Profile Theatre presents: Sweat by Lynn Nottage, directed by Christopher Acebo

FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JOSH HECHT

My grandfather Louis had an 8th grade education. When he was fourteen, he dropped out of school to start work in a factory near the Brooklyn Navy Yard that made dog collars. My grandmother was a part-time bookkeeper and home maker who would meet him under the D train on Fridays and walk him to the local bank where they would cash his check and divide the contents among assorted envelopes: rent, con ed, telephone, groceries.

They could not imagine the life I am privileged to lead as an artist and arts leader.

It seems to me we have a tendency, in popular culture, in the blogosphere, among our armchair philosophers, to simultaneously romanticize and demonize the working class. How many think pieces did we read in the wake of the 2016 election focusing on the anger and resentment of working people in the handful of swing states that every four years decide our presidential election? SWEAT, researched and written in the years preceding that election, and appearing on Broadway in the year that followed it, seems prescient indeed today.

But we have very few honest, authentic portraits of the way so many of us live — the working communities that formed over the course of the last century in the heartland of this country — parts of the US that we now refer to as the “rust belt” as factory after factory slows down and becomes idle.

In the two decades since NAFTA, we have watched these communities wither and be torn apart. But how shall we replace them? The manufacturing sector has been overtaken by the service sector, and both are increasingly being dominated by the “gig economy” — an economy based on the premise that only the very minutes we are being productive deserve to be compensated, an economy that includes no health benefits, no retirement plan, no paid sick leave, no paid vacation. My parents were public school teachers. Neither of them ever made a 6-figure salary. But they knew they could rely on their employer (in this case the City of New York) to afford them a dignified standard of living, to help them when they got sick, to take care of them in their old age. Who shall we rely on?

A teacher of mine once said, “Art makes of the life we have, the life we want. And it’s our master artists who help us see — see the world around us, and dream into being the world that we need.”

Take a listen to the last line in Nottage’s masterwork. And in the silence of its wake imagine the world that might be. , Artistic Director

2

PLAYWRIGHT PROFILE LYNN NOTTAGE Brooklyn-born Lynn Nottage is one of the most celebrated midcareer playwrights today. She began writing plays while in high school at the famed LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York. But Nottage credits mentor Paula Vogel with helping guide her into a career in the arts. They first met in the late 1980s when Nottage was an undergrad at Brown University and took a graduate playwriting seminar taught by Vogel, who ran the graduate program there for twenty-five years. “I was going to go to journalism school, and Paula said, ‘Well, why don’t you apply to the theatre program?’” Nottage went on to get her MFA in Playwriting at Yale School of Drama and her DFA from Brown. Vogel became a life-long mentor and friend.

Throughout the late 1990s, Nottage was a frequent presence off-Broadway and regionally with plays like Por’Knockers (1995), Crumbs from the Table of Joy (1996), Mud, River, Stone (1997), and Las Meninas (2002), but it was her 2003 play Intimate Apparel that brought her national prominence with three large productions in quick succession at Baltimore’s Center Stage, South Coast Repertory and New York’s Roundabout Theatre in a production starring Viola Davis. Intimate Apparel went on to be one of the most widely produced plays of the early 2000s. It’s companion piece, Fabulation, premiered the following fall at Playwrights Horizons, in a production directed by frequent collaborator Kate Whoriskey.

Nottage had long been interested in exploring a version of Mother Courage and Her Children set in the Congo, which had been embroiled in a years-long civil war. The day after Fabulation opened, she and Whoriskey boarded a plane for Uganda where they spent several weeks conducting interviews. The result of that trip was Nottage’s play Ruined, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize after an extended run at Manhattan Theatre Club.

FROM THE DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER ACEBO Sweat has been in my consciousness for several years since prior to its premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As the Associate Artistic Director, I was one of the lucky people who read an early draft of the play and its impact was immediate. Sweat went on to garner many accolades including a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony nominated Broadway run.

Bringing it to life for Profile Theatre with these terrific artists has been a deeply powerful experience. What struck me then and especially now is Lynn Nottage’s incredible ability of capturing the complex history and truth of these characters, show them in their struggle during the crisis and lay out the devastating affects of a factory closure in a community. The play takes place in Reading, Pennsylvania but really it could just as easily be set in Portland, Oregon.

Through Lynn’s extraordinary dialogue she reveals a community tearing itself apart, turning on each other while the enemy remains unseen and unaffected.

As we begin a new year, I am struck by this play’s deep response to the unraveling of the promise of the American Dream. The play challenges us to refocus our priorities so that no one is living and operating from a place of scarcity. The character of Stan, who runs the bar, describes that what people in power don’t realize is that “... human decency is at the core of everything.” A simple reminder for all of us as we enter a new decade.

Nottage won her second Pulitzer Prize for 2017’s Sweat, a play about deindustrialization in America, and the product of extensive interviews conducted in Reading, PA. Hailed as one of the most important plays of the decade, the play transferred to Broadway, where it was nominated for a Best Play Tony Award.

Throughout her work, Nottage marries a journalist’s delight in research and first-hand interviews, an activist’s interest in social justice, and the exceptional craft of one of our most powerful dramatists.

3

Profile Theatre Presents

SWEAT

LYNN NOTTAGE DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER ACEBO BY

CAST

La’ Tevin Alexander..................................................................................................................... Chris Cycerli Ash*...............................................................................................................................Cynthia Bobby Bermea*.............................................................................................................................Evan Duffy Epstein.................................................................................................................................. Stan Linda Hayden*........................................................................................................................... Tracey Alissa Jessup.............................................................................................................................. Jessie Victor Mack*................................................................................................................................Brucie Chris Ramirez.............................................................................................................................. Oscar Jim Vadala....................................................................................................................................Jason

DESIGNERS & PRODUCTION

Peter Ksander..............................................................................................................Scenic Design Alex Pletcher............................................................................................................Costume Design Kristeen Willis†.........................................................................................................Lighting Design Rodolfo Ortega†........................................................................................................... Sound Design Stephanie Mulligan*.................................................................................................Stage Manager Breydon Little.................................................................................................. Prodiction Assistant Danny Gray........................................................................................................... Properties Master Michael Cavazos................................................................................................. Assistant Director Michelle Maida..................................................................................................................... Voiceover Sam Dinklowitz........................................................................................................... Fight Director

Run time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, with one 15 minute intermission Co-Commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle and Arena Stage. World Premiere produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This production of SWEAT was first presented in New York by The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Wellignham, Executive Director). Originally produced on Broadway by Stuart Thompson and Louise L. Gund. SWEAT is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York

PHOTOS, VIDEO OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

SEASON SPONSOR:

RONNI LACROUTE

WINE SPONSOR:

THIS SEASON IS FUNDED IN PART BY: ^ Profile Theatre is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre. *Appearing through an Agreement between Profile Theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

4

† Represented by United Scenic Artists - Local USA 829 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM LA’ TEVIN ALEXANDER

Chris Another Profile play is underway, And it looks to be one for the ages.

Tev’s happy that Chris cast him in this play.

Previously on some other stages: He has performed in Red Door’s Evolve Before that he was in rep at Profile He does work that challenges his resolve Work that makes him a lot more versatile Like for instance is his work in Fences Last Fall he was in Topdog/Underdog Both shows had positive consequences That sparked some necessary dialogue See him next as the co-star in Pipeline To read other credits go look online @latevin_alexander

CYCERLI ASH

Cynthia Cycerli is honored to make her debut at Profile Theater.

She gives all glory to God. She received her Master’s in acting, from the University of Tennessee, and her Bachelor’s from Rutgers University. Former D1 athlete turned ninja with a black belt in hapkido.

Recent Theatre: Portland Playhouse- A Christmas Carol (Marley, Past, Present, Future), Denver Center- Sweat (Cynthia), Portland Center Stage- A Life, Passin Arts- Two Trains Running (Risa), Kenny Leon True Colors- Spunk (Missy Mae, Delia). Recent TV: Freeform- “The Pretty Little Liars”, “The Perfectionists” (Helen Park-Lewis), BET- “Tales” (Sunshine), TVOne- “Skinned” (Dr.Smith), Amazon Prime- “The City” (Shirley).

BOBBY BERMEA

Evan Bobby Bermea is the co-artistic director of the Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project, a proud member of Sojourn Theatre and a long-time member of Actors Equity Association. Bermea has literally appeared in theatres from New York, NY to Honolulu, HI. In Portland Bermea has

worked at Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory, Portland Playhouse, Milagro, Cygnet, Life in Arts and CoHo. On the Profile stage, Bermea has been seen in Master Harold and the Boys, My Children!

My Africa!, Water by the Spoonful, and just recently, Ruined/Mother Courage and Her Children, as well as having directed Blue Door and Fires in the Mirror.

DUFFY EPSTEIN

Stan Duffy last appeared at Profile in Water By the Spoonful and The Happiest Song Plays Last. Recent shows: D’Amico in Jesus Hopped The A Train (Coho), Da in Once, (Broadway Rose), Slank in Peter and The Starcatcher (Portland Playhouse), Cash in The Pain and the Itch (Third Rail), Harold in I Want To Destroy You (Vertigo), and Dummy in Judy Gets Lucky (Rodney Street Playhouse). TV credits include “Pretty Little Liars”, “Grimm”, “The West Wing”, and “ER”.

LINDA HAYDEN

Tracey Linda is delighted to be back on board with Profile Theatre where she was last seen in the Harold Pinter play The Homecoming and Constance Congdon’s play Lips.

After graduating from Illinois State University, she continued her studies at Dell ‘Arte International graduating from the Professional Training Program and later touring professionally with the Dell ‘Arte Players Company. Acting credits include Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Empty Space, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Coho, Tygres Heart, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Company and The Haven Project. She is a proud union member of Actors Equity Association.

ALISSA JESSUP

Jessie Seen previously as Laurie in In The Wake, Alissa is thrilled to be returning to Profile for Sweat. She has performed and developed new plays with more people in more places than she’d like to recount.

Including Sundance Theatre Lab, 13P, Soho Rep, and Playwrights Horizons NYC. TV credits ‘Shrill’ starring Aidy Bryant (Hulu), TRUE BLOOD (HBO, and GRIMM (NBC). She has written and performed comedy at The Upright Citizens Brigade NYC and The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. Original member of Printer’s Devil Theatre. Love to Mom, Dad, Chris, Coco & Pixie. Upcoming: Pipeline at Portland Playhouse, Spring 2020.

VICTOR MACK

Brucie Victor last performed for Profile Theatre in Ruined/Mother Courage and Her Children and Blue Door. Credits: How I Learned What I Learned, Jitney, Detroit, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Radio Golf, and The Language Archive at Portland Playhouse; The Lion In Winter at NWCTC; Hamlet, Frankie and Johnny in The Claire De Lune at CoHo Productions; Uncle Vanya at PETE; Throwing Bones and One Day at Sojourn Theatre; Ithaka, Seven Guitars, Topdog/Underdog, Superior Donuts, Motherfucker with the Hat at Artists Repertory Theatre. Offstage, Victor is a teaching artist for World Stage Theatre’s - August Wilson Monologue Competition & Coach/Actor with Playwrite Inc.

CHRIS RAMIREZ

Oscar Chris is a stage and film actor best known for his appearance on the TV Series “Jane The Virgin”. Born and raised in Kansas City, Ramirez started acting at the University of Kansas and continued studying at the University of Southern California. As a

5

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM CONT’D writer and filmmaker at heart, Ramirez’ first film “Ignatius” was selected in the 2015 Portland Film Festival. Based in LA, the Native American actor remembers his family and dedicates his performance to his late cousin Allison Lynn Richardson.

JIM VADALA

Jason Jim is an artist, clown and storyteller who transplanted to Portland in 2012.

Born and Raised in Philadelphia Jim received his BFA in Theatre from West Chester University in 2012 and has recently joined SAG-AFTRA! Jim has toured nationally with Imago and has performed locally with PCS, Third Rail, Anonymous Theatre, Defunkt, P.E.T.E., Portland Shakespeare Project, Portland Playhouse and many more. Jim is also a regular of the irreverent sketch group Spectravagasm. Keep a lookout for Jim in the Lumineers new film “III” and Season 2 of “Shrill” on Hulu! Sweat marks Jims debut with Profile Theater.

LYNN NOTTAGE

Playwright Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter, and the first woman in history to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama.

Her plays include Sweat (Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award), which moved to Broadway after a sold out run at The Public Theater, Mlima’s Tale (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Lilly Award, Drama Desk Nomination), Ruined (Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award), Intimate Apparel (American Theatre Critics and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play), Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine (OBIE Award), Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Las Meninas, Mud, River, Stone, Por’knockers and POOF!. In addition, she is working with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on adapting her play Intimate Apparel into an opera at Lincoln Center. She has also developed This is Reading, a performance installation at the Franklin Street, Reading Railroad Station in Reading, PA. She was writer/producer on the first season of Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It directed

6

by Spike Lee. Nottage is a member of the Dramatists Guild, an Associate Professor at Columbia University School of the Arts, and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, Steinberg “Mimi” Distinguished Playwright Award, Doris Duke Artists Award and PEN/Laura Pels Master Playwright Award, among others.

CHRISTOPHER ACEBO

with critically-acclaimed producers such as the LA Phil, Opera Omaha, Pacific Musicworks, The Geffen Playhouse, Brimmer Street Theatre Co., Artists Rep, Profile Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble, Gray Oak Productions, NBC, ABC, 20th Century Fox, HBO, and others. Alex holds a BA in Theatre Design and Production from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television.

Director

KRISTEEN WILLIS

Christopher’s previous Portland productions as a designer include La Ruta and Cuba Libre for Artist Rep, and Mojada for PCS. Recently he directed American Mariachi in Arizona and California. His work has been seen from coast to coast including Broadway, Center Theatre Group, Arena Stage, Lincoln Center, Yale Rep, Brooklyn Academy of Music, American Repertory Theater, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Goodman Theater, Guthrie, Yale Rep, Denver Center, and the Kennedy Center.

Christopher was an ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company & served as Associate Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA & serves with the Oregon State Arts Commission.

PETER KSANDER

Scenic & Projection Designer Peter is a scenographer and media artist.

He was a founding curator of the Incubator Arts Project in NYC, won an Obie award for the scenic design of Untitled Mars (this title may change), and a Bessie award for the visual design of This Was the End. Recent Portland credits include set design for Beckett Women, Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberly, Arlington [a love story], Our Ruined House, Teenage Dick, and Uncle Vanya. He holds an MFA from CALARTS, is an Associate Professor at Reed College and a member of the Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble.

ALEX PLETCHER

Costume Designer Alex is an SF Bay Area Native and has since enjoyed life in The Netherlands, Brazil, LA, and most recently, Portland. This is her 2nd season designing for Profile.

As a scenic and costume designer, she is fortunate enough to have collaborated

Lighting Design Kristeen is thrilled to be designing for Profile again; previous designs include lighting for Buried Child and scenery for Master Harold and the Boys. Regional theater credits include lighting designs for A Contemporary Theatre and Triad Stage.

Her Portland area design credits include 1984 and Wolf Play at Artists Repertory Theatre; Buyer & Cellar and Tiny Beautiful Things, at PCS; The Night Alive and Or, at Third Rail; Snow White and Little Red “Riding Hood” at NWCT; Goosebumps and Fly Guy at OCT; The Outgoing Tide and Luna Gale at CoHo; and Oedipus El Rey at Milagro Theatre.

RODOLFO ORTEGA

Composer & Sound Designer Credits include Native Gardens at Cleveland Playhouse; Romeo and Juliet and Tenth Muse at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Monster Builder at South Coast Repertory; Three Musketeers and Romeo and Juliet at Denver Center; Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, Love’s Labor’s Lost and Venus and Fur at Santa Cruz Shakespeare ;1984, La Ruta, Magellanica and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at Artist Repertory Theater. Additional Credits: Rodolfo received his Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music and was recently featured in Prague for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial for his music from Magellanica.

STEPHANIE MULLIGAN

Stage Manager Stephanie Mulligan most recently stage managed (Un)conditional and The Secretaries for Profile. She is an experienced director in both the professional and educational arenas.

She has been a frequent participant in international programming, through

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM CONT’D which she has collaborated with theatre artists in India, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Australia. Her next directing project, Dr. Voynich And Her Children, can be seen at Linfield College this spring. Stephanie received her BA in Theatre Arts from Linfield College. She is an Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

BREYDON LITTLE

Production Assistant Breydon is thrilled to be back at Profile Theatre. Local theatre credits include shows at Portland Playhouse, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Defunkt Theatre, Enso Theatre, and various independent projects.

He works in queer event producing with Katya Presents, is co-production Manager for The Theatre Co., and performs as the drag queen Silhouette.

DANNY GRAY

Properties Master Danny is an artist, designer, puppeteer, and playwright. He co-founded the theatre company Rutabaga Story Co. in 2017, and designed puppets, costumes, and props for their first two original plays by Eve Johnstone, An Interlude in Birdsong and Fire and Meat. He most recently designed and performed as a magic walrus in Trash Diggers by Stephanie Woods. After receiving his BFA in ceramics, sculpture, and theatre at Alfred University, he continued training as an actor with master clown teacher Philippe Gaulier in France.

His play An Irish Exit will be premiering at the Shoebox Theatre this coming April.

MICHAEL CAVAZOS

JOSH HECHT

Artistic Director Josh is the Artistic Director of Profile Theatre where he recently directed the rotating repertory productions of Lisa Kron’s Well and Anna Deavere Smith’s Let Me Down Easy, Lisa Kron’s In The Wake, the concert staging of Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and the rotating repertory productions of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful and The Happiest Song Plays Last. Other Portland productions include Teenage Dick at Artists Repertory Theatre and the upcoming Indecent, a co-production between Artists Rep and Profile. He is a Drama Desk Award-winning director whose productions have been seen in New York at MCC Theater, The Cherry Lane, The Duke on 42nd Street, New World Stages, Culture Project, regionally at The Guthrie Theater, the Berkshire Theatre Group, the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Signature Theatre (DC) and internationally at the Dublin Arts Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and elsewhere. His collaboration with Ping Chong and Company was commissioned by and premiered at The Kennedy Center before touring the northeast. His writing has received the support of the Jerome Foundation. He is formerly the Director of

Playwright Development at MCC Theater and the Director of New Play Development at WET. He’s served on the faculty of the New School for Drama MFA Directing program, the Fordham University MFA Playwriting program, Purchase College SUNY’s BFA Dramatic Writing program and has been a guest artist at The Juilliard School, NYU’s Dramatic Writing MFA, Carnegie Mellon’s MFA Playwriting, University of Minnesota’s BFA Acting program and others.

FOR THIS PRODUCTION GRAPHIC DESIGN: Kira Batcheller PUBLIC RELATIONS: Jen Mitas PRODUCTION SERVICES: Artists Repertory Theatre BOX OFFICE MANAGER: Corinne Gaucher

ADVERTISE WITH US!

Assistant Director Michael is the author of the play Gritos y Chismesitos and co-author of Chic & Sassy. He is a founding member of the all-drag sketch comedy troupe Gender Offenders and a company member with Hand2Mouth Theatre. He directed and performed in Joaquin Lopez’s Universo and was in Milagro’s production of The Mermaid Hour. He stage-managed several shows, including Imago’s productions of La Belle, Savage/Love, and Medea; Crave Theatre’s productions of Crossing and Red; Hand2Mouth’s Dream|Logic and Object Karaoke; and Milagro’s A Xmas Cuento Remix. You can hear Michael deejaying every Wednesday on opbmusic.

Want to advertise your business?

Let’s talk about digital and print ads.

Contact Director of Patron and Donor Relations, Krina Turner for more info and rates at: krina@profiletheatre.org | 503.242.0080 7

BEYOND THE MAINSTAGE

COMMUNITY PROFILE OUR YEAR-LONG OUTREACH PROGRAM THAT USES WRITING AND THE SHARING OF STORIES TO FORM MUCH-NEEDED COMMUNITY. Community Profile is our signature engagement program. It springs directly from the heart of our unique mission to center the season on our Featured Writer. It starts with a conversation with our Featured Writer to identify the communities that have felt personally important to her life and work. Out of this conversation, we select a portion of our Portland Community to develop ongoing fellowship with, sharing our experience, strength and hope and using the practice of writing to know ourselves and each other more deeply.

2019-2020 COMMUNITY PROFILE In conjunction with our season-long exploration of Paula Vogel, we welcome our newest cohort: LGBTQIA+ individuals and those living with HIV / AIDS. Community Profile is a 100% free affinity space that provides writing mentorship with award-winning authors, breakfast and lunch, theatre tickets and community.

FROM DAN KITROSSER, NOVEMBER WRITING MENTOR, PLAYWRIGHT AND SCREENWRITER (WE THE ANIMALS, INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AND GLAAD AWARDS) “Leading the Profile Theatre Community Profile Workshop was a profound experience for me. The room was full of participants from every age, gender expression, sexuality and cultural/ethnic background. I was particularly moved by the multiple decades that were represented in this queer space. So often, as queer people, we have to (and get to) be our own mothers and fathers. And yet being a in this room, hearing queer stories from those in their 70s, 60s, 50s, and down to their 20s, I saw a living ancestry, a vibrant family tree—and to homosexually extend the metaphor—that was baring fruit right before my eyes. This project of Profile, under the care of organizers Josh Hecht and Bobby Bermea, is so important. If at its simplest, theater is a room where we gather to tell stories, then Profile has achieved it. If at its best, theater is a living confrontation with the status quo, then Profile—through this project and its season—has smashed it.

I pray for more rooms like the ones Profile offers, where voices of those usually put in the attic or basement are put right smack in the entry way. Could you imagine a whole house of those rooms? How fabulous would that wallpaper be?”

- Dan Kitrosser, www.dankitrosser.com

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PROFILE PARTNERS: 8

ABOUT PROFILE THEATRE STAFF Josh Hecht, Artistic Director Matthew Jones, Managing Director Krina Turner, Director of Patron and Donor Relations

MISSION: To produce a season of first-class productions and community engagement activities centered around a single writer whose vision broadens our perspective on our world and deepens our collective compassion.

Jamie M. Rea, Line Producer Bobby Bermea, Director of Community Engagement

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WHO WE ARE Founded in 1997 by Jane Unger, Profile Theatre has always centered a season around a single writer, spending much of its first fifteen years exploring the work of some of the 20th Centuries most important masters and bringing many of them to Portland to develop work. Profile’s second Artistic Director, Adriana Baer, led the theater from 2012-2015. Adriana was interested in exploring the writers we would come to think of as our “21st Century Masters,” contemporary writers investigating the most pressing concerns of our time.

Josh Hecht became Artistic Director in 2017. His commitment to new work and robust community engagement has led to two new commissions in 2018-2019 and our Community Profile Program that uses art-making as a means of community-building. Over the past twenty years Profile’s Featured Writers have won 10 Pulitzer Prizes (plus 4 finalists), 20 Tony Awards (plus 7 nominations), 18 Drama Desk Awards, 24 Obie Awards and 3 MacArthur “Genius” Awards. In 2010, Profile Theatre was awarded an inaugural “New National Theatre Company” Award from the American Theatre Wing designed to bring national attention to “the most inspiring and innovative theatre companies on our national landscape.”

More recently, Profile has twice been recognized by Advanced Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE) for its leadership in equity, diversity and inclusion.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT In 2016, Profile Theatre launched its Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, committing to three consecutive seasons producing the work of women and writers of color. The Initiative was born out of a desire to correct a persistent imbalance in the diversity and complexity of lives we see reflected on our stages.

Now in 2019, the initiative has led to a lasting transformation in Profile’s Culture and Values. It is our belief that by actively working to amplify the voices of women and writers of color, we more accurately reflect the world around us, produce work of increasing relevance to our city and community, and help dream into being the dynamic and inclusive world we want.

We also believe that by continuing to program the most accomplished mid-career writers of our time, all members of our audience, whatever their background, will recognize themselves in these stories.

Mignon Mazique, President Stephen Schuitevoerder, Treasurer Linda Jensen, Secretary Patricia Garner Stephen Young, Director Emeritus

RESOURCE COUNCIL The Profile Theatre Resource Council is made up of individuals who generously offer their connections or specialized skill and experience to Profile staff, artists and Board. Resource Council members are our ambassadors in the community and our advisors behind the scenes.

Adriana Baer, Former Artistic Director Lue Douthit Paul Duden Erika George Leslie Johnson Mike Lindberg Kush Pathak

Actors Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org

Mary Simeone Patrick Stupek George Thorn Jane Unger, Founding Artistic Director Julie Vigeland Priscilla Bernard Wieden

9

21 SEASONS OF 1ST CLASS PRODUCTIONS For more than 20 years Profile Theatre has impacted the community through our mission of setting a playwright at the center of our season, making us one of the longest-running theater institutions in Oregon!

Since 1997, we have supported the bold vision of these playwrights.

2018-2019 Double Season, Lisa Kron / Anna Deavere Smith 2016-2017, Quiara AlegrĂ­a Hudes 2015-2016, Tanya Barfield 2014-2015, Sarah Ruhl 2013-2014, Sam Shepard 2012-2013, Athol Fugard 2011-2012, 15th Anniversary Season 2010-2011, Lee Blessing 2009-2010, Horton Foote 2008-2009, Neil Simon 2007-2008, John Guare 2006-2007, Wendy Wasserstein 2005-2006, Lanford Wilson 2004-2005, Terrence McNally 2003-2004, Romulus Linney 2002-2003, Edward Albee 2001-2002, Harold Pinter 2000-2001, Arthur Miller 1999-2000, Constance Congdon 1998-1999, Tennessee Williams

10

1997-1998, Arthur Kopit

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS $25,000 AND ABOVE Elizabeth Anderson & the late Ron Naito James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation Ronni Lacroute Regional Arts & Culture Council, including support from the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the Arts in Education Access Fund Dan Wieden & Priscilla Bernard Wieden

Darci & Charlie Swindells Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Gun Denhart Diana Gerding Elizabeth Johnston Rich & Jean Josephson Elisabeth & Peter Lyon Alan Maly Lynn Marchand Goldstein

This list acknowledges gifts given between Dec 31, 2018 and Dec 31, 2019

Mary Doyle

UP TO $99

Carmen Egido & Abel Weinrib

Gary Alexander

Ellen Fader

Kris Alman

Esther Freeman

Howard Berwind

Victoria Frey

Naomi Bloom

Robert & Melissa Good

Karen Brown

Randy Gregg

Priscilla Carlson

Diane Hall

Marilyn Couch

Wendy & Tom Hawkins

Laurent Drui

Jay Hecht

Pam Elmore

Sarah Hershey

Kristy Fleming

Debby Hertz

Carolyn Gassaway

$10,000 - $24,999

Robert Marchant

Anonymous

Mignon Mazique & Jim Rue

Artists Repertory Theatre, In-Kind

Real Estates, Inc.

Dream Envision Foundation

Richard & Mary Rosenberg Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

Jackie Jeppe

Harmony George

Ann Smith Sehdev

Alan Jones

Roxanne Goebel

Gilbert Shaw & Liana Colombo

Marcia Kahn

Helen Henry

Larry Smith

Helen Kelley

Cathy Holbrook

Albert Solheim

Elaine & Edward Kemp

Beth Hutchins

Steve Young & Jane Fellows

Jeff & Carol Kilmer

Karen Johnson

Charlene Zidell

Hugh & Mair Lewis

Anonymous

Henry Louderbough

Kirsten Lee

$500 - $999

Caren & Paul Masem

Judy Lyons

Ann Bardacke & David Wolf

Nancy Matthews

Lisa MacLaren

Spencer & Jane Beebe

Gary McDonald & Barbara Holisky

Anna Marti

Christine Bourdette & Richard Lovett

Brent McMullin

Adrian Martin

Julie Meier

Liss-Brewster Family Philanthropic Fund

Darlene Ortega Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

Leticia Maskell

Sharon Miller

Oregon Arts Commission

Debi Coleman

Regina McCarthy

Rene Mitchell

Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust

Deborah Correa & Mark Wilson

Anonymous

Carole Morse

Stephen Schuitevoerder & Tami Staudt

Roger Griffith

Julie McGowan

Helle Nathan

Dawn Hayami

Judy McKeever

Pat Perkins

Scott Howard

Dennis Meiners

BCD Travel

Annie Popkin & David Parker

Jessie Jonas

Carlton Olson

Greg Berman, In-Kind

Kathleen Quinn

Rick & Halle Sadle

Marc Parks

Patti Brewer & Nick

John Ragno

Melissa Stewart & Don Merkt

Matt Pearson & Daniel Fogg

Mark & Ann Edlen

Bonnie Reagan

Shari Powell

Esther Freeman, In-Kind

Susan Hammer Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation

Rick Rees

Sharon Ralston

Anonymous

Bryan Wieden

Norma Reich

Elaine Robin

Betty & Jacob Reiss

Erica Rubin & Tom Swanson

John Jay

$100 - $499

Charles & Judith Rooks

Jordana Sardo

Leslie Johnson

Kay & Roy Abramowitz

Marilyn & Steven Schulz

Aarisa Smith

Julie Mancini

Amanda Ashley

Helen Sinoradzki

Rebecca Stefoff & Zachary Edmonson

National Endowment for the Arts

Laura Barton

Norma Jean Standlea & Hank Keeton

John Taylor

Corrine Oishi & Lindley Morton

Catherine Bax & Ann Turner

Patrick Stupek

Judith Thompson Schneider

Oregon Community Foundation

Geof Beasley

Gary Taliaferro

Stephen Urion

Ralph & Adolph Jacobs Foundation

Joe Blount

Lynn Taylor & Peter Thacker

Melanie von Trapp

Anonymous

Richard Brown & Susan Strom

Johanna Thoeresz

Colleen Wellman

Jesse Smith & Maryann Yelnosky, In-Kind

Nita Brueggeman

Shannon Thomas

Tom & Jeanette Williams

Barre & Robert Stoll

Jim & Karen Brunke

Tom & Linda Unger

Charles Williams

Robin Busch

Kaye Van Valkenburg & David Maier

Rebecca Youngstrom & Ron Atwood

$1,000 - $2,499

Eric Busch

J Wandres

Anonymous

Dina Campeau

Anthony Wilcox

Karl & Linda Boekelheide

Rita Charlesworth

Richard Williams

Sonia Buist M.D.

Valri Chiappetta

Carolyn Wood

Colleen Cain & Philip Miller

Marvin & Abby Dawson

Maureen Wright

Care Oregon

David Deutsch & Gary Stutler

Lucia & Vio Zahan

Linda Jensen & Robert Nimmo The Kinsman Foundation The Shubert Foundation Wieden+Kennedy, In-Kind

$5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous Bill Davenport Francie & Paul Duden Bennett & Trish Garner Judy Henderson Inge Hindel, In-Kind

$2,500 - $4,999

Holland and Knight

We do everything we can to list donors correctly. Please contact krina@profiletheatre.org if you are listed in error.

11

NEXT ONSTAGE! Indecent

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

BY PAULA VOGEL DIRECTED BY JOSH HECHT

BY LYNN NOTTAGE DIRECTED BY CHIP MILLER

CO-PRODUCTION WITH ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE

Nominated for a 2012 Drama Desk Award for Best Play.

It’s the Golden Age of Hollywood, and aspiring starlet Vera Stark works as a maid to Gloria Mitchell, an aging star grasping at her fading career. When Vera lands a trailblazing role in her boss’s next movie, film buffs must grapple with the legacy of the beloved-butproblematic antebellum epic in Nottage’s fast-paced, sly comedy.

Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play of 2017.

Scholem Asch’s play The God of Vengeance made a splash on Broadway when it premiered in 1923 and was quickly shut-down on charges of obscenity for a lesbian kiss. Vogel’s backstage drama charts the risks the Yiddish company members took and the costs, both personal and collective, of doing so.

Feb 19 - Mar 8, 2020

PERFORMANCES AT PSU: LINCOLN HALL 1620 SW Park Avenue

May 28 - June 21, 2020

PERFORMANCES AT PORTLAND PLAYHOUSE 602 NE Prescott Street

For tickets visit profiletheatre.org or call Profile at 503.242.0080 • Box Office Hours: Noon-4pm Tues-Fri