Palm Beach Dramaworks Trying May 24-June 9, 2024 in West Palm Beach

Theatre

Don & Ann Brown Theatre

by Joanna McClelland Glass

Photo by Tim Stepien

Sometimes, a round of applause just isn’t enough.

Northern Trust is proud to support Palm Beach Dramaworks. For more than 130 years, we’ve been meeting our clients’ financial needs while nurturing a culture of caring and a commitment to invest in the communities we serve. Because we firmly believe the show must go on.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Lisa Koza

Senior Managing Director

440 Royal Palm Way, Suite 102 lk32@ntrs.com; 561-803-7512

northerntrust.com

palmbeachdramaworks.org

Note from the Producing Artistic Director

Welcome to Joanna McClelland Glass’ Trying, the final production of our 2023-24 season.

We first staged Trying during the 2006-07 season, and it’s the first play we’ve ever revived. It’s a sweet, smart work that, when boiled down to its essence, is about two people who learn to connect with each other despite their vast differences.

I was recently considering why I chose this play, out of every play we’ve done in our history, to be revived this season. And though it didn’t consciously dawn on me when I put together the 2023-24 season, in retrospect I believe I was drawn to Trying because it’s about something that seems to be a lost skill these days: the art of communication.

As you probably all know by now, Trying is inspired by the year Joanna spent as secretary to Francis Biddle, FDR’s last attorney general. He was an 81-year-old patrician from Philadelphia in failing health and curmudgeonly; she was a half century younger, from the Canadian prairie, and an aspiring writer. Trying is honest and truthful, although Joanna took some artistic license, including the creation of a fictional alter ego, Sarah Schorr; there is a lot of Joanna in Sarah, but they are not one and the same. For instance, Joanna was five years older than 25-year-old Sarah when she met Biddle, and was already the mother of three young children.

In her introduction to the play, Joanna wrote, “ We spent our months together ‘trying’ to negotiate and span our enormous differences of youth and age, of class and culture.” And that’s the crux of the piece. When Sarah first goes to work for Biddle, the gulf between them is so wide that the possibility of them forming some kind of connection seems out of reach. But they keep talking. Equally important, they listen to each other. And gradually, they develop a bond, a friendship, and real affection.

Cut to today. It’s ironic that in this technological age, when we can reach out to anyone, anywhere, our communication skills have deteriorated. People are on their phones all the time, but most aren’t talking. They’re texting, or playing games, or watching videos. In fact, lots of people now consider unscheduled phone calls rude. They prefer getting in touch by text or email or social media, using as few words as possible. Maybe you think I sound old-fashioned, but electronic forms of contact lack nuance and substance and true give-and-take and the means to really hear one another – literally and figuratively. Without human contact, our ability to communicate is stunted. The opportunity for misunderstandings expands. We can’t overcome the divides between us, or really appreciate another person’s viewpoint, if we don’t converse with each other. It’s a lesson for these times.

We look forward to seeing you in the fall to share in our 25th anniversary season. If you haven’t already done so, please take the time to renew your subscription. And if you’re not yet a subscriber, we’d love to welcome you into the fold.

Have a wonderful summer.

Producing Artistic Director

WHY I GIVE

“Theatre to think about.” Also, theatre to thoroughly enjoy, theatre that teaches, theatre that is wonderful – that’s Palm Beach Dramaworks. I was told years ago that if I enjoyed theatre, I had to go to PBD, which was located on Banyan at the time. I was hooked by the end of the first performance.

I’ve also been attending Dramawise for years, which gives me a full understanding of the play, playwright, and the creative and technical decisions made for PBD’s productions. As a result, I now find myself attending each play at least twice.

Equally important is that PBD not only brings a variety of programs to schools, but also brings students to the theatre for student matinees. The student talkbacks are brilliant. All these education programs are vital, as the arts have been and continue to be eliminated from schools.

We are so fortunate that PBD will be celebrating its 25th season in 2024-25. I feel that if you want something wonderful to continue, you must support it financially. PBD is a very important part of my life and I want it to continue.

I know that ticket prices don’t cover the company’s expenses, and so I willingly contribute what I am able.

I hope you will also consider giving what you can.

– Penny Bank

THE NEXT 25 YEARS

As we shape the next chapter in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ story, we invite you to join us in securing our future. We will soon embark on a special $2.5 million fundraising initiative to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, and have compiled a variety of ways to support our mission. We’re pleased to share the first opportunity with you.

TAKE A SEAT CAMPAIGN

At PBD, each performance elicits a compelling connection between the actors onstage and the audience. Now you can take that bond a step further. The TAKE A SEAT CAMPAIGN offers a unique and limited chance to become an integral part – quite literally – of the theatre’s very fabric.

With a gift of $5,000, you can name a seat in our theatre for five years!

Each seat comes with an engraved seat plaque bearing your name or a dedication of your choice. You also have the option to choose your seat location (subject to availability).

When you Take a Seat, you’re not just a spectator to the magic of theatre; you’re an essential part of every performance, from the opening curtain to the final standing ovation, because your gift is helping us flourish. You are playing a role in our history, and will receive Benefactor recognition in our 25th Anniversary Donor Honor Roll.

Seize this limited opportunity and take your seat today.

Contact Sue Ellen Beryl at (561) 514-4042 ext 102 or email sberyl@palmbeachdramaworks.org

Bill Bone & Chris Larmoyeux help injured people get their lives back together.

— Thomas Jefferson

The law firm of Larmoyeux & Bone exclusively represents victims of automobile negligence, medical malpractice, product liability and other claims involving serious injury or death. Chris Larmoyeux and Bill Bone are specialists in civil trial law as certified by the Florida Bar. The firm is located downtown at CityPlace, 550 South Quadrille Boulevard, Suite 200, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. Tel: {561} 832-9400 www.LB-LAW.com

Palm Beach Dramaworks presents

by Joanna McClelland Glass

Originally produced at Victory Garden Theater, Chicago, Illinois

Dennis Zacek, Artistic Director

Sandy Shinner, Production Director

March 29, 2004

Originally produced on the New York stage by Michael Leavitt, Maidstone Productions, Libby Adler Mages, Mari Stuart, Tony D’Angelo, Steve Dahl, Maria Cozzi

Sandy Shinner - Production Director

October 14, 2004

* Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, [Producer], and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

William Hayes

Producing Artistic Director

Sue Ellen Beryl

Managing Director

by

Joanna McClelland Glass

Executive Producers

Stephen Brown and Jaime Stern

Director

William Hayes

Assistant Director

David A. Hyland

Stage Manager

Suzanne Clement Jones*

Scenic Design

Bert Scott†

Costume Design

Brian O’Keefe

Lighting Design

Addie Pawlick

Sound Design

Roger Arnold

Assistant Stage Manager

Caroline Castleman

United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing scenic, costume, lighting, sound and projection designers in Live Performance.

Photo by Tim Stepien

DID YOU KNOW

Trying is inspired by playwright Joanna McClelland Glass’ experience as secretary to Francis Biddle, who served as attorney general for four years during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration. She went to work for him in 1967 when he was 81, in deteriorating health, and nearing the end of his fascinating life. Here’s a look at his life and career. (Most of the information is taken from articles that ran in The New York Times between 1927 and 1968.)

Francis Beverley Biddle was born on May 9, 1886 in Paris, where his parents were then living. His father, Algernon Sydney Biddle, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was the greatgrandson of one of three Biddles who served in the Revolutionary War. The Biddles were a patrician Philadelphia family whose Quaker ancestors left England and arrived in the Province of New Jersey in 1681, where they acquired 48,000 acres of land. Two descendants of those immigrants moved to Philadelphia in the early part of the eighteenth century, and the Biddle family would go on to play a prominent role in the life of the city, the state, and the country.

Biddle’s mother, Frances (nee Robinson), was part of another prominent family, the Randolphs of Virginia. Edmund Jennings Randolph, Biddle’s great-great grandfather, was the country’s first attorney general and the second secretary of state. George Biddle, one of Francis’ three brothers, became a renowned painter and muralist who helped establish the Federal Arts Project during FDR’s administration. And Francis’ wife, Katherine Garrison Chapin, had a successful career as a poet and librettist. The Biddles had two sons.

Francis attended Groton, did his undergraduate work at Harvard, and went on to Harvard Law School. He received his law degree in 1911, and his grades were so good that he was chosen to serve as private secretary to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes for a year. Holmes had an enormous effect on Biddle, who, in a memoir, described that year as “a period of breathlessness and growth.” Thirty years after working for the judge, Biddle wrote a biography called Mr. Justice Holmes, which was adapted into a Broadway play and a movie.

Biddle was the author of eight books, all nonfiction except one. His first book, published in 1927, was the satiric The Llanfear Pattern, which the critic for The New York Times praised as “a really good first novel.” Biddle seemed to adhere to the adage “write what you know” – the book skewered a large, prominent, powerful, extended Philadelphia family. The Times described the protagonist as “a graduate of the Harvard Law School, an idealistic cub.” It was probably the first time, but certainly not the last, that Biddle was called “a traitor to his class.”

Biddle practiced law in Philadelphia from 1917-1934; among his clients were the Dionne quintuplets. He became a Democrat during the Depression. When he accepted an

Portrait by George Biddle

invitation from FDR (a classmate of George’s at Groton) to become the first chairman of the National Labor Relations Board in 1934, he was “vaguely intrigued by the New Deal,” but, according to the Times, took the position “in a detached spirit of noblesse oblige.” He did not think he would remain long in public service. But as he immersed himself in his new position, he became a resolute New Dealer.

Biddle helped to generate “the principles of collective bargaining embodied in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.” The Times said he “achieved a reputation of talking little, thinking fast and acting faster.”

Subsequent positions in Roosevelt’s administration included judge on the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and US solicitor general. He became the country’s attorney general in 1941 and served for four years. On his appointment, The New York Times wrote, “Men on the left side of the street say he is too conservative. On the right side they say he is too radical. That is a pretty good sort of reputation. We may differ with him more than occasionally, but always with the regard due to an accomplished, thoughtful, courageous man.”

He was a champion of civil rights, and spoke out against anti-Semitism and racism. In a 1941 speech before governors and attorneys general, he railed against discrimination that was “continually coming up,” and referenced a recent “open, bitter attack on the Jews.” Although he didn’t name the culprit, everyone knew he was referring to a speech by Charles Lindbergh. He said, “That this attack should have been everywhere resented throughout the country shows that Nazi methods do not find response in America.”

In 1942, Biddle opened an investigation to determine if the civil rights of Blacks had been violated, charging a conspiracy against the Sojourner Truth Homes in Detroit. On the morning 65 families were to move in, furniture was destroyed and some Blacks were stoned by Whites. Later that year, he spoke to a group of Black lawyers and told them of his fear of imminent race riots. Keenly aware of “ever-growing racial tension,” he cited five factors contributing to the powder keg, including treatment of Blacks in the service and the “contradiction between our profession of faith in democracy and our acts.” In 1944, Biddle spoke of the need of programs to protect the rights of Blacks.

The blight on his time as attorney general was that he supervised the evacuation and internment of Japanese Americans, a policy he was against from the start. He was a great admirer of Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and in a 1962 autobiography wrote, “I was new to the Cabinet and disinclined to insist on my view to a man whose wisdom and integrity I greatly respected.” It’s a decision he regretted for the rest of his life.

When Harry Truman became president, he asked for Biddle’s resignation. But shortly thereafter, Truman asked Biddle to serve as a judge at the Nuremberg trials.

Following his public service, Biddle wrote a book in 1951 called The Fear of Freedom – one of several he wrote in retirement – in which he spoke out against the “House Committee on Un-American Activities, censorship of textbooks . . . loyalty oaths for educators [and] the Federal loyalty program.” He also condemned Joseph McCarthy when the senator was at the peak of his powers.

Biddle died of a heart attack on Cape Cod at age 82 on October 4, 1968.

Palm Beach Dramaworks presents

by

Joanna McClelland Glass

CAST

Judge Francis Biddle ..................................... Dennis Creaghan*

Sarah Schorr ......................................................Kelly McCready*

SETTING

November 1967 through June 1968

PLACE

Judge Francis Biddle's office, Georgetown, Washington DC

Production Crew

Stage Manager................................................................................................... Suzanne Clement Jones*

Assistant Stage Manager Caroline Castleman

Wardrobe Supervisor ............................................................................................................ John Santillan

Audio Engineer ........................................................................................................................ Keshin Martin

Head Electrician ........................................................................................................................ Dylan Carter

Stage Crew Lead .......................................................................................................................... Julia Howe

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio/visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the authors(‘s) rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information visit https://www.concordtheatricals.com/resources/protectingartists.

DENNIS CREAGHAN

(Judge Francis Biddle) has appeared at PBD in over a dozen productions in the past dozen years. He is originally from London, but has lived in the U.S. for many years. He was most recently seen at PBD last season in Twelve Angry Men and August: Osage County. Dennis also appeared in Freud’s Last Session and Long Day’s Journey Into Night, among many others. He has worked extensively in all media in this country and in Europe, appearing with the legendary Elizabeth Taylor in The Little Foxes in London’s West End. He was seen on Broadway in the original productions of The Elephant Man and Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds from Broadway. He has done more bad television than he cares to admit, but there were some good shows along the way, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, L.A. Law, and several appearances on Law & Order.

KELLY

McCREADY

(Sarah Schorr) Theatre: Commercial (The Public Theatre Devised Theater Working Group), Cherry Jam (IRT), Coriolanus (Burning House), The Crucible (Hunger Theatre), Sex

Object (PIT Loft), The New Morality (OffBroadway, Mint Theater), Bigger Than You, Bigger Than Me (Off-Broadway, Theatre Row), Appropriate (Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, regional premiere), The Tempest (Ophelia Theatre Group), Radical & Abandon (Metropolitan Playhouse).

Television: Extrapolations (AppleTV+).

Film: Nana, Istikhara, New York, A Best Man, Night (Omeleto pick, with over 1

million views on YouTube). Graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the Moscow Art Theatre. Kelly is also a writer/director in preproduction for her award-winning script Perfect Love. AEA. @kellyraemac / burninghousecompany.com

JOANNA

McCLELLAND GLASS (Playwright) was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1936. Her plays have been produced in regional theatres around the United States and Canada, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as in England, Ireland, Australia, and Germany. Trying (2004), Glass’ best-known work, was first seen at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre and then at the Promenade Theatre Off-Broadway, and is inspired by her experience working as secretary for Francis Biddle, who served as attorney general under Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1941-45. Other plays include Canadian Gothic and American Modern, two one-acts originally produced by Manhattan Theatre Club in 1972; Artichoke (1974), starring Collen Dewhurst, which premiered at Long Wharf Theatre; To Grandmother’s House We Go (1980), starring Eva Le Gallienne, first presented at the Alley Theatre in Houston in 1980 before moving to Broadway; Play Memory (1983), directed by Harold Prince, first at the McCarter Theatre and subsequently on Broadway, where it received a 1984 Tony Award nomination despite a very brief run; as well as Yesteryear (1989), If We Are Women (1993), Palmer Park (2008), and Mrs. Dexter and Her Daily (2010). Glass is also the author of two novels, Reflections of a Mountain Summer and Woman Wanted. She is the recipient of a Rockefeller grant, an NEA grant, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

WILLIAM HAYES (Director) is the producing artistic director and a founding member of PBD. He has directed some 50 productions for the company; his credits run the gamut of playwrights from A (Edward Albee) to Z (Paul Zindel), and include William Inge, Eugène Ionesco, David Mamet, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, and August Wilson. Earlier this season, he directed the world premiere of Jenny Connell Davis’ The Messenger. Bill is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Florida Professional Theatre Association’s Richard G. Fallon Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre (2017), a Silver Palm Award presented by the South Florida Theatre League “for his outstanding work as Producing Artistic Director” of PBD (2014), and, with Sue Ellen Beryl, the REMY Pioneer Award presented by the South Florida Theatre League (2015). Bill served two terms as president of the Florida Professional Theatres Association, and is a national ambassador for the Entertainment Community Fund. He began his career as an actor, and was most recently seen in PBD’s acclaimed productions of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

DAVID A. HYLAND (Assistant Director) is the Chair of the Theatre Department at Palm Beach State College. He was previously seen at PBD as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau in August: Osage County, The Visitor in The Spitfire Grill, Herr Fahrenkopf in The Night of the Iguana, Sam Craig in Our Town, Karl Lindner in A Raisin in the Sun, and Frank in All My Sons. Additionally, Dave was recently the fight choreographer for August: Osage County, Twelve Angry Men, and Almost, Maine,

understudying the male roles in the latter. He has also been seen in South Florida at Theatre Lab, playing Roger in Tar Beach. Other notable credits include Edward in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Eddie in Fool for Love, and Benedick and Dogberry in a six-actor version of Much Ado About Nothing. David also performs regularly with an improv theatre group called Mod 27 and holds an MFA in acting from The Ohio State University.

SUZANNE CLEMENT

JONES (Stage Manager) has been stage managing at PBD since All My Sons in 2011, the company’s first production at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre. Recent shows for PBD include Lobby Hero, Topdog/Underdog, 4000 Miles, The Belle of Amherst, Intimate Apparel, The People Downstairs, and Ordinary Americans At Maltz Jupiter Theatre: A Christmas Carol, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, 42nd Street, Oliver!, Sweet Charity, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and I Hate Hamlet. As a lighting designer, productions include The Subject was Roses, The Price, and That Championship Season at PBD; Cane and The Cha-Cha of a Camel Spider at Florida Stage; Death and the Maiden and The Birds at Mosaic Theatre; and Ring of Fire at Arts Garage. She earned a Carbonell Award for her lighting design of Dark Rapture in 1995. Suzanne has an MFA in design from Northwestern University, is proud to be a member of Actors’ Equity Association, and is presently leading the South Florida Equity community.

BERT SCOTT (Scenic Design) made his PBD debut last season with 4000 Miles. His OffBroadway designs include The Cocktail Hour, The Middle Ages, A Nervous Smile, Bass for Picasso, The Merchant of Venice, According to Goldman, The Unexpected Guest, The Artificial Jungle, and The Fourth Wall. Regionally, Bert has designed for Orlando Rep, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Florida Rep, North Shore

palmbeachdramaworks.org

Music Theatre, Theatre By The Sea, Stages St. Louis, Mark Twain Playhouse, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Triad Stage, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Nickelodeon, and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Bert holds a BS in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, an MFA in theatre design from UNC – Greensboro, and is a Professor of Theatre at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. bertscott.com

BRIAN O’KEEFE (Costume Design) began designing for PBD in 2009, became costume shop manager and resident designer in 2015, and has designed over 60 shows here. He has received 11 Carbonell Award nominations, winning for Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Lion in Winter, and A Doll's House, and was a Silver Palm Award recipient in 2022. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, he spent his earlier career as a patternmaker for the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC and major costume houses in New York, including Barbara Matera, Ltd., Parsons-Meares, Michael-Jon Costumes, and Eaves-Brooks. He was later resident designer, principal patternmaker, and shop manager for Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona Beach, spending 16 years designing over 75 productions and supervising 90 more. Other regional design credits: Playmakers Repertory Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Winter Park Playhouse, St. Augustine's Limelight Theatre, University of Central Florida. Other regional patterning credits: Alabama and Utah Shakespeare festivals, and Stages St. Louis.

ADDIE PAWLICK (Lighting Design) is excited to be returning to PBD to finish out the company’s twenty-fourth season. Addie was previously head electrician for PBD from 2021-23. Her design credits here include theAcademy@pbd’s Songs for a New World, The Legacy Project (2022 and 2023), and the Young Playwrights 10-Minute Play Contest (2023) . Addie currently works and designs in and around Orlando. Recent regional theatre designs include Matilda, High School Musical, and Legally Blonde (Mill Mountain Theatre). addiepawlick.com

ROGER ARNOLD (Sound Design) was named PBD’s production manager prior to the start of the season. He has been a freelance sound engineer and designer for over 35 years. He is a voting member of both NARAS (the Grammys) and the Audio Engineering Society (AES.org). Roger became an educator of music technology in 2006 and was the senior music technology professor at the University of New Haven. During his tenure there, he designed and provided sound for The Rocky Horror Show, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Spring Awakening. In 2018, he relocated to South Florida, and in 2019 he became sound engineer and resident sound designer for PBD, where his credits include Death of a Salesman, The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, The Messenger, Lobby Hero, Topdog/ Underdog, August: Osage County, The Science of Leaving Omaha, Twelve Angry Men, 4000 Miles, The Belle of Amherst, Intimate Apparel, The Duration, Almost, Maine, The People Downstairs, and Skylight. Other sound design credits include Empire Stage’s production of Tru. BA in music and sound recording, University of New Haven. MA in music technology, University of Newcastle.

CAROLINE CASTLEMAN (Assistant Stage Manager) is in her third season at PBD. Credits here include Death of a Salesman, The Cancellation of Lauren Fein, the Perlberg Festival of New Plays (2024), theAcademy@ pbd’s Songs for a New World (2023), the Young Playwrights 10-Minute and 1-Minute Play Contests (2024 and 2023), and the One Humanity Tour (2022). For Creede Repertory Theatre: Ripcord, Pride and Prejudice, and Hazardous Materials. BFA in stage management from the University of Cincinnati (College-Conservatory of Music).

*Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and state managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more Information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

Executive

Palm Beach Dramaworks Staff

Producing Artistic Director William Hayes

Managing Director Sue Ellen Beryl

Chief Financial & Operating Officer Rudina Toro

Administrative

Business & HR Director Lara Garcia

Director of Education & Community Engagement Gary Cadwallader

Marketing Coordinator Alessandra Lasanta

Company & House Manager Pierre Tannous

Box Office & Concessions Manager Mark Sullivan

Assistant Box Office Manager Lauren Bell

Box Office Associates Alexa Rosenberger Desmond Lewis

Production

Production Manager/Resident Sound Designer Roger Arnold

Technical Director Doug Wilkinson

Assistant Technical Director/Lead Carpenter Kira Barnes

Head of Properties/Shop Assistant Saylor Novonglosky

Audio Engineer/Technical Assistant Keshin Martin

Costume Shop Manager/Resident Costume Designer Brian O’Keefe

Wardrobe Supervisor John Santillan

Assistant Stage Manager Caroline Castleman

Head Electrician Dylan Carter

Stage Crew Lead Julia Howe

Artists in Residence

Resident Director J. Barry Lewis

Resident Scenic Designer Anne Mundell

Resident Lighting Designer Kirk Bookman

Resident Projection Designer Adam J. Thompson

Resident Playwright/Literary Manager Jenny Connell Davis

Associates

Writer/Editor

Sheryl Flatow

Marketing Consultant Jennifer Sardone-Shiner

Poster Artwork Paul Gaschler

Graphic Designers Jackie D’Onofrio

Brittani Millington

Step Into the Future

The

S

USTAINER S OCIETY

$50,000

Bitasta (Vitti) Chaturvedi and Family

Cathy and Tom Farmer

Leah and Ed Frankel Foundation

Pamela and Robert Goergen

$25,000

Penny Bank

Roy Bartolomei and Peter Wronsky

Susan and Joe Biernat

Rebecca and Randell Doane

Monica and Scott Laurans

Diann and Tom Mann

Stephanie and John Pew

Wayne Shepard

Dan Sherbo and Tom Nixon

Stanley Waldshan, in Honor of Carole Waldshan

Diana and John Weir

Karen and Alfred Blum

Ann and Bob Hagelstein

$15,000

Robin and Reuben Jeffery

Elaine and Larry Rothenberg

$10,000

Gail and Paul Altieri

Louise Austin

Penny and Mitchell Beers

Atesh Chandra

Paul Bernabeo and David Cohen

Laura Cole

Bharati and Rohit Dandiya

Margaret Donnelley

Mary Jo and Vince Elhilow

Arlene and Glenn Englander

Jeanne and David Goldner

Zee Jay and Jerry Greenspan

Rochelle and David Hirsch

Michael Hoagland and Joseph Kolb

Rand Hoch

Emma Horn

Judy Lewent and Mark Shapiro

Zelda Mason

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Thomas Moran

Elinor and Harold Oertell

Katherine Pizzella and Barbara Pizzella

Linda and Jay Rosenkranz

Shari Santell

Madeline and Arnold Schuster

Susan Schwartz

Arlene and Richard Siudek

Louise and Barry Snyder

Ron Wetzel and Nathan Hench

Nancy Yanofsky and Ed Brown

Joseph and Susan Winter Zacherman

$5,000

Deborha Campbell

Phyllis Cohen

Michael Collins and Jim Harshbarger

Loretta and Bob Comfort

Lucy W. Cook

Karol and Paul Costa

Esther Flaster

Eric Geller and Susan Metzler-Kirkman

Susan and Stuart Goodman

Suzanne Holmes

Gayle Brody Jacobs Anonymous

Ellen Levy

Terry and David Liddell

Emily and Naj Pervez

Robyn and Dale Rands

Peter Rezzonico

Barbara Rosenberger

Carol and Joseph Rosetti

Esther and Ivan Schaeffer

Julia and Wayne Shovelin

Jody Sklar and Dana Fishkin

Judith and Howard Weiner

Adrienne Yorinks

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Palm Beach Dramaworks 2023/24 Restaurant Club

The PBD Restaurant Club provides our patrons with special offers and discounts throughout the season at these restaurants that support our theatre.

Complimentary scoop of gelato with the purchase of an entrée 185 Banyan Blvd | (561) 342-6699

Complimentary order of fries with the purchase of a burger 213 Clematis St | (561) 651-1075

3-Course Prix Fixe Dinner ($34.99) 120 S Dixie Hwy | (561) 659-7373

10% off (excludes tax, gratuity, and happy hour items) 207 Clematis St | (561) 899-3117

3-Course Prix Fixe Dinner ($52-offer valid show days only) 101 N Clematis St | (561) 833-5090

Complimentary order of guacamole w/ purchase of (2) entrees 224 Clematis St | (561) 650-1001

Free sweet single with purchase of a regular meal 218 Clematis St | (561) 229-1654 | valid for one guest use

2023/24 Board of Directors continued

Cynthia Nalley

Jim Fuld

Susan Goldfein

Hermine Drezner

Lisa Koza

Susan Ellerin Edith Hall Friedheim

William Hayes Founding Member

Louise Snyder

Bernard Perry

Ed Ricci

BECOME A CORPORATE SPONSOR

As a corporate partner of PBD, you will enjoy exclusive benefits and recognition including opportunities to entertain clients and employees, networking events with diverse groups of theatre supporters, and co-branding opportunities with one of the most highly regarded professional theatres in South Florida.

Benefits may include:

• Complimentary tickets to a sponsored performance/event with opportunity to purchase additional tickets

• Logo inclusion in the playbill

• Stage mention at sponsored performance/event

• Invitation as a sponsor to exclusive events, programs, and performances

• Recognition as a sponsor on PBD’s website, in the playbill, and on signage at sponsored event

• An opportunity to host a pre-show reception at the theatre on night of your choice (expenses to be paid by corporate partner)

• An ad in all season playbills

For more information contact Sue Ellen Beryl (561) 514-4042 ext 102 or email sberyl@palmbeachdramaworks.org

Direct:

durley@cadenceretirementgroup.com www.cadenceretirementgroup.com

Lock in a discount of over 10% on regularly priced tickets for each production.

Choose all 5 plays, plays 1-4, or plays 2-5.

Secure great seats for all 4 or 5 plays, with the ability to renew seats in future seasons.

Purchase single tickets and make exchanges one week prior to the general public.

Pay one flat fee and additional ticket fees will be waived.

Take advantage of flexible ticket exchanges and last-minute standby options.

Dramawise

A multi-faceted course for adults that provides insight into each play and the creative process. Each program includes a comprehensive discussion about the play, lunch, and an intimate look at PBD’s production with the director, actors, and designers.

OutStage@pbd

Special evenings of each PBD production that engage the LGBTQ community. Evenings include a pre-show reception, the play, and a post-show reception.

For more information and tickets to all programs, visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org or call (561) 514-4042 ext 2

Education

We’re committed to providing strong, vibrant educational opportunities for students in order to nurture creativity, inspire artistic potential, build confidence, and cultivate self-expression.

Sponsored in part by:

theAcademy@pbd: Quality training for aspiring actors and stage managers in grades 9-12, culminating in a production on our stage.

One Humanity Tour: A middle school touring program that uses storytelling with serious social themes to develop informed, thoughtful, and compassionate citizens.

Young Playwrights 10-Minute & 1-Minute Play Contests: Giving teens a creative voice in expressing their thoughts and ideas.

Free Student Matinees: School-day performances of PBD’s productions.

theAcademy@pbd Songs for a New World, 2023

STUDENT

Giulianna Apolinario 6

Emma Betancur 8

Christina Bontrager 8

Eagles Landing Middle School

Bak Middle School of the Arts

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Olivia Jada Clitus 8 Woodlands Middle School

Skye Davis 8

Brooke DiTommaso 8

Maggie Douglas 8

Zunayra Erisha 8

Berrak Erkuloglu 6

Sarah Esmail 7

Callahan Fernandez 8

Beckett Hess 7

Devin Jackson 8

Karina Jacobs 8

Daniella Lent 6

Nyla Matthews 6

Alexendra Peña 6

Bak Middle School of the Arts

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Bak Middle School of the Arts

Christa McAuliffe Middle School

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Eagles Landing Middle School

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Bak Middle School of the Arts

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Bak Middle School of the Arts

Watson B Duncan Middle School

Watson B. Duncan Middle School

Dresly Pierre 8 Woodlands Middle School

Colton Shortell 8

Christa McAuliffe Middle School

For more information about PBD’s education programs, and to support the education department, please contact Gary Cadwallader: gcadwallader@palmbeachdramaworks.org or 561.514.4042 x123. palmbeachdramaworks.org 31

Marcia

Jenifer

Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Fund Your generosity keeps the curtain rising!

$100,000 and Above

The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation

Nancy and Gene Beard

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Diane and Mark Perlberg

State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

$50,000 - $99,999

Anonymous

Sally Nathanson

Marsha and Stephen Rabb

$25,000 - $49,999

Penny Bank

Tina and Jeff Bolton

Stephen Brown and Jamie Stern

Jackie Grimm and Bob Spiegel

Sandra and Bernie Meyer

Laura Niklaus

The Shubert Foundation

Toni and Martin Sosnoff

PARKING WITHOUT THE DRAMA

Banyan Garage:

200 Banyan Blvd. bet ween Oliv e Ave. and Nar cissus Ave. = 3 minutes

Datura Garage: 205 Datura S t. bet ween Narcissus Ave. and Oli ve Ave. = 3 minutes

City Center Garage:

199 N. Dixie H wy. on Southwe st corner of Dixie and Banyan Blvd. = 5 minutes

Governmental

Centre Garage: 215 N. Olive Ave. be tw een Dixie H wy. and Oliv e Ave. = 5 minutes

Governmental Center

4th Street Parking Lot: 315 3rd St. bet ween Dixie H wy. and Olive Ave. = 6 minutes

Evernia Garage:

333 Ever nia St. bet ween Oliv e Ave. and Dixie H wy. = 6 minutes

Waterf ront Clematis Garage: 101 Clematis St. with entranc e on Southeast corner of Ban yan Blvd. and Narcissus A ve. = 3 minutes PARKING LOCATIONS AND PRICING: wpb.org/government/parkingadministration/parking-locations

Palm Beach Dramaworks does not own or run any of the parking lots, garages, or valets in the area. All parking is privately or city operated and monitored. Rates posted may change without notice. Parking anywhere downtown without payment will result in cars being booted or towed at the owner’s expense.

Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Fund Your generosity keeps the curtain rising!

$15,000 - $24,999

Ruth Baum

Lawrence Sanders Foundation

Heather and Bruce Cohen

Hermine Drezner

Eric Friedheim Foundation

Susan and Larry Goldfein

Nancy Goodes

Judy and Lew Kramer

Louise and Barry Snyder

Mimi and Frank Walsh

$10,000 - $14,999

Honorable Ann Brown

Esther and Sid Dinerstein

James Fuld

Roe Green

Brenda and Ed Holt

Reuben and Robin Jeffery

Mary Keymer

Patricia Lebow

Mary Lupo and Edward M. Ricci

Robert Nederlander

Bernard Perry

Arlene and Aarne Reid

Norman Resnick

$5,000 - $9,999

Chastain Charitable Foundation

Judy Berkowitz

Lisa Koza, Northern Trust

Daft Family Foundation

Diane and John Dalsimer

Sara and Charles Fabrikant

Samuel M. Feldman

Vicky and Peter Halmos

Priscilla Heublein

Stephen Jacobs

Joan Lazarus

Priscilla Leslie

Monica and Terry Mayotte

Beverly Myers

First Republic Bank, Charles Orozco

Ruben Rodriguez, JPMorgan

Hilary Shane

Gretchen Shugart

Marlene and Marty Silver

Donna and Charles Ward

Janet Yaseen Foundation

Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Fund Your generosity keeps the curtain rising!

$1,000 - $4,999

The Fledgling Fund

Macy's Inc.

Laurel Baker

The David Kimmel Foundation

Kelly and Michael Gottlieb

Jeanne Kanders

Theatre Guild At Mirasol

Beth Alcalde, Akerman LLP

Sherry and Tom Barrat

Janet Bent

Barbara and Bruce Berger

Barbara Blanck

Bitasta (Vitti) Chaturvedi & Family

Paul Bernabeo and David Cohen

Tom and Ella D'Agostino

Anonymous

Elaine and Thomas Ermolovich

Lynne and Perry Feyk

Susan and William Fink

John Foster

Renate Franco

Richard and Connie Galley

Sandra and George Garfunkel

Joan Gelch and Morris Weintraub

Eric Geller and Susan Metzler Kirkman

Monique and Dan Goldwasser

Robin and David Gray

Rachel Grody

Byron Gross and Ricky Tovim

William Harris

Suzanne Holmes

Jean Hutchison

Gayle Brody Jacobs

Daniel Kaufman and Timothy Beaver

Allan and Margaret Keene

Susan and Charles Kiernan

David Kwiat

Sidney Lesowitz and Peter Rogers

Judy Lewent and Mark Shapiro

The Koch Ellis Fund

Ibby Lucas

Virginia Lynn

Stephen and Emily Magowan

Barbara and Eric Malkin

Pamela and Brian McIver

Nancy and Paul McKenna

Bel and Peter Miller

Richard Milstein

Joan and Carlton Moody

Rodica and Albin Morariu

Anonymous

Cynthia Nalley

Stephanie and John Pew

Mary Ellen and Michael Peyton

Elizabeth and Gerald Rorer

Lisa and Jeff Rosenkranz

Linda and Harold Rosenson

Jane Rothchild

Elaine and Larry Rothenberg

Dan Sampson, Milestone Mortgage Corp.

Betsy Sell

Phyllis and Herbert Siegel

Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Fund

Your generosity keeps the curtain rising!

$1,000 - $4,999 continued

Linda and Don Silpe

Barbara Sommers

Carole and William Strawbridge

Caroline von Feilitzsch

Diane and Nicholas Trentacoste

Judith and Howard Weiner

Frances and Robert Weisman

Anonymous

Carlyle Insurance Agency, Inc.

Nancy and Peter Brown

Susan and John Connor

Martha and Milt Dalitzky

Jessica Eagan

Dana Egert

Beth and Rich Fentin

Margaret Flah

Bob Goren and Roxanne Loewentheil

Allison and Stuart Haft

Ellen Hart

Linda and Hank Klaiman

Nancy and Paul Knapp

Joan and Jay Albert

Diane and Peter Arnet

Beth Baker

Joan Balfour

Susan Bauchner

Nona Redding Bilionis

Margaret and Matthew Blake

Susan and Jerome Block

Karen and Alfred Blum

Jacqueline and Jean Claude Boutrouille

Julianne Boyd

Lois and Barry Weiss

Ron Wetzel and Nathan Hench

Lee Wolf and Jordan Cohen

Admirals Cove Foundation

Robin Woodard

Nancy Yanofsky

Marcy and Jack Zeltzer

Marjorie and Sheldon Konigsberg

Brenda Kulick

Marjorie Marks

Millie and David McCoy

Joanne Polozker

Dianne Quinn

Peter Rezzonico

Susan Schwartz

Richard Seltzer

Ellen Shapiro

Francine and Art Siegel

Lois Steinberg

Roland and Judith Stenta

Janice and Arnold Weisler

Amy Brand

Iris Capobianco

Natasha Consigli

Diane and Bob Cornell

Janet and David Desmon

Louise Dougher

Sally Drob

Sandra Ekberg

Geri Elias and Art Hartstein

Karen and Jay Eliezer

Ron Ezring

Thank You for Supporting Our Annual Fund Your generosity keeps the curtain rising!

$100 - $499 continued

John Fariello

Donna and Steven Feldman

Melanie and Mort Fishman

Helen Franke

Anonymous

Frances Freyman

John Geraci

Debby Gershon

Rana Gerson

Diane and Robert Ghormley

Doris Gilman

Joan Goldstein

Sharon and Bruce Goodman

Conrad Goulet and Orlando Chiang

Carol and Albert Hallac

Tom Hantzarides and Anastasios Samaras

Eva and Irwin Hausman

Rochelle and David Hirsch

Rona and Sam Hollander

Nancy and Barry Horowitz

Leigh Jacobs

Elaine and Harmon Katz

Paula Katz and Bob Davison

Judy and John Keller

Barbara Messick and Emil Kessler

Rena and Steven Klosk

Edward Klotz and Linda Allen

Shirley Koo

Judith and Paul Lakind

Ann and Stephen Leber

Sheila Leventhal

Barbara and Myron Levy

Cheryl and Al Liebowitz

Miriam Lieff and Albert Goldberg

Deena and Stuart Lockman

Rachel and Per Lorentzen

Ellen Lott

Barbara Lurie

Anonymous

Mary Ann Martin

Laura McMullen

Elaine and David Mendelow

Sharon and Keith Meyer

Deborah and Ernest Mhoon

Lynne Minsky

Harriet Molk

Eileen and Anthony Montalbano

Susan Morris

Beverly and Marvin Morse

Alison and Thomas O'Brien

Marjorie O'Neill Butler

Susan and Norman Oblon

Jeffrey Parker

Abby and Steve Perelman

Charlotte and Norman Plotsky

Robin and Joseph Pollack

Jill Preston

Mary Jane Range

Geri and Irv Ratner

Joyce Reisman

Alison and David Rice

Beverly Ringel

Patti and John Riter

Charles Rose

Marion Rosencrans

Susan and Jerome Rosenzweig

Frumet and David Sachs

Linda and Michael Schneider

Peter Schneider and Dena Seigel

Phoebe and Sam Shochat

Paul Siegel

Nellie Lou Slagle

Tema Smeyne and Edward Gerstein

Carol Smith

Toni Smith and Jerrold Feigenbaum

Molly and Nick St. Cavish

Roberta and Phillip Strasburg

Cari and Lenny Sukienik

Elaine C. Tucker

Louis Tyrrell

Ellen Wedner

Michele and Robert Weiss

Carol Weltz

Shelby and Charles Werner

Kay Wight

Kimberly and Roger Yaseen

A great big thanks to all of you who contributed to our Take a Deep Breath Campaign, helping us to achieve our stringent safety protocols and breathe easy in our beautiful theatre.

$100,000

Honorable Ann Brown

Louise and Barry Snyder

Toni and Martin Sosnoff

$50,000

Nancy and Gene Beard

$25,000

Sue Ellen Beryl and William Hayes

$15,000

Penny Bank

Ruth and Ted Baum

Tina and Jeff Bolton

Leah and Ed Frankel Foundation

Nancy Goodes

The Chastain Foundation

Edwige and John Bade

Roy Bartolomei and Peter Wronsky

Lucy W. Cook

Anonymous

Cathy and Tom Farmer

Arlene F. and Donald Fleischman

Renate Franco

Linda L. and Keith Beaty

Karen and Alfred Blum

Joan and Lyle Brundage

Paula Kaminsky Davis

Dinah Fulton

Rochelle and David A. Hirsch

Michael Hoagland and Joseph Kolb

Stephen Brown and Jamie Stern

Phyllis and Herbert J. Siegel

$10,000

Joan G. Smith and William Karatz

Sally Nathanson

$5,000

Aarne and Arlene Reid

Mimi and Frank Walsh

Christina Dennis Susan and Larry Goldfein

$1,000 - $2,500

Pam and Bob Goergen

Alice Gross

Byron Gross and Ricky Tovim

Ann and Bob Hagelstein

Anonymous

Priscilla Heublein

$500 - $999

Sherry and Stephen Jacobs

Marjorie and Sheldon Konigsberg

Judy and Lew Kramer

Laura Brooks

Randi and Norman Pecan

Stephanie and John Pew

Joanne Polozker

Barbara N. Prine

Patricia and William Jordan

Terry Liddell

Zelda Mason

Arlene and Richard Siudek

Nicki van Vonno

Diana and John Weir

Lois and Barry Weiss

Ann Marie and Peter Rezzonico

Naomi Rosenberg

Carol and Joseph Rosetti

Francine and Art Siegel

Lois Steinberg

Zee Jay and Jerry Greenspan

Marcy and Jack Zeltzer

If you’d like to contribute to the campaign, visit our new website, www.palmbeachdramaworks.org/donate.

OUR MISSION

Palm Beach Dramaworks believes in the transformative power of live theatre and is committed to producing classic, contemporary, and world premiere plays that entertain, enlighten, stimulate discussion, and illuminate our shared humanity. We are equally dedicated to creating new works and cultivating new audiences, upholding the original objectives of the regional theatre movement. We recognize and value the power of education, offering inspiring, life-changing programs for students, and thought-provoking initiatives for adults.

OUR VALUES

We steadfastly strive to maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for our staff, for our artists, and for our patrons.

OUR VISION

To enrich the lives of those in our community, and to be recognized nationally as a vigorous and vital company that produces meaningful theatre and transforms lives.

HONORARY DIRECTORS

Ruth Baum

Nancy Beard

Ravi Chaturvedi

Esther Dinerstein

Larry Goldfein

Roe Green

Robert Hagelstein

Daryn M. Kirchfeld

Lew Kramer

Sidney Lesowitz

J. Barry Lewis

Sherron Long

Pamela McIver

Charles Muoio

Sally Nathanson

Robert Nederlander

Shari Santell

William N. Shepherd

Marlene Silver

Mimi Walsh

Beth Walton

Lee Wolf

CORNELIA T. BAILEY FOUNDATION

Palm Beach Dramaworks is a proud member of...

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County.

By Neil Simon

By Ronald Harwood

By Stephen Karam

By Mark St. Germain

By Gina Montet

2024/25 SEASON

LOST IN YONKERS

November 1 - 17, 2024

When their widowed father heads south to try and earn a living, two teenage boys, Jay and Arty, are left in the care of their autocratic Grandma Kurnitz, whose four adult children have been damaged by her cruelty. Set during World War II, this funny and touching Pulitzer Prize-winning memory play is both an exploration of the wounds inflicted by family, and a testament to the power of familial love and resiliency.

THE DRESSER

December 20, 2024 - January 5, 2025

It’s 1942, bombs are dropping over England, and a renowned but fading actor is bringing Shakespeare to the provinces with a ragtag troupe. Sir, scheduled to give his 227th performance of King Lear, is in no condition to go on, but his devoted, self-sacrificing dresser, Norman, is determined to get him onstage. Sir and Norman’s co-dependent – if unequal – relationship is the heartbeat of this warts-and-all, tragicomic valentine to the transcendent magic of theatre.

THE HUMANS

February 14 - March 2, 2025

There’s a sense of disquiet in the air when the loving, if dysfunctional, Blake clan gathers for Thanksgiving dinner in daughter Brigid’s dingy Chinatown apartment. “A family play that is sort of infected by my love of the thriller genre,” is how the playwright once described this Tony Award-winning comedy drama, in which the foibles, fears, and fragilities of an American family play out with great insight, humor, and compassion.

CAMPING WITH HENRY AND TOM

April 11 - 27, 2025

Warren G. Harding, eager to get away from the press, prying eyes, and the presidency, accepts an invitation to join Henry Ford and Thomas Edison on their annual camping trip. Stranded in the woods, they converse about politics, ambition, family, and fame, revealing three starkly different personalities and world views. A work of fiction inspired by an actual 1921 excursion, the play deals with issues and ideas that remain as relevant today as they were 100 years ago.

DANGEROUS INSTRUMENTS

May 23 - June 8, 2025

Laura, a determined single mother, faces the ultimate test of love for her exceptionally bright son, Daniel. When Daniel’s brilliance spirals into darkness, Laura finds herself thrust into a gripping battle against a broken system. In a race against time, she must confront a parent’s deepest fears and sacrifice everything to rescue her son from the brink of becoming America’s next tragic headline.