IRT Program: "A Raisin in the Sun" and "Romeo and Juliet"

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It begins with a promise to give back to the world around us.

The Lilly family set a precedent for service from the company’s earliest days, rushing medicines to victims of natural disasters and supporting civic organizations such as the Red Cross and YMCA. Today, we continue to find creative ways to give back to our communities. In our own neighborhoods and across the globe, we work hand-in-hand with governments and civic organizations to improve the health and well-being of the people we serve. This work is part of our living heritage and our enduring promise to make life better for people around the world.

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2017-2018 SEASON SPONSOR

For more than 40 years, the Indiana Repertory Theatre has brought together actors, friends, families and neighbors to enjoy great entertainment and unique performances. We are proud to continue our support of the IRT and its significant cultural contributions.

We hope that you will enjoy the 2017-2018 Season.

—Scott Davison, OneAmerica Chairman, President, and CEO

OUR MISSION & VISION MISSION

Live theatre connects us to meaningful issues in our lives and has the power to shape the human experience. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.

VISION

CONTENTS 5

Mission & Values

7 Profile 8 Leadership 12 Staff 14 Board of Directors

The Indiana Repertory Theatre will be a life-long destination of choice for an ever-expanding audience of all ages and backgrounds seeking enjoyable and meaningful experiences. Using theatre as a springboard for both personal reflection and community discussion, our productions and programs will inspire our neighbors to learn about themselves and others. As an arts leader in the state of Indiana, the IRT's goal is to make Indiana a dynamic home of cultural expression, economic vitality, and a diverse, informed, and engaged citizenry.

22 A Raisin in the Sun

AS AN INSTITUTION, WE VALUE:

60 Donor Listing

SUSTAINING A PROFESSIONAL, CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE

REVIEWS

The professional production of plays that provide insight and celebrate human relationships through the unique vision of the playwright • Professional artists of the highest quality working on our stages in an environment that allows them to grow and thrive • Our leadership role in fostering a creative environment where arts, education, corporate, civic, and cultural organizations collaborate to benefit our community.

PRUDENT STEWARDSHIP OF OUR RESOURCES

Our public-benefit status, where the focus is on artistic integrity, affordable ticket prices that allow all segments of our community to attend, and community service • Fiscal responsibility and financial security based on achieving a balanced budget • Growing our endowment fund as a resource for future development and to ensure institutional longevity.

INCLUSIVENESS

The production of plays from a broad range of dramatic literature addressing diverse communities • The involvement of all segments of our community in our activities • Using theatre arts as a primary tool to bring meaning into the lives of our youth, making creativity a component of their education • The employment of artists and staff that celebrates the diversity of the United States.

HERITAGE AND TRADITION

Our role as Indiana’s premiere theatre for more than 40 years, recognized by the 107th Indiana General Assembly in 1991 as “Indiana’s Theatre Laureate.” • The historic Indiana Theatre as our home, as a cultural landmark, and as a significant contributor to a vital downtown • Our national, state, and local reputation for 40+ years of quality creative work and educational programming • Our board, staff, volunteers, artists, audiences, and donors as essential partners in fulfilling our mission.

30 Company bios for A Raisin in the Sun 36 Interview: Kim Staunton 38 Romeo and Juliet 46 Company bios for Romeo and Juliet

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Ticket Office: 317.635.5252 Admin Offices: 317.635.5277 140 West Washington Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

PHOTO POLICY

Photography of the set without actors and with proper credit to the scenic and lighting designers is permitted.

A Raisin in the Sun Credit: Pg. 24 Romeo and Juliet Credit: Pg. 48 Due to union agreements, photography and audio recording are not permitted during the performance. The videotaping of productions is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable Federal Offense.

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performance spaces (OneAmerica Mainstage, Upperstage, and The Cabaret) and work spaces, reviving this historic downtown entertainment site.

To keep ticket prices and services affordable for the entire community, the IRT operates as a not-for-profit organization, deriving more than 50% of its operating income from contributions. The theatre is generously supported by foundations, corporations, and individuals, an investment which recognizes the IRT’s mission-based commitment to serving Central Indiana with top-quality theatrical fare.

PROGRAMS

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE PROFILE

HISTORY

Since the Indiana Repertory Theatre was founded in 1971, it has grown into one of the leading regional theatres in the country, as well as one of the top-flight cultural institutions in the city and state. In 1991 Indiana’s General Assembly designated the IRT as “Theatre Laureate” of the state of Indiana. The IRT’s national reputation has been confirmed by prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Lila Wallace– Reader’s Digest Fund, The Theatre Communications Group– Pew Charitable Trusts, The Shubert Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation; and by a Joyce Award from The Joyce Foundation.

The IRT remains the largest fully professional resident not-forprofit theatre in the state, providing more than 100,000 live professional theatre experiences for its audience last season.

These experiences included 38,000 students and teachers from 53 of Indiana’s 92 counties, making the IRT one of the most youth-oriented professional theatres in the country. A staff of more than 100 seasonal and year-round employees creates nine productions exclusively for Indiana audiences. Actors, directors, and designers are members of professional stage unions.

The IRT’s history has been enacted in two historic downtown theatres. The Athenaeum Turners Building housed the company’s first eight seasons. Since 1980 the IRT has occupied the 1927 Indiana Theatre, which was renovated to contain three

• The OneAmerica Season includes nine diverse productions from classical and contemporary repertoires, including Eli Lilly and Company presents A Christmas Carol and James Still's Appoggiatura.

• New Play Development The IRT offers Write Now, a prestigious national workshop for adult playwrights writing for young audiences; and Young Playwrights in Process (YPiP), a playwriting contest and workshop for Indiana high school and junior high students.

• Community Gathering Place Located in a beautiful historic landmark, the IRT offers a wide variety of unique and adaptable spaces for family, business, and community gatherings of all types.

Call Margaret Lehtinen at 317.916.4880 for more information.

• Opportunities The IRT depends on the generous donation of time and energy by volunteer ushers; call 317.916.4880 to learn how you can become involved.

• Meet the Artists Regularly scheduled pre-show chats, post-show discussions, and backstage tours offer audiences unique insights into each production.

• Student Matinees The IRT continues a long-time commitment to student audiences with school-day student matinee performances of all IRT productions. These performances are augmented with educational activities and curriculum support materials. This season Eli Lilly and Company presents A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, and The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse offer extensive opportunities for student attendance.

• Educational Programs Auxiliary services offered include visiting artists in the classroom, study guides, pre- and post-show discussions, and guided tours of the IRT’s facilities.

• Classes From creative dramatics to audition workshops to Shakespeare seminars, the IRT offers a wide array of personal learning opportunities for all ages, including our Summer Conservatory for Youth. Call 317.916.4842 for further information.

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as numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Shakespeare for a New Generation.

Among the memorable productions Janet has directed on the IRT’s stages are The Glass Menagerie (1999), Ah! Wilderness (2002), The Drawer Boy (2004), Looking Over the President’s Shoulder (2008), The Diary of Anne Frank (2011), James Still’s The House That Jack Built (2012), and To Kill a Mockingbird (2016). Celebrating the IRT’s 46-year legacy this season, she directs A Christmas Carol and Looking Over the President’s Shoulder.

LEADERSHIP: JANET ALLEN EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Creating world-class professional theatre for Central Indiana audiences of all ages has remained a career-long passion for Janet Allen. She began at the IRT in 1980 as the theatre’s first literary manager and dramaturg. After four years in New York City, she returned to serve ten years as associate artistic director under mentors Tom Haas and Libby Appel. Named the IRT’s fourth artistic director in 1996, she is now in her 22nd season in that role. In 2013, she was named the IRT’s executive artistic director.

During Janet’s tenure, the IRT has significantly diversified its education services to both adults and children, expanded its new play development programs, solidified its reputation as a top-flight regional theatre dedicated to diverse programming and production quality, and established the IRT as a generous content partner with organizations throughout Central Indiana. Janet’s passion for nurturing playwrights has led to a fruitful relationship with James Still, the IRT’s playwrightin-residence for 20 years, and the creation and production of 16 new works—the Indiana Series—that examine Hoosier and Midwestern sensibilities (seven of them by James Still).

Her collaboration with playwrights has brought the theatre prestigious grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Joyce Foundation, and The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, as well 8

Janet studied theatre at Illinois State University, Indiana University, and Exeter College, Oxford. As a classical theatre specialist, she has published and taught theatre history and dramaturgy at IUPUI and Butler University. Janet’s leadership skills and community service have been recognized by Indianapolis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Award, the Network of Women in Business–IBJ’s “Influential Women in Business” Award, Safeco’s Beacon of Light in Our Community Award, a Distinguished Hoosier Award conferred by Governor Frank O’Bannon, Girls Inc.’s Touchstone Award for Arts Leadership, and the Indiana Commission on Women’s “Keeper of the Light”Torchbearer Award. She is a proud alum of the Stanley K. Lacy Leadership program (Class XIX) and the Shannon Leadership Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is a 2013-14 Arts Council of Indianapolis Creative Renewal Arts Fellow. In 2015 Janet was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and received a Medallion Award for significant national contributions from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America. In July 2017 Janet was named an Indiana Living Legend by the Indiana Historical Society.

Janet is a member of the Indianapolis Woman’s Club and Congregation Beth-El Zedeck. She lives in an historic house built in 1855 in the downtown Chatham Arch neighborhood with her husband, Joel Grynheim, their two daughters, and a lovely canine mutt.

Suzanne is a graduate of the College of William & Mary (undergraduate) and Indiana University (M.B.A.). She started her career as a CPA; prior to coming to Indianapolis, she worked in finance for more than 10 years, living in such varied locales as Washington, DC; Dallas, Texas; Frankfurt, Germany; Honolulu, Hawaii; and even working for three months in Auckland, New Zealand (where, yes, she went bungee jumping). She is a proud alum of the Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Program (Class XXXI). Suzanne lives in the Old Northside with her 14-year-old son, Jackson, and their foxhound rescue dog, Gertie, and spends some of her downtime in Palatine, Illinois, with her partner, Todd Wiencek.

Opposite: Kim Staunton and Lauren Briggeman in the IRT's 2016 production of Finding Home: Indiana at 200. Photo by Zach Rosing.

Below: Rob Johansen and Elizabeth Laidlaw in the IRT's 2016 production of The Three Musketeers. Photo by Zach Rosing.

LEADERSHIP: SUZANNE SWEENEY MANAGING DIRECTOR

Suzanne is a 19-year veteran of the IRT, managing every administrative area within the theatre at one time or another during that period. Serving as the managing director is the capstone to her career here. Her main responsibility had been to serve as the chief financial officer of the theatre, running the business office, human resources, and information technology functions. As the CFO, she helped to steer the organization thorough 15 years of balanced budgets (and 15 audits!). She also served as the interim managing director for 18 months in 2004-2005.

Suzanne is continuing the work of maintaining a brilliant team whose members expertly manage all of the administrative areas. She is excited to be moving into year five of this leadership role of the organization she loves, alongside her mentor and friend Janet Allen.

In 2016, Suzanne was honored to serve as a panelist for Shakespeare in American Communities in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Suzanne is active in the community, having been the treasurer of Irish Fest for nine years, a member of the board of directors and treasurer of the Day Nursery Association (now Early Learning Indiana) for seven years, and a past treasurer of IndyFringe.

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Inge Festival’s Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, the Orlin Corey Medallion from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America, and the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Award for Distinguished Body of Work. His plays have been nominated four times for the Pulitzer Prize, and have been developed and workshopped at Robert Redford’s Sundance, the New Harmony Project, Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference, the Colorado New Play Summit, the Lark in New York, Launch Pad at UC–Santa Barbara, Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival, Telluride Playwright’s Festival, New Visions/ New Voices, Fresh Ink, and Write Now at the IRT. Three of his plays have received the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, and his work has been produced throughout the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

LEADERSHIP: JAMES STILL PLAYWRIGHT-IN-RESIDENCE

Other theatres that have produced James’s plays include the Kennedy Center, Denver Center, Geva, Cornerstone Theater Company, Ford’s Theatre, People’s Light & Theatre, the Barter, Pasadena Playhouse, Portland Stage, the Station, the Asolo, Company of Fools, the Children’s Theater Company of Minneapolis, Metro Theater Company, B-Street Theatre, Tricklock, Vermont Stage Company, the Round House, American Blues, Shattered Globe, Illusion Theater, and the Mark Taper Forum.

During James’s 20 years as playwright-in-residence, IRT Recent premieres at other theatres include the Denver Center audiences have seen his plays Miranda; April 4, 1968: Before We Theatre production of Appoggiatura, which was a nominee for Forgot How to Dream; The House That Jack Built; I Love to Eat: Outstanding New Play for the Henry Awards at the Colorado Cooking with James Beard; The Velveteen Rabbit; The Heavens Theatre Guild. Miranda premiered at Illusion Theater in Are Hung in Black; Interpreting William; Iron Kisses; Looking Over Minneapolis just before its IRT production. The Widow Lincoln the President’s Shoulder (twice); The Gentleman from Indiana; premiered at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, marking the 150th Searching for Eden; He Held Me Grand; And Then They Came anniversary of President Lincoln’s death. James’s short play When for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank (thrice); Amber Miss Lydia Hinkley Gives a Bird Waves; and The Secret History of IN 2017, SARAH & JOHN LECHLEITER GAVE A GIFT TO THE the Bird has appeared in several the Future. He has also directed IRT IN HONOR OF JAMES STILL’S LONG-TIME RELATIONSHIP festivals around the country after many productions at the IRT, WITH THE IRT, CREATING THE JAMES STILL PLAYWRIGHT-INits premiere with Red Bull Theatre including Dial “M” for Murder, RESIDENCE FUND, WHICH WILL PROVIDE FUTURE SUPPORT in New York. New plays include The Mystery of Irma Vep, Red, FOR THE PLAYWRIGHT-IN-RESIDENCE AS WELL AS THE an adaptation of the classic Black Other Desert Cities, God of CREATION OF NEW WORK FOR THE IRT. Beauty commissioned by Seattle Carnage, Becky’s New Car, Rabbit Children’s Theatre, and a new play called (A) New World.

Hole, Doubt, Bad Dates, Plaza Suite, The Immigrant, and Dinner with Friends, as well as his own I Love to Eat, Looking over the James also works in television and film and has been nominated President’s Shoulder (2001), and Amber Waves. This season for five Emmys and a Television Critics Association Award; he has the IRT produces his plays Appoggiatura and Looking Over the twice been a finalist for the Humanitas Prize. He was a producer President’s Shoulder, and he directs The Originalist. and head writer for the series PAZ, the head writer for Maurice James is an elected member of the National Theatre Conference Sendak’s Little Bear, and writer for the Bill Cosby series Little Bill. in New York, and a Kennedy Center inductee of the College of He wrote The Little Bear Movie and The Miffy Movie as well as the Fellows of the American Theatre. Other honors include the Todd feature film The Velocity of Gary. James grew up in Kansas and McNerney New Play Prize from the Spoleto Festival, William lives in Los Angeles.

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Bay Area Children’s Theatre. At Berkeley Rep he created innovative community engagement programs to build and diversify audiences, and he facilitated youth development and leadership through the company’s Teen Council and representation at national conferences. Celebrating the work of young artists, he produced five festivals of plays written, directed, designed, and performed by Bay Area teens. At the Bay Area Children’s Theatre, he served as a director and interim artistic director, developing three world premiere musicals adapted from children’s literature, creating a new student matinee program, and overseeing a successful move into a new theatre building and campus.

LEADERSHIP: BENJAMIN HANNA ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Ben is a director, new play developer, educator, and community engagement specialist whose passion for multigenerational theatre has influenced his work across the country with companies such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Steppingstone Theatre, and the Bay Area Children’s Theatre. In all of his myriad roles, Ben is guided by the belief that access to high-quality theatre helps build creative, empathetic people and healthy communities.

In his native Minnesota, Ben was privileged and honored to serve on the education staff of Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s leading African American theatre, where he helped to expand their education and outreach offerings. His proudest accomplishments during his four years with the company include growing the nationally recognized Summer Institute for Activist Artists into a three-year multidisciplinary social justice theatre training program, developing a multigenerational quilting circle, and helping to create and facilitate a racial equity training program through the company’s RACE workshop series.

Ben holds a degree in theatre arts from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He grew up on a small rural farm and fell in love with theatre at the age of eleven. He continues to create for his new favorite audience: his five nieces and nephews. Ben is excited to make his home in Indianapolis, to learn from the amazing team of artists and administrators at IRT, and to get to know (and no doubt love) this new and diverse community.

Antonio King and Lex Lumpkin in IRT's 2017 production of Stuart Little.

Photo by Zach Rosing.

Ben is thrilled to begin his first year on the leadership team at Indiana Repertory Theatre. He joins IRT following the completion of a prestigious 18-month Theatre Communications Group Leadership University Award. This highly competitive grant, administered by TCG and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, supported his artistic associate position at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, the nation’s largest theatre for young audiences. During his tenure at CTC, Ben directed in-house productions and took shows across the globe, as far afield as South Africa; he played a key role in fundraising, management, education, and strategic planning processes; and he helped guide the organization in addressing historical inequities and ensuring that the company’s work reflected the diversity of the local community.

Prior to his role at CTC, Ben spent five years in California’s Bay Area, dividing his time between Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the

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INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE STAFF & ASSOCIATES EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Janet Allen

ARTISTIC

Associate Artistic Director Benjamin Hanna General Manager Jane Robison Production Manager Brian S. Newman Resident Dramaturg Richard J Roberts Company Manager Hillary Martin Manager of Outreach Programs Milicent Wright Playwright-in-Residence James Still COSTUME SHOP

Costume Shop Manager Guy Clark Lead Draper Jessica Hayes Draper Stephanie Eubank Costumers Christi Parker Judith Skyles

ARTISTIC

Teaching Artists Chelsea Anderson Joanna Bennett Andrew Black Emily Bohn Callie Burk Hartz Kate Homan Ronn Johnstone

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Wardrobe Supervisor Rachel Taylor Shop Assistant Jason Gill ELECTRICS

Master Electrician Beth A. Nuzum Assistant Master Electrician Elizabeth G. Smith Electrician Matt Griffin PAINT SHOP

Charge Scenic Artist Claire Dana Assistant Charge Scenic Artists Jim Schumacher Robyn Vortex PROPERTIES SHOP

Properties Manager Geoffrey Ehrendreich Properties Carpenter Christina Buerosse Properties Artisan Rachelle Martin Wilbur SCENE SHOP

Technical Director Chris Fretts

Teaching Artists, Cont.

Beverly Roche Katie Sellars Milicent Wright ELECTRICS

Electricians Lee Edmundson Jonathan Harden Luke Hoefer

Assistant Technical Director John Bennett Shop Foreman Kyle Baker Master Carpenter Betty Rupp Carpenters Seth Randall-Tapply David Sherrill Deck Manager Matt Shives SOUND

Resident Sound Designer Todd Mack Reischman Audio Engineer Maggie Hall Audio Video Engineer Alec Stunkel STAGE MANAGEMENT

Production Stage Manager Nathan Garrison Stage Manager Erin Robson-Smith Production Assistants Claire Stark Rebecca Roeber Young Actor Liaison Justess Hurst

PAINT SHOP

Scenic Painter Lee Edmundson

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Suzanne Sweeney ADMINISTRATION

Receptionist /Administrative Assistant Seema Juneja Executive Assistant Randy Talley Administrative Support Specialist Suzanne Spradlin Beinart DEVELOPMENT

Director of Development Jennifer Turner Associate Director of Major Gifts Lindsey Horan Institutional Giving Manager Eric J. Olson Donor Relations Manager Maggie Barrett Schlake Development Systems Brady Clark EDUCATION

Director of Education Randy D. Pease Youth Audience Manager Sarah Geis FINANCE

Director of Finance Greg Perkins EDUCATION

Education Intern Evy Burch

FINANCE ASSOCIATES

External Auditors Crowe Horwath LLP Legal Counsel Heather Moore

PATRON SERVICES

Assistant House Managers Pat Bebee Terri Bradburn

Assistant Controller Danette Alles Payroll & Benefits Specialist Jennifer Carpenter INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Director of Information Systems Dan Bradburn MARKETING

Director of Marketing & Sales Danielle M. Dove Marketing Communications Manager Carolyne Holcomb Audience Development Manager Elizabeth Petermann Graphic Designer Amber Mills Junior Designer & Digital Media Coordinator Alexis Morin OUTREACH

Group Sales & Teleservices Manager Doug Sims Assistant Teleservices Manager Jeff Pigeon Teleservices Representatives Tom Detmer Akeem Harris Jesse Jones Matt Kennicutt

Assistant House Managers Cont.

Nancy Carlson Cara Clapper Kyla Decker Marilyn Hatcher Bill Imel Norma Johnson Alicia McClendon Sherry McCoy Gail McDermott-Bowler Dianna Mosedale Melanie Overfield Deborah Provisor Darlene Raposa

Teleservices Representatives Cont.

Victoria Smith Carolynne Tropepe PATRON SERVICES

Operations Manager Robert Steele Manager of Public Operations Margaret Lehtinen Assistant Ticket Office Manager Jessie Streeval Tessitura Administrator Molly Sweets House Manager Heather Uuk Customer Service Representatives Barbara Janiak Hannah Jenkins Kelsey Keating Joe Mount Jacob Peterman Mac Wright Gift Shop & Customer Service Rep. Eric Wilburn Building Services Dameon Cooper Dave Melton

Assistant House Managers Cont.

Phoebe Rodgers Kathy Sax Judy Seigle Karen Sipes Maggie Ward Heather Welling Bartenders Gayle Durcholz Sandra Hester-Steele Nancy Hiser Susan Korbin Tina Weaver

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Welcome to the IRT! On behalf of the IRT’s Board of Directors and staff, thank you for joining us for another outstanding performance created right here at Indiana’s leading professional theatre. Great theatre sparks conversations, thoughtful questions, and ideas that reflect on and carry into our lives, workplaces, and communities.

Whether you’ve been part of the IRT family for years or are a first-time visitor, we are glad you are with us!

As we celebrate our 46th season, we also want to thank you for supporting the IRT’s mission to bring world-class theatre to adult and youth audiences across the state. Your attendance, your gifts, and your good will are critical to our ongoing ability to serve the people of Indiana. With your participation, the IRT can continue its longtime role as a pillar of the state’s performing arts scene, an important downtown magnet, and a valuable community partner. Enjoy the show, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

–Tom Froehle, IRT Board Chair OFFICERS CHAIR

Tom Froehle

-Faegre Baker Daniels

VICE CHAIR & CHAIR ELECT

Nadine Givens

-PNC Wealth Management

SECRETARY

Jill Lacy

-The Lacy Foundation

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Michael J. Harrington -Eli Lilly and Company

TREASURER

Mark Shaffer -KPMG LLP

MEMBERS Tammara D. Avant

Holt Hedrick

Susan O. Ringo

Sharon R. Barner

Brenda Horn

Don Robinson-Gay

Gerald Berg

Rebecca King

Wayne Schmidt

Keith A. Bice

John Kline

Michael Semler

Mary Beth Claus

Amy Kosnoff

Mike Simmons

Ann Colussi Dee

Sarah Lechleiter

Jennifer Vigran

Gary Denney

Jeff MacKay

Amy Waggoner

Michael P. Dinius

Andrew Michie

L. Alan Whaley

Richard D. Feldman

Lawren K. Mills

David Whitman*

James W. Freeman

Michael Moriarty

William O. Williams II

Ron Gifford

Timothy W. Oliver

Heather Wilson

Ricardo L. Guimarães

Brian Payne

Michael N. Heaton

Peter N. Reist

-Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP -Cummins, Inc.

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-Duke Realty

-Eli Lilly and Company, Retired -Noble Consulting Services, Inc. -Franciscan Health Indianapolis -OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc., Retired -RDG Strategies LLC -Dow AgroSciences

-Katz Sapper & Miller

* Past Board Chairs

-Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P. -Ice Miller LLP

-Leadership Indianapolis -CNO Financial Group, Inc. -Community Volunteer

-Community Volunteer

-AES US Services and IPL -OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc. -Ice Miller Strategies LLC, Ice Miller LLP -Frost Brown Todd, LLC -JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA

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-BMO Harris Commercial Banking -Schmidt Associates

-Cushman & Wakefield -Jupiter Peak, LLC -Second Helpings, Inc. -Salesforce

-Ice Miller LLP

-Community Volunteer

-UnitedHealthcare

-Frost Brown Todd LLC

-Central Indiana Community Foundation -Oxford Financial Group

BOARD EMERITUS Robert Anker* Rollin Dick Berkley Duck* Dale Duncan*

-Community Volunteer

* Past Board Chairs

Michael Lee Gradison* (in memoriam) Margie Herald David Klapper David Kleiman* E. Kirk McKinney Jr. (in memoriam) Richard Morris*(in memoriam)

Jane Schlegel* Jerry Semler* Jack Shaw* William E. Smith III* Eugene R. Tempel*

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale

DON’T MISS THE REST OF OUR 2017-2018 SEASON BUILD YOUR OWN 3 PACKAGES STILL AVAILABLE FOR $171, BUY NOW!

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ONEAMERICA MAINSTAGE JANUARY 10 FEBRUARY 3 REVIEWS:

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- Scenic Designer: Tony Cisek, tonycisek.com - Lighting Designer: Peter Maradudin, maradudin.com

ARTISTIC

SEASON SPONSOR

DIRECTOR________________TIMOTHY DOUGLAS

Scenic Designer_________________________ TONY CISEK Costume Designer_____________________ KARA HARMON Lighting Designer___________________PETER MARADUDIN Composer_________________________________ MICHAEL KECK Dramaturg________________________RICHARD J ROBERTS Stage Manager______________________NATHAN GARRISON* Casting_________________________HARRIET BASS CASTING CO-PRODUCED WITH SYRACUSE STAGE SYRACUSE, NY

Artistic Director_____________________ ROBERT M. HUPP Managing Director___________________JILL A. ANDERSON

ARTS PARTNERS

SEASON 2017 - 2018

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

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m a k i n g t h e a rts h a p p e n

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JANET ALLEN

Executive Artistic Director

SUZANNE SWEENEY

Managing Director

THE CAST Ruth Younger________________DORCAS SOWUNMI* Travis Younger______________________LEX LUMPKIN Walter Lee Younger_____________ CHIKÉ JOHNSON* Beneatha Younger___________________STORI AYERS* Lena Younger________________________KIM STAUNTON* Joseph Asagai___________________ ELISHA LAWSON* George Murchison__________________ JORDAN BELLOW* Bobo____________________________ D. ALEXANDER Karl Lindner____________________PAUL TAVIANINI* Moving Men______________________ D. ALEXANDER DAMEON COOPER

SETTING The Youngers’ apartment on Chicago’s Southside Act 1

Scene 1 Friday morning Scene 2 Saturday morning Scene 3 Later the same day

Intermission Act 2

Scene 1 Friday night, a few weeks later Scene 2 A week later Scene 3 An hour later

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A Raisin in the Sun is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, New York.

Assistant Director: Nirvania Quesada Understudy for Travis Younger: Brian Wilson *Actors and stage managers in this production who are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union. The scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers are represented by United Scenic Artists Local 829, IATSE. Photography of the set without actors and with proper credit to scenic and lighting designers is permitted. Due to union agreements, photography and audio recording are not permitted during the performance. The videotaping of productions is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable Federal Offense.

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AMERICAN VALUES

BY JANET ALLEN, EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

I often wonder what would have happened in the American theatre if Lorraine Hansberry hadn’t died so young. She finished only two plays, including A Raisin in the Sun, before dying at age 34. She was the first black woman to have a play performed on Broadway, and the youngest playwright ever to win the New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for best new play. Her writings in other mediums—essays, articles, and two screenplays—give us a record of a woman of immense intellectual and writing prowess, and one who was poised to change the face of the American theatre.

So not surprisingly, Raisin quickly moved into the canon of American theatre classics, where it holds a position of high esteem, and where it has remained since 1959. It continues to be taught in high school and college curriculums, and it is frequently produced in professional theatres as well as amateur ones.

There are reasons for the play’s popularity other than sentiment and the tragic demise of its author (she died of pancreatic cancer). And I imagine that, in a way, she wishes that its content was no longer relevant. The long shadow of racial profiling and the deep economic and cultural impacts of slavery continue to plague our country, making plays like A Raisin in the Sun sadly and continuously relevant.

We see in the Younger family a yearning for many of the American values that should be available to all: a passion for self-improvement, a desire to live the American dream of prosperity, safety, space, fresh air, good schools. A belief in the right of equality. A commitment to family. These are the values that continue to fire the beliefs of all Americans, and Hansberry captured the depth of that timeless yearning in this family in a way that speaks to all of us. And we need to keep listening.

Ultimately, the play is legendary because it is an exquisite piece of art that captures a deep and resonant set of sociological truths. We honor Hansberry, while sending out a renewed call for understanding and equality, by producing, as artfully as we can, her masterwork.

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale.

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PAST, PROLOGUE, & PRESENT PRESENCE

BY TIMOTHY DOUGLAS, DIRECTOR

Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal A Raisin in the Sun has become a touchstone for me throughout my career in theatre. I participated as one of the Moving Men in the 25th anniversary production at Yale Repertory Theatre (which featured breakout performances from Beah Richards, Delroy Lindo, and Mary Alice). Later it was the very first play I ever staged—a production that would serve as the catalyst for the prolific directing career that continues for me these 23 years later.

This IRT production makes the fourth time I have journeyed alongside theYoungers as they compel us to take a cold, hard look at the festering, unresolved wound of American slavery, along with its ongoing aftereffects. At the same time, we discover an equally transformational, unwavering, and driving faith in humanity that inextricably interweaves itself with the spoken woes of racism’s grotesqueness.

Delivered through Hansberry’s lyrical, muscular, and culturally precise use of African American vernacular, drama crystallizes into poetry.

My previous three investigations of Raisin compelled me to enter the story through the prisms of Walter Lee, Lena (Mama), and Ruth, respectively. Each exploration yielded impactful and honest points of view, along with authentic and earned sentimentality. But this time—heavily influenced by the current headline- and statisticdriven realities facing Black American men—sentimentality has waned for me. I suppose that’s because I’m now relating as a Black American man whose age and experience sit squarely between those of the play’s central figures, parent and adult child.

For me, the central conflict of the play is no longer limited to the given that as a black man, Walter Lee doesn’t stand a chance of realizing his mid-20th century American dream. Instead, I’ve become laserfocused on the ideological wrestling match between two of American drama’s most compelling titans—Lena and Walter Lee—and their struggle to determine who is best suited, prepared, and battle-ready to lead the Younger family through the harsh realities facing America’s 99 percent. Both Walter Lee’s and Mama’s parallel plans for their family’s very survival are as revolutionary now as they were in the late 1950s. Encoded within the prescient genius of Lorraine Hansberry’s script is the play’s ability to speak out loud the trials of life’s heights and depths—not only in her own time, but in ours as well.

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LIVING ON THE SOUTH SIDE PETER MARADUDIN LIGHTING DESIGNER The goal of the lighting design for this production is to support the other visual elements in creating an environment of oppressive constriction: a small, highly pressured world from which this family has to escape.

The light that enters the space is leeched of color; no vibrancy here. Light—and life—must be found

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outside this home. The ceiling—a visual element that is often problematic for a lighting designer—is incredibly important in conveying the pressure this family is enduring in its cramped quarters. We have striven to find ways for light to creep into the space without compromising the overall vision.

Preliminary model by scenic designer Tony Cisek.

MICHAEL KECK COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER Lorraine Hansberry highlights the role of music in the Younger’s home with 1950s Gospel and Blues on the radio and with West African and Soul recordings on the record player. Each song is essential to its place in the narrative.

With this informing my process, I began choosing recordings with the appropriate tempo and tone. Then, inspired by Walter Lee’s speech about the musicians at the

Green Hat, I sketched out brief pieces with a small blues/ jazz ensemble to set in a busy Chicago city soundscape.

Our director, Timothy Douglas, reminded me of the famous clarinet glissando opening from Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue—an idea which affirmed my instincts but called for a slightly different arrangement for an alto saxophone in order to match my ensemble.

KARA HARMON COSTUME DESIGNER The costume design for A Raisin in the Sun was sparked for me by a beautiful photograph of a family in the 1950s, dressed in their finest clothes, standing outside of their tenement with suitcases. The hope and dignity that each person in the photograph feels is radiating from their gaze. Each family member has a story to tell

and dreams to dream. Through the costume design for this production, I want to take us on a parallel journey, reflecting the perspective, class, dreams, and hopes of each character in the play, while maintaining a simplicity that allows the story to remain accessible and human.

Preliminary costume sketches for Beneatha, Travis, Mama, Walter Lee, and Ruth by designer Kara Harmon.

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LORRAINE HANSBERRY YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK

BY RICHARD J ROBERTS, RESIDENT DRAMATURG

Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago in 1930. Her father, a successful real estate broker, founded one of the first banks for blacks in Chicago. Her mother was a teacher and ward committeewoman. Both were active Republicans, as well as members of the Urban League and the NAACP. Lorraine was the youngest of four children. Her father’s shrewd investments kept the family prosperous through the Depression.

In 1938 Lorraine’s father decided to fight the restrictive covenants that overran Chicago—legal contracts that prohibited white owners from selling their property to black buyers. He bought a house in Washington Park, a subdivision. When the Hansberry family moved in, their white neighbors tried to force them out, and a series of court battles ensued. In the 1940 case Hansberry v. Lee, the Supreme Court ruled against the restrictive covenant in Washington Park—but did not rule on the constitutionality of restrictive covenants in general. Although it was not a complete victory, the decision opened 30 formerly restricted Chicago blocks to African Americans.

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The Hansberrys became well-known figures in Chicago’s black community, and they hosted many of America’s most prominent African Americans in their home. Lorraine grew up surrounded by such visiting luminaries as author and activist W. E. B. Du Bois; actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson; poet Langston Hughes; musician Duke Ellington; and Olympic athlete Jesse Owens.

Lorraine’s father died in 1946, when Lorraine was 15.

She later said that “American racism helped kill him.” The death of a father would become a central element of A Raisin in the Sun. After attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison for two years, Hansberry moved to New York City in 1950, “to seek an education of a different kind.” In 1951 she moved to Harlem and joined the staff of Freedom, the progressive black newspaper published by Paul Robeson. She worked her way up to editorial assistant, eventually writing news articles and editorials about U.S. and global Civil Rights issues. In 1953, when Robeson was denied a visa by the State Department, she attended a peace conference in Uruguay.

That same year she married Robert Nemiroff, a Jewish songwriter, publisher, and political activist whom she had met at a protest against racial discrimination at NYU. The couple moved to Greenwich Village and Hansberry began writing full time.

In 1957 the couple separated, although they continued to work together, and Hansberry began writing A Raisin in the Sun. While the circumstances of the play’s impoverished Younger family are very different from those of Hansberry’s own well off family, clearly the play’s story of a black family considering a move into a white neighborhood is closely related to the playwright’s childhood.

It took two years to raise the money to produce the first Broadway play by an African American woman. When A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959, it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. At 29, Hansberry was not only the first black playwright to win the award, but also the youngest to do so.

In 1960, Hansberry was commissioned by NBC to write a TV drama for the centennial of the Civil War; but her script, called The Drinking Gourd, was considered too controversial, and the project died. In 1961, A Raisin in the Sun was filmed with seven of its original Broadway cast, including Sydney Poitier. Hansberry wrote the screenplay, after two initial attempts that were again deemed too controversial.

In 1963 Hansberry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

She and her husband officially divorced in 1964, but they kept working together. That same year, her second play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, opened on Broadway.

The title character is a Jewish man who publishes an underground newspaper in Greenwich Village, and the play deals with black activism, feminism, gay rights, and prejudice. The play received mixed reviews and ran for only three months. It closed in January 1965, on the day that Hansberry died at the age of 34.

In 1968 Robert Nemiroff, Hansberry’s ex-husband, collected her unpublished writings, journal entries, speeches, and interviews, and created a play, To Be Young, Gifted, and Black. It was a great success Off Broadway and toured all across America. The material was published as a book the next year and received more critical acclaim.

The title comes from a speech Hansberry gave in 1964 to winners of a United Negro College Fund creative writing contest: “Though it be a thrilling and marvelous thing to

be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so, doubly dynamic, to be young, gifted, and black.”

For the last four years of her life, Hansberry had labored over Les Blancs, a play set in Africa and focused on the struggle to achieve independence from European Colonialism. An epic play on a Shakespearean scale, Les Blancs uses music and dance to theatricalize African culture. Hansberry considered it her most important work. In 1970, Nemiroff compiled and edited the incomplete drafts of the play and produced it on Broadway, with a cast that included James Earl Jones. It was lauded by some critics, but only ran for a month.

In 1973 the musical Raisin, based on Hansberry’s first play, opened on Broadway, winning two Tony Awards, including Best Musical. There have been two Broadway revivals of A Raisin in the Sun. The 2004 production featured Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald, who both won Tony Awards.

The 2014 starred Denzel Washington and won three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play.

Hansberry’s untimely death left a void in American theatre and in the circle of black writers. In response to this great loss, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Her commitment of spirit … her creative literary ability, and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today will remain an inspiration to generations yet unborn.”

Lorraine Hansberry in her Greenwich Village home, 1960. Photograph by David M. Attie for Vogue, courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

HARLEM

BY LANGSTON HUGHES

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

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THE COMPANY D. ALEXANDER BOBO

D. Alexander made his IRT debut in To Kill a Mockingbird. He was trained at an early age by the Asante Children’s Theatre. He has traveled and performed in such roles as Joseph Asagai in A Raisin in the Sun at Crossroads Repertory Theater, David Keaton in Exonerated at Spotlight Theatre, and Franco Wicks in Superior Donuts at Theater on the Square, just to name a few. He is also the founder and artistic director of Act a Foo Improv Crew, a comedic improvisational group here in Indy. When not entertaining for audiences, he enjoys entertaining his beautiful daughter, Alexis.

STORI AYERS BENEATHA YOUNGER

Stori is an original cast member and producer of Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root, winner of the Graham F. Smith Peace Foundation Prize. Other acting credits include Foster Mom at Premiere Stages; Detroit ‘67 at Chautauqua Theater Company; Barbecue at Pennsylvania Centre Stage; Jitney at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Yellowman at Anacostia Playhouse; and Blood at the Root at National Black Theatre, Pennsylvania Centre Stage, Grahamstown Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Adelaide Fringe Festival. Stori assistant directed the world premiere of August Wilson’s one-man show How I Learned What I Learned at the Signature Theatre. She holds a B.A. from Mary Baldwin College and an M.F.A. in acting from Penn State University. “I give all the glory to God for blessing me with the desire and opportunities to pursue my dreams.”

JORDAN BELLOW GEORGE MURCHISON

Jordan is making his IRT debut. Recent New York theatre includes The Feels (KMS) at the New Ohio Theatre, Macbeth and Alkestis at the Connelly Theatre, Balm in Gilead and Ward Six at Columbia Stages, and Romeo and Juliet at Pulse Ensemble Theatre. Regional credits include All the Way, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and A Christmas Carol at South Coast Repertory; and Fly at Florida Studio Theatre. Jordan has been seen on television in Orange Is the New Black. He earned a B.F.A. from Chapman University.

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CHIKÉ JOHNSON WALTER LEE YOUNGER

Chiké made his IRT debut in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. He has been seen on Broadway in A Time to Kill and in Manhattan Theatre Club’s Wit, and off Broadway in Lost in the Stars for City Center’s Encores! and Ruined at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Chicago credits include Meet Vera Stark at the Goodman; Sizwe Banzi Is Dead at the Court; and The Crucible, The Unmentionables, and Huck Finn at Steppenwolf. Other regional credits include The Unmentionables at Yale Repertory Theatre, Topdog/Underdog at Renaissance Theaterworks, King Lear at Milwaukee Rep, Home at In Tandem Theatre, “Master Harold”...and the boys at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Smoldering Fires at First Stage Children’s Theater, and two seasons at American Players Theatre.

Film credits include Friends with Benefits, Sleepwalk with Me, and The Machinist; television credits include Law & Order, Girls, Veep, and Prison Break.

ELISHA LAWSON JOSEPH ASAGAI

Elisha is happy to be making his debut here at Indiana Repertory Theatre. He’s been making a name for himself throughout the New York television scene, gaining fame for his role of Switchblade in the television series The Get Down. Additionally, he has portrayed roles in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and CBS’s Blue Bloods, and he just filmed a recurring role in NBC’s Shades of Blue. He was hired by Chicago City Limits Improv troupe straight out of school and has been working ever since. His theatre credits include Syncing Ink at the Flea Theater, A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theater, To Kill a Mockingbird for Queens Theater in the Park, and The Taste of It at Balleybeg Theater Co. “I would like to thank God for my passion and my mom and dad for supporting it.” elishalawson.com

LEX LUMPKIN TRAVIS YOUNGER

Lex made his acting debut last season in the title role of IRT’s Stuart Little. An 11-year-old 6th grader of Hamilton Southeastern School District, Lex lives with his family in Fishers. He recently played the role of Duke of York in Shakespeare’s Richard III with First Folio Productions.

Lex is best known for the role of Dennis, Peyton Manning’s nemesis, in AT&T’s most recent Direct TV commercial series. Lex’s passion for comedy and music is second only to his love of football. Playing the piano, writing short stories, and trying out his Cockney accent with friends are also among Lex’s more notable talents.

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THE COMPANY DORCAS SOWUNMI RUTH YOUNGER

Dorcas made her IRT debut in The Miracle Worker. She is a native Texan who lives in New York City.

She was most recently seen in Nollywood Dreams at Cherry Lane Theatre. Other credits include Romeo and Juliet at the Classical Theatre of Harlem; Lines in the Dust at Luna Stage; Mary Stuart and Measure for Measure at Stratford Shakespeare Festival; Macbeth SS! at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Trust at Lookingglass Theatre; I, Barbara Jordan at the Alley Theatre; and Twelfth Night at the Austin State Theatre. Dorcas received her M.F.A. in acting from the University of Texas at Austin. She has also trained at the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the School at Steppenwolf, and Stella Adler Studio of Acting. “I would like to thank Timothy Douglas and IRT for this amazing opportunity, and my family, friends, and Kreindler/Super Management for their continuous love and support.”

KIM STAUNTON LENA YOUNGER

Kim has appeared at the IRT in Finding Home and Fences. She has been a guest company member at the Denver Center Theatre Company for 14 seasons, and represented DCTC as an inaugural LuntFontanne Fellow at Ten Chimneys Foundation. Regional credits include South Coast Repertory, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Arizona Theatre Company, Portland Stage Company, Ebony Repertory Theatre, Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Lone Tree Arts Center, Virginia Stage Company, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage Company, and the O’Neill Theatre Center. She has performed in numerous productions on and off Broadway. Film credits include First Sunday, Changing Lanes, Heat, Dragonfly, Bark, Holy Man, Deceived, and Amos & Andrew. Television appearances have included guest starring roles on Eleventh Hour, Army Wives, The Nine, Bones, Strong Medicine, Judging Amy, Law and Order, City of Angels, New York Undercover, and TNT’s original movie Glory and Honor. Kim is a native of Washington DC and a graduate of the Juilliard School.

PAUL TAVIANINI KARL LINDNER

Paul is thrilled to be making his IRT debut with A Raisin in the Sun. Regionally he has appeared with the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Nora Theatre, and Huntington Theatre companies in Boston; Hippodrome Theatre Company in Gainesville, Florida; Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, New York; the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; and A Noise Within in Los Angeles. He was a founding member of the Theatre Asylum theatre company in New York City, producing works by new playwrights and classic American authors such as Tennessee Williams, Clifford Odets, William Inge, and Elmer Rice. Paul has appeared on Law & Order and the Discovery Channel series Kidnap and Rescue, and he is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.

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TIMOTHY DOUGLAS DIRECTOR

Timothy returns to Indiana Rep having previously staged productions of Gem of the Ocean, Intimate Apparel, and Jitney. He has directed internationally and counts among his many credits the recent China tour of Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced; and the world premieres of August Wilson’s Radio Golf for Yale Rep, Rajiv Joseph’s The Lake Effect for Silk Road Rising (2013 Jeff Award for Best New Work), and Keith Josef Adkins’Safe House for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, where he currently serves as an associate artist. Other credits include Nina Simone: Four Women, Disgraced, and King Hedley II for Arena Stage; Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2, & 3 for Roundhouse Theatre; Richard II for Shakespeare & Company; Bronte: A Portrait of Charlotte off-Broadway; Mourning Becomes Electra for Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, where he served for a time as artistic director; and many others. From 2001 to 2004, Timothy served as associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where he directed 16 productions, including three Humana Festival premieres. He earned his M.F.A. at Yale School of Drama. timothydouglas.org

TONY CISEK SCENIC DESIGNER

Tony has collaborated with Timothy Douglas on more than 30 productions, including Gem of the Ocean, Intimate Apparel, and Jitney here at the IRT; The Crucible, A Lesson before Dying, and Blues for an Alabama Sky at Syracuse Stage; Disgraced and King Hedley II at Arena Stage; Clybourne Park and Safe House at Cincinnati Playhouse; Father Comes Home from the Wars and Two Trains Running at Round House Theatre; Insurrection: Holding History and Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea at Theater Alliance; The Trip to Bountiful at Cleveland Play House; Much Ado about Nothing at Folger Theatre; and The Night Is a Child at Milwaukee Rep. Tony’s work has been seen Off-Broadway and regionally at Roundabout Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Ford’s Theatre, Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, Portland Center Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, Woolly Mammoth, and the Kennedy Center, among others. tonycisek.com

KARA HARMON COSTUME DESIGNER

Kara’s regional work includes Nina Simone: Four Women at Arena Stage; A Guide for the Homesick at Huntington Theatre Company; In the Heights at Geva Theatre Center; Native Gardens at the Guthrie Theater and Arena Stage; The Legend of Georgia McBride at Marin Theatre Company; The Mountaintop at Trinity Repertory Theatre; Barbecue at Geffen Playhouse; The Rape of Lucretia at Wolf Trap Opera; Ethel and God of Carnage at Alliance Theatre; Seven Guitars at Actors Theatre of Louisville; Much Ado about Nothing and The Comedy of Errors at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and Safe House at Cincinnati Playhouse. New York credits include Dot at Vineyard Theatre and Seven Guitars and Broke-ology at the Juilliard School. She was assistant costume designer on Broadway for The Crucible, Magic Bird, First Date, and Memphis; and on TV for Daredevil (Season 2, Netflix) and Boardwalk Empire (Season 5, HBO). Kara earned her M.F.A. from NYU Tisch. karaharmondesign.com

PETER MARADUDIN LIGHTING DESIGNER

Peter is pleased to return to IRT, where previous work includes Gem of the Ocean (with Timothy Douglas), The Miser, and And a Nightingale Sang. On Broadway he designed the lighting for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Kentucky Cycle, and Off Broadway Hurrah at Last, Ballad of Yachiyo, and Bouncers. Peter has designed more than 300 regional theatre productions for such companies as the Guthrie Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Mark Taper Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. Based in Southern California, Peter is the studio director of the architectural lighting group StudioK1 (studiok1.com). He is the author, under his pen-name Peter Alexei, of the novels The Masked Avenger and The Queen of Spades. peteralexei.com 33

THE COMPANY MICHAEL KECK COMPOSER

Most recently at the IRT, Michael composed music for and acted in April 4, 1968; he has also composed music for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Rabbit Hole, Gem of the Ocean, Searching for Eden, As You Like It, and both previous productions of Looking over the President’s Shoulder. His music has accompanied productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, and many others. His international credits include the Market Theatre Johannesburg South Africa, National Theater of Croatia–Zagreb, the Barbican Theatre Center, and Bristol Old Vic. Excerpts from his solo performance piece Voices in the Rain are published by Temple University Press and Alta Mira Press. Michael received the Theatre Bay Area Award in San Francisco and three Barrymore Award nominations for his work in Philadelphia. He has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Arts Council, and Meet the Composer. He is a member of AEA, SAG–AFTRA, ASCAP, PEN, and the Dramatists Guild.

RICHARD J ROBERTS DRAMATURG

This is Richard’s 28th season with the IRT, and his 20th as resident dramaturg. He has also been a dramaturg for the Hotchner Playwriting Festival, the New Harmony Project, and Write Now. He has directed the IRT’s productions of The Cay, Bridge & Tunnel, The Night Watcher, Neat, Pretty Fire, The Giver (2009), The Power of One, and Twelfth Night, as well as four editions of A Christmas Carol. Other directing credits include Actors Theatre of Indiana, the Phoenix Theatre, Edyvean Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis Civic Theatre, IndyShakes/Wisdom Tooth, Butler University, and Anderson University. Richard studied music at DePauw University and theatre at Indiana University. In 2003 he was awarded a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

NATHAN GARRISON STAGE MANAGER

This is Nathan’s 22nd season at the IRT. He has also worked with Center Stage in Baltimore, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Brown County Playhouse. He received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis in 2005; and he is an inaugural company member of the new Indianapolis Shakespeare Company.

HARRIET BASS CASTING

Harriet is an independent New York casting director for theatre, film, and television. In New York shehas cast for ABC/TV, Fox Television Studios, Joseph Papp’s Public Theater: New Work Now, the Minetta Lane Theatre, the Women’s Project, La Mama E.T.C., New York Women in Film and Television, and the Jewish Repertory Theatre. She cast the original and touring production of August Wilson’s Radio Golf, the Broadway production of Gem of the Ocean, and the Off-Broadway production of Jitney. Selected regional casting credits include Mark Taper Forum, Hartford Stage Co, Arena Stage, Trinity Rep, San Jose Rep, GeVa, Syracuse Stage, Pittsburgh Public, Merrimack Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Alliance Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company, Dallas Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, Portland Center Stage, and Playmaker’s Rep.

OUR CO-PRODUCING PARTNER: SYRACUSE STAGE

Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974 and in its 45th season, Stage has produced more than 300 plays including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Led by artistic director Bob Hupp and managing director Jill Anderson, 70,000 patrons each season enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves more than 20,000 students throughout Central New York. Syracuse Stage is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country.

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Bravo!

Barnes & Thornburg applauds the Indiana Repertory Theatre for its commitment to the arts. Take a bow, you’ve earned it!

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G E T I N VO LV E D: I R T L I V E .CO M /O FFS CRIPT

KIM STAUNTON ACTOR IRT AUDIENCES HAVE SEEN KIM STAUNTON IN FENCES AND FINDING HOME. THIS SEASON, SHE PLAYS LENA YOUNGER—MAMA—IN A RAISIN IN THE SUN. SHE HAS PERFORMED IN REGIONAL THEATRES ACROSS AMERICA, INCLUDING 14 YEARS AS A GUEST COMPANY MEMBER AT DENVER CENTER THEATRE. IN BETWEEN STAGE ROLES, SHE HAS ALSO BUILT A CAREER IN FILM, TELEVISION, AND AUDIO BOOKS. Above: David Alan Anderson and Kim Staunton in IRT's 2016 production of Fences. Below: Kim Staunton in IRT's 2016 production of Finding Home: Indiana at 200. All photos by Zach Rosing.

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HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTERESTED IN THEATRE? I grew up in Washington, DC, and in ninth grade you had to choose an elective. I wasn’t particularly interested in visual art or music, so I ended up in drama. It wasn’t a passion. But I had a really wonderful drama and English teacher, Eunice McCorkle.

I still remember her fondly. She was the one that said, hey kid, you’ve got something here, you need to stick with this. Luckily, the following year the Duke Ellington School of the Arts opened in Washington. That was 40 years ago, and I was in the first graduating class. The timing was really great. I had somebody behind me who said, you should take this really seriously and pursue this. I think we all have that person in our lives, and she was that for me.

Then once I got into the school, I had another supportive group of mentors who said, yeah, you are really good, you need to stick with this, and we’re going to help you pursue studies beyond high school. I had my mind set on Adelphi University because they’d offered me a four-year scholarship. But my mentors had their minds set on Juilliard: We want you to go this route, and if you get in and you can’t afford it, we will be behind you. You just get in. And I did. And with that support, that was four years of drama school. I guess everything else is history, but it started with an elective. I didn’t think much of it until a lot of mentors got behind me and were pushing me forward.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT ACTING THAT FULFILLS YOU? I love the opportunity to be a part of an ensemble and an experience that allows us to communicate ideas and emotions.

And we get to do that through these imaginary characters and circumstances that then have an impact on an audience.

That’s the goal. That’s what I love. I get very excited by that. We have this great charge—that’s what I call it—a charge to take theatre and film and television, and in my case audio books, and I get to use these mediums for great storytelling. Sometimes what we do seems so simple, but I think if you invest and you commit, you can get into the truth of all those mediums. What a powerful platform that is! I have come to appreciate that as I’ve grown and evolved in this career of mine. So I like telling stories and being able to do it through all those powerful mediums.

LENA YOUNGER IS ONE OF THE GREAT ROLES FOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ACTRESS. WHAT ARE YOU FEELING AS YOU HEAD TOWARDS REHEARSALS? I got to do Ruth for Israel in the year he passed, as a matter of fact. Then in 2013 Phylicia Rashad was directing the show in LA, and she was replacing an actress who was doing Mama, and I was sent in. And I thought, am I old enough to do Mama? I was still trying to be on the other side (laughing), I was having a bit of an ego trip! But let me tell you, when I surrendered to that, and when I understood what Phylicia wanted—she wanted

a woman who was certainly age-appropriate, but who still had something inside. When her husband died—that feeling inside, being a woman and feeling as a woman, had not died with him. And it made perfect sense to me after I got on board, and we had a lovely, lovely experience. So to come back to it now several years later, being very settled in being on the other side (more laughter)—I’m sure that there is so much room to grow, to experience her and the beauty of this character on a whole other level at the IRT.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT COMING TO THE IRT? Oh man, it’s just the best. I love IRT, I love Janet, I love the staff.

I think that the passion and the welcoming and the personable kind of warm feeling—it’s a family at this theatre. And it doesn’t matter if it’s the administration, or the board, or any of the parts that we actors don’t have anything to do with—I think quite frankly all of that filters down into what actors feel.

What I can speak to as an out-of-town actor is that when I come to IRT, I feel a warmth, I feel a hands-on energy that embraces me and anchors actors in the experience. Throughout the entire run of the show you’re treated well. All the things an actor could want on the road, he gets at IRT—and then you get to do fine, fine work with a great ensemble.

The people here want the best for you—they want you to be good. After Fences I wrote a letter to Janet. I have never written a letter about a backstage crew, but I had to tell somebody.

This was so dynamic! Those young people were the most extraordinary—the whole crew, stage management, everyone.

They took such great care of us. But it was the passion and the commitment! They were just as excited and engrossed in the work as we actors were. They were always there: Do you need something? What can I do for you? I had to write to tell Janet how extraordinary that experience was. That’s what an actor needs on the road, and that’s what the IRT does. The detail and the willingness to go above and beyond and accommodate actors’ needs in every capacity—on stage and off—is remarkable. And I know that energy comes from the top.

To this day it brings tears to my eyes, because my mother died while I was here during Fences. We had just gotten here, people didn’t know me, I was just an out-of-town actor here with a coproduction. But the first thing Janet said to me was, we are family here; whatever you need to do, you put your family first.

Don’t worry about us. We’ll figure this thing out. But it’s about family here at the IRT. And I’ll never forget that, for the rest of my life. I’ll never forget the importance of that grace and that love and kindness for someone they didn’t even know. It’s that kind of love and kindness and grace that you don’t find everywhere.

You just don’t! And I’ve been to a lot of places and I’ve worked for a lot of companies. That’s what’s special about IRT. So obviously coming back is like coming home.

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UPPERSTAGE JANUARY 23 MARCH 4 REVIEWS:

- Facebook/Twitter: #irtlive - Email: reviews@irtlive.com PHOTO CREDIT (SET ONLY):

- Scenic Designer: Eric Barker, ericbarkerdesigns.com - Lighting Designer: Michael Jackson, michaelcjackson.com

ARTISTIC

SEASON SPONSOR

DIRECTOR_______________HENRY WORONICZ

Scenic Designer________________________ ERIC BARKER Co-Costume Designers_____________ COURTNEY FOXWORTHY & LINDA PISANO Lighting Designer___________________ MICHAEL JACKSON Sound Designer_____________________TODD REISCHMAN Fight Choreographer___________________ ROB JOHANSEN Dramaturg________________________RICHARD J ROBERTS Stage Manager_______________________ ERIN ROBSON-SMITH* Casting_________________________CLAIRE SIMON CASTING

ARTS PARTNERS

SEASON 2017 - 2018

PRODUCTION PARTNER

FAMILY SERIES SPONSOR

m a k i n g t h e a rt s h a p p e n

STUDENT MATINEE SPONSOR

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JANET ALLEN

Executive Artistic Director

SUZANNE SWEENEY

Managing Director

THE CAST Friar Laurence_____________ RYAN ARTZBERGER* Benvolio______________________ ASHLEY DILLARD* Lord Montague, Paris, Apothecary____JEREMY FISHER* Romeo________________________ AARON KIRBY* Juliet_________________________ SOPHIA MACÍAS* Lady Capulet________________CONSTANCE MACY* Tybalt, Peter, Watch______________LOGAN MOORE Lord Capulet__________________ROBERT NEAL* Prince, Mercutio, Friar John_____CHARLES PASTERNAK* Nurse_____________________MILICENT WRIGHT*

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mariel Greenlee: Movement Assistant to the Director: Katie Horwitz *Actors and stage managers in this production who are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

Photography of the set without actors and with proper credit to scenic and lighting designers is permitted. Due to union agreements, photography and audio recording are not permitted during the performance. The videotaping of productions is a violation of United States Copyright Law and an actionable Federal Offense.

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THE "OTHER"

BY JANET ALLEN, EXECUTIVE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

One need look no farther than the headlines of any current news source to know that teen suicide is again on the climb, making Romeo and Juliet a relevant and necessary piece of theatrical literature in our time. Why do young people take their own lives?

Often this has to do with a fundamental misunderstanding, as it does in this play.

Romeo and Juliet’s misunderstanding springs from a letter that goes undelivered, but it is emblematic of so many misunderstandings that plague our young people today: the letter could easily be substituted for a text or tweet or email gone wrong. It is too easy to find contemporary resonance in this ancient play.

We know that what leads to Romeo and Juliet’s collective demise is a feud between their families. The play doesn’t iterate how this feud came to pass or who started it—only that when members of the families meet, it soon turns to bloodshed. Here Shakespeare signifies how human division becomes so easily ingrained: whether it is differences of race, or socio-economics, or class, or religion, humans are very good at identifying the “other” and assuming the worst of anyone who is or seems to be part of that “other” group. Americans are particularly good at this division at present, and have further refined the lines of supposed “otherness” to include those who are differently educated or those who live differently. In our own state, the divisions are as much urban or rural, city or small town, college educated or not, as they are racial or economic. We are at no loss to find differences from people who, for one reason or another, we deem to threaten our way of life. That we do so keeps us from understanding individuals for themselves; rather we see them as emblems of their group identity.

Romeo and Juliet look past those “other” stigmas in an instant: they see each other as individuals, unique beings, not as members of a rival family or group. Love blinds them to differences. It also, in Shakespeare’s hands, makes them poets. Their love literally ennobles their speech, lifting it to dizzying heights of metaphor and wisdom. Their love also leads them to higher purpose: they want to mend their warring families through their love, to teach healing and forgiveness. This is why they are so moving to us more than 400 years after Shakespeare created them: they are wiser than their elders and have deeper wells of compassion and forgiveness. They are wiser than us.

None of this is to suggest that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is to be seen merely as a sociological tract; of course not. It exists as a great flight of poetry, with some of Shakespeare’s best wrought characters and most breathtaking plot. Consequently, it is a play that we need to see several times in our lives: first when we are perhaps even younger than the doomed lovers; then at their age, when the play can sweep us off our feet; then as young adults reflecting on the loss of innocence that we, too, needed in order to grow; then as parents who bear the terrible burden of overlooking our children’s heart struggles; then as elders whose wisdom should be leading our communities out of the narrow confines of teaching hate to our children. We each fall on this continuum somewhere. Romeo and Juliet reminds us that we must take responsibility for teaching our children to value life and understanding over hate and division. Only then, perhaps, can we keep from losing our children to death at their own hands.

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LOVE IN A DISTRACTED WORLD

BY HENRY WORONICZ, DIRECTOR

Discovering love, in all its complication and confusion, is a large part of growing up.

These days especially, it seems that this emotion intrudes on our young at an ever earlier age: the young do not stay young for very long anymore. Perhaps more than any other of Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo and Juliet speaks to the young, and thus any production of the play cannot ignore the turmoil and exhilaration, the despair and joy, the beating pulse of what it means to be young and falling in love.

We have taken our cue for this production from the world we live in now: driven, distracted, and somewhat left to its own devices. We’ve discovered in the play a world too caught up in its own status, so busy with its own likes and dislikes and the pursuit of a single-minded happiness, that it becomes all too easy to dismiss, or even hate, the “other”in our midst. In the middle of this tumult, the play presents two young people, a little awkward, a little shy, not yet sure how to negotiate this rushing world. And we watch them stumble, however unexpectedly, toward that rarest of things: true love (and at first sight, no less). It comes to them in the dark, in a star-lit courtyard, but surrounded by fear and the unknown. They touch its glittering surface for a moment, and then spend the rest of their short lives struggling to regain that effervescence. But their lives are wasted in the attempt, in no small part because they receive precious little guidance on their journey.

For ultimately, Romeo and Juliet is a social tragedy, and it is their families and friends who let these lovers down, and ultimately bear the heavy burden of their community’s loss. Writing of the play, the critic J. A. Bryant Jr. once said, “no one has described more poignantly [than Shakespeare] the beauty of young love … and no one has portrayed more honestly than he the destructiveness of any love which ignores the mortality of those who make it.” He concludes by telling us that Romeo and Juliet both have “a legitimate claim to our respect … and the youth of both relieves them of our ultimate censure, which falls not on the stars, but on all those whose thoughtlessness denied them the time they so desperately needed.”

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale.

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YOUR NEIGHBORS, THE CAPULETS & THE MONTEGUES ERICK BARKER SCENIC DESIGNER When director Henry Woronicz proposed his contemporary vision of Romeo and Juliet, we discussed how the Montagues and the Capulets could be represented in the world today, rich versus poor, urban versus country, and how first love can be messy. I set forth exploring how I could present these ideas visually through the use of contrasting building materials. There is the stark, cold

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sensation of the stainless steel wall against the warmth of the wood tones in the panelized floor, with endless bands of this cold steel constantly dividing the panels. As the actors utilize the space and bring it to life, the audience is afforded the opportunity to gather their own personal and emotional responses to these very contrasting scenic elements and how each represents the families.

Preliminary sketch by scenic designer Eric Barker.

MICHAEL JACKSON LIGHTING DESIGNER This production of Romeo and Juliet is grounded in a contemporary context. It is a world that is familiar to the audience, a Verona where the characters seem to be people who are like us. Accordingly, the lighting helps to reinforce that world using a cinematic approach, a vocabulary inspired by our own mediated culture. My goal for this production is to help reveal that even though the darkness

is always just under the surface, this is a world where the possibility of love seems real and recognizable. The lighting provides each location its own unique energy in a simple, theatrical way; and as the play moves quickly from scene to scene, it helps to drive the story forward. I hope that this approach helps to provide a fresh path into this story that we all know so well.

COURTNEY FOXWORTHY & LINDA PISANO CO-COSTUME DESIGNERS

The costumes for Romeo and Juliet are from the present day. We hope that audience members will find pieces of themselves in these characters, and that a viewer could say, “Hey, I know that person.� By making these characters familiar, their tragic story has the potential to be more relatable to young audiences. The research and inspiration for this production came primarily though people watching, looking at current trends, and many hours of binge watching teen dramas such as The Vampire Diaries. Many of these characters come from money, and it is important that status is shown though the clothing they wear.

Although a majority of these costumes could be considered off-the-rack, together they convey an overall moody theatrical feeling that is true to the characters and relatable to audiences.

Preliminary costume sketches for Juliet and Romeo by co-designer Courtney Foxworthy.

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

BY RICHARD J ROBERTS, RESIDENT DRAMATURG

Although William Shakespeare is generally considered the greatest dramatist in the English language, few facts are known about his life. Only a handful of legal documents verify his existence. Tradition has it that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small market town, on April 23, 1564. His father was a glove maker who became High Bailiff of Stratford, a position similar to our mayor.

As the son of a leading citizen, Shakespeare would have gone to Stratford’s highly regarded grammar school.

Class was in session year round for nine hours a day. The curriculum consisted almost entirely of Latin: grammar, reading, writing, and recitation. By the time Shakespeare was a youth, many traveling theatre companies of significance had visited Stratford, so it is fair to guess that he saw some of them and admired their art.

At age 18, Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway. Six months later, their daughter Susanna was born; two years later came twins, Hamnet and Judith. We know nothing of the circumstances by which Shakespeare left Stratford and his family to become an actor and playwright in London; but by 1594 Shakespeare was established at the center of theatrical activity, for he is recorded as a shareholder in the Globe Theatre.

Over the next 15 years, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, several narrative poems, and more than 150 sonnets. He became the most popular playwright in London’s highly competitive theatrical world. He was granted a coat of arms, thus officially making him a gentleman, and he bought sizeable pieces of real estate in and around Stratford with his earnings. His plays exhibit not only a fine sense of poetry and stagecraft, but also an excellent awareness of the political and literary atmosphere in which he lived.

These were tempestuous times socially and politically, and Shakespeare used his plays metaphorically to suggest how, in a changing society, order could be made out of chaos.

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Shakespeare died in 1616 and was buried in Stratford.

In 1623, two of his fellow actors and a London printer published a collected edition of his plays. This kind of publication was rare in its day, as plays were valued for their commercial appeal on the stage, with little thought of them as literature to be preserved. No doubt some of the texts were reconstructed from memory or from a stage manager’s promptbook. Nonetheless, this First Folio preserved for posterity some of the greatest writing in the English language, allowing us to study and perform Shakespeare’s plays more than 400 years later and for generations to come.

This painting discovered in 2006 by the Cobbe family in Dublin is thought to be the only portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime.

ROMEO AND JULIET Shakespeare’s play is set in Verona, where two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, are deeply enmeshed in a long-standing feud whose origins no one can remember. Romeo and Juliet, each a child of these opposing families, fall in love across the battle lines.

Meanwhile, the conflict escalates, both lose a beloved kinsman, and Romeo is banished.

The couple’s only ally is Friar Laurence, who secretly weds them before they must part.

When Juliet’s father insists that she marry his friend Paris, Friar Laurence devises a dangerous plan to protect Juliet; but missed messages, bad timing, and unrelenting fate conspire to bring young love to a tragic end.

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THE COMPANY RYAN ARTZBERGER FRIAR LAURENCE

Ryan’s IRT credits include A Christmas Carol, The Three Musketeers, The Mousetrap, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, God of Carnage, Julius Caesar, Fire in the Garden, Romeo and Juliet, Rabbit Hole, Iron Kisses, Our Town, Death of a Salesman, He Held Me Grand, Macbeth, and The Herbal Bed; he will be seen later this season in Noises Off. Ryan is a member of Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre, where he has appeared in The Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, and Othello, and where this past summer he directed As You Like It. At the Phoenix Theatre he performed in Reasons to Be Pretty. Regional credits include the Shakespeare Theatre and the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., Shakespeare Santa Cruz, the Goodman Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Kansas City Rep, the Lookingglass, Great Lakes Theater Festival, the Denver Center, New Jersey Shakespeare, and Playmakers Rep. Ryan is a graduate of Ohio University and the Juilliard School.

ASHLEY DILLARD BENVOLIO

Ashley made her IRT debut in A Christmas Carol. Regional credits include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Phoenix Theatre; Love’s Labor’s Lost, Persuasion, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Sense and Sensibility at IU Summer Theatre; Garfield: The Musical and Brighton Beach Memoirs at Cardinal Stage Company; Home—A New Musical at Bloomington Playwrights Project; Rent, A Wrinkle in Time, Godspell, Crimes of the Heart, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, A Doll’s House, and Moon over Buffalo at Crossroads Repertory; Lend Me a Tenor at Gilmore Creek Repertory; and Pump Boys and Dinettes at Chenango River Theatre. Ashley holds an M.F.A. in acting from Indiana University and a B.A. in theatre from Indiana State University.

JEREMY FISHER LORD MONTAGUE, PARIS, APOTHECARY

Jeremy has appeared in the last two seasons of A Christmas Carol. He recently made his Phoenix Theatre debut in The Open Hand. Selected regional credits include Pygmalion, Richard III, Measure for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Old Globe; Stage Door at Griffin Theater; The Hollow Lands and Coronado at Steep Theater; Ivanov and Sweet Confinement for Sinnerman Ensemble; Odin’s Horse for Infamous Commonwealth; and Hot ’n’ Throbbing at Pinebox Theater. As a youth mentor and teacher, Jeremy has worked with the 52nd Street Project in New York City and Young Actors Theatre in Indianapolis. He holds an M.F.A. from the Old Globe/University of San Diego Dramatic Arts Program and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. “Thanks to Janet for the opportunity.

Thank you, family, for the support.” actorjeremyfisher.com

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AARON KIRBY ROMEO

Aaron is elated to return to IRT after making his debut last year in Finding Home. He is based in Chicago, where some of his favorite theatre credits include Red and Geezers (both Jeff Nominations for Actor in a Leading Role), as well as Good People, The Drawer Boy, The American Clock, and Beautiful Dark at Redtwist Theatre; Peter and the Starcatcher at Drury Lane Oakbrook; Cicada for Route 66; Luna Gale (u/s) at the Goodman Theater; The Altruists for Two Lights; Cyrano for the House; Hamlet and Much Ado about Nothing for Trinity Shakespeare; and Dark Play or Stories for Boys (Jeff Award for Actor in a Supporting Role) at Collaboraction; TV credits include Chicago Fire and Shameless. Aaron earned his M.F.A. at Wayne State University. “Much love to Emma, Stewart Talent, Claire Simon, friends, and family!”

SOPHIA MACÍAS JULIET

Sophia is thrilled to be joining the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Romeo and Juliet. A Kansas native, she attended Oklahoma City University, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in music theatre. Past credits include The Crucible (Abigail u/s) at Steppenwolf Theatre; Romeo & Juliet (Juliet u/s) at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona at Goodman Theatre; When You Wish (Pocahontas/Ensemble) and Rocky Horror Picture Show (Phantom Ensemble) at Lyric Theatre Oklahoma; Some Enchanted Evening (Julie) at Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre; and South Pacific (Nurse/Ensemble) at Oklahoma Repertory Theatre.

CONSTANCE MACY LADY CAPULET

Constance’s recent IRT appearances include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, A Christmas Carol, The Great Gatsby, On Golden Pond, Good People, The Game’s Afoot, Who Am I This Time?, God of Carnage, Lost—A Memoir, The Diary of Anne Frank, Becky’s New Car, and Iron Kisses. She began her professional career at the IRT 27 years ago, and was a co-founder and performer with ShadowApe Theatre Company for a dozen years. She works in regionals throughout the country, but loves her Indianapolis home. She has recently performed locally with Summer Stock Stage, Bloomington’s Cardinal Stage, and Indy Shakespeare Company, and has spent the last 14 summers teaching at IRT’s Summer Conservatory for Youth. Constance was named an Indy Theatre MVP by the Indianapolis Foundation, and is a two-time Arts Council of Indianapolis Creative Renewal Fellow, as well as a Lunt-Fontanne National Fellow.

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THE COMPANY LOGAN MOORE TYBALT, PETER, WATCH

Logan has appeared at the IRT in The Three Musketeers and Peter Rabbit and Me. He is a 2014 graduate of Butler University where he earned a B.A. in theatre performance. His most recent appearances include Ghost the Musical (Willie Lopez) and My Fair Lady at Beef and Boards, and El Gallo in The Fantasticks and Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps with Actors Theatre of Indiana.

Other local appearances include NoExit Performance, Bobdirex, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, Footlite Musicals, and Defiance Comedy.

ROBERT NEAL LORD CAPULET

Robert has performed in more than 40 productions at the IRT. He is a member of the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, and has appeared with ShadowApe, the Phoenix Theatre, and Cardinal Stage, as well as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

In 2012 he reprised his performance in James Still’s I Love to Eat for the James Beard Foundation Awards at Lincoln Center. Regional credits include Syracuse Stage, the Blackstone Theatre, the Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Pennsylvania Center Stage, the Oklahoma and Kentucky Shakespeare festivals, and the Brown County Playhouse, as well as the English American Theatre Festival in Dusseldorf, Germany. TV credits include NBC’s Chicago Fire. Robert’s training is from Penn State (M.F.A.) and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is a recipient of the 2007 Arts Council of Indianapolis Creative Renewal Fellowship, the 2016 Theatre MVP Grant from the Central Indiana Community Foundation, and is a 2017 Lunt-Fontanne National Fellow at Ten Chimneys where he worked with master teacher Alfred Molina.

CHARLES PASTERNAK PRINCE, MERCUTIO, FRIAR JOHN

Charles has appeared at IRT in A Christmas Carol, The Three Musketeers, The Mousetrap, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Regional credits include Peter and the Starcatcher, The Busy Body, and Titus Andronicus at the Clarence Brown Theatre; The Winter’s Tale, Antony and Cleopatra, Henry IV, and Henry V at the Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis; Macbeth at Sierra Repertory Theatre; Much Ado about Nothing at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; Romeo and Juliet and The Three Musketeers at the Denver Center; Creditors at Ensemble Theatre, Santa Barbara; and four seasons at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Charles is the artistic director of the Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company based in Los Angeles.

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MILICENT WRIGHT NURSE

Milicent’s IRT appearances include five one-woman shows—The Power of One, Pretty Fire, Neat, The Night Watcher, and Bridge & Tunnel—as well as A Christmas Carol, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Crucible, Julius Caesar, A Woman Called Truth, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Mother of the Movement, and Hard Times. At the Phoenix she has enjoyed Human Rites, Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; and …And Her Hair Went with Her. She has also been seen in Twelfth Night for HART; Doubt for Cardinal Stage; and Stonewall Jackson’s House at the Human Race Theatre. Milicent is the IRT’s manager of outreach programs and a resident teaching artist in the IRT’s Summer Conservatory for Youth. She has done youth programming for the Asante Children’s Theatre and Young Audiences of Indiana, and adult classes for Indianapolis Civic Theatre. Milicent was a 2011 Arts Council of Indianapolis Creative Renewal Fellowship recipient and a 2015 award recipient from the Center for Leadership and Development.

HENRY WORONICZ DIRECTOR

Henry directed The Three Musketeers last season at the IRT; he has acted here in The Originalist, The Mousetrap, Red, An Iliad, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Lady from Rwanda, and King Lear. Regional acting and directing credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Conservatory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Boston Shakespeare Company, Center Stage, Delaware Theatre Company, Hong Kong Repertory Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Meadow Brook Theatre, Syracuse Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, and the Alabama, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah Shakespeare festivals. He was seen on Broadway in Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington. Television credits include Seinfeld, Cheers, Third Rock from the Sun, Star Trek, and Law & Order. At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he was a resident actor/director from 1984 to 1991 and artistic director from 1991 to 1995. Henry also served as executive producer at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival from 2008 to 2009, the head of M.F.A. Acting at Illinois State University from 2009 to 2012, and a visiting professor in the Department of Theatre at IU Bloomington from 2014 to 2017.

ERIC BARKER SCENIC DESIGNER

Eric is the assistant professor of scenic design and technology at Valparaiso University. His recent design work includes The Cay for the Indiana Repertory Theatre; King Lear, Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Titus Andronicus for the Richmond Shakespeare Festival; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Elephant Man, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Final Table, and My Name is Asher Lev for CATCO; I and You for the Repertory Theater of St Louis; The Glass Menagerie for the Human Race Theatre; Armide and The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Columbus; Urinetown, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), and Twelfth Night at Earlham College; and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Santa Cruz Shakespeare. Upcoming design projects include the 2018 summer season with Crossroads Repertory Theatre at ISU. Eric received his M.F.A. in scenic design from the University of California–Irvine and his B.A. from the Ohio State University. ericbarkerdesigns.com

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THE COMPANY COURTNEY FOXWORTHY CO-COSTUME DESIGNER

Making her IRT debut, Courtney is a third-year M.F.A. candidate in costume design at Indiana University. She is originally from Maple Valley, Washington, and graduated from Western Washington University with her B.A. in theatre with an emphasis in both costume design and scenic painting. For IU Theatre she has designed Peter and the Starcatcher, The Tempest, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Antigone. For Fort Peck Summer Theatre she designed Grease, Million Dollar Quartet, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Disney’s Tarzan, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Courtney had also worked as a scenic painter for Fort Peck Summer Theatre, New Harmony Theatre, and Western Washington University, and was the 2015 scenic painting intern for Oregon Shakespeare Festival. courtney-foxworthy.com

LINDA PISANO CO-COSTUME DESIGNER

Linda has designed more than a dozen shows at the IRT, including Miranda, To Kill a Mockingbird (twice), On Golden Pond, A Little Night Music, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Romeo and Juliet (twice previously). Professor of costume design and head of Design and Technology at Indiana University–Bloomington, she also directs IU’s theatre study abroad program in London. Linda is a fourtime winner of the Peggy Ezekiel Award for Excellence in Design and a four-time jury winner of the National Design Expo, and she is the only American costume designer to be invited to Taipei for the World Design Expo in 2017. Linda has designed more than 100 productions around the United States, including world premieres of two new operas. Her work has been featured in the UK, Russia, China, and Canada. She serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Institute of Theatre Technology.

MICHAEL JACKSON LIGHTING DESIGNER

Michael made his IRT debut last season with The Cay. Regional theatre credits include ten productions for Cardinal Stage Company, including Next to Normal, August: Osage County, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He has also designed for the Phoenix Theatre, the Florida Studio Theatre, and the Crossroads Repertory Theatre. New York credits include productions at the Wild Project, Here Arts Center, Dixon Place, and P.S. 122. Michael teaches in the Department of Theater at Indiana State University, where he serves as associate professor and resident lighting and scenic designer. An Indiana native, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Evansville, and his M.F.A. in lighting design from NYU.

TODD MACK REISCHMAN SOUND DESIGNER

Todd has created sounds and music for more than 80 productions at IRT during his 16 seasons as resident sound designer. His work has also been heard in other theaters around the country. In his other life, Todd dabbles in a number of music projects and considers himself fortunate to keep busy doing things he loves. The craft has taught him both to create and describe the ruckus.

ROB JOHANSEN FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER

Rob was trained and certified by the Society of American Fight Directors and has choreographed fights in many plays at the IRT including The Grapes of Wrath, Romeo and Juliet (2010 & 2004), Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth (1998). Rob has had numerous experiences with Romeo and Juliet dating back to 1989 when he first played Mercutio. Since then he has played Tybalt, Friar Lawrence, and Capulet, as well as choreographed the fights for numerous high schools, universities, professional, and community theatres, as well as three opera companies. “I hope that this production gives you a unique take on this well-known story.”

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RICHARD ROBERTS DRAMATURG

This is Richard’s 28th season with the IRT, and his 20th as resident dramaturg. He has also been a dramaturg for the Hotchner Playwriting Festival, the New Harmony Project, and Write Now. He has directed the IRT’s productions of The Cay, Bridge & Tunnel, The Night Watcher, Neat, Pretty Fire, The Giver (2009), The Power of One, and Twelfth Night, as well as four editions of A Christmas Carol. Other directing credits include Actors Theatre of Indiana, the Phoenix Theatre, Edyvean Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis Civic Theatre, IndyShakes/Wisdom Tooth, Butler University, and Anderson University. Richard studied music at DePauw University and theatre at Indiana University. In 2003 he was awarded a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

ERIN ROBSON-SMITH STAGE MANAGER

Since moving to Indianapolis in 2013, Erin has had the pleasure of working with IRT and its incredible staff. Favorite productions include The Cay, Finding Home, and And Then They Came for Me at IRT; Sometimes a Great Notion, How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, and Frost/Nixon at Portland Center Stage; Metamorphoses, Frozen, and Copenhagen at Artists Repertory Theatre; and Lonesome West and Number Three at Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Erin spent the summers of 2008 and 2009 working with the JAW Festival at Portland Center Stage. “For Nicholas.”

CLAIRE SIMON CASTING

Based in Chicago, Claire Simon, C.S.A., has worked with the IRT on casting more than 30 productions, including The Originalist, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Finding Home, The Three Musketeers, The Mousetrap, The Great Gatsby, The Game’s Afoot, The Mountaintop, The Crucible, and many more. Other regional credits include Syracuse Stage, Indiana Festival Theatre, Lyric Opera, Milwaukee Rep, New Theatre, Paramount, Writers Theatre, Broadway in Chicago’s Working, and the Tony Award–winning Million Dollar Quartet. TV credits include Empire, Sense8, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Crisis, Betrayal, Detroit 1-8-7, Boss, Mob Doctor, and Chicago Code. Film credits include Divergent, Contagion, Unexpected, and Man of Steel. Claire won an Artios Award last year for casting the pilot of Empire, and previously for Season 1 of Fox’s Prison Break.

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THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ARTS MIDWEST, PRESENTS SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.

The IRT is one of 40 professional theatre companies selected to participate in bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle and high-school students in communities across the United States.

Original artwork by Kyle Ragsdale

Careful planning, talent and passion are on display at today’s performance.

At Citizens Energy Group, we understand the value of working hard behind the scenes to deliver quality on a daily basis. We strive to replicate that ensemble effort in our work and are proud to support the productions that bring live theatre to our community.

Congratulations to the cast, crew and theater staff on a job well done!

CitizensEnergyGroup.com

Working together

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Visit us at www.anthem.com/inmedicaid.

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Serving Hoosier Healthwise, Healthy Indiana Plan and Hoosier Care Connect Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR GIFT SHOP! LOCATED IN THE TICKET OFFICE SEASON TICKET HOLDERS RECEIVE 10% OFF! INDIANA TREASURES GOODS CRAFTED BY LOCAL ARTISTS CHOCOLATES UNIQUE GIFTS

OVATION SOCIETY: CREATE A PERSONAL LEGACY AT THE IRT For 46 seasons, the IRT has been privileged to provide our community with professional, world-class theatre.

You can play a vital role in supporting the next 46 seasons by making an estate gift to the Theatre.

From a simple bequest to more complicated charitable trusts, there are a variety of ways you can include the IRT in your estate plans. Our staff is happy to work with you and your financial advisor, tax professional or family attorney to determine how a planned gift can help you meet your financial and charitable goals.

Include the IRT in your estate plans and help ensure one of Indiana’s great cultural institutions continues to thrive for generations to come.

Have you already included the IRT in your plans? Please let us know so that we can recognize you in the Ovation Society!

WANT MORE INFORMATION? READY TO CREATE YOUR LEGACY?

Contact Lindsey Horan, Associate Director of Major Gifts: lhoran@irtlive.com | 317.916.4833 Michael Joseph Mitchell in the IRT's 2016 production of Finding Home: Indiana at 200. Photo by Zach Rosing.

arts.IN.gov

You can show your support for the arts and make an investment in the cultural future of our state at the same time.

The arts create schools that are exciting places for learning and discovery. Students that participate in the arts, both in school and after school, demonstrate improved academic performance and lower dropout rates1.

Funds raised from license plate sales are currently used to supplement funding for the Indiana Arts Commission’s arts education program, Partnering Arts, Communities and Education (PACE).

The Arts Trust license plate may be purchased at any Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch or online at bmv.IN.gov

1

South Bend Tribune photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN Catterall, J.S., Dumais, S.A. & Hampden-Thompson, G. (2012)

“THERE WAS A WHOLE WORLD WAITING FOR ME THAT I JUST HAD TO HOLD ON AND GET TO.” –JAMES STILL Celebrating his 20th season as IRT’s playwright-in-residence

The Indianapolis Foundation is proud to support organizations like the Indiana Repertory Theatre that are dedicated to making Central Indiana a more inspiring and vibrant community for all.

Discover more of James’ story and others on CICF’s social media and at cicf.org.

317.634.2423 | cicf.org

Clients at Center Stage At the IRT, you have the best seat in the house to view excellence on stage. At Faegre Baker Daniels, clients are front and center for excellent experiences. Our lawyers and consultants adopt the client’s point of view and provide high-quality service in the courtroom, at the negotiation table and everywhere in between.

USA q UK q CHINA FaegreBD.com

THE SUPPORTING CAST

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE DONORS

WHAT IF YOU SAW ONLY HALF THE PLAY? Ticket revenue covers just half of what it costs to produce world-class professional theatre at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

The IRT gratefully acknowledges the remarkable support we receive from our generous and committed donors whose contributions ensure that the show does go on!

REPERTORY SOCIETY ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $1500+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017 PLAYWRIGHT CIRCLE $10,000+

Bob & Toni Bader Leo G. Bianchi & Jill A. Panetta Scott & Lorraine Davison Michael Dinius & Jeannie Regan-Dinius Nancy & Berkley Duck Dan & Ginny Emerson Tom & Jenny Froehle Susan & Charlie Golden The Judy and Michael Harrington Family Foundation, a fund of CICF David I. & Betty Klapper Sarah & John Lechleiter Dr. & Mrs. William Macias Jackie Nytes & Michael O'Brien Sue & Bill Ringo Mary Frances Rubly & Jerry Hummer Wayne & Susan Schmidt Simmons Family Foundation, a fund of CICF David P. Whitman & Donna L. Reynolds Dr. Christian Wolf & Elaine Holden-Wolf DIRECTOR CIRCLE $5,000 - $9,999

David & Jackie Barrett Susie & Joel Blum Gary Denney & Louise Bakker Rollie & Cheri Dick David & Ann Frick Drs. Cherryl & Shelly Friedman Nadine & Alvin Givens Ann Hinson 60

Bill & Nancy Hunt Carl Nelson & Loui Lord Nelson Mr. Stephen Owen & Dr. Cheryl Torok Owen Ben Pecar & Leslie Thompson Mel & Joan Perelman Noel & Mary Phillips* Dr. Eric Schultze & Dr. Marcia Kolvitz

N. Clay & Amy Robbins Jerry & Rosie Semler Cynthia & William Smith III Jim & Cheryl Strain Joe & Jill Tanner Gene & Mary Tempel Jeff & Benita Thomasson John & Kathy Vahle

ARTIST CIRCLE $3,000 - $4,999

PATRON CIRCLE $1,500 - $2,999

A.J. Allen & Kathy Maeglin Daniel & Rita Blay Mary Findling & John Hurt Dick & Brenda Freije Robert Giannini Charles Goad & James Kincannon Donald & Teri Hecht Richard & Elizabeth Holmes John & Liz Jenkins Tom & Kathy Jenkins Eric & Karen Jensen David Kleiman & Susan Jacobs John & Susan Kline Steve & Bev Koepper Richard & Mary Kortokrax Scott & Amy Kosnoff Kevin Krulewitch & Rosanne Ammirati* Dr. & Mrs. Dan & Martha Lehman John & Laura Ludwig Charlie Morgan & Kelly Smith David & Leslie Morgan Mr. & Mrs. Kimball Morris Bob & Dale Ann Nagy Dr. Christine & Mr. Michael Phillips Becca & Jonathan Polak

Janet Allen & Joel Grynheim Anonymous (2) Tammara D. Porter Avant & Jesse Avant Trudy W. Banta Sharon R. Barner Sarah C. Barney Frank & Katrina Basile Keith A. & Heather Bice Benjamin & Ashley Blair Dan Bradburn & Jane Robison Craig Burke & Diane Cruz-Burke David & Judith Chadwick Alan & Linda Cohen Cowan & King, LLP Susan M. Cross Daniel & Catherine Cunningham Ann & Kenneth Dee Dr. Brian Dillman & Erin Hedges* Drs. Richard & Rebecca Feldman Gary R. & Barrie K. Fisch Fritz French Brian & Lorene Furrer Phyllis & Ed Gabovitch Mr. Jim Gawne

REPERTORY SOCIETY CONT. ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $1500+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017 PATRON CIRCLE CONT. $1,500 - $2,999

Dorothea & Philip Genetos Ron & Kathy Gifford Ricardo & Beatriz Guimarães Dr. & Mrs. James & Pat Hamby Michael N. Heaton Bruce Hetrick & Cheri O'Neill William & Patricia Hirsch Brenda S. Horn Randolph & Rebecca Horton The Indianapolis Fellows Fund, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation Daniel T. Jensen & Steven Follis Cliff & Janet Johnson Mike & Pegg Kennedy Arthur & Jacquelyn King Rebecca & Brad King Dr. & Mrs. Alan Ladd Joe & Deborah Loughrey Jeff & Patricia MacKay Donald & Ruth Ann MacPherson Mike & Pat McCrory

The Alice Greene McKinney and E. Kirk McKinney, Jr. Fund, a fund of CICF Sharon R. Merriman Dod & Laura Michael David & Robin Miner Michael D. Moriarty Stephen & Deanna Nash Nancy & John Null Tim & Melissa Oliver Larry & Louise Paxton The David and Arden Pletzer Endowment Fund, a fund of Legacy Fund Bob & Kathi Postlethwait Phil & Joyce Probst Peter & Karen Reist Ken & Debra Renkens Marya & Tony Rose Chip & Jane Rutledge Francisnelli Santos & Brian S. Newman Charles & Jenny Schalliol Jane & Fred Schlegel Tom & Barbara Schoellkopf Tim & Karen Seiler

Jack & Karen Shaw Marguerite K. Shepard, M.D. Michael & Cynthia Skehan Cheryl & Bob Sparks Edward & Susann Stahl Robert & Barbara Stevens Suzanne Sweeney & Todd Wiencek Jennifer C. Turner Eric van Straten Amy Waggoner Dorothy Webb Rosalind Webb & Duard Ballard Carol Weiss Alan & Elizabeth Whaley Cliff & Molly Williams Ken & Peggy Williams Bob & Dana Wilson Heather Wilson Jim & Joyce Winner m.s. Woods Real Estate, LLC John & Linda Zimmermann *Denotes a sustaining member

DONOR GUILDS ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $250+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017 DRAMA GUILD $650 - $1,499

Anonymous Andrea Best Jesse L. & Carolynne Bobbitt Vince & Robyn Caponi Brady Clark Dr. & Mrs. John J. Coleman III Daniel P. Corrigan Don & Dolly Craft David Crites & Joan Tupin-Crites Griffith Family Foundation, Inc. Emily F. (Cramer) Hancock Dave & Donna Kaiser

R. Keith & Marion Michael David H. Moore, M.D. & M. Kristine Beckwith, M.D. John & Carolyn Mutz Myrta Pulliam Scott & Susan Putney Sally Rowland Richard & Christine Scales Robert & Alice Schloss Thomas & Teresa Sharp Jacqueline Simmons & Tom Schnellenberger Michael Slavens Ed & Jane Stephenson

Dr. James & Linda Trippi Barbara S. Tully* Brian West Philip & Shandon Whistler Frederick & Jacquelyn Winters THEATRE GUILD $250 - $649

John & Eileen Ahrens* David & Mary Allen Anonymous (3) Phillip Baker Walter Bartz*

*Denotes a sustaining member

61

THE SUPPORTING CAST

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE DONORS

DONOR GUILDS CONT. ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $250+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017 THEATRE GUILD, CONT. $250 - $649

Constance C. Beardsley* Mr. & Mrs. J. Burton Black Barbara & Christopher Bodem* Ted & Peggy Boehm William & Donna Bonifield Mary T. Bookwalter & Jeffery Stant Charlie & Cary Boswell Alice Brown Melanie Brown & Amy Harbin* Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Brown David & Beverly Butler Sherry A. Butler Tom & Bobbie Campbell Dr. Louis B. & Linda E. Cantor Allen B. Carter & Patricia Hester Clarence L. & Carol Casazza Steve Chatham & Family Jeff Coffee Keith & Brenda Coley William E. & Angela Corley Karen Dace* Clem Davis Paul & Carol DeCoursey* Phillip & Caroline Dennis* Ditech Inc. Sarah Donaldson* John & Cynthia Dozier* Jim Eup Dawn M. Fazli Hank & Nanci Feuer Mary L. Forster, M.D. David & Jean Fronek William & Jill Ann Garvey Darrell & Thecla Gossett Peggie & Bob Gould John & Mary Ann Grogan Marla & Mike Guzman Amy Hamilton

62

Don & Carolyn Hardman Tony Hill* Eleanor Hood Lindsey & Tom Horan Ron M. Hubbard Christopher S. Jones, M.D. Steven & Mary Koch* Roger & Janet Lang Frank & Sandra Learned Andra Liepa Charitable Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust Mark & Teresa Lubbers Dr. & Mrs. Peter Marcus* Patrick Marlatt Anne & Ken Marnocha William & Margo Martin Sandy & Tom Mason James M. McMechan MidAmerica Health Dr. Frederick & Alice Milley The Mills Family Foundation, a fund of Legacy Fund Rev. Mary Ann Moman* John & Beth Murphy Susan & Jim Naus Dr. LeeAnne M. Nazer Dr. & Mrs. Robert & Judith Pearce Ray & Kimberley Peck Gary & Pam Pedigo* Judy & Sidney Pellissier Michael & Patricia Pillar Dr. Nenetzin Reyes* Bob & Carol Reynolds Rich & Shari Richey Ann & Richard Riegner Julie & Tracy Rosa Paula F. Santa Dennis & Sandy Sasso Steve Schlangen* Dr. Jill Shedd*

Richard & Kimberly Shields Kevin & Amy Sobiski* Ross & Rosemarie Springer Luke Stark* Alice Steppe & Patrick Murphy Dan & Diana Sullivan Richard & Lois Surber Nela Swinehart* Christopher J. Tolzmann Robert & Barbetta True* Dick & Ramona Waddell Jim Wade Susan Weatherly* Dan Wheeler & Susan Wakefield* A. Donald Wiles Prof. Gail F. Williamson Dr. Frank & Christine Wilson Reba Boyd Wooden* Steven & Judith Young Zionsville Physical Therapy* *Denotes a sustaining member

JAMES STILL SOCIETY Thank you to those donors who are supporting James Still’s 20th season as IRT Playwright-in-Residence. As a member of the James Still Society, you are demonstrating your dedication to new play development and celebrating storytelling. In order to qualify for the Society, donors must be new to the IRT this season, or have increased their contribution by an amount listed below.

MANUSCRIPT CIRCLE $500+

Anonymous Trudy W. Banta Sarah C. Barney David & Jackie Barrett Leo G. Bianchi & Jill A. Panetta Keith A. & Heather Bice Mr. & Mrs. J. Burton Black Susie & Joel Blum Craig Burke & Diane Cruz-Burke David & Judith Chadwick Alan & Linda Cohen Daniel P. Corrigan Cowan & King, LLP Don & Dolly Craft Scott & Lorraine Davison Ann & Kenneth Dee Michael Dinius & Jeannie Regan-Dinius Dan & Ginny Emerson Fritz French Drs. Cherryl & Shelly Friedman Tom & Jenny Froehle Robert Giannini Ron & Kathy Gifford Nadine & Alvin Givens Griffith Family Foundation, Inc. Ricardo & Beatriz Guimarães The Judy and Michael Harrington Family Foundation, a fund of CICF Ann Hinson William & Patricia Hirsch Randolph & Rebecca Horton Tom & Kathy Jenkins Daniel T. Jensen & Steven Follis Dave & Donna Kaiser John & Susan Kline Richard & Mary Kortokrax Scott & Amy Kosnoff Lacy Foundation

Sarah & John Lechleiter Mark & Teresa Lubbers John & Laura Ludwig Dr. & Mrs. William Macias Jeff & Patricia MacKay The Alice Greene McKinney and E. Kirk McKinney, Jr. Fund, a fund of CICF Sharon R. Merriman MidAmerica Health David & Robin Miner David H. Moore, M.D. & M. Kristine Beckwith, M.D. Charlie Morgan & Kelly Smith David & Leslie Morgan Mr. & Mrs. Kimball Morris John & Beth Murphy Carl Nelson & Loui Lord Nelson Jackie Nytes & Michael O'Brien Mr. Stephen Owen & Dr. Cheryl Torok Owen Ben Pecar & Leslie Thompson Noel & Mary Phillips* Sue & Bill Ringo Sally Rowland Marguerite K. Shepard, M.D. Simmons Family Foundation, a fund of CICF Michael Slavens Cynthia & William Smith III Robert & Barbara Stevens Joe & Jill Tanner Christopher J. Tolzmann John & Kathy Vahle Jim Wade Dorothy Webb Alan & Elizabeth Whaley DIALOGUE CIRCLE $250 - $499

Anonymous Frank & Katrina Basile

Daniel & Rita Blay William & Donna Bonifield Mary T. Bookwalter & Jeffery Stant Alice Brown Tom & Bobbie Campbell Allen B. Carter & Patricia Hester Steve Chatham & Family Dr. & Mrs. John J. Coleman III David Crites & Joan Tupin-Crites Dawn M. Fazli Mr. Jim Gawne Peggie & Bob Gould Amy Hamilton Richard & Elizabeth Holmes Christopher S. Jones, M.D. William & Margo Martin Mike & Pat McCrory James M. McMechan Ray & Kimberley Peck Judy & Sidney Pellissier Rich & Shari Richey Julie & Tracy Rosa Eric van Straten Jim & Joyce Winner Frederick & Jacquelyn Winters CHARACTER CIRCLE $100 - $249

Tim & Sue Alexander Janet Allen & Joel Grynheim Jo-Ann Andrews Anonymous (2) Phillip Baker Mary Ball David & Nikki Barrett Kristi Beyer Dr. Marc & Ann Bilodeau Rosemary Bova-Wood Dan Bradburn & Jane Robison D. Craig & Stephanie Brater

63

THE SUPPORTING CAST

INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE DONORS

JAMES STILL SOCIETY CONT. CHARACTER CIRCLE, CONT. $100 - $249

Brett Brewer & Jan Hornaday Russell C. & Nancy Burk Robert & Julie Burns Dr. Louis B. & Linda E. Cantor James & Sharon Cross Sharon David Clem Davis Nancy Davis & Robert Robinson Kevin & Natalie Dempsey Gary Denney & Louise Bakker Eric Diters Dr. Antoinette Dobson Mark Dodds Julie & Matthew Dollins Sarah Donaldson* Christopher Douglas Jacqueline Drain & Richard Lippitz Marni R. Fechtman David & Jean Fronek Sara Garland William & Jill Ann Garvey Karen & Joe Glaser Tom & Betty Graffis John & Mary Ann Grogan Jan Guffin Marla & Mike Guzman

Emily F. (Cramer) Hancock* Jeremy & Courtney Hatch Laura M. Hays Donald & Teri Hecht Tony Hill* Eleanor Hood Dr. Donna Hudson Laura Hutson Nicholas Ide & Audra Baumgartner Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Jahnke Suzann Johnson Linda S. Kennen Patricia A. Kinney Dennis & Robin Klutzke Steve & Bev Koepper Frank & Sandra Learned Karlton Litteral Mark Magee Gerald Malone Meredith Mann Esperanza Martinez-Mier Kellie McCarthy Alan & Ann McKenzie James Miller John & Carolyn Mutz Brian D. Parker Brian & Gail Payne Valerie & Andrea Petro

Michael & Patricia Pillar Scott & Susan Putney James & Julia Richter Ann & Richard Riegner Jane Rothbaum Donor Advised Philanthropic Fund Jane & Fred Schlegel Nanci Sears-Perry Errol & Judith Spears Alice Steppe & Patrick Murphy Jim & Cheryl Strain Mr. & Mrs. Lee Strassell Jeffrey Stratton Sue Sudhoff Gregg & Judy Summerville Dianne Sutton Suzanne Sweeney & Todd Wiencek Laura Tagliani Randy Talley Gordon & Mary-Anne Thompson Dick & Ramona Waddell Elaine Wagner & Family Rosalind Webb & Duard Ballard Debbie & Dave Wietfeldt Dr. Frank & Christine Wilson Ken & Mary Anne Winslow Jan Woodruff Steven & Judith Young

OVATION SOCIETY The Ovation Society is an exclusive program that recognizes donors that have made a legacy gift to the IRT. The IRT truly appreciates those individuals whose gift will ensure that the Theatre can continue to provide meaningful and inspirational experiences for future generations of Hoosiers.

Gary Addison Janet Allen & Joel Grynheim Bob & Patricia Anker Frank & Katrina Basile Charlie & Cary Boswell Ron & Julia Carpenter 64

John R. Carr (in memoriam) John & Mary Challman Thomas & Sue Dapp Nancy Davis & Robert Robinson Rollie & Cheri Dick Nancy & Berkley Duck Dale & Karen Duncan Jim & Julie Freeman

Meg Gammage-Tucker David A. & Dee Garrett (in memoriam) Michael Gradison (in memoriam) Emily F. (Cramer) Hancock Bruce Hetrick & Cheri O'Neill David Kleiman & Susan Jacobs Frank & Jacqueline La Vista Donald & Ruth Ann MacPherson

OVATION SOCIETY CONT. Stuart L. Main (in memoriam) Michael R. & Sue Maine Sharon R. Merriman David & Leslie Morgan Michael D. Moriarty Richard & Lila Morris

Deena J. Nystrom Marcia O'Brien (in memoriam) George & Olive Rhodes (in memoriam) Jane & Fred Schlegel Michael Suit (in memoriam) Gene & Mary Tempel

Jeff & Benita Thomasson Christopher J. Tolzmann Alan & Elizabeth Whaley John & Margaret Wilson

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $250+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017 CORPORATE

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Apex Benefits Group Barnes & Thornburg LLP Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP BMO Harris Bank Eli Lilly and Company Faegre Baker Daniels Frost Brown Todd Hilliard Lyons Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Company Indiana University Health Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP Navient Foundation

OneAmerica Financial Partners Oxford Financial Group, Ltd. PNC Printing Partners Schmidt Associates, Inc. Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP FOUNDATIONS

The Jerry L. and Barbara J. Burris Foundation Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation Christel DeHaan Family Foundation The Margot L. and Robert S. Eccles Fund, a fund of CICF

The Glick Family Foundation F.R. Hensel Fund for Fine Arts, Music, and Education, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation Lilly Endowment, Inc. GOVERNMENT

Arts Council of Indianapolis Indiana Arts Commission Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest

IN-KIND & TRADE GIFTS ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GIFTS $250+ | JULY 1, 2017 - DECEMBER 1, 2017

Brooks Publications/Urban Times Candlewood Suites Eco-Kinetic Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery IBJ Corp JL Squared

Midwest Parenting Publications National Institute of Fitness & Sport New Day Craft NUVO Pac-Van, Inc. Saint Joseph Brewery, LLC

Studio 2000 Tastings Wine Bar Taxman Brewing Company TwoDEEP Brewing WFYI

THE ALAN AND LINDA COHEN EDUCATION FUND Eli Lilly and Company

F.R. Hensel Fund for Fine Arts, Music, and Education, a fund of The Indianapolis Foundation

65

Foster Creativity.

Inspire Excellence.

The Christel DeHaan Family Foundation is proud to support the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Our support is also provided in honor of the children and families of Christel House. www.christelhouse.org

Through its community outreach efforts, the Navient Foundation supports organizations and programs that address the root causes which limit financial success for all Americans. This season, the Navient Foundation is proud to support the Indiana Repertory Theatre as the Student Matinee Sponsor of Romeo & Juliet and the Production Partner for A Raisin in the Sun. Navient is a leading provider of asset management and business processing solutions to education, healthcare, and government clients at the federal, state, and local levels. Millions of Americans rely on financial support to further their education and improve their lives. We work hard each day to help our customers navigate financial challenges and achieve their goals.

We at Navient have a deep appreciation for the arts and for the hard work, passion, and emotion that go into them, as well as the positive influences the arts have on individuals and their communities.

Our 1,500+ employees in central Indiana are proud to support our community through amazing programs like those offered by IRT. Enjoy the show.

Proud to be associated with the Indiana Repertory Theatre since 1989

STUDIO 2000 SALON & DAY SPA 55 MONUMENT CIRCLE Right above Starbucks

STUDIO2000SPA.COM

317.687.0010 HAIR DESIGN | COLOR | MASSAGE | SKIN CARE MANICURE | PEDICURE | HYDROTHERAPY | BODY WRAPS PRIVATE EVENTS | GIFT CERTIFICATES OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

OFFICIAL CATERERS

A FINE SELECTION FOR YOUR EVENT AT THE IRT

Amy von Eiff

12955 Old Meridian Street, Suite 104, Carmel, IN 46032 www.acutabovecatering.com | 317.575.9514

Jaquie Hensley

9840 North Michigan Road, Carmel, IN 46032 www.jacquiesgourmetcatering.com | 317.283.2776

Betsy Cooprider-Bernstein

5635 East County Road 450 N, Brownsburg, IN 46219 www.alancaters.com | 317.396.5310

Mary Beth Poe

2502 East 52nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205 www.mbpcatering.com | 317.636.4444

Antonia Zunarelli

140 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 www.indianaroof.com | 317.236.1874

Jordan Nightengale

1 American Sq, Ste 140, Indianapolis, Indiana, IN 46282 www.sahmsatrium.com | 317.536.1305

Debbie Lambert

10 North Illinois Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204 www.webergrillrestaurant.com | 317.636.7607

CONTRIBUTE YOUR OLD CAR TO THE IRT Donate a vehicle to the IRT and we will sell it at auction.

The proceeds will benefit the Theatre, and you can qualify for a tax deduction.

We don’t just accept automobiles, you can donate any of the following: Boats | Motorcycles | Motor Homes | Snow Mobiles | Farm Equipment | More!

Zach Kenney, Teagan Rose, and David Folsom in IRT's 2015 production of The Great Gatsby. Photo by Zach Rosing.

MORE INFORMATION: LHORAN@IRTLIVE.COM | 317.916.4833

IRT STAGE DOOR RESTAURANTS DISCOUNTS FOR OUR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS DON'T HAVE SEASON TICKETS? BUY NOW! 317.635.5252 | IRTLIVE.COM/SEASONTICKETS

THANK YOU TO OUR 2017-2018 SEASON TICKET SPONSOR, OCEANAIRE COMPLIMENTARY APPETIZER WITH THE PURCHASE OF AN ENTRÉE restrictions may apply 30 S Meridian St | 317.955.2277

THE GREEK ISLANDS RESTAURANT COMPLIMENTARY SAGANAKI WITH A PURCHASE OF TWO DINNER ENTRÉES 906 S Meridian St | 317.636.0700

PALOMINO 15% OFF

not valid with other promotions excludes alcohol

49 W Maryland St, Suite189 317.974.0400

TASTINGS 20% OFF

ROCK BOTTOM COMPLIMENTARY APPETIZER WITH PURCHASE OF AN ENTRÉE

RUTH'S CHRIS 10% OFF excluding alcohol downtown only

some restrictions apply night of performance only

10 W Washington St | 317.681.8180

45 S Illinois St | 317.633.1313

50 W Washington St | 317.423.2400

excluding any combo platter

WEBER GRILL 10% OFF, excluding alcohol

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PEARINGS 15% OFF 6 W Washington St | 317.608.6456

10 N Illinois St | 317.636.7600

OVER 40,000 STUDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE LIVE THEATRE AT THE IRT THIS SEASON Without the Alan and Linda Cohen Education Fund, almost half of those students would not be able to attend. Join the hundreds of donors who make live theatre experiences possible for students across the state, donate to the Cohen Education Fund today!

"A student told me he couldn’t pay for the trip because his family doesn’t have a lot of money right now. I told him that the IRT had helped cover the cost.

His eyes lit up and he kept saying 'thank you!' throughout the day."

-An Indiana Teacher Tyler Ostrander and Lex Lumpkin in IRT's 2017 production of Stuart Little. Photo by Zach Rosing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SUPPORTING STUDENT MATINEES, CONTACT: MAGGIE BARRETT SCHLAKE: MBARRETT@IRTLIVE.COM | 317.916.4830

Oxford proudly supports the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Oxford is independent and unbiased — and always will be.

We are committed to providing business owners wholly independent and unbiased financial counsel, families generational estate planning and institutions forward-thinking investment strategies.

THOUGHTFUL. INSIGHTFUL. COMMITTED. 317.843.5678  WWW.OFGLTD.COM/IRT CHICAGO  CINCINNATI  GRAND RAPIDS  INDIANAPOLIS  TWIN CITIES