Sex With Strangers Program

AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS THEATER AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

WELCOME TO THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

Photo by Jeff Lorch Photography

SEX WITH STRANGERS

FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR WELCOME TO LAURA EASON’S CAPTIVATING new play, Sex With Strangers. Friends and colleagues for many years, Laura and I first crossed paths 25 years ago in a booming Chicago theater community, and so welcoming her to the Geffen is certainly my pleasure.

Infused with ideas that examine what it means to live in the modern world, Sex With Strangers dares us to discern between public and private personas, no small task in today’s realm of online personalities and sound bite sum-ups of the human condition. How do two people talk to one another when these distractions are taken out of the equation?

Real conversation plus sex and literature — what could be better?

Chicago director Kimberly Senior has assembled an incredible team of designers, who have skillfully rendered both the rural bed and breakfast where writers Olivia and Ethan seek escape from the noise of their lives and the urban apartment where the two must later face reality. Guided by Kimberly and Laura, stellar actors Rebecca Pidgeon and Stephen Louis Grush have brought to life two writers who share a common angst about how their work is perceived by the outside world.

As the characters muddle through a quagmire of doubt, first about themselves, then about one another, they take us on a funny, deeply personal journey that is recognizable to us all. In a partnership of any kind, our audience of one can be our greatest supporter or our harshest critic. Laura’s characters walk the line between encouragement and ego with great delicacy and humor.

While this play promises a fun, sometimes silly, always sexy ride, it also poses questions that we hope you will continue to contemplate during your ride home and long after.

Enjoy the show!

Randall Arney ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

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LETTER FROM THE CO-CHAIRS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MARTHA HENDERSON CO-CHAIR

PAMELA ROBINSON CO-CHAIR PATRICIA KIERNAN APPLEGATE RANDALL ARNEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

BETH BEHRS DR. GENE D. BLOCK KEVIN BRIGHT HAROLD A. BROWN GIL CATES JR.

Photo by Bobby Quillard

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MICHAEL CENTENO MARY ANN CLOYD MERLE DANDRIDGE DR. BRAD EDGERTON MARK FLEISCHER HERBERT M. GELFAND CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

MARTHA HENDERSON

PAMELA ROBINSON

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE to kick off 2016 in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater with Sex With Strangers, written by Laura Eason and directed by Kimberly Senior. This provocative new work is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat!

As we dive into the new year, we invite you to save the date for our 14th annual Backstage at the Geffen event on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Our biggest fundraiser of the year supports our Education, Veterans and Community Engagement programs, as well as the artistic performances on stage. This special evening promises to keep you totally entertained, as surprise musical performances and guest artists take the stage to share their favorite backstage stories and hilarious behind-the-scenes memories of life as an artist. Our guest performers have included Lady Gaga, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Mirren, Tom Hanks, Anjelica Huston, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andy Garcia, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, just to name a few. We are delighted to share that David Geffen has graciously agreed to be our Honorary Chair this year, and we look forward to announcing the honorees soon.

We hope you will consider joining us on May 21 to help support Geffen Playhouse’s critical Education, Veterans and Community Engagement programs. We are committed to changing lives through theater, and Backstage at the Geffen makes this possible. Be a part of this change and join us on May 21! For more information, please contact Regina Miller, Chief Development Officer, at 310.208.6500 ext. 112 or reginam@geffenplayhouse.com.

We hope you enjoy the show!

PATRICIA L. GLASER SAM GORES ADI GREENBERG ARTHUR GREENBERG JOAN KALOUSTIAN LORETTA EVERETT KAUFMAN DR. GERALD S. LEVEY CARLA MALDEN SUSAN MALLORY GINNY MANCINI BARRY MEYER SCOTT MINERD STEVEN A. OLSEN HOLLY RICE LINDA BERNSTEIN RUBIN TERI SCHWARTZ RICHARD SHERMAN FRED SPECKTOR LORRAINE SPURGE CYNTHIA P. STAFFORD HOWARD TENENBAUM VICE CHAIRMAN

FOUNDING TRUSTEES KIRSTEN COMBS ROBERT A. DALY DAVID GEFFEN QUINCY JONES JEFFREY KATZENBERG GLORYA KAUFMAN FRANK G. MANCUSO CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

RON MEYER LESLIE MOONVES JERRY MOSS JERRY PERENCHIO BRUCE M. RAMER FOUNDING CHAIRMAN

VICTORIA MANN SIMMS ANDY SPAHN STEVEN SPIELBERG STEVE TISCH DR. CHARLES E. YOUNG CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

IN MEMORIAM GILBERT CATES FOUNDER

Martha Henderson

Pamela Robinson

CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

CO-CHAIR, GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

MARCIA ISRAEL-CURLEY AUDREY SKIRBALL KENIS CHARLES KENIS KARL MALDEN EDIE WASSERMAN LEW WASSERMAN PETER ROSEN LEGAL COUNSEL, LATHAM & WATKINS LLP

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2015 honoree Elton John with Lady Gaga, who opened the show

2015 host Nathan Fillion greets storyteller Samuel L. Jackson

SAVE THE DATE

BACKSTAGE at the GEFFEN Saturday, May 21, 2016 YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL TELL A STORY ...

WHO WILL PERFORM ...

AND WHO WILL STEAL THE SHOW! For more information please contact Regina Miller at 310.208.6500 ext. 112 or reginam@geffenplayhouse.com

Photos by Jordan Strauss.

TITLE SPONSOR

PRESENTING SPONSOR

Violinist Lee England Jr. with legend Quincy Jones

Storyteller Anjelica Huston

GEFFENPLAYHOUSE.COM/BACKSTAGE As of printing date February 17, 2016.

THE PERSON IN PERSONA CURATING IDENTITY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

BY AMY LEVINSON

IN LAURA EASON’S SMART, SAUCY PLAY, SEX WITH STRANGERS, WE ARE INTRODUCED TO TWO CHARACTERS, BOTH WRITERS BY PROFESSION.

What we witness on stage, or even in interviews, is,

While Olivia has taken a more traditional route of

generous, open-minded, hard-working, lovable and

writing and selling novels, to mediocre success, Ethan

loving woman. With that said, her true personality did

has completely embraced the world of the online

not suffer fools gladly, and that key part of her was

persona including a blog, a Twitter presence and

integrated and exponentially amplified in her onstage

constant interaction with fans, successfully monetized.

persona. Stephen Colbert is another example of the

This phenomenon, due to the combination of product

person versus the persona. The character of “Stephen

exposure and personal invisibility that online life

Colbert” on The Colbert Report had a political agenda

creates, is relatively new in our culture, but the curation

completely at odds with Colbert’s own. He used this

of a persona for the sake of one’s art is ages old.

enormously conservative persona to comic purpose

granted, a part of who the artist is, but the attributes they emphasize have been turned up so loud that the person they are at their core is barely visible. Joan Rivers’s persona was that of an insult-hurling, crass, nasty woman who had a bone to pick with everyone.

Ask the majority of people with whom she worked and they will tell you they’ve rarely met a more

Before the ease and simplicity of being able to

— so effectively that many actually believed that the

craft a persona behind the comfort of one’s computer

persona he created in fact held his political views. In

screen, there were plenty of people working to

an interview in which he spoke as himself and not as

create these alter egos in other forms. Take stand-

his TV personality, he stated that he didn’t allow his

up comedians as a prime example of the difference

children to watch his show because he never wanted

between a person and the persona they project.

them to see him being so entirely insincere.

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THE PERSON IN PERSONA There are those too, in our popular culture, who are famous solely for their personas. Society’s obsession with the Kardashians or Hiltons, famous for being famous, is further proof that we often fail to separate the people from their personas and this can make for challenging interpersonal relationships — a theme Eason explores in Sex With Strangers to great interest.

With the internet playing such an important role in all of our lives, this idea of creating a version of one’s self for public consumption has been taken to new heights. Using Eason’s play as inspiration, let us consider the world of online dating. The first thing one is asked to do when entering into the fray of connections made via computer (and I choose the word “fray” carefully — it’s a minefield out there) is create a profile. While you are ostensibly being asked to talk about yourself, in the “creation of a profile” there is an automatic response to lean into the best version of one’s self. Unlike a job interview, where we certainly bring our personality A game to the table, in these online profiles, we can be whomever we wish. And this is not lying, per se. It is akin to the persona of the comedian, but instead of turning up negative attributes for the sake of humor, we focus on the positive. And presumably we’re going to ‘sell’ our best selves when creating an online profile, but this is often taken to extremes as people strive to get noticed in a sea of competition for attention.

Interestingly, what often emerges is a sense of the generic. Time and again, in reading online profiles (which, of course, I did purely for research purposes for this article), one is struck by the similarity in descriptions, as people put forth what they assume others will find attractive. Recurring themes include “sense of adventure, well-travelled, strong sense of self, successful and romantic.” No one focuses on their desire to binge watch Netflix in yoga pants and order in. Not unlike the job interview, where, when we are asked what our biggest weakness is, we don’t admit our propensity for procrastination or our ongoing need to beat everyone we know in online Scrabble (again, purely for research). We talk about our perfectionism being our greatest downfall.

But what can’t be hidden in an interview — how well spoken one is, knowledge about one’s field (or lack thereof), social aptitude, etc. — is writ large in that first meeting. Online, one can pretend to be all of those things. The “confident, hard-working, sensitive person” you read about in a profile may in fact be an “arrogant, career-obsessed person with anger management issues.” It’s all online spin.

Of course, many of these profile “facts” are easily sorted upon a first meeting. And this is just where Eason’s play begins. By choosing for the internet to be down when the first meeting between Ethan and Olivia occurs, Eason immediately creates a scenario where two strangers have no choice but to deal with one another face to face, without electronic interruption or online fact-finding. Ethan, who has had great success with an online persona (a magnified, exaggerated version of himself), is introduced to us and to Olivia as the person, and not until Act II are we exposed to the online persona. As the play progresses, we and Olivia are confronted by the differences between the two.

Apart from how these two sides of Ethan’s character impact the interpersonal aspects of this play, there is much focus on the selling of one’s self professionally and the spin required to make headway in an over-saturated market. Art, whether it be visual, literary or performance, needs to cultivate an audience and also falls prey to the pitfalls of mass media online. When we turn on our computers and log on anywhere, our “likes” lead us into a maze of advertising catered directly to our online habits.

Inevitably, art becomes something that can be mass marketed according to the likes and dislikes of consumers. An algorithm finds an audience for art and vice versa. Therein lies a similar problem to how an online profile becomes watered down to hold the most appeal for the largest audience. The algorithm can only pull out the most generic attributes of what we read, listen to or attend. As Olivia strives to write something that separates her from the masses, Ethan wants her to focus on what makes her work saleable to the greatest number of readers, and often these elements are diametrically opposed.

Sex With Strangers navigates between the personal and the professional lives of these two characters by making them inextricably linked and, in doing so, makes each side of their lives a metaphor for the other.

In Eason’s play — indeed, as in our own lives — it is an inarguable fact that we are slaves to our obsession with the online world. We have had to employ the term “unplugging” to define turning off our electronics and paying attention to the people in the room. But on- and offline, we seek the same thing. Eason understands our fundamental need as humans to be seen and recognized in our work, in our art and in our lives. And this deep recognition never comes in regards to the persona, which is only click-bait; it comes in seeing the person across from us.

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THE GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF

Written by

Laura Eason Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Sibyl Wickersheimer

Elisa Benzoni

Lighting Designer

Sound Designer

Josh Epstein

Cricket S. Myers

Production Stage Manager

Julie Haber

Casting Director

Phyllis Schuringa, CSA Directed by

Kimberly Senior New York Premiere produced by Second Stage Theatre, New York, 2014 Carole Rothman, Artistic Director “SEX WITH STRANGERS” was developed through Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s New Play Initiative, was presented as part of its First Look Festival of New Work and the world premiere was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; Martha Lavey, Artistic Director and David Hawkanson, Executive Director EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS CIRCLE MEMBERS

Laurie & Bill Benenson • Martha Henderson • Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert Hollander Loretta Everett Kaufman & Victor Kaufman • Jason & Yvonne Lee • Gail & Andrew Roth Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin • Miranda & Brett Tollman

Opening Night: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

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(In alphabetical order)

Ethan ................................................................................................................................... Stephen Louis Grush Olivia .......................................................................................................................................... Rebecca Pidgeon

SETTING ACT I: A bed and breakfast in rural Michigan ACT II: Olivia’s apartment in Chicago RUNNING TIME Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes There will one 15 minute intermission.

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SEX WITH STRANGERS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES

STEPHEN LOUIS GRUSH (Ethan) Stephen Louis Grush makes his Geffen Playhouse debut.

Recent theater credits include: Airline Highway, The March, Sex With Strangers, The Tempest, Dublin Carol, Good Boys and True and Last of the Boys (Steppenwolf Theater Company); he was also commissioned to write and direct Adore as a part of Steppenwolf’s initial Garage Rep Series in 2009.

Other recent Chicago credits include: The Seagull, A True History of the Johnstown Flood, Oedipus Complex and Pericles (Goodman Theatre); Cymbeline, Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); True West (American Theater Company); and Topdog/Underdog (Congo Square). Recent television credits include: Longmire, Gracepoint, Lucky 7, The Mob Doctor, Powers, Cooper and Stone, Detroit 187, The Chicago Code and Starting Under. Recent film credits include: The Free World, Catch Hell, Return to Sender, At Any Price, The Express, Left Alone, Nightlights, Dead Girl, Attrition, Lac Du Flambeau and Lifeguard.

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REBECCA PIDGEON (Olivia) Rebecca Pidgeon has starred in the films: The Spanish Prisoner, The Winslow Boy, State and Main, Heist, Red, Two Bit Waltz and most recently played a role in The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

Her television credits include Phil Spector for HBO and Jesse Stone: Sea Change for CBS. She had recurring roles on the hit series The Unit for CBS and The Shield for FX and played a regular role on In Justice for ABC. She starred in Uncle Vanya for the BBC, and in Samuel Beckett’s Catastrophe opposite Sir John Gielgud and Harold Pinter for Channel 4. Pidgeon played “Deeny” in The Old Neighborhood on Broadway and “Claire” in Boston Marriage at the Geffen Playhouse. She originated the role of “Carol” in Oleanna Off-Broadway, which had its world premiere at the Orpheum Theatre.

As a member of The Royal National Theatre in London, she starred in its productions of Speed-the-Plow and The Changeling. She is a member of the Atlantic Theater Company and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In addition to her career as an actress, Pidgeon is a singer/ songwriter whose album Slingshot was nominated for a Grammy award. Her latest album is Bad Poetry.

LAURA EASON (Playwright) Laura Eason is a screenwriter, playwright of both original work and adaptation, and a musical book writer. As a screenwriter, she recently finished her third season on the Emmy-nominated Netflix drama, House of Cards (WGA nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series), sold a drama pilot to 20th Century Fox TV/FOX network, executive produced by Danny Strong, and is writing a feature film for Sarah Jessica Parker’s company, Pretty Matches. Her more than twenty produced plays include Sex With Strangers (Second Stage Theatre, NYC; Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago; Sydney Theatre, Australia; Blackwing Productions, Buenos Aires, Argentina; fifteen productions in 2015–2016 including the US, UK, Spain and Australia) and Around The World In 80 Days (recently at the St. James, London, world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, KC Rep., also New Vic and Royal Exchange Theaters, UK). Her musical Days Like Today, music and lyrics by Alan Schmuckler, has its world premiere at Writers Theatre, Chicago. Laura is a long-time Ensemble Member of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, and served as the company’s Artistic Director for six years.

In New York, she is a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, New Georges and an alumna of the Women’s Project Playwright’s Lab. Laura is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. Born and raised

in Chicago, she now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.

Information and updates at lauraeason.com and @LeasonNYC. KIMBERLY SENIOR (Director) Kimberly directed the Broadway premiere of Disgraced, which she previously directed OffBroadway at Lincoln Center Theater. Her other OffBroadway credits include The Who & The What (Lincoln Center Theater). Her regional credits include Disgraced (Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre), The Who & The What (La Jolla Playhouse), Little Gem (City Theatre); Murder on the Nile and A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players); and Mauritius (Theatre Squared, Fayetteville, AR). Her many Chicago credits include Disgraced and Rapture, Blister, Burn (Goodman Theatre); Marjorie Prime, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hedda Gabler, and The Letters (Writers Theatre); 4000 Miles and The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); Want and The North Plan (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Inana, My Name is Asher Lev, and Dolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre); Disgraced (American Theater Company); The Great God Pan, After the Revolution, Madagascar, The Overwhelming, and The Busy World Is Hushed (Next Theatre); The Cripple of Inishmaan, Bug, The Pillowman (Redtwist Theatre); Old Times, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Company); Thieves Like Us (The House Theatre of Chicago); and Waiting for Lefty (American Blues),

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES

SIBYL WICKERSHEIMER (Scenic Designer) Sibyl’s regional set design credits include productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Portland Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, The Kirk Douglas Theatre, Geffen Playhouse and South Coast Rep. In Los Angeles, Sibyl has designed for numerous companies, including 10 productions at The Actors’ Gang of which 1984 and The Trial of the Catonsville 9 have toured to five continents. Outside of the traditional theater space, her art installations and sculpture have been exhibited in galleries throughout Southern California. Sibyl’s set design for The Unfortunates at OSF was recently displayed at the Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space, and will be exhibited at the 2016 USITT conference in Salt Lake City. Sibyl is also

an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California in the School of Dramatic Arts.

ELISA BENZONI (Costume Designer) Elisa is an Italian born costume designer working in LA and San Diego. She is currently the resident costume designer for North Coast Repertory Theatre. Select Credits include: The Who and The What, Our Town; Tall Girls; Brahaman/I; Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir (La Jolla Playhouse); Pericles, Reckless, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure (Old Globe/USD); Snakeskin, Lifeblood Harmony, Chagall; A Man Found Wanting (Malashock Dance); The Storm; The Threepenny Opera; A Man, His Wife, and His Hat (UCSD). Assistant costume credits: Dialogues des Carmelites (Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari), Paradise Found (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), Milk Like Sugar (La Jolla Playhouse), As You Like It, Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Old Globe). Elisa holds a costume design MFA from UCSD where she is now an adjunct lecturer. www.elisabenzoni.com JOSH EPSTEIN (Lighting Designer) Josh has designed lighting for many of the top regional theaters in the country including: the Mark Taper Forum, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, The Guthrie, The Goodman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Alliance Theater, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Playmakers Repertory and

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He has served as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television since 2014. Josh received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and a Member of the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference Artistic Council.

Josh lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters. www.joshepsteindesign.com.

CRICKET S. MYERS (Sound Designer) On Broadway, Cricket earned a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Off Broadway designs include The Marvelous Wonderettes. She has also designed regionally at Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Ahmanson, The Mark Taper Forum, Berkley Rep, Arena Stage, South Coast Rep, The Kirk Douglas Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse. Other selected L.A. designs include NoHo Arts Center, The Rubicon, Ghost Road Theater Company, The Celebration Theater, and Circle X. She has earned 18 Ovation Nominations, as well as winning The Kinetic Award for Outstanding Achievements in Theatrical Design, an LADCC and a Garland Award. www.cricketsmyers.com JULIE HABER (Production Stage Manager) Julie is delighted to be working again with director Kimberly Senior, with whom she just completed a Berkeley Rep/Seattle Rep co-production of Disgraced,

by Ayad Akhtar. She has

stage managed at many regional theaters around the country, including Pasadena Playhouse (A Song at Twilight), as well as Magic Theatre in San Francisco and four summer seasons at Santa Cruz Shakespeare (formerly Shakespeare Santa Cruz).

She served as Administrative Stage Manager at American Conservatory Theater for three seasons and as Company Stage Manager at South Coast Rep for 20 seasons. She enjoys working on children’s theater at MainStreet Theater Company in Rancho Cucamonga. Julie received her MFA from Yale School of Drama, has taught stage management at UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Cal Arts and Yale and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA (Casting) Phyllis has been the casting director at Geffen Playhouse for 12 years and now is also the Artistic Associate. Recent plays at the Geffen include Barcelona; Bad Jews; The Night Alive; Switzerland; The Country House; Wait Until Dark and American Buffalo.

Before joining the team at the Geffen, she was the casting director for Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago where her favorites include Frank Galati’s adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath (also La Jolla Playhouse, National Theatre in London, and Broadway, where it received the Tony Award for Best Play), the original production of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile (and subsequent productions including Westwood Playhouse and Briar Street Theater in Chicago), Austin

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SEX WITH STRANGERS

among others. Senior is the Founder of Collaboraction, a resident director at Writers Theatre, and an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre Company. Senior was named the 2012 Best Director in Chicago by Chicago Magazine.

She has been nominated for several Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations, was a finalist for both SDC’s Zelda Fichandler and Joe A Callaway Awards and is the recipient of the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award from Columbia College. Senior lives in Evanston with her two children, Noah and Delaney, and is a proud member of SDC. kimberlysenior.net

PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow and Charles L. Mee’s Time to Burn. Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival) and The Song of Jacob Zulu. She teaches auditioning at Steppenwolf West and is a member of the Casting Society of America.

RANDALL ARNEY (Artistic Director) Randall Arney has been a theater professional for over 30 years and has served as Artistic Director of the Geffen Playhouse since 1999. In addition to his artistic programming and oversight at the Geffen, Arney has helmed more than 10 productions for the theater, most recently Outside Mullingar, The Night Alive, Reasons to Be Pretty, Slowgirl, American Buffalo, Superior Donuts, The Female of the Species, The Seafarer, Speed-the-Plow and All My Sons. Arney is an ensemble member and former Artistic Director of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where his directing credits include: Slowgirl, The Seafarer, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Death and the Maiden, Curse of the Starving Class, Killers and The Geography of Luck, among others. Arney also directed Steppenwolf’s world premiere of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile, as well as the subsequent national and international

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acclaimed productions. Mr. Arney’s acting credits with Steppenwolf include Born Yesterday, Ghost in the Machine, The Homecoming, Frank’s Wild Years, You Can’t Take it with You, Fool for Love, True West, Balm in Gilead and Coyote Ugly.

As the Artistic Director for Steppenwolf from 1987 to 1995, he oversaw the creation of a new stateof-the-art theater which is Steppenwolf’s current home.

Broadway transfers under his leadership include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Song of Jacob Zulu (six Tony Award nominations) and The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Tony Award, Best Play). Mr. Arney has an MFA degree in Acting from Illinois State University and has taught master classes and workshops at UCLA, Steppenwolf, around the U.S. and in Tokyo.

GIL CATES, JR. (Executive Director) Gil Cates, Jr. has proudly served on the Geffen Playhouse Board since 2012 and has years of producing and directing experience in theater, film and television.

Gil’s theater credits include the award-winning Names (Matrix Theatre) starring Dixie Carter and Greg Mullavey, The Night I Knocked Out Joe Frazer and Lost 90 Pounds (Gardner Stage Theater), as well as Three Sisters and David Mamet’s A Life in the

Theatre (both at Syracuse Stage). Gil’s 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, Ann-Margret and recent Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Tambor). In addition, Gil produced and directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which won best documentary at the Phoenix Film Festival and later had its premiere Christmas Eve on Showtime.

His other films include Deal (starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Charles Durning), The Mesmerist (starring Geffen Playhouse alumnus Neil Patrick Harris), and the critically acclaimed independent film Order of Chaos. Gil also made his TV directorial debut with an episode of the NBC comedy, Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a BFA in Drama from Syracuse University in 1991.

REGINA MILLER (Chief Development Officer) Regina has been a development professional for over 18 years, working

with non-profit institutions, foundations and corporations on strategy, analysis and fundraising. She has worked for Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Clinton Foundation, Ben Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, Hank Azaria’s Determined to Succeed, Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project, Water.org, Codenow.org among others.

Prior to the Geffen, Regina served as the Director of Partnerships for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire where she led strategic planning and development while executing policies that advanced the organization’s visibility and growth. Regina also has a strong passion for teaching. After graduating from University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she taught in preschools and kindergartens in New York.

From the age of 13, Regina worked as a professional dancer on Broadway as well as with a number of prominent modern dance ensembles.

Fusing two of her interests, she created a highly successful program which incorporated dance therapy and creative movement into an early childhood curriculum as well as wrote and produced a television show based on this concept. In addition to being a published author and photographer with Tallfellow Press and Prometheus Books, Regina has taught and lectured at numerous schools in New York, Los Angeles and abroad.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE

PRODUCTION STAFF FOR SEX WITH STRANGERS

ADDRESS

Assistant Director Kristen Osborn Assistant Set Designer Yuri Okahana and Dreem Qin Assistant Lighting Designer Ning Ji Wardrobe Supervisor Kit Peterson Sound Board Operator Michael Gunderson Production Assistant Marissa Putnick Stage Crew Alex Norkus Properties Artisan Cami Viand Properties Artisan Devin Lennon-Davey Properties Artisan Lilian Bartenstein

Geffen Playhouse 10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Set provided by Scenic Highlights Lighting Equipment provided by 4Wall Entertainment Lighting Sound Equipment provided by Jon Sound Inc. Production Photographer Michael Lamont Media Filming Four Leaf Media SPECIAL THANKS UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Scene, Prop, Sound and Costume Shops; London Cleaners 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 such as Alan Ayckbourn, Jon Robin Baitz, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, David Ives, Neil LaBute, David Mamet, Donald Margulies, Terrence McNally, John Rando and Kathleen Turner 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.

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AT THE THEATER

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

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. To minimize disturbance to other patrons, you may be seated in the first available location by the house staff even if different from your assigned seat. Be advised that some productions or circumstances may not allow for late or return seating.

The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT theaters are represented

by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

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ANNUAL DONORS Geffen Playhouse recognizes the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of our Annual Fund and Backstage at the Geffen. Donors are listed at the Associate level and higher for gifts made between December 1, 2014 and February 1, 2016.

In appreciation, donors enjoy a host of special benefits including house seats, complimentary drinks, receptions and much more.

For more information, please call Jamie Mikelich at 310.208.6500 ext. 128.

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE $50,000+ Anonymous Audi of America, Inc Ben/Joyce Eisenberg Foundation Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block Claudia & Kevin Bright City National Bank Elizabeth Lacey & Gilbert Cates, Jr. Mary Ann Cloyd David Geffen Foundation Edgerton Foundation The Edward A. & Ai O. Shay Family Foundation Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer & Melvin Keefer Herbert M. & Beverly J. Gelfand In Memory of Alice Ghostley & Felice Orlandi Sam Gores The Adi & Jerry Greenberg Foundation Guggenheim Partners Investment Management Holdings, LLC Carole & Bill Haber Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Martha Henderson Rabbi Uri D. Herscher & Dr. Myrna Herscher Cindy & Alan Horn HSBC Private Bank USA Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg Glorya Kaufman Loretta Everett Kaufman & Victor Kaufman Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation Keyes Automotive Group Robert K. Kraft Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald L&N Andreas Foundation Latham & Watkins LLP The Lauder Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Jason & Yvonne Lee Susan & David Leveton George Lucas Family Foundation Ginny Mancini Fay & Frank Mancuso John McCrite & Juan Lopez Donna McKenna & Flynn Chernos Kelly & Ron Meyer Scott Minerd Ann & Jerry Moss Moss Foundation Paradigm Talent Agency Ralph M. Parsons Foundation PricewaterhouseCoopers Madeline & Bruce Ramer P12 PERFORMANCES MAGAZINE

Pamela Robinson Hollander & Robert Hollander Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin Richard & Barbara Sherman Shubert Foundation Skirball Foundation Karen & Vic Smith Cynthia P. Stafford Jodi & Howard Tenenbaum UCLA The Walt Disney Company Ken Willner & Jim Stine Elaine Wynn Family Foundation Judy & Chancellor Charles E. Young Dirk & Natasha Ziff

ARTISTIC CIRCLE $25,000 - $49,999 Anonymous Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Aegon Transamerica Foundation Patricia Kiernan Applegate Aria Resort & Spa Ariel Investments Robert C. Baral Stephanie & Jonathan Carson Valarie De La Garza & Michael Centeno CenterStaging Kathy & Mitch Clark Classic Party Rentals Clay Lacy Aviation DreamWorks Animation Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Fox Entertainment Group Carol & Paul Frimmer Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc. Jim & Ann Gianopulos Goldman Sachs Andy & Carlo Brandon-Gordon Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association Mellody Hobson The Lear Family Foundation Los Angeles County Arts Commission Los Angeles magazine Marcia Israel Foundation, Inc. Sandra E. Milken Napa Valley Grille Holly Rice Judith & Bruce Stern Shel & Cynthia Stone Warner Bros. Entertainment Samantha & John Williams Anthony P. Zinge

PRODUCER $10,000 - $24,999 Anonymous Beth Behrs Charles A. Black, Jr. Board of Supervisors County of Los Angeles Heather Thomas & Skip Brittenham Brotman Foundation of California Amanda Brown & Justin Chang Eileen & Harold Brown Bulgari Corporation of America Roma Downey & Mark Burnett The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation The Chatwal City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Carole Bayer Sager & Robert A. Daly Edward Avedis Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg Susan & Mark Fleischer The Friedman Group Sarinda & Gian Fulgoni Gagosian Gallery, Inc Dr. Hilary Garland Ghurka The Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Foundation Patty Glaser & Sam Mudie Manuela & James Goren Arthur Greenberg C. Curtis Grisham In Memory of Morris A. Hazan HBO Samantha & Eric Heer Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark Vicki Iovine & David Coiro Joseph Drown Foundation Joan Kaloustian Fred Latsko Janine & Peter Lowy Carla Malden Mona Malden Malibu Family Wines Susan & Peter Mallory Nancy & Michael McClelland Wendy & Barry Meyer MOCA Foundation Marcia & Brett Molotsky Leslie Moonves & Julie Chen Morgan Stanley James L. Nederlander & Margo MacNabb Nederlander Northern Trust, NA Laurie MacDonald & Walter Parkes Popland Studios Judith Reichman, MD Gail & Andrew Roth

ANNUAL DONORS

DIRECTOR $5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous Jehan F. Agrama & Dwora Fried AMC Amgen Foundation Hilary & Jack Angelo The Alec Baldwin Foundation AVID The Baxter International Foundation Ruth & Jake Bloom Annette Blum Mara & Jonathan Blum The Eli & Edythe L. Broad Foundation Glenn & Lynn Cardoso Marcy Carsey Comcast | NBC Universal Merle Dandridge Debra Davis Dream Warrior Group Fielding Edlow & Larry Clarke Jo & Larry Feldman Lawrence N. Field Eric Flamholtz & Yvonne Randle Susan & Eric Fleishman Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Kiki & David Gindler Priscila Giraldo Gloria & Peter Gold Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort Leo S. Guthman Fund Bucky Hazan, Teles Properties Gail & Stanley Hollander Bernice & Wendell Jeffrey Yvonne & Damien Jordan Marvin Jubas & Janet Wald Mannon Kaplan Sally & Dr. Manny J. Karbelnig Julie & David Kavner Wendy Kurtzman La Valencia Alan & Cindra Ladd

Eileen & Kase Lawal Drs. Gerald & Barbara Levey Padma & Rao Makineni Merle & Jerry Measer Judy Zaban Miller & Lester Miller Kate Moran & Mikki Rosenberg Liza & Conan O’Brien Christine Marie Ofiesh Mo Ostin Pure Cheesecakes Kay & Bob Rehme Joyce Rey Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer Howard Rose Rikki Rosen Thomas L. Safran Sheri Salata Hon. Nicole A. Avant & Ted Sarandos Judi & Bruce Schindler Jody & Arthur Schmid Ken & Carol Schultz Foundation Steve & Paula Mae Schwartz Helen & Martin Scorsese Sidley Austin LLP The Simon-Strauss Foundation Singer Family Foundation Sondheimer Foundation Lorraine Spurge & Patrick Mitchell Susan & Don Starr Arnold Stiefel Eric Stonestreet Tanino Ristorante Tanzy Restaurant Barbara & Larry Tenan Lynda Thomas Thomas Safran & Associates Janet & Michael Schwartz Michael & Glenda Shaw Theatre Communications Group Karen Zoller, MD & David Tillman, MD The Travel Corporation Alice & Norman Tulchin Jennifer von Schneidau Deborah & Michael E. Walsh West LA Poker Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks Karen & Rick Wolfen Paula Wolff, Ph.D. & Wayne W. Whalen Jennifer Young & Katrina Nason Gail Zappa Leslie & Robert Zemeckis Ruth & Stan Zicklin In Loving Memory of Herman Ziegler Ellen & Ken Ziffren Ziffren Brittenham LLP

SPONSOR $3,000 – $4,999 Janis Adams & John Lyons Pat & Sandy Adams Shelly & Libby Bergen Susan Booth & Christopher Wadden Van Boyd

Robert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoff Dr. Fanya Carter, PhD Scott, Susan & Joshua Corwin Mica Ertegun Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt Dora & Neil Kadisha Barbara & Ronnie Kahn Thea & Neal Koss Renee & Meyer Luskin Vicki Fisher Magasinn Sherry Martin Rio & Frank Morse Benedicta & Geoffry Oblath Judi & Tim Ritchie Maria Rodriguez & Victoria Bullock Sue Rosenwasser Lori & David Rousso Judy & Mike Sapir Leigh Silverton Allen Blue & Kira Snyder Karen & William Timberlake Vernon, Barry & Dale Tyerman In Honor of Ruth Tyerman Lentz Uniworld River Cruises Inc The Waterman Family Foundation Leslie White & Al Limon Lynn & Mark Williams Patricia Youngman

PARTNER $1,500 - $2,999 Anonymous (3) Miriam Aguiar Olga S. Alderson Margaret & Howard Arvey Aversano Family Trust Robert E. & Maria H. Barron Richard Bautzer & David McDowell Patricia & Mark Benjamin Martin Bloom Debra Cappos Pat & Bill Chin Darcy Christal Laurel & Aaron Clark Linda & John Coleman David Conney, M.D. Shelley Wike Cranley Pam Dawber Susan & Jonathan Dolgen Victoria Dummer Robert & Sonia Freedman Helen & Arthur Geoffrion Kitzia & Richard Goodman The Guerin Foundation Alan & Michelle Heilpern Mel & Faith Henkin In Honor of Development Roger & Linda Howard Nancy & Len Jacoby Carrie Johnson Manny Klausner Katherine Kleindienst Janis B. McEldowney Carol & Alan Ostroff

Cheryl Petersen Lisa Pierozzi Tara & Robert Pietri Herbert & Marilyn Piken Lindy Robbins Sonny & Cynthia Rodriguez Wil Rosser Susan Schwarz Berton Jackie & Charles Schwartz Dominique Shelton Rita & Jose Sigal Snyder Family Foundation Bruce & Patti Springsteen Mitch & Sherry Stein Lisa Stonich Audri & Stan Tendler Paul Tetreault Daniel Tongbai Susan & Peter Van Haften Roberta Weintraub Gelena & Seth Weissman Cherie Wrigley Barbara & Stanley Zax Marcie & Howard Zelikow Ellen & Arnold Zetcher David Zuckerman & Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman

EDUCATION ADVOCATE $1,000 - $1,499 Anonymous (3) Harry & Gay Abrams/Abrams Artists Agency Dr. Richard Ackerman & Miriam Shakter Laura & Harvey Alpert Charitable Foundation Merryl & David A. Alpert Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum AudioQuest Russ, August & Kabat Carol Ann & D.C. Bakeman Richard & Shelley Bayer Jerry Beckman Susan & Eric M. Bender Peter & Barbara Benedek Paula & Bruce Bennett Wendy & John Bergquist John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey Joe Blackstone & Jamie Mohn The Bordy & Leibovic Families Brenda & Alan Borstein Dr. Wallace P. Brithinee Wendy & David Brotman The Busch-Schifino Family Chancellor Albert Carnesale & Mrs. Robin Carnesale Scott Carter & Bebe Johnson David Cates & Christine Vavak Jane Cates Jonathan & Elena Cates Melissa Cates & Roger Claman Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo

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Richard Ruskell Pastries The Richenthal Foundation Ronen Levy Events Loren Rothschild & Hon. Frances Rothschild The Simms/Mann Family Foundation Fred Specktor & Nancy Heller Sugarfish Steve Tisch Miranda & Brett Tollman U.S. Bank Union Bank Well Done Catering Westfield Group William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Linda Yellin Ruth Ziegler Richard & Mae Ziman

ANNUAL DONORS Martha Chase Sachiko T. Cochran MD & Joseph T. Araki Janine Cristiano Ruth Daugherty Deluscious Cookies Carolyn Dirks/Brett Dougherty Dennis & Jeralyn Doty Jan & Thea Drayer Gerald & Sally Ducot William Duncan Marilyn P. Dunn Dr. & Mrs. William M Duxler Colleen M. Ellis Terri & David Elston The English Language Center Carl & Courtenay Enright Carol & J.B. Esterkin Michael & Lynne Feldman Donnovan Field Barbara Fodor Steve Freedman Ben & Susan Friedman G2 Graphic Service, Inc. Pat & Sandy Gage Jeanne & Arnold Geffner Diane & Bruce Gewertz The Gibbs Family Charlotte Gold Dr. Irene Goldenberg Marion Goldenfeld Helene Gordon Adrienne Grant & Paul Jennings Jack Grossbart & Marc Schwartz Sunny & Alvin Grossblatt Michael Grunwald Deidre Hall Monty & Marilyn Hall Salli Harris Michael Parks & Judith Hayward Murray & Gail Heltzer Lynda Klein & Neal Hersh David Coleman & Jean Himmelstein Coleman Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox Tamara Horwich & Gerry Lipshutz Toni Hoyt Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob Nancy & Len Jacoby Linda Janger Joseph B. Gould Foundation Linda & David Kagel Joyce & Don Kaiserman Marcy Kaplan & Eric Gold Karney Guren Family Foundation Sabrina Kay Charitable Foundation Lenny & David Kelton Barbara & Stuart Klabin Kent Klavens & Judy Vourlas Leslie & Norman Koplof Carol Krause Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta Bethany Joy Lenz Lydia & Chuck Levy Steven & Nancy Lippman Jeffrey & Elisabeth Lipsman

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Judith Locke & Dennis Massie London Cleaners, Inc Karen & Frederick Lorig The Jennifer and Greg Malins Foundation Eric G.C. Mark Sue McHugh & Herb Seese The Miles Family Craig & Catherine Miller Andrew & Laura Mintzer Joanne & Joel Mogy Lon Morse & Toni Hollander Morse Albert & Barbara Nichols John Nickoll Deborah & Stacey Olliff Michael R. Oppenheim Ornest Family Foundation Gia Paladino & Michael Wise Carol Parry & John Fox Philip & Leslie Paton Amanda Crick & Glenn Pfeffer Craig Piligian In Memory of Michael Piller Berta & Lou Pitt Ruth Popkin Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman Harvey & Joyce Reichard Rabbi Steven & Didi Carr Reuben Donald B. & Susan F. Rice In Memory of Frances Esther & Howard Richmond Beth Roberts & Warren Smith Richard Roberts Craig E. Rogers Brad & Nancy Rosenberg Nancy Stephens & Rick Rosenthal and The Rosenthal Family Foundation David A. & Karen Richards Sachs Susana Salazar Mark San Filippo Nancy & Ted Sanborn Savitsky Satin & Bacon Lizbeth Schiff Toni & John Schulman Joanna & Jonathan Schwartz Peggy and Robert Shapiro In Memory of Diane Barnett-Shapiro John & Lori Shaw Phyllis & Martin Shephard Doris & Michael Sherman Holly & Larry Shulman Steven Siegel & Lily Carey Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross Joan & Jerry Snyder Drs. Matthew & Marion Solomon The Somaini Family Marcella, Joy & Grant Stanley Jordan Strauss Photography David & Katherine Stritzinger Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis Aaron & Melissa Stroud Katy Sweet The Tatasciore Family John Teeples & Nicolas Martinez, Jr. Joyce & Josh Trabulus Catherine & Leonard Unger

Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela Alan Van Vliet Peter & Denise Walsh Julie & Peter Weil Doris Weinberg Joanne & Ken Weinman Alison Whalen & Steven Marenberg Marcia Williams & Gene Lucero Anna & Stephen Yallourakis Debra Zavala

ARTISTIC ADVOCATE $500 - $999 Anonymous (2) Laurence & Ilene Abramson Sylvia Almstadt Patti & Harlan Amstutz Ares Management LLC Bonnie Arnold Jeanne Bailey Janet & Irwin Barnet Alan Belinkoff Joanne & Miles Benickes Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson Jim & Diane Berliner Kristen Bird Black Market Gelato Janet & Mark Brown Lee & Shelby Chaden Elsbeth Collins & James Greene Ted Cordes Donald & Zoe Cosgrove Morgan Dameron Geraldine Darrow Daniel & Gayle Devin The Milton L. & Betty J. Dranow Family Foundation Roni & Ethan Eller David & Joyce Evans Marjorie & Arthur Fine Sydney M. Finegold, M.D. The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Fund Michael & Lynne Flynn Myrna Forest Burt & Nanette Forester Lois & Gerald Gallop Sharlene & Sol Galper The Gewecke Family Benita & Bert Ginsberg Dr. Diane & Michael Glazer Annie & Tom Goepel Louis & Linda Goldsman Abner & Roz Goldstine Ellie Goodman Lori & Robert Goodman Roger Gordon Diana & Ronald Granit Gaby & Rob Greenberg Marcy & Edgar Gross Madeline Gussman Carolyn & Bernie Hamilton Kay Harrington Arlene S Harris Richard Hart Sheila & Chester Hasday

Zvia Hempling Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson Kelley M. Hogan Gerald Isenberg Terry & Marc J. Jacoby Brad & Kay Jensen Brett Johnson Robert Jones Drs. Elaine & Jeff Kamil Mr. & Mrs. Bernard Kamine Stan Kasten Patricia Keating Nancy Mette & Barnet Kellman Corie & Michael Koss Donald Kottler Jeffrey Kramer Tam & David Lachoff Joan & Christopher Larkin Jeanne & Christopher Lavagnino Sandi Lawless Joyce Lederer Brenda & Warren Lincoln Wendy Lindley Neil L. & Ora D. Macfarlane George Manet Elizabeth Marcellino Mr. & Mrs. Phillips H. Marshall Joel Mendelsohn Richard Milling Allan M. Mohrman Jr. Paula Moseley, EdD Sandra Moss Erika & James Muhlfeld Sherri & Arnie Nelson Chris & Richard Newman Shelby Notkin Barbara & Peter Patman Linda & Manny Rider Dolores Rogers Ronda & Fred Rose Blanche & Bruce Joel Rubin Crystal Salapatas Jay Sandrich Nancy & Steven Schneider David & Margaret Schwanke Dr. Daniel Schwartz Traci Shelton Carol & Arthur Silbergeld Robin & Robert Sills Martin & Leah Sklar Dr. Jerry & Marci Smith Trudy Sokol Sold Out Crowd Dr. Jerry E. Spicer & W. Todd Stevens Sharon Suarez Alec Sulkin Mr. & Mrs. David Tann Nancy Thomas Ira & Laurie Waldman Marcia & Dr. Charles Wasserman Connie & John Weston Geoffrey & Susan Wharton Philip & Judith Winik Jay Weinstein & Lori Woldar

ANNUAL DONORS $250 - $499 Anonymous (5) Emanuel & Nancy Abrams Norman & Toshka Abrams Patricia Abrams Terry & Richard Abrams Actors Equity Foundation, Inc Anne Adair & Steve Ganzberg Barbara Adams Elaine & Michael Agran AKW Charles & Annick Allen Jan & David Altemus Paul Alter Robert C. Anderson Philip Angerhofer & Stephen A. Jones Eloise & Mark Appel Jc & Jack Appelbaum Mark Archer Steven D. Arias Barbara & Ethan Aronoff Marc & Elizabeth Axelrod Lynne & Lee Babbitt Deborah Baine Aimee Bakhshandehpour Cecilia Ball Edward Barad & Carol McCully Linda Barnett Irene Baron Randy Bayard Judith & Thomas Beckmen Dawn & Marshall Bein Dr. Timothy Belavich & Bernie Knobbe Yvette Bergeron Karen Berko-Gibson Barbara Berkowitz Marsha C. Berkowitz JoAnn Bernard Beverly Bierer Claudia & Ronald Bitzer Marjorie Blatt Pamela & Bill Bohnert Frances & Thomas Booth Michael J. Bordy Toby Bornstein Judge & Mrs. Anthony Borwick Deanne Bosnak Burt Boyar Carol J. Bradshaw Paula Brand Mona Brandler John & Debbie Brincko Leah Lynn Broidy Marshall Bull David & Kathy Burke Laura D. Campbell Marlene & David Capell Andrew Carlberg Phil Carlin Tia Carrere Miss Irene Castaldo In Memory of Gil Cates Ling Chan Sandra Chan Barry Charles Diane Chernansky Nancy Clark Mike Clements Anselm Clinard Ken Coelho Donell Cohen In Memory of Dr. Alan Cohn Ginger Conrad Ivan Contreras Lionel Conway Gail Cottingham Linda Covette

Susan Georgine Craig Norman & Nancy Cravens Valerie & Donald Cravitz Shawn Cunningham Ingrid Curtiss, MD Ames Cushing In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert Muriel Dance & Alvin Martin Col. Tony, Donna & Taylor Daniell Hedva & Dr. Dudley Danoff Jeffrey S. Davidson Ruth B. Davis & Pearl Schultz Brian Demsey Robert Ditullio Suzanne & Bruce Dodds Carol Jean Doehring Penelope Donnelly Fred & Marilyn Dorer Daryl & Paul F. Doucette Paul Dowling Helina Dreicer Jacki & Murray Drechsler Earthlings.com Michael East Chiedu Egbuniwe Larry & Elke Ereshefsky Ellen Farwell Janet Fattal Aleyne Larner Fawcett Mimi Alpert Feldman Judy & Jerry Felsenthal Abby & Malcolm Field Paul & Karen Finkel Donna Finley Evaline Fishman Margaret Flanders William & Elisabeth Fleischman Myrna ‘Pepper’ Forest Rosella Forte Sandy & Mitch Francis Dolores Franco Gilbert & Marilyn Frank Julia Franz Fran Fredella & Scott Rubin Donald & Sandy French Kenneth J. Friedman & Marilynn J. Friedman Family Foundation Laurelle Frome & Brady Frome Gina Furth Lori Galin Lee Gardenswartz Larry & Judith Garshofsky Russell Gersten Andrew Glassman & Pilar Frausto-Glassman Richard & Lori Glucksman Hannah Godwin Mark & Molly Goldberg Marshall & Patti Goldberg and Family Francine Golden & Marvin Schlossman Dr. Peter Goldman Dina Goldstein Ellie & Barry Goldstein Mae Goodson Jo-Ann Gordon David Goren Liz Gottainer & David Sadkin Joan Green Paul & Louise Greenberg Randi & Jerome Greenberg Eve Haberfield & David N. Johnson Janet S. Hadley Roberta L. Haft Kambiz Hakim Mary & Alan Halkett Roberta Hamilton Katherine Hardie Tess Harper Eugene Harris Marcia Harrow

Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Haveson Allan Heinberg Carla & Alan A. Herd Michael & Candice Herman Matthew Herrmann Jim Hliboki & Hildi Snodgrass Cina Hodges Gayle Hooker Dale & John Hopmans Lynn & David Horowitz Jonathan Howard Mr. & Mrs. John Huber Lonnie Levi Israel Jackie & Warren Jackson Frederic A. & Nancy Jacobus Barbara & Buford James Martha Jones & Paul Zerella Robert Jones & Julie Anne Robinson Carolyn & Dan Jordan Jerry Joseph Yolla Kairouz Pat & Stan Kandel Jean Kaplan Jo Ann & Charles Kaplan Owen Kato Dana Katz Dean Kauffman & Carlos Andres Mosquera-Tangarife Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly William & Renee Kendall Debra Kessler Irwin Kishner Annette & Charles Kleeman Donna & Jeffrey Klein Dr. Phyllis Klein Laurie & Milton Klorman Dolph Kornblum & Florence Robins John & Kimberly Kruse Doctors Mark & Lena Labowe Eleanor & Mark Lainer Lynne Lainer Bruce Landau Carol D. Lande Jill & Michael Lasky Helene & Arthur Laub Susan Lava In Memory of Katie Layman Ginger Leibovitz Ann Leland Charles Letzgus Steve & Valerie Lev Ron & Marcia Levenson Donna Levi Marla E. Levine Suzann Levine Beth Levy & Lloyd Bookman Rick & Vivian Levy Lawrin & Linda Lewin Reuben Lim Lee & Therese Linden Victor & Madeline Lindenheim Bonnie Lisle Cynthia Llaca Leslie & Adam Lobel Anne L. Lynch Guillaume & Crystal Maillet John & Susan Mamer Carol & Doug Mancino Pauline Marks Tracy & Noah Maze David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone Douglas Mcavoy, Jr. Jim & Kathy McCaffery Cheryl McCormick

Patrick W. McDivitt Marlene McRae & Terry Winter Robert Mercer Eileen & Paul Meshekow Erik & Melanie Messerschmidt Reed & Linda Metzger Norma & Larry Meyers Philip & Joan Miller Teddie J. Milner Peter Minarik & Sharon Vera Farbod Mirfakhrai Matlin & Robert Mirman Shelagh Moriarty Carol & Jerry Muchin Bill Mullins My-Petite Murray & Lenore Neidorf Mark & Diane Neubauer Tom Nevermann Jeff Newman Robert & Anita Nitta Adrienne & Arthur Omansky Dr. Ronald & Iris Onkin Cynthia & Todd Palm Edward Parker Joanne Patten Kathy & Jeff Perkins Rebecca Perlow Naidu & Jane Permaul Zazi Pope Michael & Rose Porterfield Diane & Michael Poryes Lance Powell Jeff Prater Sarah & Christopher Priore Philip Pritchett Neil & Lisa Greer Quateman Elyse Resch Joyce S. Rich Mr. & Mrs. James Richards Carlene Ringer Lindy Robbins Charles Robertson Barbara & David Rognlien Janis & Avi Rojany Robert Rosania Barry Rosen & Neil Bokal Adrienne Rosenthal Beverly & Melvin Rosenthal Joyce & Deane Ross Lawrence Ross & Linda Nussbaum Terry Ross Virginia Ross Georgina & Alan Rothenberg Bert Royal Tyler Rubin Mr. & Mrs. Simon Salloom Penny Grosz Salomon & Eugene Korney Tawny & Gerry Sanders Nan Sarno Susan & Kenneth Sarno Ellen Sassa Maxine Savitz Clifford Schaffer Joel & Sonia Schneider Gary & Karen Schneider Elaine Carey & Vincent J. Schodolski Jane & Bill Schopf Christine Schultz Susan & Peter Schwab John H. Scott Nell Scovell Michele & Peter Serchuk

Andrea Sexton Scott Shagrin Elise Shanfeld Annette & Leonard Shapiro Sasha & Eugenia Shapiro Steven & Annabelle Shulman Melinda & Yossi Sidikaro Seymour & Dorothy Siegel Nancy & Bruce Silverman Adam Singer Evelyne & Joel Smason Diane Good & Frank Smith Barbara Meissner & Hal Smith James Smith & Loreen Ayer Marcia L. & Mark J. Smith Jean Smith-Moore Karen Smits Christine Sorgi Dr. Robert & Margo Sorrentino Debra Spector Lynette Sperber M Leslie Stearns Arthur Stern Roger K. Stewart Sy Strasberg William Stringer Kathryn & Mark Sullivan Mr. Kayser Sume & Dr. Renee Sabshin Ann Sunderland Katherine Sung Keith & Judy Swayne Lance & Maureen Tan James Tate Phyllis & Franklin Tell Robyn Tenenbaum Troy Thompson Marjorie Thomson Jay & Courtney Tobin Jacqueline G. Tousley Brigitta Troy Beryl Turner Leon & Stephanie Vahn Deborah Valdez Anthony Vasek Bobette Vikan Arnold & Carol Vinstein Carole Wagner-Vallianos & Peter Vallianos Dr. & Mrs. William Walsh Gloria Walther Marvin Wasserman Seth Freeman & Julie Waxman Sherry Weinman Ben & Rose Weinstein Marsha & Steven Weiss Pat West Haskell & Rita Wexler Rae Jeane Williams Patrick Wilson Bruce & Marci Wiseman Marc Wishingrad Shana Wong Diana Lynn Woods Joseph Wu Karen & Frank Wurtzel The Yarkins Gerald Yoshitomi Arnold & Tricia Zane Harriet Zaretsky Sandy Zwirn

HAVE WE MADE AN ERROR? To report a misspelling or omission in these listings, please contact the Development Department at 310.208.6500 ext. 128

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ASSOCIATE

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE STAFF Randall Arney Artistic Director ARTISTIC

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director MARKETING & SALES

Amy Levinson Phyllis Schuringa Young Ji

Rachel Wiegardt-Egel Lauren Buangan Emily Zetterberg Clara Shader-Seave

Artistic Associate / Literary Director Artistic Associate / Casting Director Artistic Coordinator / Company Manager Literary Associate Artistic Intern Artistic Intern Literary Intern

DEVELOPMENT Regina Miller Ellen Catania Jessica Brusilow Rollins

Jamie Mikelich

Kristen Smith Eshaya

Scott Kriloff Clay Dzygun Taylor Dearden Jessie Sherman Justin Baer Sophia Jane Wilkof

Chief Development Officer Senior Vice President, Development Director of Education Partnerships & Donor Relations Associate Director of Individual Giving & Spotlight Manager Development & Education Programs Coordinator Development Concierge Manager Development Associate Development Assistant Development Assistant Development Intern Development Intern

Karen Gutierrez

Director of Advertising & Sponsorships

Brian Dunning

Graphic Design Manager

Kevin O’Brien

Marketing & Graphics Coordinator

Mark San Filippo

Ticket Services Director & Database Administrator

Stephanie Strand

Audience Services Manager

Janice Bernal

Box Office Manager

Bryan Martin

Box Office Manager

Zack Hamra

Box Office Assistant Manager

Korie Benavidez, Kaitlin Huwe, Richard Martinez, Cameron Reck, Celia Rivera, Christine Rivera, Celeste Russi, Alyssa Tyson Box Office Staff

COMMUNICATIONS Katy Sweet, Pam Giangregorio

Katy Sweet & Associates Public Relations

Sue Fleishman

Consultant, September Media

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Karim Bouzzit

EDUCATION Jennifer Zakkai Director of Education &

Community Engagement Carolyn Marie Wright Manager of Education &

Community Engagement Mariel Higuera Education Assistant Corky Dominguez, David Guerra, McKenna Kerrigan, Kristina Leach, Juan Rivera, Connor White Teaching Artists Richard Tucker, Jr. Education Intern

ADMINISTRATION Behnaz Ataee Frankie Ocasio Peter Banachowski Samone Watts Marguerite Harris

Chief Financial Officer Executive Assistant Accounting and Payroll Manager Accounts Payable Receptionist

PRODUCTION Daniel Ionazzi Jill Barnes

Sam Craven-Griffiths Evan Friedman Rich Gilles James Grabowski Darren Rezowalli Ramine Ameli Joel Fullerton

Production Manager Associate Production Manager / Company Manager Technical Director Assistant Technical Director Properties Master House Sound Supervisor Lighting & Video Supervisor Production Electrician Stage Supervisor

System Administrator

FRONT OF HOUSE Jeni Pearsons

Director of Special Events

David Gerhardt

Supervising House Manager

Jane Phillips Harper

Deputy Supervising House Manager

Josiah Davis, Brett Donaldson, Amy Farkas, Caroline Harrison Kohler, Roxana Meyers, Jonathan Schwartz House Managers Ally Aberrotman, Rebecca Birstock, Kailey Bray, Christopher Caron, Taylor Cerny, Vianney Cossyleon, Taylor Dearden, Ida Herndon, Mariel Higuera, Netta Lee Joseph, Brigid Leahy, Nathaniel Meek, Keith Mitchell, Aaron Newman, JoJo Nwoko, Shannon O’Hara, James Porter, Juan Rivera, Luis Ruiz, Oliver Vaughn, Cody Williams, Dennis Woullard Ushers Rob Mersola

Bar Manager and Mixologist

Manuel Mayorga

Weekend Bar Manager

Adam Carr, Brenda Davidson, David Gregory, Mariel Higuera, Lyndsi LaRose, Kimberly Legg, Ryan Turner Bartenders

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Miguel del Castillo

Facility Manager

Mario Santillan-Perez

Custodial

Juan Carlos Umaña

Cleaning Custodial

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

This project was also funded in part by the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

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

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