Close to Home Program by pillsburyhouseandtheatre

Close to Home WORLD PREMIERE

Written and Directed by

April 10 - 27

Sharifa Yazmeen

Pillsbury House + Theatre Company

Sara Abdelaal, Audience Engagement Director

Bart Buch, Arts Integration Liason

Claudia Errickson, Technical Director

Signe V. Harriday, Senior Artistic Producing Director

Michael Hoyt, Creative Community Director

Masanari Kawahara, Naked Stages Director

Kurt Kwan, Breaking Ice Manager

Mankwe Ndosi, Resident Community Engaged Artist

Julia Snider Nickerson, Chicago Avenue Project Director

Noël Raymond, Senior Director of Arts & Culture

Rachael C. Rhoades, Production Manager Teaching Artists:

Aimee K. Bryant, Bart Buch, Masanari Kawahara, Clay Man-Soo

Associate Company Members

Jamila Anderson

Clare Brauch

Sharon Bridgforth

Laurie Smith Carlos (1949 – 2016)

John Catron

Christiana Clark

Paul de Cordova

Stephen DiMenna

Ellen Fenster

Brian Goranson

Signe V. Harriday

Daniel Alexander Jones

Jodi Kellogg

Blayn Lemke

Elizabeth MacNally

Marion McClinton (1954 – 2019)

Kimberly Joy Morgan

Sonja Parks

Heidi Batz Rogers

Michael Wangen (1954 – 2020)

James A. Williams

Payton J. Woodson

Pramila Vasudevan

Founder, Ralph Remington

Preceding Co-Artistic Director & Visionary, Faye M. Price

Late Night Founder, Laurie Smith Carlos (Ancestor)

Pillsbury House + Theatre’s mission is to co-create enduring change towards a just society through art. Pillsbury House + Theatre creates theatre productions, arts programs and projects aimed at increasing Access, Attachment and Agency among audiences, artists and community members.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Pillsbury House + Theatre acknowledges that we are on unceded Dakota territory. The Dakota and Ojibwe people continue to live on this land, including the sovereign nations of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, Lower Sioux Indian Community, Prairie Island Indian Community, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and Upper Sioux Community. These Indigenous people and more continue to live on this land despite the genocidal efforts and forced removal by the State of Minnesota and the United States Government. The approximately $3 million promised in the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, ceding Dakota land in southern and western Minnesota to the United States Government, has yet to be paid. The land we are on was, is, and will always be Indigenous land.

The Settlement House movement which gave rise to Pillsbury House + Theatre has a history of erasure with respect to Native communities. In alignment with our mission to create challenging art that inspires enduring change towards a just society, Pillsbury House + Theatre commits to continue including Indigenous voices, whether they be Dakota, Ojibwe, or any of the 30+ Indigenous Nations represented in the Twin Cities area and across the globe. We commit to working in partnership with, and providing resources and stage time for Indigenous theatre makers and artists. We strive to support Indigenous voices at every opportunity and we ask you to commit to supporting the Indigenous people wherever you are.

Close to Home Pillsbury House + Theatre Presents

Written and Directed by Sharifa Yasmin

April 10 - 27

Zara ....................................

Ibimina Dominique Thompson*

Colt ...................................................

Phineas Clark

Kaysar .................................................. Noor Hamdi*

Assistant Director

Simone Bernadette

Stage Manager

Rachael C. Rhoades*

Technical Director

Claudia Errickson

Sound Designer

C Andrew Mayer

Scenic Designer

Afsaneh Aayani

Lighting Designer

Kai “KD” Deutsch Frost

Additional Creative Team

Properties Designer

Jenny Moeller

Head Electrician

Louis Thiessen

Intimacy Director

Suzy Messerole

Costume Designer

Amber Brown

Scenic Artist

Sammy Meverden

Dramaturgy

Adam Elsayigh

Electricians - Nick Fetting, Bevibel Harvey, Janae Lorick, Carl Swanson

Carpenters - Ne’Vaeh Embaye, Jonathan P. Haller

Wardrobe - Rane Oganowski

Special Thanks:

Components of the tree onstage were originally created for Penumbra Theatre Company’s Sugar in our Wounds, 2022. Tree Design by Mina Kinukawa. Fabrication by Zeb Hults, Angelique Powers, and students at the University of Minnesota. Mobile chandelier designed and built by Abbee Warmboe. The PH + T Summer 2024 Step Up Interns created the beautiful painted adirondack chair in our show.

Close to Home will be performed with no intermission

Taking of videos or photographs is prohibited

* Appearing through an Agreement between Pillsbury House + Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Ensemble

Ibimina Dominique Thompson* (Zara)

Ibimina Dominique Thompson is a multi-hyphenate artist based in the Midwest and New York. She creates work that centers Black transness and looks to remove a fictional veil of Maya created by whiteness on art. They were recently recognized among “Theater workers to watch” by American Theater magazine. SPECIAL THANKS TO MY FRIENDS, AND FAMILY (CHOSEN AND BLOOD) FOR BRINGING ME THUS FAR.

Previous credits: Guthrie Theater (Little Prince), Artistry Theater (Godspell/ 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Theater Latté Da (Twelve Angry Men world premiere), Underdog Theater Company x Mixed Blood (how it’s gon be world premiere), Gremlin Theater (samuel j and k) Film: Love is Like… (North Carolina Black Film Festival CineFilmu Festival, Giants Exhibit at MIA) Upcoming: Bard African Night at Walker Art Center. Solo performance : bad Africans a guide to being oshey and bardest in a f*cked up world.

Phineas Clark (Colt)

Phineas Clark (he/him) is a New England based actor, improviser and voiceover artist. On stage, he has performed at regional theaters across the country including Cincinnati Playhouse In the Park, The Peterborough Players, and The Guthrie Theater. Favorite past roles include Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, Edmund in King Lear, and Mr. Marks in Intimate Apparel. Most recently, Phineas was seen originating the role of Mac in Die Hard Is A Christmas Movie at KNOW Theatre of Cincinnati. Having trained and performed in Minneapolis years ago, he is excited to return to the Twin Cities for his Pillsbury House + Theatre debut with friends both old and new. It is an honor to be working on this piece, with this cast and creative team, at this theatre, at this moment in time. Phineas would like to thank his amazing wife, family, and friends for their love and support. Special thanks go to the Shuford family.

Noor Hamdi* (Kaysar)

Noor, who is proudly queer and Syrian-American, is a New York based actor, teaching-artist, dialect coach, writer, clown, and circus artist. He’s worked on Broadway (including “Skin of Our Teeth” dir. Lilean Blain-Cruz), Off-Broadway (including “Cartography” by Kaneza Schaal and Chris Myers), regionally, and internationally. Noor also has a solo show titled “2014”, performed with special appearances by his imaginary friends. Film credits include “Flunkyball” (dir. Tess Forestieri), and “Sherman” (dir. Darine Hotait), among others. Noor seeks to normalize and popularize SWANA and queer narratives (and especially the intersection of the two) in order to promote a deeper tolerance and understanding of those communities in the current social framework of the world.

Website:www.noorhamdi.com

Artistic and Production Staff

Sharifa Yazmeen (Playwright and Director)

Sharifa Yazmeen (she/her) is a trans Arab-American director, actor, and playwright. She has completed directing fellowships with The Drama League, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Geva Theatre, and was a Eugene O’Neill national directing fellow. Some of Sharifa’s favorite directing projects include Disgraced (American Stage), Beirut (Brown/Trinity Rep), The War Boys (Hangar Theater), 3:59AM (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Babel (CATF), Noon Panir in the Dark (Dartmouth College), In the Blood (Duende Productions), and Mosque4Mosque (National Queer Theatre). Yazmeen’s playwriting focuses on the intersection of Queer and Arab identities. Her plays have been published in Overheard, a collection of monologues by and for TNB2S+ artists and both editions of the Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays. Her play Close to Home was distinguished by the American Theatre Wing at the annual Antoinette Gala, and was recently included on the 2023 Kilroy’s list. Yazmeen was also honored as the inaugural recipient of the SCDF’s Barbara Whitman Award in 2021, and Abe Burrows Award in 2024. She holds an MFA in Directing from Brown/Trinity Rep. www.sharifayazmeen.com

Simone Bernadette (Assistant Director)

Simone Bernadette Williams (they/them/theirs) joins Close to Home as the Assistant Director, for their directorial debut at Pillsbury House. Simone is a class clown Capricorn with an explosion of modalities over the last {redacted} number of years including curator, visual artist, farmer, tarot reader, movement artist, educator, performer, and town jester. The majority of Simone’s work aims to dismantle, reassemble, preserve, and redefine legacy. Their favorite fruit is pears.

Rachael C. Rhoades* (Production Manager)

Rachael Rhoades (she/her/hers) is a St. Paul-based stage manager, production manager, and event planner. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. Rachael has worked with notable companies like Illusion Theater, Mixed Blood Theater, Theater Latte Da, and the Guthrie Theater. She is a creative consultant and Musical Theatre Instructor for Brekke Dance Center and co-creator of Triple Threat Theater. Rachael is also a Technical Theatre Evaluator for Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education program and serves as the Production Stage Manager for Brownbody. She lives on a houseboat on the Mississippi River with her three cats and enjoys immersing herself in nature.

Afsaneh Aayani (Scenic Designer)

Select credits: Regional: English (Cincinnati Playhouse); English (The Old Globe); English (Alliance Theatre); Alley All New Festival, A Christmas Carol (Alley Theatre); Birthday Candles (Chautauqua Theater); Disgraced (American Stage); Romeo and Juliet (Two River Theater); The Ugly Christmas Sweater, Frozen (TUTS) Alabaster (Trinity Rep). Other credits: Meow Wolf Houston, Extinctionist (Heartbeat Opera), Turn of the Screw, Innominate, Cleansed, Waiting for Godot, A Maroon’s Guide to Time and Space (Catastrophic Theatre); Roe, Black Superhero Magic Mama, Ms Holmes and Ms Watson (Stages); Frida, Sunday in the Park With George (El Paso Opera); Big Swim (Houston Grand Opera); King Lear (Houston Shakespeare); Finding Nemo the Musical (Theatre of the Republic); Blueberry’s Clubhouse (PBS Arkansas); Little Shop of Horrors (Moores School Of Music); Education: BFA, Puppetry, Tehran University of Art; MFA, Scenic Design, University of Houston. www.afsanehaayani.com

Amber Brown (Costume Designer)

Amber works as a designer and technician across the Twin Cities. Her designs include Pillsbury House Theatre: What Washed Ashore Astray, bull-jean, Great Divide II: Plays on the Politics of Truth, Almost Equal To, The Great Divide: Plays for a Broken Nation; Minnesota Opera: Double Bill; Theater Latte Da: We Shall Someday, Christmas at the Local; Illusion Theater: We Take Care of Our Own, Five Minutes of Heaven; Old Log Theatre: The Play That Goes Wrong, The Emperor’s New Clothes; Park Square Theatre: Aubergine; Mixed Blood Theatre: Interstate, Autonomy, Corazón Eterno, Agnes Under the Bigtop.

Kai “KD” Deutsch Frost (Lighting Designer)

Kai “KD” Deutsch Frost (they/them) is a non-binary, first generation artist specializing in lighting. Their recent Lighting Design work includes CASTLES by Kat Purcell, Minnesota International Dance Festival, and at The Parkway for various shows. They are currently the Event Production Coordinator/ Video Supervisor at the Walker Art Center and they still freelance around the Cities as both a lighting designer and all-around stagehand. They can be seen around town crocheting in the dark.

Claudia Errikson (Technical Director)

Claudia is Pillsbury House + Theatre’s Technical Director. She has previously worked on PH+Ts A Walless Church, Naked Stages, and Passage among others. Claudia also works freelance within the metro area as a Lighting Designer, Visual Artist and Teaching Artist. Her recent work includes lighting design for They Didn’t Deserve to Die produced by Sequoia Hauck, In the Backroom produced by Michael Thorsch, and Divas & Drag produced by An Opera Theatre Company.

Artistic and Production Staff

C Andrew Mayer (Sound Designer)

C Andrew Mayer (Sound Designer) is delighted to be back at Pillsbury House! Previously at PHT he has designed over 20 productions, including What/Washed Ashore/Astray, Buzzer, No Child, Bug, and Far Away. He has worked with many fine theatre companies in the Twin Cities area and nationally. He was a McKnight Theatre Artist Fellow and won an Audelco Award for his design for Carlyle Brown’s Pure Confidence at 59E59, New York City. In summer he serves as the Producing Director of the Acadia Repertory Theatre on Mount Desert Island in Maine.

Suzy Messerole (Intimacy Director)

Suzy is delighted to join this creative team as Intimacy Director for Close to Home. Suzy is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (with Aamera Siddiqui) of Exposed Brick Theatre, and recently co-directed Passage at PH+T with Signe V. Harriday. In addition to theater, Suzy is also a lead organizer with the Million Artist Movement; and a member of The Subversive Sirens, a gold medal winning synchronized swimming team. Suzy received intimacy direction certification through IDC Professionals, and looks forward to being the Intimacy Director for Stop Kiss with Theatre Mu this June.

Jenny Moeller (Properties Designer)

Jenny Moeller is a props and lighting designer, director, playwright, and theater artist working in the Twin Cities. She is currently Technical Director of the Twin Cities Horror Festival, serves on the Board for Arts Nest, and is the former Artistic Director of Raw Sugar. She has worked as producer, playwright, director, technical director, designer, and builder for many theaters, including Theatre Pro Rata, Nimbus, the Minnesota Opera, Southern Theater, Theatre Unbound, Four Humors, Six Points Theater, and many others. She believes that stories make us human, and has a passion for helping others bring their stories to life.

Carmen Multz (Assistant Stage Manager)

Carmen Multz is a Professional Actor and Stage Manager who works across the midwest. Carmen has worked with several theatre and film groups—including American Immersion Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and Cedar Falls. Multz graduated from Anoka-Ramsey’s Fine Arts program in 2024, and most recently worked with Pillsbury House + Theatre as a Stage Manager for the world premiere of ‘ A Pick for the Hair of Black Kids Who Don’t Wanna Be Gangstaz’ by Junie Edwards.

Apprentices

Ne’Vaeh Embaye (Carpentry Apprentice)

Ne’Vaeh Embaye (All pronouns) is a Minnesota born and raised Eritrean theatre enthusiast who was the carpentry apprentice for this show which involved building, props, and painting. On the tech side, they have worked on a few performances all at Pillsbury House as the clothing assistant for Passage, lighting designer for A Pick For The Hair Of Black Kids Who Don’t Wanna Be Gangstaz, and 2 years worth of Step-Up experience. On the acting side, they have done 2 high school cabaret style performances at South High. Huge appreciation for Claudia and Andre for giving me this amazing opportunity, and allowing me to be in this amazing community for countless years - along with my family who’s always supported me throughout my entire theatre experience.

Skyler Seiler (Acting Apprentice)

Skyler (Skye) is a 19 year old mixed trans woman. While she hasn’t lived here her whole life, Skyler is based in Minnesota, and is a student at Augsburg University. When Skyler is not filling up a room that has good acoustics with her singing, she enjoys experimenting with body art, and delivering an outspoken, powerful voice. Skyler dedicates her art and ambition to the betterment of trans, black, and brown voices. Finally, Skyler is immensely grateful and invigorated to be part of the world premiere of Close to Home! Acting Credits: Augsburg University (Rocky Horror), Children’s Theatre Company (Head Over Heels), Training — Augsburg University Theatre Department

Pre and Post Show Events

Sunday, April 13, 12 PM, we are excited to host a pre-show Special Fundraiser Event: Our Space – Queer Social with special guest remarks at 1PM.

Wednesday, April 16, 6 PM, we invite artists to join us for a special Artist Social, an opportunity to connect, network, and engage with fellow creatives. Thursday, April 17, 6 PM, we invite you to a special evening featuring a PreShow Art Activity followed by Post-Show Centering Trans Care, led by REP and Trans Survival Pod.

Monday, April 21, 7 PM, we are hosting Industry Night for theater professionals, including artists, producers, and members of the local arts community. All are welcome.

Thursday, April 24, 7 PM, join us for a special Post-Show Trans Voices Discussion, led by hal sansone and Sequoia Hauck with support from the Director of Close to Home Sharifa Yazmeen.

PH+T Contributors

Funding from state and federal government agencies, local and national foundations and donations from individual donors fuel Pillsbury House + Theatre’s work. Contributions support not only our Mainstage and Naked Stages seasons, but also the Chicago Avenue Project and our community engagement programs.

Thank you to all donors for your generosity. If you have made a donation in the last year and do not find your name listed below, we apologize for the omission and ask that you let us know by contacting Sara Abdelaal at 612-787-3622 or SaraA@pillsburyhousetheatre.org.

Sponsors and Grantors

Carlson Family Foundation

George Family Foundation

Jerome Foundation

McKnight Foundation

Minnesota State Arts Board

Mortenson Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation

Rosemary and David Good Family Foundation

Sheltering Arms Foundation

Shubert Foundation

Wallace Foundation

Annual Fund

Donors

(2023 to present)

Yasmin Abdi

Cheryl Anderson

Jeanne Andre

Julie Andrus

Andrew Arsham

Judith Baldwin

Davina Baldwin

Christina Baldwin

Caroline Bassett

Jeffrey Beeman

Ike Belton

Jane Berg

Emily Best

Lynnette Black

Amy Blumenshine

Kristina Boerger

Brenna Brelie

Patricia Brenneman

Sharon Bridgforth

Kim Brown

Nancy Brown

N. Jeanne Burns & Elizabeth A.

Oppenheimer

Sara Carew

Heather Carroll

Louisa Castner

Adrienne Chivers

Sally Christenson

Colleen Clark

Becky Clawson & Jeffrey Garetz

T. Collopy

Ray Conroe & Maureen Shannon

John Cook

Lynda Dahl

Danielle Daniel

Barbara Davis

Thomas Davis

Barbara Greenwald Davis

Oscar Del Sebastien

Anna Dennis

John Doan

Linda Donaldson

Dan Donkers

Nance Duffy

Jean Ann Durades

Veronica Dura

Randee Edmundson

Alisa Eland

William Elwood

Anna Marie Ettel

Ron Fraboni

Lee Friedman

Linda C Giacomo

Sue Gibson & Neill Merck

Linda Gill

Kristin Gloe

Carla Gonzalez

Sally Gordon

Kelsye Gould

Carol Grady

Elizabeth Grant

Harry Greenberg

Dolores Gutierrez

Signe V. Harriday

Theamarie Harriday

Lyndsey Harter

James & Jean Hartman

Karen Heegaard

Ruthanne Heenan

Molly M. Henke

Tom Hennum

George Hoagland

Susan Hoffman

Toni Holloway l

Kurt Hunter

Mimi Iimuro Van Ausdall

Shelley Jacobson

Suzanne Jebe

Mosley Joella

Esther Johnston

Kathy Kater

Tish Keahna Kruzan

Miriam Kelen

Renee Kerr

Linda Schauinger & Rob King

John Kluge

Michael Koch

Kathy Koch

Vaishnavi Kollimarla

Joe Kuznik

Wendy Lane

Laurel Lapore

Kathy & Allen Lenzmeier

David Leppik

Todd London

Margaret Lonergan

Kristen Lund

Xiaohan Ma

Ruth MacKenzie

William & Janet MacNally

Linda Madson

Chrissie & Brian Mahaffy

Kris & John Mandler

Judith Marshall

Jeffrey Masco

Danette McCarthy

Sheila McGinley

Kathy McKay

Patricia Mees

Janet Merrill

Jane Miller

David Miller

Jamie Monson

David and Leni Moore

Victoria Mucha

Mary Ellen Murphy

James Nelson

Sandra Ness

Christina Nicholson

David O’Fallon

Alys Ayumi Ogura

Laurie Ohanlon

Janet Oliver

Ben Olk

Joan Owens

Julia Palmer

Jane Pena

Kurt Peterson

Joan Piorkowski

Pauline Posten

Brenda Powell

Jane Powers

Faye M. Price

Jason Price

Terese Pritschet

Patrick Prochaska

Doris Rausch

George Raymond

Jean Raymond

Pete & Karen Raymond

Noel Raymond & Amy Finch

Mary Riordan

Beverly Roberts

Linda Rost

Alison Ruth

Barbara Sanderson

Ann Sargent

Sheryl Saterstrom

Eleanor Savage

Margaret Schally

Susan Schirber

Anna Schloerb

Evie Schulte

Karin Schurrer-Erickson

Carole Senty & Richard Miller

Karon Sherarts

Terry Shima

Wendy Short-Hays

Kristin Siegesmund

Chi-Ante Singletary

Nina Soffer

Lisa Solis

Phyllis Solon

Sandy Spieler

Johanna Stammeier-Toole

Nanette Stearns

Alicia Steele

Carla Steen & Jeff Friedl

Marcia & John Stout

Karen Svien

Marguerita Tajibnapis

Judy Takkunen

Hazel Tanner

James Tenley

Lily Thiboutot

Jo Thies

Erika Thorne

Elizabeth Tisel & Sarah Farley

Karen Townsend

Daniel Vogel

Serena Vruno

Darlene Walser & Eyenga Bokamba

Melinda Ward

Harry Waters & Tom Borrup

Waynewood

Joel Wiberg

Beth Wright

Ann Wynia

Merra Young

Kathleen Zeleny

Louise Ziegler

Milligan Fund for BIPOC Artists

Donors (2023 to present)

This fund is made possible by seed donations from the Milligan family, including a generous bequest from the estate of Carol Milligan in 2021. The fund will be cultivated and used to support the work of BIPOC artists.

Vicki & Eugene Adelman

Pamela Arnold

Malia Burkhart

Moira Coe

Renee DeLong

Robert Frame

Nathaniel & Cathy Fuller

Harry Greenberg

Elise Gumm

Linda & Randy Madson

Nubia Monks

Thomas & Martha Milligan

Jeff & Sarah

Milligan - Toffler

Bunnard Phan

Katie Piehl

& Rich Knowlton

Stacy Rooney

Helen Slater

Jane Sturges

Emily Villano

Shannon Young

The Faye M. Price Fund Donors

Dedicated to our former Co-Artistic Director of over 20 years, the Faye M. Price Fund directly supports Black femaleidentified artists that PH+T has the honor to collaborate with.

Alan Berks

Margaret Cogelow

Maureen Engelhardt

Robert Frame

Madeleine George

Kelsye Gould

Barbara Greenwald Davis

Katherine Harp

James & Jean Hartman

Meg Kosowski

Mary Ellen Murphy

Faye M. Price

Emma Schubert

Ann Viitala

Abi Walker

Louise Ziegler

Chicago Avenue

Project Donors (2020 to present)

Since 1996, CAP has brought local youth together with the Twin Cities’ best adult playwrights, actors, and directors to create and produce original plays.

Yasmin Abdi

Lauren Anderson

Kris Berggren

Douglas Ewart

Mary Lee Krahn

Koleah Mantle

Kathleen Zeleny

Pillsbury Creative Commons Donors

Pillsbury Creative Commons (PCC) is the new name for Pillsbury House + Theatre. Our expanded arts and economic development hub will fuel a more vibrant future for South Minneapolis, channeling the power of artists to transform the community with and for local residents.

Pamela Arnold

Sharon Bridgforth

Sue Gibson

Thomas Hennum

JoAnna Hicks

Suzanne Jebe

Jane Miller

Mary Ellen Murphy

Eleanor Savage

Beth Sletta

Karen Svien

Join our friends at Jakeeno’s down the street at the corner of 36th and Chicago Avenue to continue your conversations about Close to Home

Show your program for a FREE Cheese Bread Appetizer with purchase of entree. Full menu at WWW.JAKEENOS.COM

The Ruth Easton Fund

Actress Ruth Easton (née Edelstein) was born in North Branch, Minnesota and graduated from North Branch High School. She attended the University of Minnesota for one year and the following year attended Macalester College before finishing her collegiate career at Cumnock School in Los Angeles. She went on to New York where she studied acting with Oliver Morosco. Mr. Morosco opened a stock theater company in upstate New York where Ms. Easton starred in several plays. After performing with other stock theater companies she returned to New York City where she appeared in five Broadway plays over a period of seven years. They included Exceedingly Small, Privilege Car, Town Bay, Buckaroo and CharlieChan.ExceedinglySmall was directed by Ethel Barrymore and Easton played opposite Eric Dressler. New York critics praised her performance as “thoroughly touching” and “highly spirited and excellent.” She starred in radio dramas on the Rudy Vallee Hour and the Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour opposite such actors as Walter Huston, Judith Anderson and Lionel Barrymore. She also appeared with Clark Gable, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson during the course of her career.

Ms. Easton’s legacy, her commitment to theater and the development of new works continues through the charitable gifts distributed through the Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.