October 10 – November 2, 2025 2025/2026 Season
From the Artistic Director
Welcome to the first production of the 2025/2026 Season, and the world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Rope, a psychological thriller of great wit and style. Hatcher’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was a big hit last season, so it’s great fun to have him back with us, and to share this play with you as its very first audience.
Hartford Stage commissioned Jeffrey Hatcher to write this adaptation, and it shares many similarities to Patrick Hamilton’s original Rope’s End, including its setting of England in the late 1920s. This time and place is integral to the central characters, motivating them to still be dealing with the horrors of World War I, the inhumanity of war viewed by one of our character’s firsthand but sensed by everyone in the play.
As the World War I-era poet Wilfred Owen wrote in his poem, “Anthem for Doomed Youth,” before dying in battle in 1918 at the age of 25: What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
Our fresh adaptation of Rope may echo of the dark romantic poetry of the war, but is more familiar to the stories told by Alfred Hitchcock, meant to be a witty, rapid, and philosophical adventure. The philosophies embraced by our principal characters, and the consequences that follow, serve as a moral reminder of the importance of not objectifying, or trivializing, another human being. Feeling superior can be a trap, and as the evening unfolds for us in this elegant flat in Mayfair, I trust we are reminded of the importance of our own humility and humanity. Not a bad lesson for these times. As we get to know each of these characters, I hope you’ll enjoy watching their lies and secrets be revealed as much as I have
One of the great joys of live theater is to be surprised together, to be laughing together, to be scared together. I hope this production gives you a bit of all three.
Welcome to Hartford Stage, enjoy this ride. I hope to see you back for more wild rides this season.
Melia Bensussen
Artistic Director
MELIA BENSUSSEN
Artistic Director CYNTHIA RIDER Managing Director
PRESENTS
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Based on the play Rope’s End by Patrick Hamilton
Directed by Melia Bensussen
Scenic Design Riw Rakkulchon
Costume Design Risa Ando
Lighting Design Mary Louise Geiger
Sound Design & Original Composition Jane Shaw
Wig & Make-Up Design Jodi Stone
Fight Director Ted Hewlett
Voice & Dialect Coach Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer
Casting Alldaffer & Donadio Casting
Production Stage Manager Nicole Wiegert
Assistant Stage Manager Julius Cruz
Associate Artistic Director Zoë Golub-Sass
Director of Production Bryan T. Holcombe
General Manager Emily Van Scoy
WORLD PREMIERE
Rope was originally commissioned by Hartford Stage.
The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law.
SEASON SPONSORS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION SPONSORS
Rick & Beth Costello
PRODUCTION SPONSORS
Jill Adams & Bill Knight
Don & Marilyn Allan Jack & Donna Sennott
The Company
Ephraim Birney
Rupert Cadell .......................................................................................
Mark Benninghofen
Lewis Ephraim Birney
Brandon Daniel Neale
Mr. Kentley .......................................................................................................James Riordan
Meriel ............................................................................................................Fiona Robberson
Kenneth .................................................................................................................. Nick Saxton
SETTING: A Mayfair flat in the late 1920s. THIS PLAY IS PERFORMED WITHOUT AN INTERMISSION.
Additional Production Support
Assistant Director Alison Fischer Greene
Assistant Costume Designer ................................................................ Arthur Wilson
Assistant Lighting Designer ............................................................................ Yiyuan Li
Associate Sound Designer Lucas Clopton
Program Dramaturg Sophie Greenspan
Production Assistant Alyssa Edwards
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.
The Director and Fight Director are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
Mark Benninghofen
Daniel Neale
James Riordan
Fiona Robberson Nick Saxton
Melia Bensussen Director
Killing Your Darlings: Jeffrey Hatcher on Adapting Rope
By Sophie Greenspan
Sophie Greenspan: You tend to gravitate towards dark, mysterious works—like your Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adaptation that audiences saw at Hartford Stage last year—or murder mysteries like Dial M for Murder
Jeffrey Hatcher: I’ve killed a lot of people.
SG: You’ve killed a lot of people! What is it about murder or mystery stories that inspire you towards a stage adaptation over, say, Pride and Prejudice?
JH: Well, if someone asked me to adapt Pride and Prejudice, I wouldn’t say no! I’d probably bump off Miss Somebody… But I’d argue that most really good plays have elements of mystery and murder in them. Hamlet is a murder mystery. Oedipus is a murder mystery. So, you know, it’s not that far afield in the realm of playwriting and drama.
I’ve always loved this stuff since I was a kid: Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe. I was never much into Westerns or war stories, but murder mystery, detectives, spies, deception… a lot of people pretending to be something that they aren’t. If someone were to look back on the plays I’ve written, there are always characters who present one version of themselves to the public but are in fact entirely different privately. Those things really appeal to me, but it also has a theatrical element.
SG: Tell us about your process of adaptation.
JH: Writing an adaptation requires a more objective, surgical, technical approach than an original work. Having said that, once you get into the
TOP: Jeffrey Hatcher in rehearsal for Rope. Photo by Lucas Clopton.
work itself, if an element of subjectivity doesn’t enter in, then it ends up being hack work.
You have a patient I don’t mean to say it’s a sick patient it’s merely a patient who’s etherized upon a table and can’t talk back. Your job is: “How do I make this patient walk on stage?”
I do believe that there is a huge element of betrayal in every adaptation. That you cut tons of stuff, you rework, you condense. Things that are done over the course of 600 pages in a novel, you have to compress and simplify. The stage is crude in that sense. We’ve really only got two hours or so to tell a story. And, you know, great novels— even short great novels, like The Great Gatsby, for instance—take six hours to read out loud.
So, you’re always going to be betraying things. Killing things. Throwing things away. But, if you have respect for the work and respect for yourself, then you’re going to show fidelity to the core ideas in the original work. I can cut characters in Rope. I can turn three acts into one act. I can change motivations—as I have—and I can change a lot of incidental or interstitial plot points, but I can’t change the initial idea because, aside from anything else, it would make the whole machine break down. I’m grateful and honored to be a partner with the original author. I’m not playing “Can you top this?”
SG: Your play, Rope, is adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s Rope’s End (1929). What is it about the play makes it ripe for a brand-new retelling?
JH: Well, there is no good reason to adapt something that’s perfect. The great thing about Rope’s End—or rather the advantageous thing for an adaptation—is that it’s a great idea and it’s got great elements, but I would argue that it is a little creaky. The three-act form is simply not a form that audiences these days tend to dig. I’ve always thought that Rope’s End was too steady a ride. It needed twists and turns and moments when the road drops out from under you.
I also wanted to see if we could excavate some things about the characters that neither Hamilton nor Alfred Hitchcock were able to do because of censorship. The 20s and 40s were not as overt as we are today. In a world where people didn’t admit that there were gay men, a lot of people might have seen Rope’s End and not even gotten it. The 1948 film is even less explicit, but today, people will come into the theater, and they’ll immediately know that those two guys who live together are a couple.
SG: When were you first exposed to the Rope story? Was it Hitchcock’s 1948 film?
JH: I’m sure it was Hitchcock. There was a clutch of Hitchcock films from the late 40s and 50s that were re-released in the 1980s after having been embargoed for maybe 15, 20 years, including Rope. [See page 11 for more on this.]
There was something to seeing it on the big screen. You’re so aware of the camera movements. You’re aware of the tiniest shakes, of the little bits of lost focus. And those cameras were gigantic. Apparently, they would have twenty guys running around moving walls and repositioning lights. As a technical accomplishment, it’s kind of unbelievable.
That’s the first introduction, and then I saw a faithful production of the Patrick Hamilton play about two years ago at a theater out in Minneapolis. It was a very good production, but I still felt the play wasn’t as good as it could be. It was a bit too genteel. It was very polite. It felt like the car was stuck… not in neutral, but in first gear for a long time.
SG: And how do you feel about this production?
JH: Well, it’s a wonderful cast. That’s easily said. One of the things I love about Daniel [Neale, who plays Brandon] and Ephraim [Birney, who plays Lewis] is that they enjoy themselves so much on stage. Daniel— you can tell—enjoys playing a monster. He’s a stylish monster. He’s a charming monster. For people who like Patricia Highsmith, a Mr. Ripley kind of person. A sociopath who makes jokes and is attractive to all
Jeffrey Hatcher and Fiona Robberson in rehearsal for Rope. Photo by Lucas Clopton.
genders. Ephraim has this wonderful, sympathetic side to him. Despite being one of the killers, Lewis is by far the most sympathetic character on stage.
SG: Leopold and Loeb, on whom the fictional Brandon and Lewis are loosely based, sought to commit the “perfect crime” when they killed young Bobby Franks in Chicago in 1924. In fact, it was deemed at the time the “crime of the century.”
JH: Well, you know, it’s good to get there early in the century. You get to have first dibs! You have to wait until O.J. shows up for it to really count.
SG: That’s a very good—and funny—point! As someone who is a clear aficionado of crime, both real and fictional, if you were to attempt the perfect crime, what would it look like?
JH: You know what, I think every murderer gets found out. One gives one’s self away. The metabolism lets loose. Part of the problem is that there are all these Hitchcock movies and Columbo episodes where charming murderers with beautiful ascots are saying: “But Lieutenant, I have the perfect alibi.” We create unbelievable characters who are smooth and easy at it, but in reality, murderers seem to be two modes: either they’re blubbering or affectless. And the thing is, cops spend so much time with the victims’ loved ones that they can tell somebody who’s really upset from someone who’s faking being upset.
The problem is, we have no practice. In the very first Columbo, there’s a scene where Columbo says “Well, you know sir, a murderer—even a really smart one—is an amateur. He’s only got one shot to get it right. But us? We do this every day.”
It’s a lovely little exchange. You know, there’s something to be said for the brilliant amateur, but the professional knows all the tricks.
Want to hear more about crafting this adaptation of Rope?
Hatcher joined actors Daniel Neale and Ephraim Birney in our latest episode of Scene & Heard to talk with Artistc Director (and director of this production) Melia Bensussen about bringing this play to life.
Following Rope’s Threads
By Sophie Greenspan
Nietzsche’s “Übermensch”
Frederich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher who was most known for rejecting absolute truths and traditional Christian morality. Instead, he promoted the development of the übermensch or “superman,” someone who is able to overcome adversity and the moral status quo in order to generate his own set of values and beliefs.
Leopold and Loeb
In 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, affluent students at the University of Chicago, sought to commit “the perfect crime.” Inspired by Nietzsche’s concept of the übermensch, Leopold and Loeb— believing themselves to be above law, God, or any earthly moral conditions— brutally murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, a cousin of Loeb. The pair viewed their crime as an intellectual exercise in implementing Nietzsche’s philosophy.
The ensuing trial made headlines as “the crime of the century” for several reasons: the defendants’ famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow; the romantic nature of Leopold and Loeb’s relationship; and the crime’s apparent absence of motive. It shook the nation. Had the country ventured too far afield from sense and sensibility in post-WWI America? Had the madcap, “anything goes” approach to the roaring 1920s gone too far when murder became a form of recreation?
In his argument against capital punishment for the boys, Clarence Darrow blamed a post-war nihilism for driving the teens to murder. “It is due to the cruelty that has paralyzed the hearts of men growing out of the war. We are used to blood, your honor.”
Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.
Frederich Nietzsche.
Rope’s Iterations
Rope’s End (1929)
Though playwright Patrick Hamilton never admitted it outright, it can be reasonably inferred that Hamilton’s 1929 play, Rope’s End, about two young men inspired by Nietzsche who kill a man as an intellectual exercise, was inspired by the sensational Leopold and Loeb trial. Of course, Hamilton took artistic liberties. He set his play in his home country of England, he heightened the drama by placing the body on stage and the murder weapon in the title, and of course, though Leopold and Loeb were (rather quickly) found out, what makes his play so interesting is that it is an inverted murder mystery: not a “whodunnit” but a “howcatchem.” Will they be found out, and by whom?
Rope (1948)
In the aftermath of World War II, renowned film director and “master of suspense” Alfred Hitchcock decided to adapt Rope’s End into a film. He set it in present day New York, and some of the homosexual undertones were subdued, as Hitchcock tiptoed with censorship laws.
More than anything, the film is a cinematic feat. It was shot to appear like one long, continuous edit, and the whole film takes place on a single set. In 1961, Hitchcock obtained ownership of five of his films, including Rope, and he withheld them from circulation for almost 20 years, believing that the films would increase in value upon re-release. After his death, Rope and the others we re-released to theaters, which is when the playwright of this adaptation of Rope, Jeffrey Hatcher, first encountered it.
Poster for Hitchock’s Rope
About the Artists
Mark Benninghofen | Rupert Cadell
Hartford Stage: Debut. Off-Broadway: Asian Shade, Fresh Horses (WPA Theater); Twelfth Night (Lincoln Center). Regional: Dancing at Lughnasa, Inherit The Wind, Dial M for Murder (Asolo Rep); Juno and the Paycock, Born Yesterday, Appomattox, Time Stands Still, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide, Great Expectations, St. Joan (Guthrie Theater); Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Six Degrees of Separation, To Let Go and Fall (Theater Latte Da); Tyrone and Ralph, Lord Gordon Gordon (History Theater). Film: The Public Domain, Older Than America, Wilson, Herman, USA Television: Movie Stars, Frasier, Drew Carey, Chicago Hope, Maybe This Time, The Larry Sanders Show. Education: CCSC, New York University.
Ephraim Birney | Lewis
Hartford Stage: Debut. Off-Broadway: Chester Bailey, Jonah, Good Person of Szechwan, As Time Goes By Regional: Chester Bailey (Barrington Stage Company, CATF); The Rembrandt, The Sound Inside (TheaterWorks Hartford); Admissions (Studio Theater DC); The Book of Mountains and Seas (Edinburgh Fringe). Film: Strawberry Mansion (Sundance Film Festival), Sylvio, Leon’s Fantasy Cut, Things Like This Television: The Americans, Gotham Awards: Berkshire Critics Circle Award Winner for Best Actor, Outer Critics Circle Award Nominee for Best Actor (Chester Bailey); Connecticut Critics Circle Award Nominee for Best Featured Actor (The Rembrandt). Education: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Daniel Neale | Brandon
Hartford Stage: Debut. National Tour: To Kill a Mockingbird. Education: BFA, Carnegie Mellon.
James Riordan | Mr. Kentley
Hartford Stage: Debut. Broadway: Present Laughter, Jerusalem, The Elephant Man, Noises Off, Dance of Death Off-Broadway: (selected) The Countess (Lamb’s Theater); Lovers (TACT); Donagoo (Mint); Our Leading Lady (Manhattan Theater Club); Christie In Love (Drama League), The Dancing Man. Regional: (selected) The Cleveland Playhouse, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia Theater Company, Philadelphia Festival Theater for New Plays, Arena Stage, Two River Theater, Barrington Stage, Berkshire Theater Group, Shadowlands Theater Company, Actors Theater of Louisville, Great Lakes Theater. Film: The Post, Dark Horse, The Hoax. Television: The Gilded Age, Halston, Boardwalk Empire, Blue Bloods, Bull, Person of Interest, Limitless Public Morals, The Blacklist, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Law & Order Criminal Intent, Gossip Girl, Mr. Robot, White Collar, Damages, As The World Turns, All My Children, One Life to Live. Education: MFA, Temple University.
About the Artists
Fiona Robberson | Meriel
Hartford Stage: All My Sons. Broadway: John Proctor is the Villain. OffBroadway: Confederates (Signature Theatre); Big Hunk O’ Burnin’ Love (Roundabout); Three Texas Women (Teatro Latea); The Bacchae (La MaMa). Regional: True Art (Dorset Theatre Festival); A Midwinter Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, The Three Musketeers, Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); Chessman (B Street Theatre); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Dallas); Easter (Undermain Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center). Film: Plano (dir. Danya Taymor). Education: BFA, NYU Tisch; MFA, The Julliard School (Group 50).
Nick Saxton | Kenneth
Hartford Stage: Debut Regional: Valor, Don Quixote, The Nature Crown, Master Butchers Singing Club, Macbeth (Guthrie Theatre). Film: End of the Rope Education: MFA, Columbia University.
Jeffrey Hatcher | Playwright
Hartford Stage: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Hatcher’s plays have been produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in theaters around the U.S. and the world. Broadway: Never Gonna Dance (book). Off-Broadway: Three Viewings and A Picasso (Manhattan Theatre Club); The Government Inspector, The Alchemist, The Imaginary Invalid (Red Bull); Scotland Road, The Turn of the Screw (Primary Stages); Lucky Duck (book with Bill Russell) (The New Victory); Tuesdays with Morrie (with Mitch Albom) (The Minetta Lane, Sea Dog). Other plays/theaters: Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Mrs. Mannerly, Murderers, Cousin Bette, Smash, Key Largo (with Andy Garcia), Holmes and Watson, Dial M for Murder, A Confederacy of Dunces and others at Guthrie Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Old Globe, Yale Rep, Seattle Rep, Huntington, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theater Company, Indiana Rep, Children’s Theater Company, Illusion, Denver Center, Philadelphia Theater Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, Northlight, Westport Playhouse, Actors Theater of Louisville, TheatreWorks and more. Film: Stage Beauty, Casanova, The Duchess, Mr. Holmes, The Good Liar. Television: episodes of Columbo and The Mentalist Grants/Awards: NEA, TCG, Lila Wallace Fund, Rosenthal New Play Prize, Frankel Award, Charles MacArthur Fellowship Award, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Barrymore Award Best New Play and 2013 Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member and/or alumnus of the Playwrights’ Center, New Dramatists, and the Dramatists Guild.
About the Artists
Melia Bensussen | Director / Artistic Director of Hartford Stage
Melia Bensussen is an award-winning director and artistic leader who has directed extensively at leading theaters throughout the country. The first woman to lead Hartford Stage, she has been its Artistic Director since the summer of 2019. Devoted to new work as well as to classic texts, she was appointed Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center in 2024. Raised in Mexico City, Bensussen is fluent in Spanish and has translated and adapted a variety of texts, including her edition of the Langston Hughes translation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, published by Theater Communications Group. Among her credits developing and premiering new works, she co-conceived and directed, alongside playwright Kirsten Greenidge, the theatrical adaptation of Anthony J. Lukas’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Common Ground, which premiered at the Huntington Theater in Boston. A graduate of Brown University, Bensussen serves on the Arts Advisory Board for the Princess Grace Foundation, and on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). Prior to her position at Hartford Stage, she was Chair of the Performing Arts Department of Emerson College, in Boston. She is the recipient of an OBIE Award for Outstanding Direction, as well as the Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation for Excellence in Directing.
Riw Rakkulchon | Scenic Design
Hartford Stage: The Mousetrap, All My Sons. Broadway (Associate): Pass Over, Parade, & Juliet. Off-Broadway: Mexodus (Audible Theatre); Notes From Now, The Waiting Game (59E59). Regional: Eureka Day, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Asolo Rep); Twelfth Night (Yale Rep); Mexodus, Mother of Exiles (Berkeley Rep); Seared (Alley Theatre); King Lear (The Residence Players Delaware); The XIXTH (The Old Globe); Clyde’s (Playmakers Rep). Education: BFA, Ithaca College; MFA, Yale School of Drama. Professional Positions: Associate Set Designer to Clint Ramos, Wilson Chin, Riccardo Hernandez, and Walt Spangler. Awards: Connecticut Critics Circle 2023.
About the Artists
Risa Ando | Costume Design
Hartford Stage: Debut. Regional: Your Name Means Dream (TheaterWorks Hartford / Theater J); Draupadi (Rattlestick Theater); A View from the Bridge (Long Wharf Theatre); The Salvagers (Yale Repertory Theatre). International: Switch No Otoko (Éclo, Tokyo); Otoko-kai, Dracula (Gekidan Ijin-Butai, Tokyo); The Best Place for Love (Fire & Ice Production, Dublin); Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles (Wonderland Productions, Dublin); The Woman Is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII (Smashing Times Theatre, Dublin). Film: Departuer Education: MFA, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.
Mary
Louise
Geiger | Lighting Design
Hartford Stage: All My Sons Broadway: The Constant Wife Off-Broadway: How is it That We Live or Shakey Jake and Alice (Tent); Spiritus: Virgil’s Dance, Until the Flood (Rattlestick, CATF); Partnership, Becomes a Woman (Mint); Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, The New York Idea, Good Television (Atlantic). Regional: The Nacirima Society..., Trouble in Mind, Caroline or Change (Guthrie); Last Night and the Night Before (Steppenwolf, Denver Center); Our Daughters Like Pillars, Witch (Huntington); Side Effects May Include, Did My Grandfather Kill My Other Grandfather (Contemporary American Theatre Festival); 39 Steps (Cape Playhouse); Until the Flood (ACT, Portland Center Stage, Goodman); At the Wedding (Studio). International/ Dance: Until the Flood, mabou mines dollhouse (Edinburgh Festival/tour); Sleeping Beauty (Royal Danish Ballet); From You Within Me, This Bitter Earth (New York City Ballet). Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama. mlgeiger.com
Jane Shaw | Sound Design & Original Composition
Hartford Stage: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 2.5 Minute Ride, The Art of Burning, Macbeth, Hamlet, Rear Window, A Lesson from Aloes, Comedy of Errors OffBroadway: Prosperous Fools, Henry IV (Theatre for a New Audience); Music City (Bedlam); The Wanderers (Roundabout); I Was Most Alive With You, Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons); Actually (MTC); The Fifth Column (The Mint); Jackie (Women’s Project). Regional: Doll’s House, A Christmas Carol (Guthrie); Billie Jean (Chicago Shakespeare); Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood (Alabama Shakespeare); A View from the Bridge (Long Wharf); The Nerd (The Alley); Leopoldstadt (Huntington, Shakespeare Theatre Company); Dial M for Murder (Two River); Shakespeare in Love (Cleveland Play House). Recognition: Drama Desk, Connecticut Critics Circle, Henry Award, Bessie Award, NEA/ TCG Career Development Grant, Meet the Composer Grant, and several Lortel nominations. Education: Harvard University, Yale School of Drama. janeshaw.com
About the Artists
Jodi Stone | Wig & Make-Up Design
Hartford Stage: Hurricane Diane, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Seder, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Queens for a Year. Broadway: Wig builder for Hamilton, Tommy, Jersey Boys, Beautiful, Ain’t Too Proud, Allegiance, Motown, The Color Purple, Beetlejuice, Great Gatsby, Wicked. Regional: Richard II (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Cherry Orchard, The Sisters Rosensweig, Gem of the Ocean, The Rivals (Huntington Theatre Company). Film: Dan In Real Life, Underdog, What Lies Beneath, Outside Providence. Television: The Wiz, Jesus Christ Superstar, Brotherhood Education: Bachelor’s Theatre Arts, Gettysburg College 1992. Professional Positions: Current Wig and Makeup Supervisor at Hartford Stage, custom wig maker for CGL Wig Designs 2021-current, Wig and Makeup Supervisor Hartford Stage 2018-2020; Wig and Makeup Designer Children’s Theatre Company 2001-2004; Wig Master HTC 1995-1997, Stitcher/Wardrobe HTC 1992-1995.
Ted Hewlett | Fight Director
Hartford Stage: Romeo & Juliet, All My Sons, The Winter’s Tale, The Art of Burning, The Mousetrap, Ah, Wilderness!, Quixote Nuevo. Broadway: Shōgun. Off-Broadway: Bill W. and Dr. Bob. New York: Pan Asian Rep, Mettawee River Theatre, Lincoln Center Institute. Boston: Huntington Theatre, A.R.T., SITI Company/ArtsEmerson, Lyric Stage, SpeakEasy Stage, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, New Rep, Merrimack Rep, Gloucester Stage, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera. Regional: Shakespeare & Co., Shakespeare Theatre Company, Elm Shakespeare, Kennedy Center, Syracuse Stage, Birmingham Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival. Film/Television: Hook, Army of Darkness, Brush Up Your Shakespeare Education: MFA in Acting, Brandeis University. Professional Positions: Faculty at Emerson College, Shakespeare & Company.
About the Artists
Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer | Voice & Dialect Coach
Hartford Stage: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Pride and Prejudice. Regional: The Great Emu War, Ragtime, Maggie, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Billy Elliot, Passing Through, Hi My Name is Ben, Cabaret, Christmas in Connecticut, Private Jones (Goodspeed); The Mousetrap, The Elephant Man, The Wier, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Photograph 51, On Cedar Street, Dracula, Once, Shirley Valentine, The Importance of Being Earnest, Holiday Memories, What the Jews Believe, Outside Mullingar, Church & State, A Christmas Carol (Berkshire Theatre Group); Flight of the Monarch (Shakespeare and Company); Primary Trust (Theatreworks); Indecent, Miss Benett: Christmas at Pemberley, All is Calm, A Shayna Maidel, The Scottsboro Boys, My Name is Asher Lev, Intimate Apparel, Last Train to Nibroc, A Moon for the Misbegotten, I Hate Hamlet (Playhouse on Park); Cabaret (Nutmeg Summer Season, Connecticut Repertory Theatre); Tribes (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati); A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park). Education: MFA Voice Studies, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Professional Positions: Associate Professor, Voice Speech and Dialects, University of Connecticut.
Alldaffer & Donadio Casting | Casting
Hartford Stage: Hurricane Diane, Romeo & Juliet, August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, All My Sons, Simona’s Search, Pride and Prejudice, Trouble in Mind, The Art of Burning, The Mousetrap, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Ah, Wilderness!, Quixote Nuevo, Ether Dome. Broadway/Off-Broadway: Stereophonic (Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tour, UK), Downstate, Dance Nation, Circle Mirror Transformation, A Strange Loop, Clybourne Park, Grey Gardens, The Flick (Playwrights Horizons, Barrow Street Theatre), Classic Stage Company, Tent Theater. Regional: O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, The Huntington Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, Studio Theatre, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival. Television: The Knights of Prosperity, Ed, Monk. Podcasts: Marvel, Audible, Fresh Produce. Awards: Artios Award (Stereophonic, Downstate, Circle Mirror Transformation, Present Laughter); Drama Desk and Obie Awards, Best Ensemble (Circle Mirror Transformation).
About the Artists
Nicole Wiegert | Production Stage Manager
Hartford Stage: Romeo & Juliet, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, All My Sons, Simona’s Search, The Winter’s Tale, Ah, Wilderness!, Pike St., Detroit ’67, Henry IV, A Lesson from Aloes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Regional: Goodspeed Opera House, TheaterWorks Hartford, Long Wharf Theatre, CT Rep, Chester Theater, Kansas City Rep, Mountain Playhouse, Ivoryton Playhouse, Theater by the Sea, First Stage Milwaukee, Renaissance Theatreworks, Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Public Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theater. Television: House Hunters, Extreme Cheapskates, Biggest Loser. Love to LC, WW, CW & DC.
Julius Cruz | Assistant Stage Manager
Hartford Stage: Romeo & Juliet, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Simona’s Search. Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen National Tours: Dear Evan Hansen Regional: El Coquí Espectacular and The Bottle of Doom (Long Wharf Theatre); A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music (Theater by the Sea); Zoe’s Perfect Wedding, Secondo, Fun Home, Christmas on the Rocks, Queen of Basel, Rembrandt, Clyde’s (TheaterWorks Hartford); The Sound of Music, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Parallel 45). All my love to the Slays, Theys, & Gays.
About Hartford Stage
For more than 60 years, Hartford Stage has played a leading role in its industry—producing world-class theater and serving as a civic space where community, creativity, and conversation thrive. Located in the heart of downtown Hartford, the theater is a place for all, where audiences are connected in shared experiences and invited to engage with high-quality, transformative theater.
The Tony Award-winning company is dedicated to telling entertaining and thought-provoking stories that reflect the diversity of the Greater Hartford Region, whether reinventing the classics or premiering new work. The theater’s rich legacy includes plays and musicals that have made their way to Broadway, Off-Broadway, and stages around the globe, earning Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prizes along the way.
Hartford Stage’s impact extends beyond the stage, through robust education programs—including in-school programs, student matinees, youth productions, and adult classes—nurturing creativity, building confidence, and ensuring that the performing arts remain accessible and essential for generations to come.
To learn more, visit HartfordStage.org.
Follow us @HartfordStage.Follow us @hartfordstage
Nathan Darrow and Nayib Felix in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2024). Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
Our award-winning education programs provide students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds with innovative opportunities that challenge and inspire. Using theater techniques, we build community, promote a passion for literacy and creative expression, and encourage life-long learning.
Adult & Youth Classes
All year, we have classes for youth and adults looking to develop, improve, and show off their performance skills.
Student Matinees
Students are invited to join us for daytime performances throughout the year. They get to see the show and participate in a post-show conversation with the cast and crew.
Connections
Connections is an in-school program that brings teaching artists into classrooms to explore a book through drama, strengthening comprehension skills and building excitement about reading.
After School Programs
Bring a Hartford Stage teaching artist to your afterschool program! Programs range from drama classes to full productions and are designed based on the needs of each individual school.
Board of Directors
Officers
Michael D. Nicastro
President
Elease Wright
Vice President
Devon Francis
Treasurer
Richard G. Costello
Secretary
Governing Directors
Douglas Adkins
Don Allan
Patti Broad
Jamie Hait Cohen
Brennden D. Colbert
Kate Collins
Mark G. Contreras
Alona Croteau
Alana Curren
Jarret Eamiello
John Doran
Marilda Lara Gándara
Rev. Darrell L. Goodwin
Emily Harrington
Rydell Harrison
Barnaby Horton
Very Rev. Miguelina Howell
Jackie B. Iacovazzi
Mersini G. Keller
Aaron Lyles
Kelly M. Lyman
Amy Leppo Mandell
Barri Marks
Marjorie E. Morrissey
Andy Pace
Sarah M. Patterson
Esther A. Pryor
Judith E. Thompson
William J. Thompson
Nicole Vitrano
Patty Willis
Yvette Yelardy
+ Deceased
Stage One
Young Adult Board Directors
Kyle Abraham
Cordelia Brady
Kamille Cockings
Angel Cotto
Ryan Glista
Kentavis Goodwin-Brice
Brittnee Johnson-Colbert
Greidy Miralles
TJ Noel-Sullivan
Melia Peres, Co-Chair
Claire Stermer, Co-Chair
Maxwell R. Toth
Alia Walwyn-James
Life Directors
George L. Estes III
Arnold C. Greenberg+
Walter Harrison
Jeffrey S. Hoffman
George A. Ingram+
David M. Klein
Katherine Lambert
Roger S. Loeb+
Belle K. Ribicoff
Christina B. Ripple
Linda Fisher Silpe
Sherwood S. Willard
Honorary Directors
Marla J. Byrnes
Carrie Hammond
Barbara Hennessy
Nancy P. Hoffman
Robert A. Penney
Rosalie Roth
Allan B. Taylor
Rhonda J. Tobin
Emeritus Directors
Margaret B. Amstutz+
R. Kelley Bonn
Sara Marcy Cole
Susan J. Copeland
Susan G. Fisher
Judith C. Meyers
Past Presidents
Jill Adams
Joel B. Alvord
Paul L. Bourdeau
David W. Clark Jr.+
Sue Ann Collins
Ellsworth Davis+
Elliot F. Gerson
Thomas J. Groark Jr.+
John W. Huntington+
Walter Harrison
David R. Jimenez
David M. Klein
Edward Lane-Reticker+
Janet Larsen+
Thomas D. Lips
Scott McAlister+
Tuck Miller+
Christina B. Ripple
Jack Sennott
Deanna Sue Sucsy
Jennifer Smith Turner
Peter R. Wilde+
Ex Officio Directors
John B. Larson
US Representative, First Congressional District of Connecticut
Julio Concepcion
State Representative, Fourth District of the State of Connecticut
Arunan Arulampalam
Mayor, City of Hartford
Shari Cantor
Mayor, West Hartford
Melia Bensussen
Artistic Director
Hartford Stage
Cynthia Rider
Managing Director
Hartford Stage
Administrative Staff
Leadership
Melia Bensussen, Artistic Director
Position endowed by Janet S. Suisman
Cynthia Rider, Managing Director
Administration
Emily Van Scoy, General Manager
Sara Walnum, Business Manager
Trisha Hein, Company Manager & Assistant General Manager
Artistic
Zoë Golub-Sass, Associate Artistic Director
Position supported by the Richard P. Garmany Fund
Education
Jennifer Roberts, Director of Education
Nina Pinchin, Associate Director of Education
Emely Larson, Studio Manager
2025/2026 Teaching Artists
Marie Altenor, Thomas Beebe, Grace Clark, Brandon Couloute, Shelby Demke, Nic Fortenbach, Ryan Kessler, Jada Lawyer, Erica LuBonta, Greg Ludovici, Jan Mason, Jessica MacLean, Michael Patterson, Justin Pesce, Kevin Scott, Kaydin Younger
External Relations
Jennifer Levine, Director of External Relations
Rachel Phillips, Associate Director for Marketing
Travis Kendrick-Castanho, External Relations Manager
Evan Kudish, Manager of Board & Donor Relations
Sierra Vazquez, Annual Fund Manager
Sonya Thiel, Events & Engagement Manager
Todd Brandt, Audience & Revenue Data Analyst
Sarah Shiner, Digital Marketing Associate
House Management
W. Scott McEver, Audience Experience and Front of House Manager
Assistant House Managers:
Art Arpin, Mailina Betsey-Chambers, Emily Loscialpo, Aarron Schuelke
Bartenders:
Marsha Arpin, Tanya Bermudez, Drew Breault, Sam Chiasson, Karen Kudish, Nefris Quiterio, Erica Santa Lucia, Kerry Yerkes
Gift Shop Attendants/Event Bartenders: Paulette Caldwell, John Harbison
Patron Services
Lindsey Hoffman, Box Office Manager
Rick Sahlin, Box Office Associate & Group Sales Coordinator
Lindsey Taft, Box Office Associate & Subscriber Concierge
Corey Welden, Box Office Associate & Student Matinee Coordinator
Box Office Representatives: Julie Borsotti, Amaris Diaz
Production
Bryan T. Holcombe, Director of Production
Wesley McCabe-Schroeder, Assistant Production Manager
Alyssa Edwards, Production Assistant
Set Construction & Scenic Art
Aaron D. Bleck, Technical Director
Jared Wolf, Assistant Technical Director
Ian Sweeney, Lead Carpenter
Audra Giuliano, Scenic Carpenter
Isabella Pedraza, Scenic Carpenter
Nathalie Schlosser, Charge Scenic Artist
Costumes & Wardrobe
Alex Meadows, Costume Director
Grace Petersen, Assistant Costume Director
Jodi Stone, Wig & Make-up Supervisor
James Weeden, Staff Draper
Rio Cañas, First Hand
Props
Joe Dotts, Props Manager
Claire Linden-Dionne, Assistant Props Manager
Lighting
Jackie Costabile, Lighting Manager
Ethan Sepa, ALDM, Programmer
Sara Dorinbaum, Light Board Operator
Sound
Lucas Clopton, Audio/Video Manager & Content Creator
Jim Busker, Assistant Audio/Video Manager
Facilities
Michael Langer, Facilities Manager
For This Production
Ariana Harris, A2
Matt Hennessey, Deck Crew
Sydney Hughes, Wardrobe Supervisor
Erin Sagnelli, Scenic Artist
Stichers:
Margaret McFarland, Allison Nishimura, Joseph O’Brien
Special Thanks
Andrew Oster Design & Photography
Mark Dionne, Yale Props
Goodspeed Costume Collection
Rising Tide Studio
Yale Costume Collection
Yale Repertory Theatre
The Time to Act is Now
PROGRAMMING Donations are a crucial component to creating the world-class art you see on our stage, and for sharing the power of what theater can do with our community. the future.
You are invited to join the leaders of the Set the Stage campaign.
ENDOWMENT Building a robust endowment will ensure Hartford Stage is here fulfilling its mission for decades to come.
After 60 years of bringing world-class theatrical programming to audiences in our theater and students in our schools, Hartford Stage is making an important investment in our future. With your help, we can remain a vital part of where we live, work, and play. Be a part of the legacy. Play a role in our $20 million goal. Contact Director of External Relations
Please join us in setting the stage for Hartford Stage’s next 60 years.
Jennifer Levine at 860-520-7249 or jlevine@hartfordstage.org
The cast of The Mousetrap (2022).*
Photo Credits *by T. Charles Erickson. ^by The Defining Studios.
Carmen Berkeley in Romeo & Juliet (2025). Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
Set the Stage Campaign Contributors
$2 Million+
Stanley Black & Decker
$1 Million+
The Hartford Travelers
$750,000+
Don & Marilyn Allan
Rick & Beth Costello
$500,000+
Jill Adams & Bill Knight
The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Judith Meyers & Richard Hersh
Jack & Donna Sennott
$250,000+
David & Janice Klein
$100,000+
Douglas & Sheryl Adkins
Sue Ann Collins
The Robert & Francine Goldfarb Family Fund
Wes & Chloe Horton
Christopher Larsen
Thomas & Margah Lips
Chrissie & Ezra Ripple
Sally Speer
Sally & Allan Taylor
Zachs Family Foundation
$50,000+
John & Suzanne Bourdeaux
Ellen Brown & Jim Bean
Estate of Zeus Goldberg
Carrie & Jonathan Hammond
Walter & Dianne Harrison
Barbara & Matthew Hennessy
Barnaby Horton & Hannah Granfield-Horton
Estate of Mary Jean Kilfoil
Marjorie E. Morrissey
$20,000+
David & Kathleen Jimenez
Barri Marks
+ Deceased
Bill & Nancy Narwold
Mike & Colleen Nicastro
Linda & Donald Silpe
$10,000+
Sara Bareilles
Marla & John Byrnes
The Edgemer Foundation
Marilda Gandara & Scott O’Keefe
Estate of Christine Hunihan
Andy & Jen Pace
Brewster & Judith Perkins
Rosalie Roth
Judith & William Thompson
Elease & Dana Wright
$5,000+
Jaime & Isaac Cohen
Devon & Thomas Francis
David Hawkanson
Annie Hildreth & Ted Potters
George A.+ & Helen Ingram
Theodore & Nancy Johnson
Dan & Arlene Neiditz
Dr. William Petit Jr.
Ted Whittemore
Sherwood & Maggie Willard
$100 - $4,999
Kyle Abraham & Claire Sylvestre-Abraham
William H. & Rosanna T. Andrulat Charitable Foundation
Kathleen & David Bavelas
Robert & Catherine Boone
Patti Broad
Donna Collins
Alana & Matt Curren
Anne D’Alleva
John & Jacqueline Doran
Mary Ellison
George & Laura Estes
Janet Bailey Faude
Matthew & Katherine Grosso
Emily & Patrick Harrington
Rydell Harrison
Carolyn Johnson
Marcia Lattimore
Continued on next page.
Set the Stage Campaign Contributors
$100 - $4,999 (Continued)
Aaron Lyles & Samantha Weragoda
Kathleen Lynch
Amy & Neal Mandell
Andrew Palmer
Robert Parrott & Sally Wister
Sarah Patterson & Dominic Fair
Michael Ross
Gil & Kathy Salk
Visit Our Restaurant Partners
Show your Hartford Stage ticket at one of these local restaurants to access special discounts!
The 196 Club
Banh Meee
Black Eyed Sally’s
Bloom Bake Shop
The Brownstone
The Cocktail Parlour
Emrey’s Specialty Sweets & Sodas
Peppercorn’s Grill
Scan for more information.
Steven & Karen Schutzer
Pam & Peter Sobering
Claire Stermer
Marilyn Stoudt
Rhonda Tobin & Jeffrey Smith
Paul & Karen Torop
Richard Wenner
Kathleen & Rick White
Annual Contributors
Thank you to all our donors. We are grateful for the generosity throughout our entire community and recognize all of our supporters on our website at HartfordStage.org/ Recognition. We are happy to acknowledge here those with leadership contributions in the past 12 months, September 17, 2024-September 17, 2025.
Annual Fund
Director’s Circle • $50,000+
Richard & Beth Costello
Greg & Renata Hayes
Producer Circle • $25,000+
Jill Adams & William Knight
Robert & Francine Goldfarb Family Fund
David & Janice Klein
Jack & Donna Sennott
William & Judith Thompson
Ovation Society • $10,000+
Douglas & Sheryl Adkins
Arnold Greenberg+
The Pryor Family Foundation
Elizabeth Schiro & Stephen Bayer
Elizabeth Vandeventer
Veronica & Howard Wiseman
Encore Society • $5,000+
Andra Asars
Jennefer Carey Berall
Devon & Thomas Francis
Nancy Goodwin
Diane Hildreth
Barnaby W. Horton & Hannah GranfieldHorton
George* & Helen Ingram
David & Kathleen Jimenez
Konover Coppa Family Fund
Katherine J. Lambert
Christopher Larsen
Thomas & Margah Lips
Harry E. Meyer
Michael & Colleen Nicastro
Kristen Phillips & Matthew Schreck
Douglas H. Robins
Suzanne B. Ruffee
Donald & Linda Silpe
+ Deceased
Sally & Allan Taylor
Maggie & Sherwood Willard
Mark & Patty Willis
Elease & Dana Wright
Patron Society • $3,500+
Marla & John Byrnes
Ruth Fitzgerald & Dave Sageman
Marilda Gandara & Scott O’Keefe
Doris & Ray Guenter
David & Gail Hall
Carrie & Jonathan Hammond
Karen Kleine
Cynthia K. Mackay
Amy & Neal Mandell
E. John McGarvey
Ernest & Mickey Mattei
Robert A. & Joan C. Penney
Nicole Vitrano & Art Wallace
Jacqueline Werner
Yvette Yelardy & Daniel Morganstern
Honorary Gifts
IN HONOR OF MELIA BENSUSSEN
Tracy King
William V. & Patrick M. Madison-McDonald
IN HONOR OF ANNIE HILDRETH
Diane Hildreth
IN HONOR OF DAVID & JAN KLEIN
Wendy Avery
IN HONOR OF KATHERINE LAMBERT
Janet Faude
IN HONOR OF AMY & NEAL MANDELL
Debi & Peter Miller
IN HONOR OF CYNTHIA RIDER
Anne Rider & Rob Hinrichs
Ellen Rider & Stanley King
IN HONOR OF ROSALIE ROTH
Karl Krapek Jr.
Continued on next page.
Annual Contributors
IN HONOR OF ROSALIND SPIER
Karen & Phillip Will
IN HONOR OF RHONDA TOBIN
Shari & Jay Tobin
IN HONOR OF HANS WALSER & CAROL SCOVILLE
Karen Kleine
IN HONOR OF PATTY WILLIS
The Burkehaven Family Foundation
IN HONOR OF YVETTE YELARDY
Benna Kushlefsky
Memorial Gifts
IN MEMORY OF ROBERT EPSTEIN
David & Janice Klein
IN MEMORY OF GALINA FAYNGERSH
Diana Lee
IN MEMORY OF BEVERLY G. HIMELSTEIN
Michael J. Moran
IN MEMORY OF LOIS M. O’HARE
Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. O’Hare
IN MEMORY OF ELIZABETH PIERCE
Dorella Bond
IN MEMORY OF MARGARET RUMFORD
Robert & Marilyn Anderson
Helen Deag
Jackie & Joe Kelley
Dariel Muldonn
Institutional Giving
$200,000+
Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
The Shubert Foundation
Stanley Black & Decker
$125,000+
Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development
$100,000+
The Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
The Hartford Raytheon Technologies
$75,000+
Burry Fredrik Foundation
The Katherine K. McLane & Henry R. McLane Charitable Trust
+ Deceased
$50,000+
Connecticut Humanitites
Connecticut Judicial Branch
Connecticut State Department of Education
Greater Hartford Arts Council
The John and Kelly Hartman Foundation
SBM Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts
Travelers
$25,000+
Arts Midwest
BFA Endowed Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family Foundation
Cigna
Connecticut Heath & Education Facilities Authority
The Elizabeth M. Landon & Harriette M. Landon Charitable Foundation
Ensworth Charitable Foundation
The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Michael E. Simmons Foundation
Roberts Foundation for the Arts
Robinson & Cole LLP
$15,000+
Cummings & Lockwood
Global Atlantic Financial Company
Maximillian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation
Lucille Lortel Foundation
The MorningStar Fund
Talcott Resolution
$10,000+
The Blair Fund
Conning*
The Ellen Jeane Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust
Liberty Bank
The William & Alice Mortensen Foundation
$5,000+
Allan S. Goodman, Inc.
The Burton & Phyllis Hoffman Foundation
The J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Inc.
JANA Foundation
McDonald Family Trust
Stanley D. & Hinda N. Fisher Fund
William H. & Rosanna T. Andrulat
Charitable Foundation
$2,500+ Bartlett Brainard Eacott Fiducient Advisors In-Kind
The University of Saint Joseph
Shakespeare Society
The Shakespeare Society comprises individuals who have provided for the future of Hartford Stage in their estate plans. Hartford Stage is deeply grateful for their generosity and foresight. The members of this group help to ensure the legacy of Hartford Stage. Have you included Hartford Stage in your estate plans? Tell us about it! Call Evan Kudish, Manager of Board & Donor Relations, at 860-520-7241 to share your plans and allow us to thank you.
Anonymous (15)
Brian & Betty Ashfield
Richard & Alice Baxter
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bourdeau
Mrs. Joan Brown
Kimberley & Christopher Byrd
Marla & John Byrnes
Mario R. Cavallo
Sue Ann Collins
Richard G. Costello
Ms. Linda Diana DeConti
Mr. Reginald Gregory DeConti
Robert L. & Susan G. Fisher
Kathy Frederick & Eugene Leach
Victoria E. Gallo
Evelyn A. Genovese
Carrie & Jonathan Hammond
Walter & Diane Harrison
Elie Helou
Helen Ingram
David & Janice Klein
Joel M. & Naomi Baline Kleinman
Katherine J. Lambert
Christopher Larsen
William C. Leary
Tom & Margah Lips
Mark & Liisa Livingston
Elaine T. Lowengard
Donna Matulis
Judith Meyers & Richard Hersh
Ki Miller
Arthur & Merle Nacht
Judge Jon O. Newman
Lyn Oliva & John Brighenti
Belle K. Ribicoff
Ezra & Chrissie Ripple
Prudence P. Robertson
Barbara Rubin
Carol W. Scoville
Donald & Linda Silpe
Marjorie K. & Jack S. Solomon, Doreen A. Cohn, Faith L. Solomon Fund
Jennifer Smith Turner & Eric Turner
Mary L. Stephenson
Elsa Suisman
Robert & Gretchen Wetzel
Michael Wilson & Jeff Cowie
Henry M. Zachs
Michael & Ellen Zenke
In Memoriam
Hartford Stage fondly remembers these late members of the Shakespeare Society. Anonymous (6)
Margaret Atwood
Cynthia Kellogg Barrington
Maxwell & Sally Belding
Susan R. Block
Clifford S. Burdge
Edward C. Cape
Ruth Cape
Anna & David Clark
James H. Eacott, Jr.
David Geetter
Yummy Graulty
Herman Zeus Goldberg
George A. Ingram
Dieter & Siegelind Johannes
Hugh M. Joseloff & Helen J. Joseloff
Nafe E. Katter
Janet M. Larsen
Joe Marfuggi
Mr. & Mrs. Henry R. McLane
Mary & Freeman Meyer
Tuck Miller
Ann & George Richards
Dr. Russell Robertson
Robert K. Schrepf
Talcott Stanley
Janet S. & Michael Suisman
Helen S. Willis
Louise W. Willson
Diversity, Equity, and Belonging
At Hartford Stage, equity is not a destination—it’s an ongoing journey. From the stories we bring to life on our stage, to the voices behind the scenes, we are committed to amplifying diverse perspectives and fostering accessibility and inclusion in every aspect of our work.
Artistry & Craft
We believe artistic excellence is achieved through a collaborative process that is rooted in creativity and a willingness to take risks.
Lifelong Learning
We believe theater creates opportunities for personal growth and learning for people of all ages.
Relationships
We believe in developing connections within and beyond the theater, extending our reach into the community and fostering a sense of mutual belonging.
Integrity & Responsibility
We believe that fiscal, operational, and programmatic decisions must embrace physical safety, financial sustainability, and equity with kindness and respect.
Accessibility is central to ensuring that our spaces, stories, and experiences are truly welcoming for all.
We heard you! Our new assistive listening system is now available for you to enjoy. Simply stop by Guest Services in the lobby to learn more. You can also join us for performances featuring Open Captions or Audio Descriptions, designed to enhance the theater experience for audience members with vision or hearing differences.
And this is just the beginning—more exciting accessibility upgrades are on the way at Hartford Stage!
To learn more about accessibility at Hartford Stage, please visit HartfordStage.org/Accessibility.
