Donate to keep
Friends of Signature make innovative work like Signature Vinyl possible. Thank you for supporting our shared community! SigTheatre.org | 571 527 1828
Maggie Boland Managing Director
Dottie Bennett Board Chair
PRESENTS
Signature Vinyl DIRECTED & CONCEIVED BY MATTHEW GARDINER MUSIC DIRECTION BY MARK G. MEADOWS WITH
SHAYNA BLASS NATASCIA DIAZ CHRISTIAN DOUGLAS JADE JONES RAYSHUN LAMARR KEVIN MCALLISTER MARK G. MEADOWS CRYSTAL MOSSER KATIE MARIKO MURRAY INÈS NASSARA
TRACY LYNN OLIVERA SOLOMON PARKER III NOVA Y. PAYTON MARIA RIZZO ROBBIE SCHAEFER AWA SAL SECKA SHAYLA S. SIMMONS KANYSHA WILLIAMS RACHEL ZAMPELLI
MUSICIANS MARK G. MEADOWS & THE MOVEMENT KEYS MARK G. MEADOWS BASS ELIOT SEPPA DRUMS JACK KILBY, DANTE POPE GUITAR DEANTE HAGGERTY-WILLIS, NOAH PIERRE SAX TREY SORRELLS FILMED BY CHIET PRODUCTIONS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY/CAMERA OPERATOR JUSTIN CHIET EDITOR JAMES GARDINER ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MATTHEW GARDINER DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND PLANNING CHRISTINE STANLEY
PRODUCTION MANAGER JIM GROSS
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING JENNIFER BUZZELL
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION VALERIE BUNNS
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION DAVID ZOBELL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANT ROBERT COHN
Sponsored by Peter & Ann Tanous and Jeffrey Thurston & Charlie Berardesco Music sponsored by The Meredith Foundation
SONG LIST September By Maurice White, Al McKay & Ailee Willis Solomon Parker III It Won’t Be Long By J. Leslie McFarland Shayna Blass I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) By George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam Kanysha Williams All I Do By Stevie Wonder Shayla S. Simmons Summer Soft By Stevie Wonder Inès Nassara Cactus Tree By Joni Mitchell Katie Mariko Murray Can’t Buy Me Love By John Lennon and Paul McCartney Kevin McAllister Money (That’s What I Want) By Janie Bradford & Berry Gordy Jade Jones
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)/What’s Going On “Inner City Blues” by Marvin Gaye & James Nyx, Jr. “What’s Going On” by Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson & Marvin Gaye Inés Nassara, Nova Y. Payton & Mark G. Meadows Summer Highland Falls By Billy Joel Tracy Lynn Olivera Ain’t No Mountain High Enough By Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson Awa Sal Secka & Christian Douglas Overjoyed By Stevie Wonder Nova Y. Payton Goodbye Yellow Brick Road By Elton John & Bernie Taupin Rachel Zampelli The Way It Is By Bruce Hornsby Mark G. Meadows O-o-h Child By Stan Vincent Crystal Mosser & Maria Rizzo Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow/ Up on the Roof By Gerry Goffin & Carole King Robbie Schaefer & Natascia Diaz Signed Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours) By Stevie Wonder Rayshun LaMarr
CAST Shayna Blass SIGNATURE: Freaky Friday, The Mystery of Love & Sex, Cabaret. NEW YORK: New York Music Theatre Festival: Firefly in the Light. DC AREA: Theater J: The Last of Ballyhoo, Yentl, Another Way Home; Arena Stage: Fiddler on the Roof; RepStage: Technicolor Life. REGIONAL: The Rep of St. Louis: The Thanksgiving Play, Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Indecent, Berkshire Theatre Group: HAIR. IG: @shaynablass. www.shaynablass.com Natascia Diaz SIGNATURE: Passion (Fosca, 2019 Hayes Award nomination), Threepenny Opera (Jenny, 2015 Hayes Award nomination), West Side Story (Anita, Helen Hayes Award nomination), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary). BROADWAY: Man of La Mancha (Antonia, u/s Aldonza), Seussical. OFF-BROADWAY: Grand Hotel (Rafaella), City Center Encores!; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Second Stage); The Capeman (Esmeralda), Delacorte Theatre; Jacques Brel; tick, tick, BOOM! (Susan, LA Ovation nomination). NATIONAL TOUR: West Side Story (Anita, Chicago Jeff Award, St. Louis Kevin Kline Award). DC AREA: Shakespeare Theatre: Measure for Measure (Mariana), Woolly Mammoth: Collective Rage (Betty #3); MetroStage: Jacques Brel (Woman 1, 2014 Helen Hayes Award), Savage In Limbo (Savage), Rooms (Monica, 2009 Helen Hayes Award). REGIONAL: St. Louis Muny: Chicago (Velma, St. Louis Critics Award nomination, dir. Denis Jones). FILM: Every Little Step. natasciadiaz.com Christian Douglas SIGNATURE: Gun & Powder (Ensemble, Jesse u/s), Devotion (SigYale Workshop), Two’s Company Summer Cabaret. DC AREA: Arena Stage: Newsies (Seitz, Jack Kelly u/s); Kennedy Center: Chasing the Wind (Nijah); Red Branch Theater Company: Dogfight (Eddie Birdlace); Strathmore Artist in Residence, singer/songwriter (20192020). AWARDS: Lotte Lenya Competition ($10,000 prize winner); American Traditions Vocal Competition (4th place finalist) EDUCATION: University of Maryland, BM in Vocal Performance. Instagram: @christiandouglasmusic christiandouglasmusic.com
CAST Jade Jones SIGNATURE: Elmer Gantry, The Scottsboro Boys (Assistant Director), Motown: The Reprise. DC AREA: Shakespeare Theatre: The Amen Corner; Round House Theatre: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play; Ford’s Theatre: Into The Woods, The Wiz, 110 in The Shade, 12 Angry Men (Assistant Director); Shakespeare Theatre Company: Macbeth, Venus (staged reading, by Suzan-Lori Parks); Rep Stage: Sweeney Todd; Forum: Love and Information; Olney: Sweeney Todd, Anyone Can Whistle (staged reading); Creative Cauldron: Once On This Island (Helen Hayes nomination), Jazzed and Jaded (solo cabaret), Killin’ ‘Em Softly (solo cabaret); Keegan: As You Like It, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, HAIR. EDUCATION: Ferrum College, BFA. UPCOMING: Olney Theatre Center: A.D. 16. @LittyOfficial www.JadeJonesDC.com Rayshun LaMarr SIGNATURE: Gun & Powder. DC AREA: Live Garra Theatre: Fool in Love-The Frankie Lymon Story (Frankie Lymon); American Pops Orchestra: Mary Martin and Ethel Merman tribute, You’ve Got a Friend, Lincoln Center Fall Gala, A tribute to Aretha Franklin; Ford’s Theatre: Ford’s Annual Gala (Guest Artist), Ragtime, Freedom’s Song; MetroStage: Shake Loose, Blackberry Daze; Kennedy Center: 24th Annual ADL in Concert Against Hate. TV: NBC: The Voice (Season 14 Semi Finalist); WBAL-TV: Season to Celebrate (Guest Artist); NBC4 Washington: FBCG Holiday Special. OTHER: SoundConnection Band (Lead Vocalist); Stephanie Mills (Background Vocalist); Annual Cherry Blossom Parade (Featured Performer); Wizards Season Opener (National Anthem); 49ers Crucial Catch Game (National Anthem and Halftime Show); NC Panthers Game (Halftime Show). Kevin McAllister SIGNATURE: Blackbeard, Grand Hotel, Ain’t Misbehavin’, A Little Night Music, Titanic, SCKBSTRD, Brother Russia, The Break, Show Boat, Sweeney Todd. BROADWAY: Come From Away. DC AREA: Washington National Opera: Lost in the Stars, Ford’s Theatre: The Wiz, Ragtime, 110 In The Shade, Freedom’s Song, Spelling Bee, Violet (Helen Hayes nomination), Our Town, Parade (Helen Hayes nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actor), The Civil War; Arena Stage: Five Guys Named Moe, Olney: Annie (Helen Hayes nomination) Cinderella; Kennedy Center: 2013 Gala, James and the Giant Peach, The
Phantom Tollbooth; CenterStage: Expanding the Cycle Series; Toby’s: Rent, Dreamgirls, Ragtime (Helen Hayes nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor); Teatro 101: Brooklyn, Side Show, Wild Party; Artistic Director, ArtsCentric, Inc. AWARDS: 2016 and 2018 Helen Hayes Award, Best Lead Actor in A Musical. Crystal Mosser SIGNATURE: Gun & Powder, Grand Hotel, Billy Elliot. DC AREA: Shakespeare Theatre: Candide, Boys From Syracuse; Woolly Mammoth/Fringe: F#@king Up Everything. NYC: Playwrights Horizons: Atlantis; New York City Opera: Car Crash Opera; Skirball Center: King David Revival, Leonard Bernstein Tribute, “Glitter and Be Gay” Soloist; McGinn/Cazale Theater: Paint Your Wagon. REGIONAL: Coastal Carolina Center of the Arts/ Beef and Boards/Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center: 9 to 5; Mason Street Warehouse: Xanadu; Seven Angels Theatre: Marvelous Wonderettes; Hanesbrand Theatre: Stephen Schwartz Project; Penobscot Theatre: Great American Trailer Park; Mac-Haydn Theatre: Phantom. EDUCATION: New York University, B.M. & M.M. @CrystalMosser Katie Mariko Murray SIGNATURE: Grand Hotel, Passion, West Side Story, Miss Saigon. NYC: ARSNova: KPOP the Musical; NAAP: Into the Woods (Cinderella). REGIONAL: Weathervane Repertory: The King and I (Tuptim), Mamma Mia (Sophie); Tuacahn: Disney’s When You Wish (world premiere, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Mulan); McCarter Theatre; Fulton Opera House: Miss Saigon. EDUCATION: BFA Penn State. Katiemarikomurray.com @ktpotaty Inès Nassara SIGNATURE: Spunk, Crossing, Aftershock (Signature in the Schools), SCKBSTD reading, U.G.L.Y. reading. NEW YORK: 54 Below: Wildwood reading. DC AREA: Keegan Theatre: HAIR (Helen Hayes nomination Best Supporting Actress); Ford’s Theatre: Freedom’s Song, 110 in the Shade, Ragtime (Helen Hayes winner: Ensemble), The Wiz (Helen Hayes nomination: Ensemble); Kennedy Center Washington National Opera: Lost in the Stars; Olney Theatre Center: Once On This Island. EDUCATION: Towson University BA in Sociology/Anthropology and Music Performance.
CAST Tracy Lynn Olivera SIGNATURE: Assassins; A Little Night Music (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical); Titanic; The Fix; Gypsy; Crossing; Company; Hello, Dolly! (Ford’s Theatre co-production); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Brother Russia; The Hollow; The Boy Detective Fails; Les Misérables; ACE; The Happy Time; Merrily We Roll Along; Allegro; Follies; Side Show; Sweeney Todd. BROADWAY: Ragtime (2009 revival). DC AREA: Kennedy Center: Ragtime, Sunday in the Park..., Passion, Merrily We Roll Along; Arena Stage: Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees; Shakespeare Theatre: Candide; Ford’s Theatre: Ragtime, 110 in the Shade (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical); Olney Theatre: Matilda, On the Town; Studio Theatre: Bachelorette; Imagination Stage: Cinderella. REGIONAL: Goodman Theatre: Candide. RECORDINGS: Because (solo LP). Solomon Parker III SIGNATURE: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Grand Hotel, Billy Elliot, Jesus Christ Superstar. DC AREA: National Theatre: Paige and Friends: Ep.3; Ford’s Theatre: The Wiz; Synetic Theater: Decameron; Solas Nua: Being Here virtual workshop; Monumental Theatre Co.: Sing Thru!, Monumental Late Night, Pippin (Leading Player), Montgomery; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Kinky Boots; Dreamgirls, Hairspray; Keegan Theatre: Legally Blonde; Red Branch Theatre Company: Dogfight (Boland). OTHER: Host of Tea & Cakes, a weekly drag show. EDUCATION: Montgomery College. Nova Y. Payton SIGNATURE: Assassins, Blackbeard, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jelly’s Last Jam, La Cage aux Folles, Diner, Defying Gravity: Making of a SuperNOVA, Dreamgirls, The Best Little Whorehouse..., Xanadu, Hairspray. TOUR: 3 Mo’ Divas, Smokey Joe’s Café. DC AREA: Round House: Caroline, or Change; Shakespeare Theatre: The Amen Corner, Kiss Me, Kate; Imagination Stage: A Year with Frog and Toad; Ford’s Theatre: Ragtime, Freedom’s Song; Olney Theatre: Godspell; Arena Stage: Newsies, Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Kennedy Center: How To Succeed..., Bye, Bye Birdie. REGIONAL: The 5th: Man of La Mancha, A Night with Janis Joplin; Milwaukee Rep: Dreamgirls; Prince Music Theatre: Dreamgirls.
Maria Rizzo SIGNATURE: A Chorus Line, Assassins, Grand Hotel, Crazy For You, A Little Night Music, The Gulf (world premiere), West Side Story, Cabaret, Gypsy (Louise, Helen Hayes Nomination), Spin (world premiere), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Xanadu. DC THEATRE: Arena Stage: Anything Goes (Erma, Helen Hayes Award), Fiddler on the Roof; Olney Theatre Center: Evita, Grease!; Keegan Theatre: Chicago (Roxie, Helen Hayes Award), Cabaret (Sally Bowles, Helen Hayes Nomination), The Sunshine Boys, Spring Awakening; Studio Theatre: Carrie the Musical; 1stStage: Bat Boy; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Hairspray. REGIONAL: Arkansas Rep Theatre: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. EDUCATION: The Catholic University of America, BM, Musical Theatre. @mariarizz9o Robbie Schaefer SIGNATURE: Light Years. REGIONAL: Gulf View Drive, Actor’s Co-op Theatre Company, Los Angeles, CA. PLAYWRIGHT: Light Years, The Blue Poppy. ALBUMS/RECORDINGS: Sounds Like Home, Ruby, Strange and Lovely World, In the Flesh, This Is Me (Eddie From Ohio), Quick (Eddie From Ohio), others. RADIO: SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Music Director and On-Air talent, Kids Place Live. NON-PROFIT: OneVoice, Founder and President. Awa Sal Secka SIGNATURE: Gun & Powder (Flo), Blackbeard (Kali Maa), Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon), Barbara Streisand Cabaret, Judy Garland Cabaret. DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Christmas Carol (Mrs. Fred), Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife), The Wiz (Glinda/Dorothy u/s); Round House Theatre: School Girls... (Ama), Caroline, or Change (Dottie); Kennedy Center: Me Jane (Maisie), Chasing the Wind (Abby); Imagination Stage: Cinderella (Cinderella), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy Van Pelt); ArtsCentric: AIDA (Aida), MEMPHIS (Felicia) ; Theatre Alliance: Black Nativity (Narrator); Mosaic Theatre: Eretz Chadasha: The Promised Land (Mother); ATMTC: James and the Giant Peach (Sponge); Studio Theatre: SILENCE! The Musical (Ardelia); Olney Theatre Center: Avenue Q. EDUCATION: Montgomery College, AA in Theatre Performance.
CAST Shayla S. Simmons SIGNATURE: Dreamgirls. NATIONAL TOURS: Theater Works: Winnie the Pooh, Core Ensemble: “Ain’t I a Woman” (One Woman Show). INTERNATIONAL TOURS: Golden Gospel Singers. DC/VA AREA: NextStop Theatre Company: The Mountaintop; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: The Color Purple, Sophisticated Ladies, Hairspray (u/s), Beehive: A 60s Musical, Aida; Center Stage: Young Playwrights Festival; Creative Cauldron: Women of the Blues, Thunder Knockin’ on the Door. REGIONAL: MerryGo-Round Playhouse: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (u/s). EDUCATION: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York City. Kanysha Williams SIGNATURE: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Soul Divas. DC AREA: MetroStage: The Wizard of Hip; ArtsCentric: The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, Aida, Black Nativity; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Ain’t Misbehavin’; Adventure Theatre MTC: Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas. REGIONAL: Riverside Center for the Performing Arts: The Color Purple. EDUCATION: The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, George Mason University, BM Music, 2014. Rachel Zampelli SIGNATURE: Heisenberg, Midwestern Gothic, The Gulf, The Fix, Dying City, Brother Russia, Chess, See What I Wanna See, The Happy Time. DC AREA: Kennedy Center: Lost in the Stars, Gift of Nothing; Folger: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Comedy of Errors, Orestes: A Tragic Romp, Midsummer Night’s Dream; Olney: The Amateurs, On the Town, The Crucible, Annie, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Godspell, Avenue Q; Ford’s: Into the Woods, The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee, Shenandoah; Studio: Bloody...Andrew Jackson, POP! (Helen Hayes nomination, Supporting Actress), Jerry Springer: The Opera, Reefer Madness; Roundhouse: Stage Kiss; NRTC: Stop Kiss; Adventure: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. REGIONAL: Two River: Orestes: A Tragic Romp; New Rep: Romeo and Juliet, Into the Woods; Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Breast Entanglements.
CREATIVE TEAM Matthew Gardiner (Director & Conceiver) SIGNATURE: Director: A Chorus Line, Billy Elliot, Passion, Girlfriend, Crazy For You, Midwestern Gothic, Jelly’s Last Jam, La Cage aux Folles, West Side Story, Cabaret, Soon, Sunday in the Park with George, The Threepenny Opera, Tender Napalm, Dreamgirls, Dying City, Xanadu, Really Really, The Hollow, Side by Side by Sondheim, Art, [title of show], See What I Wanna See; Choreographer: Blackbeard, Titanic, The Fix, Company, Sweeney Todd, Dirty Blonde. INTERNATIONAL: South Korea- OD Company: Doctor Zhivago (Director); Titanic (Choreographer). DC THEATRE: Director: Round House Theatre: Caroline, or Change; Ordinary Days; Ford’s Theatre: The Laramie Project; Kennedy Center: Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred!); MetroStage: tick, tick…BOOM!; Studio Theatre: Jerry Springer: The Opera; Reefer Madness; Choreographer: Round House Theatre: The Legend of Georgia McBride; Shakespeare Theatre: The Tempest; MetroStage: Jacques Brel is Alive And Well…; Studio Theatre: Grey Gardens, Adding Machine. EDUCATION: Carnegie Mellon University. Mark G. Meadows (Music Director) SIGNATURE: Jelly’s Last Jam (Jelly); Music Director: Spunk, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Motown Cabarets. ALBUMS: Be the Change, To the People, Somethin’ Good, A Child is Born. CONCERTS: Jazz at the Lincoln Center, DC Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Small’s Jazz Club, The Strathmore. INTERNATIONAL: Russia, The Congo, Qatar, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, The Caribbean. APPEARED WITH: Cynthia Erivo, Usher, Bobby McFerrin, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Elling, The NSO, Ledisi. AWARDS: 2020 DC Wammies Jazz Artist of the Year, Washington City Paper’s Artist & Composer of the Year, 2015 Strathmore Artist in Residence. TEACHING: American University: Jazz Instructor; Shenandoah University: Jazz Instructor; Duke Ellington School of the Arts: director/arranger for “The Mellow Tones”; The Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University: Grad Assistant. MarkGMeadows.com @MarkGMeadows
FILM PRODUCTION STAFF 1st Assistant Camera/Gaffer Jeremy Jacoby Camera Operator/Key Grip Eric Koraganie Gaffer Jeff Fitzgerald 2nd Assistant Camera/Grip Noah Chiet Production Assistant Jason Obando Score Recorded and Mixed by Ryan Hickey Lead Recording Engineer Kendric Maxey Recording Engineer Connor Sherrill Grips Dan Kimble, Tim Strickland, Jonathan Maag Health Safety Manager Kerry Epstein Medical Services provided by Event Medic Inc. COVID Testing & Lab Work Meridian Health Special Thanks to Bonnie Feld and Signature’s 2020/21 season is partially supported by the Virginia Commision for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts
The Art of the Audition
For high school students | December 2 - 16 Prepare, practice and perfect your material in a three-session series led by Broadway’s Matthew Scott to help you nail that c ollege or professional audition.
SigTheatre.org/Art-of-the-Audition
SIGNATURE STAFF Artistic
Administrative
Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner Resident Casting Director/Artistic Associate Kelly Crandall d’Amboise Casting and Executive Coordinator Jorge Acevedo Artistic Committee Kerry Epstein, Nova Y. Payton, Aron Rider, Awa Sal Secka Production Manager Jim Gross Assistant Production Manager Kimberly J. Scott Company Manager Laura Matey Technical Director T. Sampson Assistant Technical Director Tim Jarmon Master Carpenter Holly Milch Staff Carpenter Jack Coughlin, Kyla Duff Deck Chief Tess Wagner Scenic Charge Artist Katherine Fox Costume Director Frederick Deeben Associate Costume Director Natalie Kurczewski Wardrobe Supervisor Courtney Leigh Wood Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor Dominique Travers Master Electrician Dan Kimble Assistant Master Electrician Jonathan Maag, Tim Strickland Properties Master Kasey Hendricks Associate Properties Master Pamela Weiner Resident Sound Designer Ryan Hickey Lead Sound Engineer Kendric Maxey Deck Sound Engineer Connor Sherrill Resident Musical Director Jon Kalbfleisch Artistic Associates Karma Camp, Kathleen Geldard, James Kronzer, Mark G. Meadows, Jeremy Skidmore, Harry A. Winter Commissioned Writers Grace Barnes, Joe Calarco, Allyson Currin, Matt Conner, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Chelsea Marcantel, Kent Moran
Managing Director Maggie Boland Director of Advancement and Planning Christine Stanley Deputy Director of Development, Institutional Giving Erin Harms Deputy Director of Development, Individual Giving Dori L. Sophia Associate Director, Capital Campaign & Special Projects Morgan Tucker Institutional Giving Manager Caroline M. Schreiber Donor Services Manager Ashley Richardson Development Coordinator Colleen Bankert Director of Marketing Jennifer Buzzell Deputy Director of Marketing/Publications Director Katherine Tucker Graphic Designer Jessica Aimone Deputy Director of Creative Content and Publicity James Gardiner Deputy Director, Digital Media Krystle Kline Marketing Assistant Natalie Ridgley Information Technology Consultant Robert Cohn IT Application Support Manager Sara Hoffman Director of Finance and Administration Valerie Bunns Associate Director of HR and Management Eric Mathew Colton Assistant Business Manager Corinne Hayward Education Director David Zobell Education Program Manager Matthew Taylor Strote Box Office Manager & Tessitura Specialist Erin Murillas Group Sales & Grassroots Marketing Manager Emily Adler Box Office Associates Clara Everhart, Connor Scully, Raven Wilkes, Jack Williams Front of House Operations Manager Jon White Senior House Manager Rafael Bueno House Managers Becca Brinkley Holland, Megan Bunn, Josh Ellis, Julie Neuber, John Porter, Geoffrey Rhone Food and Beverage Manager Micaela Lell Chef Lilian Gomez Facilities Manager LaFonte Jackson Facilities Maintenance José Benitez, Maria Benitez
American Musical Voices Project The American Musical Voices Project, Funded by The Shen Family Foundation, is the largest musical theater commissioning program in the United States. Musical Theater Composer Grant Recipients Ricky Ian Gordon, Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, Jeanine Tesori, Joseph Thalken Musical Theater Leadership Award Recipients Bruce Coughlin, Adam Guettel, Audra McDonald, Ted Sperling American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation Composer Grant Recipients Matt Conner, Peter Foley, Adam Gwon, Gabriel Kahane, Marisa Michelson, Chris Miller, Scott Davenport Richards, Joshua Rosenblum, Josh Schmidt
THANK YOU Signature Theatre is grateful to the following donors for their financial leadership and generosity.
$50,000 AND ABOVE
Amazon Anonymous (2) Dottie Bennett and Richard Morton Cathy Bernard/Bernard Family Foundation Mike Blank The Boeing Company The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Bonnie Feld Philip L. Graham Fund Frank Guzzetta and Paul Manville Maxine Isaacs/The Max Productions LLC Arlene and Robert Kogod Michele and Ted Leber Michelle S. Lee & Dr. C. Daniel Chou, MD and STG International, Inc. Dan and Gloria Logan Louis Mazawey Jean T. Pelham and Heyward G. Pelham Foundation Share Fund The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund The Shubert Foundation Virginia Commission for the Arts
$25,000 TO $49,999
William S. Abell Foundation, Inc. Celie and Tabitha Niehaus Barbara M. Angus Nirschl Orthopaedic Center John F. Benton and David W. Briggs Micheal J. O’Connor Dorchester Towers & Apartments on Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai* Columbia Pike, Arlington – Lola C. Reinsch Wesley Pickard and Jeanette Studley Edgerton Foundation Jenna and Paul Segal Bradley Frey and the J. Watkins Fund for Arts David S. Shrager Foundation and Education Susan Gage Caterers Deborah G. Gandy Peter and Ann Tanou National Endowment for the Arts
$10,000 - $24,000
Anonymous (3) Theodore H. Barth Foundation J. Max Barger Stephen and Nancy Brown Jean Cantrell Chevy Chase Trust Bruce A. Cohen Clark-Winchcole Foundation The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts Jim Davidson and Cheryl Williams Ashley Davis Michael DeSantis and Patrick Baugh Chip DiPaula Dominion Energy The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Margia and Jim Dyer Sharon Eddy, State Farm Agent R. Michael Gadbaw and Sally Chandler Susan and Thomas Gage The Geary-O’Hara Family Foundation GEICO Mary Ann Gilleece Lois C. Greisman Jody Katz and Jeffrey Gibbs Mark T. Lewellyn The Macfarlan Family, in honor of Winnie Macfarlan
Terrance and Sue McGowan Christopher McMackin, M.D. and David Svatos The Meredith Foundation Peter and Mary Jay Michel Amanda Christine Miller and Richard Nash Northrop Grumman David Ochsman Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone Beth Pile James Pridgen and Arthur Warren H. Mac and Michele-Anne Riley Debra and Dave Rose Doug and Kathie Ross The Savada-Stevenson Family Russ Schriefer and Nina Easton Susan Carroll Schwab Shugoll Research Carl Spatz and Thomas Hesselbrock Jeffrey Thurston and Charlie Berardesco Sarah Valente Venable Foundation Virginia Humanities Washington Forrest Foundation Maya Weil Ellen and Bernard Young Nicole Young
LEADERSHIP Maggie Boland (Managing Director) joined the Signature Theatre staff in May 2008. Prior to joining Signature, Maggie spent nearly 10 years at Arena Stage in increasingly senior positions, beginning as Marketing Director, responsible for Arena’s earned income, and assuming oversight of the $3 million+ Annual Fund and $125 million Next Stage Campaign in subsequent seasons as the Director of External Affairs. Prior to joining Arena Stage, Maggie worked on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company for nearly six years, most recently as the Director of Annual Giving, responsible for raising more than $3.5 million annually. Maggie also participated extensively in Roundabout’s capital campaign to fund the restoration and renovation of the American Airlines Theatre. She was named a recipient of 2016 Women Who Mean Business award from the Washington Business Journal. Maggie graduated magna cum laude from Boston College’s Honors Program with a BA in English; she is a member of the Board of Directors of TheatreWashington and serves as Vice President of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT).
ABOUT SIGNATURE THEATRE Founded in 1989, Signature Theatre is a Tony Award®-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Currently under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland, musical theater is Signature’s “signature,” and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Called a “musical theater powerhouse” and “a dream for patrons” by The Washington Post, Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater. Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 59 world premiere works—including 19 new musical commissions— and is home to the single largest musical theater commissioning project in the United States, The American Musical Voices Project. Attracting talent from the DC metropolitan region and New York, Signature has grown to reach more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond. Signature has won 134 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 452 nominations.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Honorary Trustees Fred Ebb*, John Kander, Cameron Mackintosh, Stephen Sondheim Chair Dottie Bennett Vice Chair Cathy Bernard Vice Chair Russ Schriefer Secretary Patricia Payne Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair Terrance McGowan Governance Committee Chair Kathleen T. Ross Past Chair Bonnie Feld Board Members J. Max Barger, Jeff Bell, John Benton, Maggie Boland, Jean Cantrell, Sue Cunningham, Ashley Davis, Michael DeSantis, James W. Dyer, Deborah Gandy, Mary Ann Gilleece, Robert T. Grimm, Jr., Frank Guzzetta, Brian Huseman, Maxine Isaacs, Louis Mazawey, Peter Michel, Amanda Christine Miller, David Ochsman, Wesley Pickard, Chuck Porvaznik, Rynthia M. Rost, Susan C. Schwab, Debbie Shrager, Merrill Shugoll, Carl Spatz, Peter Tanous, Sarah Valente, Arthur Warren, Maya Weil, Nicole Young The Paul Wojcik Emeritus Board Members David W. Briggs, Mary G. Cadagin, Enrico Cecchi, Patricia Alper Cohn, Michael Danzansky, Marybeth Fraser, Thomas Gage, Tim Keating, Lisa Kountoupes, Tina Martin, Celie Niehaus, Wendy Rahm, Bob Rosen, Steven M. Rosenberg, Kathie Shank, Victor Shargai*, Patti Sowalsky, Chris Wailoo Signature Council Helen Lee Henderson, Arlene and Robert Kogod, Gilbert and Jaylee Mead*, Ted and Mary Jo Shen *In memoriam
The Very Best of Signature’s Past, Present and Future Performances, interviews, new music, past memories and so much more
New episodes released biweekly Subscribe to SigTheatre on to never miss an episode