Bright Star

Inspired by a True Story

March 30 I 31 I April 1 I 4 I 5 I 6, 2023

Life Hall Studio Theatre

Music, Book, and Story by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell

Produced by Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Zebulon LLC, Jay Alix & Una Jackman, Len Blavatnik, James L. Nederlander, Carson & Joseph Gleberman, Balboa Park Productions, The Shubert Organization, Jamie deRoy/Catherine Alder/Cricket Jiranek

In Association with Rodger Hess, A.C. Orange International, Broadway Across America, Sally Jacobs & Warren Baker, Diana DiMenna, Exeter Capital, Agnes Gund, True Love Productions

Director R. Lee Kratzer

Choreographer Hollie E. Wright

Music Director Brent C. Mauldin

Associate Music Director Catherine Moore

Cast (in order of appearance)

Fight/Intimacy Director Rick Sordelet

Associate Intimacy Director Shireen Yehya

Dialect Coach Sarah Koestner

Stage Manager Johanna Baronowitz

Alice Murphy* ................................................. Lauren Taylor, Jenny Brady, Audrey Kate Taylor

Billy Cane Landon McDermott

Daddy Cane Charles Fassl

Margo Genesis Harper

Max Brandon Grajales

Florence ...................................................................................................... Madeline Gambon

Edna .................................................................................................................... Eliza Andrus

Daryl Trevor Lavine

Lucy Claire Kwiat

Jimmy Ray Griffin Shoemaker

Daddy Murphy Logan O’Leary

Mama Murphy ................................................................................................ Deanna Thomas

Mayor Dobbs ....................................................................................................... Matt Delavan

Stanford Benjamin Hoermann

Dr. Norquist Mike Mags

Stationmaster Donny Nikola

Clerk Mia Grizzuti

Ensemble Eliza Andrus, Landan Berlof, Samara DeCastro, Madeline Gambon, Mia Grizzuti, Jordan Gold, Brandon Grajales, Ben Hoermann, Jadon Lopez, Noah Lytle, Mike Mags, Mackenzie McCarthy, Donny Nikola, Diogo Ramirez, Chloe Stavis

Understudies Eliza Andrus (Margo), Landan Berlof (Pappa Murphy), Madeline Gambon (Lucy), Jordan Gold (Alice), Ben Hoermann (Mayor), Jadon Lopez (Jimmy Ray), Noah Lytle (Daryl), Mike Mags (Billy), Diogo Ramirez (Daddy Cane), Chloe Stavis (Mamma Murphy)

Swings Mackenzie McCarthy (onstage swing), Michael Goltry

*The role of Alice Murphy will be played in three life stages.

Bright Star is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036. www.theatricalrights.com

Duration: Two hours, 15 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

In consideration of both audiences and performers, please turn off all electronic devices. The taking of photographs or videos and the use of recording equipment are not permitted. No food or drink is permitted in the theater.

College of the Arts

Daniel Gurskis | Dean

Ronald L. Sharps | Associate Dean

Christine Lemesianou | Associate Dean

Linda D. Davidson | Assistant Dean

Zacrah S. Battle | College Administrator

Christopher Kaczmarek | Chairperson, Department of Art and Design

Anthony Mazzocchi | Director, John J. Cali School of Music

Keith Strudler | Director, School of Communication and Media

Randy Mugleston | Chairperson, Department of Theatre and Dance

Wiley Hausam | Director, Arts + Cultural Programming

Hillery Makatura | Director, Performance Operations

Patricia Piroh | Director, Broadcast and Media Operations

Megan C. Austin | Director, University Galleries

College of the Arts Performance Operations

Hillery Makatura | Director

Andrew Dickerson | Production Manager

Colin Van Horn | Technical Director

Kevin Johnson | Senior Production Engineer

Gene Lotito | CART Facilities Director

Laurel Brolly | Business Administrator

Jason Flamos | Lighting Supervisor

Stephanie Benjamin Flores | Wardrobe Supervisor

Robert Hermida | Audience Services Director

William Collins, Maureen Grimaldi | House Managers

Jeff Lambert Wingfield | Box Office Manager

Yazeed Alomar, Jabob Batory, Susanne Oyedeji, Eliezer Ramirez | Box Office Leads

Susan R. Case | Program Copy Editor

Bart Solenthaler | Program Layout Design

Production Staff

Mark Hardy | Coordinator of Musical Theatre

Alexander Tom | Music Supervisor

Sarah Brett England | Music Associate

Mysti Stay | CoordInator of Design, Technology, and Management

Peter J. Davis | Production Manager

Cara Scalera | Assistant Production Manager

Cyndi Kumor | Production Associate

Jordan Conklin-Yousef | Production Office Assistant

Lisa Grimes | Social Media and Promotion Manager

Rick Sordelet | Intimacy/Fight Director

Donna Scro Samori | Mental Health Consultant

Erhard Rom | Scenic Design Mentor

Benjamin Merrick | Technical Director

Daniel Haussler | Head Carpenter

Robert Dietze | Stage Carpenter Mentor

Jeanette Meises | Scenic Charge Artist

Alison Merrick | Props Supervisor

Adam Rigg | Costume Design Mentor

Kaitie Adams | Hair/Makeup Design Mentor

Judith Evans | Costume Shop Supervisor

Jeanette Aultz | Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor

Amanda Phillips Balingit, Arden Donnelly, Katie Pippin | Drapers

Marlene Olson Hamm | Wardrobe Supervisor

Nick Kolin | Lighting Design Mentor

Osman M. Morales | Lighting Supervisor

Zachary Brienza | Lighting Technician

Kimberly O’Loughlin | Head Sound Technician/ Sound Design Mentor

Steven Brown | Sound Technician

Mysti Stay | Stage Management Mentor

Staff for Bright Star

Grace Rivera | Assistant Director/Costume Coordinator

Hannah Fink | Assistant Choreographer

Sammy Bravo, Myren Mandap | Lighting

Jordan Conklin-Yousef | Dramaturg

Eliza Andrus, Landan Berlof | Dance Captains/ Costume Assistants

Mike Mags | Vocal Captain

Jordan Gold | Vocal Captain

Matt Delavan, Jordan Gold | Dialect Captains

Ben Hoermann | Fight Captain

Sammy Bravo, Myren Mandap | Assistant Stage Managers

This production is part of the Montclair State University Department of Theater’s Studio Series, which allows students and faculty to produce work quickly and simply, free from the constraints and costs of fully staged productions. It is a laboratory for exploration that emphasizes acting as an art form. These performances give us the unique opportunity to explore a creative process that requires less production support and focuses more on character, speech, voice, and movement.

Full program with all artists biographies to be found at

Time and Place

Train station in North Carolina jumping between 1923–4 and 1945–6

Musical Selections

Act I

“If You Knew My Story”.................................................. Alice, Billy Cane, Ensemble

“She’s Gone”...................................................................... Daddy Cane, Billy Cane

“Bright Star” .......................................................................... Billy Cane, Ensemble

“Way Back in the Day” ................................................................... Alice, Ensemble

“Whoa, Mama” ........................................................... Jimmy Ray, Alice, Ensemble

“Firmer Hand/Do Right”................ Daddy Murphy, Alice, Mama Murphy, Ensemble

“A Man’s Gotta Do”......................................................... Mayor Dobbs, Jimmy Ray

“Bright Star” Underscore .......................................................................... Ensemble

“Asheville”................................................................................... Margo, Ensemble

“Picnic Date” ............................................................................................. Stanford

“What Could Be Better” ............................................... Jimmy Ray, Alice, Ensemble

“I Can’t Wait” Pt. I and II ............................................................... Alice, Jimmy Ray

“Please, Don’t Take Him”.......................... Mayor, Alice, Stanford, Mamma Murphy, ...................................................................................... Daddy Murphy, Ensemble

“A Man’s Gotta Do” (Reprise)........................................................ Mayor, Ensemble

Act II

Entr’acte ................................................................................................. Orchestra

“Sun’s Gonna Shine” ........... Alice, Mama Murphy, Ensemble, Daddy Cane, Margo

“Heartbreaker”....................................................................................... Jimmy Ray

“Another Round”................................................. Lucy, Daryl, Billy Cane, Ensemble

“I Had a Vision”............................................................................ Alice, Jimmy Ray

“Alway Will” .............................................................. Billy Cane, Margo, Ensemble

“Sun’s Gonna Shine” (Reprise) ......................................................... Mama Murphy

“I Can’t Wait” (Reprise) ............................................................... Young Daddy Cane

“So Familiar/At Long Last” ........................................... Alice, Billy Cane, Ensemble

Finale ................................. Jimmy Ray, Alice, Billy Cane, Margo, Daryl, Ensemble

Bows ................................................................................................ Full Company

Orchestra

Brent Mauldin Piano/Conductor

Rick Merino Banjo

Wayne Fugate Mandolin/Guitar

Jenny Brady, Donny Nikola, Griffin Shoemaker Guitar

Adrianna Sewell Violin

J. Brunka Acoustic Bass

Program Notes

Memory is a funny thing. Hazy and dream-like—often unreliable—composed of life events and our own individual perceptions. Bright Star immediately struck me as a memory play, shaped by a singular individual’s construction of her reality on her journey to face her past and reckon with her future.

When presented with the opportunity to direct Bright Star in a studio setting, I first thought of the practicalities. So many locations! Interwoven storylines played out over several decades. A nonlinear plot. Then, I turned back to the text, and upon relistening to the opening song, If You Knew My Story, I realized we had all the makings of a narrator, unreliable or not, to guide us through her story.

I often wonder what we would do or say if we encountered our younger selves. If our narrator looked back and recounted her life story, what would interactions with herself at 16 and 38 feel like? And where could something like that happen?

We settled on a metaphysical train station: a place of coming and going, of transit and transition, of waiting, rushing, parting, and reuniting. A place that holds contradictions, juxtapositions, and multiple versions of the truth. Train stations have signage to tell you where you’re headed and when. They also have bookstores, bars, offices, busking musicians, and ample space for dancing. And in this instance, a specific train is the location of our narrator’s most harrowing and pivotal life experience. It’s the hinge on which her story hangs.

As Alice—a waiting room regular—begins to tell her story to fellow travelers, she activates them and the space, casting them in her story. We hope you’ll come along for the ride.

—R. Lee Kratzer, Director

Production Biographies

R. Lee Kratzer (Director, she/her) is a New York–based director who makes deeply considered, urgent work that sits at the intersection of opera, music, dance, and theater. She has directed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Opera Saratoga, Opera del West, NEMPAC Opera Project (former artistic director), The Tank, Longy School of Music, Theatre Row, Rutgers University, Emerson Stage, Fordham University, the Footlight Club, and Columbia University. Kratzer has also worked with Katie Mitchell, Dave Malloy, Isaac Oliver, Whitney White, Annie-B Parson, Hermès, The New York Times, Big Dance Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Bushwick Starr. Next up: La Traviata with City Lyric Opera. SDC Associate Member; MFA: Columbia. www.rebeccamillerkratzer.com

Hollie E. Wright (Choreographer), a Philadelphia native, began her professional career at the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco!). Wright went on to Broadway working with Maurice Hines in Hot Feet, performing the lead before the show closed. Other favorites regionally and touring include The Color Purple (1st National), Oklahoma (Arena Stage (first Black Dream Laurey in a regional theater), Amazing Grace, and Cabin in the Sky. In 2019, Wright was a part of the original cast and toured with Thoughts of a Colored Man, which had a great run on Broadway recently.

A BFA in Dance Education, Wright is Jazz chair at the Ailey School and on faculty at Montclair State University, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, and American Ballet Theatre Summer Series. Wright has taught at SUNY Purchase, Walt Disney Productions, and Harlem School of the Arts, to name a few. She has choreographed stateside and abroad, some favorites being Universoul Circus; a commercial spot for Party City; productions of Dream Girls, Working: The Musical, and Into the Woods at Montclair State; and Hair, Disaster: The Musical, and Head over Heels at NYU. Wright received her first regional theater credit for choreographing Gypsy at Theatre Aspen last June. She also made her debut at Paper Mill Playhouse in their conservatory as a director and choreographer. Wright was also nominated for a Broadway World Award for her choreography in the Off-Broadway production Soulful Christmas. Wright can be seen in the movies In the Heights, directed by Jon Chu, and Beauty, written by Lena Waithe, which is on Netflix.

Brent C. Mauldin (Music Director/Piano Conductor) is a New York–based music director and pianist. Favorite MD credits include the national tour of A Charlie Brown Christmas, LIVE; and regional credits of The Who’s Tommy (Seven Angels Theatre, CT),

My Fair Lady (Red Mountain Theatre, AL), Kinky Boots and The Drowsy Chaperone (ASU, AZ; AriZoni, Best Music Direction). He holds a BM in Piano Performance from the University of Montevallo (AL) and an MM in Music Direction from Arizona State University. He is so grateful for the opportunity to work with the talented students at Montclair and to share this wonderful story.

Catherine Moore (Associate Music Director) is a pianist, vocalist, and educator based in New Jersey. Past associate music director credits include Grease, Les Misérables (Broad Street Players), Schoolhouse ROCK! (Cranford Dramatic Club), Little Shop of Horrors, and The Addams Family (Valencia School of Music). Moore currently serves as the director of choirs at Mendham Township Middle School and teaches a private studio of voice and piano students across northern NJ. Moore holds a BM in Choral Music Education with a piano focus from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance—Go Blue. Catherinemooremusic.com

Rick Sordelet (Fight/Intimacy Director) has served as this country’s most prolific fight director for over 28 years. He and his son, Christian, created Sordelet Inc., an action-based company providing stunt coordination, fight direction, and intimacy consulting for film, television, and theater. He has worked on over 80 shows on Broadway, from Beauty and the Beast and Lion King all the way to Tina. Sordelet recently returned from the UK, where he revived the fight direction on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, coming to Broadway next season. The Sordelets are the resident fight directors for the Santa Fe Opera, where they staged the fights for As You Like It and Eugene Onegin. They are also stunt coordinators for television and film: 12 years with Guiding Light, four years with One Life to Live, and both seasons with Kevin Can Wait and The Crew, both starring Kevin James. Their most recent film is Ben Is Back starring Julia Roberts. Sordelet taught at Yale School of Drama for 22 years as well as at Kean University, Montclair State, and the William Esper Studio. From fight direction and teaching, Sordelet developed into a writer as well, selling several screenplays and a television series. He and his partner, David Blixt, run an E-publishing company called Sordelet INK.

Shireen Yehya (Associate Intimacy Director) is an intimacy coordinator/fight director with Sordelet Inc. Yehya trained at William Esper Studio in their Conservatory program and is certified in hand to hand combat, knife fighting, sword fighting, and weapons work. Credits include Anna in the Tropics, The Man & Witch. Yehya is a resident intimacy coordinator in Santa Fe.

Sarah Koestner (Dialect Coach) has previously taught voice and acting at NYU and Rutgers University. She was mentored by Scott Miller in the graduate Acting program at NYU and is a certified teacher of the Miller Voice Method. She earned her MFA in Acting at Rutgers University, where she trained under William Esper and Lloyd Richards, and received her BFA in Acting from Emerson College. New York theater credits include The Libertine, Love Song, Waiting for Lefty, The Truth About Christmas, and Betrayal. Regional credits include The Understudy, The Libertine, The Maids, Doubt, Landscape of the Body, and She Stoops to Conquer. She has been a vocal coach on numerous productions at MSU including The Rover, Orlando, As You Like It, Big Meal, Everybody, and Top Girls. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Johanna Baronowitz (Stage Manager) is a junior at MSU, pursuing a BFA in Theatre Design, Technology, and Management with a concentration in stage management. Recent stage management credits include Titanic (production stage manager), Something Rotten! (PSM), Rent (PSM), Pippin (assistant stage manager), and A Chorus Line (ASM). When she’s not stage managing, Baronowitz can be found crocheting or listening to Harry Styles. she/her/hers johannabaronowitz.wixsite.com/my-site

Cast Biographies

Eliza Andrus (Ensemble, Margo Understudy) is a Musical Theatre BFA ’24. Andrus was last seen in Studio 1200 as the Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance and performed last season as Madame LeCann in The Names We Gave Him. She is so #blessed to be working on this project! @elizaandrus

Landan Berlof (Ensemble, Pappa Murphy Understudy) is SO pumped to be finishing up his last show at MSU! His previous credits include The Pirates of Penzance, Into the Woods, and some workshop musicals at MSU. Insta: @berlobster www.madelinegambon.com

Jenny Brady (Alice) is so thrilled to be a part of telling this incredible story with a brand new perspective. Some previous credits include the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Kate Mullins in Titanic, and Sharon Atkins in Working. Congratulations and thank you to the entire cast and crew!

Samara DeCastro (Ensemble) is a freshman from Long Island, NY, and is thrilled to be starring in her first musical at Montclair State. Some of her previous credits include Diana in A Chorus Line, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and Margot in Legally Blonde.

Matt Delavan (Mayor Dobbs) is a second semester transfer student, with an associate’s degree in Musical Theatre from the County College of Morris. Past roles include Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Rapunzel’s Prince (Into the Woods), Trevor Graydon (Thoroughly Modern Millie), and Jimmy Ray (Bright Star). He’s blessed and grateful to have found such a welcoming home at MSU and wishes his cast and crew the best of luck!

Charles Fassl (Daddy Cane) is thrilled to be in his first production at MSU. He is pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre while enjoying his time playing piano and watching way too many movies.

Madeline Gambon (Ensemble, Lucy Understudy) is from Los Angeles, CA, and a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program. Previous credits include The Pirates of Penzance (Ensemble/Sergeant cover), Something Rotten! (Portia), and Footloose (Urleen).

Mia Grizzuti (Ensemble) is delighted to be a part of Bright Star as a freshman Musical Theatre major. Her most recent lead was Anya in Anastasia, and at MSU she played a Nun in Buoso’s Ghost. She cannot wait to pursue the rest of her training here with vivacity, passion, and curiosity.

Jordan Gold (Ensemble, Alice Understudy) is a senior Musical Theatre major and is incredibly thankful for the past four years at MSU! Her favorite credits include Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, Maureen Johnson in Rent (Vanguard Theatre Co.), and Emily Roebling in Brooklyn’s Bridge.

Michael Goltry (Swing) is a freshman Musical Theatre student at MSU. He has performed professionally in Meet Me in St. Louis at Riverside CPA and Camelot as Mordred. He appeared in the NWI workshop, Grin and Bare It.

Brandon Grajales (Ensemble) is currently a junior BFA Musical Theatre student at MSU. This will be Grajales’s third production at MSU (ensemble in Brigadoon and Head over Heels ). He has been into musical theater for the majority of his life and previously played the roles of Frank, Jr., in Catch Me if You Can and Pippin in Pippin.

@Brandongrajales

Genesis Harper (Margo) is a freshman Musical Theatre major. Some favorite shows she has been in are Footloose, Mamma Mia, and Gypsy. Harper can’t wait for what the next three years will look like for her at MSU!

Ben Hoermann (Ensemble, Mayor Understudy) is a senior at MSU and has been in Brooklyn’s Bridge in the ensemble, Into the Woods as the Narrator, and The Pirates of Penzance in the ensemble at MSU. He is studying for a BFA in Musical Theatre and is looking forward to further productions at MSU and beyond.

Claire Kwiat (Lucy) is a freshman Musical Theatre major at Montclair State University and is thrilled to be making her MSU debut in this production. Kwiat is from Savage, MN, and her previous credits include Cinderella in Cinderella, Sophie understudy in Mamma Mia, the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Ida in Honk, Jane in Tarzan, and Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She was also a 2022 Hennepin Theatre Trust Triple Threat finalist and a 2020–2022 outstanding performance in a leading role award winner. Besides her love of theater, Kwiat also enjoys choir and was in the Minnesota All State Choir, ACDA National Honor Choir, and the Angelica Cantanti Choir.

Trevor Lavine (Daryl) is a 19-year-old sophomore in the BFA Musical Theatre program at MSU. You may have seen him appear in last semester’s The Pirates of Penzance as Samuel. Lavine is beyond excited to appear in his second production at MSU and looking forward to many more.

Jadon Lopez (Ensemble, Jimmy Ray Understudy) is a BFA Musical Theatre student at MSU. A few of his previous credits include Into the Woods (the Baker), How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (J. Pierrepont Finch), Rent (Angel), and Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Jean Michelle). He has also had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Conservatory.

Noah Lytle (Ensemble, Daryl Understudy) is a sophomore in the BFA Musical Theatre program. Some of his previous credits include Into the Woods (Jack), The Addams Family (Lucas), The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), and Pippin (Ensemble).

Mike Mags (Ensemble, Billy Understudy) is a junior BFA Musical Theatre major and was most recently seen in MSU’s fall production of The Pirates of Penzance. Other past credits include Tony (West Side Story), Quasimodo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Valjean (Les Misérables), Emmett (Legally Blonde), and Barnaby (Hello, Dolly!). Mags is also an alumnus of the Paper Mill Playhouse Show Choir and Conservatory. Insta: @mike_mags_official

Mackenzie McCarthy (Swing) is beyond grateful to collaborate with this incredible group of people in her first MSU Musical Theatre production. She recently appeared as Nun 1 in Buoso’s Ghost with the John J. Cali School of Music. Favorite past credits include Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Vivienne in Legally Blonde.

Landon McDermott (Billy) is a senior in the BFA Musical Theatre program from Minneapolis, MN, and Boca Raton, FL. Here at MSU he has appeared in A Chorus Line and Pippin.

Donny Nikola (Ensemble) is very excited to be in his first production at MSU. He Is a freshman BFA Musical Theatre major who can be seen wandering around campus with his best friend, Rocky the Red Hawk.

Logan O’Leary (Daddy Murphy) is thrilled to be in his first production at MSU. O’Leary is a freshman in the Musical Theatre BFA program.

Diogo Ramirez (Ensemble, Daddy Cane Understudy) is a freshman in the BFA Musical Theatre program. He recently has performed in Gianni Schicci and Buoso’s Ghost as Corpo Morto and Pinellino and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. He’s had a groovy time during this process and can’t wait for the next three years at MSU!

Griffin Shoemaker (Jimmy) is a senior BFA Musical Theatre major at MSU. He has previously been seen at MSU in The Pirates of Penzance (Mabel), Rent (Mark), Titanic (Murdoch), and The Last Five Years (Jamie). Other credits include Les Misérables (Dallas Young Artists), Spring Awakening (Uptown Players), and American Idiot (Junior Players). Shoemaker is an Equity Membership Candidate studying here all the way from Dallas, TX.

Chloe Stavis (Ensemble, Mamma Murphy Understudy) is a freshman Musical Theatre major. Past credits include Grease and The Addams Family. She cannot wait for what the next three years at MSU have in store when it comes to training and the opportunities that await. @chloe.stavis

Audrey Kate Taylor (Alice) is a sophomore BFA Musical Theatre major who is excited to hone her Virginia southerness for this spitfire character. Past MSU credits include The Pirates of Penzance and Head over Heels. @audreyykkate