-2025 Dramatists
Guild National Playwrighting Fellows. For film, he penned the feature screenplay Copa that Eva Longoria is set to direct and Guerrero which Gina Rodriguez is attached to direct, and he was a 2023 Sundance Screenwriters Lab Fellow for the screenplay Kill Yr Idols which he co-wrote. He was also a writer on seasons 3 and 4 of Acapulco on Apple TV+. Para Abu.
EFREN DELGADILLO JR. (he/him)
Scenic Designer
Efren Delgadillo Jr. is a Mexican-American Scenic Designer born and raised in East Los Angeles. His work spans regional theaters and experimental stages across the country. He is the recipient of two Henry Awards for his scenic designs in In The Upper Room and Quixote Nuevo at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He received a LA Weekly Theater Award for both Production and Lighting Design, and has been nominated for an Ovation Award for Bordertown Now with Culture Clash at Pasadena Playhouse. Additional nominations include a Barrymore Award for ¡Bienvenidos Blancos! or Welcome White People! with Team Sunshine Performance and Mushroom at People’s Light. Delgadillo holds a B.F.A. in Studio Arts from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.F.A. in Scenic Design from California Institute of the Arts. He currently serves as Head of Scenic Design at UC Irvine.
JENNIFER LYNN DECK
(she/her)
Costume Designer
Jennifer Lynn Deck is a costume designer and stylist based on the West Coast. Some recent design credits include: Perfect World (upcoming) at El Portal Theatre; The Amish Project at PlayMakers Repertory Company; As You Like It, Untitled Russian Project, Jump, The Amish Project at Chautauqua Theater Company; Reefer Madness 25th Anniversary Revival at The Whitley (Hair Designer & Associate Costume Design); Pericles at New Swan Shakespeare Festival; Shrek: The Musical at Carousel Theater; and Lucky Stiff, Little Shop of Horrors, The Butler Did It, Singing, Titanic: The Musical, Our American Cousin, Honk! The Musical, Forbidden Broadway, I Love You Because at KP&R Theater. Touring: Backhausdance Concert. Film Design: Blocked Jennifer also works as a commercial stylist with brands such as isima, Mattel, Paul Mitchell, SharkNinja, California Walnuts, The House of Florals, and more. Thank you and love you to my husband and goon squad.
Pablo Santiago is an internationally recognized lighting designer whose bold, emotionally resonant work spans live performance and digital film. He is thrilled to return to Geffen Playhouse following the
recent production of Furlough’s Paradise. Santiago’s artistry has earned him some of the industry’s highest honors, including the LA Drama Critics Circle Lighting Award, the Henry Award, the Richard E. Sherwood Award, and multiple Ovation Award nominations. Originally from Chiapas, Mexico, he began his creative journey in film before transitioning to the stage, bringing a cinematic sensibility to theatrical lighting. His designs are renowned for their power to transform space and elevate narrative, crafting immersive worlds that captivate audiences. Santiago’s work has been showcased at top national venues, including The Kennedy Center, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, and Dallas Theater Center. His innovative approach continues to shape the visual language of contemporary theater, opera, and symphonic performance.
CRICKET S. MYERS (she/her) Sound Designer
On Broadway, Cricket earned a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has also designed regionally at the Geffen Playhouse (Furlough’s Paradise, The Mountaintop, Ava: The Secret Conversations, The Thanksgiving Play, Play Dead, Discord, Wrecks, Some Girl(s)); Mark Taper Forum (American Idiot, Bent, Steward of Christendom, Joe Turner’s
Come and Gone, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Noises Off); La Jolla Playhouse (The Squirrels, Guards at the Taj, Sideways, The Nightingale), South Coast Repertory (Sweeny Todd, A Doll’s House, Part 2, The Fantasticks); Kirk Douglas Theatre (Endgame, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); Pasadena Playhouse (Real Women Have Curves, Stoneface); The Wallis (Invincible, Sisters in Law, Blues in the Night). Cricket has earned 24 Ovation nominations, as well as winning The Ruth Morley Award from the League of Professional Theater Women, The Kinetic Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Design, an LADCC, and a Garland Award in Los Angeles. www.cricketsmyers.com
YUKI IZUMIHARA (she/her) Projection Designer
Yuki Izumihara is an award-winning scenic, projection, and production designer born in Shimonoseki City, Japan and based in Oakland, CA. Ms. Izumihara’s work is influenced by years of martial arts training and is animated by a belief in discipline, ethics, and craftsmanship. Recent productions include projection design for The Light in the Piazza and Leopoldstadt (co-production with Shakespeare Theater Company) at The Huntington; Dolores and Bulrusher at West Edge Opera (co-production with Opera Southwest and San Diego Opera); Areas of Relief and Inkwell at ODC; San Francisco
Symphony’s Lunar New Year and Gala; production design for New Works Collective at Opera Theater of St. Louis; Madame Butterfly at Opera Philadelphia; The Marriage of Figaro, An American Dream, and Semele for Opera Santa Barbara. Her work has been featured at LA Opera, the New World Symphony, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Omaha, San Diego Opera, and various theaters across the country.
ARIAN SALEH (he/him) Composer
Arian Saleh is a recording artist and composer living in Brooklyn, NY and is thrilled to be contributing the score to Am I Roxie? at the Geffen. Film/TV credits include the 30 for 30 episode “Dream On,” The Great Imposter and Me, Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible, and Girl Icon. Theatre: Crabs in a Bucket, Revenge Porn or the Story of a Body, According to the Chorus, The Play You Want, and The Giant Void in My Soul. He is currently writing a new musical based on the Stonewall and Lambda Prize–winning novel Only This Beautiful Moment. He is also the founder of The Libretto Project (www.thelibrettoproject.com) and his discography is available wherever music streams.
IG: @ariansaleh www.soapymischief.com
JULIAN OLIVE
Production Stage Manager
Julian Olive is a proud graduate of Marymount Manhattan College and is excited to be re-
turning to the Geffen Playhouse! Previous Geffen credits include The Lonely Few. His other selected credits include the National Tour of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s productions of Frozen, The Little Mermaid, and Jersey Boys; Musical Theatre West’s Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story, Into the Woods, and Newsies, 5-Star Theatricals’ productions of Shrek, Matilda, West Side Story, The Music Man, Mamma Mia!, Something Rotten!, and The Addams Family; South Coast Repertory’s Alice’s Wonderland, She Loves Me, Sweeney Todd, and A Christmas Carol; Bay Street Theater’s The Prompter (starring Tovah Feldshuh); Paper Mill Playhouse’s The Honeymooners; Second Stage Theatre’s King Liz; The York Theatre Company’s Wonderland; Forestburgh Playhouse’s The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, Spamalot, and Misery; 3-D Theatricals’ Newsies; and Rubicon Theatre Company’s The Gin Game. Thank you to his support system!
REBECCA K. HSIA (she/her) Assistant Stage Manager
Rebecca is an LA and Seattle-based multi-hyphenate artist who has worked all over the world. She holds an M.F.A. in Stage Management from CalArts. Select Stage Manager credits: Geffen Playhouse (Dragon Lady, The Reservoir); IAMA Theatre Company (RADICAL or, are you gonna miss me?); ArtsWest (Athena);
5th Avenue Theatre (Production Assistant for Rock of Ages, West Side Story, First Draft); Intiman Theatre (Caught, Intiman Emerging Artist Program 2018); Annex Theatre (Silhouette—2018 Gregory Award winner, Best New Play); Centerstage Theatre (Pajama Game, Rapunzel: A Holiday Pantomime). She would like to send love and thanks to her family (especially MP, K9 Max, & Mila) and friends for their endless love and support.
Artistic Director
Tarell Alvin McCraney is Artistic Director of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for identifying, developing, and programming new works and re-envisioned classics. He sets the strategic artistic course for the Geffen’s Gil Cates and Audrey Skirball Kenis Theaters. McCraney is an award-winning writer, producer, and educator, best known for his acclaimed trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays. His script In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue is the basis for the Oscar–winning film Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney and Jenkins also won
a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. He is an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre and a member of Teo Castellanos D-Projects in Miami, a graduate of New World School of the Arts, The Theatre School at DePaul University, and the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick. He was recently Co-Chair of Playwriting at the David Geffen School of Drama, where he remains on faculty. He is an associate at the Royal Shakespeare Company, London, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Writers Branch).
Executive Director / CEO
Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Director / CEO of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, he is responsible for managing the Geffen’s dayto-day operations; developing new, ongoing theater partnerships and leading its mission to inform, entertain and inspire diverse audiences with live theater of the highest caliber. Prior to being named Executive Director in 2015, Cates served as Geffen Playhouse Board Vice Chairman since 2012 and served as a producer and
director in theater, film and television. His theater 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 include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning) and The Mesmerist (starring Jessica Capshaw and Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris). Cates’ television directorial debut was an episode of the NBC comedy Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He recently directed Displaced, a documentary short chronicling the journey of one of the first refugee families to flee Ukraine and arrive in the U.S. after escaping the Russian invasion. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University.
TARELL ALVIN M c CRANEY (he/him)
GIL CATES, JR.
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:
LUIS ALFARO
MICHAEL GOLAMCO
MEGHAN KENNEDY
KATIE LINDSAY, TOVA KATZ & ALEXANDRA KALINOWSKI
MATTHEW LÓPEZ
MARTYNA MAJOK
Co-Commission with Atlantic Theater Company
TARELL ALVIN M c CRANEY
QUI NGUYEN
Co-Commission with Manhattan Theatre Club
STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR
JIEHAE PARK
SARA PORKALOB & BRIAN QUIJADA
JEN SILVERMAN
N’YOMI ALLURE STEWART
Co-Commission with New York Theatre Workshop, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation
YORK WALKER
DAVID WIENER
CRAIG WRIGHT
LAUREN YEE
For more information on this program, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/newplays.
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 2024/2025 Writers’ Room:
SUNNY DRAKE
KEIKO GREEN
ANDREW ZEPEDA KLEIN
MAATIN
SAMAH MEGHJEE
JAMES ANTHONY TYLER
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 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
310.208.2028
Tuesday–Sunday, 12:00pm–6:00pm
Please visit geffenplayhouse.org for hours, parking and more information.
BOX OFFICE WINDOW
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
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.
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
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.
WHAT’S FUNNY ABOUT THAT?
AN INTERVIEW WITH PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER ROXANA ORTEGA
BY AMY LEVINSON, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
AMY LEVINSON: Can you talk about the process of developing this play, specifically the process of developing a one-person show?
ROXANA ORTEGA: It is a journey. I started writing this piece over ten years ago, when my mother was sick. And I started it in order to make sense of what was happening with my mom, but also to capture it. At first, I was writing stories, and I would go to open mics and tell them. And then, after my mom passed away, I had all these stories, and I thought, I want to turn this into a show. I want to talk about this because it is something that happens so privately; unless you’ve gone through it, you have no idea what it is or what it means. It was like Alice in Wonderland. I fell through a rabbit hole. How had I not known any of this before? I had to tell people about this world. But I wanted to do it in a way that captures all of its dimensions. Mean-
ing sometimes it’s hilarious, and it’s heartbreaking, and it’s frustrating. Also, keep in mind I’m a sketch comedian trying to write a show about Alzheimer’s, which is very challenging, because this is NOT a sketch. So, after so many years of sitting on it, reading it to my comedy friends and struggling with what it actually was, I finally said, this baby needs to be birthed! I saw a play that Bernardo [Cubría] directed, and I knew he was the perfect director for this. I asked him if he would direct the show, and he said, “No. My wife will kill me.” He was way overbooked, as usual. But he was running a playwright’s workshop through Ammunition Theatre Company, which we were both members of. So I asked for a spot in the playwright’s workshop and thought well, he’s going to fall in love with this, and then I’ll have my show written and my director! Which is basically what happened.
PHOTO BY CHARLIE PARADA
Playwright & Performer Roxana Ortega
AL: Let’s talk about your background in sketch comedy. Because obviously there is an enormous amount of humor in this show. It’s operatic and dramatic and very, very funny. How did you manage to strike a balance between this very serious subject matter and the humor that lives inside of it?
RO: Honestly, it’s just the way my brain works. I have a very dark brain as everyone will learn through the piece. But there is always an equal desire to laugh. It’s essential to my survival. As I was going through this experience, there would be moments just so gut-wrenching that we all had to laugh, because it was just so bad. So, I tried to capture all of that. Once I was really crafting it more, I did have to edit out some jokes. I needed to learn that sometimes a moment needs to just sit in something difficult and uncomfortable. I had to stop making people laugh all the time as a way of making the subject easier. Sometimes it’s okay to say, we’re going to feel this together, and that’s also good. Nobody here, in this moment, is dying, you know? We’re going to go here, experience this, and then we will move on. I don’t want to cheapen every tough moment with a laugh. I don’t want to diminish the gravity of it at times. Because in the context of the gravity, humor and play feel much more defiant and spiritually triumphant. And I knew if I could open the audience up from the beginning, connect with them through laughter, then they’ll be willing to go into some of these dark spaces that honestly, our culture generally expertly avoids.
AL: You play a number of characters in this piece. How did you decide who would populate the piece, who would be part of the story?
RO: Well, I chose the characters based on who was really there. I mean, I think there are only two characters in the piece that don’t exist. I knew that the tías had to be there. My tías are actually my comedic inspirations. And, of course, my mom. There are people who were very involved in the true story who aren’t in the play. I have siblings who are not in the show, which I’ve warned them about. And siblings who are in the show, which I’ve warned them about. But I chose other people who were
pertinent, and also people who were just fun for me to play. Then I invented a couple of characters to help with the narrative, but every character is inspired by someone. I always use real life to create my characters. Sometimes they are a combination of different people.
AL: Although this is based on your life and your relationship with your mother, there are elements of the play that are fictionalized. How do you choose when you want to fictionalize something?
RO: This has been a very long learning process for me as a writer who likes to use my own life for material. I am so inspired by the people in my life, and I have had a tendency to try and stick with the absolute way things happened. And then I remember this is not a documentary. I remind myself to let things go, to have fun and to fictionalize. And sometimes you HAVE to do it to help the audience follow the story or to make things funnier or to give things a little more structure. Sometimes that means reordering events for greater fluidity in the storytelling—because real life is disjointed and messy and doesn’t follow rules of dramatic storytelling. I always try to differentiate between facts and truth. The play is true; even if it’s not always the facts, it’s still true.
To read more about Am I Roxie?, visit geffenplayhouse.org/blog.
THE FIRST STEP FOR A WORLD PREMIERE Roxana Ortega’s 2023 AMMO Writers’ Lab workshop reading of Are You Roxie or Am I Roxie? at The Pico, directed by Bernardo Cubría.
THEATER IN EDUCATION HAS THE POWER TO IGNITE CHANGE
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 understanding, increased expression, and deeper compassion while enjoying your home away from home at this historic playhouse.
Above: Student Q&A with Dragon Lady star Sara Porkalob after a student matinee.
ANNUAL DONORS
Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund. Donors are listed at the Partner’s Circle level and higher for gifts made between June 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025. A full listing of our supporters can be found at geffenplayhouse.org/thankyou.
† Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors
^ Geffen Playhouse Founding Trustees
In appreciation, Annual Fund donors enjoy a host of special benefits including concierge ticketing services, complimentary drinks, receptions, and much more.
For more information, please call Anika Waco at 310.208.6500 ext. 195.
PREMIERE CIRCLE
$100,000+
Anonymous
The Ahmanson Foundation
Jana & Trevor Bezdek
Edgerton Foundation
Louise & Dr. Brad† Edgerton
Patricia Glaser† & Sam Mudie
The Adi† and Jerry Greenberg Foundation
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg^ Fund for Arts Education
Jerry & Terri Kohl
Linda Bernstein Rubin† & Tony Rubin
Jayne Baron Sherman
Shubert Foundation
The Simms/Mann Family Foundation^
S. Mark Taper Foundation
Jodi & Howard† Tenenbaum
Miranda† & Brett Tollman
UCLA
UCLA Health
INNOVATOR CIRCLE
$50,000 – $99,999
City National Bank
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation
Holly Rice† & Vince Gilligan
Richard† & Barbara Sherman
PRODUCER’S CIRCLE
$25,000 – $49,999
Anonymous
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
Capital Group
Marcy Carsey
City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg
Bob & Diana Friedman
Carol & Paul Frimmer
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
Kirsten Hansen & Allen Shay
Noble & Jacquelynn Hansen
Marcia Israel-Curley Foundation^
Carol & Bill Ouchi
Allen Blue & Kira Snyder
Judith & Bruce Stern
Shel & Cynthia Stone
Wolfen Family Foundation
PLAYWRIGHTS’S CIRCLE
$10,000 – $24,999
Anonymous
Eva Aaronson— In Memory of Bucky Hazan
The Berlanti Family Foundation
Katherine Brown & Rene Mendoza
Cast Iron Entertainment
Mary Ann Cloyd†
Ellyce R. Cooper & Barry Cohen / Sidley Austin LLP
Bonnie Eskenazi†
Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll
Susan & Mark† Fleischer
Sue & Steve Glusker
In Memory of Morris A. Hazan
Eric & Samantha Heer
Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark
David & Martha Kadue
Julie & David Kavner
Karen & Walter Loewenstern
Carla Malden† & Norman Beil
Mid-America Arts Alliance in Partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts
Soundis & Danny† Passman
Cheryl Petersen & Roger Lustberg
Yvonne Randle
Thomas L. Safran
Marcia & Robert Shuwarger
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Steward Family Foundation
Deborah Tavlin
U.S. Bank
Waterman and Glicksteen Families
Aurora & Marc† Weinstock
Robert Wilson, Jr. / Select Equity Group Foundation
CREATOR’S CIRCLE
$5,000 – $9,999
Laura & Harvey Alpert
Margaret Campbell Arvey and The Arvey Foundation
Shelly & Libby Bergen
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
The Chisolm Family
Cindy Clark
Linda & John Coleman
Ginger Conrad
In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert
Marisa & Adam Davis
Dr. Joan Denson & Dr. Victoria Berck
Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin
Barbara & Ed Dreyfus
Lisa Field, Field Family Foundation
In Memory of Lucas Simon Foster
Lynn T. Franklin
Sonia & Robert Freedman and Family
G2 Graphic Service, Inc.
Dr. Cara Gardenswartz & David Melnick
Carla Gardini
Fariba Ghaffari
The Goldenberg Family
Jill Grey
Marc & Erica Hankin
Monique & Jonathan Kagan
Mannon Kaplan
Kelton Fund
Laura Kennedy
Leslie King & Robert Welther
Ann & Jonathan Kirsch
Kling Family Foundation / Allen & Jessica Kling
Norman Koplof & Leslie Falick
David Lee Foundation
Rena & Craig Leeds
Tania Lotia & Tamar Tokat
Marcia E. Williams & Gene Lucero
Dr. Jennifer Lucero
Renee & Meyer Luskin
Mara W. Breech Foundation
Laura Maslon
Cookie Miller
Haley Pigman
Carolyn A. Poer & John M. Poer
Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman
Joyce Rey
Carol Risher
Susan Rogers
The Ross Family
Cooper Roth
Dinah C. Ruch & Bill Birdsall
David A. & Karen Richards Sachs
Nancy & Ted Sanborn
Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt
John Shustitzky & Rev. Christine Chakoian
Anne C. Taubman
William & Karen Timberlake
Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela
Julie & Peter Weil
Joanne & Ken Weinman
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
Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson
Susan J. Booth & Christopher Wadden
Paula Brand
Diana Buckhantz and the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation
Joanne Cohen
Tim Curtis & Shandon Youngclaus
Tara Duncan
Lucy Farber & Jim Bright
Dennis & Jackie Fox
In Memory of Jane F. Hall
Harris Family Foundation
Joseph & Kathy Hartley
Barbara Herman
Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston
Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson
Linda Janger
Katherine Kleindienst & Marc Goldsmith
Nancy Koven
Tim McNeal
Thaine & Elizabeth Morris
Susan Oka
Joyce & Harvey Reichard
Snyder Family Foundation
Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis
Judith Leslie Waxman & Leo Stytle
Leslie White & Al Limon
Cherie Wrigley
DESIGNER’S CIRCLE
$1,000 – $2,499
Anonymous (2)
Jan & David Altemus
Patti Amstutz
Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum
Randy & Michael Bayard
Yvette Bergeron & Dean Bailey
Wendy & John Bergquist
John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey
Laura & Jerry Callaway
Lexy & John Carroll
Peter & Heidi Cartmell
The Christal Family
Chanel Coney
Michael De Luca
Jacki & Murray Drechsler
Dr. & Mrs. William M. Duxler
Jeff Eckerle & Marilyn Osborn
Colleen M. Ellis
Terri & David Elston
David & Joyce Evans
Melanie Flamminio
In Honor of Frank & Betty Fouce
Anita Dann Friedman & Harvey Friedman
Catherine A. Froloff
Richard & Lori Goldman
Ellie Goodman
Penny Grosz & Eugene Korney
Deidre Hall
Pauliana Cheung Hall
Richard Hart
Scott Hartle
Jackson Henry
Hella Hershson
Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox
Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob
David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone
Brenda Marie Izzi
Nancy & Len Jacoby
Sally & Dr. Manny J. Karbelnig
Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly
Corrinne Mann Kempinsky & Louis Kempinsky
Dr. Phyllis H. Klein
Delores Komar & Susan Wolford
Trice Koopman & Mark Freund
Cori Lable
Lena & Mark Labowe
Mindy Lauerlevin & Ed Levin
Christo & Jeanne Lavagnino
Carl Levinger & Karen Siscoe
Lawrin & Linda Lewin
Cathleen Fitzpatrick Linder
Judith Locke
Elizabeth Luster
Susan & Peter Mallory
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
Mark & Diane Neubauer
Julie Nichols
Ornest Family Foundation
Ralph Page & Patty Lesh
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
Gary & Karen Schneider
Susan Schwarz
In Memory of Pippa Scott and In Honor of Miranda Rich Tollman
Sylvan & Sandra Seidenman
John Shaw
Janne Shirley
Rita & Jose Sigal
Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross
Ronald Smith
Kirk & Mei-lan Stark
Andrew Stearn
The Tatasciore Family
Catherine & Leonard Unger
Leon & Stephanie Vahn
Marcia & Charles Wasserman Ph.D
Westmount Asset Management
Herbert Wolas
Richard Yaffe
Arnold & Tricia Zane
Ellen & Arnold Zetcher
Bobbi & Walter Zifkin
PARTNER’S
CIRCLE
$500 – $999
Anonymous (6)
Toshka & Norman Abrams
Linda Adams & Ken Larson
Loren Adams
Robert C. Anderson
Elizabeth & Marc Axelrod
Frances & Thomas Booth
Philip & Phyllis Colman
Steven & Linda Darling
Dr. Van Anh & Nariman Dastur
Linda Dozier
Kay & Larry Driscoll
Terry Feuerborn & Connie Whitley
Burt & Nanette Forester
Bruce Fortune & Elodie Keene
Elaine & Larry Friedman
Olga Garay-English
Daniel Giesberg & Carol Lifland
Francine Golden & Marvin Schlossman
Marcy Gross
Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson
Roberta L. Haft
Corinne Hayoun
Murray & Gail Heltzer
Michael & Candie Herman
Dr. Shelley Hill
Ana Hubner
Drs. Sharon & Lou Ignarro
Robert & Gail Israel
Stephen A. Jones & Victoria A. Walker
Arnedra Lorraine Jordan
Jessica Kaltman & Robert Reznik
Avi Kamienny
Leana Kleinman & Jerald Johnson
Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta
Jalyn Lang
John & Sandra Langfitt
Rhonda K. Lawrence
Nancy Hytone Leb
Gina Maria Leonetti
Marla E. Levine
Cari J. Lewis
Littleton Road Productions
Leslie & Adam Lobel
Christina Medigovich
Anne & Ronald Mellor
Cynthia Melville
In Memory of Gregory Millar
Joan & Phil Miller
Dr. Gail Devlin Moradi
John Moschitta, Jr.
Ron Myrick
Louise Olin
In Memory of Naidu Permaul
Carol F. Phillips
Gary & Gail Rachelefsky
Mary Ann Rosenfeld & Sheldon Kadish
Brad Ross
Linda Sandrich
Cliff & Linda Schaffer
Nancy & Steven Schneider
William Schreiber
John Schunhoff
Tina & John Scott
Marc Seltzer
Nancy & Bruce Silverman
Marlene Sklar & Joel Moskowitz
Barbara Smith
Mr. & Mrs. David Tann
Barbara & Larry Tenan
David & Cathy Thomas
William G. Tierney & Barry H. Weiss
Maud & Tonis Tilk
Brigitta Troy
Linda & Rich Turco
Shirah & Jim Vollmer
Deborah & Glenn Weinberg
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 Coordinator at 310.208.6500 ext. 195.
Tarell Alvin McCraney ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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
Artistic Coordinator
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
Audrey Lastar
Costume Supervisor
Sarah Lindsley
Costume Shop Supervisor
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
Janice Gompers
Payroll Manager & HR Admin
Youra Kim
Accounting Manager
Jake Jones Staff Accountant
Clay Dzygun
Office Coordinator
Chloe Shi
General Management Associate
DEVELOPMENT
Sarah Weinberg
Chief Development Officer
Elizabeth Kegley
Director of Institutional Giving
Rachel Jacoby
Data Management Coordinator
Anika Waco
Donor Relations Coordinator
Zoila Lopez
Development Assistant
EDUCATION
Brian Allman
Director of Education & Community Engagement
Mark J. Chaitin
Manager of Education & Community Engagement
Paloma Nozicka
Education Associate
Sean Michael Boozer, Paris Crayton III,
DeJuan Christopher Conner, Sidney Edwards, Aja Houston, Erròn Jay, BJ Lange, Tiffany Oglesby, Tara Ricasa, Ashley Denise Robinson, Gerry Tonella
