A JUMPING OFF POINT Program

BY INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN

DIRECTED BY JADE KING CARROLL

Featuring the WORLD PREMIERE of A JUMPING-OFF POINT and 4 READINGS OF PLAYS in development!

ARAB SPRING

BY DENMO IBRAHIM | DIRECTED BY LILA RACHEL

BECKER

Thursday, April 18 at 8:00pm and Saturday, April 20 at 2:30pm

In this dark comedy, two grown siblings must make their peace with each other and with their recently deceased estranged father as they prepare for his funeral.

AGAPE, OR THE CHURCH PLAY

BY AGYEIWAA ASANTE | DIRECTED BY APRIL

MONU

Friday, April 19 at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 21 at 2:30pm

This Maryland-set play follows a group of young women in an international church as they navigate the overlapping pressures of friendship, faith, and adulthood.

THE PRIME

BY DANI STOLLER | DIRECTED BY RYAN RILETTE

Thursday, April 25 at 8:00pm and Saturday, April 27 at 2:30pm

In this biting and bloody story of women’s rage and redemption, a surgeon hits the glass ceiling and must decide what to do about it.

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE

WRITTEN BY NATE DENDY AND AARON POSNER

| MAGIC BY NATE DENDY | DIRECTED BY AARON POSNER

Friday, April 26 at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 28 at 2:30pm

Nate Dendy and Aaron Posner reunite after their smash collaboration with Round House’s 2022 production of The Tempest for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. In this one-man show, Nate Dendy explores his own history with magic and our collective fascination with the art—with more than a few jaw-dropping tricks along the way.

WELCOME TO THE THIRD ANNUAL National Capital New Play Festival. If you’re curious about what’s new in American theatre, Round House is the place to be this month!

The centerpiece of this year’s Festival is Inda CraigGalván’s funny and thought-provoking play, A Jumping-Off Point . After reading it for the first time, our artistic staff debated it for hours, which is why we knew we needed to produce it. We love plays that demand conversation, and this one does that in spades. Directed by the phenomenal Jade King Caroll, Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theatre Company, its central question about who has the right to tell stories about a specific community and its accusation of plagiarism by a Black woman feel ripped from the headlines in the best way possible.

In addition to A Jumping-Off Point , this year’s Festival features developmental workshops of four new plays-in-progress, including three by playwrights with roots in the DC area: Agyeiwaa Asante, our former Artistic Apprentice, who grew up in the area and graduated from University of Maryland; Aaron Posner, who is cowriting a new piece with magician Nate Dendy, who played Ariel in Aaron’s stunning production of The Tempest last season; and Dani Stoller, who continues to shine at theatres around town as an actress while writing some of the most daring, bold plays imaginable. Joining them is Denmo Ibrahim, a beloved actor-playwright from the Bay Area. Each of our playwrights are paired up with a director and cast to work on their scripts for a week before presenting it to the public in two staged readings, hosted in our Event Room on the second floor of the lobby. Each team will use that time differently, depending on the needs of the show. Denmo’s play Arab Spring has already had multiple workshops, so her time here is focused on polishing it for production. Nate Dendy and Aaron Posner, on the other hand, have never heard their play read, and in fact are still writing it and determining which magic tricks Nate will perform in the show. As some of the first audiences these plays will have, you are an integral part of the development process for these plays, and tickets are free! We hope you’ll join us for all four of them.

Immediately after this year’s Festival, we will hold our annual Broadway in Bethesda Gala, featuring a concert by legendary Broadway star and Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell. On Saturday, May 11, our generous supporters will come together to raise vital funds for Round House Theatre’s artistic and educational programs while enjoying an elegant dinner or reception, a fast-paced live auction, and a spectacular concert. We’d love for you to join us!

The

“ “

New works are vital to the growth and development of American theatre, and Inda Craig-Galván is among the most talented new voices of our time. I’m pleased to sponsor the world premiere of A Jumping-Off Point and to help introduce Round House audiences to this dynamic playwright.”

—Nan Beckley

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

RYAN RILETTE , Artistic Director, and ED ZAKRESKI , Managing Director

APRIL 10 – MAY 5, 2024

This script is full of dramatic irony touching the tensions of our time—authenticity, race, gender, plagiarism, and professionalism... and poignantly causing us to examine hard questions.”

—Noreen Marcus & Jay Sushelsky

INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN

DIRECTED BY JADE KING CARROLL

CREATIVE TEAM

MEGHAN R AHAM

MOYEND A KULEMEKA

AMITH CHANDRA SHAKER

....................

......................

MICHAEL KECK

ANDREA “DRE” MOORE

................

Fight Consultant ..................... CA SEY KALEBA

Casting Director

SAR AH COONEY

Dramaturg NAY SAN MOJGANI

Production Stage Manager ............. CHE WERNSMAN*

I am thrilled to again sponsor the Developmental Reading Series as part of the National Capital New Play Festival. Now in its third year, the National Capital New Play Festival has shown me how much time and how many perspectives it takes to develop a play through multiple cycles of writing, refinement, and evolution. The Developmental Reading Series offers a platform early in the development process for conversation between playwrights and audiences as stories begin to fully take shape and to impact the first of many audiences to come.”

—Clare Evans

A Jumping-Off Point is sponsored by Nan Beckley and Noreen Marcus & Jay Sushelsky and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2023-2024 Season is sponsored by Linda Ravdin and Don Shapero.

A Jumping-Off Point was developed at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a program of Playwrights Foundation.

The video and/or audio recording of this performance are prohibited.

CAST (in order of appearance)

Leslie .......................... NIKKOLE S ALTER*

Miriam ......................... CRISTINA PITTER*

Andrew ........................ DANNY GAVIGAN*

PRODUCTION

Production Assistant JORDAN PINET

Wardrobe Head ................. RUKIYA HENR Y-FIELDS

Automation Crew................ MIKE HANLON

Deck Crew ..................... KRIST OP ROSARIO

Light Board Operator ............ CHRIS HALL

Sound Board Operator DELANEY BRAY

Light Board Programmer CAIT FO STER

Crew Cover/Swing ............... SAV GOMEZ

Draper ......................... JENN BAE

Costume Shop Assistant/Stitcher .. TYQURIA FOUNTAIN

Carpenters ..................... MIKE HANLON, ELLEN MIT CHELL, GERARDO SORIANO

Electricians MAX ABR AMOVITZ, ZAVAR BLACKLEDGE, SARAH MACKOWSKI, KRISTOP ROSARIO, NICOLE TRANTUM

UNDERSTUDIES

Leslie and Miriam ................ NICOLE RUTHMARIE WATKINS

Andrew JA COB THOMPSON

A Jumping-Off Point runs approximately 90 MINUTES with no intermission.

FULL STAFF LISTING on page 33

*As indicated, Actors and Stage Managers are members of Actors' Equity Association, The Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Designer of this production are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE.

The Cast and Stage Manager are members of Actors’ Equity Association (“Equity”). Founded in 1913, Equity is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks

The Director and Fight Consultant are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.

BIOS

CAST

DANNY GAVIGAN (Andrew) is grateful to be back at Round House Theatre, where previous credits include Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley , NSFW , How to Write a New Book for the Bible , Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo , Double Indemnity , and Pride and Prejudice . DC credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Helen Hayes Award for Best Ensemble) and Death of a Salesman at Ford’s Theatre; One Jewish Boy and The Admission at Theatre J; Describe the Night and Detroit at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; and Really Really at Signature Theatre. Off-Broadway appearances include Lucky Star at 59E59. Regional credits include Peer Gynt at La Jolla Playhouse and Kansas City Rep; A Streetcar Named Desire at Palm Beach Dramaworks; and The Rivals and Snow Falling on Cedars at Baltimore Center Stage. Film and television credits include FBI, Unarmed Man (TIVA DC Award for Best Actor), and Last Night (RIFE Award). Danny is a company member at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, where he has performed in over 20 productions and produced the true crime paranormal podcast Everyman Theatre’s Resident Ghost Company .

CRISTINA PITTER (Miriam) is a queer multi-spirit afroindigenous artist, abolitionist, and alchemist who wants to burn it all down and plant new seeds in the fertile soil. They also have the best laugh ever. Seriously. You may have seen their work at Round House Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Metropolitan Opera, JACK, The Bushwick Starr, Target Margin Theatre, Abrons Art Center, Mabou Mines, 59E59, Ars Nova, New Ohio Theatre, Joe’s Pub, The Tank, or Netflix’s . Follow their antics at cristinapitter.com. (They/She/Anything said with respect)

NIKKOLE SALTER (Leslie) is thrilled to be making her Round House Theatre debut in A Jumping-Off Point . DC credits include Confederates at Mosaic Theater Company; Stick Fly at Arena Stage; Macbeth at Shakespeare Theatre Company; and In the Continuum at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Regional credits include The Christians at Baltimore Center Stage; The Royale at Cleveland Playhouse; Mud Row at People's Light Theatre; Our Daughters Like Pillars and Luck of the Irish at the Huntington Theatre; Gee’s Bend at Kansas City Rep and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Head of Passes at Berkeley Rep; and The Old Settler at Luna Stage. Off-Broadway credits include Stew at Page 73; In the Continuum at Primary Stages/Perry Street Theatre; Gloria: A Life at DR2; and Inked Baby at Playwright's Horizons. Broadway credits include The Great Society at the Lincoln Center. Film and television credits include Pride and Glory, The Architect, Love and Communication, Last Night, The Unit, and Godfather of Harlem. www.NikkoleSalter.com

UNDERSTUDIES

NICOLE RUTHMARIE WATKINS (Leslie and Miriam Understudy) is ecstatic to make her Round House Theatre debut! DC credits includes School Girls: Or, The African Mean Girls Play , 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies, and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Nextstop Theatre Company; Bell Wringer (Capital Fringe Award for Best Musical) with Pinky Swear Productions; at Perisphere Theater; Unprotected at Pipeline Playwrights; Can't Complain at The Trojan Women Project (Helen Hayes Award nominations for Supporting Actress in a Play and Best Ensemble) at Brave Spirits Theatre; Shakespeare’s Histories Rep company member at Brave Spirits Theatre. Instagram: @nicoleruthmarie. www.nicoleruthmarie.com. (She/Her)

JACOB THOMPSON (Andrew Understudy) is ecstatic to be making his Round House Theatre debut and working with this talented creative team. DC credits include Romeo and Juliet , Phantom of the Opera , The Tempest , and others at Synetic Theater. He is a BFA graduate of George Mason University and a recent student of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. Instagram: @Jacobteathompson

CREATIVE TEAM

INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN (Playwright) is a Los Angelesbased playwright and television writer, born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. Her work explores conflicts and politics within the African-American community, grounded in reality, and with a touch of magical realism. Upcoming: Welcome to Matteson! (Orlando Shakes, 2025). Other plays: The Great Jheri Curl Debate Black Super Hero Magic Mama (Geffen Playhouse), a hit dog will holler (Playwrights’ Arena/Skylight Theatre), I Go Somewhere Else (Playwrights’ Arena). Awards: Kesselring Prize, Jeffry Melnick New Play Award, Blue Ink Prize, Jane Chambers Award, Kennedy Center’s Rosa Parks Award for plays focused on social justice and/or civil rights. Commissions: The Old Globe, Round House Theatre, CTG Writers’ Workshop. TV: Will Trent . Previous: Happy Face , How to Get Away with . Inda is an Adjunct Professor at University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts, where she received her MFA in Dramatic Writing.

JADE KING CARROLL (Director) Previous credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company; Seven Deadly Sins(Miami New Drama – Drama League Award); Proof of Love at New York Theatre Workshop/Audible at Minetta Lane; Stew at Ebony Repertory Theater; New Age at Milwaukee Rep; Detroit ’67 at McCarter Theatre (co-production with Hartford Stage); Intimate

Apparel and The Piano Lesson at McCarter Theatre; The Piano Lesson at Hartford Stage; Having Our Say at Hartford Stage (co-production with Long Wharf Theatre); Autumn’s Harvest at Lincoln Center Institute ; Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill at Syracuse Stage; Trouble in Mind at Two River Theater & Playmaker’s Rep; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Whipping Man, Native Gardens, Skeleton Crew, Bad Dates, Perseverance, and How I Learned What I Learned at Portland Stage; The Revolutionists and Sunset Baby at City Theatre; Pride & Prejudice and The Tempest at Chautauqua Theater Company; Seven Guitars and The Persians at People's Light Theatre; Still Life at Ancram Opera House; King Hedley II at Portland Playhouse; Fat Ham at Playmakers Rep; A Raisin in the Sun and Cardboard Piano at Juilliard; Laughing Wild, Redeemed, and Skeleton Crew at Dorset Theatre Festival; New Golden Age at Primary Stages (Susan Smith Blackburn nominated); Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money at Atlantic Theater (NYT Family Pick). Audio Plays include Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom (Marvel, Ambies Nomination for Best Production); Proof of Love (Audible); Redeemed (Broadway Podcast Network/Dorset Theatre Festival); The Bleeding Class (Geva Theater); and Isolated Incidents (Broadway Podcast Network). Other credits include Associate Director for Broadway’s A Streetcar Named Desire , with Blair Underwood and Nicole Ari-Parker; and The Gin Game with Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones. She received the Paul Green Award from the Estate of August Wilson. Upcoming credits include the world premiere of The Light and the Dark ( the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi ) by Kate Hamill at Chautauqua Theater Company. She is the Producing Artistic Director for Chautauqua Theater Company.

ME GHAN RAHAM (Scenic Designer) is a Resident Artist at Round House Theatre, where previous credits include August Wilson’s Radio Golf, “ Master Harold”…and the Boys, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night Alive, and Fool for Love . DC credits include My Lord, What a Night, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Ford’s Theatre; JQA at Arena Stage; Daphne’s Dive and Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes at Signature Theatre; District Merchants, Romeo and Juliet, and The Conference of the Birds at Folger Theatre; Pike St. and She The People at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; The Aliens and Red Speedo at Studio Theatre; and Life Sucks at Theatre J. Off-Broadway credits include CLAY at Lincoln Center/ LCT3. Regional design credits include productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Center Theatre Group, Barrington Stage Company, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

MOYENDA KULEMEKA (Costume Designer) returns to Round House Theatre, after previously designing August Wilson’s Radio Golf . Recent credits include Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and Tiny Beautiful Things at Baltimore Center Stage; Good Bones and John Proctor is the Villain at Studio Theatre; Selling Kabul , Daphne's Dive , and Detroit '67 at Signature Theatre; Jump at Everyman Theatre; Confederates , Monumental Travesties , Bars and Measures , and In His Hands at Mosaic Theater; Gloria: A Life and Intimate Apparel at Theater J; Mlima's Tale , and The Brothers Size at 1st Stage; La Tía Julia Y El Escribidor , Exquisita Agonía , and En el Tiempo de las Mariposas at GALA Hispanic Theatre. Moyenda holds a B.A. from the University of Maryland and is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829, IATSE.

AMITH CHANDRASHAKER (Lighting Designer) Broadway credits include Merrily We Roll Along and Prayer for the French Republic . Credits at NYCC Encores! include Bring Me to Light with Sutton Foster, Dear World , and Once Upon a Mattress

Regional theatre credits include Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Geffen, and The Huntington. Opera credits include The Glimmerglass Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Washington National Opera. Dance credits include Staatstheater Nuremberg, The Lyon Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet of New Zealand, and The National Dance Company of Wales. He is the recipient of The Drama Desk and Henry Hewes awards; Union Trustee for United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE. MFA, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and faculty at The University of Maryland’s School for Theatre Dance and Performance Studies.

MICHAEL KECK (Sound Designer) Previous credits include Cyrano , Sense and Sensibility , A Christmas Carol , As You Like It , Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde , and Rabbit Hole at Indiana Repertory; Sweat at Dallas Theatre Center; The Children at Seattle Rep; Mlima’s Tale at Westport Country Playhouse; Jitney , Copenhagen , Intimate Apparel , and The Glass Menagerie at Milwaukee Rep; The Bacchae at Portland Center Stage; Death Of A Salesman , A View From The Bridge , The Great White Hope , and Derek Walcott’s The Odyssey at Arena Stage; Murder On the Orient Expres s and Intimate Apparel at Guthrie Theatre; The Piano Lesson , Topdog/Underdog , Gem of the Ocean , Fences , Death and the King’s Horseman , Measure for Measure , Henry IV pt1 , Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom , and Intimate Apparel at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and Othello and An Ideal Husband at Idaho Shakespeare Festival. AEA, SAG/AFTRA, ASCAP.

CASEY KALEBA (Fight Consultant) returns to Round House Theatre for A Jumping-Off Point , where he has staged more than a dozen shows including The Seafarer , Girlhood (Teen Performance Company) , Nine Night , Quixote Nuevo , The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , Angels in America , and The Night Alive . DC credits include Fences , Ragtime , and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Ford’s Theatre; Il Trovatore and Elektra with the Washington National Opera; Into the Woods , Blackbeard , and Billy Elliot with Signature Theatre; and Singing in the Rain , Mary Stuart , and Sweeney Todd with Olney Theatre Center. Recent work includes the national tour of An Officer and a Gentleman . Casey is a four-time Helen Hayes nominee for Choreography and coordinates the stage combat training program through Round House Theatre’s education wing. ToothandClawCombat.co m

ANDREA “DRE” MOORE (Properties Coordinator) is a freelance properties and puppet designer in the MD/DC/VA area, whose passion and artistry has been on various stages for the past 21 years. Previous Round House Theatre credits include The Seafarer , Jennifer Who Is Leaving , and On The Far End . Currently running productions include Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale and Inside Out and Backwards at Imagination Stage, Junie B Jones at Adventure Theatre MTC, and Magic Mirror at the Puppet Co. Additional recent credits: A Year with Frog and Toad (Imagination Stage), The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Adventure Theatre MTC), and Witch Wartsmith’s Halloween Spooktacular (the Puppet Co). She is also a board member at ManneqART and is an artistic contributor at DoodleHATCH, an interactive immersive art museum in Columbia, MD www.doodlehatch.com

SARAH COONEY (Casting Director) is Round House Theatre’s Casting Director & Associate Producer. In the DC area, Sarah has cast for The Kennedy Center’s Broadway

Center Stage series, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, and Rep Stage. As a Casting Director with NYC’s Binder Casting, Sarah cast for The Lion King Broadway and National Touring productions and the Encores! series at New York City Center. Other Regional casting credits include Hartford Stage, Seattle Rep, Drury Lane Theatre, Weston Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, ACT of Connecticut, and others. Film and TV casting credits include Crashing (HBO), The Big Sick (Apatow Productions), Kevin Can Wait (CBS), and Clipped (HGTV). Sarah taught at West Virginia University and is a New York University alum.

NAYSAN MOJGANI (Dramaturg) is Round House Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director, in which capacity he serves as in-house dramaturg and leads Round House Theatre’s new work program. As a theatre scholar, director, and dramaturg, Naysan has worked on new and classic work with theatres around the country, including Arena Stage (where he served as Literary Manager), La Jolla Playhouse, MOXIE, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Theatre Squared, Malashock Dance, and Signature Theatre, and has taught at UC San Diego and George Mason University. Naysan holds a PhD in Theatre & Drama from UC San Diego, and a BA from Carleton College.

CHE WERNSMAN (Production Stage Manager) is elated for her eighth season as Resident Stage Manager at Round House! Some of her favorite Round House Theatre credits include: Next to Normal; Ink ; On the Far End ; The Tempest ; Nine Night; We declare you a terrorist… ; A Boy and His Soul ; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ; Handbagged (Off-Broadway - 59E59, Bethesda); Oslo; Gem of the Ocean ; Small Mouth Sounds ; The Book of Will ; and A Prayer for Owen Meany . Che has worked as an AEA Stage Manager in the DC/Baltimore region for over two decades, with shows at The Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, Imagination Stage, The National, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Theatre J, Studio, Everyman, Rep Stage, Center Stage, and Olney Theatre Center. Che has a Bachelor of Science from Virginia Tech.

to set to produce our own episodes. And then the show starts airing. So once that train leaves, you gotta just keep going. Whereas with premium cable, you've got time to write a thing, and it's just you writing the thing. You've got a little bit more time, and then it all gets shot, and you may not even go to set for your episode. Once that room wraps, you may not see what happens with cable. Just different types of time constraints.

N: What about gender and ethnic representation? What have the rooms you’ve been in looked like?

I: I was in one room that was very diverse, but it felt performative. “Here's a picture of our first day! Let's post it on Instagram to show! Hashtag show us your room!” But the show didn't want to tell stories that were actually about being in the body that you're in. At all. Other than that show, every room I've been in has had more women than men. I've had several female showrunners. And with that exception, the shows I've worked on really wanted… You're there for a reason. You—older (slightly older) Black woman playwright—you’re here because of what you bring. Use all of that in the show. Those have been the majority of my experiences in a room.

N: Given the public discourse around diversity in the entertainment industry—such as the perennial #OscarsSoWhite criticisms—I’m surprised: I would have expected that first room you described to be the norm. Does that feel like you’ve just gotten lucky, or is this a real change in the industry?

I: I think it's a shift. When I was on that first show, it just seemed like, “Yeah, this is regular.” No one was surprised by it. And I was like, “Oh, I hate it here!” And then every show I've worked on since has felt very intentional about doing something differently than used to be the norm. And it's been super supportive and just like, “Why didn't everybody do this? Duh?”

N: That is the big question right there. It's not that hard, and yet…

INSIDE THE WRITERS' ROOM: A CONVERSATION WITH

INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN

PLAYWRIGHT INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN IS ALSO A SUCCESSFUL SCREENWRITER, DRAWING ON HER OWN EXPERIENCE TO CRAFT A JUMPINGOFF POINT. HERE, SHE SHARES SOME OF THAT EXPERIENCE WITH DRAMATURG NAYSAN MOJGANI.

NAYSAN MOJGANI: At this point in your career, you’ve been in a few different TV writers’ rooms. How similar have those experiences been to each other?

INDA CRAIG-GALVÁN: There are definitely similarities. But depending on the type of the show—whether it's premium cable or network or streaming—there's a different sense of urgency. It also depends on who your showrunner is, because you lead by example, and if somebody kind of fell into that position they may not be great. But if you have a leader who is good at managing all the different aspects of it, and is supportive and doesn't have an ego, it just makes the room better and more cohesive.

N: Can you say a little more about that urgency you mentioned, and how it varies across platforms?

I: On a network show, you're writing for a few weeks. And then you go into production. And once production starts, you gotta keep going because production is not gonna stop. And we go

I: We had a disabled writer who used a wheelchair and couldn't get around on the lot or most of the locations on his episode. That world just ain't set up for some of us and doesn’t want to listen to us, and you could feel it in the room. I would talk to my agent on the phone and say that if this is what TV is, maybe I’ll just keep waiting tables and doing theatre. And then I got out of that situation and realized, “Oh, wait! We can write about the gay characters being gay and having relationships. And we can write about Black characters being Black. And it's not that hard.” It's just frustrating to not be able to contribute. It's frustrating to not be able to show characters being their fullest selves. But also to just know that you're here because you look good in the photo.

N: In terms of the actual process in the writers' room, how collaborative is it?

I: It depends on the show. There are some where you're assigned an episode, and you write whatever you wanna write, and then you come back, and then the showrunner puts it together. But the shows I've written on have had more of a through line. We're all in the room around a long conference table with whiteboards and cards, breaking down the story. First the season: what are the big season arcs that we want to do? And then, what do we want to happen for each episode? And so and so is writing that one, so they’re leading the room and getting everyone's input. And then once you have all the beats for your episode, then you go off to write your outline, and then you get notes on that from people in the room, from your showrunners, from the studio and the network, you do a revision, and then you go write your script.

N: For that initial conversation, does the showrunner typically come in with the main story, or is it more of a collective creation?

I: A little of both. The showrunner may already know exactly what they want to do. Or just have some benchmarks to hit, and then we figure out how to get there and what other things could happen. The majority of shows I've been on are really collaborative in that way. Generally the showrunners know where they want it to end. So we get to figure out how to get there, and what fun you're gonna have along the way.

UNPAID DEVELOPMENT WORK

Before a TV series is even picked up by a network, it will go through a lengthy development process, where the creator researches and refines the idea, writing and rewriting a pitch and sample script. For some writers, this work is paid; for many, even if it’s part of a studio’s official development incubator, it’s unpaid. The Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity’s 2022 report on inclusion and equity in TV writing breaks out the likelihood of that work being unpaid by demographic.

TV SCREENWRITING REPRESENTATION

In 2010, the Writers Guild reported that only 29.3% of TV writers were women, and only 13.6% were BIPOC. Their 2022 Inclusion and Equity Report provides the following breakdown, showing tremendous progress, but still lagging behind proportional representation for the general population. (There’s also other work to be done—in 2020, only 2% of TV writers self-identified as disabled, for instance.)

WHO’S IN THE ROOM?

Color of Change analyzed all 234 original TV series that aired during the 20162017 season, checking the ethnicity of the showrunners (the head writer/ executive producer) and seeing how many shows even had any Black writers in the room.

PLAYWRIGHTS IN NEW YORK

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC)’s annual Visibility Report is one of the best resources we have for analyzing representation in the theatre industry (although it’s specific to New York). Their dataset on which playwrights were produced in New York in the 2018-2019 season shows that we have just as much work to do as our colleagues in Hollywood. (NB: This combines Broadway and non-profit theaters; in general, commercial theatre is much more white.)

NEW YORK-PRODUCED WRITERS

NEW WORK AT ROUND HOUSE: EQUAL PLAY COMMISSIONS

The National Capital New Play Festival (NCNPF) is the most visible piece of Round House Theatre’s commitment to new work. However, we also have a robust commissioning program, through which we provide playwrights with financial and developmental support to help them bring new plays into the world.

Launched in 2017, Equal Play is an effort to combat the historic and pervasive inequality in the American theatre, by focusing specifically on commissioning plays by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) writers and by writers who are women, trans, non-binary or other historically marginalized gender identities. These commissions include an annual commission of a play specifically for our Teen Performance Company (TPC), an auditionbased program for high school students. In addition to the TPC commissions, Mary Kathryn Nagle’s On the Far End was the first mainstage Equal Play commission to be produced, premiering last season in the 2023 National Capital New Play Festival.

When we commission a writer, we don’t demand pitches or give them specific assignments on what to write. We identify writers we love, and we ask them to write what excites them. We ask them to write the play that challenges both them and our audience. Some of our commissioned writers come in knowing exactly what they’re going to write, and others might shift their focus over the life of the commission. Art takes time, and it can look a lot of different ways: this is one more way in which Round House is a theatre for everyone. Below are our current mainstage commissioned writers, whose work you can look forward to seeing in readings and on stage in future seasons!

Margot Bordelon & Jiehae Park: A director/ writer combo, Margot and Jiehae are co-devising a piece based on their personal lives as well as interviews with many other theatre artists and staff, exploring the challenges of being a professional artist. Margot recently directed On the Far End for Round House and POTUS for Arena Stage; Jiehae’s previous work includes peerless and Hannah and the Dread Gazebo.

Inda Craig-Galván: Inda’s non-commissioned work A Jumping-Off Point is headlining this year’s Festival, but her other work includes Black Super Hero Magic Mama and Welcome to Matteson! For her commission, Inda is examining Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the character of Bertha MasonRochester’s mad, possibly Black, first wife whom he keeps locked up in the attic.

Lauren Gunderson: One of the most-produced American playwrights, Round House has previously produced Lauren’s The Catastrophist, The Book of Will, and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Lauren is currently researching the story of the discovery of the paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux, France, as the starting point for a new musical.

Naomi Iizuka: Currently the head of UC San Diego’s playwriting MFA program, Naomi’s work includes Polaroid Stories, Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West, and 36 Views Round House produced her play Good Kids in 2015 with our Teen Performance Company. For her commission, Naomi is looking at the intersection of con men, MLMs (multi-level marketing schemes), conspiracy theories, and modern political movements in hopes of addressing the question of how people can fall for and get sucked into completely irrational narratives.

James Ijames: Winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Fat Ham, James’s other work includes Good Bones, Kill Move Paradise, and TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever. For his commission, James was fascinated by contemporary reporting on death row inmates playing Dungeons & Dragons, and is looking at how role playing games can exist within and subvert our carceral system.

The TEAM: One of the premiere devising companies in the world, The TEAM boasts an enormous list of core artistic members, under the artistic direction of Rachel Chavkin. As a company, their work has toured the world, including RoosevElvis, Particularly In the Heartland, and Mission Drift. Their commission, Reconstructing (Still Working but the Devil Might Be Inside), is a funny and unflinching dissection of the legacy of race, racism, and Reconstruction in America, including within their own company.

Mfoniso Udofia: NCNPF fans will remember Mfoniso’s Adia & Clora Snatch Joy from the 2022 workshop series. Most of her plays, like Adia… and her planned commission, exist as part of the Ufot Cycle, a nine-play saga of one Nigerian/ Nigerian-American family, over the course of multiple generations. The Cycle includes Sojourners (starting our 2024-2025 season!), Her Portmanteau , and runboyrun

JAMES

At Round House, we always hope that our productions are the beginning of a discussion for audiences; as our mission states, we aim to create experiences that “INSPIRE EMPATHY AND DEMAND CONVERSATION.”

To that end, we’re trying something new. If you’re able to stick around in the lobby after the performance, you’ll find some questions on the tables and at the bar to help spark further conversation. Grab a drink or snack from The Fourth Wall Café and use these questions to continue the discussion with your companions and fellow playgoers!

If you have to leave immediately, you’ll find a couple of questions in our post-show email, or you can start with these questions below. Either way, we hope you enjoy the show and that the stunning performances on stage are only the beginning of your experience.

 Which of the characters is in the right? How does your opinion change over the course of the story?

 What does it take to tell a story responsibly? What does a storyteller owe to their subject, to themselves, and to their audience?

WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?

The STREET 70 LEGACY SOCIETY commemorates Round House Theatre’s original name as part of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation and recognizes those who have generously chosen to include Round House in their estate plans. This can be as simple as making a gift to Round House in a will or naming us as a beneficiary in a qualified retirement plan or life insurance policy.

If you’re interested in joining the Street 70 Legacy Society, or if Round House is already a part of your estate plans, please contact Betsy Anderson , Interim Director of Development, at 240.670.8795 or BAnderson@RoundHouseTheatre.org .

Thank you to the following STREET 70 LEGACY SOCIETY members who have generously included Round House Theatre in their estate plans.

RACHEL H.M. ABRAHAM

NAN BECKLEY

DON AND JAN BOARDMAN

DIANE BOEHR

JAMES BURKS AND BETTE PAPPAS

MARTY* AND BELLE NEGRIN DAVIS

KENNETH B. DREYFUSS

LAURA FORMAN AND RICHARD BENDER

HELENE FREEMAN

STEVEN GARRON

ANN AND FRANK* GILBERT

SUSAN GILBERT AND RON SCHECHTER

JAY AND ROBIN HAMMER

ROBERT E. HEBDA

LINDA LURIE HIRSCH

ELAINE E. JOOST

CHERYL C. KAGAN

RENEE KLISH

DANA AND RAY KOCH

SETH AND BARBARA KOCH

BRUCE AND ANN LANE

DARRELL LEMKE AND MARYELLEN TRAUTMAN

SCOTT AND PAULA MOORE

GERI OLSON

SALLY J. PATTERSON

LINDA RAVDIN AND DON SHAPERO

HENRY SCHALIZKI*

MARK AND MERRILL SHUGOLL

PAMELA AND JOHN SPEARS

VALERIE AND JOHN WHEELER

*in memoriam

For more information on making a legacy gift to Round House, please visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/PlannedGiving

HOUSE RULES

At Round House, “Theatre For Everyone” isn’t just a statement. It’s our mission and an organizational value. It means that everyone—patrons, artists, staff, students, trustees, and volunteers—is invited to fully participate and deserves to be treated with respect. This is our promise to you…and we ask you to help us uphold these values and expectations in all of your interactions with Round House.

We believe that…

• All are welcome here, and each person is empowered and encouraged to fully engage with our work.

• Everyone is a human being, equally deserving of respect.

• Theatre is an “empathy gym,” and building that muscle is what each of us is here to do

• Anti-racism—the intentional and conscious effort to combat racial prejudice and systemic and structural racism—is an ongoing and active practice, and we must all stand against oppression and marginalization of all kinds.

• Discomfort is often productive, but cruelty never is.

We invite you to…

• Assume positive intent and expect the same assumption in return.

• Enjoy our art with your whole self—laugh, clap, cry, have reactions!—and embrace your fellow audience members’ reactions in turn. Remember that your experience is shared with the rest of the audience.

• Make a deliberate effort to confront your own biases, and partner with us to help make Round House a welcoming space for everyone. We’re all learning!

• Help us create a positive community and a culture of collaboration.

We will not tolerate…

• Insulting or discriminatory speech towards anyone.

• Unwanted invasion of another person’s physical space.

• Abusive or harassing behavior.

• Ignoring or talking over staff who are trying to assist you.

• Creating a hostile environment for fellow audience members, students, artists, or staff.

• Disrespect of or damage to our theatre or other facilities.

WE ARE GLAD YOU’RE HERE! Thank you for being a part of the Round House community as we work together to truly be a Theatre For Everyone.

If you witness or experience behavior that violates the values and expectations outlined above, please alert our staff. Round House will take action to protect our community, with consequences up to and including removal from Round House activities.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

RYAN RILETTE (Artistic Director) is in his twelfth season as Artistic Director of Round House Theatre. During his tenure, he has produced six of the highest grossing seasons in the theatre’s history. His productions have received 81 Helen Hayes Awards nominations and 21 Helen Hayes Awards. Ryan created the theatre’s Equal Play commissioning program, Resident Artist program, Fair Play pay scale for artists, and Free Play ticketing program. For Round House, he has acted in Ink and Uncle Vanya and directed The Seafarer , “We declare you a terrorist...” , Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up , Homebound , The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , Oslo , Small Mouth Sounds , “Master Harold”...and the Boys , The Book of Will , Angels in America: Perestroika , The Night Alive , Fool for Love , This , and How to Write a New Book for the Bible . He has also acted and directed at theaters in New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans, and has acted in a handful of TV shows and films, including In The Electric Mist and Elvis . Prior to joining Round House, Ryan served as Producing Director of Marin Theatre Company, Producing Artistic Director of Southern Rep Theatre, and co-founder and Artistic Director of Rude Mechanicals Theatre Company. He is the former Board President of the National New Play Network.

ED ZAKRESKI (Managing Director) is in his eighth season as Managing Director of Round House Theatre. He has produced the five best-selling shows in Round House history, led the theatre’s $12+ million Full Circle campaign, and oversaw the complete renovation of its Bethesda theatre. He has been an executive leader and fundraiser in DC area nonprofit arts organizations for more than 25 years, raising more than $120 million. Prior to joining Round House, Ed spent 12 years as Chief Development Officer at Shakespeare Theatre Company where he completed the $75 million capital campaign to build Sidney Harman Hall and produced its $3 million opening gala. From 1998-2005, Ed worked in Development at the Kennedy Center, ultimately overseeing a 22-member team raising more than $11 million annually. Ed holds a degree in Arts Management from American University and frequently presents and leads workshops about management and fundraising for nonprofit arts organizations.

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

In our ongoing efforts to learn more and strengthen our relationships with members of our local community, and to work towards dismantling the harmful effects of white supremacy and colonization, Round House acknowledges that our theatre, administrative offices, education center, and production shop are located on unceded land cared for by native tribes including the Piscataway peoples. We pay our respects to the Piscataway community and their elders both past and present, as well as future generations.

We also acknowledge that, as the world experiences the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are using the internet and other technologies that are not as readily available or accessible in present day indigenous communities.

We pledge to do the work necessary to build relationships with sovereign tribal nations, to ensure that Round House becomes a more inclusive space, and to never cease ongoing learning.

Learn more about the Piscataway tribe: PiscatawayConoyTribe.com

Support indigenous rights organizations on a national or global level:

Native American Rights Fund: NARF.org

Cultural Survival: CulturalSurvival.org

Indigenous Environmental Network: IENEarth.org

WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?

A land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of a given geographic area. We share ours as part of Round House’s ongoing efforts toward equity and anti-racism.

ROUND HOUSE ANNUAL DONORS

WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE the following donors who support the work of Round House Theatre through Annual Fund, Gala, and Theatre for Everyone contributions. These gifts help Round House continue to be a theatre for everyone and enrich our community through bold, outstanding theatrical and educational experiences that inspire empathy and demand conversation.

To learn more about the ways to support Round House, donor benefits, or to make a gift, visit RoundHouseTheatre.org/Support or call the Development Department at 240.641.5352.

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Michael Beriss and Jean Carlson

Clare Evans

Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag

Jay Sushelsky and Noreen Marcus

DIAMOND CIRCLE SHARE FUND

Heidi and Mitch Dupler

Jay and Robin Hammer

Linda Ravdin and Don Shapero

Montgomery County Government

PLATINUM CIRCLE

Arronson Foundation

Maureen and Michael

McMurphy and the Patrick

Michael McMurphy

Memorial Foundation

The Rowny Foundation

John and Val Wheeler

Judy and Leo Zickler

GOLD CIRCLE

SILVER CIRCLE

Stephanie deSibour and Marc Miller

Pam and Richard Feinstein

John and Meg Hauge

Nan Beckley

Cathy S. Bernard

Lorraine and Doug Bibby

James Burks and Bette Pappas

The GPS Fund

Susan and Timothy Gibson

Leslie Grizzard and Joe Hale

Michael and Ilana Heintz

Daniel Kaplan and Kay Richman

The Sheldon and Audrey Katz Foundation

Maryland State Department of Education

Susan and Bill Reinsch

David and Sherry Smith

Ann and Neil Kerwin

Nancy and Robert Kopp

Linda Ryan

Dian and Steve Seidel

Nina Weisbroth and Larry Culleen

BRONZE CIRCLE

Celia and Keith Arnaud

Elaine Kotell Binder and Richard Binder

Don and Nancy Bliss

Walter A. Bloedorn Foundation

Lynn and Bill Choquette

Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts

Richard and Ginger Dietrich

The Dimick Foundation

E&B Family Trust

Jim Eisner

Laura Forman and Richard Bender

Susan Gilbert & Ron Schechter in honor of Timothy Douglas

Susie and Michael Gelman

Alan* and Hedda Gnaizda

The Greene-Milstein Family Foundation

Robert E. Hebda

Mindy A. Hecker

Jeff and Rose Heintz

Robbins and Giles Hopkins

Rafael Hernandez and Laura Roulet-Hernandez

Sari Hornstein

Reba and Mark Immergut

Rick Kasten

Debra Kraft and Rob Liberatore

Carol Jean Light

Joy A. Lewis

Chris and Kathleen Matthews

Janice McCall

Susan Freeman McGee

John and Marie McKeon

Don McMinn and Harv Lester

Alan and Amy Meltzer

Philip* and Lynn Metzger

Alan Miller and Susan O'Hara

The Morgan Fund at Seattle Foundation

Barbara Selter

Mark and Merrill Shugoll

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

Michael and Andrea Steele

The Sulica Fund

William Tompkins, Jr. and Dana Brewington

Richard and Susan Westin

WorkSource Montgomery

Anne* and Robert Yerman

Bernard and Ellen Young

COPPER CIRCLE

Anonymous

Marla and Bobby Baker, BakerMerine Family Foundation

Ellen Berman

Wendy and Eben Block

Don and Jan Boardman

Ellen and Jon Bortz

Jane* and Fred Cantor

Hope Eastman and Allen Childs

City of Rockville

William Davis and Jane Hodges

Jean and Paul Dudek

Susan Dweck

Bunny R. Dwin

Victoria Heisler Edouard

Gilbert and Rona Eisner

Carole and Robert Fontenrose

Ann and Frank* Gilbert

Susan and Peter Greif

Ann Greer

Edward Grossman and Rochelle Stanfield

Nicole and Nolan Guagenti

Adam and Erin Heintz

Paul Henderson

Connie Heller

Linda Lurie Hirsch

John Horman

Michele Jawando

Clifford Johnson and Margaret Roper

Elaine Economides Joost

Renee Klish

Veena Kutler and James Cannistra

Dana and Ray Koch

Ellen Kohn

Barry Kropf

Ann and Bruce Lane

Marion Ein Lewin and Stuart Eizenstat

Malcolm Lewis Russell-Einhorn

B. Thomas Mansbach

Ed Starr and Marilyn Marcosson

Scott and Paula Moore

Carl and Undine Nash

Richard and Meka Parker

Michael and Penelope Pollard

Margaret Ann Ross

Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins

William and Ellen Sandler

Amy Selco and Kevin Keeley

Victor Shargai* and Craig Pascal

Robin Sherman

Elaine and English Showalter

Linda and Steve Skalet

Michael L. Burke and Carl W. Smith

Pamela and John Spears

Leslie and Howard Stein

Riley Temple

Sheila and Oliver Wilcox

Lynda and Joseph Zengerle

INNER CIRCLE

SUSTAINERS

Guido Adelfio and Maryanne Fiorita

Clement and Sandra Alpert Designated Endowment Fund

Daniel and Nancy Balz

Marian Block

Irene and Joseph Bromberg

Susan and Dixon Butler

John and Valerie Cuddy

Christopher and Carol Sue Fromboluti

Ellen G. Miles in honor of Neil Richard Greene

Lana Halpern

Jane Holmes

Howard and Ella Iams

Fleishhacker Foundation - in honor of Mitch and Heidi Dupler

MetroBethesda Rotary Foundation Inc.

Joann Moser and Nicholas Berkoff

Robert K. Musil and Caryn McTighe Musil

Martha Newman

Denise and Craig Pernick

Anne & Henry Reich Family Foundation, Lee G. Rubenstein, co-President

William and Eveline Roberts

Lee and Deborah Rogers

Janet Rosenbaum

Laurie Sloss and Peter Lowet

Kathy and Bob Wenger

Roger Williams and Ginger Macomber

BENEFACTOR

Rachel H.M. Abraham

David and Satoko Ackerman

Anonymous

Kate and Stephen Baldwin

Pamela and Barry Bass

Jeff Bauman and Linda Feinberg/ Beech Street Foundation

Harvey Maisel and Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel

Belle Davis

Sarah and Josh Eastright

Kenny Emson

Adaeze Enekwechi

Lois Fishman

Daryl Flatté and Richard David

Lisa Gappa-Norris

Janet Garber and Kris Keydel

Karen Garnett and Dan Hudson

Ellen and Michael Gold

Susan Gordon

Margaret Hennessey

Michael Kampen and Rachael Schroeder

Belinda Kane

John Keator and Virginia Sullivan

Margaret Kenny

Chaz and Jane Kerschner

John and Rachel King

Megan Klose and Frank Burdette

Daniel Korengold and Martha Dippell

Mimi Kress

Isiah and Catherine Leggett

Lerch, Early, & Brewer

Lipstein Family Foundation

Kathi Loughlin

Sharon and Jim Lowe

Joseph Lowell* and Veronica Fellerath-Lowell

Larry and Linda Matlack

Barbara and Alan* McConagha

Doug and Mary Beth McDaniel

Jeff Menick

Elissa and Bill Oshinsky

Patricia Payne

Mark and Teresa Plotkin

David and Gayle Roehm

Cynthia Rohrbeck and Philip Wirtz

Jay P. Siegel and Mona Sarfaty

Rochelle S. Steinberg

Page and Amy Stull

Susan and John Sturc

Lucinda and Stephen Swartz

Mr. Leslie C. Taylor

Grant P. and Sharon R. Thompson

Marna Tucker and Lawrence Baskir

Richard and Elisabeth Waugaman

Carolyn L. Wheeler

Ed and Judy Zakreski

Ellie Zartman

Margot Lurie Zimmerman, in

memory of Paul Zimmerman

ADVOCATES

Dr. Robert Angerer and Dr. Pamela McInnes

Jeremy Brosowsky and Beth Tritter

Sharon Brown

Joan Bullmer

Jeffrey Butvinik

Hugh Camitta

Rosemary Chalk and Michael Stoto

Richard Cleva

Eric Colchamiro and Shoshana Hecker

Richard Dagen

Karen Deasy

Eileen and Paul DeMarco

Katherine DeWitt

John Driscoll

Bill and Donna Eacho

Jonathan Fellner

Dr. Helene Freeman

Donna and Bruce Genderson

Jack Giraudo and Christine Colby Giraudo

Jane and Jeff Griffith

Brigid Haragan

James Heegeman

Susan Houston

Thomas and Ann Humphrey

Melissa and Paul Huey-Burns

Rachel Jaffe

Larry* and Sue Jeweler

Michael and Jean Kaliner

Veronica Kannan

James Kanski

Shelley Klein and Cathy Bendor

Monica Knorr

Laura and Matt Labovich

Willis T. Lansford

Beverly Lehrer

Sharon Light and Gidon van Emden

Maura and Eric Lightfoot

Bruce MacLaury

Judy and Brian Madden

Mary Maguire

Winton Matthews, Jr.

Rick McUmber and Melanie Folstad

Carol Mermey and Erik Lichtenberg

Janet Mitchell

Douglas Murphy

Jill Nelson

Geri Olson

Jim and Joan Palmer

P. David Pappert

Stan Peabody

Geraldine Fogel Pilzer

Beverly Purdue

Barbara Rapaport

Barbara Rhoden

Michelle and KenYatta Rogers

Steven M. Rosenberg and Stewart C. Low III

Linda Schwartz

Suzanne Shapiro

Stuart Sirkin and Arlene Farber Sirkin

Burton and Anne Fishman

Judith Sparrow

Richard Steiner

David Stevens

Tom Strikwerda and Donna Stienstra

Stephanie and Johnny Shuchart

Debby Vivari

Lyric Winik

ASSOCIATES

Actors' Equity Foundation, Inc.

Donald Adams and Ellen Maland

John Allnutt

Anonymous

Naomi and David Balto

Kenneth Berman

Rachel Bethe

Edie and David Blitzstein

Linda Blumberg and Stephen Turow

Richard and Bea Blumstein

Amy Bogdon and Robert Kornfeld

Lucinda Calahan

Edward Cowan

Frith Crandall

Yumiko Decarli

Linda and Joseph Dominic

Bill Dorsey

Peggy Dugan

Eddie and Rachel Eitches

Arlene Friedlander

Jonathan Golub and Shari Davidson

MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES

Bank of America

Eli Lilly and Company

Synchrony Financial

Truist Financial Corporation

Wilbur and Rita Hadden

Fred and Lucia Hill

Larry Hothem

Michael Joy and Deborah Fischer

Henry Kahn and Laura Primakoff

Susan Katz

Gail Kern Paster

Alan King

Roger and Gail Klein

The Koff Family

Michael Kolakowski

Sara and Stephen Kraskin

Herb and Dianne Lerner

Ann Hutchison Lung

Dorothea Lyas

Stefan Maas and Stefanie Van Pelt

Lory Manning

John and Liza Marshall

Marian Masson

Anna McGowan

Patricia McMahon

Jack Melamed and Robert Baker

Ryan Merkel

Bruce Miller

Joanna Miller and Lachlan Bell

Nancy Mills

Tish Mills

Janice Mitnick

Rita Mullin

John Murphy

Bill and Louisa Newlin

Aloysius Ordu

John and Margie Orrick

James and Cheryl Painter

Jeanne Pim

Judy Racoosin

Everett Redmond

Sharon Rennert

Judy Riggs

Naomi Robin and Gerald Gleason

Jane Rostov

James and Emily Rowan

Marnie S. Shaul

Mark and Susan Schneider

Cora Simpson

Catherine Stocker

Sara Sonet

Sheila Taube

Sally Tedrow

Jacquelyn Thompson

Jacqui Watson

Trisha Wells

Walter Wentz

George and Patti White

Mier and Cathy Wolf

William and Charlene Zellmer

Marc Zwillinger

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jay Hammer, President

Amy Selco, Vice President

Joy Lewis, Secretary

Michele Jawando, Assistant Secretary

Leslie Grizzard, Treasurer

Michael Heintz, Assistant Treasurer

Douglas Bibby

Ro Boddie

Stephanie deSibour

Mitchell S. Duple r 

Clare Evans

Susan Gibson

Rafael Hernandez

Daniel Kaplan

Neil Kerwin

Nancy Kopp

Veena Kutler

Kathleen Matthews

Mary Kathryn Nagle

Meka Parker

Ryan Rilette*

Ruchi Sharma

Mark Shugoll

Michael Steele

Nina Weisbroth

Ed Zakreski*

Judy Zickle r 

*Ex-officio

Life Trustee

*In memoriam

+Denotes Business Council Member

IN KIND DONORS

Doyle Printing & Offset Co.

Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag

Limelight Insights by Shugoll

M Studio Salon Bethesda

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

Provisions Catering

Susan Gage Caterers

Zeke’s Coffee

Linda Ravdin, Chair

Laura Forman, Vice Chair

Michael Beriss

Cathy S. Bernard

Elaine Binder

Donald Boardman

Mitch S. Dupler

Bunny Dwin

EMERITUS TRUSTEES COUNCIL STAFF DIRECTORY

Maboud Ebrahimzadeh

Ann Gilbert

Susan D. Gilbert

Bonnie Hammerschlag

Reba Immergut

Peter Jablow

Bruce Lane

Susan F. McGee

Sasha Olinick

David Smith

Rochelle S. Steinberg

Riley K. Temple

Kathy Wenger

Mier Wolf

Judy Zickler

LEADERSHIP

Artistic Director:

Ryan Rilette

Managing Director:

Ed Zakreski

ADMINISTRATION

General Manager: Tim Conley

Facilities Manager: Liz Sena

Executive Assistant &

Board Liaison: Amy Benson

ARTISTIC

Associate Artistic DIrector:

Naysan M ojgani

Casting Director & Associate

Audience Services Manager:

Mason Catharini

B ox Office Associates &

House Managers:

Helen Aberger

Kellie Adamski

Oscar Adema

Nessa Amherst

Round House Theatre is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County government, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and the Maryland State Arts Council.

We make every effort to provide accurate acknowledgment for our contributors. If your name is misspelled or omitted, please accept our apologies and contact the Development Department at 240.641.5352 or Development@ RoundHouseTheatre.org.

Director of EDIA and Community Engagement:

Israel Jiménez*

Associate General Manager:

Carter Rice*

Producer: Sarah Cooney*

AUDIENCE SERVICES

Associate Director of Sales

& Audience Services:

Brian Andrade

KT Aylesworth

Mercedes Blankenship

Rachel Borczuch

Lila Cooper

Autumn Delahoussaye

Marquita Dill

Carrie Edick

Josie Filaski

Caitlin Frazier

Rose Hahn

Colin Hauck

Bailey Howard

Bella Lerch

Tabitha Littlefield

Nicolas Lopez

Hannah Manwiller

Olivia Martin

Tamisha Ottley

Dylan Parham

Denisse Peñaflor

Jessica Rampulla

Nashira Rawls

Jayme Rodriguez

DeDe Smith

Phillippos Sourvinos

Lacey Talero

Wesley Waterton

FOURTH WALL BAR & CAFÉ

Bar/Café Staff:

Avraham Chittum

John Crawford

Ayana Graham

Jen McClendon

Ellen Mitchell

Kara Sparling

Dyana Svoboda

DEVELOPMENT

Interim Director of Development:

Betsy Anderson

Associate Director of Development:

Katelyn Maurer

Development Officer:

Njeri Mungai

D evelopment Operations

Manager: Patrick Joy

Development Associate:

Natalie Cumming

EDUCATION

Director of Education:

Da nisha Crosby

Education Program

Manager:

Kat hleen Mason*

Education Patrons Services

Manager: Dillon Mitcham

Lead Teaching Artists:

Ia n Anthony Coleman

Kelsey Hall

Faculty:

Sean Baldwin

Madlynn Bard

Ian Anthony Coleman

Lila Cooper

Kevin Corbett

Anna DiGiovanni

Emi Erickson

Jordan Essex

Scean Flowers

Deven Ferrer

Dominique Fuller

Rose Hahn

Kelsey Hall

Darren Jenkins-Johnston

Emma Lou Joy

Casey Kaleba

Victoria Keith

Sean Laraway

Emily Lettau

Gracie Luna

JJ Kaczynski

Mary Rose Madan

Diana Metzger

Benjamin Pallansch

Julie Pesak

Erin Pipes

Julia Rudgers

David Singleton

Dani Stoller

Elle Sullivan

Xander Toti

Jacob Traver

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Director of Marketing &

Communications:

Hannah Gr

Associate Director of Marketing & Communications:

Megan Behm

Public Relations Manager:

Alexandria Moreland*

Graphic Designer:

Ken

PRODUCTION

Production Manager:

Jesse Aasheim

OUR VALUES

Che Wernsman

Assistant Production

Manager/Company

Manager:

Technical Director:

Matt Assistant Technical

Director:

Lighting Supervisor:

Chris

Audio/Visual Superviso

Delaney Bray

Costume Shop Manager:

Taylor S. Payne

 THEATRE FOR EVERYONE

 ARTISTIC AMBITION

 C OMMUNITY

 EMP ATHY

 INTE GRITY

Scenic Charge:

Jenny C ockerham

Lead Carpenter:

Shaun Bartlow

Staff Carpenter:

Colin Maher

Resident Stage Manager:

Che Wernsman

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE is one of the leading professional theatres in the Washington, DC, area, producing a season of new plays, modern classics, and musicals for more than 55,000 patrons each year at our 352-seat theatre in Bethesda. Round House has been nominated for more than 213 Helen Hayes Awards and has won more than 42, including four “Outstanding Resident Play” Awards, the “Outstanding Resident Musical Award,” and the Charles MacArthur Award for Original New Play in 2016. Round House’s lifelong learning and education programs serve more than 5,000 students each year at its Education Center in Silver Spring and in schools throughout Montgomery County. Cornerstone programs include Free Play , which provides free tickets to teens and college students; the year-round Teen Performance Company, which culminates in the student-produced Sarah Metzger Memorial Play; Summer Camp for students in grades K-12; and a full slate of classes for adults and youth.