HERE’S THE DEAL
SIGNATURE IN THE SCHOOLS
BY CALEEN SINNETTE JENNINGS
stage one July 26 – August 6, 2021 | Monday – Friday, 10AM – 6PM Ages 14 – 17 A two-week virtual (with possible voluntary in-person sessions) workshop in professional musical theater.
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS • A prepared and memorized contemporary one-minute monologue. • A 32-bar musical theater song. • A response to the dance audition post. • Resume with contact information. Zoom auditions: March 6 Or apply via video to education@sigtheatre.org Video submissions due March 8
To learn more, visit SigTheatre.org/Stage-One. Signature’s Education and Community Programs are sponsored by
SigTheatre.org
4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington VA
Welcome Now in its 26th year, Signature in the Schools is a program unlike any other. The program provides students the opportunity to be in a world premiere production, written, directed and designed by professional theater artists, featuring a professional actor. Beyond that, it provides these students with opportunities to participate in theatrical conversations about issues that matter: civic engagement and the power of the vote, freedoms of expression, immigration, and feminism. And now, with Here’s the Deal, we explore the New Deal and its contemporary parallels.
on Zoom, where they were taken on a tour of the actors’ personal wardrobes. The costume team then assembled looks for each scene with what the actors already owned! We spent days working with the actors, exploring how to achieve the illusion that actors were in the same space. If you were to speak to any of the 32 student actors, technicians, managers or assistant directors, they could all tell you personal stories about the ways their creativity was stretched by this project.
Moving virtually allowed us to expand the borders of the program this year, opening participation from only one Filmed from the students’ homes on their personal school district to participation from five school districts devices and almost exclusively through Zoom, we’ve and one private school. This expansion feels appropriate often felt like we were creating an entirely new art for a production that asks for the inclusion of everyone in form. No director can block without knowing the set the American Dream. they’re working on, so the process began with each actor taking the directing team on a virtual tour of Silver linings in a cloudy year. Thank you for joining us for their homes. Our costume supervisor and her team Signature in the Schools’ Here’s the Deal. had to be creative as well. They met with each actor
DAVID ZOBELL MATTHEW TAYLOR STROTE Director of Education Education Programs Manager
Note from the Playwright A country in crisis, mass unemployment, homelessness, deep political divisions, racial strife. Welcome to the 1930s. The topic for this year’s Signature in the Schools play was selected by last year’s cohort of Signature in the Schools company members. Despite their not knowing about the impending pandemic and the havoc it would cause, last year’s cohort knew that there is something inherently compelling, dramatic and worthy of exploration in the New Deal era. This subject matter has a personal relevance for me. I remember my grandfather’s stories of standing on the bread line and worrying about how he would feed his family of three. I remember my grandmother speaking of Franklin D. Roosevelt with adoration. It has been eye-opening to dig into New Deal era materials and discover the upsides and downsides of this grand governmental experiment. Some of the pressing questions that characterize the Depression Era and that the New Deal sought to address are:
· How does a society balance individual freedom with governmental power? · How does a society provide work for everyone who wants it? · How does a society care for its most fragile: the elderly, the very young, the differently abled? · How does a society honor differences among its people, yet work, live, and thrive as one?
There are no easy answers. Depression era artists examined these questions through the fine and performing arts. The Federal Theatre Project created and staged Living Newspapers to put these questions before live theatre audiences. Fast forward to 2021, and our theatrical exploration comes via Zoom. Due to Covid restrictions, we’ve had to re-invent ways to conceptualize and visualize stories, to create hybrid forms of acting, directing, designing and producing–all while social distancing. Artists always risk the unknown, but in Covid times, the unknowns are more numerous and consequential. The visuals we use tell personal stories and reveal the poverty, desperation and uncertainty of the Depression in stark terms. Included are passionate quotations and sometimes inflammatory rhetoric from both sides of the New Deal controversy. The playwright’s
We entered the endeavor with a communal understanding that we didn’t have all the answers, grandfather, but that we’d figure out how to make this new form of drama work. We decided to cast a Norman Sinnette wide net and invite participation from a broad range of Virginia schools. We were bowled over by the talent, maturity and work ethic of the company members. They invested intellectually and emotionally in the lives of their characters. They accepted the risk that our script has layers which purposefully challenge the viewer’s understanding. I’m so proud to be associated with Here’s the Deal. It’s been a sorely needed opportunity for all of us to come together to create art that is timely and meaningful in the midst of very difficult circumstances. My gratitude goes out to the entire team, and to the audience of family, friends, colleagues and interested viewers. Here’s to better days ahead!
Caleen Sinnette Jennings Playwright
Virtual Masterclass Series | March Schedule
An in-depth behind-the-scenes delve into a variety of theater topics Registration $10 per class, All classes take place over Zoom
March 4: Acting for the Camera Brenna McDonough (House of Cards, Veep) teaches you the tools of the trade to get you ready for your close up. March 11: Writing Your Life Story Multidisciplinary artist Paige Hernandez activates your creative juices to use your personal experiences as inspiration. March 18: Lyric Interpretation with Bobby Smith Watch as Bobby Smith (Assassins, A Little Night Music) guides pre-selected students through a song with the emphasis on the words. March 25: Musical Theater Dance with Natascia Diaz Natascia Diaz (Signature’s West Side Story, Grand Hotel) teaches a fun and energetic dance class focusing on the character and storytelling in theater dance.
Learn more and Register: SigTheatre.org/Masterclasses Signature’s Masterclass Series is sponsored by
Here’s the Deal by Caleen Sinnette Jennings THE COMPANY
PRODUCTION
Theatre III
Playwright Caleen Sinnette Jennings Director David Zobell Music Supervisor Kenny Neal Costume Supervisor Alison Samantha Johnson Assistant to Director/Dramaturg Matthew Taylor Strote Historian/Dramaturg Joan Cummins Directing Assistant Mary Katherine Musick~ Production Manager Brenden Patterson~ Script Supervisor Elliot Force~ Editing James Gardiner, Natalie Ridgley Editing Assistant Sadie Wyman~ Costume Consultant Edward Gimlin~, Hope Maobelem~ Signature’s Assistant Production Manager Kimberly J. Scott
Mrs. Day Alan Anna Carlos Dana Ila Jack James Janine Kate Mara Morgan Tara Terry Walter
Felicia Curry* Zach McKay Amber Workeman Colin Villacorte Leah Reaves Isabella Russo Zach Patel Joshua Lemons Eva Jaber Kashvi Ramani Mercedes Kim Max Von Kolnitz Talia Williams Cooper Sheehy Winston Mensah-Cooley
Oz Mrs. Wilmot Mrs. Turner Sarah Louise
Elizabeth Vichness Melena Orleans Meek Caroline Davenport Sofia Cruz
Shadow Yvonne Maggie Edie
Rachel Sinniger Anabelle Lombard Hannah Knittig
Power Outage Mom Dad Jenny Liz Barry
Valeria N. Flores Siles Cole Edwards Charlotte Mulligan Zoey Carlos Colton Thomas
~Members of Student Production Team *Guest Artist
Cast Zoey Carlos (Liz) joins Signature in the Schools for her first year. LTA: A Christmas Carol. MCLEAN PLAYERS: Seussical. ARLINGTON PLAYERS: Sweeney Todd. TWAIN DRAMA: Bad Ideas for Bad Television Shows, Day the Internet Died. EDISON PRODUCTIONS: Legally Blonde. ACCT: Seussical Jr, Elf Jr. MVCCT: Grease, The Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat. EDUCATION: Edison High School, Twain Middle School, Bush Hill Elementary. OTHER: Tri-M 2020, Symphonic Orchestra (Edison High School). SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Spring Break Workshop, Stage One. Sofia Cruz (Louise) participates in Signature in the Schools for the first time. SIGNATURE: Billy Elliot. DC AREA PROFESSIONAL: Olney Theatre Center: Annie. DC AREA: Bishop Ireton Theater: Curtains, Little Women; Encore Stage and Studio: Music Man; City of Fairfax Theatre Company: Music Man; Mt. Vernon Community Children’s Theatre: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Coat, Mary Poppins, Once Upon A Mattress; Metropolitan School of the Arts: Wonka, Toy Stories, Enchanted, Frosty Follies, Alice in Wonderland, Footloose, Mirror, Mirror; Reston Community Players: Les Misérables Children’s Choir. AWARDS: Hal Leonard Vocal Competition Children’s Musical Theater Semi-Finalist, Fairfax County Music and Arts Superintendent Vocal Award; EDUCATION: Bishop Ireton High School. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Spring Break Workshop, Stage One, Signature Conservatory. Felicia Curry (Mrs. Day) SIGNATURE: Masterpieces..., The Scottsboro Boys, Motown: Hitsville U.S.A, Les Misérables, Broadway Duets. OFF-BROADWAY: We Three Liza’s; DMLRR: The Brontes, Petite Rouge. NATIONAL TOURS: Kennedy Center: Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka; Mattel/Live Nation: Barbie Live!; Capitol Steps. REGIONAL: Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre (Artistic Associate), Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Everyman Theatre (Resident Company Member), Factory 449 (Company Member), Kennedy Center, Round House Theatre, Rep Stage, MetroStage, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Imagination Stage, Toby’s Columbia, Gulfshore Playhouse, VA Repertory Theatre, Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. CONCERTS: NSO: Young People’s Concert, BSO: Holiday Spectacular, Marvin
Hamlisch: One Singular Sensation. AWARDS: Helen Hayes Best Actress Award, 9 HH nominations, RTCC Best Actress Award. EDUCATION: UMCP. Caroline Davenport (Sarah) is excited to join Signature in the Schools for her first year. COMMUNITY: Sweet Charity, A Chorus Line, Newsies, Peter Pan, Hairspray Jr, The Internet is Distract-Oh Look a Kitten!, The Tale of Two Ghostbusters, Star Force, Oz. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory, Stage One. Cole Edwards (Dad) is a new member of Signature in the Schools. SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS: The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia, The Addams Family, Peter and Wendy, That’s Not How I Remember It. FAUQUIER COMMUNITY THEATRE: Into the Woods, Rabbit Hole, Shrek: The Musical. Valeria N. Flores Siles (Mom) returns to Signature in the Schools for her third year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned, The Spoken Word. WAKEFIELD: El hombre que se convirtió en perro. EDUCATION: Hollywood Academy of Performing Arts (2016-2018 Bolivia). SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Eva Jaber (Janine) is with Signature in the Schools for her first year. NEXTSTOP/ESP: Matilda, Frozen Jr., Shrek the Musical, East of Eden, Once Upon A Mattress, The Wizard of Oz, Lion King Jr. DC AREA: Annie, Anne of Green Gables, A Christmas Carol, Oliver, The Wizard of Oz. CREATIVE WORK: Song Parodies for Healthy Habits (FCPS), Minute to Win It (Fit for Work). Mercedes Kim (Mara) returns to Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. ENCORE STAGE & STUDIO: Annie Jr., The Little Mermaid Jr., Bye Bye Birdie, Madeline’s Christmas, Pinocchio, Jingle Arrgh the Way, The Talented Clementine, Into the Woods. Jr. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Spring Break Workshop. Hannah Knittig (Edie) joins Signature in the Schools for her third year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned, The Spoken Word. YORKTOWN HS: A Zombie Extravaganza; Mamma Mia! ENCORE STAGE
AND STUDIO: Seussical, Lion King Jr., Madeline’s Christmas, A Little Princess, Mary Poppins, Snow White, Cinderella, Wax Museum, Alice In Wonderland. ST PETER’S YOUTH PROGRAM: Narnia, Joseph & The Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell. AWARDS: Encore Stage & Studio Star Award, 2019 ATMTC Summer Intensive Scholarship Recipient. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory, Stage One, Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Max Von Kolnitz (Morgan) joins Signature in the Schools for his first year. HAYFIELD SECONDARY: Jesus Christ Superstar, Noises Off, Newsies, American Idiot, Rock of Ages, Wedding Singer, RENT. THEATRE LAB: Twelfth Night. EDUCATION: Virginia Governors’ School for Acting, Metropolitan School of the Arts. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory. Joshua Lemons (James) is delighted to join Signature in the Schools for his first year. LOCAL: Merrily We Go Along, Newsies, Alix in Wonderland, Catch Me If You Can, Fiddler on the Roof. FILM: Happy Birthday Mrs. Rosa Parks. Anabelle Lombard (Maggie) joins Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. WAKEFIELD: Peter and the Starcatcher, Chicago, Lafayette No. 1, Our Place, She Kills Monsters. THOMAS JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL: Shrek Jr, The Outsiders. YOUNG ARTISTS OF AMERICA: 13! The Musical. EDUCATION: APS Arts Apprentice Program. Zach McKay (Alan) joins Signature in the Schools for his first year. STONE BRIDGE HS: Radium Girls. MIDDLE SCHOOL: Romeo and Juliet. Melena Orleans Meek (Mrs. Turner) is with Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. WAKEFIELD: The Sting, The Drowsy Chaperone, Peter and the Starcatcher, Chicago, She Kills Monsters. ENCORE: Seussical. EDUCATION: Levine School of Music, VCU Arts, Thespian Honors Society, Cappies. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory, SigWorks in the Schools, Directing 101 and Directing 202, Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Winston Mensah-Cooley (Walter) joins Signature
in the Schools for his second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. EXTRA CURRICULARS: Tutoring Program, College Bound, Y.E.S. Club. EDUCATION: Theatre Class. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Charlotte Mulligan (Jenny) joins Signature in the Schools for her first year. H.B. WOODLAWN: How to Eat Like a Child, Crystal Skies, Grease, Navigating the Fires, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Zach Patel (Jack) has joined Signature in the Schools for his first year. MIDDLE SCHOOL: Up the Down Staircase, The Little Mermaid Jr., The Mouse That Roared, Once Upon a Mattress Jr. HIGH SCHOOL: Peter and the Starcatcher, So You Wanna Be a Cheerleader, Chicago: High School Edition, Radium Girls, Conflict, Into the Woods: High School Edition, 21 Chump Street. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory. Kashvi Ramani (Kate) participates in Signature in the Schools for her first year. REGIONAL / FILM: Shakespeare Theatre Company Gala, Happy Birthday Mars, A Christmas Carol, No Strings Attached, Alex Inc., It’s What We Do, Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Leah Reaves (Dana) is with Signature in the Schools for her first year. REGIONAL: Annie, The Lion King Jr. Elf Jr. Guys and Dolls, Wizard of Oz, A Separate Peace, Frozen Jr. The Dance Company. Isabella Russo (Ila) has returned to Signature in the Schools for her second year. THE FREE THEATRE: Fame, In the Heights, Mamma Mia!. H-B WOODLAWN: Spring Awakening, Grease!, Sweeney Todd, The Wolves, Dear Harvey, Bars, Final Performance, Blood Wedding. THEATRE LAB: Alix in Wonderland, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. LEVINE SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Ragtime. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Musical Theatre Workshop, Stage One, Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice program. Cooper Sheehy (Terry) joins Signature in the Schools for his first year. COMMUNITY THEATRE: Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, The Addams
Cast Family, Newsies. SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS: The Neverending Story; Sweeney Todd; Mamma Mia!; The Visit; The Courageous Four; Down Came the Rain. EDUCATION: Broadway Artists Alliance, Colgan High School Center for Fine and Performing Arts. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Stage One. Rachel Sinniger (Yvonne) has joined Signature in the Schools for her first year. HAYFIELD SECONDARY: Rock of Ages, American Idiot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Newsies, Noises Off, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, RENT, Footloose, Les Misérables, Peter Pan & Wendy, School of Rock, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast. EDUCATION: Boston Conservatory MTDI, Berridge Programs. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory. Colton Thomas (Barry) returns to Signature in the Schools for his second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. Wichita Kansas Children’s Choir 2015 – 2016. SYNETIC THEATRE: Summer and Spring Break Programs 2016 – 2018. Elizabeth Vichness (Mrs. Wilmot) participates in Signature in the Schools for her first year this year. WT WOODSON HS: Pippin, Our Town, Salvation Road, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Letters to Sala, Legally Blonde. IMAGINATION STAGE: The Flight of the Lawnchair Man. VTA: Will & Whit. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Conservatory, Stage One, Directing 101 and Directing 202, Signature Musical Theatre Workshop. Colin Villacorte (Carlos) joins Signature in the Schools for his first year. COLGAN THEATRE: The Visit; Hairspray; The Imaginary Invalid; Trojan Women; Mamma Mia!; Based on a Totally True Story; Sweeney Todd; Failure: A Love Story Twisted Tales of Poe; Sure Thing; The Swimmer; The Final Rose; No More Mr. Nice Guy; From The Mouths of Babes. UPPER ROOM THEATRE: Beauty and the Beast; Robe of the Galilean; How to Succeed in Medicine Without Really Trying; Mary Poppins; Oh, What a Tangled Web; No One Is Alone. FAUQUIER COMMUNITY THEATRE: Shrek: The Musical. PIED PIPER THEATRE: Seussical, Jr.
Talia Williams (Tara) joins Signature in the Schools for her first year. OFF-BROADWAY: Waldy Street. COMMUNITY THEATRE: Wizard of Oz, Hairspray, Bye Bye Birdie, Beauty and the Beast. MIDDLE SCHOOL: Beauty and the Beast, Once Upon a Mattress, The Curious Savage. HIGH SCHOOL: 21 Chump Street, Hamlet on Spring Break, Into the Woods. FILM: Charm City Kings (HBO), For My Man, Daily Bread. VOICE-OVER: Medi Kidz, Connection Academy, Committee for Children, Chase Bank, NASA Stem Adventures Valvoline, VBS. Amber Workeman (Anna) returns to Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. KENMORE: The Nutcracker, The Pirates of Penzance, Locked in Dance, Twisted Dance, The Comedy of Errors, Peter Pan Jr, Once on this Island. WAKEFIELD: Peter and the Starcatcher, Chicago. EDUCATION: Wondergo Dance Classes with Nicole Pradas, Hip Hop Classes at Reno Dance Empire. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice.
Student Production Elliot Force (Script Supervisor) HAYFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL: Rent; Fahrenheit 451; The Wedding Singer; Rock of Ages; American Idiot; Picasso at the Lapin Agile; Newsies; Mamma Mia!; Jesus Christ Superstar; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; Noises Off. VHSL: Co-wrote and Co-directed the Hayfield Secondary School VHSL competition theater submission, Trojan Pony.
Mary Katherine Musick (Assistant Director) is excited to participate in Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned. HB WOODLAWN: The Wolves, Sweeney Todd, Library Pickup, Roadtrip, Painted Rain, Inline, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Odd Couple, BARS, God of Carnage, Dear Harvey, Mouths of Babes, One Acts Festival 2k19, Grease. SIGNATURE EDUCATION: Signature Spring Break Workshop.
Edward Gimlin (Costume Consultant) returns to Signature in the Schools for his third year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned, The Spoken Word. WASHINGTONLIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL: Bye Bye Birdie; JB; Almost, Maine; Inherit the Wind; Legally Blonde; Noises Off.
Brenden Patterson (Production Manager) returns to Signature in the Schools for his third year. SIGNATURE: UnResigned, The Spoken Word.
Sadie Wyman (Editing Assistant) joins Signature in the Schools for her second year. SIGNATURE: Hope Maobelem (Costume Consultant) joins UnResigned. OTHER: The Pirates of Penzance, Peter Signature in the Schools for her second year. Pan, The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Murder at SIGNATURE: UnResigned. EXTRACURRICULARS: the Calipso. Interact Club, Model UN, Girl Up.
Production Caleen Sinnette Jennings (Playwright) PLAYWRIGHT: Founding Member of The Welders. Works published or performed by Dramatic Publishing Company, 1st Stage, Everyman Theatre, Arena Stage: The 51st State. Round House Theatre: Homebound. Kennedy Center: Darius & Twig. Theatre J, Mosaic Theatre: Queens Girl Trilogy. AWARDS: Kennedy Center, The Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, A.U.’s Scholar / Teacher of the Year, A.U.’s Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. TEACHING: Professor of Theatre, Emerita at American University, Folder Shakespeare Library’s Teaching Shakespeare Institute. EDUCATION: Bennington College (BA), NYU Tisch School of the Arts (MFA) David Zobell (Director) DIRECTING: Signature in the Schools: UnResigned, The Spoken Word, 12 Million Footsteps, Smile Lines; 295N; Veni, Vidi, Vici; Anne and Emmett (co-production with Arlington Public Schools); Hero Worship; Revolution; UnAmerican (Signature in the Schools premiere); Shakespeare, Will (Assistant Director); Walter Cronkite is Dead. (premiere, Assistant Director). TEACHING: Signature Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Brigham Young University, The Rainbow Company (2010 Children’s Theatre Association of America Medallion Winner). Joan Cummins (Dramaturg, Historian) HISTORIAN: President Lincoln’s Cottage, American University. DRAMATURG: Signature: Signature in the Schools 2012-2021, Gypsy; Mosaic Theater: SHAME, The Promised Land; WSC Avant Bard: Emilie: The Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight; Pinky Swear Productions: Safe As Houses, The Last Burlesque; Young Playwright’s Theater: New Play Festival. DEVISING: The Arcanists: Tarot I-V; District Misfits: Converse(ations); dog & pony dc: Squares, TOAST, Museum Play; The Welders: Our National Museum of the Unforeseen Tragedy. James Gardiner (Editor) Deputy Director, Publicity and Creative Content at Signature Theatre. Previous clients have included: Euromotorcars, The American Chemistry Council, The Academy of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research, NAFSMA, TheaterWashington, Gigi on Broadway, GlowMedia, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Synetic Theatre Company.
Kenny Neal (Music Supervisor) SIGNATURE: Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes, Heisenberg, John, The Gulf. SIGNATURE IN THE SCHOOLS: Smile Lines, 295N, Aftershock, Anne & Emmett. DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: She a Gem, Digging Up Dessa; Olney Theatre Center: The Royale, Oil, Theater J: Becoming Dr. Ruth; Keegan Theatre: Airness; Constellation Theatre: The Master and Margarita; Studio Theatre: Straight White Men, Jumpers for Goalposts, Choir Boy; 1st Stage: The Royale, Airness, Columbinus, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Well, Floyd Collins, Old Wicked Songs, Bat Boy: The Musical; Prologue Theatre: Recent Tragic Events; NextStop Theatre: Eurydice; Taffety Punk: Pramkicker, Mom Baby God; Pinky Swear: Lizzie! The Musical. AWARDS: 2019 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Sound Design for The Royale, 7-time Helen Hayes Awards nominee. Alison Samantha Johnson (Costume Supervisor) SIGNATURE THEATRE: Escaped Alone, Heisenberg, Assassins (wigs). SIGNATURE IN THE SCHOOLS: UnResigned, The Spoken Word; 12 Million Footsteps; Smile Lines; 295N; Veni, Vidi, Vici; Hero Worship, Anne & Emmett (co-production with Arlington Public Schools). KEEGAN THEATRE: Boy, Ripcord, Bridges of Madison County, Legally Blonde, Hands on a Hardbody, Chicago, The Baltimore Waltz, Top Girls, Next to Normal. SYNETIC: Cyrano De Bergerac, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Mark of Cain. FACTORY 449: Agnes of God. ARTSCENTRIC: Little Shop of Horrors. AVANT BARD: Ana and the Engine & A Misanthrope. PROLOGUE: Recent Tragic Events. ANACOSTIA PLAYHOUSE: Black Nativity, Nite at the Dew Drop In. CREATIVE CAULDRON: On Air, Witch, Monsters of the Villa Diodati, Kaleidoscope. NEXTSTOP: 45 Plays for 45 Presidents. EDUCATION: BFA in Costume Design from University of the Arts. IG & Twitter: @alisonsamantha. www.alisonsamantha.com. Natalie Ridgley (Editor) Marketing Associate at Signature Theatre. A Maryland-based Marketing/ Social Media Consultant and Video Editor. SIGNATURE: The Signature Show, The Story of Walter. EDUCATION: BS in Electronic Media and Film from Towson University. Kimberly J. Scott (Assistant Production Manager) LIGHTING DESIGN: SHN Productions, American Repertory Theater, American Conservatory Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Florida Grand Opera,
Portland Opera, Portland Center Stage, Oregon Children’s Theatre. PROFESSIONAL: Former Resident Lighting Design Associate for the American Conservatory Theater, Chair of the Visual Arts & Stage Design at Oakland School for the Arts, Former Lighting Designer for ACT Young Conservatory New Plays Program. TEACHING: Coast Guard College at Sea. Matthew Taylor Strote (Assistant Director/ Dramaturg) DIRECTING: Signature (Assistant Director): UnResigned, The Spoken Word; 12 Million Footsteps; Smile Lines; 295N; Anne and Emmett
(co-production with Arlington Public Schools); Veni, Vidi, Vici; Hero Worship. ArtStream: Crimes of Fashion, Macshh. University of Maryland: Mr. Marmalade. TEACHING: Signature Theatre, Washington Improv Theatre, ArtStream, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, University of Maryland. DRAMATURGY: Signature: UnResigned; The Spoken Word; 12 Million Footsteps; Smile Lines; 295N; Veni, Vidi, Vici; Anne and Emmett; The Threepenny Opera; Cloak and Dagger; Elmer Gantry; Cabaret; West Side Story; Titanic; Jesus Christ Superstar; Kennedy Center: Gigi. Signature’s Education Program Manager. EDUCATION: University of Maryland, College Park.
Special Thanks A special thank you to Arlington Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, Culpeper County Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudon County Public Schools and Bishop Ireton High School for their support and participation in this year’s production. Thank you to the Signature Staff and to our funders who make the Signature in the Schools program possible. If you would like to make a gift to support Signature in the Schools, please contact Deputy Director of Development Erin Harms at 571 527 1827 or harmse@sigtheatre.org.
About Signature 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. Under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland, musical theater has become 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” 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 60 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 Music 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 111 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 452 nominations. This production, like all Signature in the Schools productions, is dedicated to the memory of Marcia Gardner.
THANK YOU Signature in the Schools is presented by Bonnie Feld and Amazon Additional support is provided by The Benton-Briggs Fund of the Arlington Community Foundation, Mike Blank, Dominion Energy, Mary Ann Gilleece, Frank Guzzetta & Paul Manville, Andrew A. Isen, Louis Mazawey, PayPal Gives, David S. Shrager Foundation, Venable Foundation, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Washington Forrest Foundation.
The Signature in the Schools original screenplay is sponsored by Dan & Gloria Logan
We are grateful to the following donors for their generous support of our many education programs, including Signature in the Schools. $50,000 and above Amazon The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Bonnie Feld
Michelle S. Lee of STG International Dan and Gloria Logan Share Fund Virginia Commission for the Arts
$15,000 - $49,999 Clark-Winchcole Foundation $10,000 - $14,999 The Theodore H. Barth Foundation Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Bradley Frey and the J. Watkins Fund for Arts and Education Mary Ann Gilleece
Frank Guzzetta and Paul Manville Louis Mazawey David S. Shrager Foundation Venable Foundation Washington Forrest Foundation
$5,000 - $9,999 Dimick Foundation Andrew A. Isen Mars Foundation
PayPal Gives David S. Shrager Foundation
$1,000 - $4,999 The Benton-Briggs Fund of the Arlington Community Foundation Mike Blank Tim Carlton Lorraine S. Dreyfuss Theatre Education Fund Frank Guzzetta and Paul Manville
Robert E. Hebda M. Eileen Kenna Robert L. Kimmins Steve Kruse Linda Smith Transunion Walton Family Foundation
Up to $1,000 John Andelin and Virginia Geoffrey The Casey Family Shirley and John Gunning Edward and Adrian Hilz Toby Port and Jeff Ahl
Virginia Joslyn and Tony Root Judy Thibault Klevins Richard and Rochelle Schwab Martha Trunk
If you would like to make a donation, please contact the Development Office at 571 527 1828 or development@sigtheatre.org.
as of 2/10/21
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