HAMLET Playbill - Great Lakes Theater (Spring 2017)

Cleveland’s Classic Company at the Hanna Theatre presents

March 31 – April 15, 2017

Photo: Roger Mastroianni

Great Lakes Theater

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Welcome..................................................................................................................... 4 About Great Lakes Theater............................................................................................ 5 News & Notes.............................................................................................................. 6 Hamlet........................................................................................................................ 9 Cast of Characters...................................................................................................... 10 Spotlight on Hamlet................................................................................................... 11 The Artistic Company................................................................................................. 21 Donors....................................................................................................................... 30 Trustees..................................................................................................................... 36 Staff.......................................................................................................................... 37 Guest Services........................................................................................................... 38 April/May at Playhouse Square.................................................................................... 39

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WELCOME Dear Friends,

at Playhouse Square

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n behalf of our artists, staff and Board of Trustees, welcome to Great Lakes Theater’s 55th season! Our mission, “to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience,” guides our mainstage productions as well as our educational programming, in the belief that theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and actions and afford our student audiences with a glimpse of a broader world and the wellspring of learning made possible through the arts.

Following the success of our fall and winter offerings, we are eager to continue our season at the Hanna Theatre with Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Hamlet. Our production of Hamlet is steeped in the traditions of Shakespeare’s Globe Playhouse—including seating areas onstage and surrounding the playing area downstage. This unique and intimate configuration will create an immersive experience for audiences daring enough to interact with the acting company as they plunge us into the darkness of Shakespeare’s greatest revenge tragedy!

We are proud to announce that Hamlet was chosen to participate in Shakespeare in American Communities (a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest) and awarded a generous grant in support of our work allowing us to make Shakespeare accessible to students from area schools through our Student Matinee Program.

We also extend a very special thanks to our great friends John and Barbara Schubert for their sustained support of Great Lakes Theater as Production Sponsors of Hamlet. Additionally, we are pleased to welcome The Sherwin-Williams Company as Hamlet’s Corporate Sponsor, with support from The Susan and John Lebold Family.

I encourage you to read through your program and look around the theater tonight. You will see the names of many other friends, partners, corporations and foundations whose generous support makes all of this possible. Please consider joining these donors by becoming a member of the Great Lakes Theater family with your gift!

We are grateful to all of our sponsors and annual members—with continued appreciation to our partners of over 35 years at Playhouse Square—and the tireless efforts of our Board of Trustees, dedicated administrative staff, gifted artists and the tremendous generosity of this community!

I hope to see you in our audience again soon.

Charles Fee Producing Artistic Director

“ Good night, sweet prince...”

Hamlet – V, II

MORTON G. EPSTEIN (1926–2017)

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Tireless Advocate. Generous Supporter.

Eternal Friend.

Great Lakes Theater proudly celebrates the memory and legacy of this extraordinary member of our family.

ABOUT GREAT LAKES THEATER

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he mission of Great Lakes Theater (GLT), through its main stage productions and its education programs, is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience.

Since the company’s inception in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but GLT’s commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of theater and time periods –– including the 20th century –– and provides for the occasional mounting of new works that complement the classical repertoire.

Classic theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and actions, revel in eloquent language, and preserve the traditions of diverse cultures and generate communal spirit. On its main stage and through its education programs, GLT seeks to create visceral, immediate experiences for participants, asserting theater’s historic role as a vehicle for advancing the common good and helping people make the joyful and meaningful connections between classic plays and their own lives.

The company’s commitment to classic theater is magnified in the educational programs that surround its productions. Since its inception, GLT has had a strong presence in area schools, bringing students to the theater for matinee performances and sending specially trained actor-teachers to the schools for weeklong residencies developed to explore classic drama from a theatrical point of view. GLT is equally dedicated to enhancing the theater experience for adult audiences. To this end, GLT regularly serves as the catalyst for community events and programs in the arts and humanities that illuminate the plays on its stage.

Great Lakes Theater is one of only a handful of American theaters that have stayed the course as a classic theater. As GLT moves into a new era with a permanent home in the Hanna Theatre, the company reaffirms its belief in the power of partnership, its determination to make this community a better place in which to live, and its commitment to ensure the legacy of classic theater in Cleveland.

1501 Euclid Ave., Suite 300, Cleveland, OH 44115 P: (216) 241-5490 | F: (216) 241-6315 | W: GreatLakesTheater.org

GreatLakesTheater.org

Great Lakes Theater’s fall 2016 production of My Fair Lady (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

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NEWS & NOTES Awesome Anniversaries

at Playhouse Square

This is a season of milestones — for Great Lakes Theater and for the theater companies that comprise our cross-country strategic alliance. While we in Cleveland celebrate our 55th season, our partners at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival prepare to launch their 45th year this summer, featuring the award-winning production of Love’s Labour’s Lost that made its debut on the Hanna stage in 2016. In addition, our Boise friends at Idaho Shakespeare Festival are poised to mark the 20th anniversary of their outdoor amphitheater (their 41st season overall). Happy anniversary one and all!

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National Honors

Play’s the Thing

A “Prop”er Welcome

Cleveland’s Classic Company is in select company! Arts Midwest announced $1 million in grants to 40 nonprofit, professional theater companies across 26 states to perform the works of William Shakespeare for students through Shakespeare in American Communities.

We at Great Lakes Theater are proud to have been selected as one of this season’s grantees for our current production of Hamlet. The awards mark the 14th consecutive year of Shakespeare in American Communities, a national program managed

by Arts Midwest in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Play is the thing at Camp Theater!, Great Lakes Theater’s summer camp for students ages 4–18 at BereaMidpark High School, June 12–23. Students discover the stage in a safe and supportive environment while engaging with GLT’s professional teaching artists, gaining confidence performing scene work, working as a team in Club Improv and learning valuable skills in dance, stage makeup and combat. There’s never a dull moment! For complete information or to register, visit GreatLakesTheater.org.

We are pleased to officially welcome Jessica Rosenlieb to our production staff in the role of Properties Master. A Colo­ rado native, Jessica brings extensive experience with her to Great Lakes Theater from companies across the country – including Cleveland Play House, Steppenwolf Theatre, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and others. In addition to her work with Great Lakes Theater, Jessica will serve in the same capacity for our strategic alliance partner theaters, Idaho Shakes­ peare Festival and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Join us in giving “props” to our new Properties Master!

AN EXUBERANT, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING TALE OF TRUTH, FAMILY, AND PRIDE “A DIZZYING AND EXCITING PLACE TO BE” The New York Times

FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING SONGWRITERS OF NEXT TO NORMAL AND THE WRITER OF TV’S PARENTHOOD “A POLISHED, PEPPY, MODERN FAIRY TALE!” Washington Post

APR 1 – 23, 2017

written by STEPHEN ADLY GUIRGIS directed by ROBERT BARRY FLEMING STRONG LANGUAGE AND ADULT/SEXUAL SITUATIONS

APR 15 – MAY 20, 2017 book by BRIDGET CARPENTER music by TOM KITT • lyrics by BRIAN YORKEY based on the novel by MARY RODGERS and the Walt Disney motion pictures directed by CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY

216.241.6000 | clevelandplayhouse.com GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE SAVE • CALL 216.400.7027

2017-18 SEASON JUST ANNOUNCED! SEE IT ONLINE!

Cleveland’s Classic Company AT THE HANNA THEATRE

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2017/18 season

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Great Lakes Theater’s Production of a Soaring Musical Epic

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

September 29 - November 4, 2017 / Hanna Theatre

Music by Alan Menken / Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz / Book by Peter Parnell Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film

Shakespeare’s Magical Comic Masterpiece

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM October 6 - November 5, 2017 / Hanna Theatre

By William Shakespeare

Northeast Ohio’s Favorite Holiday Tradition

A CHRISTMAS CAROL November 25 - December 23, 2017 / Ohio Theatre

By Charles Dickens / Adapted and Directed by Gerald Freedman

Stephen King’s Unforgettable Thriller

MISERY

February 16 - March 11, 2018 / Hanna Theatre Based on the novel by Stephen King / Adapted by William Goldman

Shakespeare’s Towering Tragedy

MACBETH

March 30 - April 15, 2018 / Hanna Theatre

By William Shakespeare

Off Broadway’s Groovy Retro-Hit Revue

BEEHIVE - The 60s Musical

May 4 - 20, 2018 / Hanna Theatre Created by Larry Gallagher

216.640.8869 / GreatLakesTheater.org

Hanna Theatre | March 31 – April 15, 2017

Charles Fee Producing Artistic Director

With generous support from:

John & Barbara Schubert Presents

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Directed by

CHARLES FEE Company

Laura Welsh Berg* Lynn Robert Berg* Trevor Buda Tyler Collins Aled Davies* Scenic Designer Russell Metheny Fight Choreographer Ken Merckx

Jodi Dominick* Jonathan Dyrud* Patrick John Kiernan Dougfred Miller* Erin Partin* Costume Designer Kim Krumm Sorenson

Laura Perrotta* David Anthony Smith* Nick Steen* M.A. Taylor* Christopher Tocco*

Lighting Designer Rick Martin

Text and Speech Coaches Lynn Robert Berg* Dougfred Miller*

GreatLakesTheater.org

by

Sound Designer Matthew Webb Stage Manager Tim Kinzel*

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

There will be one fifteen-minute intermission.

Great Lakes Theater’s production of Hamlet is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Student subscriptions to Great Lakes Theater are subsidized in part by a generous gift from Eaton Corporation.

Hamlet is produced with additional support from The Susan and John Lebold Family.

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.................................................................

Laura Welsh Berg * Jonathan Dyrud*

King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle................................................... David Anthony Smith * Ghost of old Hamlet, former king of Denmark ....................................Lynn Robert Berg *† Gertrude, queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother ......................................... Laura Perrotta * Polonius, Councillor to the state of Denmark........................................... Dougfred Miller * Laertes, Polonius’ son...................................................................................Nick Steen * Ophelia, Polonius’ daughter.......................................................................... Erin Partin * Reynaldo, Polonius’ servant..........................................................................M.A. Taylor * Horatio, Hamlet’s friend and fellow student.......................................... Christopher Tocco * Laura Welsh Berg * Jonathan Dyrud* Guildenstern, former school fellow of Hamlet...................................Patrick John Kiernan

at Playhouse Square

Rosencrantz, former school fellow of Hamlet........................................

Marcellus Barnardo Francisco

}

member of the king’s guard

............................................... Aled Davies * .............................................. Tyler Collins ..................................Patrick John Kiernan

Players, a group of actors from the city......................Lynn Robert Berg*, Jodi Dominick*, ............................................................................................. Trevor Buda, Tyler Collins Gravedigger................................................................................................. Aled Davies * Other, gravedigger........................................................................................M.A. Taylor * Attendants, Messengers, Priest..... Jodi Dominick*, Dougfred Miller*, Tyler Collins, Trevor Buda † Fight Captain | * Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

Be the Star of the Show PHOTO: JULIE HAHN/SUGARBUSH DESIGN

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spotlight an insider’s guide to

Generous support for Spotlight was provided by

Donald F. and Anne T. Palmer

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From the Director Charles Fee

Two Hamlets: Setting & Space:

Spotlight on hamlet

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n choosing to double cast the role of Hamlet with a woman and a man playing alternate performances, we are exploring the possibility that Hamlet’s nature and his responses to the dramatic action may reveal more depth and elicit more compassion then we would experience through a single actor’s interpretation of the role. Is it possible, for instance, that a woman playing Hamlet will allow us to experience his relationships to Gertrude and Ophelia from a profoundly different perspective, perhaps opening up the text in unique ways? What about his relationships to his father’s ghost and his uncle Claudius? And might both actors’ performances be affected by working together on the role in rehearsal?

Hamlet’s relationship to his mother, Gertrude, and his “beloved” Ophelia, are deeply troubling, both to him and to most modern audiences. His sense of betrayal by both women—first by his mother for marrying his uncle (an act that he views as adulterous and incestuous); and then

by Ophelia, for giving back his love letters and tokens—seem to infect his view of all women: “Frailty, thy name is woman.” But his cruelty toward Ophelia is contradicted by his professed love for her. The first time we see Hamlet speak to Ophelia his words are fraught with ambiguity: “I did love you once,” he says, only to follow with, “You should not have believed me . . . I loved you not.” What are we in the audience to believe? Is this madness? Or is Hamlet feigning madness? Or, as the noted Shakespearean scholar, Harold Bloom asserts: “The question of Hamlet must always be Hamlet himself, for Shakespeare created him to be as ambivalent and divided a consciousness as a coherent drama could sustain.” Perhaps casting two actors as different as Laura Berg and Jonathan Dyrud are, is an acknowledgment of Hamlet’s divided soul.

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e have chosen to set Hamlet in the Elizabethan period for several reasons. Foremost is our desire to create a stage structure similar to that of the Globe Theatre in which Hamlet was performed. Our scenic design will allow part of the audience to sit onstage, surrounding the actors, as well as on either side of the platform downstage. With this choice we are inviting the audience onstage to create a sense of participation in the action of the play. For those sitting onstage the experience may feel like being in the play rather than passively watching the play. For those sitting in the traditional location in front of the stage, the audience onstage will appear to be in the play – like a jury in a court room judging the events as they unfold. The stage side seating works to increase the pressure of the audience in relationship to the action onstage.

All of this could have been achieved without setting the play in Elizabethan costumes. The period costuming is being created as a way of relating the ideas of the play to the historical context of the Elizabethan Renaissance and specifically, the Protestant Reformation – as opposed to the historical source material of Hamlet (Saxo Grammaticus’ 12th century history of Denmark). Hamlet’s education at the University of Wittenberg – where Martin Luther was on the faculty – is referred to 3 times in Hamlet’s first scene. For the audience of Shakespeare’s time this was clearly meant to signal that Hamlet (and Horatio) have been exposed to both a Renaissance humanist education (note how many references they make to Greek and Roman writings) and the teachings of Martin Luther. Shakespeare’s audience was actively engaged in the ideas and arguments of the Reformation and humanist thought. It is our desire to foreground this historical context through our Elizabethan period setting and costumes.

Our Text:

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here are many existing texts of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Most scholars consider the Second Quarto (published 1604) and the First Folio (published 1623) as the editions closest to the author’s intentions; however, these texts vary greatly from each other. The Second Quarto is over 4,000 lines long (nearly twice the length of the First Quarto edition) and is generally believed to derive from Shakespeare’s written manuscript. Given its extreme length, it is unlikely that this script would have been performed by Shakespeare’s company (compare to Macbeth at 2,477 lines). The First Folio text is considerably shorter and was probably derived from the theater promptbook. We are primarily using the First Folio text as the starting point for our production, but we have included some of the Second Quarto text as well. In any production of Hamlet, the director and actors must make decisions about what to keep and what to cut.

Without cutting, the Second Quarto Hamlet

The First Quarto of Hamlet, published in 1603 (left), and The Second Quarto, published in 1604 and 1605.

would take nearly five hours to perform! The most significant editorial decision we have made is to remove virtually all references to the Fortinbras plot, and the character of Fortinbras does not appear. It is our belief that the parallel revenge plots of Hamlet and Laertes give the audience the deepest experience, and contrast, of the themes of justice and revenge.

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illiam Shakespeare’s Hamlet has compelled theater artists and audiences in every generation. In Hamlet, says Great Lakes Theater’s Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee, “We are witnessing a character struggling with the most profound questions of the meaning of existence, morality, duty – in short, of being human.”

Like Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, and the Sonnets, Hamlet was a product of the playwright’s mid-30s. A bitter melancholy runs through these works, a sharp sense of failure, death, and betrayal. Family deaths—his only son Hamnet’s in 1596 and his father’s in 1601—may have weighed heavily on Shakespeare at this time.

Hamlet was probably composed between 1599 and 1602. It was not on the list of Shakespeare plays compiled by schoolmaster Francis Meres in 1598, but it was registered for publication on July 26, 1602. While no references have surfaced to performances by Shakespeare’s company in his lifetime, other evidence—relating to the play’s sources, its topical allusions, and publication history—suggests a play that attracted the notice of the playwright’s contemporaries.

A history chronicle, Gesta Danorum, assembled in 1200 AD by Saxo Grammaticus, provided the story of a Danish prince who feigns madness, kills a spy, confronts his mother, and sails to England while revenging himself on his uncle for killing his father and marrying his mother.

But it’s possible that another English writer could have beat Shakespeare to the story. A revenge play about Hamlet of Denmark was circulating in London by 1589. Since Shakespeare cannot be placed in London with certainty before 1592—when a jealous rival, Robert Greene, pegged him an “upstart crow” —generations of scholars posited an earlier “Ur-Hamlet” or “Source-Hamlet” that Shakespeare subsequently revised.

Some scholars tagged Thomas Kyd as the writer of the lost early Hamlet. Even though the case for Kyd has been disputed, the Hamlet story—in whichever version—and Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy do have an affinity. Actor Richard Burbage was known for playing the leading roles in both. With ghosts inciting bloodthirsty revenge, both share a debt to the Roman tragedian Seneca. Writer Thomas Nashe,

Spotlight on hamlet

Playnotes: Hamlet

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Playnotes (continued)

Spotlight on hamlet

Richard Burbage, the leading actor in Shakespeare’s company, undoubtedly played the title role of Hamlet.

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Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, a popular revenge tragedy.

in his preface to Robert Greene’s 1589 Menaphon, even joked that reading Seneca “will affoord you whole Hamlets.”

In Shakespeare’s day, material could be re-used—adapted by writers working as collaborators one moment and rivals the next, in theater companies that re-formed quickly as events demanded. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men— Shakespeare’s company—were usually in competition with the Lord Admiral’s Men. But the account books of theater manager Philip Henslowe list a joint production of a Hamlet play on June 9, 1594, when plague forced the two companies to work together. Proponents of the “Ur-Hamlet” theory suggest that this joint production brought the story to Shakespeare’s attention, while other scholars think the less developed Hamlet of 1589 and 1594 may represent one of the playwright’s own fledgling efforts, one that fanned the jealousy of the university-educated Thomas Nashe and Richard Greene.

Whatever his source, Shakespeare’s take on the old revenge tale was admired in his day.

Gabriel Harvey, a frequent antagonist of Nashe’s, scribbled in a book margin, “The younger sort takes much delight in Shakespeare’s Venus & Adonis: but his Lucrece, & his tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, haue it in them to please the wiser sort.” Another contemporary, Thomas Lodge, mentioned “Hamlet, Revenge” in his 1594 pamphlet, Wit’s Miserie, which scolded both Nashe and Harvey for feuding.

Hamlet may have been entangled in other literary rivalries as well. Between 1599 and 1601, playwrights John Marston—with ally Thomas Dekker—and Ben Jonson hurled a volley of satirical plays at each other in a “War of the Theatres.” Dekker and Jonson both wrote for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men but skirmished through the “boy’s” companies, with Dekker and Marston writing for the Children of St. Paul’s and Jonson for the Children of the Chapel Royal. One of Marston’s plays, Antonio’s Revenge, was modeled closely on Hamlet, and Dekker mentioned Hamlet in his 1601 Satiromastix.

Whatever Shakespeare’s allegiance in the fight, he alluded in Hamlet to the explosive popularity of the children’s companies as “an aery of children” who “berattle the common stages.”

Dissension within the Lord Chamberlain’s Men may have found its way into Hamlet.

Hamlet’s complaint about clowns speaking “more than is set down for them” may voice

Shakespeare’s own frustration with the extroverted actor Will Kempe, who left the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1599. Other pressures are reflected in the “First Quarto” edition of Hamlet, which was published in 1603. The title page references the play as acted “in the two universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and else-where.”

Shakespeare’s company had to go on tour in 1601 after being banned from Queen Elizabeth’s court for associating with the Earl of Essex, who was executed for treason on February 25, 1601.

The truncated text of the First Quarto may have been reconstructed from memory by an actor; it may also reflect a shortened touring script. The “Second Quarto,” published two years later, was “enlarged to almost as much againe as it was.” When Shakespeare’s company members collected his plays in the First Folio edition in 1623, they relied primarily on the

fuller Second Quarto, suggesting it accorded with Shakespeare’s intentions. However, the Second Quarto text would take more than four hours to perform, and the play is frequently cut in production.

Shakespeare transformed a straightforward revenge tale into a mature play brimming with thought and action. Ghosts were a standard-issue plot device in revenge tragedies, but the Protestant Reformation had relegated ghosts to the realm of superstition. The appearance of his father’s ghost triggers a crisis of doubt in Hamlet, a student at Wittenburg, where Martin Luther had taught. Shakespeare’s Hamlet stands at the crossroads between a traditional belief system and modern individualism. His soliloquies convey an unparalleled immediacy. As Director Fee observes, “This staggering innovation of Shakespeare creates the experience of being in the presence of a ‘real’ person, not a character, and invites us to think, and question, and react with him.”

Spotlight on hamlet

John Marston (1576-1634), Thomas Dekker (15721632), and Ben Jonson (1572-1637) were three associates of Shakespeare’s whose literary disputes included references to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

How might Shakespeare’s company have portrayed the ghost that incites the play’s revenge plot?

Contemporary woodcuts—this one purports to be an exposé of a poison plot against King James— suggest that ghosts may have been identified visually by cloth draping. Legend, passed on in 1709 by Nicholas Rowe, held that Shakespeare played the role of the Ghost of Hamlet’s father.

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Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Through the Ages Hamlet’s reach was global from the start.

A group of English actors performed a garbled version in Germany at some point between 1590 and 1620, while Shakespeare’s play was performed twice during his lifetime by employees of the East India Company—in 1607 on a ship, the Red Dragon, off the African coast of Sierra Leone, and in 1609 in Indonesia.

Spotlight on hamlet

When the theaters re-opened in London after the Restoration in 1660, theater manager William Davenant secured the right to perform Hamlet and engaged Thomas Betterton to play the title role, a part the actor would play into his 70s.

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A 1602 print of the Red Dragon, a ship launched by the East India Company that hosted an amateur production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in 1607.

In the 18th century, actor-manager David Garrick gutted the script, declaring “I had sworn I would not leave the stage till I had rescued that noble play from all the rubbish of the fifth act. I have brought it forth without the grave-digger’s trick, Osrick, & the fencing match.” Prints of Garrick gesturing in surprise at the sight of the ghost were popular keepsakes in his day.

While all of the great male actor-managers of the 18th and 19th centuries assailed Hamlet, several women also took on the challenge. A member of the theatrical Kemble family, Sarah Siddons may have been the first woman to the play the role, in Manchester and Birmingham in 1776.

Known for her emotive charisma, Siddons did not disguise her femininity in the part.

Almost every surviving depiction of David Garrick playing Hamlet focuses on his gesture of surprise at the apparition of the Ghost.

Images of Mrs. Siddons in the role of Hamlet are hard to come by; she was most famously depicted by portrait painter Joshua Reynolds as “The Tragic Muse” in 1784.

More than 100 years later, another female powerhouse, Sarah Bernhardt, took the opposite tack in an 1899 London performance. Bernhardt strove, she said, for a Hamlet that was “manly and resolute, but nonetheless thoughtful... [he] thinks before he acts, a trait indicative of great strength and great spiritual power.”

Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet in 1899.

David Tennant played Hamlet in a 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company production, reprised on TV in 2009.

Laurence Olivier in the 1948 film production of Hamlet, with Eileen Herlie in the role of Gertrude.

Edwin Booth of the famous 19th century American theatrical family, as Hamlet.

Actor Jeremiah Sullivan (center) starred in Great Lakes Theater’s 1968 production of Hamlet.

After producing Shakespeare’s Hamlet to acclaim in 1968, Artistic Director Larry Carra decided to present a deconstructed and absurdist version of Hamlet, by Charles Marowitz, in 1972.

This will be the 6th time that Great Lakes Theater has produced Hamlet. Actor Jeremiah Sullivan would later recall the impact that Robert Kennedy’s assassination had on his preparation for playing Hamlet, in the summer of 1968, as an outraged idealist who would have to “sacrifice life in the face of total corruption.” A young Tom Hanks appeared in the bit part of Reynaldo in 1977. The stage picture created for the 1989 Hamlet, directed

by Gerald Freedman and designed by John Ezell, was one of wreckage.

Gerald Freedman directed Hamlet in 1989, with John Ezell as set designer.

Spotlight on hamlet

Various actors have emphasized different aspects of Hamlet, depending on their own gifts and the times in which they performed: Edwin Booth’s was a brooding romantic. Laurence Olivier’s smoldering prince was conflicted by Oedipal lust for his mother. David Tennant threw himself with abandon into Hamlet’s “antic disposition” of madness.

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From inspiration to design

Scenic design rendering by Russell Metheny.

The candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, part of the Globe Theatre complex in London, conveys the intimacy that lighting can create.

Spotlight on hamlet

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hakespeare has always been core to Great Lakes Theater’s mission as Ohio’s only classical theater company. And the theater has felt a strong responsibility to introduce audiences to the breadth of Shakespeare but at the same time to provide every theater-going generation with an experience of the playwright’s most enduring works. Revisiting Shakespeare’s most inexhaustible work also challenges the theater’s company of artists.

Charles Fee directed Hamlet in 2003, early in his tenure as Producing Artistic Director. Some of the same actors who were with the theater in 2003 are still core company members today. But the opportunity to explore different roles engages them anew. Double-casting the title role also allows more than one company member the chance to take on the role of a lifetime, particularly since one of those double-cast is a woman.

There are so many questions to answer in rehearsal. To start with, says Fee, “Is it possible that a woman, playing Hamlet, will allow us to experience his response to Gertrude and Ophelia from a profoundly different perspective, perhaps opening up the text in unique ways? And might both actors’ performances be affected by working together on the role? We should remember that during Shakespeare’s lifetime, men would have played the roles of Gertrude

Scott Plate as Horatio and Steve Tague as Hamlet in Great Lakes Theater’s 2003 production.

and Ophelia.” The play’s perspective on gender relationships can be troubling, Fee adds. “Both women seem powerless in the world of this play, and a contemporary audience may be appalled

by Hamlet’s treatment of them. A case against Hamlet’s “noble” nature can easily be made. And yet, Hamlet is a role that seems to transcend any single interpretation.”

The play’s length requires decisions as well.

The full script contains a subplot concerning Fortinbras, son of a King of Norway, which repeats the theme of a son revenging his father while reinforcing larger issues of succession and statehood. Fee has removed virtually all refer-

Sketches for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Runway inspriation for Ophelia.

Spotlight on hamlet

ences to the Fortinbras plot, and the character of Fortinbras does not appear in this production.

As the director explains, “We believe that the parallel revenge plots of Hamlet and Laertes give the audience the deepest experience, and contrast, of the themes of justice and revenge without diminishing the political import of the play.”

To match the immediacy of the play’s extraordinary soliloquies, Fee and scenic designer Russell Metheny came to a radical conclusion: the Hanna Theatre is re-configured to allow some audience members to sit onstage, surrounding the actors, as well as on either side of the platform downstage. “We are inviting the audience onstage to create an active sense of participation,” Fee attests. “For those sitting in the traditional seating in front of the stage, the audience onstage will appear to be in the play— like a jury in a court room judging the events as they unfold.”

The resulting stage structure is similar to that of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, explains scenic designer Russell Metheny. “We’re making the thrust platform the playing space, which will bring the action closer to the audience in the house as well. When you sit across from people on the other side of a thrust stage, it’s a very dynamic experience. Theater is a social event.

The audience may have to use different routes to get to their seats, and the actors will also have to deal with the space in a new way. It’s great for our company.”

The physical set evokes the simple wooden structure of an Elizabethan stage. Without using actual candles, the lighting and light fixtures create an intimate, candlelit atmosphere—evocative of the kind of stage lighting that could have been used in Shakespeare’s day. Against this simple backdrop, Elizabethan period costumes—rich in color and texture—will also help to anchor the production in Shakespeare’s time period. The play provides signals that Hamlet is steeped in the Greek and Roman classics of a Renaissance humanist education but has also been exposed to the teachings of Martin Luther.

As Fee points out, “Shakespeare’s audience was actively engaged in the ideas and arguments of the Reformation and humanist thought. We wanted to foreground this crucial historical context by setting the play in the Elizabethan Renaissance.”

As costume designer Kim Krumm Sorenson reflects, “There have been so many television series recently set in the Renaissance—The Tudors, The Borgias, Wolf Hall. The silhouette of the period will be familiar. It won’t seem archaic or foreign.” Source images for the costumes ranged from Tudor-era portraits by court painter Hans Holbein to contemporary runway fashion that called the earlier period to mind in decorative detail, fabrics, or silhouettes. Observes Metheny, “We don’t lose our own contemporaneity.” The period setting—an unusual choice in the theater’s recent history— provided parameters but allowed for freedom to create dazzling court scenes, devise a generational “look” for the many young people in the play, and to interpret Hamlet’s “style” in ways that would suit both genders. “It’s been exciting,” exclaims Sorenson.

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Summary

E

vents before the start of Hamlet set the stage for tragedy. When the king of Denmark, Prince Hamlet’s father, suddenly dies, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, marries his uncle Claudius, who becomes the new king.

A spirit who claims to be the ghost of Hamlet’s father describes his murder at the hands of Claudius and demands that Hamlet avenge the killing. When the councilor Polonius learns from his daughter, Ophelia, that Hamlet has visited her in an apparently distracted state, Polonius attributes the prince’s condition to lovesickness, and he sets a trap for Hamlet using Ophelia as bait.

To confirm Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet arranges for a play that mimics the murder;

“To die, to sleep: To sleep, perchance to dream: ay there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause...”

– Hamlet: Act 3, scene 1

Claudius’s reaction is that of a guilty man.

Hamlet, now free to act, mistakenly kills Polonius, thinking he is Claudius. Claudius sends Hamlet away as part of a deadly plot.

After Polonius’s death, Ophelia goes mad and later drowns. Hamlet, who has returned safely to confront the king, agrees to a fencing match with Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, who secretly poisons his own rapier. At the match, Claudius prepares poisoned wine for Hamlet, which Gertrude unknowingly drinks; as she dies, she accuses Claudius, whom Hamlet kills. Then first Laertes and then Hamlet die, both victims of Laertes’s rapier.

– Folger Shakespeare Library

“It is enough for us to know that our souls do not leave their bodies to be threatened by the torments and punishments of hell, but enter a prepared bedchamber in which they sleep in peace.”

– Martin Luther, 1522

“Now the theme of Hamlet is death. Life that is bound for the disintegration of the grave, love that does not survive the loved one’s life - both, in their insistence on death as the primary fact of nature, are branded on the mind of Hamlet, burned into it, searing it with agony.”

“We have to be bewildered by a dramatic character that changes every time he speaks and yet maintains a consistent enough identity so that he cannot be mistaken for anyone else in Shakespeare.”

– Harold Bloom, 1998

– G. Wilson Knight, 1930 “The play creates the illusion of asking as many questions of its audience and interpreters as we may ask of it. Shakespeare won’t tell us who [Hamlet] is or where he stands. Instead, he makes us—and our culture—reveal ourselves.” – Jonathan Bate, 2008

Special Thanks

Margaret Lynch, Writer/Researcher Stacy Mallardi-Stajcar, 20

Casual Images Graphic Design

THE ARTISTIC COMPANY Laura Welsh Berg* Hamlet/Rosencrantz/ Ensemble Eleven seasons with Great Lakes Theater

Lynn Robert Berg* Ghost/Player King/Ensemble Fifteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Previously at Great Lakes Theater: Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, the title role of Richard III, Frank Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Bishop in Les Misérables, Jonas Fogg in Sweeney Todd, Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale, Doctor Purgeon in The Imaginary Invalid, Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, Doctor Parker in Bat Boy: The Musical, Banquo in Macbeth, Caliban in The Tempest, Sandy Tyrell in Hay Fever, Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Demetrius in A

Trevor Buda Player/Ensemble Great Lakes Theater debut Trevor is happy to be making his debut with Great Lakes Theater. He has been an understudy in GLT’s A Christmas Carol for the past two years, having gone on for the characters of Topper and Ghost of Marley. He is currently studying acting at Baldwin Wallace University, where some of his favorite roles include Palamon in The Two Noble Kinsmen and Valentine Brown in Quality Street. Trevor has also worked with Ohio Shakespeare Festival, appearing in Macbeth and Robin Hood: An Adventure with Music. He enjoys playing guitar and pretending to be SpiderMan. He is blessed and thankful to God, family, friends and teachers who challenge and endlessly encourage him. 1 John 4:18.

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Shows with GLT and her sister company, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, in the last year include And Then There Were None (Vera), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Rosaline), My Fair Lady (Mrs. Hopkins/D.C.), Twelfth Night (Fabian). Others include The Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard III, Sweeney Todd, The Tempest, Hay Fever, All’s Well That Ends Well, Major Barbara, Macbeth, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Arsenic and Old Lace, Measure for Measure, She Stoops to Conquer and A Christmas Carol. Additional credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Speed in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Nurse in Romeo and Juliet at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Chicago credits include The Farnsworth Invention at Timeline Theater, Arms and the Man at Centerstage and Mill Fire at Sheil Park. She has a BA in theater from Baldwin Wallace University and an MFA in acting from DePaul University. So much gratitude to Mom and Dad. Many thanks to the incredible cast, crew and staff at GLT for all their support. Especially Lynn, whose love of Shakespeare all those years ago helped me find my own.

Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and the Ghost of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. Other credits: Friar Laurence/Montague in the Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth in the Short Shakespeare!

Macbeth tour with Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Malvolio in Twelfth Night at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; Hucklebee in The Fantasticks, Bill Walker in Major Barbara, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, Edmund in King Lear, and Hastings in She Stoops to Conquer at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Prospero in The Tempest at Maine Shakespeare Festival; The Professor in All the Great Books (Abridged) at Delaware Theater Company; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at Writer’s Theater in Chicago. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware Professional Theater Training Program. SLL’M

Tyler Collins Barnardo/Player/Ensemble Great Lakes Theater debut Tyler is over the moon to be making his first appearance at Great Lakes Theater in the ensemble of Hamlet. He is currently in his

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third year in an acting/directing major at Baldwin Wallace University. He most recently was seen as Ferris Layman in The Diviners (Baldwin Wallace University). Tyler would like to thank Adam and Jack for getting him on track, as well as Lynnette and Jamie for their endless support.

at Playhouse Square

Aled Davies* Marcellus/Gravedigger/ Ensemble Sixteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Previously for GLT: Mr. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol, Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady, The Old Actor in The Fantasticks, General Mackenzie in And Then There Were None, Scrooge/Samuels in A Christmas Carol, King Lear in King Lear, Gonzalo in The Tempest, Chief Inspector Hubbard in Dial “M” for Murder, John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Arvide Abernathy in Guys and Dolls, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Major Metcalf in The Mousetrap, Brabantio in Othello, The Earl of Caversham in An Ideal Husband, Sheriff Reynolds in Bat Boy: The Musical, Oberon/ Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Your Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dorn in The Seagull, Deputy Governor Danforth in The Crucible, King of France in All’s Well That Ends Well, Prospero in The Tempest, David Bliss in Hay Fever, Senex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, Julius Caesar in Julius Caesar, Claudius in Hamlet, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing, Buckingham in Richard III, Topper in A Christmas Carol, and others. Aled has been a proud and appreciative member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1984.

Jodi Dominick* Player Queen/Attendant to the Queen/Ensemble Nine seasons with Great Lakes Theater

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Previous roles include Susy in Wait Until Dark, Fantine in Les Misérables, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Molly Ralston in The Mousetrap, Sally Bowles in

Cabaret, The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Louison in The Imaginary Invalid, Mrs. Pearce in My Fair Lady and Prince Edward in Richard III. Seven seasons at The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, our sister company. Other credits include I Love You Because at the 14th Street Theater at Playhouse Square, Carrie The Musical, Passion and The Break Up Notebook at Beck Center.

Other theaters: New World Stages, Hudson Backstage Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Hayworth Theatre, Dobama Theatre and The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Jodi is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music.

Jonathan Dyrud* Hamlet/Rosencrantz/ Ensemble Three seasons with Great Lakes Theater GLT/Idaho Shakespeare Festival: Sam Hendrix in Wait Until Dark, King Ferdinand in Love’s Labor’s Lost, Anthony Marston in And Then There Were None, Young Scrooge/Nephew Fred/Ensemble in A Christmas Carol, Edmund in King Lear, Lt. Wright in The Secret Garden, Tony Wendice in Dial “M” for Murder, Antonio in The Tempest. Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Antipholus of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors. New York: Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Caius Lucius in Cymbeline (Hip to Hip Theater Company), Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew (Pulse Ensemble Theater), Huck in the world premiere of Minstrel Show (The Weasel Festival). Regional credits include four seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Medvedenko in The Seagull, Froth and Friar Peter in Measure for Measure, Ensemble in To Kill a Mockingbird, Solomon in Speech and Debate, C.B. in Dog Sees God and Marcus Gee in Yellowface. TV/Film: Bartender in My Crazy Love (Oxygen Network), Captain in So SOHA, Pale Interviewee in Redheads Anonymous and Verder in Big House.

Training: BFA Southern Oregon University.

Cleveland’s Classic Company at the Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square

A Pitch-Perfect Jukebox Musical

Written and originally directed by Stuart Ross Musical continuity arrangements by James Raitt Directed by Victoria Bussert

May 5 - 21 | Hanna Theatre production sponsors:

The Kulas Foundation

Forever Plaid is part of the Kulas Musical Theater Series at Great Lakes Theater.

TICKETS START AT $15!

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STUDENTS SIT IN ANY SEAT FOR $13!

216.241.6000 | GreatLakesTheater.org season sponsors:

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CALL: 216.453.4457

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Patrick John Kiernan Guildenstern/Francisco/ Ensemble Four seasons with Great Lakes Theater Patrick is thrilled to return to the Hanna with Great Lakes Theater! Most recently, he appeared as Christmas Past and Christmas Future in GLT’s A Christmas Carol.

Some favorite credits include Widge in The Shakespeare Stealer (Idaho Shakespeare Festival - Idaho Theater for Youth), Jake in Shiner (Good Luck Macbeth), Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival - Young Shakespeare) and the Narrator in Side by Side by Sondheim (Shadowland Stages). In addition to working onstage, Patrick is a sound designer and audio engineer whose work has appeared offBroadway and in regional theaters around the country. Many, many thanks to the cast, crew and staff at Great Lakes Theater for making this production possible!

Dougfred Miller* Polonius/Priest/Ensemble Twelve seasons with Great Lakes Theater

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Most recently, Doug dropped the mic as Holofernes in Love’s Labour’s Lost and played Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol. Previous appearances include Dr. Armstrong in And Then There Were None, Kent in King Lear, several characters in Dial “M” for Murder, the title role in Macbeth and a widely acclaimed Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. In several seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, his roles have included Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Horatio in Hamlet, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, several Dukes, an Emperor in Amadeus, and Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. Locally, he played Jim Tyrone in A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Coach House Theatre and King Arthur in Spamalot at the Beck Center (opposite his real life Lady of the Lake, Jessica Cope). Other theaters include the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Alaska Repertory Theatre and the Central Dramatic

Theatre Company of Hanoi, Vietnam. Doug is a proud graduate of the PTTP at the University of Delaware and a prouder member of Actors’ Equity, and a proudest dad of Marley.

Erin Partin* Ophelia/Ensemble Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater Erin is delighted to be returning to Great Lakes Theater. She was last seen with the Delaware REP in Clybourne Park (Betsy/Lindsey). She has performed regionally with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, the Shakespeare Theatre in DC, the Delaware REP, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and The Human Race Theater Company in Ohio.

Some of her favorite roles over the years include the Princess of France (Love’s Labour’s Lost), Ariel (The Tempest), Ophelia (Hamlet), Isabella (Measure for Measure), Roxanne (Cyrano De Bergerac), Stella (A Streetcar Named Desire), Mary Boyle (Juno and the Paycock), Cecily (The Importance of Being Earnest), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Clarice (The Liar), Ilona Szabo (The Play’s the Thing), Raina (Arms and the Man), Cordelia (King Lear) and Agnes (School for Wives). Erin received her masters in classical theater from the PTTP (Professional Theater Training Program) in 2007. She is blessed to do what she loves and excited to share this play with you.

Laura Perrotta* Gertrude/Ensemble Fifteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Laura is a native New Yorker who has appeared offBroadway, toured nationally and worked regionally. Her first appearance at GLT was in 1999 in Macbeth. Last season, she was Emily Brent in And Then There Were None, Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Maria in Twelfth Night. Favorite roles include Lady M. Arkadina in The Seagull, Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Amanda Prynne in Private

You’re invited

Backstage

bash April 22, 2017

Enjoy an original show, conceived and directed

by GLT favorites Tom Ford and Laura Perrotta. Then, join us backstage and party with our company of Artists!

Food Stations & Open Bars Live Music • Surprise Performances Dancing • Games • Raffles & Auctions

For tickets call, 216-453-1067 GreatLakesTheater.org/ event/BACKSTAGEBASH

Lives, Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, Mrs. Cheveley in An Ideal Husband and Martha Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace.

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David Anthony Smith* King of Denmark Fourteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater GLT audiences have seen him as Prospero in The Tempest, Iago in Othello, Jaques in As You Like It, Duke of Buckingham in Richard III, Muggeridge/The Ghost of Christmas Present/Debtor/Ensemble in A Christmas Carol, Viscount Goring in An Ideal Husband, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Sergius in Arms and the Man, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar and Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has performed at the Tony Award-winning Old Globe Theater in San Diego, South Coast Repertory, for 16 seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (title role in Henry V), Laguna Playhouse, Sierra Rep, Madison Rep and the Shakespeare festivals of Utah, Colorado, Garden Grove, Rhode Island, Nevada and Lake Tahoe. Forever and a day — Natalia.

Nick Steen* Laertes/Ensemble Four seasons with Great Lakes Theater

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Nick is honored to be returning to the beautiful Hanna Theatre for his fourth season with Great Lakes Theater. His previous roles with the company include: Lombard in And Then There Were None, Dumaine in Love’s Labours Lost, Max Halliday in Dial M for Murder, Sebastian in The Tempest and Clifford in Deathtrap. Other regional theater credits: Orestes in Elektra, Topper in A Christmas Carol at A.C.T. and Antonio in Twelfth Night at Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Other roles include Torvald in A Doll’s House, Harry Bagely and Martin in Cloud 9, Lord Byron in Block Eight on the Camino Real, Beau in The Traveling Companion, Moe in The American Clock, Cassio in Othello and Horace in Courtship. Nick received his BFA

from the University of Evansville and his MFA from the American Conservatory Theater.

He’s also co-creator and host of the automotive web-series called Gearhead Garage where him and his crew search for beautiful builds and passionate people. Nick is on a journey together with the greatest fish a guy could ask for – <4 you Nicki. Take a look at what he’s up to at NickSteen.com!

M. A. Taylor* Reynaldo/Ensemble Fourteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Mark Anthony (aka M.A.) is delighted to be coming home to the Hanna Theatre. Previous credits include Charity Man/Old Joe, A Christmas Carol; Feste, Twelfth Night; Doolittle, My Fair Lady; Rogers, And Then There Were None; Nathaniel, Love’s Labor’s Lost; Hugh Evans, Merry Wives of Windsor; Legles/Babet, Les Misérables; Le Beau/Oliver Martext, As You Like It; Beadle, Sweeney Todd; Lord Rivers, Richard III; Verges, Much Ado About Nothing; Guy, The Imaginary Invalid; Peter, Romeo and Juliet; Speed, The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Adam, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged); and Flute/Fairy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also among his credits: Candy in Of Mice and Men (directed by Adrian Hall) for PTTP/Rep, Dracula for Boise Contemporary Theater in the title role; Launce, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Gravedigger/Player King and Hamlet at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP). He wishes to thank his families (both genetic & professional) for all their support and patience. Lastly, he wishes to thank “the Tribe” for a most excellent PostSeason & World Series. Let’s Do It Again!

Christopher Tocco* Horatio/Ensemble Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater Christopher Tocco is thrilled to be returning for his second season at GLT after playing Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost last year. He has previously appeared in John Guare’s adaptation of His Girl

Friday/The Front Desk with Barrington Stage and performed nationally in the dueling classical piano comedy 2 Pianos 4 Hands, as well as played opposite Mark Linn-Baker in comedian Lewis Black’s farce One Slight Hitch. Other regional credits include performances with the American Conservatory Theater, Dorset Theatre Festival and Santa Rosa Summer Repertory Theatre. New York credits (Off-Broadway): Drunkle Vanya (Astrov), The Black Crook at Abrons Arts Center and Preston Sturges’ Strictly Dishonorable at The Flea; new works at HERE, Mabou Mines, JACK, Dzieci Theatre and developing immersive theater-for-one experiences with Odyssey Works. He has appeared on NBC’s The Blacklist, CBS’ Elementary, Blood Feuds (AHC), in several short films and the independent feature Lonely Boys. Mr. Tocco holds an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater and is a proud union member of AEA.

Lynn Robert Berg*, Trevor Buda, Tyler Collins, Jodi Dominick*, Patrick John Kiernan, Brittany Pirozzoli, Drew Ross, M.A. Taylor*

Directors Charles Fee Producing Artistic Director Director of Hamlet Fifteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Directing credits at GLT: And Then There Were None, Dial “M” for Murder, Deathtrap, Blithe Spirit, Romeo and Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Hay Fever, The Importance of Being Earnest, Arms and the Man and The Complete Works of William

GreatLakesTheater.org

Understudies

Shakespeare (Abridged). Charles holds a unique position in the American theater as producing artistic director of three independently operated, professional theater companies: Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio (since 2002); Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise, Idaho (since 1991) and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village, Nevada (since 2010). His appointments have resulted in a dynamic and groundbreaking producing model for the companies, in which more than 60 plays have been shared since 2002. In 2009, Charles was honored to receive recognition for his leadership by the Cleveland Arts Prize as a recipient of the Martha Joseph Award. Other awards include The Mayor’s and Governor’s awards for Excellence in the Arts, Idaho. From 1988 to 1992, he held the position of artistic director at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in California. He has also worked with The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, the Milwaukee and Missouri repertory theaters, Actor’s Theatre of Phoenix and the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival. In addition to his work with the companies in Ohio, Idaho and Nevada, Charles is active within the community. He has served as a member of the strategic planning committee for the Morrison Center, as producer of the FUNDSY Award Gala (’96, ’98 and 2000), and as producer of the 1996 Idaho Governor’s Awards in the Arts.

Charles has served on the board of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Downtown Rotary Club. He received his B.A. from the University of the Pacific and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Along with his wife, Lidia and daughter, Alexa, Charles resides in Boise, Cleveland and Lake Tahoe — a feat that is only possible because of the incredible love and support of his family, and the generous communities he serves!

Providing services in the home to help older adults remain independent and in the community. How may we help you?

HOME CARE AND MORE

216.791.8000

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at Playhouse Square

Ken Merckx Fight Choreographer Eleven seasons with Great Lakes Theater Ken Merckx has choreographed fights and taught actors theatrical combat for film, television, theater and universities all across the country. Ken is the resident fight choreographer for Idaho and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals, A Noise Within (Los Angeles) and Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland). He is proud to have staged violence for the world premieres of Steven Dietz’s Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure (Pasadena Playhouse), Jeffery Hatcher’s Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (San Jose Repertory) and The Suicide Club (Arizona Theatre Company), Octavio Solis’ Cloudlands (South Coast Repertory), Jane Martin’s Somebody/Nobody directed by Jon Jory (Arizona Theatre Company) and the theatrical adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (San Jose Repertory).

Mr. Merckx received his MFA, in acting, from the University of Illinois and his BA, in theater studies, from the University of Washington.

Designers

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Rick Martin Lighting Designer Fifteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Many productions with GLT and ISF including The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet and And Then There Were None. Other theater: US premiere of Kurt Weil’s Marie Galante (Opèra Français de NY); Hekabe, The Illiad and The Rage of Achilles with Music-Theatre Group (New York and Santa Fe); and The Bitter Tears of Petra van Kant (Henry Miller Theatre, New York).

Opera: Mitridate, Re di Ponto (La Monnaie, Brussels – scenery and lighting); Le Diable dans le beffroi, La Chute de la Maison Usher (Opéra national de Paris – scenery and lighting); Castor et Pollux, Pellèas et Mèllisande and To Be Sung (Opéra Français de NY); Dialogues des Carmèlites, Cenerentola (Opéra de Toulon); and Romèo et Juliette (Spoleto Festival USA). Concerts: Harawi (Opèra Comique, Paris – scenery and lighting), Le martyre de Saint Sèbastien (Citè de la Musique, Paris and Arsenal, Metz), Orchestre national de Lyon and the Orchestre de Champs Élysées (Lyon, Poitiers, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, São Paulo). Coming up: Madame Butterfly (Limoges, France) and Serse

(Staatstheater Nürnberg, Germany). Member: United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE. Russell Metheny Scenic Designer Twelve seasons with Great Lakes Theater For GLT, Twelfth Night, And Then There Were None, Dial “M” for Murder, The Tempest, Deathtrap, As You Like It, Blithe Spirit, The Mousetrap, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Othello, The Seagull, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Measure For Measure, Arsenic and Old Lace, Julius Caesar and The Merry Wives of Windsor. For ISF, he has designed The 39 Steps, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Woman In Black, A Tuna Christmas, Greater Tuna, King Lear and others.

Recent productions include Both Your Houses, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, My Fair Lady, 1776 for Asolo Theatre. Regionally, Russell has designed for Indiana Rep, Asolo Theatre, ACT San Francisco, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre and Goodspeed Musicals among others.

Kim Krumm Sorenson Costume Designer Thirteen seasons with Great Lakes Theater Kim is pleased to be spending her 13th season with Great Lakes Theater, where she most recently designed Twelfth Night and And Then There Were None. Past designs include The Tempest (twice), Dial “M” For Murder, As You Like It, The Mousetrap, Othello, The Seagull, The Crucible, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, The Importance of Being Earnest, Much Ado About Nothing and Tartuffe. She is a resident designer for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

Recent work includes Hard Love at TACT in NYC and Angels in America at REP in Delaware. Her work has also been seen at Delaware Theatre Company, Playmakers Repertory Company, Hartford Stage Company, Guthrie Theatre, Intiman Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Walnut Street Theatre, The Acting Company, Indiana Repertory Theater, Portland Stage Company, Boise Contemporary Theater and Juilliard. Kim holds an MFA from Southern Methodist University and is a member of USA 829. She lives in New York with her husband,

Scott, and their two beautiful daughters, Carly and Gemma.

Tim Kinzel* Stage Manager Seven seasons with Great Lakes Theater Previous stage management credits for Great Lakes Theater include A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband, Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Imaginary Invalid, Blithe Spirit, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, Deathtrap, As You Like It, Merry Wives of Windsor, Dial “M” for Murder, The Tempest, King Lear, And Then There Were None, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Fantasticks, Twelfth Night and My Fair Lady.

Tim has multiple stage management credits from the following companies: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizon, Cherry Lane Theater NYC and Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre. Love to his family and friends.

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Thank you for supporting the arts at Playhouse Square. Go CAVS!

It’s time for a new identity.

One that tells the story of creativity in Ohio and illustrates it.

Expression is an essential need.

By better illustrating our story, we can better help you express yours.

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Matthew Webb Sound Designer Ten seasons with Great Lakes Theater This is Matthew’s sound design debut with Great Lakes Theater. Other sound design credits include Eurydice (Baldwin Wallace University), Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeareience at Idaho Shakespeare Festival). As music director for Great Lakes: The Fantasticks, Sweeney Todd, Sondheim on Sondheim, Guys and Dolls, Cabaret, Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, A Christmas Carol and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Also for Great Lakes: Into the Woods, Macbeth and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Matthew is currently the music supervisor for the acclaimed corporate entertainment group, The Water Coolers, and has performed for such clients as AT&T, Adobe, Citibank, Travelers, Toastmasters, Gogo Air, Pitney Bowes and Dunkin Brands. Many thanks to Charlie, Sara and his wonderful parents.

Stage Management

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DONORS The trustees, staff and artistic company of Great Lakes Theater express our deepest gratitude to the hundreds of supporters of “Cleveland’s Classic Company.” The donors listed below and on the following pages made generous gifts between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

“I can no other answer make but thanks.” Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene iii

at Playhouse Square

Make a Contribution Great Lakes Theater served more than 100,000 students and adults last year through its Hanna and Ohio Theatre mainstage productions and education programs throughout northeast Ohio. This would not have been possible without the annual support of the hundreds of generous donors listed below. Please join the Great Lakes Theater family by making a tax-deductible contribution to support Cleveland’s Classic Company. Visit the “Support Us” section of our website (GreatLakesTheater.org) or call us at (216) 453-4442 to learn more about our membership and donation programs.

Sponsors Company Sponsors $100,000 and above The Cleveland Foundation***

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture** Lead Sponsors $50,000 to $99,999 The David & Inez Myers Foundation*** Ohio Arts Council*** The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation***

The George Gund Foundation*** The Kulas Foundation*** The John P. Murphy Foundation***

Sponsors $25,000 to $49,999 The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation The GAR Foundation*** The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation*** PNC Foundation*

Season Sponsors:

The Reinberger Foundation*** Shakespeare for a New Generation – National Endowment for the Arts

Season Media Sponsors:

The Great Lakes Theater Business Alliance:

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*3 – 5 consecutive years as a donor **6 – 9 consecutive years as a donor ***10 or more consecutive years as a donor

THE LEGACY SOCIETY

Great Lakes Theater’s Legacy Society honors individuals, families, foundations and other generous donors that make gifts to Great Lakes Theater’s Endowment Fund or have made a provision for Great Lakes Theater through their estate plans.

Please consider becoming a member of the growing list of generous Great Lakes Theater Legacy Society supporters and help ensure that classic theater endures for future generations in northeast Ohio by designating Great Lakes Theater a beneficiary in your will, trust or other estate plans.

“Evermore thanks.”

Marilyn* & Paul* Brentlinger Willard & Donna Carmel Mary* & Leigh Carter Natalie & Morton Epstein* Edward S. Godleski Samuel S. Hartwell Jack & Mary Ann Katzenmeyer Kate Lunsford Mary Anne* & Jack McGrath Janet & Bob Neary

Richard II, Act II, Scene ii James A. Nelson* Donald & Anne Palmer Lynn & Tim Pistell Professor Alan Miles Ruben & Judge Betty Willis Ruben The John Sherwin Family George* & Marjorie* Springer Thomas G. & Ruth M. Stafford Arthur L. Thomas Audrey* & Dick* Watts

*Deceased: The legacy of these generous donors lives on for future generations.

LEAVE A LEGACY!

For more information regarding planned gifts, please contact Don Bernardo, Director of Development.

(216) 453-1068 | dbernardo@greatlakestheater.org.

THE SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY

at Playhouse Square

Individual donors of $1,000 and above are members of Great Lakes Theater’s “Shakespeare Society” and are entitled to certain benefits, including invitations to special Society events and activities. For more information, contact Don Bernardo at (216) 453-1068.

Avon Circle $10,000 to $24,999

Globe Circle ($2,500 to $4,999)

Folio Circle ($1,000 to $2,499)

The Abington Foundation* The Community Foundation of Lorain County*** Eaton Corporation*** Jack & Mary Ann Katzenmeyer*** Janet & Bob Neary*** The Lubrizol Foundation*** The Nord Family Foundation*** Nordson Corporation Foundation** Dr. & Mrs. Donald Palmer*** Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Pistell*** Mrs. James O. Roberts*** John & Barbara Schubert*** The Shubert Foundation*** Thomas G. & Ruth M. Stafford***

Chuck & Bonnie Abbey** Michelle R. Arendt*** Walt & Laura Avdey** Dalia & Robert Baker*** David & Carolyn Bialosky* Kim & Bart Bixenstine* Mitch & Liz Blair*** Glenn & Jenny Brown*** Mr. & Mrs. Homer D. W. Chisholm*** The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation*** Gail Cudak & Thomas Young*** Richard & Evelyn Dolejs* Timothy J. Downing & Ken Press* Charles, Lidia & Alexa Fee** Elizabeth Grove & Rich Bedell* Susan C. & Jeffery A. Hastings** Mary Elizabeth Huber William W. Jacobs*** Katie Kennedy & Doug White Victor C. Laughlin, M.D. Memorial Foundation Trust*** Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Mayer*** Donald W. Morrison*** Nicholas & Sue Peay*** Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Peterman*** Dr. Scott & Mrs. Judy Pendergast*** Thomas A. Piraino & Barbara C. McWilliams** Prof. Alan Miles Ruben & Judge Betty Willis Ruben* Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Ruhl*** Kim Sherwin** Steve Gariepy & Nancy Sin*** Brit & Kate Stenson*** Arthur L. Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Paul L. Wellener IV*** Robert & Emily Williams* Ms. Rebecca A. Zuti & Mr. Anthony D. DeCello**

John & Laura Bertsch** H.F. & J.C. Burkhardt*** Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP** Jack & Janice Campbell*** Beverly J. Coen* Carolyn & Charles Dickson*** Ms. Leslie C. Dickson* Mr. & Mrs. John Dunn Dr. Howard Epstein Leigh L. Fabens Mr. James Graham & Mr. David Dusek Henry G. Grendell* The Gries Family Foundation*** Drs. Thomas & Cynthia Gustaferro Virginia Hansen*** Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Heller Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.*** Faisal Khan & Angela DiCorleto Donna M. & Alex I. Koler Charlotte R. Kramer* John J. & JoAnn D. Lane* Ken & Mary Loparo*** Mr. & Mrs. William E. MacDonald III* Jack McGrath*** John J. Meiburger* Mr. & Mrs. John C. Morley*** Ms. Danielle M. Morris Ms. Karen Nemec** Pamela G. Noble & E. Macke Bentley IV John & Norine Prim*** Ms. Ana G. Rodriguez Linda Schlageter*** Mr. & Mrs. Rudolph K. Schmeller* Sally J. Staley*** Diana & Eugene Stromberg*** Gerald F. Unger*** Mary C. Warren** Mr. & Mrs. Kevin M. White* Julie Sabroff Willoughby Patrick M. Zohn*** John & Jane Zuzek***

Stratford Circle ($5,000 to $9,999) Bridgewater Associates, Inc.** The Eva L. & Joseph M. Bruening Foundation*** Mr. Todd M. Burger & Ms. Kristie Beck Bill & Judie Caster* Barry & Suzanne Doggett*** Carol Dolan & Greggory Hill** Mr. & Mrs. Morton G. Epstein*** Ernst & Young, LLP*** Dianne V. Foley* The Harry K. & Emma R. Fox Foundation*** The Giant Eagle Foundation** Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Hartwell*** Paul R. & Denise Horstman Keen** Diane Kathleen Hupp The Laub Foundation*** Mr. & Mrs. Leslie H. Moeller*** David P. Porter & Margaret K. Poutasse*** Laura & Alvin Siegal The Thomas H. White Foundation, a KeyBank Trust**

32

*3-5 consecutive years as a donor. **6-9 consecutive years as a donor. *** 10 or more consecutive years as a donor.

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Welcome! The following individuals made their first gift or returned as active donors to Great Lakes Theater during the period July 1, 2016 through February 10, 2017. The Great Lakes Theater family welcomes you!

at Playhouse Square

Joel & Teresa Andreani Mrs. Viia Beechler Ms. Laura Berick Denise Blanda Dr. W. H. Boom & Ms. Anne L. Batzell Mr. & Mrs. Eric J. Carlson Mr. & Mrs. Lucien H. Case Eileen Kennedy & Greg Cloyd James Collins Robert & Susan Conrad Virginia Dybicz Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Fairchild

34

Sustainers ($500 to $999) Mrs. Al A. Archambault Mr. & Mrs. Glenn G. Anderson, Jr. Robyn & David Barrie*** Mr. Gary D. Benz & Ms. Betsy Karetnick Ms. Melanie Bingham Jeffrey Boecker & Susan Iler Bette Bonder & Patrick Bray** Steven & Sharon Broz* Beverly & Bruce Cameron* Donald & Annamarie Chick*** Mary Dolan & David Haracz James Eschmeyer*** Evans Charitable Foundation Dale & Linda Gabor Janet & Patricia Glaeser*** Ted & Nancy Goble Mr. & Mrs. Randall J. Gordon Gary & Joanna Graeff Mr. A. Allen Howell Kenneth Karosy*** Stewart & Donna Kohl Ms. Shirley Lanzieri Eva & Rudolf Linnebach* Rosa & Samuel Lobe Memorial Fund of the Jewish Federation** Mr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Lynch*** Mark & Barbara Mazzone* Francis & Viola McDowell** Helen & Harry Mercer** David & Leslee Miraldi*** Mr. Ken Myles Deborah L. Neale*** Mr. & Mrs. William Osborne, Jr.*** Mr. John Rampe Thomas & Helen Rathburn** Robert & Linda Jenkins Naomi G. & Edwin Z. Singer Family Fund, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland** Gary & Jane Small Mr. Terry Szmagala Kathleen Turner***

Jon & Mary Fancher Daniel Fishwick Carmela Freeman Gary & Holli Goodman Elaine Green Ms. Lynne Hammerschlag Robin Herrington-Bowen Mr. & Mrs. Stephen H. Hoffman Thomas Jecker Stephen L. Kadish Bill & Susan Kirchner Chris & Laura Larson James Marino Margaret & Loyal Wilson* Women’s Committee of Great Lakes Theater ***

Patrons ($250 to $499) The Thomas and Joann Adler Family Donor Advised Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland** Ms. Laura Aquila Ms. Nancy J. Arndt Mr. & Mrs. Benham S. Bates** Fred & Mary Behm*** Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Berges Jerry & Kathy Berkshire Roger Bielefeld Martha & Wayne Bifano Paul & Heather Blonsky Gary & Kay Bluhm** Bernice A. Bolek*** Tim & Cindy Carr* Larry & Nancy Case Ms. Megan Casserlie* Mr. & Mrs. John Clarry Dr. & Mrs. Kevin D. Cooper* Brian Wynne & Patrick Cozzens* Bruce & Maryellen Cudney Audrey DeClement*** William Demboski Mr. & Mrs. Steve deMoulpied Ms. Anne B. DesRosiers & Mr. Stephen Kadish* Pete & Margaret Dobbins Mr. & Mrs. L. William Erb Ann & Harry Farmer Mr. Joseph A. Ferritto Catherine Fishbach Mary Ann & Joseph Fischer Ms. Michelle Frygier Chad & Ivy Gaizutis* Mr. & Ms. Patrick F. Gallagher Larry & Jean Gilbert* Ms. Michelle Goad Mr. Richard Goddard Gary & Frances Goins Ilona K. Gram* Douglas Gray

Francis Martin Mr. & Mrs. Bruce V. Mavec Connie May Joshua Mayers Mr. & Mrs. Douglas McGregor Donald W. Morrison Ms. Barbara H. Nahra Mr. & Mrs. Robert Neides Mr. & Mrs. Patrick W. O’Connor Doug Perkowski Ms. Bette M. Prendergast Linda Schlageter Mr. & Mrs. Richard S. Gray** Ms. Jackie Grimm Lee & Peter Haas Ms. Kathleen E. Hancock Ms. Brighid Hillmuth Rick Hoch Mr. Herbert J. Hoppe, Jr. Mr. Richard Hyde Robert & Linda Jenkins** Amy & Jeff Johnson Bernie & Nancy Karr*** Ms. Joylen J. Kent* Mr. & Mrs. Donald Kimmel** Charles King & Catherine Keating Bob & Nanci Kirkpatrick*** James & Rosemary Koehler Ronald G. Kollar** Mr. Gene Kratus Jacob Kronenberg & Barbara Belovich** Stephen & Carolyn Kuerbitz Anne R. & Kenneth E. Love** Thomas & Sheryl Love The Mersol Family*** Mr. Salvatore Mileti Mary & Steve Mitchell*** Dale Sr., Dale Jr. & Gayle Montgomery Mr. & Mrs. Wilmer M. Piper*** Mr. & Mrs. James M. Petras Michael & Paulette Poklar James & Susan Prince Dr. Edward J. Rockwood*** Mrs. Sharon M. Rogers** Otmar & Rota Sackerlotzky*** Jim & Joan Schaefer Mr. Jon Shaffer Ms. Laura Shaw Dr. & Mrs. Lynn A. Smith*** Albert Stratton** Bob Taylor & Jeff Herrmann Frank & Vicki Titas** Robert & Marti Vagi* Mr. & Mrs. James D. Vail** Carol Lee Vella*** James L. Wagner** Mr. & Mrs. James L. Wamsley III Dr. & Mrs. Gregory A. Watts*

Ms. Sue N. Siefert Anthony Smits James & Susan Spallino Christopher & Gail Steward Rabbi Eddie & Dr. Roxanne Sukol Karl & Carol Theil Wulf & Moira Utian Mr. & Mrs. David I. Warren Todd Wilson & Jennifer Eppich Ms. Janet R. Wolf Mr. Lee C. Zeiszler Nancy-Anne Wargo* Mr. Matthew T. Wholey & Dr. Leland L. Metheny Mr. John Wiedemann & Ms. Pamela Schnellinger* Ms. Margaret E. Zellmer* Donald & Dorothy Zito

Associates ($125 to $249) Chuck & Maureen Adler Donna Beletic* Ms. Pamela Benson* John & Jeannene Bertosa** Susan Bobey** John Bolton** Ms. Dorothy F. Borer* Joanne R. Bratush*** Richard & Mary Ann Brockett James F. Brown Mike & Carole Brown* V. Elizabeth Brown** Larry & Andi Carlini** Jean McQuillan & Richard Christ*** John & Donna Clifford*** Rollin & Anne Conway** Douglas Court Stan & Lisa Corwin David & Gayle Cratty** Dr. Ben S. Curatolo Lowell & Carole Davis*** Chad & Andrea Deal** Marilyn P. Demeter*** Daniel & Joyce Dyer * Bob & Ginny Eckardt* Mr. & Mrs. Robert Eikenburg*** Howard P. Erlichman** Gene & Patricia Ewald Susan L. Fike*** Mary Eileen Fogarty*** David V. Foos** Mr. & Mrs. Gerald R. Frei** Mrs. Carla Gallagher* Deborah A. Geier*** Dr. Richard J. Goetsch John Greene*

Friends ($75 to $124) Ms. Josephine B. Anderson

Ms. Nancy M. Barnes Brian & Teresa Bester Elizabeth A. Billings Dr. & Mrs. Dieter F. Bloser*** Phyliss M. Boggs Mr. & Mrs. Charles P. Bolton*** Carol Brenneman Mr. Stanley C. Brandt & Ms. Mary K. Whitmer*** Mr. & Mrs. Jim Britenbach Julia & Ben Brouhard* James F. Brown Barbara J. Burke* Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Charlick* Dr. & Mrs. Dale H. Cowan Samuel Cowling** Judith Darus* Shirley B. Dawson Chris & Mary Ann Deibel*** The DeMinico Family Donna Douglas*** Ms. Patricia R. Esposito Janice Evans* Mr. & Mrs. Frank L. Field*** Laura & Donald Ford Mr. Bob Fowler Mr. & Mrs. Ralph C. Frey* Mr. & Mrs. Lou Galizio*** Greg & Gail Gibson*** Virginia T. Goetz Linda Grau Jean E. Gubbins** Marian Hancy** Ms. Charlene S. Harner Linda A. Heath Jean Heller* Ms. Eleanor W. Helper Mr. and Mrs. Douglas M. Hicks Frank & Gerry Hoffert** Mark & Lynn Hofflund* Ms. Sharon J. Hoppens Mary Immormino Chet & Greta Insolia* Marie Ivkanec Brittany Jackson Deb & Gar Kaminski Dennis Kelly* Mr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Kelley Mr. Gilbert P. Kenehan* Samuel C. Kennell William & Marion Kettering* Mr. & Mrs. Mark D. Kozel*** Mr. & Mrs. Gregory G. Kruszka* Eleanor & Stephen Kushnick Gregory Leach Ms. Linda K. Lefkovitz Gregory & Vickie Leyes* Morton & Lola Litt Ken & Mary Loparo Mr. & Mrs. John M. Lovett Gretchen Mates** Rev. Edward E. Mehok*** Antoinette Miller*** Frances Stewart & David Mook Tom & Mary Neff* Friends of Nordonia Hills Library Gerald Norton Fulton & Thea O’Donoghue Joan M. Oravec*** Meribeth Pannitto

Lou M. Papes** Mr. & Mrs. Harold I. Pittaway III Mr. William Plesec Mr. Alan A. Pomiecko Maria Poulos Larry & Susan Rakow* Judy & Clifford Reeves** The Reinker Family*** Mr. & Mrs. Gerald P. Rencehausen Ms. Jacqueline Y. Rhodes* Ms. Ellen Roberts Robinson Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland* Mark & Monica Schie Mrs. Lois Schneider Steve & Kathy Schultz* Linda Sebald Jeff & Beth Ann Sedam Randall & Sara Shaner Dr. Dave & Faye Sholiton* Mary Slowey Mr. James Smekal Alma L. Smith* Mr. & Mrs. Tony Smits Tom Wagner & Malinda Smyth* Darwin L. Steele *** Gail Stroud Ms. Elizabeth Swenson The Edward & Katherine Thomas Family Mr. & Mrs. Frederick C. Tyler, Jr. Carol A. Vidoli*** Adele Viguera Michael Wagner Rev. & Mrs. David M. Walker*** Mrs. Alice H. Webster Mr. & Mrs. Zach Wemple Sharon & Yoash Wiener*** Ms. Hope Wright Mr. A. Paul Ziegler Ruth & Sidney Zilber*** Arthur & Deborah Zinn *3 – 5 consecutive years as a donor **6 – 9 consecutive years as a donor ***10 or more consecutive years as a donor

Matinee Idols Donors who underwrote tickets to 2015-2016 Student Matinees so more students can attend.

Michelle R. Arendt Carol Barnak Robyn & David Barrie Jack & Janice Campbell Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Chernus Beverly J. Coen Carol Dolan & Greggory Hill Dianne V. Foley Ron & Joanne Hulec Jack & Mary Ann Katzenmeyer Bob & Nanci Kirkpatrick Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Mayer Ms. Danielle M. Morris Janet & Bob Neary

Rita Schneider & Sandra Beichler Sally J. Staley John & Dianne Young

Matching Gift Corporations ArcelorMittal Corning Incorporated Foundation Eaton Corporation GlaxoSmithKline Foundation IBM Corporation The Lubrizol Corporation PNC Foundation Nordson Corporation Foundation

Gifts were received in honor of: Todd Krispinsky Lisa Ortenzi Sally Staley Diana & Gene Stromberg Bob Taylor & Jeff Herrmann

Gifts were received in memory of: Beverly Dilling Hildegard Gebhardt James O. Roberts

The Women’s Committee Formed in 1961, the committee is Great Lakes Theater’s longest standing volunteer support group.

Members act as hosts for our actors, provide support in our administrative office & at events, & cheer us on throughout the season. If you would like to become a member, call Joanne Hulec at (216) 252-8717 for more information.

GreatLakesTheater.org

Tom & Kirsten Hagesfeld** Michael & Suzanne Harris* Curt & Karen Henkle** Kathy & Jamie Hogg*** Clyde A. Horn*** Ron & Joanne Hulec*** Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Janson* Marilyn & Howard Karfeld*** Lauren Kawentel** Michael & Lynn Kleinman* Mr. Thomas Knox* Ursula Korneitchouk Fred & Joann Lafferty*** Leslie Lahr Jennifer & Robert Larson* Mr.& Mrs. Brian Lawler* Brian & Renee Lowery** Robert MacMurray* Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. McDonald*** Jennifer & Peter Meckes* Rita C. McLaughlin* Nan Miller** Diane Moffett Toni & Linda Moore** Mr. D. Stephen Botorff & Ms. Patricia J. Moyer** Marion Murfey Robert & Margery Orth Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Patalon* Brian Perry & Ka Pi Hoh* Ms. Mary L. Pollak Andrew & Brenda Pongracz* Mr. & Mrs. Louis Pongracz** Ms. Betsy R. Quinn Ms. Lori Riga* Reinhold & Ginny Roedig*** Mr. & Mrs. James A. Saks** Donna Schuerger*** Doris A. Schultz** Richard Shirey Dr. Howard Simon* Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Slavin** Mr. & Mrs. John Southworth* William E. Spatz** Kathlyn & Harry Stenzel*** Susan St. John** Katherine Stokes-Shafer Anita K. Stoll Mr. & Mrs. Timothy L. Sullivan** Mr. & Mrs. William W. Taft Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Tatman* Dr. & Mrs. Ken Tomecki** Dorothy Ann Turick Anne Unverzagt & Richard Goddard** Christine and Daniel Vento Mr. Kenneth Vinciquerra Ms. Kimberly A. Vivolo Raymond Voelker* Mrs. Betty S. Weiss** Bobby Withrow Thomas M. Wladyka James & Sandra Wood** John & Dianne Young

Officers

Barbara Cercone, President Janice Campbell, Vice Chair Viola McDowell, Recording Secretary Bernice Bolek, Corresponding Secretary Nanci Kirkpatrick, Treasurer

Every effort is made to ensure that our Donor records are current and correct. Please call the Development Office at (216) 4534442 with questions or to report updates and revisions.

35

TRUSTEES Chair

Thomas G. Stafford

President

Timothy J. Downing

Secretary

Kim Bixenstine

Treasurer

at Playhouse Square

Walter Avdey

Trustees

Michelle Arendt Jennifer Dowdell Armstrong Dalia Baker Gary D. Benz David Bialosky Mitchell G. Blair

Todd M. Burger William Caster Beverly J. Coen Gail L. Cudak Leslie Dickson Carol Dolan Dr. Howard G. Epstein Natalie Epstein Dianne V. Foley Stephen H. Gariepy Elizabeth A. Grove Samuel Hartwell Mary Elizabeth Huber Diane Kathleen Hupp William W. Jacobs John E. Katzenmeyer Denise Horstman Keen Kathleen Kennedy Faisal Khan

John W. Lebold Mary J. Mayer John E. McGrath Katie McVoy Leslie H. Moeller Danielle Morris Janet E. Neary Robert D. Neary Pamela G. Noble Michael J. Peterman Timothy K. Pistell David P. Porter Georgianna T. Roberts Ana G. Rodriguez Sally J. Staley Diana W. Stromberg Gerald F. Unger Thomas D. Warren Nancy Wellener

Kevin M. White Julie Sabroff Willoughby Patrick Zohn Rebecca A. Zuti

Life Trustees

Carolyn Dickson Barry Doggett Rudolph Garfield William MacDonald III Ellen Stirn Mavec John D. Schubert Peter Shimrak Laura Siegel

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE In 2002, Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland, Ohio) and Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Boise, Idaho) conceived a unique, strategic producing alliance designed to maximize return on organizational investments, increase production efficiencies, create long term work opportunities for artists and share best practices. In 2010, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (Incline Village, Nevada) joined the collaborative â&#x20AC;&#x201D; further contributing to the momentum of the revolutionary producing prototype's success. The long term results have been remarkable. The alliance's three independent, 501c3 regional theaters have shared over 50 jointly-created productions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; each featuring long term, multi-city employment opportunities for artistic company members. This revolutionary producing model has realized its vision and exceeded expectations while simultaneously resulting in notable audience growth for each company.

36

STAFF Leadership Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director Bob Taylor, Executive Director

Management Team Director of Development.........................Don Bernardo Production Manager...............Christopher D. Flinchum Director of Educational Services.................Kelly Schaffer Florian Director of Marketing & Strategic Advancement......................Todd Krispinsky Director of Educational Programming...... Lisa Ortenzi

Artistic Artistic Associate..............................................Tom Ford

Administration

First Hand............Christine Krysa, Christina Spencer Crafts / Design Assistant........................ Zack Hickle Stitchers...................Zack Hickle, Mackenzie Malone Costume Intern .................................Peter Sherman Wardrobe Supervisor................. Colleen McLaughlin Wardrobe Crew ......Zack Hickle, Mackenzie Malone, Ian Smith Master Electrician................................ Tammy Taylor Charge Scenic Artist................................Ruth Lohse Scenic Artist................................. Justine Schneider Audio Supervisor................................ Brian Chismar Stage Manager........................................ Tim Kinzel* Production Assistant............................. Nicki Cathro Stage Management Intern..................... Lucas Clark Production Associate...............................Amy Essick Run Crew...........................Ralph Melari, Gary Zsigrai Hanna Theatre Crew......... Thomas Boddy, Chris Guy, Shaun Milligan, Nathan Tulenson

Volunteers

Education

Arrow Video

Education Outreach Associate................David Hansen School Residency Program Actor-Teachers........................................... Luke Brett, Chennelle Bryant-Harris, Chelsea Cannon, DeLee Cooper, Khaki Hermann, Tim Keo, Shaun O’Neill, Will Sanborn

Great Lakes Theater is a member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and operates under agreements with LORT, Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Musicians, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and the United Scenic Artists, which are unions representing professional actors, stage managers, musicians, stagehands, directors, choreographers, and designers, respectively, in the United States.

Production Technical Director.................................. Mark Cytron Assistant Technical Director.......William Langenhop Master Carpenter................................. Lindsay Loar Carpenter/Welder...........................Richard Haberlen Carpenters..... Val Kozlenko, Paul Miller, Gary Zsigrai Properties Master..........................Jessica Rosenlieb Assistant Properties Master......... Bernadine Cockey Props Artisan....................................Douglas Puskas Costume Shop Manager.............. Esther M. Haberlen Assistant Shop Manager / Draper.............Leah Loar Draper.....................................................Diana Sidley Overhire Draper....................................Grace Keenan

Company Doctor.....Dr. Donald Ford & Cleveland Clinic Trinity High School Intern......................Maxwell O’Neal Baldwin Wallace University Intern.... Shaelin Maresco

Special Thanks

GreatLakesTheater.org

Development Manager............................Chris Fornadel Audience Engagement Coordinator........ Jeremy Lewis Assistant Production Manager...........Corrie E. Purdum Manager of Finance & Administration.....................................Stephanie Reed Donor Relations Associate...............Elizabeth Steward

LORT

1501 Euclid Ave., Suite 300 Cleveland, OH 44115 P: (216) 241-5490 F: (216) 241-6315 W: GreatLakesTheater.org

Playbill Editor: Linda Feagler For advertising information, please contact Matthew Kraniske: 216-377-3681

37

PLAYHOUSE SQUARE GUEST SERVICES Guest Assistance For questions or service that may provide a quality, entertaining experience, please see the House Manager on duty. A RedCoat usher can direct you to their office location.

at Playhouse Square

We Love Hearing From Our Guests Your feedback is important. For matters that are not immediate or for additional questions you may have, please access our online comment form at playhousesquare. org/contact-us.

We read and share all comments with the staff and meet often to discuss how we can improve upon your experience at Playhouse Square. You may also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/playhousesquare, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/playhousesquare.

Beware of Ticket Scalpers Buy your tickets ONLY from the Playhouse Square Ticket Office, at playhousesquare. org, by phone at 216-241-6000 or your licensed group/travel leader. (We cannot guarantee validity or admittance for tickets purchased elsewhere, nor can we issue replacement tickets if they are lost or stolen). Help us keep ticket prices affordable and fair for everyone.

Service for Our Guests with Special Needs Large type programs and wireless headsets are available in the House Managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office.

Camera Policy Cameras, including cameras on cell phones and other personal handheld devices, audio/ video tape recorders and flash photography are strictly prohibited.

Emergency Phone Number In emergency situations, family members or babysitters may call 216-771-5537 (evening hours) or 216-771-4444 (daytime hours) should they need to get a message to a guest in our theaters.

Cell Phones The experience of a live performance can be ruined by the interruption of ringtones, vibrating phones or conversation. The magic of a darkened theater can be disrupted by the light of someone text messaging as well.

Please be considerate to others and remember to turn off your cell phone for the duration of the show.

Thank You

38

Playhouse Square gratefully acknow­ ledges the people of Cuyahoga County for their historical support to theater restoration, upkeep and programming, as well as through their ongoing contributions through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

APRIL/MAY AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE OUTCALT/ HELEN/ ALLEN ALLEN ALLEN Sunday

HANNA

Monday

Curious Incident/Dog in the Night-Time Sesame Street Live Hamlet Ballet Biarritz Between Riverside and Crazy

KENNEDY’S

Tuesday

OHIO

Wednesday

CONNOR PALACE Thursday

US BANK WESTFIELD PLAZA STUDIO

STATE

Friday

Saturday

APRIL

Curious Incident Flanagan’s Wake Sesame Street Live CSU Spring Dance Hamlet Ballet Biarritz Riverside/Crazy

1

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Between Riverside and Crazy Peter Frampton

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Between Riverside and Crazy

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy Alton Brown Live

Curious Incident/Dog in the Night-Time Flanagan’s Wake Hamlet Riverside/Crazy A Midsummer Night’s Dream–CLE Ballet Lewis Black

Curious Incident/Dog in the Night-Time Flanagan’s Wake Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy CLE Jazz Orchestra

Curious Incident/Dog in the Night-Time Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy Married but Single Too

Between Riverside and Crazy

Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy

Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy Rocktopia

Flanagan’s Wake Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy

Flanagan’s Wake Hamlet Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday Back 2 The 80’s

Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday

Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday

Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday Chris Rock

Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday Chris Rock A Streetcar Named Desire Decades Rewind

Flanagan’s Wake Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire Haters Roast

Flanagan’s Wake Between Riverside and Crazy Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire

Something Rotten!

Flanagan’s Wake Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire LIZZIE

Something Rotten!

Flanagan’s Wake Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire LIZZIE

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid The Moon’s a Balloon Grug and the Rainbow Morgan’s Journey Pedal Punk

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Riverside/Crazy Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire Celtic Woman Dave Mason LIZZIE

Fair on the Square

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 M AY

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday A Streetcar Named Desire

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday

GreatLakesTheater.org

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

30 1 2 3 4 5 6 Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid The Moon’s a Balloon Grug/the Rainbow Morgan’s Journey Pedal Punk

Something Rotten!

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid

Something Rotten!

Freaky Friday Forever Plaid Anthony Hamilton

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid Kris Kristofferson

Forever Plaid

Forever Plaid The Dazzle Awards

Forever Plaid

lllustration: Don Oehl; Logo: Esther Wu

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 27 28 29

June 20 – July 9 21/28 22/29 23/30 24/31

New shows are announced every week. Sign up for the Playhouse Square newsletter at playhousesquare.org to get advance notices by email!

39

Fairmount Santrol is proud to support Playhouse Square.

Making Northeast Ohio a great place to live, work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and play.

We are committed to People, Planet and Prosperity.

The Fairmount Santrol family is dedicated to business excellence that is founded upon fulfilling our economic, social and environmental commitments. We lead in investing time, talents and treasure in the local and global communities where we live and work, including serving the people and being good stewards of the land in Northeast Ohio.

FairmountSantrol.com