The Mountaintop Program

THE MOUNTAINTOP

GIL CATES, JR.

Welcome to The Mountaintop, the final production of the 2022/2023 Season in the Gil Cates Theater. We are thrilled to have director Patricia McGregor return to our stage and also to welcome playwright Katori Hall to Geffen Playhouse for the first time.

As this season nears its close, I invite you to explore our exciting new lineup of plays for next season. The Geffen Playhouse 2023/2024 Season is filled with inspired storytelling at its best. We look forward to bringing new voices to our LA stages, artists we are sure you will love for years to come. We hope you will join us in experiencing these plays that run the gamut from comedy to tragedy and give us new takes on stories we thought we knew.

I would also like to offer a special thank you to everyone who participated in our Backstage at the Geffen event this year honoring Debbie Allen and Greg Berlanti. This annual event raises funds to support our ongoing commitment to bring the power and inspiration of the arts to youth and adults in communities throughout Los Angeles.

We are thrilled to welcome you and appreciate your ongoing support of the performing arts.

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

ART LIVES HERE

Geffen Playhouse celebrates the diversity in our audiences and our productions, and it is our mission to create, foster, and nourish an environment that is open and welcoming for all. We are a home for the arts, and we believe our physical space should also reflect and be representative of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do and the communities we support.

Next season, we welcome Terrell Tilford (Band of Vices) as Creative Director of Art Lives Here. For more information, visit geffenplayhouse.org/artliveshere.

FEATURED WORK #8

The Storyteller

ARTIST

Zachary Bones

ON DISPLAY

June 6 – July 30, 2023

Theatre is in my blood. By the time I was 5 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a performer. I was a child of adoption and it wasn’t until

I was 17 and already well on my way to theatre school that I discovered that not only were both of my biological parents actors, but that they had actually met while performing. Thinking about my own origins often makes me think about the origins of theatre itself... not the Greeks, but the earliest theatre. The cave paintings of theatre. My painting seeks to imagine the FIRST theatre and pay tribute to these early actors. In a time when human life was little more than survival, these storytellers gave meaning to our lives, and a name for our fears. Theatre is innately and uniquely human—it is our birth right passed down from these first storytellers.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Zachary Bones is an LA based visual artist, performer, activist, and arts educator who believes that art and storytelling have the power to grow our

capacity for understanding and empathy in the world. Zach is passionate about social justice and holds the conviction that the creation of art is vital to the progress of anti-racist work, the social evolution of our country, and even the survival of our species. Zach has worked on a variety of artistic projects over the years including: working as a storyboard artist for film and television, live speed painter, and a comissioned portrait and memorial artist. Zach has worked as a muralist, designer, scenic painter, and master carpenter with: Theatre of Note, Finite Films, Illyrian Players, Escape Room LA, Encore Entertainers, and more. You can learn more and see some of Zach’s work on his website at www.zachbart.com, or follow him on Instagram

@art_on_my_sleeve.

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AMY LEVINSON

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Adi Greenberg CHAIR

Dr. Gene D. Block

Gil Cates, Jr. Executive Director

Mary Ann Cloyd Vice Chair

Merle Dandridge

Dr. Brad Edgerton

Bonnie E. Eskenazi

Mark Fleischer

Susan Nahley Fleishman

Brenda Garcia

Patricia L. Glaser

We are thrilled to welcome Katori Hall and her evocative and haunting play The Mountaintop to the Geffen. Hall’s ability to dramatize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a larger-than-life giant of the Civil Rights Movement, with humanity and human frailty brings us to an emotional truth and reminds us that greatness and perfection are not one and the same.

It is our particular pleasure to welcome back our long-time friend and collaborator Patricia McGregor, who has, as always, assembled an electric cast and an amazing group of designers. Together they have created not only an immediately recognizable motel room, but also a magnificent envelope for the action of the play that allows the story to live simultaneously in the past, the present, and the future.

As we wind down our 2022/2023 Season, I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the patrons, for making your way back to the theater. This season, you have continually embraced ambitious and sometimes difficult subject matter, not to mention some lengthy running times. Your enthusiasm and investment in the work we are doing here buoys us more than you know, and we can’t wait to share a new season of plays with you in the 2023/2024 Season.

Until then, enjoy the show!

Amy Levinson

Associate Artistic Director

Eric Heer

Carla Malden

Brian Mann

Tiffany Mayberry

Mary Osako

Danny Passman

Holly Rice

Linda Bernstein Rubin

Matt Shakman

Richard Sherman

Cynthia P. Stafford

Howard Tenenbaum Chair Emeritus

JaHan Wang

Marc Weinstock

FOUNDING

TRUSTEES

Harold A. Brown

Kirsten Combs

Robert A. Daly

David Geffen

Herbert M. Gelfand Chair Emeritus

Quincy Jones

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Glorya Kaufman

Frank G. Mancuso Chair Emeritus

Ron Meyer

Jerry Moss

Bruce M. Ramer

Founding Chair

Victoria Mann Simms

Andy Spahn

Steven Spielberg

Steve Tisch

Dr. Charles E. Young Chair Emeritus

IN MEMORIAM

Gilbert Cates Founder

Marcia Israel-Curley

Audrey Skirball Kenis

Charles Kenis

Karl Malden

Ginny Mancini

Jerry Perenchio

Edie Wasserman

Lew Wasserman

LEGAL COUNSEL

Nikki Kerman Venable LLP

ADVISORY BOARD

John Sonego Chair

Stephanie Carson

Lori Collins

Ellyce R. Cooper

Debra Davis

Giovanna Desselle

Ann Gianopulos

Priscila Giraldo

Laura Kennedy

John McCrite

Audrey Povar

Eric Rollins

Scott Sandler

Cela Devine Sutton

Uma Swami

Miranda Tollman

Rebecca Vail

Laurie Ziegler

PHOTO BY ISAAK BERLINER

THE MOUNTAINTOP

DESIGNER CRICKET S. MYERS

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR DENNIS WHITEHEAD DARLING

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER ALYSSA ESCALANTE

INTIMACY & FIGHT DIRECTOR SASHA NICOLLE SMITH

DRAMATURG REBECCA PHILLIPS EPSTEIN

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER AMBER R. DETTMERS

CASTING DIRECTOR PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA

OPENING NIGHT

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS

DIRECTED BY PATRICIA MCGREGOR

WRITTEN BY KATORI HALL

SOUND

PROJECTION DESIGNER YEE EUN NAM

SCENIC DESIGNER RACHEL MYERS

COSTUME DESIGNER MYLETTE NORA

LIGHTING DESIGNER LAP CHI CHU

THE MOUNTAINTOP

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Camae

UNDERSTUDIES

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Camae

JON MICHAEL HILL

AMANDA WARREN

BRIAN NELSON JR.

COURTNEY THOMAS

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

April 3, 1968. Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel.

RUNNING TIME

90 minutes

There will be 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!

Original Broadway production produced by Jean Doumanian, Sonia Friedman Productions, Ambassador Theatre Group, Raise the Roof 7, Ted Snowdon, Alhadeff Productions/Lauren Doll, B Square + 4 Productions/Broadway Across America, Jacki Barlia Florin/Cooper Federman, Ronnie Planalp/Moellenberg Taylor and Marla Rubin Productions/Blumenthal Performing Arts, in association with Scott Delman.

The Mountaintop was developed at the Lark Play Development Center, New York City, and was first produced by Theatre 503 in June 2009 and further produced at Trafalgar Studio One in July 2009 by Sonia Friedman Productions and Jean Doumanian, Tali Pelman for Ambassador Theatre Group, Bob Bartner, Freddy DeMann, Jerry Frankel, Ted Snowdon and Marla Rubin Productions Ltd.

The Mountaintop was developed at the 2008 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a program of the Playwrights Foundation (Amy L. Mueller, Artistic Director).

JON MICHAEL HILL (he/him)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jon Michael Hill has been a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member since 2007 where he has appeared in True West (Steppenwolf, Galway International Arts Festival), The Unmentionables (Steppenwolf, Yale Repertory Theatre), Superior Donuts (Steppenwolf, Broadway, Outer Critics Circle Award, Theater World Award, Tony Award nomination), Kafka on the Shore, The Tempest, The Hot L Baltimore, Head of Passes, Constellations, Pass Over (Lincoln Center, Amazon Prime, Broadway). Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, In the Red and Brown Water at Alliance Theater (Atlanta), The Cure at Troy at Seattle Rep. Film/TV: “Detective Bell” on Elementary (CBS), Eastbound & Down (HBO), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC), Person of Interest (CBS), 61st Street (AMC), Widows (film by Steve McQueen), and A Man in Full (upcoming on Netflix).

AMANDA WARREN Camae

Amanda Warren was born and raised in New York, receiving her B.F.A. from New York University and her M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. She began her professional career on stage in Three Sisters (The Classical Theatre of Harlem), Terrence McNally’s Golden Age (world premiere at The Kennedy Center), and When I Come to Die directed by Thomas Kail (Lincoln Center Theater).

Amanda currently leads CBS’ hit cop drama, East New York Prior, she starred in Apple TV+’s acclaimed series Dickinson, and HBO Max’s Gossip Girl. Previously, she starred in the Blumhouse anthology series, The Purge; HBO’s The Leftovers; NBC’s This Is Us; and Netflix’s Black Mirror and House of Cards. Up next, she will appear alongside Jaime Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones in the Amazon feature The Burial. Other film highlights include the award-winning Fox Searchlight film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Sony Pictures’ Roman J. Israel, Esq., Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, and the Disney feature Safety.

KATORI HALL (she/her) Playwright

Pulitzer Prize–winning and twotime Tony Award–nominated Memphis-native Katori Hall is the book writer and co-producer of the West End and Broadway hit Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. She’s also the creator and showrunner of P-Valley, the breakout Starz drama based on her play Pussy Valley. Katori’s latest theatrical piece, The Hot Wing King, premiered in Spring 2020 at the Signature Theatre and won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her play The Mountaintop, which vividly reimagines the final night of Martin Luther King’s life, won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2010 before opening on Broadway to critical acclaim. Katori’s other works include the award-winning Hurt Village, Hoodoo Love, Saturday Night/ Sunday Morning, Our Lady of Kibeho, Children of Killers, and The Blood Quilt. She is also the director of the award-winning short, Arkabutla. Katori is an alumna of Columbia University, ART at Harvard University, and Juilliard. She’s a graduate of the Sundance Episodic Lab’s inaugural class, the Sundance Screenwriting Lab, and Ryan Murphy’s Half Foundation Directing Program. Katori’s other

awards include a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, two Lecomte du Nouy Prizes from Lincoln Center, National Black Theatre’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, NAACP Image Award for Best Television Drama, the Columbia University Medal of Excellence, and many more. @katorihall www.katorihall.com

Theatre Company); brownsville song (b-side for tray) (Lincoln Center Theater); Indomitable: James Brown (Apollo Theater); Holding It Down (The Metropolitan Museum of Art); Adoration of the Old Woman (INTAR Theatre); Blood Dazzler (Harlem Stage); Four Electric Ghosts (The Kitchen); and the world premiere of Hurt Village (Signature Theatre Company). Other credits include The Parchman Hour (Guthrie Theater); A Raisin in the Sun, The Winter’s Tale, and Spunk (Cal Shakes). She was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.

RACHEL MYERS

Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Patricia McGregor is the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, as well as a director and writer working across disciplines. Los Angeles credits include Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole (co-writer and director; Geffen Playhouse); Skeleton Crew (Geffen Playhouse); Good Grief (Center Theatre Group); Place (Los Angeles Philharmonic, Brooklyn Academy of Music); Sisters in Law (Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts); Shakespeare: Call and Response, Krapp’s Last Tape, What You Are, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Measure for Measure (The Old Globe). McGregor has twice been profiled by The New York Times for her direction of world premieres. New York credits include Hamlet (The Public Theater); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout

Scenic Designer

Rachel is a Storyteller for Stage and Film. Geffen Playhouse: Skeleton Crew, Power of Sail (Winner of Ovation & LA Drama Critics Circle Awards). Theatre: BAM, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Shakespeare Theatre, Getty Villa, The Watermill Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Rattlestick West, Boston Court, and IAMA Theatre Company. Rachel has conceived events for Times Square and the Emmys, Golden Globes and VidCon, winning NAACP, Streamy, and Broadway World Awards. Production Design Film: Short Term 12, Kim Possible, Desperados, The Drowning. As a Director, Rachel’s films BOURN KIND, Wendy’s Shabbat, and 2 Black Boys premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, Outfest, Palm

Springs and 70 other festivals worldwide, Wendy’s Shabbat (PBS and Topic) Academy Awards qualified. Her work has exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Northwest Film Center, and Film Forum. Awarded Inaugural Shondaland Directing Mentorship, WarnerMedia

OneFifty Artist, Lynn Shelton Grant Nominee, Sundance Director’s Co-Lab and CDDP. In September Rachel joins NYU Tisch as Associate Profesor of Production Design. M.F.A. Yale Drama, ADG800, USA829. www.rachelmyersdesign.com

MYLETTE NORA

Costume Designer

Ovation Award and NAACP Theatre Award winner for best costumes and listed in the honors edition of The Cambridge Registry of Who’s Who Among Executive and Professional Women, her work worldwide consists of television, film, video, and stage. Her work was seen nightly on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, now on You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks, weekly on Jay Leno’s Garage, and in the film

Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story. The famed artist Synthia Saint James noted Mylette as being the inspiration for her world-renowned painting “Ensemble,” which graced the cover of the best-selling novel Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan. Mylette’s designer lines include doggie wear (www. fromtheheartdoggiewear.com), heirloom dolls (My Mind’s Eye), and now face masks by Mylette.

PATRICIA M c GREGOR (she/her) Director

LAP CHI CHU (he/him)

Lighting Designer

Recent designs at the Geffen include Man of God and Power of Sail. He recently designed the Broadway revival of Camelot. Other New York design credits include The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, Performance Space 122, and Kitchen Theatre Company. Regional designs for Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theater Festival, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Contemporary Theater, Goodman Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, Dallas Theater Center, and the Alley Theater. His awards include the Obie for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design, the Lucile Lortel Award, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Angstrom Award for Career Achievement in Lighting Design, the Ovation Award, and multiple Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards. He is a professor and the Head of Lighting Design at University of California, Los Angeles. lapchichu.com

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 (The Thanksgiving Play, Underneath the Lintel, Play Dead,

Discord, Wrecks, Some Girl(s), Emergency); Mark Taper Forum (Bent, Steward of Christendom, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); 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

YEE EUN NAM (she/her) Projection Designer

Yee Eun Nam is a visual artist and a media designer for live performances. Recent collaborations for opera/music include Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha, LA Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, The Kennedy Center, San Francisco Symphony, REDCAT, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New World Center, and The Soraya. Theatre projects include Audible Theater, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Mark Taper Forum (Center Theatre Group), A.C.T., South Coast Reper-tory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, The Movement

Theatre Company, Kansas City Rep-ertory Theatre, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Getty Villa, Latino Theater Company, and many more. She also has designed visuals for Center Theater

Group’s gala, San Francisco Symphony’s Lunar New Year event, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Yee Eun received two Lucille Lortel Awards nominations for her work in 2022 and 2023. Yee Eun is a winner of LADCC Theatrical Excellence for CGI/Video. She is a member of United Scenic Art-ists, Local 829. M.F.A. in Theater Design at UCLA.

www.yeeeunnam.com

DENNIS WHITEHEAD

DARLING (he/him)

Associate Director

Dennis Whitehead Darling is an opera, theatre, and film/video stage director. World premieres: Marian’s Song (Houston Grand Opera), Sanctuary Road (North Carolina Opera), Why I Live at the P.O. (UrbanArias), Buried Deep (Endstation Theatre Company), and The Secret River (Opera Orlando). Other works include The Cunning Little Vixen (Manhattan School of Music), Maria de Buenos Aires (Opera Columbus), Jelly’s Last Jam (concert performance, Long Wharf Theatre), The Falling and the Rising (Arizona Opera), Lost in the Stars (Annapolis Opera), Hansel and Gretel (film, Playground Opera), La Bohème (Opera Columbus), Giulio Cesare in Egitto (film, Carnegie Mellon University), The Gershwins’

Porgy and Bess (Red Mountain Theatre), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Hattiloo Theatre/ Spazio Teatro No’hma, Milan), The Parchman Hour (Hattiloo Theatre), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Spazio Teatro No’hma, Milan), Intimate Apparel (University of Memphis), Movin’ Up in the World (Opera Memphis), Sunset Baby (Hattiloo Theatre), Blue Viola (Opera Memphis), and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Hattiloo Theatre). www.denniswhiteheaddarling.com.

SASHA NICOLLE SMITH (she/her)

Intimacy & Fight Director

Sasha is thrilled to be working at the Geffen again! Other theater credits include: The Lonely Few and The First Deep Breath (Geffen Playhouse), The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Ms. Blakk

For President (Steppenwolf Theatre), Familiar (Steppenwolf Theatre), How To Catch Creation (Goodman Theatre), A Raisin in the Sun (Guthrie Theater), The Bluest Eye (Virginia Stage Company), Toni Stone (Milwaukee Rep), Trading Places (Alliance Theater), Smart People (Writers Theater). Film/Television: Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu), Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon), Your Place or Mine (Netflix), That ‘90s Show (Netflix), How I Met Your Father (Hulu), Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), The Rookie: Feds (ABC), The Chi (Showtime), Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls (Amazon), Truth Be Told (Apple TV+).

REBECCA

PHILLIPS EPSTEIN (she/her)

Dramaturg

Rebecca Phillips Epstein is a writer, translator, and dramaturg, originally from New York City. Regional and off-Broadway credits include productions at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Yale Repertory Theatre, IAMA Theatre Company, Studio 42, and The Playwrights Realm. Television credits include Emily in Paris, Roseanne, Bad Teacher, and Hot Spot (2020 SeriesFest Special Selection), and her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Kveller, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Human Parts by Medium. Rebecca holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago and an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama, and is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, West. For more information, visit www.rebeccaphillipsepstein.com.

ALYSSA ESCALANTE (she/her)

Production Stage Manager

Alyssa is a Los Angeles-based stage manager and graduate of Occidental College. Previous Geffen credits include: The First Deep Breath, A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill. Other credits include What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank (The Old Globe); Spamilton (Musical Theatre West); All’s Well That Ends Well (A Noise Within); Lizastrata (Troubadour Theatre Company); Hamilton (Eliza Tour at the Pantages); The Bacchae (SITI Company at Guthrie Theater); Hold These Truths(San Diego Repertory Theatre); Fireflies, M. Butterfly, Photograph 51, Culture

Clash (Still) in America (South Coast Repertory); A Streetcar

Named Desire, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, Happy Days (Boston Court Pasadena); Criers for Hire (East West Players). Thanks to Mom, Dad & Minerva!

AMBER R. DETTMERS (she/her)

Assistant Stage Manager

Amber R. Dettmers has been working in Southern California for the past five years. Before coming to the West Coast, she stage managed for nearly a decade in Chicago after receiving her B.A. in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago. Previous Geffen projects: The First Deep Breath (ASM) and the un’admiring (The Writers’ Room reading, SM). Selected previous credits include: Grownup (The Associates Theater Ensemble, SM); Cirque Dreams Holidaze (Cirque du Soleil/VStar Entertainment, SM); The Great Jheri Curl Debate (East West Players, SM); HI, SOLO (MOCA, SM); All’s Well That Ends Well (A Noise Within, ASM); Noel Noel (San Diego Symphony, SM); Fly (La Jolla Playhouse, SM Resident); A Number and Scenes From an Execution (Runcible Theatre Company, SM); Seminar, A Walk in the Woods, Jake’s Women, and A Bright Room Called Day (Spartan Theatre, PSM); and Ghost Gardens (Pegasus Theatre, PSM). Amber has also served as Production Manager on various shows at MOCA (LA), Runcible Theatre, and The Poor Theatre (Chicago). Amber holds an M.F.A. in Stage Management from UC San Diego.

PHYLLIS SCHURINGA, CSA (she/her)

Casting Director

Phyllis is an Artistic Associate and the Casting Director for Geffen Playhouse. Recent casting includes The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 and TRAYF. She has received 8 Artios nominations: Power of Sail, Man of God, Witch, Significant Other, Actually, Barbecue, Barcelona, and The Country House. Before joining the Geffen, she was the Casting Director for Steppenwolf Theater Company 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). Broadway transfers include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award for Best Revival), The Song of Jacob Zulu, and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. She is a member of the Casting Society of America.

GIL CATES, JR.

Executive Director

Gil Cates, Jr. is Executive Director 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 is currently directing 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, set for release in 2023. He studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and holds a B.F.A. in Drama from Syracuse University.

During her tenure at the Geffen, Amy has spearheaded numerous programs for commissioning and developing new plays and has shepherded more than 150 plays into production. Dramaturgy credits include the commissions and world premieres of Donald Margulies’ Time Stands Still and Coney Island Christmas, Jane Anderson’s The Quality of Life and The Escort, Amanda Peet’s Our Very Own Carlin McCullough, and Michael Mitnick’s Mysterious Circumstances. Other dramaturgy credits include Actually, Invisible Tango, Extraordinary Chambers, Build, Equivocation, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, Guards at the Taj, and Geffen Stayhouse virtual shows including Helder Guimarães’ The Present and The Future, and David Kwong’s Inside the Box. She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

AMY LEVINSON (she/her) Associate Artistic Director

BEHNAZ ATAEE

Chief

Financial Officer

Behnaz “Nazy” Ataee is Chief Financial Officer of Geffen Playhouse. In this role, she has oversight responsibility

for accounting functions of the theater, including operating and capital budgets. In addition, she supports all IT and HR activities. Behnaz was named Chief Financial Officer in 2015 after serving as General Manager since 2002. She first joined Geffen Playhouse in 1999. Previously, Ataee worked as a senior financial analyst for Ultratech Inc., an international semiconductor company based in San Jose. Prior to Ultratech, she was an auditor for Van Sloten

CPA, after holding the position of Director of Accounting at FABS Management, where she was responsible for overseeing the finances of more than 25 non-profit organizations. As a financial professional with more than 30 years’ experience in for-profit and non-profit financial management and auditing, Ataee began her career in the Bay Area as a partner in a small tech startup. She holds a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.

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.

The Geffen Playhouse’s New Play Development Program is made possible, in large part, through the leadership and generosity of donations from: The Edgerton Foundation, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Fay & Frank Mancuso, Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald, Hilary & Jack Angelo and Mary Bianco, The MOCA Foundation.

We are proud to have the following artists under commission:

LUIS ALFARO

JONATHAN CAREN

COLMAN DOMINGO

MICHAEL GOLAMCO

MEGHAN KENNEDY

MATTHEW LÓPEZ

MARTYNA MAJOK

QUI NGUYEN

STACY OSEI-KUFFOUR

JIEHAE PARK

JOHN POLLONO

ROBERT SCHENKKAN

JEN SILVERMAN

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.

For more information on the 2023/2024 cycle of The Writers’ Room, please visit geffenplayhouse.org/thewritersroom.

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

GEFFEN AT A GLANCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PRODUCTION STAFF FOR THE MOUNTAINTOP

Associate Scenic Designer

Anna Grigo

Assistant Costume Designer

Wendell Carmichael

Assistant Lighting Designer

Malcolm Wilson

Associate Projection Designer

Elizabeth Barrett

Wig Designer

Shelia Dorn

Dialect Coach

Judith Moreland

Production Stage Manager Sub

Kesia Ross

Production Assistant

Juliet Park

Directing Fellow

Rachel Myers

SDCF Directing Observer

Felichia Chivaughn

Deck Crew

Oliver Brink, David Foubert, Ty Pickett

Deck Crew Swing

Greg Mueller

Automation Operator

Austin Bosley

Carpenter Crew Lead

Philip Rossi

Wardrobe Supervisor

Michayla Van Treeck

Lighting Programmer

Nicole Jaja

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scenery Built & Painted By

F&D Scene Changes

Lighting Equipment Provided By

Kinetic Lighting

Sound Equipment Provided By

Jon Sound Inc., DnB Design, Launch

Projection Equipment Provided By

4Wall Entertainment

SPECIAL THANKS

Light Board Operator

Justin Kelley-Cahill

Light Board Operator Swing

Erica Ammerman

A1

Bob Gilmartin

A2 / A1 Swing

Ilana Elroi

A2 Swing

Stephanie Yackovetsky

Projections Programmer

Erin Teachman

Properties Artisans & Carpenters

Christopher R. Baab, Sigourney Chin, Danny Dolan

Carpenters

Austin Bosley, Oliver Brink, James Chew, Chris Cowan, David Foubert, Enrique Garcia, Rob Hille, Shadow LaValley, Claudia Peterson, Lila Schmitz, Syd Shoell, James Stanley, Eiden Weissblum

Scenic Painter

Chandish Nester

Stitchers

Stephanie Castro, Sarah Lindsley

Wardrobe Swing

Stephanie Castro

Electricians

Ezra Fisher, Nicole Jaja, Justin Kelley-Cahill, Ezra Muthiah, Christiana Saldibar, Sydney Smith, James Tatsch, Ben Wendel

Production Photographer

Frank Ishman

Media Filming

Ramon Garcia

Design + Art Direction

Base Design Photography

Justin Bettman

UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television Scene, Prop, Sound, and Costume

Shops; National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel; The entire team at New York Theatre Workshop; Freedome Bradley-Ballentine; Orion & Jupiter

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.

ACCESSIBILTY

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

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.

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 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.

PHOTO BY JEFF LORCH

HARMONIES OF LIBERTY

1

“Some people are uncomfortable with the disruption that change causes, but the disruption is necessary if anything is going to change.”

2

“We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience, and patience creates unity.”

3

“We’re not gonna fight fire with fire, we’re gonna fight fire with water. We’re not gonna fight racism with racism, we’re gonna fight racism with solidarity.”

4

“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.”

5

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

6

“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”

“Our number one priority as far as the country and society is concerned is racial justice, actually racial injustice that exists in our country and trying to make everything just for all people.”

“Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me.”

Right: The Stone of Hope monument at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C.

Photo courtesy Unsplash.

Answers: 1. Afeni Shakur 2. Malcolm X 3. Fred Hampton 4. Rebecca Solnit 5. Talmud

6. Martin Luther King, Jr. 7. Gregg Popovich 8. Sojourner Truth

An infinite chorus of individual voices have contributed their verses to the powerful play of progress. We invite you to read through the quotations below and match each one to its source.

WHO SAID IT?

Fred Hampton • Rebecca Solnit • Malcolm X • Gregg Popovich • Sojourner Truth

Martin Luther King, Jr. • Talmud • Afeni Shakur

“ THE BATON PASSES ON…”

The journey to create a more just and equitable world doesn’t belong to any one person, or to any one generation alone. In The Mountaintop, Katori Hall invites us to join the relay race. Our task is to pick up the baton from the ones who came before us, carry it as far as we can, and then pass it along to those who follow after.

We’ve asked our creative team, “Who do you take the baton from, and to whom do you hope to pass it?” Here’s what a few of them had to say:

“Passed from: Oscar and Angela McGregor and so many generations working for a more just world. Passed to: My children Orion and Jupiter and all those seeing the world full of justice and joy that they deserve.” —Patricia

McGregor

“My mother and father handed me the baton. They raised me to have the mindset that, no matter what some may say, I am, without question, limitless.” —Amanda Warren

“From my Grandma Annette, who was unafraid to go first so that others could follow. From Nora Ephron, Wendy Wasserstein, Dawn Powell, writers whose brutal honesty and resilient humor makes me feel better understood and less alone. And to my children Sam and Andrew, who will take it to places I can only imagine.” —Rebecca

Phillips Epstein

“I took the baton held by two amazing designers, Adele Farmar and April Hunter-Smiley, who with kindness and care made sure I learned correctly. I pass the baton onto my four dependable and spicy assistants who remind me daily of why I love what I do so very much.” —Mylette

Nora

“I was handed the baton to carry by my mother Advira and her mother Kiziah. I was handed the baton to carry by my creative foremothers Ntzoke Shange, Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, and Lucille Clifton. I hope to pass the baton to the next generation of black female storytellers to embrace their beauty, brilliance, and bravery. Most importantly, I pass the baton to my son Brixton in hopes that I have made his leg of the race a little easier.”

—Felichia Chivaughn

What about YOU? What does the “baton” represent in your own life and work? Who did you take it from, and who will you hand it off to?

I’ve been working tirelessly to raise awareness about diabetes and its contributions to kidney disease, heart disease and more. It’s plagued my family for generations.

I am thrilled that UCLA Health is partnering with the Geffen because there is nothing like the arts to help address situations that need our attention, like health and wellness. The performing arts, like dance and theater, are transformative. I applaud UCLA Health and the Geffen Playhouse for coming together to help people.

—DEBBIE ALLEN

actress, dancer, choreographer, director, producer, and Geffen Playhouse alum

Award-winning

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 Partner’s Circle level and higher for gifts made between March 1, 2022 and May 1, 2023.

† Geffen Playhouse Board of Directors

^ Geffen Playhouse Founding Trustees

§ Geffen Playhouse Advisory Board

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

For more information, please call Tracy Reich at 310.208.6500 ext. 113.

PREMIERE CIRCLE

$100,000+

Anonymous (2)

Jana & Trevor Bezdek

California Arts Council

City National Bank

Edgerton Foundation

The Adi† & Jerry Greenberg Foundation

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Martha Henderson

Loretta Everett Kaufman† & Victor Kaufman

Elizabeth & David Kerman

Jerry & Terri Kohl

Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

Linda Bernstein Rubin† & Tony Rubin

Shubert Foundation

Jodi & Howard Tenenbaum†

Miranda§ & Brett Tollman

UCLA

UCLA Health

INNOVATOR CIRCLE

$50,000 – $99,999

The Berlanti Family Foundation

Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer

Cindy & Alan Horn

John McCrite§ & Juan Lopez

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Matt Shakman† & Maggie Malone

Holly Rice† & Vince Gilligan

Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation

ARTISTIC CIRCLE

$25,000 – $49,999

Anonymous

Marcy Carsey

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Merle Dandridge†

The Walt Disney Company

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

Dr. & Mrs. Paul Eisenberg

Bonnie E. Eskenazi† / Greenberg Glusker

Carol & Paul Frimmer

Susan & Mark Fleischer†

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation

Patty Glaser† & Sam Mudie

Marcy Gross

Capital Group Companies

Marcia Israel-Curley Foundation

Erich and Della Koenig Foundation

Carla Malden† & Norman Beil

Paramount Pictures

Judith & Bruce Stern

PRODUCER’S CIRCLE

$10,000 – $24,999

Anonymous (2)

Eva Aaronson

In Memory of Bucky Hazan

The Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Family Foundation

Pat & Sandy Adams

Beth Behrs & Michael Gladis

Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block†

Kevin & Claudia Bright

Eileen & Harold Brown^

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Mary Ann Cloyd†

Comcast NBCUniversal

Ellyce R. Cooper§ & Barry Cohen / Sidley Austin LLP

Creative Forces

Anne Dougherty & David Dobrikin

Louise & Dr. Brad Edgerton†

Lisa Field, Field Family Foundation

Eric Flamholtz & Yvonne Randle

Susan Nahley Fleishman†

Larry Gagosian

Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc.

Brenda Garcia†

Sue & Steve Glusker

MaryAnn & Irwin Gold

Manuela & James Goren

Alexander & Katie & Grey Grosvenor

Noble & Jacquelynn Hansen

In Memory of Morris A. Hazan

Samantha & Eric Heer†

Mellody Hobson / Ariel Investments, LLC

Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation

Stanley Iezman & Nancy Stark

David & Martha Kadue

Julie & David Kavner

Laura Kennedy§

Willette & Manny Klausner

Marla & Daniel Klein

Lyn & Norman Lear

Fay & Frank Mancuso^

Brian† & Renee Mann

Tiffany Mayberry†

Carol & Bill Ouchi

Mary Osako†

Soundis & Danny Passman†

Shana & Don Passman

Madeline & Bruce Ramer^

Thomas L. Safran

Carol ‘Jackie’ & Charles Schwartz

Richard† & Barbara Sherman

Jane Rissman & Richard Sondheimer

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Kate Capshaw Spielberg & Steven Spielberg^

Cynthia P. Stafford†

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

Deborah Tavlin

Steve Tisch^

Daniel Tongbai & Henry Clancy

U.S. Bank Foundation

JaHan Wang†

Joanne & Ken Weinman

Aurora & Marc Weinstock†

Susan & Dan White

Ken Willner & Jim Stine

PLAYWRIGHT’S CIRCLE

$5,000 – $9,999

Anonymous

Aversa Foundation

David Bartman

Judith & Thomas Beckmen

Dr. Joan Denson & Dr. Victoria Berck

Mara W. Breech Foundation

Robert Brook & Jacqueline Kosecoff

Glenn & Lynn Cardoso

Dan Clivner

In Loving Memory of Ed Cypert

Mary Jo & Caleb Deschanel

Susan & Jonathan Dolgen

Robyn Field & Anthony O’Carroll

Steve Freedman & Helen Sideris

Mimi & Marvin Freedman

Sonia & Robert Freedman and Family

Bob & Diana Friedman

Herbert M.^ & Beverly J. Gelfand

Ann§ & Jim Gianopulos

David & Kiki Gindler

Waterman and Glicksteen Families

Sir Elton John & David Furnish

Mannon Kaplan

Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall

Daniel & Marla Klein

Kling Family Foundation / Allen & Jessica Kling

Sandra Krause & William Fitzgerald

Wendy Kurtzman§

Sherry Lansing Foundation

Karen & Walter Loewenstern

Marcia E. Williams & Gene Lucero

Renee & Meyer Luskin

Stewart Mayeda

Cara Gardenswartz & David Melnick

Bradley & Lisa Mindlin

In Memory of Sandra Tenenbaum

Rio & Frank Morse

Tina & Jerry Moss^ / The Moss Foundation

Benedicta & Geoffry Oblath

Olympus Theatricals

Laurie MacDonald & Walter Parkes

Cheryl Petersen & Roger Lustberg

Carolyn A. Poer & John M. Poer

Judith Reichman, M.D.

The Michael Schwab Family

In Honor of Richard Sherman

From Ken & Lori Goldman

Gussie Paster Sitkin

Nancy Heller & Fred Specktor

Gil Schwartz Foundation

Heather Thomas & Skip Brittenham

Karen Zoller, M.D. & David Tillman, M.D.

William & Karen Timberlake

Kathryn & Alan Van Vliet

Marjorie Walsh

Julie & Peter Weil

Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks

Karen & Rick Wolfen

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

$3,000 – $4,999

Anonymous (2)

Cathy & Shel Bachrach

Madelyn Bennett & Eric Gibson

Shelly & Libby Bergen

Susan Bloch-Kay & Stephen Kay

Philip Blumenshine

VJ Boyd

Noora Raj Brown

Jay Butterfield & Susan Ewert

Marissa Caudill & David Merrill

Linda & John Coleman

Don Dorsey

In Honor of Virginia Field

Dennis & Jackie Fox

Karney Guren Family Foundation

Alan & Michelle Heilpern

Stephen Sass & Steven Hochstadt

Victoria Jackson & Bill Guthy

Linda & David Kagel

Jerry Katell

Jane & Rand Marlis

Robin Mitchel & Kathleen Marshall

Michael R. Oppenheim

Carol & Alan Ostroff

John Shustitzky

Mitch & Sherry Stein

Zackery Alexzander Stephens

Eric Strom & Eileen Goodis

Peter Van Haften

Gelena & Seth Weissman

Leslie White & Al Limon

In Loving Memory of Herman Ziegler

CREATOR’S CIRCLE

$1,500 – $2,999

Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Allen

Henry Alpert

Miriam Aguiar

Laura & Harvey Alpert

Jan & David Altemus

Patti Amstutz

Robert E. & Maria H. Barron

G2 Graphic Service, Inc.

Patricia & Mark Benjamin

Paula & Bruce Bennett

Yvette Bergeron & Dean Bailey

Wendy & John Bergquist

Westmount Asset Management

Larry & Julie Blivas

In Honor of Phyllis Blivas

Susan J. Booth & Christopher Wadden

Paula Brand

Dr. Wallace P. Brithinee

Diana Buckhantz and the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation

Mrs. Dorothy Hoffman

Lexy & John Carroll

Stephanie§ & Jonathan Carson

Sylvie & Peter Cartmell

Gil Cates, Jr.†

Steven Cerasale & Mary Katherine Cocharo

Caroline Choi

Cindy Clark

Larry Coben

Ginger Conrad

Tim Curtis & Shandon Youngclaus

J. Jason Daunter

Phil Davis

Pam Dawber & Mark Harmon

Brock Dewey

Jacki & Murray Drechsler

Colleen M. Ellis

Terri & David Elston

David & Joyce Evans

AnonyMoose Foundation

Dr. Kimberly Finney

In Honor of Frank & Betty Fouce

Joan & Charles Fox

Anita Dann Friedman & Harvey Friedman

Priscila Giraldo§

Charlotte Gold

Jill Grigsby & Rett Bull

Penny Grosz & Eugene Korney

The Guerin Foundation

Harris Family Foundation

Barbara Herman

Jean Himmelstein

Dr. John D. Hofbauer & Dr. Laura E. Fox

Rand Hoffman & Charlotte Robinson

Freya & Mark Ivener

Lynn Hunt & Margaret Jacob

Katherine Kleindienst & Marc Goldsmith

Lena & Mark Labowe

Trini Lewis

Judith Locke

Iris Tuesday Productions

Dr. Jennifer Lucero

The Malins Family Foundation

David Israeli & Dr. Marie Mazzone

Norma & Larry Meyers

Cookie Miller

Joan & Phil Miller

Andrew & Laura Mintzer

Ron Myrick

Mark & Diane Neubauer

Conan & Liza O’Brien

Michael Parks & Judith Hayward

Sallie Patrick

Phil & Agnes Peters

Ruth Popkin

Gary & Gail Rachelefsky

Joyce & Harvey Reichard

Carol Risher

Dolores Rogers

The Ross Family

Carol Krause

Jack Grossbart & Marc Schwartz

Rita & Jose Sigal

Ron Silverman & Soraya Ross

Snyder Family Foundation

Jerome & Joan Snyder

John Sonego§ & Thomas Faughnan

Cela Devine Sutton§

Catherine & Leonard Unger

Theodore H. Sweetser & Jane L. Valentine

Daniel & Shauna Valenzuela

Judith Leslie Waxman & Leo Stytle

John & Connie Weston

Alison Whalen & Steve Marenberg

Richard Yaffe

Ellen & Arnold Zetcher

Bobbi & Walter Zifkin

DESIGNER’S CIRCLE

$1,000 – $1,499

Anonymous (2)

Dr. Richard Ackerman & Miriam Shakter

Bonnie & Bill Apfelbaum

Eloise & Mark Appel

Margaret Campbell Arvey

Don Bacigalupi

Rob Bailis

Karen Bell & Robb Cox

Lydia & David Bell

Yvonne Bernard & Henry De Priest & Lookout Entertainment

Artie & Ellie Berrick

John Bjorge & Mary McKelvey

Katherine Brown & Rene Mendoza

Linda & Jerry Bruckheimer

Dr. Fanya Carter, Ph.D.

Jane Cates

Shelby & Lee Chaden

Martha J. Chase

Sachiko T. Cochran M.D. & Joseph T. Araki

Lori§ & Jerry Collins

Stephen & Erin Cook

Honorable Candace Cooper

Jen Crittenden & Bill Wrubel

Hedva & Dr. Dudley Danoff

Susan Dashe

Joanna & Jeff Davis

In Honor of Development

Lauren Shuler Donner

Ed & Barbara Dreyfus

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Duxler

Jeff Eckerle & Marilyn Osborn

Carl & Courtenay Enright

Lynne & Michael Feldman

Susanna Felleman

Kenneth J. Friedman & Marilynn J. Friedman Family Foundation

Diane Futterman

The Glass Family

Linda & Louis Goldsman

Ellie Goodman

Deidre Hall

Scott Hartle

Mary Hartley

Murray & Gail Heltzer

Jackson Henry

Michael & Candie Herman

Richard Rasiej & Joan Herman

Winifred C. Hervey

Kristin Hoover

Jack Hileman & Roxanne Huddleston

Robin & Edgar Hirst

Gary T. Izumi

Brenda Marie Izzi

Carrie Johnson

Linda Kaplan

Sally & Dr. Manny J. Karbelnig

Patricia Keating

Trisha Kelley

Beverlee Bickmore & James Kelly

Corrinne Mann Kempinsky & Louis Kempinsky

King Nutronics Corporation

Wendy Kirshner

Dr. Phyllis H. Klein

Barton H. Kogan

Norman Koplof & Leslie Falick

Charles Kristenson

Mindy Lauerlevin & Ed Levin

Rhonda K. Lawrence

Rena & Craig Leeds

Carl Levinger

Cathleen Fitzpatrick Linder

Steven Llanusa & Glenn Miya, M.D.

Tania Lotia

Eric James Lund

Eric & Eva Plaza Mandel

Michael N. Marks

Jeanne McDonald-Powers & Travis Powers

S. McQueen & D. Whalen

Ali Meghdadi

Anne & Ronald Mellor

Cynthia Melville

Hillary & Lance Milken

Mintz Family Fund

Thomas W. Mitchell

Laurie & Chuck Mondrus

Thaine & Elizabeth Morris

Lon Morse & Toni Hollander Morse

Robert Nelson & Marguerite Renner

Albert & Barbara Nichols

Michael Nicklin

Deborah & Stacey Olliff

Tal Oren & Liana Morgado-Oren

Ornest Family Foundation

Ralph Page

Jacalyn & Paul Pepperman

Clark & Kathryn Porter

Lise Ransdell & Eric Augusztiny

Allison & Bennett Rosenthal

Oren Rosenthal

William Hoover & Jon Rupp

David A. & Karen Richards Sachs

Nancy & Ted Sanborn

Joel & Sonia Schneider

Jane & Bill Schopf

Susan Schwarz & Stuart Berton

John Shaw

Karen & Bill Skinner

Ronald Smith

Lisa & Chris Stonich

Melora Sundt & Rob Kadota

Mr. & Mrs. David Tann

Rose Tarlow

The Tatasciore Family

Anne C. Taubman

John M. Teeples & Nicolas Martinez, Jr.

Franklin David Tell

Barbara & Larry Tenan

Marjorie Thomson

Leon & Stephanie Vahn

Ira & Laurie Waldman

Marcia & Charles Wasserman Ph.D

Judith & Philip Winik

Cherie Wrigley

Lisa Yen & Tom Bajoras

Elena & Drew Zager

PARTNER’S CIRCLE

$500 – $999

Anonymous (3)

Allan Africk

Robert C. Anderson

Audrey & Martin Appel

Bonnie R. Arnold

The Baek Family

In Memory of Patricia Beals

Marjorie Blatt

Pamela & Bill Bohnert

Michael & Susan Bordy

Carol J. Bradshaw

Steven Briggs

Howard Brightman

Marlene Bronson

Janet & Mark Brown

Laura D. Campbell

Anthony Carbone

Sean & Martha Carey Family

Sandra Chan & Richard Pezner

Mike Clements

Devorah Colker

Muriel Dance & Alvin Martin

Zoud Danko

Kristin Diehl

Linda Dozier

Jan & Thea Drayer

Elizabeth A. Evans

Terry Feuerborn

Carol & John Fox

Catherine Froloff

Gordon Gerson

Linda & Tom Givvin

Ellen & Reginald Golla

Howard Gradet

Vera & Paul Guerin

Roberta L. Haft

In Memory of Jane Hall

Hella Hershson

Dr. Shelley Hill

Paul Gordon Hoffman & Sue Caren Hoffman

In Loving Memory of Stan Hollander

Drs. Sharon & Lou Ignarro

Elodie Keene

William & Renee Kendall

Nancy Kenney

Sharon Kerson

Dr. & Mrs. Klausner

Dr. Leonard & Stella S. Kleinrock

Patricia Klous

Delores Komar & Susan Wolford

Sharon & Joel Koppelman

Deborah Lacusta & Daniel Castellaneta

Lynne Lainer

John & Sandra Langfitt

Christo & Jeanne Lavagnino

Tricia Lee & Joerg Huettner

Julie Leeds

Gina Maria Leonetti

Lawrin & Linda Lewin

Renee Lonner

Barbara Marshall

Deborah Marsten

Linda May

Douglas McAvoy, Jr.

Christina Medigovich

Mona D. & Steven J. Miller

Lee & Jeff Milman

John Moschitta, Jr.

Dr. Paula C. Moseley

Elizabeth Luster

Andrea & Patrick Murray

Bonnie Nash

Colleen O’Beirne Brydon

Sabine Oishi

Janie & Allan Orenstein

Carol F. Phillips

Ron Rafay

Rollin Ransom & Chris Lacroix

Jennifer Redner

Elyse Resch

Barry Rosen & Neil Bokal

Dr. Martin & Lorraine Ross

Douglas Ross

Wil Rosser

Peter & Andrea Roth

Lisa Rowley

Arlene & Peter Sacks

Scott Sandler§

Maxine Savitz

Cliff & Linda Schaffer

Mary Lou Schanche

Jo Schiff

Mr. Bernard Schiffer

Nancy & Steven Schneider

Gary & Karen Schneider

Lester Schwartz

John H. Scott

Donna Shapiro & Angel Castillo

Peggy & Robert Shapiro

In Memory of Michael Sherman

Robert M. Shore

Marlene Sklar & Joel Moskowitz

Karen Smits

Jill & Scott Spiwak

Audri & Stan Tendler

David & Cathy Thomas

Johnson Thurston

Rebecca Vail§

Elizabeth Wheat

Herbert Wolas

Arnold & Tricia Zane

IN-KIND SUPPORTERS

Kayla Allen / Pure Barre

Cyrus Batchan / Camphor

Ashton Easter / Playground LA

Fairmont Empress / Stephanie Jones

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

The Friedman Group

The Hammer Museum at UCLA

Tom Kenny

The Lodge at Torrey Pines — Evans Hotels

Gavin D. Pak / East West Players

Pasadena Playhouse

Petrossian Restaurant & Boutique

HOSPITALITY SPONSORS

Thank you to our year-round in-kind hospitality sponsors for their incredible generosity and support of the arts:

Skylight Gardens

STK | The ONE Group

W Los Angeles — West Beverly Hills

CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE

As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, the leadership wishes to acknowledge the historical contributions of these individuals to the Geffen Playhouse who have made the original vision of our founder, Gil Cates, possible:

Anonymous

Annenberg Foundation

Mrs. Carol K. Block & Chancellor Gene D. Block† City National Bank

Kirsten^ & Donald Combs

Maria 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

Donors at the $150 level and up are recognized on our website at geffenplayhouse.org/thankyou.

If your name has been misspelled or omitted from the list in error, please contact Tracy Reich, Director of Individual Giving at 310.208.6500 ext. 113.

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

Colm Summers

Director in Residence

PRODUCTION

Renee Duron

Director of Production

Jill Barnes

Artistic & Production Administrator

Melissa Hartman

Interim Technical Director

Patty Squibb

Interim Technical Director

Alexandre Norkus

Automation Supervisor

Rick Gilles

Properties Master

Daniel Lynn

Associate Properties Supervisor

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

Chloe Shi

Production Assistant

ADMINISTRATION

Behnaz Ataee

Chief Financial Officer

Erick R. López

General Manager

Berenice Campos

Director of Human Resources

Janice Gompers

Payroll Manager & HR Admin

Youra Kim

Senior Accountant

Clay Dzygun

Office Coordinator

Marguerite Harris

Receptionist

Gil Cates, Jr. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DEVELOPMENT

Sarah Weinberg

Director of Development

Elizabeth Kegley

Director of Institutional Giving

Tracy Reich

Director of Individual Giving

Christine Drew Benjamin

Director of Donor Engagement

Jessica Brusilow Rollins

Grant Writing Consultant

EDUCATION

Brian Allman

Director of Education & Community Engagement

Paloma Nozicka

Education Associate

Sean Michael Boozer, DeJuan Christopher Conner, Lyssa Deehan, BJ Lange, Tara Ricasa, Kenzo Rice, Maddy Wagner Teaching Artists

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Patrick Brown

Director of Marketing

Zenon Dmytryk

Director of Communications

Karen Gutierrez

Director of Advertising & Audience Development

Brian Dunning

Director of Content & Creative

Zack Hamra

Associate Director of Audience Services & Ticketing

Isaak Berliner

Social Media & Communications Manager

Janice Bernal

Box Office Manager

Alyssa Tyson

Box Office Manager

Jacob Feller

Part Time Box Office Manager

Vaneh Assadourian

House Seat Manager

Brianna Barrett, Rachel Jacoby, Sean James, Lauren Machain, Katie Sparks, Sara Turken, Anika Waco, Dennis Woullard Box Office Staff

OPERATIONS

Jeni Pearsons

Director of Operations

Mel Yonzon

Front of House Manager

Amy Farkas

Lead Concierge

Rob Mersola

Event Manager

Sarah Chute, Anya Pryjmak, Emir Yonzon

Part Time House Managers

Cristiana Barbatelli, Savanna Chute, Ki Duncan, Elizabeth Fritsch, Tony Jose Garcia, Alia Mahboob, Shannon Noel, Autumn Oyemade, Adam Simers

Guest Services

Brynn Allen, Lulu Altabbakh, Hannah Battersby, Blaire Battle, Avery Brown, Marlon Campos, Matt Clark, Sofia Constantine, Lauren Curet, Enzo De Cunto, Cecily Dowd, Camille Edwards, Blake Elder, Hector Eribez, Sydney Fleischman, Aja Hinds, Meredith McClure, Austin Merrill, Kenneth Sambula Jr., Elena Scaringe-Peene, Areany Tolentino, Lanae Wilks

Ushers

INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

Karim Bouzzit

Cloud System Administrator

Dream Warrior Group System Administrator

FACILITIES

MANAGEMENT

Art Guillen

Facilities Manager

Martin Ayala, Felipe Ayala

Building Maintenance

Mario Santillan-Perez

Custodial

Juan Carlos Umaña, Camerina Martinez

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.